Wednesday, 18th—It is very hot, but the troops are in fine spirits. Some of the boys who were wounded at Shiloh, together with those who went home on furloughs on account of sickness, are now returning to their commands.
Diary of Alexander G. Downing; Company E, Eleventh Iowa Infantry
Tuesday, 17th—It is very hot. Nothing of importance.
Monday, 16th—It came my turn for the first time to go on fatigue. Our men are throwing up a line of breastworks and building some very strong forts. I worked all day at one of the big forts built for the siege guns. The fort is fifteen feet high, with a ditch in front fifteen feet wide and ten feet deep. At the top within each fort the guns will be mounted on a dirt platform about ten feet high so as to afford a good view in front. When the works are completed on this grand scale it will require one million men to defend them.[1]
[1] These works were never completed, the commanding general having called off the work. It was a good thing that it was discontinued, for the heavy work during the hot weather would have greatly injured the men.—A. G. D.
Sunday, 15th—There were five hundred men from the Sixth Division detailed to go out and cut down the timber in front of the fortifications around the camp. The trees are cut so as to make them fall outward toward the approach of an enemy; the branches are then sharpened, making what is called an abatis. The trees in a space six hundred feet wide and twenty miles long are being felled. We had company inspection at 5 o’clock in the evening.
Saturday, 14th—We came in from picket this morning, having been relieved by the Thirteenth Iowa. We do not have much idle time here, for besides keeping our camp and clothing clean, we have picket duty and fatigue duty on the fortifications.
Friday, 13th—It came the Eleventh Iowa’s turn to go on picket today. The teams still have to go to Pittsburg Landing, twenty-two miles from Corinth, for provisions and ammunition for the army.
Thursday, 12th—The farmers living about here are cutting their wheat; some have already begun stacking. Wheat here is good, with some especially fine fields, but some fields were entirely destroyed during the siege of Corinth. The corn is not as good on account of the cold, wet spring.
Wednesday, 11th—I was on guard today at General Todd’s headquarters. The weather is very hot. The teams all went to the river for provisions. We are establishing a good camp at this place. We raised our wedge tents up from the ground and built bunks for our beds instead of lying down on the ground.[1]
[1] This was the first time that we built bunks for our beds, raised up from the ground.—A. G. D.
Tuesday, 10th—It is dry and hot. I wrote a letter to father enclosing $50.00 of the $53.00 which I received from the Government on May 31st, and in greenbacks at that. I had $1.86 coming to me over and above the allowance the Government makes for clothing, which is $40.00 a year.
Monday, 9th—It is dry and hot. We are at work building fortifications here on a large scale, Corinth being an important point for either army to hold, as it is the key to Mississippi and Alabama. The bulk of the Army of the Tennessee is left here, while detachments of the original hundred thousand under Halleck are being sent to other commands to act as reinforcements.
