Civil War Overview
Civil War 1861
Civil War 1862
Civil War 1863
Civil War 1864
Civil War 1865
Civil War Battles
Robert E. Lee
Civil War Medicine
Civil War Links
Civil War Art
Republic of Texas
Civil War Gifts
Robert E. Lee Portrait
SNOW-STORM AT BELLE
UNDER arches that the pines make
(full of weird and ghostly shadows);
Over gently sloping uplands and
through strange deserted vales;
Past the forest in the distance;
to the low, far-reaching meadows;
Borne swiftly on the cold breath
of the damp northeastern gales;
Half laughing into sunshine, and
half sobbing back to rain—
Seeking still, yet ever flying,
with a dull and restless tremor,
The next moment all defiance with
a fierce sun-tinted glamour,
Undecided if in joy to come or
wild resistless pain,
Eddying round us—whirling from
us—came the snow-storm at Belle Plain.
Coming thus, and in the balance
trembling for one instant, and one only,
Then with sudden fury bursting
o'er the camp beneath, it whirled
Around the meagre shelter-tents
that decked the hill-side lonely,
And the wind with rage incessant
each successive snowflake hurled,
Till the trees grew white like
spectres, and old earth was pure again.
This at dusk was, and night's
shadows falling dim on field and river
Gave the storm a wilder aspect.
To their tents, with chill and shiver,
Each jostling each in eager
haste, and filled with fright, amain
Fled the men, with hasty
footsteps, from the snow-storm at Belle Plain.
All that long, slow dragging
night, the snow so white and pitiless, descended
In strangely eddying circles,
flying far and flying near;
And through the sombre day that
followed the sullen storm extended
Till the grayish daylight faded;
then down fell, more cold and drear,
The dark shades of the second
night, and till that wild night's wane
More thickly round the silent
camp the snow fell, ever drifting
From before the damp northeast
wind, blowing coldly, never shifting,
Till camp and woods were mantled
in a robe without a stain,
And every thing lay buried in the
snow-storm at Belle Plain.
Thus the wild, fierce storm
continued, in its fury unabated,
Till the nights as twain were
counted, though the days told only one;
And through the long hours
watched we, and so patiently we waited,
With bowed faces toward the east
sky, waiting, watching for the sun.
And we sighed to think the sunny
South was but a phantom vain,
And we prayed for the old
Northland, with its regal icy splendor—
With its hearts so warm and true,
so loving and so tender—
Till we conjured up our homes
again (oh! wild, bewildered brain!
Crazed men of the Potomac, in the
snow-storm at Belle Plain).
Our wild hasheesh-dream
dispelling, came that second brilliant morning.
We had watched as for its
advent—we had prayed so for its dawn,
That we felt the Bow of Promise
the glad eastern sky adorning;
And when the cold hills flushed
with light, the cruel storm was gone.
But over camp, and over woods—on
field, on hill-side, and in lane—
Over uplands, over meadows:— even
under the pine arches—
On every road where patient mule
and weary teamster marches—
On every thing, or far or near,
that might the pearly gems retain,
Lay, pure and white, the flakes
that fell in the snowstorm at Belle Plain.
Thus came it; thus it ended. We
who cowered so 'neath its bluster
Look back with a soldier's
carelessness, and idly wonder why;
Then, contented with the present,
seek the sun, whose undimmed lustre
Shines bright to-day upon us from
the overarching sky.
We wait until the roads mend. You
watch the Union's throes of pain,
And, sitting there in quiet, most
impatiently you wonder
Why to-day from old Virginia
booms no loud artillery's thunder.
Ah, weak and questioning heart!
you would never ask again,
Could you see us while embargoed
by a snow-storm at Belle Plain.
IRON-CLADS IN THE
OUR attentive correspondent at
Port Royal has furnished us with the sketches which we reproduce on pages
and 196, and which relate to the recent performances of our iron-clad fleet in
the Ogeechee River.
One of them shows us how the
pirate Nashville was destroyed by the iron-clad
The Herald correspondent, after stating that the Nashville showed signs of
moving, which induced Captain Worden to steam up toward
Fort McAllister, goes on
At five minutes past seven
o'clock we let go our anchor about twelve hundred yards below the fort, and
veered out fifteen fathoms of cable, and in two minutes thereafter we let slip
an 11-inch shell at the object of our aims and desires. There she lay hard and
fast, at about twelve hundred yards distant, a good mark, as the sequel will
The instant we fired our first
shot the battery fired three guns at us, and in thirty seconds thereafter
another one. But we did not pay any attention to them, and left the battery in
the hands of the three gallant gun-boats, who threw their shells into it in
At eleven minutes past seven
fired our 11-inch gun, the shell falling a little over the Nashville. In just
five minutes afterward the enemy hit our pilot-house, fair and square, with an
8-inch shot, which broke in two pieces, one falling on the turret top and the
other on deck, doing
no damage and producing no
unpleasant sensation whatever.
At twenty-two minutes past seven
the 15-inch gun was fired with a 10-second shell, which landed quite close to
the Nashville. The fort banged away at us, but they did not exhibit such careful
gunnery as on previous firings. We paid no kind of notice to the scamps behind
the piles of sand, as we were bent on the blowing up of the would-be pirate.
By-the-way, when we went up first
we noticed quite a number of persons on her deck; but after two or three firings
they wore not to be seen. They had a full head of steam on her boilers, and she
was blowing off furiously from her escape-pipe.
At twenty-seven and a half
minutes past seven o'clock we fired our 15-inch gun again, with a 10-second
shell, which landed plump into the pirate, between her foremast and paddle-box.
It exploded beautifully, and there was no doubt in our minds that we should soon
see her in flames. This was only our fifth shot, and if the result does not show
good gunnery, pray tell me what is to be considered a standard? Acting-Master
Pierre Giraud worked both the guns, and his good marksmanship was now
established beyond a doubt. From the turret only the masts and smoke-stacks were
visible, giving, of course, but a very small mark to fire at.
After firing our eighth round we
were obliged to cease firing, so as to see what the fire was doing on board of
To our gratification we were
enabled to see a very dense volume of black smoke arising from the forward part
of the vessel, and in a couple of minutes thereafter the flames were distinctly
visible, forcing their way up, and gradually creeping aft, until they reached
nearly to the base of the smoke-stack. The fog was slowly creeping down upon us,
threatening to shut out the glorious sight; but it would light up at intervals,
showing us in a few minutes a vast sheet of flames, which shot upward far into
the smoky canopy above them. It was not long before the smoke-stack guys were
burned away, and the huge stack tottered and then fell over on to the port
paddle-box, stirring up the glowing embers, which rose and mingled with the
darkness above the doomed vessel.
Nothing but night, to give a
darkened back-ground to the livid flames, could have added any thing to the
grandeur of the scene before us. Our weary watching was now reaping its reward,
and our hearts beat with joy and congratulations. Slowly but surely the fire did
its work: the rigging caught fire in several places, and torches seemed set, as
it were, over a vast funereal pile. We fired occasionally at her until it became
evident that we could not add any thing more to her speedy dissolution. At
intervals the flames would rush up in a body aft and die out forward, as if the
fire king was rushing fore and aft in joy at the freaks in his realms. All this
time the fort was firing at us, stopping only when the fog would entirely hide
us from view.
At six minutes past eight o'clock
we ceased firing, having only fired fourteen times. We waited, watching for
about thirty minutes the burning of the steamer, and then up anchor and stood
down the river. At this time the Nashville was entirely enveloped in flames, the
paddle-boxes were fast crumbling away, and streaks of fire were rapidly making
huge crevices in her once graceful hull.
At thirty-five minutes past nine
o'clock an explosion took place amidships, throwing up a column of white smoke,
which, when its inertia was lost, spread itself out like a huge umbrella. It
looked like steam, and quite a number who witnessed it pronounced it to be
steam, which escaped from the bursting of her boilers. It probably was the
explosion of the 100-pounder rifle gun, from the fact that the outline of the
hull was not seriously affected by the explosion.
In ten minutes afterward a
terrific explosion took place aft. The fire had reached the magazine, and a
spark had, in a flash, set loose the latent power of untold tons. Her hull was
not able to withstand a shock like that, and a vast white volume quickly
ascended aloft, and spread out until it met a sufficient amount of atmospheric
resistance, when it mingled with the smoke from the burning hull. The mainmast
was gone, the quarter torn down to the water's edge, and the hull riven into
countless fragments. Some little time afterward the foremast fell, and the
destruction was complete. Far away over the lowlands the smoke spread itself, as
if veiling from their view those who might be watching the annihilation of a
vessel once lovely in form, graceful in her motion, and noted for her speed—a
vessel built for peaceful uses, but by a band of desperadoes turned into a
pirate (a bloodless one). The tide of life was at an ebb, and in a short time
she would be but a mass of tangled machinery and charred relics.
It was useless, of course, to
remain any longer in range of the enemy's guns, and Captain Worden ordered the
gun-boats to withdraw from the action and cease firing.
On the way down the river the
Montauk narrowly escaped an accident, depicted in our second illustration on
page 193. The Herald correspondent thus alludes to it:
While withdrawing from action we
passed directly over three torpedoes, one of which exploded directly underneath
our boilers, raising the vessel up bodily and slewing her around. The sensation
was of course a very peculiar one, and for a time we could not realize that we
had been hit by an infernal machine. It started a little leak, but nothing to
speak of, as it was repaired in a few minutes.
Our picture on
page 196 shows us
THE BOMBARDMENT OF FORT M'ALLISTER, which was more intended to test the fighting
qualities of the iron-clad gun-boats than to take the fort. The same
correspondent of the Herald who witnessed the action from the Montauk thus
recounts the affair:
At thirty-five minutes after
eight the iron-clads were up at about the following distances from the work:
Passaic, 1200 yards; Patapsco, 1600; Nahant, 1900. Here they anchored.
In five minutes afterward the
enemy opened with two guns, followed by another in rapid succession, hitting
close to the Passaic, when she let slide an 11-inch shell, which fell short of
the fort. At fifty-five minutes after eight the Para opened with her 13-inch
mortar. The engagement, or rather target practice, now began.
At nine minutes after nine we
anchored, having cleared the vessel for action, ready to run up if we were
We had on board Captain Upshur
and his clerk and quite a number of the officers of the Sebago, who came on
board to witness the scene; and as we lay ahead of all the vessels excepting the
iron-clads, our turret top offered excellent facilities for observing the
Our boys were scattered around
the decks as passive spectators of an action in which they were very desirous of
participating; but as we had done some service before, it was but fair that we
should now do some looking on.
The iron-clads fired slowly,
gradually getting the range, while the bummers promised to throw in some shells
in a short time.
The rebels were busy, and at
intervals we could see that they hit the Passaic pretty fairly; of course we
could not tell what damage was done, but from our experience we felt confident
that they could not harm her much. As the moments flew the practice from the
iron-clads became more accurate, the Passaic bearing off the palm for some time,
when the Nahant came up to the mark, delivering her shell finely and making some
elegant shots. At twenty minutes before eleven o'clock two of her shells landed
in the traverses, throwing up the sand to a tremendous height and filling the
air with clouds of earth. The crews of the vessels around us gave hearty
expressions of their approbation by subdued cheering and loud clapping of their
The rapid fire of the iron-clads
caused the rebels to slacken their fire from their three guns and an 11-inch
mortar, which they had been working with great spirit.
The wind had now breezed up from
the northwest and gradually increased into almost a gale; but it had the good
effect to drive away the smoke quickly from their vision.
The Patapsco pitched in her
shells, doing some execution in the rear of the work, just skipping the parapet
in their flight. Although we kept a minute record of each gun fired on both
sides, it would be too voluminous to place within the limited space of our
columns. It was bang, bang, smoke, fire, sand; and I guess but few ever saw such
a beautiful sight. Secesh stood up to their guns manfully, and their gunnery was
by no means meagre.
At times the enemy would not
reply for several moments, and when he opened afresh the guns would belch out
from a different place. Our shells were doing tremendous execution in the sand,
but for some time we thought without damaging any guns. Finally a 15-inch shell
from the Nahant exploded under one of the rebel guns, throwing it up into the
air quite a distance.
The Nahant's people went to
dinner as quietly as if not under the fire of the enemy; and after dinner they
came out on deck to take a good look at their target. Secesh tried hard to hit
her with their mortar, but did not succeed. The accurate firing of the Nahant
elicited the heartiest commendations from the spectators, who were piled upon
our turret and on all elevated points of the other vessels.
The outlines of the fort, which
early in the morning had presented such regularity, now began to assume an
entirely different aspect. Huge holes were clearly discernible, and it did not
look like the work we saw in the bright glow of the morning's sun.
At thirty-two minutes past three
P.M. the Nahant withdrew from the action, having accomplished all she desired to
do in the way of exercising her guns' crews and lubricating her working gear. At
fifty-five minutes past three P.M. the Patapsco followed, and the Passaic some
little time afterward. They all dropped down the river, the rebels firing very
rapidly at them as they quietly went away from the fort.
They hit the Passaic several
times, landing a 10-inch shot on the top of her turret, whole and uninjured.
They also hit her fair and square on her deck with an 11-inch mortar shell,
which, strange to say, did not do any material damage, except, of course,
fracturing the armor. It struck between the beams. I begin to think you can not
injure our iron-clads in any manner possible. She was hit thirty-three times,
and I have the same old story to write —"Nobody hurt, and no damage done." I
could not have been made to believe that these vessels could withstand shot,
shell, and torpedoes, used in every conceivable manner, until I saw with my own
eyes the results. It is wonderful and strange.
We can not forbear quoting this
correspondent with regard to the sensations experienced by persons in an
iron-clad when she is hit. He says:
About half past eight o'clock our
pilot-house was hit a
tremendous blow by a shot. Your
correspondent was at the instant of impact on one knee writing a paragraph in
his note-book. The shock was somewhat severe, and afterward he found that the
shot struck close to his head.
It unbalanced me, and I tumbled
over against the side of the narrow pilot-house, when, to my surprise, I was
struck by a piece of iron bolt with the nut attached (weighing about one pound),
first on the shoulder and then on the knee. Some of the other bolts were knocked
out. The iron was, no doubt, of an inferior quality, and had they been of the
same character as those in the turret, such an event would not have taken place.
In view of such an accident, and suffering from the shock, I left the
The sensation below decks was far
different than that which I had experienced in the pilot-house on Tuesday last
for four hours and a half and the two hours of to-day.
The sound of our own guns was
more acute and unpleasant, and well it might be, when it is taken into
consideration that the whole volume of sound from the discharge of each gun
passed directly over and within a few inches of our heads, and the concussion
passing into the system through the brain by the top of the head. I can not say
that it was painful, but it was far from pleasant, and, in addition to this, you
were scarcely ever able to hear the word of command when the guns were fired. To
hear the officer say, "Are you ready?"—"Fire!" takes off much of the
unpleasantness of the shock; but below you do not have that warning.
It was just six minutes past
eleven o'clock. I was standing in the ward-room, and in conversation with Dr.
Brayton, when a most terrific blow was struck upon our deck plating directly
over my head. I was driven with much force into a chair, and my whole muscular
system seemed for about two minutes perfectly paralyzed. I was faint, and could
scarcely obtain my breath. I never experienced such an unpleasant sensation in
the whole course of my life. It was a heavy shock to my whole system. In fact it
exceeded my experience in the pilot-house, and I thought I done wrong in
quitting it. And while absorbed in such thoughts slam! came another such a shot,
but, fortunately for me at least, about six feet away from where the first one
struck. Weak as I was this again gave me a shock, and I was forced to say, "That
was the unkindest cut of all." I soon recovered from the intense pain I
suffered, and resumed my notes, but was continually in apprehension of having
the dose repeated. Fortunately, however, it was not.
AS MANY former Pupils of the
NAZARETH HALL BOARDING SCHOOL are in the U. States Army and Navy, filling
various positions in the different departments thereof, and as we have already
heard of the death of several—in hospital and on the battle-fiield—we hereby
request all persons who are aware that any of our Graduates have thus fallen, to
give or send all information they possess, of time, place, and manner of death,
to the Agents of our Institution, the Messrs. A. Binninger & Co., Nos. 92 and 94
Liberty Street, New York, or the Messrs. Jordan & Brother, No. 209 N. Third
Street, Philadelphia, or to the
Rev. EDWARD H. REICHEL,
Principal of Nazareth Hall,
Nazareth, Northampton County,
Chemicals, &c.—We have for Sale
250 tons of SODA ASH, different
brands and tests, in store and to arrive, for Soap or Glass Makers. CAUSTIC
SODA, the best makes, in iron 5 cwt. packages. NEWCASTLE SAL SODA, 150 tons in
assorted packages—also FRIAR'S GOOSE, our own make. Newcastle BI CB. SODA —H. L.
P. & Co., Jarrow, Alhusens—Also the FRIAR'S GOOSE Chemical Works, our own
manufacture, unexcelled. CREAM TARTAR, crystal and powdered. Also TARTARIC ACID,
crystal and powdered in our own mills, perfectly pure. "EXCELSIOR" YEAST POWDER,
of acknowledged excellence, the standard article. SALAERATUS, the Best and
Purest in the market, made at our Laboratory, Jersey City, the largest works in
this country, all the fancy styles put up for the trade, and guaranteed. Also
the following Sundries: CONCENTRATED LYE, PREPARED POTASH, POT AND PEARL ASHES,
SOAP POWDER, INDIGO, &c. 150,000 lbs. of PALM OIL, duty paid, in assorted
Buyers from strictly first hands
should send us their orders.
THOMAS ANDREWS & CO.,
136 and 138 Cedar Street, New
York, for Fifteen Years, IMPORTERS and MANUFACTURERS.
THE UNITED STATES CONSCRIPTION
OR, NATIONAL MILITIA BILL.
With a copious Index for
JAMES W. FORTUNE, PUBLISHER,
102 Centre Street, New York.
PRICE FIVE CENTS.
FRIENDS OF SOLDIERS!
All Articles for Soldiers at
Baltimore, Washington, Hilton Head, Newborn, and all places occupied by Union
troops, should be sent, at half rates, by HARNDEN'S EXPRESS, No. 74 Broadway.
Sutlers charged low rates.
$75 A MONTH! I want to hire
Agents in every county at $75 a month, expenses paid, to sell my new cheap
Family Sewing Machines. Address,
S. MADISON, Alfred, Malne.
STATEMENT OF THE
United States Life Insurance Co.,
THE CITY OF NEW YORK,
40 WALL STREET.
There are no losses due and
unpaid; no claims in dispute.
JOSEPH B. COLLINS, SHEPHERD
LUTHER BRADISH, EDWARD S.
JAMES SUYDAM, ISAAC N.
JAMES MARSH, CHARLES E.
JOHN J. CISCO, JOHN J.
ISAAC A. STORM, CLINTON
JOHN A LUQUEER, WILLIAM B.
HANSON K. CORNING,
CHAS. M. CONNOLLY, JOHN C.
THOMAS C. DOREMUS, EDWARD
B. F. WHEELWRIGHT,
AUGUSTUS H. WARD,
WILSON G. HUNT, JAMES
DAN. H. ARNOLD, JERE. P.
W. R. VERMILYE,
CHARLMS P. LEVERICH,
WILLIAM M. HALSTED, Jr.
JOSEPH B. COLLINS, President.
N. G. DE GROOT, Act. JOHN
JAMES W. G. CLEMENTS, M.D.,
Medical Examiner, at the office daily from 12 to 1 1/2 o'clock, P.M.
J. B. GATES, General Agent; JAMES
STEWART, HENRY PERRY, ALBERT O. WILLCOX, A. WHITNEY, Local Agents in the City of
New York and vicinity.
$40 a Month and EXPENSES, or
Commission on Sales. Send stamp for circulars.
RICE & CO., 83 Nassau Street, N.
IT IS NOT A DYE!
$1,000. PREMIUM. $1,000.
WILL CAUSE HAIR TO GROW ON BALD HEADS;
WILL RESTORE GREY OR DISEASED HAIR TO ITS
ORIGINAL CONDITION & COLOR,
Will prevent the Hair from
Falling Off, and promote a New
and Healthy Growth; completely eradicates Dandruff; will prevent and cure
Nervous Headache; will give to the Hair a Clean, Glossy Appearance, and is a
Cure for all Diseases of the
Price One Dollar per Bottle.
It is a perfect and complete
dressing for the Hair. Read the following testimonial:
U. S. MARSHAL'S OFFICE,
New York, Nov. 6, 1861.
WM. GRAY, Esq.,
Dear Sir: Two months ago my head
was almost entirely BALD, and the little hair I had was all GREY, and falling
out very fast, until I feared I should lose all. I commenced using your Hair
Restorative, and it immediately stopped the hair falling off, and soon restored
the color, and after using two bottles my head is completely covered with a
healthy growth of hair, and of the same color it was in early manhood. I take
great pleasure in recommending your excellent Hair Restorative, and you may also
refer any doubting person to me.
ROBERT MURRAY, U. S. Marshal,
Southern District, New York.
Other testimonials may be seen at
the Restorative Depot, 301 Broadway, New York.
Manufactured and sold by the
proprietor (WM. GRAY), at the Restorative Depot, 301 Broadway, New York, and for
sale by all druggists.
These Celebrated Engraved Cards
sold only at J. EVERDELL'S Old Establishment, 302 Broadway, cor. Duane St., N.
Y. Established 1840. For Specimen by Mail, send two stamps.
HARPER & BROTHERS
Have Just Ready:
GENERAL BUTTERFIELD'S OUTPOST
DUTY. Camp and Outpost Duty for Infantry. With Standing Orders, Extracts from
the Revised Regulations for the Army, Rules for Health, Maxims for Soldiers, and
Duties of Officers. By DANIEL BUTTERFIELD, Major-Gen. Vols., U.S.A., Chief of
Staff to General Hooker. 18mo, Flexible Cloth, 63 cents.