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the Seventy-Eighth, was placed in command of the Second Brigade,
consisting of the Twentieth, Sixty-Eighth and Seventy-Eighth Ohio,
and ordered to escort Colonel Potts' train until it met the supply
train, which was on its way out from Vicksburg. We marched out
about two miles, and were nearly prepared to rest, previous to
receiving the orders, which came in the evening. Then we went
out the Brownsville road about three miles, and again prepared
our beds, but before we could use them we were ordered to the
front, and went farther out the road, with instructions to lie
behind a high fence, and there we were until morning.
When the morning came we started, and after traveling
eleven miles, met the supply train, and facing about we retraced
our steps, escorting the supply train to Canton. After a night
in the rain the two Corps took up their line of march for Vicksburg.
On the evening that we entered Canton, the Seventy-Eighth encamped
within a mile of the town, in an open field. Company B, with
others, had served through the day as pioneers, and their guns
and traps were put in a wagon. Some of the guns were loaded but
not capped. When the regiment stopped for the night, the wagon
came up with the guns, and the boys were taking their guns as
fast as they could reclaim them. Private Lewis Moore, becoming
impatient at the delay, and seeing his gun under others, seized
and pulled it toward him, when it discharged its contents, striking
him in the breast and killing him instantly. The bullet passed
through him and entering the breast of private John Skinnen, who
was standing behind him, passed nearly through him, and lodged
deep under the muscles of the back, from which point I extracted
it. He lived about twenty minutes only. Thus suddenly passed
from earth two brave and faithful soldiers, by an accident, who
had escaped death upon the battle-field where bullets rained like
a leaden shower. They came into the service together, messed
together, were always on duty together, marched side by side,
and were by the same bullet hurried into eternity. We buried
them side by side with military honors in the quiet grave-yard
in Canton, built a fence around their grave, planted an evergreen
at their head, and left them. The accident happened on the 26th
of February, and they were buried on the 27th.
Our march from Canton was a pleasant one, for officers
and men were in fine spirits. We reached the Bakocheto
on the second night and slept upon the field over which our Brigade
skirmished in the Brownsville expedition. A body of rebel cavalry
followed us from Canton, and shelled our rear, but were cautious
enough to keep so far behind that not a shot reached our rear
guard. At the Backocheto
we expected an attack, as the ground favored the rebels, but they
left us there and went off to the right, and were probably a part
of, or may be the force that attacked our men at Yazoo city.
Passing through Brownsville we pursued the road to Edward's depot,
passed one night on the way, and on the next day (March 4th) by
a march of twenty-five miles we crossed Black river and arrived
at Vicksburg.
I would like to tell you of the country we passed
through, its level lands and swamps, its hills and vales, and
its lofty pines, of our foraging expeditions, and how we subsisted
upon the country, of the meat, the hams and poultry, turkies,
chickens, and
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