The siege of Vicksburg, from the diary of Seth J. Wells

Chapter 2: Foreword

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About This Book

A firsthand wartime diary recounts daily life of a soldier during campaigns and the siege of a river city, documenting marches, camp routine, skirmishes, hardships, and interactions with fellow troops and civilians. Entries describe logistical details, weather, military drills, guard duty, construction of defenses, treatment of wounded, and movements between posts, along with reflections on morale and the strains of occupation after surrender. The narrative combines chronological entries with practical observation, giving a granular portrait of soldiering and military operations from the perspective of one participant.

Foreword

The Diary of Seth J. Wells from June 14th, 1861, to July 9th, 1864, relates to the every day life of the soldier in camp and field and records its tramps and hardships cheerfully borne.

The Siege of Vicksburg is taken from the Diary.

He was born on April 26th 1842 in Iowa, Des Moines County, near the village of Rising Sun and was reared in his Grandfather Ewell’s family on the “Ewell Farms” in Michigan, Macomb County, near the village of Utica.

He was wounded in battle and died a few days later in a hospital at Vicksburg on July 9th 1864. He enlisted on June 12th 1861 and served in three companies of the United States Army during the Civil War: Company E, 12th Indiana; Company K, 17th Illinois; Company G, 8th Illinois. The brothers, Frank and Seth, were together in Company K, 17th Illinois.

S. E. K.