Were waked up at daylight & most of the men had made
coffee when the Regt. was ordered on board the Gulf Steamer. Genl Banks, Genl
Granger & suit embark on the same boat, as we are about the last Regt to
embark the fleet set sail immediately, the fleet consisted of 6 musketo
gunboats & about as many transports, two men of war, these boats carried
the 13th A. C. the gunboat Cincinatti took the lead across the Bay arond with a
torpedo rake. I was surprised that the Land batteries in the Bay did not open
on us as we were in good range of it, crossed over to cat fish landing. A man
of war run up close & lifted a shell over which called no reply but caused
a display of white rags at every house along the landing. A boat was sent
ashore which brought back word that there was no enemy in Mobile & the
Mayor would surrender the city at the approach of our army. Genl Grangers
orders were to beach the boats & men to wade on shore, but these orders were
not carried out where it was certain there was no enemy, the boats run up to an
old pier hardly stout enough to hold itself up. & the men disembarked.
slowly, our boat was not light enough draft to move up to the pier & we
were transferred to another boat and landed at 11. o clock. Admiral Thatcher
was on board our boat before we disembarked. I hear the navy feel very soar
about the little work they have done to reduce Mobile. When the sand forts were
fond to be evacuated Genl Granger determined to run the Genl Banks to the city
although the Admiral was afraid to run his musketo boat with a torpedo rake to
the city. Col. Mackey wanted to have the regt remain on the boat & go in
with the Genl but he would not allow it saying “I dont want to loose the men
but if they blow me up with a torpedo they may blow & be D—d” his boat went
in without running on any torpedo although the pilot was unacquainted with the
channel & run by guess we lay arond on the banks after disembarking until
1. P. M. when we started for Mobile but from some cause we moved slow moving
about 200 yds & then rest an hour so it took until dusk to get us in camp
between the 1st & 2d lines of fortification about the city & about 1
mile from the city, I take a look at some of the forts an the line of forts
which are the best earth works I ever saw & cannot understand how Genl
Maury got the consent of his mind to leave such works without firing a gun. The
forts mounted large Siege guns of heavy calibre many of them marked “Selma Mob
1865.” the guns were all well spiked & carriages mostly destroyed most of
the magazines were open & much of the ammunition destroyed although there
was a great amont left, the citizens close by tell me that not much of the
cotton was burned for Genl Canby sent in word if the cotton was burned he would
burn the city. The big fire we noticed last night was the burning of the navy
yard. Say when the Rebs left the commissaries with 6 months rations for the men
were thrown open & citizens helped themselves, in the rush several citizens
were hurt. a Co of Reb cavalry did not leave until our army was disembarkng
& a small squad remained in town until the straglers who run ahead of the
command were entering the city they snatched up one of these straglers &
made off with him. The 1st Brig marched into town & 8th Ill was put on
provost duty.
SOURCE: “Diary of John S. Morgan, Company G, 33rd Iowa
Infantry,” Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 13, No. 8, April 1923,
p. 589-90
