Freezing in the shade Icesicles to our cabbin eves 18 inches to 2 ft long the ponds of water covered with thin ice, forenoon snowing moderately & afternoon occasionally spitting snow I am suffering with pane in my back the snow is from 6 to 8 inches deep with a perfect slush of mud & watter under it
SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, p. 105
Ice on the ponds in Helena is barely sufficient to beare up a man & some are sliding & occasionally one breaks in & gets wet, some to the waste & there is a good time of the lookers on to chear, by noon it was thawing so that none went on it afternoon I received two letters bearing me the sad noose of the deep affliction of my Dear son Amandus he has been sick for several weeks & now inflamation of the brain & the letter states the Doctors say he only has one chance out of eleven to recover, Oh how my hart is smitten. Oh that God would spare my precious boy & grant us all the privilege of again enjoying our family alter together.
SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, p. 105
Morning a fiew boys ventured on the ice some broke in. the day was mild & the snow melted fast, & the mud is in great abundance, at 2½ Oc I attended meeting in a log chapple without floor seats or pulpit save the ground there was a doore up and 2 holes for windows & a hole in the clapboard roof for a stove pipe but no stove or pipe there Our Chaplain preached & called on me & I closed after him text Come & let us reason together &c I am afflicted with paine in my back
SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, p. 105
My back is yet suffering I fear it is rheumatism Our Capt TM Fee has gone out with a squad of men on picket his first adventure here
SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, p. 105
My back is not much better Evening Capt TM Fee & 1 took a little tramp, & visited the fine former residence of the Rebble Brig Genl JC Tappan it is a verry elegantly finished two story frame building. the furniture is elegant & there remains the remnant of an extensive library I discovered on the book the Orderly had marked me unable for duty without my knowledge I had him stop it I have been marked four days the first and only time since I enlisted
SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, pp. 105-6
Streets almost impassible for footmen. I called in a verry pretty residence surrounded with beautifull shrubery & had a social chat with two young ladys by the name of Head they have a brother in the Rebble army. I received a letter from Emma with encouraging information about my son Amandus, he is seeking the Saviour & is in a fare way to be up soon, though I have been much depressed in mind I feel greatly relieved & am hoping & praying for my son I answered the letter. A fleet passed down from Memphis with parts of Grants Armey the 15th & 16th Reg Iowa Vol was on board & the fiew minutes they layed here I improved & injoyed with the boys some from Keosauqua & vicinity
SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, p. 106
I took a ramble out to some of the pickets. Capt T M Fee was officer of the day Brother Oliver Williams of the 24th Reg Iowa Vol passed the evening & night with us he & I slept together in my bunk & we had a good time generally
SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, p. 106
Rainey with mud beyond description I have been boxing up some cotton seed &c to send home Rev Oliver Williams called & spent the afternoon & evening with us & is going to bunk with me this night, he is from Appanoos Co Iowa & is in the 24th Reg Iowa Vol
SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, p. 106
Steady raine from 9 Oc morning untill now 11 Oc night, I went on picket this morning & expected to remain until tomorrow morning but our Brigade got Orders to march & I was reliaved tonight I took one Rebble with his horse &c about noon & sent them in by a sargent to the Provo Marshal
SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, p. 106
The place is in a buisey mood Genl Fisks Bregade is buisey preparing to go on board the fleet tomorrow for some place south of this we think Vicksburg I expressed a box of cotton seed some cloths books &c to Keosauqua Iowa
SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, p. 106
Raining almost incessantly we ware all ready & packed up, & expected to be ordered in line to march down to the boats at early dawn, the teams ware buisey moving down Com[missary] Long['s] store & about noon they ware stopped & a short time after, the orders we had received to march with our brigade was countermanded & fortunately for us we are this rainey night comfortable in our cabbans I received a letter dated 12th from my Daughter & I bless the Lord, my son is some better & I feel more at ease in my mind
SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, p. 106
I am suffering with pain in my back, I dobed some on our cabbin & visited Genl Washburns Head Quarters in the Rebble Brig Genl Tappans house
SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, p. 106
1 The writer was a brick and stone mason by trade.
SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, pp. 106-7
The hospital boat Henry Von Phul came up from Vicksburg with sick soldiers, the Chaplain of the 24th Iowa Infty Rev Corkhill was along they went on up to Memphis no news of importance from below except the watter is passing through the cut of & our men are enlarging it I have been verry feeble this day We drilled in bayonet exersize I wrote a letter to the Rev Cyrus Morey at Atica Marion Co Iowa
SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, p. 107
I am suffering with pains in all my bones & am indifference to moving when seated We drilled some in bayonet exersize, the volts; passades &c Our Major Woodward was unfortunate his servent Frank a white man road his fine horse to town & in jumping a ditch the horse broke his leg & they had to shoot him, the Major is quite sick & they have not yet let him know it
SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, p. 107
1Clinton B. Fisk of St. Louis, became colonel of the Thirty-third Missouri Infantry September, 1862; brigadier-general in November, 1862; and was breveted major-general in March, 1865. He was soldier, business man, educator, reformer, and philanthropist. Fisk University was named in his honor. In 1888 he was the candidate of the Prohibition party for president of the United States. He died in 1890.
SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, p. 107
I received a letter
from my daughter with information that my son Amandus is much better, the fever
broke & he is in a fair way to recover, letter dated the 20th Dec 1862. I
have a verry severe cold & my lungs are verry sore, but I am on duty as
Officer of the Guard. at 9¼ Oc morning our Reg 36th Iowa was ordered of the
boats & formed in line by companyes & ware marched to our Campning
grounds on the bank of the river at the lower end of the town of Hellena
Arkansas. Our camp is between the Levvy & the river there is some 10 or 12
Reg of Cavelry & infantry in & about the place, the bottom is perhaps ¼
of a mile wide with numerous ponds of standing watter & some of them
covered with a green scum, the bluff is verry broken, high point of timberland
at the foot of the bluff & opposite to us is the residence of the Rebble
Genl Hindman
SOURCE: Edgar R.
Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2,
October 1925, p. 102
Night verry high
wind with incessant heavy rain, our canvas tents shelter us well from the storm
but the storm of wind gave us some uneasiness, we feared our stakes might draw
& our tents capsize About 2 Oc a Rebble boat Bracele came up with a flag of
truce & anchored opposite town to exchange the crew of our boat Blue Wing
which they captured a fiew days since. Mr. Oldfield who knows the Capt of the
Blue Wing told me that he David Hugle was at heart a traitor & he believed
that the taking of his boat with government stores was as Hugle wished it to
be, & Oldfield shook hands & talked with Harry Nolen of Cincinatti who
was one that came on shore to see about an exchange & his wife is in
Cincinatti sewing to Support herself & family & the citty helps to keep
her. At 4 Oc we ware on dress perade
SOURCE: Edgar R.
Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2,
October 1925, p. 102
Rain. Continued
untill past midnight. We drilled in manuel of arms from 11 Oc to 12 Ос
SOURCE: Edgar R.
Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2,
October 1925, p. 102
1 Cyrus Bussey, a merchant of Bloomfield;
state senator, 1860; colonel Third Iowa Cavalry, 1861; brigadier-general,
1864-65.
SOURCE: Edgar R.
Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2,
October 1925, pp. 102-3
