New York Stoneware Jug, washed ashore at Hampton Roads, found by NC soldier, 1862 #cw150

Stoneware jug, tan bottom and light green top; resembles a New York Zouve rendering a salute. Embossed bottom reads “MORNING SALUTE/B.F. & Co.N.Y.” Washed ashore at Hampton Roads, VA, May 3, 1862 and picked up by Robert Clendenin, Company E, 13^th NC Troops, later killed in action at the Battle of South Mountain September 14, 1862.

Source: North Carolina Museum of History, Raleigh, NC.  Artifact number 1914.105.18. Click here to search our Collections from home.

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Merimack has done considerable damage to Lincoln’s navy…I would rejoice if all their fleets could be done in #cw150

Thursday 20^th [March 1862]

I made some apples preserves today & the sleeves of my dress.

Friday 21^st [March 1862]

Nashville has been surrendered to the Federalist. The Yankees took Newbern the 14^th & took a good many prisoners. The Merimack has done considerable damage to Lincoln’s navy during the last week or so. I would rejoice if all their fleets could be done in the same way. Rumour says J. Woodfin is either killed or a prisoner. We got no letters today, that is Mr. Henry & I.

Source: Diary of Cornelia Henry in Fear in North Carolina: The Civil War Journal and Letters of the Henry Family. Clinard, Karen L. and Russell, Richard, eds. (Asheville, NC: Reminiscing Books, 2008).

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The only real enjoyment a soldier has is when he receives a long letter from some “loved one at home.” #cw150

Army of the Peninsula

March 20’ 1862

 Dear Cousin Anna

            Your very welcome letter was received some months ago and ought to have been answered long before, and indeed, I have commenced writing you two or three lines but something has always prevented me from finishing.  Even so, I have nothing of special interest to tell you: we have now been in the service nearly twelve months but have never been in any general engagement.  We were very near the recent naval battle in Hampton Roads but were not where we could see the fight.  We however, could hear all the guns and I heard very distinctly the explosion when the Congress blew up.

            It is said that Napoleon maintained always that Providence was on the side of the heaviest artillery but I am inclined to believe that Providence is on the side of our boat.  Most of the troops on the Peninsula are now down at Bethel four miles below here and twenty miles from Yorktown.  Our regiment went down yesterday morning without any tents.  I rode down there and back today and it would amuse you to see the arrangements the soldiers were making to sleep; the weather was wet and cold.  They took a common blanket and they put it over a little pole set up on forks two feet high and they made a little ridge just enough to creep under and roll themselves in another blanket.  The arrangement looked to me like a poor one but they were able to keep tolerable dry in this way and the rest will too.

            I have had a very sick servant here.  I got permission from Col. Winston to come up to camp and I had him comfortally by my fire in my cabin here at winter quarters.  Otherwise I would be down at Bethel roughing it with the rest of them.

            I would be very happy to receive another letter from you.  The only real enjoyment a soldier has is when he receives a long letter from some “loved one at home.”  Yours very truly

Julius A. Robbins

Sources: Christopher Watford, ed. The Civil War in North Carolina: Soldiers’ and Civilians’ Letters and Diaries, 1861-1865, Volume 1. (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2003). Original in Julius A. Robbins Papers, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

 

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her baby was born on the day of the fight in Hampton Roads #cw150

March 17, 1862

“St. Patrick’s Day in the morning.”  Came home to Looking Glass, partly on horse back, partly in the canoe, & partly on foot—on account of the water.  Father rode with us to the place where we took canoe.  Dear old gentleman, I am grieved to see him so despondant & low spirited.  It is so unusual for him that it is doubly distressing.  God send us good news to lighten his heart.  Found the Hyacinths in most beautiful bloom!  They are truly exquisite & as we came into the gate & their fragrance stole over us, the charm of a quiet home never seemed greater.  As they looked up to us in their peaceful beauty, smiling in the midst of these War’s alarms, it made us prize our seclusion the more.  Ah! Lord Falkland I could emulate you in the ingemination of Peace!  Peace!

            All the afternoon preparing a basket of eatables of divers kinds for Patrick to send to Col Leventhorpe at Hamilton.  I omitted to mention last night, not I am sure from want of thankfulness, that Thomas Jones was safe and that Mr Turner was absent on leave when the attack on New Berne occurred.  Happily for Sophia, as her baby was born on the day of the fight in Hampton Roads—the 8th—rather more than 9 days before the Newberne disaster.

 Source: Edmondston, Catherine Ann Devereux, 1823-1875, Journal of a Secesh Lady: The Diary of Catherine Ann Devereux Edmondston 1860-1866. Crabtree, Beth G and Patton, James W., (Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Division of Archives and History, 1979). http://nc-historical-publications.stores.yahoo.net/478.html

 

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“an account of the fight in Hampton Roads” (by a participant ) #civilwar150

March 13, 1862

 Father received a letter from Frank Jones giving an account of the fight in Hampton Roads & as I would like to keep it I transcribe part of it here:

 Dear Grandpapa:

I should have written you to inform you that I am unhurt by our recent engagement but that I was so tired & worn out that I could not.  I had no sleep & did not eat a single meal from Sat morning until Sun night, so you can imagine what condition I was in for writing.  I will endeavor to give you as good a description of the fight as I can.  We left Mulberry Island at ½ past 2 o clock on Friday morning with the expectation of meeting the Va at Newport News, but the wind blew so hard & the tide was so low that she could not have worked to advantage in the Roads & therefore did not come out at all.  So we stopped off Dey’s Point & lay there until Sat afternoon 2 ½ o clock when we saw the smoke of the Va’s guns as she was engaging the ships & batteries off Newport News.  We weighed anchor & steamed down as quickly as possible but before we got down the Cumberland was sunk.  We ran past the batteries receiving only three shot in doing so, none of them doing any material damage.  We ran in very near them going within 800 yds of the Batteries.  After we had passed them we backed up to them and commenced shelling the men out of their quarters.  We made them scamper in all directions.  It was whilst we were engaged protecting the Raleigh & Beaufort whilst they were removing the wounded from the Congress that we received a shot in our boiler.  I was in the fire room at the time having gone down there a minute before to give some directions about the fires.  As soon as the shot struck us the steam rushed out of the boilers & everything was enveloped in coal dust & Vapour.  I made my way up the ladder and just managed to reach the top round when I should have fallen back & been killed but that some one caught me by the collar and pulled me out.  I was very nearly suffocated as it was, but in half an hour I was all right.  We lost four men by that one shot.  They were scalded to death by the steam.  I was in the same room with them when the shot struck us; there were six of us down there & only two escaped & one of them is scalded internally.  I escaped entirely unhurt.  After we received that shot we were disabled for a short time on account of all the Steam blowing off out of both boilers & whilst we were in this position the enemy piled shot and shell into us tremendously.  But wonderful to say, they did not hurt us at all, nearly all of them being intended to sink us & consequently were fired at our bottom, but that being heavily plated with Iron was proof against their shot.  We fought on until it got so dark that we could not see to aim & then withdrew and anchored under the guns of Seawell’s Point Battery.  I was on watch that night from 12 until 4.    About ½ past 12 I thought that I would go up & look at the Congress burning and I was just in time to see her blow up.  I never saw such a splendid sight in my life!  She threw her shell in all directions.  One of them passed away over us & fell some where near the Rip Raps.  I could see them bursting in the air almost every where it seemed to me.

            At ½ 8 oclock on Sunday morning we commenced the action again, but on the appearance of the Monitor (Ericckson’s Battery) we came to the conclusion that it was best for us not to meddle with her, so we lay off in order to render any assistance which the Virginia might need & then these two went at it in fine style, lying right along side of each other & hammering away at each other—neither of them being in the least hurt by the other’s shot!  The Virginia, after tearing the Minnesota all to pieces nearly, withdrew & we all came up here to the Gosport Navy Yard where we will lay until we can get sufficiently repaired to justify us in trying them again.

            I did not feel so much excited during the engagement as I anticipated, though when I would hear a shell whistle pretty near us I could not help ducking down my head.  I must close now as it is getting pretty late.  Give my love to all and write soon to your affectionate

Grandson,

W F Jones

Heard today of the threatened attack by Burnside on New Berne.  He is in force at the mouth of the River.  Pray God he may be repulsed.  What a hero Gen Branch will be.  Am too dull to write more but must close with a wish that Tom Jones may distinguish himself & come off unhurt.

Source: Edmondston, Catherine Ann Devereux, 1823-1875, Journal of a Secesh Lady: The Diary of Catherine Ann Devereux Edmondston 1860-1866. Crabtree, Beth G and Patton, James W., (Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Division of Archives and History, 1979). http://nc-historical-publications.stores.yahoo.net/478.html

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3-11-1862: Catherine explains battle of Monitor vs Merrimac #cw150

March 11, 1862

The Virginia is the old Merrimac which the Yankees sunk at the Navy Yard last April & which when raised was found to have her guns pointed so as to command Norfolk in the hope that the fire would discharge them!  She has been refitted & iron clad after a plan of our own, & gloriously has she distinguished herself!  On Sunday she was met by the Iron clad boat the Monitor, or the Erickson Battery as she is sometimes called, which fortunately for the Yankees arrived at Fortress Monroe on Sat night.  The ensued a battle such as was never seen before.  The balls bounded off the sides & roofs of the vessels, for the Va has a sloping roof, like hail stones from a shed! making no mark where they struck.  Neither side injured the other but the tide being on the turn the Virginia drew off & the Monitor was only too glad to escape with the loss of the eyes only her commander Lieut Worden!  Commodore Buchanon our Commander was the only man injured on board & he was wounded in the thigh by a Minie ball.  To God alone be the praise.  “He giveth not the Victory to the strong.”  Ah! for our brave men wounded at Donaldson.

 

Source: Edmondston, Catherine Ann Devereux, 1823-1875, Journal of a Secesh Lady: The Diary of Catherine Ann Devereux Edmondston 1860-1866. Crabtree, Beth G and Patton, James W., (Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Division of Archives and History, 1979). http://nc-historical-publications.stores.yahoo.net/478.html

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Ironclads battle at Hampton Roads–”glorious news & will cheer the heart of the nation” #civilwar150

March 10, 1862

Went to Looking Glass to give poor Austin & family some more clothes.  Blankets not being possible to get, I was forced to give them some of my own & a comfortable or two, with which they must make out this summer.  With those that their kins folk have lent them they will do very well.  I fear I shall need the bed tick I gave them; but the poor creatures have none, so my feathers must stay in bags another summer.  Had a terribly round about road through the woods on account of the water in the Low Grounds.  Was almost all day going & coming.  Went by the “Quarters” of more people than I thought lived in that Pocosin.

            Got back to father’s about five & shortly after he came in from Halifax Hurrah!-ing, actually Hurrahing at the top of his voice!  We all ran down for we knew there must be some good news & glorious news it is!  Our single iron clad vessel—the Virginia—has at last gone out from the Navy Yard & attacked the Federal Fleet lying in Hampton Roads.  She sunk the Cumberland, burned the Congress, crippled the Minnesota, repulsed the Roanoke & the St Lawrence, and drove all the other vessels under the shelter of the guns of Fortress Monroe, besides shelling Newport News.  The two Gunboats lying up the James, the Patrick Henry and the Jamestown, on hearing the firing came down & assisted in the latter part of the fight, taking the attention of the Gunboats off the Virginia.  With this exception she was unaided.  The Yankee loss is terrible; ours, four men scalded by steam on board the Patrick Henry, Frank Jones ship.  Pray God he may have escaped!  The only lives we lost in the fight, except those scalded, were some of our men & an officer who, after the Congress held out a flag of Truce, boarded her & were rendering assistance to the wounded on her decks when they were basely fired upon from the shore by men with long range guns—an act of treachery of which even a Savage would feel ashamed.  This is glorious news & will cheer the heart of the nation now cast down with the reverses in Tennessee.  The fight was renewed on Sunday but authentic details are wanting.

 Source: Edmondston, Catherine Ann Devereux, 1823-1875, Journal of a Secesh Lady: The Diary of Catherine Ann Devereux Edmondston 1860-1866. Crabtree, Beth G and Patton, James W., (Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Division of Archives and History, 1979). http://nc-historical-publications.stores.yahoo.net/478.html

 

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