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LETTERS & DIARIES

Our Regiment was quite badly reduced and our boys were anxious to get home. Some of the Regiments were anxious to stay in the service. When the time came that we had a chance to be mustered out, we agreed immediately. We were so anxious to get home that we didn't quarrel with the War Department over the arrangements for transporting us from the scene of war. The officers were to ride in passenger coaches and their horses in the express cars while we were to go in the boxcars.

We left Nashville at three o'clock in the morning and arrived in Louisville the following night. We had the right-of-way so made good time. It required two trains to transport us. We stayed in Louisville two days and those of us who were in good health had a jolly time. When we were to resume our journey northward we found that arrangements had been made to again to carry us in boxcars. But to this arrangement we indignantly objected to. We refused to go in this way. We struck, and very effectively. Communication with Washington at once commenced with the result that the next order was to take us on in passenger trains only. We had planned to board the next passenger train for Chicago when the order from Washington was received. It was a good thing that it was unnecessary for us to carry out such a scheme for it was likely that some of us would have been hurt.

We arrived safely in Chicago in the early part of October. How we were cheered by the meadows and fields of our own good homeland. And the great city of Chicago enlivened our spirits greatly. We went to Camp Douglas which was about a mile beyond the city. There was still quite a number of Johnies, or Southern prisoners, here when we arrived. Some of them never went South. A good many of them were afraid that they would be shot for deserting from the Confederate army, so ignorant were they. They couldn't understand how they could go back to their homes in safety. They were very much inclined to go to Canada to be on the safe side. All we had to do here was to eat, drink, keep clean and stand camp guard which was not a hard task here. The only stirring incident that occurred was Sherman's

LETTERS & DIARIES

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