Had bad cold & did not rest any too well last night did
not get up until called to breakfast. sky has the appearance of rain. I go to
the camp of our teams in the rear to draw clothing for the co, send it over by
Bowman & go on to the Commissary to get some grub for our mess see a train
starting to Steele who is said to have taken Blakely destroying with his
artillery every house but one, he can not hold his army in the town on account
of the Reb iron clads shelling him out. A sergent from Steeles comd. says the
Mobile paper states their loss the 1st day we came in here at 400 killed &
wounded, estimates our loss at double that when in fact it was not over 100
begins to rain while I am at the com. 1 stop at camp of teams to talk to Capt
& wait for the rain to cease Capt is getting along finely & expects to
be for duty within a week, he tells me of one of the 35th Wis who had his leg
blown off by the explosion of a torpedo in the road not far from his camp,
ceases raining & I retire to camp at 11 o clock, after dinner issue the
clothing & then work on our bomb-proofs except about an hour from 1.30 to
2.30 while it was raining, heavy detail for picket from our regt. co I is out
tonight for a reserve & a detail of 2 com. off & 69 men in front with
orders to advance the line. Each man takes a spade. At, 11 P. M. heavy firing
on the Right of Smiths corp small arms used much there are a great many reports
flying about camp, of which the following are some, & I cant say they are
true or false. Faragut has arrived & taken comd of the fleet. a chain of 78
torpedos was taken up. a mine is nearly completed under the forts.
SOURCE: “Diary of John S. Morgan, Company G, 33rd Iowa
Infantry,” Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 13, No. 8, April 1923,
p. 585
