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

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1864-03-14 Page 3

ambulances came in one after another carrying our wounded heroes to the rear. Suddenly troops near us commenced cheering and the news arrived that the fort is ours; the 14th and 27th Iowa 24th Mo. 58th Ill. Rgts and some others made the charge and took it, the 24th Mo. planting its colors first on the enemy's works and the 14th Iowa next. I saw first sergeant A.M. Baker of the 14th Iowa, was glad to see him, brave boy, he is an old college chumb of mine, of course I loved to see him. His Regiment had lost six men wounded in the charge. I believe our entire loss is six killed and twenty wounded. We captured between 300 and four hundred prisoners, 220 small arms, eight heavy parrot seige guns, 2 pieces of light artillery, a great quantity of ammunition, and other appurtenances of a military garrison. Started from camp for the fort after dark, while walking along the road in the forrest I saw two men approach me, I permitted them to come up to me, bade them "good evening", and asked them "who they were, whence they came and whither they were going?" I ascertained that one was a rebel deserter who desired to come into our lines, the other a negro, who also wanted to come to the yankees, he was almost entirely naked, without shoes, and clad in rags, so that half of his skin was visible, he complained very bitterly of the vile treatment he had received at the hands of his masters, he told us the darkies were treated like brutes, forced to work hard and when they are unable to work any more they are not taken care of by their owners. I gave him some crackers, those which our men esteem so lightly, he loved them well and devoured

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ambulances came in one after another carrying our wounded heroes to the rear. Suddenly troops near us commenced cheering and the news arrived that the fort is ours; the 14th and 27th Iowa 24th Mo. 58th Ill. Rgts and some others made the charge and took it, the 24th Mo. planting its colors first on the enemy's works and the 14th Iowa next. I saw first sergeant A.M. Baker of the 14th Iowa, was glad to see him, brave boy, he is an old college chumb of mine, of course I loved to see him. His Regiment had lost six men wounded in the charge. I believe our entire loss is six killed and twenty wounded. We captured between 300 and four hundred prisoners, 220 small arms, eight heavy parrot seige guns, 2 pieces of light artillery, a great quantity of ammunition, and other appurtenances of a military garrison. Started from camp for the fort after dark, while walking along the road in the forrest I saw two men approach me, I permitted them to come up to me, bade them "good evening", and asked them "who they were, whence they came and whither they were going?" I ascertained that one was a rebel deserter who desired to come into our lines, the other a negro, who also wanted to come to the yankees, he was almost entirely naked, without shoes, and clad in rags, so that half of his skin was visible, he complained very bitterly of the vile treatment he had received at the hands of his masters, he told us the darkies were treated like brutes, forced to work hard and when they are unable to work any more they are not taken care of by their owners. I gave him some crackers, those which our men esteem so lightly, he loved them well and devoured