USA > Iowa > Johnson County > Iowa City > A succinct history of the 28th Iowa Volunteer Infantry : From date of muster into service, October 10th, 1862, at Iowa City, Iowa, to its final muster out, August 13th, 1865, at Davenport, Iowa > Part 3
USA > Iowa > Scott County > Davenport > A succinct history of the 28th Iowa Volunteer Infantry : From date of muster into service, October 10th, 1862, at Iowa City, Iowa, to its final muster out, August 13th, 1865, at Davenport, Iowa > Part 3
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Our days were spent visiting the city and its environ- ments, taking in the Shell road the Lake (Pontchartrain). The battle field of New Orleans, Henry Clay Monument, Jackson Park and the markets where many of the boys cultivated an acquaintance with beautiful dark eyed ere- ole ladies as they lingered over their custard pie, milk, fruit and ice cream.
A whole month of rest, free from any service. Just one month of life and then a review by Generals Grant and Banks followed by an order to cross the river to Algiers and take cars for Brasheir, ninety miles west down the coast towards Texas. This trip was made on flat cars first loaded with wagons and supplies, with troops, sand- wiched in between, beneath and on top of everything, a wheezy old engine to haul us over a track that cer- tainly had not been repaired since its building, having boards up every four miles marked "go slow", 4 miles per hour, yet in the face of all this warning we were whirled over the line through swamps and boggs, lagoons and over bayous through platoons of aligators lined up to watch us pass at the rate of 25 miles per hour. The motion of the ears cannot be described, it would make a dog sea sick.
But we "arrove", were ferried over the bay and went in- to camp to await developments. While waiting here for the rest of the troops designated for the expedition to come up, we spent the time hunting and fishing in the cypress swamps and bayous or arms of the bay. Raccoon, rabbits and squirrels were plentiful, large black bass and other varieties of fish and sea erabs were easily taken, wild bees
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were found in dozens of trees about the camp. So the boys kept their time employed until Oct. 3rd, when we began a forward movement up the Bayou Teche through one of the most beautiful countries I ever saw. We moved by easy marches gathering in fat beef, sweet po- tatoes, oranges, chickens, turkeys and etc., at our leisure. Arriving at Opelonsas, one hundred miles from Brasheir, on the 23d inst.
Strict orders against foraging were issued on the be- ginning of the march and obeyed about as it was ex- pected they would be by us when read to the boys on dress parade. One night after we got into camp, one of the boys came sneaking in with a good load of fat hens and was overtaken by the General, who said, "Here sir, what have you there?" Chickens sir, said the culprit, (soldiers never lied). "You are under arrest, sir, orderly take him with all bis fowls to my quarters, and up he went.
After a little time the General came, looked the lien thief over and asked what regiment sir, was told, how many hens have you. Eight. Eight? Yes, eight. How many in your mess? Answer, four. All right there is four of us, you take four, leave me four. you can get more tomorrow, but mind don't get caught again. Now, go sir. At another time one of the boys was in a patch of yams, prying out the great big yellow fellows, when the General came along and said, "what are you doing there" getting yams, sir. All right, don't dig more than you can carry, and rode on.
A great many of the people in this section were French or claimed to be and when we were marching through, claimed French protection by hanging out French flags. All good enough in their estimation but a fat rooster or sheep from a plantation over which a flag of France float- ed, was just the same to us in those days as from one car- rying the rebel colors.
Chaplain Simmons, in his history of the regiment, un- dertakes a description of these people, but fails to make it clear, whether they are white or black, Negro, French or American. So I can only say they were all colors from a jet black to a pure white, with all the shades known to the human race sandwiched between, and as he says all
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shades in the same family. From my observation I should judge the mixing and blending of colors had been going on for the past century until when a human being was turn- ed out by the course of natural law, no matter what color its parents might be, no one could guess what color the offspring would be, even after it had been seen it would not be safe to name the color for fear it would change when it got dry. However we are only writing of a certain class, the mixed breed.
This country contained many fine orange groves, sugar plantations with acres of brick buildings, that from a dis- tance had the appearance of being a fair sized village, in fact when you take into account the large sugar houses, storage rooms, blacksmith shop, cooper shop, the resi- dence of the planter, his barns and out buildings together with the negro quarters, where one or two thousand slaves lived, it went far to make up a very respectable village in size.
But to return to the regiment, on the 1st day of Nov. we began to fall back. Although we had not had any trouble with the rebs in our advance or while laying in camp in Opelousas, as soon as we began a retrograde move- ment they began to follow us, hanging on our flanks and rear constantly, sending in a shot every chance they got.
Wearrived at Carrion Crow bayou on the 2nd, remained here until the 7th.
Gen. Búrbridges brigade being encamped at Grand Coteau, four miles in our rear, were attacked early on the morning of the 3d by a division of the enemy, the regiment with a part of the division, were sent to his relief double quicking three miles, thev went into the fight with the bayonet, meeting the Johnnies as they pressed Burbridges command back in front and flank. When they mnet the cold steel of the new troops, they turned and iled leaving their dead and wounded to our tender mercy.
In this engagement the regiment did not get time to do much fighting, having met the rebel line with a bayo- net charge that some way they never could or would stand, they broke and ran through the timber giving us only time enough for a few rounds before they were out of siglit.
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While we were engaged in fighting at Grand Coteau, the whelps attacked our camp we had just left, but the 24th Iowa reinforced by the sick, lame and halt of the divi- sion, went to the assistance of the pickets and in a short sharp skirmish drove them away, killing two of them in the fight. The rebs having retreated, quiet was restored, and we returned to our camp.
On the 9th we fell back toward Vermillionville, being followed by the rebs. Once we formed to receive them, thinking we would have a brush, but they pulled off and wecontinued on our way camping at Vermillionville on the river, where we remained ten days fortifying the place. From here we fell back to New Iberia, and while here the weather grew extemely cold with a strong north wind blowing a gale, being without tents and in light marching order it was something of a task to keep warm enough to sleep good, but old soldiers not being easily balked in any undertaking soon over came the difficulty by rolling up in their blankets, then rolling into a dry ditch over which the wind swept, while we slept warm and comfortable undisturbed by the fierce gale. When on the picket line one day some of the boys found an opossum along a hedge and brought it to the post fire, having heard the colored people tell of the sweetness "ob de possum fat".they concluded they would have a great feast, so the 'possum was butchered and dressed up whole and carried to a French woman to be stuffed and baked for them, when done they all partook and in about an hour were all siek. Too much "possum fat" for the yankee stomach.
Rebel sharp shooters were quite plenty about the lines and the orders were to keep a sentinel out some distance from the post, so to give warning of their approach, should they make a demonstration. On this day we sent out a typical dutchman, some 150 yards to the front (a new re- cruit he was) with careful instructions not to leave his place and to keep a sharp eye for Johnnies. Yaw, he said, "I shust see the Johnnies I shoot and shust run fast we I can und told you vellers." We kept and eye on him for a while then busied ourselves about other matters and had about forgot dutchie, when some one said, well where in blazes is that boy gone, I can't see him any where. A
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squad was formed and a search instituted, we looked all about the place where we had left him but no Shon. Fin- ally one of the boys said, "I'll bet he has gone out to a house about a half mile distant near the timber," thither we went. When nearing the house we heard a great com- motion among the ducks and chickens under the house and stooping down we peered under and there was our boy trying to hook a straight stick around a duck's neck in order to draw it to him, and to the question, What are you doing John? He said, Vy Lish dryin to get a dook or how many Ican I tonght ve ave dot vrench voman stop him mit rice, ve she macket dat possum. For fear of the approach of the Jobinnies we Imarried him out and back to the line trying by the way to impress on his mind the dan- ger to him and the army in thus leaving his post, 'Vell' he said, " I dank it bees all richt, ve I got von dook."
Having gathered all the sugar in the country, we broke camp on the 19th of December and marching 25 miles each day, reached Berwick on the 21st, foot sore and weary. It was the last day of this 50 mile pull, one fellow offered to bet a dollar greenback he had a blister on his foot as big as the bill, which bet was taken and he won, for the whole bottom of his foot was a blister, yet he travelled 25 miles that day. Who can tell his sufferings. One fellow after reaching camp and throwing himself down on the ground broke out with "ye ma talk ave the fire eaters, ave the South and the copperheads ave the North, but be me sawl for sedden dath gime a knapsack."
We crossed Berwick Bay on the 23d and on Christmas day took cars for Algiers, where we arrived late in the night and went into camp. If any man, in or out of the army can tell why this expedition was sent out I would " like to hear it. It seemed then (and does to this day) as if the man that planned it did not know what he was doing. It seemed to have no definite object and nothing was accomplished except a wearing out of those who made the trip.
We remained in Algiers three miserable weeks, camped part of the time in the open, the weather was cold, it rained incessantly, so our camp became one sea of mud outside our tents. We used to take a board and scrape it
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up into pools then lay cord wood to keep it from speading out again, thus keeping a pathway between quarters, so we could get in or out our tents. One night about 10 o'clock one of the boys, who was in the habit of taking on more whisky than he could carry, came into camp swear- ing at the mud, struck his toes against a stick of wood and pitched forward into a pile of mud six inches deep, and when he landed his mouth was open, and mouth, eyes and nose were completely filled. Had we not heard him and gave him assistance he would have died, as it was, we had trouble to get the mud out and wind into the fellow. One thing it did, it scared him sober so he was able to get out of his garments. of filth.
The camp became so muddy, cold and frozen with ice, we were compelled to abandon it and were moved into the large Belle View Iron Works, where we were free from mud, but as all our camp fires were built inside and no way for the smoke to escape, we were forced to weep over the situation. Red eyes was the order of the day and no one escaped the blinding smoke day or night, so that our condition so far as comfort was concerned, was but very little improved. We frequently went over into New Orleans for a days outing, often remaining for the theater, getting back on the midnight boat, thus escaping all we could.of the camp life. A few days later, about the 19th, we crossed over, marched through the city, got aboard the cars and were set down at Lake Port, where we boarded the beautiful new Gulf Steamer "Gen. Banks" and were carried over Lake Pontchartrain to Madisonville, some two miles up the Pearl River, a small village in the piney woods. Here we fixed up quarters and began the building of fortifications. We then thought we would advance on Mobile as an objective point, while here we received quite a number of recruits.
Many of our sick returned to us and the health of the regiment had improved so, we could muster quite a line of hardy looking men quite in contrast to our appearance after the Vicksburg campaign was over. We remained at this place about a month working on the forts, doing picket duty, attending church and cultivating the ac- quaintance of the French lasses of the town.
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Is was here, occured one of the most laughable incidents connected with our service. A squad of Co. "G" were on post on the road running out east on the sand ridge. We supposed we were the last post on the north end of the line of piekets, but not so, one of the New York regiments had a line running down along the swamp, through heavy underbrush and had cut a path up to the road, a few yards east of our post. On this beat was a great big over grown Irishman with wool in his teeth and the map of the old sod on his face. Just after daylight as we sat on a log talking, this Pat came strolling up this path towards the · road, with his loaded musket cocked upon his shoulder. When near the road he stubbed his toe and fell his full length forward pitching his gun ahead of him, the ham- mer striking a stub, a minne ball and streak of fire shot across the road in our front.
We bounded up, grabbed our guns and prepared for a fight when one of the boys saw the fellow and said, "sit down boys, its only an Irishman ordering arms". By this time he had begun to get up and this is what he said. "To hill wid America, do yez moind that noo. When I lift the ould sod begorra did they na soi Amirica was a free country? Whin oi landed in Noo York bejabers, who shod mate me but a divil of a mon, an he said to me, says he, oui am glad yer coom Pat, coom and toik a dhrink and mate the bys, an I wint of coorse as a gintleman wod, an by the saints ahoove me whin I waked up in the marnin I war a soger too, sorra the day, an liere oi am fal- in doon over the sticks and stubs, skinnin me laigs an brusin me bones an shootin off me ould gun in the bushes beyant. To hill wid America, begorra oi wish oi was in ould Dublin noo;" and he turned and vanished down the path leaving us convulsed with laughter, not so much at his words, as the manner in which he said them.
The days speut at this quiet sgot, comparatively free from danger, were days we always remembered as our best during our service, but they could not last, and Feb. 26th, we were ordered back to New Orleans to prepare for that ever memorable campaign up Red River under Banks. We arrived in Algiers on March Ist and went into camp remaining until the 4th. when our experience of a few
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months before was repeated by a ninety mile ride over the same old road to Brashier on Berwick Bay, most of this ride was made in the night that was as dark as night could possibly be, on the way one of the boxes on tlie truck got hot and the packing took fire blazing out its flashes of light from under the car. Many of the boys not knowing much about cars got the impression the axle would burn off and let them down, and they set up a yell to stop the train yelling at the top of their voices, "cars a fire pass the word forward to the engineer to stop," but there was no stop, on and on we flew while brighter grew the flame until others became panic stricken and took up the yell iniking the welkin ring with their shouts, caus- ing the owls to take up the cry and the alligators to lift their tails in wonder, finally a water tank was reached and the fire extinguislied. Arriving at Brashier we were fer- ried over the bay, our camp and garrison equipage turned over, every one reduced to light marching order, the sick and lame and all those not capable of long hard marching left behind and returned to New Orleans; and Sunday morning our regiment 550 strong pulled out over the old Bayou Teche route preceeded by the cavalry and the 19th A. C. It was understood that Shreeveport, on the Red River, was our destination and we marked it down as a fight from start to finish as it afterwards proved.
On the 17th we moved forward passed Franklin and New Iberia camping one night at camp Pratt, skirmishing in front had begun; next day we approached Grand Coteau, where we had the fight some months before, here confed- erates threatened our trains and caused us a four mile double quick march. The day following we passed through Opelousas and Washington, camping at Bayou Bouef, lay- ing here one day. We then pushed forward and five days afterwards landed in Alexandria a distance of one hundred miles. Those who have read "Uncle Tom's Ca- bin" will remember Cheneyville and Bayou Bouef and the Lagree plantation, the home of Uncle Tom, a cabin on this plantation was pointed out as the original Uncle Tom's cabin. This country was rich in corn, sugarcane and cotton, some of the richest plantations in all the south- land were found here along this Bayou. No Yankees ha v-
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ing entered this territory before, gave us a glimpse of slavery as it had existed for a century, it was here a long- haired planter came to our regiment and offered a hun- dred dollars for his negro, that had taken up the march for freedom. He was given one minute to clear the lines and he stood not upon the order of his going but skipped out.
It was a sight to behold the colored people on these plantations as we approached each in succession, no mat- ter what they were doing as soon as the old drum began to beat they would throw down the hoe and come troop- ing across the fields to see the Yankee sojer, shouting and singing. Long before we would reach the negro quarters the fences would be lined with black-faced, wooly-headed pickannies that looked like a row of buzzards at a roast. These people had been told all manner of stories about the Yankee soldiers, that they were devils, had horns, long tails and cloven feet and would kill all niggars they got a hold of, but these stories were not believed and. though they were uneducated and ignorant, yet some way they understood all about the war and what it meant to them and hailed with joy unspeakable our approach, they went wild with joy, one old auntie climbed upon the fence spread out her hands toward heaven and shouted, "Oh my! Oh my ! I is so happy de Linkum sogers done come, dey is, an dey aint got horns eider, bress de Lawd". We quote from Chaplain Simmons history here. "Where are the rebs aunty? Said we, to an old woman standing on top of the fence, "Oh dey flow like the birds an I does pray de Lawd dat you may sweep em from de face ob de earth." And her face was lost in the passing column. Two old ladies on the other side of the bayou were jumping for joy in the wildest frensy, one of them looked more like a huge pile of liver with a blanket spread over it than human be- ings, in the top of which rolled a pair of enormous eyes underset by a well developed row of ivory ranging round a mouth that reminded you of an open carpet bag hung up by the handle, and still possessed somewhat the human form, the other a neater specimen of a negro dressed in rags of dirt color, and features lighted up with joy as though a thousand Italian sunbeams had concentrated in her heart bursting out through every pore of her soul in a
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flood of gladness, each keeping time to the music of their Own hearts; we thought of glad women, proud women, happy women, but these were more than all of them; we thought of the year of Jubilee and they seemed fully to appreciate the idea "Old massa run away" and as for the overseer
" We locked him up in de smoke house cellar.
De key trown in de well."
Some shouted, some prayed, while others danced to the music of their jubilant hearts; who could blame them, freedom was at hand.
We reached Alexandria Saturday and, for a wonder rested on the Sabbath day.
Everybody in the regiment recognized the ability of the boys of Co. B. to smell out everything dead or alive no matter where located, but when the news was brought to camp that they had dug up three barrels of whiskey in a grave yard it created no little surprise until we learned who it was that traced the find, some fellows could smell whiskey further than a buzzard would a carrion, therefore the Johnies made a mistake when they buried the whis- key but they were not acquainted with Co. B. at that time. The finding of the booze created no small amount of merriment in camp and a very hilarious condition to the boys who drank it which was not confined to "B" for with all their faults they were a generous lot and would divide on occasions like this.
On Monday morning, the 28th, we took the lead, we were in close proximity to the Johnies and as was, or had been the case, we were first in and last out of all skrim- ages. Gen. Lee's cavalry were in advance of us and it was expected we would be in support of him when- ever he found the rebs too strong for his force. It was 85 miles to Nataches, this distance we covered in three days and a half making the last 25 miles in less than six hours, finding the rebs in strong force contesting the advance of our calvary. Reaching the city we formed a line across the town, stacked arms, and began to look about us for something to eat, the Catholic people had a school and nunnery here presided over by a Mother Sup- erior and a corps of teachers, it was a large building
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with a basement in which the people had gathered their sheep, pigs, turkeys, chickens and ducks for safe keeping, thinking, no divil of a yank would dare to enter for the purpose of plunder, when the boys found the fowls of the air and four-footed beasts all penned up they said "here's a rum go", and proceeded to open up the doors, the good mother came to protest saying surely you will respect the sacredness of the institution and not desecrate so holy a place by entering to steal, surely you respect the things be- longing to God and his holy church. To which respectful speech one of the boys replied that he had read in the Bible somewhere that a sheet had been let down from heaven in the presence of St. Peter, filled with all manner of beasts of the earth, and fowls of the air, and Peter had been told to arise and eat, by the angel of the Lord, and if the Lord was so anxious for Peter to have a full belly he had no doubt He would approve of us, his servants, helping ourselves to what the Holy church of St. Peter had penned up. That the boys were not used to ladies society and if they did not want their feathers ruffled they had better retire to the upper chambers, where they would be perfectly safe and could watch the boys doing the skinning act, they gracefully retired, and wool, hair and feathers began to move lively, now we accepted this as a part of the goodness of the Lord to us through the agency of the good mother church, for we were tired and foot-sore and not very well able to run after our meat; we got it just the same. We remained here some days, were reviewed by Gen. Banks who complimented us on our ability to march and never mentioned our foraging qual- ities.
Natchitoches (Nacitosh) is situated about five miles from Grand Ecore, on the Red river, it was the rendez- vous of the 3rd and 4th U. S. Infantry just preceeding the Mexican war, and was Gen. Grant's stopping place before leaving for the seat of war at its outbreak. While we rested here Lee's cavalrymen were constantly skirmishing with the enemy, finding them in strong bodies at differ- ent points in our front, which fact was reported daily to Gen. Banks, a fact that has always seemed to me suf- ficient to warn any man in command of such an expedition
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to move with caution and prudence, especially as we were so near the place we had started out to capture, and de- stroy. and knew we must tight at least one hard battle be- fore our success was assured, but from his actions then and the two days to follow, his utter inability to comprehend the situation or meet the requirements of fair generalship proved to every private in the command that the govern- ment had made a mistake and spoiled a good statesman to make a very poor general.
On the 6th we took up the march, marched all day and night, in the morning received orders to hurry up to the support of Lee, and hurried forward to Pleasant Hill, here we laid down to await developments, shortly afterwards the cavalry found them again and called for us, we re- sponded double quicking out two miles to their support, when the confederates fell back again and we returned to Pleasant Hill. We were now the 3d division of the 13th corps. Again the enemy had checked the cavalry, and the 4th division of the 13th corps took the lead in their support, our little corps following them, the cavalry hav- ing found the Johnnies in force at Ten Mile creek on the morning of the 8th, we were hurried forward reach- ing there about noon, here we halted to await further de- velopments, all the time we lay here Bank's cavalry train of wagons and ambulances were pushing to the front along a road that was worn into the hills so deep they could not turn out, or be turned around. In place of park- ing his trains and hurrying forward the troops he pushed the cavalry and two small divisions, say 4,000 men, to the front, then filled up the only road over which troops could approach the battle-field with wagons and ambulances, then ordered the cavalry to attack the enemy which they did, being repulsed, Gen. Lee sent an orderly with a dis- patch to Banks (then with us) that the enemy were in force and strongly posted and he could not dislodge them, then the 4th div. 13th A. C. were put in to help break through 28,000 rebels, they with the cavalry gallantly charged and were cut to pieces, then came an order for re- inforcments and the 3d div. 13th A. C. about three thou- sand, were double quicked four miles, swinging into line by a flank movement, loading our guns on the run we met
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