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

Thursday, 5th–Reveille sounded at 4 o’clock and by daylight we were on the boats. At 8 o’clock we started up the Tennessee river, our destination, we suppose, being Clifton, Tennessee. Our fleet consists of eleven transports and two gunboats, one of them in advance and the other taking the rear, so that if we should be attacked by light batteries from the bank, the gunboats would be ready for action and silence them. Then each transport has a squad of men with rifles in hand ready for action in case we should be fired upon by the guerrillas. The weather is pleasant and everything is working fine.