During the past
month the right section done picket duty once on the Potomac.
SOURCE: Theodore
Reichardt, Diary of Battery A, First Regiment Rhode Island Light Artillery,
p. 31
During the past
month the right section done picket duty once on the Potomac.
SOURCE: Theodore
Reichardt, Diary of Battery A, First Regiment Rhode Island Light Artillery,
p. 31
We (centre section)
were relieved from picket duty by the right section, Lieutenant J. G. Hassard.
SOURCE: Theodore
Reichardt, Diary of Battery A, First Regiment Rhode Island Light Artillery,
p. 32
Weather warm. I was
on fatigue nearly all day, cutting and hauling wood for the company. We had
dress parade at 4 o'clock. Just at dusk the news came in that a guerilla band
was to attack us before morning. Fifty men from our regiment and forty-eight
from the 126th (which is here doing picket duty) were detailed to build
breastworks of cotton, four hundred bales of which lay near the depot. Col.
Norton and Major Bates did the engineering. After they had finished we lay
on our arms during the night, but no enemy made its appearance, and about 7
o'clock we were ordered back to camp.
SOURCE: Seth James
Wells, The Siege of Vicksburg: From the Diary of Seth J. Wells,
Including Weeks of Preparation and of Occupation After the Surrender, p.
15-6
Left Camp College
Hill, or was rallied and sent to Gallatin, Summer county, Tenn, and slept on
our arms all night, and the next morning our company was sent out to ascertain
where company K, of the 79th Pa. Inf was, as they were put on out-post picket
in the night and could not be found in the morning. We found them on the Gallatin
road, one mile from town; in the mean time orders came to right-about and march
to camp again. On arriving there, orders had come to the regiment to
right-about and march to College Hill again, leaving Co. D behind. So we lay
over until the next day, and a train of cars came for us and we returned again
to camp, making a march of 23 miles.
SOURCE: Adam S.
Johnston, The Soldier Boy's Diary Book, p. 18
Our camp equipage came up to-day, so that we are now in our own tents.
Four of my companies are on picket, scattered up the valley for miles, and half of the other two are doing guard duty in the neighborhood of the camp. I do not, by any means, approve of throwing out such heavy pickets and scattering our men so much. We are in the presence of a force probably twice as large as our own, and should keep our troops well in hand.
Our scouts have been busy; but, although they have brought in a few prisoners, mostly farmers residing in the vicinity of the enemy's camp, we have obtained but little information respecting the rebels. I intend to send out a scouting party in the morning. Lieutenant Driscoll will command it. He is a brave, and, I think, prudent officer, and will leave camp at four o'clock, follow the road six miles, then take to the mountains, and endeavor to reach a point where he can overlook the enemy and estimate his strength.
SOURCE: John Beatty, The Citizen-soldier: Or, Memoirs of a Volunteer, p. 45-6
Battery in camp near
Poolesville; we, the centre section, on picket at Conrad's Ferry. Our picket
duty, at this place, has been a very pleasant one, being very light, except the
guard duty. Firing of videttes was very frequent during the night. But never did
either party disturb the other with artillery practice during our stay.
Sometimes signal rockets were sent up on the Maryland side, by rebel
sympathizers, which were generally answered from the Virginia shore. General
Stone had strong block-houses, of solid oak-timber, built on the line from
Muddy Branch to Conrad's Ferry, for the defence of the Maryland side, large
enough to hold three hundred men each. May it be remembered, pigs had to suffer
in our neighborhood. The weather, having been pleasant for weeks, became very
wintry after the first of January.
SOURCE: Theodore
Reichardt, Diary of Battery A, First Regiment Rhode Island Light
Artillery, p. 30-1
The centre section
was relieved from picket at Conrad's Ferry, by the left section, under Lieut.
Newton. The guns of the former remained there to be taken by the left section.
SOURCE: Theodore
Reichardt, Diary of Battery A, First Regiment Rhode Island Light
Artillery, p. 31
On picket one mile
southeast of LaGrange, the night was very cold.
SOURCE: Seth James
Wells, The Siege of Vicksburg: From the
Diary of Seth J. Wells, Including Weeks of Preparation and of Occupation After
the Surrender, p. 13
Encanmped at
Lafayette last night and in the morning started back with the supply train. The
march was as hard a one as I ever took. I have never seen the men so played out
and such general straggling—but few companies came to a halt with a quarter of
their men. Quimby gave us a tough one and the "compliments" paid him
by the men would scarcely please his ears. I was out on picket with my company
and did not get relieved until the whole force had started and then had to
rejoin the regiment. I reached it about dusk.
SOURCE: Joseph
Stockton, War Diary (1862-5) of Brevet Brigadier General Joseph
Stockton, p. 7
I and five others were on picket on the bank of the Tennessee at Chickasaw. About nine o'clock A. M. another gun-boat paid us a visit. She had eleven guns aboard. After spying round awhile, she went back down the river, without either landing any troops or firing a gun. The battalion moved to Iuka, and camped in the “Iuka Springs" lot, in the edge of town. There were a couple of nice mineral springs there.
SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 139
Came to Vernon and
camped. I went out and got some fodder and made beds, but did not get to enjoy
it long. Bout 1 o'clock started and came to Duck River, built fires of the
fence on river bank. Our squadron sent on scout eight miles, got back just
after day. Found them swimming the horses and taking the rigging over in a boat
flat. We were then sent on picket. A ford was found and the Brigade crossed over.
Camped one mile from the river. Crossed near Centerville.
SOURCE: Ephraim
Shelby Dodd, Diary of Ephraim Shelby Dodd: Member of Company D Terry's
Texas Rangers, p. 7
Batteries A and B
were ordered to report near Conrad's Ferry, where we arrived before sunrise, it
being only five miles from our camp. While going through the woods, orders were
given not to talk loud, the distance between us and the enemy being not more
than three miles at the time. The enemy's position, which was a fortified one,
consisting of two forts, called Beauregard and Johnson, had already been
reconnoitred from a balloon, the day before. At our arrival, we found General
Stone and Colonel Tompkins, with two companies of Van Allen's cavalry, two
companies of the Thirty-fourth New York, and two of the First Minnesota,
already there. We opened on the two forts, without much effect. Lieutenant
Perry was more successful, with his Parrott guns. The enemy could be seen
standing in squads by his artillery, yet no reply was made. By four o'clock we
all withdrew, except the Parrott guns of Battery B, doing picket duty. The old
members will remember, when returning to camp, Lieutenant Perry rode that
nigger down. Quiet up to Wednesday, December 18.
SOURCE: Theodore
Reichardt, Diary of Battery A, First Regiment Rhode Island Light
Artillery, p. 28
On picket, at
Conrad's Ferry. The rebel camp plainly to be seen. Infantry and cavalry
drilling outside the forts.
SOURCE: Theodore
Reichardt, Diary of Battery A, First Regiment Rhode Island Light
Artillery, p. 30
On picket at
Fredericksburg all day. Started at half-past six P.M., marched to the upper
part of the city, and went into battery, and threw up earthworks for our guns.
Finished two of them, and got one of the guns into them, when orders came to
evacuate the city with as little noise as possible.
We re-crossed the
river on the morning of the 16th, and were about the last to leave the city.
Nearly every house was broken open, and the contents destroyed.
SOURCE: John Lord
Parker, Henry Wilson's Regiment: History of the Twenty-second
Massachusetts Infantry, the Second Company Sharpshooters and the Third Light
Battery, in the War of the Rebellion, p. 270
I and two others being on picket within five miles of Chickasaw, and hearing the firing of artillery a little below, mounted our horses and went to the river at the above named place. The firing that appeared so near ceased before we reached Chickasaw, but heavy cannonading was still going on, we supposed, at Savannah, twenty-five miles below. I learned afterward that the firing that appeared so near was six miles below Chickasaw, and occurred as follows: A gun-boat was coming up the river with a sounding skiff in advance. Some Confederate cavalry, being near the river, killed one man in the skiff. The gun-boat then fired a few shots, without doing any harm, so far as I know.
SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 138-9
On picket again
to-day. We are at a new place, on the road to Frederick, but not as far out as Catonsville.
It is plain to see it is only for practice, for we are only a little way from
camp, and the other posts are far beyond us. Cavalry pickets are said to be
farther out still. May be it is to give us a rest, for that it certainly does.
We are out of the dust, our duties are light and the day after picket is also a
day of rest. We also get fresh vegetables, which are a treat for us now-a-days.
Night. We have had a
day of rest. Two hours on post and the next four at liberty to loaf in the
shade, is not hard work. We are in a lonely place, no houses near us, but we
have had what we needed, a real rest-up.
SOURCE:
Lawrence Van Alstyne, Diary of an Enlisted Man, p. 44-5
Came out on a
reconnoitering expedition, past Col. Lytle's. I stopped on return and saw
Misses Mollie and Alice. Miss Molly T. had returned home. From this time until
the 27th we did nothing but picketing. I piruted a little on Duck River, spent
a night or two with Mr. Stewart, took dinner twice at Mr. Wilhoit's and thus
the time passed. On 27th came in to Camp and on 29th we were relieved by
Wheeler's Brigade and with three days' rations started on a scout down on
Cumberland, passed through S. and out on Eaglesville pike to E. Camped near the
place.
SOURCE: Ephraim
Shelby Dodd, Diary of Ephraim Shelby Dodd: Member of Company D Terry's
Texas Rangers, p. 6
I introduce the following letter to a friend, as sufficiently explicit as to the occurrences since the last date:
CHAIN BRIDGE, VA., Sept. 6, 1861.
I
commence this letter with the reiteration, Poor Virginia! That State, which for
forty years has stood as the guiding star of our galaxy of States,—that State,
which alone could, six months ago,
have assumed the position of umpire to the belligerents, and which only would
have been respected in the assumption—now stands at the very foot of the list.
In the commencement of this contest she degraded herself by offering to become
the cat's paw for South Carolina, and was still farther degraded by South
Carolina rejecting the proposition to become her menial. By her officious
subservience, however, she got her paw into the fire, and how dreadfully it is
burned only those who are on her soil can form any idea. Everywhere is the
destruction going on. Her soil is the battle-field, and, so far as the
destruction of property is concerned, it matters but little which party is
successful. Armies must have room to move and manœuvre, soldiers will have the
fruits and vegetables which grow around their encampment, and camp life is a
poor fertilizer of that moral growth which marks the line of "meum et tuum."
This letter is
written on sheets taken from the former residence of Hon. W. W. Slade, once a
member of Congress from Virginia. I rode around with a foraging party. We
entered his fine old mansion, and I could not but weep over the sad changes
which I could see had taken place within a few hours, Within no living soul was
left. The soldiers entered; for a time I stood back, but when I did go in what
a sight presented itself! Already the floors were covered knee-deep with books
and papers, which it must have required a long life of toil and trouble to
amass, fine swinging-mirrors shivered into thousands of pieces—a fit emblem of
the condition to which efforts are being made to reduce this glorious
government—each piece reflecting miniature images of what the whole had shown,
but never again to reflect those pigmy images in one vast whole. In the large
and spacious drawing-room stood the ruins of one of those old-fashioned
sideboards, around which had grown so much of the reputation of Southern high
life and hospitality; its doors, wrenched from their hinges, lay scattered on
the floor; large mahogany sofas, with their covers torn off, marble-top tables,
stationery, china, stoves and spittoons, were there in one promiscuous heap of
ruins. I stepped into the library, hoping to bring away some relic that had
been untouched by the soldiers, but I was too late—all here was ruin. In a
corner I picked up a few yellow pamphlets, and read "Constitution and
By-Laws of the National Democratic Association." Sadly enough I left the
house, and seated myself, to rest and think, on the spacious verandah. For a
moment I looked on the vast orchards, the beautiful flower garden, the long
rows of laden grape vines, the broad acres of corn and clover, and thought,
"What a place and what a condition to pass old age in comfort and
quiet," and my heart began to lighten. How momentary the lightning, for
just then company after company from the different regiments came up; gates
were thrown open, fences thrown down, and horses, cattle and mules were
destroying all these evidences of prosperity and comfort. And this is but one
feature in the great haggard countenance of war which stares at us whenever we
look at Virginia's "sacred soil." Alas, poor Virginia! This subject
alone would give interest to a whole volume, but I must leave it.
On Tuesday night, at half-past ten o'clock, the "long roll" brought our brigade, of five regiments, to their feet, when we found ourselves under orders to march at once for the Virginia side of the river, where, it was said, a large body of rebels had been collecting just at night. We had had slight skirmishing in that neighborhood for several days, and now the crisis was expected, and our regiment was to have a chance. All was excitement, and in half an hour from the alarm we were ready to start. By the time we arrived here it had commenced raining—we found no enemy—bivouaced for the night, and slept in the rain to the music of the tramp, tramp of infantry, and the rattling, roaring tear of artillery wagons over the roughly macademized road which passed by our encampment. Yesterday it rained all day, as if every plug had been pulled out; still we kept on our arms and ready for action—our general and brigade officers dashing about all the time, and warning us to be ready for an attack. Day before yesterday a scouting party of our brigade went in pursuit of a party of cavalry who had been seen hovering about us. When they came in sight the cavalry took to their heels, leaving to us only three large contrabands, who "tink massa oughten to run away from poor nigga so, heah! heah! They just run and leab us to de mercy of de darn abolishuns, heah! heah!" They report that around Fairfax and Centreville there are sixty or seventy regiments, who are well provisioned, but that there is a great deal of sickness among them, measles being the prevailing disease. We had, when we left Kalarama, about twenty-five in the hospital, whom we left there under the charge of Dr. There are three or four here who have sickened in consequence of exposure to the two days and two night's rain, but they will be out in a day or two. We have not yet lost a man by disease or accident, though I hear that one man yesterday received a musket ball through his cap, but as it did not hit his head it is thought he will recover. The musket was carelessly fired by some soldier in our camp.
A little occurrence
to-day has caused quite a stir in our camps, and I deem it worthy to be noted
here for my remembrance. Capt. Strong, of the Second Regiment of Wisconsin
Volunteers, was with a small party on picket guard. He strolled away from his
company, and suddenly found himself surrounded by six of the rebel pickets.
Being out of reach of help from his men, he surrendered himself a prisoner.
After a short consultation as to whether they should kill the "d----d
Yankee" on the spot, they concluded that they would first take him into
camp. They demanded his pistols, which he took from his belt and presented. But
at the moment when the rebels were receiving them, they both went off, killing
two of his captors on the spot. But there were four left, two on foot, two on
horseback. He dashed into a pine thicket, they discharging their pieces after
him and immediately giving chase. He struck into a deep hollow or ravine
leading down to the Potomac. It was so precipitous that the horsemen could not
follow. But when he emerged from it near the river; he found himself confronted
by the two horsemen who had ridden around and reached the spot in time to head
him off. He had received a shot through his canteen. Immediately on seeing his
pursuers he fired again, killing one more of them, and simultaneously he
received another shot through his cheek. He continued firing with his revolvers
till he had made in all eleven shots. By this time the fourth man had been
unhorsed. The footmen did not pursue, and he made his way into camp. This is
the story, though some are so uncharitable as to discredit it, notwithstanding
one hole through his canteen and another through his cheek.
SOURCE: Alfred L.
Castleman, The Army of the Potomac. Behind the Scenes. A Diary of
Unwritten History; From the Organization of the Army, by General George B.
McClellan, to the close of the Campaign in Virginia about the First Day
January, 1863, p. 21-5
Reports are that a
great battle has been fought at Antietam, and a great victory won. Do they tell
us this to keep up our courage, or has the beginning of the end really come?
To-morrow we have the promise of going on picket duty. Good! anything for a
change. It will give me something to write about in my diary, if nothing more.
Things are getting rather monotonous, and any change will be good for us,
provided it is not for the worse. Prayer meeting every night now. Chaplain
Parker seems in dead earnest. He wants us all to be ready to die. Then, he
says, if death don't come, we will be in better shape to live. Very few of the
officers attend prayer meeting, though they encourage the men to do so.
SOURCE:
Lawrence Van Alstyne, Diary of an Enlisted Man, p. 31
On picket duty at
Catonsville again. The people and the peaches are just as good as ever. We are
glad enough of this outing, after our hard day yesterday. The six-mile walk has
given us good appetites and the prospects of a good feeding when dinner time
comes makes us feel like colts turned out to grass.
Night. Some of my
squad, when off duty, went visiting the posts farther out, and having found
some whiskey, got gloriously drunk. The sober ones have to do double duty, and
the drunks are locked in an empty omnibus which stands beside the road. What
sort of punishment will fit their offense I don't know. They have been so happy
this afternoon, they can afford to be made miserable for a day or two. They are
sound asleep now, unmindful of coming consequences. The fine record we made
when here before has gone all to pieces and that is really the worst thing
about it.
SOURCE:
Lawrence Van Alstyne, Diary of an Enlisted Man, p. 38