USA > Illinois > History of the Fourth Illinois cavalry regiment > Part 12
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I pushed forward my column and soon received orders to send forward the other section of the battery, all under the command of Captain Perkins of the Ninth Illinois Cavalry, and by order of the Lieutenant Colonel Commanding I proceeded with the balance of my command to the lower ferry across the Yalobusha.
Just before I reached the bank of the river I received orders to push into town, to destroy the rolling stock. I pushed on through the river into town but before we reached the scene of destruction I received orders to push my command across the river without delay, which I did, and moved out to Statum station on the Mississippi Central railroad and went into camp for the night. During the night Major O'Connor rejoined me with his command.
August 18th-We remained all day in camp without incident.
August 19th-We moved in advance of the forces on the road to Panola, Mississippi, passing through Oakland, crossing the Yockney on that road and camping that night about one mile north of the river.
August 20th-By order of the Colonel Commanding my command moved in the rear of the column and arrived in Panola without casuality worthy of note,
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about noon. The troops in advance of me getting across the Tallahatchie about 4:30 p. m. I proceeded to cross my command, finishing about 6:30 p. m. and moved out about six miles on the Memphis road to camp.
August 21st-This morning I was ordered to take the advance, I moved north to a point about a mile north of Dr. Wallaces' plantation where I turned to to the right, taking the road leading to Tucksahoma. After feeding I took the road for Buck Snort where I camped for the night.
During this day, after I had left the Memphis road, I ordered details from each company as forage parties, all from each regiment to be placed under the command of a commissioned officer, six day's rations having been ordered and this being the ninth day out, and we still two day's march from home.
This morning Captain Lee Company F Third Illinois Cavalry was accidently shot by one of his men, wound probably fatal.
August 23d -- I again took the advance this morning and moved on the road from Buck Snort to Wall Hill at which place I took the road to Byhalia under orders to proceed to camp, which I did, without incident.
The Ninth Illinois Cavalry proceeded to Germantown that night. The Fourth Illinois Cavalry went into camp at this place and after resting during the night proceeded to their camp at LaFayette.
I learned in the afternoon of the twenty-second that the forage parties of the Ninth Illinois Cavalry, sent out under Lieutenant Shattuck on the morning of the twenty-first, had not returned to the column and since coming into camp I learned that they got behind the column, missed the road, and attempting to cross the Coldwater, were attacked by the enemy from both sides and fourteen of the party and fifteen stand of arms were missing.
Casualties: Captain W. S. Lee, Company F Third Illinois Cavalry, dangerously wounded; Jasper Bonds, private, Company C Third Illinois Cavalry, slightly wounded in heel: First Lieutenant and Adjutant William
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McEvoy, Third Illinois Cavalry, captured while straggling: Peter F. Somers, private, Company M, James Money, J. R. Stevens and Albert Gilbert, Company C, Third Illinois Cavalry, captured by the enemy while straggling; Roderick Juston, private, Company M Fourth Illinois Cavalry, wounded in the arm while on duty as extreme advance guard; C. W. Jones, Corporal of Company G, severely wounded by kick of mule on the back of his head; fourteen soldiers with horses, arms and equipments from the Ninth Illinois Cavalry are missing, supposed to have been captured.
Prisoners taken by First Brigade Cavalry Division Ninth Illinois Cavalry 14: Fourth Illinois Cavalry 2, total 16. These were all turned over to the Second Brigade, by order of the Colonel Commanding. Captured stuff: Third Illinois Cavalry, horses 8, mules 9, total 17: one two-horse carriage; one single buggy. Fourth Illinois Cavalry, Major Wemple commanding, mules 34, horses 27, total 61. Ninth Illinois Cavalry, Captain Dewell, commanding, mules 64, horses 35, total 99. Total captured 177.
Respectfully submitted, M. R. M. WALLACE, Lieutenant Colonel Commanding First Brigade Cavalry Division.
Report of Colonel Mizener of the expedition to Grenada to Major General Hurlbut.
LaGrange, Tennessee, August 19, 1863 :- The cavalry force sent from here, and other points along the railroad, on the 13th inst, under command of Lieutenant Colonel Phillipps, reached Grenada on the 17th inst., drove Slemons, with two-thousand men and three pieces of artillery from the place, destroying fifty-seven engines, upwards of four-hundred cars, the dopot building, machine shops, several blacksmith shops, a quantity of ordinance and commissary stores, captured about fifty railroad men and a number of prisoners. After Colonel Phillipps,
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with his command, had accomplished his work, Colonel Winslow appeared with a force from below.
J. K. MIZNER, Colonel and Chief of Cavalry.
About this time we were transferred from McCrellis' Brigade to Colonel Hatches Brigade. The latter is now composed of the following forces: Second Iowa Cavalry, Fourth, Fifth and Seventh Illinois and a battalion of the Third Regiment Cavalry and a battery of mountain howitzers, but I believe we never operated together as a brigade.
We put in our time pretty faithfully the balance of the the time we staid at Colliersville, although nothing occured worthy of note.
September 15th-We broke camp and started for Vicksburg, marched to Memphis and there took the boats Illinois and Thomas Tutt, Company I going on the latter. We disembarked at Vicksburg on the 23d and were immediately brigaded with the Eleventh Illinois and Tenth Missouri Cavalry, Colonel M. R. M. Wallace commanding the brigade. We camped on the Big Black river twelve miles east of Vicksburg.
These orders are for the expedition recorded below that started out September 27th from the Big Black river: Special order No 262, Headquarters Department of the Tennessee. Vicksburg, Mississippi, September 24, 1863 :-
Colonel M. R. M. Wallace, Fourth Illinois Cavalry, will proceed at once with his command, consisting of two battalions of the Fourth Illinois Cavalry, Eleventh Illinois Regiment Cavalry and Fourth Regiment Missouri Cavalry Volunteers to headquarters Fifteenth Army Corps, Big Black river, and report there to Major General W. T. Sherman, commanding, for orders.
JOHN A. RAWLINS,
Brigadier General and Acting Adjutant General. By order of Major General U. S. Grant.
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Headquarters Fifteenth Army Corps, Camp on Black river, Mississippi. September 26, 1863 :-
First, The Second Brigade, Third Division, of this Corps, Brigadier General J. A. Moyer commanding, at once relieve the Second Brigade Second Division, Colonel O. Malmborg commanding, at Black river railroad bridge. Second, The Cavalry Brigade, commanded by Colonel Wallace, will take post at or near Messenger's Ford and report to Brigadier General Tuttle commanding Third Division for orders. Third, Brigadier General J. M. Tuttle, commanding Third Division will have charge of the line of the Black river and will report by letter to Major General James B. McPherson commanding Seventeenth Army Corps, Vicksburg, for instructions.
By order of Major General W. T. Sberman.
Headquarters Cavalry Forces Fifteenth Army Corps, Big Black, Mississippi. September 27, 1863 :- Lieutenant Colonel Wallace will please detail from his regiments of Cavalry which have composed his command six-hundred men properly officered, fully armed and supplied with ammunition, with four day's cooked rations to be in readiness to march at one p. m. today. The exact order of march will be communicated at that time.
E. F. WINSLOW, Colonel and Chief of Cavalry.
Headquarters of Cavalry Fifteenth Army Corps, September 27, 1863.
First, The following will be the order of march of this command: Fifth Illinois Cavalry regiment, Tenth Missouri Cavalry Regiment, Eleventh Illinois Cavalry, Fourth Iowa Cavalry Regiments will pass from front to rear alternately each succeeding day as a rule, commanding officer of each regiment to report with his command to the Colonel commanding at Messengers at 3:30 today promptly. Lieutenant Colonel Wallace and Major Seley will each detail one surgeon, with instructions and medicine, to accompany this expedition. Second, Commanding officer of each regiment will guard well his
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fanks after the command passes the infantry at the church and will act as circumstances may direct in every emergency.
E. F. WINSLOW, Colonel and Chief of Cavalry.
September 27th -- A detail of one-hundred and sixty men from our regiment, together with a detachment from the Fifth and Eleventh Illinois Cavalry, Fourth Iowa and Tenth Missouri Cavalry, in all about nine-hundred men, under Colonel Winslow, left camp for a raid east of the Big Black river
They crossed the Big Black at the lower ford, six miles from camp, and traveled nearly due east about twenty miles and camped at four p. m.
September 28th-They started out at 3:30 a. m. getting into Brownville at sunrise. The Eleventh Illinois Cavalry were in the lead. Here we found a small force of rebel cavalry, but they left without much opposition. As soon as firing commenced the column was halted and our regiment was sent to the front with orders to charge into anything we came across.
We led out on the Canton road at a very brisk walk, meeting with no opposition until we were near Vernon, about twenty miles from Canton. At the first shot we dashed ahead and scattered a rebel picket post, which seemed to stir up are gular hornets nest a little further on, for directly we saw about a brigade of rebel cavalry in line on the opposite side of an open field, perhaps less than a mile ahead of us. We were quietly thrown into line, right and left of the road, and advanced boldly when the rebel line fell back and disappeared in the timber beyond.
We were informed that the rebels had three brigades of cavalry, two beside this force, in the neighborhood, numbering about three-thousand men. Our force numbered about nine-hundred.
We found a large camp just beyond where they showed their line, and the camp fires were still burning. Near there was a large warehouse filled with cotton, probably a
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thousand bales. It was on fire when we passed. We halted to feed at three p. m., about ten miles southwest from Canton, the first halt we have made since starting this morning. We unsaddled our horses and secured a plenty of everything we wanted to eat from a rich planter nearby-corn and fodder for night and morning, chickens, sheep, pigs, sweet potatoes, etc., expecting to stay there until morning. We were more particular to get an abundance of the good things that the soldier and his horse likes than we were to be in a hurry to get our suppers but while some our suppers were yet cooking orders came to saddle up and not make much noise. We obeyed of course but not very cheerfully, but we did not know what Colonel Winslow knew. He knew that General Jackson had us nearly surrounded by more than three times our own number and were only waiting until we were in dreamland to take us in.
We traveled by by-roads and bridle paths and through the woods and about midnight crossed the Big Black river at Morris' Ford, twenty-three miles due east from Yazoo City and seventy-seven miles from Vicksburg. We have traveled over fifty miles today. The Fifth Illinois Cavalry were left at the ford and the balance of the command camped at a plantation about a mile distant.
September 29th-We were started from our sleep at daybreak by the booming of cannons at the ford. Instantly the Colonel's bugle blowed "boots and saddles" and "to horse" which we obeyed cheerfully enough this time for we could see through the Colonel's movements of last night.
Our regiment was ordered to the seat of action. We had not gone far until we met the Sixth Illinois Cavalry coming back and the rebels close at their heels. We took their place in the rear. The rebels followed us nearly all day but did not crowd us hard very long. Our regiment had the rear all day.
We got a crack at them now and then but they were not very troublesome. We passed through Benton, ten miles from Yazoo City, passing along the bluff overlooking the city and at sunset camped four miles south of town.
We started early next morning and halted at noon
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near Mechanicsburgh. About six miles from here is a ford on the Big Black river where the enemy, chagrined at being outwitted in his attempt to bag us near Canton, attempted to cut us off with a large force but General Sherman had anticipated this and had sent a brigade of infantry and some artillery to guard the ford and they were baffled again.
We got back to camp October 1st at three p. m. without further incident. We brought in twelve prisoners and lost one man who was taken prisoner. We traveled in the four days about one-hundred and forty miles.
Below is Colonel Winslow's report of this expedition: Expedition from Messenger's Ford, Big Black river, to Yazoo City with skirmishes at Brownville, September 28th and Moore's Ford near Benton, September 29th.
Report of E. S. Winslow, Fourth Illinois Cavalry to Captain R. M. Sawyer, Assistant Adjutant General, Fifteenth Army Corps, Iuks, Mississippi.
Headquarters Cavalry Forces, Fourteenth Army Corps, Big Black river, Mississippi, October 1, 1863 :- In accordance with instructions from General W. T. Sherman, with detachments from the Fourth, Fifth and Eleventh Illinois, Fourth Iowa and Tenth Missouri Cavalry, in all nine hundred men with two mountain howitzers, I moved over Black river at Messenger's Ford on Sunday, the 27th, at four p. m. and bivouacked at Clark's, four miles from Brownville, until four o'clock the next morning, when the column moved toward that place, driving out about fifty of Whitfield's Cavalry.
Pushing direct for Vernon we reached General Whitfield's camp at the church two miles south of Vernon, only to find that he had moved before daylight towards Livingston and Jackson, surrounding Vernon. We entered that place at ten a. m. and moved forward to Beatie's Bluff where the command was halted until six o'clock and fed.
Having ascertained that there was no ford or ferry at that point, and that I could in no way cross the command, I marched to Moore's Ford and encamped one and one-half
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miles toward Benton, leaving one regiment and one howitzer to guard the crossing. At four o'clock the next morning the enemy vigorously attacked this detachment with four pieces of artillery, supported by dismounted cavalry. The howitzer was speadily disabled and after feeling the enemy for an hour I directed the column toward Benton and encamped at Dhort creek, two and one-half miles below Yazoo City, having halted to feed at Benton.
We marched the next day to Satartia, communicated with the infantry near Mechanicsburgh, and today reached camp at two p. m. From Brownville to Beatie's Bluff I assumed the offensive and vigorously attacked every force we met, pushing the various parties towards Livingston, running down and capturing eight of the enemy.
Upon learning that I could not cross at Beatie's Bluff, I deemed it prudent to gain the ford at Moore's and the result proved my conclusion to be correct, for the enemy had ample time to concentrate all his forces.
From Moore's Bluff I moved leisurely to camp, bringing in one-hundred horses, fitty mules, eight prisoners of war and one ambulance, having destroyed fifty stand of arms taken from the the enemy in the different skirmishes. My loss was two men taken prisoners while out of rank.
Brigadier Generals Whitfield and Crosby were hovering on my right flanks all day on Monday, but because their forces were somewhat scattered, they dare not attack and continually retreated from every attempt at following, moving towards Livingston and encamping. I estimate their combined force, from information deemed reliable, at two-thousand cavalry and ten pieces of artillery, while their horses were in fine condition.
The command fourteen miles Sunday, forty-two miles Monday, twenty-five miles Tuesday, twenty-three miles Wednesday and twenty-two miles Thursday; total in ninty-six hours, one-hundred and twenty-six miles.
There is a bridge at Scott's Crossing, six miles west of Vernon, but no ford between that point and Moore's Bluff, northwest of Canton seven miles. The whole
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command actively figured and crowded the enemy impulsively, whenever found, driving him continually, the column not halting from Brownville to Vernon.
Your obedient servant,
E. S. WINSLOW,
Colonel Fourth Iowa Cavalry, Commanding.
Lieutenant J. B. Cook, who commanded the advance guard after our regiment took the lead, on the 28th the second day out, gives a graphic account in the following communication of the doings of the advance guard that day.
Until about the first of September, 1863, the field of operations for the regiment had been almost exclusively in west Tennessee and northern Mississippi. In fact from February to August, 1863, the Second and Third Battalions were camped at Colliersville on the Memphis & Charleston railroad, about 25 miles east of Memphis. From this point we had scouted nearly every county in western Tennessee and northern Mississippi, and learned the locations of their towns, streams and fords, as well as though we had been raised in the south.
Early in September, 1863, the Second and Third Battalions moved to Memphis and were paid off and shipped to Vicksburg, where we were met by the First Battalion who were doing escort duty for General Grant and escorted to our camp.
In a very few days we were moved to near Messenger's Ford, on the west side of the Big Black river, twelve miles northeast of Vicksburg. M. R. M. Wallace had been promoted to Colonel and was in command of the regiment. We were placed with the Eleventh and Fifth Illinois, Tenth Missouri and Fourth Iowa Cavalry in a brigade, under Colonel Edward S. Winslow of the Fourth Iowa.
On the 27th of September, about noon, we moved out of camp, under Winslow's command, forded Big Black river at Messenger's Ford and went into camp, some fifteen miles out. The next morning we moved at daylight eastward towards Canton. We had about one-thousand men and filled the road for about a mile as we marched by
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twos, the Eleventh Illinois in advance. They drove a force of rebels through Brownville to the eastward and the Fourth Illinois, under Captain Harvey Meriman of Company L, as Regimental Commander, was ordered to take the advance to the northward with Company F with fourteen well mounted men, under Lieutenant J. B. Cook, as advance guard.
Colonel Winslow gave them minute instructions in regard to looking out for the enemy's cavalry and not to get more than half a mile from the head of the column, all of which were received with a smile and forgotten immediately afterwards, as they had often formed an advance guard before.
The first few miles were passed without incident but at every hill top they dismounted and scanned the road for a long distance ahead without showing themselves to the enemy. All was quiet and no sign of any troops visible anywhere until about ten miles northeast of Brownville.
On reaching the crest of a hill they discovered a company of confederate cavalry, about thirty strong, about half mile in front. They evidently were not aware of the approach of the Illinois troopers. They were in two detachments, about half of them were three-hundred yards in the rear of the others. Our troopers realized that they had an incompetent commander, or he would have placed them on high ground, hence it seemed they might be easy prey, as a break of the first squad would themselves break the others in the rear, and Lieutenant Cook leading his little party, charged over the crest of the ridge and down the long slope towards the enemy, yelling like devils, and were within two-hundred yards of them before they fired from their horses and fled pell mell down the road and dashed through their own men in their rear squad. They struck their best gait in a four mile heat, in which eight of their number fell into the hands of their persuers, as prisoners of war.
Lieutenant Cook's horse, after leading in this four mile chase, fell in the road and the persuit was abandoned. The prisoners proved to be members of Company B, Third
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Texas Cavalry. Three more companies which were in reserve fled and abandoned seventeen new carbines and a lot of camp equipage.
The total number of Texans were reported by the ' prisoners as one-hundred and twenty men. Those in the extreme rear could only see the dust for a mile and hear the shots and had little chance to know whether there were fourteen men or fourteen-thousand in the persuing party and our troopers did not know there was a Texan Ranger within forty miles of us until the fight was over.
This little episode pleased Colonel Winslow, our new Brigade Commander, very much and the troopers of the Fourth wanted to show their new commander that for making a dash they considered themselves star performers as the five regiments were out several days and no opportunity was offered to secure any prisoners. Company F felt they had been fortunate.
Soon after this Lieutenant Cook was promoted to the position of Major of the Third United States Colored Cavalry which was largely officered from the Fourth Illinois Cavalry and became a very successful regiment. They often met the four Texas Regiments which composed General L. S. Ross' fine brigade. They were the Third, Sixth, Ninth and Twenty-eighth Texas Cavalry.
I have come across the following report of Major Harry E. Eastman, Second Wisconsin Cavalry, to General J. B. McPherson, Commanding Seventeenth Army Corps, where he tells of a brilliant dash in which a battalion of the Fourth Illinois Cavalry participated. This report will no doubt be interesting to those of our regiment who took part and probably to those who did not:
Red Bone Church, Mississippi, October 11, 1863 :- I had a lively chase yesterday and a lively and lovely fight. On Friday evening at sunset I received a dispatch from Captain Sherman of my regiment, whom I had sent with fifty men to the assistance of Captain Wallace of the Fourth Illinois Cavalry and his forage train of twenty-one wagons to Big Black river, notifying me of the fact that one-hundred and sixty of the enemy's cavalry had crossed
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the river from this side at Hawkinson's ferry, about one hour before the arrival of the forage train at that point, and asking that I might come to his assistance with adequate reinforcements and give the enemy a chase, and if found a fight.
I immediately notified you of this fact and taking fifty more of my regiment, I proceeded after dark to the river and found Captains Wallace and Sherman bivouacked half a mile from the ferry. There I learned from citizens of Clairborne county, whom the officers had detained at their camp, that there was a force of from six-hundred to eight-hundred, consisting of Colonels Stark and West Adams regiments somewhere in the vicinity of Rocky Springs, which is six miles northwest of Power's place.
Notifying you of these additional facts and asking for reinforcements I determined to cross the river as soon as I could and give them a fight, sending the forage train back . to my camp without waiting longer to hear from you.
I crossed the river at Hawkinson's ferry ford at daylight yesterday morning with one-hundred-one of my own command and seventy-one of the Fourth Illinois Cavalry and went in search of the enemy in the direction of Rocky Springs.
Ascertaining at the plantation of Mr. Mckay, two miles this side of Rocky Springs, that the enemy, three hundred strong, had taken a plantation road at sunset the evening before, leading into the back fields of that plantation, I trusted to find his camp not very far off and changed my direction accordingly. Taking the Port Gibson and Rocky Springs road I marched in the direction of Port Gibson two miles and then took a blind road, which leads into the same fields from the direction opposite to that taken by the enemy.
This was only a little after sunrise and I hoped to find him still in camp. Soon, however, I struck his trail a night old going west toward Port Gibson. Following his trail by a blind road, cautiously but rapidly, I soon struck
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his pickets at the crossing of the Rocky Springs and Warrenton and the Vicksburg and Port Gibson roads.
My advance guard persued the flying pickets, killing one horse and wounding one man, until they were checked by the grand guard of the enemy, twenty-five men admirably posted behind a narrow and very steep defile.
Captain Wood of my regiment, in charge of the advance, instantly dismounted a part of the advance, 'in command of Lieutenant Riley, and deployed to a cover to dislodge them. The Lieutenant succeeded in doing so, almost as soon as the column came up, sending Captain Parker of my regiment, with his squadron to the advance.
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