Diary of 1st Lieutenant John S. Morgan: Saturday, May 6, 1865

About 8.30 hear a boat whistle soon after hear loud cheering at the landing Know the news is good. News soon reaches camp that Genl Taylor has surrendered to Genl Canby & Com. Farring to Admiral Thatcher, that the details at work on the fort have been set to chopping wood for the fleet which the boat was to go up to escort down This Div is ordered to Mobile on the said fleet. I go to the landing & see the steamer Crawford just starting up the river with the white flag on the Jackstaff, she is ½ loaded with parolled soldiers going home Hear that Jonston had surrendered again conditions all right. Every one is in high spirits & the opinion is 4 to 1 that we celebrate the 4th of July at home Every available team Is hauling cord wood from the country to the landing, see a man who says he had just come from Columbus Ky to Mobile by rail, Go to river to bathe in the evening notice the Octarara Is gone Has been quite warm all day.

SOURCE: “Diary of John S. Morgan, Company G, 33rd Iowa Infantry,” Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 13, No. 8, April 1923, p. 598-9

Diary of 1st Lieutenant John S. Morgan: Friday, April 28, 1865

A. M. to commissary for stores. The fort is laid out today, & details made to work on it. At noon was detailed for picket to report immediately. The Off of Day did not know where the line of our Brigade was, took us out on the wrong road making a walk extra of about 3 miles, was 4 P. M. when we arrived on our own line, found there the detail of 33 had been sent away to a bayou 1½ miles below the bluffs. Which post was to be relieved, having no place on the line for me The Off of Day ordered me to march my detail to camp. Short picketing that soon after return to camp supper ready. After supper Lt Laughridge & myself go to the river for a bath, talk with a squad of a Sergt of 4 men bearers of dispatch from Mobile & just arrived say a flag of truce from Taylor had been at Whistler for 5 days & rumor said Taylor wished to surrender. Told us of a Reb gunboat running out of Red River past New Orleans & being too closely chased beeched & blew up, saw a little nig. who gathered a mess of ripe haws to make us a pie, we to give him his supper of which he had had none, when we return to camp Lt Sharman says “the dispatch is just recd from Genl Canby announcing the surrender of Genl Taylor & all his forces. & that our men should respect him & his officers enroute to Mobile” as this order is published cheer after cheer rends the air, Lt Stoeker 29th Iowa stays with us tonight, he come up from the Arsenal with an escort of 10 men & says that his segt captured 2 men of the squad who captured the teamsters near Fish river & that all the teamsters were sent to Vicksburgh for exchange. The Lt says there is no doubt this is a correct statement, Fleas Fleas. Fleas

SOURCE: “Diary of John S. Morgan, Company G, 33rd Iowa Infantry,” Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 13, No. 8, April 1923, p. 596