USA > Iowa > Buchanan County > History of Buchanan County, Iowa, with illustrations and biographical sketches > Part 56
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I have no positive knowledge in regard to what disposition will be made of officers and men. But he who has conducted this compaign to such a glorious triumph, will secure well the gain of so much hard fighting, the loss of so much precious blood.
How strange it seems, that men should one day fight with intention to kill, and the next meet and shake hands, never so heartily before, indeed almost embrace each other, as was seen this morning in the meeting, after the surrender, of the rebel General Forney and our General McPherson.
It is reported that Johnson has left our rear in disgust. His every attempt to cross the Big Black was repulsed. The Fifth are out in that direction somewhere, enjoying themselves, I hope, on roasting ears, new potatoes, green peas, etc., of which I understand there is an abundance iu the country.
I am under the necessity of adding another to the list of the killed of company E. John McCray, of Buck Creek, died at Champion Hills of his wounds. The others have all been removed north, and from all we can learn are doing well.
It is hard to tell what the next move will be for Grant's invincible army. It would not be strange, after all, if he should be sent east ; but no matter where he goes, victory and triumph will be inscribed on his banners, until America is blessed with peace, prosperity and happi_ ness.
GEORGE B. SITLER.
LETTER NO. CXXVII.
HELENA, ARKANSAS, August 25, 1863.
FRIEND RICHI :- About 3 o'clock A. M., August 24th, we were awakened and ordered to get our camp and garrison equipage aboard the steamer Grosebeck. At daybreak the regiment, which, since its arrival in Memphis, had been lying in a grove, two miles north of the city, marched on board the boat, bound for Helena. Several other re- giments embarked at the same time, with the same destination. The land on either side, as we descended, presented, like that from Cairo to Memphis, a continued, cheerless, Ione and uninviting wilderness. We sailed with nothing of interest, apart from our little fleet, until we came to the confluence of the St. Francis with the Mississippi. This is quite a pleasant stream, about the size of the Cedar river. Helena is a small town, with low, flat buildings, which exhibit no signs of elegance. It lies on a low tract of clayey land, which is overflowed in high water. In the distance the hills rise rather abruptly to the height of seventy- five or one hundred feet.
Immediately on our arrival we proceeded to unload our baggage, and, at daylight, marched the regiment up the levee near the hills and pitched tents. On these hills, which run the whole distance of the town, and parallel with the river, several batteries are planted, which, it seems to me, would be exceedingly hard to take. We have just re- ceived news that the boat on which the Forty-ninth Illinois was being transported, was sunk, some twenty-five miles down from Memphis. All that we know at present is, that it sunk with a loss of five mien, a number of guns, and quite an amount of baggage. We had orders to leave here to-morrow, but since the news of the fate of the Forty- ninth, we do not expect to leave until we get orders from General Hurl- but or Steele. We are to go to Clarendon, on White river, where General Steele is in command, with some ten thousand troops. Our baggage is greatly diminished, and all the sick have been sent to the hospital. Nothing will hinder our making a rapid and, I think, a triumphant march to Clarendon, and from thence to Little Rock.
Our regiment numbers four hundred and ninety-five effective men ; and all these will, I think, be true and obedient on the battlefield. A better brigade than ours never went into the field; and if they do not give a good account of themselves they will disappoint every one.
C. H. L.
LETTER NO. CXXVIII.
CLARENDON, ARKANSAS, August 31, 1863.
FRIEND RICH :- We left camp above Helena, about three o'clock P. M., August 26th, and marched just below the city, and camped on a very nice green. Passed the residence of the rebel General Hindman. His home is a very elegant structure, square and substantial, built, I think, entirely of stone. I did not go near to examine it; but, from a distant view, judge that it is a building, which in our county would have cost twenty-five thousand dollars. August 27th, we remained all day in camp. The Forty-ninth arrived just at evening, and were ordered to be ready to march in the morning. Two days' additional rations, mak- ing eight days in all, were drawn, and we retired to await the morning. Morning came, and the brigade marched to Sick creek, a distance of twelve miles, before dinner. It rained hard, but the brigade marched
From the Fifth.
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HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA.
steadily on, while the rain came in torrents. Soon the dust, which had blown a perfect cloud along the whole line, was fairly laid, to rise no more until we should reach Clarendon on White river.
During the afternoon we travelled abont six miles and encamped at Big creek; a stream which, though muddy like the Sick, unlike that stream, furnished an abundance of water for the brigade. The rebels had burned the bridge aeross this stream, but our men, who had been, previously to our marching from Helena, detailed as pioneers, went to work in earnest and, at daybreak, August 29th, we were on our way, marching rapidly over the bridge, which had been constructed during the night. After a rapid march, stopping an hour for dinner, we en- camped, at a late hour, at Big Cypress creek, some twenty-five miles from Big creek. August 30th, marched at 6 c'clock A. M. Reached Clarendon, about twelve miles, at noon, and encamped in the woods, just east of the town.
The trip from Helena was a very pleasant one. Excepting a few cases of chills and fever, the men were quite well. After the rain of the first day, the marching was as fine as I have ever known since I have been soldiering; though the country through which we passed was certainly a destitute and forlorn one. The soil was good, however, and the fields were smiling with a luxuriant growth of magnificent, waving weeds- the people all gone-houses burned or torn down-fences destroyed- floeks and herds killed or driven away, and a once prosperous country converted into a dreary waste. Clarendon is a beautiful little town of five hundred inhabitants, in times of peace; but now entirely deserted. It is on the east bank of the White river, which is at this point the prettiest stream I have ever seen, north or south.
Boats are passing up and down the river almost every hour. A gun- boat is at the landing now. The object of this rush of navigation is to supply the expedition, going on to Little Rock. The boats ascend the river above Clarendon about twelve miles to De Ball's Bluff, and from that point there is a railroad to Little Rock. The enemy is said to be in force near the Bluff, and we start in the morning to find him. If Price does not skedaddle, we shall have a fight up there, in all probability. Our brigade numbers about two thousand effective men -- our regiment has three field officers and staff, except two surgeons, whom we may need. C. H. L.
LETTER NO. CXXIX.
HEADQUARTERS TWENTY-SEVENTH IOWA, { BROWNSVILLE, ARKANSAS, September 4, 1863.
FRIEND RICH :- I wrote to you last from Clarendon, on the thirtieth ultimo. On the thirty-first we mustered for pay, and the brigade crossed the river on a steamboat sent down from Duval's bluffs for that purpose. The crossing occupied from early in the morning to late in the afternoon, though the river at that point is not to exceed one hundred and fifty feet in width. Five miles out we arrived at Bayou Pier, which had been bridged by the Pioneer corps. After crossing. we rose onto the highlands lying between the White and Ar- kansas rivers. From that point the road has been exceedingly good, and the Pioncer corps has had no labor to perform. At times we have touched the skirt of timber, where we have been able to obtain water for men and animals; but such water ! We have generally found it in stagnant pools, covered with a green, slimy seum, and horses, mules and men all drank from the same pool. The second day was much like the first as to scenery. We started from camp at 4 o'clock A. M., thus taking the cool of the day for our march. The roads were very dry and dusty, and after 9 A. M. travelling became anything but agreeable. At about II A. M. we stopped for dinner, eight miles from this place. Some of the men were nearly overcome with the extreme heat. After two or three hours' rest, they moved on again quite lively.
From our resting place to this town, the line of march was directly across the prairie, without a particle of shade or a drop of water to be obtained. The day was sultry; not a breath of air was stirring to carry away the dust and fan the fevered cheeks of the wearied soldiers. To stop on this prairie in the hottest part of the day would be more inju- rious than to keep moving, so the march was continued until we reached the grove in which Brownsville is situated, about 3 o'clock P. M. Into the first skirt of timber we reached we plunged; and the whole brigade were allowed one and a half hours' rest. Then we moved to our present camp, which is in the timber and away from the dust; and this is our second dav of rest.
Here we found quite a number of the Buchanan boys that are in the First lowa cavalry: George Carr, W. G. Cummings, J. Vannuyse, Charles Edgeomb, - Foote, - Palmer, George Jewett, J. Landerdale, F. Wick, and quite a number of others, whose names I do not now
remember, and with whom I was not personally acquainted. They all visited our camp. Besides, there have been, from this and other Iowa regiments, with whom some of our regiment are acquainted, a camp full of visitors for the past two days. These meetings, here in the wilds of Arkansas, are very interesting to those concerned.
There are here, also, four companies of the Thirty-second lowa in- fantry, under command of Major Eberhart. I met to-day Captain C. A. L. Roszell, whose company is with this detachment of the Thirty- second. From them I learn that Captain Cutler, of company A, has resigned, and that Charles Aldrich is commissioned captain of the company. He is expected every day now.
Between this place and Little Rock, it is reported that there are from thirty to forty thousand rebels, armed and equipped ready for a fight; and that they intend to prevent us from going to the capital of Arkansas. But we have been ordered there, and intend to go ; so the rebels had better get out of the way, or they may get hurt. But of things I have not seen I don't wish to write much, and will, therefore, leave that matter for another letter.
JED LAKE.
LETTER NO. CXXX.
HEADQUARTERS TWENTY-SEVENTH IOWA, } ASHLEY MILLS, ARKANSAS, September 10, 1863. 5
FRIEND RICH :-- When I last wrote you from Brownsville, we were expecting to start for Little Rock on the sixth. Instead, we moved our camp about two miles, in order to get better water and more of it. On the eighth instant, we received orders to march, and were soon on the road. We marched out of the timber which surrounds Browns- ville, and aeross a beautiful prairie about four miles wide ; then into the nicest timber that I have seen since we came to Arkansas. Two miles further brought us to Bayou Metre, being the first good water we had found since leaving White river, where we stopped for dinner. Cross- ing the Bayou we entered a wilder and more dense growth of timber, filled with a thick undergrowth. Through this we marched some six miles, and encamped on the plantation of one of the wealthy planters of this region. In front of this plantation was Bear lake, an exten- sive body of clear water, such as is not often seen in these latitudes.
On the ninth we moved our brigade to the front of Major General Steel's army, and eneamped, about 9 o'clock A. M., at Ashley's mills, on Deerskin Bayou. Here we stayed until this morning, when we re- ceived orders to move at 8 o'clock A. M., Colonel True's brigade being in advance of the infantry, on the road to Little Rock. Each man was to take two days' rations in his harversack, the teams to park as soon as they crossed the Bayou. About 9 o'clock A. M. we started, and after marching about four miles, we reached the Arkansas river, at a point where Brigadier General Davidson's division of cavalry was crossing on a pontoon bridge. The rebels had obstinately disputed the crossing of our forces, and there had been one of the prettiest ar- tillery duels that could be imagined ; but, before we arrived, the rebels had skedaddled, and the firing had ceased. General Davidson's di- vision moved up on the south side of the river, and Colonel True's on the north. After marching about two miles Davidson found that the rebels had made a stand, and a severe skirmish ensued. The move- ments of both armies could be seen from our position on the opposite side of the river. Our artillery was placed in position and opened a flank fire on the rebels across the river. After a few rounds from our guns, a huge cloud of dust was seen rising on the road to Little Rock, and the shouts of our men and the dash of the cavalry showed that the rebels were making long strides at double quick time for Little Rock. Our artillery was again sent forward and again opened on them from a favorable position. The column was then put in motion and we soon came to earthworks recently erected and abandoned by the rebels. Our advance guard found one man in the trenches at work, the rest having left without notifying him. In their camp were found chickens and turkeys dressed and on spits before the camp fires, kettles of mush half cooked, guns abandoned, and in fact everything to indi- cate a very hasty leave-taking. About two miles further on our eyes were greeted by a sight of the capital of the State of Arkansas.
In the river, between us and the town, lay the burning hulks of five boats. The pontoon bridge across the river here, had been cut in twain and set on fire. But a few good swimmers soon brought over the boats, extinguished the fire, and again the Arkansas river was bridged. A little before sunset the Stars and Stripes waved over the capital of Arkansas. At this writing, 10 A. M., September 11, 1863, Colonel True's brigade is encamped opposite the town, on the north bank of the river. Of the city I cannot now speak, as I have not been across the river yet. I did, however, in company with several hundred
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HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA.
others, bathe this morning in the river. The water is not deep, but is the clearest river water we have seen south of the Ohio.
JED LAKE.
TWO DAYS LATER.
We have no news from the forces pursuing Price's army, except rumor, which says that at night, on the eleventh instant. they were about twenty miles from here, and fighting all the time ; also that the rebels were burning their train and everything that in the least impeded their march. The latest papers we have received from the north, are the Memphis papers of the first instant. We are here cut off from civilization almost entirely, as there is no mail route in opera- tion, and we are compelled to depend upon the supply trains for our mails. These run at very irregular intervals, and there is no certainty about their bringing the mails when they do come.
Isaac Gill, of company H, died at Brownsville on the eight instant. Thomas Magill, of the First cavalry, and son of Esquire Magill of Buffalo Grove, was killed in the battle on the tenth instant, but his brother, who was with him, is nninjured. These are all the late casu- alties to the men from our county of which I have heard.
LETTER NO, CXXXI .*
JED LAKE.
[We take the annexed letter, with the editorial explan- atory note, from the Guardian of October 20, 1863. Captain Lee's contraband came into the Union lines soon after the Fifth went to Missouri, and, after a few weeks' stay with company E, was forwarded to Indepen- dence to avoid trouble from his owner, who, evidently appreciating the valuable qualities of this enterprising chattle, thought him worth looking after .- E. P.]
The following letter is from Edward Herndon, better known as "Captain Lee's contraband." The letter is written plainly, the words generally spelled correctly, and the punctuation quite correct. There are some faults of grammar, but not so many or so grievous as we have noted in many letters from: men of reputed intelligence. And yet this poor negro was compelled to learn his letters secretly, from books borrowed from his mistress' children, and was several times whipped because caught with a book in his hand. Nearly all that he has learned he has acquired since he came to this county, only two years sinee, and still there are great, stupid, ignorant loafers, who can scarcely write their names, who will curse the negro because he aint human, and you can't learn him anything .- EDITOR OF GUARDIAN.
CAMP LINCOLN, KEOKUK, Iow.1, October 11, 1863.
MR. WILLIAM SAMPSON :- A few days ago I received an honorable letter from your kind self and some of the rest of my friends, there about Independence, and I consider it quite a display of honor, for which you all have my heartiest thanks. I will now give my reason for not writing before. We had not been mustered and were expecting the mustering officers every day, so I thought that I would not write until I knew for certain what was what. I am now happy to say that I can send you these lines without any uncertainty about the company I belong to. We were mustered in to-day, which is the eleventh day of October, 1863. There were six companies mustered in, averaging about eighty-four men to each company; and there were twenty who called themselves the battery men. The six companies were all nicely clothed in Uncle Sam's uniform yesterday, and I know it would have done any Union eyes good to have seen nis this morning; every man with a clean shirt, drawers, socks, and new shoes, also dress-coats, pantaloons, hats, and overcoats. If they will allow me to judge for the companies, I would say that I do not believe any regiment of the United States infantry has ever worn any nicer uniform than the one we received yesterday.
However, I must make a few remarks here, before I proceed any further, with my good thanks to our great Government. It may be possible that our uniform looks better on us than it would on a white regiment; at any rate, I guess it feels better on the majority of the boys; for many of them had on little or nothing until they got their uniform. I presume you have heard that the officers were to have a premium for every man enlisted by them, and the premium was to be two dollars, and it was all true enough. And the officers thought so much of us that, when we were mustered in this morning, they gave us the two dol- lars; so each one of us received a two dollar bill this morning when we were mustered in.
October 12th. - I have but little time to write this morning, as I will soon be obliged to come to a close for roll-call. Since I wrote you last I have been appointed orderly sergeant of company A. Some of the boys are quite unruly, so I have my hands full to see that things are kept straight. There is only one of company A's commissioned officers commanding the company at this time. Our captain, Joseph Ferrice, is commander of the barracks, and Lieutenant Williams has command of company A. There is eighty-four men in the company, including five sergeants, eight corporals, and two musicians.
We have only one man sick in the hospital at this time, and he has the lung fever. We have sixteen sick in quarters, but they were all able to be in the ranks when we were mustered in but two. We have been furnished with some school books, and a number of the men are learning very fast. I put myself to considerable trouble to find out something about the situation of the company's education and piety, and I find it to be as follows: nine church members, four seekers, and seventy profaners; five that can write, sixteen read, sixteen spellers, and twenty-three who have just learned their letters. We have one of the best lieutenants that ever left home. His name is Lieutenant Bradley. lle is our regimental school-teacher, He sometimes preaches and holds prayer meeting, and at other times he makes educational and pious speeches; indeed, he makes himself very useful among the men. There was one man of our regiment who died the nineteenth of Sep- tember, one the twenty-fifth, one the twenty-sixth, one the ninth of October, and one the tenth. We have a sutler, but have no appointed chaplain. I was sergeant of the guard the night before I received your letter, and I caught a bad cold and was quite sick two or three days, and I am not very well at this time. Neither of the commissioned offi- cers have been near the company this morning, and it is now ten o'clock. 1 must now close, as I have to go to my other duties.
EDWARD HERNDON,
LETTER NO, CXXXII.
CAMP OF THE NINTH IOWA INFANTRY, IUKA, MISSISSIPPI, } October 16, 1863.
FRIEND RICH :- I arrived here safe on the night of the fourteenth inst., and found the regiment here in very good quarters. Tents are rather scarce, however, and part of the regiment occupies a building for- merly known as the ladies' seminary; but it looks very little like such an institution now, for the "Yanks" seem to be the principal inmates. 1 found the company, or a part of them, in poor health. W. A. Jones is considered dangerously sick by the surgeon, but yet there is some hope of his recovery. Fever and ague seems to be the prevailing dis- ease in camp, but we are now in a very fine location, and the health of the regiment seems to be improving.
The election passed off here very quietly. The Ninth only cast five votes for General Tuttle, out of three hundred and thirty-two. They gave General Stone a larger majority than any other regiment in this part of the army.
[The returns of the First division, Fifteenth army corps, which the captain gave, are omitted as no longer of general interest .- E. P.]
Your county ticket just suited the soldiers, and they, of course, all voted the straight ticket. It seems quite natural to be again with the boys, and I hope to be able to stay with them, at least until we are discharged at the expiration of our term of service. I yet carry my crutches with me.
The town of luka is most beautifully situated, on the Memphis & Charleston railroad, which is guarded by our troops from Memphis to this place, and as fast as the road is repaired east of here, a sufficient force is moved forward to protect it from the enemy, who are prowling around like hungry wolves, to nab some of our boys and destroy their work. General Osterhaus is now in command of the First division, to which we belong, and Colonel Williamson, of the Fourth infantry, commands the brigade. Both are good soldiers, and their bravery and skill have been tested on many bloody battlefields.
It is uncertain how long we shall remain here, but it is hoped by all that we may stop here long enough to recruit the health of the men, for the lowa soldiers are famous for enduring long marches and many hardships, and they should be in better health. Hard-tack, meat and coffee are the principal rations now; good enough when you can't get anything better, consequently it don't help the matter to grumble. I had the misfortune to lose my valise in Dubuque, and it has not yet reached me, which makes me feel rather blue, even though my clothes are gray with dust.
The paymaster has just finished paying the regiment, and there is a
From the First lowa colored regiment.
25
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HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA.
superfluity of Abe's greenbacks in circulation. While at Memphis I met Captain Noble, who was looking quite well. He was to start for his regiment, which he expected to find at Little Rock, on the four- teenth. He has been very sick during his stay in Memphis, and has not yet entirely recovered ; yet he is anxious to be in the field.
E. C. LITTLE.
[The Twenty-seventh left Little Rock in November, and had since that time been in camp near Memphis .- E. P.]
LETTER NO. CXXXIII.
REAR OF VICKSBURGH, MISSISSIPPI, February 1, 1864.
FRIEND RICH :- On the twenty-first of January, 1864, we received or- ders to be in readiness to move on the twenty-fourth. January 23d we received two months' pay, from October 31st to December 31, 1863, Major Lupton, paymaster. On the same day one hundred and twenty- one rounds of ammunition per man were served. Did not move on the twenty-fourth, as was expected. January 25th, brigaded with the Fourteenth Iowa, Thirty-second lowa, and One Hundred and Seventy- eighth New York, and Colonel W. T. Shaw, Fourteenth Iowa, an- nounced as brigade commander. We are Second brigade, Third division, Sixteenth army corps. All regimental and company property, not required in the field, ordered stored in the quartermaster's depart- ment in Memphis. January 27th the regiment embarked on steamer Des Moines. January 28th the fleet left Memphis-seven boats loaded with soldiers -- and steamed down the river at 10 o'clock A. M. Our band discoursed some lively music, while the bands on the other boats contributed, by their inspiring strains, to the enthusiasm of the sol- diers, as well as to that of the crowd collected to witness the departure of the troops. The large buildings adjacent to the river were covered with an immense throng. Soon we fell below the fort and, amid the cheers of the crowd on shore and the waving of handkerchiefs by those on the tops of buildings, we bade farewell to Memphis, to report at Vicksburgh, Mississippi. January 29th, at sunrise, we were at the mouth of White river, and very soon after we passed that of the Ar- kansas. To this point the regiment had sailed before; but as soon as we passed below the familiar scenery, all were on deck, eager to see something new. The same desolation marked the banks of the great river which characterizes them for hundreds of miles, until we had passed the extreme southern limit of Arkansas. Then we began to pass large, deserted plantations on either side of the river, on some of theni as many as thirty-five houses-isolated towns, in which the slaveholder and his slaves formerly lived. Still farther down we saw other planta- tions which were not deserted, but were worked under the supervision of Government authorities by the frecdmen. January 30th, passed Milliken's Bend at 9 A. M. Saw the large building in which General McPherson held his headquarters during the fitting out of the army which marched westward and south through Louisiana, crossing the river below Vicksburgh during the siege. We also saw the spot where the negroes fought so heroically, capturing the rebel posts. At IO A. M. we came in sight of the city of sieges. We passed the mouth of the Yazoo river and saw the famous canal-a mere ditch; passed Haines' Bluff, and thought of the noble sons of America buried upon those hills, and of the glorious victory of July 4, 1863, by the valiant army under General Grant.
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