Thomas P. Gere Diary: August 1864
This is an excerpt from the diary
of Thomas P. Gere of the 5th
Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. The excerpt focuses on the time period in
which Michael Herrmann served in
the 5th Minnesota. It includes the entries for August 29 through
December 31, 1864.
Month
Day
[
5th
Minnesota Home ] [Tim
Bode
] [Tim Bode's
Music
Page]
Monday, August 29, 1864.
Marched into La Grange[1 ] in good season; at three
o'clock were ordered to the depot to embark for Memphis [2
]; after considerable delay, got a train and before dark left La Grange
with the 8th [3 ] and 47th [4 ],
leaving the 5th [5 ] to come on in the morning; the
battery [6 ] and trains left at three by the
wagon
road. We rode in a car loaded with commissaries [7 ],
- found some vinegar barrels for a bed; arrived at Memphis about eleven
and rode out to camp.
Tuesday, 30th.
We find at last that Forrests [8 ] great raid [9 ] did not amount to much, - it appears
to have been a
failure unless
the object was to bring us back. The 5th and 11th [10
] came in this morning, also the 9th [11 ], which is
re-assigned to our brigade. Have been quite busy getting
the business of the office in good order, - everything has been sadly
neglected during our absence.
Wednesday, 31st.
Have been very busy all day,
making out rolls [12 ]
and returns [13 ]. Have not found time to write a
letter, and [14 ]
Footnotes
[1] Tennessee [Return
]
[2] Tennessee [Return
]
[3] Wisconsin 8th Regiment [Return ]
[4] Illinois 47th Regiment? [Return ]
[5] Minnesota 5th Volunteer Infantry
Regiment [
Return ]
[6] An army artillery unit,
corresponding to a company
in the infantry [Return ]
[7] A market for military personnel
and their
dependents, usually located on a military installation [Return ]
[8] Confederate General Nathan Bedford
Forrest [
Return ]
[9] On Monday, August 22, Forrest made
a raid into
Memphis, Tennessee, consisting of portions of 8 or 9 cavalry regiments
numbering 1500 to 2000 men. They struck the Gayoso House (a hotel in
which General Hurlbut had
been quartered), hospitals, Irving Block, and General Washburne's
headquarters on Union Street. Forrest's men were driven off by the 8th
Iowa regiment,
but not until they had captured about 200 citizens and 100 horses and
had
killed numerous negroes. (Harper's Weekly news account, September 10,
1864.
http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/forrest/nathan-bedford-raid_Page1.htm
) [Return ]
[10] Missouri 10th Regiment [Return
]
[11] Minnesota 9th Regiment [Return
]
[12] lists of names of persons
belonging to groups,
such as military
units; registers of the officers and men in military units [
Return ]
[13] reports, lists, or sets of
statistics,
especially ones that are
formal or official [Return
]
[14] apparently Gere did not ever
finish this entry [
Return ]
Month
Day
[
5th
Minnesota Home ] [Tim
Bode
] [Tim Bode's
Music
Page]
This page is maintained by Tim Bode (timbode@juno.com ). Last modified
on 10/16/2007.