Status - John Baer - 40th Indiana Regiment - Howard's Corps - Newton's Division - Wagner's Brigade
Atlanta Campaign
Union forces have moved up to the Chattahoochee River and are preparing to cross in several places. Minor skirmishes happen all along the lines.
Troops
welcome having a bath in the Chattahoochee after several weeks of hard
marching in the heat. Sherman partakes as well. These days are mostly
taken up in preparing for the next movement upon Atlanta.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Baer Diary Entries - text in white, comments in blue. Entries for July 11th, 12th and 13th.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DIARY ENTRY - Monday, July 11th, 1864
Saturday and Sunday are blanks in the history of imprisonment, and would that the balance of my time here could be so too, for I know should this meet the eyes of loving ones at home that it will be a painful history to them - not more so, however, that the agonizing suspense and anxiety and clouds of uncertainty that linger around the hearth stone, causing sorrow and gloom with those interested in my welfare. How I long to see them and relieve their hearts of a weight and burden that I know is weighing heavily upon them. But there are impossibilities and this is one. Seven hundred miles from home and in prison, watched and guarded by men who have no feeling of honor or sympathy and who stand ready with loaded guns to send the messenger of death at the first show of an effort to escape - and even should one succeed in getting out, they are ready with blood hounds to chase him down. Every citizen is considered on military duty, and should a prisoner escape the vigilance of the guard, it is hardly possible that he would succeed in traveling through 250 miles of country inhabited by the enemy.
We have just had a pleasant shower and the sun is coming out to shed its last rays on some convicts that are to stretch hemp in a few minutes. Federal soldiers in Federal uniforms and a camp of Federal prisoners but by their misdemeanors they deserve their punishment. Guilty of murdering their comrades for gain and plunder, they were caught, tried and convicted and at 5 o’clock P.M. the sentence is to be executed for by order of Gen. Winder C.S.A. This is the one human act in the General, if he never did a good deed and never does another - may God have mercy on their souls.
5 o’clock and the convict prisoners are brought in, escorted by a guard of C.S. soldiers headed by Capt. Wertz who delivers them over to the regulators for execution. They are attended by a priest, brought to the scaffold an ordered to ascend - but Delaney refuses and breaks through the crowd and attempts to escape, is recaptured and brought back. Mosby begs for mercy and calls several names, but none comes to the rescue. They ascend the scaffold, the ropes are adjusted, the caps placed over the criminals’ faces - everything is ready - the moment has arrived, the ladders are pulled down and five men are seen dangling in the air. The sixth rope breaks - this is Mosby’s - again he begs for mercy but the unflinching Limber Jim takes him up to the scaffold, readjusts the rope and swings him off again.
This may look hard to the civilized and enlightened world, but they have been a reign of terror to the camp. The reign of terror is broken if not subdued. What will the Federal Government think? It matters not, they leave us here. We are mixed with marauders and must protect ourselves. Justice must be administered - we have men who know what Justice is and are ready to execute it.
----------------------
For several months the camp has been terrorized by several groups of men who would rob, and sometimes injure or even kill other prisoners. These groups became known as Raiders, and became effectively organized criminal gangs. Appeals to Captain Wirz, the commander of the prison, resulted in many of the Raiders being punished. Captain Wirz allowed the prisoners to try the leaders for murder.
Once
convicted, the leaders of the Raiders were hanged, as John describes
above, from a gallows constructed inside the camp. A group of prisoners
that became known as the Regulators conducted the trials and the
hangings. Some stealing continued, but organized criminal activity was
reduced in the camp.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DIARY ENTRY - Tuesday, July 12th, 1864
The usual routine if duties in camp is first, after a poor night’s rest, to arise and shake off the dirt. Second, to perform the necessary ablutions for cleansing the hands and face and making our toilet - not being able to see the hole the toilet comes in at - and in fact the washing is more from force of habit than any particular good that arises from it, as we have to wash in a branch, the water of which passes the Confederate cook house and is uncomfortably greasy.
After this our attention is turned to the culinary department. Our cooking utensils consist of two frying pans made of a canteen, two quart cups furnished by our Q.M. to drink coffee out of - but they have been converted into mush pots and coffee pots - and a few knives and spoons. We are furnished with corn meal and bacon with a teaspoon full of salt per ration. After breakfast we have roll call, which as a general thing comes about 10 o’clock A.M. after which it is time to get dinner. After dinner there is nothing more to do until supper time, about which time we draw rations.
The interval between dinner and supper is sometimes spent in visiting old chums, and as we have a Bible in out mess, part of the time is put in reading by some. Others lie and sleep - as for myself, it is so hot during the day that I cannot find any pleasure in anything the shape of sleep - I want all the fresh air I can get and in order to get it, I have to circulate around as much as possible, owing to the heat.
----------------------
Daily routines seem to have been essential to surviving in the camp. John's circulating through the camp each day may have kept his mood up a little while trying to pass the time.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DIARY ENTRY - Wednesday, July 13th, 1864
Weather extremely warm with indications of rain - other matters requiring my attention the greater part of the day and news being stale, there is nothing to write about and no time to write. Circulating reports that an exchange or parole would begin on the 15th. Also a rumor that Atlanta had fallen.
----------------------
The
Atlanta rumors were still very premature, as the two armies were having
numerous skirmishes and trying to get into an advantageous position to
fight for Atlanta.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More Information:
- Link: War Operations, see Volume XXXVIII, Chapter L, Part V, Correspondence, pp. 102-136.
- The Civil War Day by Day, John S. Bowman, Ed. pp. 169-170.
- The Civil War, A Narrative, Vol 1II, Red River to Appomattox, Shelby Foote, pp. 407-409.
- Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Retreat With Honor, pp. 310-313.
- Decision In The West, The Atlanta Campaign of 1864, Albert Castel, pp, 341-355.
- Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, pp. 600-608.
- Memoirs of General William T. Sherman, pp. 536-541.
- Events: 1864
NEXT POST: JULY 17TH
No comments:
Post a Comment