Diary of Private Daniel L. Ambrose: June 16, 1864

On the evening of the 15th we take the cars for Chattanooga. All are in fine spirits, and as we move from Athens we are wont to say, farewell mules! farewell North Alabama! Arriving at Stephenson the train stops until morning, when it again moves on its way southward. We are now approaching Chattanooga. Lookout Mountain is seen looming up in the dim distance—it presents to the eye of the soldier an impressive grandeur, impressive because on its highest pinnacle, a flag honored and loved by earth's struggling people is flying as it were in the atmosphere of heaven. Arriving at Chattanooga we leave the train and march outside the city limits and go into camp for the night.

SOURCE: Daniel Leib Ambrose, History of the Seventh Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, p. 244

Captain Charles Wright Wills: December 19, 1863

Greasy Cove, Jackson Co., Ala., December 19, 1863.

On examination of my pockets this morning, I find a letter I wrote you a week since. Will mail it this morning and tell you the late news in another dispatch. You notice we have again changed our camp, and you'll probably admire the classic names they have given these beautiful valleys. I was at Stephenson and Bridgeport a few days since for our camp and garrison equipage, and was just starting back with it when I heard that our detachment was ordered to report to the rest of the brigade at their camp at Athens, Tenn., 40 miles beyond Chattanooga. So I left my traps and came back to move. We will start as soon as our parties get in from scouting. The last party that went out and returned was some 200 strong. Dorrance had 20 men from our detachment. They brought in a splendid lot of horses, but had to go 75 miles for them. The guerrillas killed one man of the party, (46th Ohio) and captured a number, maybe 15. Picked them up one, two or three at a time. Dorrance was captured and paroled by some of Forrest's men. He was pretty well treated, but the parole amounts to nothing. They took nearly all of his money, his arms, spurs, horse, etc. He was the only one of my men captured. It is confounded cold lately and I haven't been real dry for three days. We have to swim creeks to go anywhere, and there is so much brush and drift in these streams that a horse will always get tangled and souse a fellow. I swam a horse across a creek yesterday, and he went over on his hind legs standing straight up. I never saw such a brute. Rumor says we will be dismounted and go with the corps to Mobile. But the most probable story is that we are going into camp at Athens for the winter. Would much rather go to Mobile but think that we can't be spared from here.

SOURCE: Charles Wright Wills, Army Life of an Illinois Soldier, p. 206-7