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Feb 22 |
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Capt. Mulrennan and ten men went to the place lately occupied by Whitehurst
for he is expected to be back after his things, and if they come there
will be a chance for a fight. There is only eight men left here at
present and should the enemy come we would have to take to the woods for
safety. |
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Feb 23 |
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Sunday. Truly this is a cosmopolitan company, it is composed
of Yankees, Crackers, Conchs, Englishmen, Spaniards, Germans, Frenchmen,
Italians, Poles, Irishmen, Swedes, Chinese, Portuguese, Brazilian, I Rock
Scorpion Crusoe; but all are good southern men. There are also Scotchmen,
Welshmen and some half Indians, surely this is the greatest mixture of
nations for a small company that I ever heard of. |
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Apr 6 |
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Shot a fine large steer, it was the best beef that I have seen for
some time. Made soup of the head and it is a positive fact that there
was sixty gallons of soup made and drank this day and there is twenty of
us. Besides there was about fifteen pounds of steak and 1 ½
bushels of potatoes cooked and ate during the day. Passed the evening
at Mr. Coons house. He and wife and eldest daughter are highly educated
and I wonder at their burying themselves in the pine woods of Florida when
they have lived all their lives in the best of society. |
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Apr 7 |
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Nothing worthy of remark today. |
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Apr 8 |
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Saw a schooner going to the blockade. |
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Apr 9 |
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Took our things over to the bayou and got ready to start in the morning. |
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Apr 10 |
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Started this morning for Tampa with Mrs. Miranda and son, Miss Alice
Curry and brother on board. It being calm had to pull all the way.
Arrived at 2 o’clock PM. Heard that Charley Collins had married Mrs.
Black the night before. In the evening a lot of us went over to his
house and gave him a serenade with tin pans & etc he came out with
his fiddle and struck up also. We then stopped the noise and he and
Woods played several very nice tunes together, after which we went to the
officers quarters, took an old fellow that belongs to our company named
Pratt that was living with a negro woman that cooked for the officers and
rode him on a rail down to the wharf and threw him overboard. We
then gave him a lecture, told him what it was done for and that if he was
caught doing the like again that we would give him thirty nine lashes,
after which we went to our different quarters and turned in. |
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Apr 13 |
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Nothing worthy of remark took place during the last two days except
that I joined Capt. Mulrennan’s company. Capt. Smith wanted me to
join his company and offered to make me first masters mate and quartermaster
of his company but I preferred being with Mulrennan. At 11 o’clock
AM the alarm was given that the enemy was in sight and coming up the bay.
We all took our arms and ran down to the ditches all hands anxious for
a fight. A large schooner was coming towards the town and after keeping
us waiting for over an hour came to anchor behind an island two miles from
town. Picket guards were set at all the different roads leading to
this place for we are of opinion that the Yankees have landed men below
us and came in the schooner to draw our attention while they march up in
our rear. A boat was seen coming from her and two of our boats were
manned and went out to her. She had a flag of truce and demanded
the surrender of Tampa. Major Thomas told them that her would not
surrender it. The Yankee officer then gave him twenty-four hours
to take the women and children out of the town as they would attack the
place at the end of that time. Our men gave three cheers at the prospect
of having a fight which made the men in the Yankee boat look down in the
mouth as they expected to see us all look frightened and ready to surrender.
Capt. Smith told us to take all of our clothing and carry them up the river
as the enemy might come too strong for us and should we have to retreat
it would be impossible to carry anything with us. A strong picket
guard on all day and night. I am at work making cartridges tonight. |
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Apr 14 |
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No sign of the enemy but there is a bright lookout for them. |
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Aug 15 |
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Turned our at 4 AM and marched until 11 AM when we halted and ate dinner.
Started again at 4 PM and stopped at 7 PM, cooked and ate some fresh beef
and corn coffee and turned for the night. |
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Aug 16 |
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Started at 5 AM and passed through Jacksborough at 11 AM and halted
at the foot of Big Creek Gap in an apple orchard, drew three days rations
and were ordered to cook them but before one half was cooked we were ordered
to start but after putting our cooking utensils in the wagons we were told
that we would not start until 10 PM, but we remained here all night. |
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Aug 17 |
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Started at daylight through the gap and of all the rough and steep
roads for wagons and men to pass through it beat all. Towards night
I was taken sick with fever and a dreadful pain in my breast and sides.
I kept on until night when I could go no farther, so I rolled myself up
in my blanket and laid down by the side of the road all night and in the
morning I crawled along until I reached a house. I stopped there
for two days during which time I put nothing in my mouth but cold water.
I was then put into a wagon loaded with pots and kettles and was in it
for two days when I came up with the Regt. I was so weak and sick
having eaten nothing for four days and nights and having a severe fever
and pain in breast and sides all the time that I had to be led up to where
my camp was. The most of them were asleep, it being about 10 o’clock
PM. Remained with them next day and night, the Regt. Then started
for Barbersville, Ky. And I, Wood and Gus Archer and McLaughlin were
left together with many more sick men from the different companies.
This place is called Boston, Ky, every person in it are Lincolnites.
We stopped in houses with only one well man to take care of us. McLaughlin
died the day we left and everyone thought I would go next but owing to
the kindness of Wood and Archer I am yet alive for we left with but four
days rations for flour, meal and beef. No doctor and not a drop of
medicine. When we got well enough to begin to eat we had nothing
to eat but green corn and green pumpkins and that we had to steal from
the citizens. We stopped here for 12 days living on the food I have
mentioned and I only wonder that it did not kill all of us. On the
2nd of September a party of 25 or 30 Yankee soldiers came and took up prisoners
and paroled us on the same day for we were too weak to go with them.
On the next day Wood, Archer and I together with several of Gette’s company
started for Knoxville and for two days could not get a thing to eat except
green apples. On the evening of the 2nd day we came to a house where
our Regt. Had left some flour and we got some and baked it. It was
the sweetest bread that I ever ate although it was made of but flour and
water, for we were nearly starved to death. |
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Sep 8 |
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We went to the P. Marshall, showed him our paroles and he told us that
we would have to remain here until we were exchanged and sent us to the
fair ground or the convalescent camp which I think is the most unjust thing
that was ever heard of, for we were left line dogs to die among the Lincolnites,
every prison in the place being of that stamp and the Regimental Officers
must have calculated that we should either die or be made prisoners for
they took our arms from us before the Regt. Left. The least that
the P. Marshall could have done for us after all our troubles would have
been to have sent us to Florida and allowed us to remain there until we
were exchanged. |
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Sep 9 |
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This is my birthday and I passed it by going up to the city of Knoxville
and drawing some cooking utensils from the Quartermaster for we can get
none at the camp. We carried them out to camp and had to rest every
quarter of a site for we were very weak. Ended the day by cooking
our rations which consisted of one pint of flour or meal, one tea spoonful
of salt and one pound of beef which we have to boil for we are not allowed
and bacon. Our camps are out two miles from the city which is very
hilly. |
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Sep 20 |
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We were ordered to fall in which we did, and an officer took our names
and the Co. and Regt. That we belonged to when we were mustered into service
and where. |
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Sep 23 |
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Signed the pay roll and expected to be paid off but after waiting for
some time were informed that we could not be paid. We were also requested
to make out a list of clothing that we wanted to draw, we did so but received
none, so I cannot make out what they mean by humbugging us in this manner
and I will here say that Confederate soldiers are treated like dogs everywhere
that I have been since I left Tampa. They are not allowed one half
the rations that the army regulations call for for the quartermasters and
other officers give them just what they like and pocket the balance and
yet the soldiers knowing all this are foolish enough to put up with it.
They grumble and growl among themselves but never try to get redress for
their wrongs. Men are kept in the hospitals when the doctors know
that they will never recover while in the hospital, yet they will not give
them furloughs to go home but keep them here to die. 7 and 8 is the
average of deaths per day here. |
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Dec 1 |
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Started this morning for Tampa in the sloop boat Vetoe having on board
1000 oranges for sale and a lot of potatoes, salt, soap, syrup and sugar
canes for Mr. Crusoe. |
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Dec 2 |
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At daylight this morning we found that we had drifted out clean to
the blockade. Two boats were soon in pursuit of us. We poked
the boat as fast as we could but the boats gained on us very fast, we got
ashore on the banks several times and had to jump overboard and shove her
over, at length we stopped on the bank at Point Pinellas. I jumped
overboard and waded ashore, but Gus stopped in the boat thinking that his
parole would save him and the boat but they took him and carried him on
board the blockade. I then walked over to Mr. Coons, had to wade
several bayous and in crossing one I got bogged and fell down in the mud
which was very black. When I got out I was an object to look at.
However I pushed on and got to Mr. Coons in time for dinner and tried to
hire his horse to take me to Tampa, but he told me that the horse was too
slow, but that if I would stop with him until next day he would take me
over to Mrs. Arnolds, on(e) of (the) traitors wives and she being present
promised to take me to Old Tampa in her cart, so I stopped. |
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Dec 3 |
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At breakfast table I was taken with chills and fever. Mrs. Coons
gave me some hot pepper tea but it did no good and as I was sick all day
I had to stay where I was until next day. |
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Dec 4 |
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Started in a cart about 10 AM and arrived at Mrs. Arnolds at 4 PM.
Stopped there all night and started in the morning for Old Tampa.
On the road I was attacked with chills and fever and it being a very rough
road I suffered very much, we stopped at about 4 PM at an old man’s house
named Jessie Carlisle. I was in hoped of getting him to take me to
Tampa in his cart but he was not at home, and old negro woman was there
however and she made me a comfortable but very dirty bed and as the fever
was still on me I turned in after having paid the woman for bringing me
in her cart. |
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Dec 5 |
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Got up this morning feeling much better but very weak having eaten
nothing yesterday. The old woman soon had some port and potatoes
ready for me. I ate a little and walked over to Mr. Kemps at Clearwater,
a distance 5 or 6 miles. I found him very busy making sugar.
I felt very well all day. |
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Dec 6 |
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Had the chills and fever very bad all day. Mrs. Kemp gave me
coffee and lime juice to break the chill. It was a horrible dose
and made me very sick. |
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Dec 7 |
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I am well today but very weak. |
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Dec 8 |
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Sick again today. Took more coffee and lime juice which broke
the chills but fever hung on all day. |
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Dec 9 |
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Went over to Old Tampa in a cart as there is a boat to go to Tampa
tomorrow. I stopped at Uncle Jessie Carlisle until 12 o’clock at
night when Mr. Dominick called me and I had to wade out to the boat getting
wet up to my waist. |
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Dec 11 |
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Arrived at Tampa about 3 PM and was so weak and sick that I could hardly
walk up to Mr. Crusoe. |
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Dec 12 |
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The military doctor visited me this morning and gave me medicine.
I am very weak for I have not eaten anything for a week as I have no appetite. |
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Dec 14 |
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Feel much better now and have a very good appetite and will soon be
strong again. Read several letters from our company, they suffer
very much from the cold weather. |
