John Miller
Emmitsburg Area Historical Society

Dairy of Joseph E. Wible 1861-1862, Part 7 (Read Part 6)

Thursday, Jan 2, 1862 – Today is cold and cloudy and the weather portends snow.

Friday, Jan 3, 1862 – Today the weather has differed but little from yesterday except this evening it commenced snowing and from crescent appearances we will have sleighing tomorrow.

Saturday, Jan 4, 1862 – The ground is now covered with about 5 inches deep of snow and the weather is very cold. Our boys started out this morning rabbit hunting and caught a few which they ate for dinner. There has been considerable cannonading in the neighborhood of Hancock today and which still continues. We could see a very bright light in the direction of Hancock, supposed to be the burning of that place by the rebels.

Sunday, Jan 5, 1862 – Lt. Hunter with a squad of men took a lot of prisoners from Williamsport to Frederick today. They were mostly deserters from the Rebel army. There has been heavy firing all day in the direction of Hancock.

Monday, Jan 6, 1862 – Snowed all last night and the snow is now several inches deep. The sleighs are running to and fro showing us the pleasure without the enjoyment. The 46th Pennsylvania came to Williamsport today. The whole of the Third Brigade of General Banks’ has moved up in this direction – part have gone on to Hancock.

Tuesday, Jan 7, 1862 – We unpacked our uniforms today but were disappointed in getting them. There was one of our men sent to town to the guardhouse this evening. Twelve of us were detailed for two weeks to act as messengers along the river.

Wednesday, Jan 8 to Jan 31 – Many things of note have transpired over the interval of the above dates. We received our uniforms somewhere about the 12th of this month. It comprises a complete cavalry outfit from head to foot. This makes two suits for us in our five months of service but we have received three overcoats already, which is two more than we are entitled to. A great part of our Company has been detailed as messengers for the First Maryland Regiment which is stationed along the Potomac River. I have been doing duty as messenger for about two weeks up to last Monday, which was the 20th when I with some of the rest of our squad returned to our Company. And, on Wednesday of the same week our whole company was detailed to guard the telegraph between Hancock and Frederick. We were payed off today – they paid us mostly in Treasury notes of the denomination of ten dollars. Our squad consisting of: Spangler, Shaftbury, Feste, Furle, Knox, Corporal Annan and myself arrived at our place or quarters on last Wednesday a week ago. Our squad are all pleased very much with our accommodations. We have had very mild weather during the past month for this time of year. Our duty here is rather hard – we are on eight hours out of every twenty.

February 1, 1862 (Saturday) – Today has been very mild and Spring-like. Have been searching over the country side looking for a blacksmith’s shop to get my horse shod. At last found one and had my wants attended to.

Feb 2, 1862 – Washington County, Md. – Last night had a respectable fall of snow but it had almost all disappeared already in the short space of 12 hours. The weather has been unusually mild lately. We went to Clearspring today to Church with Corporal Annan.

Feb 3, 1862 – Nothing worthy of note has happened today.

Tuesday, Feb 4, 1862 – We received orders today to return to our Company but as we felt a little reluctant to leave this place we postponed the matter till tomorrow. The weather has been very pleasant today.

Wednesday, Feb 5, 1862 – It was extremely cold and biting this morning. We were up before day getting ready for our trip to Hagerstown. We started about eight o’clock and about half past eleven we met the Company on the march three miles this side of Hagerstown when we had to retrace our steps and follow the Company. We, with the Company, arrived at Clearspring about two o’clock PM where we encamped for the night. The most of the Company quartered in the Academy building for the night. I was fortunate enough to find a good feather-bed under the hospitable roof of Mr. Reitzel along with Mr. Wilson. I shall not soon forget their kindness. We also got a good breakfast in the morning before we left and had a hearty invitation to call again when convenient. I hope "convenient" may be soon.

Thursday, Feb 6, 1862 – We left Clearspring early this morning for Hancock our present place, where we arrived early in the afternoon and where we found miserable quarters. This certainly must be "Camp Misery." We were promised quarters tomorrow that are good quarters.

Friday, Feb 7, 1862 – Today has come and passed and we still have our old accommodations. This evening they commenced getting the boats ready for the soldiers to cross the river. It is still a little muddy.

Saturday, Feb 8, 1862 – Hancock – This is certainly as muddy and as disagreeable a place as it has been my misfortune to behold. Go where you may you can’t escape the mud. It not only stares you in the face all the while but it is continually meddling with your clothes and more or less impeding your progress at every step. It will be impossible for me to enumerate the different varieties of mud with which this place abounds but still it all comes under the general head of dirty mud, but the whole town from one end to the other is one vast sea of mud. The interior of the houses not excepted. The population of this place I should judge is about six or seven hundred. There is one principal street, about one third of a mile in length. The town is located on the east bank of the Potomac River about forty miles east of Cumberland and about 26 miles west of Hagerstown and is located on the extreme western portion of Washington County. The Baltimore and Ohio railroad runs but a quarter of a mile distant from this place on the western bank of the Potomac River. The river is about four hundred yards wide at this place. The only communication between this place and the Virginia shore is a small flat boat which is towed across several times a day by the soldiers. Our visitors from "Dixie" are mostly females who come to down-trodden Maryland to make purchases of such things as cannot be had in the "Land of Cotton."

Sunday, Feb 9, 1862 – This morning I was detailed on messenger duty for Sir John’s Run which is about six miles up the river from this place. There was a soldier drowned at Dam No. 6 this morning – he accidentally fell into the canal in the lock. I carried but one dispatch today and that was for Gen. Lander whose Headquarters are at Patterson’s Creek eight miles this side, and east of Cumberland. Several of the men stationed at Sir John’s Run were at Bath but saw no Rebel soldiers.

Monday, Feb 10, 1862 – Last night was one of the coldest nights we have had this winter and this morning the canal is coated over with ice. Several hundred soldiers crossed at this place this morning and started for Romeny to repair the telegraph wire. Our men have commenced repairing railroad bridges destroyed by the Rebels at Dam No. 6 today. Several deserters from the Rebel army were brought to this place today. We found new quarters in an old weather-boarded house today but still are not comfortably quartered. I received a very interesting letter today from a friend.

Tuesday, Feb 11, 1862 – The weather moderated somewhat today and about noon it commenced snowing, but melted as it fell so that we still have plenty of mud. Everything is quiet here today.

Wednesday, Feb 12, 1862 – Twenty five of our men were detailed last night to go on a reconnoitering expedition to Virginia. They went about twenty miles into Virginia and saw but one Rebel soldier. They all returned about eight o’clock and without booty.

Thursday, Feb 13, 1862 – Nothing of unusual interest happened today. Tonight there were thirty of us detailed, or rather I should have said "volunteered," to go to "Dixie."

Friday, Feb 14, 1862 – This morning at two o’clock we were called up to get ready to go to "Dixie," and at three o’clock we were at the bank of the river ready to go. There was eleven of us went on horseback and twenty on foot. I was among the number that went on foot. We marched about three miles back from the river and there halted, those on foot taking cover in a woods thickly overrun with undergrowth, and four of the mounted men went about a quarter of a mile back on the opposite side of the road while the other six rode on several miles to a small town called Bath. We much waited till daybreak for the Rebels, but in vain – we did not so much as get our eyes on one. About 8 o’clock AM we started for Camp again. The country shows strong proof that the Rebels have been about there, for all the fences are burned to the ground and everything else topsy-turvey – a rather homely phrase but expresses the idea better than anything I can think of at present. There is a great many houses deserted along where we passed and everything looks very desolate indeed. The country is very mountainous and wild game abounds to a limited extent, such as: turkey and deer.