Jeffersonville, Indiana. This
boat was provided with a railroad track extending from bow to stern,
and so arranged that when the boat landed at either bank, the rails
laid along the lower deck of the boat would closely connect with the
railroad track on the land. This ferry transferred our train in
sections, and thus obviated any necessity for the men to leave the
cars. The ferrying process did not take long, and we were soon speeding
through southern Indiana. As stated, it was Sunday, and a bright,
beautiful autumn day. As I have hereinbefore mentioned, our train
consisted of box cars, (except one coach for the commissioned
officers,) and all the men who could find room had taken, from
preference, seats on top of the cars. Much of southern Indiana is
rugged and broken, and in 1865 was wild, heavily timbered, and the most
of the farm houses were of the backwoods class. We soon began to see
little groups of the country people, in farm wagons, or on foot, making
their way to Sunday school and church. Women, young girls, and children
predominated, all dressed in their "Sunday-go-to-meeting" clothes. And
how the women and girls cheered us, and waved their handkerchiefs! And
didn't we yell! It was self-evident that we were in "God's Country"
once more. These were the first demonstrations of that kind the old
regiment had seen since the girls of Monticello Seminary, in February,
1862, lined the fences by the road side and made similar manifestations
of patriotism and good will.

We arrived at Indianapolis about noon, there got off the cars and went
in a body to a Soldiers' Home close at hand, where we had a fine
dinner; thence back to the old train, which thundered on the rest of
the day and that night, arriving at Springfield the following day, the
11th. Here we marched out to Camp Butler, near the city, and went into
camp.

And now another annoying delay occurred, this time being in the matter
of our final payment. What the particular cause was I do not know;
probably the paymasters were so busy right then that they couldn't get
around to us. The most of us (that is, of the old, original regiment)
were here within sixty or seventy miles of our homes, and to be
compelled to just lie around and wait here at Camp Butler was rather
trying. But the boys were patient, and on the whole endured the
situation with commendable equanimity. "But the day it came at last,"
and in the forenoon of September 27th we fell in line by compan