Reveille at four
o'clock; started on our march after a "hearty cup of coffee." Struck
inland and marched around Lake St. Joseph, through one of the most beautiful
countries I ever saw; the plantations large and residences elegant; one in
particular, Judge Bowie's, was one of the most elegant places in the South; the
flower garden eclipsed anything of the kind I ever saw. Most of the men had
bouquets stuck in their muskets. My horse had his head decorated with them.
This elegant place was in ruins by the time we got there. The house had been
burned, as were most of the residences around the lake, and all the cotton
gins. Most of the owners had fled and left their houses to the care of the
servants. I must say that the officers did what they could to prevent it, and
General Ransom halted the brigade and said he would have any of his command
severely punished if caught in the act of setting fire to any building, yet
while he was talking, flames burst forth from half a dozen houses. Marched
eighteen miles.
SOURCE: Joseph
Stockton, War Diary (1862-5) of Brevet Brigadier General Joseph
Stockton, pp. 13-4
No comments:
Post a Comment