Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1863-01-29
From tic r2o:n Regiment.
OK BOARD STEAMBOAT KEY WEST, !
MIssIssIrpl RIVER, Jan. 6, 'G3. [

MISSISSIPPI RIVER, Jan. d, O3.
If You will not think it an intrusion
upon the columns of your paper, and pre-.
sumption upon my part, | will give you
II short sketch Of the movements of oul
regmcnt--ta l20lh Ohio-since we left
Covington, Kentucky.
We left that place on the Dist day oil
last November, and landed in Memphis,
Tenn, on the 1th Of December We lay
encampod at the latter place, drilling and
performing other duties pertaining to our
expedition down the Mississippi, until the
10Th During our stay in Memphis, we
were Brisaded and assigned to our place
in Division. Our brigade consists Of the
l2Oth Ohio, lis Illinois and G9th ludi-
ana, commanded by Colonel Sheldon, OF
EIyria, O., now acting as Brgadier Gen
eral. Ours is the Third Division, con
aiStinG Of the Col. DeCoursey's, Col.
Lindsey's, and our brigadc-in all, ten
regiments, commanded by Major General
George w, Morgan. of Mt. Vernon, O..
Our division is q part of the Right Wing
of the Thirteenth Army Corps, the Right
Wing under the command Of Gen. Sher-
man, and the whole corps under the
command Of Gen. Grant.
The expedition had been collecting at
Cairo, Memphis, Helena and other places
on the Mississippi for several weeks, ana
was known in the newspapers as McCler.
nond's Expedition, and was intended to
open the Mississippi River On the Goth
of December that portion collected at
Memphis went aboard boats and moved
down the river We lay over one day at
Helena, Ark, awaiting troops from other
places. When we we've all collected here
we numbered, as near as | can tell, about
forty thousand men. We moved down
the Mississippi to the mouth of the VA
ZOO, small but deep river cmptying into
the Mississippi about twelve miles above
Nicksburg. There the whole fleet put in
and strcamed up some ten or twelve
miles Owing to the bends in both rivers
this brought us within six or seven miles
Of Nicksbnrg. here we disembarkcd,
under cover of several gunboatS that had
accompanied the feet on Saturday nom
ing, Dee, 9th, and about noon marched
forward towards Ncksburg. AS to the
operations of the army for the next six
days can say but little, excepting what
relates to our own regiment, the 120th
Ohio, commanded by Col, French.
We formed our regiment in column of
companies, and had not marched far un-
til we heard sharp cannouading opened
upon the columns Immediately in ad-
vance OF us, The afternoon was mil /,
the sun shining brightly and the ground
over which we passed was solid until we
came to a cornield where it was soft and
uneven, and here we had hard marching,
About half an hour before sunset we
halted upon open ground in cornfeld
on Mrs. Lakes plantation. We were
now about three. fourths of mile from
our batteries, which had been opened an
hour or two before upon those of the en-
emy. We now, for the first time to many
OF us, heard the continuous cracking and
sharp roll of rifle ,hcoting. Colonel De
Coursey's brigade was engaged at short
range. This firing continued amid the
roar of artillery until nearly dark. The
smoke rose up and rolled away like fog,
We stood in column until after the firing
hal ceased, and we've then ordered to stack
arms and bivouac fer the night upon the
ground We then occupied, We were not
allowed to kindle fire for we were occu.
pying position within shelling range OF
the enemy. Our boys gathered few
cornstalks and weeds together, laid them
upon the soft ground eat few crackers,
wrapped their blankets about them and
lay down to sleep as best they could