ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILROAD CO.

AGENT’S OFFICE

  Cairo,     July 13______186 2

Col Hillyer
                I have received some in
formation on the boat that I think
is worth attention.

1t James Patterson a stout thick set
man Has been a Steam Boat Runner
in St Louis & in Memphis.  He has been
with Jeff Thompson all the time from
the beginning of the war and told a
friend he was going again

2d Major John McDonald formerly of
the 8th Mo now of the detective force
was not loyal before the war and was
a steam boat runner in st Louis. has
a saloon in the alley in the rear of
the Washenon House. The building belongs
to sesech heirs and he got the right
to possess the building from Provost Martial
free of rent & authority from Genl Lew Wallace
to keep a bar.  He forced the former occupant
to sell out to him everything for $5000 and
has rented rooms off from his place
receiving $75 per month and
paying nothing

[page 2]
These facts come to me
from undoubted authority

Yours &c

E.D. Ostand Capt.

docketed:

Cairo July 13, 1862
E.D. Ostand
Relative to certain
traitors in Union
ranks

MSS 10645

[from the diary of Charles Hay, Co. H, 23rd Ohio]  
                                                                              
                             Camp Jones, Flat Top, July 13 [?] th.
     The scarcity of water in this vicinity and
how to replenish our stock of the same, have
been subjects of some concern for some time.
It was decided to remove to some point
where water was better and more abundant,
and, after searching, it was settled that we
encamp some two miles east of Jumping
Branch, and 15 miles from here, where
the supply of the best of water was greater
than the demand.  The Reg’t. marched there
today, but, owing to a lack of transporta=
=tion, the Hospital Dep’t remains here until   
teams can return for our removal.

MSS 13925

[from the diary of James Dinsmore Templeton, musician and private in the 23rd Ohio]

Sunday, July 13, 1862

Reville beat at
4 oclock got up did
not feel very well
Struck Tents and left
soon after 5 oclock
Oweing to tardiness
did not get our chest
carried.  Marched down
the mountain marched
about 14 miles to
2 miles east of
Jumping Branch
found there Gillmores
Cavalry Howitzers &
2 companies of the 30th
Our tents came this
evening  pitched
them
Mostly clear but Hazy
Played frequently
on the road.

MSS 10317

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

 Sunday   July 13th/62
Pleasant all day
                  Inspection at eight
Oclock, after which Mitchell and
myself went to the brook, and
had a bath.  I washed my
Shirt and pants.  After the
pants got dry enough to put
on, we went to Mrs Edmunds.
There was so many soldiers there,
that we did not stop but a
few minutes.  After eating all
the Cherries and blackberries we
wanted, we returned to Camp.
Lieutenant Colonel Batchelder is here to
day.  He is detached from the
Regt, has and is provost Marshall
in Banks Corps.  Banks is a few
miles from here on the road to
Ganesville.  Services at half past six
after which we had a short drill

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 12021

Camp Near Harrison’s Landing Va July 13th 1862

Brother William–your letter of July 13th has been received you
wish to know if any siege guns were lost only one small one it was not
captured by the enemy but the gun was rendered useless by the breaking
of one of the wheels & could not be drawn off the Field Our Regiment lost but
one Office[r] at the Battle of Gaines mills Capt Patridge of Co. J. at the
Battle of Gaines Mills we lost one hundred & ten men Killed & wounded
at Malvern Hills we were on the extreme left but took no part in the
engagement, although we whipped the enemy in every battle we have
been defended, we have not accomplished what this Army intended
to accomplish & what it could & ought to have accomplished it is of no use
to argue the question Facts Facts are the things Genl McClellan when
Yorktown was evacuated had An Army large enough & willing enough
to walk into Richmond & I expect the Army could have captured
Richmond Genl McClellans Plea proberly was to take Yorktown and
Richmond without loss of many lives what is the result of this long delay
this waiting untill this place without loss of life, the result is this one halfe

of the Army has been used up by sickness killed in battle & taken prisoners
& nothing has been accomplished with every facility for coming out of this
Campagne successfully & with an Army & an amount of Money such as no
other Genl on this continent ever had Genl McClellan has failed to accomplish
what this Army could have accomplished, I dont say I could do better, but
we have been digging & building earthworks & bridges, new roads have been
built through every mile of the rout we have travelled since leaving Fortress
 Munroe & now all this work has been done for nothing, you will say it was A
Military necessity, well all I have to say is, it ought not to have been so
you may ask could it have been prevented, it could have been prevented two
months ago, Genl McClellan with the Army he had not business to have been
more that ten weeks at the Farthest in entering Richmond, you may think I
am talking wild it may be so. I am not the only one in the Army that
thinks as I do, in my next I will argue the case with you; my Health is
very good all I want is something good to eat, everything we get is tasteless
I have sent Home for A Box now: if you are disposed to put in anything
that you think will taste good do so, whatever you have to send Lizzy
will put in the box give my respects to Mrs Leavitt From
Your Brother   George

Letters of George Leavitt of the 5th New York and his brother George of the 5th Maine
were copied into a ledger by their father in the fall of 1865 as a remembrance of them.  Both boys were mortally wounded in the war, George at 2nd Bull Run and Joseph at Spotsylvania.


MSS 66

[from the diary of Samuel Johnson, 1st Massachusetts Independent Light Battery]

    July 13^th

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

Suday 13th  We have all been to Church.  Mr Hilliard gave us a very
good sermon but I felt disappointed at not hearing Mr Skinner who
arrived yesterday–The Church was fuller than usual.  The weather be-
ing good–One letter to day–That from Sarah–She has concluded to come to
the Hotel to board-& we look for her next week–

MSS 6960

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

Sunday 13  Took an anodyne last night
which as usual produced watch
-fulness – felt very disagreeable–Went
to the P.O. at 8 am. and on my re-
turn stopped at the hospital
while there talking with Dr
Mercer began to feel sick& dizzy
and was prevented from fainting
with great difficulty–lost my [?]
[?] almost [?] –but by
resolute will recovered.  I was much
alarmed–Laid on the bed most
of the day.  Charles & Fannie
came over to stay all night.

MSS  4763

[from the diary of Anne Madison Willis Ambler]

Sunday July14, 1862
A very warm day-we all went to church-
 sis B & I on horseback, -Fanny & Mary walked,–
Mother’s foot is not well yet, so she staid with
the children,-  Mr Duncan preached an
excellent sermon–Text–
[space left to insert chapter and verse on which sermon based, but was not filled in]

Nursed the children,-read later in
the evening- & talked about many things
which had better not be talked of on Sunday-
 “Keep Holy the Sabbath Day,” I always feel
that I break this commandment.  -It is very
hard to restrain your thoughts when you are in
company with those who spend Sunday as
we might spend any other day,–only
they do not sew,  [or “sin”  word is unclear]

Cousin Jaquelin brought us some shoes from
Orleans,-I took two pair,–one at 3.50–
 the other 2.75

[transcript from 1972 by her granddaughter Anne Madison Wright Baylor]

MSS 15406

Camp in the Field near Harrisons Landing Va July 14th 1862
Dear Father—-I now take this Opportunity to write these few lines
knowing how anxious you are to hear form me as I suppose that you have heard of
the change in Position that General McClellan has made from the Chickahominy
to this river which was made in seven days by fighting all of these days & nights
& as this Division was a rear Guard you can Judge the Position that this Division
was in I can tell you I was about played out by the time I arrived to this place
but after A weeks rest I have improved & now feel Just as well as ever & I have Just
as much confidence in Genl. McLellan [sic] as ever so it is the way with the rest of the
Boys & there is one thing more & that is this McClellan is bound to go to Richmond &
he has got the Boys that will follow him Just where he leads Mc is loved by the whole
of his Troops I only wish that them that talk so much about him had to come out
here & fight the battles, I do not like to go into A battle Field but Just as soon as I am
called upon I am willing to do my duty when I am able & when I am not they cannot
expect me to but every one that this regiment has been in I have been  so that
I have been will & been in every one of them & never shrinked from doing it when
called upon when you first enter the Field you will be all of A tremble but after
you have been in five minutes Just long enough to get worked up all of these
fears all go off & you do not care about going away I do not say this in A Bragging
way because I know that I had experience most for A year past this regiment
in in A bad predicament Just now being without A Colonel or Lieutenant Col
or Major but there is one thing about it & it is this we have got A good name from
our Division & Brigadier Generals & what move do we want our Flagg received
three bullets through it & as we were on the rear guard McCellan spoke to the
Senior Officer of this Regiment & asked him what Regiment it was & Captain
Edwards the officers name told him that it was the fifth of Maine Genl Mac
said bully for the Fifth & said that he had hearn[?] of their noble conduct of the
Regiment & he thought A good deal of it & all others that acted Nobly  on the
Field & that he should give all of them their due this Regiment is not the Reg
iment it was when it left Portland A year ago when it could muster one thousa
nd & Forty men for duty strong but now cannot raise three hundred for duty
the others being killed wounded & taken Prisoners in the Battles that they went
into & there is others that have been discharged for sickness in this last Fight the
Regiment lost about sixty killed wounded & taken Prisoners but there is one
great loss to the Regiment & that is our Lieutenant-Colonel whose name was
Heath he was A good Military man and had courage & so it was the case
with the Colonel who was wounded & the Ajutant behaved nobly on the
Field & I must say it was so with all of the line Officers I am not ashamed
of the Fifth Maine our Chaplain who has preached to the Regiment
Sundays has gone home on A Furlough there is one Regiment that I must
mention & that is the seventh Virginia who is in General Shields Division
who came here the other day they are Advance sett of Fellows the other day
they was out on Picket & got in A skirmish with A Virginia Regiment on the
other side & they drove them about A Mile you see that it would not do for
them to be taken by the Rebels because they would not show any mercy to
them I must close this letter by saying that I have not recievd  any from you
since I received yours of the twenty fifth & do not know what to make of it
because you must have received the one that I wrote to you after I got here
because Just after I arrived the first thing that I did after pitching my
tent was to go Y write to you & I have not received answer yet there is one
thing more that I will write & that is I know you will like to read &
that is this you have spoken to me about intoxicating Drinks & I have
never said anything about it & that is this the Regiment draws Whiskey
after being on fatigue duty such as building Forts & now I am comeing
to the best of it as I know you will say & be pleased & that is this I do not draw
nor drink any now as I told you I would not I shall keep y promise I have
felt Just as well without it as I know I would with it I am well & enjoying
good health give my love to all & tell Henry that I answered his letter the
same time that I did yours of the twenty fifth, Tell Lizzie that I see George
about every other day as his company is not farther than A quarter of A mile
from here, he got two slight wounds but is now as well as ever From you
Affectionate Son Joseph Leavitt

Letters of Joseph Leavitt of the 5th Maine and George Leavitt of the 5th New York were copied in a ledger in the fall of 1865 by their father as a remembrance of them.  Both boys were mortally wounded in the  war, George at 2nd Bull Run and Joseph at Spotsylvania.


MSS 66