Downing’s Civil War Diary.–Alexander G. Downing.

Wednesday, 29th–We passed a miserable night, for we had no tents and the ground was wet from yesterday’s rain; besides, the ground is so rough and hilly that we can hardly find a place big enough to camp on. Things dragged on slowly this morning, so I had a chance to run around some to view the fortifications. The rebels were strongly fortified, and had dug large caves under ground at the foot of the hills just off from the roadway to protect themselves from our shells. Troops are going aboard the transports, some down the river to reinforce General Banks at Port Hudson, and others north to aid General Dodge in Tennessee and northern Mississippi.