A bad sight to see.

[**The following is from the Civil War diary of Samuel Clear, a Union soldier.**] >*Thursday, April 6th* >We had a small shower of rain last night, and we are very glad, we was not disturbed, we had a good rest after midnight. We started early and are pressing the Johnnies closely. We captured lots of prisoners to day, also a whole commissary train. >The road was strewn all along with wrecked wagons, dismounted gun carriages left burning, caissons dumped into mud holes, guns left half burned and some spiked. The fences set on fire on both sides of the road. Every few seconds, a shell would burst. In fact it was so dangerous from there that we would often have to leave the road to keep from being blown up. At one place where the road went down hill to a creek and took a sudden turn to the left two six mule teams went over and when we came along the mules and wagons was piled in a heap. Some of the mules was struggling to get up and could not make it for the dead ones that were piled on top of them. >It was a bad sight to see but on we went and soon forgot it in other scenes that were rushing before us and just as bad or worse. __________________________ **Source:** Chisholm, Daniel, et al. “Diary.” *The Civil War Notebook of Daniel Chisholm: A Chronicle of Daily Life in the Union Army, 1864-1865*. Ballantine Books, 1990. 76. Print.