Received orders to
move tomorrow. Our camp life at Smith's Plantation has been as pleasant as we
could wish. Our time was spent in batallion and company drills and dress
parades. Part of the time we were engaged in building bridges across the bayou
for troops to cross on which would shorten the distance materially between
Milliken's Bend and Grand Gulf, or Carthage, which is opposite. One of the
wonders of the day was our men bringing a small steamboat through the bayou
from the Mississippi with commissary stores and ammunition, something I believe
was never done before. This plantation is a large sugar and cotton plantation
and has several large sugar works and cotton gins on it. It is a valuable one,
worth before the war many hundreds of thousands of dollars, but as the darkies
have all left, there is no saying what it is worth today. I enjoy the morning
and evening walks, as the weather then is delightful. I saw quite a number of
acquaintances pass on their way to the front. Among them Batteries A and B,
Chicago Light Artillery. We have heard of the battles in the front and that our
armies have been victorious. One day quite a number of rebel prisoners passed
to the rear. Our orders are to move in as light marching order as possible. I
take nothing but what my saddlebags will hold, namely, a change of
underclothing and tooth brush and comb. Captain James, with two companies, C
and I, have been detailed some seven miles from the main camp to guard a bridge
over a bayou. I rode down to see them and found them contented and happy,
indulging in blackberries to their hearts' content. I enjoyed them myself. We
heard the guns at the attack on Grand Gulf, which was a strongly fortified
place, and which defied the gunboats. It was taken by troops crossing below and
forcing their works. Companies C and I returned to the regiment last night.
SOURCE: Joseph
Stockton, War Diary (1862-5) of Brevet Brigadier General Joseph
Stockton, p. 13
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