Volume 3

[Click image to view]

29th.

Three clerks (civilian) have come
to lighten the toil of my offices
and as they are very capable
men, I am beginning to feel
much easier + more contented.
Lizzie’s extracts are a
little faulty. In order to be
sure that my own thinking
about them is faulty instead, I
will forthwith set down my
views and then carefully send
them. A thought on paper is a
different thing from a thought
in the mind.
“The dry region lies between
Matagorda Bay + the Rio Grande.
The months of July, August, and
September are usually very dry; often
not an inch of rain falls in the

Page 52:

three months.” So reads the New
Cyclopedia.
Now for a few facts.
On the 25th. inst. toward
the middle of the day there were
gathering in the sky black clouds
portending a rain storm or at
least a shower. Soon came the
rain + with occasional inter-
missions it continued through the
26th + 27th at times raining
in torrents.
July 1st. at Brazos we
had a hurricane +rain storm
together of the most furious kind.

[Click image to view]

15
Changed camp today
to the other side of
the town to avoid the
dust.
Spent most of the
afternoon procuring a
guide.
Succeeded at
last. Bade goodbye
to Wheeler + Lacey
and issued orders for
the march to begin
at three o’clock tomorrow
morning.
For the last two mornings
I have been to market

Page 43:

for our mess buying
chiefly vegitables [sic]. I
had a great experience
with the Mexicans.

16
Started this morning of
three—passed Cortina’s
camp.
Three crosses in
the road marked the
graves of murdered men,
the inscription on each

Page 44:

beginning with the
curtaining pater nostra [?]
+ ave maria.
A wolf sprang out
of the thicket in front
of my horse as I
was riding along.

17
Today the command arrived at
Sante Maria where we left as a
garrison of the place one (1) company
of the 45th regt. USCT, Capt. Paul
Commanding.

19th.
Reached Edinburg today
where the Head Quarters of the 2nd.
Brig. with the 41st. regt USCT and eight
(8) companies of the 45th. rgt. USCT

Page 45:

were left as garrison.
July 20th encamped on
Ranche Tabasco. Had a novel
time chatting with the Senoritas
they in Spanish + I giving them
Such words to pronounce as “Mississippi.”

21st.
Reached Las Cuevas Rock today.
+ stationed there as garrison one
(1) company of the 45th regt. USCT.
Capt. E. F. Brown. Comdg.

22nd
Arrived at Ringgold Barracks,
where are now stationed as the
Garrison, Head Quarters of the Division
with the 8th regt. USCT + the 29th regt
USCT.

24th.
Today the Head Quarters of the 3rd.
Brig. with the 31st. USCT and the 116th

Page 46:

USCT were moved to home and now
form the garrison of that place.
The distance marched (approximation)
from Brazos Santiago to Ringgold Barracks
one hundred + fifty (150) miles; from
Ringgold Barracks to Rome fifteen (15)
miles:- total one hundred + sixty five
165 miles.

August 9th

I have got quite out of the habit
of this diary business.
Is it worth while [sic] to preserve
one’s thoughts on paper? Some of
them, possibly.
If a war should be waged
in Mexico what a demand there
would be for ice?
It is worth while [sic] to study
wars financially—to find out what

Page 47:

productions were in demand, how high
the prices for each rise—at what
stage of the war they began to
fall—how long after the wars
gold remained up— + in others
words to analyze wars with sole
reference to trade, + compare the
analyses. If there is not an
agreement it should be traceable
to plain causes such as a difference
in climates of the theatres of war +
consequently [carrot: a difference] in requirements of the
troops, and the duration of the war may
possibly be a cause, or its intensity,
or the difference as regards parties involved,
in respect of means + importance.
* * *
Major Glazier is here, having
joined the staff.

Page 48:

Our mess is getting to be an
institution. I am quite an householder.
I was alone at first. Barden
+ Engleblom were envious of my enjoyments
And so came in.
Now Major Glazier has come +
Wardsworth has joined us for a time,
too. So that I have charge of quite
a family. There are eleven mouths in all to
be fed. I have already made several
flank movements on the Enemy question
+ hope to become something of a caterer before
the season has passed.

Aug. 20th. Sunday

Have been under the weather several
days. Am gradually righting
myself.
Glazier sick. He is
a strong man, Later [?] at college
after graduating 5th. man.

Page 49:

Wardsworth has gone.
My clerks are ordered away.
General + I will have
to shoulder most of the work
ourselves now.
How drudgery like it
is to put up packages +
address them carefully
writing “Official Business”
on the back or after you
have written a long letter
to be obliged to sit down
+ make four or five
copies of it.

Chum says the truth. More
babies will be the death of
Lizzie + Mrs. S.
I shall have to come
out a little stronger on
that subject, I see plainly.

Page 50:

Lizzie’s last two letters received four
days since were excellent.
How finely selected were
the extracts. Just what I wanted [?].
What a help she will be!
(humbug) not she but my talking
so –

Johnnie is constantly talking
of the good times we will have
when we go home.

______,,______

[Click image to view]

Page 41:

14
At Brownsville still.
This evening we visited
the Fandango, where
Great [?] Philbrook and
with whom I talked
over the strange sight.
Saw quite a number
of Costina’s men there.
The Senoritas were
ugly looking and their
dancing did not
impress we as unusually
graceful.

[Click image to view]

12
Began the March this
morning at 5 o’clock
and came into camp
at 4 p.m., command
thoroughly exhausted and
regiments knocked to
pieces. A very injudiciously
arranged march.

13
Marched as much
this morning and
reached Brownsville

Page 40:

about 8 o’clock p.m.
On the way we
passed over the
battlefield of Resaca
de la Palma where May
charged.
He must have
gathered his horses in
the woods and charged
right up the road; for
it is the only places where
horses could be worked
everything else being thick
chapperal [sic].
At Brownsville
we pitched Head Quarters
in the square near Fort
Brown.

Very dusty + disagreeable.

[Click image to view]

July 1.
8 a.m.
This is a good time to
commence my Journal again,
after the hurricane and storm
of yesterday.
On the 17th ult. [?] not being
able to wait any longer we
had on baggage tossed into
a Mexican Lugger and with
the parting injunction of the
General to pitch Head quarters
a mile and a half from land
we “let go our weather [?] plumage.”
Great experience that getting over
the bar [?] tho’. Just as we were coming
upon the bar [?] the skipper jumps up
and declares that he does not know
the channels. At which remarkable
saying every one looked at his
friend. Some of us suggested that

Page 32:

he might have done better if
he had considered that matter
before starting. But rather than
meet the fate of the poor fellows
in the Schooner who were wrecked
on Padre Island the day before
we decided to “buff up” and
wait for some one [sic] to go in whom
we could follow.
So we took a sail of
half an hour during which
time poor Hawkes in the bottom
of the boat became very sick, and
very unreconciled to our condition.
At last another lugger appeared to
be making for the entrance. So
following her we at last made
a landing.
Selected a place for Head
Quarters to the right of the 1st [?],
and put up half a dozen tents.

Page 33:

Hawkes, a prime fellow, gets
something in the way of a
lunch + we enjoy it. Open
my case of claret + find
it as good as any
we had on the steamer.
Out medicine during
the voyage to prevent sea
sickness was champagne cock
tails [carrot: and claret punch] with ice something that
is unknown to this climate.
An excellent preventative for sea
sickness + the only thing that
seemed to revive poor Johnnie.

______,,______

Page 34:

Next day General comes ashore
+ scolds us all for not having
his tents fixed right.

Dull place for
several days during which time
I work at my office, no one
troubling me.

Finally Gen. I. is appointed
Post Commandant of Brazos Santiago,
and I go down to take the
position of Post Adjutant.
A very good home for
my office + quarters; but not
much of anything in the way
of books + papers.
Open a set of Post
books which with the books for Div.
Head Quarters keep me tolerably
busy.

Page 35:

Gen. Weitzel comes finally—
with Wheeler a full blown
Lieut. Col. and a Major for
the 1st. Div. – Brownson having
become disgusted and resigned at
New Orleans.

Then Sheridan comes down
with his staff.

Then this violent storm
of yesterday comes throwing
of over piles of boards on the
poor fellows whose tents happened
to be pitched near by—
burying some of them who after
being dug out have to be
carried to the hospital so

Page 36:

injured are they. The steamers
at the wharves put out to have
themselves + the poor little buggers
are tossed about like so many
paper boats in a tub of water.
Every encampment is six inches under
water in an hour + the night becomes
a horrid one for men + officers.

10th.

Gen. Jackson having been
relieved from duty as Port
Commandant at Brazos
Santiago, orders were issued to
march to Ringgold Barracks.
The 3rd Brigade is already at
White’s Ranch and the 2nd.
will march there today.
We go forward tomorrow
morning.

Page 37:

Green of the class of ’63 comes
to see me before going home
–having resigned—and we
chat about college matters sitting
in the little cupola
on the top of my office.

11
This forenoon after packing
a goodly portion of our
luggage on the “Cora” which
is to sail up the Rio Grande
to Ringgold Barracks, we
set out for White’s Ranch
with our horses and the
light wagons. We ride
along the beach was

Page 38:

delightfully cool + refreshing.
At Clarksville we visited
General Stack [?] whom Weitzel
pronounced a “institution.”
We found him with his
paraquet on his finger and
much more taken up with it,
tan with us, his go callers.
We crossed the Rio Grande
and visited Bagdad, Mexico, and
dined at Madame Champlain’s
I propose to fall back on the
[carrot: evening [?]] that dinner whenever we
get an half rations.
It was overpowering.

Returning we reached White’s
Ranch after dark and turned
in early.

[Click image to view]

14th.

A day of wonderful excitements.
This forenoon commenced fishing
for sharks and while we were
of dinner there was a bite.
The officers rush on deck +
there sporting about our stem
entangled in the line was
a fearfully large animal. Commence
pulling in. Proves to be a
tiger shark, ten feet long +
weighing about 500 pounds.
Not being experienced we try
to bring him to the deck but
his weight straightens the hook
and carries away the barb.
Thus we lose a monster.
This afternoon two negroes
fight and one bites off the
other’s ear. The disfigured individ [sic]
leers joyfully in the face of

Page 29:

the Hospital Steward as he dresses
the wound evidently from
sheer enjoyment of the
attention he excites.
This evening a man
dies in the hold from
typhus and is buried
after the naval fashion
“committing the body to the deep.

15th.

After waiting 3 days for
a calm that every pilot
and every sailor told us
that would never come on
this coast, the sublime spirit
of energy has gone to work
today, the roughest day if
the three, and now we are

Page 30:

in the midst of a rapid
debarkation of the troops.
A schooner has been warped
along side + by the aid of
two planks men are being
run aboard at the rate of
300 an hour.
A small steamer is to
tow them into Brazos.
Loaned Cronyn $40 to pay
his bills.

[Click image to view]

Sunday 11th

We passed the light at the
month of the Mississippi last
evening.
The Gulf is very smooth.

12th

Very rough + unpleasant day
Slept on deck last night.
Finished Prof. at breakfast
table.

13th.
Reached mouth of Rio
Grande about 8 a.m. today.
Gen. Steele is here. Wretched
place. We hope to get ashore in
fact, today.

Page 27:

The Padre Island, 127 miles long
is owned by Singer brother of
the Sewing Machine man. Before
the war he had 60,000 head
of cattle. Reduced now to 3
cows + 2 bulls.
Stage fare to Brownsville $10
in gold.
At Matamoras can be
purchased all sorts of things
at wretchedly low prices—the
result of the sudden stoppage
of blockade running.

Spencer’s Education an excellent
book.

[Click image to view]

9th. inst.

Unwell + nearly wasted.
A mutiny occurred aboard
this ship today. Drunken Irishman,
one of the crew raises an axe
against 2nd. officer who takes it
away from him. Thereupon he
draws his knife and stabs the
officer in the thigh. The officer
escapes to his room from which
he issues with a revolver that
emisses [?] fire. The infuriated seaman
rushes upon him but is held back
by the 1st. officer. The Capt. appears
with a drawn sword + strikes him
in the face. The seaman turns upon
the Capt. but is intimidated by the
resolute tone with which he threatens
to sun him through and upon being
ordered to give up his knife

Page 25:

throws it over board.
He is then ironed + gagged;
and will probably be put in
prison for two or three years if
not hung.

10th

We sail today for Brazos Santiago.
Sent letters home by mail this morning.
Also one to Jimmie which the
Pilot takes.

Began a course of study with
Johnnie today, in which he seems
to be interested.
Spencer’s book on Education
I find Extremely fine and enter-
taining.

[Click image to view]

8th. inst.

Reached Mobile Bay
today and anchored off
Fort Morgan.
Several ships had arrived
before us. The Thos A. Scott
had a mutiny on the
trip which was quelled
by the officer commanding.
Charges are preferred against
16 of them, many of whom
ought to be shot, and all of whom
will be imprisoned.
In the evening visited
Ft. Morgan.
The effect of shot + shell
could be noticed everywhere
almost.
And this is Farragut’s battleground.

[Click image to view]

4th.

A wonderful voyage every one [sic]
says including the Capt.
I tried the hurricane deck
last night for a bed + found
it preferable to my state room.
Waking up early I noticed the
Capt. on the wheel house with glass
looking out for land, or rather for
white water.
Memory Rock was sighted
about 10 a.m. and from that
time until toward night we
were gratified with a panoramic
view of the Bahamas fringed
with the beautiful green.
Then “Isaacs” with the

Page 20:

revolving light.
Capt. Hawkes and his 20 questions.

5th

We are now making for
Key West and are but a
little way from Havanna.
The weather slightly varied
today Already we have had
two furious rain storms accompanied
by an unusual amount of
thunder + lightning.

6th

We made up a consultation
game of class against Gen.
Doubleday this p.m. + beat him

Page 21:

handsomely.
Passed “Dry Tortugas.” Genl. I.
says that at the beginning of
the war the government employed
slave labor paying the planters
for the same. That is the most
open support of the slave system
by the government that I ever heard
of.
Wilson after gazing at the
works for a long time though
it would be “rather hard on
a watchmaker to be confined
there and handle those large
stone.” “When he got out he couldn’t
set a main spring very easy I guess.
He’d have to commence on clocks
and work himself down gradually.
A very good beginning would be
one of those old fashioned seven
footer stand in the corner chaps

Page 22:

with a suit of rooms in the
lower story.”

Last night as our band was
playing a brig under full sail
passed us on the left very
close, so that we could look
upon her deck. I could see
no one but the helmsman.
It was a fine sight.
Today the Wilmington, one of our
fleet passed us, by taking a track
closer to of the Reefs.