On guard in Frank's
place, he has gone foraging ten miles below. More troops passed on their
way back.
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.
20-1
On picket guard
today. Got my boots half soled. Gen. McPherson passed through here, and Logan's
division is coming up and passing through. Our old brigade (Col. Stevenson's)
also passed. A train came in a little after dark and was loaded with cotton.
The country is stripped of everything and so we are on half rations. All the
hogs and live stock have been killed. The Negroes are suffering and I think
they would welcome their old masters. There are a great many leaving, a large
carload left today. We have poorer fare than at any time since we enlisted.
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. 21
Christmas. I came
off guard duty this morning. We drew half rations for four days and part of
that was cornmeal. Our coffee is rye and in small quantities at that. The boys
have gone out to see if they can find a stray hog or beef for Christmas dinner.
Oh! if I could be at home today.
One o'clock. We just now received marching orders to be ready tomorrow morning.
Frank, Bill, Buttons and Boggs of our mess, and Ragan and Doughty of the
Peacock mess, fetched in a whole beef, and a few minutes later Abe, John and
Scott brought in a whole hog. If we live on half rations it will not be of
meat, as we have a hog and half a beef. It is very warm and pleasant today, I
lay down and took a nap, but the flies were so troublesome I could hardly
sleep.
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.
21-2
Another spell of
weather. It has rained constantly for two days, with no intermission. Some of
the regiments have been moved. The 24th Mass., 10th Conn., and 5th R. I., have
gone; but we still stay behind, probably intended for some sort of a tramp.
Lieut. Cumston goes on this expedition, and may see some tall fighting at
Charleston while we are doing police and camp. guard duty! But as he is of
"E," we will take the credit of Charleston, and put it on our pipes
beside the rest. We gave him six rousing cheers, and a handshake as he went by
the barracks to join his command.
Several Boston
gentlemen have been here, some stopping with our officers, among them Mr. J. G.
Russell, father of Geo. Russell, of our company,—but they have all moved down
town, and we hear that when some of them undertook to leave for Boston, Col.
Messinger, the Provost Marshal, would not let them start, on account of the
movement of troops.
SOURCE: John Jasper
Wyeth, Leaves from a Diary Written While Serving in Co. E, 44 Mass.
Dep’t of North Carolina from September 1862 to June 1863, p. 35
I was on guard
today. It rained nearly all day, and toward night we had a real northerner.
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. 15
I was detailed for
guard this morning and stood before the provost marshall's office.
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. 15
Rienzi. Was another
repetition of that a week ago only on a little larger scale. The horses were
harnessed at 1 A. M. and we went out on the Ripley road three quarters of a
mile, laid there half an hour waiting for the enemy, then filed left on our
drilling ground, drilled half an hour, then came home and unharnessed. Received
new gun carriages and caissons in the afternoon. Report of another great battle
at Iuka in which 1000 of our men were killed in twenty-five minutes. Colonel
Murphy of the 8th put under arrest for withdrawing his men. Stood guard duty.
SOURCE: Jenkin Lloyd
Jones, An Artilleryman's Diary, p. 6-7
I went out piruting
again to-day. Wagons got in to-day. I was put on Camp Guard; roots for being
out. Soon after dark a detail was called for to go to Lewisburg; 'twas raining;
I was detailed. Doak in command. Got there about 11 o'clock, could find nobody,
went into Court House and slept in the Bar.
SOURCE: Ephraim
Shelby Dodd, Diary of Ephraim Shelby Dodd: Member of Company D Terry's
Texas Rangers, p. 8
Battery in camp near
Poolesville; we, the centre section, on picket at Conrad's Ferry. Our picket
duty, at this place, has been a very pleasant one, being very light, except the
guard duty. Firing of videttes was very frequent during the night. But never did
either party disturb the other with artillery practice during our stay.
Sometimes signal rockets were sent up on the Maryland side, by rebel
sympathizers, which were generally answered from the Virginia shore. General
Stone had strong block-houses, of solid oak-timber, built on the line from
Muddy Branch to Conrad's Ferry, for the defence of the Maryland side, large
enough to hold three hundred men each. May it be remembered, pigs had to suffer
in our neighborhood. The weather, having been pleasant for weeks, became very
wintry after the first of January.
SOURCE: Theodore
Reichardt, Diary of Battery A, First Regiment Rhode Island Light
Artillery, p. 30-1
DUNLAP SPRINGS. We
have built a snug log house and last night for the first and probably last time
have slept in it; for our company has orders to move down town and act as city
guards. There are eight or ten regiments here, some of them new ones from
Jackson, Miss. The new regiments, like all new ones, have great confidence in
themselves and think the war is to be settled by them and them only. There is
an undercurrent of jealousy existing between the old and new troops. The old
troops call the new ones "forty dollar men," "bounty men,"
and "home guards." Last Friday, Oct. 31, we had general review from
Gen. McPherson who is here commanding the post. There were twenty regiments,
ten thousand men, I should judge, on the field. There is a great forward
movement taking place. All the troops started out on the Grand Junction road
this morning with the exception of the 43rd, and 17th Ill.. The weather is
fine, the days are warm and pleasant, but the nights are very cold and frosty.
About once in ten days we have a northeast rainstorm, followed by cold weather
and sleet. We are on guard every other day, sometimes every third day.
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. 11
I was on guard in
front of the Provost-marshall's office today. The troop began to move toward
Holly Springs long before day light. While I was in town five batteries and as
many brigades passed. Gen. Grant passed us a number of times. He is looking a great
deal better than when at Iuka.
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. 14
Rienzi. To-day was spent in anxious waiting. I stood
guard for the first time while we were momentarily expecting orders to leave;
slept in the open air.
SOURCE: Jenkin Lloyd
Jones, An Artilleryman's Diary, p. 4
Rienzi. To-day we began business in the old way. We
had to sweep up for the first time in a week. I stood guard for the second
time.
SOURCE: Jenkin Lloyd
Jones, An Artilleryman's Diary, p. 5
Wednesday, and our
duties have commenced again: regular camp routine,—drill, guard, and police,
the same as before the last march.
We are forgetting
the sore feet, and gaining flesh every day, and an occasional run down town to
Blagg's tends to rub off the rough edge of being cooped behind sentries.
SOURCE: John Jasper
Wyeth, Leaves from a Diary Written While Serving in Co. E, 44 Mass.
Dep’t of North Carolina from September 1862 to June 1863, p. 30
Left Camp Cooper, and arrived the sameday at Wartrace, remaining in the above mentioned camp twenty-six days, without moving. Encamped for the night in Wartrace, guarding commissary or station all night ; making a march of 8 miles.
SOURCE: Adam S. Johnston, The Soldier Boy's Diary Book, p. 17
Left Wartrace and arrived at Duck river the same day as guard for rail road bridges and fortifications there, and encamped for the night at Duck river bridge camp, making a march of 5 miles.
SOURCE: Adam S. Johnston, The Soldier Boy's Diary Book, p. 17
8 Oc I took Command
as Lieuten of the Guard to Serve till 8 Oc tomorrow night Showery & I was a
pertaker of it being up & around examining guard all night Some of the boys
moved a shop that was building for cook shop
SOURCE: Edgar R.
Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October
1925, p. 91
8½ Oc I went of
guard duty afternoon I drilled the Co evening I took A R Murdock & Calvert &
went to Cozen M J Kelleys the little boy is almost well. I seen N Udell Sergt
of the 17th Reg. Iowa vol. & my old friend Henry Wheelen at the Demming
house.
SOURCE: Edgar R.
Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October
1925, p. 91
Guard duty is the
order of the day. Companies A and F taking turn about. We had a very heavy snow
storm last night and today it is still snowing. Oldest inhabitants say they
have never seen such cold weather and so much snow. Thermometer 4 degrees below
zero. We have only our tents and they are not much protection in such cold
weather. We have to go on duty without fires and walk up and down in the snow
in low shoes when it is a foot deep, no gloves and very scant clothing, so we
can form some idea what our Revolutionary Sires went through.
SOURCE: Joseph
Stockton, War Diary (1862-5) of Brevet Brigadier General Joseph
Stockton, p. 7
Guard duty is the
order of the day. Private Wright of my company died the past week, the first of
Co. A that was with the company. Give me marching and field duty at all times
in preference to this kind of duty.
SOURCE: Joseph
Stockton, War Diary (1862-5) of Brevet Brigadier General Joseph
Stockton, p. 8
