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

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1864-03-14 Page 1

Monday 14. We rose at four this morning, partook of the inevitable "hardtack" coffee and "sowbellly", we passed through the burning fort "Taylor" and we are now on our way to the rebel fort "De Russy, La." Passed over a beautiful county, through a little village called Moroville [Moreauville], near which our advance and the rebel had a correspondence, but we succeeded in crossing the Bayou below them, thus outflanking them, while they had had Walker's division drown up in line of battle at a bridge to prevent our crossing. The road through the bottom was swampy, but after we got through it, the most beautiful landscape same regular Iowa scenery came in sight, we reached a level plain at least one hundred feet above the rest of the country over which we had travelled, interspersed with very large plantations, with herds of cattle, sheep and hogs. Marched through another village called Menzura, inhabited by Frenchmen, the entire county through which we have passed today contains nothing apparently save French  inhabitants, who seem to be in a thrifty condition. A few miles from the last named town we came upon another village called Cocoaville also settled by the French, situated on a grand prairie stretching for many miles around it, resembling our magnificent prairies of our own beloved Iowa. We saw a nunnery here in a very flourishing condition, some pretty nuns looked out of the windows and smiled upon us poor fellows almost running by them, while thus were perambulating in the garden with a catholic chaplain of our army. On our march we did not disturb any property of the people except

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Monday 14. We rose at four this morning, partook of the inevitable "hardtack" coffee and "sowbellly", we passed through the burning fort "Taylor" and we are now on our way to the rebel fort "De Russy, La." Passed over a beautiful county, through a little village called Moroville [Moreauville], near which our advance and the rebel had a correspondence, but we succeeded in crossing the Bayou below them, thus outflanking them, while they had had Walker's division drown up in line of battle at a bridge to prevent our crossing. The road through the bottom was swampy, but after we got through it, the most beautiful landscape same regular Iowa scenery came in sight, we reached a level plain at least one hundred feet above the rest of the country over which we had travelled, interspersed with very large plantations, with herds of cattle, sheep and hogs. Marched through another village called Menzura, inhabited by Frenchmen, the entire county through which we have passed today contains nothing apparently save French inhabitants, who seem to be in a thrifty condition. A few miles from the last named town we came upon another village called Cocoaville also settled by the French, situated on a grand prairie stretching for many miles around it, resembling our magnificent prairies of our own beloved Iowa. We saw a nunnery here in a very flourishing condition, some pretty nuns looked out of the windows and smiled upon us poor fellows almost running by them, while thus were perambulating in the garden with a catholic chaplain of our army. On our march we did not disturb any property of the people except