Then the parade was dissmissed & officers assembled round the Col to receive instructions & orders. I don’t know what they were but something pertaining to duties. He dissmissed and the orderlies of each Co bringing their respective Cos in as was usually done. Then the old Lieut Col informed the Capts of Companies that they were to take their Co down to the race ground which had been prepared for the Brigade and all kind of races to be run or anybody with anything. Free for all. We were marched down, it being half a mile and we formed on to the right of our regt around the track. Evry regt taking the place assigned them by the boss. The track was a round one. The mules without number was run, then the horses, then foot races were run. I guess evry officer in the division was there and the whole of Gibbons Brigade and a few privates from other Brigades but it was made for this Brigade only. But it being the only one in the division, so the officers collected. They made up a large purses for the fastest runners among men or horses or mules. A mule from our Regt got the first prize $10.00 cts and a man in the Sixth Regt that lived in the town of Cassville by the name of Ishmiel [John C. Ismael] got the first prize $10.00 cts for fastest runner but he was beat bad by Cap Richison [Captain Hollon Richardson]64 of Co A of 7th Regt. But he didnt run for the money, for officers were not allowed to run against the privates for money. But Cap just run for the fun of it and to see, he said, if he had lost speed any since coming to the army. He didnt want the money I think, but he would’nt have got it anyhow if he had. Well running continued till night. All kinds of races. As fast as one was off the track, another was on. Great excitement.65
About sundown we come home. Cap Dolphin dissmissed us. But it was sport I tell you, to see the great gang of mules start off at full speed. And the mules begin to kick off, tumbles riders and by the time they got around, there was quite a number riderless. Well our orderly & other officers officiated till roll call. Orderly called roll. Give up his office as well as the others. So ended the day. And I have left out a great many things that transpired. The [weather] was fine but rather warm. I enjoyed myself well but not so well as if the war had been ended and I were at home to go to some picnic. But however we made quite a demonstration. We done something that we could not do at home. But when we do get home, we will try to raise a Co for the next fourth after.
July 5, 1862
Fine day. Had battalion drill in the evening. Verry short one. None of the field officers be there. Our Cap had command, he being the Senior Co officer in the Regt and the next in seniority among the Captains. Took the next highest office. & soon we made a few awkward moves. Come in, had dress parade. The Col’s going to let the Co officers drill the Regt so as they will learn to officiate in case of an emergency which might happen anytime.
July 6, 1862
And Sunday. Fine day. The Sunday morning inspection went through with no chance for our Co to go to church. There was a few of the boys went with other Cos that was going, they taking the letter F off their hats so that the guards wouldnt know but what they belonged to the Co they were then in. We had no dress parade. Most of the boys went to take a swim this evening. There was a funeral in our Regt this evening. He belonged to Co H. Complaint billious fever. It was carried on in military form with that doleful march being played by the band. It was a solumn procession.
July 7, 1862
And fine day, but quite warm. Battalion drill this evening in presence of Gen Gibbons. The 6th was out also. The rumor was that he wanted to observe the movements of both and the best drilled was to take the right of the Brigade but this is only a rumor as yet. But I think there was something contemplated about it or the Gen wouldnt of had it done so. Dress parade, several orders was read, one concerning cooking. It was as follows. That the cooks should rise an hour before revilee and have a cup of coffee ready as soon as roll call was over. And another order warning the officers about providing for their Companies and to see that they have plenty and that they will be held responsible for the execution of this order. This by order of Secretary of War. E. M. Staunton [Edwin M. Stanton]. This being done for the health of the troops. It is calculated to keep off fevers. There is to be no more squad cooking. There has to be two cooks detailed from their respective Cos and they are to do nothing else and are to be saving and attend to their buisness in good style. This causes a great deal of murmering in our Co. I don’t know how it is in other Cos for a great many boys wants to make their own coffee and some wants to do one thing and some another and Cap cant please them all and that trubles him, I believe.
July 8, 1862
Fine day and no drill but dress parade. I went on Brigade guard in the evening at the usual time of guard mounting 5 P.M. Each Regt mounts their guards and sends them to Brigade guard mounting. They being closely inspected at the Regts and inspected at Brigade mounting also, going through a great many different and I think, foolish moves. At last we were through with it. Our Regts boys coming on the third relief. I do not know whether they had dress parade or not in our Regt.
July 9, 1862
Fine day. Verry warm. Last night was a hard night on me, it being verry warm and I not feeling verry well. Had taken some Physic (a dose of Ayres pills) the night before & they still worked on me. And have done so today which makes me feel quite weak but I worried it through till we was relieved by the new guard which was 6 P.M. I felt verry tired this evening. And was verry warm and close but most always for four or five hours in the middle of the day there is a nice breeze and so it was today. When I reached my quarters there was a letter from Henry waiting for me to read it which I done right after supper. Yesterday and today we only got half rations of bread. They say the Bakeries cannot bake it fast enough and besides we have poor living. I now would think what we got last winter would be good living if we could get [it].
July 10, 1862
Fine day. Nothing done today. Had dress parade. Orders read to be ready to march at one hours notice from now on and provided with 10 days rations. One in our haversacks, two days in each Regts teams and seaven in the Brigade teams. There is no news of any importance from Mclelen [McClellan’s] army of late.
July 11, 1862
Rains a little this morning. Still in camp all day. Had drill in the evening at the usual hour. The Co officers acting as field officers. Gen Gibbons riding around looking on. We expect to move tomorrow morning.
July 12, 1862
Fine morning, not gone yet and I don’t see as we are likely to go. I didnt rest well last night, the cause of it is I slept in a hammack and it was so soft and easy that I couldnt after sleeping on the ground so long. Making hammocks first started in Co C, 6th Regt [Prairie du Chien Volunteers] and they all got hammocks. The Brigade doctor seeing this issued an order for the whole Regt to have them as they would be much healthier. Then three or four of our boys made them and I laid down in one to try them and got up with the conclusion to make one. So I went at it yesterday morning to make it and did make it, taking my half of tent to make it. And find it much more comfortable living without a tent and with a hammock.66
July 13, 1862
And fine day. Nothing but dress parade. Went through the usual routine of daily duties.
July 14, 1862
Fine day, nothing but dress parade. The Govenors proclamation was read calling for 5 new Regts from the state of Wisconsin offering 2 dollars bounty to any man bringing in a volunteer to any one of those 5 new Regts & 3 dollars for those that joined the Regts that were in the field and one months pay in advance & also 25.00 cts of the 100.00 bounty. And one order was read to the effect that the several Regts in this Brigade was to have roll call at sunrise & form line on their respective parades by sunrise to be reviewed by the Gen & staff. Do so evry morning until further orders. This by order of Brig Gen Gibbons after which the Col made a little speech by way of encouragement but never said a word about marching. His speech was verry patriotic and calculated to inspire us with vigor and saying that there was a great chance for promotions from the army now in the field to take comma
nd in the new Regts. The Govenor promising this in his proclamation. I am sorry to hear that Recruiting goes on verry slow for the 20[th Wisconsin] Regt and hope that the people will arouse from their slumbers as it were and answer to the call of the President. The great truble is that the wounded & sick soldiers there in the hospital give the bad side to their friends thereby detering those that would come. I must say, though with great reluctance, that I fear they shall have to draft some but I hope not. I hope for the best and let time tell our fate.
General John Gibbon, Commander of the Western Brigade. Generals in Blue
I feel more like fighting than ever but as yet have not had a chance to show our boasted bravery but hope the [day] will soon come when we will have the orders to join Mclelen [McClellan]. To be sure we have hard fare but that is nothing compared to what we would have to do if conquered. My knappsack, I imagine, would’nt feel so heavy if we were marching to join Mclellen but probably it is for the best that we are lying here so long. I must write letters to all relatives and write verry patriotic, urging some of them to join if possible while they can be called Volunteers. Just think what a disgrace to be drafted to fight for all that is near & dear to us, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
July 15, 1862
And fine day. Formed line according to the order of last evening. Gen [John Gibbon] came around on his prancing steed. Then we went to our quarters, got breakfast which was later than for several mornings in consequence of having that review. I think there is some clashing in the orders about coffee and the morning reviews because we cannot get coffee as soon as roll call is over on account of having to be reviewed so early. Had dress parade.
July 16, 1862
And fine day till about 5 P.M. when it clouded up and rained some which stoped our Brigade drill which we were to have at 6 P.M. it being put of till 7 in the morning. We had no dress parade. Had the morning review this morning. Breakfast come off as late as it used to. I comenced a letter to Henry this morning in answer to one I received last week.
Nothing occurred to break the monotony of our Camp life. We expect to march at any time. Our Regt got 4 new teams today which makes 13 in all in our regt. I don’t know what they are going to do with so many unless they are to haul our knappsacks and I cant believe it for we have been deceived so often about our knappsacks being hauled.
July 17, 1862
And fine day. Nothing transpired. Had Brigade drill in the morning at 7 oclock. Had the morning review. Had dress parade in evening at usual time.
July 18, 1862
Fine day till evening when it rained as it done last night. Had no review this morning. Drill at 7 A.M. Dress parade in evening. Rained again this evening, just a nice shower. Today there was a team loaded up with knappsacks just for experiment to see how many could be got into one wagon. They got the knappsacks of three Cos in one wagon and went to Falmouth and locked the hind wheels of the wagon to come up some steep hills. The team proveing themselves able to draw that many with ease but when it comes to marching the knappsacks will be heavier. But one team can carry three Co’s knappsacks anyhow. So we are to get our knappsacks hauled without a doubt.
July 20, 1862
Sunday, fine day. The Sunday morning inspection didnt come off. Cap got us off it some way. I got a letter today from Mother, she was not verry well. The feeling towards Cap [Callis] is bitter now, verry. He has sent one man, a good fellow, to Fredricsburg jail and he nor the Co not knowing what it was for. He stands verry low with the Co.
July 21, 1862
And fine day. Reville line as it is called in the morning. Brigade drill at 7 A.M. lasting till 10. Had battallion drill at 5 P.M. lasting one hour.
July 22, 1862
And fine morning, rained in the evening. The same maneuvers went through with as yesterday. The two Commissioners appointed by the Govenor to take allotments from the soldiers came today and the Major partially explained the nature of the law to the battalion saying it would be explained tomorrow. And I will wait till the morrow before writing it down.
July 23, 1862
And cloudy in morning but rained a little in the evening. Went the usual maneuvers today except having no battallion drill. In the evening, the battallion was formed into a hollow square and the nature of the allottment law explained by the Commissioner in person. He doing it verry plaine. It was simply this. That those that wanted to send money home, so much evry payday, could do it without expense and do it safely & expedistionaly. And there being rolls that you must sign your name, the amount per month or evry payday and the name & place of residence of the one you want to send it to and the paymaster will have one of those rolls and when a man steps up to get his pay, the paymaster looks at this roll, see how much the man has alloted to his wife, father or mother or whoever it may be and he deducts it and keeps it and sends it to the state treasurer. And he sends it to the person chosen in the town of the money owners or those to whom it is directed on the roll. And the man chosen to receive this money will distribute as directed.
I wrote a letter to Mother today in answer to one I received last week. I washed a pair of pants today for the first [time] in my life. I am getting so that I wash about as good as a woman. I have washed shirts &c often since I have been in the service. We have to come out in tiptop order now and I will willingly do it if they will carry my knappsack. I will keep a button & blacking brush, one of each and a box of tripoli & box of blacking. This tripoli is for cleaning our brasses, used with the button brush. And then there is emery paper & crocus cloth & oil &c for cleaning the guns. There is an extra pair of pants, one pair of leggins, extra coat and things to numerous to mention. But if they haul my knappsack, I will do my best.
Well, John Dolphin, my tentmate went blackberrying today and got a pail full of them. Oh, if we had plenty of sugar we could live good. Some of the boys gets apples and new potatoes.
July 24, 1862
Had the usual drills & revilee line formed in morning. There is to be a reconnoitering party sent out from this division. The second Wis Regt & Battery B [of the Fourth U.S. Artillery] & the 3 N York Regt out of Augurs Brigade [General Christopher C. Augur] started this evening, went across the River. Went, I understand, towards Gordonsville. The 6th [Wisconsin] Regt is to follow in the morning. Is what is called a reconnoisance in force.
Some of the Co in the Regt is allotting pretty largely, but our Co is doing verry little if any. They preferring to draw the money and I prefer to draw it myself. But if I had been going to allott any I should not have alloted any more than what I shall send when I draw it myself.
July 25, 1862
Fine morning. No reville line this morning. Battallion drill seaven oclock. The sixth Regt started at an early hour this morning. They went in light marching order as did the Regts of yesterday with two days rations in their haversacks as did the other Regts of yesterday. I went on guard to night. The two Regts here has to furnish the same numbers of guards as the whole [Brigade] used to until they return. It is now late & no news from the Regts. Last night about ten oclock we had a hard thunderstorm. I think I never seen a harder one. I attended a Society that is starting in the Brigade. The name is the Moral, Intellectual, Union Society. They are just organizing. I will see how it prospers. I think I shall join them. It is moral in evry way and if we stay in Camp much longer, it may be a good thing. None of the Commissioned officers attended except the Doctors of the 19th Inda [Indiana] last night.
July 26, 1862
Fine morning. I attended to my regular guard duty. When it came time to mount guard, it rained so hard they didnt do it but just sent the relief around and relieved us and we came home without going through the regular forms as usual in fine weather. It cleared off and was a pretty evening late in the evening. News came that the 2nd Regt had had a skirmish. But that the whole troop had not met with the enemy in any numbers. We are expecting to get our pay from one day to another.
July 27, 1862
And fine day. Formed r
evilee line this morning. This being Sunday we had no drill, had the Sunday morning Inspection. Come out in splendid order. Cap complimented us verry highly for our cleanliness, said we need never fear but that we would ever pass any inspection as long as we kept ourselves in as good order as this morning. Had dress parade at usual time 6 P.M.
John and I moved our hammocks to a better cooler place, there being a small ridge just wide enough for a tent or two hammocks. This ridge is formed by an old road running each side and they have washed out to the depth of 4 to 6 feet. Which causes a good drain thereby making it a dry place even when it rains. And it being a few rods from the Co. We have a good breez when there is any going. This ridge is nearly all occupied by those that have hammocks and the boys call it hammock Ridge. We are fixed up neat having our oilclothes stretched so as to form a tent over us down as far as our hammocks come. So we are better situated than if we were in tents for it cannot rain through and we are off the ground free from all vermin and the damp of the ground.
Four Years With the Iron Brigade Page 18