Major-General Henry W. Halleck to Brigadier-General Don Carlos Buell, February 7, 1862

SAINT Louis, February 7, 1862.

Brig. Gen. D.C. BUELL, Louisville, Ky.:

GENERAL: My telegrams of to-day are so full that I have very little to add in answer to your letter of the 5th. You say you regret that we could not have consulted on this move earlier. So do I, most sincerely. I had no idea of commencing the movement before the 15th or the 20th instant till I received General McClellan's telegram about the re-enforcement sent to Tennessee or Kentucky with Beauregard. Although not ready, I deemed it important to move instantly. I believe I was right. We must hold. Fort Henry must be held at all hazards. I am sending there every man I can get hold of, without regard to the consequences of abandoning posts in this State. If the rebels rise, I will put them down afterwards. Grant's force is small—only 15,000. Eight thousand more are on the way to re-enforce him. If we can sustain ourselves and advance up the Cumberland or Tennessee, Bowling Green must be abandoned. I suppose the mud there, as it is here, is too deep for movements outside of railroads and rivers.

The enemy has the railroads, and we must use the rivers—at least for the present. Unfortunately our gunboats are badly disabled. They will be repaired as soon as possible. In the mean time we must push on with infantry and artillery on transports I have no train, and most of the regiments are without means of transportation on land. I hope you will help us all you can. I deem the holding of Fort Henry of vital importance to both of us.

I write in great haste, but you will understand the purport of what I wish to express.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

 H. W. HALLECK,   

 Major-General.

SOURCE: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume 7 (Serial No. 7), p. 593

Diary of Sir Arthur James Lyon Fremantle: Sunday, June 7, 1863

Augusta is a city of 20,000 inhabitants; but its streets being extremely wide, and its houses low, it covers a vast space. No place that I have seen in the Southern States shows so little traces of the war, and it formed a delightful contrast to the war-worn, poverty-stricken, dried-up towns I had lately visited. I went to the Episcopal church, and might almost have fancied myself in England: the ceremonies were exactly the same, and the church was full of well-dressed people.

At 2 P.M. I dined at the house of Mr Carmichael, son-in-law to Bishop Elliott, who told me there were 2000 volunteers in Augusta, regularly drilled and prepared to resist raids. These men were exempted from the conscription, either on account of their age, nationality, or other cause — or had purchased substitutes. At 3 P.M. Mr Carmichael sent me in his buggy to call on Colonel Rains, the superintendent of the Government works here. My principal object in stopping at Augusta was to visit the powder manufactory and arsenal; but, to my disappointment, I discovered that the present wants of the State did not render it necessary to keep these establishments open on Sundays.

I had a long and most interesting conversation with Colonel Rains, who is a very clever, highly-educated, and agreeable officer. He was brought up at West Point, and after a short service in the United States army, he became Professor of Chemistry at the Military College. He was afterwards much engaged in the manufacture of machinery in the Northern States. At the commencement of this war, with his usual perspicacity, President Davis selected Colonel Rains as the most competent person to build and to work the Government factories at Augusta, giving him carte blanche to act as he thought best; and the result has proved the wisdom of the President's choice. Colonel Rains told me that at the beginning of the troubles, scarcely a grain of gunpowder was manufactured in the whole of the Southern States. The Augusta powder-mills and arsenal were then commenced, and no less than 7000 lb. of powder are now made every day in the powder manufactory. The cost to the Government of making the powder is only four cents a pound. The saltpetre (nine-tenths of which runs the blockade from England) cost formerly seventy-five cents, but has latterly been more expensive. In the construction of the powder-mills, Colonel Rains told me he had been much indebted to a pamphlet by Major Bradley of Waltham Abbey.

At the cannon foundry, one Napoleon 12-pounder is turned out every two days; but it is hoped very soon that one of these guns may be finished daily. The guns are made of a metal recently invented by the Austrians, and recommended to the Confederate Government by Mr Mason. They are tested by a charge of ten pounds of powder, and by loading them to the muzzle with bolts. Two hundred excellent mechanics are exempted from the conscription, to be employed at the mills. The wonderful speed with which these works have been constructed, their great success, and their immense national value, are convincing proofs of the determined energy of the Southern character, now that it has been roused; and also of the zeal and skill of Colonel Rains. He told me that Augusta had been selected as a site for these works on account of its remoteness from the probable seats of war, of its central position, and of its great facilities of transport; for this city can boast of a navigable river and a canal, besides being situated on a central railroad. Colonel Rains said, that although the Southerners had certainly been hard up for gunpowder at the early part of the war, they were still harder up for percussion caps. An immense number (I forget how many) of these are now made daily in the Government factory at Atlanta.

I left Augusta at 7 P.M. by train for Charleston. My car was much crowded with Yankee prisoners.

SOURCE: Sir Arthur James Lyon Fremantle, Three Months in the Southern States: April-June, 1863, p. 176-8

Diary of Corporal Charles H. Lynch: July 21, 1864

The sun came up this morning bright and warm. The morning finds us in the same woods where we passed the night. A foraging party, sent out last night from our regiment, returned with flour, bacon, hams. The officers appropriated the best sugar-cured hams. Late in the night the hams were taken from the officers' mess. No one seemed to know what became of them. Officers put up a great kick, were mad through and through. Of course the boys were all innocent. Punishment was in store for the rascals who stole the hams. A fine nice piece found its way into my haversack. I did not put it there but thought I could guess who did. I did not ask any questions. It sure was good to eat.

I visited the river to take a look at the place where we crossed during the battle of the 18th. Thought it another case of mismanagement, although it did seem at times that men must be sacrificed in order to find out the plans and location of the enemy. No troops should have crossed that river at the time without being well supported. That was the way we felt about it. The bed of the river was the grave of some of our boys. Marching orders for early tomorrow morning. Hope to get a good night's rest.

SOURCE: Charles H. Lynch, The Civil War Diary, 1862-1865, of Charles H. Lynch 18th Conn. Vol's, p. 102-3

Major Rutherford B. Hayes to Lucy Webb Hayes, October 3, 1861

Camp Sewell, October 3, 1861.

Dearest: — This is a pleasant morning. I yesterday finished the work of a court-martial here; am now in my own tent with my regiment “at home.” It does seem like home. I have washed and dressed myself, and having nothing to do I hope to be able today to write to all. I begin, of course, with my darling wife, of whom I think more and more affectionately the longer we are separated. And the dear boys too — kiss and hug them warmly.

We are evidently at the end of our campaign in this direction for this season. The bad roads and floods make it impossible longer to supply an army so far from railroads and navigable waters. How soon we shall begin our backward march, I do not know. If the enemy were not immediately in front of us we should leave instantly but, no doubt, our leaders dislike to make a move that will look like a retreat from an enemy that we care nothing about. But there is nothing to be gained by staying so far in the mountains, and the danger of starving will send us back to Gauley Bridge long before this reaches you. We shall, no doubt, garrison and fortify the strong points which control western Virginia, and the question with us all is, who is to stay and who go to some pleasanter scene.

We are now in General Schenck's brigade, and hope he will have influence enough to get us a place in the Kentucky or some other army. We are, no doubt, the crack American regiment of all this region, and think we should have the conspicuous place. I think we shall get out of here, but we shall see. I think there will be no battle here. The enemy are strongly entrenched and far superior to us in numbers. Besides there is no object in attacking them. They have twenty-two pieces of artillery. They will not attack us, unless encouraged to do so by our apparent retreat. If they come out of their entrenchments to fight us we think we have got them. So if our retreat is prudently managed, I suspect there will be nothing but skirmishing. That we have a little of daily.

Since we passed into the mountains, we are out of reach of mails. It is almost a month since the date of your last letter. I am still on General Rosecrans' staff although with my regiment, and you can direct letters as heretofore, except instead of “Clarksburg” put “Gauley Bridge,” and ask Dr. James W. to leave the new direction at the Commercial office.

I am in the best of health. I speak of this always because it is now a noticeable thing. No man in our regiment has been healthier than I have, perhaps none so healthy. I have not been laid up a moment, hardly felt even slightly unwell.

It is singular how one gets attached to this life with all its hardships. We are a most jovial happy set. Our mess now is Colonel Scammon, Lieutenant-Colonel Matthews, Dr. Clendenin, Dr. Joe, and myself. I doubt if anywhere in the country a happier set gather about the table. Joe is full of life, occasionally unwell a little, but always jovial. Matthews has had some of his old troubles — nothing serious — but is a most witty, social man. Colonel Scammon takes medicines all the time, but is getting fat, and is in the best of temper with all of us. General Schenck and his staff are also here. Donn Piatt is one of them. The general and Donn add greatly to our social resources. Indeed I have seen no regiment that will at all compare with us in this respect. . . .

I shall be thirty-nine years old, or is it thirty-eight, tomorrow? Birthdays come along pretty fast these days.

Do the boys go to school? I hope they will be good scholars, but not study at the expense of growth and health. . . .

If the paymaster ever gets along I shall be able to send home money enough to pay debts, taxes, and keep you going for some time.

We have news of a victory by McClellan. We hope it is true. Whatever may befall us, success at Washington if followed up secures our country's cause. Love to all.

Affectionately, as ever,

R.

Mrs. Hayes.

SOURCE: Charles Richard Williams, editor, Diary and Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, Volume 2, p. 104-6