Most soldiers, unless high command, were not apprised of battle plans until they faced their foes on the field, and primitive modes of communication added to the delays in relating information.  Rumor, therefore, spread through camp constantly and the men had to try to make sense of it:

June 5, 1863 “Have not started from camp as yet   there was heavy fighting on our out Post yesterday   the enemy attacked us in force and were repulsed . . .”

June 18, 1863 “. . . The news today is that Lees army is in xxx & Penn & Dix is within fifteen miles of Richmond supported by the gun Boats but I don’t believe it as yet”

William Townsend’s 42^nd Illinois Infantry participated, as part of the “Army of the Cumberland,” in the “Tullahoma Campaign.”  Taking place in central Tennessee, the campaign went on for months:

Tullahoma Campaign --Following the battle of Stones River (Murfreesboro, TN), the Union and Confederate forces dug in to prepare for more battle in central Tennessee.  Union Major General Rosecrans and his Army of the Cumberland camped in Murfreesboro, TN.  Confederate General Bragg and his Army of Tennessee set up defensive positions to the south in the vicinity of Tullahoma to guard possible approaches that the Union army might take on its way to capture the key railroad junction of Chattanooga.  Rosecrans, in no hurry to move during the inclement months of 1863, remained motionless for six months.  Only 30 miles apart, the two armies waited.  Bragg, however, was overly confident of his defensive position and the long wait proved disastrous – troop morale dropped from lack of action, and hunger took its toll.  Bragg also failed to understand that Rosecrans was methodically preparing for battle.  Once the battle began in June, 1863, it only took two weeks for Rosecrans to drive Bragg out of middle Tennessee, with the Union suffering 570 casualties to the Confederate’s 2,000.   

Source: Heidler, David S., and Jeanne T. Heidler, eds.  Encyclopedia of the American Civil War, Vol. 4, 2000.  pp. 1980-1982.

The battles were fierce and the weather miserable at times, hampering supply trains.  Despite the horrors of war, Townsend had time to record a beautiful view of a waterfall during a lull in the fighting.  The following entries from June 23 through July 4 clearly illustrate the amount of marching and waiting between actual skirmishes, as well as the taking of prisoners:

            By the end of July, 1863, rumors still floated about camp and the movement of troops was uncertain.  During a lull, sworn enemies put aside their differences for a chat, but for obvious reasons friendly banter didn’t last:

July 20, 1863 “Our Regt came in about ten Oclock  . . .  there was a report that there was a big force of Reb Cavalry coming this way to cut off this Brigd and two Regt were sent out to check their advance  . . . there is nothing new to day from any source   there is some talk of our moving from here in a few days  I hope we will  some say we are going to Huntsville Ala . . .”

July 28, 1863 “. . .  the report is that France is going to recognize the Southern Confederacy but I do not believe it as of yet”

July 31, 1863 “. . . The Reble Pickets are on the other side of the river   we talk across with them  ask them the price of coffee . . .”

August 4, 1863 “. . . went swimming to night . . .  Some of the Boys were in day or two ago and got out in the middle of the river and the Rebs shot at them . . .”

August 16, 1863 “. . . there was a flag of truce crossed the river today   did not hear what it was about”

August 25, 1863 “. . . received news of the fall of Fort Sumter   hope it is so . . .”

               If marching was hard for the foot soldier, transporting supplies was sometimes a treacherous ordeal.  Rivers had to be forded, and since the enemy often burned bridges in their wake, temporary bridges had to be built on the spot.  The results were often less than satisfactory:

August 30, 1863 “Was detailed with the Bal of the Regt for foraging   went out and chopped and scored timber for the bridge which they are very busy building   expect to have it done in the course of a four or five days”

September 2, 1863 “Left camp at Bridge just at about 2 Oclock and crossed the river on the pontoon bridge [a wooden slat bridge, the deck of which was supported by rows of narrow, wooden flat-bottomed boats]  marched around the mountain about three miles and went into camp . . . after we had crossed the bridge and some of the Battery teams [horse-drawn wagons] were crossing, the bridge went down so we will have to wait until it is rebuilt for our things [supplies]”

September 3, 1863 “Slept last night under a bush without a single thing over us   like to have froze to death   our teams did not come up until five Oclock this Eve. . . .”

             During the Civil War, many Union officers like Captain Townsend had their own private cooks, usually slaves or free blacks.  Despite being from the north, William Townsend had no qualms about relegating his African-American servant to second-class status (he does not refer to his servant by name) and seemed to have little patience when his cook got sick and couldn’t perform his duties.  Unfortunately, derogatory names for slaves and freed blacks were commonplace at the time in both the north and the south.

October 1, 1863 “Rained last night and has rained all day   blankets wet    nigger sick   had to cook   Ed and I cooked all we have had to day . . .”

October 2, 1863 “All still on the lines to day   some movements of the enemy from the left to the Right of our lines   the Report is that the enemy have burnt two hundred waggons between here and Stevenson   also our mail.  Our nigger has been sick and we have had to do all our own cooking since yesterday morning”

            The fighting takes its toll on the men and camp life.  The wounded and supply trains have trouble moving about.  Townsend’s birthday comes and goes:

October 3, 1863 “. . .  I went down in town to the hospital  see some of my men   all doing well  . . .”

October 5, 1863 “Left camp at three OClock and came over the mountain   detained very much by ambulance train   will not get to Stevenson before tomorrow   the wounded are having a very hard time   some of them going through on lumber waggons   their mules give out and they camped right in the road . . .”

October 8, 1863 “. . .  very long & tiresome  marched 20 miles”

October 9, 1863 “Left Jasper at 6 OClock and marched to the foot of the Mountain  cut off two supply trains & one forage train by crossing from one road to the other   distance 26 miles   it seems to me I never was so tired in my life . . .”

October 10, 1863 “Left camp at foot of the mountain at 7 OClock  got up the mountain about noon  marched to the top of the other side of the mountain 14 miles  camped  slept in a house where we camped very cold to night”

October 11, 1863 “Started down the mountain at 7 OClock but had good deal of trouble.  I think it is the worst place I ever seen for teams to go down”

October 13, 1863 “To Day is my Birthday  am 24 Yrs old  Rained all night and rained all day to day  very unpleasant  can not keep Dry in our Dog tents”

 Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge, Knoxville (Tennessee) – the sites of several main battles.  William Townsend relates General Hooker’s advance, the taking of prisoners, burying the dead, and joining with General Sherman’s troops:

November 6, 1863 “. . . Rebs shelled us several times to day  . . .”

November 10, 1863 “. . . is a report that the Rebs are leaving the Mountain”