Bragg at once pressed forward to besiege Chattanooga. He cut our lines of communications, planted his army on Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain where he could amuse himself by dropping shell into our camps, and regarded the surrender of our army as an event sure to occur. But to General Thomas was given the command of our forces, and he entertained no thoughts of surrender. Although our rations were reduced almost to the starvation point, yet for two months men worked hard to fortify the town, and performed their other duties without a murmur. At length reinforcements from the Army of the Potomac reached us, opened up our cracker line, and brought relief. How Gen. Hookers force stormed up the sides of Lookout Mountain and fought "the battle above the clouds" on the 24th of November, and how on the next day the army under Gen. Thomas sealed Missionary Ridge and overwhelmingly defeated Bragg's army, is all a matter of history. I will not attempt to describe it here. The 21st Wis. though constantly exposed to the fire of the enemy, was not engaged and suffered no loss.

In the Fall of 1863 an earnest effort was made to fill up the old regiment in the field with recruits instead of drafted men. To this end recruiting parties were detailed from each regiment in our department, for this service. These details were made by order of Gen. Thomas, and consisted of one commissioned officer and ten sergeants from each regiment. In compliance with the order Captain Walker commanding the 21st Wis. selected me as the officer in charge. On November 24th our party started for Wisconsin. We were obliged to walk nearly forty miles to Bridgeport Ala., which place we reached about noon on the 25th. On a portion of our route between Chattanooga and Bridgeport we were exposed to the fire of the enemies sharpshooters who were secreted upon the sides of the mountains above us. Fortunately we escaped injury ourselves, but the number of dead mules that we passed along the road told plainly of the attempt that had been made by the confederates to close our Cracker Line and prevent our boys at Chattanooga from gorging themselves upon army rations. We were delayed but a short time at Bridgeport and left by the R.R. for Madison Wis. via Nashville, Louisville and Chicago. While our passage was provokingly slow, we made the trip without accident arriving at Madison on the 28th. Reporting to the Superintendent of Recruiting our party was assigned to their respective stations. Each sergeant was sent to the point from which his company was recruited. I was to be located at Oshkosh and was to exercise general supervision over the party.

On my way from Madison to Oshkosh I stopped a few hours at Milton to visit an old friend and school mate, in the person of Miss Martha M. Pollard, who was a student at the Milton Academy. The home of Miss Pollard was in East Troy Walworth Co. Five years previous to this time I had lived in her father's family, from whence she and I had attended the district school together. Though we had not met for four years, our correspondence for years had been regular and confidential. I enjoyed my visit very much, and when I left there it was with the understanding that I should call again about Christmas.

I arrived at Oshkosh on the 30th of November and at once established a recruiting office, secured a good boarding place with a Mrs. Pride and settled down for a term of comparative leisure. Our recruiting party was authorized to offer a bounty of four hundred dollars for three years enlistment. In some cases this offer was duplicated by town or city officials in their effort to fill their quota and prevent the draft which was pending at that time. So a volunteer could secure from six to eight hundred dollars bounty, and some did get even more than that. On the other hand if drafted one had to serve without bounty, or pay three hundred dollars to be relieved from service. Every Wisconsin regiment in the field sent recruiting parties to the state and all worked to secure as many recruits as possible. All obtained some. Our party succeeded in securing 127 for the 21st Wis. which was considered as doing quite well.

On the 23rd of December, in accordance with my promise, I went to Milton and from there in company with Miss Pollard, I went to her home in East Troy. On Christmas day Miss Pollard and I was married at the town of Mukwonago by Geo. Richardson a Justice of the Peace, after which our party returned to the Pollard home, partook of a good dinner and joyfully spent the day. The next day I returned to Oshkosh accompanied by the one who was to share my joys and sorrows, and settled down at the boarding house of Mrs. Pride who was like a mother to both of us. One at Oshkosh could scarcely realize that a bloody civil war was being waged in our land. The town had sent many of her sons to the war and several of them had fallen upon the field of battle, yet the spirit of gaiety seemed to prevail at home. Balls, parties and concerts, were frequently announced and very liberally patronized. Which perhaps was all proper enough. But my wife and I being comparative strangers in town, and except to attend a patriotic lecture or concert occasionally, we spent our evenings at home. During the winter we had some extremely cold weather. The 14th day of January 1864 was pronounced by all to be the coldest day on record. Business at Oshkosh was entirely suspended, streets were deserted and everything was as quiet as night. This cold wave extended throughout the country. Even at the south the cold was intense, and our soldiers there suffered severely.

During the winter soldiers in the field who had served two years or more, were given the privilege or reenlist for three years or during the war. As an inducement they were offered a bounty of three hundred dollars and granted a veterans furlough for thirty days to visit their homes. Many old soldiers availed themselves of this privilege, some regiments reenlisting pretty much in a body. The 14th Wis. did this and returned to the state as an organization. I was delighted to meet many of my old acquaintances of that regiment at Oshkosh among whom was brother Frank. The 21st Wis. regiment had not been long enough in the service to secure the benefits of this offer.

As I had received pay from government from time to time, I had sent all above my personal needs, to Mr. Evan Townsend of Waupaca County for safe keeping. Mr. Townsend was County Treasurer and well known as an honorable man. I had sent to him $800. Of this amount father had obtained $400 on an order that I had sent to him leaving $400 still in Mr. Townsends hands belonging to me. On March 1st I went to Waupaca and got this balance. I will here state that this $400 with $300 due me from government $700 in all constituted my entire financial possessions at the time of my marriage.

On the 15th of March my wife and I went over to Fond Du Lac to attend a lecture by Lt. Col. Hobart of the 21st Wis.. He gave an interesting description of the battle of Chickamauga, and his own experience in Libby Prison. He was one of the few who escaped from Libby through the famous tunnel. The story of his wanderings in Virginia after his escape, of the many hardships he endured, how his life was saved by the faithfulness and devotion of negro slaves was all told in the Colonel's best style which secured for him the closest attention of his hearers. I was truly glad to see Col. Hobart. He was always a good friend of mine.

March 25th wife and I went to Milton, and on the following day to East Troy, where I remained three days, while my wife extended her visit a week longer. We enjoyed the visit very much. I embraced the opportunity to call upon old acquaintances whom I had not seen for years. I returned to Oshkosh on the 29th. The 7th of April I went to Madison and drew $157.40 as commutation for office rent and fuel. From Madison I went to East Troy, and remained there a couple of days, when my wife and I returned to Oshkosh. My wife remained until April 23rd when she returned to her fathers, she having been engaged to teach the district school.

On May 14th I received orders relieving me from recruiting service, and went to East Troy where I remained two days. Bidding farewell to wife and friends I went to Madison and reported myself and party in readiness to go south. It was not however until the 25th that we finally got started, in the meanwhile I spent four days more with my wife and her family. Our party was delayed in order that we might take with us to the front a few drafted men who had made an attempt to escape to Canada. I wrote to my wife from Madison as follows:

Madison, Wisconsin
May 25th 1864

Dear Wife,

Today I received my pay from Uncle Sam up to the first of May. I sent you by express $240. This makes $1020. in your possession of the best money in the country. Earned by pretty hard knocks but more so in fact because we will know better how to appreciate it. We leave here at noon today. It is not an easy task for me to leave you. It is like leaving my all till I feel it my duty to go, and I have no desire to shrink from it. In whatever I may be called upon to undergo, I shall realize that I am the subject of your best wishes and all your prayers.

Something within seems to tell me that before many months roll around I will return to you unharmed, and that peace will be restored to our land. Then we can worship at each others shrine with none to molest. Farewell.

Truly Yours,
J. M. Randall

We left Madison with our drafted men con-- together with handcuffs and reached Chicago at 9 o'clock P.M. . Of our party was Captain Greingar and Lieut. Wimple of the 15th Wis. on their way to rejoin their regiment in the field. We stopped in Chicago at the Adams House and remained until the morning of the 27th. I visited my cousin G.P. Randall and called upon Col. Sweet, the first commander of the 21st Wis.. The wound he received at Perryville had rendered him unfit for field service, and he had been transferred of the Veteran Reserve Corps and placed in command of Camp Douglas at Chicago. I visited this camp, where 10,000 Confederate prisoners were confined, and found everything clean and in good order. Indications were that the prisoners were well fed and cared for. Col. Sweet expressed regret that he had been unable to remain with the regiment. But before the war closed it was known that he had rendered the government valuable service as commander of Camp Douglas. He successfully defeated a deep laid plan got up between the prisoners and "Knights of the Golden Circle" by which the prisoners were to be armed and turned loose to loot Chicago and to carry the war into the northwest. It may seem strange at this late day that such a move could have been thought of but it must be remembered that our loyal boys were hard pressed at the front, and that Copperheads in the north were as thick as bees, and made it a point to talk treason upon every crossroad and street corner. They might have been too cowardly to fight but the confederate prisoners at Camp Douglas would have fought desperately had they got started, but they did not. Col. Sweet obtained evidence of their design through spies and defeated the move. He died shortly after the war.

This brings me to the time when I commenced to keep a diary, which I continued to do while I remained in the army. I shall copy from that brief record of events, to these pages such description of incidents, or of our military movements as may appear to me to be of interest.

May 27th 1864 We left Chicago early in the morning and reached Louisville twenty-four hours later. We stopped at the Louisville House. I looked through the hospitals in the city for men belonging to the 21st Wis. but found none.

May 29th We went to Nashville over the L&N R.R. and stopped at the St. Cloud Hotel. Here I found one man belonging to the 21st Wis. and learned that the regiment had been engaged at the battle of Resaca Ga. and had suffered a loss of 18 killed and 31 wounded, of which number Company "G" had lost 3 killed and 10 wounded, including Lieut. Harding. I received an order while here to take charge of a large drove of cattle, to be driven to the front for the use of the army. But upon representing that my company was without a commissioned officer present I was relieved from this duty.

May 30th We left Nashville at noon and arrived at Chattanooga the following morning. The condition of the R.R. was such that our train moved very slow. Our party remained here until the morning of the 3rd of June. While here I stopped with Captain Vanvalkenburg of the 21st Wis. who was stationed here in the capacity of Act. Asst. Quarter Master. Chaplain O.P. Clinton of our regiment was here , also Dr. Sidney Fuller formally Asst. Surgeon of our regiment, afterwards transferred and promoted to Surgeon of the 24th Ill. I found Lieut. Harding and ten enlisted men of my company who were in the hospital suffering from wounds received in battle. I found the hospitals at Chattanooga well filled with sick and wounded soldiers. On the previous November soon after the battle of Missionary Ridge the 21st Wis. and the 78th Penn. had been assigned to duty upon the top of Lookout Mountain and had remained there during the winter. But upon the opening of the Atlanta Campaign these regiments had moved forward with the army.

June 3rd Left Chattanooga for the front at six o'clock A.M. Our party now consisted of three officers and thirty enlisted men. The train of flat-cars upon which we rode, moved very slow and made frequent stops. The cars were loaded with corn and oats. We were exposed to a number of heavy showers during the day. At 9 o'clock P.M. we arrived at Kingston Ga. beyond which place the cars did not run on account of the R.R. being out of repair. With a view of securing a dry place to sleep, we sought shelter in a large church. As we entered the building we that other parties were there before us, but there still was plenty of room and we made our arrangements for the night. When about to lie down we were informed that the building was used as a smallpox hospital and contained a number of patients. Of course we at once vacated the premises and took our chances for the night elsewhere.

June 4th Upon reporting to Col. Hainbright who was in command at Kingston, we were referred to Gen. Couch who was in from the front with a wagon train after supplies. He was pleased to have our force unite with his as train-guard and he requested us to be in readiness to move out at 2 o'clock P.M. We drew rations and were on hand at the appointed hour. After a march of 11 miles we went into camp for the night.

June 5th We moved forward at 7 o'clock A.M. Our general course was south, nearly parallel with the R.R. We found the roads in very bad condition and were compelled to move slow. We went into camp after a march of 12 miles. Our own party - exercising a degree of independence of the regular train-guard - took shelter in a barn, or cotton warehouse while the others camps in a field nearby. Every preparation was made to resist an attack should one be made. But we were not molested. The weather was extremely hot.

June 7th I rejoined the 21st Wis. after an absence of six months and thirteen days. It was a satisfaction to be with the boys of Company "G" again, though some changes were noticeable. The company had suffered at the battle of Resaca, but I found that more men were absent on account of sickness than from wounds. Some new recruits had joined the company during my absence, a few of whom I had not met before. The army had been reorganized and the 21st Wis. now belonged to the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 14th Army Corps. The regiments composing the first brigade besides the 21st Wis. was the 2nd and 33rd Ohio, 94th and 104th Ill., 42nd and 88th Ind., 15th Kentucky and the 10th Wis. Nine regiments under the command of Gen. Carlin. The commander of the division was Gen. Johnson, while Gen. Palmer was in command of the Corps. I found the army in the midst of an active campaign. Gen. Sherman with nearly one hundred thousand men was slowly working his way towards Atlanta. But the confederate General Johnson confronted him and disputed the right of way, and compelled our army to fight for every mile over which we advanced. For four weeks our boys had been on the firing line, exposed to constant dangers, and the loss had been considerable, yet confident of ultimate success, all were cheerful and ready to do whatever "Uncle Billy" might direct.

Chapter Twelve --->