September 25, 1861

A Chronological History of the Civil War in America¹

• Gen. Prentiss took command of the Union forces at St. Joseph.
• Skirmish near Chapmansville, Va.

1. A Chronological History of the Civil War in America by Richard Swainson Fisher, New York, Johnson and Ward, 1863

TUESDAY 24

This has been a delightful day and our sale of furniture has passed off. It mostly sold at a low rate, but it was mostly purchased at Auction two or three years since. We sold nothing but the bulkey articles amounting to only $140.00. Fires seen tonight on the Virginia hills. Julia was at the Presidents today, saw Mrs Lincoln, could see the rebel flag on “Munson’s Hill” with the Prests spy glass. Julia and the boys are treated with particular attention by Mrs L. J[ulia] brought home two beautiful Boquets.

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The three diary manuscript volumes, Washington during the Civil War: The Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft, 1861-1865, are available online at The Library of   Congress.

Tuesday, September 24.—We were paid off in gold for two months service. Quiet in Camp Jackson up to (Monday, September 30).

SEPTEMBER 24th.—The time is up for the departure of alien enemies. This is the last day, according to the President’s proclamation. We have had no success lately, and never can have success, while the enemy know all our plans and dispositions. Keep them in total ignorance of our condition and movements, and they will no more invade us than they would explore a vast cave, in which thousands of rattlesnakes can be heard, without lights. Their spies and emissaries here are so many torch-bearers for them.

[By special order no. 244, H.Q. Western Division, dated Sept, 23, 1861, “Brigiadier General Samuel R, Curtis Volunteer Service, will extend his Command over the City of St. Louis, and will assume the control during the absence of the Commanding General of the Department, of all matters affecting the public interests in and near St. Louis.]

Headquarters Camp of Instruction
Benton Barracks Sept 24th 1861

General Orders No 7

In profound respect to the Sovereign Ruler of nations, and in obedience to the Proclamation of the President of the United States, Thursday the 26th that will be observed as a day of fasting humiliation and prayer within the limits of this command.¹

All drinking Saloons will be closed during the entire day and night and all business houses except drug stores will suspend business and close their establishments during the day, the Assistant Provost Marshall of St. Louis, and the Officers within this Command will see to the faithful execution of these injunctions.

By Order of Brig General Samuel R Curtis

Robert A. Howard,
A A Adj’t General

1. The proclamation which set the last Thurs. in Sept. as a national day of fasting. humiliation, and prayer, was issued by Lincoln August 12. 1861. The day was generally observed in all Iowa communities. Not until 1864 did Lincoln formally establish a Thanksgiving day by proclamation.

Daily Times [Leavenworth, Ks],
September 24, 1861

“When Cleveland Jayhawked Leavenworth, the Times did not even notice the fact as a matter of news. It didn’t dare to speak. One would think from its howl of yesterday that it was really opposed to Jayhawking.”–Conservative.

We dare always, to speak for law and a Christian civilization. The Conservative dare not do as much. We dare to always oppose anarchy and mob rule. The Conservative never does as much. The old saying has many applications, “Birds of a feather flock together.” We have constantly denounced Jayhawking, without fear or favor. We denounced it during the Montgomery excitement, and again in the Tod affair; and more recently we have called it outlawry, and utterly opposed to true patriotism. We do not, we will not, abate one jot or tittle in condemnation of this dangerous system of prostituted patriotism.

The recent Jayhawking done by Cleveland in Leavenworth was on the heels of our municipal election. The factions in both parties had combined and crushed out the conservative element. Riot and misrule was the natural result of that lawless and disorderly coalition. The scene of plunder that ensued was the necessary consequence of that unholy alliance. It was not the fruit of our teachings or efforts, and we felt that tasting the “dead sea apple” was sufficient, without our comment, to be a source of wisdom to the people hereafter.

When we thought it would do good to again speak out against Jayhawking we did it in plain and unmistakable terms. Does the Ishmaelite of the Conservative understand our position on Jayhawking?

24th. Thede came. He went to the circus. I watched for horses. In the evening went in and saw them play billiards. Stayed at Uncle’s.

Sept. 24. Captain Clark has received orders to report with his company at Worcester, tomorrow. The thing seems to be becoming a reality.

Tuesday, 24th–More enrolled today than any day yet. Most of the boys are from the surrounding farms, though there are a number of Tipton boys in our company. Our drillmaster keeps us on the drill ground most of the time.

September 24.–Louis Philippe d’Orleans, Comte de Paris, the heir of Louis Philippe, (the eldest son of his eldest son,) and Robert d’Orleans, Duc de Chartres, the brother of Louis Philippe d’Orleans, were duly commissioned as captains of volunteers in the service of the United States, and attached to Major-General McClellan’s staff as aids. These young princes made it a condition of their service that they should receive no pecuniary compensation.

–General Prentiss, U. S. A., assumed command of the National forces at St. Joseph, Mo. No man in the whole Western army could have been sent there who is more acceptable to the people north of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad; and, under his command, the Union troops, whether Federal or State, are willing to do battle.–National Intelligencer, Sept. 28.

–A Portion of Colonel Geary’s force had an action to-day with five hundred rebels on the Virginia side of the Potomac, near Point of Rocks. They were sheltered on a high point on the Catochin Mountain, and in houses at the base. They were driven away by the rifles and battery of Colonel Geary, and the houses burnt. Several of the enemy were killed and wounded. None of the Federal troops were hurt.–N. Y. Times, Sept. 26.

–The Fifth regiment of Vermont Volunteers, under the command of Col. H. A. Smalley, passed through Jersey City, N. J., on their way to the seat of war. It numbers one thousand and seventy men.–Idem, Sept. 25.

–This night a party of about fifty mounted rebels rode into Warsaw, Ky., and broke into a building in which there were stored some arms belonging to the State, and carried them off. Six or seven Union men came up just as they were leaving, and were fired upon. The Union men returned the fire, killing one of the rebels and wounding several others. One of the Union men was wounded in the arm. The Union men had taken the locks off the guns that were stolen, intending to keep them off until they had organized their company.–Dubuque Times, Sept. 26. [continue reading…]

September 24, 1861

• Frémont shut down a newspaper printed in St Louis that questioned his leadership during the siege of Lexington. The editor of the ‘St. Louis Evening News’ was also arrested.

A Chronological History of the Civil War in America¹

• Count de Paris and Due de Chartres entered the U. S. service as aids to Gen. McClellan.
• Grand review of troops at Washington.
• Romney, Va., stormed and captured by U. S. troops.

1. A Chronological History of the Civil War in America by Richard Swainson Fisher, New York, Johnson and Ward, 1863

SEPTEMBER 23d.—Thousands of dollars worth of clothing and provisions, voluntary and patriotic contributions to the army, are arriving daily.

MONDAY 23

Have had a hard days work packing up and geting ready to evacuate these premises. It is one of the miseries of Washington life that few of its inhabitants feel at home. The population is constantly changing. At just at this time a residence here is less disirable than usual, although but slight fears are entertained that the City will be taken by the rebels. Troops keep coming and moveing about, last night the street by our house was full of Cavalry.

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The three diary manuscript volumes, Washington during the Civil War: The Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft, 1861-1865, are available online at The Library of   Congress.

Monday, September 23.—Orders came to leave the picket line at dark, and return to Camp Jackson.

23rd. Stayed in camp during the day, went out with noncommissioned officers. Stayed over night in camp. Had quite a visit with Sergeant Townsend–good fellow.

Monday, 23d–The boys are beginning to enlist quite fast. A goodly number enrolled today, and we now have our company almost full. We drill twice a day. We drilled today in “double quick” through the streets of Tipton.

Norfolk (date torn off.)

The colonel talks some to-night about a forward movement, and two regiments have come across the river from the Kentucky side this evening, the Iowa 2d and 7th. The 17th are still opposite us and I have seen none of them yet. Our cavalry scouts are fighting now more or less every day. Yesterday a party of the Iowa 7th were out hunting bushwhackers when they were attacked by a company of horsemen of whom they killed four. One of our men was shot while returning from a scout. They routed the enemy but came back and reported four of their men missing, but the lost four have all come in to-day. Our men think they finished a couple at least but ’tis questionable. We are all again bored to death with lying still, but patience and we’ll get what we want in time. We have the report here to-day that Colonel Mulligan has capitulated to Price, Jackson & Co. at Lexington. This, if true, will certainly retard our movement down the Mississippi. I’m getting perfectly indifferent about Fremont’s being superseded or as to who has the command. It seems to me that none of our commanders are doing anything. With at least 75,000 troops at Paducah, Cairo and in Missouri to allow the gallant Mulligan to be forced to surrender is perfectly shameful. It’s disheartening to a soldier, I tell you. Let them go on, if this war goes against us ’twill be the fault of our commanders and not of the men, sure. Yesterday information was brought our colonel that a battery was in course of erection on the Kentucky shore six miles below us. We were put on steamboats 2,000 or 2,500 strong and preceded by two gunboats scooted down, when within a mile of the place our regiment was landed and we marched down but of course found no battery.

23d.–As a description of the appearance of the country in which we were settled, I here introduce a letter written at this date to a friend:

Camp Advance, Sept. 23, 1861.

A short time since I undertook, from a single feature in the marred and distorted face of this country, to give you some idea of the effects of the war on Virginia, and of how dearly she is paying for her privilege of being shamefully servile to South Carolina. It may not be uninteresting for you, now, to know, to know something of its general appearance as it is, and as it was; and yet when I tell you that my attempt to describe one scene fell far short of the reality, you may imagine something of the difficulty of undertaking, in a single letter, to convey any adequate idea of the whole. When Gov. Pickens said last spring to the Carolinians: “You may plant your seeds in peace, for Virginia will have to bear the brunt of the war,” he cast a shadow of the events which were coming on the head of this superannuated “mother of States and of statesmen.”

Chain Bridge is about seven miles from the Capitol in Washington, and crosses the Potomac at the head of all navigation; even skiffs and canoes cannot pass for any distance above it, though a small steam tug runs up to the bridge, towing scows loaded, principally, with stone for the city. The river runs through a gorge in a mountainous region, and from here to Georgetown, a suburb of Washington, is unapproachable on the Virginia side. There are very few places where even a single footman can, with safety, get down the precipitous banks to the water. The river then is a perfect barrier to any advance by the enemy from this side, except at Georgetown, Chain Bridge, and Long Bridge, at the lower end of Washington City. On the Columbia side is a narrow plateau of land, along which runs the Ohio and Chesapeake Canal, and a public road. These occupy the entire plateau till you come near Georgetown, where the country opens out, making room for fine rolling farms of exceeding fertility, with here and there a stately mansion overlooking road, city, canal and river, making some of the most beautiful residences I ever beheld. On Meridian Hill, a little north of the road from Washington to Georgetown, stands the old Porter Mansion, from which one of the most aristocratic families in America were wont to overlook the social, political, and physical movements of our National Capital; from which, too, they habitually dispensed those hospitalities which made it the resort, not only of the citizens of Columbia and Maryland, but also of the F. F. V.’s, for whom it had especial attractions. All around it speaks in unmistakable language of the social and [continue reading…]

Sept. 23.–At Fortress Monroe, Va., Ross Winans, one of the Baltimore members of the Legislature, having taken the oath of allegiance, was this morning released.–Commodore Stringham was relieved by Captain Goldsborough.– Baltimore American, Sept. 24.

–This night a successful effort to burn the barn and haystacks around Munson’s Hill, Va., was made by Major Frank Lemon and Lieut. Chas. Dimoud, of the California regiment. At the forge of some blacksmiths they made some fifty or more conical slugs, and with these and a Sharp’s rifle they started for the line of our pickets, built a fire, and commenced heating shot. One of them with a cloth would drop the shot into the muzzle of the rifle, and the Major, being the best shot, blazed away. At the second shot the hay-ricks were in a blaze. In two more shots the barn caught. Out rushed the rebels, and made for the hill.

–Lieutenant Wilson, with a squad of the Fourth Cavalry, proceeded to Unity, a small place in the northern part of Anne Arundel County, Md., and seized a quantity of sabres, pistols, and muskets, in possession of secessionists in the neighborhood. They were a portion of the arms given to a volunteer company raised at the time of the John Brown raid.

–Five Hundred of the Fourth Ohio, with one piece of artillery; and Ringgold’s cavalry, seventy-five in number, under Colonel Cantwell; and four hundred of the Eighth Ohio, under Colonel Parke, make an advance from New Creek toward Romney, Va. They drove the rebels, seven hundred strong, out of Mechanicsburg Gap, and advancing stormed the town, causing the enemy, whose force numbered fourteen hundred infantry and cavalry, to retreat to the mountains with a loss of about thirty-five killed and a large number wounded. The National loss was three killed and ten wounded.

–At St. Louis, Mo., Charles G. Ramsay, the proprietor of the Evening News, was arrested this afternoon by order of the Provost-marshal, and taken to head-quarters for examination. His offence is publishing an editorial article today, entitled “The Fall of Lexington,” reflecting in bitter terms on the campaign of the military authorities in the department of the West. His paper has been suppressed, and all the manuscript found in the office was seized, and the building is now in possession of a provost guard.–(Doc. 58.)

September 23, 1861

• Guerrillas under James H. Lane drove off a small Southern force at Osceola, Missouri, and then looted and burned the town.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1861.

Went to ch. this morning with wife and the three boys. Wife & Julia went in the afternoon. Edd Dickerson called in the evening and took tea. Chas & Sallie also called about the same time. Went down to the camp to hear the music of the Regimental Band. It performs every night from 1/2 past 8 till 9 o’clock, a large crowd usualy attends. Everything remains quiet over the River and nothing but the long wagon trains today would indicate anything unusual going on in or near the City.

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The three diary manuscript volumes, Washington during the Civil War: The Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft, 1861-1865, are available online at The Library of   Congress.

Sunday, September 22.—Squads of cavalry and infantry visible on the Virginia shore. Great changes took place during this period. Orderly J. H. Newton being promoted to Lieutenant, took command of the left section. Sergeants Owen and Randolph, after having been promoted to Lieutenants, left the battery, and were transferred to other Rhode Island batteries. The State having organized a regiment of light artillery, on the thirteenth of August, we were no longer called the Second Battery, but Battery A.

SEPTEMBER 22d.—Harris and Magraw, who were taken on the field of Manassas, looking for the remains of Col. Cameron, have been liberated by Gen. Winder, on the order of the acting Secretary of War. This is startling; for Mr. Benjamin was the most decided man, at the time of their capture, against their liberation. Per contra, a Mr. G., a rich New York merchant, and Mr. R., a wealthy railroad contractor, whom I feared would break through the meshes of the law, with the large sums realized by them here, have been arrested by the Secretary’s order, on the ground that they have no right to transfer the sinews of war to the North, to be used against us.

Sept. 11th, 1861.

Where do you think I am writing? In the Patent Office, where we heard the other day that a large number of sick men had been brought from the 19th Indiana regiment. We found them in a dirty and forlorn condition and have come to do what we can. The whole regiment, nearly, is down with sickness from great exposure when they first arrived, they say. The assistant-surgeon of the regiment and the matron are here all the time, and a number of Washington women come in to help every day.

“One of the first extemporized hospitals of the war was in the top story of the Patent Office, where the 19th Indiana regiment was brought, nearly every man of them. The great, unfinished lumber room was set aside for their use, and rough tables–I can’t call them beds–were knocked together from pieces of the scaffolding. These beds were so high that it was impossible to reach them, and we had to make them up with brooms, sweeping off the mattresses, and jerking the sheets as smooth as we could. About six men could be accommodated on one table. These ran the whole length of the long room, while on the stacks of marble slabs, which were some day to be the floor, we spread mattresses, and put the sickest men. As the number increased, camp-beds were set up between the glass cases in the outer room, and we alternated –typhoid fever, cog-wheels and patent churns –typhoid fever, balloons and mouse-traps (how many ways of catching mice there are!)–typhoid fever, locomotives, water-wheels, clocks,–and a general nightmare of machinery.

Here, for weeks, went on a sort of hospital picnic. We scrambled through with what we had to do. The floors were covered with lime dust, shavings, nails, and carpenters’ scraps. We had the rubbish taken up with shovels, and stacked in barrels at one end of the ward. The men were crowded in upon us; the whole regiment soaked with a malignant, malarial fever, from exposure, night after night, to drenching rains, without tents. There was so much of this murderous, blundering want of prevision and provision, in the first few months of the war–and is now, for that matter.

Gradually, out of the confusion came some system and order. Climbing up to the top of the Patent Office with each loaf of bread was found not to be an amusing occupation, and an arrangement of pulleys was made out of one of the windows, and any time through the day, barrels of water, baskets of vegetables and great pieces of army beef, might be seen crawling slowly up the marble face of the building.

Here, for weeks, we worked among these men, cooking for them, feeding them, washing them, sliding them along on their tables, while we climbed up on something and made up their beds with brooms, putting the same powders down their throats with the same spoon, all up and down what seemed half a mile of uneven floor;–coaxing back to life some of the most unpromising,–watching the youngest and best die.

I remember rushing about from apothecary to apothecary, in the lower part of the city, one Sunday afternoon, to get, in a great hurry, mustard, to help bring life into a poor Irishman, who called me Betty in his delirium, and, to our surprise, got well, went home, and at once married the Betty we had saved him for.

By-and-by the regiment got through with the fever, improvements came into the long ward, cots took the place of the tables, and matting covered the little hills of the floor. The hospital for the 19th Indiana became the “U. S. General Hospital at the Patent Office,” and the “volunteers for emergencies” took up their saucepans and retired.”