Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1917-05-02

but the assistant quartermaster not
| finding anyone to turn them over to,
concluded to take them along, which
we were glad to do. All the trains
from the different divisions drove into
town and stopped for the troops to
get ahead. They marched through
in good order with bands playing and
colors flying, making a grand and i'm
posing appearances. The citizens and
detected. The last Of the soldiers did
not get out until 1920, when the
trains fell in regular order; our head
quarters train being just in the rear
of the hospital train, which was just
behind the troops. We marched in
northerly direction, but soon turned
in a westerly direction and crossed
the railroad, passing through some
old rebel breastworks. The railroad
was not yet repaired as far as the
town, but three steamboats, came up
yesterday. We left many sick here.
Public and private houses were used
for hospitals. The country over which
we passed today was level and sandy
as usual, but richer and better Guilt
waited than any we had seen in North
Carolina. We passed large planta-
tions, where there were old coffin gins
and cornfelds; also passed a good
many fields of wheat which was quite
green, although not very large. The
boys took anything they wanted, but
there being SO many ahead it left us
without chance to get anything.
We stopped for dinner half an hour
Marched slow and steady and late,
getting into camp about $3.50 p. m,
having made about twelve miles to-
day. There were many negroes
around picking up clothing which the
boys threw away, and some of them
would tell us where their masters had
hid their bacon, butter, applejack,
etc. We passed one plantation where
4 were some two dozen frame negro
houses, two-thirds of them were now
deserted. The negroes brought us
water to drink and seemed pleased to
see us, although the boys had taken
all Of their chickens. They said
their master used to have seventy
negroes, but most of them had gone
TO the Yankees.
Tuesday, March 81, 1865.
Reveille sounded at four o'clock a.
m. We hurried to cook and eat our
breakfast and at six were ready TO
start on the march again, but had to
wait an hour and half for the troops
and train to get ahead Of us, among
which / noticed a pontoon train. The
pontoons had been used at Kinston,
but as they had made trestle bridge
there, they had taken them up after
we passed yesterday morning. We
marched lack little ways, then turn
southwest, went two miles and went
into park. We lay there idle, vast
ing the time we ought to be improv-
ingin making Roadway so as not TO
march so long after dark. We were
here until noon and / spent the time
reading and sleeping. / afterwards
heard that we were waiting for the
first division to get out, as it had
not broken camp on our arrival. We
\ then proceeded on, Gre ssing a large
creek and marching along the Neuse
river, then striking off through
field to shorten the distance. The
roads were good and level, yet the
country was not as well improved as
that we had passed through yester-
day. The boys took everything along
the road they could eat or use. We
stopped at 80 for dinner. At sun
down we were five miles from Colds
boro, and must reach there tonight.
1t was raining gently and after be-
ing bothered an hour by the train
ahead we proceeded on for half an
then moved on slowly, it being very
dark. Thus we kept moving YEARLY
on, and when we arrived in camp in
town and built fire it was eleven
o'clock. We ate cold supper, put
up our tent and went to bed. We
marched about twenty miles today.
Goldsboro, Wayne Co., N. c.,
Wednesday, March %, 1865.
No reveille sounded to disturb us
this morning and although our tent
had fallen down on US, yet we lay
quietly enjoying our bed until sun
rise, when we crawled out, cooked
and ate some ham and potatoes, that
we got yesterday, then went out to
look around. Found and appropriate
ed some carpenters tools; then, as
we had been bothered about trans
portation, hunted up cart, fixed up a
harness, rugged up the blacksmith
tool box, which contained forge,
bellows, tools, ETC., and hitched an
extra mule to it and were ready to
move. About noon we moved across
the square and went into park, and
in an hour we moved again and went
into park by the courthouse. Fixed
an iron wise on the cart ready for
use, then was ordered to General
COUGHS headquarters to make him a
table, but not finding him there, came
back, and done some work for DIR.
Lawton, for which he gave me $500,
then went back and got the directions
for the table.
Thursday, March %, 1865.
/ After breakfast this morning
} went up to General COUGHS head
quarters to see if they had found
lumber for me to make the table of.
} Went with Captain Blackboard to a
wagon shop where we found lumber,
then borrowed tools from the owner
. of the shop and went to work. Got
along rather slow with it, as had new
er made one Of that kind before, it
, being cross-legged with the top
! separate, and the legs to shut to-
gether, like camp stool. Worked on
it until shutdown but did not get it