7 o’clock A.M. Orders to harness up and be ready to move. Both infantry and artillery on the move. Did not move until 2 o’clock P.M. Marched about 3 miles beyond Martinsburg. Went into camp about 9 ‘clock.
July 14, 1863
Farmington
My dear Lizzie,
I was very glad indeed to hear from you again. I wish I could see you, which would be far better. Rowland has not yet come home and I don;t know when he will come – though I shall look for him now everyday a little. I think he will go to Augusta if he can. But he has been away so much more yet than he anticipated, that I suppose he’ll feel as if he must hurry home as soon as possible. I hope he can go to Augusta – It would be so pleasant to see some one right from Otis. He was with Perry when he wrote last. Perry has lost an arm close up to the shoulder. I don’t know which one. Rowland said he was very much frustrated by it. The shock to his system was very great. […]
July 13, 1863
Very little skirmishing along the lines. Raining all the morning. Think we will not have an attack today.
3 o’clock P.M. Left [illegible] to report to Major Braxton with 3 Caissons on Williamsport road. Did not find him until I got on pontoon bridge. Crossed and went into park about 1 mile from bridge at 11 o’clock. Raining very hard. Remained here until daylight.
July 12, 1863
Sunday
In morning moved Hosp to [illegible] tower. The Rebs retreating and our troops following slowly. Some prisoners brought in.
July 11, 1863
Saturday. My time was occupied mostly in reading books from the Circulating Library—Reade’s “Live me little, love me long” and one other. The doubt about our uniforms still continued.
Kenyon got a letter from Major Gen. Robbins in the afternoon ordering the Q. M. Gen[eral] to uniform us, but he made some technical excuse.
We were marched to and fro a great deal from one place to another, but did not succeed in effecting anything.
July 10, 1863
Friday. Everything is so dull that our present at the Recruiting Office seemed unnecessary, so Cas and I called at the Circulating Library on Westminster St. and drew out two standard fictitious works, Scott’s Ivanhoe and Dickens’ David Copperfield. I devoted my whole time from ten o’clock in the morning to two the next morning, to reading Copperfield for the hundredth time, and found it as interesting as ever. It is one of my favorite books, the characters are portrayed so finely and the narrative is so full of interest that I never can lay the volume aside till I have devoured it all. [Read more…] about July 10, 1863
July 9, 1863
Hd. qrs. 11th Corps, Boonesboro Gap Md
My dear Major
I received your letter while we were at Gettysburg and feel grateful for it. You know very well how difficult it is to write upon an active Campaign and I have never written so few letters as since we reached Md. and Penna. In fact we never drove business quite so hard before. Day before yesterday we marched about 30 miles. Our Corps is in advance of all. Schurtz Divn. went forward beyond Boonesboro last night to support Buford’s Cavalry which had been fighting all day – The other two Divns. took up position on the sides (west) of the mountain to hold the Gap at all hazards until the other Corps get up […]
July 8, 1863
Tuesday. My valise having given out in some unaccountable way, I proceeded to the lockmaker’s and endeavor to get it mended, but the worthy artisan did not consider himself competent to fix it and I returned with confusion of face to No. 47.
Wright and I were instructed by our friends the recruiting officers to procure passes for the South Ferry and with this object in view, we visited the Adj. General and other officials, but did not succeed in obtaining our papers. At last, however, we reached Maj. Pierce and Capt. Tetlow who expressed a perfect willingness to all us to go. We embarked on board the tug-boat Am,[erican] Union under the protection of Tetlow, Capt. of the College Company, who is a splendid fellow. He is called the first scholar in his class, and ought to be an Alpha Delta. He told me that our Society stood first in College, and the Delta Kappa Epsilon next. The Omega Lambda Chi are hard, the Psi Upsilon digs. He did not tell me why he had not joined any society. Our boys afterward told me that while he always expressed a preference for Alpha Delta Phi he had never concluded to join any Secret Society.
We had a very peaceful trip down the bay. There is some beautiful scenery along the shores but we miss the hills of Maine. […]
Diary of Horatio Fox Smith [Civil War Miscellany]
July 7, 1863
Headquarters Eleventh Corps, Army of the Potomac
My dear Mother,
One of our Divn. reached Middletown – back again night before last. And we returned to our old Hd. qrs. at a house <[torn]> this side of the town where we <[torn]> were treated very well when on our <[torn]> up. We came over the mountain at High Knob. The 5th Corps also under Otis’ command for the time came the same way. The Divn. which got to town that night had marched about 30 miles in one day. Some of our artillery got stuck in attempting to get up the mountain & as our troops could not get past, the rest remained there. At half past 3 next morning I went back to get up the artillery & trains & clear the way for the 5th Corps. Had to work very hard & finally found another road for the 5th – at same time got the artillery & all the trains in motion. This took me till 12 ½ m. I tell you this to show something of my occupation. I got not a <morsel> break till that time. Yesterday P.M. we marched to Boonesboro Gap where we now are on the west side of the mountain in sight of the Antietam battlefield. One Divn. at Boonsboro which went forward to support Buford’s Cavalry which had been fighting all day. After us the 1st Corps came up on our right and this morning the 6th which saw less fighting of lately strong has passed on to Boonsboro. [Read more…] about July 7, 1863
July 6, 1863
Monday. A. M. Bean called this morning with his Description List, which had been made by Orderly True. His clothing account was entered as $39.05. If it is not correct it will be rectified when we get the clothing book. He with nine others of the Regt. has re-enlisted for 2 years, their time to commence from the date of muster out of the 22nd. They are to have two months furlough from the 15th of July.
[Capt. I. W. Case died very suddenly at nine o’clock P.M. July 6th after making this last entry in his journal, congestive chills were the cause of death. His age was forty years.]
Diary of Isaac Winslow Case [Miscellaneous Manuscript Collections]