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Louisianian's Ancient Diary NewlnDlt;ytim«F«hio‘toTells Civil War ExpeOwnedCase B.an.7-292sr10-Dunham, 90-Year-01dDelhi Residentasi8-o.K-d,s-)tlto2, !), o-4,o.s-illa-4x. 13 h. o. toe,0-*1,s.tea- !4--21-1place River whichreachTheo3-T11-i;i-2, 1-1 o5-IV5-r,c-oI-0I1II!*ItWINNSBORO, Aug. 23. — (Sp# -cial)— An interesting sidelight on the Civil War, as it was fought in Louisiana, is recorded in a small leather - back diary three and lnthree-fourth inches wide and five and one-fourth inches long owned by Case B. Dunham, 9(V-year-old resident of Delhi, Route 2, Richland parish. The diary was written by his father, Levi Nathan Dunham who served with a Home Guard unit in Louisiana. The time covered by the diary is from June 7, 1864, to August 8, 1864. and the locality he describes is along the Mississippi, Beouf, Tensas and Bayou Macon Rivers, in wrhat is now Madison, Richland, and East and West Carroll parishes.It will be remembered that at this time Vicksburg had been captured and the federal* were In complete control of the Mississippi River. General Henry Watkins Allen was governor of Louisiana with headquarters in Shreveport and no major military operations took in Louisiana after the Red campaign early in 1864 in the federal troops failed to Shreveport.diary is written in beautiful hand writing with ink, but is badly faded with age. W. L. Girod, correspondent for a local Richland parish paper, with painstaking throughness has copied the diary w'hich reads as follows:Monday, June 7, 1864: Joined General Harrison's command.June 16: Started to camp and borrowed $100 from Mrs. Stubblefield. Got as far as Cal Moore's and camped It rained some.June 17: Reached the company at 10 o’clock a m. and wrote this.June 18 19; Was put on picket with Caldwell, sergeant of the post.June 20: Called out with the company, went to Johnson place and joined the command. Ate supper with Carpenter and met Andrew (Dunham) and King. Received a carton of shot and caps, but didn't | get enough corn for my mare.I June 21: Stayed all day in camp. Received three days rations with orders to cook it all. Expectations were that we wouid start to the ! river the next morning, but it rained so much we did not start.June 22: Stayed at camp and it | rained a good deal.June 23: The horn blowed before day and all got up, fed the horses and ate breakfast. Was ordered to saddle up about sun-up, we all did except about thirteen of our company. We got started about 7 o'clock and it was very muddy. We had to cross the bayou (Macon) on a bad pontoon bridge. I was surprised that we went right up the bayou Got near Osborn Ferry and stopped to cool and ate about 12 o'clock, wrote this. Andrew got a letter from Isgett yesterday from Panola, Tex. Camped on west bank of Tensas. Bread very low. j Jun*i 24: We went down Tensas two or three miles and swam the horses and took the saddles over in flats. The banks were muddy. Marched on toward the river all day. About 12 o’clock we were at an evacuated place, got corn and fed. Stopped at another evacuated place that night with orders to have everything ready to saddle at a short notice. Was ordered to saddle *«bout midnight. We then marched till daylight, was hotter and we had to pack. ... jJune 25: I was in a camp up near | a plantation where we captured j several hunted Negroes and a good deal of plunder of one kind or an- j other, some whiskey, bacon, flour and coffee, and burned up the place Most of the Negroes that were on the place had decamped.I got some articles of dress and j went to the same camp that night, j It rained after dark and got very S wet. Articles sent home by Balph ! —1 snuff colored coat, 1 blue coat, j 1 muslin dress, 1 calico dress. 1 black cape, small pr. stockings, 1 ] stripe dress body of white shenen- j dy, 1 head cap. 1June 26: Got back to Tensas, crossed over and camped. jJune 27: Got back to camp.June 28: Went on today.June 29: Went down to Kirks jFerry.June 30: All quiet in camp up to I this time. Building a pontoon bridge across Tensas, so report says I haven't seen it. We wrote a letter to send home by B. (Balohf but he didn’t get off.July 1: All quiet in camp except headquarters was all drunk, was on guard of cistern and how! Some men under arrest for frivolous charges only for a short time.July 2: Marched down the west side jf Tensas. One man’s horse got away and swam Tensas. Some men had to carry flats down Tensas. Camped on the bank at or below Tanner’s place, ner place is presently J. I. Roberts’ Ranchsouth of Tende! )July 3: Stayed allsame camp. Rations low.Sunday, July 4: Called up and ordered to saddle up about sunup. Got ready and began to cross Tensas and got across about ten or eleven o’clock. Took up our line jf march and got on six or seven miles. It rained very hard on us. After the rain was over we halted for some time in the road and turned back a little way to some quarters to stay. In about an hour were ordered to mount and marched a mile or twro and was ordered by the captain to dismount and fight on foot. We left our horses for the time and marched on foot three or four hundred yards and placed in ambush at Crop Bayou behind big cypress trees. It wasn’t long before we heard firing which was the first shot I believed we were going to I have a fight All our scouts soon(The Tan-part of the milestwoday aboutearlymade their appearance. Came in full drive for the bridge hotly pursued there. One came in sight, but was too far from me to shoot at with my shot-gun. So I didnl shoot and don’t care if I ever do have to. They turned back quick when we fired on them. We didn’t follow them and soon went back to our horses, mounted and marched back to Tensas. Were nearly all night crossing it.July 5: This morning w# were called up early to go five or six miles then came to get breakfast. After eating and resting awhile we started to Kirks Ferry got there in the evening.July 6: Stayed in camp all day. I had to stand guard while a man had to mark time an hour and carry a rail an hour for firing off his gun in camp, it was hot!July 7: Heard that S. D. Isgett was dead. Wrote a long letter home today. My arm got worsetoday.July 8: Stayed all day in camp and went to see the doctor and tried to get to go home.July 9: Stayed all day in camp.July 10; All day in camp, had dress parade and shooting off guns and talk of moving. Wrote home.July 11: Started from campabout sun-down.July 12: Got to Deer Creek.Rained and we got wet.July 13: Got to Montgomeryplace on B. Creek. Went over to Mock's and got some meat and molasses.July 14: Got to Oak Ridge.July 15: All day in camp and had dress parade. Caleb (Dunham) came up at dark and broughtus some things.July 16: Caleb stayed all day with US. Wrote a lt;hort letter to Martha. (Martha Ann Armstrong Dunham, his wife.)July 17: Caleb started home.Stayed all day in camp, lost my knife and fixed my saddle.July 18: All day in camp, my arm healing smartly.July 19: All day in camp, was escused from detail on account of my arm.July 20: All day in camp. I watered and grazed the horses every day for some time.July 21: Orders were to march at three o’clock with one day rations cooked to carry with us. The battery started in th'* morning and camped on Boeuf River.July 22: Marched 10 or 12 miles above Floyd.July 23: Our company ordered to advance to the A shton bridge to picket. When we got there six others were sent on to Stalem 14 miles up the river. Three steamers passed that day and three that night. Next morning I went up the river bank alone to look at it very early. It was ill quite and I did feel some sensation of regret too, that it should be disturbed by the clash of this unholy and damnable war. About half an hour by sun the commamt came along. I law General Harrison at the head of the column, this was my first sight of him. He told the picket that they might go back to camp if they wanted to. The artillery soon came along and went up to the levee. This was on the 24th day of July. The “Clara Belle’’ soon came along and was fired into. I believe there were two or three steamers along that day and were fired into. Went to camp late in the night. Camp was at Bayou Macon bridge.July 25: Stayed all day in camp.July 26: Was ordered out on theriver bank again. I saw severalgunboats pass today, one firedonce and went on. Returned to camp. !July 27: Our company left in camp. There was some firing today. jJuly 28: I was sent on picket late j at night and the command went toward Floyd. Stayed on picket! until evening of the 29th and then) started for the company. I made all night and came up to the command next morning back of Floyd, jJuly 30: The command was or-idered to move while 1 w as pulling !10-20It’s destined to he a close eon panion for all your daytime alt; tivitiea. There’s a brand-new loc to this classic that is wearabl and charming in the shape collar and cuffs, the unusual polt; kets.Pattern No. 8870 is perforated pattern in 14, 16, 18. 20, Sizesleeves 5% yards ofFor this pattern, srnd 30 cen in coins, your name address si7 desired and the pattern numbe to Sue Burnett 1150 \ve Amci icas, New York 36 N. Y.Ready for you now — Bas Fashion for *52, Fall and Winte This new issue is filled with idea for smart, practical sewing for new reason; gift pattern printe inside the book 25 cents.a sew-ritiZes 10. 1212, shor 39-inch,REDS 'PASS THE BUCK’HONG KONG A*— The Peipir Peoples Daily reports a shortage 1 beef and mutton has caused unre: among Moslems in Red China capitalThe official Communist party o gan said an investigation place the blame on the Chinese Natioi •Hits plus a desire by farmers t keep livestock for breeding.“Before the liberation and unde the cruel exploitation of the Ni tionalists the farmers were force to sell cattle in large numbers t eke out a living,” so the newspape said.guarding it.provewoodscameand was left without kno\ Mid - day I went down It. Moved back into tl at night when the commarIn, It rained some. Ne: day went to graze our horses an intended to go to Oak Ridge ja in the evening Camp not fifrom river. I got hurt wiimy gun in the left side.August 1: Marched early and glt; to Oak Ridge about 2 or 3 o clocl August 2; Asked for leave to $ home, Captain gone for the da and Major Runvtr wouldn’t sign iAugust 3; Started to Blt; f Hrer.August 4 A 5: Stayed there w| put to guard some men, Ale Strong, Jim Smith and others. M arm very bad and my side, tolt; Feeling very bad all over August 6: Was very aick anight,August 7: Sick. Wrote a letter t Ralph Rained very hard in th evening. My side got worse.August 8: Sick and arm ver bad. tThe sore arm was causeby a smallpox vaccination that hi came cancerous.)This was last entry in diary, 1 is not known whether he continuediary in another hook or jusstopped keeping one. Mr lived for several years war was over.Dunhai after thiII have no single favorite Bible verse. There are, of course, a great many which make a special appealto me, but of these I cannot single out one and say that I place it above all the others.A verse to which I find myself constantly turning is;MARK 12:30 — And thou shalt love the Lord thyGod with all thy heart, and with all rhy soul, and wich all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this isthe first commandment.”There is a place in religion for the exercise of the intelligence. God wants our heads as well as our hearts. To think, and to think hard, is a religiousduty. Devoting one's mind to the service of God is every bit as necessary as private prayer or public worship. When God claims a man, He claims the whole man, hts brains included. How one wishes that more people would give their brains tc the service of religion and do it with something likethe diligence and devotion that fill their days from Monday to Friday.1'Dr. Robert J. McCracken Riverside ChurchNew,York Cityproy■3|ES!■Eji
Newspaper Details
Monroe Morning World
Monroe, Louisiana, US
Sun, Aug 24, 1952
Page 71
Full Page
Clipped by
Linda R.
LA, USA 04 Jun 2019
Other Publications Near Monroe, Louisiana
The Ouachita Telegraph
The Register
The Daily Telegraph
Monroe News Star
Monroe Morning World
