[the diary of Jonathan B. Hager of the 14th U.S. Regulars resumes after a 5 month hiatus on mustering duty in Albany N.Y.]
Feby 10
Left Albany this morning and arrived at
Camp near Falmouth on the 13th]
MSS 9044
[from the diary of the Rev. Francis E. Butler, chaplain of the 25th New Jersey]
Tues 10. Lovely June – like day. Charming spot Shore a
level sandy plain with pine woods in rear.
We are 200 miles fr. our late camp – 100 miles further south –
in direct line –
took Sail boat, Chester Maj: Cap Stevens & Dr. Daily & sailed out in river
good breeze & warm, boarded the Monitor “Nahant” examined
her turrets – has two cannon 11. & 15 inch. Shot of latter 444 & takes 35 & 50 lbs. powder & costs 30 $ to load – & fire once – Lt. Harmony[?]
very polite – one man turns turret, 70 man her, compass above
center of turret reflected down by mirrors – avoid attraction,
Rack solid iron 30 in. above water, stepd. down fr. one boat
to get on her – Saw Minnesota & Galena near, bot 2 bus
oysters, of Negroes, sailed back Maj & Cap opened & ate oysters
on way. Sketched the shore – a beautiful live oak, set
on fire – put it out – in night. With [-] & Capt S,
Soldiers parade – pleasant letters from home.
[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]
MSS 12935
[from the diary of Captain William F. Hunter, Co. B., 97th Ohio Volunteers]
Feb. 10th,’63.
Still feel quite well,
but very weak.
This morning went out of my
room, for the first
time since I entered it.
[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]
MSS 10547-bm
[from the diary of Captain Zachariah Heed, 91st Regiment, Ohio Volunteers]
FEBRUARY 10.
Charleston, Kanawha Co. Va. Tuesday morning, appeared before E[x]amining Board. Col C. B. White, Lieut Col Cromley, Major E. M. Carey, examined in the Regulations in the forenoon. Tactics in the Afternoon.
[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]
MSS 13406
[from the diary of Sgt. Robert Larimer, Co. C., 62nd Regt. Ohio Volunteers]
Tuesday 10
In camp 1st Lieut S. B. Larimer
detailed as Captain Orderly Sergt
C.W. Clowe as 1st Lieut &
and Serg’t J.B. Larimer as 2nd Lieut
of Co. C. – gathered oysters —-.
dress parade – clear & warm-
er
MSS 38-129
[from the signal message book of Lt. Thomas S. Seabury, 3rd New York Regiment]
Feb. 10th
To 1114
You are not on the Roster
at Hd Qrs. Report with your
orders immediately.
143
MSS 10781
[from the diary of Eliza Oswald Hill, refugee from Wilmington, N.C.]
Tuesday 10th this has been a very pleasant day – agreeably
cool – Sarah passed this morning with me – Mrs Mickle called
to see me in the afternoon & Miss Fanny Martin came over
in the morning to get Eliza Mallett to go in the Country with
her – Colonel Martin her brother is to be married tomorrow
to a Miss Casten in Wilmington – & bring his Bride immedi
-ately up here – I had a letter from Eliza to day dated the
2d – She was well & had received Fancy & Bella
MSS 6960
Camp near Fredericksburg
Jan 1st 1863
Dear Sister H
Yours and Mothers
letter came safe to hand for
I am really obliged I have
7 letters home within the
last ten days including
one to Mr Faris, but I
think it is quite a chance
if more than half of them
reach their destination, such
is the confusion attending
the movement of our army
I have written all the news
at different times and have
nothing new to communicate
Since the great battle both
armies have been watching
each other neither one seem
ing to want to commence
again, Our march here was
a hard one and no mistake
[page 2]
[look for pages 2 and 3; probably with rest of Perry, or recopy]
[page 4]
yet this I wish you wold write
to her about it tell her to send
me $1 at a time by mail and
if I do not get it it will not be
much to lose; We expect to get our
pay some time, but when we do not
know. Give my love to enquiring
friends take a good share for
yourself and write often from
your affectionate Brother
Josiah
PS
Keep up good spirits all
will come out right don’t
be alarmed the loss, in the
last battle was not all on
one side by a long shot
176 cannon didn’t fire all
day and not hurt anybody
be assured J W Perry
Josiah Perry, Co. K, 33rd Massachusetts
MSS 2215
[from the diary of Jesse Calvin Spaulding, Co. F., 25th Massachusetts]
Monday
Feb 9
Foggy this morning but cleared off pleasant.
Have been charging clothing today. Wrote a
letter to Daniel, and have also read “the adventures of
Peter Wilkins.” Got a report that Foster is in town, and
that he got defeated but dont believe it. We also
have a report that two companies of the twenty Seventh
and two companies of the 44th have been taken prison
ers, but we dont believe that either
MSS 11293
Hd. Qr’s 5th Ala. Infantry near “Santee” Caroline Co.
My dear Father
I would like all at home to understand
that this is a mere letter of inquiry as to the whereabouts of the
family &c &c. I have been absent nearly three months
during which time I have received one f letter from you, and
probably two from Mother, from which three letters only I have
had an opportunity of knowing what was going on at home. In the
mean time I have written very regularly, tho’ I have no means
of knowing whether they have been received.
It commenced snowing here last night about 10 o’clock, and it is still
coming down furiously, the ground being covered to the depth of 15 or
16 inches — to my sorrow an order has just come for us to go on
picket tomorrow, and remain 6 days. to give you an idea of
how much the men will suffer, I can describe the ground to you
so that you can see what this duty is in mid-winter. My extreme
right will rest at Mr Wm P. Taylor’s (Hayfield) on the river bank,
and the regiment will extend for three miles up the stream,
there being no shelter of any kind, and no wood except such as
one wagon can haul down to them – One third of the men are awake
all the time and walking their posts, the other two thirds get what
sleep they can in the snow. My duty as commander of the
regiment
will be to make the rounds three or four times during the night
and keep myself on the alert generally – I never fear these sort
of hardships for myself, and dont mind them at all, but there
is always a vast deal of suffering among the men, who do not try
[page 2]to bear up against them. It is a grand sight to be in the woods during
a snow storm – The north side of every tree is completely whitened
with the snowy covering, and in a dense forest like this the scene
is one of the most beautiful I ever saw. I know Mother would enjoy
it very much – I am sorry to say however that all the enjoyment
that a soldier can have in a snow storm, has to be out of doors, for
do what he will, the tent or hut in which he lives will be thoroughly
wetted with it, and the occupant made miserable enough. We
found any quantity of it in our tent this morning, and even as
I write my feet are placed on the muddy floor, protected how-
ever by two chips on which they rest. I proposed spending the day
in the bunk, wrapped up in our blankets, but became so tired at
12 o’clock that we were obliged to get up, and I have been consoling
myself all day with the reflection that maybe picket duty tomorrow
won’t be so very much worse.
I paid a visit to Miss Kate Corbin at Moss Neck, about a week ago, but
was not very much pleased – don Halsey accompanied me, he having
met Miss C. some time before. Jackson’s staff officers seemed to
be very much at home there. Unfortunately however I did not
see Sandy Pendleton the evening we called, tho’ I was assured by
all that he was rarely ever absent, and would surely be in du-
ring the night. We had a great time getting home,and must in-
fallibly have spent the night in the woods, but for the instinct of my
horse who brought me to Gen Iverson’s Hd. Qrs. whence we had set
out – It was so dark that we could not see his horse’s head, and to
add to our confusion it was raining. By this time it was midnight
but we stirred up Gen. I. and proceeded to open a box which Don
had just received – I never enjoyed anything more certainly, and
thought sadly on my poor box in Richmond, which one sutler has
[page 3]
twice failed to bring upon some very plausible excuse –
You can’t imagine a more embarrassing position than being lost in
the midst of an endless number of camp fires, among which you wander
helplessly, feeling that it is in vain to ask a soldier the road, for they
proverbially know nothing. I had persisted in holding my horse’s head in
one direction for sometime, evidently much to his disgust, but finally
becoming convince that I was wrong I let him have the reins, when
he faced about and setting off briskly in the opposite direction soon
brought me to quarters. I have visited lately at Mr Corbin’s who
spoke with pleasure of you – His house is very near us, and would be
a pleasant place to visit, if it were not frequented so much by
the Tarheels (N. Carolinians) as the soldiers call them. Don & I
are about the only Virginians camped any where in the neighbour
hood. Gen. D. H. Hill has been assigned to duty in N. Carolina, leaving
his division behind, much to our delight. It is thought that Gen
Ed. Johnson will success to the command. They have missed it
much in not making Rodes the Commander, but the prejudice
in favour of West Pointers was too strong even for a man of his
merit. He has been in command of the Division for six weeks
past, and has shown even in these times of piping peace that he
is the right man in the right place. A very good thing happened here
yesterday – In consequence of a Gen. Order from Lee, Division commanders
were w all appointed enrolling officers to enroll all citizens following
the Army as sutlers volunteers &c &c Lewis Randolph, signal officer
in the Division was the man selected by Rodes, and he made an ef-
fort to catch Yancey, who has been hanging about Brigade Hd. Qrs. for
some months in the capacity of volunteer aide, but he was on the look
out and escaped to Richmond, so you will soon have him in Lynchburg
You need not let this be spoken of in case his Father should hear of it,
[page 4]
The joke is so much relished in the Brigade in consequence of the
utter worthlessness of the boy, that I could not help mentioning it-
Tho’ sorry to give the doctors an opportunity of saying “I told you so”
I am obliged to confess that my leg is giving me a good deal of
trouble, there being some days when I am unable to leave the
tent – The swelling is very considerable, and the weakness con-
sequent upon it very great. I am afraid that I shall be left in
the lurch some day yet, as I can do nothing for it that I know of.
I look forward with some pleasure to the coming campaign. I
would not be at all surprised to see the seat of war transferred
from Va to some more Southern State. Longstreets corps has left
us in great part, but no one knows whither it has gone, the si-
lence of our press is admirable upon the subject, not one word
has escaped from any of the Richmond papers in regard to their
movements. I would not be surprised also if the two Corps d’armée
were destined to act seperately for a time, this however I dont
much like, as it removes us too far from Gen. Lee. I had in-
tended riding up to the other Corps today to see Bros. Charles
from the papers (only)
and Lanty, as I see ^ the latter has been made clerk to the Mil-
itary Court, and I suppose is at his post. Please ask Mother
to send me some Cotton socks as soon as possible, yarn won’t
do. I am absolutely without, ask her also if a cravat was not put in
my box to send me one of them also. Has Mary Isabella gone home
yet, I heard of her last at Mr Wickham’s in Hanover Co.
I hope that you have been able to do something for me in procu-
ring a servant. Get a good groom and woodcutter if you can do no
better. I can’t do without someone, especially now that I am comparatively
helpless. Best love to all. Your aff. Son
Eugene Blackford
MSS 6403-k
[Longstreet’s Corp left the main Confederate Army on February 19, making the 20th the earliest possible date for this letter]
[Eugene Blackford and his four brothers were all University of Virginia alumni and all fought for the Confederacy the entire four years of the war…and almost miraculously, all survived]
[Alexander “Sandy” Pendleton, also a University of Virginia alumnus did win the hand of Kate Corbin. He was killed in a skirmish a few months after their marriage]
MSS 6403-k
