At length the order came for us to move, and we were glad to leave here, and then we went to Oxford from there. Grand Junction was a railroad station where two roads crossed, between Holly Springs and Corinth. We left it to our right and took the road to Bolivar, where we halted for the night, and the next morning was pleasant, and remained so until we arrived at Bolivar, when the rain commenced falling in torrents upon us, and it became very difficult to march. It rained without intermission most all night, and the brigade was urged forward until at length the men refused to proceed any farther, and fell out of ranks and commenced building fires.
There we remained until morning. The roads had become almost impassable. Teams had as much as they wanted to do to haul their loads. The rain ceased towards morning and the sun came out and the roads commenced drying as we proceeded.
After days of wearied marching we arrived at Corinth. That evening rain commenced falling, from rain it turned to snow, and after freezing the ground was covered with a crust of ice. After remaining here a few days when we had received our two months' pay, the regiment was ordered to strike tents and get ready for marching. Everything being packed the regiment was ordered to fall in, the rain was coming quite steady, and we arrived at Corinth wet through.—After waiting a short time the snow and ice was fast disappearing from the ground, it had all left the hills. When part of the 11th Missouri went on board, the iron horse began to puff and blow her steam from her pipes, the cars were soon in motion, and Corinth was soon left far behind. We passed through several small towns on our way, stopped at Jackson, Tennessee, for a short time, and was soon on our way again until we arrived at what was once a small town called Germantown, where we remained all night. Some of the boys found quarters in some old deserted buildings, but I chose to stay on the cars as the night was very dark and muddy. I slept soundly until morning. I arose, got off the cars and made me some coffee, and after eating my breakfast took a stroll through the town. It is not much of a town, about fifteen miles from Memphis, on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad.
The brigade remained several weeks here to guard the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. After we established camp the rest of the regiment came, and guards were stationed all around the camp as protection, and there was another line out near a mile. In time of peace this place was a great resort for sporting men from Memphis, but there was nothing but a few old houses now, and most of them deserted. Some people were living there then, but most of the men were in the rebel army, and most all of the corn was taken for forage, and there was very little of anything left for the people to subsist on. Hogs were killed until there were scarcely any left, all the fences were burned for fuel, every board that could be found was used to make bunks. Water was plenty and of good quality. The weather became quite pleasant and the roads soon dried up, and we had our daily battalion drill, and spade and shovel came again into requisition, and men were detailed to go and build a fort, as it was considered necessary. After working from day to day with the assistance of the 8th Wisconsin regiment, there was a fort built and a battery planted on the inside. The battery was manned by the 2d Iowa artillerists. After finishing this fort we were ordered to prepare for marching. It was shortly after moving our camp. We had the tent called the Cybley tent, and we could put fire in them and make them quite comfortable, as there was an aperture for the smoke to go out.—There was room enough for fifteen men in one of these tents. They were placed up about three feet from the ground and banked up with earth all around, and a door was made for an entrance.
At last our brigade was ordered to move, and we had to pull down our tents and leave our comfortable quarters and try the field again. The brigade moved to within two miles of Memphis, and there they encamped for the night, and men were detailed to go and load the boats, and passed one day loading the boats. The brigade marched down to the landing and were soon on board, as most everything was on board. Each regiment loaded their own things and it was done in short order, and the 11th Missouri was soon ready to go down the river. At last the boat got under way and stopped at Helena for a short time. General Prentiss was commander of this post at this time. Several of the boys got off the boat and got a little the worse of liquor and became quite noisy, and General Prentiss ordered his men to arrest them, but they were unable to do so, owing to the resistence made. Revolvers were drawn and missiles were thrown, and the guard was driven from the ground, and they soon returned with reinforcements, and Mowers went on shore to get the men to go on board their boats, and they soon went on board. The guards formed in line in front of the boats and loaded their guns. Chunks of coal were showered upon them and several of the officers and men were hit. General Prentiss came to give some orders to his men when he was struck in the head, and this so enraged him that he sent for a brigade of infantry and a battery of artillery, and they were coming on double-quick when the boats moved out for fear of a general outbreak, as there was one of the 47th Illinois shot through his leg, and when the sergeant shot he ran, pursued by several of the 47th, but I never learned the particulars as the pursuers had not returned when the boat left. We crossed the river and the boat was tied up to the shore and the regiment got off and then commenced the work of preparing our meals. We landed on a small island, there was plenty of wood for fuel and soon numerous fires were kindled and the work of cooking was soon over, and our meal was ready for eating, which was coffee, fried bacon and crackers, that constituted our bill-of-fare, also sugar to sweeten our coffee. After remaining here several hours the bell rang, and we were ordered on board, the boat was loosed from her mooring and we left this place and went down the river about six miles, and stopped and remained all night on the boats, and in the morning the brigade went on shore. Then commenced the work of clearing ground for a camp. The cane stood thick on the ground and all this was cut down and carried into piles to be burned. Here we got new tents, and there was a place soon cleared off to put them up. The tents were made to hold four men, and there was but little room, as the water was all around us; there was nothing but sand after the cane was carried off. The division was all camped here commanded by General Tuttle, and Joseph A. Mowers commanded the brigade. He received his promotion a short time before. The division remained here for nearly a month awaiting a boat to carry us away. At length the boats arrived, and we were glad to see the tall smoke stacks appear in sight, as we knew that we would soon leave this dull place. We were ordered on board the boats, and under a heavy fall of rain we struck our tents and stayed all night and next day until about four o'clock. The wind was blowing a very strong breeze, the rain had ceased and the weather became cool enough for overcoats. At length, after many hours impatient waiting, the boats got under way, and nothing occurred worthy of notice until we arrived at a place called Duckport, and there the division landed, and then commenced the work of unloading the boats. Provisions and army stores were soon carried from the boat on shore, and our camping ground was soon staked out. Tents were soon pitched and the soldiers were soon enjoying themselves. The division encamped near the Vicksburg canal, it had just been commenced and some soldiers and negroes were at work with spades and shovels, and some were using wheel-barrows to remove the earth from the middle of the ditch, as it was forty feet wide. The object was to turn the course of the father of waters into this canal. There were dredge boats at work at the mouth of it. Each regiment had to take their turn working on this great ditch, and some days there were over two thousand men engaged at once, as they came from Young's Point to assist in carrying on this great work. After three week's hard labor the water was let into it, and some barges and one small steamboat went down through to New Carthage, and then the water commenced falling and the dredge boats had to stop digging. There were three of them in operation deepening the canal at this time.
About the middle of April several transports and gunboats ran the blockade, passed all the batteries, and the rebels tried in vain to stop their progress, but still they kept on until they got out of reach of the enemy's guns. There was but few of the boats damaged and they ran the gauntlet several times. Orders came for the division to move camp, and General Mowers' brigade moved their camp about a mile and then commenced the work of leveling off the ground, which was once a cotton field, and a few days after moving camp, orders came to prepare for marching, take nothing but our haversacks and canteens, two days rations, one blanket, forty rounds of cartridges in our boxes and our guns in perfect order.
On the 2d day of May we left the mouth of this canal as it had proved of but little use and all our work was to no purpose, and we gave up the project as no use. The division left their camps, and owing to delays, the roads being bad, they had to stop to repair them, so teams could pass as we had to transport our provisions on wagons. They did not get but a short distance from camp the first day and the next day they marched about fifteen miles. They followed the course of the canal all the next day, and at last we arrived at Richmond, Louisiana, where we encamped for one night, and next morning resumed our march and camped as before, and the division kept marching from day to day until they arrived at Hard Times Landing. The water was getting low in the canal and a number of barges could be seen all along the route. Our forces followed the course of the canal until they came to a lake or bayou, and they followed this thirty miles below Vicksburg. A bridge had to be constructed for our forces to cross, and here we were delayed part of a day, and we remained all night waiting to cross a bayou that ran into Black Bayou. At length we arrived at Grand Gulf, on the opposite side of the river, where we were delayed in crossing for several hours. Several boats were busily engaged in transporting troops across the river, landing them on the shore. Our turn came at last, and the 11th Missouri soon got on board and were landed on the opposite shore, and here they remained over night, the weather being pleasant we enjoyed a good night's sleep, and awoke quite refreshed from our weary marches.
On the march from Duckport through the State of Louisiana, there were several fine plantations passed, and corn was growing finely, and indications of a good crop. Some splendid dwellings and gardens, and every convenience to make a person comfortable. Before this war broke out the owners of these plantations were living in luxurious ease, nothing to do, slaves to do their bidding and obey their commands, and they became so wealthy that they did not know what to do with their gold, they hardly knew the value of money, they had nothing to do but to get rich, and when this rebellion broke out they were ripe for anything that tended to mischief. They had all left their homes and engaged with their hearts and hands carrying on this unjust war, the almighty negro was the cause. Many valuable lives are lost on both sides, and many more will be lost before this unholy rebellion is crushed. All of these splendid dwellings were destroyed with fire by the soldiers. I will fail in describing the splendor of these dwellings and gardens. All were destroyed, costly furniture and pianos shared the same fate of the other things, nothing was left but smouldering ruins. Many thousand dollars worth of valuable property was destroyed, every deserted dwelling of any value was destroyed on this march, but we were not destined to remain at this place long. There was once a town here but there was nothing but the brick chimneys standing to mark the place, as it had been destroyed by a force of our men before the rebels were driven from this stronghold, as it was a very strong natural position, but a force of our men got in the rear of them and they left everything and fled. Tuttle's division did not arrive in time to take any part. A small force of our men were there to hold this position, as it was situated on a very high bluff it did not require a strong force to hold it.
Everything being in readiness for a forward movement the order was given and the division was soon on the move towards Jackson, the capital of Mississippi. We had to march up a very high hill and kept going from one hill up another until we had gone about two miles, and then it became easier marching.