1862 August 1 camp near Warrenton, Va.

[from the diary of Private Ephraim A. Wood, Co. C., 13th Massachusetts]


 
          Friday    August 1st/62
Pleasant
               This morning Revelle beat
at half past four Oclock.
At six Oclock we were in line
to be review by Gen Pope, who
got along about half past
seven Oclock.  He looks very much
like Gen Hartsuff, but no so heavy
a man.  His Photograph in Frank
Leslies, looks very much like him.
After the great American Pope had gone,
we went to our quarters.  After nine
Oclock, I went to the creek and
had a bath, and got some apples
which I stewed for dinner.
After dinner I layed down and
slept till nearly supper time.
Had dress Parade in evening and
a short drill.  The late orders
are that every light shall be put out
at taps, and they are strictly enforced.

MSS 12021

1862 August 1 “Clifton,” Fauquier County, Va.

[from the diary of Anne Madison Willis Ambler ]

Friday, August 1, 18662

Mr. Pendleton brought Pa another
letter from Nat telling of Newtons death
& your sickness= Oh, if I could only hear
that you are well once more:–

I get along better without a nurse
than you might expect at first Jacky
was very bad, but he knows them all now
& crawls about very quickly–poor little
fellow.   I never look at him without
wishing, you could see him.

Pa is gloomy enough–he still thinks
we will be whipped all to pieces, after a
while–that our enemies are too strong
for us to contend against.

[partial transcription in 1972 by her granddaughter Anne Madison Wright Baylor]

MSS 15406

1862 August 1 Fredericksburg, Va.

[from the diary of Dr.. Brodie Strachan Herndon]

August 1st  Our sweet Nannie
Gordon took her departure this
morning at half past six.  Bro
John seems relieved and is composed
and very much sustained. Ellen
Mercer gives way somewhat–but on
the whole bears up well.  She
looks so sweet as she lies on
a couch in the parlour–no
trace of suffering on her sweet
countenance.  It is a relief to
look upon it. so devoid of all
appearance of suffering.  The
dear Saviour has received her into
His arms. Perfect quiet prevails
in the house.  everything is so well
ordered.  Little Maggie looks
at her and weeps and said-
of herself–“I shall meet her at
the resurrection.”

MSS 2563-b

1862 August 1 Chapel Hill, N.C.

[from the diary of Eliza Oswald Hill, refugee from Wilmington, N.C.]

Friday 1st  Eliza is better today–Tho’ still very unwell–It has ceased
raining–But still very cloudy–Liz has just heard from her mother who
mentions the return of Noah to Enfield–He has Camp fever, & has been
sick three weeks–He says Tom took him to Richmond, & sent him
home to get better nursed–He says Tom tells him he is well–But he does
not think Tom looks so–& that he cant stand the kind of life he leads
it will kill him–Oh how I do wish the War was over – & my children
at home!  Poor fellows they have to endure untold hardships—-
William looks & feels better this morning–He is full of fun & very
sweet & interesting–Mrs Watters received a letter from Mary Anderson
to day–Mrs Harris has a daughter-who they have named Mary–She is doing
well–Col Martin came in at night to see Eliza & staid til after eleven

MSS 6960

1862 August 1 Lynchburg, Va.


[from the diary of William M. Blackford, bank officer and former diplomat with five sons in the Confederate Army]

Friday Aug 1  Beautiful morning.  Telegram
from Dr. Minor saying that Eugene
was doing well last but still fever
ishRecd note from Robt. Saunders
asking me to send Eugene’s Horse
to him to keep until he was wanted
-The remains of Lawrence Meem
and six others, killed at Seven Pines
arrived to day–Busy in the Evg
making arrangements for the funeral
tomorrow.  Succeeded in frustrating
schemes which would have spoiled
the whole affair.  It was agreed
to have [just?] one procession.  the Bodies
were deposited at in the vestibule of the
2d Presbyterian church.  They were as
follows  Meem–Terry, Tyree[?] –Reid
Cross, Elliott–The body of Russell
was taken into the country–all of them
belonged to the Home Guard, except
Meem who was one of the staff, but had
been orderly & Lt. of the same company
It has lost in battle 12 or 13–besides
near 40 wounded.  When it was
raised it bore the reproach of being
a Band Box company–not fit for
service–Letters from Lanty & Charles

MSS 4763

1862 August 1 Staunton, Va.

[from the diary of Joseph Addison Waddell, civilian employee of the Quartermaster Dept.]
August 1862
Friday evening, August 1, 1862.
This morning I heard from my office a sound
of lamentation in the street or neighboring home. 
Going out I found the noise proceeded from an 
upper room in the Court-house. A negro woman 
informed me that it was a soldier crying because 
he had to go to war! He is from the lower part 
of the county, and was brought up under the con-
script act passed by Congress. Poor fellow! there 
was something ludicrous in his wailings, although I 
pitied him. Several men and women stood in the 
street. Some laughing and others denouncing.
The Central Presbyterian, received this evening, takes 
that same view of Dr. Plumer’s card that I did yesterday. 
[transcript by the Valley of the Shadow project]
MSS 38-258

1862 July 31 Andover, Mass.

                  Andover  July 31 1862

My Dear Friend [Duchess of Argyll]

         Your lovely generous
letter was a real comfort to
me–& reminded me that a
year–alas a whole year
has passed since I wrote to
your dear mother–of whom
I think so often as one of
God’s noblest creatures–&  one
whom it comforts me to think
is still in our world–
So many! good & noble have
passed away whose friendship
was such a pride such
a comfort to me–Your noble
father–Lady Byron–Mrs
Browning–their spirits as
perfected as ever passed to the
world of light–I grieve about
your dear mothers eyes–I
have thought about you all

[page 2]
many a sad long quiet hour
as I have lain on my bed
& looked at the pictures on
my wall–one in particular
of the moment before the
crucifixion which is the
first thing I look at when
I wake in the morning–
–I think how suffering is
& must be the portion of
noble spirits–& no lot so
brilliant that must not
first or last dip into the
shadow of that eclipse–
Prince Albert too–the ideal
knight–the Prince Arthur
of our times–the good wise
steady head & heart we
that is our world–we
anglo Saxons need so much
and the Queen!–yes I have

[page 3]
thought of & prayed for her
too—–but could a woman
hope to have always such
a heart–& yet ever has
weaned from Earth–“All
this & heaven too?–“
Under my pictures I have
inscribed
Forasmuch as Christ also
hath suffered for us in the
flesh; arm yourselves with
the same mind–
this year has been one long
sigh–one smothering sob
to me–& I thank God that
we have as yet one or
two generous friends in England
who understand & feel for
our cause–
The utter failure of Christian
antislavery England in those
instincts of a right heart
which always can see where
the cause of liberty lies
has been a bitter a grief

[page 4]
to me as was the similar
prostration of all our American religious
people in the day of the
fugitive slave law—-
Exeter Hall is a humbug–
a pious humbug like the rest
–Lord Shaftesbury–vale
let him go–he is a tory–
& has after all the instincts
of his class–But I read the your
dukes speech to his tenants!  that
was grand!
If he can see those things
they are to be seen & why
cannot E  H  see them–
–it is simply the want of
the honest heart
–Why do the horrible barbarities
of southern soldiers not cause no
comment?–why is the sympathy
of the British parliament
reserved for the poor women

[page 5]

of New Orleans deprived of their
elegant amusements of throwing
vitriol into soldiers faces
& practising other indecencies
inconceivable in any other
state of society–Why is
all expression of sympathy
on the southern side–
There is a class of women in
New Orleans whom Butler protects
from horrible barbarities that
up to this day have been
practised on them by these
so called New Orleans ladies
but British sympathy has
ceased to notice them—-
–You see I am bitter–
I am–You wonder at
my brother–He is a man
& feels a thousand times more
that I can & deeper than
all he ever has expressed
the spirit of these things

[page 6]
You must not wonder therefore
–Remember it is the
moment when every nerve
is vital–it is our agony
–we tread the wine press alone
& they whose chief rhetoric
has been for years pushing
us into it now desert
“en masse”–
I thank my God, I always
loved & trusted most those who
now do stand true–your
family–your duke yourself
your noble mother–I have
lost Lady Byron–Her great
heart her eloquent letters
would have been such a
joy to me–& Mrs Browning
–oh such a heroic woman

[page 7]
–None of her poems can
express what she was–so
grand so comprehending so
strong with such inspired
insight–She stood by Italy
thru its crisis–her heart was
with all good thro the world
–Your prophecy that we should
come out better, truer, stronger
–will I am confident be
true & it was worthy of yourself
& your good lineage–  —
—Slavery will be rent out
by this agony–we are only
in the throes & ravings of
the exorcism–The roots
of the cancer have gone
every where–but they
must die—  will —
Already the confiscation

[page 8]
bill is its eventual destruction
Lincon has been too slow
–he should have done it
sooner & with an impulse
but come it must come
it will–your mother will
live to see slavery abolished
unless England forms an
alliance to hold it   up–
England is the great reliance
of the slave powers to day
& next to England the faulting
weakness of the north
which palters & dare
not fire the great broadside
for fear of hitting friends
–These things must be
done & sudden sharp [?]

[in right hand margin of page 8]
are mercy–Just now we are in a dark hour

[page 9]
but whether God be with us or
not I know he is with the
slave–& with his redemption
will come the solution of our
question–
I have long known what & who
we had to deal with in this war
When I wrote U.T.C.—I had letters
addressed to me showing a state
of society perfectly inconceivable
That they violate graves–make
drinking cups of sculls–That
ladies wear cameos cut from
bones– & [?] scalps is no
surprise to me–If I had written
what I knew of the obscenity
brutality & cruelty of that society
down there society would have
cast out the books– it
is for their interest–the
interest of the white man
in the south that we should
succeed–I wish them no ill
feel no bitterness they have
had a Dahomean Education

[page 10]
which makes them savage
we dont expect any more
of them–but if slavery is
destroyed—one generation of
education & liberty will
efface these strains–They
will come to themselves–
these states & be glad it
is over–
I am using up my paper
to little purpose–Please give
my best love to your dear
mother  I am going to write
to her–If I only could have
written the things I have
often thought  I am going
to put on her bracelet with
the other dates that the abolition
of slavery in the D.Columbia.
Remember me to the duke
& to your dear children–My
husband desires his best regards
My daughters also

[in side margin of page 10]

I am lovingly ever yours  H B Stowe

Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1811-1896, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, to which she refers on page 9


MSS 6318
               

1862 July 31 near New Bern, N.C.

[from the diary of Jesse Calvin Spaulding, Co. F, 25th Massachusetts]

Thursday
July 31
Had a good talk with Harvey
Clark this evening on the parade
ground.  Have been at work cleaning up
most of the day getting ready for monthly
inspection but it rains so we put it off.

MSS 11293

1862 July 31 Camp Green Meadows

[letter of James Dinsmore Templeton, musician and private, of the 23rd Ohio begun on July 30 continues]
July 31st
We have had several pleasant
dinner parties out among
the citizens since we came
to this camp last Sabbath
we were out to dinner the
people cant get into camp
and are very anxious to
hear the band they get up
dinners & we go out –last

[page 6]
Sabbath we were
out with several of
the officers the Col was
with us.  We had a
very nice dinner.
It rains this morning
and as we have no duty
I will write some letters
I rec’d a letter last night
from Jennie Langan. She
write me a good
letter.  From present
appearances the war will
I think probably last some
time yet, and I guess if
money matters all in
good condition you had better
go on ad build the House
Don’t you get more than 50 lbs
for the wood I hear that several of
the people around there rec’d more
Write soon
Yours Truly J.D. Templeton

MSS 10317