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 2 > Part 5
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"THAT COLD NEW YEAR."
N New Year's eve there came a remarkable change in the weather. In a very few min- uites the wind began coming down the gorge with a most mournful whistling noise. The tents that were wet from the hard rains froze stiff in a short time and in some cases were blown down. Later it began to snow. It was a night long to be remembered. Not only at that locality, but all over the United States the cold prevailed to an alarming degree. Railroad trains were stopped and people were frozen on the trains. In many sections people who were caught out perished, and stock of all kinds and fowls were frozen to death.
It is known in the calendar as "that terrible cold New Year's day." We lived through the night and then as early as possible filled ourselves up with hot coffee and hard-tack. Many of the boys gathered among the rocks on the hillside and built large fires of dry cedar.
IN WINTER QUARTERS.
January 2d we moved about two miles ; near Paint Rock river and bridge, and camped in a beech grove at the south
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foot of a hill. I think this was one of our best camps. The boys understood that this was to be our camp for the winter, and they at once set about making themselves as comfortable as possible. Some contented themselves with their tents, made firm and banked, etc., but most of them set out to make houses of some kind. The timber of all kinds was plentiful. On one side of the camp was a hill covered with cedar fallen down and dry. This was used for wood to burn, with a bright flame and a crackling noise; or on the other hand there was any quantity of beech that could be cut into logs and rolled into the fire-places that were soon built.
SOME OF THE DEVICES FOR COMFORT AND PASTIME.
Many of the men proposed to have genuine log cabins. They were either made from logs slabbed off or of poles ; where the material suitable for this was not near at hand, the mule-teams were brought into requisition and it was brought from a great distance. But soon the regiment fell into the shape of a compact town, crude enoughi to be sure in appear- ance, but for all that, the seat of a great deal of comfort.
Let me describe the erection of one of these cabins and let that stand in the main for the many that were built.
The lot was pre-empted in the name of Uncle Sam. It was "squatter sovereignty." This cabin was built and occu- pied by six men. It was twelve feet wide and sixteen feet long. To the back end of this the fire-place was built, con- sisting of split sticks and plastered with clay. The first thing was to put up the poles, notching them so that they would lay near together ; into the cracks small sticks were put and then daubed with mud.
There was a door in the front and one on the left side near the fire-place ; outside of this door was a tent in which the cooking and dish-washing was done. The front door was made of boards. These boards had been "foraged " some- where and carried for miles. Boards were not numerous in that section. The hinges were made of wood. They were
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fastened on by a few nails secured at Nashville. A few panes of glass were also imported from Nashville, and one of them was set in the door at the proper place.
But now how were we to secure the material for the floor and roof, for it was proposed to live in a genuine civilized way. One of the boys caught sight of a cross-cut saw in the hands of some pioneer corps. This was secured for a time. Anotlier found a piece of wagon tire. This was taken to the blacksmith's and made into a "frow" with which to split shingles. Some distance from tlie camp a white-oak tree was picked out ; a veritable monarch of the forest, four feet thick and seventy feet to the first limbs. It was attacked and laid low. It was then found that the saw was no longer than the tree was thick. Notches were cut on each side and by slow work, a cut was sawed off. Then came the splitting into shingles for the roof.
Then a longer cut was made that was split into boards for the floor. Then followed the bedsteads made by a post set upright and rails set in the side of the house. On this was laid slats and long grass, then the overcoats and blankets were added ; so that the boys with a bright beech fire on the hearth were fixed " as snug as a bug in a rug." But addi- tions were made to even this. Some cut off logs for seats, but some made the frames for stools and seated them by weaving elm bark upon them. Then out of the red and white cedar, chessmen and checkers were made, and these games were entered into to pass away the long winter evenings, for there was not much reading material at land.
The chaplain called some of the boys to his aid and a log cabin was erected over which a "fly " was spread as a roof, a blanket for a door and a small pulpit at one end, and a chapel was ready for service. Here the men so disposed, gathered for song and prayer. Here also the negro children were assembled and taught to read and spell. It was astonishing how eager the little fellows were to learn. They somehow got money, and the chaplain sent to Nashville and
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got the necessary books. They trudged a couple of miles to get an hour or two's instruction daily.
THE BOYS WITH KNIFE IN HAND.
The guard duty and drill was not very heavy, so that the boys had much leisure time at their disposal. One way of employing it was in the use of saw and knife in making trink- ets of different kinds. The principal material was the laurel roots that could be found on the cliffs of the mountains. While a great variety of things were made, the principal prod- uct was pipes. These were made in great numbers, some used, but many sent home. Some of them were beautifully inlaid and mounted. This certainly was a very innocent if . not profitable use of time.
With so much time on hand many were the jokes and tricks thought out, often at the expense of some of the offi- cers. As a variety, a day was often spent in target shooting, but many of the boys felt that they had done all of their fighting, so that there was not as much zest in this as at an earlier period in the service.
Frequent foraging expeditions were sent out at which time a train load of corn would be brought in to feed the ani- mals, and along with these would either come hogs that had strayed or been stolen. These trips usually took the parties south toward the Tennessee river.
These trips while not considered especially dangerous were not without some danger, so that it was wise to have a good . guard and to keep pretty close together. South of the river was quite a force of rebel cavalry, as we found to our sorrow before we got out of the service. Occasionally a descent was made and some one or more inen picked up. The trouble was that these natives knew all the ground and every path and byway that permitted them to take full advantage of any man or party that put themselves at a disadvantage with them.
General Woods, who was commander of our division at the
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time, reports as follows a little incident which will illustrate the statement :
WOODVILLE, ALABAMA, January 26th, IS64.
MAJOR : I have the honor to report that on Saturday night the 23d inst., about 9 o'clock, a party of rebels numbering about sixty inade a descent upon the camp of unserviceable animals under the charge of the division quarterinaster, and drove off a portion of them, besides the tak- ing of seventeen citizens. The number of animals missing is about ninety, but I have reliable information that only about forty were gotten across the river. Men are out to pick up the animals and will no doubt succeed. The corral is situated beside the railroad, about three miles east of Woodville, and within four hundred yards of the railroad guard of twenty-five men, and between their post and this station. The animals and teamisters were taken by a bridle-path over the mountain within two miles of Woodville. The existence of this path was not known. The rebels kept on the summit of the mountains avoiding the roads and crossing at a ferry four miles below Larkin's Ferry. They reached the ferry about daylight. As they took all the teamsters and left a guard to prevent the citizens from giving the alarm, it was not known until 10 a. m., and by that time they had crossed the Tennessee river.
The scattered animals were picked up, and Company K of the Thirteenth put there as a guard for a time.
THE WOMEN OF THIS COUNTRY.
The women of this part of the country were mostly uned- ucated and quite crude. They were almost universally given up to the habit of using tobacco, either chewing it or dipping · snuff. The "dipping " was on this wise : They would take a small stick, chew it into slivers at one end, dip that end filled with saliva into a box of snuff and then place it in the side of their mouths and take their time to draw the strength of the snuff into their stomachs. A most filthy and disgusting practice, but not regarded so by them. They would ask a soldier for a piece of "tobacco," with as little thought of it being a misdemeanor, as the worst loafer in our streets.
Huntsville was a fine town, or rather city, for that part of the world, some thirty miles west of us. This was a place of unusual wealth and aristocratic life. It was said that all the
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wealthy men kept mulatto women or quadroons as mistresses. There is very little doubt about this being as reported. This being so, we can get pretty nearly the key to the general virtue of the country. The scenery throughout this country along the Tennessee and adjacent country is very fine and worthy to be enjoyed by a more appreciative class of people.
MAJOR BEARDSLEY'S RETURN.
Captain James M. Beardsley was severely wounded at Ringgold on November 27th. At the same time Major Bush- nell and Captain Blanchard losing their lives, it left Captain Beardsley the ranking Captain. He was accordingly pro- moted to the rank of Major, his rank to date from the day of battle. After being gone over two months he returned to camp with a leaf on his straps. An incident of the time he was at his home at Rock Island is given thus: One of the editors of this town of the class then known as copperheads, made some remark that rather reflected on the conduct of Mrs. Beardsley. This incensed the Major who on meeting the man standing in front of a store, with the hand that was not disabled, he knocked him through the window and then fol- lowed to give him some more of the same medicine. The editor beat an inglorious retreat, leaving his wig and cane behind him. The townspeople made the Major a present of a fine horse for the spirit shown and the services rendered.
At this time Gen. John A. Logan commanded the Fif- teenth Corps, General Osterhaus our division, and Colonel Miles Smith the brigade.
On January 25th an expedition was fitted out consisting of Gen. M. L. Smith's division and one brigade from our division, that left Scotsborough to the east of us, crossed the Tennessee river on pontoons and moved toward Rome, Georgia. It was gone about ten days ; it destroyed some niter works, took some fifty prisoners, captured a lot of Confederate money at Guntersville and aroused the loyal sentiment of which
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there was a good deal in north Alabama. Thus the months of the winter were enlivened.
On March 31st General Osterhaus reports : " Learning that some of Mead's guerrillas were hovering around near the mouth of Clear Creek, fourteen miles from Woodville, I sent out an expedition last night. They have just returned, gob- bled one lieutenant, one first-sergeant and three men. The Captain was not with the party but is expected daily from the Tennessee river."
AN INCIDENT THAT ILLUSTRATES. .
A young man of the Thirteenth had been detailed as clerk at division headquarters. He soon began to feel his "oats" and was far from being courteous or obliging to either the officers or men who had business in that office. One day one of the boys who had been away on furlough, walked up from camp at Paint Rock to Woodville with a requisition for the amount due on rations while he was away on furlough. The smart young clerk picked some slight flaw in the requisition, and refused to pay the amount, but said, "Fix that and bring it back to-morrow, and it will be paid." "But," said the boy, " the rule of the office is to attend to such things only on Tuesday and Fridays." "Never mind, you bring it here to-morrow and it will be attended to." When the morrow came the requisition was presented, when the smart young man coolly turned away with the remark, "This is not our day to attend to such things." Not far distant was General Osterhaus's headquarters. The man struck straight for the General's quarters. He found him sitting in front of his tent in his shirt-sleeves. Approaching and saluting he said, "I have a matter I would like to present to you." "Vell," said the General, which meant go on. The conduct of the clerk was presented. Then the General broke out and said, "Dat Shew (Jew) has been more bodder to me dan a whole prigade." He then bade the man go back to the camp and enter complaint through the
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Captain and Colonel and he would see to it that the matter was attended to. Ere long the smart clerk was carrying a gun again, certainly to the gratification of at least one man.
THE BIG SNOWFALL.
Spring with all its mildness began to show itself during the earlier days of March. It was much enjoyed, and ac- counts of it were sent North by letters to the home folks, who were yet in the embrace of winter. But on the night of March 4th, it began to snow and stopped only when the whole earthi was covered fourteen inches deep. The natives of fourscore years had never seen the like, and could only account for it on the theory that somehow the Yankees were responsible for it. They hardly dare put their heads out of the doors. But it was a holiday for the boys who had been raised amid snow drifts in the North. They made the most of it. It was almost worth an officer's head to go to his meals, for a couple of days, while the crop of snowballs lasted.
A snowball party was gotten up after the fashion of the old-time spelling match, with officers for captains on either side. It was said that some of the boys put chips and little stones in the balls that were intended to reach some of the officers that were not liked. I am inclined to think that no viciousness entered into this lively and delightful sport.
On the 22d day of March, while the whole land was glis- tening in the emblem of purity, one of the boys ( Osborn Cheeney of Company A, if my memory serves me right ) was carried out and buried, and the pure snow covered upon his grave. A fitting prayer for us as we laid him away would be, " Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."
GREAT ACTIVITY.
The great campaign known as "Sherman's Atlanta cam- paign " was to open early in May. With the month of April came greatly increased activities, things were crowding to the front, all available men and long trains filled with all kinds of
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army supplies were moving. Our regiment was not counted in the general move, for the reason that our time was so nearly out that to take us to the front for a few days and then have to send us home, would only burden the lines of transporta- tion that was already fully taxed, so our assignment was on railroad guard duty for the short time we had to stay.
Little expeditions were sent out just to feel of the enemy and to learn where he was keeping himself. There were known to be small bodies all along the south side of the Ten- nessee river to Decatur. To ascertain more definitely, on April 12, General Garey loaded some eight hundred men and some artillery on the steamboat Chickamauga, and a couple of barges at Bridgeport, and started down the Tennessee river. He found squads and companies scattered all along the line, but no large forces camped near the river till he arrived at a place called Triana. Here they had a brigade on each side of the river with artillery, and proposed fight. As his nien were crowded close together on tlie boat, to have fought would only have been to lose many lives, so he declined the fight. Having come down the river one hundred and ten miles, and having destroyed forty-seven small boats used to ferry men across, he returned to Bridgeport.
The fact that he found those forces at Triana, was the thing that called us from our winter camp.
The order for our regiment and tlie Thirtieth Iowa came on April 23d. At 4 p. m. we boarded the cars for Huntsville some twenty-five or thirty miles distant. We then dis- embarked and camped for the night. 1
The next morning we started on the march. Noon brought us to Madison station, some ten miles away. After resting and eating we started on, when a further march of ten miles brought us to Triana on the river. The forces that General Garey had found on the north side of the river had crossed over to the south side, but they were there, and their pickets were all along the river. The time of day was often passed both by word and bullet. Our stay at this place was from April 24th to May roth. We built a stockade at this place
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and called it Fort Brown. On May 7th Companies A, H and K crossed the river some two miles below and destroyed some boats, but the enemy disappeared and did not even fire on the boys.
On May roth we marched back to Madison station on the railroad. There were but two weeks more until the expira- tion of our term of enlistment. The home feeling was grow- ing as the time drew near. The cars that carried things to the army went down by the way of Murfreesborough, but came back by the way of Madison. As the ball had opened in the early part of the month, many wounded men came pour- ing North on these otherwise empty trains. The men were brave, but many of them ghastly sufferers.
On May 17th our regiment fell in with a most unfortunate circumstance. It seems that the rebel General Roddy, being · thoroughly posted on our situation, through citizen spies, who had passes and came and went through our lines, decided to come in upon us during the night and capture the whole regi- ment. The plans were well laid but did not quite come about. They crossed the Tennessee river with the thought of coming upon us at about 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning while our men were yet asleep. For some reason they did not come upon us until 8 a. m., just as we were at guard mounting. The teams were just going out for forage as the rebels rushed on the pickets capturing most of them. The teams came running back pell-inell, which was our first intimation of danger.
Let me here give a short description of our situation. Mad- ison is a small railroad town in a wooded country, but with a small clearing to the southwest of it. Large amounts of wood were piled up near the depot, as it was a wooding station for the engines. The road from the south, over which the rebels came, crossed the railroad at the west end of the depot. In the southeast part of the town was a small stockade to pro- tect the depot. As soon as the alarm was given the men who were scattered about ran for their guns, and loading them, made for the south end of the town in squads. The enemy began firing from the fringe of woods just south of the town,
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and then soon opened with two pieces of artillery. The men who were nearest to these, mostly Companies A and B, opened on them so lively that they drew back their artillery some dis- tance. Just then came the shout "here they come," and looking to the west there came a company of cavalry dash- ing in on the road from the south at a full gallop. The boys turned towards them and fired, but as the ground sloped towards the west, and the aim was too high, most of it, if not all, went over them. One man was thrown from his horse and broke his jaw and was captured. The rest of them broke and fled down the railroad, and in disorder made their way back to their fellows.
This man that was captured when questioned by our Colo- nel, said that there were one thousand men and two pieces of artillery against us. The Colonel said : "My conscience that is too many for us to fight against, we must get out of this."
The rebels had passed to the east and west of our cainp and had cut the wires so that we could not communicate with any other forces in that way. They then threw a line entirely around our lines, but came at us with their main force from the south where their artillery was. When the Colonel gave the order to give way, it was obeyed reluctantly, the Major wanting to fight it out right there and the men were ready to stand and fight. A few of the men ran to the stock- ade, but as the rest of the regiment was falling back, they saw that to stay meant capture, as the rebels had dismounted and were pouring up over the open space south of the houses. They fired a few rounds from the stockade and then got out. Some one at this place shot "Joe," one of their favorites. They then rushed on the stockade. The only man in there was a Fifth Iowa man who had no gun. He plead for his life, but they killed him right there, out of revenge. He was the only Union soldier killed at that time, a few being slightly wounded. . As the men gave way the rebs rushed close after them, yelling at the tops of their voices. One reb drew a bead on one of our boys and bade him "Halt." He halted. He said, "Surrender," but he had been a prisoner once before,
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and he did not want to be again, so he coolly said, " I can't see it," and went on. The reb fired but just missed his mark, and the Thirteenth man returned the compliment.
CHAPLAIN NEEDHAM'S EXPERIENCE.
"Colonel Gorgas and Major Beardsley held a hurried council of war, and it was decided to mass our forces, and break through the enemy's line between us and Huntsville, the headquarters of our corps. My horse being the only one in camp, I was the only officer mounted, and hence acted as aid-de-camp to the Colonel, galloping to right and left, deliv- ering the orders that brought the command together prepara- tory to a charge on a single front of the enemy's line, which was advancing from four sides. Before leaving the town it was stated that our flag had been left in front of the quarters. The enemy were already in town and behind the cotton bales piled on the platform of the depot. Our headquarters had been an empty store across the street from the depot. Turn- ing my horse's head toward town, I thrust my spurs into her side, and galloped up to headquarters amid a fusilade of rifles from behind the cotton bales. When I reigned up in front of headquarters, and was looking for the flag, an officer followed by a number of men rushed up in front of my horse demand- ing my surrender. I had no weapon, and as two men stretched · forth their hands to seize my horse's bridle, I plunged my spurs into her side giving her a sudden turn. The mare plunged and kicked as she turned, compelling my assailants to scatter ; but soon, alternating with swearing and firing, they sent their compliments after me. The fire opened up from behind the cotton bales as I dashed past, and I had a narrow escape ; two shots struck the rear of my saddle, one bent the wheel of my right spur, two or three cut the saddle in front, and one came so near to my upper lip, that the sensation was as if the lower part of my nose and the entire lips were torn off. That morn- ing I had said to myself as the engagement began, 'I would not mind receiving a flesh wound as a memento of these battle
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scenes,' but when the bullet whizzed past my nose and lips, I was sorry I had not specified the place.
" I failed to recover the flag, but found out afterward that it was the State flag that had been left, and that being still in its oil-cloth sheath upon the ground, I did not see it."
WE DRIVE THEM OFF.
Word had been hurriedly sent to Huntsville of the attack. Some cavalry came, and a train was run down with a couple of pieces of artillery and a part of the Fifty-ninth Ohio. Pur- suit was then made toward the Tennessee river. We followed them and came upon them just at night as they were crossing the river. Several of the cavalry and the Ohio men were wounded, one mortally. Just what their loss in killed and wounded was we never knew, but much more than ours. Our loss in prisoners was large. I got the information about this of A. L. Marks who is quite accurate and was himself one of the prisoners : "Company A one, B one, C six, D five, E five, F ten, G seven, H eight, I eight, K nine, one assistant sur- geon, one quartermaster sergeant, one telegraph operator, one sutler, eight teamsters and their teams, two ambulances and six men from the Fifth Iowa that were about to relieve our regiment."
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