Saturday, 30th–The Eleventh Iowa was mustered today for pay. The regiment numbers about six hundred men present for duty, and but few are absent on account of sickness. General McPherson is having his entire corps (the Seventeenth) armed with new Springfield rifles, and our regiment today turned over to the quartermaster the Enfield rifles and [...]
Friday, 29th–It is quite cool and cloudy, with some rain this afternoon. The Ohio river is rising fast. The veterans keep arriving daily at Cairo. The Seventeenth Army Corps is being reorganized as fast as possible and sent up the Tennessee river and landed at Clifton, and is then to march across to Huntsville, Alabama. [...]
Thursday, 28th–It is cloudy and misty, and suffocating smoke is settling over our camp at times—and there is no end of mud. There is no news of any importance and we lay in camp all day, with no drill or dress parade. We are expecting orders to board the transports for Huntsville, Alabama. I went [...]
Wednesday, 27th–It rained all day and there is no end of mud in our camp, which is on very low ground. Cairo is improving very fast, a great many buildings having been erected since this war broke out. The veterans still keep coming in on every train; the Eighth Iowa arrived today. About two thousand [...]
Tuesday, 26th–We stopped at Centralia this morning for breakfast, and arrived at Cairo about 5 o’clock in the evening. Our regiment received new tents, and marching up the Ohio, we went with our non-veteran comrades into camp just above Cairo. There are about twenty thousand troops in camp at this place, and a large expedition [...]
Monday, 25th–And still it is raining! Reveille sounded at 5 o’clock this morning and we strapped on our knapsacks and all accouterments, and at 7 o’clock marched to the station, where we boarded the cars and started for Cairo. We bade old Iowa farewell, perhaps never to return, for in the course of the coming [...]
Sunday, 24th–It is raining again—there is nothing but rain and mud. Company B is now in camp and we received our pay today, including $50.00 of the new bounty. I got $63.00 in all. We received orders to be ready to move in the morning at 6 o’clock, and go to Cairo, Illinois. It rained [...]
Saturday, 23d–Company E reported for duty this morning, and in addition ten recruits. Our regiment has more than one hundred recruits. We signed the pay rolls this forenoon, and were expecting to receive our pay, one month’s, but as Company B has not yet arrived in camp, the paymaster withheld the pay. I swapped watches [...]
Friday, 22d–I started with Uncle John this morning for Davenport, but one of his neighbors, Mr. Lathrop, soon overtook us and as he had to go to town anyway, I rode with him and Uncle John returned home. I reached Davenport by noon and went to the Davis House for my dinner, after which I [...]
Thursday, 21st–This is a warm, pleasant day and I bade farewell to my home folks and friends and started back to the army, my thirty-day furlough being almost up. I went on horseback, brother John going along as far as Allen’s Grove, to Uncle John Moore’s to remain over night, while John returned home, taking [...]
Wednesday, 20th–I remained at Mr. Sparks’s over night and coming home this morning stopped at the postoffice. I got a letter from Thomas R. McConnoll, my bunk-mate and one of the non-veterans whom I left at Vicksburg. The non-veterans are all at Cairo now awaiting our return.
Tuesday, 19th–I attended a party last night at Mr. Ray’s and did not get home till daylight this morning. William Green and Jeremiah Argo came home with me for breakfast and left for Camp McClellan. Green is one of the veterans of Company E and Argo is a recruit for the same. The weather is [...]
Monday 18th–I stayed at home all day. Father finished sowing his wheat today. John D. Moore with Henry Clark left this morning for Davenport to go into Camp McClellan—Clark is a veteran of my company, while John is a recruit for the company. Jason Sparks could not go with them on account of having the [...]
Sunday, 17th–It is cloudy and quite cool. There was some rain today, but toward evening it cleared off and became quite pleasant. I attended church at the Sparks schoolhouse, where the few members of the Christian church in this settlement have organized a church. They have prayer meeting and communion every Sunday at 10 o’clock, [...]
Saturday, 16th–It is clear and quite cool today. My brother John and I went up to Tipton this morning. Things are pretty lively in town; but there are not many of the veterans in today. I went to the harness shop and bought a saddle as a present to father. I called on Mrs. Willey, [...]
Friday, 15th–It is cloudy and quite cool. I harrowed all day, and I think that it is the last day’s work that I shall do on the farm for some time, unless this cruel war soon comes to a close. There are two families in this locality who are Copperheads and opposed to the war. [...]
Thursday, 14th–Another cloudy, disagreeable day! I drilled in wheat all day and Kelley did the harrowing. The boys with the measles are getting along fine and will be well in a few days if they don’t take cold.
Wednesday, 13th–It is cloudy and very cool. I helped father put in his wheat today, harrowing all forenoon and drilling in wheat in the afternoon. James Kelley, a soldier of the neighborhood, home on a furlough, came over to help me out for a few days.
Tuesday, 12th –It rained almost the whole day; it does look as if it would never quit raining. I gave father $110.00 today, to keep for me until I return from the war. That makes $360.00 altogether that I have placed in his hands to put out on interest till I return. There is nothing [...]
Monday, 11th–It was rainy all day, but I went to farming this morning for the first time for nearly three years. As the boys are all sick and as it is impossible for father to hire help even for a few days, I made up my mind that it was my duty to help father [...]
Sunday, 10th–It is still raining; there appears to be nothing but rain, rain! I went to meeting again this morning, and accompanied Mr. Sparks home for dinner. Jason Sparks is going to enlist and return with us to the front. In the afternoon we all went to attend meeting at the Inland schoolhouse, but the [...]
Saturday, 9th–It is cool and quite pleasant. I stayed at home all day and did some writing (brought my army diary up to date). The farmers are still lying by waiting for the weather and the ground to get fit for seeding. There is no news of any importance from the army.
Friday, 8th–Another wet day and I stayed at home all day. It is so lonesome that I almost wish I was back in the army; although if I did not have to go back, I could enjoy myself a great deal better. May God hasten the day when this cruel war will be fought to [...]
Thursday, 7th–It rained all day, and I remained at home. As the boys are all down with the measles, I am helping father with the farm work between showers.
Wednesday, 6th–I went to Tipton to attend the celebration of the 6th of April, the day on which two years ago we fought the battle of Shiloh. I went with a team, taking a load of the young people of the community with me. The roads were awfully muddy and once we stuck in the [...]