Today’s update is, in contrast to yesterday’s, short. This is not due to a shortage of news, but rather a shortage of newspapers. It being Sunday, only one newspaper was slated to be published, and while one other put out an extra, that seems to have been lost to history.
Sunday, July 10, 1864 must have been a nerve-wracking day. The previous day’s newspapers had left very little hope, and while it was not certain that Washington was the target, there was also much to indicate that it was indeed where Early and his troops were headed. Imagine, thus, the frustration of the citizens to awake to – no news. Only the Washington Evening Star published on Sundays, and while the Morning Chronicle did publish an extra edition, it was the Star that the citizens of D.C. eagerly awaited.
Presumably, by now they had learned to ignore the front page, which contained the stale – and incorrect – news from two days ago that the rebels have been driven from Frederick. Also of little interest, presumably, was the “Concert of Sacred Music” at that was to be performed at Ford’s New Theater for that evening.
Inside, there was finally some real news, in the form of an official war bulletin signed by Secretary of War Stanton. Headlined “Official Gazette” and nominally addressed to Major General John Adams Dix in New York, it stated
An official report from Major General Wallace just received states that a battle took place between the forces under his command and the rebel forces at Monocacy to-day. Commencing at 9 o’clock a.m. and continuing until 5 o’clock p.m.; that our forces were at length overpowered by the superior numbers of the enemy, and were forced to retire in disorder.”
He reports that Colonel Seward, of the New York artillery, was wounded and taken prisoner and that Brigadier General Tyler was also taken Prisoner: that the enemy is at least 20,000 strong; that our troops behaved well, but suffered severe loss. He is retreating to Baltimore.
In the whole week, this is the only time that an official letter is published in any newspaper; they semed to prefer word-of-mouth – and poorly sourced word-of-mouth at that.
Under “The Very Latest” the first indication that they might be headed to D.C.: Datelined at midnight of the previous day, it stated “We are satisfied from information just received, that up to this forenoon the rebels had made no movement indicative of the purpose of following Gen. Wallace in the direction of Baltimore.
Confederate General Jubal Early and Union General Horatio Wright of the VI Corps. (LOC)
“It is the belief in his command, we hear, that they purpose to come in this direction.”
The article continues that there are plenty of troops in D.C., that they are already mustering to take on the enemy. How much the troops thus mustered could, in fact, effect the outcome of the battle is unclear; certainly there was much ink spilled in having this regiment muster here at this time, but these notices continued to run until well after Early had departed, leading skeptical minds to discount their efficacy entirely.
Then “If the impression that the rebel force that fought at Monocacy yesterday marched this forenoon in this direction be correct, we shall hear to-night of their cavalry being about our fortifications, and to-morrow of the appearance of their infantry in the same quarter.” Not exactly words to soothe the reader.
Furthermore, there is no mention of the fact that the Union VI Corps was indeed on its way even as they read these news. In fact, there was a desperate race on between the Union troops racing north, and the Confederate troops heading south. While the military commanders fretted about who would win this race, the citizens of the city that was the finish line for this race did not even know whether they were a target or not.