USA > Illinois > History of the Fourth Illinois cavalry regiment > Part 14
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15
After we had fed our horses and eaten our breakfast the boys all laid down to take a nap, out about the stable (which was in the rear of the house) excepting Lieutenant Hyde and three non-commissioned officers, including myself, whom Lieutenant Hyde invited into the house.
No pickets were put out. We were sitting in the parlor listening to music on the piano by Miss Calvert when we were suddenly startled by sounds of shooting up the road. We rushed out, into the yard and saw about twenty rebels coming down the road and a lot of our regiment after them in hot persuit. We run to the fence by the road and fired at them with our revolvers, the only weapons we had with us. One rebel fell from his horse mortally wounded, and we took two prisoners. The balance scattered in the woods close by and escaped. We picked up the wounded man and carried him to the house and sent for a local physician who extracted the ball but the man died. The ball entered just below the ribs on the right side and lay against the skin on the left side.
It was not a little amusing to see Miss Calvert's antics when we rushed out of the house and commenced shooting. She screamed out "don't shoot them, dont shoot them, take them prisoners" at the same time jumping around and jesticulating at a fearful rate. These rebels were mostly her neighbors. This same girl Lieutenant Hyde afterward married, although he had a wife and two children in Illinois.
April 11th-We moved our camp out of the main fort about one-half mile.
April 12th-I am on duty in charge of eighteen men, building stables for our horses at our new quarters. The
· lumber is procured by tearing down deserted houses and barns wherever we can find them.
April 14th-Lieutenant Hyde has been in command of the company for some time, in the absence of Captain
168
Shepardson who has been home on recruiting service. Our Captain and Lieutenant Hyde have been at loggerheads for some time and our company quarters are not large enough for them both at the same time. We have not had but one of them with us at a time for over a year. May 2, 1864, appears to be the date of Lieutenant Hyde's promotion to the Seventieth Regiment A. D.
May 19th-The dismounted men of our regiment are doing Provost duty in the city. Not over half of the enrollment of our regiment are mounted. Our service has been constant and severe. It has killed and used up our horses faster than we could get new mounts, notwithstanding we have taken every horse and mule that we came across that was fit for army service. I think we averaged to have used up from six to eight horses to the man in the three years. I was riding my eighth horse when I was mustered out at the expiration of my term of enlistment.
It has been the custom for some time to send a patrol of two or three men from each picket post three or four miles out each day. This is quite dangerous work as it would not be very difficult to cut off and capture or ambush and kill so small a force, so far from support.
I believe the only reason we have escaped as we have is because we have invaribly charged into them so savagely and whipped them so thoroughly everytime that they are a little delicate about getting in our way. I was at Natchez when the war ended and met some of these rebel cavalrymen who belonged to the commands that we used to chase so much. As soon as they learned what regiment I belonged to they would greet me cordially and seemed as glad to see me as though I had been an old comrade. They said they respected an enemy that would fight. They also said they were possessed with but one idea · when they knew we were coming (they could frequently hear us before they could see us) and that was to get out of our way as quickly as possible.
They fired on our picket patrol once only during the summer, that was from ambush, and Sam Willey of
169
Company K was wounded. William Warren arrived in camp from recruiting service on May 24th and Captain Shepardson on May 25th. They recruited a good many men for the regiment while they were gone.
June 15th- A force of seventy-five men, under Captain Merriman, (fourteen men and a Sergeant from Company I) crossed the Mississippi river with two day's rations and were joined by 100 Colored Cavalry. They traveled all night and scoured the country next day along the Tensas river for beef cattle.
A little later Captain Dashill of Company K and Lieutenant B. F. Hyde of Company I crossed the river with one-hundred men for the same purpose and returned with forty beef cattle.
We got quite a little drove which we sent into camp next day, and returned for more. Company I's detail was sent to picket the main road to Trinity where there was quite a force of rebel cavalry, while the balance of the force went farther to the southeast toward Black river.
We went out about two miles to Dr. Pierce's. I was sent further out with three men to picket the road. While we were there a force of fifty or seventy-five rebel cavalry came out from Trinity. They exchanged a shot or two with our advance vidette and turning around went back.
We gathered up on this trip altogether over two hundred beef cattle. We returned the third day, Company I being left behind to bring in the cattle which we accomplished successfully.
July 4th- - The effective force of our regiment crossed over the river in the morning. They run across quite a force of rebel cavalry at Cross' Bayou which they pitched into and drove across the Bayou, killing eight rebels, so they said. James Scott of Company L was slightly wounded and his horse was killed.
July 9th-At ten p. m. we crossed the river again joined by a regiment of Colored Cavalry and three pieces of light artillery. We were at Cross' Bayou at daylight, where we found quite a force of rebel cavalry. The artillery threw a few shells at them, then we crossed over
170
and charged them directly, putting them to flight. We chased them two or three miles. They tried a time or two to rally and check us but we were crowding them so closely that they could not make a stand.
We had four men wounded in this charge. After giving 'our horses a little rest we returned to camp, making a trip of nearly forty miles, without feeding our horses.
July 15th-We were inspected by Major General Dana. We have five-hundred-ten horses in the regiment and only two-hundred-twenty reported serviceable.
I found the following in the report of Inspecting Officer Major C. T. Christensen, under date of July 20, 1864 Natchez, Mississippi:
I inspected at eight a. m., July 15, the Fourth Illinois Cavalry. Aggregate effective force here 806, only 220 serviceable horses, 290 unserviceable. Many men are unequipped and unarmed. Clothing tolerably good. Dicipline and general condition good. There is no suitable drill ground here and therefore the regiment is not well drilled. Many of the recruits were never yet mounted. They had eleven 4-horse teams, one 2-horse team, eight 4-mule teams and one 6-mule team. There were eight public horses in possession of officers, namely, Captain Wallace 2, Captain Smith 2, Lieutenant Allshouse 1, Captain Hitt 1 and Captain Wardlaw 2.
July 18th-Early in the evening one-hundred men from our regiment were detailed to search the city of Natchez for horses. We were sent to the city very quietly, so that the citizens would not know what we were after, and hide their horses. In fact we did not know ourselves what we were to do until we were divided up into squads and given our instructions.
We took everything that was serviceable and got back to our quarters at two a. m. We went back again the next day and made a more thorough search than we could in the night. We got in all over three-hundred head. A great many of them were returned to their owners later on. We found horses hid in all kinds of places, even in the
171
cellar under the house, but they had to cover their tracks pretty nicely if a Yankee soldier did not find what he was looking for. I took three fine horses from the stable of an un-naturalized Englishman, but he got them all back the next day.
July 22d-The effective force of our regiment crossed the river on the ferry. Being on duty elsewhere I did not go. They reported that they fell in with a force of rebel cavalry a few miles back from the river, who had made a raid on the government plantations and were loaded down with plunder of every description. They showed no desire to fight but quite an eagerness to get away; nothing so very strange about that though for we have not been able to get a fight out of any rebel cavalry since we have been in Natchez, that we did not force out of them on the run, and it was the same in this case.
They were attacked by our boys at quite close range and with the first volley they killed two of our men, Cyrus Timmons of Company K and I haven't the name of the other. Dan Nettleton of Company I was slightly wounded.
Joe Carter's horse, Old Sled, as he called him, became excited in the persuit which followed and took the bit, running right into the rear of the rebel column in spite of all Joe could do to hold him. Seeing he could not stop he steered for the center of the road and split their column.
Joe told how the buckets and plunder flew as he ran against them. Some said "shoot him, " others "take him prisoner." They dared not shoot for fear of hitting their own men and all were more eager to get away themselves than to try to take him prisoner. Joe said he could have shot one of them any time but he had only one load left in his revolver and he feared he might get into a pinch where he would need that to save himself. Finally in crossing a muddy place they were scattered some and Joe got out of the road, Old Sled falling down and getting up without his rider, and going off with the rebels. Joe never saw Old Sled again. Joe scrambled out of the mud and run to get behind a tree, but just as he came around from one
-
172
side a rebel, who had got dismounted somehow, came around from the other side.
Joe said they were neither of them a bit particular about keeping that tree, but each run in the opposite direction, for another tree. Our boys came along directly and both were rescued.
The rebel loss, so far as known, was three prisoners taken. The persuit was finally abandoned. Under date of August 1st I find the following, which shows another line of duty we had to perform:
I am on picket on the Up river road; have three of our boys and fourteen negro infantry men. The latter stand picket here every other day and we have to furnish a non-commissioned officer to take command of them. They make quite efficient pickets, for the experience they have had, obeying orders to the letter.
A mounted squad of us had occasion to pass out through the breast-works on a road where there was a negro sentinel. We had a perfect right to pass through without a challenge but the corporal of the guard had instructed him to let no one pass, and went away to his quarters for his breakfast. Some of our boys got impatient at waiting so long and talked as though we would ride over the sentinel and go ahead, but the negro could not be brow-beaten. He told us very seriously that if we undertook it "someone would get hurted sure." We waited until the corporal returned.
August 5th-The effective force of our regiment was ordered out last evening at sunset with three day's rations. We crossed the Mississippi river on the ferry and started out in a southwestern course. Another force, under Lieutenant Colonel McCaleb, went out on the Concordia lake road. Colonel Farrar is in command of the expedition. We are accompanied by the Twenty-eightlı and Twenty-ninth Illinois, two regiments of colored troops and one mountain howitzer.
We traveled all night with but little rest. The latter part of the night we were going through Cross' Bayou swamp. At day break we came onto a picket force of
178
about seventy-five rebel cavalry. They fell back after a skirmish and we saw no more of them. They probably went to Trinity where they have quite a large force. The latter place is thirty-five miles southwest of Natchez, across the Tensas river.
We were joined near here by the force under Lieutenant Colonel McCaleb and halted at a plantation near there where we fed and got our breakfast, after which most of the command unsaddled and laid down to take a rest. This place has been headquarters for the rebel pickets for some time.
About two weeks ago Captain Wardlaw of Company E came out here with a flag of truce on some business and staid all night with Captain Montgomery, commanding the rebel picket post here. The latter told Captain Wardlaw that they had some better troops here now than they had had and that we could not run them about as we had been doing General Wheeler's Cavalry, and the first time we came there we would be nicely cleaned out. He advised Wardlaw, as a friend (?), not to come over again as the troops there now were those celebrated Texas Rangers that cut such a figure during General Banks' Red river campaign.
They even charged one of our gunboats, it is said, and I don't know but what they claimed to have captured it. Captain Wardlaw assured him that none of those things would deter us from coming out there as often as we had occasion to and he said he did not fear getting whipped.
We were suddenly awakened from our slumbers by the report of our howitzer a short distance out on the Trinity road. In an increditable short time we were galloping down the road in that direction. We did not wait to "fall in" but got into our places in the column as we went. Captain Wardlaw with his company, E, had the lead.
We found the rebels a short distance from our pickets and struck them in column of fours in a charge. The rebels broke at once, just as we expected. They made several attempts to rally and form a line but we them gave no chance. We run them until we could find none to
174
follow. They scattered in every direction. The ground was very favorable for them to get away as there was so much thickly-grown, small timber along the road and numerous levies and ditches. We knew nothing about the lay of the land, while they knew all about it.
We killed five of them, including one captain and one lieutenant and took seven prisoners. The captain killed was the same captain, Montgomery, that advised Captain Wardlaw, as a friend(?), not to come out there again for he would be sure to get whipped.
The rebels had engaged in this affair three-hundred picked men-more than there were of us. One of the prisoners said they could have had 2000 as well as 300 but they thought 300 of their men was sufficient to whip all the Yankee troops at Natchez.
After the prisoners had time to get their breath they inquired if we always fought that way. We assured them that was our style. Of course we had the advantage of them in having other troops at our back if we needed them but they gave us no assistance. We cleaned them out single handed.
The rebel loss in killed that I have given was reported at the time. I did not see them. Our casualties were Captain Wardlaw of Company E, severe wound in thigh, and three privates wounded.
Below is the report of Colonel M. R. M. Wallace of the expedition from Natchez, Mississippi, to Galespy's plantation, to Lieutenant 'T. A. Ralston, Assistant Adjutant General:
Agreeable to verbal instructions received from the Colonel Commanding, I crossed the Mississippi river at this place with one-hundred-ninty men and nine commissioned officers and two field and staff officers of my command, at seven p. m. on the 4th inst.
After crossing the river, by the Colonel's order, the command was divided. Ninety men and two commissioned officers and one field and staff officer, under Captain Wallace of Company C Fourth Illinois Cavalry, were ordered by the Colonel Commanding to report to
175
Lieutenant Colonel McCaleb. Before this last detachment got over the river Captain G. L. Collins, Company B Fourth Illinois Cavalry, was ordered to proceed down the river about seven miles to the place where Captain Wardlaw, Company E Fourth Illinois Cavalry, with Company's E and F Fourth Illinois Cavalry had been ordered to proceed previous to the crossing of the troops from this side of the river.
I remained with the escort of four men at Vidalia until the detachment, under Captain Wallace, was across and had moved off to report to Lieutenant Colonel McCaleb as per order and then learning that Colonel Farrar had gone down the river on board one of the transports with the infantry force, I proceeded on down the river for the purpose of joining the command that had gone that way.
On taking the advance within a short distance of Concordia Bayou, where I reported in person to Colonel Farrar commanding expedition, and was by him ordered to take charge of the cavalry. We moved on to the above named bayou and finding no means of crossing at that point we moved in a northern direction, about three miles, to a temporary bridge across the bayou, arriving there just at daybreak.
We pushed rapidly across the bayou, struck the gallop march in single file through the swamp a mile and one-half or two miles, coming out on a plantation at Mud Bayou, expecting to find there a small picket of the enemy but they had fallen back in a northwestern direction, exchanging a few shots with the flankers of the advance guard as they fell back.
Here we rested a few minutes, watered the command and after sending a sergeant and six men, by Colonel Farrar's order, to bring up the gun that was with the infantry column, we moved on along the bayou in the direction the enemy's pickets had taken and in a few minutes our advance commenced skirmishing with the enemy, driving them gradually back to near the dwelling on the plantation of -- , when by Colonel
176
Farrar's order I took a portion of the command to the right, through the field, for the purpose of striking the road leading along Mud Bayou in the rear of the enemy but they fell back on the road leading direct to the Trinity road.
I remained in the road at the place where I struck it until the balance of the command came up when we moved along Mud Bayou about two miles. There crossing, we moved along about two miles further, coming out on the Stacy plantation where we expected to find the camp of about three-hundred of the enemy but they had moved off the day before.
Here we met the advance of Lieutenant Colonel McCaleb's force under Captain Wallace. Here Colonel Farrar ordered me to assume command of the whole cavalry force. After watering the horses we moved on to the Galespy plantation, fed our horses and men and rested about three hours. We arrived at the Galespy plantation at about fifteen minutes before nine a. m. August 6, 1864.
Just as the command commenced to saddle up, word came that the enemy had made their appearance to the east of us on the road leading to the Tensas. A portion of the command dashed off, driving the enemy rapidly for for about two miles where they made a desperate stand on the Session plantation but they soon gave way, when they were furiously charged. They soon, however, made another attempt to stand but were again charged and after a few more sallies and successive impetuous charges they fled, after a chase of about five miles from the Galespy plantation.
After collecting the scattered portion of the command, from the flanks and extreme front we moved back to the Trinity and Vidalia road, resting a few moments, when we moved to Forest Bayou where we found the infantry command, and by the order of Colonel Farrar, after detailing Company E to go with the ambulance and Company D to remain with the infantry under Colonel
.
177
Preston, we moved quietly towards Vidalia to Lake Concordia where we we watered and fed.
I then moved on across the Mississippi river at Vidalia and into camp at this place.
Casualties: Wounded, Capt. W. D. Wardlaw Company E severe flesh wound; R. Malden Company E left arm broken; Miles Beach Company F severe wound in right arm and chest; Andrew Loenard Company H slight wound fell in charge; horses lost 5, captured 5, prisoners 11.
This has been a severe march, especially upon the horses of my command, the extreme heat and dryness of the season rendering it impracticable to make a forced march without breaking down many horses. Fifty-four were rendered unfit for immediate service on this trip. The force we fought consisted of three-hundred mounted men, one-hundred from the Fifth Texas Cavalry, one-hundred from the Seventh Texas Cavalry and one-hundred from Robertson's Squadron, all under the command of Major Robertson.
As usual all my officers and all my men did all that any commander could wish. I cannot make any distinction in this case, except to state that Captains Collins of Company B, Merriman of Company L, Wardlaw of Company E, Fisk of Company H, Lowe of Company A and Lieutenant Kimball of Company B were in the thickest of the fight and bore themselves gallantly amid the messengers of death that flew thick and fast around them, and so did the brave and faithful men of their respective commands.
Respectfully submitted,
M. R. M. WALLACE,
Colonel Commanding Fourth Illinois Cavalry.
Below is an extract from Colonel B. G. Farrar's report of this expedition:
At two p. m. the vedette reported a large cavalry force approaching along the levee upon the Gilbert plantation on the Tensas river. Ordering the infantry and artillery to take up a good position behind the levee, I moved forward with the cavalry to attack the enemy.
178
About one mile distant I found them three-hundred-fifty strong in line of battle with their left covered with plantation buildings and their right in an open cotton field.
Forming my men in line I advanced upon the enemy and arrived within one-hundred yards of their position, charging with my command. Our advance was met by a heavy fire, both from the line in the field and the men in the houses, but my men pressed forward with determination and getting to close quarters the rebels broke and scattered in all directions. They were vigorously followed up and driven over four miles, when I ordered the persuit to end.
The result of this skirmish was the killing of four men, one captain, Newman, and one reported to be Captain Williams of Taylor's staff and the capture of eight prisoners, two of whom were wounded, one mortally.
On our side Captain Wardlaw, Fourth Illinois Cavalry, received a severe wound in the leg, while gallantly charging at the head of his men, and two privates were wounded slightly.
The entire command arrived safely at Vidalia on the morning of the 6th at seven o'clock, having accomplished in thirty-five hours a march of forty-one miles. The entire command endured the severe march with fortitude, their officers cheerfully co-operating with me in securing the success of the expedition.
The incident about Captains Wardlaw and Montgomery I gave as it was reported in camp. According to Colonel Farrar's report it was not Captain Montgomery that was killed here. Which report is right I am unable to say.
August 26th-The effective mounted force of our regiment available, numbering about one-hundred and twenty-five men, under Colonel McCaleb, started out at six p. m. yesterday. The balance, about seventy-five men and a regiment of Colored Infantry, under Colonel Farrar, went up the river on a transport and landed at Rifle Point. Company I went with the latter command, excepting
179
three men and myself. We went with Colonel McCaleb.
Our command took a circuit around Lake Concordia and had to swim Concordia Bayou. We marched quite steadily all night and at daybreak met the other column about five miles back from Rifle Point. We were expecting to find a force of rebels near there and we were sent out in two columns so we might get them between our two forces, and for the last hour or two we had come up on a charge to every plantation we came to.
We mistook our men of the other column, in the dim twilight, for the rebels we were hunting, and being under orders to charge into any thing we came across, we charged them in column of fours. We were not a little surprised to see the opposing column deploy in line quickly and charge us in true Fourth Cavalry style. We were soon together but recognized each other before anyone was seriously hurt.
The other column had run into a picket force of about thirty-five rebel cavalry at a cotton gin before daylight. The rebel vedette fired without a challenge when our boys charged and followed him right in. The most of the rebels escaped in the weeds and darkness. Our boys got eight of them and most of their horses and equipments.
We all went on together then to near where the latter incident happened when we met Colonel Farrar with a regiment of Colored Infantry with their guns stacked in the road. Just as our advance reached this place word came that a rebel force had been seen not far from there in the direction we were then going.
We were immediately started after them at a lively gallop. Colonel Farrar stood on the levee at the side of the road and swung his hat as we passed shouting "Give them hell, Fourth Cavalry, " until we were our of hearing.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.