Status - John Baer - 40th Indiana Regiment - Stanley's Corps - Newton's Division - Wagner's Brigade
Atlanta Campaign
Sherman and the army are awaiting the results of the cavalry expedition under General Kirkpatrick, hoping he can sever the remaining railroad links into Atlanta. Plans also continue for the proposed sweep around the city, should the raid fail.
Confederate cavalry under Forrest capture Memphis for one day before they leave. Attempts to stop Forrest have mostly come to nothing, and Forrest will now be free to operate against Sherman's supply lines. Sherman, for now, has enough supplies near Atlanta for the next two weeks.
Kirkpatrick returned to Union lines on the 22nd, believing he has disabled the railroad for about 10 days. However, the road is repaired by the time he has returned, and trains are already entering the city. Sherman works to complete the plan for his sweep around the city.
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John Baer Diary Entries - text in white, comments in blue. Entries for August 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd.
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DIARY ENTRY - Friday, August 19th, 1864
Weather still hot and if signs are true there is no reason why it will not be exceedingly unhealthy - I have noticed in the last few days flies are getting very scarce - judging from this the atmosphere is becoming impregnated with a poisonous vapor which is destructive to animal life.
Visited friend Buck and found him in a pretty bad condition with scurvy in the leg. Heard some read from a diary of thirteen months in the rebel service. Read some extracts from Captain Spikes’ journal of his exploring expedition to Africa, and some other man’s reasoning as to the source of the Nile, and was impressed with cause of some large bodies of water being salt while others are fresh.
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DIARY ENTRY - Saturday, August 20th, 1864
Estimating losses reminds me that time is precious and ought to be improved - whether I have improved my time since I have been in prison remains for the future to determine. I have lost a great deal of very precious time in respect to getting information, although I have been informed in some points the truth of which I never would have realized under other circumstances; but there are other truths the realization of which have been a great deal pleasanter in many respects - whether they would have been as important I know not, neither can I determine - circumstances frequently settle many points of importance as it has almost done with me on the present occasion. If I were a speaker, I expect that I would turn out to be a preacher, as I have to read the Bible at odd hours. My disposition is too hostile for anything of that kind.
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DIARY ENTRY - Sunday, August 21st, 1864
Campaigns are still going on - besides the progress of the war, there is another theme to engage the minds of the people - that is the Presidential campaign. Who the conservative candidate is I have no positive information, having been captured before the nominations - neither was there any point made to enlist the sympathies of the people, but I imagine the excitement is at such a pitch that they are beginning to pull every wire; and one of the wires for the Democrats to pull, one that will enlist the sympathies of more persons than any other, is to get a full statement of facts concerning the condition of prisoners, draw a comparison, and give the administration a nib for not doing their duty in regard to prisoners.
That statement they can get, for I know that a petition was sent to the President and Governors of States to be published to the world, and it cannot be denied that the rebels are interested in an exchange - by allowing a petition worded as that one to pass through their lines, and after it was gotten up, it was sanctioned by the commander of the prison, and men allowed to go through with it on parole. I am not a politician and would not be a Democrat if I was, but if I was one, I would pull that string with effect. If they have taken a war footing, they must manifest an interest for the soldier as the only chance to raise the party.
Of one thing I am certain, that is if I am not out of this before the election I will not vote for any of them. Another Sabbath has passed - the shades of evening are drawing nigh, the sun has been obscured by clouds, and a drizzling rain fell the greater part of the day. All has been in most perfect unison with my feelings - a longing for home and an anxiety pervading every thought, but is that anxiety greater than that which fills the thoughts and minds of a lonely companion? She is at home, surrounded with its comforts, but sorrow penetrates there quicker than it can where there is less sympathy. Sympathy is a stranger to this place, at least there is but little of it made manifest by words.
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In the presidential election of 1864, the choice of the Democrats to run against President Lincoln was none other than George B. McClellan, John's old commander from the early days of the war, when the 10th Indiana fought at Rich Mountain.
It would seem that prisoner exchange did not become a large issue in the campaign, and McClellan would have understood the reasoning behind suspending exchanges, and might have hesitated to criticize it.
John continuously thinks of home, and Jenny; wondering what she knows of his current situation.
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DIARY ENTRY - Monday, August 22nd, 1864
In looking over yesterday’s notes, the idea of the amount of sympathy manifested in the camp was forced upon me by some of the examples I have seen and heard. Word is a very scarce article in camp, and when a man dies and is carried out (he is generally carried out by comrades), the men carrying the corpse are allowed to bring in a load of wood on their return. I have frequently heard men wish that such a one of their sick comrades would die so that they could get some wood, and have known instances of men quarreling and fighting because they could not agree as to which should have the privilege of carrying out a corpse - each claiming it from having waited on the man while living. There have been other instances occurred under my notice of men fighting for a dying man’s shoes or blouse - such occurrences are frequent, and all the sympathy that is felt is a desire that the man will die that some other man may better his condition - and as a general thing, when a man gets down, those around him, instead of endeavoring to assist him and attempt to keep him, they give him a push and get him further down. The inhumanity of men in the camp is greater, considering everything, than that of the rebels.
A new issue of prisoners was received this afternoon, some from our brigade, but none from the Regiment that I could find. All as ignorant in regard to the movements of the army and everything else as if they had not been raised in an enlightened age.
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More Information:
- Link: War Operations, see Volume XXXVIII, Chapter L, Part V, Correspondence, pp. 594-638.
- The Civil War Day by Day, John S. Bowman, Ed. p. 174-175.
- The Civil War, A Narrative, Vol 1II, Red River to Appomattox, Shelby Foote, pp. 520-521.
- Decision In The West, The Atlanta Campaign of 1864, Albert Castel, pp, 469-471.
- Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, pp. 620-625.
- Memoirs of General William T. Sherman, pp. 572-577.
- Events: 1864
NEXT POST: AUGUST 26TH
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