Clear and cold.
It is understood now
that Gen. Hood has crossed to the south side of the Tennessee River with the debris
of his army.
Gen. Butler has
returned to Virginia from his fruitless North Carolina expedition. It is
supposed we shall have active operations again before this city as soon as the
weather and roads will permit.
But it really does
seem that the States respectively mean to take control of all their men not now
in the Confederate States armies, and I apprehend we shall soon have
"confusion worse confounded." The President sends, "for his
information," to the Secretary of War, a letter from Gen. Beauregard,
dated at Augusta, Ga., Dec. 6th, 1864, in relation to Gen. Sherman's movement
eastward, and Gen. Hood's Middle Tennessee campaign. It appears from Gen. B.'s
letter to the President that he (Gen. B.) had control of everything. He says he
did not countermand Gen. Hood's campaign, because Sherman had 275 miles the
start, and the roads were impracticable in Northern Georgia and Alabama. But he
telegraphed the Governors of Alabama, Georgia, etc., to concentrate troops
rapidly in Sherman's front, ordered a brigade of cavalry from Hood to Wheeler,
etc., and supposed some 30,000 men could be collected to oppose Sherman's
march, and destroy him. He computed Sherman's strength at 36,000 of all arms.
The result shows how much he was mistaken. He will be held accountable for all
the disasters. Alas for Beauregard! Bragg only played the part of chronicler of
the sad events from Augusta. Yet the President cannot publish this letter of
Beauregard's, and the country will still fix upon him the responsibility and
the odium. Gen. Beauregard is still in front of Sherman, with inadequate
forces, and may again be responsible for additional calamities.
Old Mr. F. P. Blair
and his son Montgomery Blair are on their way here, with authority to confer on
peace and submission, etc.
Mr. Lewis,
Disbursing Clerk of the Post-Office Department, on behalf of lady clerks has
laid a complaint before the President that Mr. Peck, a clerk in the department,
to whom was intrusted money to buy supplies in North Carolina, has failed to
make return of provisions or money, retaining the latter for several months,
while some of his friends have received returns, besides 10 barrels flour
bought for himself, and transported at government expense. Some of the clerks
think the money has been retained for speculative purposes. It remains to be
seen whether the President will do anything in the premises.
The grand New Year's
dinner to the soldiers, as I supposed, has produced discontent in the army,
from unequal distribution, etc.
No doubt the
speculators got control of it, and made money, at least provided for their
families, etc.
Hon. J. R. Baylor
proposes recruiting in New Mexico and Lower California. The Secretary of War
opposes it, saying we shall probably require all the trans-Mississippi troops
on this side the river. The President differs with the Secretary, and writes a
long indorsement, showing the importance of Baylor's project, etc. Of course
the Secretary will "stint and say ay." The President thinks Col. B.
can enlist the Indian tribes on our side also.
There is a rumor
that Mr. Foote, M. C., has gone into the enemy's lines. He considered the
difference between Davis and Lincoln as "between tweedledum and
tweedledee."
The prisoners of war
(foreigners) that took the oath of allegiance and enlisted in the Confederate
States service, are deserting back to the Federal service, under Gen. Sherman's
promise of amnesty.
SOURCE: John
Beauchamp Jones, A Rebel War Clerk's Diary at the Confederate
States Capital, Volume 2, p. 376-8
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