BOOK II “I hope to die shouting, the Lord will provide!” Monday, June 16th, 1862. There is no use in trying to break off journalizing, particularly in “these trying times.” It has become a necessity to me. I believe I should go off in a rapid decline if Butler took it in his head [...]
June 16th, Monday. My poor old diary comes to a very abrupt end, to my great distress. The hardest thing in the world is to break off journalizing when you are once accustomed to it, and mine has proved such a resource to me in these dark days of trouble that I feel as though [...]
JUNE 15th.—What a change! No one now dreams of the loss of the capital.
RICHMOND, VA., June 15, 1862. Dear Mother: I hope you are not uneasy about me because I have not written before. I knew if I wrote it would take a week for you to get it, so I put it off till I could send it by Mr. Albert Farmer, who will go tomorrow. The [...]
Rienzi, Tishomingo Co., Miss., June 14, ’62. We have located for a somewhat permanent stay, as the clumsy order said, in the most beautiful little town I have yet found in Mississippi. We have pitched our tents in a little grove in the edge of the burgh and are preparing to live. We have been [...]
JUNE 14th.—The wounded soldiers bless the ladies, who nurse them unceasingly.
June 14th.–All things are against us. Memphis gone. Mississippi fleet annihilated, and we hear it all as stolidly apathetic as if it were a story of the English war against China which happened a year or so ago. The sons of Mrs. John Julius Pringle have come. They were left at school in the North. [...]
The following material contains wording that is offensive to many in the world of today. However, the work is provided unedited for its historical content and context. Camp near Boonville, Miss., June 13, 1862. This is the fourth camp that we have had to call as above. We have lived all around the burg, but [...]
JUNE 13th.—Gen. Lee is satisfied with the present posture of affairs–and McClellan has no idea of attacking us now. He don’t say what he means to do himself.
June 13th.–Decca’s wedding. It took place last year. We were all lying on the bed or sofas taking it coolly as to undress. Mrs. Singleton had the floor. They were engaged before they went up to Charlottesville; Alexander was on Gregg’s staff, and Gregg was not hard on him; Decca was the worst in love [...]
JUNE 11th, 12th.—Gen. Smith, the New York street commissioner, had been urged as commander-in-chief.
June 12th.–New England’s Butler, best known to us as “Beast” Butler, is famous or infamous now. His amazing order to his soldiers at New Orleans and comments on it are in everybody’s mouth. We hardly expected from Massachusetts behavior to shame a Comanche. One happy moment has come into Mrs. Preston’s life. I watched her [...]
June 11th. Last evening mother and Miriam went to the Arsenal to see if they would be allowed to do anything for the prisoners. General Williams received them, and fascinated Miriam by his manner, as usual. Poor Miriam is always being fascinated, according to her own account. He sent for little Nathan Castle and Willie [...]
JUNE 10th.—Col. Bledsoe sent for me again. This time he wanted me to take charge of the letter room, and superintend the young gentlemen who briefed the letters. This I did very cheerfully; I opened all the letters, and sent to the Secretary the important ones immediately. These, for want of discrimination, had sometimes been [...]
June 10th. This morning while I was attending to my flowers . . . several soldiers stopped in front of me, and holding on the fence, commenced to talk about some brave Colonel, and a shooting affair last night. When all had gone except one who was watching me attentively, as he seemed to wish [...]
June 10th.–General Gregg writes that Chickahominy ¹ was a victory manqué, because Joe Johnston received a disabling wound and G. W. Smith was ill. The subordinates in command had not been made acquainted with the plan of battle. A letter from John Chesnut, who says it must be all a mistake about Wade Hampton’s wound, [...]
Rienzi, Tishomingo Co., Miss., June 9, 1862. Saturday morning the 5th inst. the colonel and myself started for a little pleasure ride as a relaxation from the many cares and troubles people in this profession are incident to. We started for Corinth, as neither of us had yet visited the place, and plodded along through [...]
JUNE 9th.—It is now apparent that matters were miserably managed on the battle-field, until Gen. Lee assumed command in person. Most of the trophies of the victory, and thousands of arms, stores, etc. were pillaged by the promiscuous crowds of aliens and Jews who purchased passports thither from the Provost Marshal’s detectives.
June 9th.–When we read of the battles in India, in Italy, in the Crimea, what did we care? Only an interesting topic, like any other, to look for in the paper. Now you hear of a battle with a thrill and a shudder. It has come home to us; half the people that we know [...]
June 8th, Sunday. These people mean to kill us with kindness. There is such a thing as being too kind. Yesterday General Williams sent a barrel of flour to mother, accompanied by a note begging her to accept it “in consideration of the present condition of the circulating currency,” and the intention was so kind, [...]
JUNE 7th.—But business is in a great measure suspended, and so I have another holiday.
June 7th.–Cheves McCord’s battery on the coast has three guns and one hundred men. If this battery should be captured John’s Island and James Island would be open to the enemy, and so Charleston exposed utterly. Wade Hampton writes to his wife that Chickahominy was not as decided a victory as he could have wished. [...]
Headquarters 1st Brigade Cavalry Division, Camp near Boonville, Miss., June 6, 1862. I am leading an inglorious life now, nothing to do but the brigade writing and ride with the colonel when he goes out on business. The only time I am on the fighting list is when the brigade goes out, and that is [...]
JUNE 6th.—Gen. Winder getting wind of what was going on, had an interview, first with Mr. Benjamin, who instructed him what to say; and then bringing forward the Provost Marshal, they had a rather stormy interview with Mr. Randolph, who, as usual, yielded to their protestations against having two passport offices, while martial law existed. [...]
June 6th. We dined at Mrs. Brunot’s yesterday, and sitting on the gallery later, had the full benefit of a Yankee drill. They stopped in front of the house and went through some very curious manœuvres, and then marched out to their drill-ground beyond. In returning, the whole regiment drew up directly before us, and [...]