Diary of Private Adam S. Johnston, August 10, 1862

Left Manchester camp and arrived at Tullahoma the same day, and encamped for the night, making a march of 12 miles.

SOURCE: Adam S. Johnston, The Soldier Boy's Diary Book, p. 18

Diary of Private Adam S. Johnston, August 11, 1862

Left Tullahoma camp and arrived at Nashville the same day, and encamped for the night, making a march of 70 miles.

SOURCE: Adam S. Johnston, The Soldier Boy's Diary Book, p. 18

Diary of Private Adam S. Johnston, August 12, 1862

Left Nashville camp and moved four miles out of town to camp, and was rallied the same day and slept all night on our arms, with sixty rounds of cartridges, in the town of Nashville, Tenn., making a march of four miles and four back again, making 8 miles.

SOURCE: Adam S. Johnston, The Soldier Boy's Diary Book, p. 18

Diary of Private Adam S. Johnston, August 13, 1862

Left camp again and slept all night on our arms in Nashville, and encamped or changed camp the same day on College Hill, 1½ miles out of town, making a march of 2½ miles.

SOURCE: Adam S. Johnston, The Soldier Boy's Diary Book, p. 18

Diary of Private Adam S. Johnston, August 16, 1862

Left Camp College Hill, or was rallied and sent to Gallatin, Summer county, Tenn, and slept on our arms all night, and the next morning our company was sent out to ascertain where company K, of the 79th Pa. Inf was, as they were put on out-post picket in the night and could not be found in the morning. We found them on the Gallatin road, one mile from town; in the mean time orders came to right-about and march to camp again. On arriving there, orders had come to the regiment to right-about and march to College Hill again, leaving Co. D behind. So we lay over until the next day, and a train of cars came for us and we returned again to camp, making a march of 23 miles.

SOURCE: Adam S. Johnston, The Soldier Boy's Diary Book, p. 18

Diary of Private Adam S. Johnston, August 17, 1862

Returned to camp, making a march of 13 miles, remaining in this camp four days.

SOURCE: Adam S. Johnston, The Soldier Boy's Diary Book, p. 19

Diary of Private Adam S. Johnston, August 21, 1862

Left Camp College Hill on a rally from Nashville to the junction of the L. R. & Gr. rail road and returned to Nashville the same day, and was ordered right back the same night, making a march of 30 miles.

SOURCE: Adam S. Johnston, The Soldier Boy's Diary Book, p. 19

Diary of Private Adam S. Johnston, August 22, 1862

Left as an escort for General Nelson to Franklin, Tenn., from camp at the junction of the L.R. & G. rail road, and encamped at Tire Spring for the night, making a march of 12 miles.

SOURCE: Adam S. Johnston, The Soldier Boy's Diary Book, p. 19

Diary of Private Adam S. Johnston, August 23, 1862

Left Tire Spring camp and arrived at Drake's mill, Franklin, the same day, and encamped for the night, having fulfilled our escort, making a march of 22 miles.

SOURCE: Adam S. Johnston, The Soldier Boy's Diary Book, p. 19

Diary of Private Adam S. Johnston, August 24, 1862

Left Drake's mill camp and arrived the same day in Franklin, and encamped for the night, making a march of 2 miles.

SOURCE: Adam S. Johnston, The Soldier Boy's Diary Book, p. 19

Diary of Private Adam S. Johnston, August 25, 1862

Left Franklin camp and arrived at the tunnel of the Louisville & Nashville R. R. the same day, and encamped for the night, making a march of 22 miles.

SOURCE: Adam S. Johnston, The Soldier Boy's Diary Book, p. 19

Diary of Private Adam S. Johnston, August 26, 1862

Left the Tunnel camp and arrived at Grallatin on the same day, driving General Morgan and his forces out of the above named town, killing one of the rebel pickets because he would not halt when ordered by one of our number, and took possession of the town for the night, making a march of 7 miles.

SOURCE: Adam S. Johnston, The Soldier Boy's Diary Book, p. 19

Diary of Private Adam S. Johnston, August 27, 1862

Left Gallatin and returned to our old camp on College Hill, Nashville, making another grand circle the same day, a march of 26 miles.

SOURCE: Adam S. Johnston, The Soldier Boy's Diary Book, p. 19

Diary of Private Adam S. Johnston, August 28, 1862

Left Camp College Hill on the night of the 27th on a rally of double-quick for Columbia. Lay there all night and the 28th in battle line, making a march of 45 miles.

SOURCE: Adam S. Johnston, The Soldier Boy's Diary Book, p. 20

Diary of Private Adam S. Johnston, August 29, 1862

Left Columbia camp, the half of our regiment coming from Pulaski, 35 miles of a march, and returned to camp the same day, and encamped for the night, making another march this same day of 45 miles.

SOURCE: Adam S. Johnston, The Soldier Boy's Diary Book, p. 20

Diary of Captain Joseph Stockton, February 19, 1863

Left camp on the 16th on a scout to hunt up Blythe's forces. Orders came upon us suddenly to prepare two days rations and go in light marching order. Men strapped a rubber and one common blanket across their shoulders and were soon ready, all glad of the change as camp life had become very monotonous. Our force consisted of some 500 cavalry, 800 infantry (our regiment and part of the 11th) and two pieces of artillery. It had been raining for some time and the roads were horrible. Marched about twenty-one miles the first day. The rebels had burned all the bridges and we had to cut down trees to cross over the streams. Rained the first day. About 6 o'clock in the evening we went into camp, without any tents. Sleep was almost impossible. Reached Blythe's camp on the morning of the 17th, but the bird had flown. Company A were thrown out as skirmishers and moving forward in that way came upon Blythe's camp. They had been forced to retreat so fast that they had left all their camp utensils and provisions covered up with leaves and hid under branches of trees cut down. We destroyed everything we could find and commenced our march homeward, Co. A as rear guard. We kept skirmishing with the Rebs who would come just near enough to get a shot at us. Raining hard all the time. Marching terrible through a swamp when it was so dark you could not distinguish the men in front, we waded through water for an hour; when we came to Horn Lake river it was so swollen and deep from the rain that we could not ford it and as all the bridges have been burned down we cut down two large trees which fell across the stream and by the light of a single lamp crossed on these. We went into camp about four miles from the river but sleep was impossible owing to the rain. I sat on a log most of the night and tumbled off once in the mud from being asleep. I was a tough looking picture. Next morning we reached camp and all glad to get back. It was on this march that an incident occurred which was very amusing. We had halted and stacked arms at noon near a farm house where the men went for chickens, geese, pigs and everything eatable they could get, when all at once a lot of the men came rushing out of the yard yelling what was thought to be "Rebs." Men rushed for their arms-officers mounted, when it was discovered instead of Rebs it was bees. A lot of men in search of provisions had come upon a number of bee-hives and in trying to get the honey upset the hives and the whole swarm of bees set upon them. They were routed and fled, the bees attacked the horses and men so vigorously that we had to move the regiment.

SOURCE: Joseph Stockton, War Diary (1862-5) of Brevet Brigadier General Joseph Stockton, p. 8

Diary of Private Bartlett Yancey Malone: May 16, 1862

we marched

SOURCE: Bartlett Yancey Malone, The Diary of Bartlett Yancey Malone, p. 20

Diary of Private W. J. Davidson, July 17, 1863

At 2 o'clock on the morning of the 17th an order came for the pickets to fall back noiselessly to the trenches, which we did very quietly. On arriving here we found the main body of the enemy had slipped off during the night. By a rapid march we reached Brandon, on the Southern Railroad, having made fourteen miles before the heat of the day. The retreat was admirably managed throughout, and it was not until late in the day that the enemy learned that the bird had flown. At this place, the progress of the brigade was delayed some time to allow another body of troops, coming by a different road, to get in advance, and it was late in the evening before we reached a camping-place, three miles east of Brandon. On this march we suffered greatly from hunger, in consequence of not finding our wagon-train in time to save the rations from being spoilt. Corn-fields suffered that night.

SOURCE: Edwin L. Drake, Editor, The Annals of the Army of Tennessee and Early Western History, Vol. 1, p. 280

Diary of Private W. J. Davidson, July 18, 1863

We marched seven miles this morning, and, while resting several hours, cleaned out a corn-field near by. Started again, and again halted to allow half of the army to pass. Soon after starting again, a heavy rain fell and continued for several hours. The road, from the continual tramping of those in advance, got in a terrible condition, and it was 9 o'clock at night before the brigade made camp, having to pass the entire army. As a consequence, fully two-thirds of the men fell by the way-side. The mud, darkness and fatigue had been too much for them, and many of them slept in the mud where they gave out. A sole roasting-ear diet was not equal to the task of the hardest march we had ever had.

SOURCE: Edwin L. Drake, Editor, The Annals of the Army of Tennessee and Early Western History, Vol. 1, p. 280

Diary of Private W. J. Davidson, July 20, 1863

Made three miles yesterday, and are now encamped in a thick forest with an abundance of good spring water at hand. We are washing clothing and fixing up generally, but ready to begin the march at any moment. We draw flour every day, with bacon occasionally, and roasting-ears are to be had for the gathering.

SOURCE: Edwin L. Drake, Editor, The Annals of the Army of Tennessee and Early Western History, Vol. 1, p. 281