A visit to Sumner’s headquarters.–Diary of Josiah Marshall Favill.

May 3d. Weather fine and warm again. The colonel and I rode over to Sumner’s headquarters and had a chat with Captain Taylor, the assistant adjutant-general. He is a very pleasant fellow, a swell, a nephew of ex-President Taylor. He told us he thought the bombardment would open the day after to-morrow all along the line, and that the water battery which opened on the first had done much injury to the docks and town and was a great success. He told us also of the landing below Gloucester, on the opposite side of the river, of Franklin’s division. It seems they have been on board transports since the 20th of April and only landed yesterday. The delay, he says, was due to lack of facilities for landing, the engineer corps having more than they can possibly attend to, but there must be some mistake about this, as we landed without engineers, and amongst these regiments there are scores of men familiar with every phase of engineering, and wood choppers, boatmen, and carpenters can be had by simply asking for them in any number. A little less style and more business would be very useful just now to the country. The landing of this division ought to insure the capture of the works on that shore and help our gunboats and vessels immensely. Enjoyed the visit and also the ride home. In the evening sat outside out tents watching the flashes from the enemy’s guns, which were unusually active. To bed late, but not to sleep much, on account of the heavy firing.