USA > Iowa > A history of the Sixth Iowa infantry > Part 9
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General Sherman issued his orders and had them read to each regiment, and detachment in his command, lay- ing down such perfect rules and instructions for the ad-
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ministration and government of the command, that they are here inserted almost in their entirety because they explain the good order and high state of discipline main- tained in the division. He said :
The enemy's army has fled away and there is no seeming danger present; but this may not be the real truth, and we must always act on the supposition that the enemy will do his worst. and that he will take advantage of every chance we give him to annoy us and destroy us and our detachments on the very first opportunity. Therefore very general attention is again called to the great importance of a proper system of caution and guard to be observed at all times, whether by the whole division, by detached brigades, regiments, or smaller parties.
I. During all marches advance guards should be out with flankers; when there is the most remote danger of an enemy, ranks must be kept [closed] and straggling absolutely prevent- ed. Marches should be made as steady as possible, and the men be impressed with the fact that by falling out they only make matters worse to catch up. By keeping a steady pace a weak or sick soldier will experience far less fatigue than if he rests for a while and follows behind. Frequent rests will always be made by the general in command or by brigadiers; but no subordi- nate officer must lengthen the column by halts for any cause. If a wagon or gun stalls or any obstruction offers, details must be made promptly to remove by hand the obstruction, or the in- fantry must pass around, and leave the obstruction to be re- moved by the rear guard.
II. As soon as a halt is made, the general, by himself or some of his staff, will indicate to brigadiers their points and whether the camp should be in line or column in mass. Briga- diers will in like manner indicate to colonels the points for their regiments. If accident give one regiment good ground and others bad, colonels must not change on that or any account, for order and system alone give strength to an army, and must pre- vail over mere personal comfort and choice.
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III. The moment the ground for a halt or camp is selected colonels of regiments or commanders of detachments will at once see his guard established ; his arms stacked, or arranged under shelter if need be. . The company daily detailed for . pickets or guard will stand fast under arms, and be conducted to the brigade headquarters, and at once established under the direction of the brigade officer of the day, who in his turn will be governed by the order of the general officer of the day. This grand guard must be entirely independent of the interior regi- mental guard, and is intended to cover the whole camp against the enemy from any and every quarter. Its importance cannot be overestimated, and officers and soldiers must be made to feel that in a good grand guard the safety and comfort of all de- pends. If this guard be well posted, instructed, and vigilant, every man can sleep and rest well; but no soldier can have se- curity in his camp or bed in an enemy's country, such as we now occupy, if he feels that the sentinels are sitting down, careless, or asleep.
IV. The general will personally direct the posting in camp of the artillery and cavalry, which must have the ground adapt- ed to their service. They must guard their own camps and horses, but will not be called on for working details or grand guard, but on halting for camp the chief of cavalry will report in person for instructions as to the cavalry pickets. Upon their intelligence and vigilance much depends. They are not posted to fight, but for watching the approaches of an enemy at suffi- cient distance out to give early warning of danger. Generally they will keep under cover themselves at points where they have a long field, or road, or path ahead. The picket guard must always keep out vedettes, who must be either in the saddle or standing to horse. They must never allow themselves to be sur- prised, night or day. The officer of picket must always, before resting, make a circuit about his station, so as to be well in- formed of all approaches, as well as roads and paths, leading back to camp, and must report to headquarters or nearest camp
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all suspicious acts or signs of an enemy., They must be careful, however, to give no unnecessary alarm, as quiet and rest are essential to the health and usefulness of an army.
V. The moment the halt or camp is indicated to a battery of artillery the commander will come into battery, unlimber, guns pointed toward the enemy, horses unbridled or unharnessed as the case may require, guards posted, and tarpaulins spread, the water for horses and men looked to, and forage provided. Every opportunity at a halt during a march should be taken ad- vantage of to cut grass, wheat, or oats, and extraordinary care taken of the horses, on which everything depends.
The commander should at once study his ground, mark well the field of fire, and improve it by cutting away limbs and bushes or moving logs. There is no branch of service that calls for harder work and keener intelligence than the artillery, and no excuse will ever be received for want of a proper degree of fore- sight in providing for all necessities and preparation at all times for battle.
VI. But the grand guard is the most important feature of an army in the field. The instructions laid down in the Army Regulations are minute, and must be carefully studied by all officers and explained to the men. . Every sentinel must know that at least he should be well armed and wide awake, and the officers should not give the men an opportunity to plead ignor- ance. Each sentinel should have plain instructions when posted what he should do, especially the points he is to watch, the man- ner of the challenging at night, and the length of his turn of duty. Sergeants and corporals must be active, and must hasten to the sentinel when he calls, for if threatened no sentinel should leave his post; but the officer commanding the guard should alone judge when a sentinel is too much exposed. Sentinels must be warned against spies, and citizens must not pass within or without our lines without special authority. Better pro- hibit all citizens from traveling than to allow an enemy to gather information by their spies, who will resort to all manner of cun-
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ning to penetrate our camps to judge of our strength and of our plans. When citizens approach our lines they should be politely but firmly told they must go home and stay there. If they have any. business or information for headquarters, they should be passed there under guard.
VII. As a rule all private property of citizens must be re- spected, but if forage or feed be needed, and the parties are un- willing to sell at fair prices, the division or brigade quarter-mas- ters and commissaries may take and account for as though pur- chased. They will give the owner a receipt for the amount taken, specifying on the face of it that the claim cannot be transferred, and payment will be made at the convenience of the Government on proof of loyalty.
These plain and practical instructions were thoroughly familiarized and diligently observed by officers and men, thereby establishing order, system and discipline, cor- rect methods, and habits that enabled them to perform such prodigious feats of campaigning and battling in the years following.
The Confederate army had escaped effectually and was assembled at and in the vicinity of Tupelo, on the line of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, 40 or 50 miles south of Corinth.
Colonel William Preston Johnston, son of General Al- bert Sidney Jolmston, serving as an Aide-de-Camp on the official staff of the Confederate President, made a thorough and critical inspection of the Confederate forces in the Western Department soon after the evacu- ation and, on July 15, 1862, reported to President Davis the result of his investigations in an exhaustive written report, which is probably the best authentic showing on the Confederate situation and strength of the army at that time. He said that the Confederate army that
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marched from Corinth to Shiloh, April 3rd, was an ag- gregate force of 59,774 and the total effective for battle 38,773. After the battle the aggregate strength was 64,500, with an effective total of 32,212. The killed, wounded, and missing at Shiloh totaled 10,699 men. The aggregate just before the evacuation of Corinth was 112,092 with a total effective for duty of 52,706. On ar- rival at Tupelo, aggregate 94,784, with a total effective for duty 45,365.
Inadequate provision in the hospitals caused the sick and absent in their army, numbering 49,590, to be dis- tributed on plantations in Mississippi. Insubordination was rife in their army on account of the reorganization of regiments and detachments under the conscript act and the arbitrary methods adopted for prolonging the the term of service of the one year men. Much of the dissatisfaction, however, was removed by arranging the regiments and batteries in brigades and divisions by States, which resulted in General Polk's corps being en- tirely of Tennessee troops.
All of the Confederate commanders had concurred in the evacuation of Corinth on account of the unhealthy condition of the army, thousands being prostrated with obstinate types of diarrhoea and typhoid fever. "No sound men were left" in the army. General Beauregard retired from the immediate command of the army and the duties were assumed by General Bragg.
General Halleck was called to Washington, General Pope assigned to duty in the Army of the Potomac and the Union army assembled at Corinth was scattered to the four winds - General Buell with the Army of the Ohio, returned to middle Tennessee; General Pope's Army of the Mississippi, General Rosecrans command-
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ing, remained at Corinth in observation of the enemy at Tupelo; and the Army of the Tennessee was distributed in West Tennessee, with General Grant restored to its command and the command of the Department of West Tennessee, with headquarters at Jackson.
On June 11th, the march was renewed at 2 p. m., and the whole division, after going 11 miles, camped for the night on the Hatchie River, one mile from Pocahontas. June 12th, the troops marched 8 miles and camped in the valley of a small stream, where an abundance of ripe blackberries were found; marched S miles the next day and camped in a dreary woods; and on the 14th, reached La Grange, Tennessee, 2 miles west of Grand Junction, the crossing of the Memphis and Charleston, and the Mis- sissippi Central railroads. The Sixth Iowa occupied as their camp the pleasant grounds and campus of the Fe- male Seminary, situated in La Grange, a pretty little town possessed of much wealth and culture, whose peo- ple were intensely loyal to the southern cause.
On Sunday, June 15th, the regiment appeared on the college grounds in its best "bib and tucker" and was in- spected while the band discoursed sweet music to the de- light of the lady students and many citizens of the town, who were attracted by the band music. During the af- ternoon, the regimental Chaplain ventured to hold relig- ious services, in the shade of the trees on the school grounds.
The shoddy clothing issued to the men after Shiloh had begun to show the "wear and tear" of the campaign and many of the men in the ranks were beginning to look rather shabby in their personal makeup. A refreshing rain laid the dust and cooled the intensive heat, to the gratification and comfort of all. Battalion drills, in the
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forenoon and afternoon each day, were instituted and vigorously prosecuted by Colonel Corse, who had entered heartily "and enthusiastically into the work of improving the regiment in every line of duty. The morning guard mounts and evening parades, held in the school grounds, became the attractive feature of the camp, while the troops remained in the town.
The Regimental Silver Band, reorganized after Shiloh, discoursed music of a high order of excellence, at the guard mounts, parades, and, at evening concerts, had at the regimental headquarters. Many of the citizens in the town, especially ladies, attended the parades and con- certs and were pleasantly entertained. The band had become very attractive - not only in the regiment, but throughout the division - under the skillful direction of its leader, Richard Maddern.
The whole command had been feasting on the abund- ance of berries and other small fruits during the march, until the health of the troops was excellent and every- body in buoyant spirits.
On June 21st, the troops were all assembled in the fore- noon and passed in review before Governor Saunders, of Nebraska. In the afternoon they marched 10 miles to Moscow, and on the next day marched 9 miles farther west to LaFayette, a station on the railroad. Here the command remained in camp - the regiment being drilled each day under a burning sun - until the 26th, when it returned to Moscow. The day was intensely hot which caused much suffering and great prostration. On the 28th, a copious rain prevailed during the day causing great relief to all. On Sunday, June 29th, the regiment was regularly inspected; on Monday, the last day of the month, the companies were mustered for pay in the fore-
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noon and in the afternoon marched 8 miles south from the railroad and camped for the night.
The gain for the month was 6 recruits and the loss 37, thus: 3 died of wounds, 3 died of disease, 19 discharged for disability, 10 dropped from the rolls, 1 promoted --- Corporal Joseph K. Morey, Company D, to First-Lieu- tenant, 18th Iowa Infantry Volunteers - 1 transferred, total 37. There were present with the command 24 offi- cers and 556 men, of whom 22 officers and 480 men were fit for duty.
July 1, 1862, the command, a portion of General Sher- man's division commanded by him in person, continued the march south 12 miles and camped on the north side of Coldwater River, 5 miles north of Holley Springs, Mississippi. On the 2nd, the command remained in camp and Colonel Corse drilled the regiment, in battal- ion drill, all day. On July 3rd, the whole command marched to Holley Springs in the morning and returned to the camp at Coldwater in the evening, having trav- eled 10 miles. Holley Springs was the prettiest little city seen in the South, since the advent of the campaign- ing.
Colonel Corse celebrated the Fourth of July by exer- cising the regiment in battalion drill during the entire day, and patriotic speeches were delivered in the camp during the evening by sergeants J. T. Place and Michael Combs of Company D. On the 5th, five companies of the regiment went on a scout at 2:30 a. m., going 5 miles to Chewalla Creek and returning to the camp in the fore- noon. On July 6th, at 2 p. m., the whole command start- ed back to Moscow in great haste, marched 10 miles and camped for the night; and, on the 7th, marched the re- maining 15 miles to Moscow, arriving at 9 a. m. Ex-
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treme heal caused many prostrations and a largely in- creased sick report.
July 11th, it rained in the forenoon - "blessed rain". The whole division was engaged in small expeditions to the neighboring towns and the country on either side of the railroad. On the 13th, the regiment started at 3 a. m., marched to La Fayette, and returned to Moscow in the evening, having traveled 18 miles. On the 14th, it marched north 15 miles and camped 2 miles from Rising Sun. At 6 p. m. the next day, the regiment marched back towards La Fayette 8 miles, and on the 16th, re- turned to La Fayette. It rained all night and all the next forenoon. At this time Captain Brydolf joined his com- pany - minus his right arm. On the 18th, the troops marched 10 miles towards Memphis and camped one mile from Collierville, while on the next day they marched 11 miles, passing through Collierville and Germantown, and camped at White's Station. There was a glorious rain at night.
July 20th, the regiment remained in camp all day and on Monday, July 21st, started at 4 a. m., and arrived in the city of Memphis, Tennessee, at 2 p. m., after march- ing 10 miles. The day was intensely hot and caused a large number of the men to fall out of ranks, overcome by the burning sun. McDowell's brigade camped in Old Fort Pickering on the high Chickasaw Bluff at the lower edge of the city. General Lew Wallace, at the head of his division, had marched from Corinth via Bethel, Boli- var, La Grange, and on to Memphis, arriving a month in advance of generals Sherman and Hurlbut with their di- visions. The city of Memphis had surrendered to the Union forces, on June 6th, when the gunboats destroyed the Confederate fleet on the Mississippi River.
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The expedition to Holley Springs resulted in driving the enemy south of the Tallahatchie River, where General John C. Breckinridge was posted at Oxford, with his re- serve corps of Beauregard's army. There had been no engagements or skirmishes of any consequence with the enemy during the march from Corinth to Memphis. The troops were almost destitute of clothing on their arrival in the city and it would have been difficult to distinguish some of the regiments from Confederate commands.
IX CAMP AT MEMPHIS
The magnificent army commanded by Major-General Henry W. Halleck, from Shiloh to Corinth, had been scattered throughout the Central and Western depart- ments. General Halleck had been assigned by the Presi- dent to the command of the armies of the United States, with headquarters at Washington City; Major-General John Pope had been assigned to the command of the Army of Virginia, on the Potomac; Major-General D. C. Buell had returned with his army to Middle Tennessee; General William S. Rosecrans had been put in command of the forces at Corinth; General U. S. Grant had been as- signed to command the Army of the Tennessee and the Department of West Tennessee with headquarters at Jackson; and General W. T. Sherman had been placed in command at Memphis, with his own and General S. A. Hurlbut's division of the Army of the Tennessee, com- prising 15,975 men and .66 pieces of field artillery.
The operations in the Western Department, from Jan- uary to July, had resulted in driving the enemy from Missouri, the north half of Arkansas, and all of Ken- tucky and Tennessee, so that the Union forces were hold- ing a line, from western Arkansas east to Cumberland Gap, a distance of six hundred miles and embracing a strip of territory from a 150 to 250 miles wide, the en- tire distance.
The Confederate armies, commanded by General Brax- ton Bragg since the evacuation of Corinth, were concen-
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trated and encamped about Tupelo, Mississippi, where they were being largely increased by an arbitrary and rigidly enforced conscription of every able bodied man in the southern States. Strong outposts of the enemy's cavalry were maintained at Ripley, Holley Springs, Ox- ford, and Panola, Mississippi, guarding and scouting to- wards Corinth, Jackson, and Memphis, and the estab- lished line along the Memphis and Charleston Railroad.
It was boldly asserted and proclaimed by the Confed- erates that they would inaugurate offensive campaigns during the fall months and reoccupy Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky. If successful in that, they would invade the States of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, while the Union cause would be further distracted by the invasion of Maryland and Pennsylvania by the Confed- erate armies under General Lee, and an extended Indian insurrection along the western frontier. Such was sub- stantially the military situation when the regiment took up its quarters, along with the rest of McDowell's bri- gade, in Old Fort Pickering on the Chickasaw Bluff on the south edge of the city, where it was understood the camp would be maintained for an indefinite period.
On July 24th, new clothing was issued and every man fitted out in a new and complete uniform of good style and splendid quality of material. The open river com- munication furnished an abundance of army supplies of every description, so that all the troops were soon sup- plied with tents, clothing, rations, and everything needed for their convenience and comfort - better than they had ever had, since entering the service. The mail was re- ceived daily and the city papers were on sale in the camps -- morning and evening - furnishing the news from every part of the country.
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On July 31st, the regiment went on duty as provost guard in the city, the companies being posted in separ- ated localities, throughout the city. The duty performed was mostly of the character of police duty in cities and included the guarding of government warehouses, mili- tary prisons and headquarters, railroad depots, wharf- boats and the levee, the navy yard, and safe-guarding private residences. The tour of duty was for one week, and on August 7th, the regiment was relieved by the 72nd Ohio. On August 8th, the regiment received two months pay from. the United States paymaster.
The field return, made on the last day of July to the army headquarters, showed the aggregate strength of the regiment to be 35 officers and 631 men, of whom 24 officers and 482 men were present for active duty.
Of those who were absent on account of wounds, 56 men had returned to duty, since the battle of Shiloh. The losses for the month of July were as follows: 2 died of wounds, 7 died of disease, 4 dropped from the rolls, 15 discharged for disability; total, 28 men.
There had been many changes made in the roster of the commissioned and non-commissioned officers of the regi- ment since the beginning of the year, viz:
Field and Staff : Colonel, John Adair McDowell, com- manding the brigade; Lientenant-Colonel, John M. Corse, commanding the regiment; Major, John Williams, ab- sent, wounded since Shiloh; Adjutant, Thomas J. Ennis; Quartermaster, James Brunaugh; Doctors, Albert T. Shaw and John E. Lake; Chaplain, John Ufford, on duty with the regiment.
Company officers: Company A - Captain Willard H. Harland, on duty as Acting Assistant Adjutant-General at brigade headquarters; Lieutenants, Charles T. Gold-
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ing and George W. Holmes. Company B - Captain, E. B. Woodward, on duty at the headquarters of the post commander in the city; Lieutenants, Eugene E. Edwards and David J. McCoy. Company C- Captain, Abraham B. Harris; Lieutenants, Robert Allison and Hezekiah C. Clock. Company D - Captain, Madison M. Walden; Lieutenants, John L. Bashore and Thomas J. Elrick. Company E - Captain, Henry Saunders; Lieutenants, Leander C. Allison and John H. Orman - Orman absent, wounded since Shiloh. Company F - Captain, Calvin Minton; Lieutenants, John T. Grimes and Abraham C. Rarick. Company G -- Captain, Alexander J. Miller; Lieutenants, James J. Jordan and Joseph M. Douglas. Company H - Captain, Washington Galland, a prisoner in the hands of the enemy since Shiloh; Lieutenants, William H. Clune and George R. Nunn. Company I - Captain, Fabian Brydolf; First-Lieutenant, Joseph S. Halliday - absent, wounded since Shiloh; Second-Lieu- tenant, Samuel B. Philips. Company K - Captain, By- ron K. Cowles; Second-Lieutenant, John H. Isett. There were necessarily many changes made in the regimental and company non-commissioned staffs, and in some in- stances the promotions were ill advised and did an in- justice to several deserving soldiers.
The practical good sense and foresight of General Sherman prompted him to issue orders at White's Sta- tion, just before entering the city with his command, say- ing, "As soon as our camp is established as large an amount of liberty will be given to all good soldiers as is consistent with their duty, and ample opportunity afford- ed them to see the city with 'all its sights' ". During the first weeks in the city the opportunities for attending en- tertainments and engaging in all kinds of dissipation
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were so great that the good name of the regiment was put in jeopardy, and soon caused the most stringent regula- tions to be adopted, governing the privileges for visiting in the city.
During the week, the regiment was on duty in the city as provost guard, it was divided into small detachments and stationed in different parts of the city, which caused a general relaxing of the strict discipline acquired while campaigning through the country. It brought the men in direct contact with all the prevailing evils in the city and was the means of furnishing the knowledge that could only be acquired by such a tour of duty. It was demoral- izing to such a degree that much insubordination pre- vailed for a time in the command. Strict orders with severe penalties were adopted to correct the growing evils, and it was no uncommon occurrence to see several men serving a tour of sentence on "wooden horses" at the guard house.
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