Another spell of
weather. It has rained constantly for two days, with no intermission. Some of
the regiments have been moved. The 24th Mass., 10th Conn., and 5th R. I., have
gone; but we still stay behind, probably intended for some sort of a tramp.
Lieut. Cumston goes on this expedition, and may see some tall fighting at
Charleston while we are doing police and camp. guard duty! But as he is of
"E," we will take the credit of Charleston, and put it on our pipes
beside the rest. We gave him six rousing cheers, and a handshake as he went by
the barracks to join his command.
Several Boston
gentlemen have been here, some stopping with our officers, among them Mr. J. G.
Russell, father of Geo. Russell, of our company,—but they have all moved down
town, and we hear that when some of them undertook to leave for Boston, Col.
Messinger, the Provost Marshal, would not let them start, on account of the
movement of troops.
SOURCE: John Jasper
Wyeth, Leaves from a Diary Written While Serving in Co. E, 44 Mass.
Dep’t of North Carolina from September 1862 to June 1863, p. 35
Joseph G. Russell (1804–1893) was a Boston furniture merchant and partner in the firm of Russell, Hennessy & Phelps, located at 21–27 Brattle Street, which served the city’s upper class during the mid-19th century. Born in 1804, likely in Massachusetts, he lived through a transformative era in American history and maintained a steady presence in Boston’s commercial life. He married Catherine B. Watson (1807–1878), and they raised their family in the Temple Square neighborhood, including their son George Russell (1844–1891), who served in Company E of the 44th Massachusetts Infantry during the Civil War. George’s wartime letters, exchanged with his parents while stationed in North Carolina, offer insight into the personal side of the conflict. Joseph survived both his wife and son, passing away in 1893 at the age of 89, leaving behind the quiet legacy of a devoted father, businessman, and citizen.
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