Thursday, 9th—Some of the boys go out into the country almost every day on foraging expeditions and bring in an abundance of things to eat, so that with our regular rations we are pretty well supplied.
Diary of Alexander G. Downing; Company E, Eleventh Iowa Infantry
Wednesday, 8th—The boys have been gathering persimmons and walnuts today—got lots of them.
Tuesday, 7th—Nothing of importance. It rained all day. Our company is divided into messes, seven in all, and each has a cook. Each mess draws its rations every five days, according to number, and the rations are placed in the care of the cooks. Some of the cooks are not well posted on cooking. Cook number 7 wanted to cook some rice for dinner and put his kettle on filled with rice. Presently he began dipping out rice, as it was running over, and he soon had his third kettle filled with rice. In finishing it up he let it scorch and to overcome that he put in some molasses, which the boys foraged out in the country, and so mess number 7 will have sweet scorched rice for some days to come.[1]
[1] Cook number 7 did not hear the last of it for some time. We all recommended him as being a good hand to cook rice.—A. G. D.
Monday, 6th—This is a very fine day. The boys went out on another ‘possum hunt and brought in six.
Sunday, 5th—Nothing of importance. Everything is very quiet and it appears lonesome today. Our company had no preaching today, as our chaplain is with another part of the regiment. The weather has become quite warm. Regular picket and patrol duty at night.
Saturday, 4th—Some of the boys went out today on a ‘possum hunt. They were very successful, as this is a good ‘possum country, especially over on the banks of the Missouri river.
Friday, 3d—Mrs. Hemmenway gave some of the boys permission to have a dance at her home last night. Quite a number of the boys went and they declare that they had a good time. The girls of the locality were there and most of them either smoked or chewed tobacco. They would dance a while, then rest and smoke, but those that chewed did not care to stop.[1]
[1] Craven Lane, a member of Company E, died of lung fever on this day at Jefferson City. He had been with us but a short time and was a very quiet boy.—A. G. D.
Thursday, 2d—Nothing of importance. The weather is quite cold, but since we are in a building with stoves and plenty of wood, we do not suffer from the cold. Lookout Station is a small town on the railroad between California and Jefferson City; there is a store, tavern, and twelve residences, some of which are vacant, and the country around is heavily timbered.
Wednesday, 1st—I am back with the company again. The boys are having a big chicken dinner today, Lieutenant Compton having bought four dozen chickens and presented them to the company for a New Year’s dinner.
Tuesday, 31st—The boys are all preparing for New Year’s Day celebration. Thus ends 1861.[1]
[1] The last day of 1661 found our regiment stationed as follows: Company E at Lookout Station, Companies B, G, K and H at California, Companies A, C, D, F and I at Fulton, all in the State of Missouri, and not far apart. They were all in winter quarters, occupying vacant store buildings. We saw some pretty hard service during the month of December, but only in the suffering by exposure to the cold weather.—A. G. D.
