Diary of Private Seth J. Wells: December 1, 1862

While I was looking out of the window this morning at some recruits for the 48th Indiana, whom should I see but John Metternich of our old company. (Co. E, 12th Ind.) He was as much surprised as I; the last time I saw him, his head was bruised and bleeding as the result of a spree. This morning a band of guerillas came up within about two miles of this place, captured a number of mules and burned the cotton they were hauling.

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

Diary of Private Seth J. Wells: Tuesday, December 2, 1862

The 109th Ill. came in tonight.

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

Diary of Private Seth J. Wells: December 4, 1862

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

Diary of Private Seth J. Wells: December 5, 1862

Late in the afternoon it turned cold and began to freeze and snow.

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

Diary of Private Seth J. Wells: December 6, 1862

Ground is frozen quite solid this morning, for the first time this winter. There is some excitement among the boys of the 17th in regard to a report that Gov. Yates has ordered home ten of the old regiments to recruit and fill up their ranks. If any go, the 17th will probably be one of them, as the company reports only twenty-two for duty.

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

Diary of Private Seth J. Wells: Sunday, December 7, 1862

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

Diary of Private Seth J. Wells: December 9, 1862

On fatigue. Weather fine.

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

Diary of Private Seth J. Wells: December 10, 1862

Weather fine. We had dress parade at 4 o'clock.

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

Diary of Private Seth J. Wells: December 11, 1862

Weather warm. I was on fatigue nearly all day, cutting and hauling wood for the company. We had dress parade at 4 o'clock. Just at dusk the news came in that a guerilla band was to attack us before morning. Fifty men from our regiment and forty-eight from the 126th (which is here doing picket duty) were detailed to build breastworks of cotton, four hundred bales of which lay near the depot. Col. Norton and Major Bates did the engineering. After they had finished we lay on our arms during the night, but no enemy made its appearance, and about 7 o'clock we were ordered back to camp.

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. 15-6

Diary of Private Seth J. Wells: December 12, 1862

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

Diary of Private Seth J. Wells: December 13, 1862

Marching orders, sure enough. We drew three days' rations this morning, with orders to have two cooked and in our haversacks, ready to march at 5 o'clock the next morning. I have a new pair of boots which I expect to break in on the march—or they will break me. We were relieved this morning by the 126th. I have a very severe cold.

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

Diary of Private Seth J. Wells: Sunday, December 14, 1862

Reveille sounded this morning a little after 2 o'clock. We filled our haversacks, got our breakfasts, and by daylight were ready for the march. We fell into ranks, the regiment was formed, and then we witnessed an unexpected ceremony which is disgusting to every true soldier—the drumming out of a fellow soldier for disobedience and disgraceful conduct. I should prefer death to being marched between two lines of a regiment by a guard, at a charged bayonet, with an escort, the band playing the Rogues March, and the remainder of the regiment standing at charged bayonets; but it was soon over, the ranks were closed, and the regiment started on the march. We crossed Wolf Creek, a fine stream one mile from LaGrange. We passed over a fine country somewhat broken. The army has surely left its mark here. Miles of fences and scores of houses have been burnt. From one place we could count seven or eight ruins. The destruction of property is not countenanced by a good soldier, but every regiment has its straggling, order breaking reprobates that are a disgrace to the flag they fight under. We reached Coldwater toward night and camped. I was on guard. I came across an old cove who helped build dam No. 4, in Maryland, and knew all the citizens who live there now.

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. 16-7

Diary of Private Seth J. Wells: December 15, 1862

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

Diary of Private Seth J. Wells: November 3, 1862

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

Diary of Private Seth J. Wells: November 7, 1862

We got a buggy shed from the citizens, boarded it up tight, built a furnace in it, and were just putting on the finishing touches, (battening up the cracks with cotton) when we received marching orders. Such is the fortune of war.

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. 11-12

Diary of Private Seth J. Wells: November 8, 1862

We struck our tents and started for Grand Junction about 10 o'clock. The boys are in fine health and spirits. We marched about nine miles and camped by a clear spring.

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. 12

Diary of Private Seth J. Wells: Sunday, November 9, 1862

We marched about fifteen miles today and arrived at La Grange, three miles west of Grand Junction. It is dry and very dusty. Sometimes the dust was so thick we could not see the ground. That and the smoke and heat from the burning fences was almost intolerable. We passed miles and miles of burnt and burning fences, fired by troops in advance. Large and fine farms and plantations were laid waste. We met fully forty teams of four and six mules each, loaded with wenches and young woolly heads, and all their personal effects, and in fact all they could smuggle from their masters. Ask them where they are going and they will tell you, "You folks sent's to Bolivar, don't know where wes goin' from thar." I blistered my feet badly on the march. We hear that Hollow Springs is evacuated. We have very stringent orders in regard to stealing. Everything has to be paid for by the division when it cannot be traced to the company, regiment or brigade of the persons committing the theft. I hope they will be enforced.

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. 12

Diary of Private Seth J. Wells: November 14, 1862

All quiet. We had brigade drill this forenoon. Our brigade consists of the 7th Missouri, 8th, 63rd and 18th Illinois, commanded by Col. Stevenson of the 7th Missouri. Our regiment is the first of the fourth brigade, third division, of the right wing of Gen. Grant's army. Gen. John A. Logan made a speech to the troops this afternoon.

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. 13

Diary of Private Seth J. Wells: November 20, 1862

Col. Stevenson made a few remarks to us this morning after drill. He is good natured and jolly, and a fine speaker. He gave us great praise and said he had the 7th Missouri, 8th and 63rd Illinois, with the pick of another five or six regiments, among them ours. He took us and placed us on the right of his brigade in preference to any other.

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. 13

Diary of Private Seth J. Wells: November 21, 1862

Our brigade was reviewed by Generals McPherson and Logan this afternoon. Gen. McKean's brigade was reviewed today.

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. 13