Sunday, 18th–Bright sunshine, with cold northwest wind blowing. We struck our tents early this morning, loaded the wagons, and started for the river. Upon reaching the city commons, on a high bluff overlooking the landing, we stacked arms and remained there in the mud all day. About dark we were ordered to go aboard the [...]
Saturday, 17th–It was cold and stormy all day. I spent the day down in the city, and bought a few more necessary articles—spent $1.25. Five hundred rebel prisoners passed up the river today, being taken to a Northern prison. This evening we got orders to be ready to leave.
Friday, 16th–The snow continued today with a high wind. I loaned Lieutenant Spencer $15.00.[1] I went to the city today to purchase some supplies, spending in all $1.00. This evening we received our long-looked-for knapsacks with our extra underwear, which was quite welcome. Those of us who were not fortunate enough to secure extra underclothes [...]
Thursday, 15th–It turned cold during the night and the rain of yesterday turned into snow which continued all day. Our camp is in a frightful condition, there being six inches of snow on mud a foot deep. Half the men of the Sixth Division go into town over night. The Eleventh Iowa received two months’ [...]
Wednesday, 14th–It rained all night and much of the day. Our tents failed to turn the water, as the strong wind blowing literally drove the rain through the canvas, making it as wet where we lay as on the outside. There is no hay or straw to lie on at night and no lumber to [...]
Tuesday, 13th–We left bivouac this morning at 6 o’clock and moved on to within a mile of Memphis, where we went into camp. The day was cloudy, threatening rain, and by evening had turned quite cool, with a high wind blowing. The ground being very rough here, the setting up of our tents was pretty [...]
Monday, 12th–We struck tent early this morning and at 8 o’clock took up the line of march, the entire Sixth Division being on the road bound for Memphis. Companies E and K are on rear guard. The day being fairly warm and quite pleasant, we covered twenty miles without incident, and bivouacked for the night [...]
Sunday, 11th–We received orders to be ready to march early in the morning for Memphis. The report in camp is that we are to go on down the Mississippi river. The Fourth Brigade of the Third Division came in at 5 o’clock in the evening and relieved our brigade. A detail from the Eighty-first Illinois [...]
Saturday, 10th–Two trains loaded with provisions came through on the railroad from Memphis, and we drew five days’ full rations. This was the first time that we drew full rations in forty days, but we have no way of drawing extra clothing, and our knapsacks in storage again failed to come today. The First Brigade [...]
Friday, 9th–It is reported in camp that we are soon to go to Memphis for duty. Several cases of smallpox have broken out in the camp of the Sixteenth Iowa Regiment. All who had not been vaccinated before had to take their medicine. The country along the Charleston & Memphis Railroad from Memphis to Iuka, [...]
Thursday, 8th–Although it is now quite warm, we are still waiting for our knapsacks containing our underwear which were stored at La Grange, but we were again disappointed in not getting them today as expected. Our boys have never been so bent on foraging as they have since going into camp here. Last night a [...]
Wednesday, 7th–The quartermaster placed a strong guard around the corral where the provision wagons were parked last night. But some of the boys of my company and of Company K were determined to have something to eat without waiting on the slowly-moving formalities. They slipped through the guard line in the night to the wagons [...]
Tuesday, 6th–We received a large mail today, coming through from Memphis, and it is quite jolly in camp. Besides this, our teams returned from Memphis with loads of provisions, and we hope soon to have something more to eat. A report was circulated in camp today that peace had been declared, but no one takes [...]
Monday, 5th–A report came to camp that the forces under Sherman made an unsuccessful attack upon Vicksburg.[1] We are shut out of communications now as well as of provisions; we have had no mail for a month. [1] They failed because of the strong fortifications and the fact that Grant failed to make his attack [...]
Sunday, 4th–I was on picket again today. A work train came in from Memphis, and four trains passed through going to Memphis; but none of them brought provisions, and as our provisions are so low, the division quartermaster sent all the teams to Memphis to bring provisions.
Saturday, 3d–A work train came in from Corinth today, and troops are coming in from the front. It is said they are bound for Memphis where they will take transports down the river, to go into camp just above Vicksburg. The Fifteenth Iowa left camp here and took up quarters down in Lafayette.
Friday, 2d–We are now on less than half rations and the outlook for anything better in the next few days is not good, although a train was expected to come through from Memphis today.[1] The railroad east and west from us has been torn up; the rebel cavalry seem to be able to destroy it [...]
Thursday, 1st–We have become somewhat indifferent about keeping our camp in the best possible order, for we have been disappointed so often in soon having to leave a camp which we took pains to build. We have, however, fairly good bunks in our tents, made of brush and leaves. Our duties are very laborious here, [...]
Wednesday, 31st–We left our bivouac at 6 a. m. and entered the town of Moscow at 7 and were then ordered to move to Lafayette, Tennessee, on the Memphis & Charleston Railroad thirty-five miles east of Memphis, where we are to guard the railroad. The town is located on the Wolf river and is surrounded [...]
Tuesday, 30th–We struck our tents and started at 10 a. m. We reached Coldwater by noon and stopped for our mess. Our colonel must have been cold and in a hurry, for he gave the order, “Front right dress! Stack arms! Break ranks! Get rails and build fires! G– D–!” It amused the boys and [...]
Monday, 29th–We had company drill this morning and received orders to be ready to march in the morning. We have been at Holly Springs nine days now, and the town is almost deserted.[1] [1] When we passed through Holly Springs going south, the town looked very pretty, and no property was destroyed. But when the [...]
Sunday, 28th–The weather is quite cool. We are pretty hard on clothes in the army. My bill for clothes up to this time is as follows: One overcoat, $7.20; two dress coats, $13.42; four pair pants, $12.12; two pair double woolen blankets, $5.12; three pair drawers, $1.50; two pair shoes, $3.12; three woolen shirts, $2.64; [...]
Saturday, 27th–Nothing of importance.[1] [1] The days of the latter half of the month of December were the darkest we had seen up to that time and, as it proved, they were the darkest days of the entire Union army during the whole four years of war. Our armies, all along the line, East and [...]
Friday, 26th–The Fourth Division commanded by General Logan passed here today on their way to Memphis. Nearly all of the troops which started on the expedition south have now returned.
Thursday, 25th–General Rosecrans’s division passed here today on their way to Memphis. This is rather a gloomy, dry Christmas. We are still on half rations. But in spite of it, the boys are all enjoying themselves. They are taking everything that they can lay their hands on, carrying to their tents couches, rockers, chairs, tables, [...]