DIY History | Transcribe | Civil War Diaries and Letters | George C. Burmeister diary, 1864

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1864-01-25

Monday 25.  Received intelligence this morning that the rebels about 400 strong had crossed the Rail Road half a mile west of this place.  A number of citizens are anxious to leave this country, and go north, some have begged me to assist them to get away from here and I am doing all I can for them.  Some citizens who were formerly strong secessionists are now anxious to have peace and are endeavoring to ship their cotton, they want to get greenbacks rather than to have the rebel soldiery to come in and destroy it.  Hundreds of people with families would leave this country if they were able to raise sufficient means to subsist on after they get into a new country, if was only for several months, but the majority are poor people, some reduced to the most abject poverty by guerrillas.  My God help these people, may they soon see peace.  We had a social party at Head Quarters today, some twenty ladies attended it, but owing to the negligence of the committee of arrangements, the enlisted men, carried on the party and the officers did not get much of a chance.  Some of the ladies were quite intelligent more so than I had anticipated to find them.  The party broke up about 11 O’clock P.M. I had scarcely got to bed when Wetherell A. Adj of the reg’t came and told me to be ready to move at a moment’s notice and to destroy the stockade when we leave.

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Monday 25. Received intelligence this morning that the rebels about 400 strong had crossed the Rail Road half a mile west of this place. A number of citizens are anxious to leave this country, and go north, some have begged me to assist them to get away from here and I am doing all I can for them. Some citizens who were formerly strong secessionists are now anxious to have peace and are endeavoring to ship their cotton, they want to get greenbacks rather than to have the rebel soldiery to come in and destroy it. Hundreds of people with families would leave this country if they were able to raise sufficient means to subsist on after they get into a new country, if was only for several months, but the majority are poor people, some reduced to the most abject poverty by guerrillas. My God help these people, may they soon see peace. We had a social party at Head Quarters today, some twenty ladies attended it, but owing to the negligence of the committee of arrangements, the enlisted men, carried on the party and the officers did not get much of a chance. Some of the ladies were quite intelligent more so than I had anticipated to find them. The party broke up about 11 O’clock P.M. I had scarcely got to bed when Wetherell A. Adj of the reg’t came and told me to be ready to move at a moment’s notice and to destroy the stockade when we leave.