Alpine, Chatuga Valley, October 20, 1864.
Got here at dark last night, eight miles from Summerville. We seemed to be headed southwest. I have the sorest feet I have enjoyed for two years. Do you notice how accurately I miss it in every prediction I venture? I am a fair sample of the ignorance “Pap” keeps this army of his movements. He has shown his ability to keep us from divining his purposes, but he or any other general cannot keep us from guessing. Fine country here, for Georgia. An officer and 20 men are detailed daily for foragers.
They start ahead in the morning, and shoot hogs, sheep, gather sweet potatoes, apples, etc., and bring all out to the roadside. The hogs and sheep are cut into pieces of about 20 or 25 pounds. When the regiment comes along every man makes a grab as he passes at the pile, throws his chunk over his shoulder, and all without breaking ranks. You can imagine the appearance a battalion would make at nightfall.
Near Summerville, October 19, 1864.
Reached this place yesterday. The cavalry advance had some sharp skirmishing, and brought back some two or three prisoners. We are drawing full rations, besides preying off the country, all kinds of meat, apples, potatoes, and I believe the men find a little of everything known to be eatable. Entering houses is prohibited under penalty of death, but some scoundrels manage to pillage many houses. Foraging is also half prohibited, but I am satisfied that our general officers do not object to our taking meat, etc., if houses are not entered. Ten p.m.—Have stopped here to draw rations. The 23d and 4th Corps have already moved forward on the old Alabama road. That looks as though we were intending to follow the Rebels. We “liners” have no idea where they are. One rumor is that they are moving northwest, intending to cross the Tennessee river, south or southwest of Huntsville. Another that they are moving to their new base at or near Blue Mountain, on the road from here to Talladega, Ala. If we are going to follow them, I look for a long campaign. But for one thing, we would rather go into a campaign immediately than into camp. That is, the men have not been paid off for ten months, and many families are undoubtedly suffering in consequence. Our money is waiting for us, and we will get it whenever the Johnnies will let us stop long enough for the paymasters to catch up. Don’t you people ever think of us as being without rations. We sometimes wish the Rebels would cut our communications entirely, so that we could live wholly off the country. The Rebels only take corn and meat, and we fatten on what they are not allowed to touch.
La Fayette, October 18, 1864.
Our brigade was marching through Cane Creek Valley yesterday until 4 p.m., when we struck out for this place five miles, which we made in one and one-half hours. Nice little town almost surrounded with half-mountains. There has been a pair of cavalry fights here, the fruits whereof can be seen in an addition to the cemetery, near which we are bivouacked, some 25 Rebel graves, and half as many Yankees. Divers fair creatures can be seen here, chiefly Rebels; I have thought though, to-day, much Union. We are now bound for Rome.
October 17, 1864.
I incline to think that the raid and pursuit are both over, though we wish that Sherman would follow them until they get the punishment they deserve for their impudence. They tore up some 20 miles of railroad, killed and wounded not over 750 for us, and captured about 1,100. Their loss in wounded and killed, whom we have buried, is 1,900; prisoners, that I know of, 600; besides a lot of deserters who have come in. Eight hundred of the prisoners captured by them were negroes, who could not have been taken but for the cowardice of their Colonel, Johnson.
The tearing up of the railroad amounts to nothing. We have not had our rations cut down an ounce in anything.
The man that run that raid ought to be ashamed of himself, and I’ll venture he is.
In Snake Creek Gap, but for General Stanley’s laziness, we would have got enough prisoners to make Hood howl. He rested his corps three hours, just as he did when entrusted with a critical piece of work at Jonesboro.
We have been having a gay time this morning. It is cold enough to make us sit close to the fire, and the negroes keep us in chestnuts.
North end Snake Creek Gap, October 16, 1864.
After a tedious march got here at 11 p.m. The Rebels about six hours ahead of us had blockaded the road in good style. They did some half a day’s work, with hundreds of men, and delayed us about—ten minutes.
On summit of Taylor’s Ridge, Shipp’s Gap, p.m.
Our division has the advance to-day. The Rebels drove very well, until we got here, when, having a very good position, they resisted us with some vim. A few men of the 1st brigade, finally climbed the hill, flanked and routed them. Our loss, seven wounded. We got 35 prisoners and killed and wounded a dozen or so.
Resaca, October 15, 1864, 10 a.m.
We are waiting here for rations. The 4th and 14th Corps are ahead, and for the last half hour we have heard very heavy skirmishing toward “Snake Creek Gap,” just about where we heard the first fighting of the campaign, a little over five months ago. There is enough to interest me in the prospect for the next three days. Snake Creek Gap, 10 p.m. We have the whole gap.
Calhoun, Ga., October 15, 1864.
Stayed here last night. Reveille at 3 a.m., but our brigade brings up the rear of the corps to-day, and we won’t get off until after daylight.
Three miles southwest of Adairsville, October 14th.
We marched at sunset last evening and halted not until 3 this a.m. Marched miserably slow the first five miles through a deep gorge, but about 1 o’clock got straightened out on the Rome and Calhoun road, a good one, and then got along nicely. In the fighting at Rome yesterday, our folks whipped them and took some artillery. We got to bed at 3:15, and reveille sounded at 5 and we marched at 6:30. Not much sleep after marching 20 miles, was it. We had no crackers this morning, and before I got up my imagination was reveling in the prospect of a breakfast on parched corn, but at the festive board the cook surprised us with a mess of pancakes. They looked like plates cut out of a rubber blanket, and tasted accordingly. One member of the mess said they just came up to his ideal of a poet’s dream. Another, that they only lacked one thing, and that was the stamp, “Goodyear’s Patent.” The Surgeon advised us to use them sparingly, for, said he, “If they mass against any part of your interior lines the consequences will be dire.” But we were hard up for breadstuffs, and closed with the dreadful stuff manfully. Twelve m.—Have stopped for dinner.
The Rebel army was, or part of it, at Resaca yesterday, about nine miles from here.
Three miles from Rome, Ga., October 13, 1864.
Started at 8 this morning and landed here at dark. Heard 40 or 50 cannon shots in vicinity of Rome during the day’s march. The country to-day is fair for Georgia, but not equal to that between Cartersville and Kingston. While we were resting to-day, Osterhaus (at present commanding our corps) rode by our regiment and a few scamps hollowed “sowbelly, sowbelly.” You know the men have been living on army beef for a month, and it is not desirable fare; still they were only in fun, and I noticed the general smile, but some puppy finally cried out “kraut,” and another echoed it with “kraut by the barrel.” The general wheeled his horse and rode up to us, his face white with passion. “Vat regiment ish dis?” No one answered. He rode up near me and again asked, “Vat regiment ish dis?” I told him. “Vy don’t you kit up?” I arose and again answered him respectfully, “The 103d Illinois, sir.” “Vare ish your colonel?” “At the right of the regiment, sir.” He rode up to Wright and gave him the devil. I have not been so mortified for a long time. We all think a great deal of Osterhaus, and just coming into his division were all desirous that his first impressions of our regiment should be favorable. As it is, two or three insulting puppies have given us a name with him that I have no doubt will cause us trouble for a long time. Yelping “sauer kraut” at a German is a poor way to gain his favor.
(Duplicated also.) October 13, 1864.
The men drew full rations of bacon to-day. There has been some fighting nine miles down the north side of the Coosa river to-day. Our corps moves back on the Kingston road at “retreat.” Don’t know where to.
Received two letters from you to-day, also papers, for which am very thankful. Have had a good rest to-day. Everybody is in glorious spirits. Kilpatrick started west today with 50 days’ rations of salt. I wish I was with him.
Three miles south of Kingston, October 12, 1864.
Started at daylight this morning. The Rebels were then at Rome. Stopped here at 5 p.m. It is understood that the Rebel Army has moved southwest into Alabama.
Passed through the best country to-day that we have seen in Georgia. We are camped on what has been a splendid plantation (equal to anything on Copperas creek), and on the only clover field, I think, in Georgia. This is about the only ground on which I have seen the Jamestown weed, plantain, or clover. We are very scare of forage, and the officers turned their horses out on the clover to graze. The Northern stock enjoyed it exceedingly, but the Southern horses did not know enough to eat it. They nosed around among the rich bundles of clover to pick out the weeds and hard wild grass, the latter not near as good as our poorest prairie grass.
(A duplicate of dates.) October 12, 1864.
Last night while our train was passing through Cassville, a town four miles south of Kingston, an ambulance gave out and the driver unhitched and concluded to stay all night. That was some three miles from where we stayed. Nine stragglers also laid down beside the ambulance for the night. The 17th Corps came through there to-day and found the driver dead, with a bayonet thrust through him, and the traps of the nine men laying around. The horses and nine men are missing. I heard to-night that the bodies of the nine men had been found altogether. Our men burned the town. I expect we will lie here tomorrow, and if Hood’s army is in this vicinity go for it next day. Nobody thinks he will dare to fight us. We have parts of five corps here.
