1 - 8 Aug 1863

Aug 1 - Met Gen. Buckland* on cars.  I am in his brigade.  A hot and dusty ride.  Cairo [Illinois] at 4 p.m.  Left on boat at Columbus [Kentucky] at midnight.  Went to McElg Hotel.

Aug 2 - Fine hot day.  At church (Pres[byterian]) a.m. and went on hill with tracts to camp and hospital p.m.  Eve wrote to Ella for mail from here.

Aug 3 - Waited for boat and left on "Sallie Robinson*" for Memphis, fare $8.00.  Small and few passengers.  Write up all July journal to date.

Aug 4 - Pleasant sail down, Stopping at Fort Pillow*.  At 4:30 Memphis here in sight and was some on the wharf.  Got a carriage and rode to regiment.  Warm welcomes.

Aug 5 - Mess with Col. Herrick and Major Park: sleep on floor of Col's tent for the present.  Met acquaintances.  The regiment seems quieter than formerly.  Good clapboard quarters.

Aug 6 - Attend funeral of a child of a member of 32nd Wisconsin encamped near us about this time "Thanksgiving day".  Attend dinner at Christian Commission rooms*.  A pleasant time.

Aug 8 - Preparing for Sunday.

* Ralph Pomeroy Buckland was born 20 Jan 1812 in Leyden Massachusetts.  His family moved to Ravenna Ohio the year he was born.  He graduated from Kenyon College in 1838 and after passing the bar practiced Law in Fremont Ohio.  He served as Mayor of Fremont from 1843-1845, and was a member of the Ohio State Senate from 1855 - 1859.  At the outbreak of the Civil War he became Colonel of the Ohio 72nd Infantry and later commanded a brigade under General William Tecumseh Sherman at the battle of Shiloh in April 1862.  He was commissioned a Brigadier General of volunteers on 29 November 1862 and served at the siege of Vicksburg in the Spring and Summer of 1863.  He resigned from the army in January 1865 and returned to Ohio where he won a seat in the U.S. Congress where he served two terms from 1865-1869.  He died in Fremont Ohio on 27 May 1892.  Pictured below


* The Sallie Robinson was a steamship sailing out of Shreveport and New Orleans, mostly to points west along the Louisiana Coast and Texas, which was commandeered by Union troops for the blockade of the the Port of New Orleans beginning 19 April 1861.  It then sailed up and down the Mississippi river picking up passengers like Richard Chittenden.

* Fort Pillow, at Henning Tennessee, was the sight of a bloody battle fought on 12 April 1864.  The battle ended with a massacre of African-American Union soldiers who had surrendered to Confederate forces under the direction of Confederate Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest.
The New York Times reported on April 24, 1864 "The blacks and their officers were shot down, bayoneted and put to the sword in cold blood... . Out of four hundred negro soldiers only about twenty survive! At least three hundred of them were destroyed after the surrender! This is the statement of the rebel General Chalmers himself to our informant."
This tragedy was used as a rallying cry in the North and helped the resolve of the Union to see the war through to the end.


*The United States Christian Commission was formed 16 Nov 1861 at a convention of delegates from the YMCA held in New York City.  "The object of the Commission was to promote the spiritual and temporal welfare of the officers and men of the U.S. army and navy, in co-operation with chaplains and others."  Taken from "Report of the United Stated Christian Commission for the Army and Navy: Work and Incidents: 1st annual report: Philadelphia, February 1863"

1 - 7 July 1863

July 1 - Mr. Home left.  I was unable to accompany him.

July 2 - Sat up some.  My furlough and 2 months pay I have.  Must long remember Col. Swayne's kindness in procuring them so quickly.

July 3 - Left on boat "Eva*" this eve.  Took Amanda.  Improved at once.

July 4 - Good trip.  Tried to help sick and distressed soldiers on boat.

July 5 - Arrived 6 a.m. at Cairo [Illinois].  Had expected to be here last night.  At St. Charles [Mo?] enjoyed ch[urch] and communion in a.m. at Pres[byterian] church.

July 6 - Left with Amanda at 3 a.m.  At night changed cars at Cincinnati.  Feel well comparatively.

July 7 - At daylight reached Columbus, thanks to a kind Providence.  Slept till morning and met my beloved wife and our sweet little boy.  She wanted to know if I were disappointed in him, dear girl.

* I haven't been able to find out much about the history of this boat, except that on 16 April 1899 "The steamer Eva, while lying at Madisonville LA, on the Chefunete River, took fire and was totally destroyed" from Annual Report of the Supervising Inspector-General, Steamboat-Inspection Service for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1900

1862

Received appointment as chaplain of 43rd Ohio reg. Nov 21, 1862. Made preparations. My wife to stay at Mother Howard's. Left Elyria with painful partings, December 12th. Left Columbus after papers arranged and mustering in, December 18. Mrs. Benham accompanied me. On reaching Cairo [Illinois] found a rebel raid had broken the R[ail] Road line southward, so had nothing to do but wait for an opportunity to go through at Columbus Ky, and Cairo near three weeks. Tried to be useful some among soldiers. Sick a few days in Columbus Ky. Recovered some.

Below is a story from the August 27, 1862 Elyria Independent Democrat telling of the circumstances surrounding Richards departure for the war, as well as other men from Elyria.

The text reads:

THE CINCINNATI SCARE - On receipt of the call of the Governor for volunteers to defend Cincinnati, the whole country seemed desirous of turning out.  Twenty-nine from this place "armed to the teeth," among whom were two of the pastors of our churches, Messrs. CHITTENDEN, and LEONARD.  Not being able to get transportation via Columbus, they went to Sandusky City, and from thence over the Mad River Railroad -- Nearly a hundred from Oberlin and the neighboring townships, went the same route, while some seventy, who gathered at LaGrange, got only as far as Columbus, when they were turned back by order of the Governor.

Had all gone who desired to, from various parts of the State, a pork famine would have been created in Porkopolis within a week.  It was gratifying, however, to see a disposition to rally, when our soil was threatened with invasion, and it is fair to presume that most of the men were earnestly desirous of serving their country, while some, doubtless, considered this a cheap way to ventilate their patriotism without incurring much risk.

The scare was greater the farther one departed from Cincinnati, but the rally of troops will have a good effect, even though they return without "drawing a bead" on a rebel.  We know the pluck of those who went from here, and have borrowwed no trouble about the safety of Cincinnati since their arrival there.  We shall be on hand to welcome their return, and hope every man will answer "all sound" when the roll is called.

LATER - Six of the volunteers have returned, and the rest have been accepted for one month's service.  Our patriotic parsons are among those who remained, determined to serve their country more acceptably than in the mere pleasure ride to Cincinnati.

The Elyria Independent Democrat was "published every Wednesday in Baldwins new block, directly opposite the Beebe house."  George G. Washburn was the publisher and proprietor.