Status - John Baer - 40th Indiana Regiment - Stanley's Corps - Newton's Division - Wagner's Brigade
Atlanta Campaign
Sherman pulls his forces out of their entrenchments and sends them on their circular route around Atlanta. Confederate General Hood is unsure what is in progress, and thus unsure where to move. Only after a day or two does Hood realize that it is now Sherman's whole army that is moving south of town to cut the railroads, and he orders an attack on the Union corps that has reached Jonesboro, GA, and has already cut one of the two remaining railroads.
Union General Schofield is also approaching the remaining railroad line at Rough and Ready station. Control of the city hangs in the balance as these forces collide.
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John Baer Diary Entries - text in white, comments in blue. Entries for August 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th.
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DIARY ENTRY - Saturday, August 27th, 1864
I will not make any more remarks on political economy for fear of getting some contraband items and getting my book confiscated, which I would not have done for considerable. I never expect it to benefit anybody but myself, and it will be no benefit to me more than a pleasure to refer to it once in a while to keep little incidents fresh in memory. There are some items I would fair forget but as long as memory holds good, they cannot be erased, and rather than revert to then long enough to relate them I have committed some few of them to writing. Others will never be known if they are not known until I tell them. Not that I have been engaged in anything that I would not have known, but incidents that have occurred under my observation since I have been a prisoner.
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DIARY ENTRY - Sunday, August 28th, 1864
Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy - this injunction is hard to keep under the circumstances - necessity compels men to do things that under other circumstances would not be lawful to do on the Sabbath day - but on the principle that it is right to help an ox out of a pit on the Sabbath day, how much more would it be right to minster to the wants of men. After drawing rations and eating supper, I visited an old friend in distress, and found his bunk mates ministering to his infirmities as well as they could.
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DIARY ENTRY - Monday, August 29th, 1864
Being slightly indisposed, I was not in a humor for taking notes. There were, however, some new arrivals, and among the number was one from the 40th. I was glad to see one that knew something about the results of the fights on the day I was captured, but was sorry to see him under the circumstances, but many others share his misfortunes. And it is an old adage that misery loves company. Brave boys are they that have gone at their country’s call, and yet we cannot forget that many brave boys must fall. What sad news that so many comrades are numbered with the slain. Captain Elliott’s fortune was to fall leading his company to the charge. Noble Charles gave his life, a sacrifice on his country’s altar. Five others from the Company shared his fate, and found a resting place beneath the soil of Georgia. Few are the homes of loyal hearts that have not been penetrated by grief and mourning for loved ones fallen in this fearful struggle for popular government.
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John may have known very little about the results of the battle at Kennesaw Mountain, depending on what time he was captured. The regiment suffered greatly, being in the front of the attack. It appears that at least six of Company A were killed; these may well have been men he knew even before the war, as the regiment was recruited from the local area. The 40th Indiana had 30 killed, 78 wounded, and 13 missing (including John), for 121 total. This is very significant for a regiment that would have at most 1000 men, and probably significantly fewer by this stage of the war.
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DIARY ENTRY - Tuesday, August 30th, 1864
Richmond, Va., August 26 via Macon August 28, 1864. a telegram to the Macon Confederate states that the Confederate authorities have proposed to the Federal authorities to exchange officers for officers and man for man, giving up the only point of contention heretofore existing, that of paroling the excess according to the terms of the cartel. To leave the excess, if any, on our hands until captures have been made to exchange them. It further states although the proposition had been made on the 22nd, that up to the 26th it had not been accepted by our authorities. If this proposition has been made, and as they claim, the only point of contention to be that of paroling the excess has been dropped, there is yet room for hope. This proposition I should think very fair, and can see no reason why it should not be accepted, unless our government thinks it better to sacrifice 30 or 50,000 men, rather than give the rebels that addition to the force already in the field - there are men who believe, or at least pretend to believe, that the delay is on account of the few Negro prisoners held by the rebels. I cannot believe that the government authorities are so blind to its interest to hold back one day on account of the Negro. Every month sacrifices more white men than the whole amount of black prisoners held by the rebels. I was told only three days ago that in eight days previous there had been over 1,000 men died at this camp.
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Union leaders, including General Grant, had been refusing exchanges if black soldiers were not exchanged on the same basis as white soldiers. John, understandably, would like any equal basis exchanges that could be done, to be done as soon as possible.
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More Information:
- Link: War Operations, see Volume XXXVIII, Chapter L, Part V, Correspondence, pp. 676-717.
- The Civil War Day by Day, John S. Bowman, Ed. p. 175.
- The Civil War, A Narrative, Vol 1II, Red River to Appomattox, Shelby Foote, pp. 521-522.
- Decision In The West, The Atlanta Campaign of 1864, Albert Castel, pp, 486-496.
- Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, pp. 620-625.
- Memoirs of General William T. Sherman, pp. 577-580.
- Events: 1864
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