[from the diary of the Rev. Francis E. Butler, chaplain of the 25th New Jersey]
Fri Dec. 11. passed a quiet night, no inhabitants
visible, a hungry terrier is in our house, saw
rebel prisoner. We lost 4.(5) men fr. Co. F. pickets –
Lt. Beck Co. A skedaddled it is sd. night before
bombardment. I saw our armorer with his sword
picked up in woods near our camp – I record
With devout gratitude the safety of the regt. & myself –
thus far. “In every thing – with prayer” &c – is a text that
has sustained me. I read & prayed with the
Officers in our house last eveg. remembering the
poor family whose peaceful home is thus invaded.
Adjt. Force has just brot. in abt. $10. worth tobacco
picked up out of river. Our troops been very much
in want of it heretofore. Now abundant.
Walked out, troops are plundering houses, several
houses near us, in flames, no effort to extinguish
them. Men are cooking fresh meat & chickens.
talked with a rebel wounded soldier of Missp. –
lying on sofa in Taliaferro Hunters house, Picked up
a shell not exploded & put it away in garden
under bushes a hollow poplar is on flames fire
& sends out a Column of dense brown smoke
like a chimney, very strikg, Conversed with a citizen who
had staid in his cellar & escaped unhurt, tho. the gable
end of his house was blown out by a shell. Men are
regaling themselves on best the City affords, lying
on mattresses on side walk reading London quarterly
re. Capt. Stevens walks down steps with a parasol
& spectacles minus glasses – But alas if rebel
batteries open how changed the scene, strange
they do not – saw a colored print of Richmond
on a gate or fence – boys sd. they had taken Richmond.
F. is fine old fashioned city about 5000 inhabi-
tants. The house we stay in is a northern womans
school teacher – I just put out a Ger. soldier who
was climbing into side window for plunder.
A soldier is now cookg. a short – cake.
Order is to fall in & stand by Arms ready to take
them at moments notice. Now 9. A M fine
winter morng. & all quiet. But doubtless a
bloody day is before is before us. May God keep
& shield us & give us the victory. We march in abt.
quarter of an hour. Tis sd. women & children are
off abt. 3 miles in woods, but a citizen told
me they were ordered to leave the City two weeks
ago. Saw a poor woman wandering about
“Had broken open her trunk & stole all she had”!
Another man was searchg. sts. for his little girl
9 yrs. old wandered away. The batteries
opened abt. 9. A. M. & skirmishers are at work
in front, but troops still rest. Ate short
cake pork & coffee – quiet now. Men sitting
in rocking chairs around St. fires. they have
acquired immense quantities of tobacco. Our
horses stand saddled at door & have all
night. Col. dozing in rockg. chair & Dr. Bateman
examining merits of a [word lined out] nutmeg grater
& all waiting the great conflict. Here comes Major
Brown asking for fire. Now past 11. reports vary
some say whole rebel force under Lee – Jackson &
250,000 strong are before us, others say, not
2000 within five miles of us, batteries quiet
at this moment. Makg. a fire saying “The old
fellow” ( a maiden lady , by the way) “was very thought-
ful to go away & leave us so much wood
cut up” – Houses still burning –
Almost one P.M. – rice boiling for dinner.
I am reading Pres. message – Officers dozing in
dift. rooms, men asleep on street.
In comes Jacob with a young pig, Simon enters
to sharpen knife on chimney. “I expect you’ll
all be a set of theirs when you get home”. I said
“We must live you know”, says Simon. Doctor R asleep
on two chairs – “Doctor we are going to butcher
won’t you lend us a hand?” It is really
an advantage that we occupy this house –
for we only use their food & utensils instead
of plundering the place – we burn their wood
instead of the house, & our presence is really
a guard against depredations of some of the
troops. Retired to small room & had a sweet
season in earnest prayer. May God restore peace
to this distracted land. War is dreadful.
May our unhappy Southern brethren see &
renounce their foolish course & we once more
be one. Geo. has just picked up a vol.
of [name not clear] mag. in St. It will be safer here than
in its own house. Some of the troops are
plundering the City, fine houses are rifled
& furniture wantonly destroyed. Food &
forage & shelter I think they are entitled
to. Saw in one house, a soldier playing piano
& another sitting by him on sofa with his
musket. A third leaning over readg. a spelling
book – a fourth in corner appropriating to his
benefit an old print. Two others in kitchen
bakg. short cake – floor matted down with
hen feathers & mud. The effect of shot & shell
is curious. Some houses riddled completely.
Shot & Shell lying about roofs & ground ploughed
up by them. 3 [P.M.] No movement yet.
[For next few pages, Butler inexplicably switches to very small handwriting, perhaps because he was recopying at a later date and did not leave enough room.]
Ate rice & pig
for dinner. Our guns on left bank are now throwing shell over our heads
into enemies entrenchments in front of us. We hear their hurtling rush,
quizzing thro’ the air & the windows shake to the discharge. Lt Beck
has returned. The rebel batteries answer & the air over us is filled
with shells & shot. one of ours too low struck a house in our
st. A shell fr. Enemy struck among the 15th Conn. who had not
crossed & wounded 3 men making coffee. They were brot over. I
saw them.One had died.Visited a citizen in hospital–he had been in[injured].
by shell. he wont recover it is thot. I talked & prayed with him.
Col Dutton of 21 Conn. is quartered in our house.
[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]
MSS 12935
