The weather was very warm at this time, and we soon began to think that army life was no soft snap.
On the 16th of August we again drew arms. These were new Harper’s Ferry muskets. Six Enfield rifles were allowed to each company.
On the next day we marched through the city of Vincennes on review. All was a hurry and excitement, as the troops were being sent to the front on that day.
We got marching orders on the 18th, and we got on board a train bound for East St. Louis, Ill. We arrived there on the morning of the 19th. We crossed the Mississippi river on the steamer “Alton City,” marched two and a half miles through the city of St. Louis, Mo., and went into camp in the Lafayette Park. Here were the first tents we ever pitched, and all the boys wanted to learn how.
Lafayette Park is a beautiful park. It contains many fine animals. There were many of our boys who had never seen such sights as the city of St. Louis contained. Some of them had sore eyes on account of so much sight-seeing.
There were many regiments in camp at this park at the same time we were there.
In a short time we struck tents and marched down the river a distance of seven miles. We went into camp at Carondelet. One of the officers named this camp, Camp Allen.
August 27th, Colonel Alvin P. Hovey took command of our regiment. He soon commenced battalion drill, which was very hard on us, owing to the warm weather. We had battalion drill four hours each day and company drill two hours, so you see that we were somewhat busy.
September 6th, Colonel Hovey, with six of our companies, boarded a train on the Iron Mountain railway and made a trip of twenty-five miles. We left the cars at 8 o’clock p. m. and made a rapid march of several miles out through a very rough, broken country. At 5 o’clock in the morning we got orders to lie down on our arms for a little rest, but not to speak above a whisper and to be ready to fall in line at a minute’s notice. When morning came we learned that the rebels had evacuated their camps and skipped. Thus we were knocked out of a fight at this place. On account of not having any rebels to shoot at, we could do nothing else but march back over the roughest roads we had ever marched on.
Here was our first experience in foraging off of the country. But we got a plenty on this trip, such as cream, honey and peaches—all of which were good things that we could not get in camp.