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THIRTY-THIRD ILLINOIS VETERAN VOLUNTEER INFANTRY. 47
division, which followed fourteen miles east to Brandon. On the 18th we were moved to the New Orleans railroad and began tearing up the track, burning the ties and twisting the rails. This was new work for the men and they seemed to enjoy it. The process was to string the men as close as they could stand for a long distance along the track, then all would take hold and throw the track completely over, detach and pile the ties and place the rails across them and set them on lire. The heat in the middle of the rail soon bent it. This work was continued ten miles south to Byram Station. It was observed that on the second day of this job the men worked with unusual energy and cheerfulness. The track was ripped up as if by a cyclone. Songs and cheers were heard through all the brigade. The explanation was that about fifty barrels of rum had been found which had been hidden from the Confederates. Of course the barrels were at once destroyed and the odor of the rum spread everywhere, which, being inhaled by the men breathing hard at their work, set the whole command fairly wild. Strange to say that odor hung about many of the canteens for several days. After Johnston's retreat Sherman was recalled to Vicksburg, and on the 20th we set out upon the return trip, this time with no enemy in front. As we had been over this road twice before it would be monotonous to describe each day's march. We reached our old quarters in the rear of Vicksburg on the 24th, gathered our belongings which had been left there, and were started for a camp on the river below the city. The distance
was but three miles, but through the blundering of a stupid officer who had been sent to show the way we were taken a useless detour of ten miles on that scorching day. If that stupid fellow is still alive he no doubt remembers the estimate of his intelligence which the 33rd expressed with the utmost frankness.
Since the first of May, almost four months, the regiment had been marching, fighting, skirmishing and digging almost every day, and we were now to go into camp for a rest. As senior captain I had been in command of the regiment nearly all the time on the Jackson trip, Col. Lippincott and Major Potter being absent on account of illness, and Lieut. Col. Roe had resigned.
The 33rd remained in this location on the river from July 24th to August 18th, inclusive, under command of Capt. Ira Moore, senior officer present. A large proportion of the officers and men received furloughs and went north ; those who remained experienced only the ordinary duties of camp life.
Grant's army was now broken up, the reinforcements he had received being returned to their respective departments. On July 20th the divisions of Carr and Osterhaus were consolidated and became the 1st Division, 13th Army Corps, Major Gen. C. C. Washburn commanding.
Sometime during the stay of the 33rd in this camp, the exact date I am not able to give, it was presented with another stand of colors by a delegation from the teachers of the Chicago schools, our worn-out colors being returned to them by this delegation.
CHAPTER XL
THE CAMPAIGN IN THE DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF.
On the 7th of August the 13th Corps, General Ord in command, was ordered to New Orleans, and on the 19th the 33rd embarked on the steamer Gladiator and headed down the river. The passage by Grand Gulf was much easier than on the 30th of April before, and we looked with no little interest on the bluffs that had been so formidable to the gunboats. Arrived at Natchez during the night and left at daylight, passed the fortifications of Port Hudson at noon, had only a river view of Baton Rouge, and the morning of the 21st found us at Carrollton, some seven miles above the city of New Orleans.
The regiment disembarked at 7 a. m. and found itself at once surrounded by the most persistent enemy it had yet encountered. Hordes of men, women and children swarmed about it, eagerly offering for sale, in almost every language, everything eatable that could be carried in a cart or basket—fish, fruit, cakes and pies. The prices were so reasonable that it was not many minutes until every man had a banana in one hand and a piece
of pie in the other. It was the first, time that the 33rd had had a fair chance at pie for two years. Moved out on the "shell road" for a mile and went into a beautiful camp near the 2nd, 3rd and 4th brigades of our division ; the other regiments of the 1st brigade had not arrived.
The 8th and 18th Indiana came in the afternoon. The "Hoosiers" had not been in a fight of any kind for some weeks, and they had scarcely landed, when, to keep in practice, they assaulted some eastern regiments that were in camp close by. The "Pilgrims", as the eastern troops were called by the westerners, were badly worsted, and the Indianians were closely confined in camp. This was the first time we had come in contact with troops from the East, and quite a difference could be observed in the "morale." The regiments from the Atlantic coast were under better discipline; they wore more feathers and less dust than those from the West, and there was not that friendly association between men and officers that existed in the
Object Description
| Title | History of the Thirty-Third Regiment Illinois Veteran Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War, 22nd August, 1861, to 7th December, 1865 |
| Creator | Way, Virgil Gilman, 1847- |
| Contributors | Elliott, Isaac Hughes, 1837-1922 |
| Subject [LCSH] |
Illinois. 33d Regiment, 1861-1865 United States --History --Civil War, 1861-1865 --Regimental histories --Illinois Infantry --33d |
| Description | History of the Thirty-Third Regiment Illinois Veteran Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War, 22nd August, 1861, to 7th December, 1865 |
| Date Original | 1902 |
| Format | Book |
| Digital Format | JPEG |
| Language | eng |
| Contributing Institution | Illinois State Library |
| Rights | Materials in this collection are made available by the Illinois State Library. To request reproductions or inquire about permissions, contact: islimg@ilsos.net. Please cite the item title and collection name. |
| Identifier | 2849438 |
| Type | Text |
| Collection Name | Illinois and the Civil War - Documents |
| OCLC number | 830038418 |
Description
| Title | Page 47 |
| Transcript | THIRTY-THIRD ILLINOIS VETERAN VOLUNTEER INFANTRY. 47 division, which followed fourteen miles east to Brandon. On the 18th we were moved to the New Orleans railroad and began tearing up the track, burning the ties and twisting the rails. This was new work for the men and they seemed to enjoy it. The process was to string the men as close as they could stand for a long distance along the track, then all would take hold and throw the track completely over, detach and pile the ties and place the rails across them and set them on lire. The heat in the middle of the rail soon bent it. This work was continued ten miles south to Byram Station. It was observed that on the second day of this job the men worked with unusual energy and cheerfulness. The track was ripped up as if by a cyclone. Songs and cheers were heard through all the brigade. The explanation was that about fifty barrels of rum had been found which had been hidden from the Confederates. Of course the barrels were at once destroyed and the odor of the rum spread everywhere, which, being inhaled by the men breathing hard at their work, set the whole command fairly wild. Strange to say that odor hung about many of the canteens for several days. After Johnston's retreat Sherman was recalled to Vicksburg, and on the 20th we set out upon the return trip, this time with no enemy in front. As we had been over this road twice before it would be monotonous to describe each day's march. We reached our old quarters in the rear of Vicksburg on the 24th, gathered our belongings which had been left there, and were started for a camp on the river below the city. The distance was but three miles, but through the blundering of a stupid officer who had been sent to show the way we were taken a useless detour of ten miles on that scorching day. If that stupid fellow is still alive he no doubt remembers the estimate of his intelligence which the 33rd expressed with the utmost frankness. Since the first of May, almost four months, the regiment had been marching, fighting, skirmishing and digging almost every day, and we were now to go into camp for a rest. As senior captain I had been in command of the regiment nearly all the time on the Jackson trip, Col. Lippincott and Major Potter being absent on account of illness, and Lieut. Col. Roe had resigned. The 33rd remained in this location on the river from July 24th to August 18th, inclusive, under command of Capt. Ira Moore, senior officer present. A large proportion of the officers and men received furloughs and went north ; those who remained experienced only the ordinary duties of camp life. Grant's army was now broken up, the reinforcements he had received being returned to their respective departments. On July 20th the divisions of Carr and Osterhaus were consolidated and became the 1st Division, 13th Army Corps, Major Gen. C. C. Washburn commanding. Sometime during the stay of the 33rd in this camp, the exact date I am not able to give, it was presented with another stand of colors by a delegation from the teachers of the Chicago schools, our worn-out colors being returned to them by this delegation. CHAPTER XL THE CAMPAIGN IN THE DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF. On the 7th of August the 13th Corps, General Ord in command, was ordered to New Orleans, and on the 19th the 33rd embarked on the steamer Gladiator and headed down the river. The passage by Grand Gulf was much easier than on the 30th of April before, and we looked with no little interest on the bluffs that had been so formidable to the gunboats. Arrived at Natchez during the night and left at daylight, passed the fortifications of Port Hudson at noon, had only a river view of Baton Rouge, and the morning of the 21st found us at Carrollton, some seven miles above the city of New Orleans. The regiment disembarked at 7 a. m. and found itself at once surrounded by the most persistent enemy it had yet encountered. Hordes of men, women and children swarmed about it, eagerly offering for sale, in almost every language, everything eatable that could be carried in a cart or basket—fish, fruit, cakes and pies. The prices were so reasonable that it was not many minutes until every man had a banana in one hand and a piece of pie in the other. It was the first, time that the 33rd had had a fair chance at pie for two years. Moved out on the "shell road" for a mile and went into a beautiful camp near the 2nd, 3rd and 4th brigades of our division ; the other regiments of the 1st brigade had not arrived. The 8th and 18th Indiana came in the afternoon. The "Hoosiers" had not been in a fight of any kind for some weeks, and they had scarcely landed, when, to keep in practice, they assaulted some eastern regiments that were in camp close by. The "Pilgrims", as the eastern troops were called by the westerners, were badly worsted, and the Indianians were closely confined in camp. This was the first time we had come in contact with troops from the East, and quite a difference could be observed in the "morale." The regiments from the Atlantic coast were under better discipline; they wore more feathers and less dust than those from the West, and there was not that friendly association between men and officers that existed in the |
| Collection Name | Illinois and the Civil War - Documents |
