Near Oxford. Weather
still warm. Several of the boys went to Oxford in the afternoon with Captain.
Returned with eight new horses, also with the report that the Rebs were in
possession of Holly Springs, with 5,000 cavalry. Had taken several prisoners,
one of whom was Colonel Murphy, 8th Wisconsin; fears also were entertained that
the paymasters had been captured with their capital.
SOURCE: Jenkin Lloyd
Jones, An Artilleryman's Diary, p. 20
Tallaloosa, Miss. Aroused early to prepare to march. High wind,
appearance of a storm. We were hitched up with the rest of the Battery by 7 A.
M., when it began to rain heavy. The howitzers, under charge of Lieutenant
Clark, with two Parrott guns of the Regulars, two howitzers of the 11th Ohio,
started out with four teams on the guns, two on the limbers of the caissons,
the hind wheels having been sent to Holly Springs the night before. We passed
on towards Memphis with the infantry of Quinby's Division paddling on the best
they could; marched on through very rough country till 4 P. M. Came into park
at Tallaloosa, a God and man forsaken place. Rained nearly all day. Supped on
confiscated chickens, geese and fresh pork.
SOURCE: Jenkin Lloyd
Jones, An Artilleryman's Diary, pp. 21-2
Oxford, Miss. Awoke
with an unpleasant feeling, a racking pain in back and head. Started out early,
the road having frozen hard enough to bear footmen, marched without much
difficulty. Reached Oxford by noon. Neat place, two-thirds the size of Holly
Springs; compared favorably with it in building but not in situation. Went into
camp on the southern limits, saw some 700 prisoners marched in from the advance.
Price still ahead. One darky reported him almost to hell.
SOURCE: Jenkin Lloyd
Jones, An Artilleryman's Diary, pp. 17-8
La Grange, Tenn.
Awoke to hear the rain pattering briskly on the Sibley [tent] above me. We were
called out, and with expectations to march, we drew three days' rations in our
haversacks. 8 A. M. the rain cleared off and the column of infantry began to
move by on the road leading to Holly Springs. At 9 A. M. we fell in rear of
column. We marched west about three quarters of a mile, then turned north
toward La Grange; travelled through very pretty country. We halted at Wolf
River to water our horses, fill our canteens and ate a dinner of hard crackers
and sugar. Ascended a steep hill, half a mile in length, on the top of which
was situated La Grange, when we turned westward and travelled until 7 P. M.
Encamped on a hill. Killed a beef for supper.
SOURCE: Jenkin Lloyd
Jones, An Artilleryman's Diary, p. 13
Moscow. Awoke before
daylight with orders Started to prepare to march. All was ready by
6:30 A. M. at about 7:30, fell in rear of the column and marched toward Holly
Springs; traveled all day with the exception of the necessary halts in the
train. Passed through Early Grove 4 P. M., Hudsonville 7 P. M. Traveled until 9
P. M. Encamped near Coldwater River for the night. The country was all woodland
except the cleared plantations; after dark the air was illumined, the raging
fire caused by the dry leaves and fences, running for miles, it being set out
by the advance. Came into park in a grove, made a "shebang" of shakes
and laid down about 11:30 Р. М.
SOURCE: Jenkin Lloyd
Jones, An Artilleryman's Diary, p. 15
Holly Springs, Miss.
The bugle's notes awoke me in the same position as that I fell asleep in three
hours before. Prepared for march and started with the sun, in advance of the
artillery; passed through Holly Springs about 11 A. M.; passed through the
streets where twenty-four hours before the last of the rebels skedaddled. Holly
Springs passed my expectations in size and beauty, being the largest place I
have seen in Secession.
We traveled on in a
southward course towards Waterford. General Hamilton and troupe passed us about
4 miles beyond Holly Springs. Two miles farther on we heard two guns discharged
and heard rumors of a battle ahead. On the brow of a hill we were shown the
grounds where the cavalry were engaged in the morning with the Rebs' pickets,
killing a Michigan boy and three Rebs. Ascended the hill which overlooked
Waterford, consisting of a mill and a small creek, branch of Coldwater River.
Here the enemy opened fire on our troops in the morning with two pieces which
were taken. We forded the stream about 5 P. M., went into camp on the banks,
got some flour from the mills (ground by the secesh for supper), and laid down under
the gun on soil twenty-four hours ago occupied by Rebs, seven miles south of
Holly Springs.
SOURCE: Jenkin Lloyd
Jones, An Artilleryman's Diary, pp. 15-6
I had the pleasure
of seeing a number of friends from Iowa that came in from Holly Springs for
supplies in Hamilton & Quimbys divisions that arrived this afternoon
SOURCE: Edgar R.
Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2,
October 1925, p. 101
The news came in
this morning that Holly Springs was entered at daylight and captured. The
Rebels took over two hundred thousand dollars and burned the depot with all the stores
and the arsenal we had fitted up for a hospital. After dinner we were set to work
building breastworks of cotton, having captured one thousand bales from the C.
S. A... When we first came here the regiment was scattered along the railroad,
one company in a place extending nearly to Oxford. Companies G and K were kept
here, this being the headquarters of Regiment 1, Norton commanding the Post.
Two companies below were sent up, and by night we had a complete breastwork of
cotton bales, regular old hickory style.
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. 19-20
Warm and raining. We
were astir early, cooked our breakfasts, filled our haversacks with meat and
what little bread we had, and fell in about 7 o'clock. It began to rain and we
had gone but a mile or two when we were wet through. We secured two ox teams,
one of six oxen, and one of four, which hauled our knapsacks. The 12th Ind. is
still camped on the Tallahatchie. Saw Lieut. E. Webster and Tom Anderson, they
are living on quarter rations. Capt. Williams, now Colonel of the regiment, was
at Holly Springs at the time it was captured and he was taken for the third
time. We marched to the Yazoo Bottoms and camped on the opposite side. It
rained and we were completely soaked. The ground was muddy and I looked around,
found a stack of corn, dug down to the dry stalks, husked out a lot and made a
bed for myself. We are, within seven miles of Holly Springs.
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. 22
Warm and rainy this
morning. We struck out tents, fell in about daylight and marched through to
Holly Springs, where we saw the effects of the late raid.
A long ambulance
train, a large hotel and one whole block was burned, also the whole of the
large arsenal building which we had prepared and were using for a hospital, the
large depot and all the supplies that were in it, two or three engines and a
long train of cars. When the magazines exploded it jarred out nearly all of the
window glass in that part of the town. We camped on the north side in a
beautiful grove. As soon as camp was laid off we killed one of our oxen which
had labored so faithfully in hauling our knapsacks here, and drew one more
day's rations to finish out our four days. The boys have taken the mills into
their own hands and are shelling and grinding corn, what they should have done
long ago, live off the country. They tell us that we are the first regiment of
the first brigade, sixth division (Gen. Arthur's) of Grant's department. There
has been no time to parole the sick.
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. 23
A foraging party
went out this morning. One of our boys killed five hogs and thirteen chickens,
and found two government wagons and two barrels of molasses that the Rebs had
taken out from Holly Springs and hidden. At 3 o'clock we had orders to move in
twenty minutes for Moscow, a small town ten miles west of LaGrange on the
Memphis and Charleston railroad. We marched to the opposite side of Coldwater
and camped for the night. Our brigade was in advance of the division and our
regiment in advance of the brigade.
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.
23-4
Quite sore from
chopping and rolling cotton. Our Colonel, Amos Norton, is Commander of the
Post, and Rats is provost-marshal, Col. Smith commanding the regiment. Toward
dark a rumor was rapidly circulated through the camp that we were ordered to
Holly Springs, Miss. No one could tell where it started from, and consequently
no one credited it.
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. 16
We struck tents
early, packed our effects as snugly as possible, and as on the preceding
morning, shouldered our knaps. It rained during our entire march to Holly
Springs, the flower city of the South, and on our arrival there the flood gates
of heaven opened and the rain poured down on our defenseless heads in torrents.
We stood it about two hours before the Colonel culd secure quarters.
Three-fourths of a mile up the railroad track we found a very large rebel
arsenal, but were wet to the skin long before we reached this shelter. It
continued to rain all day without intermission.
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.
17-8
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
Broke camp today. Left for Oxford on our retreat to where, I don't know, as the rebel General Van Dorn, through the treachery of Colonel Murphy, captured and destroyed all our supplies at Holly Springs and cut the railroad tracks. Reached Oxford in the afternoon and on alarm that the rebels were coming our brigade was called up and the 72d sent out as grand guard. I kept awake all night but fortunately the alarm was caused by the moving of some of our own troops that our scouts had taken for Rebs.
SOURCE: Joseph Stockton, War Diary (1862-5) of Brevet Brigadier General Joseph Stockton, p. 6
LUMPKINS MILLS, MISS.
Passed the day in camp as Ross's division were passing on their way to Holly Springs. Weather beautiful. It made the day pleasant for our men. I had a pole greased and tied some tobacco and a dollar bill on top and the man who climbed it was to have it. It afforded a great deal of amusement and helped to make the day pass away agreeably to all.
SOURCE: Joseph Stockton, War Diary (1862-5) of Brevet Brigadier General Joseph Stockton, p. 6
Started on our march to Memphis. Quimby's [sic] division are to guard a train of 600 empty wagons. The day's march was a terrible one. Raining and roads muddy, and cut by the wagon trains many of which were filled with sick soldiers taken from the hospitals at Oxford and Holly Springs. Several poor fellows died and were buried alongside the road, their winding sheet a blanket and no ceremony but the digging of the grave, the body put in, filled up and the burial party hurrying away to get to their position. Poor fellows, they died for their country as much as if they were killed in battle.
SOURCE: Joseph Stockton, War Diary (1862-5) of Brevet Brigadier General Joseph Stockton, p. 6
Left Moscow for
Holly Springs, Mississippi, at nine o'clock, marched twenty miles, encamped in
the woods, slept soundly until awakened by rain; wrapped my rubber blanket
around me and went to sleep again—too tired for anything trifling to keep me
awake. 4th Minnesota in the advance.
SOURCE: Joseph
Stockton, War Diary (1862-5) of Brevet Brigadier General Joseph
Stockton, p. 4
Marched at 8 o'clock
in the morning. General Grant passed us at about 10 o'clock; arrived at Holly
Springs at about 11 o'clock; halted an hour, marched to Lumpkins Mills where we
encamped for the night. Had to take off our pants, etc., to wade a stream to
reach our camping grounds—found a splendid pond of water which was made good
use of. Firing in the distance. I saw one of the grandest sights tonight. I had
occasion to ride up on a high hill and in the valley below there were some 40
or 50 thousand troops encamped and going into camp the thousands of camp fires,
the cheers of the men as they were going into camp, the tattoo of the regiments
which had already gone into camp, some with bands of music, others with only
the bugle, others with drums, all together made up a scene long to be
remembered. I would not have missed seeing it for hundreds of other scenes at
home. I staid on the hill for some time and at midnight not a sound was heard,
all was as still as could be and the only things to be seen were groups of
soldiers either lying or sitting around the camp fires.
SOURCE: Joseph
Stockton, War Diary (1862-5) of Brevet Brigadier General Joseph
Stockton, p. 4-5
Bright and pleasant.
The only news to-day was a dispatch from Gen. Hood, stating that the enemy had left Holly Springs, Miss., for the Mississippi River, supposed to reinforce Sherman, whose communications are certainly cut. It seems to me that Sherman must be doomed. Forces are gathering from every quarter around him, and it is over 200 miles to Mobile, if he has any idea to force his way thitherward.
Attended an auction to-day. Prices of furniture, clothing, etc. still mounting higher.
Common salt herrings are at $16 per dozen; salt shad, $8 a piece. Our agent was heard from to-day. He has no flour yet, but we still have hopes of getting some.
