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William Shanks Diary - MMS 1172

William Shanks Diary - 1862

January 1862

[Note: Day designations are incorrect until the 19th]

1	We are in the hospital at Louisville
11	Friday. I get my furlough
12	Sat. We start for home
13	Sab. We stay in Cincinnati
14	Monday. We start at 7 1/2 oclock for home and get to Perrysburg after dark and we find Uncle W in town and he took us down to Jameses
15	Tuesday. We get out home
19	Sab. John Shanks comes to see me and two of Mr. Ordways boys
20	Mr. L. Loomis and his family is here tonight
22	Wednesday. Mr. Duff and his family is here
February 1862
	I am at home on furlough
March 1862
1	I go up to Mr. Ordways
14	Henry Shanks sugars off today and we have a good time
April 1862
9	I start for the Regiment and it was very muddy going to Perrysburg
10	I start from Mr. Dunipaces and go to Toledo and took the carrs for Cincinnati. I got to Cincinnati at 10 oclock at night
11	I start for Louisville and got here at 12 oclock at night
12	Sat. I went to hospital no. 4 and saw Magg and then they marched us to the old dirty barracks
13	Sunday. I am put on as corporal of the gard
14	We are taken out of barracks no. 3 with skiffs and taken to no. 2
15	Tuesday. In the afternoon we are marched on board the boat for to go to Tennessee
16	Wednesday. We go down the Ohio River and the S.S. Pringle
17	Thursday. We pass the mouth of Green River
18	Friday. This morning when I awoke I found myself at Paducah. In the afternoon we pass Fort Henry and I saw part of the large gunn that was bursted there. Towards night we saw six darkeys plowing with one mule apiece
19	Saturday. This morning we pass the 31st and 36th Ohio Regts. at Cliffton and we see the two gunn boats Lexington and Tyler at Pitsburgh Landing
20	Sunday. We stay all day on board the boat
21	Monday. We are march from the boat through the mud into the lines of the 49th Regt
22	Tuesday. Today we had to clean our dirty gunns
23	Wednesday. This morning we have a general inspection of arms
24	This morning we were out drilling and we were called out to fight without giveing us time to get our dinner. We did not fight but took 10 of the rebels prisoners
25	Friday. We are put on picket. We sleep sitting up all night
26	Saturday. The weather is very nice today
27	Today I was very much pleased to see the boys in the 3d Ohio Cavalry
28	Monday. Today we get orders to cook 2 days rations
29	Tuesday. Today we move about 4 mililes [miles] farther
30	Today we have to clean up our new camp ground
May 1862
1	Thursday. The weather is very pleasant today
2	Friday. Today I am working on the roads carrieing timber and crosswaying
3	Saturday. We march on a piece farther toward Corinth
4	Sunday. We march about eight miles from camp and back. When we went out the road was dusty but when we came back it was muddy
5	Monday. This morning we got up pretty early for the water came in the tent like a river and run right over our blankets
6	The roads is so muddy today that we do not march
7	Wednesday. Today we march toward Corinth
8	Thursday. We are now within seven miles of Corinth
9	We stand picket today and the pickets are skirmishing. Tonight one of the pickets shoots another
10	Saturday. Tonight we march three miles farther to the left of Corinth. We are formed in line of battle tonight and sleep in the woods
11	Sunday. We stay all day in the same place
12	Monday. This morning we have orders to march at 3 oclock so we had to be up and get breakfast pretty early. We had to go and reenforce the pickets and we had to doublequick a good part of the way
13	Tuesday. Today it is pleasant but warm and we are not called out today
15	Thursday. Today we are out on a recconnoisance and our men seen some of the rebels and they shook their handkerchiefs at our men and our men done the same
16	Friday. Nothing uncommon
18	Sunday. We leave the 49th today and go to Montcru [?]. We had to pitch tents all day hard
19	We are still at the tent pitching and there is heavy cannonadeing at Corinth today
20	Tuesday. We are still pitching tents
21	Wednesday. Today we are put on as nurses
22	Thursday. Part of our crowd leave today
23	Friday. Today it rains all day and there is another waiter comes in to help us
25	Sunday. We leave this hospital and go to Buells hospital
26	Monday. Today we are filling bedds for the sick
27	Tuesday. We are standing gard
28	Wednesday. There is heavy cannonadeing at Corinth today
29	Thursday. There is heavy cannonadeing at Corinth
30	Friday. This morning we got the news of the evacuation of Corinth
31	Saturday. I have just come back from seeing the great city of Corinth and I saw some of the great distructions of the rebels
June 1862
1	Sunday. Today I am garding the spring at the hospital
2	Monday. I saw the cavalry boys today and they were moving on
3	Today I go to Corinth to help load some waggons
4	Wednesday. Today I am washing the sick all day
5	Thursday. I am on guard today
11	Today there is two very sudden deaths here, one from 49th Ohio. He was eating his dinner and dropped over dead
13	Friday. Today there was a poor boy died out of the 3d Ohio Cavalry and his father made his sons coffin
14	Satuday. It is very warm
15	Sunday. Today I am digging graves all day hard. There is 8 buried today
16	Monday. Mr. Ballanser fell over and hurt himself today. It is very warm today but it was a good shower of rain towards night
17	Tuesday. One of our boys had a fit this morning
18	Wednesday. Today I saw 2 large siege gunns. It took 8 teams apiece to draw them
19	Thursday. Today the weather is very pleasant and I have been out blackberrying
20	Friday. Tonight I am very sick all night and puke one of my boots full
21	Saturday. I am unwell all day and have the diarrhea bad
22	Sunday. Today I am digging graves
24	Tuesday. I am cleaning up the doctors quarters
25	Wednesday. It is pleasant today
26	Thursday. Beaking [baking] pies
28	Saturday. Davis and I are picking blackberries
29	Sunday. The Regulars leave today
30	Monday. We are taking down the big hospital tents
July 1862
1	Tuesday. I am not on duty today
2	Wednesday. I am standing gard today
3	Thursday. Today I have been picking blackberries
4	Some of Co. I goes to the sutler to arrest him and gets drunk and I hear of the death of Andrew Ordway
5	We are hauling away tents
6	Sunday. Today Uncle Dan dies very suddenly
12	Saturday. We leave the hospital and go to Corinth and it was very warm
13	Sunday. We start on the carrs for the Regt. We staid all night at Tuscumbia
14	Monday. This morning we start again. We had to build a railroad bridge and then we went on again. I got to the company about dark
18	Friday. Today I go and stay all day with Co. E
19	This morning we had a good wash off
23	We leave Fort Canfield and go to Athens
25	Friday. The orderly leaves us and goes into an Alabama Regt
31	Thursday. I am on picket and Byron Rockwood and I get into a wagon shed for it was an awful rain
August 1862
1	Friday. It is very warm today
3	Sunday. I am on picket
4	Monday. George and I are washing
7	Thursday. We move our camp into town and camp in the Courthouse yard
11	Monday. Today George Canfield and Mackentire start for home
12	Tuesday. Today I come in from picket
22	Friday. John Patterson puts in his resignation papers
28	We start from Athens
29	Friday. The boys ranties [?] at Pulaski today and the Cavalry boys gets $300 for their horse
30	Saturday. We get into Nashville
31	Sunday. The artillery boys are over here and Thomas Mosley gets his head cut
September 1862
1	Monday. It is raining
10	Wednesday. We move our camp and James Stewart has a very sick spell
12	Friday. Today the prisoner of Co. E gets back to 21st
13	Saturday. Co. A has a scirmish and took two prisoners and 8 horses and killed one man
October 1862
1	We are still at Nashville
5	Sunday. Today I have an awful sore mouth
20	Monday. This morning we start at half past 12 out the Bowling Green Pike after the guerillas and we had a hard time doublequicking
21	Tuesday. Today the weather is very pleasant
25	Saturday. Today we have the first snow storm
27	Monday. Thomas Davidson goes to the
November 1862
1	Saturday. We are in camp makeing corn coffee
2	Sunday. Tonight go on picket
3	Monday. John Mcferren and I have a good time getting hickerynuts
5	Thomas Davidson comes from the hospital
20	The new recruits come to the regiment
26	Elisha Harris dies today
28	Friday. John Muir and Brewster comes to our camp
December 1862
1	Monday. Today we are on picket on station four and a citizen brings us some snops [schnapps]
6	Today we are paid off. I draw $141.20
7	Sunday. Today Sandy shoots at Morgan and Forrest
9 & 10	We are on guard at the penitentiary
11	We move from Nashville 8 miles
12	Friday. Today we are on review
13	Saturday. We are on battalion drill
14	Sunday. The Col. of the 74th preaches to the 21st
21	Sunday. We are out forageing today and the rebels attack us. We killed 2 and took 6 prisoners
22	Monday. Today we are on drill
26	Friday. We start from Camp Hamilton. It rained all day and all night
27	Saturday. We march on through the woods in the rain. We got to the pike after dark.
28	Sunday. We stay all day in sight of the enemy
29	Monday. We march on slowly, driving the rebells before us
30	Tuesday. The 11th Mich. and the 19th Illinois are scirmishing [skirmishing] with the enemy
31	Wednesday. We got into the hottest of the fight and David Loomis was killed

MMS 1172 - William Shanks Diary Guide
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