Friday, 3d—The Eleventh Iowa signed the pay rolls for four months’ pay. Boats loaded with troops are passing down the river every hour of the day. Our entire division is again drilling four hours a day. We have a fine drill ground.
Diary of Alexander G. Downing; Company E, Eleventh Iowa Infantry
Thursday, 2d—Weather warm and pleasant. No news.
Wednesday, 1st—It continues warm and pleasant. All is quiet. I went up town to the division quartermaster to buy provisions for the officers, the captain giving me the money with the order to purchase ten days’ provisions. When I returned the captain noticed among the items of the bill “20 lbs. codfish,” and exclaimed, “Why, Alexander, what in thunder are you going to do with salty codfish? You have enough to do the whole company, and there are but three of us!”1
__________
1 There was some suspicion that the codfish deal was some April Fool business, but I declare that it was all done in dead earnest. But I began to figure that it was a pretty large ration of codfish for ten days and the matter having been noised about, I was not very careful to lock the codfish in the mess chest. The boys soon found out where they could find codfish after night, and at the end of a week it had all disappeared. I was thankful.—A. G. D.
Tuesday, 31st—Warm and pleasant today. More troops passed down the river. I commenced cooking for the captain and officers of our company.1 I was considered a pretty good cook at home, but having so few utensils here, I fear there will be quite a contrast.
1 It seems that Private Downing was to get $5.00 per month as cook. See the entry for May 2d.—Ed.
Monday, 30th—A cool wind again today. Several boats loaded with troops went down the river today bound for the vicinity of Vicksburg. I am in hopes that they will do something.
Sunday, 29th—We had a heavy rainstorm last night, blowing down several tents. Today it is quite rainy with a cool wind blowing. Being off duty today I remained in camp and read through the Book of Psalms.
Friday, 27th—We started down the river at daylight this morning and landed about three miles below Lake Providence. We pitched our tents on the lawn of a fine plantation, some distance from the house. We found plenty of boards with which to build our bunks. We are situated about ten feet lower than the water in the river, but the levee is strong here, being well sodded over. Our camp is in the open, unprotected by shade trees. On coming down the river we saw our camp ground on the Sparrow plantation all flooded over, and the country as far as we could see was under water. The town of Lake Providence looked desolate with the houses standing in the water.
Thursday, 26th—It is very warm and pleasant, and the mud is drying up fast. We have no need for camp guards at this camp. We drew six days’ rations. The Eleventh and Fifteenth Iowa Regiments received orders to move at once down the river. We immediately struck our tents and by 10 o’clock p. m. were on board the “Superior” with all the quartermaster’s supplies, but the boat is to lie here all night. Everything seems to point to a movement upon Vicksburg, and the report is that the fleet, protected by the gunboats, will have to run the blockade, while the troops will have to move by land through Louisiana and cross the river below Vicksburg.
Wednesday, 25th—A division of troops passed our camp going down the river, while General Logan’s Division came back again going on up the river.
Tuesday, 24th—It rained all night and day, and our camp is almost covered with water. The report in camp is that we will go down the river in a day or two.
