Bird's Point, Mo., December 1, 1861.
This, the beginning of winter, is the warmest and altogether
the most pleasant day we have had for several weeks. During our whole trip to
Bloomfield and back we had splendid weather, but ever since our return it has
been at least very unsplendid. The climax was reached day before yesterday and
capped with several inches of snow. I was up the river 15 miles at the time
with a party loading a flatboat with logs for our huts. We had a sweet time of
it and lots of fun. The mud was from six inches to a foot deep, and by the time
we got the logs to the boat they were coated with mud two inches thick, and
before we got a dozen logs on the boat we had a second coat on us, from top to
toe of mud. It snowed and rained all the time we worked but I heard no
complaint from the men, and in fact I have never seen so much fun anywhere as
we had that day. There is any amount of game where we were, the boys said that
were out, and they brought to camp several skinned “deer.” I tried some of the “venison”
but it tasted strangely like hog.
Of course drill is discontinued for the present, and as
working on the quarters is almost impossible we sit and lie in the tent and gas
and joke and eat and plan devilment. We have a barrel of apples now, lots of pecans
and tobacco and not a thing to trouble us. The enemy have quit coming around
here and we can stroll six or seven miles without danger if we get past our
pickets safely. There was a great deal of firing down at Columbus yesterday and
I heard some more this morning. I don't know whether the gunboats are down or
not. It may be the Rebels are practicing with their big guns; or maybe they are
firing a salute over the fall of Fort Pickens. It will be a great joke if they
take that, won't it? I believe myself that they will take it. Two of our new
gunboats came down day before yesterday. We will have in all 12 gunboats, 40
flatboats carrying one mortar each and 15 propellers for towing purposes,
besides the steamboats for transporting troops. Makes quite a fleet and will
fill the river between here and Columbus nearly full. There are not very many
troops here now. Only five regiments of cavalry and four or five batteries of
artillery. Not over 12,000 in all. We have nearly 1,000 sailors and marines
here now and they are such cusses that they have to keep them on a steamboat
anchored out in the river. We see by the papers this morning that the fleet has
captured another sand bar. A good one on the bar. We are greatly puzzled to
know if we really are going down the river this winter. We are preparing winter
quarters here for only 12,000 men. Now all these troops they are running into
St. Louis cannot be intended for up the Missouri river, for the troops are also
returning from there. I don't believe either that they intend to keep them in
St. Louis this winter for they have only quarters provided there for a garrison
force, so I guess it must mean down the river, but am sure they won't be ready
before six weeks or two months. We have a report here that Governor Yates is
raising 60 day men to garrison these points while we “regulars” will be pushed
forward. Jem Smith is down here trying to get information of his brother Frank
who is a prisoner. There are a good many Rebels deserting now. Our pickets
bring them into camp. They are mostly Northern men who pretend they were
pressed in and are glad to escape. Frank Smith is in Company A, Captain Smith's
company, at Paducah. It was Company B, Captain Taylor's, that was in the
Belmont fight. You could see just as well as not why I can't come home if
you'll take the trouble to read General Halleck's General Order No. 5 or 6,
that says, “Hereafter no furloughs will be granted to enlisted men,” etc.
We had a first rate lot of good things from Peoria
yesterday. They were sent us for Thanksgiving but were a day late. Chickens,
cranberries, cake, etc. The boys say that a Rebel gunboat has just showed his
nose around the point and Fort Holt is firing away pretty heavily, but I guess
the boat is all in some chap's eye. Hollins is down at Columbus with about a
dozen vessels of war. I have just been out to see what the boys said was the
pickets coming in on the run, but some say its only a gunboat coming up through
woods, so I guess I'll not report a prospect of a fight.
SOURCE: Charles Wright Wills, Army Life of an
Illinois Soldier, p. 45-7
