Auction Date:2009 Jun 24 @ 10:00 (UTC-04:00 : AST/EDT)
Location:6270 Este Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio, 45232, United States
1861-1864, 7 pocket diaries.
A recruit from Green Co., Henry Backus (or Bachus) was 24 when he enlisted for Civil War service in June 1861. In those uncertain days, the 14th was rushed directly into service in Missouri to help quell the spirit of rebellion, marching from St. Charles to Rolla and Jefferson City and joining John C. Fremont’s advance on Springfield, all before Fall. By early November, Backus was already feeling the part of a veteran, writing Since last night I have heard there was a fight… 1500 secesh and 300 of our men. Of course we come out best…
Although 14th Illinois gained experience in the field, they also seemed to gain in rambunctiousness and rebelliousness. Like many early regiments, the regiment elected its officers from its ranks, however Backus was certain that Col. William Cam could never have been elected without subterfuge. Whatever the cause, by February the discipline was clearly on the wane. On Feb 11, 1862, Backus reported that men from the regiment were defying orders and had gone into town. The Captain, he added, put on citizens clothes and went to town, I suppose to find out about the boys. He will be lucky if he is not caught. He wasn’t so lucky, and as the regiment received orders to prepare to march into Kentucky, things were still bad. The boys are still on their spree, making a perfect pandimonium of the cabin. It looks as if a lot of hogs were on board… I am in hopes the whiskey will give out by morning.
Backus' bile wasn't aimed solely at his comrades and commanding officer, he was just as bitter with the Iowan, Gen. Jacob Gartner Lauman: Gen Lauman, after review, occupied the rest of the evening (along with his pimps) with his demi-john and making fun of the 2nd Brig. showing how the men marched, how they carried their guns and how the officers carried themselves and arms. I will say this much and quit him. This fun hurts no one but himself for we can remember him until we can tell him what we think of him without the fear of having a bayonet tied in our mouths for it. We can also flatter ourselves with this. If his Ill. troops were to be taken from him he would soon fall from grace and go home under a cloud. Iowa had nothing to be proud of in him for what he is, Ill. bayonets made him…. Not to give his officers even a slight break, he continued by accusing them of treason: I am forced to believe he [Lauman] and our Lt. Col. Cam belongs to the Knights of the Golden Circle and have agreed to demoralize as many of the troops as possible so that we will be mustered out of the service in disgrace and by thus doing help the south in their efforts to gain their independence….
Grumbling aside, Backus was serious when it came to his duty as a soldier and grew irritated when he saw anything that impeded the war effort. After the announcement of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, a grumbling went through many union regiments, where soldiers felt they had not volunteered to end slavery. The 109th Ill Reg., Backus wrote went further, and excepting one co. stacked arms because they did not like the President’s emancipation proclamation of Jan. 1st 1863 or perhaps rightly speaking of Sept. 22nd 1862. They were then under guard and rumor says they will serve their time out on breastworks. He added tersely, They ought to be shot… Not coincidentally, the 109th were disbanded three months later having lost over 200 men to desertion, the rest proving themselves incompetent.
Backus settles in to some fine descriptions of the extreme hardships of the campaign in Mississippi during the winter of 1862-1863, the shortages of food and shelter and the foraging to which the men resorted during their winter in Lafayette, Tenn. In May, 1863, the 14th was sent to take part in the final push on Vicksburg, and Backus rises to the occasion describing the scene with an occasionally wry, and not inoffensive bemusement. Lying before Vicksburg, he wrote: There is two Reg. of Niggers here and such looking soldiers as they are. There is also a large supply of contrabands and more coming bringing everything they can get away with. I saw one quadroon girl with as flaxen haired, blue-eyed, light complected child as I ever saw which goes to prove where the negro equality whites belong. About one fifth of the slaves show their masters blood plain (May 19, 1863).
Once Backus moved into range on May 22, the siege itself takes over the diary. Have been running around the works and find something near twenty siege guns that we captured. Every one is dismounted and the magazines blown up. Two that I saw were bursted into small pieces…. We are now quartered in some shanties built by the secesh. There has been a good many things brot in today that were hid in the woods, tents, cooking utensils, clothing and provisions, also some four or five hundred head of cattle some horses and mules… [May 22] It is said our loss was terrible in yesterday’s fight amounting to 4000 killed. I don’t think it can be possible. Report also says that Col. Hall is petitioning for this Brig. to be sent to the front. If it is true I hope the first man shot will be him [May 23]. Orders to march to the front. Can’t say I like it for the reason that I believe it is sought for by Col. Hall in order to get a Brigadier’s star on his shoulder. I hope he may get it with a vengeance… [May 24] This morning the firing commenced pretty rapid about the center both artillery and musketry… The gun boats done us more harm than good this morning for they shelled our old camp in fact they shelled every foot of ground occupied by this brigade, drove the pickets back and played the general generally… [May 27] deserters…. tell a hard tale -- say they only get one meal per day. One that come in at one part of the line said all but three of the leading officers were in favor of surrendering, that they could not hold our many days more…. [May 31] The revels begin to show their strait for eatables, are sending all the darkies out where they can get something to eat. The contrabands say that the secesh only get one fourth pound of meal with some beef for a days ration per man, also that they are becoming so dissatisfied that one reg. has to force another into the rifle pits…. [June 1] They are still in this morning. They say every one has a den in the ground to hide in while we are shelling them -- that only one woman and a little girl has been killed so far by our shells… [June 2] Gen. Grant…. He proceeded straight to the rifle pits -- took one of the boys guns and shot a couple of rounds at the secesh pickets. Asked him a good many questions and came back to the reserve. He then went across the open ground to our left to the bluff. Appeared to be afraid that the rebels would slip out at our left and get away from him. Seeing a good many loose mules on our ground he wanted to know what it meant. When he found they were secesh miles and in the habit of grazing and passing through our lines at pleasure, he helped drive them to the rear and gave orders for none to be allowed to go into the rebel lines with the remark that the time was coming that the rebels would eat their mules… [June 14]. When the city finally fell on July 4, Backus mentions seeing a Vicksburg newspaper printed on the commonest kind of wall paper and small at that and that tells of some six or eight women being wounded the day previous (29th June /63).
Moving on to Jackson, marching hard on green corn and hardtack, Backus describes taking souvenirs (i.e. looting) and dodging torpedoes left to kill union soldiers, ineffectively. It looks like there would not be a house left of town for there is a fire burning nearly all the time. There is a great many of Johnston’s men deserting and coming back to us. A citizen told me that the rebels left town pell mell… The rebels appear to go on the plan of killing all the Yankees they can but so far the citizens have got the worst of it.
After a furlough in August where he found a goodly number of Copperheads blooming at home, Backus spent the winter at Vicksburg and then joined in the Meridian Campaign under Sherman, a sort of dry run for the March to the Sea, at least in a way: The whole country was on fire apparently for houses, fences and fields were burning in every direction… we went south the Raymond Road and followed it to the rebel breastworks around Jackson which were already in our hands as a negro told us they would be last night. The rebels were kept in our front so well that another force beat them getting to Jackson and so they took the side track around us and are now at safe distance… Jackson is being burnt or at least what we left last summer is being burnt (Feb. 6, 1864). He includes other fine descriptions of the relentless Meridian Campaign, graced with casual references to the “natural toughs” in every regiment and the unconcerned burning, looting. This is the eleventh day on the march and not a word can we hear from anyone but rebels for as soon as the rear guard crossed Big Black we shook hands with the world and will not open communication again until till we finish the work laid out for us to do… (Feb 13, 1864).
As the regiment's veterans moved on to Atlanta, Backus served out the remainder of his time until June, having refused to reenlist. When he arrived home, he wrote a final entry: I have soldiered thirty seven months in my three years and am of no manner account for work, so I shall try and get along without doing any of it. This will be my last writing in the way of keeping a journal.
Backus numbered his diaries, and unfortunately, number two (covering March-Dec. 1862 and the Battle of Shiloh and Siege of Corinth) is absent. The seven that remain show some of the wear one would expect, but are handsome examples of the genre. An extensive set documenting nearly the complete military career of a quixotic soldier who mixes dedication with rumbling and grumbling.
Condition:
Auction Location:
6270 Este Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio, 45232, United States
Previewing Details:
Tuesday, June 23, 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday, June 24 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Taxes:
| Tax | Rate | Desc. |
| Ohio |
5.5% |
Ohio State Tax |
Buyer's Premiums:
| From (Incl.) | To (Excl.) | Premium |
| 0.00 |
Infinite |
17.5% |
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