Incidentally, as an aside, I lived in South Africa for a year, there, the sun travels to the North versus to the South here in the Northern hemisphere. I had one hell of a time getting my bearings where my wife had no trouble at all.
Excerpts from diaries of men of the 43rd Tennessee:
About an hour by sun we arrived at Mobile.
At eight o’clock heavy firing commenced at the bridge across the Big Black River on the Jackson and Vicksburg railroad. It resulted into a hot contest, so much so that our forces had to fall back with considerable loss in Vaughn’s Brigade (Tennesseans). This done, we had no other alternative but to take the nearest road to Vicksburg and get inside our fortifications, which we did an hour by the sun, Sunday evening.
We then moved to the left around the west side of town to the north side, so as to connect with other of the command who might gather there and by half an hour by sun most of our force was . . . . . . .
At two hours by sun I left home . . .
Two hours by sun the rain ceased, giving us time to cook our two days ration.