Showing posts with label Byhalia MS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Byhalia MS. Show all posts

Friday, September 4, 2026

Diary of Private Jenkin Lloyd Jones, Saturday, December 27, 1862

Byhalia, Miss.  Rained nearly all day. Hitched up in the morning. The other sections took the road, but as we were to be the rear guard, and the roads were so bad that teams could not all come on for some time, we again unharnessed, laid in a good supply of disloyal pork and beef and a few rebel chickens. 3 P. M. again hitched up and fell in the rear of the train. It had cleared up and the roads considerably improved. We were enabled to travel at very good time. Travelled till 10 P. M. Came into camp at Byhalia, Marshall County, Miss., having travelled about ten miles on a most beautiful evening. A woman drew a pistol on one of our boys, driving him from the yard.

SOURCE: Jenkin Lloyd Jones, An Artilleryman's Diary, p. 22

Diary of Private Jenkin Lloyd Jones, Sunday, December 28, 1862

Near Memphis, Tenn.  Slept out-doors. Awoke at 5 A. M. A beautiful morning. Byhalia, unlike Tallaloosa, was a bright and lively little village, with a large school house, church, lodge room, with a scientific laboratory, out of which the boys jay-hawked numerous books, writing utensils, etc. etc. Picked up two horses and two mules. The owner of the horses came and pleaded hard, but could receive no other satisfaction than a receipt from Lieutenant Clark. He was reported to be a rank Secesh, as well as everybody else.

We started with the 1st Brigade in rear of the train at 9 A. M. Twenty-eight miles from Memphis, passed a house where a woman stood in the yard, bravely holding the Stars and Stripes in her hand (to protect her chickens I suppose). Marched along quietly; nothing of importance save the appropriation of considerable molasses along the road until half an hour of sundown when a small party of guerrillas dashed up in our rear, discharging some fifteen or twenty pieces, then legging it before their fire could be returned. We halted, the cannoneers sprang to their posts, got their equipments, when the 48th Indiana formed their line. But it was all over with. They were gone, and we started on.

Two of the balls took effect, wounding two boys of the 48th Indiana in the arms. An assistant adjutant general and surgeon [who] had wandered a little from the train, were taken also by a few of Jackson's cavalry, divested of their accoutrements and horses, then paroled.

7 P. M. Drew up three-fourths of an hour to feed our horses, then started on, travelled till 10 P. M. Came into camp seven miles from Memphis.

SOURCE: Jenkin Lloyd Jones, An Artilleryman's Diary, pp. 22-3