Diary of Private Seth J. Wells: Sunday, November 9, 1862

We marched about fifteen miles today and arrived at La Grange, three miles west of Grand Junction. It is dry and very dusty. Sometimes the dust was so thick we could not see the ground. That and the smoke and heat from the burning fences was almost intolerable. We passed miles and miles of burnt and burning fences, fired by troops in advance. Large and fine farms and plantations were laid waste. We met fully forty teams of four and six mules each, loaded with wenches and young woolly heads, and all their personal effects, and in fact all they could smuggle from their masters. Ask them where they are going and they will tell you, "You folks sent's to Bolivar, don't know where wes goin' from thar." I blistered my feet badly on the march. We hear that Hollow Springs is evacuated. We have very stringent orders in regard to stealing. Everything has to be paid for by the division when it cannot be traced to the company, regiment or brigade of the persons committing the theft. I hope they will be enforced.

SOURCE: Seth James Wells, The Siege of Vicksburg: From the Diary of Seth J. Wells, Including Weeks of Preparation and of Occupation After the Surrender, p. 12

Major General Ulysses S. Grant to Mary Frances Grant, August 19, 1862

Corinth, Mississippi,

August 19th, 1862.

Dear Sister:

Julia and the children left here on Saturday last for St. Louis where they will remain on a visit until about the last of the month. At the end of that time they must be some place where the children can go to school. — Mrs. Hillyer has a nice house in the city and is all alone whilst her husband is on my staff, and it may be that she and Julia will keep house together. If they do she would be very much pleased to have you make her a long visit. Julia says that she is satisfied that the best place for the children is in Covington. But there are so many of them that she sometimes feels as if they were not wanted. Their visit down here in Dixie was very pleasant and they were very loth to leave. Things however began to look so threatening that I thought it was best for them to leave. I am now in a situation where it is impossible for me to do more than to protect my long lines of defence. I have the Mississippi to Memphis, the railroad from Columbus to Corinth, from Jackson to Bolivar, from Corinth to Decatur, and the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers to keep open. Guerillas are hovering around in every direction, getting whipped every day some place by some of my command, but keeping us busy. The war is evidently growing oppressive to the Southern people. Their institution¹ are beginning to have ideas of their own; every time an expedition goes out many of them follow in the wake of the army and come into camp. I am using them as teamsters, hospital attendants, company cooks and so forth, thus saving soldiers to carry the musket. I don't know what is to become of these poor people in the end, but it weakens the enemy to take them from them. If the new levies are sent in soon the rebels will have a good time getting in their crops this Fall.

I have abandoned all hope of being able to make a visit home till the close of the war. A few weeks’ recreation would be very grateful however. It is one constant strain now and has been for a year. If I do get through I think I will take a few months of pure and undefiled rest. I stand it well, however, having gained some fifteen pounds in weight since leaving Cairo. Give my love to all at home.

ULYS.

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¹ Slaves.

SOURCE: Jesse Grant Cramer, Editor, Letters of Ulysses S. Grant to His Father and His Youngest Sister, 1857-78, p. 87-9

Diary of Alexander G. Downing: Saturday, November 1, 1862

I was on guard today. The Sixth Division received orders to march in the morning.¹  We are to go in light equipment, leaving here our knapsacks and tents, which are to be put in storage.

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¹ The Eleventh Iowa regiment was within fifty miles of Corinth for two hundred and thirty-four days, and in that time took active part in the two days’ battle at Pittsburg Landing, the siege of Corinth, two months of garrisoning and fortifying Corinth, forty-two days in fortifying and garrisoning Bolivar, the battle of Iuka and garrison duty there, the two days’ battle of Corinth and then the pursuit of the enemy and return to Corinth. During all this time Company E was with the regiment performing its full duty. The losses of our company were nine killed in battle and five dying of disease, making fourteen of the company whose bodies were laid away under the green sod. — A. G. D.

Source: Alexander G. Downing, Edited by Olynthus B., Clark, Downing’s Civil War Diary, p. 80

Diary of Alexander G. Downing: Wednesday, October 15, 1862

We are once more getting settled in camp. Our duties are not as laborious as they were at Bolivar and Iuka. We have begun the building of forts and rifle-pits, close in, all around Corinth, so that a small force can hold the place. We are pulling down some of the vacant houses to make room for fortifications. But the fortifications will not be on as grand a scale as those built here during the summer. They will be smaller, too, than the fortifications which protected us during the battle here.

Source: Alexander G. Downing, Edited by Olynthus B., Clark, Downing’s Civil War Diary, p. 76

Diary of Alexander G. Downing: Friday, September 12, 1862

We struck our tents at daylight and at 8 o’clock left Bolivar for Corinth, Mississippi, about forty-five or fifty miles distant. We marched fifteen miles and bivouacked for the night on the banks of the Hatchie river. The weather is very hot and the water is scarce, which, together with the dusty roads, makes traveling hard work. The men, however, are in good health and spirits; only a few found it necessary to call on the doctor for aid in having their accouterments carried.

Source: Alexander G. Downing, Edited by Olynthus B., Clark, Downing’s Civil War Diary, p. 68

Diary of Alexander G. Downing: Thursday, September 11, 1862

The brigade received marching orders to leave in the morning at daylight and we packed our knapsacks today. The talk is that we are to go to Corinth. A small force is to be left here to hold the fort, and it will require a large number to take it. Bolivar has some loyal citizens who will be protected in this way, but we are sorry to bid these people good-bye, perhaps for all time to come. We have been in camp here forty-two days and all the time engaged in hard service — on picket, fatigue and patrol duty, besides often in line of battle.

Source: Alexander G. Downing, Edited by Olynthus B., Clark, Downing’s Civil War Diary, p. 67

Diary of Alexander G. Downing: Monday, September 8, 1862

It rained all last night. Bolivar has a town clock which can be heard as far out as our camp. The town watchman keeps calling out the hours till 2 or even 4 o’clock in the morning, ending with his monotonous “all’s well.”  The feeling of the boys is that all is not well when hundreds of men have to be out on vedette with drawn muskets ready for a fight, and that the watchman had better dispense with the announcement until this war is over.

Source: Alexander G. Downing, Edited by Olynthus B., Clark, Downing’s Civil War Diary, p. 66-7

Diary of Alexander G. Downing: Monday, September 1, 1862

We were expecting to be attacked today and so were in line of battle most of the time. Our pickets to the south of town are still skirmishing.¹ The weather is very hot.

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¹It was the belief In camp that there was only a small force of the enemy In the locality of Bolivar, but that they were quite active to make our commanders think that they were here In large force to take the place, and so make us keep a large force there while their real objective was Corinth. We had then but a small force at Corinth while the Confederates had their main army in the vicinity of Iuka, Mississippi, with the view of capturing Corinth. — A. G. D.

Source: Alexander G. Downing, Edited by Olynthus B., Clark, Downing’s Civil War Diary, p. 65

Diary of Alexander G. Downing: Wednesday, August 27, 1862

Companies G and B came out this morning to relieve us from picket duty at the big cut. We have had very little rest while on picket and patrol during the last forty-eight hours. Our regiment has begun building fortifications here at Bolivar; some negroes drifting into camp have been put to this work. The rebels to the south of us are getting bolder, and have driven in some of our outer pickets.

Source: Alexander G. Downing, Edited by Olynthus B., Clark, Downing’s Civil War Diary, p. 64-5

Diary of Alexander G. Downing: Sunday, August 24, 1862

I went out on picket this morning to remain at the one post for twenty-four hours. I was on vedette for eight hours, two hours at a time. The vedette has to stand out in advance of the reserve post, one hundred yards or more. This post is about three miles east from Bolivar on the main road, having a high rail fence on either side. If the rebels should make a raid on the town, they would have to come in on this road.

Source: Alexander G. Downing, Edited by Olynthus B., Clark, Downing’s Civil War Diary, p. 64

Diary of Alexander G. Downing: Saturday, August 23, 1862

Some very hot weather today. It is my turn off duty today, but I dread the picket tomorrow on the main road going into Bolivar.

Source: Alexander G. Downing, Edited by Olynthus B., Clark, Downing’s Civil War Diary, p. 64

Diary of Alexander G. Downing: Monday, August 18, 1862

We are having some very hot weather. Since coming to Bolivar, each man is permitted to cook his rations in his own way, and so every man has a frying pan of some sort, and a tin peach can in which to boil his coffee. One man in our company, “Long John,” as the boys have nicknamed him, is a great coffee drinker. He carries a two-quart peach can strapped to his haversack, and every day buys up one or two rations of coffee from the boys who do not use much.

Source: Alexander G. Downing, Edited by Olynthus B., Clark, Downing’s Civil War Diary, p. 63

Diary of Alexander G. Downing: Tuesday, August 5, 1862

The Eleventh Iowa drew two months’ pay today. I received $26. We are able to purchase most any kind of goods needed, right here at Bolivar only two miles from camp.

Source: Alexander G. Downing, Edited by Olynthus B., Clark, Downing’s Civil War Diary, p. 61

Diary of Alexander G. Downing: Thursday, July 31, 1862

We started at 8 o’clock this morning and arrived at Bolivar at 12 o’clock noon. We went into camp two miles east of town on the banks of the Hatchie river. Our camp is in a fine piece of timber, well shaded. I was almost played out when we arrived in camp; the weather being so hot, it was hard work to carry knapsack and accouterments and keep up with the company. Our officers are expecting to be attacked at this place and have put three or four hundred negroes to work throwing up breastworks. There is some very pretty land in this part of old Tennessee and there are some very nice farms. The timber here is chiefly of white oak, but there is some poplar and beech. Bolivar is a fine town and has one railroad.

Source: Alexander G. Downing, Edited by Olynthus B., Clark, Downing’s Civil War Diary, p. 60

Diary of Alexander G. Downing: Monday, July 28, 1862

We struck our tents and at sunup started on our march for Bolivar, Tennessee. Our guide took us on the wrong road and we countermarched about ten miles, thus not being far from our starting point. The guide was tied and taken back to Corinth.¹  It is very warm and the roads are dusty. Our road being on high ground, we found water very scarce, and what little we got was of poor quality. General Tuttle is in command of our division, the Sixth.

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¹ I never learned what became of him. — A. G. D.

Source: Alexander G. Downing, Edited by Olynthus B., Clark, Downing’s Civil War Diary, p. 60