109 HISTORY OF THE SEVENTY-EIGHTH REGIMENT O.V.V.I.
or reward could prevail. They gave him a gun, taught him the whole manual of arms, and then the common time around the room, and then through the facings and double-quick around the parlor, till he perspired freely. After about one hour's drill they dismissed him, telling him on to-morrow evening he would be called upon to repeat the same lesson with some additional movements, but suggested that if soldiers were treated with more respect by his daughters, for whose disrespect they held him responsible, the lesson might not be repeated, but hereafter be discontinued. They left the house, and the old man to sleep over his first lesson in military tactics. The young ladies in the meantime had become alarmed and fled to a neighbor's house, while the father was reciting his lesson. The next day the windows were kept closed and no ladies were either heard or seen.
The regiment and Brigade arrived at Davis' Mills January 7th, where one company of an Illinois regiment had been posted, and repulsed a few days previous a large force of rebel cavalry. Here we received mail and boxes from home, which were quite a welcome reception after the long wearisome march. The morning of the 8th all commenced to construct fortifications, which looked toward encamping for some time; but the morning of the 9th orders were received to march toward Memphis. Camp was soon broken up and the troops under way. Passing thorough Lagrange, marched five miles beyond and encamped for the night. Here it rained heavily all the night, making the roads almost impassable. The morning of the 10th we marched to Moscow, where we remained over the Sabbath. On Monday marched to Lafayette, where we remained till Wednesday morning. Here it rained all day and night, which made it very unpleasant, and caused us to still remain over at this place. On the 16th it commenced snowing and freezing; the snow fell eight inches in depth, and colder weather we thought we had never experienced. The men suffered very much from the cold. The sick were sent from this place on cars to Memphis. Near Germantown, fifteen miles from Memphis, the cars ran off the track and several were severely wounded. On the morning of the 18th camp was again broken up and the march toward Memphis was resumed. That night the troops, after a very long and tedious march, encamped near Germantown, where we endured another night of constant rain. The next morning the troops marched to Memphis, and encamped in a beautiful grove.
The following letters have been written by Captain A. A. Adair, who signs himself "Typo," and give a very good history of the regiment while encamped near Memphis:
CAMP NEAR MEMPHIS, TENN., January 23, 1863.
MR. EDITOR: — Although my promise in regard to giving you a letter every week or two has not been fulfilled, yet it was not my wish to avoid it. The reason is, we have not been settled long enough at any one place to afford an opportunity. It has been march, march all the time for the last two months.
My last letter, I believe, was written at Oxford, Miss., from which place we went as far south as Water Valley; being farther into Dixie than any other infantry of our command. We had been there only a day, when we heard of Forrest's cavalry raid along the Mobile & Ohio Railroad. Then it was thought expedient to turn and take the back track, as they had cut off all communication and supplies from us.
This thing of going backward was something we were not used to, and it went a little "against the grain." But as we had the name of doing more hard marching and
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