Near Point Pleasant, Mo., March 18, '62.
You see we are creeping along down the river surely if the
motions are a little slow. This is about 12 miles below Madrid and said to be
75 or 80 below Cairo. It is said that the Rebels have between a dozen and 20
steamboats above here, and I think the object in occupying this point and
planting artillery here is to make the assurances we have of catching them,
doubly sure, for the river is considerably less in width here than where our
guns are at and near Madrid. We received orders to march about sunset last
night and started at tattoo. 'Twas a beautiful ride. The road lay for nearly
the whole distance right along the river bank. 'Twas warm enough without
overcoat or gloves and Commander Foote added to the interest of the ride by his
sleep-disturbing music up at Island 10. The river makes a horseshoe bend here
and Island 10 lays almost directly east of here across the peninsula. The neck
is very flat, and we could plainly see the flash of every gun and see the bombs
burst in the air when more than 20 or 30 yards from the ground. The roar of the
13 and 16-inch mortars is truly terrific. There was no difficulty in distinguishing
their reports from the cannons. The evidences of an earthquake having performed
in this country are visible when pointed out. The natives will show you a swamp
and say that was once inhabitable, and then they'll point out sand ridge about
four feet nearer heaven (the surface of course)! and say that was a swamp.
Well, we arrived here: at 2 o'clock last night and moved nearly two miles back
from the river to be out of range of a battery the enemy have planted on the
opposite shore. This two miles, after deducting about 300 yards where the road
runs through the little town, was a swamp of mud and water to the horses'
bellies. I noticed our flag flying On the river bank over an inverted Rebel
rag. The flag staff was in front of a store that had received three cannon
shots from the Rebels in their efforts to cut down our flag. Nearly every house
in town has had one or more doses of heavy iron and several have been burned by
shells: General Palmer is five miles below here with his brigade, He was lucky
enough yesterday to disable two Rebel gunboats out of three that attacked him.
I am very anxious to get out of this country and into Tennessee if possible, or
if we have to stay on this side, enough below the swamps to make it a little
more pleasant. That ride of last night was delicious. The order was to march
without any unnecessary noise, and after 10:30 (it was 2 when we got here), the
boys were all perfectly quiet, many of them asleep, and I believe I enjoyed
myself better than I ever did before m my life Can’t begin to tell you precisely why, except there might
have been some air-castle building, but 'twas very pleasant. I hear to-night
that Island 10 was evacuated last night. Think maybe Foote has his hands
full up there, and doubt the evacuation idea some. Gracious how it rained last
night, commenced just after we got here,
with some awful heavy thunder and don't know how long it lasted. 'Twas raining
to kill when I went to sleep. We had no tents with us and every fellow provided
for himself. I Went to bed with a lot of bacon and a barrel under a tent fly
and slept a la log. To-day it has been real warm. Shirt sleeves and shade were
in requisition. Well I’ll write you a little every day until I can send letters.
SOURCE: Charles Wright Wills, Army Life of an
Illinois Soldier, p. 69-71
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