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.