DIY History | Transcribe | Civil War Diaries and Letters | Sewell Van Alstine diary, 1863-1864

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1864-03-14 -- 1864-03-15

41  a short interval of silence then a long & loud shout, that gave us hope that our forces had possession of the works, a courrier soon arrived & confirmed our hopes the Ft was captured by assault at sundown, the gunboats did not participate in the action, the regs. were 14 Iowa, 7 & 24th Mo, the No of prisoners taken were about 300, reported that 11 regts. of rebels left the Ft. the day before, the night cold & windy, had a poor nights rest had plenty of rebel beef and mutton, the 15th resumed our march at 9 Am, arrived at the Ft at 10. Am stacked arms, & looke at the works found then the most extensive, & considered the best planned, & when finished whould have been the most efficient, formidable works we have yet seen in the south there was a Ft on a bend on the S.W. side of the river 20 rods from the bank, had 6 heavy guns mounted said to be the ones taken from the Ram, the Queen of the West was captured, just below this point

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41 a short interval of silence then a long & loud shout, that gave us hope that our forces had possession of the works, a courrier soon arrived & confirmed our hopes the Ft was captured by assault at sundown, the gunboats did not participate in the action, the regs. were 14 Iowa, 7 & 24th Mo, the No of prisoners taken were about 300, reported that 11 regts. of rebels left the Ft. the day before, the night cold & windy, had a poor nights rest had plenty of rebel beef and mutton, the 15th resumed our march at 9 Am, arrived at the Ft at 10. Am stacked arms, & looke at the works found then the most extensive, & considered the best planned, & when finished whould have been the most efficient, formidable works we have yet seen in the south there was a Ft on a bend on the S.W. side of the river 20 rods from the bank, had 6 heavy guns mounted said to be the ones taken from the Ram, the Queen of the West was captured, just below this point