Sept. 2, 1861

The Company has joined the rest of the 4th.  It 
looks like while we were workin on the Sabine, 
other companies in the unit were working elsewhere 
and assembling.  The 4th Texas Infantry is now a 
complete unit.  We are moving to Vicksburg, Miss.  
Thousands of men are marching in the heat and dust
toward the war.  At first, my feet were blistered 
from all the walking in these issue shoes. I don't 
know if the shoes or my feet got broke in, but I
don't get blisters any more.  We'll be goin to 
Vicksburg where some of the 2nd Texas is 
garrisoned.  From there, rumor has it that we'll 
be getting on a train for transportation futher 
east.  I don't know where we'll end up.

At least we're not in the swamps any more.  Several 
of the men have been left behind because of illness.  
Mostly swamp fever.  One of the diseases we fear 
most is colera.  With this many men together, getting 
pure drinking water is a chore.  The Captain has us 
filling our canteens from wells whenever we get a 
chance.  He says too many of the men use the streams 
for things other than drinkin.  So far, every one is 
getting to be in pretty good shape.  The daily 
marching is combined with unit formation and drills 
in the evening.  Those that could come with the 
company when we left the Sabine, have improved and 
gotten tougher. 

We are really military now.  We also work hard on 
musketry drills.  Fer near an hour each day, we 
load, shoot, and advance by the numbers.  It's a 
mighty impressive thing seein company after company 
forming attack lines and advancing on an objective 
as one body.  I can understand why those yankees 
ran at Bull Run.  A volley from a hundred muskets 
makes a fearsome noise.  The gun smoke gets so 
thick that you have to move through it before you 
can see to shoot again.  We practice advancing in 
two ranks.  When the order to prepare to fire comes,
the front rank kneels so's the back rank can fire 
their muskets over the front one's heads.  The aim 
is to be able to fire three volleys a minute. It 
ain't like most folks think.  We use paper 
cartridges which have the powder and minie-ball in 
them.  When we first stop to volley, the ramrods
are stuck in the ground a little in front and to 
the side of us.  When we fire, we first blow down 
the bore of the musket to clear it of any burning 
powder or paper and soften the powder residue.  
Then we draw a cartridge out of the cardridge box 
and bite the back end off of it.  Next we pour the
powder in the musket and then ram the ball with the 
paper still on it home with the ramrod.  We cock the 
musket, put a new cap on it, and we're ready to 
shoot again.  The first sarg. says that doin it by 
the numbers prevents men from double charging their 
muskets and allows us to fire volleys all together.  
We're gonna have to remember to pick up our ramrods 
when we advance however, or we'll have to find 
another one from somewhere else.

When we get the chance we practice movement with 
other companies.  The Captain says that if we attack 
an objective, we must be able to move as one with 
others around us.  At the end of the day, we're pretty 
tired.  The men take the time at night before sleeping 
to either write their folks or get someone else to do 
it for them.  My squad has four of us in it that can
write, so we write for the others when they want, and 
read their letters to them when mail arrives.  
Elizabeth writes me near every week, but when we're
movin like we are, I don't get her mail.  When we get 
to Vicksburg, I guess I'll have some readin to do.  I 
write her often, and drop the mail off at post offices 
as we go through towns.  I hope she's getin it and 
knows I'm fine.

These sure are a good bunch of men.  Charles Willson, 
Jasper Cockrell, and I have become good friends.  We 
all knew each other on the square before the war 
started, but are in the same squad together now.  We 
have asked and received permission to visit a traveling 
Lodge in the Regiment that has been given permission to 
meet by the Texas Masonic Grand Lodge.  Once or twice, 
I have been able to visit at local Lodges I have seen 
along the way across Lousianna. There are several other 
Freemasons in the unit as well.  We often get together 
at night and talk about our common interest.