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Guard Duty on Christmas
Soldier John R.Miller was on guard duty to help secure his camp from any attacks from the the confederate union. Miller was on duty at Camp Lindsey on Christmas Day, he wrote to his father about not having a good Christmas. -
Leaving for Georgia
Miller and his fellow Soldiers received orders from their Captian that they were going to march to Georgia the following morning. Miller did not want to leave but he was willing to because he actually liked being a Soldier. This letter was written to Miller's Father. Miller says that their quarters were good, so that was reason he didnt want to march. -
Sickness in Camp
In Camp Lindsey the measles came into the camp and a bunch of people got sick. Miller was one of the lucky ones and did not become sick. Measles is a very bad sickness that is highly contagious. Since the soldiers live together all the time many of them became sick. -
Going to Lawrenceburg
All the Soldiers received orders that they were going to march to Lawrenceburg. They received these orders at six o'clock that morning to be ready to leave for Lawrenceburg. -
Arriving in Nashville
They arrived in Nashville at 3 o'clock in the morning. They had a very bad environment to live in. They had so many Soldiers with them that they didn't have enough room for everyone. They also did not have enough tents, and the tents only slept two people. But they had a lot more soldiers than two per tent, so they had to sleep almost five men in one tent. -
A New Commander
MIller and his fellow Soldiers received a new Commander named Gen Hovey. Hovey did not like to be in the same place for a long time. So while he was in command they were marching often. MIller stated that he did not like to march but he would do it because he liked being a Soldier. He did not want to get kicked out and sent home. -
Trouble From the "Butternuts"
MIller and the other Soldiers heard from other groups that the Butternuts or the confederate soldiers were causing trouble with others. So they needed to watch out, and be ready to fight when needed. -
Marching
Miller and the other Soldiers had been marching 16 days from April 5th to April 21st. They were all tired of marching but had to keep going. They thought that there might be a fight in Knoxville. -
Wagons Were Stolen
Miller and his fellow Soldiers were waiting at their camp, expecting a attack. There was not an attack, only a cavalry raid in the back of their camp. The cavalry stole supplies and wagons. Not only did the wagons and supplies get stolen but a couple of soldiers were captured. -
The Rebel's Loss
In the last two encounters that MIllers group had with the Rebels, the Rebels lost many men. In the two encounters combined the Rebels have lost five to six thousand soldiers. -
Attacking the Rebels
The Soldiers attacked the Rebel's lines, while they were attacking they drove them back about three miles. When you attack enemy lines and make them go back and move, you get to advance. Advancing means the men get to take over their land and territory. -
Men Going Home
Many of the men in MIller's group were starting to go home for many reasons. Some were going home for a while to rest and come back home later that month. Others were sick or hurt from the battles. -
Chattanooga to Nashville
As Miller and the other Soldiers were ordered to march from Chattanooga to Nashville, they realized it was a long distance to walk. Because of the long distance, they asked if they could have some transportation for them. They were trying to get wagons or a train. -
Columbia
The Soldiers were in Columbia for eight to ten days and during that time the Rebels were advancing on them. They did lose ground but not a lot. -
Captured?
While they were in Nashville, Tennessee it was reported that MIller and the other Soldiers were "Captured", but that was false information. -
Rebels Falling Back
While Miller and the other Soldiers were in Nashville, Tennessee, they learned that the Rebels were starting to fall back. They wanted to go ahead and fight them, because when they fight the Rebels would continue losing supplies and men. This would have ended the war sooner instead of making it last longer. -
Wilmington Captured
The day that Miller and the other Soldiers arrived in Fort Anderson, North Carolina, theWilmington soldiers were captured. -
Sea Sick
Marching was a slow and tiring was of transportation, so they decided to take a stamboat down the the Cape Fear River. As they were in the steamboats some of the men got seasick. -
Two Men Wounded
There was another battle, and two men were wounded on MIller's side. Although Miller left uninjured, Miller had been in 14 battles and never been injured. Although he says that in this battle he had some close shots that almost hit him, but did not. -
War May End Soon
Miller bagan to think that the Rebels were going to stop fighting, he thinks they are about "played out". Even the Rebels began thinking they should because they were running low on men and supplies. He said that the Rebels were greatly discouraged. -
Losing Soldiers
The Rebels attacked them, but neither side lost a lot of Soldiers. Even though at the start of this battle the Rebels had a lot more Soldiers than they usually did in battles. But MIller and the other Soldiers received reinforcments , which is like where they get some new soldiers and more supplies. -
Attacked by the Rebels
While Miller and the other Soldiers were near Kingston, North Carolina the Rebels came and attacked their camp. As MIller and the other Soldiers were being attacked they were driven back and lost some ground. Also the Rebels captured some of their Soldiers, and were using them as prisoners. -
Both Sides Advancing
The Rebels, MIller, and his group were all trying to advance at the same time. But as they were marching on their way to the enemy lines they ran into each other and ended up fighting right there. Miller says they fought day and night, but they did not lose ground. This was the last letter Miller sent.
