Monday, 2d—An exciting time down at Vicksburg last night was reported in camp this morning. One of our gunboats ran the blockade and while passing their batteries, the rebels fired exactly one hundred and thirty shots at her, but did not hurt her. Our gunboats blew up one of the rebels’ steamers which was tied at the wharf just below the city, and then ran another battery below without being hurt.
Diary of Alexander G. Downing; Company E, Eleventh Iowa Infantry
Sunday, 1st—We had an all day rain and the river is rising; the bottom land on the east side of the river is already under water. It came my turn to go on fatigue today. A detail of four hundred men was again sent down to work on the break in the levee. Our chaplain preached to the regiment this afternoon.
Saturday, 31st—A scouting party of about two hundred men mounted on horses and mules, and carrying one piece of light artillery, came upon a rebel camp some eighteen miles out and engaged in a fierce fight. After standing their ground for two hours the rebels left for the tall timber. They left their supplies to our men, who burned all that they could not bring with them, and returned to camp with only five or six men wounded, bringing one lone prisoner.
Friday, 30th—Everything is quiet today. It came my turn to go on duty. Another gunboat came down the river today. General McArthur moved his headquarters from the boat, lying here in the river, out into a plantation house nearby. Things are very expensive here; butter is fifty cents a pound and cheese is forty cents.
Thursday, 29th—We have plenty of wood now. At about 2 o’clock this afternoon a brisk fire opened between our men and the rebels. We have not yet heard what was the cause of it.1 A scouting party seventeen miles out from the city had a skirmish with the rebel cavalry, but there were no losses outside of several horses. A report came into camp that Port Hudson has been taken by our forces.
1 This was down at Vicksburg, where there was some heavy cannonading between our gunboats and the Confederate batteries.—A. O. D.
Saturday, 28th—No new developments today. We had orders to clean up for inspection. I went to the commissary headquarters and drew a hat and a blouse, costing $4.78.
Wednesday, 28th—We had ten or twelve teams at work all day hauling wood to the boats. I worked till noon with the detail of men hauling wood and loading the transports, while the other detail was on picket. In the afternoon our detail was on picket and the others completed the loading. We were called in from picket at sundown and with all on board the transports started on the return trip, reaching our camp a little before midnight.
Tuesday, 27th—Wood for fuel is becoming very scarce in camp, and also on the transports. The Thirteenth Iowa, with thirty of us from my regiment, were detailed to go with the transports up the river for wood. We reached the woodyard about thirty miles up the river at dark and Company C of the Thirteenth Iowa was detailed for picket. There are six thousand cords of wood piled up here.
Monday, 26th—Today I was one of a detail of two thousand men sent down the river a few miles to repair the break in the levee on the west bank of the river. The break is two hundred feet wide and the water rushes through with terrible force. I was glad when the order came to return to camp, for I would rather risk my life in a battle than to work another day on that break. An increasing number of men still lying in the boats are getting sick from drinking the poor river water; the new recruits just arriving from the North are especially affected.
Sunday, 25th—We moved up the river today about a mile and disembarked on the Louisiana side, going into camp right on the bank. We are from ten to fifteen feet below the water in the river, while the levee is twenty-five or thirty feet higher than our camp. Company E was to go on picket, but the order was countermanded, and then at dark a detail of one thousand men, I being one, from our division, was chosen to go down the river to work on the canal which is being cut across the point of land opposite Vicksburg. It is a fearful mudhole to work in. A large number of negroes are put on the job. The rebels try to shell the place, but their shells all fall short.
