USA > Ohio > In the 50th Ohio serving Uncle Sam : memoirs of one who wore the blue > Part 4
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Captain Hendricks resigned while here, and First Lieutenant McClure was promoted to Captain. Second Lieutenant Pine was promoted to First Lieutenant, and Orderly Sergeant C. A. Van- daurson to Second Lieutenant, and John Lindsey to Orderly Ser- geant.
Some very amusing things happened while we remained in this camp, but I cannot recall many of them at this late date. Sergeant Lousey bought a bottle of brandy peaches from our sut- ler one day because he got them cheap, and he treated me to some of the brandy, and also the peaches; then he got away with what was left, which was a little more than he bargained for. Lousey was a man that was not in the habit of indulging in anything as strong as brandy peaches, so the result was Lousey got funny, and when I say "funny," that is exactly what I mean, for all that poor Lousey could do was to sit on his bunk and laugh. In the midst of his hilarity, who should step in but Captain Hen- dricks, and I think he must have been eating brandy peaches also, or something fully as strong, for the monkey shines that those two cut in that tent was equal to any circus I'ever saw. They both seemed to realize the moment they saw each other's eyes the fix they were both in, and for a half hour or more they sat there and laughed at each other ; they did no harm, but simply laughed. But finally the brandy began to die away and then Lousey got sick. He got out of his tent, and made his way to a small tree and laid down in the shade, and a sicker man I never saw. If it could have
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been possible, I think he would have thrown up the soles of his shoes. This was the last and only time that I ever knew Sergeant Lousey to put an enemy in his mouth to steal away his brains during our term of service.
The boys used to have a good deal of sport at my expense. I was the tallest man in the company, measuring six feet and three inches ; it so happened that it got to be a common thing for it to rain whenever I went on picket, so when the boys would see me start out, they would say. "Well, boys, we may look for rain today, for there goes Winters on picket, and he will be sure to stir up the clouds with his head," and whether I did disturb the clouds or not, it seemed that their predictions that it would rain most always proved true.
One day during the early days of summer, I felt something crawling up my backbone; it would stop at short intervals, long enough to take a bite or two, and then do some more crawling. My curiosity was aroused ; I slipped out in the bushes and pulled off my shirt and turning it inside out, began to scrutinize it pretty close, and what is this I have found? O misery of miseries! five or six gray backs; I had heard of the beasts, but this was my first introduction to them and I thought I was ruined for life. It was a very crestfallen boy that made his way back into camp, and to say that my nervous system was shocked is putting it mild in- deed. In a year or so after this, they became our closest com- panions, and we could not sleep sound unless we had three or four teams of them playing football and catcher on our body.
Growing tired of the monotony of camp, and wishing for a change of scene, Comrade Henry Liebrook and I, one evening after roll call, decided to call on some young ladies that lived very near one of our picket post. So after paying a visit to our sutler and fortifying the inner man with a few bottles of ginger wine, we very slyly, as we thought, stole our way out of camp, but the sequel will show that there were others as sly as we were, and stood ready to take up our trail with the cunning of a pack of fox hounds. To avoid our guards and pickets, we gave all the roads, and paths a wide berth, and pushed our way through the thickets and tangled underbrush of the virgin forest that lay between us and our destination. The owls perched in the tree- tops above our heads, gazed down in astonishment at the two boys in blue intruding upon their grounds, and with solemn voices inquired, "Who are you?". And the whippoorwills (and by the
1
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way there seemed to be hundreds of them), were making all kinds of threats to "Whip Will," but we paid no heed to these questions or threats, but pushed steadily on, and in due time arrived safe at the house where we found the ladies and also another comrade, who I suppose had grown tired of camp also, and had gotten there before us, but this did not worry me. I forthwith began to make myself agreeable to one of the young ladies, and I was succeeding to my entire satisfaction, when in stepped three other comrades, that had trailed Liebrook and me, and run us to cover. This was just a little more than we bargained for. However, some one proposed we have a game of cards. Two decks were produced and comrade John Klotter and I chose the ladies as our partners, took seats at one table and started a game of "Seven- up," while the other four comrades commenced a game of euchre on another table, and for a short time the fun in that room bordered on what might be termed fast and furious. My lady partner and I were simply having it all our own way with our op- ponents, but the euchre players got too noisy, and their loud thumps on the table with their trumps reached the ears of the officer at the picket post, and he sent over a file of men and put us all under arrest and marched us over to the reserve, where it was found that comrade Liebrook had given the guards the slip, and had dodged into the bushes and made tracks for camp. The officers, after holding us at the reserve for ten or fifteen minutes, told us to go to camp and behave ourselves, which we at once proceeded to do. I found comrade Liebrook in the tent, rolled up in his blanket. He had had his change of scene and was satisfied. This was the first, last and only time I was ever put under arrest while in the service by Uncle Sam's officers.
Later on, I was placed under arrest by a big "Johnnie" Rebel, but of that, I will tell about hereafter. I would not have the reader get the impression that I never did anything to be arrested for by no means, but there is an old saying that seems to fit in my case, and that is: "Catching before hanging always." True, I was of a quiet, reserved disposition, but there is another saying that might have been applied here in regard to myself, and that is : "Still water runs deep." But I did but very little grumbling, and was always ready for duty, whatever it might be. Still, I think, had the officers been close observers, they might have seen my face flush up very red when they gave me the cognomen of "Old honest Winters." I fear I did not always deserve to be so honored.
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Among my comrades in Company "K" was Steven D. Blizzard, a tall, raw-boned Virginian, dark complected, with black, curly hair, and whiskers slightly streaked with grey.
He was a married man, and as he could not write, he often had me to write letters for him to his wife at home, and he used to often say with a laugh, when the weather was cold and stormy, that he wished he was home with Nancy. He was a brave and fearless soldier, and under his suit of blue, beat a true and kindly heart. He was always ready to go where duty called him, and always ready and willing to help a deserving comrade out of trouble. He was a whole-souled, generous comrade, ever willing to lend a helping hand in any innocent sport among the boys, and quick to resist an insult, or to take the part of a comrade that he thought was being imposed on. No one enjoyed a good joke or story better than himself, and he seemed to have a peculiar knack of telling a story or joke to make it interesting and en- joyable.
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He used to relate a joke on himself that he enjoyed very much. We had a comrade in Company "K" that got a little home- sick, and whenever we would draw our pay, that comrade would get on a spree, and run through with all his money, trying to drown his troubles in drink. Blizzard, thinking to save some of the com- rade's money, and at the same time keep the comrade sober, bor- rowed fifteen or twenty dollars from him, with the intention, of course, to save it for the comrade, but alas! what did Blizzard do but blow the money in himself. I have heard him relate this, and laugh over it heartily many a time.
Blizzard and I were very good friends, and one day we got a pass and took a stroll out in the country. The pass was limited to so many hours, but we became so much interested in the com- pany we met, we took no note of time, and when we arrived in sight of camp, the sun was fast disappearing behind the western hills. As soon as the boys caught sight of us, they began to yell at us, and tell us we were blacklisted ; we would get no more passes. We answered them that was all right, for we knew we deserved it, as we had overstayed our pass, but in two or three days after this, as Blizzard and I came off of picket one morning, we decided to ask for another pass, not that we wanted it, or expected to get it, but merely to see what our officers had to say to us about our other pass. Blizzard said he would ask for the pass; so after
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SERVING UNCLE SAM
washing himself, he went up to company headquarters, combing his hair and whiskers.
Lieutenant Vandourson was in command of Company "K" at that time. Blizzard stepped into the tent, and greeted the Lieutenant very pleasantly, and said, "Lieutenant, will you give Winters and me a pass this morning?" Vandourson looked up with a terrible frown on his face, and answered, "I gave you and Winters a pass the other day, and you went off and never came back." Blizzard stood and looked at him a while, and said, "How in the h-1 would we be here now if we never came back?" This was too much for Vandourson; the frown disappeared from his face, and breaking out into a hearty laugh, he proceeded to write the pass.
Comrade Coleman Quinn and I were taking a walk on the railroad one day when I had the good fortune to find a beautiful silver-mounted revolver that belonged to Lieutenant Crowley. The officer gave me a two dollar bill on some Ohio bank as a reward for returning his revolver. The bill was O. K. at that time, but that was the last old Ohio money that I ever saw. Greenbacks came into circulation then, and all other money was swept out of sight.
Comrade John F. Heberlein, my left bower, and I got per- mission one day to visit the railroad tunnel a mile or so above camp. While there, we called at a citizen's house nearby, who kept whiskey, the regular old white rifle kind, warranted to kill at a hundred yards. Now whether Heberlein indulged in it more freely than I, or whether I could stand more than him, is a question I am not able to answer at this late date, but be that as it may, when we got back to the trestle, Heberlein's head was a great deal too heavy for the rest of his body to support, and his legs would get badly tangled up at times, but yet when he came to the trestle, he swore he was going to cross it. Now the said trestle was between us and camp, and was one hundred feet from the earth at the highest point, with a single plank, perhaps six inches wide running between the tracks, and it took a man with steady nerves to walk it at any time. In his condition, I knew, he would fall to his death; he was very determined, and wanted to try it, but by hard coaxing, I finally persuaded him to go down underneath, and so we reached camp by that route, Heberlein howling and yelling like a wild Indian on the war path all the while. I felt very much ashamed of my left bower at the time, and slipped into my tent out
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IN THE FIFTIETH OHIO
of sight as quickly as possible. Such little incidents as those kept us in good spirits, and I may say we were a jolly set of boys, while guarding the railroad trestles at Muldraugh's Hill.
CHAPTER VII.
Camp at Muldraugh's Hill (Continued ) Extracts from Letters Sent Home While There-A Small Rebel Raid.
Just under the hill below our camp was quite a village of Irish people living ; the men worked on the railroad ; some of the women kept whiskey to sell; among them, a Mrs. Casey. The boys that felt disposed, therefore, did not have far to go after their morning dram; if they had stopped at one dram, it would not have been so bad, but some of the boys never knew when to stop, as long as they had any money, and this caused matters to move pretty lively in camp at times, showing that the man who wrote that "Drinking is the soldier's pleasure," was not far from wrong. It is a singular fact, but there are some men who would go through fire and water for a little whiskey ; as for myself, I never loved it well enough to make much of a sacrifice to obtain it. I am very thankful that I never cultivated a taste for it.
Elizabethtown was situated about four miles from Big Run trestle, where the second batallion was camped.
Comrade John Bennett and I left camp one morning without any pass, and without asking any leave, and went to Elizabeth- town, and spent the day. We had a jolly good time, but our officers gave us a pretty good talking to for it. We had come off of picket that morning, and were excused from duty for the day, or I think they would have given us a little taste of double duty.
I here make a few extracts from letters sent home to my parents, brothers and sisters from this camp.
Under date of February 6th, I wrote :
"We are now camped on the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, 36 miles from Louisville, guarding some trestles that John Morgan burned in one of his raids through Kentucky.
"The trestles have been rebuilt and trains are making their reg- ular trips. Morgan captured the troops that were here before us, after an hour's engagement, they having no artillery, while Mor-
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gan had several pieces with him. We have now five pieces of artillery here, and are learning to manage them ourselves, for in case of an attack, we will have to handle the guns, as there are no artillery men here.
"I am in excellent health and spirits."
Writing to my brother under date of February 13th :
"I received my boots and the money you sent me, through the kindness of Mr. Vanosdol. Many thanks. Am well pleased with my boots, though they are a trifle large. I will try to fill them as you wish, but I cannot fill them with my feet. They will do me a great deal of good this spring, during the wet weather. .
"Would love to see you all, but would not be satisfied to stay at home as long as the Union is threatened, and the old flag in danger.
"Regiment after regiment are being shipped down the road to Nashville. Expect to hear of some hard fighting being done there ere long."
Writing to my sister under date of February 16th, I say :
"I was made very happy to hear from you all once more, and know you were all well, and enjoying the smiles of God's provi- dence.
"This is a fine day, the sun is shining in all its beauty and splendor ; the camp is full of merriment, for this is pay day and that makes us all happy.
"You write you heard I was the stoutest man in the regiment ; that is partially true. I am enjoying the best of health, and weigh 180 pounds, but I do not claim to be the stoutest man in the regiment. If all goes well, I might enjoy that distinction in the near future."
February 17th, to my mother, I say :
"We have received our pay, and we all have our pockets full of greenbacks.
"Dear Mother, pray for me that God may bring me safe home to join the happy family circle once more. May a Heavenly Fa- ther's choicest blessings rest on you all is the earnest prayer of your soldier son."
Under date of February 24th, write to brother that :
"There is a rumor in camp that the Rebels have entered Ken- tucky again, six thousand strong, and are marching toward this railroad in order to cut off Gen. Rosecrans' supplies. .
"We are looking for an attack here in a few days. For fear there might be truth in the rumor, we are expressing all our spare cash home. If they do attack us, we will give them the best we got in the shop."
Under date of March 12th, writing to a sister in Ohio, I state :
"We are having fine weather, and work four hours a day for- tifying our camps.
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IN THE FIFTIETH OHIO
"Think we will remain here for sometime. We have nice com- fortable camps here, and for soldiers, we are having good times.
"I suppose there is great excitement out your way on account of the draft. Well, I am glad that I volunteered, and if it is God's will that I should get home safe, I shall never regret that I came out to help defend Old Glory."
March 24th, in answer to a letter received from my parents, through the kindness of comrade Childs, I tell them how glad I am to hear that they are in good health, and enjoying the smiles of Providence.
"Pen cannot portray the joy and happiness it affords me to get a letter from those I love; from those who nursed me, fed and clothed me, watched over and protected me from harm in childhood and youth; whose prayers I know now daily ascend to a throne of grace, asking the Heavenly Father to protect the one whose chair is vacant in the family circle.
"May God bless and prosper and keep you from all the evils that are in the world, is the humble prayer of your grateful son.
"I am still in good health and getting along as well as could be expected, seeing that I am surrounded by so many alluring temp- tations incident to a soldier in camp, as we are here.
"We have our camps nearly surrounded by rifle pits and other strong works of defence. We keep out a force of pickets and if they do their duty it would seem almost impossible for an enemy to take us by surprise. However, I do not think we will ever be attacked at this point."
March 27th and 30th :
"There has been quite an excitement in camp for a few days, owing to a report that the Rebels were in Kentucky again in pretty strong force. Well, if they pay us a visit they will find us at home."
April 17th, 18th and 19th :
"All quiet at Muldraugh's Hill. We have a beautiful place for camps here; it is high and dry. We have our quarters all sided up with slabs, and use our tents for the roof ; this makes them more roomy and healthy.
"The regiment is enjoying the best of health. We are having fine weather here; the warm sun almost gives us the spring fever. I have not heard any news lately concerning the armies at Vicks- burg, and Charleston. I hope our armies will keep crowding the rebs, until the old flag shall again proudly float over every town and hamlet in Dixie. May God speed the day."
Again writing to my parents under date of May 14th and 15th, I say :
"The news is more encouraging now than it has been of late. I see by a late issue of a Cincinnati paper that General Burnside has sentenced Vallaningham for two years on the Tortugas. Well, if this be true, it is good news to us soldiers in the field, for that
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SERVING UNCLE SAM
man is doing us more harm in our rear than the Rebel army is doing us in front.
"General Burnside is the right man in the right place exactly in the right time. I learn that he has over one hundred thousand men under his command in the State of Kentucky, and I believe he is just the man to handle them.
I must tell you that I am much pleased with our field and- staff officers.
Colonel Strickland is a fine officer ; he is kind to his men, and although he is a small man, he is full of grit, and if I don't miss my guess, if he gets the chance, will come home with the stars on his shoulders.
Lieutenant Colonel Cook was a good officer, but he has left us. George R. Elsner is our Lieutenant Colonel now, and he is a fine looking officer ; kind to the men ; will make his mark if he remains in the service, but is useless for me to mention the officers per- sonally ; take them as a whole, the officers of the regiment with but few exceptions are first-class, and will compare very favorable with any other regimental officers in the service.
"Lieutenant Moore took a non-commissioned officer and three privates and going out into the country, arrested and brought into camp three prisoners and five or six muskets. This morning, it is said that one of the prisoners shot at some of our men the other day. I do not know what disposition will be made of them, but suppose if they are found guilty, they will be sent to prison.
"Do not worry about me. I am in the best of health and spirits. I am going to try and get a pass or furlough in a few days, and take a run home, and see you all, but as I have said before, do not look for me until you see me coming. In the meantime, trust in God, and hope for the best.
"Courage, Mother, I am going, freedom's cause I must defend, And if I in battle perish, trust in Heaven unto the end.
Freedom calls, and shall I falter? Or refuse to lend a hand. No, as long as life endureth, I will fight for Freedom's land. Courage, Father. I am going, Freedom's flag to save,
When I'm gone, refrain from weeping,
There's an arm to shield the brave."
May 25th :
"Feel very much disappointed. My company officers made me out a furlough, and I went to Colonel Strickland to get his signature to it and he refused to sign it at present, giving as his reason that there were too many of the boys away at this time. Later on he said, when some of them had returned, my furlough should be granted, so I will try to be patient. The old saying is : "That all things come to them that wait."
This is a beautiful day; the sun is shining in all her splendor, making the shade of the woods delightful and cool. The early flowers are bursting into bloom, and the birds, as they dart among the leafy branches of the trees, are singing their sweetest songs.
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IN THE FIFTIETH OHIO
On such a day as this, if it was not for cruel war and other wick- edness that is being carried on in the world, the whole human family could be happy. Our hearts would be filled with peace and joy, and the sunshine would be brighter, the grass would be greener, the shade of the trees would be cooler, the songs of the birds would be sweeter, and the perfume of the flowers more fragrant.
"Oh, when will the day come when men will cease their wick- edness ; when will they cease warring with each other, and learn to live in peace. Here is a copy of the furlough that I failed to get home on :
" 'TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN :
" 'The bearer hereof, Erastus Winters, a Corporal of Captain Leonard A. Hendricks, Jr., "K" Company, Fiftieth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, age 19 years; 6 feet 3 inches high ; light complexion; blue eyes; sandy hair, and by profession a farmer. born in the County of Hamilton, State of Ohio, and enlisted at Camp Dennison, in the County of Hamilton, State of Ohio, on the 22nd day of August, 1862, to serve for the period of three years, is hereby permitted to go to Ludlow, in the County of Kenton, State of Kentucky, he having received a furlough from the 18th day of May, 1863, to the 2nd day of June, 1863, at which period he will rejoin his company or regiment at Sulphur Fork trestle, near Elizabethtown, L. & N. Railroad, Kentucky, or wherever it then may be, or be considered a deserter.
" 'Subsistence has been furnished the said Erastus Winters to the 2nd day of June, and pay to the 28th day of February, 1863, both inclusive.
" 'Given under my hand at Sulphur Fork trestle near Elizabeth- town, L. & N. Railroad, Ky., the 18th day of May, 1863.
" 'Leonard A. Hendricks, Jr., Captain Company "K," Fiftieth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry.'"
June 14th :
"Well, I suppose you have been looking for me home the last few days pretty strongly, but I must tell you there has been too much excitement here for a few days to think of leaving here on a furlough.
"There had been a band of the enemy's hovering around here for a few days, and yesterday morning, as the freight train arrived at Elizabethtown, the band made a dash into town, and captured ten carloads of horses and broke open a safe that contained quite a large sum of money. While they were busy unloading their captured property, some one reported to them that the whole Fiftieth Ohio Regiment was coming and they pulled up stakes and left. Two or three companies of the regiment did go up, but, of course, the Rebels were up and gone by the time they got there. No use of infantry trying to catch cavalry."
June 24th :
"Quiet once more reigns in the camp on Muldraugh's Hitt, and
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things move along as they did before without a ripple to disturb the smooth surface.
"Captain Hendricks has resigned and gone home. McClure will now come in as Captain, and Pinc as First Lieutenant, and Vandueson as Second Lieutenant. I have given up the furlough business for the present time. .
"A rumor in camp that John Morgan has invaded Kentucky once more."
"One of the most enjoyable features of a soldier's life is re- ceiving letters frm the loved ones at home, and from friends and sweethearts. To the married men, it was indeed a feast of good things to get a letter from their wives, telling all the news of home; how things were prospering in their absence; how fast little Willie was growing ; and how many teeth the baby had, and how the poor lonely wife breathed a prayer of hope that the cruel war would soon close; that they might welcome the husband and father home once more to their arms. Ah, yes! how eagerly those men would grasp their letters and steal away from the noisy crowd, that they might read them in secret, for those letters were sacred to them alone. They wished to be alone with God, when they read them, for they were the golden links that bound them to the loving ones at home. Then there were the letters from parents, brothers and sisters; how we did enjoy reading them; how they did brighten our lives, driving away the gloomy shadows, and letting in the bright sunshine, and last though not least, were the letters we youngsters received from the girls we left behind us.
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