DIY History | Transcribe | Civil War Diaries and Letters | George C. Burmeister diary, 1861

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1861-06-15 -- 1861-06-17

Sat. 15. 
ready to receive them at a moments warning. At midnight captains Mathies and Gottschalk arrived with their companies. This was very gratifying to us. As we learned afterwards, their arrival induced the beforementioned traitors to retreat. We were anxious to engage them, but hailed the dawning morn with expressive joy.

Sunday 16. 
This is a beautiful sabbath. I stood guard a few hours, after which I laid about the camp leisurely, and meditated deeply, how differently I spent the sabbath a short time previous. Yes, what strange changes come in a person's life time! To day we are this tomorrow that, a perpetual change encircles us mysteriously.

Mon. 17.
The traitors do not dare to annoy us any more. A party composed of 25 of each company took an excursion through the country, and showed the people, that they were not, as reported, a set of robbers and murderers, our men report of having received a favorable reception from the people, who seem glad to see us. This evening we were placed on board the cars, en route for Macon City, about ten o'clock P.M. at a place called Shelbina the train was fired into by a set of rebels, we got out as speedily as possible, and pursued them, but they had the start of us and we found it impossible to catch them, though we fired upon them. No one of ours hurt.

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Sat. 15. ready to receive them at a moments warning. At midnight captains Mathies and Gottschalk arrived with their companies. This was very gratifying to us. As we learned afterwards, their arrival induced the beforementioned traitors to retreat. We were anxious to engage them, but hailed the dawning morn with expressive joy. Sunday 16. This is a beautiful sabbath. I stood guard a few hours, after which I laid about the camp leisurely, and meditated deeply, how differently I spent the sabbath a short time previous. Yes, what strange changes come in a person's life time! To day we are this tomorrow that, a perpetual change encircles us mysteriously. Mon. 17. The traitors do not dare to annoy us any more. A party composed of 25 of each company took an excursion through the country, and showed the people, that they were not, as reported, a set of robbers and murderers, our men report of having received a favorable reception from the people, who seem glad to see us. This evening we were placed on board the cars, en route for Macon City, about ten o'clock P.M. at a place called Shelbina the train was fired into by a set of rebels, we got out as speedily as possible, and pursued them, but they had the start of us and we found it impossible to catch them, though we fired upon them. No one of ours hurt.