Friday, February 24, 1865

This morning the men went into camp in the sand. The region was sterile and uninteresting to the men.  Fort Morgan had gained much notoriety from its engagement with Commodore Farragut's fleet the previous August. The fort showed marks of the bombardment, including crumbling walls and broken brick work.

Near the camp was a sand hill, twenty or thirty feet high.  From there the men could see the vessels anchored in the gulf and Dauphin Island to the west across the mouth of Mobile Bay.

Over the next couple weeks the men remained in camp here on the beach at Fort Morgan.  They often saw a school of porpoises playing in the waters of the bay.  This was a first for most of the soldiers from Illinois.

Looking west from Ft. Morgan in the fall of 2014.  You can see Dauphin Island in the distance.

Thursday, February 23, 1865

After nearly 36 hours, the storm eased enough and the St. Mary weighed anchor this morning and proceeded on toward Fort Morgan.  The sea was still rough, but they landed at Fort Morgan in the afternoon.  It was raining, and as soon as they stacked arms, they sought shelter under a pontoon train, where they spent the night.

William Fleming's account of the day:

we landed at Ft Morgan on the 23d and disembarked and moved out on mobile point in rear of the Ft, and went into camp we remained here untill the morning of the 17 of Mar

 The interior of Ft. Morgan in the fall of 2014.

Tuesday, February 21, 1865

This morning the men of the regiment found themselves on the blue salt water of the Gulf.  But the sea was rough with heavy winds.  The winds increased to a gale and blew from the west.  The storm continued to intensify. The ship rolled violently from side to side and plunged forward over the tops of the rolling waves.

The soldiers began to think they were on their last excursion. Their faces were pale and they were very anxious.  The old seasickness they remember from a year ago returned.  Soon the soldiers "heaved Jonah" and gave back to the sea those herring that they had eaten so heartily the night before.
Charles Johnson wrote of the episode:

And how long afterwards did the taste and flavor of those little stomach-disturbers remain with us! And who of us that ate herring on that day, more than a half century in the past, has ever had the hardihood to so much as taste one since!

The horses and mules, as well as the men, were bruised and battered by the storm. In order to escape the storm the St. Mary finally sought the shelter of Chandler's Island, about fifty miles from Fort Morgan. They anchored here for the night.

Monday, February 20, 1865

Today the regiment received orders to march to Bull Head Landing, Louisiana.  They left camp a little before noon and marched to Bull's Head Landing, where they remained in the dock-yard all the afternoon.  In the early evening they went aboard the steamer St. Mary - the same St. Mary that brought them from the sandy shores of Texas to Louisiana almost exactly one year ago.

William Fleming remembered the trip well:

we rec orders to move and went abord of the steamship St. Marry, and Launched out, we were soon overtaking with severe wind which made it very unfavorable to us, and causing our vessel to become almost unmanageable and our boys all were seasick and vomited without the least aid of medisene but finaly the winds abated  and the sea became calm, and we landed at Ft Morgan on the 23d

The men were all very tired and had not yet eaten their dinner.  Their meat rations, for the convenience of their march, were dried herring.  They ate heartily.  

As night approached the St. Mary moved away from the wharf and headed down the river.  Meanwhile, the men unrolled their blankets and stretched out on the deck sleeping soundly.

Friday, February 10, 1865

Today the newly reconstituted 77th Illinois Infantry Regiment was marched in review of Brigadier General Thomas West Sherman (commanding the defenses of New Orleans), Major General Stephen Augustus Hurlbut (commanding the Department of the Gulf), and Major General Edward R.S. Canby (commanding the Department of the Western Mississippi).  

By now the soldiers knew a major review meant orders were on the way.