“ … At Enterprise, Miss., Col. Dowdell [James F.] telegraphed to Gen. Bragg, at Corinth, that he was on his way to join his Command, to which Gen. Bragg replied, ordering Col. Dowdell to take his regiment [37th Alabama Inf.] to Columbus, Mississippi, until further orders, and to report to Brigadier General D.W. Adams. We therefore left the main [rail] road at Artesia, and ran out on branch road to Columbus, arriving there about eight o’clock at night. Not having wagons to transport our baggage, we were compelled to camp at depot, among cannon, gun carriages, balls, shells, etc. Being very much fatigued by the trip, the men were very easily pleased, and as soon as we could get something to eat we piled about upon the ground promiscuously. During the night a train came in from Corinth loaded with sick and wounded soldiers, and were left to scramble out as best they could by themselves. Next morning some were lying upon the platform dead, and others in a dying condition. The land for nearly an acre round was literally covered with the most pitiful looking human beings we had ever seen. Such a spectacle of suffering humanity, our eyes had never before beheld.
About eight o’clock the wagons began to move them off to the hospitals, which were then crowded to overflowing. About three o’clock the last of the poor fellows were carried off, when the wagons were turned over to our regiment to haul our baggage about a mile northeast of Columbus to our camping place, where we pitched tents near Bluett’s Bridge across Luxbelile creek [read Luxapalila]. Ours was called Camp Bluett. Notwithstanding the healthy local appearance of the place, we had a great deal of sickness.
The duties upon the regiment are very heavy, having not only to guard our own camps, but have to guard the town of Columbus. The government has a great deal of valuable property here. Several thousand sick and wounded soldiers from every State in the Confederacy are here. This place is headquarters for sick of East Louisiana and Mississippi Department of the army. Average deaths among the soldiers here runs from twenty to thirty daily. ‘Death is reaping the harvest of his millions’ now in the armies, both by disease and the carnage of battle. …
We arrived at this place [on June 8, 1862] with about seven hundred men able for duty and now [June 19, 1862] we had about two hundred on dress parade this evening, the balance of the regiment being sick and on guard duty. …”