USA > Illinois > History of the Ninth Regiment Illinois Cavalry Volunteers. Pub. under the auspices of the Historical Committee of the Regiment > Part 39
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 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44
396
HISTORY OF THE
way to the river and the bridge, and then saw that I could not get but one way and that was to jump off the bridge, which I did, and tied my horse, and went out near the river in the front line, and remained there until the firing ceased on that side of the bridge. Then I came back to where the small redoubt was and passed to the rear, and Colonel Hatch had just been wounded, and a colored soldier killed. I went with our line to the other side, and the bullets made the water fly lively. After passing over the bridge I came upon one of the boys with his hand in the water searching for his gun. "Sergeant Murray what are you doing here?" "I am hunting my gun." At that moment he picked it out and said, "One of Company E's men and myself were captured, and the two meu quarreled over his Colt's riffe, so he tried the experiment of falling down and dropping his gun in the water." Murray said that there were many men killed and wounded there.
General Forrest, who had been raiding in West Tennessee, soon after was wanting to get back south, and to General Tuttle (the man who had just been running for Governor in Iowa on the copperhead ticket) was intrusted the duty of preventing his return.
December 25th, the regiment being out, a squad was ordered to La Fayette and across Wolf River to Fisherville to see if Forrest's videttes were in the neighbor- hood. We left La Fayette at night and crossed over the bridge, there being a foot passage, we swam our horses, and went to Fisherville; then we moved down the river six or seven miles, then back to Wolf River bottoms, then again to the bridge. We afterwards learned that some of Forrest's command had been in Fisherville the same day, and were only a mile away, when we were in town, and back to Collierville. Near noon we were ordered to reinforce Company A at La Fayette. On arriving at the crossing we found Company A, Lieutenant D. Hillier in command, being steadily pushed back. We then took the offensive and crowded their advance back, until they were reinforced, when we commenced falling back from one advantage to another, waiting their advance until they were near enough to give them all we could before they could flank us, then mount our horses, and fall back to another shelter. Just before night they bad succeeded in getting a line long enough to overlap our line on both sides of the road (our line was then in command of Captain Foster of the Second Iowa Cavaliy).
We were not ordered back until the rebs had passed our right with their left, and were charging on our line with their mounted troops, and we a half a mile from our horses, as they had been moved back out of range The only thing that saved our whole command from capture was a high rail fence. That kept their cavalry from overtaking us. I got behind another trooper, or I certainly would have been taken prisoner. Corporal W. W. Bower, Company D, was captured here and taken before General Forrest, and he said, " Well, Corporal, you have been a little unfortunate. How many men have I been fighting this afternoon?" He replied " About one hundred and fifty of the sick and cowards of the Second Brigade." " You do not need to tell anything but the truth." The Corporal re- plied, " You have had the brigade to attend to on the other side of Wolf River, as they have been gone for four days to La Grange."
We were pushed back till the guns of the fort could reach them, and they
397
NINTH ILLINOIS CAVALRY VOLUNTEERS.
did not care to take a night matinee. The next morning they had all moved toward Holly Springs. Our brigade now came in and we were all ordered on a five days' scout; moved near Mount Pleasant and camped. December 29th, moved to the head of the Coldwater, and on the 30th, west and north across the river and camped, returning to Collierville, December 31st.
January 1, 1864. To-night the coldest night since we left Chicago in 1861; 12th, the rebels put a torpedo on the railroad track, and had a fight. 24th, inspec- tion and review by Col. A. G. Brackett now commanding brigade. The Col- onel left us for St. Louis, February 8th. February 11th, broke camp and moved across the Coldwater to Byhalia, on to the Tallahatchie; skirmished across the river; countermarched to Waterford the turning toward Rocky ford, and moved to New Albany; camped fifteen miles from there, until the 14th moving then toward Okolona.
The 17th. The three brigades came together. 18th, moved at daylight, cap- tured two wagons, one Surgeon, two Majors, one Captain and Lieutenant, and somne privates at Okolona; moved to Aberdeen by dark; marched thirty-five miles; moved carly to Prairie Station and burned a large amount of corn and cotton; then south skirmishing all the afternoon; drove the Confederates and camped at West Point.
February 21st. Ordered to fall back and moved early; our brigade in the ad- vance yesterday, in the rear to-day, marching over the same ground we fought over yesterday. The rebel advance was close on our rear, and heavy fighting until dark, when our regiment gave them such a warm reception they followed us no more that night.
The 22d. The two brigades of McCrellis and Warren, with First Illinois Light Artillery that was with the Sixth Illinois Cavalry, took the rear, and by 11 o'clock the enemy had stampeded them, and captured all but one gun. The Sec- ond Brigade halted and formed a line and checked the advance of Forest's forces. We had a number in our brigade wounded, some killed and some lost as prisoners.
To retard our progress we bad twenty-five hundred mules (as fine as I ever saw), some horses and two thousand "smoked Yankee soldiers" without arms, camped near-Pontotoc. The next morning, the 23d, started early, and com- menced fighting at once. . The Second Brigade fought all day, or until noon. As we were then across the Tallahatchie, the rebels concluded it not safe to follow us any further. Here the brigades separated. 24th, moved toward Holly Springs. 25th, to Hudsonville. Here Christain Jergens was killed by guerrillas, and anum- ber of our men captured near La Fayette; captured a guerrilla captain, and as be attempted to escape his guard from Company F killed him. March 10th, ordered to Fort Pickering; the veterans went up the river the 18th.
March 27th, the non-veterans of the Sixth and Seventh Illinois Cavalry came in. Lieutenant-Colonel Hepburn ordered all non-veterans to a camp east of Fort Pickering, generally designated as the "Bob Tail Camp." The Colonel called them the " Provisional Regiment." His disciplining the regiment was, however, of short duration. As his night bugle sounded " taps," there was a stray bullet went through his tent that ended the taps, so those " Bob Tails," as they were called, did pretty much as they pleased.
Friday, April 29tr, Martin J. Smith was hung. He was a smuggler and spy,
13h
398
HISTORY OF THE
and acknowledged the sentence to be just. The regiment back from furlough April 20th.
Colonel Hepburn found it an uphill business to keep the gay and festive "Bob Tails" in subjection, and it was not long before his health failed, and he reported to the hospital in Memphis. After this the Provisionals had things pretty much their own way until the return of their regiments from the North; many a tilt was had with the Provost Guard. A little incident in point: A trooper coming one night from the town to the Provost Guard, the officer ordered the guard to arrest him, and he retorted with an order to go to b-1, and then started for camp. Here occurred a race, as both were mounted. When they reached the provisional camps' line and were passing over one of those swell embankments, the trooper's borse fell, and then a shout went up. The camp turned out to see the fun. The Bob Tail left his horse, dropped his arms and ran for the first tout, crawled into that, and then into another, and was soon apparently fast asleep, and the officer was glad to get away from the crowd with a whole skin. During this time, the men had many of them obtained detective passes, and no doubt made some considerable money, as well as gathered some important informa- tion. The citizens coming in with cotton, taking the oath of allegiance, and get- ting and obtaining passes to go outside the lines again. These men were con- sidered fair prey for our men, and were compelled to divide after they got out the lines by those lying in wait for them.
June 18th, I was detailed from the regiment to report to Captain Knight, at Fort Pickering, and on the 25th the postoffice of the fort was placed in my hands.
September 18th, left Memphis for Springfield in company with the First Bat- talion, my term of service having expired, and mustered out September 22, 1861. thus ending my career in the volunteer service of the United States.
And now with the above memorandum from my diary, which I trust may be of interest to some of my old comrades, I close.
AN INCIDENT OF THE WAR. By William IF. Hecker, lote Sergeant Company G, Ninth Illinois Cavalry.
In the month of August, 1862, an expedition was organized on the line of the Memphis & Charleston Railroad in the southern part of Tennessee for the purpose of capturing the rolling stock that had been collected for some time at Grenada Miss., on the Mississippi Central Railroad, by the Confederate government. The expedition was composed of about .four thousand mounted infantry and cavalry. We moved along the line of the railroad, driving small squads of rebels before us, passing through Paoli, where we captured a rebel flag that floated from the top of the court house, and a badly scared Confederate Surgeon that was in charge of the hospital of the place; through the beautiful town of Oxford, Water Valley and Coffeeville, where we encountered quite a large force of Confederates, until about 2 o'clock one afternoon we heard the shrill whistle of a locomotive in our front, the train was headed off, and captured; the coaches set on fire and destroyed. We were now within a few miles of Grenada, and final arrangements were made to capture the town and stock. Grenada is situated on the south side of the Yella- busha River, which is about twenty rods wide, and during the surover season eau be forded. Our regiment was ordered to ford the stream above the town; and
1
399
NINTH ILLINOIS CAVALRY VOLUNTEERS.
charge upon it from the west. We started on a lively trot, which changed into a gallop, and just at dark we forded the river, and charged on the town, found that the rebels had taken a sudden desire to leave. We fastened our horses around the public square. and leaving a small guard to watch them, we started to find supper. The rebels had been anticipating us, and had destroyed the railroad bridge, so that it was impossible to move the captured stock north, and the only alternate left was to destroy it. The work of destruction commenced. Soon after dark the fierce flames from some eight hundred cars and coaches and about eighty locomotives, together with vast quantities of stores, lighted up the heavens for miles, and by its light we re-crossed the river and went into camp on the north side. Many of the Confederate soldiers and citizens left the town by the railroad, but their trains were captured by another expedition heading from the south. While we were taking in the town, a wounded Confederate soldier, P. H. Corgan, be- longing to a Mississippi regiment, untied a horse belonging to Company G and was leaving the town, when he was apprehended by one of the company, who recognized his horse and brought him back. This young man was formerly from Illinois and had been overseer on a large plantation before the war. On learning that his captors were from Illinois, he formed the conclusion of abandoning the Confederate cause and joining ours. We remained in camp the next day and night and during the meantime asked our prisoner a great many questions as to the number of soldiers that had been in and around Grenada, the names of the different officers, number of regiments, all of which served me a good purpose, as we shall see hereafter.
The next morning we started on our return, and soon afterward an order came to our regiment for a detail of men to forage for horses and mules. I asked permission of the Captain to go with this detail, which consisted of eighteen men in charge of Lieutenant Shattuck. We left the main road, and proceeded to for- age for something to eat, after which the more serious business began, viz : capturing horses and mules. We inet with good success until we found a fine young horse turned loose in a large meadow. We were very desirous of capturing him, aud this consumed more the than we were aware of, and were unsuccessful at last. We were also taking along suspicious-looking citizens of whom we had at this time five or six, when we finally returned to the main road, and found on inquiring that we were about four hours behind our forces, and about three hun- dred rebels between us and the command. This information was given us by the citizens of a small town, Senatobia, through which we had to pass. We could see by the action of these citizens that they thought we were in a tight place, and in fact we began to think that way ourselves. We went about a mile beyond the town, when we met quite an intelligent colored man, who had been to the mill, and had passed through both forces, and was quite mad at the rebels for he said that the " Yanks" had not molested him, but the "Johnnies" had taken his grist from him." He stated that there were about two hundred rebels between us and the bridge (Jackson's cavalry). Crossing the Coldwater, after a short council, we concluded to transfer saddles, etc., to our best horses. Our col- ored friend and citizen prisoners taking an active part in the conversation, and really sympathized with us, and gave us good advice, which was to strike through the woods to our left; we could find another road ded would lead to an old fout. which we could cross.
1
400
HISTORY OF THE
3
Looking back to the turn, we saw quite a number of horsemen collecting, so we quickly parted from our citizens and colored friend. We soon disappeared (like Robin Hood and his men) in the woods leading our captured stock. When we crossed the river we parted with our lead stock. As we came out to the other road, we saw several rebels to our left, but as we had to take to the right, we paid but little attention to them. We pushed on as fast as possible, though the most of us had by this time concluded that our game was about up. We soon reached the old ford, and found there some eight or ten wagons loaded with cot- ton on their way to Memphis. We found the river full of logs and driftwood. On the opposite side were several rebel soldiers, one of whom, a Captain, gave us directions how to cross, so as to avoid the logs under water. He claimed to be a paroled prisoner. I plunged into the river with my horses followed, by one of the boys, and we crossed safely. The others did not dare to venture. I struck up an acquaintance with the rebel Captain, and bantered him to trade revolvers, as he had a nice silver-mounted one, and mine was only a Colt's Navy revolver, but we could not trade.
Lieutenant Shattuck requested my comrade ( Charley Keitch ) and myself to strip and swim the horses across, while he and the remainder would cross on the driftwood a little distance above. We had all the horses over but one. The boys were coming along the river bank, having safely crossed. I was bringing over the last horse. About half way across he turned about and swam back with me. The Lieutenant shouted for me to strip off the bridle, and had reached about the middle of the river, when I beard the rebel "yell" on the side I had just left. Jackson's cavalry had come, and dividing in two lines, one going up, the other down the river, firing and yelling like so many devils. The boys on the bank fell back and got behind trees and beyond range. Our horses being in plain sight, were nearly all killed by the first fire of the rebels. I swam for dear life and had nearly reached the shore before they seemed to observe me. I succeeded in reach- ing the shore, but in the excitement I had floated below the ford, and the bank was quite steep and slippery. I tried to ascend but kept falling back. My serait- bling seemed to draw their fire, and the bullets struck all about me. I was in hopes they would cease their firing, and order me to surrender, but no, their desire was to kill. But, luckily, I reached the top without a hit. I saw one of ou! rides which one of the boys had laid down, and I found it was loaded with five rounds, being a Colt's revolving rifle. I jumped behind a tree and let the rebels have the contents. One other of Company G had taken refuge behind a tree about a rod from me, who by some means was hit, the bullet striking him in the shoul- der. He dropped and called me to come to him, but the bullets were a little too thick, so I dare not. He commenced to cry, being nothing but a boy, the youngest in our company. Two or three of the boys had gained their horses and got away. Five or six men fell back in one direction, while the Lieutenant and the remainder fell back another. The boys called to me to come, but I was very reluctant about it, as I wished to obtain my clothing, sometwo or three rods away. I told the Lieutenant that I would not go without my pants and shirts, he told me that it would be impossible to get them, they being in such an exposed place on the bank of the river, so I shouldered my rifle and struck for the candbrake entirely asked !. I soon caught up with the boys, and we hid in the canes until night. The rebels
1
: 401
NINTH ILLINOIS CAVALRY VOLUNTEERS.
crossed the river and searched for us, some of them coming so near that we could hear their conversation. We remained perfectly quiet, and luckily they did not find us. After the rebels got out of hearing, the boys began to make arrange- ments about my raiment. One donated a pair of drawers, another a blouse, while a third gave me a cotton handkerchief to tie around my head. My toilet com- pleted, I was ready to travel. We remained, however, until some time after dark, when by the light of the moon we shaped our course and started.
We had traveled some time before we left the river bottom, when we came to an open field. We had reached about the middle of the field when, on ascend- ing a hill, we looked ahead and saw camp fires in a strip of woods, but whether friend or enemy we knew not. We dropped flat on the ground so as not to be observed, and finally made out by the light of their fire that they were rebels. We then fell back in good order and reached the river bottom again, moved along the edge of the bottom some time, wading through slush and water knee deep, ascending and descending steep places, letting ourselves down by laying hold of the brush, until we finally came to the open country again and entered a lane full of briars, but a narrow path in the middle. We followed this lane, knowing that it would lead us somewhere, and, finally, it brought us to a grove surrounding a nice residence. Keitch (who was dressed in about the same style as I) and myself went up to the house, and rapped and called for some time before we could make anyone hear. At last we heard a window open in the second story, and a gruff voice inquiring, " What was wanting?" We had our story made up, and told him that we were part of Jackson's cavalry, and our object was to slip up on the Yankee pickets, who we bad understood were close by, and steal their horses. We thought in this way we could find out where our men were encamped, but the old secesh told us that there were no " Yanks" camped anywhere that he knew of. . He had heard that some had passed that afternoon on a road five or six miles off, and that we bad better give up such a foolish job. Down went the window. We now took the road, and for fear of meeting some enemy we marched, with Keitch and myself as advance guard, each one with revolver in hand, belonging to the Lieutenant, and with orders to give a signal and jump the fence. We marched in this manner until we thought we must be somewhere near Hernando, at which place we concluded our men would go into camp. We called a halt, left the road turning into a thicket, where we lay down for a nap with one to stand guard in order to listen for our bugle, which we expected to hear at daylight. It was very dark, and, as we thought that it must be near day, the Lieutenant requested me to go with him to the road, for what purpose I have now forgotten. We went far enough to reach the road, but, seemingly, we had taken the wrong direction, and when we tried to go back to the boys we could not find them. We dared not call for fear of the rebels. We hunted and hunted, but could not find them, finally morning came, but no signs of our comrades. The sun, as it rose, was held by a dense fog so that we could not tell what course to take, and we sat down at the foot of a tree, two very sad, forlorn beings. About 10 o'clock the mist cleared away and we started, but were obliged to keep in the woods to avoid being seen. Sometimes we would come to an open field, and would have to circle around it, traveling several miles out of our way. Later, in an opening by the fence, we found some elder berries, and ate as we passed 26
1
402
HISTORY OF THE
along, for by this time we were pretty hungry, not having had anything to eat since the morning before.
About 2 o'clock in the afternoon we came to a beautiful spring in the woods and a well-beaten path leading somewhere. The Lieutenant requested me to fol- low this path and find something to eat, while he being in full uniform would hide in the brush close by. I followed the path and soon came to an old log- house. An old gentleman was taking a nap under a big oak in the yard, but the barking of two or three dogs awoke him. He cyed me with suspicion, not know- ing what to make of me in my strange garb. In conversation with him, I soon learned that he was a bitter old butternut, and told him a very pitiful story about " my belonging to a certain Mississippi regiment, naming the Colonel, and the General in command, of the Confederate forces at Grenada, where I had been taken prisoner by the hated " Yanks" and as I had a nice suit of gray on, they had stripped me, and given me what I had on then, that I had escaped from them the night before, and was tired, hungry and discouraged." When he found that I was a hungry secesh, he told the girls of which there were three, to get me up a dinner, while his wife, a motherly old soul, went to work to mend a pair of the old gent's pants for me. He was a very portly man, while I was very slim, so it was not much of a fit, and not having any suspenders, one of the sons found a leather strap. Boots or shoes he had none to give; in place of my handkerchief tied around my head, his son also gave me an old straw hat.
After a hearty dinner of corn bread, bam and coffee; the old lady thought- fully put upsome corn bread and ham in a paper, and some coffee in a long neck bottle for my lunch on the way. All this consumed about two hours of pre- cious time, but I had another task to perform, which I was a little timid about. I was very anxious to find out what direction to take to reach our can p which . was near Memphis. So I personated the prisoner our company had captured, told a very pitiful story, a brief history of my life, "how I had been born in Illinois, and had relations living there, good Old Democrats, and as I was about sick and discouraged, I thought if I could only reach there in order to recruit up, I could come back and do more for the glorious Condederacy and much more." I could lie, as the saying is, as fast as a race horse. The old gentle- man at first tried to dissuade me, but he finally thought it might be best, espe- cially after I told him that I thought I could bring a few recruits back with me.
We got over the fence into the road. The man got down on his knees to mark out the road for meusing a stick. I looked down the road, and there, not five rods away, stood the Lieutenant, who had become alarmed about my long ab- sence, but as luck would have it, the old man's back was turned toward him. I made a motion with my hand, and he dodged back into the brush. After learn- ing what direction to take, I bid the old rebel farewell, and soon joined the Lieu- tenant, who soon disposed of the lunch furnished for my journey so kindly by the old lady.
At dusk we ventured to cross an open field, and before we knew it, we were upon a man and his little girl in a melon patch. He saw us at the same time. Here was a dilemma. Seeing no other way we went forward boldly and told him our situation. As good luck would have it he was a school master, a class with doc- tors exempt from the army in the South, and after sowie conversation with him,
403
NINTH ILLINOIS CAVALRY VOLUNTEERS.
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.