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 this vivid diary a young Union captain captures the electric mix of patriotism and uncertainty that surged through a Midwestern town on the day its volunteers marched out for war. He paints the rally’s noisy pageantry, the clatter of boots and brass bands, and the personal ties that bound strangers—teachers, laborers, and country boys—into a single company. Through his keen eyes we meet men like the hulking, good‑natured Ike and the earnest teacher Tom, whose promises to their families echo the era’s sense of duty.

Beyond the farewells, the narrative follows the fledgling regiment’s first steps toward the Mississippi, detailing cramped train rides, the nervous arrival at Cairo’s bustling camps, and the grueling adjustments to military life. The captain’s straightforward prose records both the camaraderie that steadied them and the stark realities of disease, discipline, and the looming specter of combat, offering listeners an intimate portrait of ordinary citizens thrust into extraordinary circumstances.