The
Civil War
Diary
Of
Pvt. Jos. C. Taber
Dating from
July 15, 1861 to August 16, 1863
Transcribed by Frank and Denise Marrone
Joseph S. C. Taber
Born July 19, 1843 Philadelphia, Penna.
Residence at enlistment, 210 N. 10th Street.
Philadelphia,Penna.
Personal Description at enlistment
Height------5’ 6 ½”
Complexion------Light
Eyes------Blue
Hair------Brown
Enlisted, July 15, 1861, Philadelphia, PA
Served in Co. B, 23rd Regiment Penna. Vol.
& Co. F 82nd Regiment Penna. Vol.
These regiments were consolidated in 1864
Reenlisted January 26, 1864 as a Vet Vol.
Served entire service as a private.
Civilian Occupation at enlistment, Clerk
Discharged July 13, 1865 at Halls Hill, VA & Washington D.C.
Married May 1st 1873 Washington D.C. by a Methodist minister.
Married to Mary E. Barnard, born May 1841 at Washington D.C.
Child born July 2nd 1875 , Philadelphia,PA
Childs name Joesph Lackey Taber he died on June 2nd 1903 , Chicago, Illinois
Resided after Service, Washington D.C. 1865-1876
Philadelphia,PA 1876-1884
St. Paul, Minn 1884
Chicago , Illinois 1884-1890
Omaha , Nebraska 1890-1894
Kansas City , MO 1894-1901
Texarkana , Texas 1901-1905
Texarkansas , Ark 1905-1908
Dallas, Texas 1908
Civilian Occupation after service , Clerk
Died May 19th 1908 , Dallas , Texas , Kidney Failure
Age 64 years 10 months
Widow Mary E. (Barnard) Taber ,78 years old and living in Kansas City , MO. On September 18th 1919
Diary of
Jos. S.C.Taber, Company “B”
23rd Regt. Penna. Volunteers
Residence, 210 North 10th Street
Philadelphia , Penna.
With
Engineers , Headquarters
Army of The Potomac
General Warren,
Chief Engineer
Memorandum
July 15th 1861------Enlisted in Co. B 23rd Regiment Volunteers
August 2nd 1861------Sworn into Service of The United States
August 14th 1861-----First Camp at Laurel Hill (Philadelphia)
August 20th 1861-----Left Philadelphia for Washington
August 21st 1861 -----arrived at Washington and pitched tents at Camp Sprague 1 mile from Washington
September 14th 1861---Moved to Camp Graham on Queens Farm, 3 miles from Washington
September 21st 1861---Appointed Coloniels Orderly
December 24th 1861---detached on Coast Survey Duty
December 24th 1861---received from Lt. Col. I.M. Macomb a furlough of two days
January 3rd through 8th 1862----done three days work surveying in the neighborhood of Munsens Masons & Uptons Hills & Balls & Baileys cross roads.
January 13th 1862------at Halpins tavern Montgomery County ,MD, surveying in the neighborhood.
February 7th 1862 ------left Mitchells for Washington finished the survey of 7th Street Road. (which the Queens Farm was located on)
February 18th 1862------left Washington for Alexandria Seminary on Surveying duty with HDQrtrs Army , Army of the Potomac, on the expedition
March 29th 1862------left Alexandria Seminary with HDQtrs Army of the Potomac & embarked aboard Steamboat Commadore the staff boat, at Alexandria at ½ past 4 o clock P.M.
April 1st 1862------left Alexandria at ½ past 3 o clock P.M. , for Fortres Monroe.
April 2nd 1862------arrived at Fortress Monroe at 5 o clock P.M. after a rough passage down the bay.
April 3rd 1862------landed and stowed baggage on the wharf.
April 4th 1862------pitched our tents on the beach close to the wharf, waiting for our wagon and further orders.
April 10th 1862------left Fortress Monroe at 9 o clock A.M. for HdQrs.
April 11th 1862------about 24 miles from Fortress Monroe, when about 11 miles from HQ, our horses got baulky & would not move, so we had to make the best out of a bad bargain and camp out, we built a large fire and picked out some soft rails for our beds and went to sleep. All right again commenced surveying the road between the halfway house and Yorktown, surveyed some 4 ½ miles and halted for the night at a house a short distance back from the road, after supper we went down to the river and got some fine oysters.
April 12th 1862------commenced work early this morning and surveyed some four miles which brought us to HdQtrs.
April 13th 1862------went over to see the regiment about ten miles from here, they are in want of eatables pretty badly, having nothing to eat for two days, but to-day they got two boxes of crackers to a company which is to last two days.
April 14th 1862------surveyed towards Yorktown as far as we could go with safety, the rebel pickets being about 3 or 400 yards from us, therefore being within 1 5/8 miles from Yorktown I could plainly see the guards, walking their posts on the ramparts, while going along the road two pieces of artillery opened fire on the rebels batteries, who were concealed in the woods , and we of course left them five or six hundred yards in the rear, the rebels not returning the fire, two more places were brought to bear on them, within one hundred yards of us, after firing a few rounds at the rebels they returned the fire and the shells commenced whistling around at no very pleasing rate, we of course dodged behind a barn, the shells mostly bursted in a field a short distance in the rear, it was the first time that shells were bursting over my headand I thought it was fine, dodging behind the barn (as I am writing Jerry Luther says he is smiling at me) as we were nearing Hqtrs. We saw another skirmish, the boats on the York river were shelling a rebel battery this morning as we started out, we saw a rebel balloon go up, it stayed up but a short time, from what I could see it was a very shabby concern.
April 15th 1862------surveyed some 4 ½ miles below hdqtrs. From Hoggs run towards Warwick C.H. , worked about 2 miles and camped for the night in a pine grove for the night, making our beds on a few rails, wrapping our blankets around us & the sky for our roof we had no tents with us as we expect to be out but two days.
April 16th 1862------started about 7 o clock A.M. and reached Warwick C.H. about 3 o clock P.M., worked about 7 ½ miles today, there has been heavy firing all day by our batteries before Yorktown , one of our Batteries lost 4 killed and seven wounded by a Rebel shell.
April 17th 1862------this has been a sad day for our party, whilst out surveying in front of the rebel batteries at Wynnes Mills the rebels threw in a shell amongst us, it struck directly in front of the table. It killed two of the 57th Penna and wounded two, these men were on picket, it also took off the left arm of Leiut. Wagner of the Topo. Engs. He had his arm on the table at the time, but worst of all one of our own party Jerry Luther was struck in three places, in the arm, leg, &abdomen, he is badly wounded.
April 18th 1862------went out again today, started from the fatal spot of yesterday, and continued our work of the line facing these batteries, no firing of any account to-day, when we arrived at camp at ½ past 5 o clock P.M., Jerry had been dead about 15 minutes. For my own story in reguard to my escape, I was at the time about three feet behind Jerry when the shell came over, I was looking directly at the table, and seen the shell strike, it was a percussion cap shell and the cap hung fire. I threw myself flat on my face, and the dirt flew all over me, had it been a fuze shell,more than likely I would have not been left to write this.
April 19th 1862------We buried Jerry today by the side of another of the victims by this shell. His name is F. Varick of the 57th Penna Vols, The Chaplain of the 2nd R.I. was here, and he made a very appropriate prayer thanking the men of the 26th Penna for the kindness to Jerry, this is Col. Smalls Regiment.
April 20th 1862------started out to see the regiment, but after tramping about in the mud for a couple of hours, we started back to camp again, as I was going back, I saw a great many regiments out under arms, expecting a skirmish.
April 21st 1862------nothing of any importance today. I seen the Brigade go out to the front with picks and shovels.
April 22nd 1862------last night Leiut. Wagner died , another victim of last Thursday, to-day whilst our men were throwing up entrenchments, the rebels threw some shells amongst them which our men returned in a hurry, a secesh came into camp today blindfolded with a flag of truce, he was a sergeant.
April 23-27th 1862------nothing of any importance during these days.
April 28th 1862------went out to survey in the neighborhood of Battery No. 1 , Battery No. 1 is situated on a point of land at Fahrenholts House, about 1 mile below Hdqtrs. On the York river facing a large water battery of the rebels. It mounts six guns, five one hundred pounders, and one two hundred pounder, this is without exception our finest battery.
April 29th 1862------commenced work about 9 o clock A.M., taking a survey of Wormley Creek, our troops are throwing up a pontoon bridge all along the creek, the men who are working on the entrenchments have a hard time of t, the rebels are continually throwing shell at them, as far as I have heard no one has been hurt.
April 30th 1862------worked again today at Wormsley’sCreek, nearer to the entrenchments than we were yesterday, the rebels kept up the firing today pretty well, and the shells flew thick and fast over our heads toward the working parties.
May 1st 1862------commenced work today near the head of Wormsley’s Creek near the Batteries 3, 9, 11, & 12 and also near our parallel in front of Yorktown, the batteries mentioned above mount 8, 10 and 13 inch mortars, heavy firing this evening by our mortar batteries.
May 2nd 1862------worked mostly today near Hdqtrs., the rebels commenced shelling our batteries very early this morning and kept it up steady until about 11 o clock A.M., they fired mostly at random and did no damage, after we got through with our work, I rode down to Cheeseman’s Landing, there was a great mant steamboats there, which are to be used as hospitals for the wounded.
May 3rd 1862------finished the work extending from Battery No. 1 to batteries 11 & 12 near the Yorktown Road.
May 4th 1862------this morning about two hours before daylight, I was awakened by the sound of musketry, I got up and on looking out I saw a large fire in the direction of Yorktown, I then thought that the rebels were evacuating and when I got up in the morning I heard of the evacuation, the fire that I saw was a house in Yorktown filled with commissary stores, our Artillery and Cavalry immediately commenced the pursuit, when about 8 miles out, our troops came across the rebels in a fort near the road, they open us & some 25 to 30 of the 6th U.S. Cavalry are reported killed, Col. Burgess of Gov. Sprague’s Staf was wounded in the thigh with a piece of shell, our infantry started out this afternoon, we have but one regiment on guard at Yorktown all the troops are moving on. I was up to Yorktown to-day looking around, the rebels have placed torpedoes all through the town & fortifications and some of our men have already been killed, I seen during my rambles around town some 15 or 20 of these torpedoes, our men go around in squads & mark the places with flags, the rebels left behind them some 60 cannon most of them in good order, the fortifications are some of the strongest I have ever seen, the reason they have left this place was on account of our gunboats, so they say on slips of paper we picked up in their tents.
May 5th 1862------the reports today are many in reguard to the fighting at Williamsburg, our troops have had a hard time of it, there has been a great deal of firing today in that direction, Williamsburg is distant 12 miles from Yorktown, one of the French princes the duc de Chartres distinguished himself yesterday, he took a squad of Cavalry 60 strong, and charged upon 200 of the rebel cavalry & captured 11 prisoners himself.
May 6th 1862------commenced surveying on Yorktown Road 1 ¾ miles from Yorktown, surveyed within about 500 yards of the main works and then took the left hand road working towards the right, one place we came to our men had dug out 7 torpedoes taken up to Yorktown to dig up the torpedoes, they have no coice about it they have to do it, I think that is the right way.
May 7th 1862------various rumors are afloat today in reguard to the advance, one to the effect that the troops were 20 miles beyong Williamsburg, and the rebel Army were completely demoralized and in full retreat.
May 8th 1862------finished the work to Lee’s Milles.
May 9th 1862------moved Hdqtrs. For Williamsburg at 5 o clock A.M. arrived at camp 2 miles beyond Williamsburg at 10 o clock P.M. after getting stuck 8 or 9 times, broke our pole & double trees & traces, we got to Williamsburg at sun set, it is a very pretty town of from 1500 to 2000 inhabitants, but mostly secesh, the largest houses are crowded with prisoners, we have taken the barns and out houses are also occupied by the wounded secesh, our men have a large college for a hospital, in the fight of Tuesday last that out of 9000 men in Hookers Division, 1576 were killed and wounded, in reguard to the rebels, they must have lost a great many, I met one of our men who was on pickett & he said that he had seen a fatigue party out of his regiment bury 600 rebels, in passing over the battlefield the marks of the great fight were many, Hooker’s Division fought all day, Tuesday against 80,000 rebels, so pretty good authority has it, we traveled to-day 18 miles.
May 10th 1862------left camp last night at 5 o clock A.M. and arrived at camp 12 miles from New Kent C.H., the name of this place is Ropers Meeting House having traveled 14 miles to-day, as we were coming along the road, I met the regiment, they were in pretty good spirits, but tired out, from here to Richmond is 39 miles.