Diary of Private Seth J. Wells, December 20, 1862

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

Diary of Private Seth J. Wells, December 26, 1862

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

Diary of Private Seth J. Wells, December 27, 1862

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

Diary of Private Seth J. Wells, December 29, 1862

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