# Private Davis: One soldier's Civil War experience **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 1, 2012, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/private-davis-one-soldiers-civil-war-experience/639527 "2012-11-01T04:45:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/private-davis-one-soldiers-civil-war-experience/639527/41 "2012-12-05T21:44:49Z")
This narrative is neither mundane nor pointless. I never would have found it without the Threadspotting pointer, since I avoid MPSIMS threads generally. Mods… doesn’t this particular thread seem better suited for Cafe Society? Anyway, simply brilliant, malden. I’m gonna watch this one closely, no matter what subforum it’s in. ---
**Author:** ![jayrey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/47e85d/32.png) [@jayrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayrey)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/private-davis-one-soldiers-civil-war-experience/639527/42 "2012-12-05T22:38:18Z")
Subscribing immediately. This is great! Please keep it up, malden. ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/private-davis-one-soldiers-civil-war-experience/639527/43 "2012-12-06T05:53:13Z")
Interesting stuff. My SO and her sister published a book containing wartime letters from their ancestor who also fought for the North during the Civil War. It’s great to see these things through the writings of those who were there. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/private-davis-one-soldiers-civil-war-experience/639527/44 "2012-12-06T22:25:28Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > This narrative is neither mundane nor pointless. I never would have found it without the Threadspotting pointer, since I avoid MPSIMS threads generally. > > Mods… doesn’t this particular thread seem better suited for Cafe Society? > > Anyway, simply brilliant, malden. I’m gonna watch this one closely, no matter what subforum it’s in. Despite the words “mundane” and “pointless,” many of the threads in this forum are neither – including, e.g., announcements of births, marriages, and deaths. I think it’s fine where it is, notwithstanding your policy not to read MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![malden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@malden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malden)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/private-davis-one-soldiers-civil-war-experience/639527/45 "2012-12-07T15:54:34Z")
_ **Off the coast of Virginia** _ It has been a rough couple of days at sea, with gale-force winds and high waves. The galley, located between decks, has not been usable; the ship is rolling so much that fat in the pans has been running out onto the stove and setting fire to the deck. After several such incidents, the men-- those who could eat at all in these seas-- were reduced to eating bread and raw salted pork. Forty-eight hours after departing from Brooklyn, Captain Lavender of the _Saxon_ opened his sealed orders. The four transport captains were to rendezvous at [Ship Island](https://maps.google.com/maps?q=30.22,-88.918611&t=h&z=12), on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. They were also permitted to stop at Port Royal (South Carolina), Tortuga (Florida Keys), or Key West (Florida), if needed, to refuel or acquire provisions. * * * Thanks for the comments, everyone, esp. JKellyMap for the “threadspotting” nomination. That is a much more catchy title than the one I made up for the thread! ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/private-davis-one-soldiers-civil-war-experience/639527/46 "2012-12-07T20:16:16Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Despite the words “mundane” and “pointless,” many of the threads in this forum are neither – including, e.g., announcements of births, marriages, and deaths. > > I think it’s fine where it is, notwithstanding your policy not to read MPSIMS. I have the unfortunate tendency towards literal-mindedness, but I can learn if taught. Looks like this episode teaches me not to judge fora by their titles. Ignorance fought! ---
**Author:** ![malden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@malden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malden)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/private-davis-one-soldiers-civil-war-experience/639527/47 "2012-12-09T01:21:58Z")
The men of Companies D, G, and I awoke to calmer seas this morning; the _Saxon_ passed Cape Hatteras, North Carolina overnight on its way to Ship Island. The calm allowed the men to spend more time on deck. There was some trouble tonight. Some of the men broke into an ice chest, helped themselves to some fresh beef, and cooked it in the galley. Despite the officers’ best efforts, no one seems to know the identity of the thieves. There’ll be hell to pay if the Colonel finds out who did it. ---
**Author:** ![malden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@malden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malden)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/private-davis-one-soldiers-civil-war-experience/639527/48 "2012-12-11T18:46:46Z")
On the morning of the 9th, the thieves of the previous night were identified. A corporal from Company I led the theft; he had the chevrons stripped from his uniform and was put in irons. Two privates serving as cooks were also put in irons for not revealing the names of the thieves. Yesterday, December 10, the ship passed a pod of whales in the morning. Other than that, the day was uneventful. This morning the ship is off the coast of South Florida under clear skies. ---
**Author:** ![malden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@malden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malden)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/private-davis-one-soldiers-civil-war-experience/639527/49 "2012-12-13T07:33:25Z")
OK, playing catch-up here as I have been traveling! At 6 o’clock on December 11, the _Saxon_ pulled into port at Key West, Florida to take on coal for the remainder of the run to Ship Island. Although Key West was part of the Confederate state of Florida, it had remained in Union hands throughout the war and was the site of a U.S Naval Station and [Fort Zachary Taylor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Zachary_Taylor). It is not known if the officers and men of Companies D, G, and I were granted leave, but it is doubtful, because they left Key West early on the morning of December 12. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/private-davis-one-soldiers-civil-war-experience/639527/50 "2012-12-13T20:46:21Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > Malden, I am subscribing. Just a suggestion for we non US people- could you please indicate which Army? It is probably obvious to Americans but to me I don’t know which side (and it is interesting to me). How do you subscribe toa thread? ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/private-davis-one-soldiers-civil-war-experience/639527/51 "2012-12-13T21:49:31Z")
If you post in a thread you are automatically subscribed. If you go to the top of the page and look in the second menu bar, the “Thread Tools” menu, click, you should get an option to subscribe to the thread. Subscribing means if you open your User CP (Control Panel), it will be listed in the Subscribed Threads list. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/private-davis-one-soldiers-civil-war-experience/639527/52 "2012-12-13T22:08:27Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > How do you subscribe toa thread? Thread Tools in the lower of the two blue lines up top. ---
**Author:** ![malden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@malden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malden)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/private-davis-one-soldiers-civil-war-experience/639527/53 "2012-12-17T04:00:18Z")
_(Posting a day late again… will try to get back to real time now!)_ **Shots fired on _Saxon_!** Early on the morning of December 15, a curious incident occurred on an otherwise uneventful run from Key West to Ship Island. In the early hours of the morning, the mate in charge got the _Saxon_ off course and turned at the wrong point, sailing full-speed at the U.S. fleet blockading Mobile Bay. Around 2 a.m. they were hailed by a Union gunboat, and soon afterward a blank shot and a cannonball were fired in the _Saxon_’s direction from the U.S. gunboat _Montgomery_. At this, the mate halted the _Saxon_ and, lacking a whistle with which to signal, simply waited for the other ships to approach. The _Saxon_ was boarded by officers of the U.S. Navy, who informed the mate and other officers that they were off course, heading straight for Mobile, and inside the ring of picket boats that were part of the blockade. Duly chastised, the _Saxon_ corrected its course and proceeded for [Ship Island](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Harpers_Weekly_Ship_Island_drawing.jpg), arriving at 9:00 a.m. The _Saxon_ remained there until 5 p.m., when it left for New Orleans. By Tuesday morning, December 16, the ship was on its way up the Mississippi River, having entered though [Southwest Pass](https://maps.google.com/maps?q=29.014167,-89.344167&ll=29.005438,-89.325027&spn=0.165444,0.178699&t=h&z=13). After passing [Fort Jackson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Jackson,_Louisiana) and [Fort St. Philip](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_St._Philip) around noon, the _Saxon_ proceeded upriver until about 9 p.m. and tied up for the night on the left bank of the Mississippi. Two sentinels were posted on the riverbank as lookouts for guerrilla activity. ---
**Author:** ![tarragon918](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@tarragon918](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tarragon918)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/private-davis-one-soldiers-civil-war-experience/639527/54 "2012-12-17T06:00:28Z")
Thank you so much for sharing this, **malden**! I am really enjoying reading the real experiences from the Civil War. ---
**Author:** ![malden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@malden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malden)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/private-davis-one-soldiers-civil-war-experience/639527/55 "2012-12-17T15:11:55Z")
The \*Saxon \*has just arrived in New Orleans after a thirteen-day run from Brooklyn. The ship will be here for most of the day (perhaps Colonel Burrell is reporting in to General Banks, who had recently taken command of U.S. forces in the Department of the Gulf.) As far as I know, the men of the Forty-Second are confined to the ship. ---
**Author:** ![malden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@malden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malden)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/private-davis-one-soldiers-civil-war-experience/639527/56 "2012-12-17T23:11:44Z")
The _Saxon_, containing Companies D, G, and I, is on the move upriver again. It’s a short run up to [Carrollton, Louisiana](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrollton,_Louisiana) ([map](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=carrollton,+la&hl=en&sll=44.967106,-93.054543&sspn=0.030849,0.056305&t=m&hnear=Uptown+-+Carrollton,+New+Orleans,+Orleans,+Louisiana&z=12)), which was a separate town during this era, but was later annexed to New Orleans. Around 7 p.m. the \*Saxon \*set anchor at Carrollton, but the men would have to wait until tomorrow to set up camp. ---
**Author:** ![Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fool_in_the_Rain)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/private-davis-one-soldiers-civil-war-experience/639527/57 "2012-12-18T18:03:37Z")
The maps are a nice addition, thanks. Looking forward to the next post. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![malden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@malden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malden)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/private-davis-one-soldiers-civil-war-experience/639527/58 "2012-12-18T22:00:56Z")
After waiting on board the \*Saxon \*for most of the day, the three companies have finally walked ashore and set up camp in Carrollton. Not much to do today but wait-- orders are expected at any time. ---
**Author:** ![malden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@malden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malden)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/private-davis-one-soldiers-civil-war-experience/639527/59 "2012-12-19T22:13:30Z")
Today, Colonel Burrell received orders via telegraph from General Banks in New Orleans: “Colonel Burrell, with his three companies of Massachusetts volunteers, will proceed to Galveston forthwith.” Colonel Burrell immediately ordered the men to strike camp and prepare to move. Note that the the companies here in Carrollton (D, G, I) have not seen or heard from the other seven companies in the regiment since they boarded the four transport ships in Brooklyn. Apparently it has been decided to deploy the three available companies and follow up with the rest of the regiment when they arrive in New Orleans. ---
**Author:** ![malden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@malden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malden)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/private-davis-one-soldiers-civil-war-experience/639527/60 "2012-12-20T04:52:47Z")
Well, unfortunately for the troops, there is no ship to board, as the _Saxon_ was sent to New Orleans yesterday for repairs and has not yet returned to Carrollton. So the three companies will now have to put up their tents again and spend another night here waiting for their transport. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/private-davis-one-soldiers-civil-war-experience/639527.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/private-davis-one-soldiers-civil-war-experience/639527.md?page=4)