Diary Entry:
Pleasant day. Drill in Bayonet exercise. Dress Parade. Regt. officially notified of the death of Gen. Sumner.

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The March 24, 1863, edition of the Delaware State Journal and Statesman ran the following notice about the death of General E. V. Sumner:

Major-General E.V. Sumner died at Syracuse, N.Y., on Saturday, of congestion of the lungs [pneumonia], after a very brief illness. General Sumner was born in Boston in 1796. He was not a graduate of West Point. No man in the army has seen more service than this gallant officer. He was attached to the army of the Potomac, and was in all the bloody battles fought by that army. Upon Gen. Hooker’s appointment to the chief command, Sumner was relieved at his own request, and had just been appointed to the command of the Missouri Department when his death occurred. He entered the regular army as Second Lieutenant in 1819. He served in the Indian war and also in Mexico. He was severely wounded at Corro Gordo, and for gallant conduct in that battle was brevetted Lieutenant Colonel. He was military Governor of New Mexico in 1852 and in 1836 commanded in Kansas. In 1859 he was appointed commander of the Department of the West, in 1861 he was selected and sent to California to relieve Gen. A.S. Johnson in that department, in consequence of the resignation of the latter. Gen. Sumner was ordered, at his own request, from California, for service in the east. Under Gen. McClellan his corps was one of the most active and reliable. He was selected by General Scott to accompany Mr. Lincoln from Springfield, Ill. to Washington, in February, 1861, and on March 16th was appointed Brigadier-General in the regular army, in place of General Twiggs.

Diary Entry:
Cool and cloudy in the morning. toward noon the sun shown warm. a Steeple Chase took place on the Division Parade Ground. got up by Gen. Meagher.

Hurdles were erected and Ditches dug.

several accidents occurred.

Col. Stricker thought he could jump his horse over one of the ditches. he tried it and was thrown into the ditch. his horse tumbled in after him.

One horse was killed and his rider injured.

At 3 P.M. heavy firing was heard which proved to be at Kellys Ford. all the men were ordered back to camp.

See the scanned diary pages 59 and 60.

More Information:
A steeplechase is a horse race. Typically between two and four miles, the race features obstacles like stone walls, water jumps, brush fences, and timber rails that the horses and their riders must clear. The event was part of a larger celebration organized in camp on St. Patrick’s Day, that included foot races, sack races, mule races, boxing matches, and plenty of food and drink.

The March 20, 1863 edition of the Delaware State Journal and Statesman reported that a cavalry fight on the Rappahannock near Kelly’s Ford took place on Tuesday, March 17. That “cavalry fight” became known as the Battle of Kelly’s Ford, one of the earlier large-scale cavalry fights in Virginia. 2100 Union cavalry troops under the command of Brig. Gen. William W. Averill of New York crossed the Rappahannock in Culpepper County, Virginia to attack the Confederate cavalry of about 800 men under the command of Brig. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee. The Federal attack was a result of General Hooker’s emphasis on cavalry training during the winter of 1863 following the disastrous Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862 and the “Mud March” January 1863. Although Averill withdrew his troops before completely destroying Lee’s forces, it was the first time the Union cavalry held their own against Confederate cavalry. The battle provided the troops with confidence for their summer campaigns.

Sources:
Delaware State Journal and Statesman, National Park Service Battle Summary: Kelly’s Ford, Virginia, Chancellorsville by Stephen W. Sears.

Diary Entry:
Pleasant day.

Lt. Tom Moore Co. G. returned to Regt. after absence without leave since Sep. 17th.

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On March 10, 1863, the Union government enacted a plan that granted amnesty to all soldiers who had deserted and who returned to camps by April 1. Although the plan was intended to bring the record number of soldiers who deserted following the Battle of Fredericksburg back to camps without fear of punishment or deadly consequences, other soldiers like Lieut. Tom Moore certainly also benefited.

The March 17, 1863 edition of the Delaware State Journal and Statesman included President Lincoln’s “Proclamation Respecting Soldiers Absent Without Leave”:

. . . I, Abraham Lincoln, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, do hereby order and command that all soldiers enlisted or drafted into the service of the United States, now absent from their regiments without leave, shall forthwith return to their respective regiments.

And I do hereby declare and proclaim that all soldiers now absent from their respective regiments without leave, who shall, on or before the first day of April, eighteen hundred and sixty-three, report themselves at any rendezvous designated by the General Orders of the War Department number fifty-eight, hereto annexed, may be restored to their respective regiments without punishment, except the forfeiture of pay and allowances during their absence; and all who do not return within the time above specified shall be arrested as deserters, and punished as the law provides. . . .

Diary Entry:
The ball opened this morning, the 57th and 66th were detailed to assist in building pontoon bridges. the work was commenced at 3 O’clock A.M. Our Regt. was under arms at an early hour. at 6 A.M. the Rebs opened fire and soon after our Regt. was moved down to a point opposite the lower portion of Fredericksburg. We left our knapsacks at the Division [sic], taking with us our blankets. We found a large force waiting the completion of the bridges, meantime our Artillery opened on the Rebs. 148 pieces kept up an incessant fire all day, making the whole country resound with their thunder. the 57th and 66th suffered severely in the morning. at night 100 of the 7th Michigan crossed the river in boats and drove the Reb sharpshooters away. then parts of Howards Division crossed and held the town all night. We bivouacked [sic] in a woods.

See the scanned diary pages.

More Information:
After waiting for several weeks outside of Fredericksburg for the pieces of pontoon bridges needed to cross the river to arrive, pieces were finally in place for the Army of Potomac to make preparations to attack General Lee and the Confederate troops in the city. To get the entire Army of the Potomac across the Rappahannock River, the engineers first had to build six pontoon bridges for the infantry and cavalry. A brigade of Mississippians anticipated this and opened fire on them from across the river. General Burnside ordered artillery to blast Fredericksburg and over the course of two hours, they shot at least 5,000 projectiles at the town. A report in the Delaware State Journal and Statesman described the barrage by saying the “shot and shell went crashing through the houses. In many cases setting them on fire, causing a dense smoke to gather, which, with the explosion of so large a quantity of powder, almost hid the city from view.”

Still, the Union artillery could not dislodge the snipers hidden in the town shooting at those soldiers building the bridges. One Michigan and two Massachusetts regiments were chosen to cross the river using some of the pontoons as boats. Once across the river they attempted to dislodge the snipers and engaged in street fighting with Confederates. This was the first time soldiers engaged in urban combat in the war, and it gave the Army of the Potomac time to finish building the bridges. The bridges were finally completed at about 4 p.m., when Union soldiers began to make their way into Fredericksburg. The remainder of the Army would cross in the following two days.

Building Pontoon Bridges at Fredericksburg, December 11th
Alfred R. Waud
Library of Congress Prints and Photograph Collection

Sources: Battle of Fredericksburg History-National Park Service, Fredericksburg: Confederate Victory, Union Story by George C. Rable, and December 16, 1862 edition of the Delaware State Journal and Statesman, Library of Congress Prints and Photograph Division

Diary Entry:
Last night was very cold, the coldest I have experienced since I joined the Army. Three men were frozen to death on Picket.

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A correspondent in the same Union camp outside of Fredericksburg, Virginia, as Cyrus also noted the cold temperatures in a letter to the editor of the Delaware State Journal and Statesman:

It has been cold, bitterly cold, and many have been longing for cheerful fires and extra clothing. The snow fell, and the tents looked like so many sharp-pointed show bands. . . The primary object with all of us has been to find a little warmth, and numerous have been the expedients resorted to in order to generate heat in our tents. The nights have been clear, and the sound of the bugle and drum to denote the hour of sleep, rang out with an icy resonance, while the moon with a pale and frigid face looked down upon the wintry camp scene. The stars seemed chilly, and the entire atmosphere appeared possessed of tangible, acute points of extreme coldness which were applied to us unmercifully. A fifteen months round of military duty in Virginia had rendered us unduly sensitive to these northern impressions, for we had been led to anticipate from our experience a more genial temperature.

Diary Entry:
Rested. We had a severe snow storm (the first of the season). it covered the ground near six inches deep.

See the scanned diary page.

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The  November 11 edition of the Delaware State Journal and Statesman published General McClellan’s farewell address to troops gathered near Rectortown, Virginina, from November 7, 1862:

Officers and Soldiers of the Army of the Potomac:

An order of the President devolves upon Major-General Burnside the command of this army. In parting from you I cannot express the love and gratitude I bear for you. As an army you have grown up under my care. In you I have never found doubt or coldness.

The battles you have fought under my command will proudly live in our national history. The glory you have achieved, our mutual peril and fatigue, the graves of our comrades fallen in battle and by disease, the broken forms of those whom wounds and sickness have disabled, are the strongest assertions which can exist among men, united still by an indissoluble tie, that we will ever be comrades in supporting the Constitution and the nationality of its people.

George B. McClellan
Major-General United States Army.

Diary Entry:
Marched to day through a mountainous country and on a crooked road, and encamped about 4 miles from Upperville, after marching 15 miles from the time we passed through it yesterday.

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A correspondent traveling with the First and Second Delaware Regiments wrote a letter to the editor of the Delaware State Journal and Statesman describing the Blue Ridge Mountain landscape that the troops marched through in early November:

The touches of autumn are herecoming less gentle as we advance. The drooping and frost-tinted leaf, the fields of ripened corn which are destined not to reward the husbandman, the raw and penetrating winds which come over the hills, the careful nursing of fires and adherence to overcoats, admonish us that though there has been a general revolution of everything in Dixie, the seasons continue their usual rounds and that the fall has not forgotten to make its visitation.

Our march to-day has been a short one, only about six miles, skirting the Blue Ridge. We passed through Upperville on the way to Manassas Gap, and are now encamped within about six miles of that spot. Some of the roads were very rough. Some of the boys remarked that if they had such roads in Delaware they would have been fired and burnt up long ago. Much of the land was uncultivated and many of the houses unoccupied and of desolate appearance.

This day we had a heavy march. We left the Leesburg road yesterday and to day after marching through the fields and over stone fences, and up the mountain side we gained “Snickers Gap.” the Rebs were pushing on to the Gap from the other side of the mountain. We were one hour ahead of them. Our Regt. moved up the mountain on the left of the Gap, and remained there until sundown. Petitts Battery gave the Rebel colume [sic] a few shots and sent them back double-quick. At sundown our Corps was relieved by Porters, and we descended to the valley again where we got some rest.

See the scanned diary pages 36 and 37 and a map of Cyrus’ progress through the war.

Cyrus and Second Delaware were engaged in a skirmish at Snickers Gap midway between Leesburg and Winchester, Virginia. A correspondent with the First Delaware, who were also marching southward through Virginia wrote the following description of Snicker’s Gap:

We were in line again early this morning and marched through Snickerville, and were ordered to ascend the ridge in front of us and hold the gap. Accordingly we ascended the ridge and were posted where we could watch the enemy who might be disposed to make a break upon our lines. From this elevation we had a view of an artillery fight which was in progress to the left of us in the valley. We were relieved this evening and sent back to rejoin our brigade which was in the rear. And after a large amount of marching and countermarching we discover that we are somewhat tired, and hunger was another sensation, for we didn’t find much to eat in our elevated position. To-night our wagons have come up and rations have been issued with reference to a pretty extended trip.

Thus far we have been on the advance. What our position will be to-morrow, we cannot say, but that we will have a chance to participate in some very important movements is probable, for everything points to an early and desperate engagement. The grand army is around, posted on the hills, and bivouacking on the levels; troops are moving to and fro. As we were descending the mountain to-night, on one side of us we could see the camp fires of the rebels, and on the other, those of our own army, forming a brilliant picture, and it is obvious that there must soon be some clashing.

The Peninsula Campaign, the Union’s attempt at capturing Richmond in the spring of 1862, was abandoned in early-August. At that point, the Second Delaware received orders to march to Newport News, Virginia.

The Delaware State Journal and Statesman published a letter from August 22, 1862, (excerpted below) that was written by a correspondent traveling with the regiment. The correspondent detailed the move to Newport News and the condition of the troops. Cyrus was not the only soldier to not make the trek on account of illness; it seems that soldiers from all ranks, including Col. Wharton and Lieut. Col. Bailey, were also not well.

Letter from the Second Delaware
Headquarters Second Del. Reg’t
Sumner’s Army Corps
Newport News, VA, Aug. 22, 1862

Henry Eckel, Esq:

Sir: Knowing that any movements relating to the retreat of the army of the Potomac will be interesting to the readers of your valuable paper, I take advantage of a few leisure moments to give you a few cursory remarks of the “grand back track,” and also some news about the Second Delaware Regiment.  After the falling back from the line of advance before Richmond where it was found that the rebels outnumbered our army by a far superior force, it was deemed advisable, by a council of war, to abandon the whole Peninsula, which had cost us so many lives by disease and casualties and join the different corps of General Pope’s army of Virginia and resume the original plan of attack by way of Manassas. . . .

The Regiment is now under the command of Major Andrews [of the First Delaware Regiment], who is justly esteemed and honored as an able, brave and efficient officer. Col. Wharton is dangerously sick at Philadelphia and not expected to live; and Lieut. Col. Bailey left for home quite sick with fever just as the movement commenced. He had brought the Regiment through the various fights they were engaged in after leaving Fair Oaks.

There has been a great deal of sickness in our Regiment and when you consider what hardships they have had to put up with since on the Peninsula, it is no wonder. After having comfortable barracks at Baltimore last May, they joined the army of the Potomac and we next slept on the battle-field of Fair Oaks, without any shelter and enduring the stench arising from the trench in which the rebel dead were buried. On the day preceding our last movement in retreat, 125 sick enlisted men and quite a number of sick officers were shipped from Harrison’s Landing, who were utterly unable to keep up on the long march and totally unfit for any military duty whatever. . . . We passed through Williamsburg and over the place where the great battle took place last May; thence moved to Yorktown and had sufficient time to examine the vast entrenchments the rebels had erected there . . .  From thence the line of march was taken to this place, a distance of over eighty miles, averaging about thirteen miles per day, through the dustiest roads you could possibly imagine, and the very hot weather made it oppressive. The men stood the march well as did the whole corps. . . . .

We did not leave the Peninsula too soon as they sick list was daily increasing in the army; the heavy dews at night and hot sun through the day bringing on chills and fever and other diseases. Fifty thousand casualties would not cover the loss to this army since they left Washington—that is killed, wounded, missing, and the very great amount prostrated so much by disease and trench-digging as to be unfit for any duty.

As duty calls one away, I must close this hasty letter. I assure you the Second Delaware will be over at the post of duty, and wherever placed will reflect to the credit of the State. I will write again whatever may be interesting.

Yours respectfully,
A.X.

Diary Entry:
Started for Ft. Monroe to recruit my health. go on board the Steamer Commodore.

See the scanned diary page.

More Information:

The July 22 edition of the Delaware State Journal and Statesman reported on the “Sick of the Second Delaware” who had just arrived at Fort Monroe by way of the Steamer Commodore. Listed among the names of the sick was one “Cyrus H. Haywood”, Sergeant, Co. A., who was suffering from diarrhea, a fairly common but dangerous affliction among soldiers considering the lack of fresh water available to the troops.

Since Cyrus Forwood wasn’t listed among the sick, and there is not a “Cyrus Haywood” listed in the Delaware Compiled Service Records, we can surmise that they were actually referring to Cyrus Forwood.