Status - John Baer - 40th Indiana Regiment - Stanley's Corps - Newton's Division - Wagner's Brigade
Atlanta Campaign
Stoneman's cavalry raid ends in failure as he and most of his men are forced to surrender near Macon, GA without freeing any prisoners. In addition, another Union cavalry force is badly cut up, losing over 500 men. Sherman has thus lost a significant portion of his available cavalry forces, and calls for any available cavalry to be sent from the north, as he correctly anticipates a raid on his supply lines.
Sherman will again use infantry to try to reach for the railroads feeding Atlanta, this time Schofield's corps will sweep around to the right again to flank the Confederates..
Battle of the Crater
In the east, the stalemate continues around Petersburg, VA. Union troops from Pennsylvania who had worked as miners, had dug a chamber beneath the Confederate lines and filled it with explosives. When detonated, there was a huge blast that threw men, soil and armaments everywhere, creating a huge crater where the Confederate line used to be. Union troops rushed into the crater, but the rebel infantry ran up to the edge of the crater, pouring fire on the Union men. Eventually the Union divisions fled in disarray, taking the bulk of the casualties and gaining no advantage at all. This became known as the Battle of the Crater.
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John Baer Diary Entries - text in white, comments in blue. Entries for July 30th, 31st, August 1st and 2nd.
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DIARY ENTRY - Saturday, July 30th, 1864
Excessively and oppressively hot. Wild rumors afloat. Visit by an old comrade. Played a few games of chess, read some, and exercised enough to keep the blood in circulation.
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DIARY ENTRY - Sunday, July 31st, 1864
Played a couple of games of chess, but having other more important matters on hand I could not keep my mind on the chess board, and I laid it aside for the Bible.
Took a walk to the branch and visited an old friend, after which I returned to quarters and occupied my mind in reflections which led in various channels but neither subjects nor reflections are recorded. Home sweet home! How my spirit longs for freedom. Revenge sore revenge. Vengeance is mine, I will repay, sayeth the Lord. How long, oh how long will this confinement last?
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DIARY ENTRY - Monday, August 1st, 1864
Confinement, not close nor solitary, neither has it been yet long - a little more than a month and yet it seems as if I was growing old - but what is the use to write? It is of no avail - the skirmish line is a paradise to this, to risk life for liberty would be a pleasure. Would that I was a poet or an historian - but neither can do justice to this place. Parson Brownlow with all his profanity could not begin to describe the utterly inhuman treatment of prisoners - an yet there are those who curse the prospect of a release and those too who claim the protection of the Federal Government, wear the Federal Blue and belong to the army of the United States. Such men have forfeited all claims on the Government and deserve the most severe censure of the Authorities and the people. Some of them will have a mark set upon them that will be equal to the brand of Cain, and it will come to pass that some finding them will slay them.
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DIARY ENTRY - Tuesday, August 2nd, 1864
Forenoon very pleasant. Cleared up in the afternoon with a thunder storm. Wild rumors afloat of the capture of General Stoneman - as to the credulity, I am inclined to believe that it is a good deal like the reports of parole and exchange - but I have given the rumors of exchange one comment with the result of observation and practice, and failed to do the cause justice to anything here - justice is far from being known in this camp - and should I fail to comment on a subject because I could not do it justice, I would be compelled to cease writing and not attempt to make any observations. Days, months, and were it possible, years would glide past and be a blank in history if a man were to cease to make observations for want of power to do justice to the themes presented. Yet memory would retain the scenes of horror and revert to them in future with a shudder. I have become so hardened and so used to false reports that I cannot believe anything I hear and scarcely half of what I see - but were I to tell what I have seen and what I know to be so, to half of the people at home, I would be set down as a liar, and yet could they see it as I have, they would be compelled to acknowledge it.
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We see now that the time in Andersonville prison is wearing on John as it does for all the captives. Dozens of men die each day, sometimes more than 100; yet the camp grows more crowded as prisoners continue to come in from the battles around Atlanta. John misses his freedom, and his family (recall he was recently married). If his family knows his situation, they likely only know that he is missing, and certainly worry if he remains alive.
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More Information:
- Link: War Operations, see Volume XXXVIII, Chapter L, Part V, Correspondence, pp. 300-339.
- The Civil War Day by Day, John S. Bowman, Ed. pp. 172-173.
- The Civil War, A Narrative, Vol 1II, Red River to Appomattox, Shelby Foote, pp. 475-490.
- Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Retreat With Honor, pp. 315-320.
- Decision In The West, The Atlanta Campaign of 1864, Albert Castel, pp, 436-454.
- Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, pp. 613-619.
- Memoirs of General William T. Sherman, pp. 566-572.
- Events: 1864
NEXT POST: AUGUST 6TH
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