March 6th.—A bright frosty morning. This day I am fifty-five years of age.
It is now reported that Gen. Early made his escape, and that most of his men have straggled into this city.
One body of Sheridan’s men are said to have been at Gordonsville yesterday, coming hitherward, while another were near Scottsville, aiming for the South Side Railroad.
The Adjutant-General, having granted furloughs to the returned prisoners two days ago, to-day revokes them. Will such vacillating policy conciliate the troops, and incite them to heroic deeds?
The President and his wife were at church yesterday; so they have not left the city; but Gen. Lee’s family, it is rumored, are packing up to leave.
I bought a quarter of a cord of oak wood this morning to mix with the green pine, and paid $55 for it.
Gen. Early’s cavalry, being mostly men of property, were two-thirds of them on furlough or detail, when the enemy advanced on Charlottesville; and the infantry, being poor, with no means either to bribe the authorities, to fee members of Congress, or to aid their suffering families, declined to fight in defense of the property of their rich and absent neighbors! We lost four guns beyond Charlottesville, and our forces were completely routed.
There are rumors to-day that a column of the enemy’s cavalry has reached Hanover County. Gen. R. E. Lee has ordered Major-Gen. Fitz Lee’s cavalry to march against them.
Twelve M. They are bringing boxes to the War Office, to pack up the archives. This certainly indicates a sudden removal in an emergency. It is not understood whether they go to Danville or to Lynchburg; that may depend upon Grant’s movements. It may, however, be Lee’s purpose to attack Grant; meantime preparing to fall back in the event of losing the day.
Four days hence we have a day of fasting, etc., appointed by the President; and I understand there are but three day’s rations for the army—a nice calculation.
Gen. Johnston telegraphs the Secretary that his army must suffer, if not allowed to get commissary stores in the North Carolina depots. The Secretary replies that of course his army must be fed, but hopes he can buy enough, etc., leaving the stores already collected for Lee’s army, which is in great straits.
