Diary of Private Ephraim Shelby Dodd: Sunday, March 8, 1863

Went on forage; got back in time for preaching.

SOURCE: Ephraim Shelby Dodd, Diary of Ephraim Shelby Dodd: Member of Company D Terry's Texas Rangers, p. 9

Diary of Private Ephraim Shelby Dodd: Monday, March 9, 1863

Remained in Camp to-night. Rained.

SOURCE: Ephraim Shelby Dodd, Diary of Ephraim Shelby Dodd: Member of Company D Terry's Texas Rangers, p. 9

Diary of Private Ephraim Shelby Dodd: Tuesday, March 10, 1863

Could not get forage.

SOURCE: Ephraim Shelby Dodd, Diary of Ephraim Shelby Dodd: Member of Company D Terry's Texas Rangers, p. 9

Diary of Private Ephraim Shelby Dodd: Wednesday, March 11, 1863

Went after forage. I and Reuben Slaughter went together, did not find the Squadron, piruted around and came back to Camp after night.

SOURCE: Ephraim Shelby Dodd, Diary of Ephraim Shelby Dodd: Member of Company D Terry's Texas Rangers, p. 9

Diary of Private Ephraim Shelby Dodd: Thursday, March 12, 1863

Came (Regiment) down through Shelbyville to near Dolittle. I stopped at Lee Stewart's and got dinner. Came on to Camp.

SOURCE: Ephraim Shelby Dodd, Diary of Ephraim Shelby Dodd: Member of Company D Terry's Texas Rangers, p. 9

Diary of Private Ephraim Shelby Dodd: Friday, March 13, 1863

Went on bread detail, saw Mrs. Billington at Widow Clardy's, her mother; took dinner with them. Met Miss Ore and Miss Patton.

SOURCE: Ephraim Shelby Dodd, Diary of Ephraim Shelby Dodd: Member of Company D Terry's Texas Rangers, p. 10

Diary of Private Ephraim Shelby Dodd: Saturday, March 14, 1863

Squadron went on scout. I went to shop and on bread detail.

SOURCE: Ephraim Shelby Dodd, Diary of Ephraim Shelby Dodd: Member of Company D Terry's Texas Rangers, p. 10

Diary of Private Ephraim Shelby Dodd: Sunday, March 15, 1863

Remain in Camp.

SOURCE: Ephraim Shelby Dodd, Diary of Ephraim Shelby Dodd: Member of Company D Terry's Texas Rangers, p. 10

General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard to Governor Thomas O. Moore, February 28, 1862

JACKSON, TENN., Feb. 28th, 1862.

To Governor T. O. MOORE, New Orleans:

Will accept all good, equipped troops under Act 21st August, that will offer for ninety days. Let people of Louisiana understand here is the proper place to defend Louisiana.

G. T. BEAUREGARD.

SOURCE: Alfred Roman, The Military Operations of General Beauregard in the War Between the States: 1861 to 1865, Vol. 1, p. 504

Brigadier-General John A. McClernand et al to Major-General Ulysses S. Grant, March 9, 1862

[hd. qrs., 1st Div., Pine Landing, Tenn.]

[March 9, 1862.]

We have heard with deep regret of your having been deposed from your authority as Commander in the field of the forces in this district. Whether, in fact, this be true, we do not pretend to say; much less to make it occasion for censure or reflection upon any. On the contrary, we disclaim not only the feeling but the purpose to do so. Our object is far different—it is simply and singly to perform an act which justice to ourselves as well as to you, equally, requires. Not to perform it would prove ourselves wanting in the sympathy and generosity which become fellow soldiers, who have fought and suffered together. This is our explanation and apology for this hasty note. Reverting to the past, we cannot forbear the expression of our thanks for the uniform urbanity and kindness you have extended to us. Nor in the sterner realities of war are we wanting in reason for awarding you our gratitude and respect. As our Commander at Belmont and Forts Henry and Donelson, besides in numerous mere skirmishes, you were successful. Under your lead the flag of the Union has been carried from the interior further towards the seaboard than by any other hands. You have slain more of the enemy, taken more prisoners and trophies, lost more men in battle and regained more territory to the Union than any other leader. If we have born a part in achieving these results we are proud of it, and are, therefore, naturally concerned in what may darken or disparage them. We place this spontaneous tribute at your disposal for such use as you may think proper to make of it.*

_______________

* This letter was signed by McClernand, Col. William H. L. Wallace, Col. Leonard F. Ross, and eight officers of McClernand's staff.

SOURCE: Simon, John Y., The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant, Volume 04: January 8-March 31, 1862, vol. 4, p. 338

General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard to Colonel William Porcher Miles, March 16, 1862

Private.

JACKSON, TENN., March 16th, 1862.

My dear Colonel,—Can you not wake up the authorities to the great danger of our army here, and necessarily of the Mississippi Valley, from lack of proper organization-all due to a want of brigadiers? I have been trying for the last month and over, indeed, before I left Centreville, to have a certain number of them appointed, but all to no purpose. Are we, for the sake of a little economy in the pay of said officers, to jeopardize all we have at stake in this contest? Why, then, not authorize generals in the field to appoint acting brigadier and major generals, when in their judgment required, but without additional pay, until approved of by the President or Congress?

Bragg, Polk, and myself applied, a few days ago, for ten general officers; today we are informed that four are appointed, of whom two can't be here for one week! in the meantime a part of this army is in a state of chaos, and fifteen thousand new levies will soon be in the field! What in the world shall I do with them? Will not Heaven open the eyes and senses of our rulers? Where in the world are we going to, if not to destruction? Time is all-precious now; the enemy will soon be upon us, and, to cap the climax, I cannot get well. I am better, but the least excitement throws me back. We must cheer up, however. With good troops and enough of them, there is a chance, at this moment, of making a beautiful ten strike, but it would be risking too much in the present condition of affairs; we would lose too much if I failed. The problem here is very difficult. I have to look to the safety of this army and yet keep the Mississippi River closed; the latter a most difficult undertaking with our present means. By-the-bye, there were six brigades in Polk's army without brigadier-generals, commanded by colonels according to rank. You may imagine what kind of commanders some of them make, and what kind of brigades they have!

I enclose you copy of a telegram sent this day to the War Department. My kind regards to friends.

Yours truly,

G. T. BEAUREGARD.

Col. W. P. MILES, Member of Congress, Richmond, Va.

SOURCE: Alfred Roman, The Military Operations of General Beauregard in the War Between the States: 1861 to 1865, Vol. 1, pp. 512-3

Governor Rutherford B. Hayes to J. H. Pittenger, November 23, 1869

COLUMBUS, November 23, 1869.

MY DEAR SIR:—I am in receipt of your favor of the 20th as to a recommendation for an office in the revenue service. I am called upon to sign so many recommendations that I have acted upon a rule which practically destroys in a great measure the value of the testimonials I give, viz., to give only general recommendations, and to give those to all who desire it with this qualification, that I state what I know or believe to be true in each case. In this matter I have already given a general testimonial to a gentleman who applied to me before your letter came to hand. If a general letter of the sort indicated will be of service to you I will be glad to furnish it. Should you wish a letter, please send me a specimen of the testimonials you are furnished with.

My kind regards to Mrs. Pittenger.

R. B. HAYES.

MR. J. H. PITTENGER,
        Tiffin, Ohio.

SOURCE: Charles Richard Williams, editor, Diary and Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, Volume 3, p. 72-3

Governor Rutherford B. Hayes to John J. Hooker, November 23, 1869

COLUMBUS, November 23, 1869.

DEAR H——:—I have been absent or busy moving these last days or I would have said a word in reply to yours of the 10th. I published the article* in the Journal. No reflection was of course intended on you in particular. The general practice you evidently regard just as I do, and I am sure there is no misunderstanding on your part of my motives. I regard you as a man whose soundness of judgment and integrity of purpose in such a case may be implicitly relied on; and the point was made clearer to my mind than it can be to the public.

Sincerely,

R. B. HAYES.

JOHN J. HOOKER, ESQ.,
        Cincinnati. 

Private.

_______________

* The article read:—"An illustration of the thoughtlessness with which good men sign important petitions occurred at the governor's office a few days ago. A petition for the pardon of a convict numerously signed was presented to Governor Hayes. Among the signers was a gentleman known to the governor to be a man of integrity and good sense. The gentleman was written to and asked what he knew or could learn as to the merits of the case. A few days afterwards the governor received a reply, marked 'private', in which the writer said: 'I signed the petition for his pardon presented to me by his wife. My tenderness of heart in the case overcame my judgment. As no good would be accomplished by his pardon, I fully investigated the case. I could obtain no redeeming quality in the convict from those familiar with him. He is represented by all as a very dangerous person to run at large, and from reports he is a natural thief and would, no doubt, continue his former career if pardoned.’"

SOURCE: Charles Richard Williams, editor, Diary and Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, Volume 3, p. 73-4

Governor Rutherford B. Hayes to Governor Lucius Fairchild, November 23, 1869

COLUMBUS, November 23, 1869.

DEAR GOVERNOR:—I thank you for your efforts in the Leroy matter. I have no doubt he is deliberately trying to levy blackmail on me. The pretext is a deposit claimed to have been made by his son when a soldier in my command. I find abundant evidence that the claim is a fabrication of Leroy. At first I did not know but he was acting in good faith, and that the fraud was in the informants.

Sincerely,

R. B. HAYES.

GENERAL LUCIUS FAIRCHILD,
        Governor of Wisconsin.

SOURCE: Charles Richard Williams, editor, Diary and Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, Volume 3, p. 74

Diary of Governor Rutherford B. Hayes, November 28, 1869

Columbus, Ohio.—On the 17th we began to move from our late residence, 51 East State Street, to Judge Swayne's residence on Seventh Street, facing west and opposite the centre of East State Street. We are to pay eight hundred dollars per year and to have the use of some articles of furniture. It is a fine, large house with ample grounds. The rent is cheap.

I was re-elected by 7501 majority over Mr. Pendleton, and shall remain in office two years from next January, if nothing occurs to prevent.

SOURCE: Charles Richard Williams, editor, Diary and Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, Volume 3, p. 74

Diary of Governor Rutherford B. Hayes, December 2, 1869

I now begin to collect materials and set down a few items for my annual message:

I. Fifteenth Amendment - a few words of emphatic recommendation and approval. 2. Soldiers' Orphans' Homes. 3. Reform, improvement, or progress in prison discipline. 4. The Reappraisement. 5. The Geological Survey. 6. Inebriate Asylum. 7. Incurable Insane. 8. Agricultural fund; college to be located, (See 1859, p. 51).— (Mem.:—In my brief inaugural why not suggest topics, improvements, or amendments of the Constitution?)

Take up the benevolent and reformatory institutions; give their condition, number of inmates, cost, etc., etc. (See Governor Chase's message 1860.)

To recommend clearly and briefly the things deemed best without argument or illustration.

SOURCE: Charles Richard Williams, editor, Diary and Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, Volume 3, p. 74-5

Major-General Henry W. Halleck to Major-General George B. McClellan, March 10, 1862—7 p.m.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI,        

Saint Louis, March 10, 1862— 7 p.m.

Major-general MCCLELLAN, Washington:

Reserves intended to support General Curtis will now be drawn in as rapidly as possible and sent to the Tennessee. I propose going there in a few days. That is now the great strategic line of the Western campaign, and I am surprised that General Buell should hesitate to re-enforce me. He was too late at Fort Donelson, as Hunter has been in Arkansas. I am obliged to make my calculations independent of both. Believe me, general, you make a serious mistake in having three independent commands in the West. There never will and never can be any co-operation at the critical moment; all military history proves it. You will regret your decision against me on this point. Your friendship for individuals has influenced your judgment. Be it so. I shall soon fight a great battle on the Tennessee, unsupported, as it seems, but if successful, it will settle the campaign in the West.

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 8 (Serial No. 8), p. 602

Wounded

By a letter received from Washington by L. Chamberlin, Esq., we hear that Lucien Laselle, son of Judge Lasselle, formerly of the city, was severely wounded at Coal [sic] Harbor on the 3rd of June. A ball passed through his right leg above the knee while being borne off the field a piece of shell inflicted a severe wound on the same leg below the knee. He was taken to Washington on the 9th—before which time his wound had not been dressed. The wounds were received in a charge on the rebel breastworks. Only 7 of the Company are left for duty. Sergeant Lasselle enlisted in the California regiment, and was in every battle in which the army of the Potomac has been engaged since the first battle of Bull Run. At Antietam he had a pipe shot out of his mouth—in another battle a ramrod was shot out of his hand—but he was never hit until the battle at Coal Harbor. He is among the bravest of the brave.

Col. R. D’Hart was wounded at Marietta, Georgia, last week—wound reported severe.

Capt. Dyer B. McConnell, from this city, in the 9th Indiana, is reported as having been recently wounded in Georgia.

SOURCE: “Wounded,” Democratic Pharos, Logansport, Indiana, Wednesday, June 15, 1864, p. 2

Richmond Campaign

Gen. Grant is still prosecuting the campaign against Richmond. Severe fighting is reported Saturday by Hancock, and that the rebels were defeated at Bottom’s Bridge (12 miles from Richmond) and the whole Federal army is on the south bank of the Chickahominy. Gen. Grant is occupying Gen. McClellan’s old ground, and being backed by the Administration with troops, he is gradually approaching Richmond.

In an expedition against Petersburg, Gen. Kautz, with his cavalry, forced a rebel line of intrenchments and dashed into the city; but, not being supported by the infantry under Gilmore, he was compelled to withdraw. Gilmore did not deem it prudent to attack, the rebel works being quite formidable and more strongly garrisoned than he had anticipated.

SOURCE: “Wounded,” Democratic Pharos, Logansport, Indiana, Wednesday, June 15, 1864, p. 2

Diary of 4th Corporal Bartlett Yancey Malone: June 1, 1862

The fight comenced a little before the sun rose And we was plast (placed) in a line of Battel And was expecting to go in to it evry minuet but we staid there all day and was not cauld on; General Longstreet divishion don the most of the fighting on Sunday And from that time till the 11th we stade in the Swamp down on Chickahominy River

SOURCE: Bartlett Yancey Malone, The Diary of Bartlett Yancey Malone, p. 20-1