1862
Feb. 14, 1862. Left Camp Woodsonville, Ky., on our first march or counter-march, for two months all but two days remaining in this camp. Getting marching orders to our whole Western Army to right-about or counter-march to West Point, 20 miles down the Ohio river, below Louisville, going a march of 14 miles through mud and snow six inches deep, and encamp for the night, not having our tents with us, on account of the roads being so bad that our baggage-wagons could not reach us; so we had to make ourselves as comfortable as possible by building square pens of rails, and sleeping on the tops of these pens, to keep us out of the snow and from the frosts of winter.
Feb. 15. Got marching orders to right-about and counter-march back over the same road again to Camp Hambright, with our whole army, making a march of 7 miles and encamping for the night.
Feb. 16. Left Camp Hambright, and marched back past our old Camp Woodsonville and on over Green river two miles, and encamped for the night, naming the camp after our Col. Hambright again. Making a march of 16 miles.
Feb. 17. Left Camp Hambright, remaining in this camp two days, and went on a march for Bowling Green. Got to Camp Water Cave, or a branch of the great Mammoth Cave, so well known to exist in Kentucky. Making a march of 22 miles.
Feb. 23. Left Water Cave Camp. remaining six days in this camp, and got to Carry Starkweather the same day, making a march of 21 miles.
Feb. 27. Left Camp Starkweather, after remaining there four days, and got to Camp Franklin the same day. Making a march of 23 miles.
Feb. 28. Left Camp Franklin, and got to Cain creek, and encamped for the night, making a march of 19 miles.
March 1. Left Cain creek, after remaining there one day, and got to the Cumberland river on the same day, and encamped for the night, making a march of 15 miles.
March 2. Left the Cumberland river and got to Camp Hambright the same day, a march of 8 miles.
March 6. Left Camp Hamibright and got to Camp Andrew Johnson, two miles from Nashville, Tenn., the same day, making a march of 4 miles.
March 29. Left Camp Andrew Johnston and got to Camp Merriweather, Franklin, Tenn.— a most beautiful camp — and encamped for the night, making a march of 17 miles.
April 1. Left Camp Merriweather, and got to Camp Rutherford the same day, and encamped for the night, remaining one day in this place, making a march of 20 miles.
April 2. Left Camp Rutherford and got to Duck creek the same day, and encamped for the night, making a march of 2 miles.
April 3. Left Duck creek camp and got to Camp General Moorhead the same day, and encamped for the night, making a march of 5 miles.
May 10. Left Camp General Moorhead and came to Columbia, and got to the town of Pulaski on the same day, and encamped for the night, making a march of 11 miles.
May 13. Left Pulaski and got to Sugar creek on the same day, remaining three days in the above mentioned camp, and encamped for the night, making a march of 18 miles.
May 14. Left Sugar creek camp and got to Rogersville, four miles from the Tennessee river, and had just unslung our knapsacks, when orders came for us to fall in and go double-quick down to the Tennessee river — that the rebels had attacked our cavalry at Lamb’s Landing or Ferry, Laudle Co. Our first fire or engagement with the enemy. Two men of our forces were wounded and two horses killed. The rebels were compelled to retreat from there in double-quick order — their loss unknown, as they retreated in the night. We returned to camp, making four miles to the battle-ground and four back again, in all a march of 8 miles; and having made 29 miles of a march the same day before being called into action, making a total march of 37 miles.
May 16. Left Rogersville or Lamb’s Landing, remaining two days in the above mentioned camp, got within one mile of Florence, Alabama, the same day, and encamped for the night, making a march of 20 miles.
May 17. Left this camp and marched into the town of Florence, and encamped for the night, making a march of 1 mile.
May 18. Left Florence camp and marched to the Alabama line, between it and Tennessee a right-about or counter-march again for Tennessee. Slept this night in camp with my feet in Alabama and my head in Tennessee, after making a march of 20 miles.
May 19. Left the Tennessee and Alabama line, got to Lawrenceburg, Tenn., the same day, and encamped for the night at Lawrenceburg camp, making a march of 20 miles.
May 20. Left Lawrenceburg camp and got to Mount Pleasant the same day, and encamped for the night, making a march of 20 miles.
May 21. Left Camp Mount Pleasant and got back to our old camp General Moorhead, at Columbia, Tenn., making a march of 11 miles. Return of a grand scout all safe and sound, except two men lost in the battle of Lamb’s Ferry. above spoken of.
May 26. Left General Moorhead camp and got to within five miles of Gillespie, after remaining five days in the above camp, and encamped for the night making a march of 27 miles.
May 29. Left Gillespie camp and got to a high mountain on the Fayetteville road, called Barren Point, and encamped for the night, after remaining three days in the above mentioned camp, making a march of 23 miles.
May 31. Left Barren Point camp and marched one mile east of Fayettville, and encamped for the night at Camp Wynkoop, making a march of 19 miles.
June 2. Left Camp Wynkoop and got to Camp Haggerty, one mile south of Salem, in Franklin, Tenn., making one day in the above mentioned camp, and encamped for the night, making a march of 22 miles.
June 3. Left Camp Haggerty and marched on the Chattanooga road, encamped for the nigh at Cowen’s Station, making a march of 21 miles.
June 4. Left Cowen’s Station and marched over the Cumberland mountains to Cumberland Gap or Sweden Valley. Came upon a camp of General Adams’ rebel cavalry, seven thousand in number, who stood us a fight, being the second engagement that we were personally engaged in. Three fires from our batteries put them to flight; and in following up their retreat we lost two men out of Col. Haggerty’s regiment of Kentucky cavalry. Our forces captured a first-rate cooked dinner, just ready to be sit down to eat; and corn, leather and ammunition of all kinds, haversacks made out of every sort of material, women’s carpet-sacks and clothes, even down to babies’ frocks, that these scoundrels had stolen from the Union families of the valley they had passed through — all of which fell into our hands; and those hellish fiends had to flee from to save capturing of themselves and their whole army, losing many of their men killed and wounded by our forces, and a number of prisoners falling into our hands. After dinner we encamped for the night on their camp or battle-ground, making a march of 15 miles.
June 5. Left Sweden Cove Valley camp and marched through Jaspertown on the Chattanooga road, and encamped in camp meeting barracks, used for holding camp meetings in, nicely fitted up for that purpose, and called Camp Mellinger, making a march of 15 miles.
June 6. Left Camp Mellinger and arrived 12 1/2 miles this side of Chattanooga, and encamped for the night at Camp Sliver, making a march of 27 miles.
June 7. Left Camp Sliver and arrived at Camp Haste, 12 1/2 miles. At 2 o’clock, got orders to fall in again for fight. We marched about one mile, feeling our way cautiously as we went, understanding that fifteen thousand rebels had crossed the Tennessee river and were moving on us, between the river and town, in haste. There were two companies of the 79th Pa. Inf. detailed and sent down the river in front of Chattanooga, to advance slowly and cautiously to feel the enemy; while a force of cavalry was sent around to come up the river and advance until they would meet, if not fired upon. The rest of our army, with six pieces of artillery, passing down the river on the right, about one mile and a quarter from the river, to the centre, and our brave commander, General Negley, at the head of our forces, gave us the order to left face and advance toward the river and town. On we went to the top of a high hill or mountain in sight of the town, which surprised the rebels in their forts and town to see the Yankees in sight; so the orders, "Lie down, infantry, flat to the ground, and be ready to support your batteries," was no sooner given than it was obeyed. We could see the rebs comming out of their forts and pits like bees out of a scap and turning their artillery on us; so fueling that our cavalry and infantry might meet, and hearing they were across the river, might fire on each other when meeting, four men were detailed off the head of each company, to be sent down to the river as skirmishers. to report to them, and then return to the hill again. As I was one of the front files, it so happened to be my lot to go, and on reaching the river the rebs opened fire on us from the other side, killing two men and wounding several of our force. At three o’clock we opened our batteries on them and their town, shelling them hard, and causing them to silence their guns, only four shots of theirs reaching us. We shelled the town until four in the evening, causing them all to move out of the town and call for reinforcements from the Gap, which was all we wanted, to draw them out with this feint attack, so that our army might go in, which it did without being interrupted, the rebs having evacuated the place. So we returned back to camp for the night, making a march of 14 miles.
June 8. Left Camp Haste, having fulfilled our mission, and after shelling the town Chattanooga this morning again about three hours, we took up march right-about or counter-marched back again to our old camp Sliver, making a march of 12 1/2 miles.
June 9. Left Sliver an our return and encamped for the night on the M'Minnville road at Big Creek camp, making a march of 27 miles
June 10. Left Big Creek camp and marched on the Altamont road to Camp Nell and encamped for the night, making a march of 21 miles.
June 11. Left Camp Nell and arrived at Manchester the same night and encamped, making a march of 25 miles.
June 12. Left Manchester camp and arrived at Shelbyville, and encamped for the night at Camp Cooper, making a march of 25 miles.
Visitors Here:
 |
 |