Thursday, 20th—It is cloudy, chilly and very disagreeable weather. A great many of the boys are getting sick with the chills and fever, and the doctors are no account. We have no drill nor dress parade; we seem to be just stopping here in the mud. Troops are passing here every day going up the river. The boys are getting anxious for a fight.
Diary of Alexander G. Downing; Company E, Eleventh Iowa Infantry
Wednesday, 19th—There are about ten thousand men of all arms in camp at this place. We are expecting marching orders every day. Our camp is on high ground, but there has been so much rain that the water stands on the surface. We cut brush and place it on the ground in our tents to lie on at night.
Tuesday, 18th—We left the boats and marched out about two miles from Savannah. We pitched our tents near a big orchard. Details of men went to the timber with teams to get firewood for our camp.
Monday, 17th—We received orders to disembark in the morning and everybody is rejoicing, for it is getting very tiresome on the boats—we have been on the boats seven days now. Details of men worked nearly all day at unloading our commissariat. The landing place is nothing but a jelly of mud—there are so many mules, horses and men passing back and forth.
Sunday, 16th—We are still lying on the boats waiting for orders. Two gunboats came down from Pittsburg Landing. The weather is very disagreeable, with rain every day and rather cold besides.
Saturday, 15th—It rained all day. It seems so dark and gloomy. We lay on the boats all day, but we are expecting to receive orders to go on up the river. Boats loaded with troops are passing us and going on up to Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee.
Friday, 14th—We left Fort Henry at dark last night, going on up the river, and arrived at Savannah, Tennessee, this afternoon. The river seems to be lined with transports loaded with troops going up-stream. There are two gunboats in our fleet, also two tugboats and several barges.
Thursday, 13th—We stopped at Paducah, Kentucky, a short time and then early this morning came up the river to Fort Henry, arriving in the afternoon. There are about twenty transports at this place, loaded with troops. Fort Henry is a dilapidated place. The Tennessee river is very high, the water being out over the banks, and the lowlands are flooded for miles on both sides of the river.
Wednesday, 12th—We started again on our voyage at daylight. A high cold wind was blowing all day. We landed at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, remaining there for a short time, and then proceeded on our journey, arriving at Cairo, Illinois, at 2 p. m., where we waited for further orders. Late in the afternoon we received orders to go up the Tennessee river and left Cairo about sundown. At Cairo there are gunboats and a large number of transports loaded with troops, and provisions for the army up along the Tennessee river.
Tuesday, 11th—We lay at the wharf all night, loading the quartermaster’s supplies. At 8 a. m. we left St. Louis for Cairo, Illinois. Our entire regiment is on the one boat, a side-wheeler. Company E is quartered on the hurricane deck, and a cold wind blowing makes it rather disagreeable for us. We lay up for the night one hundred miles below St. Louis. We have big times getting our rations cooked, for there is but one place to get boiling water to make coffee, and only one place at the fire where we can broil our bacon. Each man slices his bacon, puts it on the ramrod, and holds it close to the fire under the boilers. We all have to take our turn, and since there are eight hundred men, there is some one at the fire all day and part of the night. The captain of the boat declared that we were “the d____st set of men to eat” that he had ever seen in his life.
