Difference between revisions of ".Nw.Nw"

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Began copying this book
July 31, 1866

        C.C.
No 2 June 30th (Sunday) 1861.
No news to-day. In the afternoon
a train of 25 cars arrived with 5th N. Carolina regi- -ment 800 strong from the encampment at Garysburg. Able-bodied men-armed
with {700?} percussion muskets.
Raining when they arrived.
They marched to ^the New Market
where ate {double strike-through} a committee of
citizens were to provide them
a dinner. They had base
drum & kettle-drum: negro
drummers : in rear of some
of the companies . 3 or 4
negroes marched with muskets
on their shoulders. Some one
said that the regiment was
bound for Yorktown.  Dr B-
told me that Gen. Lee had
stated that two important
military movements of our
officers had been frustrated
by the newspapers.  The
enemy at Old H receive
the Va. papers through spies.
The 2 suspected Northerners
in jail here can give
no ^satisfactory account of themselves
& tell lies: they are probably
spies.  The information obtained
in this way is probably equal
on both sides: so that we
gain as much as we lose.
Might not a locomotive &
car (mounted with cannon)
be made bomb-proof & used
to attack an advancing enemy.
Would the concussion of a
cannon-ball throw a loco-
motive off the track?
July 1st.  Monday.  In afternoon
walked over to Pocahontas
depot.  Saw company of recruits
in blue uniform, without guns.
Heard of capture of St Nicholas
Steamer:  A party of Marylanders
under an officer named Thomas of
Richmond, embarked in her bound
for Philadelphia or Washington:
party of 14 disguised as laborers.
Thomas had arms in a large
trunk:  They armed themselves,
siezed the steamer.  There appears
to have been another party
of Marylanders assisting-number
not given.  One of the 14 was
an experienced pilot: he steered
for the Rappahannock: took
two ^or three prizes, with 3500 bags of
coffee, 200 tons ice, 200 tons
anthracite coal:  The St Nicholas
ran up U.S. flag: was hailed
by the Pawnee: gave satisfactory
reply: the prisoners being secured
below.  The St Nicholas with
prizes reached Fredericksburg:
39 prisoners sent to Richmond.
July 2nd.  Cavalry of Hampton’s Legion
at Fair Grounds: the troopers
riding about the streets
the day being cool clear &
delightful after late heavy
rains.  The rain interrupted
some farmers in their wheat
harvest: but is most propitious
for corn & late oats & gardens.
The ground after a drought
is well saturated: a good
prospect for crops in Virginia
& the South generally.
Several persons have contributed
magazines &c for the soldiers
reading–room at Fair
Grounds.  Saw in the street
Capt Bridges of N.C. who
with his company at the
Edgecombe Guards charged
bayonet upon the Zouaves
at Bethel, recaptured Browns
cannon & put the enemy
to flight – the turning-point
of the battle.  One of McGruder’s
subalterns Werth from Richmond
with a small scouting party
advanced within 350 yds of
the Newport News entrenchment
& alone fired upon a party
cutting wood killed 2 men
& a mule: the rest fled leaving
their arms & communicated the
panic to a Mass. regiment
outside of the entrenchment
who also betook themselves
within the works: while
Werth & his 4 scouting com-
-panions retired in a walk
admiring the grand sensation
which they had contrived
to kick up.  Prince Camille
de Polignac was in the
French army in the Crimea.
A letter sent from Petersburg
by Adams Express to Louisville
for N. York costs 41 cents
postage.  A red stamp on the
letter to N.Y. another on one
^enclosing it to some party in Louisville, 10
cents Confederate Postage &
20 cts to Adam Express.
At 10 o’clock to-night unex-
-pectedly saw a splendid comet
a little west of Nth- the
tail flying Northward.  Had
seen or heard no prediction
of it which seems very strange.
The ladies are busy making
clothes for soldiers.  Again
saw cannon balls in the
cars: they come from Richmond
& go South.  In an attack
on a house of a Mr Gresham
on Potomac river the Freeborn
fired 95 times hit the
house 16 times: came near
killing an old lady in
her bed: but did {underscored} kill
nothing but a mouse {underscored}.
Parturiunt montes: moritur
ridiculus mus. News this
evening of a British ship
wrecked near cape Henry.
Wreckers landing her
cargo of coffee.  Coffee
now selling at 30 cents
per lb. appears to be coming
in in the nick of time.
C {double strike-through} The ^ci devant U.S. Congress is to meet
on Thursday the 4th, when
Mr Lincoln in a belligerent
Message will imitate his
prototype George III.  In the
meantime Sen Scott seems
to to pursue a “masterly inac-
-tivity.”?
July 4th, Thursday.  A chemist
named Laidley at Richmond
while manufacturing fulminating
powder ^for percussion-caps was killed & an assis-
-tant wounded.  Shops &c in
Penitentiary destroyed by
fire.  Craige sewing machine
agent examined before Mayor
of Richmond has been dis-
-charged.  Heavy firing heard
at Gordonsville yesterday
in the direction of Alexandria.
Pres. Davis by proclamation
announces the admission
of Tennessee into the
Southern Confederacy.  A large
body of Federal troops under
Gen. Banks for^mer Speaker of
H of R. have occupied Balti-
-more, arrested Marshal
Kane & other citizens & confined
them at Fort McHenry.
The reign of terror is complete
in Baltimore: it is Venice
in the grasp of Austria.
It appears that the St
Nicholas was {double strike-through} Steamer seized
by the Marylanders was
in U.S. service running
from Baltimore to Washington.
Capt Hollins late of US. navy
got on board at H Lookout
& when the steamer was
captured he took charge
of the helm steering for
mouth of bone river where
passengers were landed
& 100 Tennessee soldiers taken
on board.  The original plan
was to attack the {strike-through} attempt
to surprise board & capture
the Pawnee, but, as she
could not be found the
party proceeded to mouth
of Rappahannock capturing
3.prizes one laden with
coffee, one with ice, one
with anthracite coal.
The St Nicholas a fine
large boat.  The capture
of coal was apropos as
they had run out of it
& were breaking wood off
from the steamer to keep
up the fires: coffee & ice are
two great desiderata for
the Confederate army.
It apears that Capt.
Ward of the Freeborn
had arranged to meet
the St Nicholas on her
passage at the mouth of
the Potomac to give her
a pass up the river but
he having been killed
a few days before this
arrangement failed.
The papers publish a cor-
-respondence between
McGruder & Butler.  Mc
Gruder gets the better
of the Picayune General,
who in making excuses
justifies the adage “qui
s’excuse s’sccuse”?:  He who
excuses himself accuses
himself.  Reported that
Hygeia Hotel & adjacent
buildings have been
burnt at Fortress Monroe:
Some suppose that it
was the Steamer Adelaide.
The Congress of the soi-disant
U.S. government meets
to-day at Washington.  It
is said that 32.000 troops under
Patterson & Cadwallader have
crossed the Potomac at Williams
-port & have marched in the
direction of Martinsburg.
Col. Jackson of Confederate
army at head of 4000 men
engaged Patterson’s advance
column at Shepherdstown
& secured 40 prisoners.  A
scouting party of 40 lately
crossed the river at Williams
-port: only 4 returned & 36
were made prisoners.  Butler’s
men in their raid upon
Bethel 5000 men took
only one prisoner & that
one a vidette captured
while asleep before the
battle.
To-day Capt Platt’s cockade
cadets encamped on {strikeout} Poplar
Lawn: they fired a salute
of musketry at 12 ‘o’clock.
Capt Pannill’s Light Horse
Home guard were also
on the lawn.  This morning
Capt Clay Pate with his
Rangers left the Fair
Grounds on their way
to join Wise’s legion
in the mountains of
Nth Western Virginia.
Yesterday arrived some
of the last companies
of the Alabama 8th
regiment: the men of this
regt were well armed.
This morning arrived a
company of 80-the Troup
Artillery of Athens
Georgia good-looking men
in yellowish home-made
uniform – roundabouts.
swords. 4 guns 3 6 pounders
1 of them rifled & 1
12 pounder.  The rifled
gun fires a ball coated
with lead: each gun is
hauled by 4 horses: each
gun is followed by a caisson
for powder & ball. a spare
wheel is carried for each
gun.  Yesterday saw
2 companies apparently
of raw recruits marching
down Sycamore St. shabbily
dressed, dusty, awkward
but good-humored: in
the rear of one company
was a drunken recruit
{strikeout} arm in arm
with a negro also of
the company who was
supporting him & enabling
him to stagger along:
the negro was in a
broad grin diverted
at the business he
had on hand.
The horses of the ^Wade Hampton
legion said to be blooded
not large, long-legged
in their good maning
order.  The Petersburg
“Rifle”? Home Guard
have been furnished
with old flint-lock
muskets by Col. Brockett
of the militia.  The musket
is better for them than
the rifle.  The Petersburg
(Home-Guard) Flying
Artillery have 1 gun
an old French piece
disinterred some time
since on the delectable
Heights.  There are now
5 companies in Petersburg
Col P{???}s’ Home Guard,
Capt Laurens’ Home Guard
Capt Platts Cockade Cadets
Capt Pannills’ Home Guard
Light Horse &
  Flying Artillery.
Besides them and the
militia who muster
weekly.  Some of these
5 companies are not
as yet exempt from
militia duty.
Virginia cloth clothes
sold in Petersburg purporting
to be of {strikethrough} cloth
Manufactured by Crenshaw
in Richmond & made
up in Baltimore. Ou?
may not the Virginia {underscored}
cloth {underscored} be manufactured
Nth of Mason & Dixon?
{strikeout}  Anna noticed
that shoes she bought
for the children had
the names of the Mass.
shoemakers rubbed out.
There is no doubt
much smuggling going
on between Nth & Sth
& that kind of business
will be kept up.
July 5th Read dispatch on
bulletin board of “Express”?
office, {strikeout} that passengers from
Winchester report 2 engagements
between Johnston & Patterson
near Martinsburg in both
of which the enemy were
repulsed with heavy loss &
that they were surrounded
at or near Martinsburg.
In the evening saw 600 N.C.
troops at Jarratts part of
6th regiment from Western
part of N.C. appeared to
be armed with Missisippi
rifles: heard drums & boy drummers
{strikeout} they marched
over to cool springs on the
other side of the river to
eat their supper provided
by Petersburg relief committee.
Heard that a Colonel of Louisiana regiment had
been killed while with
a scouting party from
Yorktown; by Duryea’s Zouaves.
A Va. officer is said to
have been killed at the
same time.  The scouting party
consisted of 150 men & they
were attacked by the
Zouave regiment.
July 6th. This morning
600 more of 3d N.C. regiment
arrived: commanded by Col.
Lee {previous sentence all crossed out}:.  Saw another bulletin
this morning.  The wife of