Tompkins Farm. —
Smoky, foggy, and Indian-summery in the morning; clear, warm, and beautiful in
the afternoon. I rode up to the regiment at Camp Ewing, gave some directions as
to making out the new muster-rolls. Saw several of the officers sick with the
camp fever.
Poor
"Bony" Seaman, it is said, will die. What a goodhearted boy he was!
His red glowing face, readiness to oblige, to work — poor fellow! He was
working his way up. Starting as private, then commissary sergeant, then
sergeant-major, and already recommended and perhaps appointed
second-lieutenant. I shall never forget his looks at the battle of Carnifax. We
were drawn up in line of battle waiting for orders to go down into the woods to
the attack. The First Brigade had already gone in and the firing of cannon and
musketry was fast and furious. "Bony" rode ahead to see, and after an
absence of twenty minutes came galloping back, his face radiant with joyous
excitement and his eyes sparkling. He rode up to Colonel Scammon and myself
calling out: “I've been under fire, the bullets were whistling all about me,
and I wasn't scared at all!” He looked like my Birtie when he is very happy and
reminded me of him. His dress was peculiar too — a warm-us and a felt grey hat
like mine. Good boy, noble, true, must he die?
Captain Drake and
Captain McIlrath had a quarrel last night. Captain Drake had been drinking (not
enough to hurt). Captain McIlrath, putting his face close to Captain Drake's mouth
to smell his breath, said: “Where did you get your whiskey?” And so it went,
the plucky Captain Drake striking the giant McIlrath, but no fight followed.
McIlrath as captain of company A was first in line of promotion for major and
Captain Drake had been just recommended for the place. This fact had nothing to
do with it, merely a coincidence.
Returned to camp in
the evening; rode part way with Colonel McCook, open and minatory against
Rosecrans. At eight P. M. a dispatch from Adjutant-General Buckingham announced
my promotion to lieutenant-colonel vice Matthews, and J. M. Courtly
[Comly] as major. The latter is I fear an error. He is a stranger to the
regiment. It will make a fuss, and perhaps ought to. Captain Drake is a brave,
generous old fellow, excitable and furious, but when the heat is off sound to
the core, with the instincts of a gentleman strong in him.
SOURCE: Charles Richard Williams, editor, Diary and
Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, Volume 2, p. 133-4
