The Rebels have left the railroad after being whipped by
General Corse at Allatoona Pass. The 14th Corps drove them out to Lost Mountain
yesterday. No hard fighting. They tore up not more than eight miles of
railroad, which will be rebuilt in a very few days.
Deserters report the whole Rebel Army here, but that the ten
days' rations they started with have run out. Other deserters say that their
army has started for Nashville, Huntsville, or hell; that they are satisfied
they can't make either of the first named places, and would rather go to
Sherman than the last named. It is wonderful what confidence this army has in
Sherman. Every man seems to think the idea of these Rebels being able to do us
any permanent harm is perfectly preposterous, and all are in the best of
spirits. I can't help thinking that the Rebels must have all cleared out of
this vicinity, or else we'd be going for them. Our stock is in too bad
condition to follow them far over the, at present, horrible roads. A man rode
along on a poor old bone-rack of a horse a while ago. Some wag commenced,
“caw,” “caw,” “caw.” The whole camp took it up and for five minutes you would
have thought that 10,000 crows were holding a jubilee. Let some one start a
squirrel or rabbit and 500 men will be after it in a minute. Old soldiers are
just a lot of men with school-boy spirits.
Officers don't draw meat like the men. I have just had two
meals of beef (and no other meat) in the last ten days. All our officers are
the same way. It is mostly our own fault.
SOURCE: Charles Wright Wills, Army Life of an Illinois Soldier,
p. 306-7
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