Vincent DeLong's Diary of 1864

Wednesday, June 1, 1864

didnt get caled up but once
had a good nights rest awoke in
the morn found the pickets pich
-ing away as and I think some
thing wil be done Our lines advanced
on our right about 11 oclock not

(4 lines too smudged to read)

hold the rebs in I helped the
_____ drive them _____

(This entry and the next are a real mess –I'm guessing at a lot of this. Vincent has overwritten his penciled entry with red pen. The overwriting seems to be contemporary as he switches to the red pen for several days.)

Thursday, June 2, 1864

one (?) picket pits after dark last
night and lay in then til morn
then we relieved by ___ and we
fell back and get a bit to eat
and then advanced and received
___ for their brexfest
then our pickets over withdrew
and had to hund their holes our boys
got in a prety hot plase lost sergt
Jasper moor killed and 6 wounded
and two mising only 10 of us went
in pares squad and two wer wounds
and himself killed held the rebs

(Note: Be forewarned, tomorrow's entry is rather graphic.)

Friday, June 3, 1864

we withdrew silently and wer not
disturbed in aa open field we wer ho
-led up and threw up works and it
was on oclock when we comenced
have not slept in 48 hours.
friday thurs 4 lines of battel
advanced and the battel open
-ed brisk corprul Betenger of our
Co was killed his hed was blown off
by a shell shocken sight many wer
coverd with branes and blud
didnt leav our works to day

Saturday, June 4, 1864

had a good nites rest it tasted good
I did hear our folks took 5 thousand
rebs and 17 pieses of artilery buley
for that lay there in our pit til
about 2 Oclock and then marched
and countermarched round and
and went in a pit near 3 hours
and then mooved south 2 miles
lay in a pease of woods or near
under cover of it and lay there...

(continues in next entry)

Sunday, June 5, 1864

all nite and drawed 4 days rations
and lay there til 4 Oclock and
then mooved on 1 mild farther
the brigade formed a line of
battel perpendicular to the rear
I bet we we glad to se our rations
and I bet we didnt grumbel
about them being lard built a
brest work worked to nite
recon canon are inn(?) up
to suport us

Monday, June 6, 1864

worked all night built a very
strong work today built strong
flankers perpendicular to the rear
and half to theleft a bout and
just had them don when the rebs
comenced sheling us dident
hurt a man on the line our
batteries dident reply and they
wer no wiser of our posish they
have some long rangers but we can
Eaqual them

Tuesday, June 7, 1864

had a prety cramped plase to rest
dident sleep much we roal in
the sand like hens prety quiet
times til about 3 Oclock rebs
throwed shels rather carles and
I began to think that they
ment to get us mad by such
insults one or two pease only answerd
them pickets got very noisey
toward nite boys cant make coffee in pease

Delays

Sorry, I'm a bit behind after returning from my trip.  I'll update the diary as soon as I can.

Joe

Wednesday, June 8, 1864

bright and clear and uncomon quiet
boys draw three days rations and are
very busy cooking their grub
Our folks ar building severl small
Forts to the left and front also
I wrote M___ _____ (ink splotch) a letter got
severl from home last night
the wind blows and drifts the sand
like snow tiped over my ink
as you see

Thursday, June 9, 1864

prety quiet along the lines except
farther to our left sum sharp
shooters ar raining nick as they
think I supose we heare great
cheares to our left comes nearer
and the news or report is we hav
taken Ft Darling and the hills
comanding it if to good to believe
so I wont make much fus about
it and save my breath til we se it our sel
ves