Goldsboro, N. C., March 25, 1864. We were two days coming back here from Bennettsville; and have Sherman’s receipt for another campaign and his promise of a little rest. Have a nice camp ground and will enjoy ourselves, I think.
Scottsboro, Ala, March 24, 1864. Two months and twenty-four days without changing camp; which is the longest time our tents have covered one piece of ground since we organized. We have marched, though, some 35 days during this time, and some such marching. Whew! I think I never suffered on a march as I did [...]
Scottsboro, Ala., March 20, 1864. What under the sun can I tell you that will interest you. That it is intolerably dull, bah! Have just had a long visit from Lieutenant Colonel Wright, now army assistant inspector general of the division, and Lieutenant Van Dyke, A. D. C., to our new commander, General Harrow. The [...]
Scottsboro, Ala., March 15, 1864. I am again on court martial duty, with a prospect of a long siege; but we have an experienced President and a Judge Advocate who promises to be a fast worker; so we may get through quicker than we anticipated. The President, Colonel Heath, 100th Indiana, is a Bob Ingersoll [...]
Scottsboro, Ala., March 12, 1864. I have been tremendously demoralized for nearly a month in consequence of a terrible cold I caught by some of my carelessness, I suppose, but am now coming out of it all right. Weather is most beautiful. Not too much duty, excellent camp, remarkably good health, and everything so near [...]
Scottsboro, Ala., March 6, 1864. By marching 21 miles on the railroad ties we reached “home” yesterday, after an absence of 24 days, in which we traveled 280 miles. Altogether it was a very pleasant trip, although the first 10 nights were almost too cold for outdoor sleeping. I kept a “sort” of a diary [...]
Scottsboro, Ala., February 7, 1864. This has indeed been a day of rest. More like a home Sabbath, than the Lord’s day often seems, here in the “show business.” None of my company have been on duty, and as the day has been bright and warm, the men have been nearly all out in front [...]
Scottsboro, Ala., January 9, 1864. We have settled down into fully as monotonous a monotony, as I ever experienced. The powers pretend that the army is tired down and needs rest, so duty is very light, no drills ordered; no scouting and no nothing, but a first-class preparation to have a tremendous sick list in [...]
Scottsboro, Ala., January 5, 1864. Your brother no longer represents the Festive Mamaluke, but has returned from his paradise of fresh pork, cornbread, honey, milk, and horse, to his original heavy infantry exercise, his nix-Grahamite diet of army rations, to that headquarters of red-tapeism, a “permanent camp,” in short, to the elysium of the enlisted [...]
Near Larkinsville, Ala., December 29, 1863. We have had some busy times since my last. Foraging for horses, looking for something to eat, and trying to obey a host of contradictory orders, has kept us in the saddle almost constantly. I believe I wrote you about Dorrance’s going over to Elk river, Tenn. for horses [...]
Greasy Cove, Jackson Co., Ala., December 19, 1863. On examination of my pockets this morning, I find a letter I wrote you a week since. Will mail it this morning and tell you the late news in another dispatch. You notice we have again changed our camp, and you’ll probably admire the classic names they [...]
Bivouac in Mud Creek Cove, near Belle Fonte, Ala., December 11, 1863. Without any earthly cause I am troubled with a small fit of the blues this evening. I can’t imagine what brought it on. I am cross, restless and tired. Don’t want any company—wouldn’t go to see a girl if there were a thousand [...]
Mud Creek Cove, Jackson County, Ala. December 8, 1863. I was at Stevenson yesterday and put a letter in the office for you, but with my accustomed shrewdness failed to either stamp or frank it. It graphically described the gallant exploits of the detachment I have the honer to command during the past three weeks, [...]
Winchester, Tenn., November 11, 1863. We arrived here at 9 this a.m., our brigade making the distance from Salem, 11 miles, in three hours. That, we call fast walking. I wrote you last from Florence., Ala., on the 1st inst. From there we marched to Rodgersville and thence up the right bank of Elk river [...]
Florence, Ala., November 1, 1863. We struck tents on the 27th ult. at Iuka, Miss., and marched to Eastport, eight miles, that night. We had in our division some 200 wagons, all of which with 1,200 horses and mules were to be crossed in a barge over the Tennessee river. I received a complimentary detail [...]
Iuka, Miss., October 26, 1863. Let your pocket ‘kerchief float out on the breeze, halloo a little and throw up your bonnet. It’s only a “march at 12 o’clock to-night” but that’s good enough. We’ve been here a week now, drawing clothing and making all kinds of preparations for a “forward,” and the blessed word [...]
Iuka, Miss., October 21, 1863. We reached here the evening of the 18th inst., and I have been on extra heavy fatigue nearly ever since our arrival. We worked all night first night loading wagon trains and unloading cars. We were doing the work of another division, but, such is war. The impression is that [...]
Memphis, Tenn., October 10, 1863, 4 p.m. Have just got here; bored to death. Had to march around three sandbars between Helena and Memphis. Never want to see a steamboat again. Never want to journalize again. We started at 5 in the morning for Corinth and then, maybe, for Rosecrans. I’ll be furiously glad to [...]
October 4, 1863. Have been over to Worthington’s again to-day. Sam got out his hounds and started a deer for us. We stationed ourselves in the runway, but although the deer came near us two or three times in his circling, the dogs didn’t push him hard enough to make him break for distant cover. [...]
Griffin’s Landing, October 3, 1863. To-day one of the pilots and engineers induced the colonel and me go with them over to the Arkansas side. We went over in the yawl, and after a walk of three miles came to a most delightful place owned by Worthington. His son and daughter, bright quadroons, did the [...]
October 2, 1863. Our foraging party brought in forty mules, fifty cattle, beef, twenty-one hogs and thirty sheep. They report a beautiful, rich country, and abundance of eatables within five miles of the landing. Went with party of bee hunters in the p.m. They had found the tree in the forenoon. They took two bucketsful [...]
Griffin’s Landing, Miss., October 1, 1863. Clear as a bell this morning; about 8 a.m. we reached Griffin’s landing 125 miles above Vicksburg. Said Griffin has some 2,000 cords of wood ricked on his plantation, some 500 of which we propose to gobble for the use of our transportation. We found here a part of [...]
Steamboat Diana, 70 miles from Vicksburg, September 30, 1863. We left Vicksburg in advance of the rest of the fleet at 8 o’clock this a.m. I am officer of the day and have found a good deal to do. Our regiment and the 40th Illinois are both on board and we are somewhat crowded. Gen. [...]
Clear Creek, Miss., September 29, p.m. As we were studying tactics together, preparatory to a battalion drill, our brigade commander at precisely 2:15 p.m., came into the colonel’s tent where we were, asked the colonel if he was ready to move immediately. The colonel replied that he was, and he then told us to be [...]
September 28, 1863. By the exercise of a little strategy, this morning I caught a chameleon who had ventured out of a hollow tree to gobble some flies for his breakfast. I enveloped him or rather lassoed him with a pocket handkerchief and then slipped him into a bottle. He only showed two of his [...]