Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1916-12-13
Interesting Accounts Taken
From Diary of the Late
c. M. Siayfon

ed out and had to move of a little
farther, as we were near the line. We
went about three-fourths of mile
and went into camp, then lay down
and slept until daylight. After eat
ing breakfast l wrote for q while.
The firing is quite brisk and later it
became a perfect roar. About nine
o'clock we heard our troops cheer as
}, if they were making a charge and
, again they cheered at $3.50. l went
to the top of the hill to the rebel
fort where our men took four guns
yesterday, and where a saw q caison
explode. There were five dead and
four wounded rebels still there. Their
works were not very good. At 1880
we moved nearer to the line. The ar
tillery firing was heavy, but mostly
on our side. About 2:30 our troops
charged the rebels, and as our men
had cut them of from retreating, they
took nearly the whole of Cheatham's
division prisoners. went up to their
lines and found the ground covered
with guns and entrenching tools. l
saw q few dead rebels and IL or is Of
our men had been killed. Our troops
drove the remainder of the rebels un-
til darkness stopped them. At $3.50
we started off again, using torches
to see by, and went about one and q
half miles and went into camp for
the night. / saw six brass cannon
that had been taken today.
Saturday, December IL, 1864.
- We were encamped on the south
, or east side of Granny White pike,
about six miles from town. 1t rained
hard last night Cooked and ate our
breakfast in the rain this morning,
and were ready to start at daylight.
There is musketry firing this morn
ing, but no artillery, the firing how
ever is the boys discharging their
guns into the ground and not at the
rebels. We did not start until loo
o'clock, and then went very slow, and
covered only five miles in a day. We
went into camp on the Granny White
pike in a nice piece of woods to the
left of the road. Rained all day. The
mud was a perfect slush and from
two to six inches deep, and we were
unable to keep out of it.
Sunday, December Is, 1864.
We were up before daylight and
soon had breakfast ready to eat, and
by eight o'clock were ready to start.
At 8:15 we started off and went
through the woods and across fields
to the Franklin pike, about three
fourths of a mile, and had to wait
there until IL O'Clock before the
troops and trains were Strengthened
out enough so that we could move.
The mud is about two inches deep on
the pike. At 1870 we stopped for
dinner and did not start until four
o'clock p. m. We went about mile
and parked the train and watered the
animals and fed them. | put in a
wagon tongue for a headquarters
wagon and at 500 o'clock we started
off again, crossed the river and went
into camp about loo p. m. in Frank
lin. We had come about eight miles
today.
Franklin, Dec. 10, 1864.
1t rained hard this morning. We
were up at z o'clock. took a look
around town. Nearly every house
was filled with rebel or union wound
ed. The rebels left their wounded
when they retreated. Put a half
sole on one of my boots with screws.
At 2 ID. m, we started off and moved
about one-fourth of mile, then park
ed again. Still it rained. / went to
the battlefield to look it over. There
are said to be 1000 graves of rebel
soldiers there, mostly within five rods
of our works. The rebels covered
our men up in the trenched right
where they fell, and today our men
were taking them out and re-burying
them, shroudless and coffinless. /
saw rebel horses that had fallen near
our works. There were trees from
four to six inches thick that had been
cut down by the rain of bullets, while
a locust grove looked white with bull
let scars. The rain ceased about sun
down.
Tuesday, December 20, 1864.
1t did not rain last night and today
it is fairly good marching. We start
ed out in good season but it was
nearly noon before we got well under
way. We moved slowly until a p. m,
then faster until about dark, and we
went into camp about a mile north of
Spring Hill, having gone eleven miles
today. 1t commenced to rain about
8 o'clock and kept it up until dark.
Mudl Mud! Mud! The fences along
the road were in good repair when we
went by there three weeks ago, but
now they were all torn down, being
burned for wood. There was some
cannonading last night and a little
today. / saw quite a few rebel pris-
OueTS anu bikACC uAo PoSSAhb VIVA us
Nashville.
Wednesday, December FL, 1864.
The weather was cold and windy
this morning with snow flurries. 1t
was a cold job to get out at 5 o'clock
after rails to start a fire with, es-
pecially when the rails are covered
with ice. Made me think of home.
We started about nine o'clock, drove
g. ba1f a milo and went into mark
to wait for some troops to pass.
took my knapsack and bedding and
went over to the division headquar-
tiers, where two blacksmiths, one har-
ness maker and one carpenter had
been ordered nearly a week ago.
now go with the headquarters train
and my fortunes were cast with
them until further orders. We have
a wagon for our tools and we mess
together. We hauled out about noon,
passing through Spring Hill and