June 23, 1862

June 23, 1862:  Stonewall Jackson arrives in Richmond, at the head of his divisions making their way by stages on the railroad to join him.  (There is still apparently no clue that the Federals still suspect he and his troops have left the Shenandoah Valley.)  Gen. Lee calls a conference at his new headquarters outside of the city.  Having over 85,000 overall, the largest strength ever reached by the Army of Northern Virginia, Lee plans to leave 30,000 men under Generals Huger and Magruder to guard Richmond to the south of the Chickahominy River, versus the bulk of the Union army.  The Plan: to attack FitzJohn Porter’s V Corps isolated north of the Chickahominy and destroy it, and then to drive for the Federal rear, taking the supply base at White House landing on the York River.  Jackson is to march east and then cut south to hit Porter in the right flank and rear, and A.P. Hill is to drive forward to strike at Porter’s other flank near the river, and thus cut off Porter’s access to the bridge near Mechanicsville.  Then, Longstreet and D.H. Hill are to join in the attack, altogether bringing 56,000 Confederate troops against the lone V Corps of Yankees.  The plan depends on Gen. McClelland and his 130,000 Army of the Potomac doing nothing, as usual.

---In the West, Halleck begins breaking up his Grand Army that had captured Corinth, Mississippi, into its component parts.  Gen. Buell, with his Army of the Ohio, on June 11^th began a campaign toward Chattanooga, but by this date had only reached Tuscumbia, Alabama.  Buell is wary, and is moving slowly.  Advance troops have already penetrated as far as Chattanooga, but not in enough strength to hold the city.  Bragg, newly appointed commander of the Confederate army, minus Price’s and Van Dorn’s troops, is planning a campaing to join up with Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith in eastern Tennessee with 20,000 men, and to strike north.

---Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, once again in control of the Army of the Tennessee, establishes headquarters at Memphis, where Mrs. Grant and his children soon join him.

---Pres. Lincoln proposes a generous loan to Mexico to assist the neighboring nation in its struggle against French domination.

---The 5^th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment, on special assignment, patrols Gloucester and Mathews Counties in Virginia to control the impredations of Rebel cavalry who are raiding the communities there to arrest deserters from the Confederate army and others who are avoiding conscription.

---Stephen Minot Weld, of the 18^th Massachusetts Infantry, writes home to his father; his letter reveals how common amongst the rank and file was the attitude of their commander, McClellan, that conspiracies in Washington were responsible for McClellan not  being able to move:

From present appearances, we shall stay here all summer sweltering under this powerful sun, our ranks daily .decreasing from sickness and exposure, all from want of reinforcements. Unless we are attacked by the enemy, or unless General McClellan gets some very favorable chance to attack them, there will be no fighting for some time, and in case of a battle the result, to say the least, is extremely doubtful. They greatly outnumber us, and are daily throwing up trenches and batteries right opposite our army. In the face of all these facts, and notwithstanding McClellan’s frequent and earnest appeals for more troops, the Government at Washington refuses us any reinforcements. The Abolitionists in Congress have a great deal to do with this, and are purposely protracting the war in order to render emancipation necessary, and are so endangering our existence as a nation united and whole. . . .

---George Michael Neese, a Confederate soldier in Chew’s Horse Artillery, relates his impression of Sunday services:

We had preaching in camp to-day again, and we are getting in a goodly supply of heavenly ammunition from the arsenal of truth — in double doses, preaching in the morning and prayer meeting at night. The ammunition is fixed and ready to fire at all times and under all circumstances, and I hope that we may all pack at least some of it away in the cartridge box of fortitude for immediate and constant use, and not act like the great majority of the world, both saints and sinners, who use it all up in empty ceremonials on Sunday, having not enough left on Monday morning to make a decent skirmish against the inroads of wrongdoing, hypocrisy, and rascality.

---Caroline Cowles Richards, of upstate New York, writes in her diary of an amusing set of incidents at worship services:

June. — There was great excitement in prayer meeting last night, it seemed to Abbie Clark, Mary Field and me on the back seat where we always sit. Several people have asked us why we sit away back there by old Mrs Kinney, but we tell them that she sits on the other side of the stove from us and we like the seat, because we have occupied it so long. I presume we would see less and hear more if we sat in front. To-night just after Mr Walter Hubbell had made one of his most beautiful prayers and Mr Cyrus Dixon was praying, a big June bug came zipping into the room and snapped against the wall and the lights and barely escaped several bald heads. Anna kept dodging around in a most startling manner and I expected every moment to see her walk out and take Emma Wheeler with her, for if she is afraid of anything more than dogs it is June bugs. At this crisis the bug flew out and a cat stealthily walked in. We knew that dear Mrs Taylor was always unpleasantly affected by the sight of cats and we didn’t know what would happen if the cat should go near her. The cat very innocently ascended the steps to the desk and as Judge and Mrs Taylor always sit on the front seat, she couldn’t help observing the ambitious animal as it started to assist Dr Dagget in conducting the meeting. The result was that Mrs Taylor just managed to reach the outside door before fainting away. We were glad when the benediction was pronounced.