Diary of Private Seth J. Wells, March 29, 1863

We had a lively time last night. A storm of rain and wind began about 10 o'clock in the evening and kept up until about 12, when the wind increased and the rain ceased. Out tent bent and reeled like a willow. I got up to dress before she went over, but had just got my legs into my trousers when down she came full tilt. I finally extricated myself, seized my knapsack and started for dry ground, got into the commissary and spread down, when to cap the climax the levee broke through and the water came rushing in upon us. The drums beat, the boys fell in, and we had a general move up the levee. Most all of the tents blew down and some of them were whipped nearly to pieces. In the meantime Captain Bush had his Negro brigade out, filled them up with whisky, and ordered them into the water waist deep. By dint of perseverance and hard work they succeeded in stopping the break. I took up some boards and passed the remainder of the night beside the cotton pile. This morning the effects of the storm were everywhere present. One of the boats was blown up on the beach, the smoke stacks of two others were blown away, and shanties everywhere were blown down and torn to pieces. It continued cold and windy all day. Charlie Berry came back last night. This afternoon Gen. Smith's (John E.) division came down and anchored here for the night. In the afternoon some of the boys of the 14th made a break on the sutler's stock. It was no more than done when the 17th and 95th Ill., 1st Kan., and 16th Wis. came rolling over the levee. Canned fruit, boxes of boots, shoes, oysters, oranges, lemons, bales of shirts, pants, socks, drawers, barrels of soda crackers and sugar, boxes of raisins, and in fact everything which the large stock could contain. He had just got in a new assignment, valued at somewhere near $10,000. The poor old fellow ran around wringing his hands and wishing he had staid in "Chicago." The guard arrived just as they had him completely cleaned out. I can say that my hands are clear of such wholesale robbery. At 9 o'clock roll call the companies had orders to deliver up the contraband articles in their possession.

SOURCE: Seth James Wells, The Siege of Vicksburg: From the Diary of Seth J. Wells, Including Weeks of Preparation and of Occupation After the Surrender, pp. 49-50