Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1862-04-04

Company A, the 18th Indiana, 9Th Missouri, |
and several other Regimen s came up here to-
day to load aboard the boats, the water being |
SO high at Fort lehman they could not load on |
account of back water. We laid at Paris |
Landing until Sunday, when we steamed up
the river about two miles further and stopped
again. During the time we were at Paris,
some forty or fifty boats came up loaded with
troops, making in all about eighty steamers and
near so 900 soldiers. The boats mere formed
into.brigades, following the other in regu-
lar succession. On Monday, everything being
ready, the fotilla slowly steamed out, each one
following in order. The river is narrow and
crooked, and at night the scene was beautiful
the red and blue lights extending up and down
the stream when there was a straight place, and
disappearing from view when we turned bend
The evenings were moonlight, and we could see
till II o'clock; then tie up and start the next
morning about s. The boats would stop twice
day to let US cook. The country is very fine
along the river, and the people all seemed
| pleased to see us coming-men waving their
hats and women their handkerchefs. Tues
which is nearly lis miles from Fort Henry. 1t
| is situated OF high ground, little back of the
river, and contains nearly l 900 inhabitants.
| There are a great many Union people here.
We laid on the boat until Thursday afternoon,
when unloaded, and are now encamped Just
| back of the town. We were on the boat seven
days, and the horses were so close together they
/ lie L., rrlo 4
to get off, can assure you. The weather is
very warm here; even VIII lie sit in the tent
writing this. il is uncom fortably hot All
spring flowers are in bloom, trees are budding
out, and things really look like May. We had
very heavy thunder shower last night, but the
sun has dried up the ground to-day, and this
afternoon the roads are nice and dry. We have
not received our two mon THIS pay yet-January
and February-but will, hope, soon. Please
give my love to ALL. Write as often as you can,
Your Son, G. W. PIERCE.
P. 81 guess you will think this is all Post
script, before you get through reading it, but
forgot to tell You that we had four new recruits
in the company, right from Mississippi. for
get what county they came from; they escaped
by travelling nights, and lying in the woods du-
ring the day. They say there are more than a
hundred that they know of, in their neighbor-
hood, that would have come with them, but
dare not undertake it, for fear they would be
caught. Their county last fall, gave l 500 ma
jorlty for the Union ticket, but every man that
voted 1t had black mark put opposite his name,
and was waited upon by committee, and Civ
en- his choice to change his views or leave the
| country. They heard all sorts of stories down
there. One was that drafting had commenced
in the Northern States, two months ago, and ev-
cry man was taken; and that peace conferences
were being held, but the Sou h would agree 10
no peace At last they heard of our army being
here and resolved to come, if it cost them their
lives, and succeeded in doing so, with no little
difficulty, having travelled fifty miles afoot over
hills and through swamps I was down to the
river the other morning, and saw a man about
forty five, that had deserted from the rebels; he
said he lived about % miles west of here, and
last fall election was held in his count Y, the
Union tickets being white, and Secession tickets
yellow; he put in white ticket; he said he
would have done it if he was to die for it; a
black mark was put opposite his name, and
when they commenced organizing troops, he
was given his choice to join the army or suffer
death; he chose the former, relying on Provi
dence for some chance of escape. His Regimen,
was the 54th Tennessee; they stopped for short
time at Corinth Tenn, and were afterwards sent
| to Columbus, Ky; he had never been healthy,
and after while was taken sick and went to
the hospital, but they gave him no medicine,
and he then rejoined his Regiment thinking
| he was better off there than in the hospital
| There were some half dozen in the Regiment,
that were of the same mind as he, and they talk
ed it over for a long time, devising some means
of escape; the Captain of his Company was
good man, he said, and gave him a sick furlough
| to go horne; he and these other friends of his
started, and having heard that our troops were
coming up the river, resolved to join them
They travelled by night and hid during the
day. One day, two or three days before we
| come up, as they were lying under the bank of
the river, they saw our gunboats coming up
stream, and WI zen they were up to them, they
hailed them, and got aboard and came here
This man had on rebel Infantry cloth very coarse
gray. That is the way with them all over this
country, and by the time we get down into
Mississippi, will have an army as large again
as it is now. Yours with love,
C.W.P
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