USA > Illinois > Military history and reminiscences of the Thirteenth regiment of Illinois volunteer infantry in the civil war in the United States,1861-65, pt 1 > Part 4
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FRANK P. BLAIR, Jr.
"Hagner" seemed to have been the ordnance officer, an important military position, whose loyalty was suspected, or who was indiscreet and of dangerous use to the secessionists, and whose removal was necessary to the perfect success of a plan then under consideration for anticipating the possible capture of the Arsenal by the rebel Governor Jackson. The following, of three days earlier date than the above letter of Hon. Frank P. Blair, undoubtedly explains why they dis- trusted " Hagner."
Captain Lyon writes to Governor Yates of Illinois, from St. Louis Arsenal, on April 16th suggesting to Governor Yates that as the arms are what are wanted by the rebs, and
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will be the cause of an attack, had not Governor Yates better make requisition for a large supply of arms and get them shipped from St. Louis Arsenal to Springfield, Illinois.
The danger must have been imminent indeed to have been acquiesced in so universally and so promptly as to cut red-tape into ravelings and by the most conservative of the Government fossils.
FOR INSTANCE-
HEADQUARTERS WAR DEPARTMENT,
WASHINGTON, D. C.
COMMANDANT OF ARSENAL AT ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI. -
SIR: * * *
* You will, moreover, issue ten thousand addi- tional stand of arms and accoutrements to the authorized agent or agents, of His Excellency, the Governor of Illinois, with a correspond- ing amount of ammunition.
SIMON CAMERON, . Secretary of War.
On April 30th, 1861, President Lincoln authorizes Captain Lyon to enroll for his own command, ten thousand militia of loyal citizens of St. Louis and vicinity, also directs that the arms and other military stores at the Arsenal, not needed for Missouri, must be removed to some safe place in Illinois.
It is revolutionary times ; and therefore, I do not object to the irregularity of this.
Approved, April 30, 1861.
W. S. [Winfield Scott. ]
A. LINCOLN.
Colonel Thomas (Adjutant-General) will make this order.
SIMON CAMERON, Secretary of War.
This unexampled action in throwing wide open the ratchet-wheel which generally keeps slowed down the spools from which red-tape is so begrudgingly unwound, ought to be blazoned on every Union battle-flag, for all time; and the whole caboodle-Lyon, Lincoln, Scott, Cameron 'and Blair, richly deserved a good pull from some comrade's canteen.
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At the risk of sorely trying the reader's patience, the his- torian has deemed it desirable to record, for future reference, as well as for present reading, some of the political and mil- itary conditions which led up to the necessity which called for the selection of the proper military leader, who also pos- sessed great executive ability as a manager of lines of rail- road. That it had been a matter of grave deliberation by the commander of the Department of the West, seems to clearly be set forth in the following documents ; and that this great trust was confided to our Colonel, must be a source of pride to every surviving member of the Thirteenth Regiment.
ST. LOUIS ARSENAL, MO., July 6th, 1861.
GENERAL GEORGE B. MCCLELLAN, Buckhannon, Virginia.
SIR : General Lyon has sent Wyman's regiment to Rolla this even- ing. This with the seven hundred troops now there will be enough for the present. Colonel Wyman is in command, with instructions to keep open the line of communication on which all supplies will be sent here- after. General Lyon has moved down towards Springfield with twenty- four hundred and Major Sturgis with twenty-two hundred on the frontier. Sweeney is there and at Mt. Vernon and beyond there, with twenty-five hundred, besides guards at posts on lines.
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CHESTER HARDING, JR. . A. A .- G., Mo. Vol.
ST. LOUIS ARSENAL, MISSOURI, July 7th, 1861.
To ADJUTANT-GENERAL THOMAS.
SIR : Besides garrisoning Jefferson City, Boonville, and Lexington General Lyon has marched southward with two thousand four hundred men in round numbers. His intention was to go to Little Rock; but movements of the enemy in the southeastern portion of the State, may change his plans. There are at Springfield and Mt. Vernon, and on the way there from Rolla, about three thousand men under Captain T. W. Sweeney, Second Infantry, by order of General Harney, as Brigadier- General of United States Reserve Corps of St. Louis. In addition to these, there are about one thousand of Home Guards and Rifle Bat- talion, protecting line of communication from St. Louis to Springfield. As this line has become the most important in the whole State, and as it is threatened by hostile bands under General McBride and others, it has
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been deemed best to place it under the command of Colonel Wyman Thirteenth Illinois Volunteers, who went down to Rolla last night.
As soon as General Lyon's plan of campaign developed itself, the secessionists in the southeast began to organize their forces. They have hitherto been met, as well as possible, by expeditions from Cairo, and from this place, and by Home Guards organized and armed under Gen- eral Lyon's authority. These expeditions were necessarily confined to temporary visits to disaffected regions, and have accomplished little. The whole of the southeast requires permanent occupancy by our troops, as it contains more enemies than any other portion of the State.
CHESTER HARDING, JR., A. A .- G. Mo. Vols.
L. THOMAS, ADJUTANT-GENERAL, Washington, D. C.
SIR : At the suggestion of General Lyon, I write to inform you of the movements of troops in this State. * * **
In addition to these there are about one thousand of the Home Guard and Rifle Battalion protecting the line of communication from St. Louis to Springfield. As this line has become the most important one in the whole State, and as it is threatened by hostile bands under General McBride and others, it has been deemed best to place it under the command of Colonel Wyman, Thirteenth Illinois Volunteers, who went down to Rolla with his regiment last night. He will establish his headquarters either at Rolla or Lebanon, beyond the crossing of the Gasconade river, as he finds most expedient.
I am, sir, very respectfully, Your obedient servant, CHESTER HARDING, JR., A. A .- G.
The three immediately foregoing communications from the headquarters of General Lyon, Department of the West, while all relating to the selection of Colonel Wyman, for command- ing the post at Rolla, vary enough to give us two or three points of sufficient interest to warrant the quoting of all three. Taking the three together, we learn that General Lyon did not intend that the Thirteenth should compose a part of his forces in the campaign to Springfield, and still further to the southwest ;. and while it was almost universally understood by the enlisted men of the regiment, that we were to join General Lyon at Springfield, Colonel Wyman knew
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better all the time; and must have known, and in fact ac- cepted the appointment, while still at Caseyville ; but he kept his own counsel well.
We also learn from these letters, that Colonel Wyman was in command of the post, which included the entire line of railroad from St. Louis to Rolla, as soon as the Thirteenth was well aboard the cars, on that Saturday night of July 6th, 1861, although the order assigned him had not been pub- lished.
By referring to the communication of Adjutant-General Harding to General Mcclellan, dated July 6th, 1861, he says : " Colonel Wyman is in command, with instructions," etc. This seems sufficient to establish the above claim.
Another thing will be learned for the first time by many of the Thirteenth, that we should have gone into camp at Lebanon, if Colonel Wyman had thought it best.
Your historian also learns from all three of the above letters, that " Colonel Wyman and his regiment went down to Rolla last night ;" that being the case, the said historian, if he wants to keep abreast with current events, would better sharpen his pencil and go down to Rolla too.
CHAPTER IV.
LYON ASKS FREMONT TO SEND HIM THE THIRTEENTH AT ONCE ; BUT IS TOLD THAT "WYMAN'S IS A SPLENDID REGIMENT," BUT WE DON'T MARCH.
P UTTING the camp in order was the service required of the men on that first Sunday at the front; and to show that war does not shave, wash its neck, and dress up for Sunday, there was no church service; and that first Sunday night brought several alarms ; and once, the boys were called up and ordered to "fall in"; but the alarms proved false, and the first reveille in "Dixie " woke them on Monday morning, July 8th, with another day's work of clearing the grounds and putting everything to rights. The men were generally well, and commenced their new life with a zestful alacrity which may be said to be a characteristic of the sol- dier of no other nationality.
Captain Blanchard, of Company K, was the Officer-of-the- Day, the first to officiate in that capacity on rebel soil. Whether this honor came to him as the senior in years, in the regiment, is not now known by any record, but it most likely was the case. Tuesday, July 9th, broke clear and pleasant, and a scouting party drawn from Companies K, H and I- Captains Gardiner with his Company H, Wadsworth with his Company I, and Lieutenant Hobson with Company K as its captain, Blanchard was in command of the expedition.
Captain Blanchard was mounted on the Colonel's horse.
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Captain Wadsworth and Captain Gardiner, both, are reported as returning sick, but the sturdy old veteran in command seems to have had a good time, and was fortunate enough to capture and bring back a rifle as a trophy. On this day also, two captains of the regiment are reported as being detailed on special duty ; what particular duty, there is now no record to show, but it seems certain that one was Captain Bushnell who was put in the superintendency of the construction of the Fort, which was commenced about this time.
Thursday, July 18th, at the camp of the Thirteenth regi- ment it was pleasant all day, and Captain Blanchard was Of- ficer-of-the-Day. On this day Confederate General McCulloch writes to Confederate Secretary of War Walker as follows :
The regiment of Chocktaw and Chickasaw Indians is no doubt now all assembled at Scullyville, about fifteen miles from Fort Smith. I will arm them as soon as the arms can be sent, and keep them there as a check on the Cherokees. The same disposition will be made of the Creek regiment, should one be organized.
Three days before the above was written, the rebel general, Bishop Leonidas Polk, writes, " Price and McCulloch have at Bentonville, Arkansas, thirty-one thousand, three hundred men."
Wednesday, July 17th, General Lyon, from Springfield, Missouri, on this date writes to his Adjutant-General Harding in St. Louis as follows :
I inclose you a copy of a letter from Colonel Townsend on the sub- ject of an order from General Scott, which calls for five companies of the Second Infantry to be withdrawn from the West and sent to Washing- ton. A previous order withdraws the mounted troops, as I am informed; and were it not that some of them were en route to this place, they would now be in Washington. This order, carried out, would not now leave at Fort Leavenworth a single company. I have Companies Band E, Second Infantry, now under orders for Washington ; and if all these troops leave me, I can do nothing, and must retire, in the absence of others to supply their places. In fact, I am badly enough off at the best, and must utterly fail if my regulars all go. At Washington, troops from all the Northern, Middle and Eastern States are available for the support of the army- in
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Virginia, and more are understood to be already there than are wanted ; and it seems strange that so many troops must go on from the West and strip us of the means of defense. But if it is the intention to give up the West, let it be so; it can only be the victim of imbecility or malice. Scott will cripple us if he can. Can not you stir up this matter and se- cure us relief ? See Fremont if he has arrived. The want of supplies has crippled me so that I can not move ; and I do not know when I can. Everything seems to combine against me at this point. Stir up Blair.
This almost wail of despair from Lyon is pathetic and sad enough to throw a pall of the deepest gloom over the stoutest hearts, as to our prospects in Missouri; and if "coming events ever do cast their shadows before," perhaps Lyon's prophetic soul bridged the four days' chasm and saw the thou- sands of gory forms obstructing the field of the first Manassas ; and our armies in full retreat.
We can abundantly excuse him the spasm of bitterness which wrings from him the unjust (probably) 'accusation against that grand old veteran, General Scott, when we thor- oughly understand the desperate situation of General Lyon and his handful of troops at that time. It almost seems as if the devoted Lyon already heard the rippling flutter of the death angel's raven wings, as that dread messenger touched the warrior's shoulder and granted him but twenty-three more days before martyrdom for his country ; and he catches at two straws, as it were, when he almost gasps, "See Fremont !" "Stir up Blair !"
This, also, most undoubtedly, was the most critical turn- ing-point in the history of the Thirteenth, as to whether the regiment should go forward to the front, and join Lyon, or remain to hold the post of Rolla. This is evidenced by Harding's reply to the above letter of Lyon, where he says :
Wyman's is a splendid regiment; and I am trying to get other . troops to supply his place, and send him forward.
This seems to show that, in his emergency, General Lyon was considering the expediency of changing a former plan, and draw Wyman and his regiment, to Springfield.
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Had not Sigel seized the bits in his teeth, and run away too far to return in time to turn the scale against the rebels at Wilson's Creek, our army would have been victorious ; or, had the Thirteenth marched on to the field and formed line of battle, in the gap where Sigel ought to have been, it is not too extravagant to claim that our army would have driven the enemy from the field.
Lyon might not have been saved, but the victory would.
Sunday, July 21st, 1861, Harding says to Lyon, in answer to the above :
Now in the southwest part of the State, we stand thus: Two regi- ments, not in communication with each other; no artillery, and a few Home Guards, against, what they expect to be, twenty thousand men (regular troops, well provided), who design marching on St. Louis. So much for the southeast; meanwhile your departure from Boonville, and the necessity of having eighteen hundred troops to garrison Jefferson City, Boonville, and Lexington, encouraged the rebels in northeast Missouri. Brigadier-General Tom Harris gathered a force below Monroe Station, in camp. I took the liberty of ordering Colonel Smith, of Illinois, who was lying eighteen miles from him, to break up the camp. He waited a day or two until Harris had got together sixteen hundred men, proceeded a part of the way, shut himself up in a seminary, and sent back for reinforcements as his men had been marched off in such a hurry that they forgot to fill their cartridge-boxes, and had only four rounds apiece. He was relieved, and Harris marched southwestwardly, on his way through Callaway county, to make a com- bined attack upon Jefferson City, with forces from Pettis, Osage, and Linn counties.
The line of communication from Rolla to Springfield, is kept open by Wyman and Bayles. Wyman's is a splendid regiment ; and I am trying to get other troops to supply his place, and send him forward.
Bayles, with his command of seven hundred, broke camp on the 21st (same date as the above letter) and went forward, leaving the Thirteenth to guard the post of Rolla, and the railroad to St. Louis, against a probable rebel force of twenty thousand (regulars, well provided), their avowed destination, St. Louis. (See immediately preceding letter. )
It is an old adage that "those who know nothing, fear
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nothing," and it is well that the men of the Thirteenth knew nothing of that matter until the danger had passed.
The thousand details of arranging a permanent camp were putting themselves to rights almost automatically, so quietly were the few soldierly belongings, arranged to fit small nooks and corners. Forked stakes came out of the woods, and stuck one end of themselves in the ground, and good-natur- edly adjusted themselves so that a cross-bar could horizon- talize itself across their shoulders,-from which, various camp- kettles would trapeze themselves; and yet, notwithstanding all this gymnastic exercise, boils were frequent. The small fry kept nearer the ground and did fully as well. Some of the rations were so sensitive as to be kept in a stew a good share of the time ; while others, were so quarrelsome, as to be in a broil of almost guard-house dimensions most of the time. Some of those whose duty it was to procure fuel, were so lazy as to exclaim, Oh, would that wood would come !
Nine out of every ten, who undertook to arrange the feed- ing, and to cater to a crowd, made a mess of it; and yet nearly all would try it ; and to all in-tents (and purposes) this was satisfactory.
Reveille is supposed to rouse everybody in camp, except the sick.
The camp breakfast is first on the docket; and the best thing in camp life; and, for that matter, the best and most delicious repast in any kind of life. The warmed-over baked beans, and slice of side pork, equal to any breakfast-bacon, or, that greatest of soldier's luxuries, LOBSCOUSE ! ! ! ! , which consisted of hard-tack broken up in water over night, and then fried in bacon-grease; then the tin-cup of coffee, sipped a little at a time, as if it were nectar (and it is), while seated on a log, hovering over the fire, the very hovering, being in itself, delightful ; then the smoke ; so far from being avoided, actually confers a favor by whisking itself into one's eyes.
The sharp and incisive wit and humor, which always gives
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its best at such times, all combine to render this the most delightful experience of the day.
The Guard-mounting, and the Guard.house ; the latter, always a place of absorbing interest, and more than, as like as not, having at that very time, a worthy representative, marching up and down the parade-ground, carrying a knap- sack filled with bricks, with an armed guard as an escort, (the meanest of all detestable guard-duty), are all features of the early part of the day.
The Battalion Drill, the real school of war, is also a fore- noon duty ; but the real drawing-room reception of the day, is the Dress-Parade, toward night ; here, white gloves and polished army-shoes are calculated to bring out all the latent vanity of the soldier, and is always a favorite feature of the "pomp and circumstance of glorious war."
Delicious evening gossiping around the camp-fire, social visits from tent to tent, and perhaps some good singing, cover the space until retreat, and soon after, " taps," when the lights go out and the day goes to bed.
Among the amusing things of memory, Captain Everest recalls the incident of several of the commissioned officers of our regiment, about the time of its organization, making a contract with the clothier A. D. Titsworth, of Chicago, to furnish them with regulation dress-coats of blue. These coats, after wearing but a short time, turned red. At which the said officers were intensely disgusted ; the more so as all the lower orders were laughing at them.
Bills came repeatedly from the shoddy contractor, for pay, but the swindle did not work ; the coats were never paid for ; and it is fair to presume that the St. Louis dyers. were the only ones who got any satisfaction out of the transaction.
July 21st .- This proved to be a fateful day. In the first place, at Rolla, it rained heavily all day, and the tents leaked badly, and the men underwent much discomfort. Then again, Colonel Bayles left, with his command, for the front, leaving the Thirteenth the only force at the post. It is true, Captain Cole returned from a scout, bringing back with him,
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the Secesh captain, Henderson, a prisoner. This success is spoken of by one of the officers, as "The first real achieve- ment of the regiment." But a darker gloom had been ours, had we known it, on that dark day, when at Bull Run, our army was defeated with a loss of four hundred and eighty-one killed, ten hundred and eleven wounded, and fourteen hun- dred and sixty missing and captured.
This dire misfortune, in its effects on our cause in Missouri, is described by the Union General, John Pope, at St. Charles, Missouri, in a letter to Governor Kirkwood, of Iowa, of date, July 23d, two days later, as follows :
Your active interference in North Missouri, will, I fear, be very shortly necessary, and in a stronger force than you suggest. The un- fortunate repulse of our forces at Manassas, has aroused the whole Secession element in this State to renewed activity ; and intelligence received this morning from St. Louis, has compelled me to suspend, for the present, further movements of the troops from this place in the direction of the Hannibal and St. Jo railroad. It is by no means im- probable that I may be obliged, within a few days, to move the whole force in North Missouri, into St. Louis to protect that city from civil tumult and bloodshed ; and in that case, I shall call upon yourself and Governor Yates to replace them by State forces.
In addition to what General Pope says above, as to whether our cause in general, and consequently our cause in particular, in Missouri, was in a somewhat critical condition, in those last days of July, it may be well to interrogate the rebs themselves, as to whether we had real cause for vigi- lance.
July 23d .- Two days after Bull Run, Confederate General Polk, to Confederate Secretary of War, Walker, says :
I have, therefore, directed General Pillow to detach from the force in West Tennessee, six thousand troops to make a movement on Missouri, through Madrid. He will be joined as soon as he lands, by three thousand Missourians ; * * * * and he goes forward, by other forces that are prepared to come to him. *
* * * General Hardee is at Pocahontas, and will co-operate with Pillow, with seven thousand men ; and there are near him two thousand five hundred Missourians who will join him.
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McCulloch's force is six thousand men. Near him is Price, with twelve thousand men. This column of twenty-five thousand men, I am in communication with. They will advance on the enemy's position (Springfield) where, I learn, General Lyon has concentrated the prin- cipal part of his force, say ten thousand or twelve thousand men. In the meantime I shall, on Saturday next, direct the column of which I have spoken, under General Pillow, to cross the river to New Madrid, and take up the line of march into Missouri for Ironton. He will be joined by three thousand Missourians now near New Madrid. With this force of eleven thousand, including three batteries complete, with two extra guns, he will find no difficulty in reaching the point indicated. At that point he will be joined by General Hardee with a column of seven thousand, who will move about the same time from Pocahontas. They are directed to pass in behind Lyon's force by land, or to proceed to St. Louis, seize it (great Cæsar ! ! ! ), and taking possession of the boats at that point, to proceed up the river Missouri, raising the Mis- sourians as they go, and at such point as may appear most suitable, to detach a force to cut off Lyon's return from the West. * * *
If, as I think, I can drive the enemy from Missouri, with the force indi- cated, I will enter Illinois and take Cairo in the rear on my return.
Perhaps some of the reasons why General Polk's grand scheme for a basket picnic through Missouri and Illinois, did not materialize, may be found in the letter from Hardee, on July 27th to Price, that instead of seven thousand men, "already to march," he says :
"GENERAL : I received your communication of the 19th inst., inviting my co-operation in a combined attack of the forces under McCulloch, Price, and yourself on the Federal forces at Springfield, Missouri. I regret to say that it is impossible for me at this time to move my command. The forces in Arkansas, are now being transferred to the Confederate States. Only about eight hundred men have been so transferred, and I have actually under my command less than two thou- sand three hundred men. When all the forces in this part of the State are transferred, I shall have less than five thousand men, badly organ- ized, badly equipped, and wanting in discipline and instruction. One of my batteries has no harness, and no horses (no need of harness then), and not one of the regiments has transportation enough for active field service. I have not been in command a week. I am doing all in my power to remedy these deficiencies, but it takes time to get harness and transportation. I do not wish to march to your assistance with less than five thousand men well appointed, and a full complement of artil-
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