A Rebel War Clerk's Diary at the Confederate States Capital Part 83

Gen. Polk writes from Dunapolis that he will have communications with Jackson restored in a few days, and that the injury to the railroads was not so great as the enemy represented.

Mr. Memminger, the Secretary of the Treasury, is in a black Dutch fury.

It appears that his agent, C. C. Thayer, with $15,000,000 Treasury notes for disburs.e.m.e.nt in Texas, arrived at the mouth of the Rio Grande in December, when the enemy had possession of Brownsville, and when Matamoras was in revolution. He then conferred with Mr. Benjamin's friend (and Confederate States secret agent) Mr. Quintero, and Quartermaster Russell, who advised him to deposit the treasure with P.

Milmo & Co.--a house with which our agents have had large transactions, and Mr. M. being son-in-law to Gov. Vidurri--to be shipped to Eagle Pa.s.s _via_ Monterey to San Antonio, etc.

But alas! and alas! P. Milmo & Co., upon being informed that fifteen millions were in their custody, notified our agents that they would seize it all, and hold it all, until certain alleged claims they held against the Confederate States Government were paid. Mr. Quintero, who sends this precious intelligence, says he thinks the money will soon be released--and so do I, when it is ascertained that it will be of no value to any of the parties there.

Mr. Memminger, however, wants Quartermaster Russell cashiered, and court-martialed, and, moreover, decapitated!

MARCH 26TH.--Bright morning, but a cold, cloudy, windy day.

A great crowd of people have been at the Treasury building; all day, funding Treasury notes. It is to be hoped that as money gets scarcer, food and raiment will get cheaper.

Mr. Benton, the dentist, escaped being conscribed last year by the ingenuity of his attorney, G. W. Randolph, formerly Secretary of War, who, after keeping his case in suspense (alleging that dentists were physicians or experts) as long as possible, finally contrived to have him appointed _hospital steward_--the present Secretary consenting. But now the enrolling officer is after him again, and it will be seen what he is to do next. The act says dentists shall serve as conscripts.

And Mr. Randolph himself was put in the category of conscripts by the late military act, but Gov. Smith has decreed his exemption as a member of the Common Council! Oh, patriotism, where are thy votaries? Some go so far as to say Gov. Smith is too free with exemptions!

MARCH 27TH.--Bright morning, but windy; subsequently warmer, and wind lulled. Collards coming up. Potatoes all rotted in the ground during the recent cold weather. I shall rely on other vegetables, which I am now beginning to sow freely.

We have no war news to-day.

MARCH 28TH.--April-like day, but no rain; clouds, and sunshine, and warm.

About 2 P.M. the Secretary received a dispatch stating that the enemy had appeared in force opposite Fredericksburg, and attempted, without success, to cross. A copy of this was immediately sent to Gen. Lee.

It is said that Gen. Longstreet is marching with expedition down the Valley of the Shenandoah, to flank Meade or Grant. I doubt it. But the campaign will commence as soon as the weather will permit.

A letter from G. B. Lamar, Savannah, Ga., informs the Secretary that he (L.) has command of five steamers, and that he can easily make arrangements with the (Federal) commandant of Fort Pulaski to permit them to pa.s.s and repa.s.s. His proposition to the government is to bring in munitions of war, etc., and take out cotton, charging one-half for freight. Mr. Memminger having seen this, advises the Secretary to require the delivery of a cargo before supplying any cotton. Mr. M. has a sort of _jealousy_ of Mr. Lamar.

MARCH 29TH.--A furious gale, eastern, and rain.

No news, except the appearance of a few gun-boats down the river; which no one regards as an important matter.

Great crowds are funding their Treasury notes to-day; but prices of provisions are not diminished. White beans, such as I paid $60 a bushel for early in this month, are now held at $75. What _shall_ we do to subsist until the next harvest?

MARCH 30TH.--It rained all night, the wind blowing a gale from the east.

This morning the wind was from the west, blowing moderately; and although cloudy, no rain.

The enemy's gun-boats down the river sh.e.l.led the sh.o.r.e where it was suspected we had troops in ambush; and when some of their barges approached the sh.o.r.e, it was ascertained they were not mistaken, for a volley from our men (signal corps) killed and wounded half the crew. The remainder put back to the gun-boats.

There is great tribulation among the departmental clerks, who are to be enrolled as conscripts, and probably sent to the army. The young relatives of some of the Secretaries are being appointed commissaries, quartermasters, surgeons, etc. They keep out of danger.

Many ladies have been appointed clerks. There is a roomful of them just over the Secretary's office, and he says they distract him with their noise of moving of chairs and running about, etc.

The papers publish an account of a battle of snow-b.a.l.l.s in our army, which indicates the spirit of the troops, when, perhaps, they are upon the eve of pa.s.sing through such awful scenes of carnage as will make the world tremble at the appalling spectacle.

MARCH 31ST.--Cloudy and cold. No war news, though it is generally believed that Longstreet is really in the valley.

A speech delivered by the Hon. J. W. Wall, in New Jersey, is copied in all the Southern papers, and read with interest by our people.

CHAPTER x.x.xVII.

Return of Mr. Ould and Capt. Hatch from Fortress Monroe.--Quarrel between Mr. Memminger and Mr. Seddon.--Famine.--A victory in Louisiana.-- Vice-President Stephens's speech.--Victory of Gen. Forrest.--Capture of Plymouth, N. C.--Gen. Lee's bill of fare.

APRIL 1ST.--Cloudy all day, with occasional light showers.

No war news; but the papers have an account of the shooting of an infant by some Yankees on account of its _name_. This shows that the war is degenerating more and more into savage barbarism.

APRIL 2D.--It rained furiously all night; wind northwest, and snowed to-day until 12 M. to a depth of several inches. It is still blowing a gale from the northwest.

To-day the clerks were paid in the new currency; but I see no abatement of prices from the scarcity of money, caused by funding. Shad are selling at $10 each, paper; or 50 cents, silver. Gold and silver are circulating--a little.

A letter from Liberty, Va., states that government bacon (t.i.the) is spoiling, in bulk, for want of attention.

From Washington County there are complaints that Gen. Longstreet's impressing officers are taking all, except five bushels of grain and fifty pounds of bacon for each adult--a plenty, one would think, under the circ.u.mstances.

Senator Hunter has asked and obtained a detail for Mr. Daudridge (under eighteen) as quartermaster's clerk. And Mr. Secretary Seddon has ordered the commissary to let Mrs. Michie have sugar and flour for her family, white and black.

Mr. Secretary Benjamin sent over, to-day, for pa.s.sports to the Mississippi River for two "secret agents." What for?

Gen. Lee has made regulations to prevent cotton, tobacco, etc. pa.s.sing his lines into the enemy's country, unless allowed by the government.

But, then, several in authority _will_ "allow" it without limit.

I set out sixty-eight early cabbage-plants yesterday. They are now under the snow!

APRIL 3D.--The snow has disappeared; but it is cloudy, with a cold northwest wind. The James River is very high, and all the streams are so much swollen that no military operations in the field are looked for immediately. It is generally believed that Grant, the Federal lieutenant-general, will concentrate an immense army for the capture of Richmond, and our authorities are invoked to make the necessary dispositions to resist the attempt.

The papers contain a supplemental proclamation of President Lincoln, and understand it to be merely an electioneering card to secure the Abolition vote in the convention to nominate a candidate for the Presidency. If it does not mean that, its object must be to induce us to send an army North to burn and pillage, so that the Federal authorities may have a pretext to raise new armies, and prosecute the war, not for the Union, but for conquest and power.

Custis and I received yesterday $500 in the _new_ Treasury notes, but we had to pay $16 for two pounds of bacon. So no diminution of prices is yet experienced. _It is now a famine_, although I believe we are starving in the midst of plenty, if it were only equally distributed.

But the government will not, it seems, require the railroads to bring provisions to the exclusion of freight for the speculators. Certain non-combating officers of the government have abundance brought them by the _Southern_ Express Co., and the merchants have abundance of goods brought hither by the same company for the purposes of speculation.

Well, we shall see the result! One is almost ready to believe that the government declines to fill the depots here, harboring the purpose of abandoning the city. That would be abandonment of the cause. Nearly all who own no slaves would remain citizens of the United States, if permitted, without further molestation on the part of the Federal authorities, and many Virginians in the field might abandon the Confederate States army. The State would be lost, and North Carolina and Tennessee would have an inevitable avalanche of invasion precipitated upon them. The only hope would be civil war in the North, a not improbable event. What could they do with four millions of negroes arrogating equality with the whites?

APRIL 4TH.--A cold rain all day; wind from northwest.

Mr. Ould and Capt. Hatch, agents of exchange (of prisoners), have returned from a conference with Gen. Butler, at Fortress Monroe, and it is announced that arrangements have been made for an immediate resumption of the exchange of prisoners on the old footing. Thus has the government abandoned the ground so proudly a.s.sumed--of non-intercourse with Butler, and the press is firing away at it for negotiating with the "Beast" and outlaw. But our men in captivity are in favor of a speedy exchange, no matter with whom the agreement is made.

Forrest has destroyed Paducah, Ky.

There is a little quarrel in progress between the Secretaries of War and the Treasury. Some days ago the Postmaster-General got from the President an order that his clerks should be detailed for the use of the department until further orders. The Secretary of the Treasury made an application to the Secretary of War for a similar detail, but it was refused. Mr. Memminger appealed, with some acerbity, to the President, and the President indorsed on the paper that the proper rule would be for the Secretary of War to detail as desired by heads of departments.

Nevertheless, the clerks were detailed but for thirty days, to report at the Camp of Instruction, if the detail were not renewed. To-day Mr.

Memminger addresses a note to Mr. Seddon, inquiring if it was his purpose to hold his clerks liable to perform military duty after the expiration of the thirty days, and declaring that the incert.i.tude and inconvenience of constantly applying for renewal of details, deranged and obstructed the business of his department. I know not yet what answer Mr. S. made, but doubtless a breach exists through which one or both may pa.s.s out of the cabinet. The truth is, that all clerks const.i.tutionally appointed are legally exempt, and it is the boldest tyranny to enroll them as conscripts. But Mr. Memminger has no scruples on that head. All of them desire to retain in "soft places" their own relatives and friends, feeling but little sympathy for others whose refugee families are dependent on their salaries.

On Sat.u.r.day, the cavalry battalion for local defense, accepted last summer by the President, were notified on parade that 20 days would be allowed them to choose their companies in the army, and if the choice were not made, they would be a.s.signed to companies. They protested against this as despotic, but there is no remedy.