Diary of Corporal Charles H. Lynch: October 22, 1864

Report comes to us of the death of our Brigade and Division Commander at Cedar Creek. We are all sorry that he was killed. He was one of the best officers in our corps. Colonel Thoburn, 1st West Virginia Regiment, a good friend to our regiment, a medical doctor by profession.

SOURCE: Charles H. Lynch, The Civil War Diary, 1862-1865, of Charles H. Lynch 18th Conn. Vol's, p. 131

Diary of Sir Arthur James Lyon Fremantle: Wednesday, May 27, 1863

Arrived at Montgomery, the capital of Alabama, at daylight, and left it by another railroad at 5.30 A.M.

All State capitals appear to resemble one another, and look like bits cut off from great cities. One or two streets have a good deal of pretension about them; and the inevitable “Capitol,” with its dome, forms the principal feature. A sentry stands at the door of each railway car, who examines the papers of every passenger with great strictness, and even after that inspection the same ceremony is performed by an officer of the provost-marshal's department, who accompanies every train.¹ The officers and soldiers on this duty are very civil and courteous, and after getting over their astonishment at finding that I am a British officer, they do all they can to make me comfortable. They ask all sorts of curious questions about the British army, and often express a strong wish to see one of our regiments fight. They can hardly believe that the Coldstream is really dressed in scarlet. To-day they entered gravely into a discussion amongst themselves, as to whether British troops would have taken the position at Fredericksburg. The arguments on both sides were very amusing, and opinion was pretty evenly divided. We met three trains crammed full of soldiers for Johnston's army. They belonged to Breckenridge's division of Bragg's army, and all seemed in the highest spirits, cheering and yelling like demons. In the cars to-day I fell in with the Federal doctor who was refused leave to pass through General Johnston's lines; he was now en route for Richmond. He was in full Yankee uniform, but was treated with civility by all the Confederate soldiers. I had a long talk with him; he seemed a sensible man, and did not attempt to deny the universal enthusiasm and determination of the Southerners. He told me that General Grant had been very nearly killed at the taking of Jackson. He thought the war would probably terminate by a blow-up in the North.² I had to change cars at West Point and at Atlanta! At the latter place I was crammed into a desperately crowded train for Chattanooga. This country, Georgia, is much more inhabited and cultivated than Alabama. I travelled again all night.

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¹ This rigid inspection is necessary to arrest spies, and prevent straggling and absence without leave.

² Notwithstanding the exasperation with which every Southerner speaks of a Yankee, and all the talk about black flag and no quarter, yet I never saw a Federal prisoner ill treated or insulted in any way, although I have travelled hundreds of miles in their company.

SOURCE: Sir Arthur James Lyon Fremantle, Three Months in the Southern States: April-June, 1863, p. 134-6

Diary of John Beauchamp Jones: July 3, 1862

Our wounded are now coming in fast, under the direction of the Ambulance Committee. I give passports to no one not having legitimate business on the field to pass the pickets of the army. There is no pilfering on this field of battle; no “Plug Ugly” detectives stripping dead colonels, and, Falstaff like, claiming to be made “either Earl or Duke” for killing them.

So great is the demand for vehicles that the brother of a North Carolina major, reported mortally wounded, paid $100 for a hack to bring his brother into the city. He returned with him a few hours after, and, fortunately, found him to be not even dangerously wounded.

I suffer no physicians not belonging to the army to go upon the battle-field without taking amputating instruments with them, and no private vehicle without binding the drivers to bring in two or more of the wounded.

There are fifty hospitals in the city, fast filling with the sick and wounded. I have seen men in my office and walking in the streets, whose arms have been amputated within the last three days. The realization of a great victory seems to give them strength.

SOURCE: John Beauchamp Jones, A Rebel War Clerk's Diary at the Confederate States Capital, Volume 1, p. 140-1

Major General William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, August 20, 1862

MEMPHIS, August 20, 1862.

. . . I see the Cincinnati papers are finding fault with me again. Well, thank God, I don't owe Cincinnati anything, or she me. If they want to believe reporters they may. Eliza Gillespie can tell you whether I take an interest in the sick or no. I never said I did not want cowards from the hospital. I said the Sanitary Committee had carried off thousands who were not sick, except of the war, and for my part I did not want such to return. Men who ran off at Shiloh and escaped in boats to Ohio and remain absent as deserters will be of no use to us here. This is true and those deserters should know it; but the real sick receive from me all possible care. I keep my sick with their regiments, with their comrades, and don't send them to strange hospitals. Our surgeon has a very bad way of getting rid of sick instead of taking care of them in their regiments, and once in the general hospitals they rarely return. This cause nearly defeated us at Shiloh, when 57,000 men were absent from their regiment without leave. McClellan has 70,000 absent from his army. This abuse has led to many catastrophes, and you can't pick up a paper without some order of the President and Secretary of War on the subject.

If the doctors want to do charity let them come here, where the sick are, and not ask us to send the sick to them. As to opening the liquor saloons here, it was done by the city authorities to prevent the sale of whiskey by the smugglers. We have as little drunkenness and as good order here as in any part of the volunteer army.

Cincinnati furnishes more contraband goods than Charleston, and has done more to prolong the war than the State of South Carolina. Not a merchant there but would sell salt, bacon, powder and lead, if they can make money by it. I have partially stopped this and hear their complaints. I hope Bragg will bring war home to them. The cause of war is not alone in the nigger, but in the mercenary spirit of our countrymen.

SOURCES: M. A. DeWolfe Howe, Editor, Home Letters of General Sherman, p. 231-2.  A full copy of this letter can be found in the William T Sherman Family papers (SHR), University of Notre Dame Archives (UNDA), Notre Dame, IN 46556, Folder CSHR 1/147.