Terrific fighting.--Anxiety to visit the battle-field.--Lee prepares for
other battles.--Hope for the Union extinct.--Gen. Lee brings forward
conscripts.--Gen. Cobb appointed to arrange exchange of prisoners.--
Mr. Ould as agent.--Pope, the braggart, comes upon the stage.--Meets
a braggart's fate.--The war transferred to Northern Virginia.
JULY 1ST.--To-day Gen. Magruder led his division into action at Malvern
Hill, it is said, contrary to the judgment of other commanders. The
enemy's batteries commanded all the approaches in most advantageous
position, and fearful was the slaughter. A wounded soldier, fresh from
the field to-night, informs me that our loss in killed in this
engagement will amount to as many as have fallen in all the others
combined.
JULY 2D.--More fighting to-day. The enemy, although their batteries were
successfully defended last night at Malvern Hill; abandoned many guns
after the charges ceased, and retreated hastily. The grand army of
invasion is now some twenty-five miles from the city, and yet the
Northern papers claim the victory. They say it was a masterly strategic
movement of McClellan, and a premeditated change of base from the
Pamunky to the James; and that he will certainly take Richmond in a week
and end the rebellion.
JULY 3D.--Our wounded are now coming in fast, under the direction of the
Ambulance Committee. I give passports to no one not having legitimate
business on the field to pass the pickets of the army. There is no
pilfering on this field of battle; no "Plug Ugly" detectives stripping
dead colonels, and, Falstaff like, claiming to be made "either Earl or
Duke" for killing them.
So great is the demand for vehicles that the brother of a North Carolina
major, reported mortally wounded, paid $100 for a hack to bring his
brother into the city. He returned with him a few hours after, and,
fortunately, found him to be not even dangerously wounded.
I suffer no physicians not belonging to the army to go upon the
battle-field without taking amputating instruments with them, and no
private vehicle without binding the drivers to bring in two or more of
the wounded.
There are fifty hospitals in the city, fast filling with the sick and
wounded. I have seen men in my office and walking in the streets, whose
arms have been amputated within the last three days. The realization of
a great victory seems to give them strength.
JULY 4TH.--Lee does not follow up his blows on the whipped enemy, and
some sage critics censure him for it. But he knows that the fatal blow
has been dealt this "grand army" of the North. The serpent has been
killed, though its tail still exhibits some spasmodic motions. It will
die, so far as the Peninsula is concerned, after sunset, or when it
thunders.
The commanding general neither sleeps nor slumbers. Already the process
of reorganizing Jackson's corps has been commenced for a blow at or near
the enemy's capital. Let Lincoln beware the hour of retribution.
The enemy's losses in the seven days' battles around Richmond, in
killed, wounded, sick, and desertions, are estimated at 50,000 men, and
their losses in cannon, stores, etc., at some $50,000,000. Their own
papers say the work is to be begun anew, and subjugation is put off six
months, which is equivalent to a loss of $500,000,000 inflicted by Lee's
victory.
By their emancipation and confiscation measures, the Yankees have made
this a war of extermination, and added new zeal and resolution to our
brave defenders. All hope of a reconstruction of the Union is
relinquished by the few, comparatively, in the South, who still clung to
the delusion. It is well. If the enemy had pursued a different course we
should never have had the same unanimity. If they had made war only on
men in arms, and spared private property, according to the usages of
civilized nations, there would, at least, have been a _neutral_ party in
the South, and never the same energy and determination to contest the
last inch of soil with the cruel invader. Now they will find that
3,000,000 of troops cannot subjugate us, and if subjugated, that a
standing army of half a million would be required to keep us in
subjection.
JULY 5TH.--Gen. Lee is bringing forward the conscript regiments with
rapidity; and so large are his powers that the Secretary of War has but
little to do. He is, truly, but a mere clerk. The correspondence is
mostly referred to the different bureaus for action, whose experienced
heads know what should be done much better than Mr. Randolph could tell
them.
JULY 6TH.--Thousands of fathers, brothers, mothers, and sisters of the
wounded are arriving in the city to attend their suffering relations,
and to recover the remains of those who were slain.
JULY 7TH.--Gen. Huger has been relieved of his command. He retains his
rank and pay as major-general "of ordnance."
Gen. Pope, Yankee, has been assigned to the command of the army of
invasion in Northern Virginia, and Gen. Halleck has been made commanding
general, to reside in Washington. Good! The Yankees are disgracing
McClellan, the best general they have.
JULY 8TH.--Glorious Col. Morgan has dashed into Kentucky, whipped
everything before him, and got off unharmed. He had but little over a
thousand men, and captured that number of prisoners. Kentucky will rise
in a few weeks.
JULY 9TH.--Lee has turned the tide, and I shall not be surprised if we
have a long career of successes. Bragg, and Kirby Smith, and Loring are
in motion at last, and Tennessee and Kentucky, and perhaps Missouri,
will rise again in "Rebellion."
JULY 10TH.--I forgot to note in its place a feat of Gen. Stuart and his
cavalry, before the recent battles. He made a complete girdle around the
enemy, destroying millions of their property, and returned without loss.
He was reconnoitering for Jackson, who followed in his track. This made
Stuart major-general.
I likewise omitted to note the death of the brave Gen. Ashby, who fell
in one of Jackson's brilliant battles in the Valley. But history will do
him justice. [My chronicles are designed to assist history, and to
supply the smaller incidents and details which the grand historian would
be likely to omit.]
JULY 11TH.--Gen. Howell Cobb has been sent down the river under flag of
truce to negotiate a cartel with Gen. Dix for the exchange of prisoners.
It was decided that the exchange should be conducted on the basis agreed
to between the United States and the British Government during the war
of 1812, and all men taken hereafter will be released on parole within
ten days after their capture. We have some 8000 prisoners in this city,
and altogether, I dare say, a larger number than the enemy have of our
men.
JULY 12TH.--Mr. Ould has been appointed agent to effect exchanges of
paroled men. He is also acting as judge advocate.
JULY 13TH.--We have some of Gen. Pope's proclamations and orders. He is
simply a braggart, and will meet a braggart's fate. He announces his
purpose to subsist his army in our country, and moreover, he intends to
shoot or hang our non-combating citizens that may fall into his hands,
in retaliation for the killing of any of his thieving and murdering
soldiers by our avenging guerrillas. He says his headquarters will be on
his horse, and that he will make no provision for retreat. That he has
been accustomed to see the _backs_ of his enemies! Well, we shall see
how he will face a Stonewall!
JULY 14TH.--Jackson and Ewell and Stuart are after Pope, but I learn
they are not allowed to attempt any enterprise for some weeks yet. Fatal
error, I fear. For we have advices at the department that Pope has not
now exceeding 20,000 men, but that all the rolling stock of the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is ordered West to bring reinforcements.
Besides, the United States Government is calling for 600,000 additional
men. Then again, McClellan and Burnside will form a junction with Pope,
and we will be outnumbered. But the President and Gen. Lee know best
what is to be done. We have lost many of the flower of Southern chivalry
in the late conflicts.
JULY 15TH.--Gen. Pendleton has given McClellan a scare, and might have
hurt him if he had fired lower. He planted a number of batteries
(concealed) on the south side of the river, just opposite the enemy's
camp. The river was filled with gun-boats and transports. At a signal,
all the guns were fired, at short range, too, for some minutes with
great rapidity, and then the batteries were withdrawn. I happened to be
awake, and could not conjecture what the rumpus meant. But we fired too
high in the dark, and did but little execution. Our shells fell beyond
the enemy's camp on the opposite side of the river. We lost a few men,
by accident, mostly. But hereafter in "each bush they fear an officer."
JULY 16TH.--Gen. Lee is hurrying up reinforcements from the South, old
regiments and conscripts, and pays very little attention to McClellan on
the Peninsula, knowing no further enterprises will be attempted by the
enemy in that quarter for some time to come.
JULY 17TH.--The people are too jubilant, I fear, over our recent
successes near the city. A great many _skulkers_ from the army are seen
daily in the streets, and it is said there are 3000 men here subject to
conscript duty, who have not been enrolled. The business of purchasing
substitutes is prevailing alarmingly.
JULY 18TH.--To-day several ladies applied in person to the Secretary of
War for passports to Norfolk and Baltimore, and he sent me written
orders to grant them. They next applied to Gen. Winder to go with the
flag of truce, exhibiting their passports. He repudiated them, however,
and sent the ladies back to me, saying he wanted something with the
Secretary's signature, showing me to be authorized to sign them. I wrote
such a note as I supposed he wanted, and the Secretary signed it as
follows:
"RICHMOND, July 18th, 1862.
"BRIG.-GEN. J. H. WINDER.
"SIR:--The passports issued by J. B. Jones from this Department to
pass the lines of the Confederate armies, and the lines of the
Confederate States, are granted by my direction, evidences of which
are on file in the Passport Office.
"Respectfully,
"G. W. RANDOLPH,
"_Secretary of War_."
This, one of the ladies delivered to him. I hope I am now done with Gen.
Winder and his "Plug Ugly" dynasty.
JULY 19TH.--This morning early, while congratulating myself on the
evidence of some firmness and independence in the new Secretary, I
received the following note:
"RICHMOND, July 19th, 1862.
"Mr. J. B. JONES.
"SIR:--I have just been directed by the Secretary of War that he
has turned over the whole business of passports to Gen. Winder, and
that applications for passports will not be received at this office
at all.
"Very respectfully,
"A. G. BLEDSOE,
"_Asst. Sec. War_."
Of course I ceased operations immediately. So large a concourse of
persons now accumulated in the hall, that it was soon necessary to put
up a notice that Gen. Winder would grant them passports. But the current
set back again. Gen. Winder _refused_ to issue passports to the
relatives of the sick and wounded in the camps, well knowing the
generals, his superiors in rank, would not recognize his authority. He
even came into the department, and tore down the notice with his own
hands.
JULY 20TH.--I am back again, signing passports to the army. But
yesterday, during the _interregnum_, the Beaverdam Depot was burnt by
the enemy, information of its defenseless condition having been given by
a Jew peddler, who obtained no passport from me.
JULY 21ST.--A Marylander, a lieutenant employed by Gen. Winder to guard
the prisoners (the generals and other high Yankee officers), came to me
to-day, with a friend who had just arrived from Baltimore, and demanded
passports to visit Drewry's Bluff, for the purpose of inspecting the
defenses. I refused, fearing he might (I did not like his face) have
been corrupted by his prisoners. He said very significantly that he
would go in spite of me. This I reported to the Assistant
Adjutant-General, and also wrote a note to Gen. Wise, to examine him
closely if he came within his lines.
JULY 22D.--To-day Gen. Winder came into my office in a passion with a
passport in his hand which I had given, a week before, to Mr. Collier,
of Petersburg, on the order of the Assistant Secretary of
War--threatening me with vengeance and the terrors of Castle Godwin, his
Bastile! if I granted any more passports to Petersburg where he was
military commander, that city being likewise under martial law. I
simply uttered a defiance, and he departed, boiling over with rage.
JULY 23D.--To-day I received the following note from the Secretary:
"JULY 23D, 1862.
"J. B. JONES, ESQ.
"SIR:--You will not issue passports except to persons going to the
camps near Richmond.
"Passports elsewhere will be granted by Brig.-Gen. Winder.
"Respectfully,
"GEO. W. RANDOLPH,
"_Secretary of War_."
JULY 24TH.--Already the flood-gates of treasonable intelligence flowing
North seem to be thrown wide open. The Baltimore papers contain a vast
amount of information concerning our condition, movements in progress,
and projected enterprises. And to crown all, these rascals publish in
the same papers _the passports given them by Gen. Winder_. I doubt not
they are sold by the detectives, Winder being ignorant.
JULY 25TH.--More Northern papers received to-day, containing news from
the South. Most fortunately, they can know nothing reliable of what is
passing within Gen. Lee's lines. The responsibility of keeping his gates
closed against spies rests in a great measure on myself, and I endeavor
to keep even our own people in profound ignorance of what transpires
there.
JULY 26TH.--There is a pause in the depreciation of C. S. securities.
JULY 27TH.--Gen. Lovell, it is said, will be tried by a court-martial.
The same has been said of Generals Magruder and Huger. But I doubt it.
JULY 28TH.--The Examining Board of Surgeons, established by the
Secretary of War, has been abolished by order of Gen. Lee. It was the
only idea of the Secretary yet developed, excepting the "handing over"
of the "whole business of passports to Gen. Winder."
JULY 29TH.--Pope's army, greatly reinforced, are committing shocking
devastations in Culpepper and Orange Counties. His brutal orders, and
his bragging proclamations, have wrought our men to such a pitch of
exasperation that, when the day of battle comes, there will be, must be
terrible slaughter.
JULY 30TH.--Both Gen. Jackson and Gen. Stuart were in the department
to-day. Their commands have preceded them, and must be near Orange C. H.
by this time. These war-worn heroes (neither of them over forty years of
age) attracted much attention. Everybody wished to see them; and if they
had lingered a few minutes longer in the hall, a crowd would have
collected, cheering to the echo. This they avoided, transacting their
business in the shortest possible space of time, and then escaping
observation. They have yet much work to do.
JULY 31ST.--Gen. Breckinridge has beaten the Yankees at Baton Rouge, but
without result, as we have no co-operating fleet.