Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft.

Wednesday Dec 16^th 1863

The “Army of the potomac” is virtualy in Winter quarters. The roads are so bad in Virginia now that heavy Artillery cannot move. Gen^l Mead is still in com[ma]nd of the Army and it is generaly conceded that He was not to blame in falling back under the circumstances. Longstreets army were compelled to retreat from before Knoxville Tenn. From what we can learn from rebel papers, there is a general despondency throughout the Rebel states. But they have still powerful armies in the field and still seem determined to fight it out. Their leaders are desperate. They know that there is but three things for them, succeed, run, or hang. No amnesty will be granted them. Everything looks well in Tennessee and our army in Western Texas has been successful so far. Matters at Charleston remain without much change. Gen^l Gilmore keeps up the bombardment of the Forts and treats the inhabitants of the City to a few shells each day. Fort Sumpter is about demolished but is not yet in our possession. It is thought that Louisiana, Arkansaw & Tennessee will be represented in this congress this winter. Today I have been in the Gen^l Land office as usual preparing the Agricultural Land Scrip for Issue. Some of the States have got their Scrip already. I am now at work on Maine. That state gets Two hundred and eighty thousand acres. It is distributed according [to] congressional representation. New York gets near a million acres. It is issued to the States in Scrip each for 160 acres and which are much like a Land Warrant. Julia and Miss Hartley called at the office at half past two today and I went out with them and walked on the Avenue awhile and then we went up to the Stanton Hospital and went through the Wards. The soldiers expect to see me there as often as once a week and are pleased to see the ladies. Some there have lain six months on their beds and their wounds are not healed yet. Such a one is John Peters of the 115^th P.a. Reg^t. There are a number of rebels in the Hospital who receive the same attention as our own soldiers. Some of them are grievously wounded, some have died there. All the Hospitals have more or less of them but they are sent to the Lincoln Hospital as soon as they become convalesent.