gathered from the papers ere this: I
propose to inflict upon you a few
“Leaves from an officer’s Diary”. I have
managed to keep a brief daily record
of Events as they have occurred, such a
thing is very pleasant to look over in
after times .
On Wednesday, the 16th November, commun–
ication with the North having ceased 4 or
5 days before, the 3 reg’ts doing Provost duty
in town, the 33rd & 2nd Mass & 111th Pa, forming
a provisional brigade under command of
Col. Cogswell, left the City as rear guard
to the whole army. The business streets, and
R.R. & all other public buildings, with the
exception of the Jail, Masonic Hall, City
Hall & the Churches around it, had been
burnt in the last two days. The sight
was superb; from the roof of the City Hall
we could see the whole City in flames
at once, great tongues of fire leaping up
into the air 50 or 100 feet above the roofs,
whole blocks falling in with a crash that
sent a fiery cloud of cinders up, up, up,
till they seemed to mingle with the stars.
This was, certainly, one of the terrific
aspects of grim–visaged War, but it was
unavoidable, we had no other alternative;