Monday, 6th—We started this morning at daylight and crowded the rebels very hard all day, capturing their trains and some of their artillery—ammunition, arms and caissons. I never saw such a stampede in all my life. They drove their wagons and artillery through the timber, over fallen trees, two and three abreast, wiggling through the standing timber as best they could with every teamster for himself. Some of the artillery men took the cannon off the running gears, and throwing them into gullies, covered them with leaves. Everything imaginable was strewn along the road—tents, bake ovens, corn meal, fresh beef and a great many other things; some of their supplies they burned up, to keep from falling into our hands. We captured some of General Price’s headquarters’ supplies, among such a buffalo robe which the men tore up for souvenirs.[1]
[1] During that day’s march I saw, I think, the meanest man in the Union army. We had just started up a long, steep hill when I noticed one of our men coming out of a one-room log hut by the roadside. As he passed us, with an oath, he growled that he had gone into the hut to get something to eat, but all he could find was a half-bushel bag of corn meal. This the woman, who by the way had the courage to stay with her home, begged him not to take, as it was all the food she had, but he took it. Then when about halfway up the hill, the bag of meal, in addition to his accouterments, becoming too heavy, he with another oath, dumped half the meal out on the ground and ran on to catch up with his command. For such a man I cannot find words to express my contempt.—A. G. D.
Sunday, 5th—The entire Sixth Division, taking up the line of march[1] this morning at 6 o’clock, marched five miles and then formed a line of battle. We heard some very heavy cannonading out on the Hatchie river, in our front. General Hurlbut had cut off the retreat of the rebels at the bridge crossing the river, but after a hard fight they got away and continued their retreat to the south, on the east side of the river. We resumed our march at 1 p. m. and after covering ten miles stopped for the night. The Second Iowa Cavalry was ordered back to Corinth.
[1] As we passed the fivld hospital of the Confederates on the Corinth battlefield, we saw eighteen of their dead, evidently having died from wounds, lying side by side, and almost black in the face, which at the time was said to have been caused by their drinking a mixture of water, vinegar and gunpowder. Our army had barrels of vinegar, one for each regiment, so stationed as to permit the men to come and help themselves. Now, our quartermaster, in hastily removing the commissary’s supplies back of the inner lines during the battle, had, for lack of facilities, left standing these barrels of vinegar. It is supposed that the Confederates took the vinegar and made a drink of it, for after the battle there was no vinegar to be found.—A. G. D.
Saturday, 4th—During the night all was quiet and our brigade fell back to the last line of fortifications which, extending almost around the town, had been built in the last few days. Here we lay in line of battle all night. The rebels commenced to throw shells into town this morning at daylight. I was still on guard with the teams and we had to get out of that place in double quick. The rebels threw some ten or twelve shells before our battery in Fort Robinet could get the range of them, but when they did, they opened on them some sixty-four-pounders and soon put the rebel’s battery out of commission. I was relieved and went to join the regiment, which had been advanced to support a battery. About 10 o’clock the rebels made a charge upon Fort Robinet, to our right, and tried to break our lines at that point but failed. This charge was made by a Texas cavalry, dismounted; they came clear over into the fort, driving some of our artillerymen from their guns, but they were soon overpowered, some being killed and some taken prisoner. The colonel of the regiment planted their flag on our fort, but he was almost immediately killed. The rebels’ dead just outside of the fort lay three or four deep and the blood ran in streams down the trenches. The rebels finally withdrew about 4 p. m., leaving their dead and wounded. The Iowa Brigade was placed to the left of Fort Robinet, in support of a battery, but did not become engaged during the day. Some of our forces started after the fleeing rebels. We received orders to be ready to march in the morning, and have to lie in line of battle all night.
Friday, 3d—I was on camp guard all last night, on the second relief. Troops were coming in all night. This morning about daylight the Sixth Division was ordered out, and marching out about two miles to the northwest, we met the rebels in force and formed a line of battle. Our pickets having been attacked about sunrise, the battle now commenced in earnest and lasted all day. There was some hard fighting in the afternoon, particularly off on the right, and our men soon fell back to the first line of breastworks. About 3 p. m. the Iowa Brigade was flanked and had to fall back to the second line of breastworks, but the brigade, with the exception of the Fifteenth Regiment, did not get into the thick of the fight.[1] The fighting continued till dark, and after that there was some very heavy cannonading.
[1] The record of the losses of our brigade is as follows: The Fifteenth, eleven killed, sixteen wounded; the Thirteenth, one killed, fourteen wounded; the Sixteenth, one killed, twenty-one wounded; the Eleventh, three killed, eight wounded.—A. G. D.
Thursday, 2d—We started this morning at 7 o’clock, and reaching Corinth at 10, we marched out two miles west of town where we pitched our tents in the timber for camp. Water is very scarce. I took six canteens and started to find water, but to get it I must have traveled in all four miles. The balance of the day I served on camp guard.
Wednesday, 1st—The Eleventh Iowa was ordered down into town last night, for it was expected that the rebels would make a charge into town to burn our rations. We think, however, that they want our rations for their own haversacks. We formed a line of battle and lay in the streets all night, but the rebels did not show themselves. We received orders to march at daylight this morning. The cars came in from Corinth at 4 o’clock this morning, and the sick men, our baggage, and the remainder of our stores were loaded up and sent to our headquarters at Corinth. By noon Iuka was expected to be entirely evacuated by our men. Our regiment marched twenty-three miles and bivouacked for the night within six miles of Corinth.
Tuesday, 30th—Nothing of importance. We received orders to drill.
Monday, 29th—We were relieved from picket this morning, and for the first time in several days we rested in camp all day. The weather is hot and sultry, with quite cool nights. The rebel cavalry seem to be all around us, but for fear of getting hurt they keep their distance.
Sunday, 28th—It rained all day. I went out on picket. David Huff, Leroy Douglas, Wm. Esher and I were together at one post. We had strict orders to keep a sharp lookout for the rebel cavalry. We are expecting to be attacked.
Saturday, 27th—Company E went out today with the teams to forage for corn and fodder. We were out northeast about seven miles and found plenty of corn, but not much fodder. The boys also took some chickens and two fine hogs. The farmers in this section are not rich, their farms being on the bluffs of the Tennessee river, but they seem to have plenty and some to spare. When the quartermaster sends teams out to forage, he calls for a company or perhaps a whole regiment, and they go and take what they want without asking for it, but the officer in charge always gives the owner of the property the quartermaster’s receipt.
