Morning with major Boydston to Ft Morgan to go to Ft Gaines
No boat. All through fort. Near the pier & within 400 yds. of Ft. a pole
which is fixed to the turret of the Gunboat Tecumseh sunk by the explosion of a
torpedo, shows the watery grave of 100 brave boys, who are yet in the great
iron coffin 30 ft below the surface, I mile out a smokestack sticks out of the
water, a little this side the pier is the wreck of the Reb Gunboat Gaines,
crippled & beached during the action P. M. in camp. Service at 3. P. M.
News — 35 men of our Regt lately exchanged are at New Orleans — Col Benton of
29th Iowa, & Col Glasgow of 23d Iowa appointed Brevet Brig. Genl's by the
President, Detailed tonight to take charge of fatigue party tomorrow. All
experienced Rail, Road, men called for, to report to Capt Jackson. It is the
purpose to make a permanent Rail Road from Ft Morgan to Navy Com & extend
around the Bay to Mobile as the Army advances.
SOURCE: “Diary of John S. Morgan, Company G, 33rd Iowa
Infantry,” Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 13, No. 8, April 1923,
p. 576
