Existing comment:
Diary of John Hill Ferguson:
Sergeant John Hill Ferguson, a 31-year-old immigrant from Scotland, enlisted in Company G of the 10th Illinois Infantry Regiment in the late fall of 1861. In early 1862, he began keeping a diary on his personal experiences. For six months, beginning in November of 1862, Ferguson was posted in Nashville. His regiment bivouacked on several occasions below the north main works at Fort Negley.
Like other soldiers, he spent a portion of his day reading local papers that carried reports of the war in the East, looking for news of Union victories. On his off-duty days, he ventured around town and wrote about his encounters.
Army life, however, was difficult. Most of his experiences in Nashville including drilling, guard duty, and the dangers faced by foraging details out into the countryside where, according to Ferguson, "gurillas were in strong force."
Finally, in August of 1863, his regiment was ordered to Chattanooga as part of the Atlanta Campaign.
On several occasions, Ferguson writes about the "degraded women" along Smokey Row, the brothel district in Nashville. During the war, prostitution was legalized and regulated by the Union army. |