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

the captain was sick, our first master read prayers in his
stead. River rising.
Dec. 22, Monday. Coaled ship. Nothing of any note passed.
Dec. 23, Tuesday. The Lexington and transport came up this
morning and reports Jeff Davis and Joe Johnston in
[16] Vicksburg. The gunboat "Benton" and two mosquitos arrived
from Helena. The gunboat "DeKalb" and "Signal,"
accompanied by a tug and the ram "Queen," ascended the
Yazoo this morning about 11 1/2 A.M. The tug returned in
haste about 1 P.M. The gunboats Renton, Taylor, and
Lexington, in company with two mosquitos and the ram
"Lioness," ascended the river. About 7 1/2 P.M., the
DeKalb returned. Had no news. The tug "Erebus" returned
about [time omitted] and reports one killed and one wounded
on he by guerillas when about fifteen miles up.
Dec. 24, Wednesday. One of the rams came down the Yazoo
this morning and reports one killed and three wounded on he
"Benton." The tug Intrepid came down also, she being
disabled. Buried the cook of the "Erebus" in the
afternoon. Christmas Eve. I wonder how my wife is
spending it. Better than me, I hope.
Dec. 25, Thursday. Christmas Day. "Oh" What. Visions of
roast turkey and sech-like the name recalls. About 1 1/2
P.M. a steamer hove in sight, which proved to be the "New
Uncle Same" with Admiral Porter on board. Close behind
came a fleet of transports, ninety-two in number, carrying
McClernand's army and bringing up the rear came the gunboat
[17] "Louisville." Immediatly, all hands were on the "qui vive"
for a mail, which came, I receiving two papers from home
and a letter from my friend Tom Gillespie. The ram
"Sampson" came down with two loaded coal barges and whilst
endeavoring to turn round, she swung against the "Mound
City," thereby staving in one of the barges and of course
losing all the coal.
Dec. 26, Friday. The flagship (bearing the admiral),
accompanied by the gunboats "DeKalb," "Cincinati" and a few
"mosquitos," with fifty transports, ascended the Yazoo.
About noon the gunboat "Louisville" also went up. The
gunboat "Taylor," being out of coal, came down to get some
and reports that after destroying several torpedoes, they
got within range of a battery at Snyder's Mills. They
opened fire on it but received no answer. There was a
slight skirmish took place also between the advance guard
of our army and a body of rebels. The rebels fled across
the "old River," destroying the bridge behind them, so that
we had to give up the pursuit. Answered Tom Gillespie's
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