War Diary and Letters of Stephen Minot Weld.

April 17. — General sent me down early in the morning to Hope Landing with an order to Mr. Waterman to send up the train immediately, and also ordered me to direct the train. I reached Hope Landing at about o’clock and started the train by 12. Such a miserable, green, balky, God-forsaken set of horses I never saw before in my life. All the 23 teams utterly refused to draw except one, which went ahead very well. To make matters worse, there was a corduroy road leading up a very steep hill which we had to go over in the first part of our journey. After getting all the teams up the hill, I rode on to Stafford Court House to see Colonel Asmussen, General Howard’s chief of staff. I got a detail of 100 men from him and went back to the wagons with them. On my way to Colonel A.’s I stumbled on General Slocum’s headquarters, and found Charles Horton, Morse, and Motley. I got my wagons as far as Stafford Court House by 8 P.M., having gone some three miles in 8 hours. Colonel Asmussen gave me a bed, a stable for my horse, etc., and treated me very kindly indeed. In the evening I had a guard placed over my wagons, having first telegraphed for permission to park at Stafford Court House for the night, which was granted. I went to General Slocum’s in the evening and passed a pleasant hour with Morse, Horton, and Motley. Day pleasant. Cloudy part of time.