After months of fruitless ditch digging and dredging, the army was put in motion, today as the 13th Army Corps took the advance. Today the whole command broke camp and started on the march.
The magnitude of this advance needs to be fully appreciated. Roads had to be constructed, bridges had to be built across the numerous bayous that crossed the line of march, commissary and ordnance stores for a large army had to be transported on wagons, and the army itself had to endure long and weary marches through mud and rain.
During this march the 13th Army Corps built about two thousand feet of bridges. They also constructed a passable wagon road nearly the whole distance, which allowed the wagon to transport the supplies over the soft, soggy roads.
The 130th Illinois Infantry was part of the 2nd Brigade, of the 10th Division, of the 13th Army Corps, commanded by Major General John A. McClernand. Other units assigned to the 2nd Brigade were the 77th Illinois Infantry, the 97th Illinois Infantry, the 19th Kentucky Infantry and the 48th Ohio Infantry. For virtually the rest of the Civil War, these units were no more than a stone's throw from each other.
The 13th Army Corps included the 9th, 10th, 12th, and 14th Divisions. Each of these divisions was made up of two brigades, plus cavalry and artillery units. Each brigade included 5 or 6 infantry regiments. A battery unit was also attached to each brigade. These, when complete, had six cannon and six caissons ammunition wagons to each of which were attached six horses. Every regiment had two or three ambulances to carry the sick or disabled, several wagons to haul tents and other camp equipment.
So, a division, with its men marching in fairly loose ranks, ambulances, wagons, batteries, etc. occupied a huge amount of space on the road. Additionally there was always a train of wagons containing provisions, ammunition and necessary extra supplies.
Most of the section of country they traveled was low, and the roads, when not flooded, were either quite muddy or very rough. In many places the roads had to be made and bridges built. In other places the road ran along the top of the levee.
The first day's march took the command to Richmond, LA, a small town about 22 miles west of Vicksburg.
Private Elias J. Patterson, from Company C and Cairo, died today in Memphis.
