THE CIVIL WAR DIARY OF JOHN G. MORRISON 1861-1865

accidents for a conveyance. Hark, "waggon wheels,"
listened, the sound came nearer and then receded. Hope,
which had come with the sound, died suddenly as they died
at last. It was resolved to move the traps out on the main
roads. They moved and I stood irresolute whether to throw
my dunnage overboard and follow them or stay for a waggon
to carry them. At last I efected a compromise in th shape
of a wheelbarrow which was lying in the sand. "Eureka" -
here was an end to my difficulties. At once, piled my
things and found a piece of stuff in my pocket and made
[97] everything fast and rolled my pants up and started. It
went gay for a little ways and then them blasted ruts began
to tell. I was dripping with perspiration and blowing like
aporpoise after the first half mile, but stuck to for aobut
1 1/2 miles when a halt was made by the side of a brokendown
army waggon. It was now about 10 P.M. The driver of
the waggon told us that if he was fixed, he would carry our
traps to the next point (about 1 1/2 miles). We tried to
fix his gear but it was no use. He then told us that he
expected a couple of empty waggons along to take his load
off and that we might obtain a lift that way, so we
concluded to wait for them. So sure enough, after about an
hour, they hove in sight. After they came up, we helped to
unload the breakdown and load the others. I told the
waggon master how we were situated and he said we might put
our things on and have them carried as far as he was going.
We put our things on and after about half an hour's ride
we arrived at our journey's end. Here we stayed about an
hour when as good fortune would have it, the waggons were
ordered to "Young's Point." That was just into our hands
as that was the exact spot where we wanted to go. So we
jumped on and started. The road was tolerable for a little
while and then came a corduroy and of all the shakings,
jumpings, and tossings I ever experienced, that capped
them. I thought that I would not have a whole bone in my
body when I got
[99] through, and to walk was out of the question as the boots
had chafed my feet raw in a couple of places, I not being
used to walking on "terra firma," so I had to muster up all
my philosophy to weather it. At last, after about an
hour's ride, we came to the earthen road again and
everything was all right. About 12.30 A.M. he came abreast
of Vicksburg. Had a good view from where I sat. There was
a heavy fire in the city, the blaze of which shewed
everything around it with the vividness of daylight. The
flashes from Grant's guns in rear of the city as he hurled
his shell into their works showed that he was not idle even
at time of night. At short intervals the sullen boom of
our mortars in front could be heard and the course of the
shell could be seen as it revolved in mid-air like a
twinkling fiery eye traversing space. I watched the scene
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