Presents Excerpts from the 1863 published book by F. Kiner

ONE YEAR’S SOLDIERING

EMBRACING

THE BATTLES

OF

FORT DONELSON AND SHILOH

By F. F. KINER

CHAPLAIN FOURTEENTH IOWA INFANTRY

CHAPTER III.

OUR JOURNEY TO PITTSBURG LANDING, AND THE APPROACHING BATTLE.

On the evening of the 6th, we set out again with muskets and knapsacks upon our backs, to try our hand upon rebel pluck at some other point. Many of the men were weak from sickness, and consequently our march was slow. The roads were also in very bad condition for the passage of teams. Sometimes new roads had to be cut out through the timber to avoid bad places or an impracticable hill, so between the making of these roads and occasionally a team sticking fast in a mud hole, our progress was very slow. A great many of us had to carry our tents upon our backs nearly one quarter of a mile with all the other company baggage also, sometimes wading into the mud and water knee deep to get it out from stalled wagons or teams. But finally, after considerable hard work, we all got on board the boat some time after night. The steamboat we went aboard of was a very large one and very fast; she was called the Autocrat. As usual, the enlisted men were stowed away on the lower decks. There was considerable government freight in the boat, which took up a great deal of room; in fact, there was not room enough for our men to lay with any kind of comfort. All the horses of the Regiment were on board, which necessarily created a great deal of filth, and made the situation of our men more disagreeable.

We arrived at Pittsburg Landing on the 18th of March, with but little thought that we were here to engage in one of the greatest battles of the war. Where we landed there is a very high bluff, and a narrow road was cut out of the side of the hill winding around with a gradual ascent to the top. Nothing of any special importance occurred here for some time, except the usual labor necessary in moving troops and furnishing them with supplies of provisions, &c. Few persons who are not in the army, or connected with it in some way, ever judge correctly of the amount of labor there is in moving a large army. It is not as easy to get up and pursue an enemy with a large force as it is to talk and read about it.

The 1st of April still found us at Pittsburg Landing. Everything began to look cheerful around us; the weather was beautiful and pleasant, now and then we had a beautiful shower of rain to gladden nature and assist the flowers to emerge from their hidden repose. The various trees began to adorn the forest with their usual garb of beauty; the ground as well as the trees were being clothed in a verdure of beautiful green, and while we beheld these pleasant scenes in nature, and contrasted them with those of days gone by, we could not but wish that we were at home, where nature would be sweetened by the caresses and smiles of our kind families and friends. But now, instead of the sweet sound of the voices of parents, wives or children, saluting our ears, nothing but the rough tones of a soldier’s voice could be heard. Instead of lying down to sleep in our peaceful dwellings, in the midst of kind friends who were our ever willing support in times of distress or want, we were now in the hour of night wrapt in our course blanket, in our humble tent, and subject to the alarms of war, surrounded by our enemies and those who sought to do us harm.

By this time, things had begun to assume a more serious aspect. We had frequent reports that the enemy were concentrating and throwing up works of defence at Corinth, Miss. This was, if I am not mistaken, about twenty miles from us. On Friday, I think, the 4th, a detachment of our men were out as advanced pickets, and were attacked by some rebel cavalry, when a brisk fight ensued, with slight casualties on both sides. This should have been sufficient evidence to our men or rather to our generals, that a general attack was intended upon us by the rebel army, but so far as I could see no very particular preparations were made to receive the enemy should he advance upon us. This skirmish took place on Friday, the 4th, and on the 6th the ever memorable battle of Shiloh was begun.

Transcribed and submitted by great great grandson

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