War Experiences and the Story of the Vicksburg Campaign from "Milliken's Bend" to July 4, 1863: being an accurate and graphic account of campaign events taken from the diary of Capt. J.J. Kellogg, of Co. B 113th Illinois volunteer infantry

In Short

This narrative is a firsthand account of the 113th Illinois Infantry’s experiences during the pivotal Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. From the initial enlistment and departure to the grueling final months of the siege, the chronicle documents the daily life of soldiers—their hunger, their inventive makeshift shelters, and the strange, informal camaraderie that blossomed between opposing sides in the rifle pits. It remains a poignant record because it prioritizes the human experience over grand strategy, preserving the voices and hardships of ordinary soldiers caught in an extraordinary national trauma.

The Story

The journey begins in an atmosphere of patriotic fervor. The author and his comrades, including his eccentric bunkmate Ike Haywood, leave their homes with a mix of naive excitement and the weight of farewells. As they travel toward the front, the reality of the conflict settles in, punctuated by scenes of grieving families and the somber sight of a fallen soldier’s casket, signaling the true cost of the war.

Upon reaching the Mississippi River, the regiment marches through varied, often challenging terrain. The narrative describes their transition from the humid, alligator-infested bayous of Louisiana to the hard-fought hills surrounding Vicksburg. By mid-May 1863, the city is surrounded. The men face the harrowing reality of assault, particularly the failed charges of May 19 and 22, where the beauty of a May morning is violently eclipsed by the carnage of front-line combat. The author recounts the desperate nature of these charges, where soldiers were forced to scramble over the bodies of their fallen comrades while under intense fire.

Following these failed assaults, the campaign settles into the long, grueling labor of a siege. The soldiers become miners and trench-dwellers, living in the "rifle pits" where they exist in constant, intimate proximity to the enemy. Hunger becomes a constant companion, leading to stories of soldiers chewing on newspaper advertisements for food and the later realization that their Confederate counterparts were reduced to eating mule meat and leather. The author describes the surreal nature of this stalemate, where soldiers who were trying to kill one another by day engaged in polite, even humorous, banter across the narrow gaps of no-man's-land during lulls in the fighting.

The narrative also highlights the shifting fortunes of the men. While they survive the immediate dangers of the battlefield, they suffer heavy losses from disease, particularly after moving to a new camp near the "river of death," the Yazoo. The climax of the book arrives on July 3 and 4, 1863, with the surrender of Vicksburg. The tension dissipates as both Union and Confederate soldiers emerge from their pits to witness the transition from war to peace. The account closes with the weary realization that, despite the victory and the cessation of the bombardment, the personal tolls—the lost youth and the physical toll of the struggle—remain indelible markers of their service.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins The narrative opens with the spirited enlistment of a small-town company, capturing the nervous energy of young men who believe they are headed toward a brief, decisive conflict. The author paints a vivid picture of the transition from civilian life to the harsh, collective existence of the regiment, marked by the smell of antiseptic-treated blankets and the strange, new sounds of a nighttime camp.

The march to Vicksburg The regiment traverses the Mississippi landscape, dealing with the elements, the search for food, and the creeping dread of the approaching front. This section portrays the physical toll of the campaign, from wading through mud to the strange discovery of the dangers hidden within the local rivers and bayous.

The assaults The author provides a harrowing look at the tactical failures of May 1863, describing the chaotic, breathless charges against entrenched fortifications. He captures the psychological shift from enthusiasm to the cold, hard necessity of survival as the men realize the immense cost of their efforts against a well-defended enemy.

Life in the pits The focus shifts to the monotonous, dangerous reality of the siege, where the soldiers build "cane palaces" and dig tunnels under the enemy’s feet. The author highlights the bizarre intimacy of the period, describing a world where enemy soldiers swap tobacco and jokes while simultaneously planning their next move.

The surrender The book concludes with the final, quiet days of the siege, as rumors of the end become reality. The author reflects on the surrender of Vicksburg not as a moment of glorious triumph, but as a long-awaited release for both the starving defenders and the exhausted besiegers.

The People

J. J. Kellogg serves as both narrator and participant, a man who observes the absurdity and the horror of war with a steady, pragmatic gaze. He is a soldier who values the eccentricities of his peers and maintains a sharp, ironic humor even when facing death. His bunkmate, Ike Haywood, is the heart of the narrative—a physically imposing, squint-eyed, and profoundly good-natured man who acts as a grounded, if comical, foil to the gravity of the events. Haywood’s transformation from a man who jokes about "driving rebels into a post" to a hardened veteran reflects the broader evolution of the company. Tom Wilson, a schoolteacher by trade, represents the educated, contemplative element of the company, yet he too is swept into the same cycle of hunger and tactical maneuvering. General Ulysses S. Grant appears periodically, not as a remote deity of war, but as a figure setting the pace and rhythm for the men—demanding synchronicity in their watches and offering the "precious privilege" of volunteering for the most dangerous tasks. These men, along with the unnamed, grizzled Confederate soldiers encountered in the rifle pits, represent the humanity caught within the impersonal machinery of the siege.

In Its Own Voice

"I loved Ike Haywood on sight. I think I was mainly attracted towards Ike because of his eccentric ways, odd manner of speech and his wonderful good nature."

The author describes his first impressions of his bunkmate, Ike, highlighting the personal bonds that helped the men endure the hardships of the campaign.

"The war excitement had fully aroused the patriotic citizens of our city, and the simple message which the gallant Major Anderson had sent... found an echo in every loyal heart."

This reflects the initial, unified idealism that propelled the men to enlist before the reality of the battlefield altered their perspectives.

"There was the faithful mother with tearful eyes and blanched cheeks clinging to the arm of her soldier boy and bravely struggling to calm the throbbings of her aching heart."

The author captures the emotional cost of the war, grounding the grand scale of the conflict in the specific, heartbreaking departure of individual families.

What It's Really About

This book is a meditation on the duality of the soldier’s life: the capacity for extreme violence paired with an irrepressible drive for normalcy. It argues that war is not merely a series of strategic maneuvers but a physical endurance test that forces men into uncomfortable proximity with their own mortality. A central question is how the human psyche adapts to the "sulphurous breath of battle"—how one can eat raw ham in the shadow of a field hospital or joke with an enemy in a trench while knowing that either could be killed at any moment. Ultimately, it portrays the Civil War as a transformative, often dehumanizing experience that strips away the romanticism of the enlistment day, leaving behind a profound, shared understanding of sacrifice.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate raw, unvarnished history will find this account essential. It avoids the detached tone of academic textbooks, opting instead for a conversational, sometimes gritty, style that brings the reader directly into the trenches. The author’s willingness to include the dialect of his comrades and his own candid admission of fear and foolishness provides an authenticity that is rare in military memoirs. While the reader should be prepared for the period-specific attitudes and the occasional, jarring transition between humor and tragedy, these elements are exactly what make the book resonate. It feels like hearing a story from someone who was actually there, someone who remembers the smell of the camp, the texture of the hardtack, and the sound of the bugle calls. It is a vital document for anyone interested in understanding the emotional, physical, and moral landscape of the Civil War. By focusing on the "little things"—the food, the insects, the banter, the makeshift bedding—the book reminds us that history is made by people who are just as vulnerable and prone to contradiction as we are today. It is a lingering, sobering, and ultimately very human look at a defining moment in American history.