USA > Ohio > In the 50th Ohio serving Uncle Sam : memoirs of one who wore the blue > Part 2
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That same afternoon, the Fiftieth Ohio was called into line, and marched to Camp King, back of Covington, going by way of a mud road that led east or rather southeast from our camp.
The writer was detailed to guard company goods, so remained in our first camp till the next day, when he rode in the wagon back through Covington, and so rejoined the company and regi- ment at Camp King. To the best of my recollection, we did not remain here but a few days, but quite long enough for some of our officers to have several more nervous attacks; the sight of two or three mounted men on some of the Licking hills was sufficient excuse for them to have the regiment called out into line of battle.
Why, they seemed to think that the Confederates were planting batteries on all the hills that surround our camp; how it ever happened that such men as they got their commissions in the United States Volunteer Service has always been a puzzle to me.
My father and one of my brothers came to see me while at Camp King, and when I bade them good bye, that was the last I saw of any of my relatives until the close of the war. While on picket one day back of camp, I saw a razor back hog in the woods with a large knot on the end of its tail the size of my double fist. It was a freak of nature, and looked very odd to me. I wrote home to my people that the hogs were so poor out there that the owners had to tie knots in their tails to keep them from crawling through the fence cracks and straying away.
On the same post with me, a comrade after coming off of out
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post, rolled himself in his blanket, and laid down to take a little sleep. When we waked him in the morning, he got up and shook his blanket, and out rolled a large snake that had been his bed fel- low. I imagine the comrade would not have slept very sound had he known of his snakeship sooner ; as it was, that comrade jumped round there fully as lively as he would had the long roll been sounded, and I know it rattled him equally as bad. A day or two after this little incident, we received marching orders, and getting into line, we were soon on the move down through Covington.
Crossing the Licking Bridge, and passing through Newport, we bore to the right onto Saint John's Hill, and remained there one night, camping on the hillside in the rain. We passed a very disagreeable night; next day, we fell into line once more, and soon found ourselves marching out the Alexandria Pike, and in a short time, arrived at Camp Beechwood. I judge this was somewhere near where Fort Thomas now is, but of this, I am not positive. I remember very little of what took place in this camp.
I will relate what I remember. We had a man in Company "K," who said his name was Thomas Easterling, yet I doubt very much if that was his right name. I judge he was a regular bounty jumper, for he never discarded his citizen's clothes, and finally deserted us while we were on the march to Perryville, Ky.
One day while lying in Camp Beechwood, two of the boys told Easterling that if he would go around a certain tent, there would be two white calves follow him. Easterling did not seem to pay much attention to them at first, but the boys kept on urging the matter, and seemed so anxious to get a bet out of him that the next day he told them to put up their money, and he would put up his ; so the boys were so sure of their winning the money, they bet him $5.00, and both sides put up their money. Easter- ling marched around the tent, and then imagine their surprise, he pulled up his pants, and showed two black calves, following him instead of white ones; he had beat them at their own game by making liberal use of a box of shoe blacking. He won their money very easily, and after that, the boys were not so anxious to bet with Easterling.
Another incident I remember was a man that had one side of his head shaved, and drummed out of camp. I do not know what he had done, but I know I thought it was a very sad sight
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to look at. I remember nothing more of importance that oc- cured at this camp.
CHAPTER III.
Ordered to Louisville-Different Effects on Different Men in Drinking from the Same Canteen.
One morning after being in Camp Beechwood a few days, we received marching orders, and in a short time, we filed out of camp, and were soon tramping down the pike toward Newport and Covington, the boys, in high spirits, singing snatches of gay songs, such as "Ain't I glad to get out of the Wilderness," "Good bye, Mary Ann," and "The Girl I Left Behind Me."
Passing through Newport and Covington, we crossed the river on a pontoon bridge into Cincinnati, and marched down to the foot of Fifth street, and into the O. & M. Railroad Depot. Here a guard was thrown around us, with orders not to let any of us pass out, and we were told to make ourselves comfortable until morning, but what building was ever strong enough, or guards strict enough to hold strenuous Yankee soldiers in check, if they once took it in their heads to pass out ; so, as it might be expected, a hole was soon found, and the boys were soon busy as bees, passing in and out, and like the bees, they all came in loaded; if not with honey, it was something that seemed to please the boys fully as well.
Next morning (Sunday I think), we were marched to one of the market houses, and breakfast was furnished us, and then we were returned to the depot, and put aboard the cars, and were soon steaming towards Jeffersonville, Indiana. The boys that were inclined to drink something stronger than coffee seemed to have plenty of it along, and as a result, there was ere long a very noisy. crowd aboard that train. Some were singing ; some were talking and laughing ; others whooping and yelling, and some were even crying, great tears rolling down their cheeks, and one German comrade had the misfortune of losing his hat, and created great amusement for us all, by exclaiming with a great deal of earnestness, "Sure, I had him all day, but now he is gone." Such was some of the different effects that drinking from the same canteen had on the boys that long to be remembered Sunday
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while on the way to Jeffersonville. Poor boys, many of them were never permitted to return, but their bones are crumbling to dust amid the soil of Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia, while others are resting on the slimy bottom of the Mississippi River.
Arriving in Jeffersonville, we were ferried across the river into Louisville, and went into camp. You that are well versed in war history, will remember that at this time the Confederate General Bragg and the Federal General Buell were racing on parallel roads to see who would be the first to reach Louisville with his army, and remember also that General Buell won the race, and his coming was gladly welcomed by the loyal citizens of Louisville and the North. It was also an inspiration to us new troops to watch Buell's dusty, sun-tanned and seasoned vet- erans proudly marching into Louisville, keeping perfect step to the inspiring music of their respective bands, and also to see the old flag floating proudly over them, the free breezes of Heaven kissing her beautiful folds, as she rippled, waved and glistened in the bright October sunshine. It was a grand and never-to-be- forgotten sight to us, and we hailed their coming with shouts of joy and thankfulness.
There was quite a contrast existing at that time between the clothing worn by Buell's men and that worn by our boys. Ours were new, and the "Sunday" was not worn off of them yet, while theirs were traveled stained, dusty and appeared to have seen hard service, while the men were rugged and tanned, yet they carried themselves erect and seemed proud that it was their priv- ilege to defend the flag under whose protecting folds they had been reared; so we found that under those soiled suits of blue were beating true and loyal hearts, ready and willing if need be to sacrifice their lives for that country and flag they loved so well, but the boys of the Fiftieth Ohio were soon to have the gloss taken off their clothes, and before many days our clothing looked fully as badly soiled as that of the boys marching with Buell.
We were not permitted to stop in Louisville any length of time, as our friends, the enemies under General Bragg, were still in the vicinity, so the Fiftieth took up the line of march with the balance of the army, and I want to tell the readers of this little story it was no picnic excursion marching over those hot. dusty roads after Bragg's army. That fall there had been a drought, and water was very hard to get, but dust was plentiful. This
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made it extremely hard on the men, especially new troops who were not used to marching. We all started out with well-filled knapsacks, but we did not get far before we trimmed ourselves down to light marching order ; extra clothing was tossed aside to be gathered by the citizens or teamsters, for be it understood, we, had all drawn our full quota of clothing; everyone of us had drawn an overcoat, something we had no need of that time of the year. Blistered feet were plentiful, and water being so hard to get, there was considerable suffering among the boys. I drank water on this march that the hogs had wallowed in; perhaps this sounds a little fishy or hoggish to some of you readers, but never- theless, I will vouch for it being true. If you think this incident tough, let me give you another.
It was said that some of the boys got water out of a pond one dark night and used it at supper for to make their coffee, and to quench their thirst also. What was their disgust next morning to find a dead mule or two in the pond. I will not vouch for the truth of this, because it is a little too mulish, but I have no doubt it was true. I imagine that coffee had a rich flavor.
But with all the unpleasantness of this short campaign, the boys tried to be cheerful, and would sing their little songs, and get off their little jokes on one another, and woe be to the one they got their jokes on; he better take it in good part, for if he got angry over it, he was not apt to hear the last of it for many a day. In a crowd of men and boys such as we were, there is always something more or less funny coming to the front to cause the laugh to go round, and so it was with us as we tramped along the dusty Kentucky roads leading to Perryville.
We had in Company "K," at that time, an old German com- rade by the name of Bearman, a kind-hearted, generous old soul, who would willingly divide his last hardtack with a hungry com- rade. He had seen hard service in his own country, but for some cause, he did not take kindly to our volunteer service, and found a great deal of fault with it. He was a short, heavy-set man, and carried a rather heavy knapsack; waddling along through the dust one day, comrade Bearman by some mischance, goť tangled up and fell on his back, his knapsack under him. fitted in a slight depression in the road made it a little difficult for him to get up in a hurry, and as we looked at him there on his back, his hands and feet fanning the air, he was such a comical sight. We greeted him with roars of laughter, and yelled at him to grab
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SERVING UNCLE SAM
a root. Of course, this made him very angry, and when he finally got straightened up on his feet, he exclaimed passionately: "The longer a man lives, the more he finds by Sheious Christ out ;" he was greeted by another roar of laughter from the boys, and for a short time, blistered feet and choking dust was forgotten, and whenever the boys would think how Bearman looked lying there in the dust, the laughter would burst out afresh; in fact, it was hard to forget the comical figure he cut while he was down; he re- minded me very much of one of those large pinching bugs that we often see lying helpless on their backs in the dusty road. It was wrong perhaps to laugh at the old man, but in such cases the boys had no mercy on young or old, and poor Bearman was not suffered to forget this little mishap as long as he remained with us, but the service proved a little strenuous for such as he, and not long after this, he was given an honorable discharge, and sent home. The kindhearted old soul had taken a great liking to me, and gave me a very pressing invitation to come and see him after I got out of the service, promising me all the wine I could drink, as he said he had plenty of it in his cellar at home ,but I failed to pay him that visit, so missed getting the wine.
It was such amusing little incidents as this that kept the boys in good humor and spirits, and made them forget for the time being the hardships of the march.
Another thing that I noticed that always revived the drooping spirits of the boys, no matter how weary, footsore and thirsty they were, was for the band to strike up a spirited march, and the color bearer unfurl Old Glory to the breeze. Instantly the boys would straighten up their heads, grasp their muskets more firmly, step off more briskly, keeping perfect time to the tap of the drum, and even their faces would lighten up with pleasure. The sight of the old flag waving her graceful foids o'er their heads, and the lively music of the band, seemed to put new energy and new life in them, and some one perhaps more enthusiastic than the others would take off his cap, and swinging it in the air, would raise a cheer in which one by one the others would join till per- haps the whole regiment would be cheering. Other times some one of the boys would strike up that grand old song that we all loved so well: "Rally round the flag boys."
Comrade after comrade, and company after company would join in till hills and valleys would ring with the heart stirring choruses of the Union forever. "Hurrah, boys, hurrah! Down
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IN THE FIFTIETH OHIO
with the traitors, and up with the stars. Yes, we'll rally round the flag boys, rally once again, shouting the battle cry of free- dom."
Such scenes and incidents as these were restful to the poor tired boys. It may seem strange to the reader who has never been a soldier, nevertheless, it is true, that whenever an old vet- eran catches sight of the old flag as she is unfurled to the breeze, and the sun begins to lighten up her beautiful colors of red, white and blue, that his pulse will beat faster, and his heart will begin to warm up, and he feels like he must shout, or that lump that is rising in his throat will choke him. Ah, yes! and I have seen them shed tears over it, and no wonder, for it represents all that is near and dear to them; take it away, and you take away their country, their home, aye their very life. Is it any wonder then that they love it? "Long may it wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave." But let me get back, for I am digressing.
My memory does not serve me well enough to tell just how long it took us to march from Louisville to Perryville, but this much I do remember, it was very trying on new recruits. Both armies passing through the same section of country kept the wells and springs drained so dry it was almost impossible to get pure water, and some of the citizens, in fact, the majority of them had hid their well buckets and ropes, and we had nothing to draw with when we did reach a well where there was water. To make matters worse, our officers were very strict with the Fiftieth boys; they did not want us to leave the ranks to get water even when there was water to be got. They said they wanted no strag- gling. I suppose they were afraid the enemy would capture us.
I remember one night we camped not far from a little town, named Taylorsville, and it misted rain all night, and we had no tents, as this was before the pup tent came in style, at least with us. Laying out in the open air, our wool blankets absorbed all the rain that fell on them, and in the morning, they appeared to us as heavy as lead, and we were given no time to dry them, but were ordered to fall into line early, ready to resume the march, so the most of us left our blankets lay where they were, not know- ing how far we would have to go that day, but the teamsters gathered them up, and put them in their wagons. We did not march more than two or three miles, and I think we were re -.
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viewed by some General Officer ; if I knew who it was then, I have forgotten now.
We were marched up to the top of a high hill, overlooking the little town of Taylorsville, and camped there that day. The teamsters brought the blankets into camp, and spread them out to dry. I kept my eye on them, and as soon as they were dry enough, I took charge of one and rolled it up. That was the last blanket that I deliberately threw away, and had I known that we had such a short distance to march, I would have managed to carry it if it was water soaked, but as it turned out, I came out all right in the finish.
The reader will bear in mind that I am not trying to follow the movements of any other troops in this little story, except the Fiftieth Ohio, and only a mere sketch of them; in fact, it is more my own experience that I am trying to tell than anything else. True, I may weave into the story other comrades and other reg- iments, but in the main, I shall stick close to the Fiftieth, and es- pecially Company "K" and myself.
Leaving Taylorsville, we again forged ahead on the road to- wards Perryville. On the evening of the 7th of October, 1862, the Fiftieth was late getting into camp, and the German element in Company "K" entertained us as we wearily marched along, with some of their choice German songs. After they grew tired, they were followed by a choir of American boys from Cincinnati. They sang us a little ditty about some little dog named Binggo. The song was said to contain one hundred verses,, but they simply repeated the same verse over and over until I began. to think they would never run down, but about that time we filed off the road into camp, so that ended the concert for that evening, and before the next evening, we were to listen to another concert, quite dif- ferent from this. It was by a full band, and was both instrumental and vocal with a deal of whistling in it.
Filing into camp, we stacked arms, unslung knapsacks, built fires, made coffee and after partaking of a hearty supper, of coffee, hardtack and bacon, we lay down, and rolling up in our blankets, our minds were soon revealing in the pleasant land of dreams.
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CHAPTER IV.
Battle of Perryville-How it Feels to be Under Fire the First Time-Retreat of Bragg's Army.
The morning of the 8th of October was ushered in by the drummer boys beating the drums in the Union Camps; Bob Crandle doing his part by waking the Fiftieth Ohio boys from their pleasant sleep, and soon the delightful fragrance of boiling coffee and frying bacon permeated the fresh morning air. Hastily dispatching our breakfast, we were ordered into ranks, little dream- ing that we were to run up against the business end of the "John- nies" before nightfall.
Company "K" took her place in line, and once more the Fiftieth Ohio swung out into the dusty road with her flag proudly floating in the morning breeze, the boys stepping off with light hearts to the music of the band. The marching was not so hard on us now, as we were becoming more accustomed to it.
We were not long on the road till we began to hear the boom of cannon, or as some of the boys laughingly expressed it: "The bull dogs were beginning to bark." Presently we came in sight of the Signal Corps, busy at work, sending their messages to different parts of the field ; batteries were hurrying past us, and we could see them as they went into battery on the nearby hills. Shells and solid shot began to drop uncomfortable near us, minnie balls would strike the ground with a dull thud near us, or go singing over our heads like bees on the wing. We were ordered to un- sling knapsacks, and place them in a pile, and get ready for busi- ness. Again we move forward, and take our place in line of battle behind the Eightieth Indiana Regiment, who were support- ing a battery, and are heavily engaged with the enemy. We are ordered to lie down in supporting distance, but the Indianians held their ground, and did not need our help though the Rebs made it hot for them.
I believe their loss was quite heavy. They were on higher ground than we were, and on the firing line. While we were in · no great danger where we lay, yet I believe it was more trying on the nerves than being up in front, for the reason that we could do nothing where we were but lay and listened to the music, which appeared to be by the full band out in front, while the Indianians had a chance to get back at them, which I think was great satis-
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SERVING UNCLE SAM
faction to them, at least, they seemed to take a lively interest in it.
I do not know how the other boys felt while we were lying there with the shot and shell and musket balls singing and whistling o'er us, but I know I began to think we were up against the real thing this time, and no mistake. No Fort Mitchell or Camp King foolishness about this, and though there was a big dust arising out in front, it was not caused by a drove of government mules, but by real live "Johnnie Rebs," very much alive too, from the way they sent their leaden and iron messages over among us; to say it was demoralizing would be putting it very mild indeed. I felt like there might be safer places to lie down than where we were just at that time. Perhaps, had I been given my choice just then, I would have preferred being back at Louisville or Cincinnati, but a soldier is given no choice in such small matters as these, but must try to do as he is ordered to do at all times.
In looking back over that trying time now, it all seems like a dream to me, and it is impossible for me to tell from memory at this late date all that I passed through on that never-to-be-for- gotten day, and as I am now only writing from memory, if I should make mistakes or leave out some important moves that we made that day, I trust I may be excused by Comrades, who may chance to read this little narrative.
We were finally called up into line, and fell back behind a. stone fence where we lay down again. We felt a little safer now, but were not permitted to stay here long, but were again called into line, and moved off by the left flank, and took positions on the firing line, on what seemed to me to be our extreme left flank. Here the Rebels in our front made it pretty warm for us, killing and wounding several in our regiment; among the number were three or four commissioned officers; two men were severely wounded in Company "K," a comrade on my left (my left bower, I called him, was struck by a bullet on the heel of his shoe, but was not otherwise hurt.
I left my place in the ranks and advanced to an old log building out in our front, but as the bullets were singing around there pretty thick, I came back to the company again. There had been quite a number of men killed and wounded there from the way it ' looked to me, as the ground was covered with blood.
We held this place on the firing line until night, if I remember" rightly, and then were moved a short distance to the rear, where we received a fresh supply of ammunition and the roll was called"
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to see how many were missing. I think we passed the night here. I remember that all through the night I could hear the poor, wounded boys calling for water. The long dreary night came to an end at last, and we expected to be called on to renew the con- flict, but when the day dawned, it was found that the enemy had silently stolen away. We suffered for water during the battle; it was very hard to get on our side; our Chaplain took as many canteens as he could carry, and rode off somewhere, and having filled them with water, returned them to us on the firing line, thereby gaining the admiration and respect of the boys for his fearlessness and bravery under fire.
The morning after the battle, a comrade and I took a number of canteens and went two miles, I would judge, towards our right flank before we found water enough to fill them. We found a spring, but the water ran very slow, and it took quite a while to get the canteens filled ; while there, we heard the cavalry out farther on our right flank and front, having quite a lively skirmish. The cracking of the carbines reminded me of the popping of fire crackers under a barrel, only the reports were much louder. The comrade and I did not spend any more time than was necessary at the spring, for that firing was too close for us to feel safe, and we thought the last canteen was a long time filling; however, it was full at last, and we were not sorry when we got started on our return to camp. When we had covered about half the dis- tance to camp, we came on some comrades that had slaughtered a hog, and they kindly offered us a share, which we gladly ac- cepted, and we hastily laid aside our canteens, and were soon busy cooking and eating fresh meat. After satisfying our hunger, we once more gathered up our canteens and struck out for camp, and to our dismay when we reached it, we found the regiment had moved, and it was sometime before we could locate them, but at last we found them camped on a ridge, near a creek, in which there was a few pools of water, but by night they were drained so low that I caught a few small fish with my hands and cleaned them and had fish for my supper. I will say here we never got our knapsacks any more. Some of the boys went back where we left them the day after the battle and found them all cut to pieces and the contents mostly carried off or destroyed.
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