The whole regiment semed to have gotten the idea that in recognition of the fact of our continued long hardships, and continuous campaigning during the winter, we would be removed to some important point and do garrison duty during the summer, and a regimental order was issued for all of the officers to procure new uniforms throughout, and all who did not have them, get side arms, and a Capt (Mass) who had resigned on account of age was ordered to make the purchase. In passing I will say that very little of the stuff ever reached the regiment. They last mounted service that I was permitted to perform, was a picket on outpost about 18 miles from Madisonville, near the N C line. I had about twenty men in my squad. We had a splendid camping ground, on a mountain stream. The people were pretty strongly union; and our prospects for a good time were very bright indeed. But alas for us; we had onley been there for a few days, when a picket was sent out to relieve us, and I was ordered to march at once for headquarters; which I did much puzzled to know what there was in it; but did not have long to wait after getting to camp. Orders came to us to turn over our horses without reserve, even for the officers. This was a new deal, but our grapevine news agent got busy, and soon located us at some important point, where where we would be required to do post duty, and play soldiers. It did not take long to dispose of our mounts, and get vouchers for them, and then we were ready to go, and there was no delay about it. We marched somewhat hurriedly to Sweetwater station, and went into camp near the depot; and our news agent got busy agian; and placed us there for the summer. To this report even the officers semed to give some credence. Regimental orders came at once for us to police quarters, and put up tents; which we went at with a will; and in a day or so evrything was in applepie order. At the end of the third day we we received orders to march the next morning at six oclock; but no mention was made as to the direction, and as our news agent was not to be found, we were solidly against it. All that a soldier has to do in cases like this is to wait, and he is liable to get more information than he wants. It will suffice to say that we marched the next morning; not exactly on time, but we marched; and we marched south, and as we knew that General Sherman's army was not very far away, and that his forces were already fighting, we did not have to run around hunting for possibilities, and ariving at conclussions. On the evning of the second day we passed through a town, the name of which I can not recall now; and passing beyond it a few miles, went into camp on the bankcs of the Hiwossie river; a very beautiful place, and of some interest to me, on account of the fact that my grandmother had lived somewhere on this river when my mother was a baby. Nothing of great importance occured here. I think that we got some clothing supplies here. Six regiments of new Ind troops were quartered here, having arrived some days before us. This was what was called Hovey's brigade, and was some times known as Gen Hovey's brigade. Before leaving here our company wagons were all turned over, and onley one wagon was alowed to each regiment, and that was to be used for transportating the officers baggage; and even that was very much reduced. The officers had to carry their own rations. When we prepared to march, I and the Capt had some controversy, as to who was to carry the bacon. I had put my new uniform in the wagon, and had donned my old privates suit, and the Capt thought I would not be damaged greatly if I carried the bacon. The day was very warm, and that is all the reader will have to know to understand what the condition of my clothing was in after carrying some ten pounds of bacon all day. We were to carry the bacon day about; and the next morning I layed the bacon before the Capt, and after he had viewed it for a minut, he said now let us reason together for awhile about this important matter. He said "now your clothes are already greased, and it would be too bad for both of us to be soiled in that way. After considerable controversy it was agreed that I should hire the first negro that was available. We had not marched more than a mile or so till I saw a negro man at the side of the road, with whom I struck a bargain at once, and delivered the bacon to him, and directed him to go to the captain and get the balance of our culinary supplies, but I could not deliver the grease I had extracted from the bacon. In about two days we were in line of battle on the extreme left of General Sherman's army; where we were not permitted to remain idle more than a day or two. When we formed a part of two columns of soldiers, consisting of possibly 15,000 men, that was to make a right half wheel, and attack a fort on the right side of the enimys fortifications. While the right of our columns did not march over a mile, our left possibly marched five miles or more. It took all dayto make the march. We passed over all kinds of obstructions such as fallen timber, clifts and deep gorges. Apparently there was not a foot of level ground, and the underbrush was almost impenetratable; and yet we had to maintaine a semblance of a line of battle, and kep both lines within a hundred yards of each other. About six oclock we arrived within one hundred yards of the slashing in front of the fort. Upt to this time we had not seen a single enimy, but had heard some firing by the cavelry on our left. The rear column halted about one hundred yards in the rear. It had been a hard days march, and we willingly layed down in our places when the signal was given. More than a mile of the two lines was now in full view, in the direction of "Bald Knob:, which was the highest point in the range of low mountains. Our signal corps was stationed here; and Gen Sherman, and many prominent army officers took their station here to watch, and direct the movement, which was reported by them to have been the finest that they had ever witnessed. The fact that our orders came to us along the line with the utmost caution, admonished us that there was iminant danger in front. While it was true that we could see no one, we knew that our neighbors were at home and ready to receive us in a very hostile manner; and our officers concluded that it was not best to make our call at that time of the day, and orders were passed along the line to lay down on our arms, heads to the rear, with our arms so arranged that when we arose to our feet we would have our guns at a ready to fire. We were cautioned not to rattle our canteens against our guns, or to speak above a monotone of voice. When it was dark, a certain number of men were to take as many canteens as they could carry and supply their comrades with water for the night. Then we would probably be ordered to charge the fort as earley as four oclock in the morning, which would be announced by a signal gun on bald knob, and when we heard that signal, evry man was to rise, and march at a double quick, for the fort. The civilian can not even aproximate the terable straine that such a situation imposes. I lay down in line with my comrads and close to many of my old schoolmatesand friends, and was an attentive listener to the whispered conversations that were carried on in the earley part of the night. Many of them had a preminition that they would fall in the charge on the morrow. Some gave directions as to what should be written to their friends if they should be killed. Others scribbled name, company and regiment upon a piece of paper and pinned it to their clothing. While a few went to sleep immediately, and slept all night, some of them, in their talk in their sleep, semed to be dreaming of home, and talking to loved ones. I was always a light sleeper, and was awake many times during the night, and was fully awake at about foour oclock. Having no watch, I measured the time by the crowing of a cockerel, that had escaped the conscription of both armies, and as that was the onley sound of the kind that I heard, I concluded that he was onley one that had survived. The voice of that chanticular had a very lonesome effect on me I assure you. But it was sweet music in comparison with that other sound that I was listening for. Very few of the men apparently awoke at the appointed time. The time slowley dragged on, and there was no gun fired, and nothing to indicate that a great battle was to be fought. Looking to the East a faint glow appeared, that indicated that a new day was daughning upon us. In that mountaneaous country, daylight comes slowly, and it was at least an hour before the god of day showed his smiling face; and when he shed his first reys, they fell upon two lines of battle, lying upon the ground as arranged the night before; and yet there was no indications that a battle was to be fought. At about seven oclock word was passed along the line to eat our breakfast, but to make no noise. We could hear little sound coming from our neighbors, which indicated to us that they too were on their good behavior. At half past 8 oclock word was passed along the line for the front column to rise at a given signal, and about face and march to the rear, passing over the rear line, and halt and lie down one hundred yards to the rear, but the same precaution as to noise was enjoined. When we got settled in this position, then the front line performed the same manuever, which we continued alternately three times. When we got orders to brake into columns of regts to the rear; which we continued for some distance, in regular military order; which we finaly changed to the route step, and by four oclock we were in our old camp, and very tired and hungry. The fact that there was rumors that a movement was being made to the rear made us feel that there would be something doing in our camp soon; and we were not left to guess at it very long. We soon found out that our movement on the fort was not intended to be a fight, but was made for the purpose of holding the rebels, while Gen McFerson made a lodgement on the railroad, some thirty miles in the rear of Johnson's army. SCKY Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=south-central-kentucky Barren Co Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=kybarren Sandi's Genealogical Puzzlers: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gensoup/gorin/puz.html GGP: http://ggpublishing.tripod.com/