DIY History | Transcribe | Civil War Diaries and Letters | George C. Burmeister diary, 1864

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1864-03-04 -- 1864-03-05

Friday 4.  While I was drilling my company, the Iowa Brigade composed of the 11th, 13th, 15th & 16th Iowa Regiments arrived, and I saw some of my old friends who reported some dreadful stories of the expedition which I do not think reflect any credit on the participants robbing and burning houses, over the heads of innocent women and children, it is brutal, and I hoped to be spared such tales of the Union army but it is now assuming a very bad cast and destruction and plunder mark its progress through the country which we are trying to reclaim by force of arms from rebel rule.  I had scarcely got half way to camp when I noticed that our camp was in motion I soon ascertained that we were ordered to move in a few hours.  I packed up and was ready more than an hour before we started.  We marched half way to Vicksburg where we camped for the night.  It is a beautiful place where we are camped, we are having a nice place for our company, plenty of room and boards to lie on, good water, and my men see the advantage of being on the right side of the reg’t
Saturday 5.  At four o’clock we were up made fires cooked our breakfast and packed our baggage on the wagon, and sun rise found us some distance on our way.  We marched inside of the fortifications at Vicksburg, into a low place a hollow, or valley near the cemetery where we camped, it is a poor, filthy place.

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Friday 4. While I was drilling my company, the Iowa Brigade composed of the 11th, 13th, 15th & 16th Iowa Regiments arrived, and I saw some of my old friends who reported some dreadful stories of the expedition which I do not think reflect any credit on the participants robbing and burning houses, over the heads of innocent women and children, it is brutal, and I hoped to be spared such tales of the Union army but it is now assuming a very bad cast and destruction and plunder mark its progress through the country which we are trying to reclaim by force of arms from rebel rule. I had scarcely got half way to camp when I noticed that our camp was in motion I soon ascertained that we were ordered to move in a few hours. I packed up and was ready more than an hour before we started. We marched half way to Vicksburg where we camped for the night. It is a beautiful place where we are camped, we are having a nice place for our company, plenty of room and boards to lie on, good water, and my men see the advantage of being on the right side of the reg’t Saturday 5. At four o’clock we were up made fires cooked our breakfast and packed our baggage on the wagon, and sun rise found us some distance on our way. We marched inside of the fortifications at Vicksburg, into a low place a hollow, or valley near the cemetery where we camped, it is a poor, filthy place.