Diary of 1st Sergeant John L. Ransom: December 1, 1863

With no news concerning the great subject — exchange of prisoners Very hungry and am not having a good time of it. Take it all around I begin to wish I had stayed at home and was at the Jackson Citizen office pulling the old press. Dream continually nights about something good to eat; seems rather hard such plenty at the North and starving here. Have just seen a big fight among the prisoners; just like so many snarly dogs, cross and peevish. A great deal of fighting going on. Rebels collect around on the outside in crowds to see the Yankees bruise themselves and it is quite sport for them. Have succeeded in getting into thee,tent with Hendryx. One of the mess has been sent over to Richmond Hospital leaving a vacancy which I am to fill. There are nine others, myself making ten. The names are as follows: W. C. Robinson, orderly sergeant, 34th Illinois; W. H. Mustard, hospital steward 100th Pennsylvania; Joe Myers, 34th Illinois; H Freeman, hospital steward 30th Ohio; C G. Strong, 4th Ohio cavalry; Corporal John McCarten, 6th Kentucky; U. Kindred, 1st East Tennessee infantry; E. P. Sanders, 20th Michigan infantry; George Hendryx and myself of the 9th Michigan cavalry. A very good crowd of boys, and all try to make their places as pleasant as possible Gen. Neil Dow to-day came over from Libby Prison on parole of honor to help issue some clothing that has arrived for Belle Isle prisoners from the Sanitary Commission at the North Sergeant Robinson taken outside to help Gen. Dow in issuing clothing and thinks through his influence to get more out for the same purpose. A man froze to death last night where I slept. The body lay until nearly dark before it was removed. My blanket comes in good play, and it made the boys laugh when I told how I got it. We tell stories, dance around, keep as clean as we can without soap and make the best of a very bad situation.

SOURCE: John L. Ransom, Andersonville Diary, p. 14-5

Diary of 5th Sergeant Alexander G. Downing: Thursday, March 2, 1865

Still in camp. It was misty all day. One of our rebel prisoners was shot today at corps headquarters. He had to pay the penalty for the rebels' treatment of one of our men, from Company H, Thirty-fourth Illinois, whom they held as a prisoner and shot without provocation. When the prisoners at our headquarters were told that one of them had to pay the penalty, they drew lots, and it fell to a middle-aged man to die. The man was given time to write a letter to his family and then after bidding his comrades farewell, he was led out and shot.

Source: Alexander G. Downing, Edited by Olynthus B., Clark, Downing’s Civil War Diary, p. 258

34th Illinois Infantry

Organized at Camp Butler, Ill, and mustered in September 7, 1861. Moved to Lexington, Ky., October 2, 1861, thence to Louisville and Camp Nevin, Ky., and duty there till February, 1862. Attached to Johnson's 3rd Brigade, McCook's Command, at Nolin, Ky., to November, 1861. 5th Brigade, Army of the Ohio, to December, 1861. 5th Brigade. 2nd Division, Army Ohio, to September, 1862. 5th Brigade, 2nd Division, 1st Corps, Army Ohio, to November, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, Right Wing 14th Army Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to January, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 20th Army Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to October, 1863. Unattached, Dept. of the Cumberland, to November, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 14th Army Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to July, 1865.

SERVICE.--Advance on Bowling Green, Ky., and Nashville, Tenn., February 14-March 2, 1862. March to Savannah, Tenn., thence moved to Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., March 16-April 6. Battle of Shiloh, Tenn., April 6-7. Advance on and siege of Corinth, Miss., April 29-May 30. Pursuit to Booneville May 31-June 6. Buell's operations on line of Memphis and Tennessee R. R. in Northern Alabama and Middle Tennessee June to August. March to Nashville, Tenn., thence in pursuit of Bragg, to Louisville, Ky., August 21-September 26. Pursuit of Bragg into Kentucky October 1-16. Action at Floyd's Fork October 1, near Clay Village October 4. Battle of Perryville October 8 (Reserve). March to Nashville, Tenn., October 16-November 7, and duty there till December 26. Reconnoissance toward Lavergne November 19. Reconnoissance to Lavergne November 26-27. Lavergne, Scrougesville November 27. Advance on Murfreesborough December 26-30. Triune December 27-28. Battle of Stone's River December 30-31, 1862, and January 1-3, 1863. Duty at Murfreesboro till June. Middle Tennessee or Tullahoma Campaign June 24-July 7. Liberty Gap June 24-27. Occupation of Middle Tennessee till August 16. Moved to Bellefonte, Ala., August 16, and detailed as Provost Guard. Moved to Caperton's Ferry, Tennessee River, August 30, and guard pontoon bridge there till September 18. Moved boats to Battle Creek September 18. Moved to Anderson's Cross Roads October 20, thence to Harrison's Landing, Tennessee River, November 8. Joined Brigade at Chattanooga November 15. Battles of Chattanooga November 23-25; Tunnel Hill November 24-25; Missionary Ridge November 25; Chickamauga Station November 26. March to relief of Knoxville, Tenn., November 28-December 17. At Rissville, Ga., till May, 1864. Veterans on furlough January 8 to March 7, 1864. Atlanta (Ga.) Campaign May to September, 1864. Tunnel Hill May 6-7. Demonstration on Rocky Faced Ridge May 8-11. Buzzard's Roost Gap May 8-9. Demonstration on Dalton May 9-13. Battle of Resaca May 14-15. Rome May 17-18. Operations on line of Pumpkin Vine Creek and battles about Dallas, New Hope Church and Allatoona Hills May 25-June 5. Operations about Marietta and against Kenesaw Mountain June 10-July 2; Pine Hill June 11-14; Lost Mountain June 15-17. Assault on Kenesaw June 27. Ruff's Station, Smyrna Camp Ground, July 4. Chattahoochie River July 5-17. Peach Tree Creek July 19-20. Siege of Atlanta July 22-August 25. Flank movement on Jonesboro August 25-30. Battle of Jonesboro August 31-September 1. Lovejoy Station September 2-6. Pursuit of Forest and operations against Hood in North Georgia and North Alabama September 29-November 3. March to the sea November 15-December 10. Siege of Savannah December 10-21. Campaign of the Carolinas January to April, 1865. Averysboro, Taylor's Hole Creek March 16. Bushy Swamp March 18. Battle of Bentonville March 19-21. Occupation of Goldsboro March 24. Advance on Raleigh April 10-14. Occupation of Raleigh April 14. Bennett's House April 26, Surrender of Johnston and his army. March to Washington, D.C., via Richmond, Va., April 29-May 19. Grand Review May 24. Moved to Louisville, Ky., June 12. Mustered out July 12 and discharged at Chicago, Ill., July 17, 1865.

Regiment lost during service 11 Officers and 129 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 2 Officers and 119 Enlisted men by disease. Total 261.

SOURCE: Dyer , Frederick H., A Compendium Of The War Of The Rebellion, Part 3, p. 1060

Letter From Pittsburg

The following private letter from Shiloh field will be of interest to our readers, and we trust the writer will excuse its publication:

PITTSBURG BATTLE-FIELD,
April 12, 1862

DEAR BROTHER – You have no doubt ere this heard of the greatest battle fought on this continent, and as you feel somewhat anxious to hear from me, I improve the first opportunity by saying that I am unhurt, and that my health was never better than at present. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) I was not in the fight, as our division was the last of Gen. Buell’s army to come up, and we did not arrive till four o’clock on Tuesday morning, when the battle was fought and the victory won. We were about 60 miles distant on Sunday morning when the firing commenced, and at noon we could distinctly hear the cannonading. As we came along each report seemed “[Nearer], clearer, deadlier than before.”

The last 38 miles we came on a forced march, and owing to the desperate roads we had to travel, and the incessant rain of Monday night, we had rather a bad time of it. We (the signal corps) came thro with Gen. Thomas, his body guard and staff, but the troops did not arrive till Wednesday.

Soon after our arrival I went out on the battle-field, and the sights I there saw beggar description. The dead were lying in heaps, and in many places the bushes and trees were literally mown down. The ground strewn with dead horses, broken artillery wagons, guns, cartridge-boxes, &c. The only consolation I could gather from this most sickening sight was that there were about two dead rebels to one of our men. I can form no idea of the number killed, but the loss must be very heavy on both sides. The papers have probably given you the particulars more correctly than I can. McCook’s division was in the hottest of the fight, and came out covered with honors. The old 15th has won a name long to be remembered, but not without some loss. Company E, to which I belonged, had 3 killed and 6 or 8 wounded. The other companies suffered much the same. Col. Kirk was wounded in the shoulder. It will disable him for a while, but is not considered dangerous. It is not now thought the rebels will make an attack on the forces now here, and with the position we now occupy, as that would be certain death to the Confederate cause.

I have frequently heard it hinted that Gen. Grant will lose some of his military honors in this fight, while Buell and his army are lauded to the skies. The Illinois boys who were in both say that the Fort Donelson fight was only a skirmish to the side of this one. Gen. Halleck arrived this morning and takes command. Write soon for I have not heard from you since we parted at Franklin, Tenn.

In haste, your brother,

T. W. VAN LAW.


The Col. Kirk mentioned above was a former resident of Ohio, though practicing Law in Illinois when the war broke out. He was chosen Col. Of the 34th Illinois, and was in command of the brigade in McCook’s division when I saw him at Columbia. He is a gentleman and a fine scholar, and the fact of his having two horses shot under him in the late battle shows that he dare go in “harm’s way.”

J. V.

– Published in The Athens Messenger, Athens, Ohio, Thursday, April 24, 1862