Worked all night either on traverse or camp guard, or on "A's"
traverse, "A" and "E" helping each other on both. Dr. Ware
was buried to-day. He died yesterday of fever brought on by overwork. He was an
excellent surgeon, and highly esteemed by both officers and men. Gen. Potter's
orderly has been outside with a flag of truce; but we hear no particulars. The
flag-staff in the fort was struck several times to-day.
It is the rule to have a sentry at each end of the breastwork allotted to
"E." Last night, the guard on the bomb-proof heard a noise about
eleven o'clock, gave the alarm, and we were soon in line. We found the trouble
arose from some outside picket, who got lost, and brought up against our
breastworks. After some trouble, matters were arranged and we turned in again.
What the man was doing so close in we have not discovered. Our traverse, being
all done, will bear a slight description. Being on duty as picket the night it
was built, I view it with different feelings from what the boys do who worked
all night upon it, so can afford to write about it. It is at right angles with
the breastworks, thrown up to a height of about fifteen feet. It is fully sixty
feet long, about fifteen feet thick at the base, and six or seven feet at the
top. We utilized the hole made by building this hill, by covering it with a
strong roof, then covered that with sand a foot or two deep; and as the
Johnnies don't seem to use mortars, we feel tolerably safe, having a roof over
our heads, in case of a sudden flight of meteors. Rumors to-day that
reinforcements left New Berne last Wednesday, and we live in hopes that they
will reach us.
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. 48
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