1861 September 16

[from the diary of Francis G. Hale, of the 34th Ohio Zouaves]

at Mayesville this morning
want to charge 40 cents
for break fast. woul not
give it. made breakfast
on biscuit & bread &c. Butter
the folk at Mayes ville
give us had a part
of a cup of coffee that
the cook gave me. feele
very well only a slight
head ache. one fellow
got a bayonet run in
his arm by fooling aroun the gards he
is raveing mad a bout
it and there was a
nother fellow a going
to bayonet him but
did not
we went on the freest
one Arrozona & Dunleith
we was far a head
but they past us at
Mayesville about 10 oclock
the arrazona had a
cole boat in tow withe
her full of privates
we stopt here a bout
8 oclock
there is a ferry boat carrying
mules a cross to ohio
from Kentucky to aberdene
we have got the rifeld
musket we refused
them once but we could
not get any other so we
had to take them. They are very good for
the kind

Left Mays ville half after
leven o clock
Callonel Louis remains
went down as we went
a way frome here he was
shot throughe the forhead
and his legs was all torn
of by grape shot
I be gin to realize now
a soldiers life but
have not come to
the realities of it
we will the last of
this week. though
we past the arrizona
at six oclock and
are after the Dunleith
now we have got her
in sight we will pass
her in an hour or so
it has been raining
for the last half
hour and still it
rains the boys that
are on the haricon
deck are come down
and we will be
crowded to night
I expect the fog
raising on the river
and we will have
a nother dark night
of it I expect


last night was tolerable
Clear we are now to
virginea on one side
ohio on the other
we have not passed the dunleith yet
the mate of the boat
told us last night
of the snake hunters
of virginea they take
nothing but a club
and when they catch
a secech he is a goner
shure enough the
secech took all the
horses & corn the the[sic]
snake hunters had
and left them desti
tute for food now
they give them their
pay they just deploy
by secksions and
meete at any given
point from fore sides
if they meete a secech
he is gon shure enough
there is a nother boat in
our wake t his morning
we all slept very well
last night and all
feele fresh this morning.

MSS 13405