Thursday, 24th—We lay in camp all day. The rebels are still in our front, and there is some cannonading off on our left where the Fourteenth and Twentieth Corps are on the move and destroying property. The Seventeenth Corps burned all the railroad property from Gordon down to the Oconee river. The first brigade of our division destroyed the railroad for some miles in this locality. The Iowa Brigade went out on the railroad this morning and worked for two hours. There was some skirmishing in our front and to our right. Our division supply train is lying at Station No. 15, the Fifteenth Iowa acting as train guard. We received orders to march in the morning at 5 o’clock.
Diary of Alexander G. Downing; Company E, Eleventh Iowa Infantry
Wednesday, 23d—We started at 7 a. m. and marched twelve miles, when we bivouacked for the night. It is reported that a force of two thousand rebels is in our front beyond the Oconee river, and that there has been some skirmishing. We crossed the Savannah railroad here at Station No. 15. This station was burned last July by General Stoneman in his raid toward Macon, Georgia. The country is very heavily timbered, mostly pitch pine, but there are some very nice plantations. The negroes have all been run off to keep them from falling into the hands of our army. We are now on three-fifths rations and are foraging for meat.
Tuesday, 22d—The weather has turned cold. We left our bivouac early this morning with the wagon train and at 10 o’clock caught up with our division at Gordon, where they were in camp last night. Gordon is fifteen miles from Milledgeville and is the junction of the railroad running from there to Savannah. General Sherman with the left wing of our army passed through here ahead of us, remaining in the town three or four days. We left Gordon about noon and marched ten miles on a byroad off to the right of our corps, going into bivouac near Irwinton, the county seat of Wilkinson county. This is a nice little town, but like all other places we passed through, is deserted, the citizens running away on the approach of our army, and leaving everything with the negroes. All is quiet at the front.
Monday, 21st—We started on our march this morning in a rain which continued all day. We marched fifteen miles and went into camp. The artillery have the preference of the road and because of the muddy roads our division wagon train could not keep up. Our regiment was on train guard. We corralled the wagons four miles in the rear, where the First Division of the Seventeenth Corps went into bivouac, to safeguard the train, since the rebels’ cavalry have appeared both in front and in the rear.
Sunday, 20th—It is still raining and the roads have become so muddy that it is impossible for the artillery to keep up with the infantry. There are some well-improved plantations along the way which have had good crops this season and we find plenty of sweet potatoes and fresh pork. We are on short rations now and therefore have to forage a great deal. We also find enough forage for the horses and mules in the command.
Saturday, 19th—There was some rain last night and the roads today are very slippery, which as the country is so hilly, makes difficult marching. We marched fifteen miles and went into bivouac. Our division was in the rear of the Seventeenth Corps, the infantry marching at one side of the road so that the artillery and wagon trains could move together and all go into bivouac earlier and at the same time. The country is thickly settled. The citizens on the approach of our army left their homes and fled to Macon. We passed through Hillsboro at 10 a. m., and the town being deserted, many of the vacant houses were burned by our men. We heard the sound of cannon off to our right in the direction of Macon.
Friday, 18th—We were on the road by 8 o’clock and after marching ten miles, lay by until 10 p. m., when we were ordered to fall in again. After an hour’s march we came to the Ockmulgee river, which we crossed by pontoons at Ockmulgee Mills. The entire Seventeenth Corps came together again here and at 1 o’clock in the night we went into bivouac on the east side of the river. The Fifteenth Corps crossed the river by the same pontoon bridge. There is fine water power here and there are large mills. The country is very rough.
Thursday, 17th—We broke camp at 5 o’clock, marched eighteen miles, and went into bivouac for the night. Our regiment was train guard and the Sixteenth Iowa was rear guard of our brigade. We marched through some fine country today, and though heavily timbered, it is well improved. It is good country for foraging. We found plenty of fresh pork and all the sweet potatoes we could carry. The weather is delightful and there is no rebel in our front yet.
Wednesday, 16th—Reveille sounded early this morning, and after marching twenty-five miles we went into bivouac tired and worn. Our division marched all day over a by-road on the inside of the right wing, and although the country was heavily timbered, yet we had a good road. We passed by some fine plantations, well improved with some good buildings. The Fourteenth and Twentieth Corps form the left wing and the Fifteenth and Seventeenth the right, both flanks being covered by the cavalry. There was some skirmishing off on our right in front of the Fifteenth Corps, but all is quiet in our front.
Tuesday, 15th—Started early this morning for the Southern coast, somewhere, and we don’t care, so long as Sherman is leading us. The Army of the Tennessee forms the right, while the Army of the Cumberland is moving off in the direction of Milledgeville, Georgia. There are about sixty thousand men of all arms, and they are in fine spirits and well clothed for the campaign. The roads are good and the weather fine for marching. We went into bivouac for the night about twelve miles from Atlanta. The country is very thinly settled and there is nothing to forage. All is quiet at the front—none of the rebels in sight.
