ANOTHER DAY ON THE OHIO RIVER

The flotilla continued its westerly trip on steamboats, heading for the Mississippi River and then Memphis, to join General Sherman's army. We will continue to take the liberty of estimation and place DeCourcey's brigade on the Ohio River, just about 115 miles west of the Previous night's position. It is not known if the boats anchored each night or kept moving but the general distances estimated would be reasonable.

Meanwhile, Pvt. Newt Gorsuch, having missed the boats five days earlier when they left Cincinnati on the 16th, was still making his way to catch up and re-join the regiment. Newt made it to Louisville at midnight on November 19 aboard the steamer Washington. On this date, November 21, Newt, with perhaps just a hint of panic in his tone, writes:

Get transportation and cross (Ohio) river after dark and take cars on Louisville & Chicago R.R. Forced off track and get detained. Get to Mitchell (Indiana) at daylight.

*Quote above from Civil War Diaries and Selected Letters of Robert Newton Gorsuch, recently published in book form by Newt Gorsuch's great grandson, Everett Gorsuch Smith, Jr. The book is available for purchase from various Internet sources.

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Modern day map of the 16th Ohio's journey on the Ohio River from about Cannelton, Indiana to the west (positions approximated):

Blue pin - New Albany, Indiana (near Louisville, Kentucky)
Green pin - notional point where the flotilla anchored for the night on November 19, 1862
Red pin - Cannelton, Indiana, where flotilla docked to take on coal on what may have been the night of November 20, 1862
Lavender pin - notional point where the flotilla reached on the night of November 21, 1862