Letters of a Family During the War for the Union. 1861-1865
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS ODDlBHIVa^H Class __Ejg^ail_ Bonk .Bf P._ Coffyright N?_ _. COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT LETTERS OF A FAMILY DURING THE / ir^ WAR FOR THE UNION ¥9-U 1861-186? VOL. II PRINTED FOR PRIVATE DISTRIBUTION 1899 '7 a a Copyright, iSgg BY G. W. B. and E. W. H. \ t^jO COPmS REC;7JVE0. %%%m% CONTENTS CHAPTER VIII. SECOND YEAR OF THE WAR—Continued Page The Hospital Transport Spaulding, 359 White House on the Pamunkey, . 360 Baby Georgie Born, ..... 374 Hospital Chaplains Bill a Law, 380 Shore Kitchen Established, .... 381 H. L. H. Appointed to a Philadelphia Hospital for Wounded, 389 Victories Elsewhere, ..... 391 Ex-slaves at White House, .... 393 C. W. W.'s Letter to N. Y. Post, . 396 CHAPTER IX. The Chickahominy Swamp, .... 407 Edward Mitchell, 408 Ordered Off from White House, 411 Sarah Woolsey at New Haven Hospital, 417 Poem by Lieutenant of i6th, dedicated to E. W. H. 424 Battle of Gaines Mill H. Wounded, ; J. 429 Story of Old Scott, J. H.'s War Horse, . 430 Sanitary Commission Falls Back, White House Abandoned, 432 McClellan Retreats to the James, . 433 J. H. and E. go Home, 444 F. B. in the Corps of Surgeons of Volunteers, 452 CONTENTS CHAPTER X. Page Army and Hospital Fleet at Harrison's Point, 455 Medical Department Improved, 458 Flag of the Rebel Gunboat "Teaser," . 459 Edward Mitchell and the Sanitary Commission, 459 Floating Hospital Service Ended, , 462 J. H. Returns to His Regiment, but Breaks Down Again, ....... 467 J. H. Resigns from the Service, 470 Our Poor Army Retreats from the Peninsula, 471 Second Battle of Bull Run—Letter of Chaplain Hopkins, ....... 472 " Mortally Wounded," ..... 476 Call for 300,000 Answered, .... 477 Portsmouth Grove Hospital Proposed to G. M. W. 479 Plan of Work for Portsmouth Grove, 480 C. W. W. Promised a Lieutenancy, 482 Abolition of Slavery Promised, 483 C. W. W, Joins the Army, .... 487 McClellan Relieved of Command, 489 CHAPTER XL THIRD YEAR OF THE WAR. Emancipation Proclaimed, 493 C. W. W. at the Front, 494 Patients Arrive at Portsmouth Grove Hospital, . 495 C. W. W. on StaflTDuty at Battle of Fredericksburg, 504 The i6th New York's Last Battle, .... 508 Sword and Bible, 511 Washington in 1863, J. S. W., . 512 C. W. W's Letter After Chancellorsville, . 516 New Orleans in 1863, F. B., 519 CONTENTS CHAPTER XII. Page Battle of Gettysburg, .... 525 Mother at the Front, .... 525 Mother at Home Again, .... 534 The Draft Riots, 536 St. Luke's Hospital and Dr. Muhlenberg, 540 Point Lookout Hospital, 544 Fairfax Seminary Hospital, . 551 C. W. W. on Sick Leave, 560 562 C. W. W. Back in Camp Again, . CHAPTER XIII. FOURTH YEAR OF THE WAR, General Grant in Command, .... 567 The Sanitary Commission Fair, 567 A Characteristic Scene at Home, and its Sequel, 572 with Grant, Battle of the Wilderness ; C. W. W. 573 582 G. M. W. at Fredericksburg, . G. M. W. Reports from the Front, 585 Roses at Fredericksburg, 595 Mary, 605 "Taps," 606 CHAPTER XIV. The Army of the Potomac before Petersburg, . 608 C. W. W's Account of Burnside's Mine, . 609 Beverly Hospital, 6^5 The Family Take a Rest at Cornwall, ... 616 McClellan Nominated by Democrats for President, 624 Returned Prisoners, 629 Union Refugees Cared For, 635 C. W. W. Brevetted Captain, 639 CONTENTS CHAPTER XV. THE WAR ENDED. Page The End Approaching, . 643 The Fortunes of War. " By the Left Flank," 645 C. W. W. on Inspecting Tour with Gen. Williams 648 Capture of Richmond. 650 Lee's Surrender at Appomattox, . 652 At Last, 654 Wall Street on the Surrender, 655 Assassination of President Lincoln, 659 Abby Takes a Rest, 663 Charley Resigns, .... 667 Reminiscences of C. W. W., . 668 CHAPTER XVL The Family Enter Richmond, .... 689 The Great Review. The Army Disbanded, . 712 SECOND YEAR OF THE WAR (CONTINUED) CHAPTER VIII. E's Journal. May 17, Spaulding. Steaming up York River. We have just been transferred to this big .e ^ boat, while the Wilson Small goes for repairs. °X'^^ boat will accommodate four or five hundred p^"-' This Spauld- men in bunks, now being put up by the carpen- ing. ter and filled with mattresses stuffed by the " Lost Children " who are garrisoning York- town. May 18. My entry was broken short by the arrival of 160 men for the Knickerbocker, and we were once more very busy. They were all fed, —numbered, and recorded by name, (Charley's work), and put to bed. Next morn- ing arrived 115 more, for whom the Elizabeth with Miss Wormeley, Miss Gilson, and two men of the staff had been sent up Queen's Creek- tired, miserable fellows, who had been lying in the wet and jolted over horrible roads. There was another tugboat full, too, and Mrs. Griffin and I took charge of both till the men were moved into the Knickerbocker. 360 LETTERS OF A FAMILY We are now steaming up towards White House, all on deck enjoying the sail except Mr. Knapp and Charley, who are unpacking quilts for the bunks now ready. G. to Mother. May 19. We are lying in the Spaulding just below the burnt railroad bridge on the Pamunkey. It is startling to find so far from the sea a river whose name we hardly knew two weeks ago, where our anchor drops in three fathoms of water, and our ship turns freely either way with the tide. Our smoke stacks are almost swept by the hanging branches as we move, and great schooners are drawn up under the banks, tied to the trees. The Spaulding herself lies in the shade of an elm tree, which is a landmark for miles up and down. The army is encamped close at hand, resting this Sunday, and eating its six pies to a man, so getting ready for a move, which is planning in McClellan's tent. E. ivrites. White Half a mile above us is the White House House naming the place, a modern cottage if ever on the Pamun- " wMte " uow drabbcd over, standing where the ^^^' early home of Mrs. Washington stood. We went ashore this morning, and with General Franklin and his aides strolled about the grounds SECOND YEAR OF THE WAR 361 —an unpretending little place, with old trees shading the cottage, a green lawn sloping to the river, and an old-time garden full of roses. The house has been emptied, but there are some pieces of quaint furniture, brass fire-dogs, etc.; and just inside the door this notice is posted : "Northern soldiers, who profess to reverence the name of Washington, forbear to desecrate the home of his early married life, the property of his wife, and now the home of his descend- ants. (Signed) A CxRANDDAUGHTER OF MrS. WASHINGTON. Some one has written underneath in pencil, " Lady, a northern officer has protected this property wnthin sight of the enemy and at the request of your overseer." It is Government property now, and the flag waves from the top, and sentinels pace the piazza. After wandering about the grounds General Franklin sent for General Fitzjohn Porter, who, with General Morell and their staffs and Will Winthrop, whom we met by chance, came back to the Spaulding with us and were treated to clean handkerchiefs, cologne, tacks, pins, etc., from our private stores. General Seth Williams also made a long, friendly call on deck, during which we dropped half a mile down the river and anchored. 362 LETTERS OF A FAMILY Mr. Knapp has gone down to bring up the rest of the Commission fleet, and White House will be our headquarters for the present. The army of the Potomac was all this time advancing, and McClellan was at New Bridge, within eight miles of Richmond, his base of supplies being White House on the Pamunkey, a feeder of the York River; and there the hospital fleet assembled and the Sanitary Commission established its head- quarters on the line of the railroad running to Richmond. Our forces held the road, and trains of wounded, and men dying of fever from the swamps of the Chickahominy, arrived at any and all hours. A. H. W. New York, May 19, 1862. My Dear Children : I am writing in a book- store down town. We had a famous letter on Saturday from you, Georgy, and another, half Eliza's half Charley's. I did not discover at first at what word one broke off and the other began. Your adventures are like those of the fox and the goose and the bag of corn. I hope you will all come together after awhile, perhaps have done so already, as both these letters were SECOND YEAR OF THE WAR 363 directed in Charley's handwriting. Charley himself ordered your Tribune transferred to our all house, and it is coming regularly. I have the numbers from May i, and I understood Mother that she had in one of the trunks all the of flow- numbers up to that date. Baskets ers, vegetables, mushrooms, butter, etc., came down on Saturday from Fishkill. at I have bought all the shirts I could find the employment societies. ... Do you need grey or red flannel shirts. You may as well say out and out what your observation decides is needed, and don't be mealy-mouthed as to ask- ing, or in mentioning quantities. We can as well send hundreds as dozens, except that it takes a little more time to collect them. Money is no barrier, of course. If all we can do is to .f^;?^ things for you to make useful, do let us fast enough.