Following the American Civil War Sesquicentennial with day by day writings of the time, currently 1863.

Post image for Downing’s Civil War Diary.–Alexander G. Downing.

Downing’s Civil War Diary.–Alexander G. Downing.

November 22, 2014

Diary of Alexander G. Downing; Company E, Eleventh Iowa Infantry

Tuesday, 22d—The weather has turned cold. We left our bivouac early this morning with the wagon train and at 10 o’clock caught up with our division at Gordon, where they were in camp last night. Gordon is fifteen miles from Milledgeville and is the junction of the railroad running from there to Savannah. General Sherman with the left wing of our army passed through here ahead of us, remaining in the town three or four days. We left Gordon about noon and marched ten miles on a byroad off to the right of our corps, going into bivouac near Irwinton, the county seat of Wilkinson county. This is a nice little town, but like all other places we passed through, is deserted, the citizens running away on the approach of our army, and leaving everything with the negroes. All is quiet at the front.

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