Saturday, 15th—It rained all day and we had no drill. No news. We have the Sibley tents now and are in good shape for cold weather. The tents are large, one accommodating eighteen or twenty men, and it is supported by a center pole which rests on a tripod. Fires are built on the ground floor in the center and there is a round hole at the top of the tent for the smoke to escape. The men sleep in Indian fashion with their feet to the fire.
Diary of Alexander G. Downing; Company E, Eleventh Iowa Infantry
Friday, 14th—Nothing of importance. The Eleventh Iowa is in the Third Brigade commanded by General Crocker; the brigade is in the Sixth Division commanded by General McArthur; the division is in the Seventeenth Army Corps commanded by General McPherson.
Thursday, 13th—The railroad is repaired now and the cars came through today to Grand Junction from Corinth, loaded with provisions. Our tents and knapsacks also arrived. We pitched our tents, drew rations this evening, and commenced to live again. It looks like home once more. Three new recruits for our company arrived today from Iowa.
Wednesday, 12th—Nothing new. The weather is quite cool. This makes our eighth day on short rations, but the quartermaster assured us today that he would have some provisions for us tomorrow. New troops are arriving every day and passing on out to the front.
Tuesday, 11th—The same old thing over. We are still in camp and on short rations. The quartermaster tells us to be patient three or four days more, when he expects to have full rations for us. I hunted about an hour through a ten-acre cornfield, thinking I might find an ear of corn and parch it to help relieve my hunger, but the field had been picked over so thoroughly that I did not even find a nubbin.
Monday, 10th—We have plenty of water at this camp, but are on short rations, having nothing but “gruel” and sweet potatoes to eat. What the boys call gruel is made from flour and corn meal. The quartermaster issued some flour and meal today, each man drawing his portion and cooking it to suit his taste. The usual method of preparing it is to make a dough and then bake it in the hot ashes or in the frying pan. Some of the new regiments from the North are equipped with shelter tents, each man carrying his part of the tent on his knapsack. The boys have nicknamed the new tents “dog tents.”[1]
[1] Our boys were inclined to ridicule the idea of a man having to carry his tent on his back, and gave them the nickname “dog tent.” But at that very time some of the boys would have been glad for a chance to carry as good tents, for when we were out on the march our tents had to be left in camp or else put in storage, and we would have to bivouac without any protection.—A. G. D.
Sunday, 9th—We moved our camp to higher ground today, and are now in camp on the banks of Scott creek.
Saturday, 8th—Nothing of importance. A large detail from the Sixth Division was sent to clear a place for a drill ground down on the second bottom of the creek south of our bivouac.
Friday, 7th—The weather is fine with quite cold nights. We are on half rations now, because there are no trains through from Corinth.
Thursday, 6th—The Sixth Division remained in bivouac here at Grand Junction, while a part of the army moved on to Holly Springs. We have roll call now every hour during the day.
