and soon the trees were blazing furiously. Each one would burn fifteen or twenty minutes before
its supply of turpentine was exhausted.*

March 21st. Broke camp 5:30 A. M.; it had rained during the night. Had not gone far
before artillery got stuck in mud; the rain soon more than came down. We were passing through
same everlasting pine swamp. It rained as hard as I ever saw it, and the roads became impassible.
Of all the times we have had, this capped the climax. We had gone about 3 miles and were then
ordered back to help the train through. The water stood knee deep and the corduroy roads were
all afloat. It stopped raining about noon; then how the boys did cheer when the sun came out.
Worked all day and camped for night.*”

March 22d. [27th Wis.] Broke camp at 4:30 A. M.; roads awful. Marched about 4 miles;
had to haul artillery by hand. Camped for night at 8 o'clock.*””

Wednesday [March 22] was spent in sending back details... to build corduroys for the last few
miles of road, along which the train had "stuck" with remarkable uniformity.... the forest had
been set on fire not far from us; and now the huge volumes of smoke rose black and nearer.
The bright flames played round the trunks of the trees, whose stores of turpentine increased the
intensity of the conflagration, till it seemed as if the whole camp must perish.... the fire did not
come near enough to give us much real discomfort.**!

March 23d. Broke camp at 4 1/2 A. M. Roads good; marched 8 miles; still in pine
timber. From this timber the rebs obtain their tar, pitch, turpentine, &c. The trees for miles were
all tapped. Crossed Fish River on pontoons 4 :30 P. M., passing factory for making rosin; burnt
by rebs. Came up with A. J. Smith's 16th A[rmy]. C[orps]. Rebs said to be in force 15 miles off.
Camped near river; the place is called Ganley's Mills. Remained in camp until 25th, 4 P. M....3”

The wagons having finally got out of the mud, we started on again [this] morning [March
23], moving nearly all the way through the unvarying pine wood, but noting with a real feeling of
welcome and joy, the appearance of trees and bushes of a more familiar leaf and living green, as
we neared Fish River. This deep and narrow stream we crossed at about half-past two P.M., of
the 23rd, on a wooden pontoon-bridge which had been laid by men sent around on boats before
us. By order from General Benton, every band in our division struck up "Out of the Wilderness"

 

“ A. F. Sperry, History of the 33rd Iowa, p. 130.
*° Evergreen City Times, Sheboygan, May 6, 1865, p. 1/3-4 (no. 5/14 of note).

*°° Evergreen City Times, Sheboygan, May 6, 1865, p. 1/3-4 (no. 6/14 of note).
*! A. F. Sperry, History of the 33rd Iowa, p. 131.
*? Evergreen City Times, Sheboygan, May 6, 1865, p. 1/3-4 (no 7/14 of note).

142