James T. Rogers:
His Civil War Diary (Part III)
The James T. Rogers diary is provided courtesy of Angus McKay Cameron, a member of the family, and is presented as
previously transcribed. Cartersville Crossroads deeply appreciates the interest of Mr. Cameron and others across Chatham County, who have provided family documents for publication, helping others understand the contributions of county natives to the defense of their state.
Annotated by Dennis Brooks
This morning, the 19th, we all arose quite early and cook our little breakfast. I broiled my meat upon a stick, and made me some coffee in my tin, and I had some biscuits in my pocket. After we ate, we all remained until night and enjoyed ourselves as well as we could. We marched back to camp at nine o'clock, and ate our supper, and were immediately ordered back to the place from whence we came. We got there about eleven o'clock and remained all night.
Next morning, the 20th, we had our breakfast sent to us, a distance of five miles, and then we all slept, or a part of us, and the remainder lounged about until night. At 10 o'clock, we were relieved by two other companies, comp. C. & F. We marched back to camp. We arrived at eleven o'clock and all went to sleep, and this morning, the 21st, we arose bright, and we have a beautiful morning, but quite cool. After breakfast, we went out to cutting board trees to cover our winter quarters. At night, we had several trees sawed up and now, this morning, Friday the 23rd, I am on guard today, and I have had a cool day. At one o'clock at night we heard a heavy firing at what is called Mulberry Island [44]. I counted fifty-one guns. The news came next morning that the enemy had come up the James River in two miles of that place and fired on our pickets. They did not affect anything.
This morning, Saturday the 23rd, a large force of Virginia cavalry pass our camp after we heard the result of the firing at Mulberry island. Everything is quiet again, and we are this evening out in the woods getting boards to cover our winter quarters. This Sunday morning, the 24th, our fellows all went out on picket. Last night, except a few of us who was on guard the night before, we are all left in camp while they are gone. Everything is quite lonesome. After breakfast, we all fixed up and went to the Col. tent to hear preaching. We heard a very good sermon. He preached from these words: "let us lay aside the sin which doth so easily beset us and run with patience the race that is set before us." After dinner, we went to hear him again, and he preached from these words: "being justified by faith we have hope in God through our Lord Jesus Christ." After service, we returned to supper and then retired.
This Monday morning the 25th, all quiet today. This Tuesday morning all quiet today, the 26th. This Wednesday morning the 27th, all quiet today. This Thursday morning, the 28th, all quiet today. We are still at work on our winter quarters. This morning, Friday the 29th, all quiet this morning. Now tonight we all have to go on picket. This Saturday morning finds us all out on picket. We had a rainy night last night, the 30th. This morning, Sunday the 1st of December, we had general inspection and afterwords preaching. He took his text from Revelation, the 22nd chapter and 2nd verse. This Monday morning, the 21st of Dec., we have a very nice day.
This Tuesday morning the 3rd, we arose and found a light snow upon the ground, but after the morning, the sun shone out beautiful, and the snow soon disappeared. Everything quiet. This morning, Wednesday the 4th, we have a clear but cold morning. The Regt. has gone off on a march to gather corn. We returned the same evening. This Thursday morning, the 5th, all quiet. Some of the regiment has gone after corn again today. I am not well today. This Saturday morning, the 6th, our company with some of the others have gone after corn. They returned at night all quiet.
This Sunday morning, the 7th, after general inspection, we are all lounging today. I am as yellow as a pumpkin with the yellow jaundice. Now at sunset, I am on the wagon ready to start to Yorktown as they expect an attack tonight. We reached York about two that night, and after some time we were put in the house that the guard occupied to sleep. At day we were all up, and I went to the hotel and got my breakfast, and then were ordered to Williamsburg where we had a worrysome time. We went on a wagon with a good many more, and had [?] to drive us and he was drunk, and we had a time of it I tell you. Well, at night we reached the old town Williamsburg, and went into the hospital, and now this morning, the 10th, we are ordered to Petersburg.
We left Williamsburg at daylight, and reached Grove Wharf at 8 o'clock, and took the boat immediately for City Point. I am now waiting for breakfast at two o'clock. After awhile we got our breakfast and went back up on deck and in going up James River we saw more wild geese and ducks than ever I saw before. After stopping a good many times, we reached City Point at two o'clock, where we took the cars [45] for Petersburg. In a short time we reached this place, and then we were conducted to the hospital where we were taken in, and they took our names, ages, rank, Regt., birthplace, and a list of our knapsacks and contents, and then shown us our beds. I am in a room with twenty-one others. The hospital has 225 men in it. They gave us some coffee, bread, and molasses, and after I wrote a letter to my father, I laid down on my cot, but slept very little.
This Wednesday morning, the 11th, we all arose and ate our breakfast that could. Some could not, of course, for there was some very sick men there. I am up this morning, and feel tolerable well after breakfast. I walked downtown and found me a private boarding house, at four dollars per week. I told my Land Lord that I would be back to supper, which I did when we (I say we, my friend James Foust [46] was with me) got back it was nearly supper. He (Mr. Lippincott) invited us in and carried us to the parlor, where we awaited the announcement of supper. Finally the bell rang and we walked in and ate a tolerable supper, and then our Land Lord said he would show us our rooms. Away we went upstairs and up. Finally I thought he was carrying us to some dark hole to kill us, but then again he knew that we were nothing but soldiers and he knew we had no money.
After a long and tiresome going upstairs we reached the top story of the house which was the fourth, and he carried us along a little passage for some distance and opened a door and told us that was our room. It was a very small one, but we made out very well. We had a very good bed. This Thursday morning the 12th I'm up and been down to breakfast but I feel quite weak, more so than I have before, but I hope I shall improve my strength again soon.
Tonight it was rumored that Charleston was burned down. This morning, Friday the 13th, I am at Mr. L, yet I go to the Hospitle every morning to report. I am about the same I was yesterday. This morning, Saturday the 14th, I am loafering round today to see the Town. This morning, the 15th, I am up and leave to the Hospitle and then to church. I heard a very good sermon. I am now in my room waiting for dinner.
This morning the 11th [47], I am up and have been to the Hospitle and now room. I am getting along very well. Everything quiet today so far. Since I have been here I have seen several Regt.s pass for the South. This Tuesday morning, the 17th, I am up and have been to the Hospitle (as you know I have to report there every day) and returned and eat my dinner and now I am upstairs taking a social smoke. This Wednesday morning, the 18th, I've just returned from the Hospitle. I am not so well today as I was yesterday. I have taken cold but am up and about.
This Thursday morning, the 19th, I have been to the Hospital and got my Discharge to go to my Regt. I have enjoyed myself very well since I came to this place. We have good news today that war between France and England is inevitable. If so we will soon have peace in our confederacy. Cotton is up to 4-1/2 cents and they have (the yankees) suspended all special payments. I am tolerable well today.
This Friday morning, the 20th, I left Petersburg this morning for City Point. I arrived there about 10 o'clock. And then I embarked the old Curtispeak for Grove warf which place we reached about 3 o'clock the same day. We had a nice voige and now we will take the road for york [48]. At dark I joined my Regt. at york or part of them. The remainder had gone to wormleys creek. This morning I rose and have been trying to get something to eat but it is now Eleven o'clock and we have nothing yet. Well I will now return to my Regt.
They left Camp Martin about twelve o'clock on Sunday night, 7th, and marched a distance of four miles. They reached Camp Euraka about 3 o'clock and pitched their tents, those that had them. Some had none. The next morning, Monday morning the 8th, they all fixed up their camp and then went to-regular drill. Everything went on quiet until Sunday the 15th, and then they were ordered to Yorktown, a distance of eight miles, which place they reached about twelve o'clock and pitched their tents. Intense excitement prevailed. All the time they were looking for a fight. Every moment they were lying in the ditches and waiting patient for the approach of the enemy until Friday, the 20th, when they were ordered to wormleys creek where they are stationed on the bank of York River where they are waiting the approach of old Abe's hoards.
This evening, the 21, everything is still in a state of excitement but no fight yet. The yankees took two of our men prisoners today. I am still at Camp Dudley but will soon join my Regt. at wormley creek. The weather is quite cold tonight. This Sunday morning we, a few of us, are at the old camp. Nothing of interest yet. I want to visit the boys as soon as I can. This evening Lieut. Lond [49] came up to our camp and said he could see fourteen ships in sight of them on the bay.
H.P. Straughn [50] reached our camp this evening with a Christmas dinner for the Chatham Rifles. He says he brought us Eighteen cooked Turkeys. It commenced raining tonight at dark. This Monday morning, the 23rd, it is raining now and it looks very much like it would continue all day. Everything is quiet this morning on the Perninsular. Our men took one yankee and four mules yesterday. This morning, the 24th, I joined my Regt. at Camp Davis and remained with them that day and helped them divide the Christmas dinner. The good Ladies sent us from our good old Pittsboro and this Wednesday, the 25th, and Christmas morning, we all had a jolly time. I and Levi went down to the river to Mr. Faringholts and took dinner with him and returned to the camp at nearly sun set. After supper Col. Ihrie, Capt. Taylor, Lieut. London, myself, and a good many others went across the creek (wormley creek) to Mr. Harris and had a jolly time.
I returned to the camp before the rest and went to bed. I was very unwell that night with a cold and cough. This Thursday morning, the 26th, several of us came to the grave yard to assist H.P. Straughn taking up his son, the Body for him to carry home with him. He died the 13th of Oct., 1861. After we had taken him up we made evry arrangement and carried him to Camp Dudley where we are now. About eleven o'clock we were ordered back to this place. We reached here about 3 o'clock this evening and pitched our tents and now this Friday morning, the 27, finds us all here and everything quiet. No news of a fight now.
This Saturday morning, the 28th, it is quite cold. We had a very windy night last evening. We had to commence our winter quarters. I hope we will be able to stay at them this time if we get them built. Everything quiet today. Today, the 29th, everything is quiet today. Nothing of interest. This Monday morning, the 30th, nothing of interest today. This morning, the 31st, I am on guard today. I was promoted to Second Sergeant on the 28th to take effect today, the 1st of January, 1862.
This Wednesday morning, the 1st of January, 1862, it being the commencement of a new year, we are all cheerful and in good spirits. We hope soon to be at home. We have four months and a half to serve [51]. Today, this Thursday, the 2, we commenced our winter quarters. This evening everything quiet. This Friday morning we all went out to work and returned at four o'clock to go out on Dress-parade and just as we were forming our line the long roll beat and we ran and eat our supper and put on our knapsacks and got in line and then marched off to Camp Davis where we reached about 8 o'clock and we then pitched our tents in the sane places where we were in Christmas.
We expect an attack tonight, this the 3 of Jan. We are now all quiet and making down our beds and sleped very soundly. This Saturday morning we all arose and found a light sleet on the ground. We were ordered to strike our tents and march back to our old camp and eat breakfast and then cook our days rations and be ready to march at 1 o'clock, To Clarks Mills, a distance of about two miles, this, the 4th of Jan. We arrived at our old camp at about ten o'clock and eat our breakfast and now we are preparing our rations for one day. It still looks very much like snow.
The boys are, a good many of them, getting sick, more on account of the weather, I think, than anything else. I will tell you more about it if we march. Well, at four o'clock we marched off and arrived at Camp Horton at sun set, a distance of two miles. We pitched our tents and after eating a few mouthfulls, I was put on the guard as Sergeant of the guard, and not one wink did I sleep. This Sunday morning, the 5th of Jan., we all rose and ate our little breakfast and then in a few minutes we were ordered to strike our tents, which we did, and then we were ordered back to Camp Dudley, where we reached about eleven o'clock and ate our dinner and we were immediately ordered to cook two days rations as soon as we could.
We are now cooking. If we march, I will tell you when, and when it is now one o'clock. After cooking a while, we were told we would not go, but still I could not be satisfied. I thought we would have to march. I would not unroll my blankets for some time, but owing to my being on guard the night before and marching two days before, I was quite sleepy and I made down my bed and ventured to go to sleep, this Monday morning, the 6th. Luckily for me, I was not disturbed. We had a light hail and sleet last night. We were all up in good time and to my discomfiture we found all of our cooks sick. We all went to work cooking our breakfast. We ate a very good breakfast and then went to getting logs for our houses.
Everything seems to be quiet so far. This Tuesday morning, the 7th, two of our companies left this morning for Grafton's church, a distance of four miles. We, the remainder, are here, yet things are not settled yet. We are still looking for the Enemy. This Wednesday morning, the 8, we were not disturbed last night. We have a nice morning and we can hear loud firing on James River but we have not heard the result of it yet. This Thursday, the 9th, everything quiet so far, but we are having a good deal of rain. This Friday morning, the 10th, it is raining, yet we are still in our tents.
We are ordered to build a bridge across wormleys creek. A detail has been made of ten men out of each company to go and build it. This Saturday morning, the 11th we all went out to work and did a hard days. Everything quiet today. This Sunday morning, the 12th, after the usual routine of inspection, we are all loling about waiting for dinner. Everything quiet so far. It is now after tattoo and nothing of interest has occurred. This Monday morning, the 13th, we arose at reville and then ate our breakfast and now it is very dark and rainy. Mr. Brooks Harris [52] is with us today. He came the 10th. We are doing nothing.
After sitting about for a while John I. Knight [53], Levi Rogers [54], and myself concluded to go and take a bee tree that he [L. Rogers] had found a few days ago. We got our pass, (as we had to have a pass when we went out of the camp), bucket and axe and away we went, Levi leading the way. He said it was about two miles. We walked and walked through gates and fields and finally we reached the woods, Knight and myself thinking we would be there every minute. Up hill and down and after going for some time, I think about three miles, we went down the steepest hill I ever saw. We had to hold to the trees to get down. At last we reached the bottom near a creek, and he [Levi] walked to an old log lying on the ground and said he, here it is. We stood for some time looking at the country around and then asked him how on earth he ever came to be there. He said he was with a friend of his, Mr. Riggsbee, looking at the country and also looking around, and where Washington's Army was stationed when he took Yorktown, it was the nicest place you ever saw for an army [55]. He had exolint water and plenty of it. He was in a half mile of the Enemys camp. Well, after talking a while we went to work cutting out our honey, for the tree was already down. We cut into it and to our surprise, we found the bees and honeycomb but not much honey. I took out several pieces of comb and shook the bees off, for the weather was so cold they could not fly. We got as much honey as we could eat, and put the comb in our bucket, and then put out for our camp again. In a short time we were again in camp with our fellow soldiers, but we could not treat them with honey as we expected, but we were amply paid for our walk.
It has been hailing since we returned. Now after supper it has commenced hailing and snowing very fast. The ground is covered with snow. It is reported that the yankees have taken Mulberry Island today. It is about nine miles from this place. Our Col. has gone over to Yorktown to asirtain the fact. I am listening for the long roll every minute. If we have to go, I hope it will quit snowing for it is snowing as fast as I ever saw it. It is about 8 o'clock. This morning, the 11th to our satisfaction, we were not disturbed, and when we arose at revolee it was snowing very fast and the weather is quite cold. We heard this morning that the report was not true about the yankees taking Mulberry Island. It has quit snowing and now all things is quiet. We are in our tents doing nothing.
John I. Knight and myself took a little ride this morning on the Col. and Lieut. Col. horses. We returned quite cold. We were doing nothing the balance of the day. This Wednesday morning, the 15th, the ground is still covered with snow. The weather is quite cool and cloudy. Nothing of interest so far.
As this book is filled up, I will commence on Book Second.
[Poem From the Diary]
Home, kindred, friends, and country
These are ties with which we never part;
From clime to clime, o'er land and sea,
We bear them with us in our heart.
But O, 'tis hard to feel resigned
When these must all be left behind.
Annotations
44. Mulberry Island. Rogers probably refers to Mulberry Point, located up the James River from Newport News, Va.
45. "took the cars" refers to riding a train.
46. James Foust. Probably James W. Faust, who enlisted in Alamance County at age 19 on May 21, 1861. He served in Co. H, 15th Regiment, North Carolina Troops, and was wounded in Sharpsburg, Md., on September 17, 1862, and reported "present and accounted for" until May 1864.
47. Given the sequence of the diary, this is probably the 16th.
48. York. Apparently refers to the York River at the mouth of Wormley Creek.
49. Lieut. Lond. Previously mentioned in the diary (note 7). William Lord London of Pittsboro would subsequently become captain of the company after the regimental reorganization of May 2, 1862. He was transferred with his company to the 32nd Regiment, North Carolina Troops, as Co. I, and there would become assistant adjutant general and inspector general of Daniel's Brigade.
50. H.P. Straughn. The father of Thomas Jefferson Straughn, who enlisted at age 20 on April 15, 1861. The son died October 13, 1861, and the father was likely in camp to carry his son home.
51. "four months and a half to serve." Original terms of service were 12 months, which would later be redefined as "for the war."
52. Brooks Harris. Father of Dewitt C. Harris, who enlisted at age 25 on April 15, 1861, and was transferred with his company to the 32nd Regiment, North Carolina Troops, on July 4, 1862. Dewitt died October 15, 1862. Brooks also was the uncle of Thomas West Harris, later captain of Co. E, 63rd Regiment, North Carolina Troops.
53. John I. Knight. Previously mentioned in the diary (note 16). John J. Knight enlisted at age 25 on April 15, 1861, and was transferred with his company to the 32nd Regiment, North Carolina Troops, on July 4, 1862. He was discharged from the service on September 1, 1862, to serve as deputy sheriff of Chatham County.
54. Levi Rogers. Previously mentioned in the diary (note 15). Levi Rogers enlisted at age 28 on April 15, 1861, and was transferred with his company to the 32nd Regiment, North Carolina Troops, on July 4, 1862. He was discharged just four days later by being a deputy sheriff.
55. The probable location of the "bee tree" is southeast of Yorktown, since Federals occupied Washington's works from the Revolutionary War and Confederates occupied the British works.
James T. Rogers: His Civil War Diary: Part I
James T. Rogers: His Civil War Diary: Part II
Family Remembrances of James T. Rogers
