108                                HISTORY OF THE SEVENTY-EIGHTH REGIMENT O.V.V.I.

the night?" is asked and echoed from heart to heart, deeply anxious to know the signs of the times. God is shaking and will shake political thrones till kings and rulers learn that they are under His power, and that He reigns upon the political throne as well as in his spiritual kingdom.

           We have just received an order to be ready to march at daybreak. On our backward march to this place we burned every bridge and trestle-work, great and small, upon the railroad. Our Brigade has been ten miles farther South than other troops, except the cavalry. The Seventy-Eighth regiment does more guard duty, more fatigue duty, and heavier marches than other regiments in the service. We are dashed about here and there and everywhere, upon hurly-burly, foolish expeditions, so that it is a wonder we have a man left for duty.

           All Company E will be able to march with us to-morrow except three – two Bowers', new recruits sick with fever, and John W. Garrett with small-pox. They were sent to the general hospital at Holly Springs. The regiment has been exposed at different times to small-pox, and nearly one dozen cases have been already sent away.            We are in utter darkness as to what is going on in the world, especially in regard to the war. We receive no papers. All is perplexity, doubt and rumor. The weather has been warm and pleasant. To-night there are unmistakable signs that we will have another few days rain and storm, which the soldier much dreads; we therefore anticipate a few days of hardships and discomforts.

Yours, etc.,

T. M. S.

           The raid made by the rebels into Holly Springs was a terrible disaster to the place. The explosion of the magazine shook the city so violently as to break nearly all the windows, and left nearly all the fine, large public and business buildings a pile of ruins. The amount of sutler stores captured by the rebels was immense. The amount of city property destroyed was estimated by millions, but as it was rebel property destroyed by rebels, few regrets came from our army. The circumstance did much to awaken a Union feeling among the citizens. Our troops had impressed the people very favorably; no acts of violence or vandalism could be attributed to our soldiers; no citizens were disturbed in their peaceful pursuits; all were granted protection. The ladies occasionally manifested unkind feelings, and would frequently give an exhibition of malignant contempt, by insulting our soldiers, passing and re-passing their dwellings. Two soldiers, when on police duty, were one afternoon insulted by a couple of ladies of wealth, who put their heads out of the window and addressed them in words of ridicule and contempt, while the father was sitting in the door listening to it all, with no words of disapproval. The soldiers determined they would not tolerate it any longer, so about 10 o'clock they equipped themselves and proceeded to the above house, rapped at the door, when the old gentleman came down stairs in his night attire, and opened the door, when the soldiers immediately sprang in, telling the much alarmed man that their mission was for no offensive or harmful purpose, but purely a military and peaceful one, and therefore requested him to enter the parlor with them a few moments, which was done, and a light obtained; they proceeded to put the old man through nearly all the movements in military tactics. He plead with them to excuse him, but no entreaty

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