On the 21st, General Sherman, with his army and a fleet of gunboats, passed Helena. This army was on an expedition against Vicksburg.
On the 22nd, Lieutenant Colonel Barter was appointed Provost-marshal, and the boys of Company B of our regiment were guards.
About the 25th, General Grant’s communications were cut off while he was on an expedition against the rebels at Meridian. This caused his failure to form a junction with Sherman at Vicksburg. Generals Sherman and Smith with their forces charged Haines’ Bluffs. They were repulsed with heavy loss.
Sherman was now reinforced by McClearnand. They went up the Arkansas River and took the Arkansas Post, with six or seven thousand prisoners and some heavy guns. Sherman captured more prisoners at this place than he had lost at Vicksburg.
On the morning of January 11th, all of our troops at Helena under Gorman, except one cavalry regiment, got on boats and went down to the mouth of White River. We went up the river to St. Charles which place the rebels had evacuated. On the 15th of January, 1863, a seven-inch snow fell. The canebrakes and timber bent under their heavy loads.
The heavy rains had overflowed the river and it was all over the bottom land. This together with the snow made a very gloomy morning. That night, the pickets had been sent out with orders not to kindle any fires. Some of them were angry and set fire to some buildings, thus causing some excitement in camp. The pickets were called in and we got on the boat. We went up the river to Clarendon, and on the evening of the 16th, we landed at Duvall’s Bluff. The rebels had just evacuated this place. Our cavalry moved out after them and picked up a few prisoners.
The rebels left two sixty-four pound guns in our possession. We loaded these on to the boats. On the morning of the 17th, Colonel Spicely, in command of the 24th and three gunboats, went to Desarc. This is a beautiful little town. It is about as far up White River as navigation is carried on.
We found many sick and wounded rebels here. Our officers paroled them. There was also a great deal of small arms and ammunition here which we took.
January 19th, all of the command moved to St. Charles. At night several houses were set on fire, making quite an illumination. On the 21st we went down near Helena, but had to tie up on account of the fog. On the morning of the 22nd, after a distance of 540 miles had been traveled, we landed at Helena again.