Gen. Burnside acknowledges a loss of upwards of 5000, which
is good evidence here that his loss was not less than 15,000. The Washington
papers congratulate themselves on the escape of their army, and say it
might have been easily captured by Lee. They propose, now, going into winter
quarters.
We have nothing further from North Carolina or Mississippi.
Gen. Banks's expedition had passed Hilton Head.
A Mr. Bunch, British Consul, has written an impudent letter
to the department, alleging that an Irishman, unnaturalized, is forcibly
detained in one of our camps. He says his letters have not been answered, which
was great discourtesy, and he means to inform Lord John Russell of it. This
letter was replied to in rather scathing terms, as the Irishman had
enlisted and then deserted. Besides, we are out of humor with England now, and
court a French alliance.
The President was at Chattanooga on the 15th instant; and
writes the Secretary that he has made some eight appointments of brigadiers,
and promotions to major-generals. Major-Gen. Buckner is assigned to command at
Mobile.
We are straightened for envelopes, and have taken to turning
those we receive. This is economy; something new in the South. My family dines
four or five times a week on liver and rice. We cannot afford anything
better; others do not live so well.
Custis and I were vaccinated to-day, with the rest of the
officers of the department.
The Northern papers now want the Federal army to go into
winter quarters. This was, confessedly, to be the final effort to take
Richmond. It failed. Many of the people regard the disaster of Burnside as the
harbinger of peace.
An officer from the field informs me that all our generals
were sadly disappointed, when it was discovered that Burnside had fled. They
wanted one more blow at him, and he would have been completely destroyed.
SOURCE: John Beauchamp Jones, A Rebel War Clerk's
Diary at the Confederate States Capital, Volume 1, p. 217-8
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