CHAPTER XXXIII
Wheeler’s Raid.—1863
NEARLY all through September, dryness had
prevailed and produced a veritable plague of deep dust,
most trying to troops and supply trains. At last, on
October 1, relief came in a good rainfall. At first it
expedited transportation, but as rains gradually became
frequent and heavier, the blessing was turned into another
affliction. By the time of my trip from Bridgeport the
roads were miry, and from day to day the reports regarding
their condition grew worse. They soon spoke graphically
of the animals sinking in the mud up to their bellies
in the bottoms of the Sequatchie and along the Tennessee.
The rains proved very trying in another respect. They
filled the enclosed works and the ditches around them and
the connecting trenches more or less deep with standing
water, which it was found very difficult to drain off. The
work on the fortifications was naturally very much
obstructed. The steady rain made it almost impossible for
the troops to keep dry, although they were provided with
tents or had secured shelter in huts and dug-outs. There
was a consecutive downpour for thirty-six hours during the
first week of my stay. The pontoon bridge was broken on
the night of October 15 by the force of the current, but
fortunately the boats and timbers were saved and the
bridge restored after a few days. The rebels, taking
advantage of the elements, sent a number of rafts down
stream to destroy it, but these happily passed while it was
broken, and proper precautions subsequently taken
neutralized all efforts in this direction.
I need not say that I too was made very uncomfortable
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