Apr

30

April 30, 1863, A Rebel War Clerk’s Diary

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by John Beauchamp Jones

APRIL 30TH.—The enemy are advancing across the Rappahannock, and the heavy skirmishing which precedes a battle has begun. We are sending up troops and supplies with all possible expedition. Decisive events are looked for in a few days. But if all of Longstreet’s corps be sent up, we leave the southern approach to the city but weakly defended. Hooker must have overwhelming numbers, else he would not venture to advance in the face of Lee’s army! Can he .believe the silly tale about our troops being sent from Virginia to the Carolinas? If so, he will repent his error.

We hear of fighting in Northwestern Virginia and in Louisiana, but know not the result. The enemy have in possession all of Louisiana west of the Mississippi River. This is bad for us,—sugar and salt will be scarcer still. At Grand Gulf our batteries have repulsed their gun-boats, but the battle is to be renewed.

The railroad presidents have met in this city, and ascertained that to keep the tracks in order for military purposes, 49,500 tons of rails must be manufactured per annum, and that the Tredegar Works here, and the works at Atlanta, cannot produce more than 20,000 tons per annum, even if engaged exclusively in that work! They say that neither individual nor incorporated companies will suffice. The government must manufacture iron or the roads must fail!

A cheering letter was received from Gov. Vance today, stating that, upon examination, the State (North Carolina) contains a much larger supply of meat and grain than was supposed. The State Government will, in a week or so, turn over to the Confederate Government 250,000 pounds of bacon, and a quantity of corn; and as speculators are driven out of the market, the Confederate States agents will be able to purchase large supplies from the people, who really have a considerable surplus of provisions. He attributes this auspicious state of things to the cessation of arbitrary impressments.

Apr

30

Diary of the Union Secretary of the Navy, April 1863

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 by Gideon Welles

April 30, Thursday. To-day has been designated for a National Fast. I listened to a patriotic Christian discourse from my pastor, Mr. Pyne.

Had a long, studied, complaining letter from Admiral Du Pont, of some twenty pages, in explanation and refutation of a letter in the Baltimore American, which criticizes and censures his conduct at Charleston. The dispatch is no credit to Du Pont, who could be better employed. He is evidently thinking much more of Du Pont than of the service or the country. I fear he can be no longer useful in his present command, and am mortified and vexed that I did not earlier detect his vanity and weakness. They have lost us the opportunity to take Charleston, which a man of more daring energy and who had not a distinguished name to nurse and take care of would have improved. All Du Pont’s letters since the 8th show that he had no heart, no confidence, no zeal in his work; that he went into the fight with a predetermined conviction it would not be a success. He is prejudiced against the monitor class of vessels, and would attribute his failure to them, but it is evident he has no taste for rough, close fighting.

Senator Sumner called on me this P.M. in relation to the coast defense of Massachusetts. I received a letter from Governor Andrew this A.M. on the same subject. The President had also been to see me in regard to it.

After disposing of that question, Sumner related an interesting conversation which he had last evening with Lord Lyons at Tassara’s, the Spanish Minister. I was an hour or two at Tassara’s party, in the early part of the evening, and observed S. and Lord L. in earnest conversation. Sumner says their whole talk was on the subject of the mails on captured vessels. He opened the subject by regretting that in the peculiar condition of our affairs, Lord Lyons should have made a demand that could not be yielded without national dishonor; said that the question was one of judicature rather than diplomacy. Lord Lyons disavowed ever having made a demand; said he was cautious and careful in all his transactions with Mr. Seward, that he made it a point to reduce all matters with Seward of a public nature to writing, that he had done so in regard to the mail of the Peterhoff, and studiously avoided any demand. He authorized Sumner, who is Chairman of Foreign Relations, to see all his letters in relation to the mails, etc., etc.

To-day Sumner saw the President and repeated to him this conversation, Lord Lyons having authorized him to do so. The President, he says, seemed astounded, and after some general conversation on the subject, said in his emphatic way, “I shall have to cut this knot.”

Apr

30

Interesting from Hooker’s Army.

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April 30, 1863, The New York Herald

The Advance Movement of the Army of the Potomac.

WASHINGTON, April 29, 1863.

It was generally believed on Monday, and in some quarters positively asserted, that the Army of the Potomac had commenced moving, and a Washington paper of the next day openly proclaimed it as a fact. In this respect that newspaper had a decided advantage over the wires, But even if the intelligence had been telegraphed through loyal sources it would have been no news to the rebels; for a Fredericksburg correspondent of one of the Richmond paper writes his […..] is confirmed” that our […..] is withdrawing from the line of the Rappahannock.” The observation of newspaper men, ever since the war commenced, leads to the conclusion that nearly everything the Army of the Potomac does is promptly known to the rebels, and one occasion even the countersign was known to them before it was communicated to our own troops.

Review of General Sickles’’ Corps.

OUR ARMY CORRESPONDENCE.

HEADQUARTERS, THIRD ARMY CORPS,

ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, April, 27, 1863.

It was not an insignificant compliment which was paid to General Sickles’ corps by the General commanding this army in ordering it our for service today. The occasion was the visit of the venerable Secretary of State and a large party of Read more

Apr

30

Telegraphic News.

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April 30, 1863, The Charleston Mercury

LATEST FROM BRAGG’S ARMY.

CHATTANOOGA, April 27. — Our army is in line of battle at Wartrace. General JOHNSTON has taken the field. The enemy’s advanced pickets are within two miles of Wartrace. The skirmishing on Saturday failed to move the enemy’s advance.

RODDY’S cavalry has advanced from Tuscumbia. The enemy is now at Little Bear Creek, six miles from Tuscumbia. The enormities committed by the Hessians of GRANT’S army, are unparalleled. They are burning houses over women’s heads, destroying corn fields, robbing housed, and have torn rings from women’s fingers.

RODDY’S fight is considered the most brilliant and desperate of the war. Maj. JOHNSON and Capt. LEFFE greatly distinguished themselves.

Apr

30

The Situation.

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April 30, 1863, The New York Herald

The only news from General Hooker’s army, notwithstanding the reports of an advance movement, is the details of the splendid review of General Sickles’ corps by Mr. Seward, the Prussian and Swedish ministers and a number of other distinguished personages on Monday.

The raid of the rebels into Western Virginia has created an intense excitement all along the line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, especially at Wheeling. The enemy in strong force had advanced to within seven miles of Grafton, where Colonel Mulligan was in command. The President of the Baltimore and Wilmington Railroad states that only one train of empty cars was stopped by the rebels, and only one bridge — that near Oakland — was destroyed.

The recent defeat of the rebels at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, was a very creditable affair for our troops. The forces of General Marmaduke, while retreating, were surprised by the Union troops in pursuit on Sunday night, and one entire regiment was cut off. All who were not either killed or wounded were made prisoners, and their camp equipage, guns, horses and plunder were taken from them. Generals Vandever and McNeil followed the rest of General Marmaduke’s army on the next day, pressing closely on their rear.

One day’s later news from New Orleans, by the Empire City, puts us in possession of the fact that General Banks had taken possession of the Opelousas Railroad, and he had communicated with Admiral Farragut above Port Hudson. He had captured a large number of rebels, also a large amount of stores, cotton and ammunition, from the rebels. About five hundred rebel prisoners were arriving daily at New Orleans when the Empire City sailed. Read more

Apr

30

A Worthy Deed.

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April 30, 1863, Savannah Republican (Georgia)

            The Augusta Manufacturing Company, through their President, Wm. E. Jackson, Esq., have generously allowed ten bales of sheetings and shirtings of their manufacture to be taken to Lake City, Fla., to be sold to the families of sick and disabled soldiers, and families of soldiers in the service, at a small advance on cost.  It will enable very many families, whose means are limited, to obtain the goods at less than half the rates charged by merchants.  Such acts of kindness should not pass unnoticed in these days of high prices, and this is recorded with the hope that the example may be followed by many who are able to come to the relief of the needy in this time of trial.

Apr

30

Famine at the South.

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April 30, 1863, Savannah Republican (Georgia)

            In spite of all the efforts of Confederate journals North and South to conceal the fact, or deprive it of importance, no doubt remains that very serious bread riots have taken place in Richmond and other southern towns.  In these riots the women have been the leaders; and that fact alone proves that absolute hunger must have been the cause of them.  Women do not get up street riots, break open provision shops, and pillage bakeries and flour stores from political sympathies, nor from resentment against high prices.  When their children are in peril of starvation, they become capable of anything.  Nothing short of that extremity can have provoked the demonstrations admitted by the Rebel papers to have taken place in Richmond, in Raleigh, in Salisbury and many other Southern towns.

            In each of these cases the rioters were women—”mostly soldiers’ wives,” say the North Carolina papers, that give account of the latest transactions.  And these papers, more honest than those at Richmond, candidly admit that the women were prompted by hunger, their spirit sharpened, perhaps, by “hatred against speculators.”  The women armed themselves with hatchets and axes, broke upon stores that were not willingly opened to them, and took barrels of salt, flour and molasses, which they had hauled to the market house and divided equally between those who needed it.  This was a real hunger riot, and no cloak for indiscriminate robbery, as pretended in Richmond.  The Raleigh, N.C., Standard, in giving an account of it, exclaims with feeling, and with despair:  “Bread riots have commenced, and where they will end God only knows.”

            We do not wish nor expect to create hopes of advantage over the rebellion by the mere representations of scarcity of provisions in the South.  The best reliance—as it is, indeed, the only one—that a wise and powerful government should have, is the arm of military power delivering irresistible blows upon the enemy in the field.  But it is certainly sound policy to consider the physical condition of the enemy we are contending with, and take advantage of any moment of weakness and exhaustion that may come upon him.  That time with the Rebels we surely believe is now.  We have cumulative evidence that a scarcity of food never before paralleled exists in the South, that is weakening the Rebel army, disturbing the Rebel rulers, and upturning the most inveterate traditions and usages of Southern society.  This is the time, then, to press our armies upon the enemy, and still further disturb and disorganize his agriculture.  Two months hence it may be too late.  He may have then harvested his crops and passed the point of famine.—N. Y. Times.

Apr

30

Progress of the War.

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April 30, 1863, The Charleston Mercury

FROM VICKSBURG — THE YANKEE GUNBOATS RUNNING THE GAUNTLET — ILLUMINATION OF THE RIVER — EXCITING SCENES — BURNING OF A YANKEE TRANSPORT, ETC.

From the Vicksburg Whig of April 17th, we extract the following graphic account of the recent passage of a portion of the Yankee fleet by the Confederate batteries at Vicksburg:

Last night about eleven o’clock the rapid firing of the pickets above the city admonished all that the enemy’s boats were advancing. In a short time a black object was visible floating down the river, and as soon as it came in range our upper batteries opened fire. The gunboat, which it afterwards proved to be, soon returned fire and steamed on down the centre of the stream until about opposite the city, after which she ceased propelling and floated along. When she got opposite Major Ogden’s battery, the house of Mr. Arnold, on the opposite side of the river, was discovered to be on fire, the flames of which revealed several other boats coming down in the bend. As they came in range battery after battery opened, and the flashes from the guns and the burning house on the other shore, gave us a fine view of the advancing steamers.

Our batteries still continued belching forth with apparently good effect, but nevertheless an occasional shot came from her, the flashes of which showed her to be a low, heavy iron-clad of the Essex pattern, with two chimneys, the tops of which appeared to be painted white. Five boats next moved down almost together, and as they came under the fire of the Wyman’s Hill batteries, Yankee missiles were sent thick and fast into our city. The firing of guns, whizzing of ball, bursting of shells, the devouring flames that rose from Arnold’s house and the huzzas from the crowds that congregated on the hills, in the streets and wherever a view of the passing boats could be obtained, was a sight beggaring all Read more