USA > Kansas > The Seventh Kansas calvary: its service in the civil war. An address before the State historical society, December 2, 1902 > Part 4
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Colonel Lee took command of the regiment on the 17th of July, and on the 20th marched it to Jacinto and from thence to Rienzi, Miss., arriving there on the 23d. Rienzi was the extreme southern outpost of the Northern army. The Seventh Kansas was assigned to the second brigade of the cavalry division; Col. Philip H. Sheridan was our brigade com- mander; he was at that time a diminutive specimen and did not weigh more than 110 pounds. When he (later) was trans- ferred to the Army of the Cumberland, Colonel Lee became commander of our brigade. Gen. Gordon Granger commanded the cavalry division. The camp of the Seventh Kansas was at this post until its evacuation, September 30. Typhoid fever was prevalent, nineteen deaths resulting in the regiment dur- ing a period of about a month. The Confederate army lay about twenty miles to the south, with their advance outposts at Baldwyn and Guntown, and our cavalry was constantly in the saddle. Skirmishes were frequent between opposing scouting parties, and Colonel Lee showed himself to be a dash- ing and capable cavalry officer. Colonel Sheridan led us on many dashing expeditions, and raids were made into Ripley and through the enemy's lines at Marietta and Bay Springs. At the latter place the Confederate camp was captured and destroyed.
A detachment of the Seventh Kansas had a lively skirmish with a guerrilla leader, who bore the Teutonic name of Fun- derberger; the affair was always known in the regiment as "the battle of Funderberger's Lane." It was a dashing, pic- turesque engagement, fought at dusk and after dark, and the
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flashing of small arms was exciting and beautiful. It was a running fight, and Funderberger was driven down the lane badly beaten.
On August 26 Faulkner's rebel cavalry drove in our pickets under Captain Eaton, of the Second Iowa cavalry, who were guarding the Ripley road, and charged in nearly to our camp. Most of the command was out on a scout to the south, and matters looked a little dubious for a few minutes. The "sick, iame, and lazy," however, rallied and drove them off. All available men were mounted and started in pursuit; the en- emy was routed, and pursued for ten miles. The next day Captain Malone with his company (F) was attacked while scouting on the Kossuth road; he lost four men killed and eight wounded, one of the wounded men dying afterwards. The company rallied and charged the enemy, routing him. Our dead and wounded were recovered, and the Confederates lost three killed. The dead were buried and the wounded brought off the field. About this time Colonel Sheridan re- ceived his promotion as brigadier-general and went to Ken- tucky with Granger's division, and Colonel Lee assumed com- mand of the brigade. Companies B and E took part in the battle of Iuka, fought on the 19th of September, the remainder of the regiment operating on our right flank. General Rose- crans said in his report: "I must not omit to mention the eminent services of Colonel Du Bois, commanding at Rienzi, and Colonel Lee, who, with the Seventh Kansas and part of the Seventh Illinois cavalry, assured our flank and rear during the entire period of our operations." Colonel Lee had not only to guard the flank of Rosecrans's army, but he had to prevent the enemy moving on Corinth, then almost denuded of troops.
After the battle of Iuka the Confederates began to organize for a movement against Corinth. Reenforcements were rushed to them, and the 1st of October their advance began. The Seventh Kansas operated on their right flank and har- assed the movements of the Confederates, participating in several sharp skirmishes. On the night of October 3 the regiment entered Corinth by the Kossuth road in time to take part in the terrible battle of the next day. When the regi- ment entered, it was supposed the Kossuth road lay a half mile to the right of the Confederate flank. Lovell, who commanded their right, had, after dark however, extended his lines across the road, it being the Confederate plan to open the battle in
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the morning by an attack by Lovell on College hill. He did not want to expose the new disposition of his troops, so let us pass through his lines, expecting to have us the next day anyhow. It was a bright moonlight night, and the way ap- peared innocent enough, but Lovell could have swept us out of existence any moment with the artillery and musketry masked in the brush along our line of march. I have often wondered if the Confederate Colonel Jackson, whose cavalry division, formed on the right, was guarding this road, ever knew that the regiment he permitted to pass by in safety was the same that less than two months later assaulted and de- cisively whipped his whole division in the Lamar lane. The Seventh Kansas operated mostly on our left flank, and were deployed in the abattis as sharpshooters. The regiment was conspicuous in the pursuit, until it ended at Ripley; it took part in many sharp skirmishes, repeatedly defeating Baxter's rebel cavalry brigade and capturing many prisoners.
The night we entered Ripley, during the pursuit, Captain Houston, with company H, was stationed as picket on the road leading south from town. Suspecting a move on the part of the enemy, he caused a fire to be built, and arranged dummies in imitation of soldiers lying asleep about the smoldering em- bers, and then posted his company in the brush down the road. Sure enough, about two o'clock in the morning a Con- federate company came stealing up the road and, deploying, moved silently on their supposed sleeping victims. Houston noiselessly deployed his company in their rear and stealthily followed. At the proper distance the Confederates drew a bead on the dummies, and the captain exultingly demanded a surrender. "Had you not better surrender yourself?" said Captain Houston, quietly. The startled Confederates turned and discovered a line of Yankee carbines, with a man behind each one, drawn level at their heads. They promptly obeyed Captain Houston's injunction and surrendered. It was a neat job and resulted in over forty prisoners, including several officers.
Referring to prisoners, I wish to record here that the entire number of the Seventh Kansas made prisoners of war during over four years of active service would not aggregate a score, and in but one instance was ever more than one taken at one time. The exception was Lieutenant Osgood, and, I believe, two men, picked up near Rienzi, Miss., in the fall of 1862
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Several times were squads and companies nearly surrounded by superior numbers, but they fought their way out and made their escape.
The battle of Corinth is a matter of history and students of the civil war know how severe the fighting was. Our forces numbered about 20,000 and the Confederates about 40,000. We, of course, had the advantage of position and the chain of redoubts that strengthened our line. The writer was an orderly at General Rosecrans's headquarters during the last day of the engagement, and was privileged in seeing more of a severe battle than usually falls to the lot of one individual. Orders went out thick and fast and staff officers and orderlies rode the lines with rapid frequency. When the victory was achieved, I had the privilege of riding in the train of the great general when he rode along the lines and thanked his regi- ments for the victory they had given him. The Confederate dead still lay along our front, and, especially in front of Fort Robinet, the slaughter had been fearful.
On its return from the pursuit the regiment went into camp for a few days east of Corinth, on the Farmington road. From this point a raid was made across Bear creek into Alabama, as far as Buzzard Roost station. Roddy's command was met and driven back, badly whipped. A most gallant act was per- formed here by Sergt. Alonzo Dickson and three men of com- pany H, who led the advance. As they came in sight of the Confederate outpost, although it consisted of about fifteen men, they at once dashed forward, and the rebels mounted their horses and fled in a panic .. Dickson and his squad pur- sued them over a mile, killing over half of their number and capturing several; but two or three escaped.
On the return of the regiment from this expedition, it re- ceived orders to move to Grand Junction, where General Grant was concentrating an army for a movement against Vicks- burg. The Confederate army, under General Pemberton. was encamped along the Coldwater, about twenty miles to the south. On November 8 a reconnoisance in force was made under the command of General McPherson towards Hudson- ville. The Seventh Kansas led the advance on the main road and moved about two miles ahead of the infantry column. Near Lamar it came on the flank of the Confederate cavalry division under the command of Colonel Jackson, General Pem- berton's chief of cavalry. Captain Gregory, who held our ad-
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vance with his company (E), immediately attacked, and was followed by an assault by the whole regiment. The Con- federates were completely routed, and fled, leaving their dead and wounded and many prisoners in our hands. They left thirty-six dead and 400 or 500 prisoners, many severely wounded, and nearly 2000 stand of arms. The glory of this victory will appear more pronounced when it is understood that the attack was made by one small regiment, numbering about 600 men, nearly two miles away from any support, and against a division numbering 4000. This defeat caused the retreat of the entire Confederate army to a point below Holly Springs, and the victory gave Colonel Lee his star. The regi- ment advanced the same evening to the enemy's lines and drew his artillery fire, but his cavalry were too badly de- moralized to offer any opposition. On the return to the camp at Grand Junction the regiment was received by the infantry with cheers.
November 27, 1862, the advance of the army began. The Seventh Kansas led the advance of the main infantry column, and on the morning of the 28th charged into Holly Springs, capturing the pickets on the Hudsonville road, routing the garrison, and driving the Confederates beyond the town. The regiment was given the post of honor and held the extreme advance most of the time during the forward movement, fight- ing almost constantly from dawn until well into the night, and then finding rest disturbed by the playful shells which the enemy would explode over its exposed bivouac. The Confed- erates contested every foot of the way between Holly Springs and the Tallahatchie with cavalry and artillery, but the Sev- enth Kansas steadily pushed them back. Ten miles below- Holly Springs a Confederate force supporting a twelve-pound gun was charged and the gun captured. The enemy finally retired within their fortifications that stretched along the Tallahatchie river, and as the jayhawkers came within range of their big guns proceeded to give them the benefit of the con- centrated fire of some forty siege pieces. Half an hour later, when the infantry supports came up, the First Kansas in- fantry led the advance. They came on at the double-quick. and as they piled their blankets and knapsacks and deployed in the field beyond our left each company would give hearty cheers for the jayhawkers and the jayhawkers returned them as heartily, telling them to "Give 'em Wilson Creek." Shells
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were bursting overhead or ricochetting across the fields, and the Seventh was much relieved when the infantry came up; and it was especially pleasing to have this splendid fighting regiment from our home state come to our support. Sev- eral times during this advance would we see an infantry regi- ment away across the fields tossing their caps in the air and cheering ; we knew that it was the First Kansas, who by some infallible means always recognized their brothers from home and sent them greeting.
At nightfall the infantry fell back out of range, and left the Seventh to picket the advance line. During the night scouts were sent forward; Sergeant Henry, of company D, with two men, crept within the forts on the left of the road, and con- firmed the suspicion that the Confederates were evacuating. Sergeant Wildey and one man of company C crawled through their pickets and across a cotton field on the right to the vicin- ity of the bridge, and returned with a confirmation of the re- port. At daylight the Seventh Kansas advanced and found the earthworks dismantled, the enemy in full retreat, and the bridge over the Tallahatchie destroyed. Again the jayhawkers led the advance on the main road. It had rained heavily dur- ing the night and the roads were very muddy, but that did not delay to any great extent. The enemy's rear guard was struck soon, but was easily pushed back until within a mile of Oxford, where they were reenforced, and a strong stand was made, supported by one piece of artillery. They opened at short range with double-shotted canister, and did considerable dam- age to the oak undergrowth. Lieut. James Smith led company C in a charge directly against the artillery, but they were handling the gun by fixed prolonge and succeeded in dragging it out of reach. At the edge of town the entire regiment dis- mounted and deployed for the final rush; first, however, Cap- tain Swoyer led company B in a mounted charge in column down the main street, but, meeting a heavy fire from the public square, was forced to retire. When the formation was complete the order to advance was given, and the men went in with a yell. Strong opposition was met, especially at the court-house square, but this force, seeing that they would be flanked, fell back with the rest, leaving a number of dead and prisoners in our hands. During the fight a man was noticed standing on the observatory of a large house watching our advance through a field-glass. A bullet fired at him struck
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the railing near by. He disappeared, and in a few minutes was seen galloping away to a place of safety. That man was the Hon. Jacob Thompson, formerly secretary of the interior under President Buchanan.
The next day the regiment pushed forward as far as Water Valley, skirmishing the entire distance and capturing nearly a thousand prisoners, who were straggling behind the re- treating army. Late in the afternoon a captured drummer boy was trudging back along our column to take his place with the other prisoners: "Where are you going, Johnny?" was asked him; "Back to the rear to beat roll-call for Pem- berton's army," was his prompt answer. That evening, as the regiment was formed in a hollow square around the pris- oners, our boys, who had supplied themselves with a bountiful store of tobacco at the expense of the Oxford merchants, dis- covered that the prisoners were destitute and fainting for a "chaw of stingy green," and so began to pitch whole plugs of "flat," which was a luxury, to the suffering Johnnies. It cre- ated a transformation ; despondency disappeared and content- ment took its place; three cheers for the jayhawkers were given with a gusto, and the little drummer boy of the after- noon came forward and regaled the regiment with the rebel version of the "Happy Land of Canaan," a song much in vogue during the first years of the war. One verse still clings to my memory :
"Old John Brown came to Harper's Ferry town, Old John Brown was a game one;
But we led him up a slope, and we let him down a rope, And sent him to the happy land of Canaan."
That night the regiment picketed the main road at the burning bridge across the Otuckalofa. Fording the river early in the morning the pursuit was continued, the Seventh Kansas still leading the advance. Sharp skirmishing continued dur- ing the day until after noon, when the resistance grew lighter. The cavalry had pressed forward nearly thirty miles in ad- vance of the infantry supports, and the enemy, cognizant of this, had prepared a surprise. About a mile north of Coffey- ville, Lovell's infantry division had been posted in the timber with two six-gun batteries masked in the brush, and a large cavalry force on each flank. Companies A, G, I and K de- ployed as skirmishers, were advancing dismounted across an open field when they were received by a withering volley from .
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the rebel infantry and artillery. These companies fell back to the belt of timber in the rear, and rallied on company C coming forward in support; the five companies then fell slowly back, contesting the Confederate advance every inch of the way across a field to the rear until our main line, which was rapidly forming along the edge of the timber on the next slope, was reached. The Confederates numbered from 8000 to 10,- 000, supported by two batteries, while the Union forces were scarcely 4000 dismounted cavalry, with but two twelve-pound guns, and entirely without reserves; yet our position was maintained for over half an hour, and until the Confederate force had swung around our flanks and had us nearly sur- rounded. Our loss was heavy but that of the Southerners very much greater. The Seventh Kansas, with detachments of other regiments, made a fine stand at a bridge across a deep stream to the rear and repulsed the final charge of the rebels. The entire command fell back to Water Valley.
The battle of Coffeyville was fought on December 5, 1862. Our regimental loss was eight killed and about forty wounded. Lieut. Tom Woodburn, a gallant officer, fell at the head of his company; Lieutenant Colbert was wounded, and Colonel Lee's horse was wounded beneath him. We lost no prisoners. Our artillery, supported by the Seventh Kansas, was served until the charging Confederates were within a hundred feet of the muzzles and then was successfully dragged away at fixed prolonge, with a sergeant riding the last gun, facing to the rear with his thumb to his nose at the eluded rebels, who sent a shower of bullets after him.
The report of the Confederate general says: "The tactics of the enemy did them great credit." Among our dead was Private Francis Schilling, a German of fine education and great refinement. He came to Kansas from Chicago and joined the Seventh Kansas, led hither by his extreme abolition belief. He was a frequent correspondent of the Chicago Trib- une. He fell with his face to the foe, dying for a principle, if ever a man did during the history of this world.
The cavalry division fell back to the Yocknapatalfa and en- camped at Prophet bridge. From this point company A scouted back to the vicinity of the Coffeyville battle-field and secured information of the raid against our line of communi- cation, just starting under the leadership of the rebel general, Van Dorn. Securing complete details of the movement, the
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company returned rapidly and reported to Colonel Dickey. He received the report with incredulity and neglected to re- port to General Grant until eight hours later. When General Grant finally received the information he instantly ordered all the cavalry by forced marches to Holly Springs. The Seventh Kansas moved out in advance and rode the forty miles with scarcely a halt, and with jaded horses reached Holly Springs at about ten o'clock the next morning, in advance of all the rest, but about an hour after the rebels had destroyed the vast amount of supplies stored there and had moved north. The delay of Colonel Dickey had been fatal. Had he sent the information forward without delay, reenforcements would have easily reached Holly Srings in time to have beaten off Van Dorn and saved the town, with millions of dollars' worth of stores. The regiment immediately pushed north to Bolivar, Van Dorn's next objective point, reaching there in advance of the rebel raider. The garrison was small, but a determined show of force was made, and Van Dorn feared to attack, and immediately began a hasty retreat. The Seventh Kansas fol- lowed, constantly skirmishing with him until he passed south of Pontotoc.
The regiment returned to Holly Springs, and on the 31st of December moved north to Moscow, Tenn., and later to Ger- mantown, where the command wintered. The march north was in the wake of our retiring army; buildings and fences were burning, and frequent detours had to be made to pass places too hot for comfort or safety of ammunition. I wish some of our ultra sentimentalists who are posing at the pres- ent day, and whose souls are full of metaphorical tears for the cruel acts of the American army, could have seen some of the gentle touches of the civil war. But most of these gentle- men, if of a suitable age, took extreme care to be absent from the scenes of ignoble strife.
At Germantown Colonel Lee' received notice of his promo-
5. BRIGADIER GENERAL ALBERT LINDLEY LEE died at the Hotel Belmont. New York, December 31, 1907, of pleurisy. He was born in Fulton. Oswego county, Now York, January 16, 1834. He graduated from Union College in 1853. He practiced law in New York city from 1855 to 1857. In 1857 he moved to Kansas. In 1859 he was in the newspaper business with D. W. Wilder at Elwood. Doniphan county. In that year he was defeated as a candidate to the Wyandotte constitutional conven- tion. In the fall he was elected judge of the district court. under the Wyandotte constitution, for the counties of Atchison, Brown, Marshall, Nemaha and Doniphan, over George W. Glick. The state was not admitted until January 29. 1861, and he served only six months as judge, enlisting in October. He was voted for as a candi- date for Congress in 1864 against Sidney Clarke. He returned to the state in August, 1866, and in 1867 he received twenty-five votes for United States senator. He was in New Orleans as a newspaper editor for some time, and about 1890 went to New York and became a banker and broker.
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tion as brigadier-general, and took leave of the regiment. He was a fine officer, brave, dashing, and ambitious. General Grant commended him highly, and placed him in command of the brigade when General Sheridan was transferred to Kentucky. In a dispatch to General Halleck, dated November 11, 1862, General Grant said: "Colonel Lee is one of our best cavalry officers; I earnestly recommend him for promotion." Lieutenant-colonel Herrick continued in command of the regi- ment after Colonel Lee's promotion. While stationed at Ger- mantown the regiment was almost constantly in the saddle, patrolling the roads and scouting far out into the country. A number of sharp skirmishes were fought, with unvarying suc- cess to our side.
On the 15th of April, 1863, the Seventh Kansas moved to Corinth, Miss., arriving there on the 17th, and the next morn- ing marched to join General Dodge, who was concentrating a considerable force at Bear creek, preparatory to a movement into Alabama. The army crossed Bear creek on the 24th. At Tuscumbia the regiment attacked the rebels under General Roddy and drove them out of the town, carrying the place by a brilliant charge. The capture of Tuscumbia was followed by the immediate advance of the cavalry brigade, under com- mand of Colonel Cornyn, of the Tenth Missouri cavalry, an impetuous leader, who hated a rebel as he did the devil. The enemy was met a short distance out. He opened up on the Seventh Kansas, leading the advance, with artillery, but was soon driven back to within a mile of Leighton, where he made a determined stand with artillery strongly posted on an ele- vation to the left of the road. The Seventh held the left of the line and advanced against this position. The Tenth Mis- souri held the road with a mounted battalion, with the rest of the regiment deployed dismounted in the field on the right. A light mountain battery of five guns, supported by a battalion of the Seventh Kansas, was advanced close under the muzzles of the heavy cannon of the enemy and fairly smothered them with their rapid fire. Captain Utt at the same time led a charge of three companies around the left against their bat- tery. Companies B and H judiciously swerved to the left and opened fire with their small arms from the shelter of the tim- ber, but Captain Utt led company A square in the face of the artillery. It was another case of the sunken road of Ohain; an impassable fence intervened-one of those straight fences
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bound together with hickory withes. Captain Utt's leg was carried away and his horse killed beneath him by a charge of grape. The company was compelled to retreat.
The whole command then assaulted and the rebels were driven back two miles beyond Leighton. Colonel Cornyn with- drew his cavalry at nightfall to Tuscumbia, where he lay until the morning of the 27th. This engagement was fought against a superior force, but the result was a splendid victory. Gen- eral Dodge in his official report says, relative to this battle: "The command consisted on our part of the Tenth Missouri and Seventh Kansas cavalry, about 800 in all, driving the enemy eight miles. The enemy's force was 3500, besides one battery. The fighting of the cavalry against such odds is be- yond all praise."
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