20th. Off early. Every morning and noon have to wait for somebody. Considerable sport. Took dinner after passing the Hiawasse, where they had a rail-mauling, quilting and dance last night. Most of the country turned out. Good deal of smallpox scattered through the country. People alarmed. Put up with some poor Union people. Slept in [...]
19th. Early start. Water rough. Gave up canoe. Stopped for dinner. Put up 12 miles from Hiawasse. Mr. Georges, poor man, but rebel. Rebel girl. Member of church, chews, smokes and dips and drinks poor whiskey.
18th. Rainy. Passed White Creek Shoals in the morning as Regt. came up. Let several boys in flatboat. Many boys on the river. Gay times. Stopped at Mr. Brown’s–rebel. Good accommodations. Snow.
17th. Found a dugout at noon. Rol and I went ahead and engaged dinner. Pulled on in P. M. Ab and I in canoe. Stayed over night at a Union man’s. Courtship scene. None of Tenn., her women, institutions and privileges for me.
16th. Went down with Smith and Bob for dinner. Failed. Good supper at the hotel. Started down the river at dark–in pontoon. Smith, Sheldon, Stopper, Rol. Morgan, Ab Cole, Nash, Geo. Hart, etc. Went down three miles and put up at log barn–fire.
15th. On soon after daylight. Meal and coffee for breakfast. Raised a little blood. Hard work. Meat and salt. No prospect of boat. I am played out.
14th. Little to do. No boat. Marched at 2 P. M. for Kingston–6 miles–and camped. Dr. Noble and I bunked together.
13th. Rations of flour. Up early. Many officers at Chamberlain’s. Off on the cars at 9:30. Gen. Foster on board–don’t like his style. Loudon at 2 P. M. Went to barracks. (30 days’ “veteran furlough” for those of the 2nd O. V. C. who re-enlisted.)
12th. Went to Hospitals with Dr. Smith to see sick. 2nd O. V. C. hospitals in wretched condition. Saw Joshua–sick–and fixed papers. Part of regt. came down.
11th. Several boys not inclined to go home. Assigned to 7th O. V. C. Thomas, Peck, Kearn, Beach, Montgomery, Bentley, Rutzel. Good boys, sorry. Relieved Hamlin. Went to Knoxville to fix papers. Slept with Avery on floor at Charley’s.
10th. Packed up and moved to regt. Boys got their things ready to turn over. Hines inspected property.
9th. Busy on company papers. Helped Davis. Still very cold. Got June to take Jennie[1] to Maj. N. Rode my Spike. No trouble. [1] The “Jennie” referred to was Jennie Green, a bright and comely mulatto slave girl of fifteen, who was owned by Dr. Peck who lived near Knoxville, Tenn., and who begged Major [...]
8th. Lt. David relieved me. Went to company and returned. All busy at work. Got permission to remain at Dr. Peck’s till Sunday. Rode back very fast.
7th. Regt. passed by to Strawberry Plains to turn over horses and equipments. Saw Col. Garrard and got his photo. Bade him goodbye. Gave me a compliment. Got relieved. Saw Miner–full of bombast and gas.
6th. About quarters most of the day. Read in “Autocrat of the Breakfast Table.” Cold. Evening Dan and I went to Regt. Good time. Lost sugar. Back late. Little “taffy” and to bed.
5th. Last day for re-enlistment. Most of the boys in favor. N. telegraphs that proposition has been accepted and regt. will be ordered home within fifteen days. Boys all excitement.
4th. Enlistment question all the go. Maj. Nettleton gone to Knoxville with proposition and application.
3rd. Ordered to fall back to McCook at daylight in anticipation of a fight. Went to Dr. Peck’s. Sent up beef and meal. Went to New Market in P. M. Got receipts and invoices. Let Spike go at 2:40 on a trot. Good chat with the boys around the fire.
2nd. Cold, disagreeable day. Letters from home and Fannie, 1st of Jan. Both happy and sad. Made a fool of myself talking to old Brown at Hdqrs. Wrote to Fannie.
2nd. Still cold as Greenland. Spent most of the day at the white house. What a splendid day to attack the enemy were our infantry on hand. Wrote letters home, to Fannie and Ella.
1st. Happy New Year! Gay and festive. Frozen and just starving. Re-enlistment question presented to the boys. Three from the 2nd Ohio. Took dinner at hdqrs., at white house. Cabbage and beef and mutton. Had a chat with the people. All have suffered badly. Even underclothes taken during the late fights by rebs, also wheat [...]
31st. Looked for rations all day. Read some in Harper’s. In evening Lt. Baird and I rode to Mossy Creek in search of rations and to make an effort to procure a mill. Put up a tent fly in the P. M. Rained till 12 P. M. and then turned awfully cold and blew a [...]
30th. Slept by a big fire last night–very comfortable. Regiments saddled ready for a fight. Sent Lewis back to S. Plains for rations. Had some beef driven up and killed. Boys would have suffered had they not been fortunate in getting from the country.
29th. At 2:30 A. M. got orders to march to Mossy Creek. Marched at 3. Waited at the creek till nearly daylight, quite cool. Went into a house and warmed. Woodford’s and part of McCook’s divisions went with Foster’s to Dandridge. Found no enemy and returned to Mossy Creek. Stopped to feed. Heard cannonading and [...]
28th. Dried our clothes and got breakfast. Col. Purington came and reported under arrest for disrespectful language to Gen. Potter. Read a little in “Scottish Chiefs” and Independent. Good article on a visit to Oberlin. Lay about the fire until night. About 7 P. M. got an order to report to Col. Foster and then [...]