Six miles south of
Marietta, October 5, 1864.
Had an awful day's march yesterday, full 20 miles and the
road very muddy and slippery. County peculiarly Georgian, the like of which, I
hope, is to be found nowhere else in Uncle Sam's domain. When we started the
“spring or grapevine” dispatch said that Hardee's headquarters were in
Marietta, and that he was living very high on sanitary stores, of which there
is enough to feed an army for a time. We crossed the river on pontoons near the
railroad bridge, a very fine work, considering it was built inside of a week.
We then heard that Marietta was not in Hardee's possession,
but that lively skirmishing was going on along the lines, and that Hardee's
army was before the place. About three miles from the river we met a wagon
train just from Marietta; part of the guards had not heard that any Rebels were
near the town. Others said that Hood's army was just the other side of Kenesaw,
about two miles north of Marietta. Finally a cavalry man said part of our
(guard's) cavalry occupied Kenesaw, from the top of which he had seen
the Rebel army occupying an old line of works of ours just this side of Big
Shanty. I just thought I would give you a sample of the “grape cuttings” that
accompany a march. A body of Rebels is evidently above Marietta, on the
railroad; how strong I don't know, and it is none of my business. “Pap” knows
all about it. He never tells us anything. He has not issued a “battle order”
during the whole campaign and hardly a congratulatory. If the Rebels are there
in force, there will be a battle. It can have but one result, and cannot fail
to be a disastrous one for them. We have at least 50 days’ full rations and I
think 90, so the breaking of the railroad cannot affect us. Six p. m.—We took
all kinds of roundabout roads to-day, and marched eight miles to make not over
four. I have been really sick all day, but hope it will be over by morning. The
Johnnies have left Big Shanty, moving north on the railroad, tearing it up as
they travel. Go it, Rebels!
SOURCE: Charles Wright Wills, Army Life of an
Illinois Soldier, p. 305-6
