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 9
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November 13th .- We marched sixteen miles and reached Lebanon, where we camped ; on Thursday, the 14, we broke camp at , a. m. and made fifteen miles.
November 14th, Thursday .- We broke camp at 7 a. m. and marched on through many discouragements for the men, many of whom were on the sick list, and ambulances were in great demand, and in many a case a government wagon had to do the duty belonging to the ambulance. Made but fifteen miles and camped' in a corn-field, where was a fine little stream of water.
November 15th, Friday .- We broke camp early and at II a. m. arrived at a little village called Waynesville, where we met our supply-train, which was most acceptable to the boys, as they were short of rations. We rested here some little time, when we resumed our march, which for the day meas- ured twenty miles, and carried us to the Big Piney river, across which on the following cold, frosty morning of Novem- ber 16th, the most of the boys had to wade. Marching on for twenty-four weary miles, we reached our winter's camping- ground, which proved to be the former camping-ground of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Illinois.
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The survivors of the Thirteenth will long have cause for unpleasant remembrance of that march.
This particular Springfield campaign, begun so auspi- ciously, was ending most disappointingly and disagreeably ; for which there were many reasons. Our boys had started from Rolla with high hopes, perfect confidence in their leaders and in themselves, had marched one hundred and twenty miles, some of the marching having been forced, at the urgent request of General Fremont himself, until the close proximity to the rebel army of only sixteen miles; and then, instead of being ordered forward, had been compelled to see the rebels in full retreat, while we were ordered to face to the rear, and march back again. Unfortunately, we did not, and could not know that General Hunter was not to blame for this, but that Presi- dent Lincoln himself, had advised that there could be nothing gained by following the fast retreating enemy. Accordingly, the return march to Rolla, was commenced under conditions as unpleasant as unfavorable. The winter was near at hand ; the weather was forbidding ; the country marched through was rough and uninteresting. The Big Piney river, when reached, had no bridge, and there were no pontoons with the train ; and so, most of the infantry had to wade a considerable river whose waters were icy cold. The marches were long and heavy, and many of the boys fell sick, and becoming exhausted, fell out by the way, and came hobbling into camp long after dark, dispirited, discouraged, and hungry, with no hot, nourishing food, and in many cases, not even the invig- orating hot coffee. Dr. Plummer was at his wit's end to take care of those who thronged his ambulance accommodations, and it was of daily occurrence to see himself and Colonel Wyman, and in fact, all the mounted officers, trudging along on foot while the rank and file were riding, generally double, on the staff horses.
After nearly thirty years, I have in my mind the case of a comrade who made that march under circumstances and con- ditions so unfavorable, that he is not likely to forget it.
During our stay at Springfield, this comrade began to have
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- boils develop themselves on different parts of his body, which so increased in number that literally they almost covered his body. By actual count they numbered over thirty. Severai of these sores developed into carbuncles with several heads. through which they finally discharged. This was the com- rade's condition when we commenced this march. So vigilant were these ancient enemies of Job, to deprive the comrade of rest, that they had so distributed themselves that he could not sit on the ground, he could not sit in an ambulance, neither could he ride a horse. The only way he could get any rest in · a recumbent posture was to throw himself on his stomach. prone on the ground, rising painfully to his feet when the spell of rest came to an end, and the march was resumed.
During that six days' march, no day passed but brought the colonel, the doctor, and other mounted officers to the comrade who was trudging along so painfully, with urgent requests for him to try to ride their horses; their anxiety and sympathy were shown in their tear-stained faces. They brought an exquisite balm to his grateful soul, but, alas! no bodily rest.
Arrived at Rolla, the two lieutenants, with such sympa- thetic kindness as that comrade will never forget, vacated their own tent for his own especial use, and themselves sought quarters elsewhere.
When the boils began to disappear, scurvy set in, which was scarcely more endurable than the first. This conditio :: of things held the comrade for eight months.
The winter of 1861 and 1862 at Rolla, proved cold and blustering, with considerable snow. The boys resorted to many ingenious expedients to keep their tents comfortable. One was to construct a covered trench from the fire-pit inside. out under the walls of the tent, when a stack of empty flour- barrels would coax the smoke upward to its top and send !: on and away.
One blustering night, during this winter, there came to Rolla two bluff and hearty Englishmen to visit the army. They had come in on the train from St. Louis, and each ha !!
كوول
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the amount of luggage granted in the Magna Charta, which the Barons had wrung from King John away back, consisting of valises, grip-sacks, boxes and bundles. They came to the office of the provost-marshal, and the writer was detailed to pilot them to a hotel a half mile away.
There was considerable drifted snow on the ground, and a driving snow-storm then coming. I helped with the luggage all I could, and the Britishers beguiled the way with good- natured jokes and badinage. What with the blinding driven snow, and the frequent plunging into drifts in the darkness, the principal of the two, got a fall. Not the first, by any means, nor yet the second, that Johnnie Bull has got by coming over here to look into our affairs.
In this fall, the packages were scattered right and left, in only a little less emphatic manner than were certain packages of tea in Boston Harbor, some years before ; and my charge rolled into a snow-drift by the side of the walk.
I rendered what aid I could, and, amid their loud shouting and laughter, I succeeded in getting him on his pins again, and finally landed them safe and sound at the hotel, amid boisterous thanks and offers of pay.
The gentleman whom I had helped out of the snow-drift, was the celebrated writer and author,
ANTHONY TROLLOPE.
There was much pleasant weather, and we managed to extract many pleasures from somewhat meager material. We had a brass band which was an ornamental and æsthetic feature of our dress parade and guard mounts. Lieutenant Colonel Gorgas was a fine flute player ; John Burbank, Company E, was a fiddler ; Edwin W. Loomis, of Company H, was a fine clarionet player ; Ben. Palmer, of Company I, was a guitar- ist ; and all these musicians readily got their instruments transported and taken good care of by the wagon drivers, for the sake of the music.
Then there was the singing. Lieutenant James G. Ever-
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est and Lieutenant Isaiah H. Williams, both of Company I. and Frank Brown, and Orrin V. Anderson, both of the latter of Company H, were all fine singers, and would frequently give us some fine quartette singing which always enlivened the boys of an evening.
John Grant (usually called Scotty), of Company I, was a famous cook ; and the "Delmonico" of our regiment ; and frequently catered to both men and officers. Lieutenant Isaiah H. Williams, of Company I, put up a successful job on a young officer out of pure mischief. Comrade Williams made quite a little bluster, inviting several officers, including the intended victim of the joke, to a supper of baked opossum, at Scotty's, who entered into the fun of the thing for all it was worth. The victim ate heartily, and said that he had never known that opossum was so perfectly delicious.
Then came the " feast of reason and the flow of soul," and while the company was discussing something from a canteen (probably water) Williams asked the principal guest of the evening, if he knew what he had been eating ! to which the young officer replied, "Why, 'possum, of course." He was told that it was not opossum, but the old camp cat, which had howled and prowled through camp for the last several months. This was verified by "Scotty," who showed him that the others had eaten some other kind of meat, not observed by the victim, at the time.
Not only the " feast of reason," but the "flow of soul" had flowed into that man's stomach, evidently, for, amid facial contortions and violent retchings, beverages, profane oaths, and considerable chunks of baked cat tumbled out so fast and promiscuously that they could not be assorted and labeled. There being nothing further, the meeting, some- what abruptly, adjourned.
November 7th .- Battle of Belmont, Missouri. Twenty- second, Twenty-seventh, Thirtieth, and Thirty-first Illinois. Seventh Iowa, Battery B, First Artillery, two Companies Fifteenth Illinois Cavalry. Union : ninety killed, one hun- dred and seventy-three wounded, two hundred and thirty-five
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missing. Confederate : two hundred and sixty-one killed, four hundred and twenty-seven wounded, two hundred and seventy-eight missing.
November roth .- From Camp Harbin, Missouri, on his re- treat from Springfield, McCulloch tells Price that his running away from our army was for the sake of drawing the enemy further from his resources and nigher to where we can hope for reinforcements.
HEADQUARTERS, ROLLA, MISSOURI, November 22, IS61.
Major General HALLECK :
GENERAL : The rebel forces between Springfield and Lebanon are large. Their pickets extend ten miles this side of Lebanon. Their forces are scattered over a large part of the country for subsistence. They pick up many stragglers and rob the fugitives.
G. M. DODGE, Colonel Commanding Post.
HEADQUARTERS, ROLLA, MISSOURI, November 24th, 1861.
Same to same : -
GENERAL : My scouts are just in from Springfield ; left Wednesday night. The enemy's main force was still south of Springfield. They had scouting parties out in all directions. The force that followed Major Wright to Lebanon has disappeared from the country between Lebanon and Springfield. Their scouting parties made several of our stragglers prisoners at Lebanon. There was a scouting party of eighty or more.
I am, General, very respectfully, G. M. DODGE, Colonel Commanding Post.
The boys now seriously began fixing up camp for winter quarters. General Halleck was expected. A diary kept by a member of Company K, records that on November 22d, Hobson and Ketcham went hunting and killed a deer and two wild turkeys. An officer of the regiment records that on the 26th he took supper with Colonel (?) Partridge, and had oysters and champagne. It was probably the champagne that magnified the major's shoulder-straps into those of a
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colonel. But really, such bills of fare would seem to indicate that we were not starving.
The chaplain was postmaster and had a placard posted on the peak of his tent bearing this legend : "The chaplain don't know when another mail will go out." The artist of Com- pany Q, not being satisfied with the chaplain's grammar, con- sidering the paragraph not finished, took down. the card one night, corrected and returned it, and in the morning the cor- rection read, "and don't care a damn."
THE GREAT SPRING AT JAMES' IRON WORKS.
From the interesting diary of Comrade Wilson E. Chapel, Company F, Thirteenth Regiment, is taken the following :
" Wednesday, October 23d, 1861 .- Reveille at 4 a. m., and at sunrise were on the road. This was on the second day after leaving Linn Creek for Springfield. I think the scenery was altogether the wildest and most picturesque that I ever saw. We passed over some very high bluffs, one of which was nearly three hundred feet high, and almost perpendicular, with a beautiful spring gushing out of its side, about twenty feet above its base, of sufficient volume and power to carry a large grist-mill with an overshot wheel."
The mention of the spring will, no doubt, revive the mem- ories of all the survivors of the regiment who were there on that occasion ; and calls up a kindred reminiscence which may bear reproducing for this history.
The proprietors of James Iron Works, between Rolla and St. Louis, were strong Unionists, and employed some two hundred men, mostly Englishmen, and with few exceptions these men desired to manifest their loyalty to their adopted country by taking the oath of allegiance, while pursuing their labor at the Iron Works, which was perhaps of as much service to the Union cause as. though they had enlisted under the Stars and Stripes and had shouldered a musket.
A request from the Messrs. James reaching Colonel Wyma !!
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that an officer, authorized to administer such an oath, be sent to their place as soon as convenient, was promptly acted upon by ordering the Provost-Marshal Lieutenant, Isaiah H. Wil- liams, to attend to the matter at once. The Marshal had a clerk whom he deputized to do the work, and this deputy proved to be identical with your historian, hence the story.
The deputy-marshal, as a special mark of confidence and trust, was allowed to employ a clerk, and he was further per- mitted to pay any necessary expenses, out of his own pocket. The deputy seemed to regard this as an additional mark of confidence and put in no demurrer, but proceeded to select Drum-Major Merritt Perry as his assistant ; which selection received the sanction of his superior officers, and on a bright and bracing winter morning the two, " clothed in a little brief authority " and their "dress parade " suits, boarded the St. Louis train. An exceptionally generous spasm from those in authority had provided us with free passes ; but I could never quite forgive myself for being stingy enough to sponge the amount of those two passes from the Government.
A messenger from the Iron Works met us at its nearest station and conducted us to the Works, which we reached some little time before noon1.
We were met by the managers who showed us many inter- esting things connected with this industry, and soon after the noon whistle had set the workmen loose for dinner,
WE FOUND THE MEN DRAWN UP IN LINE ;
when the clerk read to the assembled men, by sections, the oath, after which, the deputy-marshal passed along the entire line and explained to them what might possibly be indefinite or obscure, asking them whether any of them wished to de- cline to commit themselves. None stepped out of the line, and the oath was administered, and followed by three hearty cheers and a tiger. Blank forms had been used, and a list of the names previously supplied had allowed of all being pre-
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pared beforehand, even to the signature of the deputy-mar- shal ; and in a few minutes each man had a Certificate 0: Allegiance.
The afternoon was spent in further examining the build ings and plant of the extensive Works, a list of which is no: now remembered ; but by far the most interesting feature of the locality, was the wonderful spring, throwing from some subterranean reservoir, more than water enough, and having head enough to turn all the wheels of the machinery of these extensive Works. The spring threw up from its center
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A BOILING COLUMN WHOSE CREST
was about four feet above the spring's level. The spring lay in a three-sided bowl, formed by an amphitheatre of hills abo ::: a hundred feet high, and clothed with trees and buslies, mak- ing the surroundings beautiful and romantic. In this bow! lay the spring, fully a hundred yards in diameter, and alinost perfectly round.
The combination of boiling spring, the murmuring ripple of its river-like outflow, copse-crowned crags, cliffs, groves. and canyons, all seemed peaceful, and blessedly oblivious to the surrounding clangor of loud-throated war.
As we were to spend the night at the Works, we ran. bled to our heart's content, took tea at the hospitable board of one of the proprietors, at which several ladies were present. who added zest and charm to the feast, and sparkle and smile- to the after-supper conversation.
When the hour for retiring came, one of the gentlemen took us to a small building a little detached from the mai :: house, and ushered us into a most commodious and comfort- able room, which contained a reposeful looking bed, washing conveniences somewhat in advance of Uncle Sam's cam! economy, but which we thought we could stand for one night: without becoming demoralized. Having personally inspecte ..
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every matter which might involve our comfort, our kind and thoughtful host bade us good-night, and retired.
The deputy-marshal, wearied by carrying for a whole day such a load of responsibility and dignity, was soon testing the softness of his pillow, -but not so the clerk. When he had ad- justed his costunie to the requirements most conducive to the wooing of
" TIRED NATURE'S SWEET RESTORER, BALMY SLEEP,"
all of a sudden, the spirit of mischief seemed to take posses- sion of him. He proceeded to a distant corner of the room, where hung a nice white curtain, which he drew, and there was disclosed hanging, various articles necessary to a lady's wardrobe ; whereupon, what does our Mephistopheles do, but to take down a lady's hoop-skirt of ample dimensions, and adjust it very nearly as a lady might be supposed to adjust it to its proper place. Going to the dressing-case, he surveyed the effect from all points of toilet view, and seemed satisfied: He then returned to the corner-wardrobe and took down a bonnet, which undoubtedly represented what would then be. considered a " love of a bonnet," and fitted it, though some- what bunglingly, it is true, on top of a shock of coarse black hair, tied the ribbon-strings under his chin, and a second look in the glass seemed to show him that the make-up was com- plete.
The remonstrances of the deputy-marshal were unavail- ing, and this most ridiculous farce was to proceed. After a few last twitchings of the hoop-skirt, and a last few pokes of the bonnet, this " chief of the revels," turned with great dig- nity, and addressing an imaginary violinist in a ball-room voice, he ordered,
"ON WITH THE DANCE ; LET JOY BE UNCONFINED."
Then commenced one of the most ridiculous farces, and in the most extravagantly ridiculous costume, ever put on
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the boards, public or private, amateur or professional. H. would mincingly cross the floor and approach an imaginar lady, and ask her hand in the dance, giving both the que .. tion and the lady's reply, the latter in a most ridiculousi. ragged falsetto, something as follows :
" Ah, Miss Tremain, am delighted to see you this even- ing ; I was hoping you would be here to redeem the danc: from what, otherwise, would have been an utterly common- place affair ; do pray, let me lead you on to the floor for the next dance."
"Why, Mr. St. Ledger ; I am flattered by your polite in. vitation and shall be pleased to let you have my poor self fo: this dance, if, indeed, you can endure so poor a partner ; for. I assure you, your graceful politeness has captivated all the the society ladies in our set."
"Ah, my dear Miss Tremain, your kindness would holi me a captive by your side through the entire evening, wert it not for the claims of a necessary etiquette."
All this accompanied by such bows, grimaces, salaams facial contortions, and genuflections, as would drive to de- spair a French dancing-master.
After handing Miss Tremain to her seat, our Mr. S: Ledger would mince up to another imaginary lady with :
" Ah, Miss Fitz-James, you have saved my life ; for I wa: nearly dead with ennui; there seemed a deep twilight gloo :: pervading the room, which was so depressing as to be felt like a nightmare, you know ; until all at once a glorious radiance seemed to fill the room, and some subtle, spiritual essent: plainly whispered to my heart, 'Miss Fitz-James has come. and, sure enough, on looking round, you were just entering the room."
"Now, Mr. St. Ledger, such flattery "-
"Excuse the interruption, madam, let me assure you i never flatter, Miss Fitz-James."
Upon which, the lady was in an ecstasy of delight, whi .. Mr. St. Ledger, with his hand on his heart, bowed profoundly.
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and this would be punctuated by the far-reaching voice of Mr. St. Ledger as floor-manager-
"BALANCE TO PARTNERS-CROSS RIGHT AND LEFT-ALL HANDS ROUND-LADIES' GRAND CHAIN."
Then the handing the ladies to their carriages, and the revel ceased ; much to the relief of the deputy-marshal, who had almost been thrown into pleurisy by the attempts to smother the side-splitting mirth which must not be allowed too much voice. It is to be hoped that the ladies never dis- covered that their wardrobe had been disturbed.
The next morning the officials returned to Rolla ; but for many a night, that passed the deputy-marshal's wedge-tent dreams were disturbed by visions in white; the dreamland being peopled by Terpsichorean gods and goddesses, nymps and imps, satyrs and other matters, in which the floor-manager would be conspicuous, draped in little more than a feather- crested bonnet, and a well-ventilated hoop-skirt of ample dimensions, above the waist-bands of which, on the back, was fastened a large placard inscribed :
THIRTEENTH ILLINOIS.
CHAPTER IX.
THE CAVALRY AND SQUADS OF INFANTRY, BUSY ALL WIX TER, UNDER MAJOR BOWEN, EL-BOWIN' THE REBS .- FROM MISSOURI OUT OF THE STATE.
T HIS was to prove to be the winter of prey aration, on both sides, for the decisive strug. gle for the final possession of the State o. Missouri, for the Union or its abandonment Should we gain substantial possession, the occu- pation of Arkansas by us, would be a foregone co :- clusion ; and that would leave but a comparatively smal" central section of the Mississippi river but what would be ope :: to the free navigation of our fleets of gun-boats, which would. safely convey the immense quantities of ordnance-stores an. all necessary army supplies for the series of brilliant victorie which culminated in the reduction of Vicksburg and Por: Hudson, and which broke the Confederacy in two.
But, comrades, we shall see more tedious scouting, much monotonous drill and guard-detailing for protecting the po -: at Rolla, hundreds of miles of exhausting marches throng .. an almost torrid climate, where sick and dying soldiers wi .. die for the want of water, which is poisonous at the best, bu: which has been artificially poisoned
BY COMMAND OF THE REBEL OFFICERS.
But let us go back to Rolla and report for duty. The trouble will come soon enough.
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The history will unfold and explain itself for awhile.
HEADQUARTERS, ST. LOUIS, MO. November 24th, IS61. Brigadier-General SIGEL at ROLLA.
GENERAL : Hold your divisions in readiness for an attack or to move against the enemy, and telegraph me all information. Send out strong reconnoitering parties in the direction the enemy is said to be moving.
H. W. HALLECK. Major-General Commanding Department.
HEADQUARTERS, ST. LOUIS, MO. November 26, 1861.
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General FRED. STEELE.
GENERAL : Telegrams from Rolla indicate that the enemy is moving north, but not in any large force. *
HEADQUARTERS, SEDALIA, MISSOURI, November 26th, IS61.
Major-General H. W. HALLECK.
GENERAL : Look well to Jefferson City and the Northern Pacific railroad. Price aims at both. * I think McCulloch will threaten Rolla, whilst Price crosses the Osage, by large numbers of detachments to assemble at some agreed point. Two detachments are out about which I feel uneasy.
With very great respect, W. T. SHERMAN.
HEADQUARTERS, ROLLA, MISSOURI,
November 30th, IS61.
Major-General H. W. HALLECK.
GENERAL: Another of my scouts in from the southwest. Left Osceola Tuesday night. Price was there with four thousand men. The Quartermaster of the force is own cousin to my scout, who informs him that Price is determined to ravage and burn Kansas, even if peace was declared to-morrow, and intends to go into Kansas, north of Fort Scott, at or near Butler. McBride was at Stockton with six thousand men, and Raines at Chester with five thousand men. McCulloch was ordered north with his whole force, but he refused to go, and is falling back into Arkansas. About one-third of the Cherokees are rebels. About five thousand of them are moving north to join Price in Kansas. John Ross
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