: 525 
 5 
 
 9th 
 opy 1 
 
 HREE MONTHS IN CAMP AND FIELD, 
 
 DUET 
 
 OF AX 
 
 OHIO 
 
 VOLUNTEER. 
 
 BY 
 
 A MUSICIAN, CO. H, 
 
 19rH REGIMENT. 
 
 CLEVELAND: 
 
 PRINTED AND FOR SALE BY THE AUTHOR. 
 
 1861. 
 
I. 
 
 THREE MONTHS IN CAMP AND FIELD. 
 
 DIAET 
 
 OF AN 
 
 OHIO 
 
 VOLUNTEER 
 
 BY 
 
 A MUSICIAN, CO. H, 
 
 19th REGIMENT. 
 
 CLEVELAND: 
 
 PRINTED AND FOR SALE BY THE AUTHOR. 
 1861. 
 

 r 
 

 ' 
 
 PKEFACE 
 
 The leading object of the Author of this small volume, is to give 
 his readers a full and authentic account of the Campaign of the 19th 
 Regiment, Ohio Volunteer State Militia, giving in rotation every 
 incident of any note connected with the Regiment, from the time of 
 going into Camp, till the time of the return of the Regiment to the 
 State of Ohio; together with a description of all the Camps occupied 
 by the Regiment, and, also, a full description of that part of the 
 State of Virginia, in which, and through which the 19th made its 
 long and fatiguing marches ; and, also, a description of the manners, 
 customs and appearance of the people of Western Virginia. The 
 Author hopes that the trouble and expense, he has been to, to collect 
 these notes and facts, may meet the approbation of the people of 
 the glorious old Buckeye State. 
 
 Salem, Columbiana County, Ohio. 
 
DIARY. 
 
 Tuesday, May 14. — Our Company (Company H,) left 
 Salem this morning at 4 o'clock, arriving at Camp Taylor 
 at 9 o'clock, A. M., having a very pleasant trip. At Alli- 
 ance, the junction of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago 
 Rail Road with the P. & C. Raiload, we were joined by the 
 boys of Company E, from New Lisbon, and together the 
 two Companies went^to Cleveland, being lustily cheered at 
 every place they passed. After arriving in Camp, the first 
 introduction we had to the fare of a soldier, was our break- 
 fast, which we took with a very good relish, after being 
 about five hours on the cars. Our breakfast consisted of 
 good bread and butter, boiled beef and pork, and potatoes, 
 with coffee and other small articles, such as vinegar, mustard, 
 pepper, &c, which I consider a very good meal for a servant 
 of Uncle Sam. After we got dinner, we were shown to our 
 quarters, where every man took his choice of bunks, and in 
 a short time we were all making ourselves as comfortable as 
 circumstances would admit. 
 
 Wednesday, May 15. — The Camp was stirring, this 
 morning, at 5 o'clock, our boys being, for the first time, 
 aroused from their downy beds of straw, by the report of 
 the brass field piece in our Camp. After stretching ourselves, 
 and taking a good wash, we went to our breakfast, which 
 consisted of precisely the same dishes that our first was 
 composed of. The boys in our company are all well, with 
 the exception of one man, who went to the hospital this 
 morning with a sore arm. It rained nearly all the afternoon 
 to-day, which made the Camp very unpleasant, and our 
 quarters very uncomfortable. I will here describe Camp 
 Taylor : — The Camp is in the incorporate limits of the City 
 of Cleveland, about one and a half miles from the Railroad 
 Depot, of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Road, and a little 
 South of East from the City Park; it is a beautiful piece of 
 
G 
 
 ground, very smooth and level, with plenty of go 
 
 which is supplied from Lake Erie by the City Water \Y 
 The grounds are surrounded by temporary board Bheds, with 
 two rows of bunks on one side, and three on the other 
 bunks being about two and a half or three feet apart ; I 
 fc, also, one end of the Camp appropriated to build!: 
 as quarters for the officers, quarter-master and commissary 
 departments, with a mammoth boarding house, where the 
 soldiers all take their meals; the cooking being done by 
 colored cooks hired for the purpose, one man having 
 contract of boarding all the troops in camp, at a stated price 
 for each man. There is, also, a bank of seats at 01. 
 the grounds, which I should think capable of seating live 
 thousand persons. The grounds, I believe, are owned by the 
 Agricultural Society of Cuyahoga Co., and is the place where 
 I 'iiin State Fair has been held, I think, at two different 
 times. The surface of the ground is of a sandy nature, 
 which, after a rain, soon dries np, leaving the grounds in 
 good condition for drilling. There is now in Camp Taylor, 
 abut 3,500 recruits. 
 
 Thursday, May 1G. — The weather, this morning, is i 
 and cool, rain having ceased some time through the 1. 
 with a pretty strong Northeaster. We were awakened 
 our sleep this morning in the usual way, by the report of the 
 big gun, alter which w T e had the pleasure of listening t< 
 Reveille, played by the martial band of Col. Steadman's 14th 
 Regiment of 0. V. M., which is now our neighbour in Camp 
 Taylor. We took breakfast rather late this morning 
 turn not coming till near nine o'clock. After taking 1>: 
 fast, our company, along with Company A and Co] 
 went on drill, and was put through for nearly three b 
 and part of t lie time on the double quick move, which ap- 
 peared to give the boys an excellent appetite for their din- 
 ner. There were two of the boys of Company H deserted as 
 yesterday, and made their way back to Salem, they having 
 
 got quite satisfied with soldiering in one day. There was 
 quite an excitement raised in our barracks this morning, by 
 the accidental discharge of a pistol, in the hands of a Ger- 
 man belonging to a Company of German Yeagers, from 
 Sandusky City, the charge coming very near taking effect 
 in one of the nieinlu is of the same Company. When, after 
 the excitement had somewhat abated, the Yeagers formed 
 into line and marched out of Camp, turning their faces 
 
homeward, their Company not being assigned to a Regiment 
 for three months service, they not being willing to serve for 
 any longer time. Since the mud has dried up, the boys have 
 had a great time at pitching pennies, and gambling on a 
 small scale, that being the only way they have of killing 
 time during the time they are not on duty. We had a fine 
 battalion drill this afternoon, Capt. Samuel Beatty taking 
 command of the battalion. 
 
 Friday, May 17.— There is still a cold Northeast wind, 
 which makes coats and blankets feel very comfortable, 
 although the weather is clear, and sun shining with consid- 
 erable warmth. There was quite a number deserted this 
 morning, some scaling the fence and giving leg bail, while 
 others passed out of the gate and forgot to return. The 
 boys are still standing around the fire, and shaking as if they 
 had an ague fit; and those that cannot get near the fire are 
 trying to warm themselves by violent exercise, which I think 
 is much better than standing by the fire, which is made of 
 wet straw thrown from our bunks, which you can readily 
 believe makes a very bad fire. I lay in bed, or, rather, in 
 my bunk, all night, and shook with the cold, but as soon as 
 I got out and could exercise myself sufficiently to get my 
 blood in circulation, I felt pretty comfortable. There was 
 another Company left Camp this morning, they not being 
 willing to go for more than three months, and the probability 
 is, that there will some more go soon, unless they go into the 
 three year's service. There are yet four Companies in Camp, 
 that has not been assigned to a Kegiment, as three month's 
 troops, and if they do not enlist for three years, they will, 
 also, be sent home. 
 
 Saturday, May 18. — The weather, this morning, is clear 
 and cool, although towards the middle of the day, the sun 
 shines with considerable warmth, which makes the boys 
 look some more cheerful than the cold winds of the last few 
 days. There was a member of Company G, 14th Regiment, 
 died this morning, in the hospital. There are none of our 
 boys in the hospital at this time, they all being in a condit- 
 ion to take their rations of pork and beans, that is, when 
 they get the beans, they not being quite as plenty as the 
 pork. Three Companies of our Regiment, Companies A, E, 
 and H, marched out of Camp this morning, and had quite 
 a fine parade in the grove, not far from the Camp. The 
 Battalion commanded by Capt. Beatty, of Company A, 
 
8 
 
 • I Guards, when, after two or three hoars drill- 
 
 alternately, the Battalion m 
 to Camp very much pleased with the morning's 
 
 exercise. Some of the boys of Company H, received letters 
 from home to day, the contents of which they appeared to 
 
 ir with the •- The Salem Kepvh 
 
 also, received by some of them, and which appeared to be 
 .i \. ry welooB We have had very good order in 
 
 our Company since coming into Camp, with a very fi ■ 
 oept ; ed by the Little too free use of the ardent; but 
 
 I think when the boys get the wire edge worn off, there will 
 rouble in that respect. 
 Sunday, May 19. — The weather, this morning, looks 
 
 :• lowering, but notwithstanding, there was three or 
 tour Companies attended church in the city, at 10 o'clock. 
 Your humble servant did not attend church, having been 
 detailed on guard duty, and had to stand regular watches 
 for twenty-four hours, two hours on and four off. It com- 
 menced raining about eleven o'clock, and rained pretty near 
 all the time, for four and twenty hours, and is raining still. 
 There was quite a row raised in our barracks this afternoon, 
 when the Company returned from church; some of the boys 
 
 so excited thai they had to be placed under guard; but 
 I do not think that it was going to church that had the effect 
 of exciting them to such an extent, but to the contrary. I 
 think that it was staying from church, and going some place 
 else, that had the effect of raising the excitement. But such 
 was the case, that some of them got so wild that they had 
 to be tied hand and foot, to keep them from tearing down 
 tleai- quarters over their heads; but such will happen in the 
 best regulated families. There is preaching in the Camp tins 
 bul there are a very few attend, compared with 
 the Dumber in Camp; but I think if it was pleasant weather, 
 there would, perhaps, more attend, than vn such a day as 
 this. Tie- health of the Camp is good, notwithstanding the 
 cold, Ler; there are very few in the hospital, 
 
 and what cases are there, are, perhaps, cases brought on by 
 arc, more than any thing else. There are "a 
 few cases of measles, and a few of billious fever, but so far 
 as I can learn, there aie none that is considered any way dan- 
 gerous. There are very lew places where there are as many 
 men living in the same way, and in a way that is new to 
 them all, that there is less sickness in than there is here just 
 
now, which speaks very well for the healthy location of 
 Camp Taylor. There is now in Camp, as near as I can learn, 
 about four thousand soldiers, and more expected to morrow. 
 There is now five Companies of the 19th Regiment in Camp, 
 and the other five will be in this week, which will make the 
 19th full. 
 
 Monday, May 20. — The weather to-day is horrible, it 
 has rained all day, making the Camp a perfect bed of slush 
 and mud. It commenced at sunrise this morning, and has 
 rained steady ever since, up to this time, five o'clock, P. M., 
 and is still raining. There was two more Companies of the 
 19th Regiment came in to Camp this forenoon ; Company B, 
 from Youngstown, and Company 0, from Warren, both of 
 them are crack Companies in my estimation. I was glad _ to 
 see, in bolh Companies, quite a number of my old acquain- 
 tences, which had the effect of making me feel more at home 
 than at any other time since I left home. Companies B and 
 C are fine Companies, and will make their mark if ever they 
 have the good fortune to try their nerves on the Southern 
 rebels. The Youngstown Company, Capt. Hollingsworth, is 
 the most soldier like looking Company in Camp, they having 
 been furnished, before leaving home, with good over coats, 
 made in good military style, and, also, with good caps in the 
 0. V. style. There is yet three Companies of our Regiment 
 to come into Camp; and if I was going to judge by the places 
 they are coming from, what kind of men they were going to 
 bring with them, I would say, without the least hesitation, 
 that they will be all as right as a brick, for as far as I know 
 anything about the boys of old Ashtabula and Geauga, I 
 know they are a:l right, with their hearts in the right place. 
 The health of the Camp is as good as usual. 
 
 Tuesday, May 21. — The weather, this morning, is clear 
 and pleasant, being quite an improvement on the weather 
 of the last two or three days previous. There was 1000 
 muskets arrived in Camp to-day, to be distributed to the 14th 
 and 21st Regiments, which will leave Camp in a few days 
 for some point in Southern Ohio, or Western Virginia. The 
 14th will probably leave to-day, and the 21st on Friday. — 
 Two more Companies of the 19th came into Camp to-day, 
 one from Ashtabula and the other from Geauga county, and 
 a finer looking set of men don't happen to be in Camp just 
 at this time. The Companies comprising the 19th Regiment 
 are now all in Camp, and the probability is, that the Regi- 
 
10 
 
 merit will be organized and mustered into the service some 
 time this week; and if that should be the i Lay expect 
 
 to be removed from this Camp before the end of the month. 
 J can Learn, our Regiment, after leaving this Camp, 
 will be Btationed either at Zainesville or Bellaire, until such 
 time as we are ready to go to Western Virginia. The 19th 
 is pronounced to be one of the best Regiments that has been 
 raised in the State of Ohio; there is one thing certain, there 
 is not a Regiment in Camp, that I have seen, that ha- 
 il v. tin- same amount of intellect and decision that 
 the boys of the 19th seem to be endowed with. The Regi- 
 ment is composed of the following Companies, from the fol- 
 lowing counties, and principally from the following towns: 
 Company A, Canton, Stark county, Capt. Beatty. 
 
 '• B,Youngstown, Mahoning Co., Capt. Hollingsworth. 
 
 11 C, Warren, Trumbull county, Capt. Barrett. 
 
 11 D, Morgan, Ashtabula county, Capt. Grain. 
 
 11 E, New Lisbon, Columbiana county, Capt. Bean. 
 
 " F, Chardon, Geauga county, Capt. Paine. 
 G, Akron, Summit county, Capt. Buckley. 
 H, Salem, Columbiana county, Capt. Preston. 
 
 11 I. Ashtabula, Ashtabula county, Capt. Hoyt. 
 
 " K, Cuyahoga Falls, Summit county, Capt. Konkle. 
 In the organization of the Regiment, Capt. Beatty was 
 elected Colonel ; Capt. Hollingsworth, elected Lieutenant 
 Colonel ; and the brave old Capt. Buckley, was promoted to 
 the Majorship of the Regiment. There was a little incident 
 that occured this afternoon, that I will mention here, showing 
 in what kind of estimation the boys of the 19th are held, 
 by the good citizens of Cleveland. While sitting within ear- 
 Bnol of some ladies and gentlemen, this afternoon,a line old 
 motherly looking lady made the remark, thai the L9th was 
 the besl looking Regiment that had been in Camp Taylor, 
 when an old gray haired sire, who sat beside her, turned 
 towards her and said, with all the warmth of a boy of twenty 
 summers, "my dear, I would like to join that Regiment, and 
 i'iL r l)t beside of them boys, for said he, I can see by the way 
 they hold their heads thai them boys will never turn their 
 back's to the enemies of their country." 
 
 WkdhebdaY, May 22. — The weather, this morning, is yet 
 pretty cool, although it is much pleaaanter than it has been 
 for the last four and twenty hours; the mud has pretty much 
 all dried up, leaving the grounds in excellent condition for 
 
11 
 
 drilling, and at the same time adding much to the appearance 
 of the men. The 14th Eegiment left Camp Taylor this 
 morning, for Marietta, Ohio, so I was informed by an officer 
 of the Regiment; but I was informed afterwads, by good 
 authority, that they go from here to Columbus, where they 
 are to be uniformed and fully armed, when they will be sent 
 directly into Western Virginia. There was quite an impor- 
 tant change made in our feeding arrangements, this morning. 
 As I have mentioned in another place, heretofore all the 
 soldiers in Camp, took their meals in one mammoth boarding 
 house, but this morning, all three months volunteers drew 
 their rations, and the boys are now busily engaged in cook- 
 ing their own dinner. The grub, heretofore, has been good 
 enough, if it had been properly cooked, but the cooking has 
 been pretty hard, so- hard, that the boys began to growl 
 considerable; but now, as the provisions are dealt out to each 
 Company unprepared, the boys will have a fine chance to 
 try their skill in the cullinary line; and if they cannot cook 
 their grub to suit their own taste, they will have no one to 
 growl at. Our dinner was certainly an improvement on 
 the grub that we formerly had, the quantity nor quality has 
 not improved, but there was certainly an improvement in 
 the cooking of it ; we do not get quite as much of a variety 
 as we did before drawing rations ; we have had our rations 
 of butter, pepper and mustard stopped. Our rations, now, 
 consist of bread, mess pork, potatoes, beans, coffee, sugar, 
 vinegar and salt, which, if we get plenty of it, we will fare 
 pretty well, but I think we will fare worse before the end of 
 three months than we do at present. It goes pretty hard 
 with some of the boys to come down to bread, pork, potatoes 
 and such like, when they have been used to all the luxuries 
 that the land produces ; but it cannot be looked for in a 
 military camp, if we get enough of the substantial of life, 
 we can very easily get along without the superfluities. If a 
 man cannot screw his courage up high enough to live three 
 months on pork, beans, potatoes and bread, along with other 
 little fixins to sweeten up with, he had better stay at home 
 and not pretend to go a soldiering, for hardships may be 
 expected, and what we think is hard fare here in Camp 
 Taylor, we may, in less than three months, wish for as a 
 perfect feast ; therefore, I would say, be content when the 
 cravings of hunger is appeased. 
 
 Thursday, May 23. — The weather still continues to be 
 
12 
 
 very & 1 for the time of year; through the middle of the day 
 ir is quite warm ana refreshing, but the mornings and 
 evenings art- quite chilly, and th< ire bo col i, that it 
 
 Lb almosl imp ■ ; our blanket very thin, 
 
 and do way calculated to protect ua from the cold. ; but there 
 bion which we have to depend upon, and that 
 Lb, thai this <-.»ld weather will not last all summer. The 
 
 p Looks lively this morning, every one, apparently, being 
 busily engaged in doing something; some are engaged in 
 cooki •■ in chopping wood ; some washing their socks, 
 
 handkerchiefs, and other small articles of clothing; some 
 pitching pennies, while some are at the more useful occupa- 
 tion ling the morning papers, and iniorming tkem- 
 
 - of the current events of these troublesome tim< b. [ 
 Bat watching the boys this morning, in their various occupa- 
 and pastimes, and finally come to the conclusion that 
 it would repay any one to make a visit to a military camp, 
 if for no other purpose than to study the character and dis- 
 position of men picked up promiscuously from every part of 
 
 State. We have here the sober, straight faced, sturdy 
 christian; the sober, thoughtful, non-professor; the quiet, 
 unobtrusive, free thinker ; the genial, jovial, smiling and fun 
 loving; the crusty, snapish, cur dog propensity; and I am 
 sorry to say, a very large representation of the noisy, curs- 
 ing and quarreling kind; but I do not know that 1 ever saw 
 any better order among as large a lot of men than there is 
 among the soldiers in this place. I have thought that the 
 men instinctively are drawn toward, and sympathise with 
 
 mother, their minds being fixed upon the one all absorbing 
 theme, the upholding of our Constitution, the enforcement 
 
 ir oational laws, and the vindicating the rights of our 
 common country, at least, most any one would think so, to see 
 the good feeling that exist among them, even among men 
 wn ' | sitions differ in every other respect; 
 
 l ,ut b« thai as it may, there is certainlv agood feeling exist- 
 ing between the Bojdiers in Camp. ] at is 
 making preperationa to leave Camp to-morrow morning, I 
 believe they are ordered to Jackson, Jackson county, in the 
 South pari of the State of Ohio, at Least, 1 s il bo stated in 
 the morning papers. After the 21st leaves Camp, there will 
 be none here bul the 19th, with the exception of three or 
 four Companies of three year men, who, I understand, will 
 be removed to damp Jackson, at Columbus. I also under- 
 
13 
 
 stand that there will not be any more troops quartered in 
 Camp Taylor, after the removal of what are here now ; the 
 probability is, that Camp Taylor will be broken up. 
 
 Friday, May 24. — The weather, this morning, is mild 
 and balmy, with a pretty strong breeze from the South, which 
 I think will be very apt to bring rain before the week is out. 
 The 21st Eegiment left Camp this morning, on their way to 
 Southern Ohio, or more likely to Western Virginia. The 
 19th is now the only Regiment in Camp, with the exception 
 of some three year troops. It is now pretty certainly under- 
 stood that Camp Taylor will be broken up, when our Regi- 
 ment leaves. I have been informed, by good authority, that 
 our Regiment will leave Camp Taylor the first of the week, 
 to proceed to Camp Jackson, at Columbus, there to be mus- 
 tered into the service, from which place we will either go to 
 Zanesville, or to Camp Lancaster, in Fairfield county. There 
 is nothing of any particular moment transpired to day, more 
 than the marching of the 21st. The boys in our Regiment 
 have their regular hours for drilling ; we also have dress 
 parade every afternoon, which helps to take up the time 
 which hangs heavily on our hands. The boys are getting 
 quite tired of Camp Taylor, they would like a change of 
 scenery ; and I must confess that I would like a change 
 myself, for I am getting tired of so much inactivity. The 
 health of the Camp is good, there being very few in the 
 hospital ; a few cases of measels being all the sickness that 
 I have any knowledge of, after strict inquiries made from 
 those direct from the hospital. The signs of rain is now so 
 good, that I think we will have rain before to morrow morn- 
 ing; and for my part, I should like to see some rain pretty 
 soon, for the dust is begining to be quite offensive, particu- 
 larly when there is as much wind as there has been to-day. 
 I have not been able to keep the sand out of my eyes all 
 day, and I should like to see a good sprinkle of rain to lay 
 the dust, if nothing more. The wind is very high this after- 
 noon. 
 
 Saturday, May 25. — Old Sol makes his appearance this 
 morning, his face looking fiery red, after one of the hardest 
 rains that we have had this spring. It commenced to rain 
 about nine o'clock last night, and rained for an hour or more 
 as hard as it could pour down, the thunder rolling, and the 
 lightning flashing with the most terrible grandeur. We had, 
 also, a shower of hail during the evening. During the 
 
14 
 
 hardest of the storm, our barracks leaked so, that in a few 
 minutes our bunks was perfectly inundated, the water com- 
 ing in, not by drops, but by the bucket full ; the place where 
 I lay was as wet as if it had been out of doors, in less than 
 five minutes; my blanket and oil cloth being of very little 
 use. It was quite diverting to see the boys shifting their 
 traps from one place to another trying to find a place where 
 they could keep them dry; but the most of them gave up 
 in despair, and finally settled down and took the rain as 
 philosophically as they could. But the sun is shining, this 
 morning, with the prospect of having a fine day. The boys 
 are rather glum this morning, and some of them are very 
 much out of humor; some of them are cursing the mud, and 
 the cooks are cursing the fire, the wood being wet, and not 
 making as hot a fire as the occasion requres. There are, also, 
 quite a number that take particular interest in fulmigating 
 the strongest kind of anathmas against the smoke, the wood 
 being very wet, and making a great deal more smoke than 
 fire. But, I think, after the boys get their breakfast, and 
 the sun dries, and the mud drying up a little, that their equan- 
 imity will be some what restored. The boys are now begin- 
 ing to realise the advantages and disadvantages of sleeping in 
 wet straw, and under thin blankets, compared to sleeping in 
 their own beds of down, and under good, thick comforts, such 
 as they have just left at home. But there is nothing like a man 
 schooling himself to any thing that turns up, and at all times 
 take everything for the best— there has never yet been a storm 
 but what there was a calm followed — so I think, perhaps, 
 that will be the case in this instance. There was some of the 
 Salem folks here to see the boys to-day, but I was not ac- 
 quainted with any of them, therefore it did not interest me 
 as much as it did some of the others. Our Camp, this morn- 
 ing, had the appearance of a small Lake, dotted over with 
 email Islands, or, rather, it had the appearance of a small 
 plain, dotted over with innumerable small Lakes, every little 
 low place being completely filled with water; showing, pretty 
 conclusively, that last night's rain was something more than 
 a small sprinkle. There has been about five hundred muskets 
 distributed through our Regiment, so the boys are now exer- 
 cising themselves in the use of this noble instrument ; they 
 are now going through the motions of shoulder, support, 
 aport, present, secure, order, trail, shift, and all other little 
 etcetera motions connected with the use of the shooting iron; 
 
15 
 
 and I am happy to inform my readers that the boys take to 
 it as natural as a three month's calf to a pail of new milk, or 
 a sick kitten to a warm brick ; in fact, some of them go at 
 it as if they were old and experienced hands at the business. 
 This is Saturday night, and the boys are commencing to 
 black their boots, to be ready for Church in the morning, 
 and I think that I will have to follow suit, the Company 
 having a special invitation to attend Church, in the city, 
 to-morrow. 
 
 Sunday, May 26. — The sun came up this morning with a 
 clear, unclouded sky, but before nine o'clock in the morning, 
 it commenced to rain, and rained pretty much all the fore- 
 noon. Although it rained nearly all the morning, some of 
 the Companies attended Church in the city, but our Company 
 did not turn out, although a special invitation had been ex- 
 tended to the Company. Two of the boys of Company H 
 had a bit of a fight this morning, one of them getting a 
 beautiful pair of black eyes, and both of them getting a free 
 pass to the guard house, they having the honor of being 
 escorted to that very distinguished place by the bigest man 
 in the Camp. About 12 o'clock, M., the sun made its appear- 
 ance, and we had a beautiful afternoon. There was preach- 
 ing in Camp at 3 o'clock, a very good sermon being preached 
 by a Minister of the Episcopalian Church. I could not get 
 close enough to hear the text, but the sermon treated on the 
 duties of a good soldier, the minister making some very 
 happy hits, and making some good comparisons between the 
 soldiers of the Cross of Christ, and soldiers engaged in the 
 present contest, that is convulsing this, our once happy coun- 
 try, from the banks of the majestic St. Lawrence to the gol- 
 den shores of the Pacific Ocean. He showed, conclusively, 
 to my mind, that the instigators and perpetrators of this 
 wicked rebellion are carrying on their hell-begotten work 
 directly in opposition to all divine, as well as to all human 
 laws. In fact, he preached a sermon that any one who heard 
 him would say, came from the heart of a good christian, and 
 was delivered in a good christian spirit. After the service 
 was over, there was sang, I presume by the choir of the Epis- 
 copal Church, accompanied by some of the instruments of our 
 Regimental, Leland's Band, the Star Spangled Banner, and 
 I think that I never heard sweeter or more impressive music 
 in all my life. There is something that always appeared so 
 soul-inspiring to me in that good old National Anthem, that 
 
16 
 
 it was always a favorite of mine; but the way it was perfor- 
 med, and the circumstances under which it was performed 
 to-day, made me feel perfectly elated. After the anthem 
 was finished, the Regiment formed into line across the field, 
 whei. "i n g through the exercise required at dress 
 
 parade, the Regiment broke into plattoons by Companies, and 
 paseed in review before the officers commanding the Camp, 
 I ng twice around the field, and then wheeling into line 
 as before we started. It is now pretty conclusive, that we 
 this place on Tuesday morning. 
 Monday, May 27. — The weather, this morning, is per- 
 fectly miserable. Last night we had such a storm as we do 
 not have in these parts every day, nor need we want to. — 
 Some time in the night I was awakened from my sleep by 
 peal after peal of the heaviest thunder that I have heard 
 for many a day, accompanied by the most vivid lightning 
 immaginable ; when, soon after, the rain began to descend in 
 torrents, and continued for hours, coming through the roof of 
 our sheds and drenching us to the skin in less time than it 
 has taken me to write these lines. Our quarters, this morn- 
 ing, look worse than a horse stable, there not being a dry 
 place in it. We are a pretty hard looking crew this morn- 
 ing, with wet britches, wet shirts, and wet blankets, and not 
 least, but last, wet skins and no place to dry them. The rain 
 is still coming down this morning, not in such quantities as 
 it did last night, but enough to keep us wet and our tins 
 from burning ; and at the same time, the wind is blowing a 
 ict gale, making the rain fly, the smoke fly, the fire fly, 
 and, also, making our tin pans and tin cups fly every time 
 we attempt to put one on the table. There was, for awhile, 
 that the prospect for breakfast looked rather bilious, but we 
 have, finally, been successful in getting a couple of camp 
 kettles fall of coffee made, and every man took his breaa 
 And '"lift'' and broke for the best cover he could find, entirely 
 abandoning the idea of taking breakfast around our table, 
 as we had usually done. The Regiment received orders this 
 evening, to leave this place to-morrow morning; the orders 
 are to prepare twenty-four hours rations, and be ready to 
 march out of Camp at 6 o'clock in the morning. We go from 
 here to Camp Jackson, at Columbus, but what the programme 
 will be after we get to that place, I am not prepared to say. 
 The rain has ceased, yet still the sky looks rather threaten- 
 ing, and I would not be much surprised if we would have 
 
17 
 
 more rain before morning, but I hope not, for I would like 
 to sleep some to-night, being that we have to be on the move 
 all day to-morrow. The Companies have drawn their rations, 
 and the cooks are now busily engaged in cooking them. Our 
 boys all feel good over the orders to leave Camp Taylor, but 
 it is more than likely that we will not find as good quarters 
 the next place we stop at; but there, is nothing like change. 
 
 Tuesday, May 28. — The weather, this morning, is clear 
 and pleasant, the sun shining with more warmth than at any 
 other time this spring. Every one is astir this morning, 
 packing up their dunnage, preparatory to leaving for the 
 Capital City. The Regiment formed this morning at 8 o'clock, 
 but there being so much to attend .to, we did not leave the 
 Camp till nine o'clock. We marched to the Eailroad Depot, 
 where there was a train of cars ready to receive us, when, 
 after the Regiment was all got aboard, which took conside- 
 rable time, the long train of nineteen passenger cars started 
 on their winding way for the City of Columbus, at which 
 place we arrived at about 6 o'clock in the evening, without 
 anything taking place of any particular interest, except one 
 or two fights, caused by the boys taking on a little too much 
 of the ardent. After arriving, the Regiment was formed, 
 and marched up to the Capital Square, and marched once 
 around the Capital, I presume, to give the boys a chance to 
 examine the structure, as I did not see any one speak to any 
 man belonging to the Regiment. After being brought up in 
 front of the Capital, some few men and boys standing on the 
 steps, one man proposed three cheers for the 19th Regiment, 
 but the man that made the proposition had to do all the 
 cheering himself, which he did with a hearty good will, 
 swinging his hat and cheering as lustily as his lungs would 
 allow him ; but, unfortunately, he had to do all the cheering 
 himself, not another man or boy offering to give the faintest 
 bit of a squall for the 19th Regiment. Columbus, Oh ! Co- 
 lumbus; Ah! Columbus; Bah! Columbus. Well, after the 
 boys satisfied their curiosity, and passed their opinion on the 
 beautiful building, (privately I presume,) and also on their 
 reception by General C. and Governor D., their opinions 
 being expressed publicly, without fear or favor, the Regiment 
 marched back to Camp Jackson, where we were assigned to 
 quarters for the night, weary of our days ride and disgusted 
 with the City of Columbus. Camp Jackson is situated one 
 half or three fourths of a mile from the State House, and 
 2 
 
18 
 
 North of the City, and is an inclosure of perkape twenty-hyp 
 
 acres, covered with timber, with some board shanties with 
 
 some bunks in ; with room enough to lay in, but not room 
 
 enough to sit in ; with two or three wells of hard, brackish 
 
 The place is known to those acquainted in Columbus, 
 
 ...odale's Park. Such is Camp Jackson. 
 
 Wednesday, May 29. — The weather, this morning, it 
 
 clear and warm. The boys was called out to roll-call this 
 
 morning, before 5 o'clock, after which, we took breakfast. — 
 
 A- - o'clock we was ordered out for examination, which, 
 
 og, with very few being rejected, we were sworn into 
 
 irvice, taking the oath to support the Constitution of 
 the United States and State of Ohio; and, also, to obey our 
 
 re, the latter requirement, I fear, not being complied 
 with by Borne of the boys, as it should have been. The mus- 
 tering process consumed the forenoon, when, after dinner, 
 the Regiment proceeded to elect their officers. The result of 
 •the election was as follows: — Colonel, Beatty, of Canton ; 
 Lieutenant Colonel, Hollingsworth, of Youngstown ; Major. 
 Bucklev, of Akron. We Btart to Zanesville at 3 o'clock. 
 having had orders to that effect. Our Company, also, elected 
 their commissioned officers to-day, the post of Captain being 
 vacant, occasioned by our former Captain being repudiated 
 •The result of the election was, for Captain, A. Stihvell, for- 
 merly Led Lieutenant; for 1st Lieutenant, W. H. I. Hilliard, 
 2 1 Lieutenant-, A. Campbell. At 3 o'clock, Eight Comp 
 of our Regiment took the ears for Zanesville, where we arri- 
 V" 1 .it 6 o'clock in the evening, and proceeded to C 
 Go Idard, the Camp being situated about one mile from the 
 city. Companies A and B took a train for Bellair, from 
 whioh place they proceed on into Virginia, to be stationed 
 
 ae point on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, I believe 
 at Glover's Gap, or some place Dear there, ('amp Goddard 
 1 one mile from the City of Zanesville unds 
 
 belonging, I believe, to the Agricultural Society oi Musk- 
 ingum county. The Camp is a most beautiful one, being situ- 
 ated in a valley surrounded by beautiful wood-covered hills, 
 which are dow robed in the richest and most gorgeous of 
 
 very Btrong contrast in its favor, 
 compared with Camp Taylor or Camp Jackson. The Camp, 
 I should think, contains about twenty-hve or thirty acres, is 
 surrounded by a good fence, with good substantial buildings 
 which are now used for our quarters. The ground is sur- 
 
19 
 
 rounded by a, carriage *way and trotting course, which, I 
 should think, is near a half mile round, the ground, inside 
 of the ring, being grown over with a luxuriant growth of green 
 grass. The Camp is well adapted to the use it is now put 
 to, there being plenty of room for the movements of troops, 
 with plenty of good water, both of which are very essential 
 in a military Camp. 
 
 Thursday, May 30. — The weather, this morning, is beau- 
 tiful and bright, the air being mild and pleasent, and laden 
 with the smell of sweet, fresh flowers, which makes the place 
 appear a paradise, compared to the places that we have been 
 camped in before. 1 tried, in my yesterday's notes, to de- 
 scribe to you the location of our Camp, but I find, after 
 taking another survey from a neighbouring hill, that 1 have 
 not done the place the justice that its beauty demands; suffice 
 it to say, that it is a most lovely place, situated in a lovely 
 part of the State of Ohio. The Muskingum Valley is one of the 
 most fertile valleys in the State of Ohio, and Muskingum 
 county is one of the richest counties in the State, as it is one 
 of the oldest settled. Vegetation is at least one month earlier 
 than it is on the Lake shore. All kinds of vegetable are 
 plenty, lettuce, onions, radishes, peas and beets, all of this 
 spring's growth, are now in the market in abundance. The 
 City of Zanesville is situated in Muskingum county, on the 
 East side of the Muskingum River, about sixty-five miles 
 from its junction with the Ohio River. The City is a stirring, 
 thriving business place, and I should think contains from 
 twelve to fifteen thousand inhabitants, who I should take to 
 be an industrious, thorough-going people. The City contains 
 five or six splendid Churches, with good School Houses, two 
 first class Hotels, two or three large and flourishing Machine 
 Shops for the construction of engines of varions kinds, and 
 of the most approved patterns. The City contains many fine 
 business houses, doing business on a large scale, beside any 
 quantity of retail houses doing a flourishing and. prosperous 
 business. The City is connected, by a good bridge across 
 ■the Muskingum, with the town of Putnam, which is a flour- 
 ishing place of some two thousand inhabitants, all in some 
 kind of a good, prosperous business. The town contains two 
 Glass Manufactories, three or four large Potteries, where the 
 very best stone-ware is manufactured in very large quanti- 
 ties. The town also contains some good Churches, and one 
 first class Female College, which would be an ornament to 
 
20 
 
 any city. The Railroad facilities are, the Ohio Central Road, 
 from Columbus to Bellaire, passing directly through the city, 
 'and, also, the Cincinnati &. Zanesville Road which terminates 
 here. The Muskingum River being navigable nearly, or 
 quite, the whole year, is, also, quite a convenient means of 
 transportation and travel to the good citizens of Zanesville, 
 and to all the inhabitants of the Muskingum Valley. 
 
 Friday, May 31. — The weather is yet clear and pleasant, 
 although we had frost last night, but the sun is coming up 
 this morning bright and clear, and in a few hours the frost 
 will all be gone, and the air nice and warm. The boys of 
 our Regiment all appear to be very much taken up with 
 Camp Goddard, and with the City of Zanesville ; it is indeed 
 the most pleasant place that we have been in, in more res- 
 pects than one ; in the first place, we get better rations here 
 than we did at either Cleveland or Columbus, and in the next 
 place, the people are more sociable and kind than we have 
 found them at any other place, every one taking particular 
 pains to make us feel that we were among friends, the very 
 best citizens being courteous and free in talking to the most 
 humble of the soldiers, providing they behave themseh 
 men should do, at all times. The fine personal appearance, and 
 the social qualities of the majority of the men of our Regiment 
 has, apparently, made quite a favorable impression on the- 
 good citizens of Zanesville. The boys all appear to tink 
 that as long as they have to stay in Camp in Ohio, that this 
 is the place, above all others, that they would rather Btaj 
 in ; but most of the men seem to feel dissatisfied, for the 
 reason, that two Companies have been sent on to Virginia, 
 while the balance of the Regiment are cooped up in Camp 
 in Ohio. Our Company elected their non-commissioned offi- 
 cers this afternoon, there being a great deal of dissat isl- 
 and the majority of the men opposed to the officers appointed 
 by Capt. Preston before the Company left Salem ; but now, 
 as the boys have got officers of their own choosing, 1 hope 
 they will be better satisfied. "We have dress parade every 
 afternoon, that, and the delicious music made by our splendid 
 Regimental Brass Band, under the leadership of the celebra- 
 ted Capt. Jack Leland, draws crowds to our Camp every 
 afternoon. There are two Regiments in Camp Goddard at 
 ttais time, the 20th Regiment was here when we came, and is 
 ^aere yet, so that the 20th, and the eight Companies of the 
 l9th make in all, at this Camp, about sixteen hundred men. 
 
21 
 
 Saturday, June 1. — The first day of June, rosy, balmy, 
 fragrant'JJune, came in on us this morning with one of those 
 mild, gentle and refreshing showers of rain that we frequent- 
 ly have in this, the most beautiful month in the year, and 
 which is, at all times, a harbinger of hope to the husband- 
 man. The vegetable kingdom seems to be undergoing, as it 
 were, a magic change, under the influence of the mild atmos- 
 phere of the last few hours, and which will be much im- 
 proved by the gentle showers of this morning. Our Compa- 
 ny, this morning, divided into messes, each mess having ten 
 men in it ; formerly three or four of the boys done the cook- 
 ing for the. whole Company, but after this each mess will do 
 its own cooking. There was a report circulated in Camp 
 this morning, by some means or other, that the 19th and 
 20th Regiments would more than likely be disbanded, the 
 State having no use for any more three month's troops, they 
 being more of a burthen than a benefit to the government. 
 How the report got started, or who the author of it is, I 
 could not find out, but it had the effect of raising quite an 
 excitement, and a great deal of* speculation among the boys 
 of the Camp. For my part, I do not believe one particle of 
 the report has got any foundation whatever ; it is like most 
 all other Camp reports, all moonshine, and not entitled to 
 the least bit of credence. For the first time since we have 
 been in Camp Goddard, I took a stroll through the City of 
 Zanesville this morning, and I must confess, that I was very 
 much surprised to see the amount of business there is done 
 • here, although I have been informed by some of the citizens 
 that business has not been so dull for many years in Zanes- 
 ville, as it is this summer, and I have very good reasons to 
 believe that that is the truth, for some in fact, if not all the 
 largest manufacturing establishments in the city, are at this 
 time standing idle, the war excitement having thrown every 
 thing else in the shade. I must here again say something 
 more about the citizens of this little City of the Muskingum 
 Valley; I have invariably found them courteous, kind and 
 hospitable ; there is no place that we have been, that we 
 have had so much kindness shown to us since we have been 
 in Camp Goddard ; there does not appear to be the least bit 
 of selfishness about them, their generosity appearing to have 
 no bounds. It would naturally be supposed that their phi- 
 lanthrophy would be pretty near exhausted, but such is not 
 the case. Although .there have been troops quartered among 
 
22 
 
 them over since the marshaling of troops commenced, and 
 their generosity has been pretty severely tested, still they 
 are willing to give, give, give, and willing to do anything 
 that lavs in their power to make the soldiers comfortabl 
 foel at home while they are quartered' in their midst. Th< 
 ladies of Zanesville, God bless their kind hearts and pretty 
 faces, have shown themselves to be true, genuine daughters 
 of freedom. We have received from them substantia! 
 dfon :es in the form of various little luxuries, such as \iv have 
 Dot had since we left our own loved homes, of the gooi 
 of their hearts, and the interest that they take in the welfare 
 of t hose who have undertaken to vindicate the rights of our 
 
 fovernment and sustain the honor of our common country. 
 iong may they live to greet the gallant boys of the old' 
 Buckeye State with their kindest and most bewitching smiles; 
 and may they live to see the enemies of our country anni- 
 hilated, and freedom established from the far East to the far 
 West, and from the chilly North to the farthest part of the 
 sunny South; and then long may they live to enjoy that 
 freedom which their fair hands has so much contributed to 
 establish. 
 
 SUNDAY, June 2. — This morning dawns upon us with a 
 thick, heavy pall of fog, hiding everything Irom view, and 
 making our Camp look very cheerless; the grass and 1 
 are wet, and the mud is laving thick around the doors of our 
 barracks this morning, which makes it verydisagreable get- 
 mg about, but if the sun could shine on us for a few I 
 it would make quite a difference in the appearance of the 
 Camp. Our Regiment received their knapsacks, havelocks 
 and eat ridge boxes to-day, and the boys are now trying to 
 harness themselves up in their military accoutrements, 
 which appear to be a pretty difficult job, for some have got 
 their knapsacks on upside down and their catridge boxes 
 on the wrong Bide, but after they get them tried on I presume 
 they will find out where the right place is. Some thirty of 
 the boys ol Company H broke through the guard and went 
 to the city tasl night, and when they returned they had to 
 do the Bame thing over again; but anything like an adven- 
 ture, or anything that has any excitement about it, they 
 appear to like amazing well. There is a spirit of jealousy 
 existing between the 19th and 20th, and particularly on the 
 part of the 20th, which is quite a source of fun for the 19th. 
 The boys of the 20th Regiment think that the 19th is the 
 
favorite Regiment of the Camp, and that they have favors 
 shown them that are not extended to the 20th, and when 
 the boys of the 20th are on guard, if they can get one of 
 our boys in the guard house they will crow over it for twen- 
 ty-four hours ; but our boys have got too sharp for them, 
 and in place of the 19th boys going to the guard house our 
 boys have the guard house full of the 20th boys half the 
 time. Our Company, with two others, Company D, Capt. 
 Crane, and Company I, Capt. Hoyt, both from Ashtabula 
 county, attended Church in the city this morning, at 10 
 o'clock. There was a smart shower of rain this morning 
 during Church hours, but we were detained but a very short 
 time after service on account of the rain. The day is very 
 warm, the heat being very oppresive, without even the faint- 
 est sign of a breeze. By the time we got back from Church 
 the boys were pretty well warmed up, having walked fast 
 to keep from getting wet with the rain, but completely wet- 
 ing our shirts with sweat. This afternoon we had a hard 
 rain, accompanied with thunder and lightening, which I 
 hope will cool the air a little, for the heat has been oppres- 
 sive all day. 
 
 Monday, June 3. — The weather this morning is much 
 unsettled, and still having the appearance of more rain. 
 Between nine and ten in the morning the clouds broke away, 
 and the sun came out with a heat almost beyond endurance; 
 and at four o'clock it commenced to thunder, and it was not 
 long till we had as nice a thunder-storm as any one could 
 wish for. Our Camp looks rather hard after the rain ; there 
 is a little too much mud and a great deal more water than 
 is any way convenient, it having rained so hard that the 
 water is standing in pools all. over the Camp. There is 
 nothing of any importance going on, the boys all being 
 housed up on account of the rain, therefore there is a scar- 
 city of news. There is one thing that I must mention ; it 
 is almost miraculous to see the rapid strides that vegetation 
 is making under the hot sun and warm showers of the last 
 few days. The health of the Camp is good, there being very 
 few cases in hospital, and not one of our company being on 
 the sick list, every one of them being in a condition to take 
 their rations. 
 
 Tuesday, June 4. — The weather this morning is still 
 much unsettled, the prospect being rather better for more 
 rain than for sunshine. It rained nearly all last night, and 
 
24 
 
 this morning our Camp is in rather a hard looking condition, 
 the mud laying around our barracks thia morning in a black 
 I rly shoe fcop deep. We received intelligence that 
 
 there had been a collision between the Ohio J4ih Regiment 
 and the rebels at Phillippi, Barbour Co., Virginia; the sub- 
 stance ol the reporl is thai I In i Ohio boys came off victorious 
 with the Loss of one man, while the rebel loss amounted to 
 twenty killed and wounded and one hundred prisoners. The 
 report needs confirmation, but I presume we will get the 
 official account in a few days. Our Regiment is getting 
 much dissatisfied, having to be cooped here in Camp in Ohio 
 while other Ohio troops, not any more efficient than we 
 are in Virginia beating back the enemy, and doing somthing 
 that is an honor to themselves and a benefit to the country 
 while we are here doing nothing but consuming bread and 
 meat and killing time, have nothing else to kill, not even a 
 shadow of a secesh to kick at, let alone the substance to 
 shoot at. There were some of the buys out last night on a 
 special duty, which they term chicken duty ; t] 
 were no1 detailed by the officers, but specially detail 
 themselves ; their object, as far as I could learn, was to see in 
 what condition the hen-roosts was in around among the 
 farmers in the vicinity of the Camp. I have not heard I 
 report but I presume it is satisfactory to themselves, if no1 
 to farmers wh honor of receiving a visit from them. 
 
 All the information that I can give is that there were 
 of them thai were rather Late coming into camp, but 1 
 presumed they returned as soon as they were relieved from 
 their duty. 
 
 Wednesday, June 5. — The weather still continues wet 
 and disagreeable; it rained nearly all night Last night, and 
 is still raining this morning. Tne deep mud around our 
 Barracks lb rather inconvenient; the men in tram 
 through it carry it through the quarters and carry it, into 
 the bunk our bunks this morning lo like 
 
 pig stye than anything I can compare them to. The wet 
 weather of thi \ days has had the effect of making 
 
 considerable sickness among the boys'; there were ten or 
 twelve patients from the different companies of our Regi- 
 ment taken to the hospital in the last twenty-four hours, 
 four of the number being taken from Co. II. The prevail- 
 ing diseases appears to be the measles and the bilious fever. 
 If tke weather continues to be as wet for the next as it has 
 
25 
 
 been for the past week I would not be much surprised if 
 the hospital would have a great many more occupants than 
 it has at present. A change in the weather now from the 
 damp, disagreeable air of the last three or four days to good 
 dry, wholesome air, and plenty of sunshine, would most 
 assuredly have a very beneficial effect on the health of the 
 troops now in Camp. There have been three deaths in our 
 hospital in the last three days, all the victims being from 
 the 20th Regiment. While I am writing, there are two or 
 three Companies of the 20th marching out of Camp to pro- 
 ceed to the city to bury one of their comrades that died in 
 the hospital last night, the same Regiment having buried 
 two others only three or four days before. 
 
 Thursday, June 6. — The weather this morning is some- 
 what better than for the last few days ; the sun is trying to 
 shine, and if it was not for the thick heavy fog that sur- 
 rounds us, the morning would be pleasant compared to the 
 three or four mornings previous. But I do not think wet 
 weather is over yet ; I do not like the looks of the thick fog 
 that obscures everything from view this morning, and would 
 not be surprised if we had more rain before the day is over. 
 The good citizens of Zanesville gave the soldiers in Camp a 
 picnic this afternoon, the ladies furnishing the good things, 
 inviting the 19th and 20th to partake equally of the luxur- 
 ies so kindly furnished by them; but, as it happened, the 
 20th got the lions share, while our boys came out behind, 
 not getting a smell of anything, while the boys of the 20th 
 got enough to last them two or three days ; but I think they 
 needed it worse than we did, at least they appeared to be in 
 a very great hurry to get it. There are some of them, I 
 should think by their looks, that are better calculated to eat 
 pie and ginger-bread than anything they could be put to, at 
 least it came very natural to some of them that I saw. 
 
 Friday, June 7. — There was another heavy shower of rain 
 this morning about three o'clock, and if I am not mistaken, 
 there will be more before the sun goes down ; the atmosphere 
 this morning is warm and sultry which is a very good sign 
 of rain. The boys in our Regiment received to-day from the 
 ladies of the city of Zanesville and Putnam, each a nice 
 linen cap cover or haverlock, for the protection of the head 
 from the sun ; we also received some nice muslin shirts, for 
 which we tender our most hearty thanks to the fair doners. 
 If there is one place in the State of Ohio that the ladies have 
 
26 
 
 made th< inspicious for their kind consideratio 
 
 toward the brave volunteers, that place ia theOity of Zanes- 
 ville. The soldiers that have had the good fortune to be 
 station, d at Camp Goddard, should cherish with grateful 
 
 hearts th ranee of these noble ones that came for- 
 
 ward with loving hearts and open hands, and iheir 
 
 many wants, and added a great many necessary articles to 
 make them ortable as possible. Long may they live 
 
 joy the reptuation they have gained by their kindness 
 
 la the de erving. 
 Saturday, June S. — The wether looks more settled this 
 morning than it has for the last week, the sun came up bright 
 and clear, with a fair prospect of having a pleasant day. 
 8 <■/. /'. M. This has been one of the finest days we have 
 had for the last eight days ; we have had plenty of sunshine, 
 with. -1 breeze all day , which had the effect of mak- 
 
 ing every thing and every body look gay and cheerful. — 
 There is quite a - larcity of news to-day, there being nothing 
 ipt the regular old routine of eat and drill, eat 
 and drill, eat, drill and sleep, with the intervals between 
 filled up by playing cards and pitching pennies, which is the 
 oid_\- pastime that some of the boys appear to think at all 
 worthy of consideration, altho' there is quite a number that 
 prefer reading the news or anything else they can gel hold of. 
 SUNDAY, Ji m: 9. — The weather this morning is clear and 
 warm, without any signs of immediate change. The health 
 
 camp is improved, in the last few days, there not being 
 any Bent to the hospital for some time; and some returning 
 from it. The boya have got up the old topic again this 
 morning, the question being, What is to be done with the 
 L9th Regimenl ? Some wag, no doubt, started the report 
 mp this morning to the effect that the 19th would cer- 
 tainly be disbanded and sent home, unless they enlisted for 
 three years or during the war. The report has had the 
 I lising a great deal of excitement, but I thuds: if 
 '■•add keep a little cool, and look at the thing in 
 a reasonable way, they would see directly that there is no 
 foundation whatever for such reports, and that they are only 
 worrying themselves for nothing; at least that is my opinion 
 of the whole matter. The Regiment ia now fully armed 
 and nearly fully uniformed, and it is not very Likely that 
 the Government would have gone to the trouble to do that 
 much, and then send us home without doing anything to pay 
 
27 
 
 for all the expense that it has been to. For my part I think 
 the thing looks perfectly preposterous viewed in that kind 
 of light ; my opinion is that if we only have a little patience, 
 (an article that some of the boys are entirely destitute of,) 
 that we will have plenty to do inside of three months. 
 
 Monday, June 10. — The weather is yet clear and pleas- 
 ant, and plenty warm enough for the season. The grain in 
 this part of the State looks unusually fine for this time of 
 year, and all kinds of vegetation is coming to perfection 
 with the most rapid strides. There is still considerable 
 sickness in Camp, and I fear that if we have to stay here 
 much longer that it will be on the increase, instead of de- 
 creasing, as I hoped it would, when the wet weather was 
 over. Our Camp is beginning to have a very bad smell, 
 particularly in the morning and evening. It is nothing 
 more than natural that there would be more or less offensive 
 smells about a plnce where there is so many men living 
 together, in such a small space of ground, and particularly 
 where there is so m'uch offal of every description thrown 
 promiscuously round the Camp. You may look most any 
 way, and you will see decayed meat, vegetables, and every 
 thing else that is offensive, and which is well calculated to 
 create malaria ; and if the hot weather continue, and the 
 Camp is not cleansed in some way or other, I would just as 
 leave be some place else as here. 
 
 Tuesday, June 11. — The weather is still clear and warm, 
 a little too warm for comfort. There are very few of the 
 boys of the 19 bh in the hospital at this time, I believe only 
 five, two of them being from my own company. More 
 speculating on the disposition of the Regiment ; the talk is 
 now, that we stay here until the expiration of our time, 
 when we will be sent home; but I have got tired of all these 
 surmises, and for my part intend to take things as they come, 
 be they good or bad. Our Drum and Fife Majors, with 
 some others of the martial band, waited on our Colonel yes- 
 terday and asked for a discharge from the service, there not 
 being the least use for us here, but the Colonel said no; 
 which convinces me that we are not going either to disband 
 or stay here all summer. I think that it is more than likely 
 that we will be here perhaps two weeks yet, and then, if I 
 am not much mistaken, we will be very apt to see Either 
 Virginia or Maryland. Time will tell all things. r 
 
 Wednesday, June 12. — The weatht r has been somewhat 
 
28 
 
 changeable the last twelve hours ; we had some pretty smart 
 showers of rain during the night, but the sun La shining 
 again this morning with a fierceness hardly to be b< 
 
 has nothing of any importance happened in Camp for 
 tli- 1 lasl four and twenty hours, the regular old routine of 
 Camp duty being the order of the day, accompanied with 
 the usual amounl of card playing and penny pitching a 
 niece to the programme. Our Colonel is now u 
 lumbus, and the BUpposition is that his business has some 
 connection, in some shape or other, with the future move- 
 ments of the 19th Regiment which I think is the case. We 
 have not yet got our full uniform, and I think likely that 
 this is the business the Colonel is attending to in Columbus. 
 The boys are all getting tired of this inactive life that we 
 are living now, and there is some dissatisfaction among them, 
 arising from the fact that two companies are now in Virgin- 
 ia doing some good for the country, and gaining credit for 
 themselves, while the balance of us are laying in Camj 
 doing nothing. There is still some sickness among the men 
 but not as much as there was a week ago. There are a few 
 cases of Bicknesa in Camp that have been brought on by 
 drunkenness and exposure, which I think has been the case LB 
 more instances than one ; then there are some who are always 
 too sick to do duty, but every time they can get out of Camp 
 they will go to the city, and run around for hours, and when 
 they cantiot get passed through the gate they most generally 
 manage to pass themselves through the guard, and over the 
 fence in double quick time ; but as a general thing the boya 
 do their duty with a very good grace, with perhaps a wry 
 
 ] w i sceptions. The 20th Regimenl is still our neighbors, 
 
 although the intercourse between us is very limited, there 
 
 still being rather a hard feeling existing between them, but 
 
 never amounting to anything more then putting one ami 
 another in tie' guardhouse as often aa they can liml a chance 
 to do BO. 
 
 THURSDAY, JUNE 13. — The sun came up this morning 
 looking led, fiery, showing pretty conclusively that we will 
 have a pretty warm day. There has not been any change, 
 or anything of any importance going on in Cam}) for the 
 last twentv-four hours, the regular Camp duty being the 
 speci. ' order of the day, interspersed occasionally with a 
 few cin^s of drunkenness and disorder. Our drummer and 
 myself took a stroll utt of Camp- this morning, and are uo v 
 
 
 V 
 
29 
 
 in a beatitiul grove about three-fourths of a mile from the 
 Camp, where we are both busily engaged in writing. I am 
 now writing these lines in my note book, while he is writing 
 something of perhaps more importance, at least to himself 
 — for instance* a letter to his father and mother, or sister, 
 or brother, or perhaps of something of still more importance 
 to him, a nice little billet to his dear little dulcina. the 
 latter I think being the most probable, by the sly way that 
 he was doing the job; but be that as it may, we are both 
 enjoying with a very good grace a roll on the fresh green 
 grass, in the shade of the sturdy oaks that crown the top of 
 the hill on which we were sitting. It is certainly a great 
 luxury to get away from the noise and confusion of Camp, 
 and away from the foul stench that assails one's olfactory 
 organs every place he goes. There was a report circulated 
 this afternoon that the Regiment would leave this place in 
 the morning for some point in Western Virginia, which had 
 the effect of making our Camp for a short time look like a 
 wasp's nest stirred up with a sharp stick ; every man had 
 his knapsack packed and ready to move in a very short 
 time. I do not know how much truth there is in the report, 
 as far as leaving to-morrow goes, but I think that we will 
 leave this Camp very soon, perhaps the last of the week or 
 early in next week. Five Companies of the 20th left Camp 
 this afternoon for some point East of here, but I could not 
 learn their destination, any farther than they go from this 
 place to Bellair ; and the supposition is that they go to take 
 the place of Companies A. and B., of our Regiment so that 
 they can join their Regiment at Bellair, that being the place 
 we go to when we leave Camp Goddard. But where we go 
 to from that place I am not positive, but I have a very good 
 reason to think that we will be sent from there into Souths 
 western Virginia, perhaps to Charleston, perhaps no farther 
 then Parkersburgh. 
 
 Friday, June 14.— -The weather this morning is clear and 
 warm. The excitement raised in Camp yesterday of our 
 expected departure this morning for Virginia has somewhat 
 abated; the Regiment has not yet recived any orders to 
 move from our present position. There is no reliance to be 
 put in any of the reports circulated, therefore we will just 
 have to bide our time, and take things as they come. Two 
 more Companies of the 20th left Camp this morning for Bel- 
 lair, Our Regiment, with our splendid Regimental Band, 
 
30 
 
 accompanying thcra to the city as an escort, while at the 
 same time the 17th Regiment 0. V. M., marched into Camp, 
 and is ii"\v making themselves as comfortable as possible 
 along with the boys of the 10th. The three remaining Com- 
 panies of the 20th leave in the morning for the same place 
 that the other seven Companies went to. Our Regiment i? 
 still expecting orders to move, but there is no certainty when 
 we will go. There has nothing of any note transpired if' 
 Camp to-day more than usual, except the departure of the 
 20th and the arrival of the 17th. There was a report r< 
 fed here by some means or other, that the government troopp 
 have been defeated at or near Harper's Ferry, with the low- 
 of seven hundred men, but I think the report is all a hoax, 
 at least I did not see anything in the Zanesville papers this 
 morning relating to the matter. 
 
 Sati hjiA v, Juke 15. — The weather this morning still clear 
 and warm, there being no apparent change for the lastthre? 
 or four days. The health of the Camp has improved in the 
 last few days, there being but three or four of the be 
 the 19th in the hospital. The three remaining Com] 
 of the 20th marched out of Camp this morning, ami will 
 proceed to Bellair, at which place they join the balance of 
 their Regiment that preceeded them, There are .still the 
 17th and eight Companies of the 19th in Camp hoe. about 
 the same number of men as there was before the departure 
 of the 20th and arrival of the 17th. The 17th is a . 
 looking Ri giment, much finer looking men than t 1 
 
 20th, although there were a few Companies in the 20th 
 thai were as fine looking fellows as you would wish to 
 The 17th came from Camp Lancaster, Fairfield county. to 
 this place, and will likely leave farere when we do. OiH 
 Regiment received the balance of their uniforms this i 
 
 i, which consisted in gray jacket, made in military BtyU 
 with the /•; Pluribus Umim- buttons as triming; it i- tin 
 best article thai we have received from government, b< i 
 the other clothing not being worth the thread thai sewed 
 them up. The b; vb have now got a full suit of clothing from 
 overnment, but still there are some of them that have 
 not got any uniform, for their britches went to rags in leal 
 a week after they put them on. 
 
 Sunday, .1 ONE 1 6. — The weather is still clear and pleasant. 
 The long looked for and anxiously expected uews has arrived. 
 Our Regiment received orders to be ready to leave this place 
 
31 
 
 at 6 o'clock this morning, to proceed from here to Bellair, 
 The 17th received orders to move at the same time, to the 
 same place. At the appointed time the two Regiments 
 marched out of Camp and proceeded to the Railroad Station 
 to take the Cars for Bellair, the 17th taking the lead; but 
 after the 17th got aboard, and the train moved off, we found 
 that we had to take passage on board of a train of stock 
 cars or stay where we were. Our Colonel concluded to keep 
 his men in Camp another day, rather than stable them up 
 like a drove of mules in the old stock train ; so we marched 
 back to Camp, and put the day in as best we could till 6 
 o'clock in the evening, at which time we got a train of pas- 
 senger cars on which we embarked and made our way to 
 Bellair, arriving at that place at 2 o'clock in the morning, 
 without any accidents or any adventure worthy of note, the 
 boys all pretty tired of their night's ride. After the boys 
 got out of the cars, the Regiment formed and marched to 
 their barracks prepared for them, which was nothing more 
 or less than an old Engine and Car House, fixed up for the 
 accommodation of soldiers on their way into Virginia. The 
 17th Regiment getting here some twelve or fourteen hours 
 ahead of us, had taken posession of some Steamers laying in 
 the River, and when we arrived we found them ensconsed 
 comfortably on board these Steamers. I was informed that 
 there was ten or twelve Steamers laying ready to take the 
 two Regiments down the River, to start in the morning.— 
 This information confirms what I mentioned three or four 
 days ago, that I thought we would be sent into South-west- 
 ern Virginia. 
 
 Monday, June 17. — The weather this morning is still 
 clear and pleasant, without the least sign of any change at 
 least for some time. There is quite a stirring time here this 
 morning. There are three Regiments here, that is, at Bellair 
 and Ben wood. Benwood is opposite Bellair, on the Virginia 
 side of the river. The boys have a tine view of " Dixie's 
 Land" this morning, all of them appearing to be anxious 
 to get their feet on Southern soil, although there is no 
 secesh in this part of Virginia. Companies A. and B. are 
 here, having been here for some time awaiting the arrival of 
 the Regiment. Our Regiment is now all together, and will 
 all move together when we leave this place. ' I think by the 
 looks of things that the 19th is going to make a pretty long 
 trip before their time of service expires. There are any 
 
32 
 
 amount of army Stores being shipped here this morning. 
 Bach as provisions, horse feed, amunition, and everything 
 that is necessary for a campaign among the mountains of 
 Virginia. The. boya are all in good spirits and appear to 
 enjoy their expected trip down the beautiful Ohio. This 
 place is called Camp Jefferson, but is nothing more then a 
 distributing point, as it were, for the Ohio troops on their 
 way bo Virginia. 
 
 TUESDAY, June 18. — The weather this morning is yet clear 
 and warm. The two Regiments are still laying here on 
 board the Steamers waning further orders, and expecting to 
 go at any minute. The 20th Regiment crossed into Virginia 
 yesterday, took a train of ears on the Baltimore & I >hio Rail- 
 road, and moved olf towards secessiondom. The boys are 
 getting tired Laying bere, and want to be on the move ; and 
 I think the sooner we get from this place the better it will 
 be for some of them. There appears to be any amount of 
 bad whiskey bere, and some of the lads have been wild foi 
 the last i twenty-four hours ; audi am thinking if they do 
 not stop pretty sunn, that some of them will begin to find 
 snakes in their boots and bricks in their hats before they are 
 aware of their presence. Some of the boys got so much bad 
 whiskey to-day that it came pn tty near killing them, whea 
 some of the boys seeing the ("edition their comrades were 
 »n by drinking the poison stuff, collected from the different 
 Companies of the Regiment about two hundred, and went 
 from one end of the town to tin- other, and destroyed all the 
 liquor they could find. They poured oul nearly can- hundred 
 barrels, cleaning out bars, celli rs, drug stores, and every 
 place thi'v could lind any of the critter. 
 
 Wednesday, June 19.— The weather is still clear and 
 warm) withoul any signs of any charge taking place any 
 time soon. There are some of the boys Look hard this morn* 
 lug; some loot: as if they had been through the war in place 
 of going to it, and [ presume that some of them feel as hard. 
 . look. The excitement over the whiskey insurrection 
 had pretty nearly cooled down, but y >u m j vory easily 
 suppose that tli" L9th regiment is anything else than a favor- 
 ite with the citizens of Bellair. Our flieel of steamers left 
 Bellair this morning and after a pleasant trip of ten hours 
 we arrived In Marietta. Our fieel of boats is now lying at 
 the wharf. Marietta is a pretty little town, situated on the 
 North Side of the Ohio river and the West side of the Mus- 
 
kingum. It is in Washington County, Ohio, and is one 
 among the oldest places in the State. Point Harmer, which 
 lies on the opposite side of the . Muskingum, is an old 
 military post of many years gone past. It was a place held 
 as a fort or rallying point for the brave old pioneers of Ohio, 
 as early as 1780 ; and many a brave heart has left Fort 
 Harmer, either to hunt the wild deer of the then Western 
 wilderness, or the still wilder savage, that has never re- 
 turned to his friends and his fireside, being killed and 
 scalped by the Indians, and his body devoured by wolves. 
 Such was the fate of many at that time. 
 
 Thursday, June 20.— The weather this morning was 
 clear and very warm. We lay here nearly all this day 
 with nothing going on of any interest. It is very tiresome 
 to lay around on a boat all day long, particularly when 
 there are so many of us together. We left Marietta this 
 evening, and run down to Parkersburgh, a distance of twelve 
 miles, where we arrived about dark. The boys, I believe, 
 were glad to get on terra firma again, having been on the 
 boats u since Monday morning. They all appear to be in 
 good spirits, and the most of them in good health, there 
 being very few cases of sickness in the hospital. We are 
 now laying here in Camp Kanawha. The Camp is composed 
 of a variety of accommodations, such as old freight cars, old 
 saw mills, tan houses, carpenter shops, and most any place 
 where a man can find a good place to pile himself down. 
 
 Friday June 21. — The weather still continues very warm; 
 the heat in the middle of the day is almost suffocating. It 
 is a great relief to get in the shade, some place along the 
 bank of the river, for that is all the place that there -appears 
 to be any air stirring. There is now about 6000 soldiers in 
 the neighborhood of Parkersburgh, and there are great pre- 
 parations going on to push them further on into the interior 
 of the State. Parkersburgh is the county town of Wood 
 County, Virginia, and contains as far as I could learn by in- 
 quiry, about three thousand three hundred inhabitants. It 
 is a neat place, there being some good buildings here. It is 
 situated on the South side of the Ohio and the East side of 
 the Little Kanawha river, and is built directly in the angle* 
 formed by the junction of the two rivers, the Ohio and Kan- 
 awha coming together at nearly right angles. The town is 
 well situated for a place of business, the Ohio river the 
 greatest part of the year being in navigable condition with 
 3 
 
34 
 
 a good landing for large class steamers with a railroad in 
 good running order from here to Grafton, where it connects 
 with the main trunk of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, a 
 distance of 105 miles from this place. 
 
 Saturday, June 22. — The weather still continues dry and 
 warm, or I might say almost hot, the mornings and evenings 
 are middling comfortable, but from nine in the morning till 
 five in the evening the heat is almost unbearable. Our 
 Regiment is still laying in Camp Kanawha ; the boys have 
 fine times here, our Camp is on the bank of the river, and 
 the boys have good times fishing, (making more water hauls 
 then any other kind,) swimming and riding in the skills that 
 are lying along the river. There are yet no signs of our 
 moving from this place. The Regiment has regular drill 
 every day by Companies, besides dress parade every evening. 
 The boys have all been furnished with cartridges since we 
 have been in Virginia, therefore it appears a little more like 
 soldiering since we got full cartridge boxes and can smell 
 gunpowder once in a while. Our night sentinels now stand 
 with loaded muskets, and in case any rebels should show 
 their ugly mugs we will be prepared to receive them. There 
 has not a thing of any consequence taken place to-day, 
 nothing more then the regular routine of Camp life being 
 the order of the day. As far as I know, the boys are all 
 well, there being only five in the hospital from the Regiment 
 
 Sunday, June 23. — The weather still continues dry and 
 very warm. The Regiment is still laying in Camp Kanaw- 
 ha, expecting and awaiting orders to further movements 
 towards the interior of the country. This place does not 
 euit our boys, there is no secessionists here, and the boys 
 are beginning to think that if they are going to hunt them 
 and whip them, that it would be well to be at it and not 
 stay bo long here. This is Sunday morning, the first Sunday 
 that we have seen in the State of Virginia, but it does not 
 appear much like Sunday although there are some of us pre- 
 paring to go to church, and the citizens of Parkersburgh are 
 also mailing their way to church from every part of the town. 
 I have not yet said anything about the Virginians. I will 
 now give you a description of the citizens of Parkersburgh. 
 In the first place they look very much like other people ; in 
 the second place they act pretty much like other people; in 
 the third place they live much like other people, and in the 
 fourth and last place, I think they are very much like other 
 
35 
 
 people; all the diffeience that I can see between the citizens 
 of Parkersburgh, Virginia, and the people of Ohio, directly 
 opposite them, is as I should think just about one quarter of 
 a mile, which is about the width of the Ohio river at this 
 place. There are no rebels here and every man you come 
 in contact with takes as much interest in the prosecution 
 and speedy termination of this war in favor of the general 
 government, and the maintenance of the Union as any man 
 in Ohio. There has nothing of any importance trans- 
 pired in Camp to-day. The boys are all engaged at some- 
 thing or other to put in the time ; some of them are reading, 
 some of them writing, some sleeping, some washing their 
 clothes, some bathing in the river, and some playing cards, 
 while the balance are standing guard. This has been one, 
 if not quite the hottest day in the season ; the sun has shone 
 all day with a perfect glare making the ground as hot as if 
 there had been fire on it. There is no air stirring, it being 
 perfectly calm which makes the heat a great deal more 
 oppressive. Oh, for a good heavy shower of rain to cool 
 this suffocating, heated air, that we have to endure for eight 
 or ten hours every day, but this day in particular. 
 
 Monday, June 24. — The weather this morning is clear 
 and warm, our Regiment is still here in Camp Kanawha, 
 but expect to move sometime during the day, the place that 
 we go to from here is not known, all the information that I 
 can give is that we take the cars on the south-west branch 
 of the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road, and start toward Graf- 
 ton, but I do not know how far we will go or when we will 
 stop, we received orders this forenoon to be ready to move at 
 eleven o'clock, when after gathering up our traps and put- 
 ting into our haversacks twenty-four hours rations, which 
 consisted of six hard crackers and about one half pound of 
 salt beef each, we stowed ourselves away in a train of old 
 dirty freight cars ready for transportation to any place they 
 have a mind to take us. We went aboard of the cars at 
 about ten o'clock, but we lay there all day till six o'clock in 
 the evening, the cause of our detention was there was a large 
 amount of freight, such as provisions, horse feed, camp 
 equipage, wagons, horses and all necessary articles for sup- 
 port and use of an army to be shipped on the cars and ac- 
 company the Regiment where ever the Regiment went. At 
 six o'clock our long train started on our winding way toward* 
 the interior of the land of secession, rattle snakes, rough: 
 
36 
 
 mountains, and bad whiskey, although the whiskey is no 
 worse than in the State of Ohio. 
 
 Tuesday, June 125. — The weather this morning feels 
 cool although it Lb clear, we arrited here this morning in the 
 town oi I !li rksburgh, having rode all night in the old freight 
 train from Parkersburgh to this place, a distance of about 
 eighty-tiv.' miles, being underground I presume longer than 
 
 jev was before, or will be again till each one of i 
 own little underground habitation. I have often road oi the 
 underground Railroad of our free Northern States, but 1 
 never supposed that the Virginians had any sujh institul 
 along witli their other southeren brethren being entirely op 
 
 I to such improvements, I believe there is no less than 
 twenty-three tunnels between Parkersburgh and Clark.- 
 burgh. Clarksburgh is the county town of Harrison county, 
 Virginia, ami is according to the decision of the Wheeling 
 convention, to be the future capital of the State of Vir- 
 ginia. The town is situated on Tiger Creek and contains some 
 four hundred inhabitants. 
 
 WEDNESDAY, June 26. — There has been a change in the 
 weather in the last twenty-four hours, it commenced to ram 
 this morning about 2 o'clock and has continued to rain 
 Bince ; and at the same time the air is so hot and oppe 
 that it isalmosl unbearable. There is all kinds of surmises 
 
 Oamp, to-day, in relation to our prospect of having b 
 of a figfyt with the rebels in this part of Virginia, for my 
 
 Sart 1 do npl believe we will see the face of a Becessiofl 
 i.-r for the next ten <lays, unless we get a little iur 
 civilization than we have here. There is quite a large num- 
 ber of troops at this point. I think about six Regim 
 with one fine battery of held artillery ; the Regimenl 
 the Ole- 3rd, lth, 18th, and 10th, the Indiana 8th and 10th 
 with tii Michigan Artillery. The two Indiana Regiments 
 leaves this evening, accompanied by the Artillery to 
 
 m#ve on towards Buckhannon, the county town of Upsher 
 county, where there is understood to be a rebel force -tation- 
 ed and committing all kinds oi' depredations. Our Regi- 
 ment received orders this evening to strike tents and be 
 ready to march at three o'clock in the morning. 
 
 Thursday June i^T. — The weather this morning is clear, 
 and the sun shining pretty hot, we had a pretty hard rain last 
 evening/but there is not many traces of it left this morning 
 more than the few puddles of dirty water .that we see laying 
 
37 
 
 in the road as we pass over them. We left Clarksburgh this 
 morning about five o'clock and made our way toward the 
 town of Buckhannon, when marching eight or ten miles we 
 stopped and camped for the night, pithcing our tents near 
 the encampment of the Indiana 8th and 10th Regiments. — 
 As this was the first march that the boys have had it went 
 pretty hard with some of them ; the Camp I have, named 
 Tiger Valley Camp ; and is nothing more than a Camp in 
 woods on the south branch of the Big Tiger .Creek, our 
 Camp ground is partly on the Creek bottom and partly on 
 the hill side ; the Indiana boys took the bottom while the 
 19th Camped on the hill side which would have been a very 
 pleasant place if water had been handy, but we had to carry 
 our water about three fourths of a mile. This part of Vir- 
 ginia is not as well watered as one would suppose who never 
 had been through it ; the country is very rough and very 
 poor. 
 
 Friday, June 28. — The werther is clear and warm, we 
 are still lying in Tiger Vally Camp, but we expect to- move 
 on farther this afternoon ; a fine Company of Cavalry joined 
 us last night, they are well mounted, well armed and have 
 the appearance of men that could stand a good many hard 
 knocks ; they hail from the good liberty loving city of Chi- 
 cago and will be a formidable addition to our brigade ; there 
 was also three other Regiments of Ohio Infantry joined us 
 this afternoon, the 3rd, 4th and 17th, or only a part of the 
 17th. Our Brigade now consists of the Ohio 3rd, 4th, 17th 
 and 19th, and the Indiana 8th and 10th with the Michigan 
 Artillery, and the Chicago Cavalry ; making in the ag- 
 regate about or something over 6000 men. Our Ohio boys 
 are as fine a looking lot of men as there can be mustered 
 together in any State in the Union; they are strong, athle- 
 tic looking fellows with plenty bone and sinue and doubt 
 plenty of nerve to back it up. The Indiana boys are also 
 a fine looking set of fellows, who have apparently the right 
 kind of staff in them and will no doubt be the right kind of 
 boys to fight by the side of. The whole of the brigade moves 
 from this place together under the immediate command of 
 Brigadier General Rosecrans. 
 
 Saturday, June 29. — The weather has underwent some- 
 what of a change during the last few hours, we left Tiger 
 Valley Camp yestarday at 4 o'clock and marched 6 miles 
 when we encamped for the night, it commenced to rain just 
 
38 
 
 at dark and rained nearly all the night ; there was some of 
 the Companies that did not get their tents brought from the 
 last Camp, the teams being sent back to Clarksburgh lor 
 provisions, therefore some of the Companies (Company II 
 being of that number) had to lay down on tne wet gran 
 and lay there all night exposed to the rain, the men in the 
 morning looking like so many musk rate crawling from then- 
 holes. This Camp I have christened Cam}) Hid Ink in, there 
 being a Bmall stream of water at the foot of the hill on 
 which our tents were [itched by that name. Some of our boy* 
 killed three or lour fat bullocks last night after we came 
 here, so if our waggons get here any time this forenoon we 
 will have some breakfast, but if they do not come before 
 noon we will have to wail and take our breakfast this after- 
 noon, for we have not got either pots, kettles or pans to do 
 any cooking with, everything being left behind, at the last 
 Camp. Our Company waggon with the waggons of thr 
 four other Companies have just arrived, (9 o'clock, A. M.) 
 and tli*' boys are now preparing breakfast. It is rather a 
 late breakfast hour, but the lateness, has given the boys u 
 good appetite which I think will pay for the long fast I 
 have had, not having eaten anything since yestarday al 
 twelve o'clock. After the boys got their grid) this morning 
 a great number of them went to th° creek and took a good 
 bathe, some of them at the same time washing some of theii 
 clothing. I did quite a job of washing myself, beside bah 
 ing a good bath, which is very refreshing this warm weather. 
 This afternoon we got orders from our Colonel to strike our 
 tents and carry them to the foot of the hill in a fine Large 
 meadow and pitch them there which we did getting through 
 with the job just about dark ; and the boys feeling tired the) 
 was prevailing to take a night's rest, when the orders were 
 to strike tents and be ready to march in one hour. The 
 orders came B i unexpected that some of the boys made sonie 
 expressions that I will no1 mention. 
 
 BUND^Y, June 30.— The weather is rather moist this 
 morning, it having commenced to ram about five o'clock 
 and still continues to rain moderately. The brigade moved 
 last night at eleven o'clock and took its course toward 
 Buckhannon ; the troops marched all night a distance ol" 
 eighteen miles ariving at Buckhannon at six o'clock thi.v 
 morning. There was some of the boys pretty well used up 
 but still not half so bad as the Indiana boys, I believe there 
 
39 
 
 -was not more than eight or ten of the boys of the 19th that 
 had to leave the ranks and fall back ; but I verily believe 
 that there was half of the boys in the two Indiana Regi- 
 ments that had to fall back, for it appeared to me that every 
 fence corner, stumps or log that we passed, we found some 
 of them stopped to rest. We expected to find some of the 
 rebels at Buckhannon but was disappointed, for not a rebel 
 was to be found, at least none in arms. Buckhannon is the 
 County town of Upsher county and is a nice, clean looking 
 place, and I should think that every house had an ordinary 
 family in ; would contain from three to four hundred inhabi- 
 tants ; but the half of the houses are empty, all the seces- 
 sionists having made a forced march to some other place, 
 where the air is healthier than it is here at this time. 
 
 Monday, July 1. — The weather is rather unsettled, the 
 clouds look thick and heavy, and the prospect for more rain 
 is much better than for sunshine. Our Regiment is now 
 encamped in Camp Buckhannon. Our Gamp is at the edge 
 of the village, on a level piece of ground, and is a very pret- 
 ty place for a military Camp, providing there was not so 
 many trees on the ground. This place is situated in a beau- 
 tiful valley, the valley of the Buckhannon fork of Cheat 
 River. The valley extends to the South-east and North-west 
 &s far as the eye can see. The width of the valley differs, in 
 some places it is not more than one half or three quarters of a 
 mile in in width, while at other places it is two or three 
 mile in width. Our boys are experiencing some of the hard- 
 ships that is naturally looked for at one time or another in 
 the life of a soldier. Our Regiment has got nothing to eat 
 nor have they had for the last twenty-four hours, it is pretty 
 hard, but I presume if we can stand it for two or three weeks 
 we will get used to it. We have nothing in the shape of pro- 
 visions with the exception of a few pounds of fat pork and 
 a little coffee, and I do not think there is any to be had 
 nearer than Clarksburgh. Some of the boys are perfectly 
 desperate this morning, and begin to think that if our quar- 
 ter-master does not furnish provisions for us that they will 
 have to call on some of the old secession farmers in the neigh- 
 borhood and order them to bring us in a supply. Some of my 
 mess-mates went out this afternoon and returned with some 
 nice fat chickens which our cook prepared in his best style, 
 .and for once in forty-eight hours we had a perfect feast of 
 chickens and corn dodgers, some of the boys having got some 
 
40 
 
 coarse corn meal by some means or other, for I had no curi- 
 osity to know where or how they got it, so that we got some- 
 thing to eat. There was a good many of the boys out on 
 foraging duty this afternoon, and I took notice that they all 
 came into Camp with something to sustain the inner man, 
 some had corn meal, some hams, some mutton of their own 
 killing, some chickens and turkeys, and some the regular old 
 Virginia leaf done up in bundles, so you may think the boys 
 will both eat and smoke to-morrow. 
 
 Tuesday, July 2. — The weather this morning is still very 
 much unsettled, there being much rain for the last two days 
 with a fair prospect of more before the close of the day. — 
 Our living has improved a little. Our quarter-master yester- 
 day furnished us with some coarse corn meal, so this morning 
 we are feasting on corn cake, fat pork and coffee, which is 
 much better than fasting. Our boys are still bringing in 
 some poultry and such things as they can get in the provision 
 line which added to the scanty supply of corn meal furnished 
 by the quarter-master make our tare pretty sufficient. — 
 We received supplies to-day from Clarksburgh consisting of 
 mess pork and crackers, and at the same time we received 
 orders that no more foraging would be tolerated under a 
 penalty of a court martial with a dishonorable disc] 
 from the service, so as long as pork, crackers and coffee Lasts 
 we will be brought down to the old regime which we have 
 been enjoying heretofore. There was a report in Camp this 
 morning to the effect that the federal troops had captured 
 the rebel camp at Manassas Gap, but there is not the Least 
 bit of credit attached to the report. The Ohio 3d and 4th 
 Regiments joined us to-day, they having remained in Tigei 
 Valley Camp when we marched from that place ; there was, 
 also, a line battery of U. S. Artillery joined the brigade.— 
 Our force at this point now consists of the Ohio 3d, 4th, 9th, 
 •10th, 19th, and four Companies of the 17th Regiment, the 
 Indiana 8th and 10th with one battery of 6 pieces IT. S. Artil- 
 lery, and one battery of six pieces of Michigan Artillery, and 
 one Company of tllinois Dragoons with one Company of Rifle- 
 men as body guard to General McClellan. Our whole force 
 now amounts to about eight thousand five hundred men. I 
 have come to the full conclusion that there is-tobe a forward 
 movement made on some point, for the concentration of so 
 many troops to this place is not all for nothing. There is 
 said to be a large force of the enemy posted in a strong po- 
 
41 
 
 sition some place in the vicinity of Beverly, in Randolph 
 county, and I think by all appearances that our General is 
 making preparations to make them a visit. The health of 
 the boys of the 19th is not as good as it has been for the last 
 ten days previous, but that is nothing to be wondered at 
 taking all things into consideration. 
 
 Wednesday, July 3. — The weather this morning is clear 
 and warm ; our Regiment still in Camp Buckannon. I heard 
 this morning that as soon as the Brigade had a supply of pro- 
 visions and other necessary supplies that is now at Clarksburgh 
 awaiting transportation to this place, that the army will move 
 on towards Beverly, and I think that all the manoeuvers that 
 are going on here confirm that information. There is nothing 
 of any importance going on in our Camp more than the reg- 
 ular amount of drilling, guard mounting, eating, sleeping and 
 other little jobs that is generally to be attended to in a mil- 
 itary Camp, with dress parade every evening, the boys as a 
 general thing are in good spirits and taking events as they 
 come as philosophically as they can. There is more sickness 
 in the Regiment than there has been at any other time since 
 we have been organized, and I would not be much surprised 
 if there would be still more if we have to stay in this place 
 any length of time, for I think that our Camp is in a very 
 unhealthy location, being a very low piece of ground with a 
 little too much shade and every morning pretty well sur- 
 rounded with a thick unwholesome fog, with pools of bad 
 water standing throngh the Camp. But there are supplies 
 coming in pretty freely to-day; there has been a train of 
 twenty or thirty wagons arrived, and if that many come 
 every day the balance of the week I think that we will 
 have a good stock on hand by Saturday night. I think like- 
 ly we will move from here in the course of three or four 
 days, or at least by the first of next week at farthest. 
 
 Thursday, July 4. — The weather this morning is clear 
 and warm. This is the fourth of July, the glorious fourth, 
 the National Sabbath of the thirty millions of the great Re- 
 public, the birth-day of our national independence, the day 
 that is sacred to the memory of every true American heart, 
 the day that every true patriot should venerate, the day that 
 brings fresh to our memories the daring deeds of our patri- 
 otic sires of 76, and a day that every true son of freedom 
 should venerate and respect as long as this great Republic 
 keeps its proud position among the great and powerful na- 
 
42 
 
 tions of the earth. This day, eighty-nine years ago, Adams, 
 Jefferson, Hancock, Jay, Henry, Franklin, Lee, .Sherman, 
 Morris, Hopkins, Quinnet and forty-four others of the 
 sturdy old patriots of that day declared that this great 
 country should be free. This day eighty- nine years ago our 
 forefathers were contending for the freedom of these Inited 
 States against tyranny and oppression from a foreign foe, and 
 to-day the true sons of those noble old sires are contending 
 for the rights guaranteed to them by the declaration ot in- 
 dependence against foes that are far more unprincipled and 
 dangerous than the minions of Geo. Ill in the days of 76, 
 but may they, as the enemies of our country did at thai 
 time, be made to feel that the arms of freemen are long and 
 strong and tyranny shall feel their power. At 5 o'clock this 
 morning our Regimental Band playad the " Star Spangled 
 Banner," " Hail Columbia," and some other national airs, 
 that being about all the demonstrations made to honor this, 
 to us, the most sacred day of the year. I have been all over 
 the Camp this morning, and every place I go I hear the boys 
 lamenting their hard fate of not being able to spend the 4th 
 as they have been used to doing in Ohio. At lU o'clock this 
 morning our Regiment was formed into line in the street and 
 inspected by the General. There was quite an excitement, 
 raised in our Camp this afternoon ; at 3 o'clock the Regi- 
 ment turned out for battalion drill, but the most of the Com- 
 panies being rather poorly represented, the CoLnel took 
 one Company and went through the Camp and arrested every 
 man that was not on duty, but in fact 1 do not blame the 
 men for not being willing to do their duty, for half rations, 
 bad provisions and much exposure is not very well calcula- 
 ted to keep a man's spirits up to the right temperature. — 
 There is a great deal of sickness among our boys, J have just 
 made inquiry and am informed that there are no less than 
 thirty of the boys of the 19th in the hospital, and our doc- 
 tor says if we do not get better provisions and more of them 
 that there will not be a man in the Regiment in less than 
 a week that will be fit for duty. The Artillery Companies 
 of our Brigade fired a national salute this morning, each 
 battery tiring thirty-four rounds in honor of the the thirty- 
 four stars on our national (lag, and which is emblematic of 
 the thirty-four States of the Confederate Union. There was 
 another train of provisions arrived this evening from Clarks- 
 burgh, our post Commissary's department, is now getting 
 
43 
 
 pretty well filled up, so that in a few days I think the divis- 
 ion will move from this place and proceed on toward Bev- 
 erly. 
 
 Friday, July 5. — The weather this morning is still clear 
 and very warm. The boys of the 19th were sounded on the 
 three year's question again this morning. It is said now if 
 there can be one hundred and ten more taken from the Kegi- 
 ment as three year's men, the balance of the Regiment will 
 be discharged and sent home. There was a vote taken I believe 
 in each Company, which I think resulted in about one hundred 
 and fifty expressing their willingness to go for three years. 
 This division of the army is making preparations to carry on 
 the war with great vigor, and along with other facilities there 
 is now being put up a line of telegraph from Clarksburgh 
 to follow the line of march as it proceeds on towards the 
 mountains; the line is up and in opperation from Clarks- 
 burgh to this place, a distance of thirty miles, having all 
 been put up in the last week by the 18th Ohio Regiment.— 
 There is still a great many of the boys sick in the hospital, 
 and there are many that ought to be there if they would do 
 justice to themselves, for there are plenty of them that are 
 still doing their duty and look as if they were hardly able to 
 stand upon their feet. The dysintary has been pretty bad 
 among the boys for some time, which has pulled them down 
 considerable ; it has been bad in the whole brigade ever since 
 we left Clarksburgh. 
 
 Saturday, July 6. — The weather this morning is mild 
 and pleasant, with some appearance of rain; we are still lay- 
 ing here doing nothing except eating hard bread and fat 
 meat, not having enough of exercise to digest such food.— 
 There is still much sickness in the Camp, and if we stay 
 here another week and live as hard as we have for the last 
 week, I am very much mistaken if we do not have more 
 sickness than we have now ; inactivity, bad food and expo- 
 sure being most excellent stimulants for disease of which we 
 have had plenty for the last eight days. The Camp, also, 
 is begining to have a very bad smell from the offal and gar- 
 bage that is laying around the Camp. I have not heard any- 
 thing to-day in respect to the three year business and the 
 discharge of the three months troops. There was another 
 fine Company of Dragoons joined the Brigade yesterday, it 
 is from Cincinnati, and is a fine looking Company, and is 
 well mounted and armed, and will prove of service to the 
 Brigade. 
 
44 
 
 SUNDAY, July 7. — This morning the weather is rather 
 changeable, we arc having rain and sunshine in the same 
 hour, and it is hard to tell just now which is going to pre- 
 dominate, or what kind of a day we are going to have. 
 There is a regular row in Camp this morning ; it will be 
 recollected that when our troops came to this place one 
 ago this morning, that our Regiment had no provisions, and 
 the boys had to resort to foraging to keep from starring. 
 There was an old secessionist came into the Camp three or four 
 flays ago, and made complaint to the officers to the effect 
 that some of the boys of the 19th Regiment had visited his 
 premises, broke open his house and robbed him of one hun- 
 dred and seventy-five dollars in gold and a gold watch, 
 when after making inquiries, it was ascertained that some 
 of the boys of Co. C, Capt. Barret, from Trumbull County, 
 had been to the place for the purpose of getting some pro- 
 visions, and the supposed theft was saddled on to them, 
 when after an examination and court of inquiry, it was de- 
 cided to disgrace the Company and send it back to Ohio as 
 being demoralized, and to send the eight men (1st Lieuten- 
 ant of the Company included,) back to Columbus under 
 arrest, there to be tried by a military court for a high 
 misdemeanor. The Company was actually disarmed and 
 started on their way home, but I presume that the General 
 thinking that the allegations against the Company as being 
 demoralized might be pretty hard to sustain, had them 
 brought back and their arms restored to them, but the other 
 eight did return to Ohio, where it is hoped that they will 
 get a fair trial and be fully exonerated from k the charge 
 under which they are laying, and which I have no doubt 
 will be the case when the facts are all brought to light. I 
 was told by some of the neighbors of the man that should 
 have lust the money, that he was never known to have that 
 much money, and that he was unable to pay a debt to one 
 of his neighbors, amounting, to thirty-seven cents, and that 
 the report was gotten up for the purpose, and with the 
 expectation of bleeding the government out of that much 
 money, lie supposing that the government would refund the 
 amount hack to him — a pretty good secession dodge. 
 
 Monday, July 8.— The weather this morning is clear and 
 very warm. We received orders last night to be ready to 
 march at 4 o'clock in the morning; we were up and had our 
 coffee and crackers, and was ready to move at the appointed 
 
45 
 
 hour, but we did not leave the Camp till near 6 o'clock. We 
 then took our way towards Beverly, which is thirty miles from 
 Buckhannon, and at which place, we expect to see some 
 secessionists, if they do not leave before we get there. Our 
 course lay nearly directly East and over the mountains, and 
 through as wild a looking country as ever I saw. The 
 roads are good in this part of the State ; the road that we 
 traveled on to-day is known as the Parkersburgh and Staun- 
 ton turnpike, and is kept in repair by the State ; the road 
 is the most of the way made through the defiles and gorges 
 of the mountains and is nearly all the time through a thick 
 forest of trees with a thick growth of underbrush, such as 
 laurels, briars, hazel and other dwarf bushes, which is a 
 perfect hedge all along the road and which makes it almost 
 suffocating to travel on, not the least bit of fresh air being 
 able to penetrate through this natural hedge. We marched 
 sixteen miles to-day, and oamped on the top of a mountain. 
 The boys suffered much with the heat this day, and two 
 of them were sun-struck and had to be carried into Camp, 
 The 3d Ohio Regiment being in advance of thebrigade, on 
 Saturday morning last, sent out about fifty men on a scout, 
 when about half a mile East of here and at the bridge that 
 crosses the middle fork of the Cheat river, they came in 
 contact with about three hundred rebels which they engaged 
 skirmishing with, and which retreated towards Beverly at 
 the approach of the Regiment; the 3d had one man killed 
 and three slightly wounded, and the rebels had (so I was 
 informed by a member of the 3d,) three killed and seven 
 wounded. Our Regiment is now encamped on the top of 
 the mountain, half a mile from the middle fork of Cheat 
 river and about half way between Buckhannon and Beverly, 
 which place I have concluded to call mountain camp. We 
 can stand in the Camp and look far below u^, and see the 
 tops of the trees that stand on the mountain side. 
 
 Tuesday, July 9. — The weather this morning is clear 
 and warm, after having rained nearly all last night. At 7 
 o'clock this morning, the brigade pushed on toward Beverly, 
 with the exception of three Companies of the 19th Regiment 
 that were left at this place to guard the bridge till the 
 arrival of two or three Indiana Regiments that are on their 
 way between here and Buckhannon. The brigade marched 
 eight miles and encamped in the valley of Roaring Creek, 
 and about two miles from the foot of Rich Mountain, at 
 
46 
 
 which place the boys got a Bight of what they have been 
 looking, for for the last two weeks — the secession army. 
 They are posted on the side of Rich Mountain, about two 
 and a half miles from our Camp and apparently in a pretty 
 strong position. The three Companies of our Regiment, 
 that wore left at the middle fork bridge were Companies G, 
 H and I, commanded by the brave old Major Buckley. 
 After leaving Mountain Camp with the balance of the 
 brigade, we marched down the mountain to the bridge and 
 crossed over to the East side, where we pitched our tents 
 and prepared to make ourselves as comfortable as possible 
 till the arrival of the Indiana Regiments. Alter we had 
 got ourselves comfortably fixed, the boys concluded to take 
 a good wash, and in a very short time the river was full of 
 the boys all enjoying themselves to their own satisfaction in 
 clear and pure water of this beautiful stream, the water 
 being so clear and transparent that you could see a pin lying 
 on the bottom at the depth of five or six feet. The boys of 
 the three Companies also took the advantage of the chance 
 ofiered them and washed up their clothing while they had 
 good water to do it with. Our little detachment is now 
 encamped on the ground where the collision took place on 
 last Saturday, between some of the boys of the Ohio 3d and 
 a detaehmenl of the rebels from the Rich Mountain fortifi- 
 cation. This camp is also the place where the secessionists 
 encamped the night after their hasty retreat from Phillippi, 
 on the 3d of June. I have just returned from a visit to the 
 grave of the man that was killed here on Saturday morn- 
 ing ; I have also been to examine the bridge where the 
 were concealed when they made the attack 
 on the handful of the boys of the Ohio 3d, and find that 
 the boys mule good use of their muskets for the time they 
 were engaged ; they have put a great many balls through 
 the siding of the bridge, through winch they had to fire, the 
 cowardly dogs, not coming out and fighting like men, but 
 fighting through holes made for the purpose. There was one 
 of the expected Indiana Regiments came in this evening and 
 will remain here till the others come up, therefore, we will 
 be relieved in the morning, and will push on and join the 
 brigade. Our boys retired early this evening so as to get an 
 early start in the morning, but the natural consequences of 
 war are that it is hard to tell what an hour may bring forth. 
 We had just got into a good sound, comfortable sleep and were 
 
47 
 
 dreaming of pleasant scenes far away, when we Were awak- 
 ened with a noise that would almost wake the dead. There 
 was an alarm that an attack; our picket guard firing in every 
 direction, with the guard around the camp also firing the 
 alarm ; but as soon as the boy3 got their eyes open, and 
 found out what was going on, and what was expected, they 
 made the best time in forming in line that I ever saw. It 
 was no more than five minutes from the time that the alarm 
 was given till every man was at his post with his musket in 
 hand and his hand on his cartridge box. I believe there 
 was not a man in the three compaies, except two, but what 
 was ready in the ranks and waiting for the appearance of 
 the enemy, one of the two being so badly scared that he 
 stuck his head in his haversack, so his tent mates said at 
 least ; the other man was sick. The alarm was occasioned 
 by the appearance of a detachment of rebels in the neigh- 
 borhood of the Camp, and the firing on them by our picket 
 guard. They had been sent out by Col. Pegram from the 
 Camp at Rich Mountain, for the purpose of destroying the 
 bridge, they not expecting to find more than our three Com- 
 paies there, not knowing of the arrival of the Indiana 
 Regiment, it coming in just at dark. Their intention was to 
 attack our little Camp and destroy us or drive us away, and 
 then burn the bridge, that being the orders that they 
 received from Col. Pegram. This we found out by some 
 papers that Were picked up by some of the boys after the 
 capture of Fort Garnett ; but they failed to carry out any 
 of the programme. "When our pickets fired into their de- 
 tachment, they killed three of their number which we also 
 found by documents picked up in their Camp after their 
 defeat at Rich Mountain, their great anxiety to destroy the 
 bridge being to cut off our wagon trains, which would be 
 the means of shortening our supplies of provisions and am^ 
 munition. 
 
 Wednesday July 10. — The weather this morning is all 
 that could be desired, it having rained some last evening, 
 has cooled the air and made the road fine this morning for 
 a nice little walk of eight miles ; at five o'clock this morn-- 
 ing We pulled up stakes and took the road, when after 
 marching two and a half hours we came up to the brigade 
 and joined our Regiment. As I have mentioned before the 
 brigade or more properly division, is encamped in Roaring 
 Creek Valley about two and a half miles from the enemy, 
 
48 
 
 The exact number of the enemy is not known, but accord- 
 ing to the report of General McClellan after making the 
 closest observations the circumstances would admit of, there 
 are supposed to be from four to six thousand of them. They 
 have destroyed some of the bridges in the vally, and be- 
 tween their Camp and ours ; which will have to be rebuilt 
 before We can make an attact on them, but our boys are a busi< 
 ly engaged at reconstructing them now, so that in a very 
 short time our boys will have the pleasure of introducing 
 themselves to Colonel Pegram and his crew of cut throats 
 on the srde of Rich Mountain. There were two or three 
 Regiments of Infantry, with one battery of Artillery made 
 a forward movement this afternoon but had to fall back on 
 account of obstructions in the road which will have to be 
 removed, the attack will perhaps not be made till morning. 
 Our division is now pretty strong and is composed of the 
 following troops, the Ohio 3rd, 4th, 9th, 10th and 19th ; the 
 ' 8th, 10th, 13th and 15th Indiana, with 18 pieces Artillery 
 and two Companies Dragoons, and Sturgis Rifles, in all near 
 10,000 men. 
 
 Thursday, July 11. — The weather this morning looks 
 rather gloomy, with a fair prospect of rain before the day is 
 over. We were called up at 11 o'clock last night and ordered 
 to prepare twenty-four hours rations and be ready to move 
 at 2 o'clock in the morning, the boys tumbled out, started 
 their fires and commenced cooking their breakfasts and, also, 
 rations sufficient for twenty-four hours. About 3 o'clock 
 the attacking column was in motion and proceeded to move 
 on towards the enemies position. The officers appear to have 
 ehanged their plan of making the attack, and instead of 
 assailing the rebel camp in front and taking it by storm, as 
 their first intention was, they made a circuit of tenor twelve 
 miles and came in on the rear of their position, and would 
 have taken them by surprise if all things had went as de- 
 sired; but the rebels captured one of our Cavalrymen bear- 
 ing a mos.sage from Gen. McClellan to Gen. Roseerans, and 
 by that means found out that our boys were inarching on 
 them from the rear which gave them time to receive us in 
 that quarter ; they brought their Artillery to the top of the 
 mountain, one mile from their main fortifications, and posted 
 it in such a position as to command the point at which they 
 knew our troops would have to make their appearance ; they 
 also constructed a breastwork of logs and stone which gave 
 
49 
 
 'them much the advantage in regard to position. Our boys 
 reached the brow of the mountain at or near the hour of 3 
 o'clock, the firing commenced immediately on the side of 
 the rebels with their artillery, but with little or no effect, 
 they invariably firing over the heads of our troops. The 
 Indiana 8th and 10th made the attack in front of the enemies 
 lines while the Indiana 13th were posted on the extreme 
 right and extreme left as skirmishers and sharp-shooters, 
 while the Ohio 19th was held as a reserve directly in front 
 Of the enemy and in the rear of the Indiana 9th and 10th, 
 and was directly exposed to the -enemy's Artillery. The 
 engagement now commenced in earnest, the enemy's whole 
 line of Infantry and Riflemen pouring in volley after volley 
 into the ranks of the 10th Indiana; in the mean' time" the 
 Indiana 13th had silenced the enemy's batteries. The Indi- 
 ana boys are still giving them round for round but begin to 
 get impatient at having to fight a partly concealed enemy, 
 they partly broke their line and were going to go into a 
 hand to hand fight, when on seeing the intention of the 
 Indiana troops, the enemy left their cover and prepared to 
 meet them at the point of the bayonet, when Gen. Rosecrans 
 seeing the broken ranks of the Indiana boys gave the order 
 to the 19th to forward and fire, which they did with such 
 coolness and precision that the enemy had to turn their back 
 to us and turn to the bushes in double quick time, our boys 
 following them and killing a good number as they were re- 
 retreating. Our troops now have possession of the field and 
 not an enemv in sight. I took a look over the contested 
 ground and found that the enemy had sustained a vary heavy 
 loss, while on the side of the federal troops was compara^ 
 tively light, but the work was only half done, the enemy 
 was defeated it is true, but they had retreated (all them 
 that were not killed and wounded) to their main fortifica- 
 tion, and might be able to make another stand ; and which 
 our officers all supposed would be the case. But our officers, 
 thinking that the boys had done enough for one day, conchi" 
 ded to take up their quarters on or near the battle ground, 
 and wait fill morning to give them another drubbing. Our 
 boys lay on the bare ground all night, in a hard soaking 
 rain, with their arms by their sides ready for anything that 
 might take place ; but they were not disturbed through the 
 night, but rested till morning, if it could be called resting. 
 In the morning the boys were moving early, and making 
 4 
 
50 
 
 tlieir way towards the rebel Camp, but what was their sur- 
 prise in coming in sight of their camp, in place of seeing 
 long lines of armed rebels, ready to receive them, they saw 
 but a few stragglers, about sixty, who laid down their arms 
 and gave themselves up as prisoners. The whole secession 
 force had abandoned their stronghold, and retreated through 
 the mountains towards Beverly or Huttonville. The federal 
 troops have now the posession of the strongest place in West- 
 ern Virginia. They also have everything that belonged to- 
 the rebel army, tents, horses, mules, wagons, artillery, and 
 a large number of muskets and rifles along with all their 
 army stores, consisting of provisions, ammunition, clothing, 
 and everything else they had. Their retreat had been so 
 hasty that they left their private property, trunks full of 
 clothing, carpet sacks and valises full of clothing, knives, 
 swords, pistols ; and even their private papers and corres- 
 pondence with their friends was left behind. The number 
 of killed is said to be by some 250, while some make the 
 figures larger still, and others make the number less than 
 200. I shall be able perhaps to give the correct account in a 
 few days. The number of wounded is small compared to 
 the number killed; showing that our boys did not shoot 
 altogether by guess. We took 250 tents, 100 horses and 
 mules, 40 wagons, 4 brass 6 pounders, together with their 
 ammunition wagons and magazines, with a great number of 
 harnesses, saddles, bridles, and everything pertaining to a 
 well organized and well supplied army. The number of 
 muskets left in the Camp and taken from the prisoners is 
 one hundred and twenty. 
 
 Friday, July 12.-— The Camp at Roaring Creek was 
 broken up this morning and the Ohio 3d, 4th, 9th, 10th, and 
 the Indiana 15th, with the Artillery, proceeded on to Bev- 
 erly, while the Regiments that were engaged in the fight 
 took possession of Camp Garnett, and will remain here till 
 to-morrow morning. The boys are living pretty fat to-day 
 on the good things that the seceshers left behind them ; we 
 are feasting on bread and butter, ham and eggs, maple sugar 
 and molasses, dried fruits, preserved fruits, jams and jellies, 
 cheese and crackers, and everything that is good, while some 
 of the boys found a small keg full of old whiskey, which 
 was good for the occasion. The boys are now collecting the 
 captured property into piles, and there appears to be vast 
 quantities of it of all imaginable kinds of articles, such 
 
51 
 
 as coats, pants, vests, drawers, shirts, socks, handkerchiefs, 
 hats, caps, boots, shoes, with any amount of fancy and toilet 
 articles, together with pots, kettles, pans, griddles, tin and 
 wooden buckets, tin cups, coffee pots, teapots, coffee mills, 
 candles, soap, and other articles too numerous to mention. 
 
 Saturday, July 13.— The weather this morning is mild 
 and' pleasant, with some prospect of rain. The last forty- 
 eight hours has been the most eventful of the campaign ; we 
 have met the enemy and defeated them on their own ground. 
 Their strength in this part of Virginia is entirely broken ; we 
 have captured their Camp with all the appertenances per- 
 taining thereto, leaving them entirely powerless, at least 
 for the time being. Our boys are all on the move this 
 morning, making preparations to move on towards Beverly, 
 to which place a part of the army went on yesterday. The 
 whole division leave this place, with the exception of two or 
 three Companies of the Indiana 13th, which remain here for 
 a few days, for the purpose of destroying the rebel fortifica- 
 tions, and burying the dead rebels that are still being picked 
 up through the woods in great numbers. Their loss is ascer- 
 tained to be much larger than was first supposed, many of 
 them having died of their wounds after escaping from the 
 battle ground, and are now being picked up by our boys and 
 put in the ground. We received intelligence this morning 
 of the defeat of the rebels by the Ohio and Indiana troops 
 under Gen. Morris at Laurel Hill, and also of the death of 
 Gen. Garnett. This was the last nest of the conspirators in 
 this section of the State, there now being no regularly organ- 
 ized band any place North of Charleston on the Kanawha 
 River. Our troops left Camp Garnett this afternoon and 
 marched on to Beverly, where we arrived at about 6 o'clock, 
 and where we proceeded to pitch our tents and make prepa- 
 rations for a night's rest. I will here give a description of 
 Camp Garnett as near as possible from observations taken 
 from three different points. The Camp is situated on the 
 Parkersburgh and Staunton turnpike, twenty-four miles East 
 of Buckhannon and six miles West of Beverly. It is situated 
 at the place where the pike passes through the gorge of Rich 
 Mountain, and where the road is commanded on three sides 
 by high hills, on which the enemy had built their defences, 
 and planted their guns so as to completely command the 
 approaches each way. Their fortifications on three hills 
 together, I should think, were near two miles long. Rich 
 
52 
 
 Mountain is a range of mountains situated between the valley 
 of Roaring Creek on the West, and the valley of the Valley 
 River on the East, and is, perhaps, at its highest elevation, 
 between fifteen hundred and two thousand feet above the 
 valley of the Tiger valley branch of Cheat River. The range 
 runs off to the North from Beverly and connects with Laurel 
 Hill, and South from the same place and connects with C 
 Mountain, some twenty-five miles South of this place. 
 
 Sunday, July 14. — The weather this morning is rather 
 cool. Our whole division is now encamped in Camp Beverly. 
 Our camp looks like a city of miniature houses spread over 
 the valley, and makes a fine appearance from a hill in the 
 vicinity of our camp. Beverly is the County town of Ran- 
 dolph County, and is situated in the valley of the Tiger fork 
 of Cheat River, thirty miles East of Buckhannon, and one 
 hundred miles West of Staunton ; the town is rather a rusty 
 looking place and contains perhaps a population of two hun- 
 dred and fifty inhabitants. I made a visit this morning to 
 that part of our Camp occupied by the rebel prisoners, 
 and took a stroll among them, and as far as my observations 
 went I saw but little difference in personal appearand 
 tween them and our own men. I had quite a long CO] 
 sation with some of them, and found them to be very intelli- 
 gent men; and came to the conclusion that if they are a fail 
 representation of the Southern army, that we have no mean 
 enemy to contend with as far as knowledge and physical 
 strength is concerned. I also took the number of muskets and 
 rifles that we now have in our possession, taken at the bat- 
 tle and surrendered at this place on yesterday ; the precise 
 number is 876 muskets and 150 rifles, with the same amount 
 of catridge boxes and belts ; the number of prisoners i£ 
 including nearly forty officers of different rank. There' is a 
 detachment of our boys now forming to go a few miles from 
 here to clean out a nest of rebels that are said to be a few 
 miles from this place. There was also a small detachment 
 sent out to open the road from here to Webster, to which 
 place we go from here, and which is the place that we will 
 perhaps start home from. 
 
 Monday, July 15. — The weather this morning is very 
 unpleasant, there being a thick heavy bank of clouds hang- 
 ing on the mountain peaks and a thick fog rising from the 
 mountain gorges ; the atmosphere being cold and chilly. 
 Last night was so cold that it. was impossible to sleep, all the 
 
53 
 
 covering that I had not being sufficient to keep me warm. — 
 The detachment sent out last night to capture and disperse 
 the rebels supposed to be a few miles from here returned this 
 morning not being able to find any man that pretended to 
 be a secesh soldier. There being only twelve days after this 
 till our term of service expires, the boys are beginning to 
 get anxious to get home, there being no prospect of us hav- 
 ing anything to do in this part of Virginia. The boys are all 
 pretty well there not being anything like as much sickness 
 as there was before we left Buckhannon. 
 
 Tuesday, July 16. — The weather this morning is much 
 the same as it has been for the last eight and forty hours, 
 cold, damp and chilly. Our Regiment is still laying in Camp 
 Beverly along with the Indiana 8th, 10th and 13th, and a 
 part of the Virginia 1st, while the balance of the division is 
 encamped farther up the valley. We have the rebel prisoners 
 in our Gamp yet, and I cannot find out what is to be done 
 with them ; some of the boys say that they will be taken to 
 Ohio and Indiana, and retained as prisoners of war, while 
 others have it that they will be sent home on parole, which 
 I think is the most likely of the two. I should think that 
 something should be done with them soon, and not keep them 
 here eating up our provisions, when we do not get enough 
 to eat ourselves. The health of the Camp is extremely good, 
 there being no sickness of anything worth mentioning; the 
 boys are all in good spirits and taking the times and events 
 as easy as possible. There is always an excitement attending 
 the life of a soldier that has the tendency to draw his mind 
 from the stern realities of Camp life and which has the effect 
 of keeping up his spirits under the most trying circumstan- 
 ces, this excitement alone being one of the best friends the 
 soldier has for keeping him from ennui. 
 
 Wednesday, July 17. — The weather is stjll rather un- 
 settled, although it is more pleasant than for the last few 
 days. Our boys are now looking for and anxiously awaiting 
 orders to move from this place, and shape their course home- 
 ward. We have still forty-two miles to march before we get 
 to the Railroad, and when that distance is footed over the 
 boys will feel much relieved in having all their hardships 
 gone through with. There is nothing going on in our Camp 
 that is worth mentioning ; there is no drilling done. Since 
 we have been in this Camp, all the duty that is required of 
 the boys is to stand their regular turns on guard, and to at- 
 
54 
 
 tend dress parade once in twenty-four hours. The rebel 
 prisoners that we have in our posession are being sent home 
 on parole, they agreeing to serve no more in the rebel ranks 
 during the war ; out for my part I put very little faith in 
 their professions of honor, for I believe the same men that 
 we are setting at large here will have to be whipped at some 
 other place. There were four or five hundred left here this 
 afternoon for eastern Virginia. 
 
 Thursday, July 18. — The weather this morning is clear, 
 the sun coming up looking red and fiery, showing signs that 
 we are going to have a pretty warm day ; the heat already 
 this morning at 9 o'clock being anything but moderate ; w» j 
 are still in Camp Beverly awaiting events as patiently im- 
 possible. The detachment sent out on last Sunday to open 
 the road from here to Grafton returned this evening and re- 
 port the road unobstructed from here through to that place. 
 The rebels while occuping Laurel Hill, fearing a junction of 
 the forces of General Morris and General Rosencrans, had 
 felled trees across the road for miles between Bev.rly and 
 Laurel Hill, but at present the road is clear from this place 
 to Grafton. While General Rosencrans with his brigade was 
 cleaning out the rebel Camp at Rich Mountain, General Mor- 
 ris was at work at Laurel Hill, at which place he drove them 
 away from and captured a large number of prisoners, and 
 also a large amount of property, consisting of horses, wag- 
 ons, tents, arms, and all kinds of army stores. 
 
 Friday, July 19. The weather still continues extremly 
 warm through the day, but the nights, with their heavy fogs 
 and chilling atmosphere, are cold and uncomfortable, which I 
 am inclined to think is also very unwholesome. There has 
 not been any thing of interest in the Camp this forenoon, but 
 at this time, 3 o'clock, there is something going on that is of 
 peculiar interest to me, and no doubt to hundreds of others 
 that are now gazing on the scene before them. There is 
 always something impressive to my mind in the solemnities 
 attending the burying of the dead, but on this occasion I feel 
 these impressions still more vivid, the circumstance being 
 this: On yesterday afternoon, a musician belonging to one 
 of the Ohio Regiments encamped here, having leave to return 
 home, started on horseback from here to Webster, where he 
 intended to take the cars ; but only five miles from our Camp, 
 and almost in sight of our Camp-fires, he was foully mur- 
 dered, being shot from his horse while riding along unarmed 
 
55 
 
 and apprehending no danger near. Particularly to an un- 
 armed man, such transactions speak for themselves, and will 
 perhaps open the eyes of our people who are showing so 
 much leniency to the cursed assassins that we have to do and 
 deal with in this God forsaken country. I am now listening 
 to the funeral dirges that our bands are playing while his 
 comrades are putting his remains in the ground, and I have 
 come to the conclusion that men that would commit such 
 crimes will surely meet with retributive justice from some 
 place, if not from the hands of a justly incensed and loyal 
 people, it will come from a higher power. The cause must 
 be bad indeed when its supporters must resort to such deeds 
 to carry their point in this accursed rebellion. Such deeds 
 are nothing more than could be expected of a set of unprin- 
 cipled thieves and rogues, such as Jeff Davis has got enlisted 
 in the hell-begotten and hell-hatched iniquity that he is 
 perpetrating against this Government, and which will surely 
 as the Lord liveth, meet with divine vengeance. The men 
 serving in this part of the country will hereafter be less 
 inclined to take any prisoners then they formerly have, but 
 will shoot all found with arms in their hands, retalliation 
 perhaps being the only way that will insure the safety of our 
 men when found in small parties or singly by the cursed 
 rebels. 
 
 Saturday, July 20. — Our boys are still in Camp Beverly, 
 this being the eighth day since we first came here. The 
 weather this morning is likely to change ; instead of sun- 
 shine we have a dark threatening sky, with every prospect of 
 having, a wet day, which is anything but desirable to men 
 placed in the situation that we are, having no other covering 
 but a few yards of canvas, and that none of the best, not 
 being water proof. There were some more prisoners brought 
 into Camp this morning but I suppose they will fare as 
 the others did, be kept here two or three days till they 
 get rested, when they will have their haversacks filled with 
 provisions and be sent on their way rejoicing, that they will 
 have a chance to kill some more of our men particularly 
 when they can find them unarmed. There were some of our 
 dragoons fired on last night from the bushes, and one man 
 killed and wounding three others. Such a warfare is getting 
 rather annoying, but still I do not see any way of putting a 
 stop to it. It is worse than we might expect from the 
 Indians of the Western prairies, and which might alone be 
 
56 
 
 expected from the barbarians of the pampas of South Amer- 
 ica, or the Hottentots or Bushmen of South-western Africa. 
 Our boys are very tired of this place, and are anxious to 
 leave it, but as yet there is nothing definite as to the time 
 that we move towards home. The Indiana 8th and 10th 
 move in the morning, and I think that our Regiment will 
 move to-morrow or next day, or on Tuesday morning at the 
 fartherest. I had a talk to-day with one of the Indiana 
 boys who has been at the Rich Mountain battle ground ever 
 since the fight, and he informed me that the number of 
 rebels picked up and buried to the present, time amounts to 
 three hundred and thirteen, the number of wounded amount- 
 ed to sixty making their loss in the aggregate 373, while the 
 loss on our side amounted to 18 killed and 30 wounded, mak- 
 ing a loss of 48 in all. 
 
 Sunday, July 21. — This has been the pleasantest day 
 which we have had for the last week; there has been a cool, 
 refreshing breeze all day, making it a great deal more pleas- 
 ant than it has been at any time since we have been in Camp 
 Beverly. The boys are getting very tired, of this place, ana 
 are anxious to move, which I think we will do the first of the 
 week. Two of the regiments of our brigade leave this morning 
 for Webster, on their way home, the Indiana 8th and 10th, 
 they being the same as ourselves, three mouths troops, and 
 their time nearly expired. There is no sickness in the Camp 
 at this time, with perhaps the exception of home sickness, 
 which is middling prevalent just now. Our Regiment this 
 morning was asked to stay one month over their time for the 
 purpose of making a trip up the Big Kanawha river, but 
 after taking a vote on the question, it was found that the 
 boys were directly opposed to serving any longer under the 
 present organization, and therefore refused to go, there being 
 but thirteen votes in favor of the proposed, extension of time, 
 five out of the thirteen being commissioned officers, who of 
 course would like to serve longer if possible, it being quite 
 to their advantage in a financial way, but quite to the reverse 
 j.^ it regards the men in the ranks ; although if it was 
 actually necessary, I think the boys would all be willing to 
 «o ; but all that I have heard speak of the matter, think 
 that if our services were needed in that quarter, that Gene- 
 ral McClellan would make it known to us in person, and not 
 leave the matter in the hands of the officers of the Regiment. 
 I have heard some of the bovs make the remark this morn- 
 
57 
 
 ing that it would be very convenient for the officers to pocket 
 another month's pay, which to them amounts to something 
 nice, while the men in the ranks have the long row to hoe, 
 at the extravagant price of eleven dollars per month, half 
 rations, and the curses and abuse of the officers to boot. 
 But I do not think that the officers will insist on us going, 
 they knowing the feelings of the men on the subject; there- 
 fore I think that the matter will be dropped. ^ There has been 
 nothing of any particular interest going on in Camp to-day, 
 more than the burying of a few secessionists, who died in 
 the hospital. 
 
 Monday, July 22, 4 o'clock, P. M.— The weather this 
 day is wet and disagreeable. It commenced to rain at an 
 early hour and has rained ever since ; it has not been rain 
 and sunshine alternately but it has been a regular settled 
 soaking rain from five o'clock this morning up to this time, 
 and is still raining. We have to stay in our tents all this 
 day and feel like so many prisoners, not being able to get 
 out long enough to stretch our weary limbs. The water 
 stands in puddles all over our Camp and the mud around 
 our quarters is anything but agreeable. We received this 
 evening the long looked for and anxiously expected order 
 that we have been awaiting with the greatest patience for 
 the last five or six days, the order to move from here to 
 Webster, at which place we will take the Eailroad and go 
 either to Benwood or to. Parkersburgh, on our way back to 
 Ohio. Our orders are to prepare one day's rations^ and be 
 ready to move at three o'clock in the morning, and the boys 
 are now prepairing for on early start and a long days march, 
 which I think will go pretty hard with some of them after 
 laying here and having little exercise for the last eight days. 
 Tuesday, July 23.— The weather this morning is clear 
 and pleasant, the rain having ceased last night about six 
 o'clock. Our Regiment left Camp Beverly this morning at 
 four o'clock, and the morning being cool and pleasant the 
 boys marched off at a pretty good pace, making eleven miles 
 in three an a quarter hours before taking a rest ; when the 
 Regiment halted and refreshed themselves with three quar- 
 ters of an hour rest and a good drink of water, after which 
 we again started and took our course up the winding road 
 that crosses Laurel Hill and at the end of two hours and a 
 half we were on the north slope of Laurel Hill and on the 
 ground that the rebels had fortified so as to make a pretty 
 
58 
 
 strong Military post. This Camp and fortification had been 
 the head quarters of the rebel army of North-western Vir- 
 ginia, and was directly under the supervision of General 
 Garnet, at which place he had his head quarters. The for- 
 tifications consisted of earth, stone and wood work, in the 
 shape of trenches and breast works, and properly manned 
 and under the command of a skillful officer, would be a 
 strong military post. After taking a rest of one hour and 
 taking a good survey of the old quarters of the rebel army, 
 and a good look at all of their defences, which are now des- 
 troyed, we again took the road and after a march of seven 
 miles the Regiment encamped for the night, the boys having 
 marched twenty-three miles since leaving Beverly, a r 
 many of them not being able to go any farther. 
 
 Wednesday, July 24. — The weather this morning is clear 
 and warm. The Regiment left Camp Barbour, (I name this 
 after the county in which it is located,) this morning at five 
 o'clock, and after a march of nine hours we arrived at Web- 
 ster, a small village on the Parkersburgh branch of Balti- 
 more and Ohio Railroad, four miles south of Grafton. The 
 Regiment made the march from Beverly a distance of forty- 
 two miles, marching time about sixteen hours. This is the 
 last march we will have ; from this place we will take the 
 cars either to Parkersburgh or to Benwood, and from one of 
 these two places we will make our way back to Columbus, 
 Ohio. We expect to leave this place this evening, that is if 
 we can be furnished with a train of Cars', which I think is 
 very likely we will be. There were some of our boys joined 
 us here this afternoon who have been sick ever since the 
 Regiment left Clarksburgh on its first coming into Virginia. 
 The boys all appear to be in good spirits although there are 
 some of them that are pretty well used up by the last two 
 days march. Our time expires on the 27th of the month, 
 therefore the time allotted to reach Columbus is but two 
 days after this, which will be little enough time to go that 
 distance in. There is still talk among the Officers of trying 
 to make the Regiment make a trip up the Big Kanawha but 
 I think that it will be of no use trying, for as far as I can 
 learn the boys are determined to go no farther, they claim- 
 ing that they have served the State as for as they are bound 
 to do, and as far as their oath compels them to do. 
 
 Thursday, July 25. — The weather this morning is clear 
 and warm. The Regiment left Webster last night at 10 
 
59 
 
 o'clock and after a dismal night's ride in a train of old 
 freight cars, we arrived in Parkersburgh this morning at 
 
 7 o'clock, at which place we lay till 6 o'clock in the evening, 
 at which time we went aboard of a steamboat and were taken 
 over to the Ohio side of the river. After we arrived at 
 Parkersburgh this morning, the Colonel formed the boys into 
 line and once more put the question directly to them, whether 
 or not they would make a trip up the Big Kanawha, which 
 they flatly refused to do, stopping all further comments upon 
 that question. The Regiment is now lying on the sand at the 
 water's edge of the Ohio river, and will lay there till there 
 is a train of cars arrives to take us to Columbus, which may 
 not be till morning, and if that should be the case, the boys 
 will have to make their beds on the sand for one night and 
 make the best they can of it. The Regiment has not drawn 
 any rations for twenty-four hours, and for my part I have 
 not drawn any for twice that length of time. I have had 
 nothing to eat all day and do not expect to get anything till 
 we get to Columbus, unless there is some person along the 
 road good enough to give us some. 
 
 Friday, July 26. — The weather this morning is beautiful. 
 Our boys lay all night on the sand and gravel by the river 
 side, without any covering but the clear blue sky and their 
 old thin blankets, but they all appear fresh and bright this 
 morning and appear as cheerful as if they had rested on 
 good beds and under cover of a good roof. We are still lay- 
 ing here by the river side, awaiting the arrival of the train 
 which we expect every minute. 8 o'clock, A. M. — The train 
 has just arrived and the boys are piling themselves into the 
 cars for another long and tiresome ride. We go from here to 
 Marietta, and from there to Loveland, at the junction of the 
 Cincinnati and Marietta Road with the Cincinnati and Col- 
 umbus Road. The distance from this place is more than 
 two hundred and fifty miles, which distance we have to ride 
 in a train of stock cars on bare boards, with just room 
 enough to set straight but none to lie down in. 
 
 Saturday, July 27. — The weather this morning is very 
 warm. Our Regiment arrived at Columbus this morning at 
 
 8 o'clock, after travelling since Tuesday morning, over four 
 hundred miles, and part of the distance on foot, therefore it 
 would be no wonder if some of the boys should feel pretty 
 badly used up, but they all appear to be as well as usual, 
 except perhaps that some of them look rather sleepy, not 
 
60 
 
 having any rest all last night and rather an indifferent night's 
 i est the night before. We had rather a pleasant day's travel 
 yesterday, notwithstanding the uncomfortableness of the cars 
 that we had to t ravel in. At the town of Athens, in Athens 
 County, we got some nice bread and butter and cheese, which 
 was a perfect luxury for us after living so long on hard 
 bread and meat, but when we came to the city of Chillico- 
 the, in Ross county, it seemed as if the whole city was at the 
 depot, and such a feast as we had there, we had not seen the 
 like of for many long days. The good people of the city 
 were there by the hundred, with wagon loads, basket loads, 
 and barrow loads of the nicest kinds of provisions to feed 
 our hungry boys. There we got bread and butter, pies and 
 cakes, cheese, ham, beef and mutton, good coffee, and every 
 thing that would tempt a hungry man, and the way the boys 
 pitched in to the good things was fun to see ; every man eat 
 till he was perfectly satisfied and no one went away hungry, 
 unless they were too lazy to eat, which I don't think was the 
 case. After every man had filled his bread basket to its 
 utmost capacity, the boys got aboard the train and we went 
 on our way rejoicing from the fair little city of Chillicothe. 
 After we arrived here this morning and partook of some 
 refreshments at the Rail Road Eating Saloon, the Regiment 
 was marched out to Camp Chase, and took possession of the 
 quarters assigned to them, and where we are now awaiting 
 our discharge so that we can return home. There are now 
 five three months Regiments at Columbus awaiting their 
 discharge, namely: 1st, 2d, 15th, 19th and 20th; therefore, 
 it is very likely that we may have to stay here for ten days 
 before we will be mustered out of the service and paid off 
 so we can return home. 
 
 Sunday, July 28. — This morning the weather is some- 
 what changed. We are having a very hard rain this morn- 
 ing, with thunder and lightening. The weather in this part 
 of the State has been very dry for the last few weeks, so the 
 rain that is falling this morning will have a very beneficial 
 effect on the growing crops, corn, potatoes and other vegeta- 
 bles. There is nothing of any special interest going on in 
 Camp to-day, therefore there is a scarcity of news. There 
 are a good many troops in Camp Chase at this time, but they 
 keep coming and going so that I cant find out the exact 
 number, but as far as I can learn there is in camp and 
 boarding in the city some five Regiments of returned three 
 
61 
 
 months troops. I see it published in the morning papers 
 that the three months troops now in camp will be paid off 
 and discharged this week, and if that is the case our Regi- 
 ment will perhaps get home the last of this week, it being 
 the last Regiment on the list except one> Our boys are all 
 well and are very anxious to be discharged so that they can 
 return home. This business of laying in Camp is very mon- 
 otonous; time hangs on our hands and passes off very slowly, 
 making the boys feel very much out of sorts. I have taken 
 up my quarters in the city with a friend of mine and am 
 fareing some better than I have for the last two or three 
 months, but still I am very weary of laying here and wait- 
 ing, for now that we have got back to the State of Ohio I 
 would like to be released from further obligations, so that I 
 could return home and do some good for myself, for there is 
 no good being done anyone by keeping us laying here at the 
 expense of the State of Ohio. There is very little business 
 of any kind doing in Columbus at this time, and if it was 
 not for the excitement attending the marshaling, dispatch- 
 ing, receiving and discharging of troops, this would be one 
 of the dullest places in the State of Ohio. Business of every 
 kind is pretty near at a stand, except such as is connected 
 with military movements, and that appears to be in a pretty 
 flourishing condition. There is recruiting going on in the 
 city and still appear to be a call for more troops. 
 
 Monday, July 29. — The weather this morning is clear 
 and very warm. Our Regiment is still in Camp Chase await- 
 ing the action of those whose duty it is to settle up the 
 affairs of the returned Regiments. I see no better prospect 
 of our being discharged than there was the day we came 
 here; but all that we have got to do is to wait till everybody 
 is as ready as we are, and then perhaps we will get our dis- 
 charge. Our boys are all well as usual, but are very tired 
 of this place. There is nothing going on here of any interest, 
 therefore I have nothing to write that would be inieresting. 
 
 Tuesday, July 30. — The weather is as it has been for the 
 last forty-eight hours, dry, and very warm, the air being 
 hot and sultry and making any place where there is the least 
 bit of fresh air and a good shade a very desirable retreat. 
 The weather for the last two days ha3 been warmer than I 
 have experienced this summer. The weather in Virginia 
 was sometimes pretty warm through the day, but the nights 
 were always gooI, sometimes uncomfortably so, but the days 
 
62 
 
 and nights are both very warm here for the last few days, 
 the nights being too warm to sleep with any degree of com- 
 fort. There is no news, nor is there anything going on in 
 Camp that ie any way interesting, therefore my remarks are 
 naturally very short. 
 
 Wednesday, July 31. — The weather this morning is clear 
 and still continues to be uncomfortably warm. Our boys 
 getting so tired of lying here that they are beginning to 
 have the blues, and there is very little wonder, for this is 
 the slowest way of soldiering that we have done since we 
 first commenced the business. There is still a dearth of 
 news in Camp, there not being anything going on that is 
 worthy of notice. 
 
 Thursday, August 1.— The weather is still unchanged, 
 it still being hot, hot, hot, and no comfort to be found but 
 in the shade, and no place can there be found but what it 
 is too hot for comfort ; the conclusion came to now by the 
 official dignitaries is that our Regiment shall return home 
 immediately without either a discharge or being paid off.— 
 The Regiment this afternoon delivered up to the State 
 authorities their muskets, catridge boxes, knapsacks, haver- 
 sack and belts, and the order^is that we will leave here to- 
 morrow morning and return home, and at some other time, 
 perhaps one month hence, there will an officer visit the seve- 
 ral Companies of the Regiment at the most convenient pla- 
 ces, and there and then discharge them from the service and 
 pay them for the service which they have performed. — 
 This being the programme that is to be carried out, the Regi- 
 ment will leave Columbus in the morning and return to 
 their homes, the boys all appearing to be satisfied with the 
 arrangements. 
 
 Feid \y, A rausT 2. — Our Regiment left Camp Chase last 
 evening and came to the city, and at 11 o'clock in the even- 
 ing there was a train left the depot taking away five Com- 
 panies of the Regiment. They go as far as Crestline and 
 await the arrival ot the other five Companies of the Regi- 
 ment, which will leave here at three o'clock in the morning. 
 The other five Companies of the Regiment left this morning 
 at three o'clock and run up to Crestline where we found the 
 boys that had preceded us and come up on the last night's 
 train. The Regiment was now once more and I presume for 
 the last time all together. Companies A, E, H and G, go 
 e.ist on the Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne and Chicago Road, while 
 
63 
 
 the other six Companies go from here to Cleveland, where 
 there will be another division, Company K will take the 
 Cleveland and Pittsburgh Road and go to Hudson ; Com- 
 panies B and C will take the Cleveland and Mahoning Road 
 and go to Warren, and Youngstown, and Companies D, F and 
 I, will take the Lake Shore Road and go to Painesville, and 
 Ashtabula. At 9 o'clock the train started on their different 
 routes, and the gallant 19th was broken up, after having 
 been together for nearly three months, and undergoing some 
 Very hard trials. The boys of the different Companies ap- 
 peared to me as old friends and I was very loth to part 
 with some of them, but nevertheless the separation had to 
 take place and we are all now on our way home. I wish 
 every man in the Regiment a pleasant journey and a safe 
 arrival to their homes, and if any of them should ever read 
 these lines, they may rest assured that they have the best 
 wishes of a musician that belonged to the Regiment, and 
 shared its hardships and leisure hours. The 19th, from the 
 time it left Camp Taylor till its return to Columbus, traveled 
 over twelve hundred miles, camped in sixteen different camps 
 done a large amount of scouting, was engaged in one battle 
 and captured one thousand of the enemy and killed three 
 hundred, and captured property to the amount of nearly 
 one hundred thousand dollars. The Regiment is now broken 
 up and my notes will have to stop, so good luck to the boys 
 of the old 19th and may every one of them live to see peace 
 once more restored in our land, and the rebels be brought to 
 feel that the Yankee boys of Ohio are always willing to de- 
 fend their rights, either from enemies Without or within the 
 borders of our own Buckeye State ; and that their arms are 
 long to reach and strong to strike in the defence of our com- 
 mon country, 
 
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