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George C. Burmeister diary, 1864
1864-04-09
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by them that it rained yesterday on us. Our boots and shoes did not permit us to “put them on” without considerable pulling and twisting. We were ordered to march at 7 A.M. Banks 13th and 19th corps are perhaps fifteen or twenty miles in advance of us. Considerable fuss was made this morning about our men firing some of their pieces. Marched very slowly this morning with frequent rests, so that our men began to laud general Banks, who they said knows how to march troops, but they changed their opinion in the afternoon when we commenced to march in quick time and continued at this rate for eight miles. The slow marching in the morning was caused by the frequent stoppage of the train, which was moved with difficulty at several places in the road, owing to the poor condition of the latter since the last rain. We heard heavy cannonading in our front apparently twelve miles from us, it was kept up at least one hour. Camped near Pleasant Hill, a mile from town at 8 P.M. Vague rumors about a battle and Banks’ defeat reached us this evening. Saturday 9 At 1 ½ A.M. the reveille aroused us from our pleasant slumbers. Orders were given to extinguish our fires as soon as our breakfast was prepared, and to hold ourselves in readiness for any emergency. A number of troops and a large train came from the front. I spoke to several men coming from the battlefield who told me thus, “About sixteen miles from this place near Mansfield General Lee in command of Banks cavalry had been completely surprised by the rebels who lay in ambush, and had been terribly beaten his cavalry got into a perfect panic and communicated
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by them that it rained yesterday on us. Our boots and shoes did not permit us to “put them on” without considerable pulling and twisting. We were ordered to march at 7 A.M. Banks 13th and 19th corps are perhaps fifteen or twenty miles in advance of us. Considerable fuss was made this morning about our men firing some of their pieces. Marched very slowly this morning with frequent rests, so that our men began to laud general Banks, who they said knows how to march troops, but they changed their opinion in the afternoon when we commenced to march in quick time and continued at this rate for eight miles. The slow marching in the morning was caused by the frequent stoppage of the train, which was moved with difficulty at several places in the road, owing to the poor condition of the latter since the last rain. We heard heavy cannonading in our front apparently twelve miles from us, it was kept up at least one hour. Camped near Pleasant Hill, a mile from town at 8 P.M. Vague rumors about a battle and Banks’ defeat reached us this evening. Saturday 9 At 1 ½ A.M. the reveille aroused us from our pleasant slumbers. Orders were given to extinguish our fires as soon as our breakfast was prepared, and to hold ourselves in readiness for any emergency. A number of troops and a large train came from the front. I spoke to several men coming from the battlefield who told me thus, “About sixteen miles from this place near Mansfield General Lee in command of Banks cavalry had been completely surprised by the rebels who lay in ambush, and had been terribly beaten his cavalry got into a perfect panic and communicated
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