21 



hold our position. That day there was a cracking of 

 Musketry kept up by our skirmishers on both sides. They 

 would talk & laugh and yell all kinds of Way's at each 

 other that day but nothing transpired of importance some 

 few skirmishers wounded none in our Regt. 



On 27th we commenced rather a retrograde moove by go- 

 ing back to the IManchester pike and comeing into the 

 rear of the nuiin part of the Army. But we did not begin 

 this until] we found that the rebels had all disapi^eared in 

 our front during the night. AVe arrivedat Beachs Grove 

 about sun down & went into camj) Dis marched 15 miles 

 On 28th we started off again early and arrived at Man- 

 chester at 12 clock at night Distance 12 miles. I must 

 stop now and say that we had rain ever day since we left 

 Murfreesboro & the ground was as soft as it is in the 

 spring after the frost first leaves the fields, & as we had 

 considerable train we had very hard times getting them 

 through, & perhaps you im.agine we felt any ways nice 

 after being thoughorly drenched ever day & very short 

 rations & the broad canopy of the heavens for our roof 

 at night & hard marches with heavy loads occasionally 

 out a wagon that was mired in mud, but as I happen to 

 be assisting our Lt Col in command of the Regt I have a 

 fine sorrell horse which carries me over the mud very 

 lightly But the rpivates they have the hard times but 

 T heard no complaints. 



29th & 30th we remained in bivouac near Manchester. 

 On 1st of July we started for the rebel string hold Tulla- 

 homa not knowing that it had been evacuated untill we 

 got nearly there. AVe came in on the road that was com- 

 manded by one of their strongest forts & slashed timber 

 for mile in front & each side all around the town almost. 

 They had the town Fortified on all sides "& some very 

 strong forts but for some cause they evacuated without 

 giving us fight which I can assure you pleased us very 

 much. I suppose the reason they evacuated the place was 

 fearing we would surround them & capture the whole 

 Army by regular approaches the same as Grant had Vicks- 

 burg. Dis from ]\[anchester to Tullah.oma 12 miles. On 

 2ond we marched on in pursuit of rebels our Brigade was 

 in rear of the train Sheridans Division was in advance 



