December 24th, 1864, we received marching orders. We got on board a
boat and started for Baton Rouge. We arrived there at two o’clock. On
the morning of the 25th we got off of the boat and went into camp on
our old camp ground. We relieved two regiments from guard duty, whose
time had expired, and they started home at two p. m. We had grand
review that day. That was a dry Christmas for us, but we kept up a
little fun just the same.
On the evening of the 29th we received marching orders, struck tents,
and marched on board the “Laurel Hill.” We landed at New Orleans
on the morning of the 30th and reported to General Hulbert. We got
orders to run up to Carrollton. Here we disembarked, marched out one
mile on the Shell Road and pitched our camp.
January 5th, 1865, we drew four months’ pay and one installment of
our bounty. On the 11th we were reviewed by Lieutenant Colonel Smith
at two p. m. We received orders and marched to Kennerville on the
19th. We went into camp and had such bad rainy weather that we had to
wade around camp in mud that was knee deep.
On the 24th we received marching orders. Every one rejoiced because
we were all tired of that mud hole. At four p. m. we marched on board
the steamship “Corinthian,” which was bound for Pensacola, Florida.
On the morning of the 25th we ran to the gulf, the distance being one
hundred miles. As we pulled out of the mouth of the river the waves
were rolling a great deal, and several of our boys got very sick and
almost threw up their socks. After we had sailed an hour, the water
became smooth and we glided along very nicely.
We ran in sight of our gunboat fleet which was anchored at the mouth
of Mobile Bay. At ten p. m. we cast anchor in Pensacola Bay, near
Fort Pickens, Florida.
The morning of the 26th brought to view some grand sights in that
mild tropical climate that were new to us. There stood two large
forts. Fort Pickens and Fort Barancas with their monstrous guns
pointing out through many embrasures. There also stood the lighthouse
towering up two hundred eighty-four feet above sea level.
We hoisted anchor and ran over to the wharf. We got off of the
vessel, marched out eight miles, and went into camp near Fort
Redoubt, which is below the city of Pensacola, Florida. This was a
beautiful, sandy shore beach covered with a pine forest.
At eight o’clock the left wing of our battalion came in on the ship
“St. Mary.” On the morning of the 27th the balance of our brigade,
commanded by General Andrews, came in, and we all moved out one mile
and went into camp.
All of the regiments were lined up in camp, making a fine show of
camp life. Each company went to work and ornamented their quarters
with evergreen and white and yellow sand, writing numbers and names
in the white sand with the yellow sand. This was the most magnificent
camp that I ever saw. There were pictures of animals, birds, and all
kinds of flowers in front of our tents.
We lay here until February 11, 1865, with nothing to do except to
have battalion drill four hours each day. The remainder of the time
we put in by wading out in the bay and carrying out shoulder loads of
oysters. We were having a good time then, but we did not know when
the storm would come, although we did know that come it would.
We had protracted meeting and several marched down in the bay and
were baptized.
On the 12th we had grand review by General Granger. We had no more
drill after the 16th. One day a salute of eleven shots was fired over
the arrival of General Asboth.
On the 17th and 18th we had target shooting, and in the evening
Generals Asboth and Andrews came over to see the Twenty-fourth
Indiana perform on dress parade. On the 29th a brigade came in and we
sent our baggage and camp equipage over to Fort Pickens. This fort
mounted two hundred eighty heavy pivot guns. This is the place where
Major Brown held against General Bragg’s army at the commencement of
the war. I was in the lookout, two hundred eighty feet above the sea
level. One can see for miles over that vast blue water. Two ships
came in with a battery on each vessel.
March 8th we received marching orders, but lay here until the morning
of the 11th. At six o’clock we marched out through the peninsula, and
after traveling twelve miles came to the town of Pensacola. This had
the appearance of a nice city, but fire had consumed the most of the
buildings.
At four o’clock we moved out near Jackson’s old fortifications and
went into camp. This is the place from where General Jackson marched
his troops to New Orleans and whipped General Packenham, in the year
1812.
On the 15th we had our camp in good shape again, and we had dress
parade in the evening. Fifty rebel cavalrymen made a dash on our
cavalry outpost and drove them back. General Andrews happened to be
out in the advance and they made him cut dirt to get back to our main
lines.
On the fifth we drew five days’ rations and began marching at six
o’clock. On the morning of the 20th five thousand cavalrymen came
from Barancas. They passed us and took the advance. We marched in the
direction of Pollard on the Mobile and Atlanta railroad. The country
was low and swampy, covered with a pine forest. We had a time getting
our train and batteries through. Many of them mired down and had to
be pulled out by hand.
After a march of twelve miles, tired and worn out, we went into camp.
That night we could hear the roar of the cannon at Fort Spanish, near
Mobile. A heavy rain poured down all night, and it was still raining
the next morning. We marched out five miles and went into camp, as
all of our wagon trains and batteries had been left in the rear mired
down. Some of them were almost out of sight in the mud. A heavy
detail was sent back to build corduroy roads and bring them up.
Our pioneer corps was at work in front, constructing a bridge across
a bayou. Several of the boys in different regiments were killed by
falling trees while they were cutting trees with which to build the
roads. In some places the logs laid three tiers deep to hold our
batteries out of the mire.
At two p. m. on the 22d the rain ceased falling, and the weather
became clear. Here two regiments of cavalry and two brigades of
colored troops passed us on their way to the front.
We began marching at ten o’clock on the morning of the 23d. After a
distance of twelve miles had been marched, we went into camp. Here
our cavalry had run into a small force of rebels. They had quite a
skirmish, but drove the rebs back. We lay in camp on the 24th waiting
for a bridge to be built so that we could cross Piney Barren. At six
o’clock we crossed over, moved out two miles and went into camp.
On the morning of the 25th at seven o’clock we began our march.
After a march of two hours we ran into a rebel force of about four
thousand, commanded by General Clayton. Our cavalry and mounted
infantry charged them, and after forty minutes’ hard fighting, the
rebel force fell back. They were all mounted troops. We followed
them, and our advance kept up a continual skirmish until three
o’clock. The rebels then formed in line of battle and made a stand.
Our cavalry made a grand charge. We came up as a support. The rebels,
seeing that we meant business, fell back and were soon on full
retreat, across the Escanby river. They set the bridge on fire and
tried to make a stand, but Nims’ battery made it too hot for them and
they soon fell back. Some in our cavalry were drowned in trying to
cross the river after them.
We captured one hundred, forty-two prisoners. Their loss in killed
and wounded was twenty, ours fifteen. Their general was wounded in
the first charge.
At four thirty p. m. we went into camp on the advance line. We were
all very tired, as we had driven the rebels eighteen miles that day.
On the 25th our brigade crossed the railroad bridge. We had to march
single file and it took some time to cross, but after two hours had
elapsed we were all across and standing on Alabama soil.
We began marching at eight o’clock, and in a few hours we came to the
little town of Pollard. A few straggling rebels were in town, but
they did not stay to see what we wanted. A great deal of tobacco was
captured at this place, and the depot and several warehouses were set
on fire, making quite an excitement.
The women in this place came out by scores to see the yankee army.
They were surprised, and some of them said, “Youalls is the best
lookin’ set of men that weuns ever seen. Mr. Davis told weuns that
youalls wore little red coats and had horns like cattle.”
This was the most ignorant set of girls that we had met in the
southern Confederacy. All of them chewed and smoked tobacco. Each one
had a reticule, filled with tobacco, hanging on her arm. They were
dressed in home-spun dresses and were barefooted. Our boys had more
than a little fun out of them. Quite a number of grown girls started
to follow us off, and our major had to drive them back. Enlightened
America, where was the ignorance of these good people hedged in at,
at this late date of our civilized government?
After the depot had been burned and a mile of railroad track torn up
and burned we moved out two miles and went into camp. We were all
tired after our march of fourteen miles.
On the 27th a detachment of cavalry, which had gone by the way of
Evergreen Station, came into camp and reported. They had captured one
hundred forty prisoners and two trains loaded with tobacco. This they
burned. We began marching at twelve o’clock, our regiment detailed as
train guard. After a fourteen mile march in the direction of Mobile
we went into camp.
At one o’clock on the morning of the 28th heavy details were sent out
to build corduroy roads. We were out of rations and had to move on.
We went into camp, nine miles farther on. The cavalry and colored
troops passed us on the way to the front. The Ninety-seventh Illinois
lost one man by a tree falling on him.
We began marching at six o’clock. Our regiment was building roads. It
began raining, making the roads terrible. We marched only nine miles
and went into camp at six p. m. We were tired and very hungry, as we
were out of rations. On the morning of the 30th we began marching at
seven o’clock. We reached better roads after a half day’s march. We
went into camp at seven o’clock. One company of cavalry was sent out
to the Alabama river. They captured twelve prisoners and returned.
On the morning of the 31st, at six o’clock, we marched out over a
very rough, broken country. At half past five we crossed the Tennsas
river and went into camp. We were very tired, as we had marched
almost twenty miles with but little to eat.
April 1st, 1865, we marched at eleven a. m. We traveled six miles and
halted. We tore up the railroad track quite a distance. We could hear
heavy cannonading in front. We completed our work and marched on. We
went into camp at seven p. m. Our cavalry captured eighty prisoners
and a stand of colors belonging to the Forty-sixth Mississippi. Here
we drew quarter rations.