Sunday, April 22, 2012

Tuesday, April 22, 1862

The clouds are breaking.  I hope the storm is over.  Kate, Maggie, Lizzie Poage and I start for Illinois this morning.  God keep us on our journey and watch over the dear ones at home and in the army and at Washington and grant we all may meet again in peace.


We took the cars on the Marietta and Cincinnati R. R. at Constitution.  The rain continued to fall as we waited on the platform and we were chilly and uncomfortable.  Mr. Woods, the conductor, said that there were bad slides on the road and he doubted whether the train could get through.  Mr. and Mrs. B. C. Bailey went as far as Hamden with us, and Mr. Chas. Dickey to Athen where he introduced to us Mrs. H. Stewart who is also going to Illinois and starts a day earlier to have our company.  She is very pleasant, accustomed to travelling.  We consider her a great acquisition to our party.  
The Hocking, Raccoon, Scioto, Miami and some lesser streams were out of banks, the result of late rains.  Mr. Brock who conducted the train from Scotts Landing to the city ran cautiously but got into the city only one hour behind time.  We passed through Camp Dennison with its thousands of low domiciles for soldiers.  It seemed to me a flat, muddy, uncomfortable place.  Many of the sick and wounded from Pittsburg Landing are brought here.  
One fine looking and gentlemanly soldier got on to go down to the city.  He wore a white patch near his ear.  He told Kate he belonged to an Iowa regiment but his home was in Ohio.  He was wouned at Pittsburg Landing, the ball being still in his head, paralyzing one side.  He hoped to get a furlough to go home.  
It was beginning to be dusk when we arrived at Cincinnati.  We had proposed to pursue our journey that night by way of the Ohio and Mississippi R. R. but finding that Mrs. Stewart was going to Paris, Ill. on the Terre Haute and St. Louis road, and being very tired we concluded to spend the night in the city and go by the way of Indianapolis.  Mr. Brock took charge of us and our baggage to the "Burnet House" where we were ushered into the Ladies Reception room until rooms could be designated for us.  Soon, we were shown upstairs where we found beautiful rooms with every comfort necessary for weary travelers.  Mr. Brock soon knocked to know if we could have supper, and as Maggie and Lizzie were anxious to room with Kate and me, he succeeded in getting a room suitable to accommodate us on the lower floor near the Reception room to which the servants conveyed our luggage while we were at supper. The supper room was very spacious.  Hundreds of persons eat at long tables each side of the room while through the center were spread tables to accommodate small parties.  At one of these we were seated and waited in the glare of the gas light while beef steak, etc., was prepared for us.  I only drank a cup of tea and was glad to get to our rooms.  
Mrs. Stewart roomed with a Miss Teters from Athens, who was going to Burlington, Iowa, and whom we left at the Burnet House, she starting an hour later to Chicago.  Mr. Brock bought our ticket for us to Pana and no one could have been more kind and thoughtful.  Fred came to the Burnet House to see us and made some little purchases for Kate.

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