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1863 Civil War diary by John N. Collier, a 30-year-old clergyman of the 43rd Massachusetts Infantry, Co. K. Collier records interesting, detailed entries in the diary, especially regarding the 3-week Siege of Little Washington that ran from 30 March-19 April 1863. On 31 March Collier writes, ''...The Chaplain was arrested and brot in the guard for firing a musket toward the camp. He shot at a duck, but the ball glanced and flew over our heads. April 2...Rebs reported in full advancing to attack N...Sunday 5 - Firing in intervals all day. 3rd Regt NY called out of church to go & reinforce General Foster...April 8th - I slept about 3 hours last night and had been bust all night bringing over troops and artillery. We leave 18 pieces of artillery and 5 companies of cavalry and already 10 regiments of infantry. I visited the earth works of the 92 since made into a fort, mounting 2 32 lb siege guns and several brass pieces. The buildings were riddled with cannon shot grape and bullet holes. Only a few men were wounded...It is a wonder that the Rebels were not successful. They attempted to flank the earth works, but made a mistake in occupying a spit of land which made out into the river on the right of the earth works. There were 12 spits, one extending sufficiently far to enable them to accomplish their design, but they took the shorter and failed. We are to march out in the direction of Swift Creek when the enemy are in force according to report...
I saw Col. Avery as acting Brigadier Gen with his staff. He looked red in the face and angry...I saw the higher officers exchanging words in a low tone. Our Chaplain had a very queer expression on his countenance as he came out a post before the reg. I knew something was wrong, but what? My feet now began to pain me dreadfully. I could but just crawl along. Our surgeon came to me and said he, 'Corporal...the Rebs will gobble you up.' And then I knew that we had commenced a retreat. A shameful wicked retreat...And so I rode the 11 miles between the place of battle and the bivouac at the school house that night. And so I had the chance to see the misery of my poor fellow soldiers on that retreat. I mean not the officers who rode their horses, nor the officers who were afoot but carried nothing except their swords, but I mean the poor private who is loaded down with a heavy gun and his ammunition and blankets and rations. I passed hundreds on hundreds limping along their faces bearing signs of acute pain...
The roads were afire almost all the way probably a hundred thousand acres were as dry as tinder...The woods on fire at night is the grandest sight I ever beheld. As I rode along we would come to places where the fire has passed beneath, but had ignited and left burning hundreds of old dead...I saw one tree which was at least 30 feet high and on fire all the way up in there...It was perfectly calm and there was a column of sparks and coals falling steadily from the top which was...the grandest scene of the kind I ever witnessed...
Thursday 9 - Fight begain at 3 1/4. Retreat at 6. I was exhausted and was carried 11 miles in an ambulance due to the kindness of Lieut. Bates...Sunday 12 - Awoke to find our boat still steaming on. Came up with the gunboats lying below the blockade at 9 o'clock. The south [field?] shelled the woods at 3 o'clock...Relief at last came in the shape of the Escort. As I went on deck this morn I heard the report of a cannon. The rebel battery in hills front in full sight was firing upon a steamboat afloat...the pilot was killed by a sharpshooter and a negro deck hand had his arms shot off...
Tuesday 14 - Awoke at 12 last night to see the flashes of guns from the Rebel batteries and hear the distant reports. The sloops run up in [?] & also the Steamer Escort with the SS Rhode Island Regt were put on board 3 schooners at 2 o'clock. Very much crowded. Wednesday 15 - At daylight the escort ran the blockade and brought down Gen. Foster. We were all taken out of the schooner & got to Newberne...Sunday April 19, 1863 - I took another walk in the town this morning. I saw many residents and quite a number of formales and hosts of little children. No young women. My feelings were of pity that so many people should be the victims of sorrow & suffering. The negroes are the only ones who fire upon us...''
Beyond the content of Little Washington, Collier, as a clergyman, writes interesting content about slavery, the black population and skirmishing. He begins the diary in January, writing on the 18th, ''...The cavalry drove out 350 Rebs and burnt 2 bridges...January 19 - Marched at 8 1/2 for Pollocksville, burnt a dam and a grist mill on our evacuation...Tuesday 20 - We remained in camp at Pollocksville the Cavalry and 2 Regs of Infantry went 8 miles to destroy a rail road bridge and some salt works. Rebs resisted. One Cavalry man killed, 2 wounded...I was put on picket - had a nice day, storm at night, was relieved at 6 1/2. Killed a hog and had some pork stew...February 7 - Went out with Lieut Kimpton to the battle field at Newberne, three miles below the city on the Beaufort Rail Road. It was a wonder to us that the Rebels were driven out of their strong hold, but they were conquered as much by their own fear as any thing...Sunday 8 - Attended the negro prayer meeting at Newberne. It was the most interesting scene I have witnessed for a long time. Intensely emotional in every feature - but many of those peculiar signs of the conflict of sense of decorum with the absurdities of abandonment to feeling. February 9 - Spent the afternoon talking with uncle Wiley about the Mulatto Quadroon and Octoroon population of the South. He drew a fearful picture of the crimes of the slave holder...''
On 28 April, he writes, ''...Some of the 7th Regiment and the 45 have gone up to the batteries above. What they have done has not yet transpired....5 o'clock. They have had a fight, lost 1 man killed & some wounded...Wednesday 29 - Went out on picket with company at 10 o'clock. Saw a real Southern farmer and his ignorant family...Monday 11 - Had a most shameful insult given me by Genl. Presbury. I resented him with the deepest indignation I ever felt. He said my sympathies were with the South and that the slave holder was a Christian and a humane man to me...Monday 18 - Went beyond the pickets to Mr. Penny's, a rank secessionist. Had a long talk with him...Tuesday [June] 7 - The Col has not been seen yet. 10 AM- he is under arrest for disobedience to orders. At 5 the Lt. Col. formed the Reg and read a series of orders...'' Collier writes in small, legible script, and writes a portion of the April 1863 entries in the back under Memoranda. An interesting diary by an articulate soldier. In very good condition with a partial transcription.
Diary by 43 MA Infantryman -- Siege of Little Washington: ''...places where the fire...had ignited and left burning hundreds of old dead...'' & ''...a negro deck hand had his arms shot off...''
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