The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1862-04-04
CAMP ANDY JOHNSON. TENNESSEE.
March, 18th, 1862.

FRIEND BRuNNEs:-I have been promis
ing myselfto write you. but so many thing:
have interviewed, that have not had an op
portunty until now Since I wrote yor
last at Camp Wood the 18th, has been mar.
ching and countermarching, until some
of the boys think they have seen the s'ELE-
rHANr." There is one thing can vouch
for, and that is, they have seen and fell
their feet very sore. On the morning of the
2lst of February, we struck our tents
and started, as We thought, for the Ohio
River, by way of Elizabethtown, to point
on the river called West Point. 1t was q
bitter cold morning, we marched s miles
that day, to place called Upton's Station
on the railroad, here we camped for the
night, our teams not coming up, we had
Iall ''our DOORS" for company; wood not
being handy,and being minus axes to chop
1t II 1t had, we resorted to the fences for
fuel, and here let me say, this was the first
time the 18th had burned any rails
whilst other Regiments were confscating
every thing before them. Snow fell during 9
the night to the depth of an inch and it
iroze as 1t fell. Some of the boys laid them
selves down on the soft side of rail pile
and sought the influence Of sleep to drown
their sorrows. About one O'Clock, orders
were received for us to return, as General
Mitchell had entered Bowling Green, and
our forces had been successful on the
Mississippi. This was damper upon us as
our division was one of the first in Ken
tacky, and all the picketting and repairing
was done by them, and then for General
Mitchell with his command to slip ahead
and have the honor OF being first to enter
Bowling Green, was almost more than
they could bear, but like brave men as they
are, they smothered their wrath. Our wag-
ons coming up the next morning, as soon
as they fed and rested the teams we star
ted on our return, over the muddiest roads
ever saw. On the 23d we again reached
Green River and crossed on the Railroad
Bridge, the whole division, teams and
all. The bridge is planked over ON the top.
and is about ten feet wide, with tempo
rary railing two feet high on the sides.
When the train was in the middle Of the
bridge it looked frightful. After crossing
the river we marched about three miles
and again camped for the night, this time
our wagons were up with us, and we pitch
ed our tents for the night, and it was well
we did, for before morning it commenced
raining very hard But Notwithstanding
the rain poured down in torrents, at the
appointed time we were up and on the for
ward march. 1t ltcontinued to rain forenoon,
about noon our regiment was halted and
nH int 0Ic Il.
balance of our brigade going on. | soon
learned the cause OF our halt, we were de-
tailed to help repair the Railroad, but
soon found it needed little attention. We
laid here until the afternoon of the next
day, when we pulled stakes and pushed on
after our brigade. The road from Green
River to this place was little the worst
team ever travelled over, it had been oh
structed by falling trees across it, plough
ing 1t up,digging large deep holes and cov-
ering them over lightly. Gen. Mitchell,
had repaired the most of them. SO as to
make them passable, but the incessant rains
had made them horrible | counted in six
miles travel eighteen dead horses lying in
ponds of water by the road side. Horses
must have been plenty with the rebels.
We came up to our brigade the third
day at Bells Tavern, two miles from Bow
ling Green, at the terminus of the Pike, we
lay here one day and two nights and then
pushed on to Bowling Green, marching |
miles over rough pike, all the men were
nearly worn out, many of them dropping
by tho way to rest, and nearly every man
bore marks OF that days march in the shape
If blistered feet, your correspondent not
excepted. We camped about two miles
rom the Ferry, with tho spires in the city
coming up above the trees in sight.
Bowling Green was very strongly forti-
led. they might have given US trouble if
hey had made stand here, but alas, they
ire great on backing out and running.
Tho pike runs from here to Nashville
With the exception of six miles. Another
week Of dry marching, wet marching and
all marching brought US to the City of
Nashville, where we found Gems. Mitchell
md Thomas's division. We crossed the
'iser and passed through the city after
light, SO | can write nothing of tho ap-