Tuesday, 13th–This is election day for the soldiers of Iowa, they having been given the right to vote while in the army. No one is permitted to electioneer for his favorite candidate and those who persisted in doing so were arrested and put in the guardhouse. General Tuttle, the commander of a division, is from [...]
Monday, 12th–We remained here in bivouac all day, and shall probably continue at this place several days. Our brigade was sent here to relieve the Third Brigade of General Tuttle’s expedition toward Jackson, Mississippi. It turned very warm today. It is raining this evening, and we have no tents in which to stay.
Sunday, 11th–We left this morning according to orders and marched fifteen miles, when we stopped to eat dinner. We then continued our march about five miles farther, and at 4 o’clock we reached the Black river bridge, just ten miles out from Vicksburg, thus making a circuit of twenty miles to reach this important point.
Saturday, 10th–The Thirteenth came in and the Eleventh again went out on picket this morning. I was relieved from camp guard after two days’ steady duty, and accompanied my regiment on picket. About dark our brigade received orders to be prepared to march at 6 in the morning, with one day’s rations in haversacks and [...]
Friday, 9th–The rebels have made no attempt at a raid into Vicksburg, but seem to be at their old trick of making our officers believe that they are in this vicinity in large force. Our officers, however, are on their guard, and are not to be caught napping. They continue a strong support of the [...]
Thursday, 8th–The Eleventh Iowa went out again on picket this morning, relieving the Thirteenth. I did not accompany the regiment, because I was on camp guard. The weather is quite cool and there is no news of any importance.
Wednesday, 7th–Six regiments were stationed at the different roads last night to reinforce the regular pickets. But the rebels did not make their appearance as it was reported they would. Our regiment was relieved at 10 o’clock this morning by the Thirteenth Iowa. We were struck by a fearful rain and windstorm last night.
Tuesday, 6th–Our brigade went into Vicksburg this afternoon at 2 o’clock to be in the review, together with the entire army at this place. We were reviewed by Major General U. S. Grant. The report in camp is that General Grant has been ordered by the War Department to report at Louisville, Kentucky. All are [...]
Monday, 5th–Everything is very quiet here, although as the health of the men is improving our duties become more laborious. Every regiment that can be taken from Vicksburg is being sent to reinforce the armies at other posts. General Sherman has been ordered to proceed to Chattanooga and thus all of the Fifteenth Army Corps [...]
Sunday, 4th–Our brigade was reviewed this morning at 7 o’clock by General McPherson, major-general commanding the seventeenth Army Corps. The pickets were not relieved until about noon, and so we missed the inspection. The boys are in camp today reading or writing letters.
Saturday, 3d–Orders have been issued to fortify Vicksburg so that a small force can hold the place against one five times the number; the fortifications are to be on the highest ground in the city. I was on duty at a picket post three miles below Vicksburg, on the east bank of the Mississippi. There [...]
Friday, 2d–The weather is quite cool for this time of year in the “Sunny South.” There is no news of any importance. Things are very quiet.
Thursday, 1st–We had brigade inspection this morning at 7 o’clock, by General McArthur. Colonel Hall of our regiment is in command. There were three regiments of infantry, one of cavalry and three batteries. In the afternoon I was on fatigue duty, and part of the time in a heavy rain; this is our third successive [...]
Wednesday, 30th–It rained all day. I was on fatigue, helping to clean up the review ground. We are to have general inspection in the next few days by General McArthur, our division commander, and General McPherson, corps commander. Our company is returning to its old-time form and numbers.
Tuesday, 29th–I came in from picket this morning in a rain which continued all day. We learned that a boat twenty miles up the river from Vicksburg, burned and sank last night in midstream, with a large number of lives lost. The boat was loaded with provisions for the army here at Vicksburg.
Monday, 28th–I went out on picket today, on the public highway from Vicksburg to Warrington. We have to maintain a heavy picket with strong reserve at all the public highways leading from this place.
Sunday, 27th–It continues quite warm and all is quiet. We had company inspection early this morning, after which those not on duty were free to go about, and I attended services at the Baptist church in the city. It seemed like home to attend a regular church service on a Sunday morning. This church building [...]
Saturday, 26th–There is still some shaking with the ague among the boys, but the health of our regiment is gaining slowly. We have no drill in camp at present, but we are on duty almost every day, our routine running as follows: Picket duty every other day, and the alternating days on fatigue duty either [...]
Friday, 25th–It is quite warm today. I was on fatigue duty, accompanying the quartermaster’s wagons into Vicksburg to draw supplies for the regiment. The bales of hay and sacks of corn taxed our strength in loading them. Some of the boys on furlough returned today.
Thursday, 24th–There is no news of importance. I have entirely recovered and am in good health again. Our regiment, as also the entire brigade, is slowly regaining its strength and increasing in number. The boys from the hospitals are taking their places and those on furlough are returning and bringing new recruits with them.
Wednesday, 23d–The weather is quite cool and the boys are beginning to fix up for winter by siding up the tents and building chimneys. There is some prospect of our brigade having to remain here for the winter. The Second Brigade of our division is still at Natchez. We are raising our tents and bunks [...]
Tuesday, 22d–Everything is very quiet. We learned that Alexander Ragan of Company E died at Benton Barracks, St. Louis, on the 9th of this month. His is the first death in our company since August 3, 1862, when Ebenezer McCullough died at Corinth, Mississippi, on that date.
Monday, 21st–Three companies were sent out on picket today. I was on camp guard today. It is reported that the battle south of Chattanooga is still in progress, and also that our gunboats are throwing shells into Charleston, South Carolina. We hear that there was a riot in Mobile, when six hundred women and children [...]
Sunday, 20th–We had dress parade this evening at 5 o’clock and important orders were read to the command. The first is, that our division is now to be known as the First Division of the Seventeenth Army Corps; second, that on a march we are to carry only nineteen pounds, and third, that we are [...]
Saturday, 19th–Company E went out on the picket line today. The nights are getting cooler and the middle of the day, though warm, is not so oppressive. Since our rainstorm it begins to look like autumn; the trees are beginning to turn various colors and the sun shining over the timbered hills in the late [...]