My shoes were in pretty good shape, but those of some of the boys were
very poor. The 8th we made an early start. The air was clear and cold and
we made a good day's march. The 10th, we reached Cumberland Gap--were
disappointed not to get any rations, but after passing the gap and
marching a few miles beyond, we came on to a supply train and drew two
full days' rations. What a treat to have a meal of good fresh hardtack and
a cup of good coffee again. The 11th, we did not get far, we were delayed
by the train. The roads in the mountains were something terrific. In many
places we were obliged to cut ruts in the ice for the wheels of the wagons
to go in. Forded the Cumberland River at Cumberland Ford. Pretty cold
business fording large rivers in midwinter with the temperature down to 15
degrees above zero.

January 12. Waited until noon for the train to come up. The train has
delayed us all along the way. The roads are so very bad. Came upon a
supply train and drew two days' rations.

We reached Loudon, Kentucky, January 14. Here, some of the boys were able
to get new shoes, to their great relief. It snowed all day the 15th and
at night we camped in deep snow. The next day the roads not having been
broken out, we lost our way and floundered around all the forenoon.

January 16. The home stretch. Made a long march of twenty-five or thirty
miles in the rain, reaching Camp Nelson just before dark. Found our old
Adjutant, Theron E. Hall, detailed there in command of the post. He put us
in a big empty storehouse where we had a fine night's sleep.

From the 17th of November to January 18th, a period of two months and one
day, was a period in which we suffered more from privation and exposure
than any other period of the same length during the war. During the siege
we were under fire and short of rations all the time. The next period up
in the vicinity of Morristown and Blaine cross-roads we were on duty
nearly all the time. It was very cold. We were very short of clothes and
had almost nothing to eat. Then the tramp over the Cumberland mountains
through the snow, with almost nothing to keep us warm for eleven days, was
something terrific. The fact that we were on our way home was the only
thing that buoyed us up during the last part of it. I am writing this at
seventy-four years of age, and as I go over that march through the snow,
fording great streams in midwinter on that trip across the mountains, I am
entirely unable to c