Rained last night & thought myself quite fortunate in
having procured enough pieces of Reb tents to make a tent large enough to hold
Temp & I, we having no tents they being with the teams none of which were
brought over I went out after breakfast although the rain was still falling to
see fort Sdney Jonston. just finished, a work that 100 men could have held
against 1,000 with ease the more I see of the works the more I am glad we did
not have to charge them for it would have been attended with great slaughtr. I
wished to visit the city but no one was permitted to go. I visited the cemetery
where I saw the graves of about 60 men killed in Spanish fort. Some splendid
marble mouments, the grond is all laid out in small lots these fenced & the
whole enclosure a beautiful flower garden, the graves ornamented with some of
the most beautiful shells I ever saw, I returned to camp at 11. at which time unexpectedly
to all the Genl was blown the whole Div moved out. The men had without leave
gone to the city so that I had but 14 men when we fell in, did not know where
we were to go marched through town in platoons, colors flying music playing
many remarks made by the by standers about our no's Streets full of negros
& Creoles, saw thousands of bales of cotton marched through Royal St. the
whits did not show themselves much, two Brigs of the Div take the wagon (road,
an Brig take the R. R. track march out to the 6 mile staton, 2 ½ mile Citizen
rides up says off to the left is a squad of Reb. cav. Col Krez goes to rear, to
see about, thinks there are bout 25 same cit says we will find more at the
station at Whistler where the R. R. shops are. When we approach, the other
Brigs are arriving. See them unslingin knap sacks & double quicken to .the
front. Our Brig ordered to do the same. Some sharp skirmishes in front. &
can see the bridge at 8 mile creek burning, they were destroying the work shops
when our men come up. The Reb run & co G. & B. of 33d & a co of
28th Wis were sent back immediately to a bridge across Black Creek just 2 mile
from town to guard it. we marched back reaching it about 5 P. M. on the march
back met most of my runaway boys. coming up. Several negros come in from the
Rebs & report their force at 700 cav & 1 pieces of Artilery. All quiet
in the front Rumors. — That Lee has surrendered his army to Grant & with it
the Southern confederacy.—A salute of 100 guns was fired in Mobile Bay at 9. A.
M. in honor of the fall of the city.
SOURCE: “Diary of John S. Morgan, Company G, 33rd Iowa
Infantry,” Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 13, No. 8, April 1923,
p. 590-1
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