By
early 1862, the combination of Sneden's mapmaking skills and a desperate
demand for men with those abilities resulted a turning point in his army
career. At the beginning of the war, military authorities in the North,
as well as the South, had a critical need for maps. Few maps were available,
and many of them were obsolete or so inaccurate that military commanders
found them nearly worthless. One officer in Virginia complained that they
"knew no more about the topography of the country than they did about
Central Africa."
As a result of this deficiency, both Union and Confederate armies devoted
substantial manpower to producing maps suitable for military use. Soldiers
with any background in surveying and the making of maps were actively
sought. Once recruited and put to work at headquarters, army topographers
were given special treatment and allowed a fair degree of freedom to move
about and do their jobs. Private Sneden began making maps for his brigade
commander within days of arrival in camp. Soon after the beginning of
the new year, however, his services were demanded at an even higher level,
divisional headquarters. For the next two years, Sneden had an eye on
the war that few of his contemporaries ever did.
January 8, 1862
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I
went out on picket today with three companies of the 40th Regiment.
Roads were horrible slush and mud a foot deep. We waded and plunged
through it until we got to Olivet Church when we went through the
wood roads to the respective picket posts. At the Rebel commodore
French Forrest's house, I staid most of the time. The house was
being wantonly destroyed inside by our men. Ceilings had been punched
through and nearly all the furniture used for firewood including
handsome wardrobes, staircases, etc. The piano had been gutted and
stood on the outside of the house, being used for a horse bin to
feed cavalrymen's horses. I went then over to Stout's and up the
railroad track where some of the 1st New Jersey were passing on
picket duty near Edsall's hill. Several dead horses lay in the road
near Mount Olivet Church, showing that the enemy had driven our
cavalry outpost last night, two or three were wounded only. A dead
cavalryman has not been found yet so far on our picket lines, and
the saying is "Who ever saw a dead cavalryman?"
I visited an outpost at 9:30
p.m. with the relief guard and while returning one of the sentinels
let [his] musket drop which went off. This alarmed the reserve post
at Stout's farm house who scrambled out and made noise enough to
be heard half a mile away. The false alarm brought about sixty men
and muskets to intercept our return. And it was as much as good
luck would have it that they had not fired into us on meeting. If
there had been a fog, they would have done so without challenging.
The men and officers are very slack while on picket. They look upon
this duty as a sort of excursion in the woods, plunder is the main
object. And as most of the officers are tame and good natured the
men have pretty much their own way. Some officers return to camp
with their detachments before others have come to relieve the posts!
All because the new guard is an hour or so beyond the regular time.
They thus leave the gaps open long enough for the Rebel farmers
to pass out free.
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January 21, 1862
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.
. . On account of the muddy camp grounds no brigade drills have
been had for some time, dress parade, and inspections go on every
day as usual. There are many deaths every day in camp or hospital,
and funerals are numerous. Some of the men are sent home, where
they came from, others are buried in little patches of woods near
their camps. The cavalry are drilling constantly despite the mud.
Colonel Sir Percy Wyndham and Colonel Averill drill the cavalry
squadrons around these headquarters, as there is level ground.
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