Letter #16 -- New Berne, North Carolina - June 27, 1862

The letter of June 27, 1862 provides confirmation of the unhealthy conditions of army camp life during the Civil War.  In this letter, JWD describes the death of a comrade and friend Adam B. Klock.  I did some research on Private Klock and found a few discrepancies in the various records.





For example....

In the Pennsylvania ARIAS Civil War Soldiers database...it refers to Private Klock as Andrew B. Klock.  I don't know if Adam was a nickname or if JWD just made a mistake in writing his name in the letter, but there is a difference.  Also, in Munsell's...History of Schulykill County, Pa., it lists his name as Andrew.  However, another discrepancy in that record shows J.H. Dorr as dying of disease, when it was actually J.H. Derr (previously mentioned in my prior posts).

The Miner's Journal in 1865 listed the casualities of the 48th PVI.  Below is an excerpt....

Miner's Journal - 1865

Upon the saddest chapter of this work we now enter. It is to give a record of the names of the sons of Schuylkill who died that their country might live. They yielded up their spirits in the noblest cause and while we mourn, we are consoled by the reflection that their memories will be embalmed in the national heart while Freedom claims a votary on our continent. 
FORTY-EIGHTH PENNSYLVANIA REGIMENT

COMPANY D
Lieut. Alexander FOX died Dec. 1, 1861, on steamer Spaulding near Fortress Monroe
Andrew SPEAR died Apr. 15, 1862, at Newbern, N.C.
Andrew KLOCK died June 30, 1862
Addison SEAMAN died July 16, 1862
Mattie SHEAFER died August 4, 1862, on board steamer Cossack
Charles MILLER killed at Bull Run, Va., Aug. 29, 1862
George RAMER died Sept. 6, 1862 of wounds
William BAMBRICK died Sept. 12, 1862 of wounds
Alva F. JEFFRIES killed Sept. 17, 1862, at Antietam
John SULLIVAN died Oct. 8, 1862, of wounds received at Bull Run
Henry WILLIAMSON killed at Fredericksburg, Dec. 13, 1862
Thomas KINNEY killed at Fredericksburg, Dec. 13, 1862
Jonathan KAUFMAN killed in battle, May, 1864
Henry DORWARD killed in battle, Sept. 1864
Daniel OKON killed in battle, Sept. 1864
Corporal J. H. DORR died in Washington, Jan. 1863
William H. SMITH died in Annapolis, Apr. 7, 1864
John DEITRICH died Mar. 22, 1864
Solomon EYSTER, died in Philadelphia, Aug. 22, 1864
David MILLER died in Annapolis, Nov. 6, 1864
C. Philip BECKMAN died in Baltimore, Feb. 9, 1865
Charles F. HESSER died (n.r.)
Jonas Z. RABER died (n.r.)
1st Lieut. Henry GRAEFF died in Pottsville, Mar. 26, 1865, of disease 
contracted in rebel prisons
 Total 23

Note that this record shows Klock's death date as June 30, 1862.  We know that is not possible, since the letter from JWD to his parents described his death, and was written on June 27, 1862.  This highlights some of the errors that are in the "official" records.


In Letter #16, JWD describes that Andrew "Adam" B. Klock died of Typhoid fever.  A common problem during the war owing to the unsanitary conditions of the camps and army life at that time.

Excerpt from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) website regarding Typhoid fever....

                                                                                                                                                                   

Typhoid fever is an infection that causes diarrhea and a rash -- most commonly due to a type of bacteria called Salmonella typhi (S. typhi).

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

The bacteria that cause typhoid fever -- S. typhi -- spread through contaminated food, drink, or water. If you eat or drink something that is contaminated, the bacteria enter your body. They travel into your intestines, and then into your bloodstream, where they can get to your lymph nodes, gallbladder, liver, spleen, and other parts of your body.

A few people can become carriers of S. typhi and continue to release the bacteria in their stools for years, spreading the disease.

Typhoid fever is common in developing countries, but fewer than 400 cases are reported in the U.S. each year. Most cases in the U.S. are brought in from other countries where typhoid fever is common.

Symptoms

Early symptoms include fever, general ill-feeling, and abdominal pain. A high (typically over 103 degrees Fahrenheit) fever and severe diarrhea occur as the disease gets worse.

Some people with typhoid fever develop a rash called "rose spots," which are small red spots on the abdomen and chest.

                                                                                                                                                                   



In addition to JWD's report of the death of Private Klock, he talks about how miserable life is North Carolina in the summer.  For a Pennsylvania boy who lived in the mountain regions and probably never experienced the hot, humid and sweltering summers of the south, life inNew Berne, NC was undoubtably miserable.


And now...Letter #16.....

New Berne, North Carolina

June the 27 A.D. 1862

My Dear Father,

                                                I take pen in hand to inform this few lines to you to let you know that I am well at present time and I hope that this few lines will find you in the same state of good health.  Further, I let you know that I received your letter this evening after we came in from dress parade and I was very glad to hear from  you and to here that you are all well and I am very glad to hear that you got my ten dollars which I did send home and got my shirts which you did send to me and I am very glad that you got all my letters which I wrote to you.  The reason was that I wrote so many to you was I did send that first letter home with them ten dollars and I didn’t get no answer for about four weeks and I thought that it might be lost maybe but so we are all right.  But I am sorry to say that Adam B. Klock died.  He died on the 23 and we buried him the 24.  He had typhoid fever.  We was only about one week sick.  I let you know that it is very hot here and very unhealthy.  We are in great danger of starvation but we put our trust in God.  Don’t forget to answer this letter as soon as you get this from me.  So much from me your respectful son.

                                                                                                John W. Derr

Direct your letter to John W. Derr, CO. “D” Regt. PA., Burnsides Expedition,  North Carolina in care of Capt W. W. Potts

Jim D.

Letter #15 - New Berne, North Carolina - June 11, 1862

The letter of June 11th, 1862 is much like others...repetition of prior letters, but in this case it includes an acknowledgement of the receipt of a letter from his parents.  In prior posts, I wrote about how soldiers often wrote multiple letters of the same subject due to the lack of confidence in the postal service, especially within a theater of war.  I wonder how many soldiers in other wars such as World War I and World War II did the same.   I suspect that it is not a frequent practice today owing to the use of the internet, email and telecommunications, which makes real time communication much more available.  Such is the life of a Civil War era soldier....and John W. Derr.

In previous posts, JWD had requested that his mother send him shirts that he could wear under his uniform frock.  The usage of wool as the primary material for uniforms in the 19th century made the utilization of cotton and soft flannel, a necessity.  Being June in North Carolina, and based on his prior descriptions of heat and unhealthy air, a nice new set of shirts was what he needed to stay somewhat comfortable.  JWD was wise to request gray flannel shirts vs. the white shirts his cousin John H. Derr requested...as he describes.  Keeping white shirts clean-looking was a real chore and downright impossible in the environment in which the soldier lived.

Overall, not a very revealing letter, but it does close the loop on the concern JWD had for the lack of parental correspondence!

And now Letter #15....

Camp near New Berne, N. C.

June 11^th, 1862

My dear Father,

                                                      I take my pen in hand to inform this few lines to you to let you know that I am well at present time and I hope that this few lines will find you in the same state of good health.  Further, I let you know that I received your letter on Saturday the 7 and my box on Tuesday the 10 with our shirts and we was very glad to have them and my shirts fit very well.  But the others are much too light and they are too long but I am well satisfied with them and John H. Derr he is very thankful for the favor which you done for him but he is sorry that he didn’t send for some grey ones like mine but he is well satisfied with them and you mentioned in your letter that you drawed my money again for the last two months and I am very glad that you did and take good care of it.  So I didn’t know much more to write this time so I will come to a close and say good by for this time.  Answer this letter as soon as you get this from me.

                                                                                                                              Your respectful son,

                                                                                                                              John W. Derr

                              Direct your letter to John W. Derr, Co. “D” 48 Regiment PA., Burnsides Expedition, North Carolina in care of Capt. W.W. Potts

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Letter #12 - New Berne, North Carolina -- May 2, 1862

By May of 1862, the battle for New Berne, North Carolina was over and the eastern coastal area of the state was under the control of Union forces commanded by General Burnsides.  The memory and excitement of the March, 1862 battle had given way to the mundane camp life as described in JWD's letters.  The 48th PVI would remain in North Carolina for another 2 months providing provost duties at encampments around the New Berne vicinity.  This part of the Civil War would be recorded as the highlight of General Burnsides' career with future command decisions at Fredericksburg and Petersburg being criticized and scrutinized for decades to come.  For now, however, the General was a happy man and a happy soldier living and bonding with his beloved men.

The letter of May 2, 1862 has nothing of historical note, except for the insight it provides to the dullness of life between major campaigns and battles.  This is not what we think of as "the Civil War"...the war we see in movies with non-stop action, battles, and drama.  As one soldier writes..."war is one big bore, interrupted by moments of terror".... sounds like a nightmare to me.

In the future I plan to highlight various notations on the envelopes used to mail the letters.  I found interesting information regarding franking of letters at the authority of various commanding officers of the 48th PVI.  I have, and will continue to, search for example and facsimiles of the signatures of various officers...e.g. Nagle, Siegfried, etc... as well as those of the chaplains, and doctors whose names are on the outside of these envelopes.  The writing is not that of JWD...for example...in the envelope below, the style of the letter "S" is different from the addressing provided by JWD for "Schuylkill" vs. the  "S" in the word "Soldier".  My question is this....could the notation have been made by Col. James Nagle of the 48th PVI...or was it one of his Adjutants.  More that likely it was the latter...however....it would be nice to check it out.


Also of note, is that this letter provides insight into JWD's immediate family.  His post-script notation to his brothers and sisters provides the names and a bit of sadness as he addresses them directly regarding his fears about his future.

                                                                                                May the 2^nd, 1862

My Dear Father and Mother,

                        I take my pen in h and to inform this few lines to you to let you know that I am well at present time and I hope that this few lines will find you in the same state of good health.  Further I let you know that I received your letter on the first of this month and I was very glad to hear from you and to hear that you are all well at present time.  Further I let you know about my money.  I only sent $18.50 the first time and did put ten 10.00 dollars in a letter and you hadn’t it yet when you wrote that other one.  I wish you would let me know in your next letter whether you got it or not.  But that is all that I did send home but if them ten dollars will come home then I must have $68.00 dollars at home in all and if you will draw 20.00 more on the 15^th of May then I must have $88.00 dollars at home but what you had to spend for my things.  And let me know whether you got them ten dollars or not and I wrote home for two shirts in the same letter where the money was.  Further I let you know that I will send a box of old soldiers clothes home in care of Francis Dengler.  So I have not much more to write to you this time.

                                                                                                Yours with respects,

                                                                                                John W. Derr

John W. Derr, John W. Derr, George Derr, Peter Derr, Daniel Derr, William Derr, Catharine Derr, Anna Derr, Elizabeth Derr, Solomy Derr.  Who knows whether we will see each other anymore or not but keep courage and think that this war may soon be over.  Your beloved and oldest brother John W. Derr as a private in the United States Army.

Jim D.

Letter #8 -- Hatteras Inlet, Camp Winfield, North Carolina -- February 4, 1862

It was only two days between JWD's letter written on February 2nd and this one written on February 4th.  This letter was written after he got information about how to have family members draw monthly soldier pay in lieu of the soldier drawing the pay in the field.  Having family members...trusted family members...draw pay at home was a much more secure method that prevented loss of pay through theft, gambling, and death.  You can see in this letter that he wants his father to understand explicitly how the process works and even tells him to have the letter read by Francis Dengler to ensure that he doesn't get it wrong.  He further tells his father to write back and tell him that he understood the letter and process for pay withdrawal....and in the post script he tells him to never give the certificate to anyone.  You can see he is rather nervous about this arrangement and is probably frustrated that he can't just talk to his dad to get it explained verbally.  Such is the dilemma of a man with only a couple of years education.

Here is letter #8......

                                                                                    Hatteras Inlet, N.C.

                                                                                    Camp Winfield,

                                                                                    Feb. 4, 1862

My Dear Father,

            I take my pen in hand to inform these few lines to you to let you know that I am well at present time and I hope that these few lines will find you in the same state of health.  Further I let you know that they made arrangements that our parents can draw our money at home in Pottsville from Hunsinger, so I will send a certificate home to you and then you can draw the money for me every two months.  For me you will draw ten dollars for every month but it wouldn’t be worthwhile to draw it every month.  So you will draw it every two months, then you will draw twenty dollars every two months.  If I would know that it would be worthwhile to put it in the bank, I would say you should do so.  You can send the certificate down to Pottsville with Dengler.  You can draw for two months on it, as soon as you get the certificate but you might let it start two months more.  If you like, take this letter to Dengler and get it read so that you understand this thing right.  And answer this letter as soon as you get this from me and let me know whether you got the certificate and whether you understand it right or not.  I must come to a close these few lines from you dear son. 

                                                                                    John W. Derr

Direct your letter as before, you may well know.  But you must never give the certificate.  You must keep it to draw it every time.

 Jim D.

Letter #7--Hatteras Inlet, Camp Winfield, North Carolina -- February 2, 1862

The letter of February 2, 1862 was written after JWD had recuperated from a long illness.  For seven weeks he suffered from bronchitis and possibly a variant of rheumatic fever.  Though he does not indicate the latter in his prior letters home...subsequent depositions during the pension hearing by his widow Magdalena, indicate that this was the case.   The depositions by fellow members of the 48th PVI describe the conditions that the 48th endured during the initial landings on Hatteras Island in November of 1861.  Fellow soldiers complained about how soldiers waded to shore and remained wet and cold for days after the initial landings.  Not long after the landings, JWD was bedridden with a severe illness that progressed to bronchitis or even possible pneumonia.  As he states, he was off duty for seven weeks.

This letter is a bit more normal, with JWD conveying news to his parents and asking questions about home.  Interestingly he writes to his parents about a letter he received from his Uncle Solomon Weikel...his mother's brother...and how his uncle's family had been sick with the measles.  In the 19th century, measles was a deadly disease and so this information was truly family news!    His reference to "Esther" is interesting to me.  I have not been able to determine who she was and what her relationship was with JWD.  I am only guessing, but I assume she was a girlfriend or a close lady friend.  Clearly, Esther was illiterate, owing to the comments made by him regarding her need to have the letter read. It is also clear that he did not want any personal and intimate words he might write to her to be made public by the reading of a letter.


And now...letter #7...                     


                                                                                    Hatteras Inlet, North Carolina,

                                                                                    Camp Winfield

                                                                                    February the 2^nd, A.D. 1862

My Dear Father,

            I take my pen in hand to inform these few lines to you to let you know that I am well at present time and I hope that these few lines will find you in the same state of good health and further I let you know that I received that letter from you on the 2^nd day of this month and one from Uncle Solomon Weikel.  He wrote to me that he didn’t hear anything from you the whole last summer and I wrote a letter to him and I told him you were all well when I got that letter from you.   Further I will let you know that they were all laying sick with the measles but they are all well again.  When he wrote that letter to me, further I let you know that John Brown and George Batzel are in the war too.  And if Esther wonders why I wouldn’t write to her anymore, tell her that she would have to get her letter read by somebody else and so I have no pleasure to write to her what I would like to write to her.  And she could always hear from me when I write home.  I send my best respects to Slotterbachs family and to the Fetterolfs and to Peter Fetterolf too and to all the rest of the neighbors and tell Mary E. Slotterbach that I was glad to hear from George and Harvey Snyder and William Derr and tell her if she would write to George again she should let him know that I am well and would like it very good so far.  Now I must quit writing because my fingers are too cold and I can’t write no more.  These few lines to you.

                                                                                    John W. Derr 

Jim D.

Bronchitis, Pneumonia, Rheumatic Fever or Tuberculosis?

In December of 1861, JWD was encamped at Fort Hatteras in North Carolina.  Eventually the specific location would be Camp Winfield at Fort Hatteras at the southern tip of the Outer Banks, Hatteras Island.  At this time, JWD was very sick...an illness captured in both his letters as well as the pension depositions.  It would appear that he was sick for over 7 weeks and that begs the question....what illness did he contract?

In researching Civil War illnesses, there were a vast array of diseases and maladies that afflicted troops on both sides of the conflict, due to the size and close quarters of the men in camp.  Additionally, the lack of basic sanitation coupled with the lack of knowledge and effective treatments, meant that 99% of all soldiers during the war suffered from dysentery or chronic diarrhea at some time during their service in the war.  Dysentery ranked #2 in the "deaths by disease" category just behind typhoid and just before pneumonia.  Horrible camp conditions with refuse, slop pits, animal parts, human waste and animal manure were routinely located near water or food sources.  As stated by a federal sanitation inspector at in 1861 upon inspection of various camps... "littered with refuse, food, and other rubbish, sometimes in an offensive state of decomposition; slops deposited in pits within the camp limits or thrown out of broadcast; heaps of manure and offal close to the camp."  The results were that bacteria, viruses spread throughout the camps causing more casualties than munitions during the course of the war.  Attempts were made, with various degrees of success, to improve sanitation conditions through centralized practices by the U.S. Sanitation Commission.


JWD more than likely, suffered his fair share of dysentery during his four years in the Union army.  He also, suffered throughout the war, his fair share of bronchial conditions.  I believe that this is the primary reason for his early death in 1876.  However, I question what really afflicted him?  Could it have started as a simple cold that lead to bronchitis, then pneumonia?....or was it more?  Did he suffer from both of these conditions as a result of a lingering case of tuberculosis?...or did he just progressively damage his lungs through repeated cases of bronchitis and pneumonia?  


Depositions from fellow soldiers as well as from his civilian doctor, indicate that he died of rheumatic carditis as well as a bronchial condition and "catarrh"...a term no longer used in America...but essentially meaning the same as a chest cold.   Clearly, his condition continued beyond his wartime service where it was documented on at least two separate occasions that he was sick and unable to fight.  The first is documented here in North Carolina in 1861 during the Burnside's expedition.  The second was after his efforts working in the mine while preparing for the Petersburg "Crater" assault.    Below are the letters and depositions of friends, soldiers and his doctor, providing insight to the pension board regarding the death of JWD.

Written Deposition from Dr. George W. Ebrite...Physician of John W. Derr

Pension Deposition of Dr. George W. Ebrite...Physician of John W. Derr

Pension Deposition of William Maurer - 48th PVI Co. G.

Pension Deposition of Charles W. Hoch (cousin of Sgt. Franklin Hoch, 48th PVI Co. D)

 

Union encampment at Fort Hatteras, North Carolina

Fort Hatteras Union encampment

Jim D.

The "George Peabody boat" aka the USS George Peabody

One of the beauties of having this blog is that I pretty much explore and examine whatever I like as it relates to my web theme.    The civil war, being an era of much slower communications and pace-of-life, had me in a dilemma regarding material to use in a regular and timely fashion.  JWD wrote over 40 letters in the 4 years covering his service in the war, but spacing them out over the 47 months of his service leaves me with less than 1 per month.   I struggled with the idea of how to fill the gaps and as I have writing in prior posts, I have been using mostly artifacts contained in either the letters or his archival records to provide context for his life.   Now I will expand by researching elements in the letters and connecting them to other elements I have been researching online and in books.  Nothing really new….just connections.  During the past week while reading a letter JWD wrote in April of 1862, I ran across his reference to a ship he was on during the movement of the 48^th PVI to Hatteras Island, NC during their North Carolina expedition.  JWD references the “George Peabody boat” in his letter dated April 7^th, 1862.  I decided to study this ship a bit more and see what information I could find about a troop transport that carried my GG Grandfather.   I admit that I get a little thrill in finding connections to obscure little items that have, or may become, forgotten.   So…what was this “George Peabody boat”, he writes about?  Was it a big warship?  Was it a commercial sailing ship?  Was it a military transport?  A steamboat?  What else did the “George Peabody boat” do?  What happened to it?  All of these types of questions are what make doing this blog all the more fun.  Seemingly insignificant questions on obscure elements of the war can help with retaining the history that would otherwise be forgotten in time.   Fortunately, with the internet, most of these elements will never be lost...and I take no credit for reiterating that which has already been stated.  Hopefully, I am able to bring “linkage” between those elements and these letters which have never before been connected.

From the website:

North Carolina Civil War Sesquicentennial

http://www.nccivilwar150.com/history/burnside.htm

  

The Burnside Expedition

Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside

On February 7, 1862, a hundred vessel Union flotilla steamed down Croatan Sound to land an amphibious force on Roanoke Island after destroying a small Confederate fleet in Albemarle and Pamlico sounds. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside led 15,000 U.S. Army troops while Flag Officer Louis M. Goldsborough commanded the naval contingent. By capturing the island, the Federals would have a base from which to attack Confederates in North Carolina from the sea. About 3,000 Confederate soldiers under Col. Henry M. Shaw opposed the landing, and Flag Officer William F. Lynch’s three-gun battery and seven gunboats supported them. Three forts stood on the northwestern part of the twelve-mile-long island, but were not positioned so they could help. Lynch led his gunboats out against the Federal fleet, but Goldsborough defeated them and landed the Union troops at Ashby’s Harbor. By midnight, the Federals occupied the beach, and at 8:00 a.m. the next morning, they set off in pursuit of the Confederates, who were retreating north. About halfway up the island, Burnside’s men encountered the battery and a force of 1,500 but soon outflanked them. The Confederates retreated once again, then surrendered near the northern tip of Roanoke Island.

Landing of Troops on Roanoke Island - Harper's Weekly

Burnside next turned his attention to New Bern. Confederate Gen. Lawrence O'B. Branch, commanding an inadequate number of troops there, decided to defend the city in fortifications located about six miles below it along the Neuse River. Burnside landed his men twelve miles downriver on March 13 and began marching toward New Bern. By then, Branch had redeployed his force closer to the city, and the men braced for the attack, which began the next morning. Although the Confederates held off the Federals for several hours, eventually the center of the defense collapsed, and Branch’s men retreated. Some crossed the Trent River into New Bern and burned the bridge behind them, but Union gunboats shelled them. Realizing his position was untenable, Branch withdrew his men by rail to Kinston. Burnside’s force occupied New Bern the next day, and the city remained in Federal hands until the end of the war. Confederate Gen. George E. Pickett attempted to recapture it in 1864 but failed. Burnside went on to take Beaufort and Fort Macon, for which he was promoted on March 18.

---

Assault on New Bern during the Burnside Expedition — Harper's Weekly

Timeline for the Burnside Expedition (January-July 1862)

Timeline . . .

1862

THE BURNSIDE EXPEDITION (January-July)

February

February 7-8 — Battle of Roanoke Island — Casualties: roughly 2,907 on both sides

February — Freedmen's Colony established during the Federal occupation of Roanoke Island. Former slaves built a thriving settlement, erecting churches and schools.

February 10 — Action at Elizabeth City, including naval action

February 12 — Naval expedition to Edenton

February 18-21 — Expedition to Winton and skirmish, including naval expedition on Chowan River

February 19 — Skirmish at Winton

February 19-20 — Expedition to Currituck Sound

R. B. Forbes near Currituck Inlet

March

March — Union occupation of Beaufort, including Havelock Station, Carolina City, and Morehead City

March 11-13 — Movement to New Bern

March 14 — Battle of New Bern — Casualties: roughly 1,080 on both sides.

March 17 — Escape of Nashville from Beaufort

March 20-21 — Expedition to and occupation of Washington, including naval cooperation

March 23-April 26 — Siege of Fort Macon — Casualties: roughly 490 on both sides.

March 31 — Skirmish at Deep Gully

RAIDS IN THE WEST (April-May)

April

April — Marcus Erwin and Buncombe County militia flush 80 anti-Confederates from Laurel Valley (WEST)

April 6-11 — Expedition from Greenville, Tenn. into Laurel Valley, N.C. (Gen. Kirby Smith sends three companies under Lt. Col. David M. Key to clean out Unionist marauders operating out of Madison County. (WEST)

April 7 — Skirmish at Foy's Plantation

April 7 — Skirmish near Newport

April 7-8 — Expedition to Elizabeth City

April 12 — Skirmish at Fort Macon

April 12 — Destruction of schooner Kate off Wilmington

April 13 — Skirmish at Gillett's Farm, Pebbly Run

April 17 — Naval expedition to Dismal Swamp Canal

April 19 — Engagement at South Mills

April 19 — Skirmish at Trent Road

April 24 — Escape of blockade-runner Nashville into Wilmington

April 25-26 — Bombardment and Capture of Fort Macon

April 27 — Skirmish at Houghton's Mill, Pollocksville Road

April 29 — Skirmish at Batchelder's Creek

May

May 1 — Capture of British brig Intended

May 2 — Skirmish at Deep Gully, Trenton Road

May 7-8 — Expedition from Roanoke Island toward Gatesville

May 15 — Skirmish at Young's Crossroads

May 15-16 — Reconnaissance toward Trenton

May 15-16 — Skirmishes at Trenton Bridge

May 15-16 — Skirmish at Pollocksville

May 22 — Skirmish at Trenton and Pollocksville Road

May 28 — Naval reconnaissance up Blackwater River (upper extension of Chowan River, into Virginia)

May 28 — Capture of Nassau

May 30 — Skirmish at Tranter's Creek

May — Minor Federal raid into Haywood County leads to release of Unionist man condemned to death in Waynesville (WEST)

June

June 2 — Skirmish at Tranter's Creek

June 5 — Action at Tranter's Creek

June 24 — Reconnaissance from Washington to Tranter's Creek

June 26 — Destruction of Emily

June 26 — Expedition up Little River

June 27 — Skirmish at Swift Creek Bridge

June 27 — Blockade-runner Modern Greece forced aground by Union blockaders. Artifacts from this wreck are currently on display at Fort Fisher (Cape Fear).

June 27 — 1st North Carolina Volunteer Infantry (Union) organized (as authorized by Gen. Ambrose Burnside).

July

July 9 — Capture of Hamilton, including naval cooperation

July 24-28 — Expedition from New Bern to Trenton and Pollocksville

July 26 — Skirmish at Mill Creek near Pollocksville

July 26-29 — Reconnaissance from New Bern to Young's Crossroads

July 27 — Skirmish at Young's Crossroads

July 28 — Expedition from New Bern, Batchelder’s Creek, on Neuse River Road

So…the “George Peabody boat”…. aka… the USS George Peabody, was a converted steamship probably used as a short haul passenger boat of the day.  It was a side-wheeler with the propulsion paddles being on the side of the ship.  The first account of the Peabody I can find show that it participated on August 31^st, 1861 with the capture of the Confederate brig Henry C. Brooks in the Hatteras Inlet.  The Peabody, along with many larger support vessels provided a key link the in the blockade chain enacted by the north during the war.  1861 was a year of easy pickings for the northern fleet as the south tasted the first indications of the northern strategy for “starving” the south.

Later in 1862 the USS George Peabody participated in the both the troop transportation for the Burnsides expedition as well as the bombardment of the confederate forts Clarke and Hatteras.  Based on the pictures I have found of the Peabody, this most certainly was in a supporting role with the actual cannon bombardments being done by capital ships of the line.

Bombardment of Forts Hatteras and Clark by U.S. Ships (1862)

USS George Peabody

Accounts of another action by the Peabody show the ship providing an assist and rescue for the USS Oriental during a brutal storm just off the Hatteras point.   The Oriental was a transport ship that sank in May of 1862 and accounts from the New York Times from May 22^nd, 1862.  A good description is provided at the website:

http://www.fineartregistry.com/articles/2011-06/joy-of-collecting-civil-war-era-newspapers.php

The last account I could find was regarding the sinking of the West Point in a collision with the USS George Peabody at Ragged Point, Maryland on the Potomac River on August 12-13, 1862.  

Could the Peabody have been lost in that collision too?  The records seem to indicate not….a A record of an 1862 repair of the USS George Peabody shows that work was done on the ship at the Skinner Shipbuilding at their facilities in the Baltimore Inner Harbor.

http://www.steamtug.org/PrivateParts/docs/skinner-ships-yearly-chart.pdf

A further reference to the Peabody off the coast of Texas in October of 1863 seems to indicate that the ship operated there after the collision..  That reference seems a bit strange to me given the apparent size of the vessel, though coastal support might be a realistic role for the USS George Peabody.

From the website:

http://cameroncountyhistoricalcommission.org/StoryOfUnionForces.htm

“Henry Carl  Ketzle of Company A, 37^th Illinois Volunteer Infantry and called the Illinois Greyhounds, also put down his sea transport experiences in a Civil War Diary. He relates of the passage:

Embark by noon of the 23^rd on the G. Peabody along with two troops of 1^st Texas Cavalry.  Drop down past Crescent—26^th go down to head of passes and by noon October 27^th steam through southwest pass into Gulf—on the 28^th under convoy of gunboats start in regular line across the heaving bosom of the Gulf of Mexico (need I say how he exacted his tribute of nearly all of us) had fair weather and sailing on the 29^th, but on the morning of the 30^th it was quite stormy and rough, so much so that our rudder chain snapped and thus left the boat unmanageable—boat hands with the assistance of our boys (most of Company D being old lake sailors) soon fixed the steering apparatus with ropes, block and tackle thereby we were able to keep in our course but soon we noticed other boats having apparently worst trouble than we, as some we could see white flags hoisted

Morning of October 31^st found us on place of rendezvous, assigned by General, where we found a dispatch boat and soon others followed till afternoon when Generals Banks and Dana, in their boats ordered us into proper line, but 7 vessels of the fleet were still missing.  On the 1^st of November by 4 p.m. we dropped anchor near Brazos San Diego.

 Private (later sergeant) Benjamin F. McIntyre kept a record of his service in the 19^th Iowa Infantry. Tilley's annotated The Federals on the Frontier: The Diary of Benjamin F. McIntyre 1862-1864 details his experiences in the Rio Grande Expedition. He and fellow infantrymen commanded by Col. Kent boarded the Gulf steamer General Banks at Carrollton, Louisiana on 10/23/1863. The entire fleet according to Major John Bruce's 19^th Iowa report consisted of 16 large vessels and three gunboats.There was also anumber of schooners used for troop, munitions, and provisions transport. The convoy left New Orleans on the 24^th. Also aboard the Gen. Banks were two companies—15^th Maine and a portion of Battery "B" 1^st Missouri Artillery. The captain of the Banks complained at the excess number of personnel brought aboard but to no avail.

Sunday, the 25^th, saw the ship anchored off the lighthouse at the Southwest Pass awaiting the arrival of other ships to be in the convoy. Lt. Col. Benjamin B. Murray Jr. of the 15^th Maine was the ranking senior officer aboard and excersized his privileges much to the chagrin of the Iowa officers over the 239 enlisted Iowans.After an inspection on the 27^th, 60 rounds of cartridges were issued to each soldier. The fleet departed the Mississippi Delta that evening and the very next day began to encounter rough seas.

With 23 vessels in sight of the Banks, a gale commenced on the 29^th. This however was not the peak of the storm; that was to arrive the next day. Soon a flag of distress was raised on the masthead of the Banks. Col. Murray reluctantly consented to having the eleven mules aboard, one battery wagon, and other items such as forage thrown overbaod and "deep-sixed." The fact of the matter was that many vessels of the fleet that had been requisitioned by the Federal government had years before been condemned.

On the 31^st with its fuel nearly exhausted the Gen. Banks was taken in tow by the Empire City. It had been taking on water and was in very poor physical state due to the battering by the waves. Captain Edward Gee Miller of the 20^th Wisconsin was another who described the rough seas. He noted one sailor being swept overboard and lost. In a later report after landfall had been made by the fleet, Commander J. H. Strong of the gunship Monongahela reported that one small steamer, one schooner, and one launch had been lost in the storm, but all hands aboard them had been rescued. Among the vesels that made the journey were the George Peabody; Thomas A. Scott with Captain Chester Barney; the flagship McClellan with Generals Banks and Dana aboard; the General Banks, formerly the Creole; Empire City; Monongahela; Crescent; Drew; Belvidere; Bagley; Owasco; Zephyr, a transport saved by the Owasco; J. W. Hancock, a tug that sprang a leak off Brazos Island on 11/4 and was run ashore in several feet of water; Nassau, lost on the Brazos Santiago bar due to its excessive draft and poor manuveurability; and the Clinton, a new steamer of the Crescent City Line.

One last account of the voyage is provided by J. S. Clark, historian of the 34^th Iowa Regiment.  He comments:

On the 24^th of October 1863, our division embarked at Carrollton on Steamer Belvidere, reaching the mouth of the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico on the 27^th, and after a tedious and stormy voyage, during which storm to save the ships the cavalry horses of the command were thrown overboard, and on the third of November arrived at Brazos de Santiago.  Nine days were occupied in the passage for which three was the usual time.

Nearly all were very sea sick, and during the 30^th, men lashed themselves to the sides with ropes, otherwise they would have been washed overboard. 

While the worst part of the passage was behind them there still awaited some dangers associated with landing. When the fleet did arrive off the island, seas were still too rough to chance a landing that day. Some of the larger vessels let the cavalry horses swim for shore. The George Peabody, the ship carrying some of the First Texas Cavalry, slung twenty-five horses overboard; only seven made it to the beach. Even the next day as the surf had subsided somewhat two sailors and seven soldiers drowned when a boat from the Owasco was swamped during the embarkation. A dispatch dated Nov. 3 states "Commenced landing by lighters and small boat on Brazos Island, consuming several days, and losing two steamers and two schooners."

I will share the related letter from JWD later in April of next year.

Enjoy,

Jim D