Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1868-02-21


deavors to erect more BubsEantia
I structures out Of stone carried from th
neutral fence .ofGarrett Davis to camp
: and carried back again, as some Of tn
, Officers Of the regiment perhaps we'll Fe
memb ber-but the snow soon went tn
3 way Of all things earthly, and was sue
ceeded by warm sun and balmy ail
, We again took up the line Of march 70
] Lexington; good roads, pleasant wealth
er, and a country unsurpassed for beau
ty. One of those marches, the boy
( know something about, would be NOR
appropriately termed following ant
keeping up with the Generals horse
esojourued here pleasantly a few days
nothing Of any special interest occur
ing; struck tents and followed the Gen
to Nicholasville. I recOllect well thu
/ march through the streets Of Lexington
and how proud and justly proud Gener
; al BUrbridge was, Of his splendid brig
ade, and it was patent to all, that thai
fine body of troops moving in c0lumE
with martial tread to the music Of the
Union, with bayonets glisteuing from q
southern sun, gave but little comfort tC
the rebel lockers on
At NichoiasvilIe q beautiful camp "a
delightful grove, richly csTpeted with
Kentucky's IA nous blue grass sod. Here
we experienced the uncertainty of all
things here below, and especially in the
army-our camp laid ont by special or
der for q winter camp, regularly laid
out, sod walls built, hueB put in, even a
hne specimen Of art, in the shape Of an
t oven, from which warm bread and hot
rolls, Corn-dodgers and dried apple pies
/ were to be drawn forth for adequate COM
peUSGt6o5s by our memorable and never
/ 70 be forgotten friends, the Keitlingers
all drill suspended to enable the BOYS
to complete their winter quarters, and
at night they were complete. But, ere
/ midnight passed, that every present,
and ilI-timed orderly, like an evil spir-
I it, disturbed the Blumber Of the camp,
/ and next mornings sun arose On the
96th, drawn up in line and ready for the
! march. But our ranks were not full,
we had already been leaving behind
/ us the sick and disabled. At Nicholas
4 vile, the church hospital numbered
1 among its patients many OF our COM
| rades, some of whom there received
their discharge from this life of warfare
and trial and were summoned TO the
! world Of peace some reached home to
! die
/ From NichOIasviIIe a pleasant march,
| passing through Versailles where neu-
trality made a feeble effort to exhibit
| its power upon old Elijah, John Shorter,
and other gentlemen Of color belonging
to the regiment, On through Frankfort,
the capital of the State, a city looking
very much as if II had been built upon
the hills, and washed down into the
hOllOws-thrOugh the pleasant looking
town of ShelbyVi1e, on to Louisville,
pleasant vTesrther good roads and COM
paratlYeiy easy marches, our distances
being governed by the water courses,
upon the banks of which we had to
camp at night and not governed by the
distance the Generals horse could traV-
ell in a day, But, the last day every
man was Weston, much to the indig-
nation Of Colonel Guppy, who had 10
follow, and to the full and entire satis-
faction of the greyl01tads, that the 96th
could march faster and longer than
they could. At Louisville we again en-
eanped on the banks of the Ohio. In a
low and unpleasant place. Nothing to
interest or relieve the monotony, till
marching orders came to our relief
Here we turned over our light and gem
orally worthless guns, and received in
exchange the heavy Belgian musket,
equal TO siX-pouuders and not much
of tBurbridge's light artillery was not
inappropriate. Here began our exper-
ience in transportation on steam boats,
learning how men could be crowded on
q boat and showing to old Steamboat
men that they had never known one
halfthe capacity Of their boats. Down
the beautiful Ohio, into the muddy end
m0nObOuOus MissiSsi ppi; at Cairo many
seeing for the first time, gun boats g cat [
ing lazily upon the water. Nothing OF
Columbus with its high bluffs and sx-
tensiVe fortificatiOns, the famous battle
field of Belmont on the opposite shore, L
where General Grant entered upon his
wonderful career as a commander. so 4
distinguished and celebrated for him /
self, so glOriously and happily for his I
country, begun in defeat, ended in vic /
tory over all the enemies Of his country /
and of himself, if any ne had: as q Cen
eral, the admiration Of the world, the /
glory of his country, the pride of the 4
west, neither the jealousy Of the poIitic-
ian nor the sneer Of the denagogue, will |
ever efface from the hearts Of the s.l- /
dIers Of the west, grateful and cherish /
ed remem brance of their great COM
mander. We passed the famous Island
No. 10, now robbed of all its terrors
next New Madrid, the seat of earth
qualxes and destructive shock to the
rebel force by the "bOys in blue. -
Next passing Fort Pillow, and reaching
the city of Memphis, disembarked for
the first tune On rebel soil and in q hos
tile land, marched out, and in a day or
30 making for ourselves a pleasant 1
and CIeanly camp; nothing
here beyond the usual incidents Of
camp. Here, I believe, for the first
time, we heard the funeral dirge, as we
to the boat, the remains of
Lieut.. Jarvis. The weather was favora-
BILE, and the time and opportunity for
drill, during most Of the time, was well |
improved some incidents occurred bet-
ter forgotten than remembered. General
Sherman had left Memphis with his
forces, for the interior, the rebels were
themselves that thew
were rid Of the detested "blue coats.D
and especially, the famous Sth Missouri.
Scarcely had the rear guard of Sher-
mans forces passed beyond the limits /
of the city, when much to the astonish-
ment of the denizens, their streets were
out to occupy the place
left by ShermRu's army. In a few davs /
back came Gen. Sherman with his force |
soon followed an order for review be-
fore Gen. Sherman; those who had I
served under him knew that was to be
no idle pomp, or pageantry of war, but
meant something real and earnest, and
soon came marching orders; tents
marched to the river and again
embarked in happy Inconsistencies as
to where we were going, or as to what |
was to be done. Here was q grand
spectacle not soon to be forgotten; the
the leVee lined with steal amboRts, regi
nlent after regiment marching down the
landing moving in different directions
and crossing each others paths, all ap-
parently in utmost confusion, yet NOV
Ing with order and system, each regi-
ment embarking upon its designated
boat, the Goth honoring the beautiful
long since gone to its well
merited end. Soon the leYee was cleared
and every boat sbeemed with life,-the
signal gun-boat after moving out in its
proper order, whistles screeching, bands
playing, flags flying, men shouting; thus
fhis immense fleet moved off maiesti-
E lily, bows down stream, a grand sight |
and such one as we will probably new
er witness again. Much such an one as
I witnessed when this same General
sherman collected an army and a fleet
at Paducah and went up the Tennessee,
more than seventy boats moving in a
line, the river not being wide enough
for two abreast as on the Mississippi,
his force at Pittsburg
Landing. Still in blissful ignorance Of
our destination, on we went slowly and
but still on, into the very
depths of the Comfederacy, and where
Union soldiers had not been seen or
known. Soon arose cOUjectures Of