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Here a halt was

tance from the track, and in the direction of camp. ordered, the head of the barrel was knocked in and the cheese was cut into pieces suitable to be handled. Each of the party then took off his drawers, and by tying the ankles in a knot prepared them to receive the booty. The apples and cheese were then distributed and the party, groaning under their load, trudged toward camp. The supplies were secreted among the rocks in the vicinity of camp, and—well, there are tales that must not be told out of school.

We were first camped in the valley and near the creek, but some days ago we climbed to the summit of the ridge on the north and pitched our tents overlooking the valley. Some earth-works of a simple character constructed of dirt and gum logs have been built under the management of Colonel Wilcox, but the disposition of the men to shirk duty under various pretenses makes the working force very weak. A soldier will dare, do and suffer, but will not work. Nearly every able-bodied man in camp, including some of the officers, has been acquiring a geographical knowledge of the country by scouting by day and planning new adventures by night, but if there is a suspicion that he is to be on duty to-morrow, he answers the sick call, and by some strategy gets excused.

Now and then the missionary spirit shows itself. Corporal S., who is my messmate, and somewhat accustomed to deeds of piety at home, has an appointment to preach at a cabin in the country next Sabbath. If we move before then there will be a mutual disappointment; the natives will miss hearing a good sermon, and the Corporal will miss a good country dinner.

Captain Taylor's company (B) went out to Rolling Fork to do duty for a few days. They relieved part of the 50th O. V. I.

24. Milt. Doak and Edmiston conspired to rob a woman of her last rooster, to-day, and proceeded in this manner: Milt. entered the cabin in feigned agony over a pair of frozen ears; the heart of the old lady was touched, and her sympathy went out toward the suffering boy. Edmiston, finding her attention taken up, as he desired it should be, scouted on the premises, and finding a solitary rooster on the corner of the house, carried it off triumphantly. Doak thawed out presently and started in pursuit, followed by the irate woman, who had now seen the trick. The boys were not overtaken.

The fowl made a savory mess, for I shared in eating it, on the promise that an account of the affair should never go into print. I have kept my promise.

26. Work on our defenses progresses slowly, partly because of bad weather, and partly because of too weak a force. Some of our men have spent the day rabbit hunting, but found no game. in a fine lot of "Kentucky twist." Tobacco will be the war ends.

They brought tobacco before

27. Orders were received this forenoon to prepare to move, an order that all seemed willing to obey, and the work of preparation began at once. We had an immense amount of baggage of various kinds, and its preparation for shipment occupied several hours, so that dark was upon us before we left Colesburg, bound for Louisville. Our train was overloaded and made little progress, so that the entire night was consumed in the trip of thirty-six miles.

28. We disembarked at daybreak, and by noon had our tents pitched and awaiting orders. At 3 P. M. we marched to Portland, three miles below the city, where we boarded the steamer St. Patrick, occupying all her capacity and crowding us quite uncomfortably.

First Lieutenant Samuel A. Hughes resigned, as has also Captain ⚫ H. Z. Adams, Company G.

30. We continue to remain anchored at the wharf. Several men deserted to-day. Hardly a company but lost some men in this way. Here we received pay to December 31st, 1862. Most of the men needed their pay badly. Lying at this wharf is a large fleet of steamers loaded with soldiers.

FEBRUARY, 1863.

I. This is Sunday. At 4:20 P. M. our boat left the wharf and proceeded down the Ohio. Being a fast boat we make good time, and before night set in we had passed a number of other boats going down, all crowded with men in blue, all going we knew not where. 2. About noon we reached Evansville, Indiana, where we remained an hour, then pursuing our downward way arrived at Smithland, the mouth of the Cumberland river. Here we took on a quantity of coal. Black hats were issued to us. A lottery was one of the incidents of the trip, and it came near resulting in some vacancies among the commissioned officers.

3. We left Smithland at 11 A. M., and steered up the Cumberland, having Nashville for our destination. The weather being agreeably fine, the men sought the sunshine, and resting on the guards of the boat, admired the scenery of the country through which we traveled.

The St. Patrick passed a number of boats on the way, and the bantering and cheering of the men from one boat to the other was very exciting.

After night set in, comrades Avery, Rose and Cressey, of Company D, and Asa Kite and myself, made the banks of the Cumberland echo with the voice of song. Those D boys run to music like ducks to water. At eight o'clock a light in the river ahead of us created a sensation. It drifted nearer and nearer to our boat, and at length floated past, proving to be a burning barge which had been loaded with hay and other army supplies, and which had been fired and set afloat to destroy our fleet of boats.

4. We find our boat anchored on the north bank at a place called Donelsonville, which is on the opposite shore. A battle occurred here yesterday, the Confederates being defeated and driven from the field, leaving their dead and wounded. A number of boats besides our own are anchored here, all loaded with troops. The names of these boats are: James Thompson, Crescent City, St. Patrick, Lady Franklin, Victress, Victor No. 2, Horizon, Wild Cat, St. Cloud, Liberty No. 2, Jacob Strader, Thomas Pattin, Allen Collier, Silver Lake, Clara Poe, Champion, James Johnston, Bostonia, Nashville, Robert R. Hamilton, Duke, Express, Leslie Combs, B. C. Levi, Diamond, Odd Fellow, Venango, John H. Groesbeck, Cottage, Charley Miller and Hornet, besides six gunboats. Squads of our men have rowed over to the battlefield to satisfy their desire to see how it looks. Fifteen of us in a yawl made the attempt to cross, but a passing steamer came near running over our little craft, and to save ourselves we drifted toward the north shore and against a loaded barge, upon which we jumped and were saved from what seemed to me a watery grave.

During the afternoon the regiment left the steamer and spent two hours on land, drilling, during which time the boat was scrubbed and cleaned up, after which we again went on board. At five o'clock this evening a brisk snow fell.

During the past day or two we made the acquaintance of Mr. Grayback. He is a lively, ticklish creature, and as a multiplier has no equal.

5. Companies E and G are on duty to-day, occupying the upper deck. The snow is several inches deep, and continues falling. Dover and Donaldsonville are on opposite sides of the river, where our fleet is at anchor. The St. Patrick is at the Dover side. Now the Odd Fellow is being lashed to us on the right side, 11:15 A. M. We

are now steaming up the Cumberland; the boats are moving two abreast, and the sight is one of the grandest the eye ever beheld. The pilots of the several boats are protected by a shield made of heavy boiler iron. The following commands are represented in this fleet: Seventy-eighth Ill. V. I., One Hundred and Twenty-fifth O. V. I., Ninety-second O. V. I., Thirty-sixth O. V. I., One Hundred and Twenty-fourth O. V. I., Eighty-ninth O. V. I., Eleventh O. V. I., Ninety-eighth O. V. I., One Hundred and Twenty-first O. V. I., Ninth Ill. Battery, Seventh O. V. I., Eighty-second O. V. I., Third Ky. Battery, and the One Hundred and Thirteenth O. V. I.

Asa Kite and I found and occupied a nook behind the wheel-house of the boat when we first went aboard. We have traveled with com

fort with plenty of room and fresh air.

The men in other parts of

the boat have suffered on account of their crowded condition.

7. We have been moving steadily up stream without accident or notable incident. We passed Clarksville in the night, besides towns and villages, the names of which I could not learn. At five o'clock this afternoon the city of Nashville appeared in view, and our journey down the Ohio and up the Cumberland is at an end.

8. By a little figuring we ascertain that this is Sunday, but we are not to go ashore until to-morrow. This is a disappointment. We have been huddled together without conveniences for cooking, eating or sleeping since the twenty-eighth of last month, and much sickness and suffering has ensued. I predict that when our term of service ends it can be said that our stay at Muldraugh's Hill and our trip on the St. Patrick resulted in more deaths than our severest battle. If I had had my own way we would have marched across the State of Kentucky from Muldrough, and it would have been a trip of pleasure compared to what our imprisonment on the St. Patrick has been. But then we would have missed getting these black hats. A member of Company F, figuring for a discharge, shot off a finger. He ought to be yoked with Baldwin of Company E.

9. Leaving the boat at nine o'clock this morning the regiment marched through the city of Nashville and camped four miles to the south, on the right hand of the pike. The location is a good one and the surrounding country presents a good appearance, but shows many signs of the ravages of hostile armies.

10. It rained during last night and rendered us very uncomfortable. R. Gardner and George Conard, of Mess 3, are sick. I found a sutler of another regiment and bought a mutton ham for a dollar, a pound of cheese for fifty cents, and a pound of butter for forty

cents. Corporal Gillispie, of Company D, died at Nashville to-day. The 78th Ill. V. I. camped east of us.

II. This is washday with us. It has not been washday till now since we left Portland. Washday is a melancholy day for-graybacks; they are apt to get soap in their eyes.

12. Struck tents at sunrise and moved in a southerly direction, reaching Franklin, distance fourteen miles, late in the afternoon. Passed fine houses and well-improved farms on the way. Many of our men fell out of the march in the first five miles. Many articles of clothing and other heavy baggage were abandoned by the weary ones who lacked the muscle to carry all they had packed. Being in fine bodily health I stood the march well, and was with a few of my company who halted and stacked arms at the end of the march. Our forces vacated this post early this morning. A scouting party of rebel cavalry had dashed in during the day but fled at our approach. General Gilbert, who has command of our forces, directed a few shots after them upon our arrival, and I presume he scared them some. Our force consists of the 113th, 121st, 98th, 125th Ohio, and the 78th Illinois regiments of infantry, besides a battery. Franklin is on the railroad leading from Nashville to Decatur, Alabama. Our exhausted comrades kept arriving till after dark, and I think they all came in safely at last.

13. Our regiment, taking ten teams, went to the northwest of camp for forage. We took five loads of corn from each of two planters, three miles out. Saw numbers of slaves; this is nearly the first we have seen of the peculiar institution. attractive in it for me.

Moved camp half a mile eastward.

There is nothing

Have a bad eye,

14. Rain. but many a man in camp is worse off. Asa Kite and I went to a farm house near camp and procured some clover hay for our bed. Took Edmiston to the hospital after dark. Last night the crowing of a cock was heard some distance from camp, and to-night an expedition has gone out to reconnoiter and bring in the offender. Have not tasted chicken since we left Muldraugh's Hill. S. E. Bailey scouted into the country recently for something to eat. He came to the house of a Tennesseean and asked him what he could sell a soldier. The man brought out a sack of dried apples and offered to sell them. Bailey showed a silver watch and told the citizen that he would trade him that for the apples, but that he must have some money to boot. The citizen offered Bailey $50 and the apples for his watch. The offer was at length accepted, the youth expecting to

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