mvanders

Thursday.  Capt. Wood, Lt. Brown & self reported for duty in the volunteer camp at 9 o’clock.  Built a tent of reeds, bought provisions of commissary, & had dinner cooked by Lt. B’s boy. Lt. Phillips of the Me. 12^th dined with us.  The volunteers do not seem to report very fast, nor is anything doing at organizing.  Serg. Mason of Co. “F” reported in [the] afternoon, making the aggregate from our Reg’t. nine.  Had a very quiet comfortable night in our new tent.

Diary of Isaac Winslow Case [Miscellaneous Manuscripts Collection]

Sunday.  Turned out about 1 o’clock A.M. & got into line.  We supposed that we were to make another Sunday attack but after moving out by Gen. Banks; Headquarters to the road leading into the place of last Sunday’s battle we filed to the left instead of the right, & pursued the main road to the east till 9 o’clock, when we halted at a little stream some six or eight miles out on the road to Jackson.  Here the provision trains came up bringing cooked rations.  Stopped & ate a hearty meal, probably for breakfast & dinner together.  We have with us the 12^th Me., 90^th, 91^st, & 131^st N.Y. & 1^st Louisiana with several field pieces & a small cavalry force.  Where we are bound we know not. Supposed to keep off reinforcements for the enemy in Port Hudson.

Our mail reached us while halted for dinner.  Got a letter of June 1^st from Pamelia..  All well at home at that date.  I thank my Heavenly Father for all his mercies.  After eating moved up a hill beyond the stream, & filed into a field on the right of the road, 7 stacked arms.  The men lay down & some of them got asleep, when in about an hour the order came suddenly to “fall in.”  [Read more…] about June 21, 1863

Thursday.  I omitted to record above that a flag of truce was sent in yesterday, asking leave to bring off the dead & wounded that were left in the field Sunday.  The Ambulance Corps was engaged in it all the afternoon.  The number  brought out is set by them at from 120 to 240.  None of them appear to have counted them—only two were found alive.  The rebs. came out & assisted in collecting the bodies.  God grant that we may not be called into another Sabbath fight.  When will our Generals learn to observe God’s day?  Col. P. said this morning that no regiment of our Brigade volunteered last night.  Very quiet about camp all day.  Wrote a letter to Pamelia this P.M. giving a short account of our two scenes of peril, the night’s skirmish in the brush, & last Sunday’s battle.  Carried the letter out to the Col.’s quarters & it is going to the landing tomorrow.  A mail leaves N. Orleans June 21^st, & I hope my letters will get there in season for it.

Diary of Isaac Winslow Case [Miscellaneous Manuscripts Collection]