SEPTEMBER 9th.—Rained last night; clear to-day. We hear of great rejoicing in the United States over the fall of Atlanta, and this may be premature. President Lincoln has issued a proclamation for thanksgiving in the churches, etc. Mr. Benjamin informs the Secretary of War that the President has agreed to facilitate the emigration of Polish [...]

SEPTEMBER 8th.—Bright and cool; subsequently cloudy and warm. Dispatches from Gen. Hood (Sept 7th) state—1st dispatch: that Sherman still holds his works one and a half miles from Jonesborough. 2d dispatch, same date: “Sherman continues his retreat!” He says, in a 3d dispatch, that Sherman visited the hospitals, and said he would rest awhile at [...]

SEPTEMBER 7th.—Clear and cool; rained in the night. Gen. J. H. Morgan is dead,—surprised and killed inTennessee,—and his staff captured. Gen. Hood telegraphs that the enemy is still retreating—toward Atlanta, I suppose. The cruiser Tallahassee having run into Wilmington, that port is now pretty effectually closed by an accumulation of blockaders. It is said Gen. [...]

SEPTEMBER 6th.—Raining moderately, and cool. Gen. Bragg has taken the Bureau of Conscription in hand, since Col. August, “acting superintendent,” wrote him a “disrespectful and insubordinate” note. He required a report of the officers in the bureau, from Lieut.-Col. Lay, “Acting Superintendent,”—there have been three “acting superintendents” during the last three days,—and Col. Lay furnished [...]

SEPTEMBER 5th.—Clear and warm. Gen. Lee has called for 2000 negroes (to be impressed) to work on the Petersburg fortifications. Gen. Lee has been here two days, giving his advice, which I hope may be taken. He addresses Gen. Bragg as “commanding armies C. S.” This ought to be an example for others to follow. [...]

SEPTEMBER 4th.—Showery. Atlanta has fallen, and our army has retreated some thirty miles; such is Hood’s dispatch, received last night. The cheering in Grant’s camp yesterday was over that event. We have not had sufficient generalship and enterprise to destroy Sherman’s communications. Some 40,000 landowners, and the owners of slaves, are at their comfortable homes, [...]

SEPTEMBER 3d.—Slight rain in the morning. There is an ugly rumor on the streets to-day—disaster to Gen. Hood, and the fall of Atlanta. I cannot trace it to an authentic source; and, if true, the telegraph operatives must have divulged it. A dispatch from Petersburg states that there is much cheering in Grant’s army for [...]

SEPTEMBER 2d.—Bright, and cool, and dry. It is reported that a battle has occurred at Atlanta; but I have seen no official confirmation of it. It is rumored that Gen. McClellan has been nominated by the Chicago Convention for President, and Fernando Wood for Vice-President. There is some interest felt by our people in the [...]

SEPTEMBER 1st.—Clear, bright, and cool. The intelligence from the North indicates that Gen. McClellan will be nominated for the Presidency. Judge Campbell, Assistant Secretary of War, shakes his head, and says he is not the right man. Our people take a lively interest in the proceedings of the Chicago Convention, hoping for a speedy termination [...]

AUGUST 31st.—Bright and pleasant. The only news to-day was a dispatch from Gen. Hood, stating that the enemy had leftHolly Springs, Miss., for the Mississippi River, supposed to reinforce Sherman, whose communications are certainly cut. It seems to me that Sherman must be doomed. Forces are gathering from every quarter around him, and it is [...]

AUGUST 30th.—Bright and pleasant. Gen. Hood telegraphs Gen Bragg that the enemy has shifted his line somewhat, drawing back his left and extending his right wing. Also that dispatches from Wheeler (August 19th) informs him that Dalton was captured, as stated, with 200 prisoners, 200 mules, a large amount of stores; several train supplies destroyed, [...]

AUGUST 29th.—Bright and pleasant morning; another fine shower last night. No important intelligence from the armies.

AUGUST 28th.—A bright, pleasant day. No news. Walked, as usual, to the department to see if any important letters had come, and then hastened back that the family might go to church in time. Oh what a lovely day in such an unlovely time! The recent rains have washed the dust from the still dark-green [...]

AUGUST 27th.—Bright morning, and fine shower last night. The people are smiling to-day from our success of Thursday, announced in the following dispatch from Gen. Lee: “HEADQUARTERS ARMY NORTHERN VIRGINIA, “August 26th, 1864. ———“HON. J. A. SEDDON, SECRETARY OF WAR. ———“General A. P. Hill attacked the enemy in his intrenchments at Reams’s Station yesterday evening, [...]

AUGUST 26th.—Clear; but rained copiously last night. A letter from Gen. Lee indicates that the “Bureau of Conscription” fails to replenish the army. The rich men and slaveowners are but too successful in getting out, and in keeping out of the service. The Governor, who commissions magistrates, is exempting some fifty daily, and these, in [...]

AUGUST 25th.—Clear and warm. No war news, except reports that Gen. Wheeler has destroyed much of the railroad in Sherman’s rear, and that Early has forced Sheridan back across the Potomac. Gen. Lee writes that he already notices the good effect of the order published by our government, encouraging desertions from the enemy’s armies. He [...]

AUGUST 24th.—Clear and pleasant. Operations now must be initiated by the enemy. Gen. Lee writes that he is too weak to attempt to dislodge the Yankees from the Weldon Railroad. He cannot afford the loss of men necessary to accomplish it. He says the enemy, however, was “worsted” in the two conflicts, that of Friday [...]

AUGUST 23d.—Clear and pleasant. The enemy still occupy the Weldon Road, beyond Petersburg, in great force. Our loss in killed, wounded, and captured is estimated (in Sunday’s fight) at 1000; under the mark, perhaps. I hear of no raid yet against the Danville Road; but the flour speculators have put up the price again. Gen. [...]

AUGUST 22d.—Sunshine and clouds, cool and pleasant. There was heavy fighting on the Weldon Road yesterday evening, still held by the enemy; but no official account of the result—if it has yet reached a result—has been received. The city is full of extravagant rumors, and I incline to the belief that we gained no advantage [...]

AUGUST 21st.—Cloudy and pleasant; no rain last night, but the earth is saturated. No additional news from the army. It is said Gen. Bragg prevents news, good or bad, from expanding—believing that any intelligence whatever in the newspapers affords information to the enemy; and he is right. All the mysteries will be solved in a [...]

AUGUST 20th.—Rained hard all night, and a good deal to-day. Between 10 and 11 P.M. last evening, as we were retiring, a musket was fired somewhere in the rear of the building, and fragments of lime and brick were heard rattling against the window-shutters. This morning I perceived where the ball struck, a few inches [...]

AUGUST 19th.—Damp and cloudy. There was no serious battle. The wind was in a quarter which brought the sounds to us, even from the skirmishers, ten miles distant. But our gun-boats shelled the enemy out of their position on Signal Hill, and there was heavy cannonading along the line on the south side of the [...]

AUGUST 18th.—Cloudy and pleasant. Still we have no authentic account of the details of the fights on the north side of the James River. We know we lost two brigadier-generals, and that we captured some 600 prisoners. Of the number killed and wounded on either side is all conjecture, although a semi-official statement makes our [...]

AUGUST 17th.—Cloudy, and slight showers. In the afternoon dark clouds going round. We have nothing from below but vague rumors, except that we repulsed the enemy yesterday, slaughtering the negro troops thrust in front. From Atlanta, it is said the enemy have measurably ceased artillery firing, and it is inferred that their ammunition is low, [...]