MAY 14. Thursday. We got orders this morning to be ready to move at a moment’s notice. We hear that Grant has had another battle. The “Gen. Price” came up this morning from Red River. We were ordered on the march at 8 o’clock. It rained just enough to lay the dust and make good marching. We marched ten miles and camped on a small stream. The country is rough and hilly. The roads follow the ranges of hills, so there are few to climb. Every patch of ground that is tillable is tilled and planted to corn. MAY 15. Friday. Marched twenty miles, saw some fine fields of wheat that are just turning. We heard the cheering news today that Richmond, the Rebel capital, is captured, and also that Jackson, Miss., is taken. The country is the same as yesterday--rough and hilly. MAY 16. Saturday. We had a hard march of twenty-five miles today. We passed through Utica and camped at Raymond. We heard cannonading in the direction of Big Black Bridge. A battle is supposed to be taking place. The hills have gradually disappeared and the face of the country is quite smooth. I saw wheat nearly ready for the reaper. The boys are tired tonight. I keep up fine. We passed a number of hospitals filled with the wounded and also passed a large number of prisoners. MAY 17. Sunday. We started for Big Black Bridge early. Nine miles out we came upon the road leading from Jackson to Vicksburg, and were upon the battle ground of yesterday. The horrors of war were everywhere visible. The dead and wounded were scattered around over the ground. Here we came upon Bill Stafford, who said McPherson’s corps took seventeen hundred prisoners and thirteen pieces of artillery, but were badly cut up. They are burying the dead. It is rumored that Pemberton was killed. In one place the horses of nearly a whole battery were killed. We marched five miles, joined our old brigade, and camped on Black River. Our advance has reached the bridge, and taken three thousand prisoners, and seventeen cannon. McPherson says we have taken seven thousand prisoners and sixty-eight pieces of light artillery since crossing the Mississippi. We saw Stevenson and Logan this afternoon. I saw Quimby when we stopped for dinner. A number of fellows swam the Black River and captured chickens, pigs, etc. The Rebels have chosen their own ground and have been badly whipped each time. We draw _scarcely any rations_. Engineers are bridging the river. MAY 18. Monday. We lay in camp until 1 o’clock, when the bridge was completed and orders came to advance. We crossed in the rear of Blair’s division and marched to within six miles of Vicksburg. The country is nothing but a succession of hills. Sherman’s corps was in the advance. The roads were very dusty, but we marched six miles before we bivouaced for the night, tired, hungry.