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REMINISCENCES 
 
 OF 
 
 The Civil War 
 
 Compiled from the War Correspondence of 
 
 COLONEL WILLIAM P. LYON 
 
 and from personal letters and diary 
 By 
 
 MRS. ADELIA C. LYON 
 
 Published by 
 
 WILLIAM P. LYON. JR. 
 
 1907 
 
E. 
 
 •Un 
 
 ri:?,«~ftRY of COf«RESs| 
 \m Cootes Ktealvad "^ 
 
 AUG 18 iy07 
 CepyneM Entry , 
 
 CLASS A >^5^C., No. 
 
 COPY b. 
 
 COPYRIGHTEn, 1907, BY 
 ADELIA C. LYON 
 
 PRESS OF MUIRSON & WRIGHT 
 SAN JOSE. CALIFORNIA 
 
DEDICATION 
 
 ALL the brave boys of the Thirteenth 
 Regiment of Wisconsin Volunteers, and 
 of Company K of the Eagle Regiment, 
 who consecrated their lives with patri- 
 otic devotion to the cause of their 
 country, this record of some of their 
 labors, perils and sacrifices for the pres- 
 ervation of the Union, is dedicated with 
 tender affection and gratitude by one 
 who witnessed their heroic fidelity to 
 duty and who was the grateful recipient of many 
 thoughtful acts of kindness on their part when, for many 
 months, she shared with them the privations and vicissi- 
 tudes of army life endured by soldiers in active service. 
 
INTRODUCTORY 
 
 ir~^ ir~3ERE this publication intended to add an- 
 
 J V^^^^V/ J^ other volume to the long and ever in- 
 J^, Afe .411 creasing list of books relating to our 
 civil war of 1861-65, and the actors 
 therein, written for general circulation, 
 some reasonable cause therefor would 
 justly be due a patient public. But such is not the pur- 
 pose and intent of the publication. 
 
 My husband served as an officer in the Union army 
 during the war. The first year he commanded Com- 
 pany K of the 8th Eegiment, and the three years fol- 
 lowing he commanded the 13th Regiment, both of the 
 Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, and was in active ser- 
 vice in the field during the whole time. The matter 
 contained in this publication is taken mostly from his 
 letters to me written while he was doing duty in the 
 South. 
 
 It was my good fortune to be permitted to visit my 
 husband several times during the war, remaining with 
 him and his command several months at a time in Ten- 
 nessee and Alabama, and for a less time in Missouri. I 
 was thus with the army in those states about a year and 
 a half in all. 
 
 I have compiled in this volume some of my own let- 
 ters to relatives and friends written while with the 
 army, and others written by my husband to the same 
 parties; also certain entries in my diary made during 
 such visits. 
 
 Nearly all the letters which furnish material for the 
 following pages were written in camp or on the march, in 
 the hurry and tumult of active military service in the 
 field, under numerous adverse conditions inseparable 
 from such service, and without a thought that their 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 contents would ever be given to the public. Many of 
 the statements therein were necessarily made upon re- 
 ports, the accuracy of which there was no opportunity 
 to verify; and some of the opinions therein expressed 
 may have been the result of imperfect knowledge o* 
 the situation. It is too late now to attempt their cor- 
 rection or to verify their accuracy. Hence such state- 
 ments, when not verified by the writer's personal 
 knowledge, and such opinions, must be taken subject to 
 all infirmities in the evidence upon which they were 
 made or formed. 
 
 My purpose is to present a copy of this publication 
 to each surviving comrade of my husband who served 
 with him in the war as a member of either of his im- 
 mediate commands, who desires to have it. This pur- 
 pose will be executed not because the volume has much 
 intrinsic value, but in grateful recognition of the life- 
 long affection those veteran comrades have constantly 
 manifested for their old commander ; and for their un- 
 ceasing kindness to me and solicitude for my personal 
 welfare and comfort when I was with them in the field 
 of service— a witness of their patriotism, courage and 
 fidelity to duty. I trust that this little souvenir will be 
 accepted by them as an evidence that all of their kind- 
 ness to us is appreciated and their affection tenderly 
 reciprocated. 
 
 I have only to add that this publication has been 
 made possible only by the valuable aid given me by our 
 daughter, Mrs. J. O. Hayes (Clara Lyon), of Eden Vale, 
 California, who has done much of the editorial work 
 required in its preparation. 
 
 Pursuant to a suggestion made by her, some public 
 addresses delivered by her father several years ago are 
 inserted herein as an appendix. 
 
 Adelia C. Lyon. 
 
COLONEL WILLIAM P. LYON 
 
 Racine, IVisconsin, 1863 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 OF THE 
 
 CIVIL WAR 
 
 The Experiences of 
 William P. Lyon and Wife 
 
 S SOON as the news of the battle and 
 disaster at Bull Run was received a pub- 
 lic war meeting of the citizens of Racine, 
 Wisconsin, was held, which was largely 
 attended. The company previously 
 raised at Racine was in the battle and 
 had been seriously crippled by the loss 
 of many of its men. At this meeting a fund was sub- 
 scribed to aid in the fitting out of additional troops. 
 Resolutions were adopted, one of which was that it was 
 the duty of the city of Racine to furnish another com- 
 pany of volunteers. Mr. McMynn, Mr. Bartlett and Mr. 
 Lyon were appointed a committee to receive enlistments 
 and form a company. The three headed the roll Avith 
 their own names, which were soon followed by many 
 others. 
 
 An effort was also being made to form a company 
 in Walworth county. Those who had enlisted there, 
 hearing of the effort to raise a new company in Racine 
 county, came to Racine and joined the local company, 
 and the quota was thus speedily filled. Mr. Lyon was 
 elected Captain of the Company, Hon. Albert E. Smith, 
 of Delavan, First Lieutenant, and Mr. J. O. Bartlett, 
 Second Lieutenant. In the meantime Mr. McMynn had 
 
KEMINISOENCES 
 
 accepted a commission as Major of the 10th Wisconsin, 
 of which regiment he afterwards became Colonel. 
 
 The company thus recruited and organized tendered 
 its services to the Governor and was accepted; its of- 
 ficers thus elected were commissioned as such, and the 
 company was ordered to proceed to Camp Randall at 
 Madison to join the 8th Regiment of Wisconsin Volun- 
 teer Infantry, then in process of organization at that 
 place, of which it was to be a part. The company im- 
 mediately proceeded to Madison and was mustered into 
 the service of the United States as Company "K" of that 
 regiment. 
 
 After remaining a few weeks at Camp Randall 
 under instruction in military tactics, the regiment was 
 ordered to St. Louis. Its movements and services 
 thereafter while Captain Lyon remained a member of it 
 are detailed in the following pages : 
 
 CAPTAIN LYON TO THE RACINE ADVOCATE. 
 
 "Camp of Instruction, Benton Barracks, 
 
 St. Louis, Mo., Oct. 15, 1861. 
 
 "Messrs. Editors: On Saturday evening last our 
 regiment struck tents at Camp Randall and started for 
 the seat of war. We reached Chicago at 4 o'clock p. m. ; 
 left there at about 8 o'clock p. m. ; arrived at Illinois 
 Town, opposite St. Louis, at 8 o'clock Sunday evening, 
 and the next morning crossed the river; marched some 
 four or five miles through the city in a northwest direc- 
 tion, and arrived at this camp a little before noon. 
 
 "Our journey here was a very pleasant one. The 
 weather was fine, and we were greeted by people along 
 the whole route, and especially for the last one hundred 
 miles of it and in this city, with much enthusiasm. We 
 had what the newspapers call 'a brilliant reception,' in 
 Chicago. It consisted mainly in being stared at by a 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 
 
 large number of people, some few of whom cheered us 
 as we marched through the city. 
 
 "Siinday was a balmy, beautiful day — very beau- 
 tiful — and we traversed all day long a magnificent 
 country, and as we gazed upon it and remembered that 
 Illinois has sent, and is sending forth, 50,000 of her 
 sons to do battle in the sacred cause of Liberty and 
 Good Government, we felt that we were in a glorious 
 state — in a state which, when the history of these times 
 is written, will figure conspicuously and honorably 
 upon its pages. 
 
 "This camp is pleasantly located on high, level 
 ground, embracing se\'eral hundred acres, including the 
 grounds of the Missouri State Agricultural Society, in 
 the west part of the city, and, I am told, also including 
 within its limits the celebrated Camp Jackson, where 
 Lyon and Blair captured Claib. Jackson's rebel state 
 troops last spring. 
 
 ''Yesterday was a very warm day, as warm, I think, 
 as the last 4th of July in Racine, and the men suffered 
 much on the march to camp, burdened as they were 
 with their overcoats, canteens, haversacks, knapsacks 
 and guns ; but they stood it very well, and last evening 
 many of them were dancing in their quarters so briskly 
 that a bystander would scarcely believe that they had 
 on the same day performed a fatiguing march of several 
 miles through the heated, dusty streets of a city, and 
 that, too, at the end of a journey of 400 miles. The mem- 
 bers of our company are all well, or nearly so. At least 
 we have none in the hospital, and no case of serious ill- 
 ness. 
 
 "11 a. m. — We have just received orders to take five 
 days' rations and 20 ball cartridges, and to leave here 
 at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning. The right wing of the 
 regiment goes at 4 o'clock this afternoon. Where our 
 destination is, and what we have to do when we get 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 there, we know nothing about; but you will hear from 
 us again. The men are delighted with the prospect of 
 immediate service, which they testify by loud shouts and 
 cheers. Busy preparations for departure are going on 
 throughout the regiment, and I must bring this hastily 
 written communication to a close. 
 
 Wm. p. Lyon." 
 
 LETTERS PROM OAPT. LYON TO MRS. LYON. 
 
 "De Soto— October 17, 1861. 
 
 "We are forty miles from St. Louis, southwest, and 
 just leaving for Pilot Knob, forty- two miles farther 
 southwest. We are in 'Secessia.' Last night we slept on 
 the ground with our arms by us. We had the whole regi- 
 ment in line three times during the night, by reason of 
 alarms. By reason of this practice we could form the 
 line in three minutes. A bridge on a railroad we traveled 
 on was burned on Monday by the rebels, and they had a 
 little fight there with a small guard from the 11th Wis- 
 consin, one killed on our side. I do not believe the enemy 
 are near us in force. Where we go there will be four or 
 five thousand troops when we get there." 
 
 "Pilot Knob, Saturday, Oct. 19, 1861.— We arrived 
 here on Thursday afternoon. This place is ninety miles 
 soutlyvest of St. Louis. Ironton is only two miles from 
 here. The country is rough, wild and mountainous. Pilot 
 Knob is a conical hill, rising some eight hundred feet 
 above us. There are also extensive lead mines in the 
 vicinity. I wrote you at De Soto, forty miles from here. 
 We came on to where the bridge across Big River was 
 burned, and my company and another were sent on here 
 in advance of the rest of the regiment. Col. Murphy, 
 who was with us, had a telegram from here saying the 
 
OF THE CIVIL AVAR 
 
 rebels were advancing on this place. We hurried up, 
 the train running with frightful velocity, and when we 
 got here the inhabitants were running from the place to 
 the hills and everybody said a battle was being fought 
 three or four miles out. We expected to be sent right 
 on. It was concluded, however, that we should wait for 
 the balance of the regiment, which had been sent for in 
 great haste. Before they arrived we learned the facts 
 about the fight. It was a mere skirmish, some twenty 
 miles from here, between three hundred Indiana cavalry 
 stationed here and a detachment of cavalry from the 
 rebel army. Five or six men wounded on our side, none 
 killed. Several reported killed on the other side. 
 
 "There are about four thousand troops here. The 
 men are all anxious to fight. It is impossible to foretell 
 our future movements. Do not be disturbed by any 
 newspaper reports about us. One of the St. Louis papers 
 yesterday puts us in a battle here and has us badly cut 
 up. That is a fair specimen of their accuracy. I was in 
 more danger on the cars Thursday than I shall be in any 
 battle. When I see the misery and suffering which 1 see 
 this war causes here, I thank God that you are all in 
 peaceful homes and that the trials and perils of the con- 
 test, so far as you are concerned, can be borne by me 
 alone." 
 
 "Pilot Knob, Mo., Oct. 25, 1861.— Were ordered to 
 Frederickstown (25 miles southeast of here). Marched 
 all night through a mountainous country. We were 
 after Jeff Thompson, who had a large force. Our force 
 was nearly 5,000 strong. When we got there we found 
 that Jeff had left the day before and gone south. We 
 were joined here by 1,500 Illinois troops from Cape Gir- 
 ardeau. Our regiment was on the left flank, the second 
 post of honor, so on the march would, of course, be in 
 the rear. The head of the column met the rebels about 
 three-quarters of a mile from town, and just as our regi- 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 ment was starting. The rebels had gone on ten miles 
 south, were reinforced and returned, and took a position 
 at that point to fight us. They were 5,000 to 7,000 strong. 
 
 "The fight opened immediately at the head of the 
 column and we started on a double quick for the battle 
 field. When about half way to the scene of action we 
 were ordered to act as a reserve. The firing continued 
 about half an hour where the battle commenced, then 
 gradually receded, showing that the rebels were retreat- 
 ing. The battle was fought mostly by artillery and cav- 
 alry, but one regiment of infantry being under fire, the 
 21st Illinois. Our forces pursued the rebels several 
 miles. The grand result of the fight is that we killed at 
 least 300 of them. Our forces found and buried 242, and 
 large numbers were carried off by them. A great many 
 were wounded and taken prisoners. Two pieces of artil- 
 lery were also taken. Our loss is eight killed and thirty- 
 three wounded. The defeat was total, breaking up their 
 army and cleaning out this whole section of the state. 
 One of their principal officers. Col. Lowe, was killed. 
 
 "We moved south 10 miles on Tuesday, but we as- 
 certained that there was nolBody in this section to fight 
 us, so on \^^ednesday we returned to Frederickstown, and 
 yesterday returned here. We have slept in tents but two 
 nights since we left St. Louis, yet I never slept better in 
 my life than I have some of these nights in the open air. 
 The days are hot and the nights are cold, yet we do not 
 take cold. 
 
 "Our regiment is No. 1. The men started for the 
 battle with the utmost enthusiasm and were terribly dis- 
 appointed when they found the rebels were retreating 
 without giving us a chance at them. Our position was 
 such that had the force first engaged met a reverse, we 
 should have had the brunt of the fight. The rebels were 
 poorly armed, which accounts for the great difference 
 of loss on our side and theirs. We found a great manv 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAK 
 
 bodies on our march on Tuesday, one badly eaten by 
 bogs. Another was shot just as he was getting over a 
 fence, and his body was stiffened in that condition. We 
 buried them. 
 
 "Our march was through a rugged country, hilly, 
 rocky, and almost mountainous. We have returned here, 
 but don't know how long we shall stay. Our men are 
 footsore, but otherwise well. Today received your first 
 letter. Was overjoyed to get it. 
 
 "You ask me how I felt when going into battle. It 
 is hard to analyze my feelings. I did not forget the dan- 
 ger to myself, but I was cool and self-possessed. The pre- 
 dominant thought was that probably many of the brave 
 men who followed me would never return, and I won- 
 dered — if I came out alive — over which of them the scald- 
 ing tears would fall ere the sun should set. The roar of 
 artillery, the rattling of musketry, and the sight of 
 wounded and dead men was very solemn. It was neces- 
 sary, however, and I take my full share of responsibility ; 
 although, of course, none fell by my hand." 
 
 "Nov. 5, 1861. — We are ordered to march to Green- 
 ville. I think there will be no fighting — just to show the 
 Secesh that we are about. I expect that we shall be gone 
 10 or 12 days." 
 
 CAPTAIN LYON TO RACINE ADVOCATE. 
 
 "Greenville, Wayne Co., Mo. 
 
 Tuesday, Nov. 12, 1861. 
 "Editor Advocate : By looking at the map you will 
 see that this place is about 40 miles south of Pilot Knob, 
 and nearly west of Cairo. In company with a detach- 
 ment of some 300 of Col. Baker's 1st Indiana Cavalry, a 
 battery of artillery from Col. Blair's 1st Missouri Regi- 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 ment, under command of Capt. Manter, and the 21st 
 Regiment of Illinois Volunteers, Col. Alexander, we left 
 Pilot Knob on the 5th inst. for the purpose of paying 
 our respects to a rebel force reported to have gathered 
 at Bloomfield, the county seat of Stoddard county, dis- 
 tant from this place fifty miles in a southeast direction. 
 
 "We arrived here on the 7th, and on the 8th and 9th 
 (Friday and Saturday) marched to the Indian Ford, 25 
 miles, in the northeast part of Butler county, on the St. 
 Francis river. On Sunday morning we were ordered to 
 turn back and retrace our steps, and we arrived at this 
 place again at 10 o'clock this morning, having marched 
 ninety miles in a week. It is understood that the com- 
 mander of the expedition received reliable intelligence 
 that the rebels had dispersed, which rendered it unneces- 
 sary to proceed to Bloomfield. 
 
 "On our arrival here we met the Illinois 38th, which 
 had been ordered to follow us. We expect to remain here 
 a few days and then return to Pilot Knob, from whence, 
 it is generally believed, we shall soon go to Kentucky. 
 
 "Our first two days' march was through a rugged, 
 mountainous and sterile country; the last three wa» 
 through a better country, yet we saw but few farms 
 which a Wisconsin man would consider worth cultivat- 
 ing. The surface, except in a few narrow valleys, seems 
 to be underlaid with rock and uncultivable. Timber of 
 all kinds is plentiful. 
 
 "Everything is perfectly stagnant. The dwellings 
 are the worst kind of log houses, except in the villages, 
 and you see no barns, no carriages, no farming imple- 
 ments, even, of any account. I have seen but one barn 
 worthy the name during the whole march. You may 
 travel all day here, probably, without meeting a settler 
 who can read or write. 
 
 "A resident here, a gentleman of intelligence, con- 
 versing on this subject, illustrated the ignorance of the 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 9 
 
 masses by relating to me an anecdote of a member of 
 the Legislature from this county who was asked to state 
 the population of his county. He replied, 'Coonskins 
 and peltry.' 'I do not mean the products of your county/ 
 said his interrogator, 'I want to know the census of it.' 
 'Oh, you mean the senses, do you?' replied the Honorable 
 Member, 'why, they are mostly d — d fools !' 
 
 "Greenville is the county seat of Wayne county, and 
 has been such for 35 years. It is very pleasantly situ- 
 ated on the St. Francis river, and contains buildings suf- 
 ficient for a population of about 100. In common with 
 all the villages in this county, however, it is nearly de- 
 serted. Hardee made it his headquarters for several 
 weeks in the summer, when the Union men fled ; and now 
 that we occupy the place, 'Secesh' has to do the same 
 thing. 
 
 "Most of the people, however, are passive. They are 
 for the Union now, and doubtless when the rebels were 
 here they were on the other side; and after seeing them 
 we think it is of but little consequence which side they 
 are on. 
 
 "Our troops respect the rights of property, taking 
 comparatively little without compensation. The truth of 
 history' compels me to admit, however, that a process 
 which the soldiers call 'jerking' has been indulged in to 
 a trifling extent, when we were in the neighborhood of 
 pigs and chickens, and rations were scarce. 
 
 "We are having the measles extensively in the 8tli. 
 We left three of our company at Pilot Knob just getting 
 over this disease, and have several with us who were at- 
 tacked after we left there. It is of a mild type, however. 
 Those who have this disease, or have had it, are Mack, 
 Olp, Lowe, Humphrey, McPherson, Dunham and Oster- 
 lough. Their relatives need not be uneasy about them, as 
 they are well cared for and are not dangerously sick. 
 
 "The weather is very warm and dry. At Pilot Knob, 
 
10 REMINISCENCES 
 
 which you know is amongst the mountains, the nights 
 were invariably cold ; but here in a lower region they are 
 comfortably warm. Indeed, it seems more like Septem- 
 ber than November. We pitch our tents every night and 
 sleep upon the ground, with nothing but our rubber cloth 
 under us and our blankets over us, and our sleep is sound 
 and refreshing. We eat our Pilot bread or hard tack 
 and pork with a keen relish, and we give up the comforts 
 and luxuries of our homes with much less of regret, and 
 adapt ourselves to our new mode of life much more eas- 
 ily than we supposed possible. 
 
 "I neglected to mention that our camp at Pilot Knob 
 and about 200 of our regiment are left under the com- 
 mand of Lieut. Bartlett during our absence. 
 
 "Dr. Murta takes this to Pilot Knob, where he goes 
 to make arrangements for the accommodation of our sick 
 men. The doctor labors day and night in the discharge 
 of his duties, and his services are invaluable to the regi- 
 ment. 
 
 Respectfully, 
 
 Wm. p. Lyon." 
 
 LETTERS FROM CAPT. LYON TO MRS. LYON. 
 
 "Pilot Knob, Nov. 15, 1861. — We have just returned 
 from our expedition, making a march of 135 miles in 11 
 days. We went south to Greenville, the county seat of 
 Wayne county; and then 25 miles farther southeast to 
 the St. James river, only 25 miles from the Arkansas line. 
 We have been here just four weeks, and have marched 
 16 days, and over 200 miles, in the time. 
 
 "I assure you that I have an abiding faith that I 
 shall return to you well and sound, our lives made all 
 the happier by the consciousness that I have discharged 
 my duty to my country in the hour of her peril." 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 11 
 
 "Nov. 19. — Nothing of interest today or since I 
 wrote. I celebrated the fourteenth anniversary of our 
 wedding yesterday by going dressed up all day and by 
 smoking the best cigars I could get." 
 
 EXTRACT FROM LETTER TO THE RACINE ADVOCATE. 
 
 "Pilot Knob, Mo., Nov. 21, 1861.— On the 5th inst., 
 in company with the 21st Regiment of Illinois Volun- 
 teers, the 1st Indiana Cavalry, and Capt. Manter's Bat- 
 tery of artillery, we left our camp on an expedition to 
 disperse a body of armed rebels said to have collected 
 in Bloomfleld, in Stoddard county, about 100 miles 
 southeast of this place. 
 
 "We marched through Greenville, Wayne county, to 
 the Indian Ford across the St. Francis river, in the 
 northeast part of Butler county, and about 25 miles 
 west of Bloomfield, where we learned that the rebels had 
 already been dispersed by a force from Cape Girardeau. 
 We accordingly took our our line of march for this place, 
 where we arrived on the 15th inst. 
 
 "The country through which we passed is very wild 
 and mountainous, and but thinly settled. The majority 
 of the people are very stupid, ignorant, dirty, and, of 
 course, poor. They are probably a fair specimen of the 
 ^poor whites' of the South. It was rarely that we found 
 one outside of the villages who could read and write. 
 Many of them had been made to believe that the Federal 
 troops wherever they went indulged in indiscriminate 
 rapine, violence and murder, and, of course, these de- 
 luded people were secessionists; but when they found 
 themselves kindly treated by our troops, their property 
 and all of their rights protected, they straightway be- 
 came good Union people. With the exception of a few 
 
12 REMINISCENCES 
 
 leaders, there is no inveterate hostility to the Govern- 
 ment in the minds of the inhabitants here; and when 
 they are disabused in relation to the objects of this war 
 and the purposes of the Government, they return read- 
 ily and cheerfully to their allegiance. 
 
 "We see much discussion in the papers relative to 
 the removal of Major-General Fremont, some of them 
 predicting disaster and ruin to the Union cause as the 
 result of it. It is proper for me to say that, so far as I 
 can judge (and I have some opportunities to learn the 
 feeling of the army in Missouri on that subject) the army 
 acquiesces in the action of the Government without com- 
 plaint. We believe here that the success of our cause 
 does not depend upon the rise or fall of any man or set 
 of men, but, under God, upon the justice of our cause 
 and the courage and fortitude of the hundreds of thou- 
 sands of men who are now in the field defending that 
 cause. In those we trust, and not in the genius of any 
 one man ; and we are ready to do battle under such com- 
 manders as the Administration of our own choice may 
 place over us. 
 
 "In closing this rather desultory communication, I 
 will only add that the men are in excellent spirits and in 
 good flighting trim, and their most earnest desire is that 
 they be sent where they can do their part toAvards crush- 
 ing out this rebellion. When the record of this war is 
 made up, be assured that it will be found that the 8th 
 Eegiment has done its whole duty. 
 
 Respectfully yours, 
 
 Wm. p. Lyon." 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 13 
 
 TO MRS. LYON. 
 
 "Nov. 27, 1861. — Good news. Col. Murphy is going 
 to send me home on recruiting service. I shall be with 
 you in a few days." 
 
 "Sulphur Springs, Mo., Dec. 1, 1861. — The arrange- 
 ments are not completed yet, but progressing. There is 
 every reasonable probability that I shall be detailed on 
 this service. The service is very distasteful to me. The 
 prospect of returning home atones for the irksomeness 
 of the service. I see by your letters that you are worry- 
 ing about me. Now I tell you that I am perfectly com- 
 fortable physically. I have a good boarding place, at 
 |3.00 a week. I sleep in my tent and never slept better. 
 I have a feather bed, given to me at Indian Ford by one 
 of the teamsters, who, I presume, stole it. I have plenty 
 of blankets and straw. I enjoy the company of the of- 
 ficers. I have never regretted for one moment that I en- 
 tered the service ; and had I not done so, with my present 
 views of duty I would volunteer tomorrow. The idea of 
 personal danger to me, which haunts you so much, does 
 not disturb me at all. You must be brave. You must 
 be a true woman, for remember you are a soldier's wife. 
 Let us both be willing to peril all, if necessary, in the 
 discharge of our duty." 
 
 "Sulphur Springs, Mo., Dec. 6, 1861.— I fear I shall 
 be unable to come home. General Halleck has issued 
 orders that all officers be with their regiments. See Mrs. 
 Bartlett and tell her to hold herself in readiness to come 
 here with you on two days' notice. The weather is as 
 warm as June." 
 
 "Dec. 8. — I can not come home. We want you to 
 start on Thursday. Come as soon as you can." 
 
J 4 REMINISCENCES 
 
 We started the next week on Tuesday. I had to go 
 to the military headquarters in Chicago to get our trans- 
 portation. We stayed in St. Louis all night. We ar- 
 rived in Victoria a few days before Christmas and met 
 with a warm reception. The regiment had been sent to 
 Victoria from Sulphur Springs to guard a number of 
 bridges on the Iron Mountain Railroad, after they sent 
 for us. 
 
 Mrs. Bartlett and I went out and bought chickens 
 and potatoes for a Christmas dinner for Company K. 
 The boys were very happy to be remembered. We were 
 at a pretty fair hotel and had more comforts than we 
 expected to have. Our babies were great pets. John 
 Humphrey would often come and borrow my baby and 
 take him out to the company. He told me that some of 
 the men shed tears when they kissed him. 
 
 The regiment remained at Victoria until about Jan. 
 12. Our husbands went to Sulphur Springs with us, 
 and we stayed there a couple of days. They were ordered 
 to Cairo. We left them at Sulphur Springs. The regi- 
 ment moved a few days after. The boat they were 
 going on got on a sand bar, so they went by railroad. 
 
 TO MRS. LYON. 
 
 "Cairo, Sat., Jan. 18, 1862. — We arrived here last 
 night, slept in the cars, and have this moment taken 
 possession of the barracks. Do not know when we shall 
 go. It rained, thundered and lightened all night. The 
 storms here are terrific. I never saw mud before. It is 
 sublime beyond description. The mud here is ankle 
 deep everywhere off the sidewalks, and you may judge 
 what sort of traveling it is." 
 
 "Cairo, Sun., Jan. 19, 1862. — Cairo is on a very low 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAK 15 
 
 peninsula at the junction of two rivers, and has a levee 
 all around it to protect it in high water, the surface 
 being some feet below high water mark. Cairo contains 
 about 2,000 inhabitants I think, but how they live here is 
 more than I can tell. The business of the place is all 
 done on the Ohio river, which appears nearly as large as 
 the Mississippi. 
 
 "The troops that have already left here are back of 
 Columbus somewhere, and have done no fighting yet. 
 Some of the gunboats have gone down the river and 
 there are seven here, all finished but one, and that is 
 nearly done. I can not tell you anything about what is 
 to be done; and, indeed, we know but little about what 
 i^' going on all around us. We rely upon Chicago papers 
 fcr intelligence mainly. 
 
 "Columbus is only twenty miles from here, and of 
 course is to be taken ; but when, and who is to do it, I do 
 not know. The ragged 8th expects to have a hand in it, 
 however, when the thing is to be done. The companies 
 are in barracks and in the best of spirits. Barracks 
 comfortable." 
 
 "Cairo, Wednesday p. m., Jan. 22, 1862. — The boys 
 are all in good health and spirits. The mud has dried up 
 so that it is comfortable getting about on foot. A 
 steamer that passed Sulphur Springs the next evening 
 after you left there, with a regiment, the 55th Illinois, 
 on board, has just arrived here. Wouldn't we have had 
 a nice time had we got off on a steamboat? 
 
 "We are very well situated. The boys have fixed up 
 the barracks (each company has a building by itself) 
 so that they are very comfortable. Our quarters at one 
 end are almost as good as a parlor. We have three coal 
 stoves, one in the quarters and two in the barracks, and 
 have no difficulty in keeping dry and warm. 
 
 "We are gratified with the victory at Somerset, Ky., 
 over Zollicoffer. It shows how western men fight. We 
 
16 REMINISCENCES 
 
 shall whip them every time we meet them on anything 
 like equal terms — up west here. Deserters from below 
 say that the rebels fear and dread the Northwestern 
 troops. When the grand expedition starts down the 
 Mississippi the blows will fall thick and fast and most 
 effectually on secession." 
 
 "Camp Cairo, Cairo, 111., Sunday a. m., Jan. 26, 
 1862. — The weather is fine, mud all dried up, and we 
 drill every day four hours. The health of the men is 
 good, except some diarrhoea occasioned by drinking the 
 river water. This water looks like weak coffee with milk 
 in it, it is so muddy, but it tastes very well. I do not 
 drink any of it. My drink is almost entirely coffee. I 
 keep out of the night air and take every possible care of 
 my health, and with entire success. When warm weather 
 comes there will be a good deal of ague here." 
 
 "Feb. 2, 1862. — Large numbers of troops, several 
 regiments of General McClernand's Brigade, leave here 
 today for Smithland, at the mouth of the Cumberland 
 river. It is supposed they will go on an expedition up 
 the Cumberland river. We were attached to this 
 brigade, but I now learn we are to be attached to Gen- 
 eral Paine's Brigade. He is in command at Bird's Point, 
 just across the Mississippi river, in Missouri. 
 
 "Our fear now is that the fight will come off at 
 Bowling Green before we start, and if the rebels are de- 
 feated there they may retreat from Columbus without 
 giving us battle. We really want a turn with them at 
 Columbus." 
 
 "Cairo, Sunday, Feb. 9, 1862. — Since writing to you 
 there has been a battle and victory at Fort Henry, on 
 the Tennessee river. The battle was fought on our side 
 by the gunboats, our infantry taking no part in It. We 
 are not stationed here permanently. We were only left 
 because we had not our blue uniforms.* We have them 
 
 * When the soldiers enlisted, gray uniforms were furnished by the 
 
OP THE CIVIL WAR 17 
 
 DOW. But for this we should doubtless have been at Fort 
 Henry. The boys are much disappointed. We may go 
 there yet, as regiments are constantly going up there. I 
 suppose they will have another fight in a few days on the 
 Cumberland river about fourteen miles east of Fort 
 Henry, at Fort Donelson, but we have no orders as yet. 
 
 "I have been for the last two days acting as Presi- 
 dent of a Regimental Court Martial for the trial of minor 
 offenses. There were twelve cases before us. It takes a 
 good deal of evidence in my court to convict." 
 
 "Mound City, 111., Wed. p. m., Feb. 12, 1862.— Last 
 night an order was received on dress parade that Com- 
 pany K proceed to Mound City and take charge of the 
 post. So we went on a steamer this afternoon, and here 
 we are." 
 
 "Mound City, Feb. 14, 1862. — Here we are, sepa- 
 rated from the regiment for reserve duty again. We are 
 to guard a large amount of ammunition. The hospital 
 here contains from 600 to TOO patients, with accommo- 
 dations for 1,000. Bartlett and I were all through it 
 yesterday. Saw the men that were scalded on the Essex. 
 They are an awful sight. 
 
 "We are now almost discouraged about getting into 
 the field. I hate this reserve duty." 
 
 "Feb. 16, 1862. — We are in a post of honor, and ex- 
 cept that it keeps us out of battle would be deemed very 
 desirable, but we want a hand in. I suppose that Fort 
 Donelson is taken, or will be in a day or two, and then 
 the backbone of this rebellion will be broken up west 
 here. A part of our regiment went to Paducah, I hear, 
 as a bodyguard for General Sherman, who I understand 
 has gone up there." 
 
 "Mound City, Monday noon, Feb. 17, 1862.— The 
 regiment is now all at Cairo except Company K and 
 
 state. This caused confusion because the Confederates also wore 
 gray uniforms — hence the change. 
 
18 REMINISCENCES 
 
 about 100 men who, with Col. Murphy, went yesterday 
 to Alton with the prisoners taken at Fort Henry. They 
 are having a desperate fight at Fort Donelson, on the 
 Cumberland river. General Paine came down yester- 
 day, bringing intelligence that we have already lost 
 2,000 killed and wounded, among whom are several Il- 
 linois Colonels and other officers. Several gunboats came 
 down from there last night and this morning; but, not 
 stopping here, we got no news from above. 
 
 "There has been heavy firing at Cairo within an 
 hour. At first we thought the place had been attacked 
 from Columbus, but as it ceased all at once we have con- 
 cluded that they had heard that we had taken Fort Don- 
 eJson and were firing a national salute in honor of the 
 victory. The boys chafed like chained lions when they 
 heard the firing at Columbus this morning." 
 
 "Evening. — It is true that Fort Donelson is taken, 
 and with it 10,000 to 15,000 prisoners. The backbone of 
 this rebellion is broken. Now for Columbus and home I 
 Our hearts bound as we begin to see the end of this war." 
 
 "Mound City, 111., Wed. p. m., Feb. 19, 1862.— There 
 has been nothing going on here to break the monotony 
 for a few days past except the arrival of a part of the 
 wounded from Fort Donelson. These, with those that 
 have previously been sent here, make about 400 of them 
 at this hospital. A great many of them are severely 
 wounded. They seem to be in good spirits. Surgeons 
 have flocked in from all about and tendered their serv- 
 ices. Some are prisoners. Steamer after steamer heav- 
 ily laden with prisoners has gone down the river. I 
 really begin to think that the war will be closed in a few 
 months; and that, possibly, without the 8th having a 
 fight. I tell you, when I see our wounded and maimed 
 soldiers it makes me feel as though I wanted one chance 
 at the authors of all this misery and suffering. I don't 
 believe that I have any apprehension of being hurt." 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 19 
 
 "Feb. 26, 1862. — I moved Saturday to my owti quar- 
 ters. Board with a Mrs. Reyburn, whose husband is a 
 sutler. My bed is in the parlor, and I have white sheets. 
 Everything is as neat as wax and the whole family are 
 so solicitous for my comfort it is almost embarrassing. 
 1 can tell in a day or two when you had better come. 
 
 "I can give you no idea of our future movements. It 
 is supposed that our troops are at Nashville and that 
 Tennessee has caved in. We do not think that there will 
 be any fight at Columbus or Memphis. Both places are 
 expected to surrender soon. Their terrible defeat at 
 Uonelson seems to have taken the life out of the rebels. 
 W^e have given up all idea of seeing any more fighting. 
 The buds and grass are starting and spring is here." 
 
 "March 2, 1862. — Col. Murphy sent orders for 
 Company K to be ready for marching. He is trying to 
 join an expedition down at New Madrid, which is below 
 Columbus, to cut off communication from that point 
 down the river. It looks as though they would have a 
 fight at Columbus. 
 
 "W^e hear that a large force of our troops is also 
 concentrating at Paducah, 50 miles up the Ohio, and 
 everything looks like a movement on Columbus. We 
 thought after the fall of Donelson that we should get 
 Columbus without a fight, but the indications now are 
 that the rebels will make a stand there." 
 
 "Mound City, 111., March 5, 1862. — I was down to 
 Cairo yesterday, and while there the regiment received 
 orders to march to Charlestown, a few miles west of 
 Bird's Point. Company K was not included. You are 
 glad. Columbus is evacuated, no fight there. The boys 
 are hungry for a fight." 
 
20 KEMINISCENCES 
 
 LETTER TO THE RACINE ADVOCATE. 
 
 "Mound City, 111., March 6, 1862.— I see by your 
 paper of last week (a stray copy of which has just 
 reached us) that you are under a misapprehension in 
 relation to the movement of our regiment. No part of it 
 has been at Fort Donelson. Company K was sent to this 
 place on the 12th ult. Soon afterwards, and before the 
 capture of Donelson, the right wing of the regiment 
 went up the Ohio river as far as Paducah as an escort to 
 General Paine, returning to Cairo in a day or two. Since 
 that time Col. Murphy, with Captains Kedfield and Per- 
 kins and a detachment of one hundred men from Com- 
 panies A and C, escorted the Port Henry prisoners to 
 Alton. Company E, Captain Young, has been to St. 
 Louis in charge of a large number of rebel officers, cap- 
 tured at Donelson. On Sunday, the 23d ult., a detach- 
 ment of three hundred men of the 8th, under command 
 of Col. Murphy, went down the river to Columbus, where 
 they were met by a flag of truce from the rebels, as al- 
 ready stated in the newspapers. 
 
 "These were the only movements made by the 8th 
 since we arrived at Cairo, until the 4th inst., when the 
 whole regiment, except Company K, was ordered on an 
 expedition into the country back of Bird's Point, and 
 left Cairo the same evening. We do not know the object 
 of the expedition, but suppose that it is to prevent 
 marauding parties of rebels in the neighborhood of New 
 Madrid from passing north of Bird's Point and attack- 
 ing Government transports on the river, large numbers 
 of which are constantly moving laden with troops and 
 supplies. It is expected that the regiment will return 
 to Cairo in a few days. 
 
 "I wish to refer to another matter before I close. I 
 learn from the Advocate that Lieut. Gibbons, of Water- 
 ford, has resigned and returned home, and that his neigh- 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 21 
 
 bors are indignant at his conduct, charging him with 
 cowardice. I fear that the good people of Waterford are 
 doing Lieut. Gibbons injustice. There are frequently 
 valid reasons why an officer may resign — without loss of 
 honor — and when I remember that the Lieutenant saw 
 service in Mexico, and knew precisely what he must en- 
 counter when he volunteered in the service last summer, 
 I can not believe that he is a coward. A coward may 
 accidentally get into one war, but I do not believe that 
 he would voluntarily go into a second one. Of course, 
 I know nothing of the facts, but I trust that public opin- 
 ion will not pronounce the terrible judgment of cow- 
 ardice upon Lieut. Gibbons without the most convincing 
 proofs. 
 
 Respectfully yours, 
 
 W.Ar. P. Lyon." 
 
 TO MRS. LYON. 
 
 "Mound City, Sunday, March 9, 1862. — How lucky 
 now that you did not come to me. I got orders last night 
 to join the regiment, which is 20 miles west of Bird's 
 Point. We are all packed up and expect the boat every 
 hour. I presume we shall go to New Madrid. If you 
 hear of a fight, keep cool until you have the particulars, 
 and then throw up your hat, for we shall whip them." 
 
 "Mound City, March 12, 1862.— We are still here, 
 and shall be for some days. There is a new administra- 
 tion at Cairo. General Strong has charge, General 
 Paine being in the field near New Madrid, and they do 
 not know at headquarters anything about the order re- 
 lieving us. So if you hear of a fight at New Madrid you 
 may be sure (humiliating as it is) that Company K is 
 not there." 
 
22 REMINISCENCES 
 
 ''Mound City, March 16, 1862. — We have not gone 
 yet. The 8th is at or near New Madrid, and there has 
 been some fighting down there. The situation there is 
 about this: The rebels have fortified Island No. 10 in 
 the Mississippi river, about fifteen miles above New 
 Madrid, and occupy it now. They also had a fort at or 
 near New Madrid. This fort was commanded by our 
 artillery all day last Thursday, and on that night, dur- 
 ing a severe thunderstorm we had here, they evacuated 
 it and our troops occupied it. We expect every day to 
 hear that our gunboats have cleaned out from the island, 
 as it is not a strong position. The infantry have had 
 but little to do, it being (as I always told you the bat- 
 tles along the river would be) an artillery fight. One 
 captain in the 10th Illinois was killed by the rebel pick- 
 ets on Wednesday night, through his own folly and im- 
 prudence, by going unnecessarily near the rebel lines. I 
 never shall get killed that way. When I peril my life it 
 will be where some good is to be accomplished by it. 
 We had a report here on Friday that our regiment had 
 been in and got cut up, but I do not believe it has been 
 under fire at all." 
 
 "Cairo, March 18, 1862. — They are fighting like fun 
 at Island No. 10. No infantry engaged. It is a naval 
 battle." 
 
 "Mound City, March 25, 1862. — We are ordered to 
 leave here at six this evening to join the regiment, to 
 report at Cairo. No fighting where they are." 
 
 "Sikeston, Mo., March 28, 1862.— We are put off 
 here at Sikeston to guard a railroad 26 miles west of 
 Bird's Point. This is a very pleasant place." 
 
 "March 30, 1862.— JefP Thompson and Pillow both 
 had headquarters here last winter and ravaged the coun- 
 try. The regiment is still at Mt. Pleasant doing nothing. 
 We do not expect to join it until we can go down the 
 river. Our forces are cutting a channel through from 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAK 23 
 
 above Island No, 10, about one-half mile long, which 
 leads into a bayou or slough and will give us water com- 
 munication to New Madrid without passing the island. « 
 Our business here is to take care of a section of the rail- 
 road and to help in the trans-shipment from cars to 
 wagons of supplies for the army at New Madrid." 
 
 "Sikeston, April 6, 1862. — Company K is ordered to 
 join the regiment. One of our gunboats ran past the 
 batteries to New Madrid and we hear that our troops 
 will cross the river tonight. We do not know whether 
 the 8th will be sent across or not. The fighting will 
 doubtless commence immediately. We can not possibly 
 reach them before Tuesday. Our teams left here this 
 morning for the regiment. We can not go until they 
 return and until other troops relieve us." 
 
 "Cairo, April 10, 1862. — Since the capture of Island 
 No. 10 our regiment has moved to New Madrid and I 
 have received orders to join it forthwith. I came from 
 Sikeston to make necessary arrangements for leaving. 
 We shall march from Sikeston on Saturday. Think we 
 shall get through by night. 
 
 "The fighting at No. 10 was all done by the navy 
 and artillery. The infantry had nothing to do but look 
 on. Not so at Pittsburg Landing. There on the Ten- 
 ressee a terrible battle has been fought. Our loss is very 
 heavy. The 16th Wisconsin was in the fight. I can get 
 no definite intelligence of its fate." 
 
 "April 13, 1862. — We are just starting for the regi- 
 ment, which left New Madrid last night, or will this 
 morning, to go down the river. We shall catch them the 
 first time they stop. 'Forward to Memphis' is the word. 
 We are all in capital spirits and our hearts bound with 
 exultation at the prospect of diving into the very bowels 
 of 'Secessia'." 
 
 "April 15, 1862, on board of steamer, Tiptonville, 
 Tenn. — We went to New Madrid and found the regiment 
 
24 REMINISCENCES 
 
 still there. We went on board this steamer about nine 
 o'clock, in comj)any of half a dozen steamers laden with 
 troops. We went forty-five miles, nearly to the Arkan- 
 sas line, when we met an express boat with orders from 
 General Pope to return to the first landing and tie up 
 and await orders. So we came back here, fifteen miles 
 below New Madrid." 
 
 "April 18, 1862.— We remained at Tiptonville until 
 yesterday afternoon, when we started and steamed down 
 the river until dark, and then tied up to a tree, and this 
 morning ran on down to a point said to be within ten 
 miles of Fort Pillow, 20 of Fort Randolph and 70 from 
 Memphis. There we were ordered back to New Madrid. 
 We do not know the significance of this movement, but 
 think the high water in the river prevents present opera- 
 tions against Fort Pillow. I think that when we get to 
 New Madrid we shall find nearly all of General Pope's 
 army there." 
 
 "On Steamer McClellan, New Madrid, Sat., April 
 19, 1862. — We take it for granted that we are going up 
 to help fight another great battle, and, as I firmly be- 
 lieve, achieve a great victory. If we are victorious there 
 it opens the road to Memphis, secures the opening of the 
 Mississippi with but little more fighting, and virtually 
 ends the war in the West. 
 
 "When Chase and I were making speeches at flag 
 raisings last spring, we told the ladies they must give 
 up fathers and sons, husbands, lovers and brothers to 
 their country, although it might wring the heart- 
 strings to breaking. You have made this sacrifice with 
 thousands of others. Let it be a cheerful sacrifice on 
 your part. Believe, as I do, that I shall in due time re- 
 turn safely to you and our beloved children, and con- 
 sole yourself for my absence with the thought that never 
 were men called from kindred, homes and friends, to 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 25 
 
 hardships, privations, dangers and death, in a more sac- 
 red cause, 
 
 'I am cheerful all the time, and it is the result of 
 an ever-present, undoubting conviction that I am pre- 
 cisely where I ought to be. My greatest happiness con- 
 sists in doing my duty and indulging in fond anticipa- 
 tions of the time when, the war being over, the Govern- 
 ment restored, and our work well and faithfully done, I 
 shall return to you and our sweet babes, and I will feel 
 I am in Eden. God bless you and help you to bear your 
 part of the weary burden that this war throws upon you 
 with the unfailing courage of a Spartan matron, dread- 
 ing more than his death the failing of your loved one to 
 do his duty." 
 
 "Five miles above Pittsburg Landing, Miss., April 
 22, 1862. — We are still on the boat. I started out this 
 morning to find the 16th Wisconsin, and after wading 
 five miles, part of the way in mud nearly to my knees, I 
 found it, and to my inexpressible joy found 
 Sperry [Sperry Northrup, a brother-in-law] alive 
 and well. They had a terrible fight on Sunday, the 6th, 
 being under fire from sunrise to 5 o'clock p. m., and los- 
 ing, killed, wounded and missing, at least 200 men. His 
 company went in 59 strong and came out with 28 only. 
 The roads for miles are full of troops. The trees are all 
 cut up by the shot. The woods are full of graves. Gov- 
 ernor Harvey was drowned a few miles below here Sun- 
 day night at Savannah. 
 
 "AVe also visited the 18th. It was cut up more than 
 the 16th, especially in officers. The Colonel, Major, act- 
 ing Adjutant and several captains were killed, Lieut. - 
 Colonel badly wounded. The Lieut. -Colonel of the 16th, 
 Cassius Fairchild, is badly wounded in the thigh. One 
 of the last acts Governor Harvey did was to appoint 
 Captain Gabe Bouck, Colonel, and me, Major of the 18th. 
 
26 REMINISCENCES 
 
 I do not know that I shall accept. I think I will stay 
 with Company K for awhile." 
 
 "Hamburg, Tenn., April 25, 1862. — We are en- 
 camped here with an immense and constantly increasing 
 army, camps, artillery, cavalry, and all the machinery of 
 war, for several miles up and down the river. There is 
 undoubtedly to be a great battle before long. We, Com- 
 pany K, go out a few miles this morning as part of the 
 grand guard. This is a guard along the whole front of 
 the army, about three miles in advance." 
 
 "Camp six miles west of Hamburg, Tenn., April 28, 
 1862. — We are here encamped in a beautiful wood, al- 
 most like our openings. Our lines, which are many miles 
 in extent, are being steadily and continuously advanced 
 toward Corinth. Our advance line must be within five 
 or six miles of those of the rebels. They must meet in a 
 few days." 
 
 LETTER FROM WM. P. LYON TO ISAAC LYON. 
 
 "Camp twelve miles southwest of Hamburg, in 
 Miss., May 3, 1862. — Here we are in the State of Missis- 
 sippi, only ten miles from Corinth. The whole army is 
 advancing slowly and surely upon that place, and in a 
 very few days the rebels there must either fight us or run. 
 
 "We moved six miles to this place day before yester- 
 day and expect to move on still further in a day or two. 
 The caution with which the advance is made inspires us 
 with confidence in General Halleck. There will be no 
 more surprise here. 
 
 "We have a better, if not a larger army, than the 
 rebels, and are better off for artillery than they are. I 
 think the heaviest fighting will be with the artillery. I 
 have not seen Sperry but that one time when we first 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 27 
 
 arrived. He must be three or four miles from where we 
 are. 
 
 "This is a fine country to look at, but where culti- 
 vated seems worn out. The timber is light, much like 
 our openings. On our march out here I saw corn large 
 enough to be hoed, and cherries nearly full size. Crops, 
 what little there are, look very poor. 
 
 "We see no signs of energy, enterprise, or taste 
 among the few people we encounter. The days are usu- 
 ally warm, but the nights are very cool and pleasant. 
 
 "I received news today of the death at Sikeston of 
 John H. Lowe, of Springfield. We left him there very 
 sick." 
 
 TO MRS. LYON. 
 
 "Camp eight miles from Corinth, May 5, 1862. — 
 Company K was immediately sent out three miles to- 
 ward Corinth as grand guard, or outpost picket. It 
 rained terribly all the afternoon and nearly all night, 
 and we were out in the whole of it. The next day coming 
 into camp we had to wade a slough filled with water by 
 the rain. I got in up to my neck, to the infinite amuse- 
 ment of the boys. I did not take cold and feel none the 
 worse for it. 
 
 "The rebel cavalry were in sight of our picket lines, 
 and there is skirmishing all along the lines every day. 
 The opinion is that the rebels will retreat from Corinth 
 without a fight. When we were out the other night we 
 could hear their bands and drum corps play, and also the 
 whistle of their locomotives, distinctly. There is so 
 much woods here that we can not see far ahead." 
 
28 KEMINISCENCES 
 
 LETTER TO GOVERNOR SALOMON. 
 
 "Army of the Mississippi. 
 Camp near Farmington, Miss., 
 
 May 5, 1862. 
 "Hon. Edward Salomon, 
 
 Gov. of Wisconsin. 
 "Governor : 
 
 "On my return to camp this afternoon with my com- 
 pany, from grand guard duty in the direction of Corinth, 
 I received the following telegram from the lamented 
 Governor Harvey, forwarded to me from Cairo by Gen- 
 eral Strong, and dated at Pittsburg, April ITth ult. : 
 'To Capt. Wm. P. Lyon — You are ap- 
 pointed Major of the 18th Wisconsin, and re- 
 quested to report at once to Grant. 
 
 L. P. Harvey.' 
 "I have no knowledge whether a commission has 
 been issued to me, or, indeed, whether you were apprised 
 of his intention to appoint me. Neither do I know 
 whether ycu would deem it proper to carry out such in- 
 tentions, were you cognizant of it. I have, therefore, 
 concluded (under the advice of friends) to remain in 
 command of my company until I hear from you. If 
 you send the commission I will accept it — provided the 
 vacancy in my company caused thereby be filled from the 
 company in the regular line of promotion; that is, 1st 
 Lieut. Albert E. Smith to be Capt., 2d Lieut. James O. 
 Bartlett to be 1st Lieut., and 1st Sergeant Theodore W. 
 Fellows to be 2d Lieut. They are good oflflcers, and their 
 promotion will be acceptable to the company and to the 
 officers of our regiment. It would be a gratification to 
 me to receive their commissions with mine. 
 
 "Permit me to add. Governor, that while I deeply 
 appreciate the kindness which prompted my lamented 
 friend. Governor Harvey, to select me as the Major of the 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 29 
 
 18th, I am not, as lie well knew, solicitous for promotion. 
 I am well satisfied with my present position, and should 
 leave my company and regiment ( with whom I have been 
 so intimately connected for the last eight months) with 
 many regrets. If, therefore, my appointment has not 
 been officially made, and there is any other person you 
 would prefer to appoint, or have already appointed, I 
 beg to assure you that your decision will not disquiet me 
 in the least. I have the honor to be 
 
 Very respectfully Your Obdt. Servt., 
 Wm. p. Lyon, 
 "Capt. Co. K, 8th Regt. Wis. Vol." 
 
 LETTER TO GENERAL GRANT. 
 
 "Army of the Mississippi. 
 "Camp near Farmington, Miss., May 5, 1862. 
 "Maj. -General U. S. Grant, 
 
 "Comdg. Army of the Tennessee. 
 
 "General: I have the honor to report that I 
 have this day received the following telegram, dated 
 Pittsburg, April 17th ult., which was forwarded to me 
 from Cairo by General Strong : 
 
 'To Capt. Wm. P. Lyon — You are ap- 
 pointed Major of the 18th Wis. and requested to 
 report at once to Gen. Grant. L. P. Harvey.' 
 "In consequence of the untimely death of Governor 
 Harvey, so soon after he sent the above dispatch, I am 
 led to believe that my appointment was not officially 
 made, and that therefore his successor can appoint some 
 other person if he chooses. Indeed, I am not informed 
 whether Governor Salomon is aware of the intention of 
 Governor Harvey in the premises. I have, therefore, 
 written Governor Salomon informing him of the receipt 
 
30 REMINISCENCES 
 
 of the telegram and requesting him to notify me of his 
 
 determination. Should I receive a commission, I will 
 
 report to you in person at the earliest possible day. I am 
 
 Very respectfully Your Obdt. Servt,, 
 
 Wm. p. Lyon, 
 "Capt. Co. K., 8th Regt. Wis. Vol." 
 
 WRITTEN FOR THE RACINE ADVOCATE. 
 
 The Battle of Farmington. 
 
 "Camp of 2d Division, Army of the Mississippi, near 
 
 Farmington. 
 
 May 10, 1862. 
 
 "The Grand Army of the West is slowly but surely 
 advancing on the enemy. The final act in the great 
 drama can not be much longer delayed. 
 
 "Last Saturday General Paine's Division advanced 
 to Farmington, within about three miles of Corinth ; and 
 after some heavy skirmishing with a considerable force 
 of the enemy, drove them back and took possession of the 
 place. On Sunday, Stanley's Division (the 2d of Pope's 
 Command) moved forward to within about three miles 
 of Farmington and went into camp. Paine's Division 
 had also fallen back to this position, and encamped di- 
 rectly in front of us, leaving only a small force of cav- 
 alry to occupy the ground from which the rebels had 
 been driven. Rain fell in such quantities on Sunday 
 and on Sunday night as to render the roads almost im- 
 passable for the next two or three days. On Thursday, 
 the roads being considerably improved, these two divis- 
 ions, Stanley's and Paine's, advancing beyond Farming- 
 
 * This correspondence did not result in any change in the officers 
 of Company K. The result was very satisfactory to Captain Lyon, 
 because he much preferred to remain with his old company. 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 31 
 
 ton and. reconnoitered the ground up to within a short 
 distance of Corinth, the enemy retiring before us. There 
 was considerable skirmishing during the day, in which 
 we lost several men, but no serious engagement.* 
 
 "Farmington is a small village of about thirty or 
 forty houses, on the road from Corinth to Hamburg, 
 pleasantly situated among open fields which are 
 bounded on every side by the woods. As the position 
 was considerably in advance of the main body of our 
 army, it was deemed prudent towards night to draw off 
 our forces to their camps, which had not been moved, 
 leaving only one brigade in the rear of Farmington to 
 hold the position, or at least hold the enemy in check 
 should he attempt to advance. The brigade thus left is 
 the 2d of Stanley's Division, commanded by General 
 Plummer and composed of the 26th Illinois, 8th Wiscon- 
 sin, 47th Illinois and 11th Missouri regiments. The 
 brigade fell back to an open field surrounded by woods, 
 on the right of the Hamburg road and about a mile this 
 side of Farmington, and here remained during the night. 
 Company A of the 8th and four companies from other 
 regiments, under command of Major Jefferson of the 
 8th, w ere stationed as outposts during the night, about a 
 mile and a half or two miles in advance of the brigade. 
 
 "About daylight the next morning the enemy ad- 
 vanced through the woods beyond Farmington and at- 
 tacked our outposts. Major Jefferson, seeing that the 
 enemy were in strong force, deployed his force as skirm- 
 ishers, charging them to keep cool and retire slowly, 
 
 * The Eighth was in General Paine's Division. 
 
 General Paine was a resident of Illinois and a graduate of a 
 military academy, but had resigned from the regular army before 
 the Civil War began. He was an excellent officer; a very brave man; 
 and, although a little rough at times, a great favorite with the men 
 under his command. 
 
 A characteristic anecdote of him is that at one time a Tennessee 
 woman came to his headquarters and complained bitterly that the 
 Union soldiers had stolen all of Her chickens. The General treated 
 her kindly, blamed the soldiers for their conduct and sympathized 
 with the poor woman in her trouble; but he closed the conversation 
 by saying to her, "Madam, we are going to put down this rebellion 
 if it takes every chicken in the State of Tennessee." 
 
32 REMINISCENCES 
 
 firing as they went. He also sent an orderly to Colonel 
 Loomis of the 26th Illinois (who in the absence of Gen- 
 eral Pliimmer commanded the brigade), notifying him of 
 the approach of the enemy and asking for reinforce- 
 ments. This Colonel Loomis could not grant, as he had 
 instructions not to advance his force beyond their first 
 position. In the meantime the enemy, driving our 
 skirmishers before them, advanced into the village of 
 Parmington and planted a battery there, from which 
 the,y opened a galling fire upon the skirmishers. 
 
 "Great credit is due to Major Jefferson and to Cap- 
 tain Redfield, and the other officers and men employed 
 as skirmishers, for the coolness and courage they dis- 
 played under the enemy's fire. Retiring slowly from 
 one sheltered position to another they kept up a galling 
 fire upon the enemy, which caused them to advance with 
 great caution, so that it was more than three hours from 
 their first appearance until they became engaged with 
 our main force. 
 
 "About ten o'clock, the enemy still advancing in 
 three lines of battle, covered the open fields in front of 
 Farmington and planted another battery in the edge of 
 the woods to the right of our front, about a mile dis- 
 tant. He also soon opened another at about the same 
 distance on our left. About this time General Palmer 
 came up with four Illinois regiments and Hescock's 
 battery. 
 
 "Hescock's battery was placed about five hundred 
 yards in our advance, and two of the regiments were 
 posted a little to the rear and right of the battery, their 
 light resting on the woods and their left in front of the 
 right of our brigade. The other two regiments of Palm- 
 er's Brigade w^ere posted on an elevated position to the 
 left of the Hamburg road. Captain Hescock, who be- 
 haved with great gallantry during the engagement, hav- 
 ing got his guns in position, opened a very vigorous and 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 33 
 
 apparently very effective fire on the enemy's battery in 
 the woods on the left. 
 
 "Their guns for a time were silenced, and there was 
 a short pause in the battle. The enemy were, however, 
 steadily advancing all the time under cover of the woods 
 on our right and left, endeavoring to flank our position, 
 in which they came very near being successful. Soon 
 the rebel batteries opened with redoubled fury. Their 
 guns were evidently manned by skillful artillerists, for 
 they fired with great rapidity and fearful precision. 
 They sent shot and shell alternately into Palmer's line 
 and then into ours, and at times clear beyond into the 
 woods in our rear, along the only road by which rein- 
 forcements could come or a retreat be effected. About 
 twelve o'clock the sharp crack of musketry in our front, 
 mingling with the sullen roar of cannon, told us that 
 Palmer's men were engaged with the advancing rebel 
 infantry. This officer, seeing that his position was rap- 
 idly being flanked, after a few volleys drew off his men 
 and formed another line in our rear. Hescock's battery 
 was also compelled to retire in order to avoid capture. 
 This left our line exposed to all the fury of the battle. 
 
 "Our brigade was drawn up on the sde of a gentle 
 rise in the open field, our right and left resting on the 
 woods. The 26th Illinois occupied the right, the 8th 
 Wisconsin on its left, the 47th Illinois on our 
 left, and the 11th Missouri on the extreme left 
 of the line. Palmer having fallen back, and the 
 only battery we had engaged having retired, the 
 enemy now turned their guns upon us, and soon their 
 shot and shell fell thick and fast in our ranks. One of 
 their first shot passed close to the head of Major Jeffer- 
 son and took off the leg of Lieut.-Colonel Miles of the 
 47th Illinois, who shortly after died.* Another shell 
 
 * Colonel Miles was mounting his horse and had just put his foot 
 in the stirrup when a ball struck the foot that was on the ground 
 and took off the leg. He died that night. 
 
34 REMINISCENCES 
 
 struck close to Company G of our regiment and ex- 
 ploded, mortally wounding Lieutenant Beamish and 
 Corporal John White of that company, and slightly 
 wounding another. The first two died soon after they 
 were brought from the field. The brigade was ordered 
 to lie down, and having done so found great protection 
 in the elevated ground in front of it. Still the enemy, 
 depressing their guns, got such accurate range that their 
 shot and shell tore up the ground in every direction 
 along our line, killing and wounding some in each regi- 
 ment, except the 11th Missouri, who were so far to the 
 left and so completely under cover of the woods that they 
 escaped without the loss of a single man. 
 
 "Soon the rebel infantry advanced in heavy force in 
 our front and in the woods to our left, and opened fire 
 upon our line. The firing was now, for a short time, 
 absolutely terrific. Grape shot and bullet flew thick 
 and fast as hail in a wintry storm. Men who were 
 through the Mexican war declare that they were never 
 under such a fearful fire before; and it is a matter of 
 astonishment that our casualties were so few. It can 
 only be accounted for by the fact that our men kept close 
 to the ground and so avoided the deadly missiles which 
 passed over them. Nothing is more trying to the nerves 
 of men than thus to have to remain silent and motionless 
 under a fire which they are not permitted to return. The 
 8th, however, bore it without flinching; until at length 
 Colonel Loomis gave the word : "Up, 8th Wisconsin, and 
 give it to them !" 
 
 "Our boys now rose up, and advancing to the crest 
 of the elevation in front of them poured volley after vol- 
 ley into the rebel ranks. The fearful yells, and still 
 more fearful fire, of the Badger boys evidently produced 
 a stunning effect upon the enemy, for soon their fire 
 slackened, then their lines wavered, and finally they 
 broke and retired in disorder to the cover of the woods. 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 35 
 
 At this time about four hundred of our cavalry came up, 
 and passing our regiment on the right, charged the bat- 
 tery in our front, driving the rebels from their guns ; but 
 not being supported, and being exposed to a heavy fire 
 from the rebel infantry in the woods, they were com- 
 pelled to retire without capturing the battery.* 
 
 "In the meantime, the enemy were rapidly flanking 
 us in the woods on our right, and the regiment support- 
 ing us having fallen back, the 8th was also ordered to 
 retire and form another line in the woods in the rear. 
 This our men did in good order, moving off the field al- 
 most as deliberately as in ordinary battalion drill. 
 
 "The enemy still endeavoring to get on our flank and 
 iis our rear, and having evidently abundant force for the 
 accomplishment of their object, our entire force was 
 ordered to move through the woods to the road and fall 
 back thereon to our next lines, which we found formed 
 ill an open field about a mile and a half in the rear of 
 our first position. By this time the whole of Pope's com- 
 mand were advancing and forming in line, all suppos- 
 ing that a general engagement had begun. The enemy, 
 however, made no further advance, but hastily withdrew, 
 leaving our pickets to occupy the battlefield during the 
 same night. 
 
 "During the entire engagement the conduct of the 
 8th in every way sustained the reputation which the Wis- 
 consin troops have won on other fields. Lieut. -Colonel 
 Bobbins (who in the absence of Colonel Murphy com- 
 manded the regiment). Major Jefferson and Adjutant 
 Sprague, proved themselves to be brave men and able of- 
 ficers. Indeed, all the officers and men, as far as known, 
 behaved with a steadiness and gallantry worthy of vet- 
 erans. General Palmer, riding up to the regiment on the 
 field, inquired what regiment it was. Being told that it 
 
 * The command that made this gallant charge was the 2d Iowa 
 Cavalry, commanded by Colonel (afterward General) Elliott. 
 
36 REMINISCENCES 
 
 was the 8th Wisconsin, he said, in a most emphatic 
 manner : "You have done nobly !" 
 
 "It could not have been the intention of General 
 Pope to bring on a general engagement at this point, 
 otherwise we should have been reinforced and held the 
 position at all hazards. The accounts of deserters and 
 prisoners represent the force of the enemy at from twenty 
 to forty thousand strong, commanded by Generals Bragg 
 and Hardee. The force we had on the field was not over 
 five thousand men. We were nearly three miles in ad- 
 vance of the main body of our troops, and the only road 
 by which we could be reinforced is a narrow road run- 
 ning through woods and swamps, which the enemy were 
 able to shell from the position where they had planted 
 their batteries. Being much better acquainted with the 
 country than we, they no doubt intended and expected to 
 surround and cut us off before reinforcements could 
 reach us. In this they were completely foiled, and the 
 reception they met probably convinced them that it 
 would neither be safe nor pleasant to attempt to advance 
 any further in this direction. 
 
 "The entire loss of all our troops engaged is about 
 one hundred and fifty in killed and wounded. The 
 enemy probably lost quite as many. Though the loss of 
 our regiment (owing to the manner in which they took 
 advantage of the inequalities of the ground) is compara- 
 tively light, it yet includes some of our best men. Their 
 names are as follows : 
 
 "Captain John E. Perkins, Co. C — mortally 
 wounded by a minie ball in the side. Since dead. 
 
 "Lieutenant Richard D. Beamish, Co. G — Struck 
 by a shell. Dead. 
 
 "Corporal John A. White, Co. G — struck by a shell. 
 Dead. 
 
 "Corporal August Ludkie, Co. D — Shot through the 
 hand. 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAK 37 
 
 "O. D. Leonard, Co. D — shot through the thigh. 
 
 "Wm. Buckley, Co. C — fracture of the forearm. 
 Since amputated. 
 
 "Blake W. Griffith, Co. F— shot by musket ball in 
 side. 
 
 "Sergeant B. Bush and H. W. Allen, Co. F— 
 slightly. Not disabled. 
 
 "Zebulon Johnson, Co. I — in leg below the knee. 
 Since amputated. 
 
 "Iver Oleson, Co. I — shot through the neck. Se- 
 verely. 
 
 "Alva Wood, Co. I — wounded in leg and missing. 
 
 " Jas. Kendall, Oliver Wood, George W. Trude, S. B. 
 Cox, Co. I — all slightly. 
 
 "Harmon V. Sacia, Co. I — missing. 
 
 "Jas. Kogers, Co. G — slightly. 
 
 "Hans Nisson and Thomas Toney, Co. K — slightly. 
 Not disabled. 
 
 "George W. Quimby, John C. Green and Charles 
 Col her, Co. A — slightly. Not disabled. 
 
 "Three companies had been detailed as outposts dur- 
 ing the previous night and as skirmishers in the morn- 
 ing. Only one platoon succeeded in getting to the field 
 in time to take part in the principal engagement. This 
 platoon, under command of Lieutenant Baker, formed 
 alongside of Captain Green's company, and there ren- 
 dered good service. Only fourteen men of Company D 
 were present, the rest of the company having mistaken 
 the orders the preceding night and gone back to camp; 
 but these, under command of Lieut. McDowell, rendered 
 good service. Company B was left behind, as a camp 
 guard, so it met with no casualties. 
 
 "Besides those mentioned in the above list there are 
 quite a number who were struck and more or less 
 scratched and bruised by the enemy's missiles ; but they 
 are scarcely enough damaged to be classed with wounded 
 
38 REMINISOENCES 
 
 men. I find, however, that it is customary to swell the 
 list of wounded by reporting as such all who have been 
 in any way scratched or bruised in a fight. 
 
 "Captain Perkins, who commanded the company 
 known as the Chippewa Eagles, who made such a sensa- 
 tion when they came into Camp Randall with a living 
 eagle (which they still carry with them), was a man of 
 giant frame, and one who had a large heart — a man of 
 the most generous and patriotic impulses. His loss is 
 felt and deeply regretted by the whole regiment.* 
 
 "Lieut. Beamish, of Company G, was a young man of 
 superior intelligence, of fine social qualities, and a brave 
 and useful officer. Corporal White was a young man of 
 excellent character, intelligent, upright and correct in 
 his deportment, both as a man and as a soldier. There 
 are no' better men left than these in this or any other 
 regiment. They offered their lives to their country in 
 her hour of need, and with their blood have sealed their 
 devotion to her integrity and her honor. Peace to their 
 ashes and honor to their memories! 
 
 Wm. p. Lyon. 
 
 "P. S. — I forgot to say that on our return to camp 
 from the battlefield we found that Colonel Murphy had 
 arrived, but too late to be in the engagement. You may 
 be sure the whole regiment was glad to see him." 
 
 * "The Eau Claire Badgers are going- into battle under the pro- 
 tective aegis of the veritable American Eagle. It was captured by 
 the Indians of the Chippewa river, and purchased by the Badgers. 
 Its perch is to be the flag-staff of the Stars and Stripes. Who could 
 not fight under so glorious emblems?" — The Eau Claire Free Press 
 (Sept. 5, 1861). 
 
 "An incident occurred yesterday as the Chippewa company ar- 
 rived at Camp Radnall. They bore in advance of them a platform on 
 which was a live eagle, surmounted by a small American flag. Just 
 as they entered the camp the eagle expanded his wings and seized 
 the flag in his beak. The incident attracted much attention, and if it 
 had happened in other days, in a Roman camp, would have been 
 regarded by the augurs as a singularly favorable omen." — Madison 
 State Journal (Sept. 10, 1861). 
 
 "At Madison, the eagle's visitors numbered thousands, and 
 among them wore dignitaries of civil and military professions. Here, 
 by Captain Perkins, he was donned with the title of 'Old Abe,' in 
 honor of Abraham Lincoln, the faithful President and patriot. By 
 vote of the company, the 'Badgers' were to be styled the 'Eau Claire 
 Eagles,' and, by voice of the people, the Eighth Wisconsin was desig- 
 nated as the 'Eagle Regiment.' The first fight the eagle was in was 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 39 
 
 RESOLUTIONS ON DEATH OF OFFICERS KILLED AT 
 FARMINGTON. 
 
 "The field, staff and line officers of the 8th Regiment 
 of Wisconsin Volunteers, having met to express their 
 sentiments relative to the decease of Captain John T. 
 Perkins of Company C, and Lieutenant Richard Beam- 
 ish and Corporal John White of Company G, all of whom 
 fell, mortally wounded, in the engagement with the 
 enemy near Farmington, Miss., on the 9th of May, inst., 
 while bravely fighting for the maintenance of the Gov- 
 ernment and Constitution of our Country, do unanim- 
 ously resolve : 
 
 "1st. — That we deeply deplore the afflicting dispen- 
 sation which has removed these gallant soldiers from 
 amongst us, endeared to us as they were by intimate as- 
 sociations for many months in camp and field, while they 
 shared with us the privations and perils which we have 
 been called to encounter in the sei'vice of our beloved 
 Country. 
 
 "2d. — That our lamented friends were true patriots 
 and brave soldiers, prompt and faithful in the discharge 
 of their duties, invaluable to the companies to which 
 they respectively belonged, and an honor to our regiment 
 and State. And while we deeply mourn their loss, we 
 gather consolation from the knowledge that they fell at 
 the post of duty, calm, fearless, heroic to the last; and 
 (should it be our lot to meet the foe in deadly conflict) 
 their glorious example will strengthen our arms and 
 nerve our hearts to dare all and risk all for our country ; 
 
 the battle of Farmington, Miss., where he showed a great deal of 
 sagacity. When we were ordered to lie down on the ground, under a 
 dreadful artillery fire from the enemy's batteries, he flew off his perch, 
 getting as low as he could, and lay there until he saw the regiment 
 rise to advance, when he flew upon his perch again, and remained 
 there through the engagement.' 
 
 "In this battle fell Captain Perkins, mortally wounded — a brave 
 soldier and true patriot — Lieutenant Victor Wolf succeeding in com- 
 mand. In his report. General Palmer highly complimented the 'Regi- 
 ment that bore the Eagle.' " — J. O. Barrett. 
 
40 REMINISCENCES 
 
 and should it be our lot to fall, we could not desire a 
 death more glorious than theirs. 
 
 "3d. — That we deeply sympathize with the sorrow- 
 ing relatives and friends of the deceased in their bereave- 
 ment, for we know full well how heavily and sadly the 
 intelligence will fall upon their hearts that loved and 
 honored members of the family and social circle will 
 return no more, that they have been stricken down in the 
 vigor of manhood, upon the bloody battle field, and sleep 
 their last sleep in a distant land, 
 
 "4th. — That the editors of newspapers in Wisconsin 
 be requested to publish these resolutions." 
 
 TO MRS. LYON. 
 
 "Near Farmington, May 10, 1862. — At last we have 
 been under fire and have come out unscathed. I suc- 
 ceeded in 'keeping cool' throughout, thus satisfying my 
 superior officers and the expectations of my own men. I 
 can not say that I lost the sense of personal danger, and 
 1 know that I did not lose the apprehension of danger to 
 my men during the battle; yet I had nerve and self-com- 
 mand, and that it all I expected. I am called off on 
 fatigue duty." 
 
 "Camp Redfield, May 13, 1862.— I was called off to 
 superintend building a road through a swamp. I was 
 sent out with Captain Young's company (he being sick). 
 We were out nearly all night, being within one-half or 
 three-quarters of a mile from the rebel pickets. I was 
 very weary and did not write yesterday. We are all in 
 good health and spirits. Eeinforcements continue to 
 pour in to us and we have an immense army here. If 
 they stand us a fight we shall whip them, but since 
 tliey have run away from New Orleans, Yorktown and 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 41 
 
 Norfolk, I almost believe they will run away from Cor- 
 inth. I still feel that I shall come home to you safely. I 
 felt so when the storm of death beat around me on the 
 battle field. I knew that from the lips and hearts I love 
 so dearly in my far-off home earnest prayers went up for 
 my safety, and it nerved me to do my duty fearlessly in 
 the hour of peril and death; and the greater the peril 
 that surrounds me, the more clear are my convictions 
 that I am where I ought to be. Let us both with fervent 
 faith and undoubting trust commit our future destiny 
 to His hands 'Who doeth all things well'." 
 
 "May 16, 1862. — We are ordered to march at day- 
 light with two days' cooked rations. It may be for an- 
 other reconnaisance, and it may be — and probably is — 
 an advance of the whole army upon Corinth. In that 
 case the rebels must fight or run, and it is about an even 
 chance which they will do. We do not for an instant 
 lose our faith in our ability to whip them. You had bet- 
 ter not lay plans to come to me in case of accident, for I 
 v/ould come home if unable to do duty." 
 
 "Farmington, Miss., Tuesday a. m.. May 20, 1862. — 
 On Saturday, just at night, our whole force ad- 
 vanced about three miles to this place. We are about a 
 mile south of our battle ground of the 9th inst. We 
 bivouacked that night in line of battle and the next 
 morning went to work and entrenched ourselves. This is 
 done by digging ditches sufficiently wide for two ranks, 
 and deep enough so that the men when standing can just 
 see to shoot over the embankment of dirt from the trench 
 which is thrown up on the outside. When the men sit 
 down they are completely out of sight below the surface, 
 and perfectly safe unless a ball or shell happens to fall 
 directly in the trench. The artillery is posted directly 
 behind us and shoots over our heads. 
 
 "Behind our regiment are ten field pieces, one 
 twelve-pound howitzer for shell, four ten-pound Parrott 
 
42 REMINISCENCES 
 
 guns and five six-pound brass pieces. Then immediately 
 on our left is a battery of four thirty-two-pound Parrott 
 siege guns; and this is a specimen of our defenses 
 through the whole line stretchinig miles away to the 
 north. 
 
 "We are waiting here now for the rebels to attack 
 us, as our position is very strong. We are on an eleva- 
 tion, with a broad plateau of cleared fields be- 
 fore us which they must cross before they can 
 reach us. There is constant firing of pickets and 
 some cannonading up the line every day at dif- 
 ferent points. I hear the big guns talking now a few 
 miles north of us. If they do not attack us here we shall 
 soon move up still nearer to them and fortify another 
 line. At the longest I think the struggle will be over here 
 in the course of two weeks, perhaps sooner. We do not 
 doubt our ability to defeat them. I feel calm in view of 
 the approaching contest. My greatest solicitude is for 
 the brave boys that I lead to battle ; but they, and all of 
 us, are engaged in a righteous cause and are in the hands 
 of Him 'Who doeth all things well.' Now, be brave and 
 hopeful. You will hear of the great battle many days 
 before you know my fate, as I can not telegraph to you. 
 I will write as quickly as I can. I am in perfect health." 
 
 ( The following letter was written in the trenches in 
 lead pencil, on the brown paper that was wrapped 
 around his loaf of bread) : 
 
 "May 31, 1862. — I wrote you yesterday in the 
 trenches, two miles from Corinth and one mile from the 
 rebel fortifications. Today I write you from the same 
 place. 
 
 "Yesterday there was a brisk artillery fight, lasting 
 nearly all day, between one of our batteries and a rebel 
 fort a mile off, mounting four guns. Their shell and 
 shot passed over our entrenchments, in which we lay 
 quietly and safely. During the night there have been 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 43 
 
 movements going on which convince us that Corinth is 
 evacuated. There has been great activity among our 
 troops this morning, and as I write our men are taking 
 possession, without fighting, of the fort that fired at us so 
 vigorously yesterday and on Wednesday. The stars and 
 stripes wave over it in plain view of us, and the wild 
 cheers of our men give but a faint expression of our de- 
 light. 
 
 "Lieut. Lathrop, of Company I, who is acting as 
 xA.ide to Colonel Loomis, in temporary command of our 
 brigade, just rode along our lines and informed us that 
 two of our regiments were already in Corinth. And 
 thus, through the masterly generalship of General Hal- 
 leck, the battle of Corinth has been fought and won with 
 so little loss of life. Where the rebels have gone, or 
 what our future movements will be, is yet a profound 
 mystery to us. And now, after telling you for the fif- 
 tieth time that I am perfectly well and that the health of 
 the boys is very good, I will give you a few more details 
 of the fight. 
 
 "On Wednesday the rebel line of attack was im- 
 mediately in front of the 8th Wisconsin and the 5th 
 Minnesota, posted on our left. We lay behind the brow 
 of a slight elevation of ground. We heard the rebels 
 coming, heard their officers cheering them on in terms 
 more earnest than polite, but we lay still until they 
 were within ten rods of us, when the old 8th rose and 
 poured a volley into them that threw them into the wild- 
 est confusion. Before they reached the woods in their 
 rear we poured ten more volleys into them. As they re- 
 treated our artillery got a raking fire on them, killing 
 and wounding large numbers. We found fifteen or 
 twenty dead and wounded immediately in front of our 
 company. The dead we buried, the wounded we cared 
 for. 
 
 "Our regiment stood firm to a man., and did the most 
 
44 REMINISCENCES 
 
 of the fighting done by infantry on that day. Thou- 
 sands of men saw us in the fight, and everybody speaks 
 in the highest terms of the courage of the 8th. Let Wis- 
 consin be assured that her honor will never be com- 
 promised by her sons of the ^Eagle Regiment.' 
 
 "Our loss is remarkably light. I have already told 
 you that Ralph M, Coon of my company was killed. He 
 was standing in the front ranks, fighting bravely, and 
 was shot through the body. He said he was wounded, 
 walked calmly to the rear, and was carried off the field. 
 He soon became insensible and died in an hour. We sent 
 his body back to the camp, and yesterday sorrowing 
 friends laid the brave young hero in his last resting 
 place. Let his name be added to the roll of honor ! 
 
 "Charles Noyes, also of Company K, was severely 
 wounded in the leg, just above the knee. He, too, was 
 in the front rank, bravely doing his duty when he was 
 struck. He appears to be doing well and is in good spir- 
 its. S. A. Henderson was also slightly wounded in the 
 hand. 
 
 "I must give you a little circumstance, too good to 
 be lost, showing the temper of some of our boys. 
 
 "Lucas Lathrop, son of A. H. Lathrop, of Mount 
 Pleasant, is as fine a specimen of a soldier and patriot 
 as you will find. Brave, intelligent and earnest, he has 
 gained the respect of the entire regiment. He is a sol- 
 dier of the Cromwellian stamp, a devoted Christian, car- 
 rying his religion with him, holding prayer meetings in 
 his tent, and striving to set a worthy example to his 
 comrades. Speaking of him in a recent skirmish, one 
 writes the following incident: 
 
 " 'Lathrop and Finch were standing side by side 
 loading their guns. Not far in advance of them stood a 
 gi'eat, powerful looking rebel sharpshooter, also loading 
 his piece. Lathrop saw him, and tapping Finch on the 
 shoulder said, pointing : "There stands a tolerably large 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 45 
 
 man," and deliberately drawing his gun to his shoulder, 
 fired. Sufl0.ce it to say that the traitor never finished 
 loading his gun. Lathrop turned coolly around and re- 
 marked: "Mr. Finch, I think I hurt that man, but it 
 can't be helped now." ' " 
 
 "Booneville, 25 miles south of Corinth, June 4, 1862. 
 — We marched until midnight last night. I don't know 
 what we are here for or where the enemy is. I am very 
 weary. I have not been in camp for over a week, yet T 
 keep well. It is singular that the rebel army has twice 
 as much sickness as we have, and they are accustomed to 
 the climate and we are not. I saw Spud Smith, who told 
 me all about you and the pets. It was a great comfort 
 to me." 
 
 "Camp near Booneville, Miss., 25 miles south of Cor- 
 inth, on Mobile & Ohio R. R., Sunday, June 8, 1862.— 
 We are lying quietly here, encamped in a beautiful 
 grove, on dry, clean land. Our regiment is in better 
 health than almost any regiment near us, and yet we 
 have a large number of sick men back in the hospitals. 
 For myself, I seem to grow stronger and more healthy 
 every day. The climate seems well adapted to my con- 
 stitution. We have warm days usually, with cool, de- 
 licious nights. I sleep every night on the ground under 
 a shelter of boughs, our tents not having yet reached us, 
 with nothing but a rubber blanket under me, and I sleep 
 soundly and sweetly. I do not think we shall move from 
 here until the Mississippi river is open so that we can 
 get our supplies by railroad from Memphis. We now 
 have to haul them with teams from Hamburg, between 
 forty and fifty miles distant. The Tennessee river will 
 soon be so low that it will be difficult to get them to 
 Hamburg. 
 
 "I have no idea where Beauregard's army is, but we 
 have plenty of evidence that it is sadly demoralized. I 
 do not expect any more hard fighting here, for I do not 
 
46 REMINISCENCES 
 
 believe that the rebels will face us, but I may be mis- 
 taken. If McClellan takes Richmond, and the Missis- 
 sippi is speedily opened, I shall confidently expect a 
 speedy termination of this wicked rebellion. Then, our 
 duty performed and our beloved country relieved from 
 peril, with glad emotions will we return to the arms of 
 our loved ones and to the sacred peace of our happy 
 homes. God speed the joyful hour ! 
 
 "I have now been in two fierce battles and have faced 
 death for long, weary hours, and amid the wild terrors of 
 the contest have been enabled by our kind Heavenly 
 Father to preserve my self-command and do my duty. 
 Oh, how sublime a scene is a battle ! I can not describe 
 it, but it seemed like the thunder on Sinai or the day of 
 judgment, as our imaginations picture those wonderful 
 events. Aside from its fearful perils, a battle fills the 
 soul with the most sublime emotions. Then life is re- 
 garded at its true value, and the obligations of honor, 
 patriotism, duty and humble trust in God fire the soul 
 to meet manfully the terrible responsibilities of the 
 hour. I thank God most devoutly that I have been en- 
 abled to render some service to my country, and that 
 thus far our sweet babes will never have occasion to 
 blush at the thought that their father failed to do his 
 duty. The conviction that I shall return to you in safety 
 at the end of the war keeps my feelings constantly calm 
 and happy, and I sincerely hope that you feel so. I am 
 well satisfied that I did not accept the promotion to the 
 18th, for I feel justifiable pride in the renown which our 
 regiment has achieved. I feel now very clearly that it 
 is my duty to keep with my company. The devotion of 
 my men to me, evidenced in a thousand ways, often 
 brings tears to my eyes. 
 
 "I am vexed with the newspapers. Some of 
 them are dissatisfied because we did not fight a great 
 battle and, of course, have a great slaughter; and they 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 47 
 
 call the whole operation a defeat. This is frightfully, 
 cruelly wicked. These men are in a rage because ten 
 thousand more homes are not desolated. The fact is, 
 the whole campaign has been conducted with the most 
 consummate generalship. Corinth is a most important 
 position in a military point of view, flanking both Fort 
 Pillow and Memphis. We wanted the position. The 
 rebels themselves, with their arms and supplies, were of 
 but little consequence to us. We won the position with 
 but little loss of life, and these cowardly home-guards 
 gnash their teeth in impotent rage because no more of 
 us were butchered." 
 
 "Camp five miles south of Corinth, Friday, June 13, 
 1862. — I have been doing picket duty at Booneville. Wc 
 shall probably remain here some time. Indeed, I think 
 we are in summer quarters, unless some exigency of the 
 war should call us away. We are encamped in scatter- 
 ing timber, on a dry and, I think, healthy location. \Ve 
 have hot days, but cool and comfortable nights, and no 
 mosquitos. The water is tolerably good. 
 
 "General Halleck turned all of the lying newspaper 
 reporters out of his camp after the battle of Farming- 
 ton. Hence their hostility to him. The army is well 
 satisfied with him and has unbounded confidence in him. 
 He was not fooled by quaker guns, for there were none of 
 these weapons at Corinth except a rusty revolver of 
 mine w hich wont shoot ! I have already explained to you 
 that the position was what we wanted, and it does seem 
 to us here that it was better to win it without much 
 bloodshed. Talk about soldiers getting blood-thirsty I 
 Why, the desire which seems jji'evalent at the North that 
 thousands of us should have been uselessly butchered 
 before the formidable entrenchments at Corinth beats us 
 blind in cool blood-thirstiness! ^Ij dear, put not your 
 trust in the newspapers'." 
 
 "Camp near Clear Creek, Miss., Tuesday, June 17, 
 
48 REMINISCENCES 
 
 1862. — I went over to the 16th Kegiment, which is lo- 
 cated near Corinth, about four miles from here, and 
 stayed all night with Sperry. He is perfectly healthy, 
 and fleshier than I ever saw him. He expects every day 
 to receive his commission as 2d Lieutenant from April 
 29th. His pay will be fl05 per month from that date in- 
 stead of |20, which he received before. He stands a 
 chance of being Captain within sixty days, I also saw 
 Colonel Bouck, of the 18th. Neither of these regiments 
 can turn out two hundred well men. They have not been 
 in any fight since the battle of Shiloh." 
 
 "June 20, 1862. — Last night it was quite cold. We 
 were out on grand guard duty. I slept on the ground 
 out of doors, with nothinig but a rubber blanket under 
 me and an elevation of ground for a pillow. I had a lit- 
 tle cold yesterday, but today I am nearly well. I live 
 quite luxuriously in camp. Our mess consists of Lieut. 
 Smith, Henry Bull, A. S. Henderson, of Bloomfleld, and 
 myself. We have a large Secesh tent with an awning in 
 front, and live principally on biscuit, ham, black tea, and 
 pork and beans. The boys make excellent biscuit." 
 
 "June 24, 1862. — Although I have considerable to 
 do, yet the duties of one day are so much like those of 
 another that life is monotonous. I will tell you how we 
 spend the time. Drill from 5 :30 to 7 a. m. ; recitation in 
 army regulations at 10, in tactics at 2 p. m. and drill 
 from 5 :30 to 7 p. m. ; the intervals filled up in study, 
 doing company business (of which there is consider- 
 able), eating, sleeping and smoking, are the pursuits 
 and occupations of a day. The routine is broken about 
 one day in eight by grand guard duty, which sends us to 
 the woods about a mile from camp for twenty-four hours, 
 and in pleasant weather is a great relief." 
 
 "Camp Clear Creek, Miss., Friday, June 27, 1862. — 
 We are still here, pursuing the old routine of duty, and 
 I am still entirelv well." 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 49 
 
 "Camp Clear Creek, Miss., Sunday, June 28. — The 
 boys are usually well, but I have quite a number sick at 
 the hospital ten miles back, none dangerously. Out of 
 63 men here, all, except three or four, are fit for duty, 
 and none of them are very sick ; yet I notice that when a 
 man gets sick here it takes a long tme for him to recover 
 his strength again, but the men have to staj^ right here 
 and do the best they can. There are but few paroles now 
 granted to either officers or enlisted men, and it has be- 
 come almost impossible for an enlisted man to get a dis- 
 charge. An officer can only get his resignation accepted 
 on account of sickness. Many of our regiment have been 
 taken sick and resigned since we came up the Tennessee. 
 I think this climate well adapted to my constitution, and 
 I have no fear of being sick, neither have I the least dis- 
 position to leave the service until this rebellion is put 
 down. When that will be, God only knows ; but I do not 
 despair of getting home next fall. I see no prospect of 
 any more fighting this summer, if ever. 
 
 "We are under marching' orders to leave in an hour. 
 I do not know to what point we are going, but I hear it 
 is Ripley, a place west of here and south of Grand Junc- 
 tion, on the Miss. Cent. R. R." 
 
 "Camp Clear Creek, Miss., July 1, 1862.— We went 
 lo Danville, a little huddle of a dozen old houses, four 
 miles south of this place, and the next day went five 
 miles farther south to a small village, Rienzi, where our 
 orders were countermanded, and we returned to Dan- 
 ville. Remained there over night, and came into camp 
 this morning. I have learned that we started for Holly 
 Springs, seventy miles west of here, but a force that pre- 
 ceded us found that we were not needed there, hence the 
 countermand. 
 
 "There is a rumor here that General Pope, who has 
 been assigned to the command of the Shenandoah Val- 
 ley in Virginia, is trying to get the Army of the Missis- 
 
50 KEMINISCENCES 
 
 sippi transferred to that section. The men all hope it 
 is true and that he will succeed. I think the decisive 
 fight must occur at Richmond, however, before we get 
 there. I doubt whether there is any considerable force of 
 the rebel troops in this section, and I do not expect any 
 more fighting here this summer." 
 
 "July 5, 1862. — I had a very pleasant visit from Dr. 
 Miller, of Geneva. He is appointed surgeon of the 6th 
 Wisconsin Battery, Captain Dillon, which is at Rienzi, 
 nine miles from us. He stayed all night with us, and 
 then went to his post. I enjoyed his visit very much in- 
 deed. 
 
 "Colonel Heg called to see me yesterday. His regi- 
 ment, the 15th, is encamped near us. Out of 750 men we 
 have here in camp, not more than 40 are sick, none seri- 
 ously so. My own health is perfect, not a throb of pain, 
 scarcely of weariness, and the health tingling to my ver^^ 
 toes' ends. 
 
 "We hold ourselves in readiness to march any hour, 
 and in any direction. We think that Beauregard's army 
 has not gone to Richmond, but that a part of it is at 
 Vicksburg and the balance about fifty miles south of us 
 on the Mobile & Ohio R. R., near Okolona. I think we 
 shall neither attack them nor be attacked by them very 
 soon. Their cavalry scouts have been within twenty 
 miles of us at Booneville and had a skirmish with our 
 cavalry. Things look better at Richmond since McClel- 
 lan has changed his front, contracted his lines, and got 
 out of the swamps." 
 
 "July 9, 1862. — I see there has been terrible fighting 
 at Richmond, we fighting, as usual, against fearful odds. 
 My only surprise is that our army was not annihilated. 
 This check, unless speedily retrieved, will prolong the 
 war a year, but the effect of it, I think, will be to send 
 immense reinforcements to the field and insure a more 
 vigorous and more severe prosecution of the war. The 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 51 
 
 time has come, or will soon come, to march through this 
 nest of vipers with fire and sword, to liberate every slave. 
 I would like to help do that. Wisconsin has sent over 
 twenty thousand men to the field, and must send within 
 ninety days five thousand more, even though the drafting 
 process be resorted to. I do not know as it is right, but 
 life seems of no value to me unless we can crush out this 
 rebellion and restore our Government; and we shall do 
 it, if every man is driven to the field and our rivers run 
 red with blood for a generation." 
 
 "Camp Clear Creek, Miss., Sunday, July 13, 1862.— 
 This is the only way I can celebrate your birthday, to 
 v.Tite a long letter. Well, my dear, you are thirty-six 
 years old, are 3^ou? Old enough to be a grandmother! I 
 think it about time for you to give up thinking you are 
 good looking, and begin to learn how to grow old grace- 
 fully. Confidentially, however, to me you are, etc., etc. 
 I wonder what you will have for dinner today, and speak- 
 ing of dinner reminds me that some time ago you asked 
 me to tell you how I live, which I believe I have neg- 
 lected to do thus far. I do not mean that I have neg- 
 lected to live, but I have failed to give you the modus 
 operandi — to tell you how the thing is done. 
 
 "Reveille beats at daylight. We get up, clean our 
 , tents and quarters, shake blankets, w ash, and at 5 :30 a. 
 m. turn out and drill for an hour. Then we have breakfast 
 — ^ham, warm biscuit and very good butter, black tea, 
 pickles, blackberries or currant sauce, is the usual bill 
 of fare for breakfast ; ditto for dinner, ditto for supper. 
 I consume very large quantities. We get ham, flour and 
 tea of the commissary; pickles, butter, cheese, etc., of 
 the sutler. Once in a great while I smoke. I have done 
 so today. I think I may possibly repeat it before night. 
 We have battalion drill at 5 :30 p. m., and dress parade 
 until sundown ; tattoo at 8 :30, and then to our downy 
 beds. Mine is luxurious. I smoothed it off the other 
 
52 REMINISCENCES 
 
 day with a spade. As usual, I shirk a good deal. For 
 instance, I make the sergeants and corporals take charge 
 cf the company at morning drill, under pretense of their 
 learning how to give the commands ! Then I divide the 
 company into squads, and put a sergeant over each 
 squad, charged with the duty of seeing to the men — 
 their cleanliness, their arms — in short, everything. This 
 I do under pretense that the 'Regulations' require it. 
 'Regulations' is a great institution in the army. It 
 teaches us 'how not to do it,' which is the true philos- 
 ophy of thinking. Blessed be the man who invented the 
 'Regulations.' So, when I say, 'we' do anything, you will 
 understand that I speak in a sort of Pickwickian sense. 
 I mean that the boys do it and I help them if I can't 
 dodge. This last remark applies with peculiar force to 
 the one item of getting up in the morning before day- 
 light." 
 
 "Camp Clear Creek, Miss., Monday, July 21, 1862. 
 — Yesterday I was Field Officer of the Day (the officer 
 who has charge of the pickets and outside posts), and I 
 was in the saddle nearly all day and tramping a good 
 deal of the night, so I feel stupid today. 
 
 "I keep your picture hanging in my tent, where I 
 can lie on my bed, that is, on the ground, and gaze at it 
 and get sentimental, and fight flies. Speaking of flies, 
 the Egyptian plagues, although they had locusts, and 
 lice, and frogs, I believe, were a failure, because they did 
 not have flies. Such swarms of them as infest our 
 camps, drawn here by the debris of a great army, you 
 can not conceive of. They are the common house fly 
 and, like everything else here, are dull and stupid — 
 don't know enough to go when you tell them to. So 
 much for flies." 
 
 "Camp Clear Creek, Miss., July 28, 1862.— So you 
 fear my good spirits are assumed. Nary a hit of it. 
 With an appetite that enables me to eat two rations. 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 53 
 
 with physical vigor that keeps me free from an ache or a 
 pain and lets me sleep on the hard earth as soundly and 
 sweetly as I ever did on the softest bed, with a tolerably 
 good looking, middle aged wife and two cute children 
 'up North,' with the consciousness of doing my duty, 
 and an increasing habitual reliance upon the protection 
 of Divine Providence, why shouldn't I be in good spirits ! 
 
 "Should 3^ou hear rumors that the North is whipped, 
 you need not believe it. 'Tis no such thing. History 
 doesn't tell of so successful a campaign as ours has been 
 since the first of February. Some reverses were to be 
 expected, but no Government ever conducted a war on 
 so large a scale with so few reverses as has ours. Slavery 
 will be wiped out. The South will be subdued, and any 
 nation on earth that interferes with us will get war 
 until it is tired of it." 
 
 "Camp Clear Creek, Miss., July 31, 1862. — You are 
 mistaken in supposing that we are meeting with re- 
 verses out here. These raids of guerillas have no signifi- 
 cance, whatever. A few of them pitch into an unpro- 
 tected town of no consequence, rob, steal and burn, and 
 then skedaddle. They have not taken a single place oc- 
 cupied by our troops, of any value to us, except Mur- 
 freesboro in Tennessee, and that was retaken in a very 
 few days. So don't let your heart be troubled when you 
 reiad all these sensational dispatches about guerilla oper- 
 ations. They serve one good purpose, however, and that 
 is tO' encourage enlistment at the North. 
 
 "I think this gigantic rebellion will be put down 
 without resorting to a draft, every soldier of the 1,000,- 
 000 who aids in doing it being a volunteer. History 
 furnishes no parallel to this. The whole policy of the 
 Government is now changed, and war from henceforth is 
 to be tear. Where the army of the Union goes, there 
 slavery ceases forever. It is astonishing how soon the 
 blacks have learned this, and they are flocking in con- 
 
54 REMINISCENCES 
 
 siderable numbers already in our lines. The people here 
 will learn before this war is over that 'The way of the 
 transgressor is hard.' 
 
 "Tell our Canada friends, many of whom seem to be 
 groping in the darkness in regard to us, that this is a 
 war for civil and religious liberty, for civilization, for 
 Cristianity, on the part of this Government against 
 crime, oppression and barbarism; and that all of their 
 sympathies ought to be with us. But whether foreign 
 nations comprehend the true bearings of this struggle or 
 not, as sure as there is justice on earth or a God in 
 heaven, we shall triumph. I shall not think of leaving 
 the service so long as I have an arm to wield a sword or 
 a voice to encourage my men to fight in so holy a cause. 
 But I find I am making a stump speech, so I close." 
 
 "Camp Clear Creek, Miss., Sunday, Aug. 6, 1862. — 
 Once in a while we hear that we are soon to make a for- 
 ward movement, but it is doubtful about our moving far 
 or trying to do very much for a month yet. The weather 
 is too hot for that. Then, while we are strong enough to 
 hold our present position, we shall need considerable re- 
 inforcements when we again take the offensive. All 
 these things, however, are delightfully uncertain." 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 
 
 55 
 
 bout July 1, 1862, my father was 
 stricken with paralysis. My sister, 
 Mrs. Susie Adams, and myself were 
 hurriedly summoned to Canada. The 
 doctor said that his condition was 
 critical, and we left immediately. 
 Upon our arrival we found my father 
 somewhat improved, and his conva- 
 lescence continued from that time 
 until he was entirely well. We remained in Canada 
 about three weeks. 
 
 On the 9th day of August, 1862, Captain Lyon was 
 Field Officer of the day, and on account of the sickness of 
 so many of the officers he was obliged to do double duty. 
 The day was fearfully hot and he became very much ex- 
 hausted. In the afternoon when he returned to camp he 
 felt so weary that he lay down on the ground in his tent. 
 He remembered that Colonel Murphy came into his tent 
 and told him that he had been commissioned Colonel of 
 the 13th Regiment, but it made no particular impression 
 upon his mind. He also remembered that the Lieutenant 
 came into his tent and looked at him, and later that he 
 brought Dr. Murta to him.* The following letter, dated 
 August 17, 1862, was received from our brother-in-law, 
 A. S. Northrup: 
 
 "I have just returned from the 8th Regiment on a 
 visit to Wm. P. Lyon. Colonel Lyon, of the 13th, he is 
 now. Found him rather poorly. He has been sick about 
 a week, but the surgeon says that he is now on the gain. 
 
 * This was the last of my service with the 8th Regiment. While 
 I was 111 the regiment nioved dow^n to Tuscumbla, past luka. I went 
 over to Corinth on my recovery and resigned as a Captain of the 8th. 
 Bartlett took the place of Captain of Company K. Smith had been 
 made Captain of Company B. He was a fine soldier and popular. I 
 went home for a month on leave of absence. A few days after I left 
 Price came and the rebels were whipped. There was a good deal of 
 fighting about there then. After I left, the 8th was in the fight that 
 is called the last battle before Corinth. When I felt able to go on 
 duty again I went to Madison and mustered in as Colonel of the 13th 
 and went back South. I found my regiment at Fort Henry. — W. P. L. 
 
56 REMINISCENCES 
 
 I should judge from what I learned that he has beeu 
 quite sick, but the doctor says that there is no danger 
 but that he will get along now. He is relieved from 
 duty in the 8th and will join his regiment, the 13th, at 
 Columbus as soon as able. His disease, the doctor says, 
 is a slow, dull kind of fever. It will take time for him 
 to get over it, but he does not apprehend any danger at 
 all. I think he is a little worried about himself, espe- 
 cially as the 8th is about moving some seventy miles to 
 Tuscumbia, Ala., and his surgeon thinks he had better 
 go with them, for a while at least, as they understand 
 his case and think it would be better than to put him 
 into strange hands. It is not certain that the regiment 
 will go farther than luka, about 25 miles on the Mem- 
 phis and Charleston R. R. William went on the cars. I 
 happened there just in time to see him a little while and 
 help him aboard. I took his cot into the car, so that he 
 cculd lounge at leisure. When I left him he seemed very 
 comfortable indeed. I tried to get him to come and stay 
 \^ith me until he got able to join his regiment, but he 
 thought he would enjoy himself better to wait until he 
 was able to be about some. I shall expect him in about 
 a week. I should not much wonder if you should see 
 him in Wisconsin in less than a month, as he will hardly 
 be fit for duty in less than two months. William's com- 
 pany feel like orphans, almost. I find he was a regular 
 pet in the whole regiment. He will receive the very best 
 of attention, and I do not think there is au}^ cause of 
 alarm, as the doctor says that all he requires now is good 
 nursing." 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 57 
 
 COLONEL LYON'S LETTERS. 
 
 "Aug. 12, 1862. — The reason I have not written be- 
 fore is that I am flat on my back. I was attacked on 
 Saturday night with pneumonia, very suddenly, and al- 
 though much better have not sat up any since. 
 
 "I got my commission this morning as Colonel of 
 the 13th Regiment. As soon as I am able to close my af- 
 fairs here I shall go to Columbus. I am not seriously 
 sick, so do not be frightened. If I can get a short fur- 
 lough I will do so. Do not under any circumstances try 
 to get here, for it is utterly impossible now for a woman 
 to get past Columbus." 
 
 "luka, Gen. Hospital, Friday, Aug. 28, 1862.— Here 
 I am, flat on my back with remittent or intermittent 
 fever, I do not know which. I am slowly recovering, the 
 fever growing less and less every day and the doctor says 
 it will entirely disappear in a few days more. I have 
 had typhoid fever, the doctor now tells me. I suffer no 
 pain now, but for the flrst few days I suffered a great 
 deal. I was taken down Saturday evening, the 9th 
 inst., very suddenly and severely. Our regiment has 
 gone to Tuscumbia, thirty miles east of here. If I should 
 get worse I will try to go to Columbus and send for you, 
 as no woman is allowed to travel this side of Columbus 
 without a special permit from General Grant. 
 
 "Dr. Thornhill, our surgeon, is in charge here, and 
 is very attentive to me. Dr. Murta took most excellent 
 care of me until he had to leave with the regiment. I am 
 taking large quantities of quinine. Have had no appe- 
 tite. 
 
 "I received my commission about the time I was 
 taken sick. An order has been made by General Rose- 
 crans relieving me from duty here and directing me to 
 report to General Grant for further orders. My inten- 
 tion is, as soon as it is proper for me to leave here, to 
 
58 KEMINISCENOES 
 
 go to the regiment and close up some company business 
 tliere; then report to General Grant and if possible get 
 permission to go home to purchase horse, equipments, 
 etc. If I succeed and get there by the 1st of October I 
 shall do well." 
 
 "luka Springs, Miss., General Hospital, Sunday, 
 Aug. 31, 1862. — I am still here, you see, but I assure you 
 that I am very greatly improved. The fever has now 
 entirely disappeared, 1 think, for I am gaining strength 
 rapidly. I can now walk across the room without help. 
 My appetite is fair, but not ravenous. My principal food 
 is mush and molasses, a little broiled beefsteak, and 
 black tea. Dr. Thornhill promises to let me go to the 
 regiment, the 8th, as soon as it will answer, which I 
 think will be in a few days, say three or four, just long 
 enough to recruit a little. Dr. and Mrs. Thornhill have 
 been very kind to me during my illness, as was Dr. 
 Murta while I was with him. John Humphrey and Wil- 
 liams have taken most excellent care of me and have 
 spared no effort to make me as comfortable as possible. 
 1 owe my rapid recovery to the excellent nursing I have 
 had, in a great measure. 
 
 "Immediately after receiving my commission as 
 Colonel of the 13th, General Rosecrans made an order 
 relieving me from duty in the 8th and ordering me to re- 
 port to General Grant, who is at Corinth ; so that is my 
 first move when I am able ; and I expect to be ordered to 
 join my regiment, with a short leave of absence, which 
 can not exceed twenty days, to purchase outfit, etc., but 
 don't be too sanguine, for I may fail to get leave. The 
 legiment have been paid lately to the 1st of July, but 
 not being with them I w^as not paid. I expect to be paid, 
 however, when I report to General Grant, up to the time 
 when my pay as Colonel commences, which I suppose is 
 August 5th. I believe the pay of a Colonel is $218 per 
 n^onth, at least it was. Of course, my expenses will he 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 59 
 
 mucli larger than they have been. My outfit will cost a 
 good deal, horse, saddle, pistol, sword, mess chest, uni- 
 form, etc., etc. 
 
 ''I do not allow myself to pine inordinately for 
 home, but I look upon my illness in a distant land, away 
 from the comforts of home and the tender care of my 
 wife and friends, as one of the sacrifices that I am called 
 upon to make for my country, and I try to make it cheer- 
 fully." 
 
 "luka Springs, Miss., General Hospital, Thursday, 
 Sept. 4, 1862. — On Monday I learned that the regiment 
 had to leave Tuscumbia the next morning, and fearing 
 that I might not see them again, without asking leave of 
 any doctor I jumped on the train and went there. Gen- 
 eral Rosecrans was on the train and said: 'Why, Cap- 
 tain, where are you going?' He thought it was rather 
 venturesome of me to take the trip, but said he thought 
 if I took plenty of quinine and whisky there would be 
 no danger of my being worse, and he pressed his own 
 flask upon me. 
 
 "Tuscumbia is thirty miles east, and in Alabama. 
 The boys seemed pleased to see me. I stayed with them 
 that night and saw them off in the morning. I felt bet- 
 ter in the morning for my trip. A few hours after the 
 regiment left, a courier was dispatched recalling it; and 
 it is now in Tuscumbia without doubt, although they had 
 not yet arrived when I left. I found the boys all well 
 and in fine spirits. I feel ver^^ well, the only trouble 
 being weakness, and I am rapidly gaining strength. T 
 weigh 138 pounds, having lost but 20 pounds during my 
 sickness. I still live on beefsteak, tea, and mush and 
 molasses. I have no fever, sweats, aches or pains of any 
 kind, and the natural blackness is rapidly spreading over 
 my countenance again." 
 
 "Camp 16th Wis. Vol., near Corinth, Mon. a. m., 
 Sept. 8, 1862. — I got away from the hospital Saturday 
 
60 REMINISCENCES 
 
 night and came to Corinth yesterday morning. Sent 
 word to Sperry, who came after me with an ambulance, 
 took me first to General Grant's headquarters, two miles 
 out of town, and then brought me here. I found every- 
 thing all right. Eesigned as Captain, which was ac- 
 cepted, and I go to headquarters again today to be mus- 
 tered as Colonel of the 13th.* This is only for conven- 
 ience and to have my pay going on. It looks squally 
 about my getting home, I am improving too rapidly for 
 that. I leave tomorrow morning for Columbus. I met 
 Captain Smith at Corinth yesterday. He says he heard 
 in Cairo that the 13th had gone up the Tennessee river to 
 Fort Henry. This is uncertain. Sperry is hearty." 
 
 The 13th Regiment had gone to Fort Henry. One of 
 the officers, Levi Billings, came home with Mr. Lyon, as 
 he was then so feeble that they would not allow him to 
 come alone. He stayed in Racine for three weeks, then 
 went to Madison and was mustered in as Colonel of the 
 13th Regiment and joined the regiment at Fort Henry. 
 
 "Fort Henry, Tenn., Oct. 8, 1862. — I am just ready 
 to commence my series of semi-weekly letters. I had a 
 long trip, or, rather, took a long time to get here. I 
 stayed in Chicago Thursday night, Friday night slept on 
 the cars, getting to Cairo early Saturday morning, Sat- 
 urday afternoon went to Mound City, returning to Cairo 
 Sunday morning. Bought a horse for $150. Monday 
 afternoon went to Paducah. Tuesday afternoon started 
 up the Tennessee on a 7 by 9 steamboat, getting here 
 
 * Not being able to get a leave of absence If I mustered as Col- 
 onel, I postponed the muster and returned home as a private citi- 
 zen. — W. P. U 
 
OP THE CIVIL WAK 61 
 
 eiirly Wednesday morning. I met with a most cordial 
 reception from everybody. I assumed command and 
 held a dress parade last evening. There are but six com- 
 panies of the regiment here. Two are at Donelson, one 
 at Hickman, and one at Smithland. 
 
 "We have a pleasant situation, and the Quarter- 
 master pitched in yesterday and made me very comfort- 
 able. I have a large tent, with a good table, bedstead 
 (all rough, of course) and many other little conven- 
 iences. I board at present with the Quartermaster and 
 one of the Captains, and live well. I am constantly get- 
 ting better. My cough and cold have entirely disap- 
 peared. 
 
 "I am trying to get a good negro and wife and go 
 to housekeeping. Would you like to call on us? It 
 looks as if we might remain here for some time. There 
 is no settlement here, nothing but troops, and not many 
 of them. The main trouble is that the river is so low. 
 But few boats come here from the outside world more 
 than once or twice a week. This will account for any 
 delay in the receipt of letters from me. 
 
 "Write me all you know about the part the 8th took 
 in the late fight at Corinth, also the 16th. I am very 
 anxious to hear about it. I hope the 8th was not in, but 
 suppose it was. The 16th must have been engaged. 
 There is another battle I have lost by reason of my pro- 
 motion. 
 
 "After the river rises, so that boats run more freely 
 on it, if it still looks like remaining here some time, I 
 think you must try to come and see me, but I do not dare 
 to have you bring the childdren. The river will probably 
 rise in November." 
 
 "October 15, 1862. — The river is still low and nearly 
 isolates us from civilization. I am slowly gaining 
 slrength. I ride some, but find it rather fatiguing. The 
 
62 REMINISCENCED 
 
 position of Colonel of a regiment is no sinecure, I assure 
 you. I think that I shall earn my wages. 
 
 "I see that those terrible battles of Corinth have 
 struck close home. You have, of course, heard that 
 Sperry Northrup was killed. A letter from Andrews, the 
 sutler, informs me that he was shot through the heart 
 while skirmishing on Saturday morning, the 4th inst. 
 Poor Katie and the children ! My heart bleeds for them. 
 
 "I see, too, that the 8th has lost heavily, but am 
 without particulars, except that Lieut. Fellows of Com- 
 pany K is wounded, also two or three of the boys. There 
 are doubtless many more of them hurt, but I have not 
 seen the full list. 
 
 "Although by coming to this regiment I have 
 escaped a terrible peril, perhaps death, yet I almost re- 
 gret that I was not with the brave boys that I led for a 
 year, in the hours of their recent terrible peril. But 
 God governs, and we may safely trust our destinies to 
 Him. 
 
 "There is no prospect of any fighting in this vicinity 
 at present. There are a few ragged guerilla bands thirty 
 or forty miles from here, but they run whenever our cav- 
 alry comes near them. It begins to look as though we 
 should winter here. We are moving the camp a short 
 distance to better ground, and I am making all my ar- 
 rangements with reference to your coming. I have taken 
 a little stock in the contraband line, having a man and 
 his mfe on trial. I think they will suit me. Their names 
 are 'Jerry' and 'Minerva,' aged 32 and 27, respectively — 
 no children. The wench is supposed to be the most ill- 
 looking one in the camp. She is washing for me today. 
 
 "I think that I am rapidly gaining the confidence 
 and respect of the officers and men of the regiment. I 
 have really a very fine regiment, indeed. Almost the en- 
 tire membership was recruited from residents of Rock 
 county and closely contiguous territory, and embraces 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAK 63 
 
 the best material in that favored portion of our state. A 
 large number are either graduates from or students in 
 Milton College, Company K, commanded by Captain 
 Norcross, a graduate of the State University, is com- 
 posed largely of members of this class. I feel honored to 
 be assigned to the command of such men. As soon as I 
 have streng-th I shall commence drilling it thoroughly, 
 thus fitting it to fight if we are sent into the field. I 
 shall make no effort to get into the field. That is a re- 
 sponsibility which I dare not assume." 
 
 "Fort Henry, Tenn., Oct. 19, 1862. — We moved our 
 camp yesterday upon better ground, one-fourth of a mile 
 distant, all except the quarters of the field and staff of- 
 ficers, to be removed tomorrow; so, being isolated from 
 the regiment, I am having a very quiet Sunday, indeed. 
 
 "We are having beautiful Indian summer weather, 
 with cool nights. The only drawback is the heavy fogs 
 that gather along the river every morning, producing 
 agues and intermittents among the men. Ten per cent of 
 our men are reported sick, that is 60 out of 600, the num- 
 ber we have here. This will subside in a month or so, and 
 then I think you must come here, provided things look 
 as though we would remain for some time longer. 
 
 "I am feeling perfectly well, and perform all my 
 duties without difliculty, but find that I am far from 
 having my old strength. I take the best possible care of 
 myself, keeping out of the hot sun and out of the fogs 
 as much as possible. You know it is the easiest thing in 
 the world for me to keep out of a morning fog. 
 
 "I have not given you any particulars of this com- 
 mand, and will do so now. This military district em- 
 braces Forts Henrj^, Heiman, and Donelson. By look- 
 ing on the map you will see that Kentucky extends a few 
 miles farther south on the west side of the Tennessee 
 river than it does on the east side. Fort Heiman is in 
 Kentucky, on the west bank of the river, close to the 
 
64 REMINISCENCES 
 
 state line of Tennessee. Fort Henry is on the east bank 
 of the river, about one-half mile below, or north, of a 
 point opposite Fort Heiman. Fort Donelson is fifteen 
 miles southeast of us, on the west bank of the Cumber- 
 land. These places are called forts, but the guns are all 
 taken away but one or two, and they amount to nothing 
 as fortifications. The district is commanded by Colonel 
 Lowe, of the 5th Iowa Cavalry, who is said to be a care- 
 ful, excellent officer. He has been absent ever since I 
 came here, and so I have not seen him. 
 
 ''The forces at the three points are the 83d Illinois, 
 13th Wisconsin, four companies of the Tlst Ohio, the 5th 
 Regiment of Iowa Cavalry, and four pieces of field artil- 
 lery; or, more correctly speaking, two sections, eight 
 companies of the 83d and two of the cavalry and one sec- 
 tion of artillery are at Donelson, and the balance of the 
 force is here and at Heiman. In the absence of Colonel 
 Lowe the district is under the command of Colonel 
 Harding of the 83d, a rich old fellow from Illinois, with 
 no military training whatever. He is as brave as Julius 
 Caesar and is a grand man, and I am very fond of him. 
 Last night I got a telegram from him ordering me to 
 move this morning with all of my available force to 
 Canton, thirty miles distant, thence to La Fayette, 
 thirty miles farther, where we would be thirty-five miles 
 from here. The commanding officer of the cavalry had 
 received the same orders. The object of the expedition 
 was no doubt to chase a band of thieving guerillas who 
 infest the region of La Fayette, but who mounted on 
 fleet horses always run at our approach. We knew that 
 it was useless to go after them and that Colonel Lowe 
 if here would disapprove of the expedition; so we held 
 a council of officers to devise the best way 'how not to do 
 it.' The result was that we sent a couple of smooth- 
 tongued officers to Donelson to coax the old Colonel off 
 the notion. They succeeded, and at two o'clock this 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 65 
 
 morning the order to march was countermanded by tele- 
 graph. The only loss was part of a night's sleep. 
 
 "We are not in decently respectable peril here, and 
 yet these posts must be held by somebody. Our great- 
 est privation is want of mails. I have not heard a word 
 from home since I left. I expect a mail tomorrow morn- 
 ing. You did right to have father go to Mauston to see 
 and comfort poor suffering Katie and her family. 
 
 "Since commencing this, four companies of my regi- 
 ment have beeen ordered on a six-days' expedition in the 
 country." 
 
 "Fort Henry, Tenn., Wed. a. m., Oct. 22, 1862.— 
 There is a boat going down and I think I will write a 
 few lines to let you know that I am well. We are having 
 beautiful weather now, Indian summer days and cool 
 nights. This morning we had quite a frost and but little 
 fog. When these fogs disappear and the ague subsides 
 it will be safe for you to come. I think that we shall re- 
 main here the most of the winter." 
 
 "Fort Henry, Tenn., Monday, October 27. — I do 
 not dare to have you come until a little later. In the 
 meantime I shall go on and get ready for you. If I can 
 get lumber I shall build a little shanty. My tent has a 
 good floor in it and so it is comfortable except in a cold 
 wind. It is about the size of our parlor. We could get 
 along very well in it, but perhaps better in a good board 
 shanty. We had a snow storm Saturday. All went off 
 the next day. The box came all right. The pickles and 
 peaches I gave to the sick boys in the hospital. I am 
 saving the cake till you come, 
 
 "I had a letter from Augie Weissart, of Company 
 K, from Corinth. He gives all the casualties of the 
 battle." 
 
 "Fort Henry, Tenn, 2 o'clock Thursday a. m., Oct. 
 30, 1862. — The celebrated guerilla chief, Morgan, is at 
 Hopkinsville, Ky., about fifty miles north-east of us. 
 
66 EEMINISCENCES 
 
 Trith a force variously estimated at from 1,500 to 2,500. 
 We expect to march in the morning in connection with 
 forces from Port Donelson and Paducah, under com- 
 mand of General Ransom, now in Paducah, to fight him, 
 unless he runs away. 
 
 "Colonel Lowe, the permanent commander here, 
 who has been absent ever since I came, is between here 
 and Paducah, and will be here tomorrow morning, or 
 lather this morning, early; which will relieve me from 
 the responsibility of commanding the expedition. I 
 have, however, to make all the preliminary arrange- 
 ments, and have been up all night issuing orders, tele- 
 graphing to Fort Donelson, Paducah and Columbus, and 
 getting ready generally. The regiment knows nothing of 
 the expedition yet, as I have not called them out. I am 
 feeling first rate and in most excellent spirits. My only 
 trouble is that my legs are rather weak and I can not 
 ride much on horseback. I shall walk or ride in an 
 ambulance mostly, and have no doubt but I shall stand 
 the trip finely. We shall probably be gone a week. If 
 we can clean out Morgan we break up guerilla opera- 
 tions in these parts and thus do the country and our 
 sacred cause good service. It is time I called up my 
 men, and must therefore close. Be a heroine, be calm, 
 although danger may surround me, and trust in the kind 
 Father of us all for safety and protection." 
 
 "Thursday evening. — A variety of circumstances 
 prevented us from getting off this morning, one of 
 which was the failure of Colonel Lowe to return this 
 morning. We have had an anxious day, fearing the 
 boat was captured by the guerillas. We go in the morn- 
 ing down the Tennessee forty miles, and then across to 
 the Cumberland, by land, of course, to Eddyville, thence 
 to Hopkinsville, We meet General Ransom and the 
 forces from below where we leave the river. The men 
 are in high spirits, and so am I, in view of our expedi- 
 
OP THE CIVIL WAR 67 
 
 tion. We want to get these guerillas scattered before 
 we feel quite willing to have our wives come to us. We 
 hear this morning that Morgan has skedaddled. I cele- 
 brated my birthday by drilling my regiment in battalion 
 drill for the first time." 
 
 "La Fayette, Ky., Tuesday, Nov. 4, 1862.— We are 
 at La Fayette, Ky., 18 miles east of Fort Donelson, near 
 the line of Tennessee. We have marched between forty 
 and fifty miles. I feel first rate. Kode over yesterday 
 and shall go on this morning. Do not think we shall get 
 a fight, but we make the guerillas skedaddle, I assure 
 you. Stop a week or more before we get back from 
 camp. Weather beautiful. 
 
 "We are holding an election this morning. Tell 
 Mr. Parker that I have cast a vote for him. I send this 
 ty a train going back to Donelson. I ride on horseback, 
 in the ambulance, and go on foot, about equal doses. I 
 get along finely and improve rapidly." 
 
 "Fort Henry, Tenn., Wed. p. m., Nov. 12, 1862.— We 
 have but just arrived from our expedition. The mail is 
 just going out and I have but time to say that I am well, 
 having improved in strength rapidly since I have been 
 gone. I got so I could ride on horseback all day. Mor- 
 gan gave us the slip, but we ran upon Woodward, who 
 has a band out there. There were 15 of their men killed. 
 Our loss, two killed and a few slightly wounded. The 
 killed were cavalry; the wounded, our men. The 13th 
 are good fighters. 
 
 "We marched 180 miles, went to Canton, La Fay- 
 ette, Hopkinsville, Garretsburg (where the fight oc- 
 curred), and Fort Donelson." 
 
 "Fort Henry, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 16, 1862.— My 
 letters recently have been few and hurried. I am now 
 able to give you a more full account of our expedition. I 
 have a feeling of quiet in my comfortable tent, with the 
 rain falling outside. My round of duty is ceaseless, yet 
 
68 REMINISCENCES 
 
 ii is no burden to me, for I have the cordial co-opera- 
 tion of officers and men, all of whom seem to have a sin- 
 cere respect for me. In addition to my regimental 
 duties, I am commander of this post, which adds some- 
 what to my labors. I like Colonel Lowe, the commander 
 of this district, well, and we get along together first 
 rate. He compliments me very highly upon the im- 
 proved condition of this regiment since I assumed the 
 command of it. He lives on the steamer Ewing, spend- 
 ing most of his time at Fort Heiman over the river op- 
 posite. Now for our march. 
 
 "We went down the river forty miles to Chaudet's 
 lianding, October 31. Thence we marched southeast to 
 Canton on the Cumberland river, in Trigg county, Ken- 
 tucky; thence southeast to La Fayette; thence north- 
 east to Hopkinsville, Christian county, Kentucky; 
 thence south to Garretsburg, near the line of Tennes- 
 see, and all about that place. Here we overtook Wood- 
 ward's gang, fought, and drove them; were only under 
 fire a short time. We then went back to Hopkinsville, 
 getting there Friday afternoon, the 7th; stayed there 
 until Sunday afternoon ; came back here by La Fayette 
 and Fort Donelson. 
 
 "The country about Hopkinsville is very fine, and 
 Hopkinsville is a beautiful place and very healthy. It 
 is the most loyal town we have found, having furnished 
 a large number of troops for the Union army. It is the 
 home of General Jackson, who was killed at the battle 
 of Perryville. We, the officers, enjoyed largely the hos- 
 pitality of the citizens and found much refinement 
 amongst them. We were the heroes of the battle of Gar- 
 retsburg, you know, and that is a great event with these 
 people! I attended church in Hopkinsville last Sunday 
 morning and heard a fine discourse from the Kev. Dr. 
 Nevins, a Presbyterian, and a sterling Union man. The 
 people in that region have suffered terribly from the 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 69 
 
 raids of guerilla parties ; and after witnessing- the effects 
 of this war there, and, indeed, everywhere in the South, 
 I am more and more thankful that you are out of the 
 range of these sufferings and that I can bear the whole 
 peril for all of us. 
 
 "I expect that Colonel Lowe will start another ex- 
 pedition soon after a guerilla gang under Napier, some 
 Mtj miles south of us; and we shall doubtless form a 
 part of it. When I get back from that trip I think I can 
 give you marching orders to come here, for it really looks 
 as though we should winter here. 
 
 "Lieut. -Col. Chapman and Captain Woodman of 
 the Thirteenth started North yesterday, and both of 
 them partly promised to visit you before they return. 
 They live in Green county. The captain is a young 
 married man and a finished gentleman. He and Colonel 
 Chapman are among my very best friends. I am sure 
 you will enjoy a visit from them. Several officers will 
 send for their wives, I think, after we return from the 
 proposed expedition; among them Captain Ruger, of 
 Janesville. We will arrange to have you come with 
 them." 
 
 "Tuesday, Nov. 18, 1862.— I will scratch off a few 
 lines, especially as it is our wedding anniversary. I 
 presume you have celebrated it in due form by a gath- 
 ering of the family, and I know your heart fondly whis- 
 pers, 'I wish he were here.' I have commemorated the 
 day by thinking over, as I often do, our married life and 
 the almost unalloyed happiness we have enjoyed, and in 
 anticipating the future and still greater happiness which 
 I believe is in store for us." 
 
 "Fort Henry, November 20, 1862. — Four of our 
 companies go up the river tomorrow on an expedition. I 
 do not go. Do not be frightened about guerillas. They 
 
70 REMINISCENCES 
 
 are great cowards and will not fight if they can help it. 
 They are mere thieves, and a thief is always a coward. I 
 do not at all fear being killed. Something constantly as- 
 sures me that I am coming home to you safely. Now, 
 don't get up a presentiment the other way." 
 
 "Fort Henry, Nov. 26, 1862. — We have had no mails 
 for several days. The last mail brought one letter from 
 you. It bears date of August 16th, redirected and for- 
 warded by Bartlett from Corinth. The uncertainty of 
 mails is very annoying. 
 
 "I write today, as I am detailed to act as President 
 of a general Court-Martial which convenes here tomor- 
 row, and I shall probably not have any leisure again for 
 a few days. Our Major, Bigney, has just joined us, and ' 
 relieves me from some duty. He is very much of a gen- 
 tleman, besides being a good officer. 
 
 "I showed my black folks all of your pictures today. 
 Jerry was much taken with Willie, saying: 'He will 
 make a bully man if nothing happens.' They are faith- 
 ful, excellent people, but they put on some airs because 
 they wait on the Colonel. Minerva is now cooking for 
 some officers who live with the Lieutenant-Colonel when 
 he is here. She is in a great hurry for you to come, so 
 that she can get out of that arrangement and wait on 
 you. I am going to build a log house in the rear of my 
 tent for them to live and cook in. 
 
 "We have battalion drill every afternoon, but to- 
 morrow being Thanksgiving Day at home I give the boys 
 a, holiday. I should be happy to eat fried oysters with 
 you on the occasion, but I suppose I shall be obliged to 
 go on with the Court-Martial." 
 
 "Fort Henry, Sunday evening, Nov. 30, 1862. — The 
 last day of each month is inspection day in the army, so 
 I have been engaged all day in making a minute and 
 thorough inspection of my command — not only of the 
 dress, arms, accoutrements and appearance of the men, 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 71 
 
 but of their tents, kitchens, cook-houses, shanties, cook- 
 ing utensils, dishes, etc. Fancy me examining tin 
 plates, dish kettles, coffee pots, knives, forks, spoons, tin 
 cups, and the like ; threatening to send dirty cooks to the 
 guard house, praising the clean ones, ordering altera- 
 tions, suggesting improvements, etc. ; in which duty I 
 was accompanied and assisted by the Major, Adjutant 
 and two of the surgeons ; and you will have a very good 
 idea of inspection day. I give special and constant at- 
 tention to the cleanliness of the camp, and it is now one 
 of the cleanest I ever saw and is constantly improving, 
 for the officers and men enter most cordially into the 
 spirit of the thing. 
 
 "I am still on a general Court-Martial. It is a great 
 bore, too, much like practicing law. The day has been 
 warm and cloudy. This evening it rains copiously, but 
 my tent is warm and dry and as cozy as you could wish 
 were you here to enjoy it with me, as I trust you will be 
 before many weeks elapse. We shall live in the most ap- 
 proved style. Colonel Lowe still intends an expedition 
 after Napier." 
 
 "Fort Henry, Dec. 4, 1862. — We are going after 
 Napier and his band tomorrow, and you may not hear 
 from me for ten or twelve days. The teams and the cav- 
 alry go tomorrow morning by land, and we go Saturday 
 morning up the river forty miles by water. The rebels 
 are supposed to be at Waverly, ten or twelve miles from 
 where we propose to land, east of the river. Our trans- 
 portation, that is, teams, provisions, etc., go up on the 
 west side for greater safety. We have a four-gun gun- 
 boat to convoy us up the river. I don't know how many 
 rebels there are up there, but probably not enough to 
 induce them to fight us. We shall probably chase them 
 about the country for a week or two and then come back. 
 If we can clean out that force there is nothing left in our 
 beat for us to fight. 
 
72 REMINISCENCES 
 
 "I will answer your questions. We are in General 
 Grant's command, which is called the Department of 
 West Tennessee." 
 
 "Fort Henry, Dec. 5, 1862. — We had a lovely snow 
 storm last night, three inches deep, but the weather is 
 mild. Our expedition is postponed in consequence until 
 further orders. I should not wonder if it turned out one 
 'grand fizzle,' after all." 
 
 "Dec. 11, 1862. — There is a boat between Paducah 
 and here that has Captain Woodman on board, and it is 
 supposed that the wives of Captain Ruger and Lieuten- 
 ant Bowerman are also passengers. Mrs. Chapman, wife 
 of the Lieut.-Col., is here. I dined with them on Tuesday 
 on wild turkey. 
 
 "I have kept you on the rack some time now con- 
 cerning our expedition. Well, you see, it has not come 
 off, and I will tell you why. Just as we were ready to 
 start, we learned that Napier was strongly reinforced by 
 the troops of Woodward and Forrest, with considerable 
 artillery, and that Morgan was some fifteen miles north- 
 east of Clarksville, and about forty miles from Fort 
 Donelson, waiting for us to go up the river in order to 
 pounce upon Fort Donelson and take it. His force was 
 reported at 3,000 men, with four pieces of artillery. So^ 
 instead of starting for Waverly, we held ourselves in 
 readiness to march to Donelson at short notice. Then, 
 no longer ago than yesterday. General Rosecrans tele- 
 graphed us that Forrest Avas advancing on Fort Henry 
 (from Waverly, I suppose), and would certainly attack 
 us. We rather liked this, for we have here two gunboats, 
 one carrying four and the other two heavy guns, 24- 
 pounders, and we had also one 12-pounder, and five 
 rifled, six-pound guns on shore; and we would fight and 
 whip 5,000 of these fellows should they attack us here 
 without siege guns. 
 
 "Well, todav one of our scouts came in from Wav- 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 73 
 
 ei'lj, and he reports only 500 men there under Napier, 
 with no cannon except two 12-pounders, which they cap- 
 turued from one of our boats that ran aground up the 
 Tennessee river last summer. He says that neither For- 
 rest nor Woodward is there at all, and discredits the 
 story that Morgan is anywhere in this section of country. 
 As soon as Colonel Lowe can be satisfied upon the latter 
 point, we shall move on Waverly. 
 
 "Of course, we shall get no fighting, but we go to 
 administer a little justice to a few of the rebel ringlead- 
 ers in that region, and they need it badly. Were I in 
 command I think I should make the expedition forth- 
 with; but Colonel Lowe is a very prudent, cautious of- 
 ficer — too cautious, I sometimes think — and will not 
 move until he is assured of success. In the meantime 
 our preparation for winter progresses finely. 
 
 "In addition to our tents, we have about sixty log 
 houses, which the boys have built, and some of them are 
 really nice and cozy. Many of the officers have them, but 
 I prefer a tent." 
 
 FROM MES. LYON's DIARY. 
 
 Paducah, Ky., Dec. 12, 1862.— I met Captain Wood- 
 man, with Mrs. Ruger and Mrs. Bowerman, as I was 
 looking for an omnibus in Chicago. Both the ladies are 
 young brides, and quite pleasant. We all went up yes- 
 terday to examine the fort. It is a very strong fortifica- 
 tion. It commands the Ohio, Cumberland and Tennes- 
 see rivers. They fired a blank cartridge in honor of our 
 visit. It was a thirty-four pounder. I could scarcely 
 hear anything for some time after. 
 
 There is a rumor here that the rebels (6,000) are 
 near Fort Donelson and preparing to attack the fort, 
 and that they have sent to Fort Henry for reinforce- 
 
74 EEMINIBCENCES 
 
 nients. There are two ladies here waiting to go to Fort 
 Donelson. The last boat load that went up took along 
 firearms to defend themselves, as the boat might be fired 
 into or captured. It is not a pleasant idea. We saw 
 here for the first time well-dressed Southern ladies chew- 
 ing tobacco and spitting behind the backlog. 
 
 Dec. 14, 1862. — We took the boat in the afternoon, 
 but did not come very fast from Paducah, as we had to 
 tow a barge of coal. It made the boat so heavy we came 
 very slowly. This coal is for the expedition William 
 wrote about that he was going with. We had to tie up to 
 a tree and stay all night, 20 miles from Paducah. 
 
 Fort Henry, Dec. 16, 1862, eight o'clock. — Captain 
 Ruger and Lieut. Bowerman came to the boat to meet 
 their wives, but William had not the least intimation of 
 my coming and stayed snugly in his tent until we were 
 nearly here, when Captain Hewitt ran in and asked him 
 if he knew that his wife had come on the boat. William 
 said: "No, and if you have deceived me you shall be 
 court-martialed." It was a complete surprise. He 
 could not get over it all the evening. After we had gone, 
 to bed, a party came and serenaded us. The music was 
 very sweet. They had a fiute, violin and guitar. After 
 serenading us, they went to Colonel Chapman's and to 
 Captain Ruger's and Bowerman's. They have a double 
 log-house for both families. I can't say that I like sleep- 
 ing out of doors. My first experience was rather un- 
 pleasant. The tent post was one of the bed posts. The 
 wind blew quite hard that night, and we rocked about 
 as you would in a boat in a gale, but we have remedied 
 that. It seems so noisy, living in a tent, and so exposed 
 - -only a thin cloth between you and the outside world. 
 I think I should prefer a log cabin ; but William enjoys 
 this so much, he wonders that I should not. We have a 
 little stove and are quite comfortable. 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 75 
 
 Dec. 25, 1862. — The ladies all joined and got up a 
 Christmas dinner for the officers. 
 
 Dec. 28. — The regiment returned from their recent 
 expedition, all safe, not having found the enemy at all. 
 We made up our minds that we were now going to have a 
 good visit, but a dispatch arrived from Colonel Lowe 
 with orders for the Thirteenth to go to Paris, as there is 
 a strong force of rebels there, to prevent the Unionists 
 from voting for their Congressional member. They are 
 to have their election today. I fear our men will not get 
 off so easily again. The men are completely tired out 
 from their march, being in camp only one night. They 
 started from here about five o'clock p. m., and will have 
 to march all night to get there. This expedition is en- 
 tirely under William's supervision. His orders were to 
 disembark at Paris Landing, and after that to do what 
 seemed proper to him. He has two companies of cavalry 
 with him. When he told me yesterday that they were 
 going, I told himi that I intended to go home on the gun- 
 boat, but he begged so hard for me to stay that I told 
 him I would stay unless I heard bad news from home. 
 He feels as badly as I do that he can not be with me, and 
 says that they will surely be back in a few days. 
 
 The weather is perfectly beautiful. It is so warm 
 that I do not pretend to put anything around me when 
 I go out. The birds are singing as they do with us in 
 the spring. The Eighty-Third Illinois Regiment from 
 Fort Donelson has just passed, to join the Thirteenth in 
 the expedition. 
 
 1863. 
 
 Fort Henry, Tenn., Jan. 5, 1863.— The last time I 
 wrote, William was off on the second expedition. They 
 returned on Wednesday, dissatisfied at not being al- 
 
76 REMINISCENCES 
 
 lowed to go into Paris. They were ordered to stay eight 
 miles this side, as the rumors were that Forrest had too 
 many men for our forces to fight. Our pickets were 
 driven in, but they captured four horses and arms. 
 
 We have just heard the good that the expedition did. 
 The rebels did not know how much force we had, but 
 heard and imagined that there were four times as many 
 as there were. So they turned and went the other way 
 and so came in contact with General Dodge and his 
 army, and had a battle and were badly beaten. 
 
 Forrest and Napier had joined forces. Napier was 
 killed and we have taken 900 prisoners, so report says. 
 I expect the Thirteenth will be ordered away from here 
 before long, as General Ransom is determined to have 
 them. 
 
 Fort Henry, Tenn., Jan. 14, 1863.— A party of 
 twenty of us went to Fort Donelson, returning the same 
 day. While going there the carriage in which I rode 
 broke down, upset and rolled us all out in the road in 
 fine confusion. Except a few slight bruises nobody was 
 injured. Mrs. Stanton fainted away and we had to take 
 her into a house. Here we saw for the first time the 
 filthy habit of dipping. They take a small stick and 
 chew the end of it into a brush, then stick it into Scotch 
 snuff and rub it all around their teeth. 
 
 Jan. 18, 1862. — It rained all day the 14th and to the 
 16th, when it turned to snow. The snow is eighteen 
 inches deep, but I do not think it will last. It is not 
 cold. The river is high and rising fast. Our camp is on 
 an elevation above high- water mark. 
 
 Fort Henry, January 21, 1863. — Trying to clear off. 
 Company H, Captain Noyes, has gone up the river on a 
 scout. The Tennessee has risen from ten to fifteen feet 
 in two days, and if this snow should go off with rain it 
 Avould rise considerably more. We have been perfectly 
 comfortable in our tent. A gunboat and three trans- 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 77 
 
 ports loaded with hospital supplies were captured on 
 the Cumberland river the same night we were in Don- 
 elson, 
 
 William sent to Paducah for two chairs for us. We 
 had to sit on cracker boxes before. One of the soldiers 
 says that he will put some rockers on mine. 
 
 Jan. 27, 1863. — We had a pleasure excursion down 
 the river on the Nevada. Went fourteen miles, to the 
 Dutch grocery. Took a long tramp in the woods. Tw^o 
 negroes cut down two hickory trees for us to gather the 
 nuts. We had to return to the boat on account of rain. 
 There has been a terrible battle at Murfreesboro, we hear. 
 
 Attended a pleasant dancing party given by Mrs. 
 Lowe on the boat Ewing. We all enjoyed it very much, 
 it was such a new experience. We did not go back to 
 camp until after ten o'clock (after taps they call it), 
 and not one of the officers had the countersign, so 
 when we got to the picket there were a number of of- 
 ficers waiting for the Colonel to give them the counter- 
 sign. In his hurry to get ready he had not thought to 
 get it, but I had opened the note and was, therefore, the 
 only one in the crowd who knew it, so I had to whisper 
 it to the guard before they would let us pass. I often *go 
 to the hospital and take some little good thing to the 
 sick boys. They appreciate it, I can tell you. 
 
 COLONEL LYON'S LETTERS. 
 
 "Feb. 3, 1863. — Our mails are very irregular. All 
 the steamers are used by the Government to carry troops 
 to Vicksburg and Nashville. There are no signs of our 
 being ordered away from here at present, although I 
 should not be surprised if we had a march and a fight 
 soon. We get intelligence that the rebels in large force 
 
78 REMINISCENCES 
 
 are preparing to obstruct the passage of the Cumber- 
 land river between Donelson and Clarksville. If so, 
 thej must be dislodged, as the use of the Cumberland is 
 indispensible to General Rosecrans. A late order trans- 
 fers us from General Grant's to General Rosecrans' 
 command." 
 
 "February 6, 1863. — We received the intelligence 
 en Tuesday afternoon at one o'clock that the rebels were 
 advancing on Donelson. The only forces there were the 
 83d Illinois, Colonel Harding, and Flood's 2d Illinois 
 Battery of four pieces. Colonel Harding had also a 32- 
 pcunder siege gun in position. One of his companies 
 was absent, so that the whole defensive force there was 
 less than 700 men, Avith five pieces of artillery. 
 
 "We could not ascertain whether the rebels were in 
 large force, and we apprehended that the attack there 
 was only a feint, and that the real point of attack would 
 [)e Fort Henry. Colonel Lowe hesitated, therefore, to 
 send reinforcements until the necessity was apparent. 
 
 "Finally we got a dispatch that the battle had com- 
 menced, and I was ordered to push rapidly over there 
 (it is fifteen miles from here) with the Thirteenth. Soon 
 after we left the telegraph wire was cut, which showed 
 that the enemy were in our path. Colonel Lowe started 
 reinforcements to me. Six miles this side of Fort Don- 
 elson my advance guard was fired into and fell back to 
 the main body. This was after dark. I formed a line of 
 battle and reconnoitered in front. The first men that 
 advanced in front of our lines were fired upon and 
 wounded. We reconnoitered carefully in front, and 
 hearing heavy firing renewed at Donelson, I pushed on 
 with the main body, moving slowly, with skirmishers 
 deployed to the front. 
 
 "In the meantime Colonel Lowe learned that we 
 Avere attacked and sent me three pieces of artillery and 
 more infantry. I moved slowly and cautiously to within 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 79 
 
 two miles of Donelsoii, occasionally sending couriers in 
 advance to ascertain the situation of things at the fort, 
 for up to this time we had no intelligence from there. 
 We passed the point where the rebel force on our road 
 had been stationed. We learned from citizens that they 
 had 300 or 400 men there, who retreated on our ap- 
 proach. 
 
 "About midnight one of our couriers returned with 
 intelligence that the road was clear, and we moved on to 
 the fort. We found, when we arrived there, that the 
 place was attacked between one and two o'clock by at 
 least four thousand rebels with from ten to thirteen 
 pieces of artillery. They were commanded by a Major- 
 General Wheeler and two Brigadiers, Forrest and 
 Wharton, The fight lasted until night. The rebels sur- 
 rounded the place, their lines running from the river 
 bank above to the river bank below the town, which is 
 surrounded by high hills. What is called Fort Donel- 
 son is really the village of Dover, The fortifications are 
 abandoned and did not figure in the fight. They charged 
 repeatedly upon our men, but were invariably repulsed. 
 The history of this war shows no such fighting as was 
 done by the 83d Illinois and Flood's Battery. Without 
 fortifications, except slight breastworks improvised for 
 the occasion, inferior in artillery, and 700 against 4,000, 
 they fought for hours, through ravines, over hills, 
 through the streets of the village, behind houses, in com- 
 panies, by squads, and often single-handed, they con- 
 tested every inch of ground until night ended the con- 
 flict. And to render the condition of these gallant men 
 more desperate, at four o'clock the battery was out of 
 ammunition. 
 
 "The regiment was never in battle before, but every 
 man fought like a veteran. At night, with their lines 
 drawn closely around the town, and their batteries all in 
 position to renew the attack in the morning, the enemy 
 
80 REMINISCENCES 
 
 sent in a demand to Colonel Harding to surrender the 
 place or take the consequences. The Colonel replied 
 that it was against his orders to surrender and he must 
 therefore 'take the consequences.' All the time I knew, 
 as did also Colonel Harding, that several gunboats were 
 on their way up the Cumberland river and would reach 
 Donelson on Tuesday evening. The rebels knew nothing 
 of this. 
 
 "The gunboats arrived about eight o'clock and 
 opened fire with eight-inch DahlgTens upon the rebels, 
 scattering them in dismay out of our reach. Early in 
 the morning we found that they were rapidly retreating 
 southeast, in the direction from whence they came. The 
 slaughter amongst them was terrible. The morning 
 after we arrived there I looked over the ground and 
 dead bodies could be seen in every direction. Up to 
 Wednesday evening our men had buried 125 dead rebels, 
 and they were still being found and brought in. We 
 find the houses all along the line of their retreat filled 
 with their wounded, and they took off all that they could 
 move. Their killed will, I think, amount to 200 and 
 their wounded to 600 or 800. The most remarkable cir- 
 cumstance of the whole affair is that the loss on our 
 side was only 11 killed and 41 wounded ! 
 
 "This battle was fought a mile or more from old 
 Fort Donelson. We have since learned that it was their 
 intention to capture Fort Donelson and then move their 
 whole force on to Fort Henry and take that fort also. 
 There are great stores of supplies and provisions, as well 
 as arms, here. Hence they threw out a strong force on 
 the Fort Henry road to retard the advance of reinforce- 
 ments from here; and then when they got Fort Donel- 
 son they could throw their whole force on us, they 
 thought, and exterminate us. It was well planned — the 
 theory was perfect — ^but it did not work well. 
 
 "Yesterday we returned to our old quarters. Be- 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 81 
 
 fore leaving Donelson, however, we saw the Twenty- 
 Second Wisconsin, which, with 20,000 to 30,000 other 
 troops, were there on their way to Nashville and Mur- 
 freesboro. They have buried 70 men and left 150 sick 
 behind them. The regiment is not in a good condition. 
 I marched the Thirteenth down to the boat on which 
 was the Twenty-Second, drew up in line, gave them a 
 few rounds of cheers, said 'Good-bye,' and left for home. 
 "They got news in camp after we left for Fort Don- 
 elson that we were fighting, and the fact that Colonel 
 Lowe was constantly pushing reinforcements to me 
 seemed to confirm it, and the women got quite nervous 
 about us." 
 
 MRS. LYON'S DIARY. 
 
 Fort Henry, Tenn., Feb. 4 — A dispatch from Col- 
 onel Lowe yesterday called the Thirteenth to Fort Don- 
 elson. We had a night of great excitement. All the men 
 went out of camp except the sick, and all that could 
 stand up on their feet followed. We heard that the Thir- 
 teenth was fighting about six miles out. We could hear 
 the cannon boom once in a while. After dark, and all 
 night, the couriers were running. They brought news 
 that some of the officers were killed. I had to bear this 
 alone, for I could not tell the wives, and thought it 
 might not be true ; and if it was I did not want to be the 
 one to tell them. We packed up everything, and were 
 ready to start at a moment's notice. We were to take 
 the boat and go down the river a few miles. After mid- 
 night the ladies all got together in our tent and talked. 
 They seemed to depend upon me. I felt myself a very 
 weak stick — I knew of these reports, and felt so nervous. 
 
82 
 
 REMINISCENCES 
 
 MAP OF FORT HENRY, TENN., FEB. 28, 1863. 
 DRAWN BY COLONEL, LYON. 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 83 
 
 FROM COLONEL LYON'S LETTERS. 
 
 "Feb. 9, 1863. — There is a report that Van Dorn is 
 advancing upon us from the southwest with a large 
 force, which may be true. Many of the rebel army are 
 in a starving condition. It was for that reason they 
 were so anxious to get in here. 
 
 "The weather is very warm, with lots of mud. We 
 are doing some work on fortifications and giving the 
 rebels some chance to do us a good turn if they choose 
 to give us a call. If we are attacked here at any time w^e 
 shall put the women on a steamer and send them a few 
 miles down the river." 
 
 "Fort Henry, Feb. 13, 1863. — No excitement here 
 now about an attack, yet we may have a fight in a week. 
 These matters are all uncertain. Secesh comes like a 
 thief in the night. We are always ready." 
 
 "Feb. 20, 1863.— Night before last I had informa- 
 tion leading me to believe that an attack here was quite 
 probable, and as a measure of precaution I had all the 
 women pack their trunks and get ready to 'vamose the 
 ranch,' at double quick if necessary. We were up most 
 of the night. We were misled by the telegraph operator 
 at Fort Donelson. In the morning all was explained 
 and we resumed our usual equanimity. Colonel Lowe is 
 absent, and the whole responsibility in case of an at- 
 tack here is on me. 
 
 "A very heavy wind last evening made our tent and 
 Adelia's nerves shake considerable, but I made every- 
 thing right by holding down the tent pole." 
 
 "Feb. 28, 1863. — The water is very high, and rising 
 about one foot in 24 hours. It is at least 30 feet above 
 its ordinary height last fall. We have built a bridge of 
 I'lgs over the ravine (see map), as the water rose, and I 
 think it must be 15 feet high and 20 to 25 rods long. The 
 logs are laid up crib fashion, with plank on top. A rise 
 
84 REMINISCENCES 
 
 of four feet more will cover the ridge nearest the river 
 and drive our troops out of the fort. A rise of five or 
 six feet will let steamers run up to our camp. They 
 could come up now through the ravine were it not for 
 the trees. 
 
 "The weather is delightful, just like your most 
 pleasant May. This is a gi-eat country for frogs. They 
 keep up a terrible clatter every night.'' 
 
 MRS. LYON'S DIARY. 
 
 Feb. 22, 1863. — Another scare. There is a large 
 rebel force at Waverley. The boys in the hospital are 
 all better, except one poor Norwegian, who is dying of 
 homesickness. I tried to encourage him, but it was of 
 no use, he is so despondent. 
 
 Feb. 27, 1863.— Went with the ladies to the pho- 
 tographer's. Took a long walk on the new bridge and 
 to the sutler's. Mrs, Warren treated us to some apples, 
 being the only lady that had any money. Nearly pay 
 day. 
 
 Feb. 28, 1863. — Went to inspection and muster. 
 Called at the hospital. A large party of us visited the 
 old Secesh camp. Their chimneys are still standing. It 
 was all dry and pleasant there. 
 
 March 3, 1863. — William was telegraphing with 
 General Eosecrans until ten o'clock respecting Van 
 Dorn. We are threatened with an attack. We are get- 
 ting quite used to this now. 
 
 March 4, 1863. — The regiment has just received 
 orders to march to Fort Donelson and leave at once. I 
 expect we women will have to go home. 
 
 March 5, 1863. — Stayed with Mrs. Hewitt all night. 
 We hardly slept a bit. We were afraid of guerillas. 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 85 
 
 There were strange men all through the camp in the day 
 time. We were afraid they might come again at night. 
 There is but a small guard left here to protect us. No 
 boat yet. 
 
 March 6, 1863. — Raining, and no boat. I decided to 
 go to Fort Donelson. We got there near dark, tired 
 almost to death. Found Minerva quite sick. All the 
 Icidies came here and we got supper for them, two ambu- 
 lance loads. William came out to help the ladies out. I 
 came out first and he was so glad to see me that he took 
 me into the house and forgot what he went out for, but 
 was excused. They laughed at him and joked him. He 
 had secured a large room in a large house for headquar- 
 ters. We will try living in a house for awhile. 
 
 Fort Donelson, March 8, 1863. — The rest of the 
 women came over today. Mrs. Twist and Mrs. Norton 
 stayed with the other privates' wives — the husbands 
 stayed as guards. The roads are awful. They had no 
 arrangements made, so they made a field bed for the four 
 women and children. Raining all the time since we 
 came. 
 
 Fort Donelson, March 9, 1863. — We don't do much 
 but cook. There is a large family of us. It is lucky that 
 we have a large room. 
 
 Fort Donelson, March 10, 1863. — Raining all day. 
 Captain Woodman and the Rugers took dinner with us. 
 The Armeda came with the rest of the ladies. They came 
 around by Paducah. Only two ladies out of 24 went 
 home. 
 
 COLONEL LYON'S LETTERS. 
 
 "Fort Donelson, Tenn., March 8, 1863.— On Tuesday 
 last I had orders from General Rosecrans to evacuate 
 Fort Henry and come here. This was soon followed by 
 
86 KEMINISCENCES 
 
 another order to evacuate Fort Heiman also — thus 
 abandoning the Tennessee river entirely. We marched 
 here on Tuesday evening and arrived after mid- 
 night, leaving Adelia at Fort Henry expecting 
 that she would have to go home; but on send- 
 ing back our wagons for baggage the next day, 
 she and nearly all the ladies concluded to come here, 
 which they did, arriving Friday night. 
 
 "It is very troublesome to get the artillery and cav- 
 alry across the river from Fort Heiman, and they are not 
 all over yet. The high water causes the trouble, 
 
 "I found on getting here that Colonel Harding had 
 provided a room for me in a house occupied by him as 
 headquarters, inside the fortifications, so we are quite 
 comfortable. 
 
 "I am glad to get the regiment away from Fort 
 Henry, there is so much country under water there that 
 I think sickness will prevail when the water subsides. 
 This place is dry and hilly, without any overflow in high 
 water. It is a healthy point. 
 
 "There are a great many boats running up and 
 down the Cumberland, taking supplies to General Kose- 
 crans' army. I think there is no rebel force of any con- 
 siderable size in this vicinity. We have a strong forti- 
 fication, plenty of artillery, and a reasonable number of 
 troops, and can whip almost anything that comes." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, Tenn., March 12, 1863.— We are 
 well and have gotten quite comfortabl}- settled after 
 our move. The weather is very pleasant now, mud rap- 
 idly drying up. 
 
 "I don't know that I ever told you that our officers 
 elected Dr. Smith, of Buffalo, Chaplain of this regiment 
 some time ago. Just received a letter accepting the ap- 
 pointment, but he will not join us probably for some 
 weeks. 
 
 "Business is very active on the Cumberland, as all 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 87 
 
 the supplies for General Rosecrans' army go up this 
 river. A fleet of twenty or more transports, convoyed by 
 gunboats, left here this morning for Nashville. 
 
 "You have doubtless heard ere this that the 22d 
 Regiment, Colonel Utley, is captured. We have no par- 
 ticulars yet. They doubtless fought gallantly. I do 
 not think either the regiment or its ofiBcers are to blame. 
 The period of our stay here is very uncertain." 
 
 MRS. LYON'S diary, 
 
 March 15, 1863. — We went to church and heard Mr. 
 McKenney, Chaplain of the 71st Ohio, the first preach- 
 ing I have listened to in three months. After dinner we 
 walked to the burying ground, where the heaviest of the 
 last battle was fought. There were a number of bodies 
 picked up right here. Two battles were fought over this 
 ground. It had once been decorated beautifully. There 
 are a number of slabs that are box-shaped, handsome 
 monuments, nearly all broken by cannon balls and 
 shells. It makes a desolate place of it. After the last 
 battle they dug pits and put from twenty to forty bodies 
 in each grave, without even a box to shelter them. There 
 are a great many interesting places around here, made 
 so by events that will enter history. 
 
 March 16, 1863. — The boys found a dead rebel in 
 our quarters, buried about six inches below the surface. 
 
 March 17, 1863. — We all went out to see the dress 
 parade. The ground has been so muddy and broken that 
 they have not had a parade latel3^ The Thirteenth Regi- 
 ment surpasses them all. 
 
 In the night the telegraph operator came to say that 
 Colonel Harding was promoted to Brigadier-General. 
 Most of his regiment, the 83d, came down here to con- 
 
88 REMINISCENCES 
 
 gratulate him. They serenaded him, sang all kinds of 
 war songs, and tried to get into his room, but all in vain. 
 A boat came by with a band on it that played beauti- 
 fully. 
 
 LETTER FROM MRS. LYON. 
 
 Fort Donelson, March 17, 1863. — The dangers that 
 surround us have made us appreciate every hour to- 
 gether. Our train went over to Fort Henry day before 
 yesterday, and on coming back yesterday they saw a 
 number of rebels, who probably meant to attack the 
 train but saw it so strongly guarded that they let it 
 alone. 
 
 LETTER FROM COLONEL LYON. 
 
 "Fort Donelson, March 24, 1863. — I suppose you 
 have heard lots of rumors about the 13th having surren- 
 dered Fort Donelson. The rebels have not been here in 
 force since they were so awfully whipped. There are 
 guerilla parties, but they dare not attack a place so well 
 fortified. 
 
 "We are getting to be quite aristocratic, we live in 
 a large house with Brigadier-General Harding, formerly 
 Colonel of the 83d Illinois, the regiment that fought the 
 late battle here. 
 
 "Yours of the 1st of March came to hand in due time. 
 We were a little curious to know how you knew at that 
 time that we were coming here, when we did not know it 
 ourselves. The first intimation we had of it was a tele- 
 gram from General Rosecrans to me, March 4th, order- 
 ing the force at Fort Henry over here. We had, however, 
 expected orders to go to some other point, for some time, 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 89 
 
 as Fort Henry was all under water and there was no 
 earthly use in keeping troops there any longer. 
 
 "Fort Heiman, opposite Fort Henry across the Ten- 
 nessee river, is a commanding point. That fort was also 
 evacuated, but has since been occupied by troops from 
 General Grant's department. There is no prospect of an 
 immediate fight here, but this is a sort of key position 
 and any little change of program on either side may 
 make it the scene of heavy conflict. This post will doubt- 
 less be occupied by considerable of a force for some time, 
 or at least until there is some decisive change of affairs 
 in this region." 
 
 MRS. LYON'S DIARY. 
 
 March 19, 1863. — The 83d gives a grand party on 
 the Ewing tonight in honor of Colonel Harding. We 
 shall go. 
 
 March 20, 1862. — There is to be a grand concert to- 
 night on the Ewing, given by Professor Wootock. We 
 are all invited and shall go. 
 
 March 21, 1863. — The concert was grand. They 
 varied the program by once in a while dancing a cotil- 
 lion. The music was chaianing. We all enjoyed it im- 
 mensely. 
 
 We found three rebel graves in our dooryard. The 
 bodies were buried about six inches deep. They were 
 buried as they retreated, we suppose. Poor fellows, it 
 will never be known! 
 
 LETTER FROM COLONEL LYON TO ISAAC LYON. 
 
 "March 25, 1863. — We live in a house now and have 
 a large room with a fireplace. We have partitioned off a 
 
90 REMINISCENCES 
 
 bedroom in one corner, and are building a kitchen near 
 by for our colored folks. We live mostly on the usual 
 rations, with eggs and butter added. We pay twenty 
 cents for eggs. Have bought no butter yet. We live in 
 constant expectation of a paymaster. The Government 
 owes me now over $1,000. I only expect to get about 
 f 450 at the next payment. 
 
 "At present we are not menaced with an attack 
 here, and we have the means with which to make a stout 
 (defense should we be attacked; but a movement of the 
 rebels against the right flank of General Rosecrans' 
 army would be very apt to strike us. If, as is now re- 
 ported, the rebels are evacuating Vicksburg and rein- 
 forcing Bragg, we shall have stirring times in this 
 vicinity before spring is gone. 
 
 "I suppose you have heard the report that Fort Don- 
 elson was taken and the 13tli had gone the way of the 
 22d. The story was made out of whole cloth by some 
 lying telegraph operator." 
 
 MRS. LYON'S diary. 
 
 Fort Donelson, March 31, 1863. — There is a house 
 over in Dover with 650 bullet holes in it, and one corner 
 of the cornice, or corner of the house roof, was taken off 
 entirely by a shell at the time of the fight. The rebels 
 got into that house and shot from it. The 83d did not 
 like this and ordered them to surrender. They held out 
 for some time, but at last surrendered. Captain Morril 
 (afterward Governor of Kansas) lives in this house 
 now. 
 
 April 1, 1863. — We all went on an excursion on the 
 Nevada, up to the rolling mills, a beautiful spot. We 
 got some interesting specimens of slag. Colonel Lowe 
 accompanied us. We had a very pleasant trip. 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 91 
 
 LETTER FROM COLONEL LYON. 
 
 "Fort Donelsou, April 2, 1863. — You have heard, no 
 doubt, that the balance of the 22d Regiment (Colonel 
 Utley), is 'gobbled'. What a poor, unfortunate regiment 
 it has been and is! There is, however, no stain of dis- 
 honor upon it. When it passed up the Cumberland in 
 February last the men appeared dejected, and the regi- 
 ment was not, for some cause or other, in a good shape. 
 Now it is ruined. I would go down to a bloody grave, 
 oh, so cheerfully, rather than live to see the 13th in the 
 condition that the 22d is in." 
 
 MRS. LYON'S diary. 
 
 Fort Donelson, April 3, 1863. — Great excitement in 
 camp. We were awakened this morning at three o'clock 
 with the news that Van Dorn has a force at Palmyra. 
 They attacked a fleet that was going to Nashville and 
 disabled a gunboat. The orders are to move the sick on 
 the boat and the ladies to pack ready for a move to the 
 boat if attacked. 
 
 Fort Donelson, April 5, 1863. — The scare is over. 
 Van Dorn has proven to be Woodward. We are still 
 quiet and safe and do not expect an attack from him. 
 
 LETTERS FROM COLONEL LYON. 
 
 "Fort Donelson, April 9, 1863. — At present there 
 seems to be no considerable force of rebels in our vicin- 
 ity, and we are resting very quietly. 
 
 "We held an election on Tuesday for Chief Justice. 
 
92 KEMINISCENCES 
 
 Our nine companies have cast 385 votes, of which Dixon 
 received 357 and Cothren 28; majority for Dixon, 329. 
 Our other company is at Hickman, Ky. 
 
 "We are doing much Avork upon the fortifications 
 here and will soon have a strong fort in a strong posi- 
 tion. 
 
 "A few days ago, April 3d, some gunboats were fired 
 upon with artillery above here, uuder circumstances that 
 led us to apprehend an attack here. We sent off our 
 sick, and all our women packed up ready to start, but no 
 enemv came." 
 
 MRS. LYON'S DIARY. 
 
 Fort Donelson, April 10, 1863. — Five gunboats 
 went by this morning. Woodward's force fired into two 
 boats with artillery and sank them. They were laden 
 with sutler's stores. A detachment of the 13th went 
 up the river. 
 
 April 11, 1863. — Orders came to have the 13th, five 
 companies of the 83d Illinois, two of the 71st Ohio, and 
 five of the 5th Iowa cavalry, Colonel Lyon commanding, 
 go out twelve miles to the relief of Major Young. 
 
 April 12, 1863. — The gunboats destroyed Palmyra 
 on the 9th. Regiment returned all safe, did not see the 
 enemy. 
 
 LETTER FROM COLONEL LYON. 
 
 "Fort Donelson, April 13, 1863.— We have had a 
 little expedition. One Woodward, a rebel, has a force 
 of about 2,000 men with artillery up the river, harrass- 
 ing boats. We had a force up about twelve miles in the 
 country, and hearing that Woodward was intending to 
 ti-y and cut it off, I was sent out early Saturday morn- 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 93 
 
 ing- with reinforcements to give him a fight if he came 
 around ; but he did not come, so we returned last night 
 — without a fight, as usual." > 
 
 MRS. LYON'S diary. 
 
 Fort Donelson, April 15, 1863. — Had a slight scare. 
 Five or six of the 83d boys were just outside of the 
 pickets and were taken prisoners. It did not amount to 
 much of a scene. 
 
 April 18. — An expedition went out in ambulances 
 this morning to the old fighting ground of two years' 
 ago. It was very interesting to wander over the ground 
 where so many had fallen. It makes one feel very sad. 
 
 April 21. — I am packing up to go home. We go on 
 the Ewing as far as Paducah. Nearly all of the officers 
 and wives came and spent the evening with us — quite a 
 surprise party. 
 
 April 22. — Mrs. Wemple quite sick. We were going 
 home together. She feels so badly about my going 
 without her, and William does not want me to go alone 
 and has put a veto on my going yet. 
 
 April 25. — One of Company B's boys was drowned 
 today while bathing. 
 
 April 26. — Went to church. Took a long walk, 
 gathered flowers. Haley, the scout, has been after his 
 family farther South, in the Secesh regions. He had to 
 go on the sly and keep hidden while there whenever he 
 went to see them. So William sent a guard with him 
 and an ambulance and brought them here — his wife and 
 wife's mother, and two children. His little girl three 
 years old had croup the night before while they were on 
 the road. She seemed very hoarse, but did not seem sick 
 when they went to bed, but at two o'clock she died in 
 
94 REMINISCENCES 
 
 great suffering. She was a beautiful little golden- 
 haired child. 
 
 May 1. — Our pickets were fired into last night. One 
 man was wounded and two were captured. When we 
 feel the most safe we appear to be in the most danger. 
 
 May 8. — The cavalry brought in several prisoners. 
 The Hinsons were amongst them. 
 
 May 9. — A large party of us started for Nashville. 
 William could not go, it is too bad. We went as far as 
 Clarksville and stayed there all night. We took a long 
 walk all over Clarksville. We went with quite a little 
 fleet, two gunboats in front and one behind. There is 
 danger of the rebels capturing the boats. 
 
 May 10. — We sat on deck nearly all day to view the 
 scenery, which is very picturesque. The gunboats 
 shelled the bluffs. There are different places where they 
 had cannon stationed, but they did not trouble us. We 
 sat on the bow of the boat to watch the shells explode. 
 We arrived at Nashville without seeing a rebel and very 
 few contrabands. We got there just in time to go to 
 church. Went to the Methodist Church and heard the 
 minister preach Secesh principles. 
 
 May 11. — Went up in town to trade and see the 
 sights. Took dinner on the boat. After dinner had a 
 carriage and drove all over the city. Went to the capitol 
 and all over it. Saw President Polk's residence and 
 visited his grave. It is in his own garden, or dooryard, 
 in front of the house. SaAv the residences of Colonel 
 McNara and Colonel Heiman. Mr. Hill's garden has a 
 fountain and gold fish. Saw the Confederate General 
 Zollicoffer's residence and John Bell's. Went to the 
 State Prison ( a little out of town ) . Went back to the 
 boat and could not get supper and had to go baek to the 
 city to a restaurant. 
 
 May 12. — Had a great time last night. Had to 
 change boats and took the Prairie Maid. Had several 
 
OP THE CIVIL WAR 95 
 
 hours this morning and went into the city. Called on 
 the Chief of Ordinance, Captain Townsend. Went back 
 to the boat after strolling around all we wanted to, and 
 started for Fort Donelson. Got to Clarksville and went 
 into the city to the college, now used for a hospital. 
 
 May 13. — Arrived at Fort Donelson early and had 
 breakfast on the boat. 
 
 May 21. — Colonel Lowe has gone away and left Wil- 
 liam in command of the post. I hope we will not have a 
 scare. 
 
 May 22. — A large party of us went on board a gun- 
 boat. It was very interesting to see how they work the 
 guns. 
 
 May 24. — News just came that Vicksburg is evacu- 
 ated. Colonel Lowe sent word to have the guns fired and 
 the flag raised. 
 
 May 25. — All the forces in camp had a grand re- 
 view. It was an inspiring sight. 
 
 May 27. — Mr. Stanton came to our quarters before 
 daylight and said that the boat had come and would 
 wait an hour. I got ready and we walked over to the 
 landing and took the boat Sunny Side. We have parted 
 Viith our husbands^ — perhaps to meet no more on earth. 
 It was a sad parting, but we will hope for the best. God 
 is good, and in His infinite mercy He doeth all things 
 right. 
 
 Arrived at Smithland about two o'clock. Mrs. 
 Chapman left us here. We were sorry to part with her. 
 We realized here that we had forgotten Eachel and had 
 to go back to camp after her. She had found out that 
 the boat had arrived and was all ready. [Rachel was a 
 colored woman that I had promised to take to Chicago 
 with me.] We changed boats at Smithland. Some of 
 the party took a Government boat in the night, but we 
 preferred to wait for the packet. We were late and the 
 boat left us. 
 
96 REMINISCENCES 
 
 May 29. — We took the cars for Chicago. When out 
 a, few miles I wished Rachel to come into our car. They 
 would not let her at first, but I spoke to the conductor, 
 and he said if she belonged to me she might come into 
 our car. I told him that she belonged to me as much as 
 one human being could belong to another, any way I 
 was taking her home with me. He went into the other 
 car for her and found two men claiming her, who were 
 going to take her off at the next stopping place. She 
 denied ever having seen them before, but they insisted 
 that she belonged to one of them and that he should take 
 her off ; but I stopped them by saying that she belonged 
 to me, and I suppose that I looked black enough to be a 
 Southern woman; so they let her alone and I took her 
 into the ladies' car. She was going to one of the Chicago 
 suburbs, and when we got to the junction she bade us 
 good bye. The train stood by the side of the one she was 
 going to take, but a little while after we started the con- 
 ductor brought her back to us. She had gone down a 
 few cars and got on again. We had a good laugh with 
 her, but she was out of danger now and could go back 
 at any time. 
 
 May 30, 1863. — Arrived home safely. 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 
 
 97 
 
 Donelson, May 27, 1863.— Our Court 
 is still running. I have attended 
 very faithfully to every duty that 
 would keep me away from the 
 house. It is so lonesome here! Col- 
 onel Chapman acts worse than I do, 
 but I know he doesn't feel any worse. 
 I organized our mess and commenced 
 today at dinner with the Adjutant 
 and Quartermaster. General Harding arrived this 
 evening from the front, on his way to Illinois. He has 
 an indefinite leave of absence, and if ordered back will 
 probably resign." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, May 28, 1863. — An expedition of 
 cavalry has gone towards Waverley. Colonel Lowe left 
 this morning for Murfreesboro. Our officers returned 
 from there the morning after you left. General Rose- 
 crans asked the Major whether when the fortifications 
 are done some of these troops could not be spared to go 
 to Clarkesville." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, May 29, 1863.— The Ewing has fin- 
 ally got here and will go down about Sunday. We get 
 rumors of disaster to Grant at Vicksburg, but refuse to 
 believe it yet. I learn that some of the troops at Fort 
 Heiman have been ordered dow^n there. If we were in 
 that department now we should probably be sent, too. 
 We may be as it is. They have had bloody work down 
 there, and I tremble for the old Eighth where I have so 
 many good friends. We get reports that Bragg's army 
 has disappeared from Rosecrans' front, but know noth- 
 ing definite." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, May 30, 1863.— The expedition 
 from Waverly has just returned. They bring a report 
 from Waverly that it was seen on fire yesterday — acci- 
 
98 EEMINISCENCES 
 
 dental, of course. It has been a pestiferous nest of trait- 
 ors always and ought to be wiped out." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, May 31, 1863.— The officers are 
 with me considerable to prevent my getting lonesome. It 
 is one of these beautiful mellow moonlight evenings so 
 peculiar to this climate. 
 
 "I have given a number of negroes passes to go down 
 on the Ewing." 
 
 "Port Donelson, June 1, 1863. — The Ewing went 
 down this morning. We are trying George Hinson as a 
 spy. I sent out a cavalry scout and Companies H and G, 
 Captains Noyes and Randall, this morning down the 
 river a few miles. I had heard that old Hinson was 
 there with a party of guerillas. I was not sure, but it 
 Vv^as my duty to find out the facts. Company F has been 
 to Clarksville guarding a fleet and has just returned. 
 We have not had a boat from below for three days." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, June 2, 1863. — Weather cool and 
 cloudy. River is rising a little. H and G returned to- 
 day. Found no enemy. We have a rumor that Wood- 
 ward, with 1,500 men and four pieces of artillery, is on 
 Yellow Creek, thirty miles from here. 
 
 "The fort progresses finely. We have all four of 
 those 32-pounders in position now. The brigade band is 
 about organized and we shall have lots of music soon, I 
 suppose." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, June 3, 1863. — Colonel Lowe was 
 telegraphed for on account of the sickness of his wife, 
 and the command of the post will doubtless be on my 
 shoulders for some weeks. There is no danger at pres- 
 ent that we shall be sent away from here. I do not like 
 to have this responsibility upon me at all, but must 
 stand it, I reckon. Captain Ruger starts out in the 
 morning to make his surveys, or rather to commence 
 them. His wife will worry for fear he will be shot by 
 guerillas. When you write to her tell her that I will 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAK 99 
 
 keep a strong guard of cavalry and infantry with him, 
 and will do everything possible for his safety that I 
 can." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, June 4, 1863. — Soon after I went 
 over to headquarters this morning, an order came to me 
 from General Eosecrans to send the 5th Iowa Cavalry to 
 Murfreesboro, and then another directing me to gather 
 up horses and mount enough infantry for patrols, pick 
 ets and scouts. The cavalry will cross the river tomor- 
 row and march by Clarksville and Nashville. The 1st 
 Wisconsin Cavalry, now at Eddyville, will join them at 
 Clarksville. This order settles matters here by throwing 
 the command of this post on my shoulders, and probably 
 fastens us here for some time. I do not know, but pre- 
 sume, that Colonel Lowe will have a cavalry brigade at 
 the front. We don't hear a word from him. You know 
 I feared this result when Colonel Lowe was ordered to 
 headquarters. The responsibility of this command is 
 heavy and I would gladly avoid it. It would be a very 
 honorable command for a Brigadier-General, and is a 
 larger and more responsible one than many of them 
 have. Unless there is some change I have a laborious 
 and anxious summer before me, but I will try to get 
 along with it. I shall start an expedition in a day or two 
 for horses." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, June 5, 1863. — Last night the brass 
 band came about eleven o'clock and gave me a serenade. 
 I had been asleep two hours, but had to get up, dress, go 
 out and make a little speech. 
 
 "The cavalry crosses this afternoon and are off for 
 good tomorrow morning. They feel pretty sober. I 
 send out Major Bond and six companies of infantry to- 
 morrow after horses. A and B go from the 13th. Little 
 Johnny, the Adjutant's orderly, was mad this morning. 
 He said, 'I give five dollar to know who tied my mule 
 
 L OF C. 
 
100 REMINISCENCES 
 
 loose last night.' I shall keep the Adjutant as Post Ad- 
 jutant." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, June 6, 1863. — The cavalry started 
 today — Major Bond's expedition also, and it is very 
 quiet here. I have been beset today by women whose 
 husbands are in the guard-house — citizens. One com- 
 plained that she had eight small children and nothing to 
 eat. Her husband was caught taking a load of whisky 
 South some time since. I promised to investigate the 
 cases soon. 
 
 "You recollect a Court-Martial at Port Henry last 
 \^inter, of which Lieutenant Warren was a member. 
 They sentenced a private in Flood's Battery to be shot. 
 The sentence has just come back approved, with a direc- 
 tion to Colonel Lowe to execute it. As Colonel Lowe is 
 named in the order I do not like to shoot the fellow with- 
 out further orders. He is the worst desperado I ever 
 saw. He is the fellow that used to break his fetters so 
 often last winter, and once he escaped. He has slipped 
 his handcuffs twenty-seven times and proposes to make 
 it a round thirty before he gets through." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, June 7, 1863. — I have a hard, anx- 
 ious summer before me. At home some, I suppose, will 
 think that it is a nice thing to have the command of a 
 post like this, garrisoned with a large force, with a fori 
 and lots of artillery, and no commander over you but 
 General Eosecrans. It is a very honorable command, 
 one that a higher and more experienced ofiftcer might 
 well be proud of; but when you remember that it is a 
 place much coveted by the rebels, one where several 
 bloody battles have already been fought, and where we 
 have always been victorious; a place that no com- 
 mander would surrender so long as he had a man left to 
 fire a gun ; a place where above all others death would be 
 preferable to defeat, and where we are almost entirely 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 101 
 
 out of the reach of reinforcements for several months in 
 the year if attacked, you can imagine that the responsi- 
 bility more than equals the honor of the position. 
 
 "The most pressing work now is to finish the fort, 
 build the magazine, build a guard-house inside the 
 works, procure forage to last all summer, get a light- 
 draught steamer to carry our mails as long as possible ; 
 mount, equip and organize about 200 men for scouting 
 purposes; besides several minor matters which require 
 attention. 
 
 "When these things are accomplished I shall ask for 
 a leave of absence. Do not let any one out of the family 
 see this letter. It is egotistical, and I have no right to 
 be that with outsiders. 
 
 "The telegraph wires are down between here and 
 Clarksville." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, June 9, 1863. — All quiet on the 
 Cumberland. It is raining some tonight. Mr. Hillman, 
 a wealthy iron manufacturer on the river below Canton, 
 stays with us tonight. My duties keep me very busy 
 nearly all the time. 
 
 "The Nevada arrived today, bringing back Dr. Hor- 
 ton, Bardwell and Haley. Haley is much better. His 
 family are seventy or eighty miles above Cairo. Captain 
 McConnell has received his commission as Colonel of the 
 71st Ohio. The officers of the 83d have their commis- 
 sions also. 
 
 "Major Bond's expedition returned with between 
 fifty and one hundred horses and mules." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, June 11th, 1863. — It has rained 
 considerably lately. The river is rising. There are five 
 boats here tonight. They go up the river tomorrow 
 morning. I send a guard of three companies under com- 
 mand of Captain Randall with them to Clarksville. They 
 will escort back the Paymaster, who is there. I send the 
 
102 REMINISCENCES 
 
 iNevada to bring them down. We shall be glad to see 
 the Paymaster. 
 
 "Fort Donelson, June 12, 1863.— Nothing but the 
 regular routine has transpired today. There has been 
 no chance to send off a mail for several days. I will send 
 the Nevada down when she returns from Clarksville. 
 There are several boats on the shoals below and we have 
 to stop all the boats from above to take part of their 
 cargoes. 
 
 "We have not had any bushwhacking about us since 
 I have been in command, and I do not expect much of 
 it. I tell the citizens that they can have the burden of 
 a military occupation of their country very light or they 
 can have it very heavy, just as they please. They desire 
 to take it light. 
 
 "Captain Morrell is quite feeble and has asked for 
 leave of absence. He will probably get it." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, June 13, 1863.— None but light- 
 draught boats can go up the river now, and not many 
 of them. 
 
 "I have had a small bed put in my room for the Pay- 
 master to occupy. I hear of Hinson's gang, forty strong, 
 three miles from the rolling mill, but having no cavalry, 
 I can not pursue him. He has not molested us yet." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, June 14, 1863. — We have had a 
 very quiet day. It really seemed like Sunday at home. 
 
 "I heard of Hinson this afternoon with his gang 
 four miles from here, near the Fort Henry road. I sent 
 Colonel McConnell with nine companies to drive him 
 out. The troops take different routes. I have but little 
 hope of overhauling him with infantry. 
 
 "The river is falling rapidly. There are several 
 boats here, which I propose to send up in the morning, 
 and they are probably' the last that will go up this sea- 
 son. 
 
 "Companies E, C and H are out with Colonel Mc- 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 103 
 
 Connell. Captain Knilans is in very poor health and 
 has today applied for a leave of absence. 
 
 "We are pushing the works here as fast as possible, 
 and I think I shall get everything in good shape by the 
 first of August ; and I have strong .hopes that I shall 
 then be able to obtain a leave of absence." 
 
 "Port Donelson, June 15, 1863. — I have been very 
 busy all the morning getting off a fleet of boats up the 
 river. Companies A and K go as guards. The Major 
 (Bigney) started for Nashville for horse equipments for 
 mounted infantry. Colonel McConnell's expedition 
 found nothing of the enemy. 
 
 "I have taken an inventory of the women and chil- 
 dren in camp, as you requested me to do. The 83d Il- 
 linois has 73, the 13th Wisconsin has 21, the 71st Ohio 
 but one, the Batteries 15 — total 110. Major Haines is 
 paying the 13th today, and when the command is paid a 
 large number of these women and children will leave. 
 
 "I send you a letter that I secured from a prisoner 
 here who supposes that he is under sentence of death. 
 He is a soldier in Flood's Battery and was tried by the 
 last Court-Martial for murdering a negro and for 
 forcing a safeguard. I thought it would interest you." 
 
 The letter is as follows : 
 
 In Prison, June 13, 1863. 
 Colonel Lyon. 
 
 Dear Sir : I understand that my sentence 
 for the violation of the law is death. I am sorry 
 that I ever acted in the manner that I did. I 
 was drunk when I committed the horrible deed 
 for which I am condemned to die, and I hope 
 that you will intercede in my behalf — not for 
 
104 REMINISCENCES 
 
 my sake alone, but for the sake of my wife and 
 little child and my aged old mother, who taught 
 me to lead a different life from this. I hope you 
 will do something for me. You perhaps know my 
 situation. I will do better in the future, lead a 
 different life and try and live a better man. I 
 will attend to all my duties punctually and 
 faithfully. 
 
 I have already been in prison once five 
 months and suffered severe punishment. 
 
 To appeal to our fellow man for aid is 
 natural in times of need, it is inherent in us to 
 do so — we do it for help^ — for aid and assist- 
 ance. Colonel, I know that you are a man of 
 good feeling — you must understand the nature 
 of man. We are all frail beings — all liable at 
 times more or less to err and be led astray. We 
 can't see danger and ruin until it is upon us — 
 and for the sake of humanity do something for 
 me before it is too late, 
 
 I hope all this will not be in vain, but that 
 my life will be spared. 
 
 Colonel, when you read this, think of my 
 poor, helpless wife and child that will be left 
 alone in the world with no one to look after 
 them and provide for their wants. It is true 
 that drunkenness is no excuse, but I would of 
 (have) never committed the deed if I had been 
 sober, I was not conscious of the deed when I 
 committed it; if I had been I would not have 
 done it. I know there is an eternity — a final 
 reckoning for us all — and I hope I will be re- 
 leased this time — and will never be guilty 
 again. 
 
 Your obdt. servt., 
 
 James Little. 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 105 
 
 "Fort Donelson, June 16, 1863. — I wonder what 
 Canadian Secesh think now of our ability to whip the 
 South. We had news last night that Port Hudson with 
 12,000 had surrendered to Banks. If this is true the 
 rebels have lost at least 75,000 men within two weeks^ — 
 besides those strongholds, Vicksburg and Port Hudson. 
 
 "Just now we are watching Morgan's course in In- 
 diana with a good deal of interest, and some satisfac- 
 tion. He has gone right into the worst Copperhead hole 
 in the North and is teaching them, just as Lee taught the 
 same class in Pennsylvania, that they have a personal 
 interest in this war. Of course, he can not get out of 
 there without being badly damaged. 
 
 "You know how common it is for me to get word 
 that a big force is just ready to pounce upon me, and yet 
 it don't worry me much, not half as badly as it once did. 
 Less than a week ago Colonel Bruce telegraphed me 
 that Forrest was near Fort Heiman, advancing on Fort 
 Donelson. I thought I knew better and was not at all 
 disquieted. 
 
 "Minerva was quite sick again, but is better. Jerry 
 says, 'She is a right smart pearter this morning'. Jerry 
 came in this morning before I was up, in high spirits. 
 The Paymaster left in the night. Says Jerry, 'Colonel, 
 that Major called me up before he left and gave me two 
 dollars. He is a right smart man. He is a sensible man. 
 Oh, he's got a power of sense, that Major has 1' So much 
 for Jerry. 
 
 "I have a beauty of a horse, a roan, gentle, quiet, 
 easy under the saddle and afraid of nothing. He be- 
 longs to the Government, but I shall have him appraised 
 and buy him. 
 
 "Asboth has taken the troops away from Heiman 
 and sent them to Paducah. He says Paducah is threat- 
 ened. It is no doubt a Columbus scare." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, June 19, 1863. — I received official 
 
106 KEMINISCENCES 
 
 communications yesterday from the rebel General For- 
 rest, threatening to retaliate on prisoners in his hands 
 if we did not treat Hinson and some other prisoners we 
 have as prisoners of war. What a glorious chance to 
 write him a spread-eagle, highfalutin letter in reply, 
 and get into the newspaper ! I finally closed my eyes to 
 all this sensational newspaper glory and sent the com- 
 munication to headquarters without replying to General 
 Forrest at all. 
 
 "Things look blue. The position of affairs at Vicks- 
 burg is full of peril. There is no hope at present in 
 Virginia that I can see that any substantial progress 
 will be made there. The rebels march with perfect im- 
 punity into the heart of Pennsylvania, and there is none 
 to molest or make them afraid, and all this because Con- 
 gress fooled away four months of precious time before 
 they passed the Conscription Act, and nearly four 
 months more have passed and no men are called out 
 under it. Much of the time has been consumed in allow- 
 ing politicians to quarrel over the appointments of of- 
 ficers under the law. Half a million more men could 
 now have been in the field had Congress and the Admin- 
 istration done their duty, and we would today be safe 
 at every point ; but nothing has been done and disaster 
 and defeat everywhere stare us in the face. With bloody 
 graves yawning at our feet, we can only bow our heads 
 and exclaim in bitterness of spirit : 'How long, O Lord, 
 how long!' 
 
 "You will think I have the blues. Not so. I think 
 I see disaster ahead that will lengthen the war. I have 
 no doubt of our ultimate triumph." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, June 21, 1863.— I fear I wrote the 
 last time in rather a depressing vein, but the news is 
 much better now, so I feel much better. 
 
 "Captain Kingman is detailed to take home money 
 for our regiment. He is now out on an expedition. His 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 107 
 
 brother, Lieut, Kingman, of the 22d, is here ; also Lieut. 
 Booth, of the same regiment, a relative of Mrs. Wood- 
 man. The regiment is at Nashville, under orders to go 
 back to Franklin. They speak in the highest terms of 
 Captains May and Mead, and well they can, for no 
 braver or better boys than they live. 
 
 "I spend the whole day at headquarters, and find 
 plenty of occupation. Time passes more rapidly than it 
 would were I unoccupied. I have been ordered to re- 
 move obstructions from the river at Line Island, twenty 
 miles below here, and at Ingraham Shoals near Eddy- 
 ville. I sent Captain Ruger and Lieut. Balis and Lieut. 
 Lamoreau to Line Island yesterday to make an examina- 
 tion, and I think I will go myself to Eddyville on the 
 same business in a few days. These obstructions are 
 barges sunk in the river by Floyd when the rebels had 
 possession in 1861." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, June 28, 1863. — It has rained 
 copiously four or five days and is still raining. The 
 river has risen fifteen feet or more and is still rising rap- 
 idly. We are almost sure of a fair stage of water for 
 several weeks; which is, you know, a great relief to us. 
 
 "Major Bigney returned last night from ]Srash\ille 
 and Murfreesboro with saddles, equipments and arms 
 for our mounted infantry. He brings news that General 
 Rosecrans' army is advancing and that they have occu- 
 pied Shelbyville without opposition, Bragg having left. 
 Great events seem to be in progress East and West, the 
 result of which none can foretell. 
 
 "Our part of the program seems to be to hold Fort 
 Donelson. The retreat of Bragg's army renders it highly 
 improbable that we shall be attacked here this summer — 
 if ever. 
 
 "Captain Noyes went to Louisville with the Pay- 
 master. He saw Colonel Lowe on Friday, en route for 
 his command, which consists of five regiments of cav- 
 
108 KEMINISCENCES 
 
 airy. His health is improved. He told Captain Noyes 
 that he intended to telegraph to me confidentially that 
 if I desired to go to the front he could get me there. The 
 Captain told him that I had been to the front and hav- 
 ing seen the elephant he did not think I was anxious to 
 see him again. The movement of the army, however, 
 renders any immediate change in our condition highly 
 improbable, 
 
 "The Reserve Corps, embracing all the troops left 
 by General Rosecrans, is under command of Major-Gen- 
 eral Gordon Granger, and he may refuse to give me 
 leave of absence. I think I could have gotten it from 
 General Rosecrans without difficulty. This Reserve 
 Corps is organized into divisions and brigades. Ours is 
 the Third Division, commanded by Brigadier-General R. 
 S. Granger, Avho now commands at Nashville. 
 
 "The troops here and at Clarksville are the 1st 
 Brigade of the Third Division. The ranking officer now 
 is Colonel Bruce, who will command the brigade, I sup- 
 pose ; but as yet he has not assumed the command. This 
 arrangement will not interfere with my authority here 
 as the commander of this post, it being only for the pur- 
 I)oses of organization. 
 
 "The river is turbid and full of drift wood. Busi- 
 ness will be lively on it while the high water lasts." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, June 30, 1863. — Yesterday noon we 
 had a terrific thunder storm. The building occupied 
 by Lieut. Becker, of the artillery, in which was a large 
 quantity of powder and loaded shell, was struck with 
 lightning, the fluid tearing a gun to pieces within six 
 inches of several barrels of powder. Had the powder 
 ignited, the loss of life would have been fearful, as it 
 is right in the midst of our camp. The escape was al- 
 most miraculous. Several men belonging to Flood's 
 Battery were knocked over, and one is seriously in- 
 jured. He will probably lose his eyesight. Our maga- 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAK 109 
 
 zine is now nearly done and we shall very soon have all 
 our ammunition in it. 
 
 "The troops at Fort Heiman have had a reverse. 
 Lieut.Colonel Henry, the commander, took about 300 of 
 his cavalry — nearly all he had — about a week ago, and 
 went out on a scout. He got beyond Lexington, 70 or 80 
 miles from Fort Heiman, when he was attacked by a 
 large force of rebels and his command was nearly all 
 killed or captured. The Lieut.-Colonel of the 4th Mis- 
 souri Cavalry was killed, and Lieut-Colonel Henry 
 probably captured. Of course, when the remnant of the 
 force at Fort Heiman heard of it they had a big scare 
 and thought the rebels would be right on them. I sent 
 Colonel McConnell over there Tuesday night with six 
 hundred men and four pieces of artillery ; but the scouts 
 found no enemy near them, and the Colonel is marching 
 back now, I suppose. How natural all this comes to the 
 13th, march, march, march — and no fight! Aren't you 
 sorry? 
 
 "The guerillas don't trouble us any, although we 
 hear of them twenty, thirty and forty miles off. As 
 they are living on their friends I don't chase them. The 
 rebel citizens are getting very sick of these fellows and 
 beg us to send out forces after them. I tell them that 
 they are only reaping the bitter fruits of their own folly, 
 for they all encouraged the organization of these gangs." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, July 2, 1863. — We are mounting 
 our infantry under command of Major Bigney. He 
 takes great interest in it. There are to be five compan- 
 ies of forty men each. Fort Heiman is reoccupied by 
 some of General Grant's command," 
 
 "Fort Donelson, July 13, 1863, — John Morgan is 
 making a raid in Indiana and I am glad of it. I should 
 like to know how he will get out. We thought before he 
 went in there that perhaps he would give us a call, and 
 got ready for him. 
 
110 EEMINISCENCES 
 
 "Things look well now — Vicksburg captured; Lee 
 whipped and driven back, and probably ruined (Gettys- 
 burg) ; Bragg retreating before Rosecrans; and Price 
 whipped in Missouri. This rebellion is to be crushed 
 out, and then we will pay our respects to those who have 
 been hostile to us and have sought to cripple us in the 
 hour of our deep adversity. 'For every insult you offer 
 us, for every hostile act you commit against us, you will 
 atone in blood and tears.' 
 
 "The 71st Ohio has gone to Gallatin, about 22 miles 
 northeast of Nashville. Major Bigney is appointed Di- 
 vision Inspector, and will be absent the most of the time 
 this summer. I did not make the order turning the 
 women out of camp." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, July 20, 1863.— A few days ago 
 Hinson and three others, one of whom was a soldier sen- 
 tenced to be shot, escaped from the guard-house. I did 
 not want them to escape, of course, but it relieves me 
 from hanging one of them and shooting the other. It is 
 quite a relief, too, I can assure you. 
 
 "The health of the troops is improving. We get 
 large quantities of blackberries, and the effect of their 
 free use is most excellent on the health of the men. 
 
 "The officers elected a chaplain the other day. Rev. 
 Mr. Foote, of Rock county. Two of Flood's Battery 
 were captured by guerillas on Saturday. They were out- 
 side the lines, drunk. It is reported that they have been 
 murdered, but I can not believe it. They were worthless 
 fellows." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, July 25, 1863.— I fear I can not 
 get a leave of absence at all, as the orders are very strict 
 now, and none are granted except to save life or prevent 
 permanent disability. It is a sore disappointment, but 
 this I suppose is one^ — and not the least, either — of the 
 sacrifices that I am called upon to make in this war. 
 
 "I see no signs of our being moved from here, yet 
 
OP THE CIVIL WAR 111 
 
 there may be some change of program towards fall. Of 
 course, we do not know anything about our future move- 
 ments." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, July 28, 1863.— Adjutant Euger 
 has his commission and will leave us very soon for the 
 Potomac. I mean to have Scott commissioned as Adju- 
 tant. Of course, I shall make him Post Adjutant if he 
 is commissioned Regimental Adjutant. 
 
 "Colonel Bruce was here on Saturday with his staff. 
 I like him very much and think we will get along first- 
 rate." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, August 3, 1863. — I have finally ap- 
 plied for a leave of absence. I have but little hope of 
 getting it. If granted, I can not go to Racine before 
 the 20th. 
 
 "Mounted infantry from Clarksville were here on 
 Thursday, and on their way home were fired into by 
 guerillas in ambush about eight miles from here, and 
 five of them badly wounded. One has since died and an- 
 other will die. One of my companies, commanded by 
 Uollister, was in that section and went after them, driv- 
 ing them several miles." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, Aug. 7, 1863. — I am going to 
 Clarksville on the first boat, to consult with Colonel 
 Bruce about an expedition from both places through 
 the country to Waverly. I had to obtain leave from 
 Nashville before I could go — so strict are the orders on 
 this subject. 
 
 "The guerillas destroyed the telegraph oflftce night 
 before last at Fort Henry. There are no troops there 
 now. Our mounted infantry chased them ten miles, but 
 failed to catch them." 
 
 "Fort Donelson, Aug. 15, 1863.— We are scouting 
 and chasing guerillas pretty lively now. A party of 
 mounted infantry, which I sent out last Saturday, had 
 
112 REMINISCENCES 
 
 several skirmishes with them; wounded some of them 
 and made some captures. None of our men were hurt. 
 I sent out a whole battalion for an extensive scout." 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 113 
 
 uring this time Colonel Lyon had a 
 leave of absence and went home for a 
 visit of two or three weeks. Lieuten- 
 ant-Colonel Chapman had command 
 of the regiment during his absence, 
 and Colonel Smith, of the 83d Illinois, 
 had command of the post. During 
 his absence the regiment was ordered 
 to Columbia. 
 
 "Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday a. m., Sept. 10, 1863.— 
 Here I am, safe, sound and hearty, writing this letter in 
 Major Bigney's private room, where I am domiciled for 
 the present. 
 
 "I arrived at Chicago 'by due course of mail' Mon- 
 day night, and found there Colonel Bobbins, Captains 
 Wolf and Redfleld, and Lieut. Williams, of the 8th, who 
 were on their way home. Took the Cincinnati Air Line 
 R. R. for Louisville at 8 :30 p. m. Went to bed, and got 
 up in the morning at Indianapolis; breakfasted and 
 moved on. Arrived at Louisville at 1 p. m. ; remained 
 there until next morning. Left at 8 o'clock, and arrived 
 here at 7 last evening. 
 
 "I met Lieut. Boone, Colonel Bruce's Adjutant, at 
 Louisville, who informed me that the 13th had been or- 
 dered from Columbia to Larkinsville, in Alabama. The 
 regiment left Columbia last Sunday with the 28th Ken- 
 tucky, formerly at Clarksville. Larkinsville is on the 
 Memphis and Charleston R. R., about twenty miles south- 
 west of Stevenson, where the railroad, running south 
 from Nashville, intersects the M. & C. R. R., and between 
 Stevenson and Huntsville. There is, of course, railroad 
 communication all the way there. It is a few miles north 
 of the Tennessee river. 
 
 "Now that Chattanooga is evacuated by the Confed- 
 erates, we probably will remain for some time in that 
 
114 REMINISCENCES 
 
 vicinity. The regiment will probaably not reach there 
 before Sunday, and I shall not leave here until Saturday 
 morning, unless I conclude to go down to Murfreesboro 
 tomorrow and spend a day with the 22d Wisconsin. The 
 Major goes to Larkinsville with me on a tour of inspec- 
 tion. He is well and in good spirits, and does everything 
 in his power to make me comfortable. The route yester- 
 day was through a very interesting country, indeed. 
 Along it have been fought several battles during the 
 war. A part of the way the country is mountainous, 
 and the road runs through several tunnels, one seven- 
 eights of a mile long. We passed within a few miles of 
 the great mammoth cave. 
 
 "About your coming, there is a late order that no 
 citizen can pass Louisville for Nashville and south, with- 
 out a permit from Major-General Granger; and I learn 
 that these permits are only given to wives of officers and 
 soldiers who are sick and need the attention and care of 
 their wives. That can all be managed, I think, when we 
 get in some safe place with a reasonable prospect of stay- 
 ing awhile. I think there is no chance for much fighting 
 where we go — except bushwhacking. 
 
 "The regiment had some skirmishing on its march to 
 Columbia, and I hear had one man killed. I don't know 
 who it was — did not get particulars. Colonel Chapman 
 allowed 136 men to go by way of Nashville, 100 of whom 
 were able to march with the regiment. They were all 
 sent on to Columbia (Jerry and Minerva with them), 
 except some twenty left here in hospital, mostly from 
 Company D. Dr. Evans brought here about six tons of 
 old truck, which he doubtless had to leave at Columbia. 
 How he must have groaned. None of the regiment are 
 left at Fort Donelson except Captain Ruger and the 
 Quartermaster. I believe Captain Woodman went as far 
 as Evansville with his wife on her way home. He has 
 gone on to the regiment 
 
 '? 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 115 
 
 "Stevenson, Ala., Sept. 13, 1863. — I arrived here 
 last evening in company with Major Bigney, and we are 
 waiting for a train to Larkinsville, which is twenty-four 
 miles southwest of here on the Charleston & Memphis 
 R. R. 
 
 "Dr. Evans came here last night with a man from 
 Company F, who is badly wounded in the leg by the 
 accidental discharge of a gun. He reports the regiment 
 well, that they will get to Larkinsville this afternoon, 
 and that Jerry and Minerva are with them all right. 
 
 "I went down to Murfreesboro on Friday and 
 stayed there until yesterday. Saw Colonel Lowe, Dr. 
 Wise, Adjutant Langdon and many others of the 5th 
 Iowa. The regiment has been ordered to McMinnville. 
 I spent some time with the 22d and saw many of my 
 acquaintances there. Lieut.-Colonel Bloodgood is being 
 tried by a Court-Martial. I was called in as a witness and 
 testified to his previous good character as a soldier. 
 
 "From Nashville here is 113 miles, and from Louis- 
 ville to Nashville 185 miles, I think. The railroad from 
 Nashville h^re runs through a fine country generally, 
 until within twenty-five miles, where it strikes a rugged 
 chain of mountains, passing through it for many miles. 
 The road passes through a very long tunnel, the longest 
 I ever passed through. The scenery is very grand. The 
 mountains are all about us here, not such as I was famil- 
 iar with in my boyhood, but still very respectable moun- 
 tains. 
 
 "There is a report, probably true, that General 
 Thomas' corps had a battle yesterday with Bragg some- 
 where south of Chattanooga ; but with what results we 
 do not know\ 
 
 "It is hard to guess anything about our future 
 movements, but I do not think we shall be sent across the 
 Tennessee river, unless General Rosecrans meets a check 
 and needs reinforcements. The limits of the District of 
 
116 REMINISCENCES 
 
 the Cumberland, which is held, you know, by the 'Re- 
 serve Corps,' under command of Major-General Gordon 
 Granger, is extended to the Tennessee river. Some cav- 
 alry has been ordered from here to Larkinsville, and 
 two of my companies, B and G, are stationed ten miles 
 west of there to guard a railroad bridge. The regiment 
 had to throw away lots of traps at Columbia for want 
 of transportation. I do not know how much or what 
 articles of mine were abandoned. The regiment was 
 reduced to nine teams. 
 
 "I am very glad that I went North when I did and 
 had so delightful a visit. My only regret is that I was 
 not with the boys in their long march, but they got along 
 very well, as far as I can hear. 
 
 "I do not give up the idea of having you come down 
 and spend the winter with me. When this campaign is 
 over, as it will be in a few weeks without doubt, the army 
 will probably remain stationary for some time. 
 
 "Colonel Bruce is relieved from the command of the 
 First Brigade and sent to his regiment. I presume now 
 that we are moved so far off that there ,-^ill be a re- 
 organization of the brigade. I hope that I shall have no 
 command but my own regiment." 
 
 "Stevenson, Wednesday, Sept. 16. — I did not go 
 to Larkinsville, as I expected to, for the reason that I 
 learned that the regiment was ordered here. It arrived, 
 except B and G, left to guard a bridge. The men gave me 
 some rousing cheers and appeared very glad to see me. 
 
 "We are in camp in a very pleasant spot, about one 
 mile from the town. We have a clean place, and most 
 excellent water. The men were very weary and footsore, 
 of course, after their march of 275 miles, but in excellent 
 spirits. This movement is a fine thing for us. Mrs. 
 Moulton and Minerva rode in a carriage they picked up 
 on the road, and got along first-rate. They brought along 
 twice as many traps as I should had I been there. The 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 117 
 
 march from Columbia was conducted under command 
 of Colonel Boone, 28tli Kentucky. I rank him and I 
 shall have command of both regiments. General Mor- 
 gan, of the Second Division Reserve Corps, is in com- 
 mand here, but as we belong to another division he does 
 not assume very much jurisdiction over us. 
 
 "I live in a tent, and nobody messes with me except 
 Johnny, my orderly, although the Quartermaster will 
 be here in a few days. Scott has received his commis- 
 sion as Adjutant, and is happy. 
 
 "We hear nothing from the front, although we are 
 sc very near there. The country is very destitute, and 
 we get little besides regular rations on which to live. 
 We get along just as well as though we had more delica- 
 cies. I am very busy getting the regiment in shape." 
 
 "Stevenson, Sunday, Sept. 20, 1863.— There is no 
 change in our condition since I wrote you last. Reports 
 come to us that a battle is being fought between Rose- 
 crans and Bragg, but you will know all about it before 
 this reaches you. If we win a decided victory I think the 
 fighting is over in this section of the country. 
 
 "Captain Blake returned this morning. He brings 
 information that the 102d Ohio is ordered here from 
 Clarksville, and that five companies of the 83d are 
 ordered to Clarksville. So the 83d seems to be elected 
 fcr the Cumberland. I much prefer being at or near the 
 front. The men feel better and are better soldiers ; and 
 then it is almost a disgrace to be left so far in the rear 
 as Donelson and Clarksville noAv are. 
 
 "Our dishes were nearly all lost. The sweet corn 
 comes very convenient. It is difficult to get anything to 
 eat except rations. I succeeded in getting a half -bushel 
 of potatoes, a few eggs and a few chickens. We can get 
 very good butter at fifty cents per pound. I am very 
 hearty and bacon tastes good, so I shall not starve, I 
 reckon. 
 
118 REMINISCENCES 
 
 "The boys found quantities of lumber in the old 
 camps about us, and they are getting well fixed up. To 
 go through the camp you would think they had been 
 here a month, from the amount of work done, I have a 
 good-sized tent, with a floor, a bunk, a table, two stools 
 and a camp chair — a nice folding one, which Lieutenant 
 Button gave me ; and I have straw to sleep on and plenty 
 of bedding. So you see I live very luxuriously. Jerry 
 and Minerva live in the rear of my tent, under the fly, 
 and have a sort of board fence which encloses my dining 
 room and their quarters. There is an arbor built over 
 the whole, and, in fact, over all the tents in the camp. 
 These arbors were put up by some other regiment." 
 
 "Stevenson, Ala., Sept. 21, 1863. — Just as I closed 
 my letter to you yesterday, I received an order to take 
 command of this post, and with the 13th relieve the regi- 
 ment that was doing provost guard duty here. So I 
 found myself up to my eyes in business immediately. I 
 relieved Lieut.-Colonel Cahill, of the 16th Illinois, whose 
 regiment has gone to Bridgeport. I moved over this 
 morning and have a house with plenty of room for head- 
 quarters. I wish you were here to enjoy it with me. The 
 regiment is moving into town today. There is a great 
 deal of work at this post. 
 
 "There is doubtless a terrible battle raging some 
 fifteen or twenty miles south of Chattanooga [battle of 
 Chicamauga], but we can not get any definite intelli- 
 gence as to how it is going. We hear inany rumors, some 
 of success and some of disaster, but nothing reliable. 
 This is the third day of the fight. The cannonading can 
 be heard at Bridgeport, and Lieut. Warren told me that 
 he heard the firing yesterday morning distinctly from a 
 little east of this place. You may hear of this battle be- 
 fore we do. Keep up good spirits, for the usual luck of 
 the 13th still clings to us," 
 
 "Stevenson, Ala,, Wed., Sept. 23, 1863.— I write 
 
OP THE CIVIL WAR 119 
 
 often to you, for I know how anxious you are to hear 
 from me, situated as we are so near the scene of the ter- 
 rible battles that are raging clay after day at the front. 
 I am well, but have a great deal of work to do. This is 
 the nearest post to the front, and everything going to 
 or from the army passes through here. Tonight 1,400 
 prisoners and several hundred of our wounded came in, 
 all bound farther North. All this adds to my labors. I 
 see no reason to believe that we shall be sent forsvard 
 unless the emergency is very great. None of our division 
 are in the fights. Those who came in from the front all 
 feel confident that General Eosecrans can hold his own, 
 but he is doubtless largely outnumbered and we can but 
 feel the greatest solicitude for the result. 
 
 ''The carnage has been fearful. We all feel ready to 
 go whenever we may be ordered and to do our duty in 
 this time of peril, although the fate of war may termin- 
 ate our earthly career. Let us trust all these things to 
 our Heavenly Father, who will order everything wisely 
 and well. You can have no idea of the suffering of the 
 people here. Absolute starvation stares them in the 
 face; and what makes it more painful is the fact that a 
 majority of them are loyal. It would make your blood 
 run cold to hear of the outrages that have been com- 
 mitted upon them by the rebels before our army came 
 here. Oh, my dear, how sincerely do I thank God that 
 you do not feel this war — only in my absence ; that I can 
 bear all the suffering and peril of it without your being 
 compelled to share them with me. Colonel Heg is dead 
 and his body is on the way home. He was mortalh^ 
 wounded on Saturday last. [He was killed at the battle 
 of Chicamauga.] He was a noble-hearted, true man, and 
 a brave and useful officer. His loss is a calamity." 
 
 "Stevenson, Ala., Sept. 25, 1863.— We are still here 
 without any change in our situation, and without any 
 definite knowledge of what is transpiring in our im- 
 
120 REMINISCENCES 
 
 mediate front. We know only that a series of terrific 
 battles have been fought and that thousands of wounded 
 men have passed through here for Nashville and othei 
 hospitals. 
 
 "From all that we can learn, General Rosecrans has 
 a strong position in front of Chattanooga a few miles, 
 and will be able to hold it until reinforced ; but he is no 
 doubt confronted by largely superior numbers. Every 
 day we are seeing the mistake of the Government in 
 failing to fill up the armies. Fifty thousand additional 
 men, who ought to have been in the field months ago, 
 would make everything secure ; but now the situation is 
 full of perils, and we may meet with reverses for want of 
 men, that we can not retrieve in a year. That we have 
 not enough men in the field is a terrible blunder that 
 must be atoned for in the blood and tears of the inno- 
 cent ! 
 
 "I think that we are not in any danger of an attack 
 here in force, at least as matters now appear to stand. I 
 will keep you fully advised of our situation. This morn- 
 ing a force of rebels attacked and scattered a new com- 
 pany of loyal Alabamans who were posted on the rail- 
 road near Larkinsville. Captain Norcross, with 100 of 
 the 13th boys, has gone down to look after them. It is 
 some twenty miles west of here. I don't think they will 
 get a fight out of them. 
 
 "General Morgan, who commands the forces about 
 here, is throwing more and more responsibility upon me. 
 He is a most excellent officer and a very pleasant gentle- 
 man. I have one of his aids, Lieut. Bridges, Adjutant 
 Scott, one clerk, Johnny, and two mounted orderlies to 
 help me. The duty of the regiment is quite heavy." 
 
 "Stevenson, Ala., Sun., Sept. 27, 1863. — No changes 
 at the front that I know of. Our army is in a strong 
 position, close in front of Chattanooga, awaiting rein- 
 forcements, but where they are to come from is more than 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 121 
 
 I know. The rebel army is close by ours but don't seem 
 inclined to attack, I can not learn that there has been 
 any fighting for several days. We do not anticipate 
 any attack here. All the fords of the river are strongly 
 guarded, two brigades of cavalry having just come to 
 this vicinity on that duty. 
 
 "We hear a report from Ft. Donelson that the 83d 
 Mounted Infantry had a fight near the rolling mill 
 with Hinson's gang and killed George Hinson, thus 
 cheating the gallows. 
 
 "Col. Smith of the 83d is at Clarksville with one- 
 half of his regiment. The 102d Ohio is on the rail- 
 road, thirty miles above us. Not a regiment is passing 
 through here to reinforce Gen. Rosecrans, and there 
 he is confronted with more than double his numbers. 
 He may get 12,000 or 15,000 of Burnside^s men from 
 Knoxville, but I do not learn that even these have 
 come up yet, and when they do they will not any more 
 than make up his losses in the late battles. I doubt 
 whether we have another General who could have pre- 
 vented that army from being totally routed and cut to 
 pieces last Sunday. There are but few who could pre- 
 vent it from being done now. He ought to have 50,000 
 more men today than he has to make him safe. Still, I 
 believe that he will come out all right, 
 
 "The agents of the Sanitary and of the U. S. 
 Christian Commission are on hand to take care of the 
 wounded, and are doing (particularly the latter) an 
 immense amount of good. I am glad to be in a position 
 to be able to render them considerable aid in prosecuting 
 their good work. 
 
 "All of the wounded who are able to travel, I 
 think, have gone on, and we are rid of our prisoners, 
 so matters are not quite as pressing as they have been 
 for a few days past." 
 
 "Stevenson, Ala., Tues., Sept. 29th, 1863.— The first 
 
122 KEMINISCENCES 
 
 reinforcements for Gen. Kosecrans, a detachment of the 
 15th Eegulars, went through here last night. They 
 are from Memphis. It is understood that large num- 
 bers of troops are pouring into Nashville and will begin 
 to reach here tomorrow. We all feel better. We do 
 not expect any attack here." 
 
 "Stevenson, Ala., Oct. 2nd, 1863. — Yesterday we 
 had a heavy rain. The dust has disappeared and today 
 the weather is perfect. It is the first rain they have 
 had for three months. The dust had become perfectly 
 dreadful, owing to the immense numbers of wagons and 
 teams that traversed the country in every direction, 
 
 "The 11th Army Corps from the Potomac has all 
 passed here within the last two days and is now at 
 Bridgeport. It is probably 10,000 strong. The 12th 
 Army Corps is expected to commence arriving tonight. 
 It is a great relief to us to see these troops coming 
 here, for the position in the front has been and still 
 is full of peril. 
 
 "All citizens have been ordered out of Chattanooga, 
 and every preparation seems to be making for another 
 battle. I learn that the balance of our wounded are 
 being sent here, and that both armies are entrenching 
 strongly — about three miles apart. My opinion is that 
 neither side feels strong enough to attack the other. 
 In these days it is hard to predict what a day will 
 bring forth. 
 
 "There was a collision between two trains near 
 Bridgeport last night. Our officers were on one of them, 
 returning home. No one was seriously hurt, but I learn 
 that Col. Chapman had his head bumped rather se- 
 verely." 
 
 "Stevenson, Ala., Mon., Oct. 5th, 1863.— Major- 
 Generals Hooker and Butterfleld arrived here on Satur- 
 day night. I have been engaged preparing head quarters 
 for them and their staff. They spend nearly all their 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 123 
 
 time in my office, and of course draw quite a crowd 
 around them. Gen. Hooker is in command of all the 
 troops sent here from Virginia, and Butterfleld is his 
 Chief of Staff. These troops at present are scattered 
 from Nashville to Bridgeport, and the General will 
 keep his headquarters here until there is some other 
 movement. He is located within a few yards of my 
 quarters. 
 
 "Ruger's Brigade is back on the railroad thirty or 
 forty miles. We expect the Adjutant down here every 
 train. With the exception of two or three little raids 
 across the river, up towards Chattanooga, resulting in 
 the loss of some wagons and stores, everything is quiet 
 about here. I wait and watch for things to settle down, 
 so that you can come to me, but the time has not yet 
 arrived. Your army experience will be defective unless 
 you can make a campaign in Alabama as well as in 
 Missouri and Tennessee. Capt. Blake is here. I iind 
 him very gentlemanly and obedient. Sickness, mostlv 
 ague, is on the increase in the regiment, none danger- 
 ously ill. 
 
 "Major-General Howard, who commands the lltb 
 Armj^ Corps, Sigel's old command, was here yesterday. 
 He is located at Bridgeport. The three Major-Generals 
 were together in my quarters yesterday, and if you are 
 willing I will give you a description of them. 
 
 "General Hooker is a large, finely built, erect man, 
 about 45 to 50 years old, shaves smooth, has light blue 
 eyes and homely nose, and is one of the most familiar 
 and affable men I have ever met. He impresses you 
 at once with the idea that he is brave and true, and as 
 kind and tender-hearted as a woman. He is one of 
 those men who not only commands respect and confi- 
 dence, but love. He is very entertaining in conversation, 
 and last evening gave me a history of his connection 
 with the Army of the Potomac, from which I learned 
 
124 KEMINISCENCES 
 
 more of the operations there than I ever knew befoie. 
 He is thoroughly satisfied that history will fully vindi- 
 cate the correctness of his generalship there so far as 
 he was permitted to act on his own judgment. He 
 complained bitterly of Washington interference and 
 I doubt not with good cause. 
 
 "Butterfield is a small, handsome man, about thirty- 
 five years old. He is quiet, unostentatious, and in man 
 ners a polished gentleman. He talks but little, but is 
 evidently a man of great intellectual power. He labors 
 incessantly. One of his staff said that he never rests 
 and never allows any rest to any one about him. 
 
 "Howard is a small man, and with the exception 
 that his hair is quite gray, appears young. I do not 
 think him much over thirty-five. He lost an arm at the 
 battle of Fair Oaks. In manners he appears very much 
 like Samuel D. Hastings. He has a mild blue eye, is 
 very handsome, very affable, and is really what the 
 ladies call a charming man. Added to these qualities, 
 he is a very brave man and deeply pious. We seldom 
 see three such men together in the army or in any other 
 jdace. 
 
 "The staff officers are all young men, and very 
 pleasant gentlemen. Col. Fessenden, a son of Senator 
 Fessenden of Maine, is one of them." 
 
 "Stevenson, Ala., Thurs. Eve., Oct. 8th, 1863.— We 
 have been isolated here for a few days, and you need not 
 be surprised if you do not get letters regularly. The rebel 
 cavalry got in our rear the other day and cut our com- 
 munications. The telegraph line was restored today, 
 and we expect trains through from Nashville tomorrow. 
 
 "I learn from General Butterfield's dispatches to 
 Gen. Hooker (which he very kindly shows to me) that 
 the enemy struck the railroad at Christiana, ten miles 
 this side of Murfreesboro, capturing a company and 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 125 
 
 destroying the water tank. They then tore up a mile 
 of track near Duck Eiver, and destroyed a bridge across 
 that stream near TuHahoma. Our cavalry were in close 
 pursuit, overtaking them near Shelbyville (which place 
 they had burned), attacking and whipping them, killing 
 100, capturing 300, and scattering the balance of the 
 rebel force, (jeueral Euger's Brigade is on the railroad 
 between Tullahoma and Murfreesboro. The rebels were 
 too closely pursued to do much damage. 
 
 "General Butterfleld went up to take command of 
 the troops that were left behind in order to open com- 
 munications. It interferes seriously with us to have this 
 line cut off. We are out of forage, and rations are 
 getting uncomfortably low. This same force captured 
 and destroyed several hundred wagons between here 
 and Chattanooga, loaded with supplies and ammunition. 
 I think they have done their worst and that we shall 
 have no difflculty now in keeping the road open. Gen. 
 Morgan told me tonight that he heard that the men 
 captured at Christiana were from the 22nd Wisconsin. 
 1 hope not. 
 
 "Dr. Woolcott, from Milwaukee, the Surgeon Gen- 
 eral of the State, is here and took tea with me tonight. 
 He is accompanied by Eev. Mr. Staples of Milwaukee. 
 The Doctor has been to the front to look after our 
 wounded, and lost all his baggage when the wagon 
 train was captured. He escaped by taking a shorter 
 road on foot over the mountains. He says that it is the 
 general opinion that Bragg is evacuating his position 
 in front of Chattanooga. The rebels shelled our camps 
 there all day Tuesday, doing but very little damage, 
 however. We have no fears of an attack here. 
 
 "We are stripping this whole country of forage, 
 many thousand animals having been sent back here to 
 recruit; and there will be, and is already, much suf- 
 fering among the people. Many hundreds have gone 
 
126 REMINISCENCES 
 
 North, the Government furnishing them transportation, 
 and large numbers more are going. We feed several 
 hundreds out of Government supplies. We issue them 
 half rations of bread and meat. The people have no 
 coffee, sugar or salt. They beg most piteously for salt. 
 We have none of these articles for them. You can 
 have no adequate idea of the suffering caused by the 
 want of salt. Some have told me that all the salt they 
 have had for a year is what they have procured by 
 leaching the earth in their smoke-houses. This is the 
 more painful because these people are nearly all truly 
 loyal, and have suffered terribly for their loyalty." 
 
 "Stevenson, Ala., Sun. P. M., Oct. 11th, 1863.— We 
 have been cut off from the United States for several 
 days. The first train came through from Nashville ]a«t 
 night. We were all out of forage and rations were 
 running unpleasantly low. Now we have large quan- 
 tities of supplies, or will have immediately. I think 
 our communications are comparatively safe. General 
 Hooker having used every possible precaution against 
 further interruption. We have an additional brigade 
 here of General Hooker's command, but I am still left 
 in command of the post. 
 
 "General Hooker came yesterday and asked me if 
 I belonged to General Morgan's Division. I answered 
 in the negative. He replied that he was glad of it, 
 because he had orders to send Gen. Morgan's command 
 to Anderson's Cross Roads, twenty miles this side of 
 Chattanooga. Gen. Morgan left this morning, but only 
 goes to Battle Creek, 16 or 18 miles from here on the 
 j'iver 
 
 "The presence of Gen. Hooker here does not relieve 
 me from any of my labors or responsibilities, for he does 
 not interfere at all in the management of the post. 
 
 "Those Virginia troops clitl not get here a day too 
 soon. The rebels sent a large force of cavalry and ar- 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 127 
 
 tillery to cut the railroad in our rear, expecting to do 
 it before those troops got here. We learn that it was 
 their intention to keep on this way, destroying the 
 railroad and the supplies at this place, scattering the 
 forces guarding the road, which they were strong- 
 enough to do ; but when they got to the railroad they 
 found so large a force in their neighborhood that they 
 did but comparatively little mischief and hurried on. 
 Our cavalry were in close pursuit of them, and on Thurs- 
 day last overhauled and repulsed them at Shelby ville, 
 killing, wounding and capturing several hundred. 
 
 "So you see a protecting Providence has saved us 
 once more from a great peril. We are now safe from 
 any mere raid. Nothing less than an army ha<? any 
 business on this side of the Tennessee river. 
 
 "All the troops which were left behind when Gen. 
 Kosecrans advanced from Murfreesboro in June were 
 organized into what is called the 'Reserve Corps.' This 
 corps is divided into three divisions, tjhe first com- 
 manded by Gen. Steadman, the second by Gen. Mor- 
 gan, and the third by Brigadier-General R. S. Granger, 
 the whole under command of Major-General Gordon 
 Granger. We are in the 1st Brigade of the Third Divis- 
 ion. 
 
 "The Reserve Corps numbers some 25,000 men, 
 8,000 of whom — from the 1st and 2nd Divisions, were 
 in the Chickamaugua battles. The Corps is badly scat- 
 tere and I think will be reorganized. Our brigade is 
 strung all the way from Ft, Donelson to Stevenson. 
 We are nearest the front of any regiment of our division. 
 
 "Gen. Rosecrans has made his position at Chatta- 
 nooga too strong for the rebels to attack him, and 
 they will hardly attempt to cross the Tennessee river 
 with our army there. Oh! for 50,000 more men, and 
 the rebellion would be crushed in the West in ninety 
 
128 KEMINISCENCES 
 
 flays ; but the men are not liere and we must do the best 
 we can." 
 
 "Stevenson, Ala., Oct. 18th, 1863— It has rained 
 for several days. The roads from here to Chattanooga 
 are terrible, and it is almost impossible to keep the 
 army there supplied with provisions. Lieut. Wemple 
 has just been there with a part of his compan}^ to 
 escort a drove of cattle. It took them six days to 
 irtake the trip. They had to swim the streams at that. 
 Our cavalrj^ have driven Wh6eler across the Tennessee 
 river at the Muscle Shoals, and are now down that 
 way at Flint Kiver recruiting their horses, fifty or 
 sixty miles west of here. The 5th Iowa Cavalry are 
 with the expedition. Col. Lowe has command of a 
 brigade. They will be up here in a few days. 
 
 "Yesterda}^ we celebrated the 2nd anniversary of 
 the 13th's enlistment, it having been originally mustered 
 on the ITth of Oct., 1861. We ate large quantities of 
 cove oysters on the occasion, at the Alabama House, a 
 dirty, one-horse eating house here. 
 
 "The whole army of the Cumberland is being re- 
 organized, and we do not know anything about where 
 we shall be assigned. My opinion is that there will 
 be no general engagement here for some time to come, 
 if at all. 
 
 "We are led to believe that Sherman's Corps from 
 Vicksburg is on the way here, but we have no definite 
 knowledge about it. The old 8th is in that corps." 
 
 'Stevenson, Ala., Wed. Eve., Oct. 21st, 1863— It 
 has rained nearly all day, and the roads are almost 
 impassable, causing much apprehension that we shall 
 be unable to get forward sufficient supplies for our army 
 at the front. The supplies are kept here for this large 
 army. 
 
 "The grand theme of interest and discussion now 
 is the change of commanders in this armv. Generals 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 129 
 
 Grant and Rosecrans arrived here an hour ago, and are 
 both at General Hooker's quarters. This is a remarkable 
 meeting. Less than four months ago these three gen- 
 erals were at the head of three great armies of the 
 Union, and the eyes of the whole world were upon them 
 Hooker at the head of the Army of the Potomac was 
 carrying out that splendid strategy which culminated 
 in the defeat of Lee at Gettysburg. A few days after 
 he was relieved (by his own request) from the command 
 of that army. Grant was pressing upon Vicksburg, 
 which he soon after captured; and Rosecrans, with the 
 laurels of Stone River fresh upon his brow, was pur- 
 suing the retreating army of Bragg out of Tennessee. 
 
 "Tonight they are all here — Rosecrans without a 
 command; Hooker with a very subordinate one; and 
 Grant, whose star seems to be in the ascendant, with a 
 command greater by far than has been entrusted to 
 any other general in this war. Three noble;*, braver, 
 or better men, never met than these ; and whatever their 
 future may be they will fill a glorious place in our 
 history. 
 
 "I have no fault to find with the removal of Gen- 
 eral Rosecrans. I can readily imagine why the Gov- 
 ernment should regard it as imperiously necessary to 
 do so. The consolidation of the three departments of 
 Tennessee, Ohio, and the Cumberland, into (me under 
 General Grant, is a very wise measure. 
 
 "No further signs of our moving." 
 
 "Stevenson, Ala., Oct. 23, 1863.— Hoav little we 
 know what is before us! We were ordered ten days 
 ago to Battle Creek, on the river above Bridgeport, and 
 a few days afterwards the place was changed to Ander- 
 son Cross Roads, wa^^ up in the mountain towards 
 Chattanooga. The order came from General Morgan- 
 and we were to marcli when relieved by Gen. Hooker. 
 The General never got ready to relieve us, and so we 
 
130 REMINISCENCES 
 
 did not march under that order; but this afternoon 
 the order came from Gen. Thomas, and is peremptory; 
 and so we must go sometime tomorrow. 
 
 "Adjt. Scott has gone up the railroad to see Ruger. 
 He is at Tullahoma. Rain every day, and mud un- 
 fathomable. A nasty time to move, but soldiers must 
 go without grumbling, when ordered. 
 
 "I was mistaken when I said in my last that Gen 
 Grant was at Gen. Hooker's quarters. He was in town, 
 and the three major-generals met at the cars, but Grant 
 went on to Bridgeport. Next morning General Hooker 
 came in and asked me to go to his quarters and see 
 Gen. Rosecrans. I went, and was introduced. Gen. 
 Rosecrans immediately said, 'Gen. Hooker, this is my 
 old Ft. Donelson commander,' and he spoke very rom- 
 plimentarily of my administration of affairs there. He 
 recollected me in Mississippi, upon my reminding him of 
 one or two incidents that happened there. 
 
 "The band of the 33d Massachusetts serenaded the 
 generals, and they both made little speeches and both 
 made failures. They can fight, but neither of them can 
 make a speech. 
 
 "My successor in the command of the post will be 
 Colonel Cobham, of the 111th Pennsylvania, He will 
 assume command in the morning. Come to think, you 
 will want to know where we are going. We are ordered 
 to Nashville. Aren't you sorry? We go by railroad." 
 
 "Stevenson, Ala., Oct. 25, 1863.— We put the regi- 
 ment on the cars yesterday afternoon, but it did not get 
 off until this afternoon. I go in the morning. The 
 Quartermaster, Ira Button, goes with his traps tomor- 
 row, and the mounted infantry will go in two or three 
 days, as soon as Lieut. Lamoreau gets back from Chat- 
 tanooga, where he has gone with a drove of cattle for 
 the army. That cleans out the 13th from Stevenson. 
 
 "General Hooker moves his headquarters to Bridge- 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 131 
 
 port tomorrow. I was relieved yesterday by Colonel 
 Cobham ; and he was relieved today by Colonel Eoss, of a 
 Connecticut regiment." 
 
 "Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 29, 1863. — We are encamped 
 in a dry, beautiful location in Edgefield, directly across 
 the river from Nashville and about one-half mile from 
 the railroad bridge. Edgefield is a clean, quiet village, 
 and we have decidedly the softest thing that we have had 
 since I have been with the regiment. We shall probably 
 remain here some time, perhaps all winter, unless some 
 unexpected emergency arises at the front. 
 
 "Now make all your arrangements to come to me, 
 and I will make my arrangements for you as fast as I 
 can. I am living in a tent now, but will find a house, or 
 some rooms, as soon as I can. It is necessary for you to 
 have a permit to come here, I will have no difficulty in 
 getting it, I think, and will send it to you in a few days, 
 together with a list of articles you will need to bring 
 with you. 
 
 "The regiment is furnishing guards in the city, 
 about 150 per day, which is our only duty. The weather 
 is most lovely, and it is a delightful change from the rain 
 and mud and filth of Stevenson. 
 
 "A torpedo was exploded under one of the trains 
 that had our regiment, when coming here, which threw 
 the engine off the track and made a perfect wreck of the 
 tender, but fortunately no one was hurt. This occurred 
 Sunday night, about 28 miles this side of Stevenson." 
 
 "Headquarters 13th Regt. Wis. Vol., Camp Bigney, 
 near Nashville, Tenn, Sun. p. m., Nov. 1, 1863, — It takes 
 considerable writing, I find, to give you our exact 'locus 
 in quo,' as the lawyers say, but you have the whole story 
 in the heading to this letter. We named the camp yes- 
 terday, on parade, in honor of the major who selected it, 
 and whose influence brought us here; and a beautiful 
 camp with most beautiful surroundings it is, too. The 
 
132 REMINISCENCES 
 
 weather is very pleasant today, but we have had a very 
 severe rainstorm and have frosty nights. 
 
 "It is a little rough lying on the ground, and I have 
 neither floor nor fire in my tent, yet I stand it well. Jerry 
 is quite indignant that I should live so. Says he, 'Col- 
 onel, it's enough to kill a hoss to sleep on that wet 
 ground! Yes, sir, it's enough to kill a good hoss!' I 
 have not yet secured any rooms for us, although I am 
 diligently hunting for them. I would like to have the 
 children here, but looking the thing all over my best 
 judgment is that they will be better off at home. I have 
 got a pony for you to ride when you get here — gentle 
 as a lamb, and my horse is a beauty. I ride a good deal." 
 
 "Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 5, 1863. — I am on a court of 
 inquiry, to investigate a matter connected with the 
 shooting and killing of one of his men by Colonel Meis- 
 ner, of the 14th Mich., and shall be so occupied all of 
 this week. We hold one session per day at the capitol, 
 from 9 a. m. until noon. At the election last Tuesday, 
 the 13th gave 400 majority for the Union ticket, only 18 
 or 20 votes cast for Palmer. I see by yesterday's papers 
 that the State has gone Union by a large majority. 
 
 "I am on the track of a house two blocks from camp, 
 which I think I can get. Boats are running up the river 
 quite freely now, and occasionally get fired into between 
 here and Clarksville. That region is full of guerillas 
 now, since the troops are withdrawn from Donelson and 
 Clarksville. The 83d is there yet, but can not do much 
 for want of numbers. 
 
 "Captain Hewitt and I have rented a house together 
 and I moved into it on Tuesday. It is a brick house, two 
 rooms, one story, in a quiet, pleasant spot, about 30 rods 
 from the camp. We pay ten dollars per month rent. I 
 send you a diagram. Mrs. Hewitt and you had better 
 come on together. We shall have to mess together. The 
 rooms are large and commodious, good walls and floors. 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 133 
 
 and excellent fireplaces, don't smoke a particle. We 
 will live in our room and eat in their room. Jerry and 
 Minerva have an outside room, and have in it a little 
 stove that I had for my tent." 
 
 "Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 15, 1863. — We commence 
 brigade drill tomorrow under General Ward, and are to 
 drill three times a week." 
 
 "Edgefield, Tenn., Fri., Nov. 20, 1863.— We had a 
 review yesterday of seven regiments of infantry, one of 
 cavalry and a battery of artillery. We made quite a 
 show. General Granger was the reviewing officer." 
 
 "Nov. 29, 1863.— General Grant has cleaned out 
 Bragg, which I think ensures our staying here this win- 
 ter. We have a new band. They heard you were here 
 last Wednesday night, and came over to serenade you. 
 They play well." 
 
134 
 
 REMINISCENCES 
 
 c?--^ 
 
 bout this time I went South. I took 
 Clara with me. The winter was quietly- 
 spent at Edgefield, without much to 
 narrate. We lived in the same house 
 with Captain and Mrs. Hewitt, and 
 messed together. 
 
 A few letters to Father Lyon are 
 all the letters I have for a couple of 
 months, and there is but little in them. 
 
 MRS. LYON'S DIARY. 
 
 Jan. 1, 1864. — The weather is very cold. It is ten 
 degrees below zero, the coldest weather ever known in 
 Nashville, so the citizens say. Captain and Mrs. Hewitt 
 and William and I received calls together. We had calls 
 from General Ward* and his staff oflflcers, and all the 
 officers of the 13th. In the evening we had all the ladies 
 in our regiment to spend the evening and to help dis- 
 pose of the eatables that were left over. The band sere- 
 naded us. 
 
 January 2, 1864. — Still very cold, six degrees below 
 zero. The houses here are not built for warmth, but 
 to keep cool in summer. 
 
 Jan. 16, 1864. — A large party of us went in ambu- 
 lances to visit the penitentiary. 
 
 COLONEL LYON'S LETTERS. 
 
 "Edgefield, Sun., Jan. 31, 1864. — I received between 
 50 and 60 new recruits from Wisconsin yesterday, and 
 
 * Major-General Ward was a distinguished Kentuckian, for many 
 years a member of Congress from tliat State before the war. He was 
 a grand old man and I loved him. One of his staff was Colonel Ben- 
 jamin Harrison, afterward President. Colonel Harrison was Colonel 
 of an Indiana regiment in our brigade. — W. P. L. 
 
MRS. ADELIA C. LYON 
 
 Racine, IVisconsin, 1863 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 135 
 
 expect a good many more. The regiment will probably 
 fill up. Three hundred and forty-eight of my men have 
 re-enlisted and have been mustered as veterans, and the 
 number will probably increase to 400. I have just for- 
 warded an application for the regiment to be furloughed 
 home. It will be about two weeks before we hear from 
 it. If the application is granted, and I expect that it 
 will be, we shall probably get off between the 15th and 
 20th of February. This veteran movement is a grand 
 thing, and the most discouraging to the rebels of any- 
 thing that has transpired during the war. I feel it my 
 duty to encourage it by all proper means." 
 
 ''Feb. 7, 1864. — We have received our veterans' fur- 
 lough, and expect to leave here for Janesville the last 
 of the week, with between 400 and 500 of the regiment ; 
 in which case we shall reach there about the 17th, and 
 get home two or three days later, Jerry and Minerva 
 will go home with us. They will make arrangements for 
 housekeeping." 
 
 "Nashville, Tenn., March 31, 1864.— We got here, 
 six companies of us, this morning just at daylight. The 
 other four companies, E, K, G and B, were left at Chi- 
 cago for want of transportation — will probably be here 
 tomorrow. We were on the cars three nights and got 
 but little sleep. I liave commenced boarding at Mrs. 
 Morrison's, in Edgefield." 
 
 "Edgefield, April 3, 1864. — I have got nearly settled 
 in my new tent. I have a floor and stove in it. Mr. 
 Barker is here today. He is installed in his new place 
 in Nashville and thinks he will get along. There is a 
 house full at Morrison's, Norcross, Noyes, Hewitt, Hol- 
 lister. Dr. Smith, Lamoreau, Walters, the Chaplain, and 
 myself. Wallahan and his wife are there, besides a 
 number of refugees, I think, by their looks. There is 
 some one in our old place. It makes me homesick to 
 pass there. It is all cleaned up and looks so homelike. 
 
136 REMINISCENCES 
 
 "I spent most of yesterday with Colonel Hobart. 
 We dined at General Eosecrans' headquarters, and vis- 
 ited the 22d Wisconsin. Met Colonel Streight again." 
 
 "Edgefield, April 7, 1864. — Everything is pleasant 
 at Morrison's and I am more comfortable than I would 
 be if I ran a mess. We were on picket duty yesterday. I 
 have the whole regiment at work today cleaning the 
 camp." 
 
 "Edgefield, Tenn., Sun., April 10, 1864.— I have sent 
 Lieut. Wemple's detail to General Thomas for approval, 
 but have not yet heard from it. In addition to picket duty 
 we have been put on tram-guard duty on the railroad be- 
 tween here and Louisville. This takes the whole regi- 
 ment. I have sent the right wing across the river on the 
 picket line beyond the city, under command of Colonel 
 Chapman, to do that duty. All the men in the left wing 
 are on the railroad, and I do not think I have fifty men 
 in camp today. Rather lonesome. Jerry sends his best 
 love to Minerva. He gets homesick sometimes. Some- 
 body cut through his tent and stole his watch a few 
 nights since." 
 
 "Edgefield, Tenn., Thursday, April 14, 1864.— I 
 think that I told you that the right wing of the regiment 
 was over beyond the city doing picket duty. We now 
 picket the whole city, on both sides of the river, and 
 guard all the trains running on the Louisville R. R." 
 
 "Edgefield, Tenn., Sun^ eve., April 17, 1864.— There 
 is a great demand for houses here, and many efforts are 
 being made to turn these poor refugees out of doors, you 
 know they are numerous here. I have been and am still 
 protecting them, and in doing so get complained of oc- 
 casionally at headquarters. I am ahead, though, up 
 to this present writing. I think that these rebels here 
 who got up this war and made refugees of these poor 
 people, ought to furnish houses for them to live in, and 
 I mean they shall to some extent." 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 137 
 
 "Edgefield, Teun., April 21, 1864.— Everything is 
 in statu quo here. I have but little to do now but think 
 and read. I begin to discuss the question in my own 
 mind whether you had better not come down here after 
 a little, after the spring campaign is fairly progressing, 
 which will be in a month or so ; then if we are left here 
 we shall be pretty sure of remaining here all summer." 
 
 "Edgefield, Tenn., Mon., April 25, 1864. — Burns, or 
 somebody else, says, 'The best laid schemes of mice and 
 men gang aft aglee.' For example, I wrote you the other 
 day that I thought we would stay here some time, and 
 talked about your coming down after a little. Yesterday 
 I got an order that we start tomorrow morning for Stev- 
 enson, to take care of the railroad from Anderson, 12 
 miles this side of Stevenson, to Bridgeport, on the Ten- 
 nessee river. The 102d Ohio, Colonel Given, go with 
 us on the same business, but they stop at Tullahoma. 
 
 "We are to mov^e at daybreak, but may be delayed 
 for want of transportation. We will be nine or ten days 
 on the road, so direct your letters to Stevenson, Ala. 
 We march, you know, but I suppose we shall occasion- 
 ally strike the railroad. I will drop you a line if I can. 
 I am glad to get away from Nashville, my regiment was 
 so scattered." 
 
 "Stevenson, Ala., April 28, 1864. — Here we are, safe 
 and sound, having come by railroad instead of marching, 
 as we expected to do. We got here at noon today. No 
 women came with us. General Sherman would not al- 
 low it. He said that after a few weeks, perhaps, he 
 would do so, but not now. He says that a woman eats 
 as much as a soldier, and he is short of transportation at 
 present. I don't think it is very unpleasant here, judg- 
 ing from the reluctance with which the troops here 
 leave. The place has been well cleaned and is in fine 
 order." 
 
 "Stevenson, Ala., May 3, 1864. — I took command of 
 
138 REMINISCENCES 
 
 this post on Sunday morning, and the old force is all 
 gone except a battery of artillery. I have my old quar- 
 ters and more. I occupy for my own private residence 
 the room that General Hooker had when here." 
 
 "Stevenson, Ala., May 5, 1864. — An immense num- 
 ber of troops has passed through here within two days, 
 I think as many as 25,000 from Huntsville, Decatur, and 
 that way. They are the 15th and 16th Army Corps. 
 Generals Sherman, Logan, McPherson, Sickles, and lots 
 more, have gone to the front, and there will probably be 
 a heavy battle in the neighborhood of Dalton in a very 
 few days. I have no reason to believe that we shall be 
 there. We seem to be pretty firmly anchored here just 
 at present. 
 
 "We naturally have a great anxiety concerning the 
 result of the expected battle. The enemy are no doubt 
 in heavy force, and so are we. Our very best Generals, 
 except Grant, are there; and I am very hopeful that we 
 shall defeat them. If we do, it virtually puts an end to 
 the war in this part of the country. A defeat for us is 
 not so serious a matter as it would be for them; yet if 
 we should be defeated it would prolong the war for many 
 months. Our hope is in the justice of our cause, the 
 blessing of God, and the courage and patriotism of our 
 army. 
 
 "Our wagon train has just got through, bringing 
 our mess traps." 
 
 "Stevenson, Ala., May 9, 1864. — Everything is quiet 
 and comfortable here. Two years ago today we fought 
 at Farmington, Miss., when Captain Perkins and Lieut. 
 Beamish were killed. We got no news from the front, 
 but feel easy about operations down there. The news 
 from Virginia this morning is first rate. 
 
 "I am going to Tullahoma today to report in per- 
 son to General Paine, who has command from there to 
 Bridgeport; will be back tomorrow. The 71st Ohio, Col- 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 139 
 
 onel McConnell, is between here and TuUahoma on the 
 railroad. I was sent here because I had been here be- 
 fore and had a reliable, well disciplined regiment, and 
 because, further, as General Rousseau told me, he knew 
 my boys would fight if attacked. This service is honor- 
 able, and it was a high compliment sending me here, and 
 so intended by General Rousseau. General Granger was 
 not consulted and had nothing to do with it." 
 
 "Stevenson, Ala., Wed., May 11, 1864. — I went to 
 Tullahoma, as I wrote you, and saw and reported to 
 General Paine (of Illinois). I was well acquainted with 
 him before. I also met Colonel Given, of the 102d Ohio, 
 an old acquaintance, you know. 
 
 "While there we received dispatches from Nashville, 
 which were sent to me there and here at the same time, 
 that Roddey (a rebel guerilla. General, or Colonel, or 
 something) had crossed the Tennessee river at Florence, 
 near Tuscumbia, Ala., with 5,000 men. They do not 
 know what he is after, nor w^here he intends to go. This 
 notice was to keep us on the alert should he come this 
 way, which is not expected. If he comes here we can 
 Avhip him. 
 
 "Well, I started back at 2:30 o'clock yesterday 
 morning, but was stopped three miles out with the intel- 
 ligence that the track had been torn up by guerillas 
 three miles farther on. So we went back to Tullahoma 
 and got some soldiers and went down there. We found 
 that a few men on barefoot horses, evidently citizens re- 
 siding near there, had torn a couple of rails loose, built 
 a large fire on the track, and left. Owing to the deten- 
 tion I did not get back here until noon. 
 
 "I intended to stop along the road and inspect the 
 troops and works under my charge, but it rained all the 
 morning, so I deferred the inspection to another day. 
 
 "Last night we had a terrific storm of wind, rain, 
 thunder and lightning, lasting half the night. Such a 
 
140 KEMIXISCEXCES 
 
 storm iu these mountains, the lightning flashing around 
 their summits, the thunder echoing, the wind howling 
 through the gorges, and the torrents rushiug down the 
 mountain sides, is most sublime. Btit tou know some- 
 thing of these sotithern thunder storms. 
 
 "We are making strong fortifications here; and if 
 the enemy will keep away for thirty days, I do not care 
 how many stich troops as Forrest, Roddey. and those fel- 
 lows haye, pitch into us. I haye one good redotibt now, 
 with six pieces of artillery in it. 
 
 "Captain Xorcross reports that his pickets were 
 lired on last night, no one hurt. He is stationed about 
 three miles from here. There were but two or three of 
 the assailants, and they ran off when the sentinel, after 
 discharging his musket, rau after them firing his reyol- 
 yer. There are a few desperadoes in the mountains west 
 of us, and it was doubtless some of them. The citizens 
 say, 'We are mighty proud to see you-uns back here.' 
 There is much distress amongst them. General Sherman 
 haying stopped the issuing of rations." 
 
 "Steyenson, Ala., Sun., May 15, 1861. — I haye had 
 two ragged sheets made into one, and now haye a pair of 
 good sheets. I bathed last night and had Jerry wash and 
 dry my single towel before I s:ot up this momino;. Jerry 
 does all my room work. The doctor fixed me up some 
 tansy bitters and I worry down a little of the bitter sttiff 
 about twice a day. 
 
 ''T spent yesterday and Friday inspecting the rail- 
 road defenses in my beat. I stayed Friday night at An- 
 derson, with Captain Noyes. The companies on the rail- 
 road are well stiited, and are willing to stay there. The 
 whole regiment seems contented. 
 
 "How glorious the news that comes from General 
 Grant I The heayy fighting of this war, I belieye. is 
 nearly oyer, although the army mtist be retained some 
 time yet. 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 141 
 
 "General Rousseau has just sent me 125 colored 
 soldiers to work on the fortifications. This relieves the 
 13th very much. 
 
 "Everything is perfectly quiet in our vicinity, no 
 force of rebels anywhere near us, but there are guerilla 
 scares nearly every day. 
 
 "I hope before another year I will be home for good. 
 When I get there, don't expect me to leave the dooryard, 
 unless I am obliged to, for about three months." 
 
 "May 18, 1864. — There was a little clash yesterday 
 en the railroad beyond Huntsville, seventy miles from 
 here, but it did not amount to much. We are progress- 
 ing finely with our fortifications. The army in front, we 
 hear, is forty miles south of Dalton, and the rebels are 
 falling back; but we get no particulars of operations 
 there. No citizens are allowed to come down here now. 
 Mrs. Kummel is still in Nashville, and is unable to ob- 
 tain permission to come. The reason assigned is want of 
 transportation. 
 
 "We had a tragedy here last night. An artillery- 
 man shot and killed a young woman who was holding 
 the door to keep him out of the house. He went to a 
 window, and through a broken pane shot her in the 
 back. She died in an hour. The man was drunk, and is 
 in custody. 
 
 "I have just received orders to issue rations to the 
 families of soldiers in our army. There are many of 
 them about here in very destitute circumstances, and 
 this order will prevent much suffering. Several com- 
 panies of cavalry were raised in this vicinity when I 
 was here last fall." 
 
 "Stevenson, Ala., Sun., May 22, 1864.— The troops 
 from the rear, which have been relieved by the 100-days 
 men, are constantly passing through here. We keep 
 hearing rumors that we are to be relieved in the same 
 way before long, but I have nothing authentic on the 
 
142 REMINISCENCES 
 
 subject. I should not be surprised, however, if the 
 rumors turn out true and we go farther south; but as 
 usual it will probably be after the fighting is over. 
 
 "We get no particulars from the front except that 
 Sherman is pushing on for Atlanta. I had a telegram 
 from him yesterday, dated Kingston, Ga. The army, I 
 learn, is some distance beyond there." 
 
 "May 26, 1864. — Granger's brigade is ordered to 
 picket the north bank of the Tennessee river from Stev- 
 enson to Decatur, about 100 miles. In his arrangement 
 of troops we will be about in the center, with headquar- 
 ters at Claysville, which is in the extreme southern bend 
 of the river, opposite Gunthersville, and about 45 miles 
 from Stevenson. It is barely possible that my regiment 
 may be swung around on the river right here, in which 
 case headquarters will probably remain here or near 
 this place, but I do not expect it. 
 
 "Everything seems to move right in front and on 
 the Potomac; and when we hear of successes there to 
 cur arms, visions of peace and home and family and 
 loved ones become very bright. Now do not worry about 
 our moving. We are in a great deal more clanger of 
 being struck by lightning than by bullets this sum- 
 mer." 
 
 "Stevenson, Ala., Sun., May 29, 1864.— The 132d 
 Indiana (100-days men) arrived here last evening to 
 relieve us, and we go to Claysville, which is the last of 
 the poor 13th for the next 100 days. No fighting, no 
 wounds, no glory for us. Oh, how badly you will feel 
 about it. We shall not leave, I think, until the last of 
 the week, as our transportation has only this morning 
 left Nashville, and it comes through by land. We were 
 all well satisfied here, and yet the boys never left a place 
 more cheerfully. 
 
 "The country where we go has not been so badly 
 devastated as this, and it is said to be a good country. 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 143 
 
 We expect to revel in fruit. The peach crop will be very 
 heavy this year. 
 
 "I learn that poor George Yout was killed. He was 
 a brave, good boy, and I feel great sympathy for his 
 family and friends." 
 
 "Stevenson, Ala., Thursday, June 2, 1864. — We are 
 still here, you see, but hope to get started tomorrow. We 
 are waiting for our teams, which are on the road here 
 from Nashville and expected tonight. The regiment is 
 together now, except the men detailed at Nashville and 
 a few others. They make a fine show. 
 
 "Adjutant Ruger went through here last evening 
 wounded. He was struck in the knee by a piece of shell, 
 bruising him pretty badly ; but he will probably recover 
 without any permanent injury to the limb. He is in fine 
 spirits. This occurred a week ago. 
 
 "We shall be able to take all of our traps, and the 
 Adjutant and I are going to let Jerry do our cooking. 
 We rather like the prospect of moving." 
 
 "Stevenson, Ala., Fri., June 3, 1864. — We leave here 
 tomorrow at sunrise. We had a hard rain last night, 
 which relieves us from marching in the dust. The 22d, 
 and other Wisconsin regiments in this department, get 
 hurt occasionally, I see, though none except the 3d have 
 been cut up very badly yet. There seems to be plenty of 
 work and little glory for the poor 13th. 
 
 "I had the whole regiment on dress parade last 
 night, and it made a superb show. I felt just as though 
 I should like to try their mettle where the bullets fly. 
 
 "The new troops that have taken our place are 
 many of them getting sick. We are toughened to the 
 heat." 
 
 "Bellefonte, Jackson County, Ala., June 5, 1864. — 
 We left Stevenson yesterday morning at eight o'clock, 
 in the midst of a very heavy rain, and reached this point, 
 14 miles distant, at sundown. We had several hard 
 
144 REMINISCENCES 
 
 showers during the day, but the boys did not seem to 
 mind it much. It rained all night, and until about nine 
 o'clock this morning, which makes the roads very 
 muddy ; so I concluded to lay over today, especially as it 
 is Sunday. We move at sunrise tomorrow morning, 
 and it will take us two days to reach our destination, 
 which is about thirty miles from here. We have 800 
 men and 20 teams, and make quite a little army. 
 
 "The country over which we marched yesterday was 
 tolerably level and looks not unlike our oak openings in 
 Wisconsin, though the soil is generally thin and poor. 
 The road was bad in places, and we were detained sev- 
 eral times by wagons breaking down or getting stuck in 
 the mud. We learn that the roads are better ahead, and 
 the mud is drying rapidly this afternoon. The whole 
 route is a desert, made so by our armies. Fences are 
 destroyed, and nearly all the plantations are deserted. 
 Many of the houses have been burned down, and there 
 are no growing crops. 
 
 "The Adjutant and I rode into Bellefonte last night 
 ahead of the regiment, and such a picture of utter deso- 
 lation as the place presents I have seldom seen, even in 
 the South. The village is the county seat of Jackson 
 county, and was once about half the size of Elkhorn, 
 Wis. Its situation is not unlike that of Elkhorn, being 
 built on level ground around a public square, in the cen- 
 ter of which once stood a fine court house. This court 
 house was burned down the day the 13th marched 
 through here last September, and in consequence of that 
 coincidence we were charged with burning it ; but it was 
 not so, and I indignantly denied the charge and de- 
 manded the proof. It has not been produced. At that 
 time there were many citizens here. Now they are all or 
 nearly all gone, and every building is nearly destroyed. 
 This was done by General Sherman's army last winter. 
 The frames and roofs and brick walls are standing, but 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 145 
 
 the siding has been torn off, partitions broken down, 
 floors ripped up, and doors and windows all carried 
 away or destroyed. The fences, too, have disappeared, 
 and the whole site of the town, gardens, dooryards, pub- 
 lic square, and every place except a narrow track in the 
 center of the street, is covered with a rank growth of 
 weeds. 
 
 "When we came in a dead silence brooded over the 
 place. There was no sign of life except two half-starved, 
 poorly clad women, slowly making their way through 
 the deserted streets on two lean and hungry-looking 
 donkeys; and a solitary cow feeding upon the weeds by 
 the roadside. It looked like a fit home for owls, and 
 bats and serpents, and it was difficult to realize that it 
 was ever the abode of man. Yet riding about the town 
 we find many evidences of the taste and refinement of 
 the former inhabitants. The ruins of what were once 
 beautiful flower gardens are frequently met with, and 
 blooming among noxious weeds we found roses and 
 other flowers in great profusion, which in variety of 
 coloring and brilliancy of tints excel anything we ever 
 see at the North. 
 
 "The people are fugitives m the South, Tney are all 
 bitter Secessionists, and they are now reaping the ter- 
 rible fruits of their great crime. In a frenzy of unholy 
 passion they sought to destroy our Government, to tear 
 down the glorious fabric of liberty, which was our com- 
 mon heritage, and lo, their homes are a desolation, and 
 they and their wives and children, like Cain of old, are 
 wanderers and vagabonds in the earth. Like Cain, too, 
 when they think of their mansions destroyed, of the ruin 
 that reigns where once they dwelt, of the peace and pros- 
 perity and happiness they once enjoyed, they may well 
 exclaim, 'Our punishment is greater than we can bear.' 
 And now, having indulged in a little highfalutin, 'merely 
 to show you,' as Josh Billings says, 'that I ken du it,' I 
 
146 REMINISCENCES 
 
 will come down to matter of fact things and inform you 
 that the peaches are as large as butternuts, and the 
 country is full of them. Blackberries are nearly full 
 grown and turning red; raspberries and cherries are 
 ripe, but scarce. 
 
 "It will be several days before I can get another 
 letter to the jwstofflce for you." 
 
 "Claysville, Ala., June 8, 1864. — We got here last 
 night after a rough march, but all well. The country is 
 very pleasant. Only three or four families here. Will 
 give you full particulars in my next. The wagon train 
 is just leaving for Woodville for supplies. We are not 
 settled yet. 
 
 "The journey was pretty rough. We had to ford 
 one large creek where the water was up to the horses' 
 sides. We got through without accident. There is but 
 one decent house in the place, and in it lives a widow — 
 an old lady — and two daughters, young women. The 
 Adjutant and I took possession of the surplus rooms in 
 the house for headquarters, and we have made an ar- 
 rangement by which the family do the cooking and wash- 
 ing. They are poor people, but neat and respectable, a 
 good deal above the average of poor whites down here. 
 I think that they do not chew snuff, although I am not 
 quite sure about the youngest one. All we pay is to 
 furnish provisions for the whole. They seem to be very 
 economical, and I think we shall like the living. They 
 cook well. I have a good airy room up stairs. The old 
 lady has lent me a feather bed. I shall fill my cotton 
 tick with cotton, of which there is plenty here. I brought 
 from Stevenson a nice camp bedstead, and am rigged out 
 very comfortably indeed. 
 
 "I have four companies, B, G, C and I, on the river, 
 and shall send out three more tomorrow. A, P and D, 
 leaving with me H, E and K. Company C is but a little 
 over a mile from here. The^^^ exchange shots occasion- 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 147 
 
 ally with bushwhackers, but it is too far to do any execu- 
 tion. There seem to be no organized bands of rebels on 
 this side of the river, and no considerable number on 
 the other side. 
 
 "We get our mail from Woodville, twenty miles dis- 
 tant. It seems odd to go five or six days without hearing 
 a word from the outside world, yet we will get used to it 
 after a little I suppose. 
 
 "We had green peas and mutton for dinner. The 
 peas we bought, the mutton we confiscated. 
 
 "There is a better class of people here than there 
 was at Stevenson or Donelson. They are cleaner and 
 more intelligent, and generally not so wretchedly poor. 
 
 "I have a very trusty, honest horse. I intended to 
 go out with A, F and D, but the roads are so bad I will 
 not go. It is about fifteen miles to the farthest post, and 
 bad roads at that. It is quite a serious thing to haul all 
 of our supplies from there. I am trying to make ar- 
 rangements to get them by way of the river. 
 
 "We suspect that old Fever-and-ague lives down 
 here and will be amongst us in August and September. 
 The country is flat, but it is only a few miles to the 
 spurs of the mountains. Brigade headquarters are 
 going to Decatur. It would suit me just as well if they 
 went to the Isthmus of Suez. They do not disturb us." 
 
 "June 14, 1864. — I have been down to the river to- 
 day. Our pickets exchange shots with the rebels on the 
 other side almost every day. They are few in numbers, 
 and the river is so wide that it is a harmless amusement 
 for both sides. 
 
 "Colonel Chapman is below on the river somewhere, 
 and I expect him every day. The 18th Wisconsin is on 
 the river below us. I have got the companies all posted 
 now, and intend visiting them as soon as Colonel Chap- 
 man gets back." 
 
148 REMINISCENCES 
 
 "Claysville, Ala., Wed. Eve., June 15, 1864.— I got 
 an order this evening to send four companies to Whites- 
 burg, which is on the river south of Huntsville, and 
 some six miles below our present beat. The Adjutant 
 starts in the morning for Huntsville for more specific 
 instructions; so I improve the opportunity to let you 
 know once more that I am well. I do not expect this 
 order will involve any change in my headquarters. Col- 
 onel Chapman, I hear, is at Whitesburg now, waiting 
 for these troops, and he will probably remain there and 
 take care of that end of the route. This will relieve me 
 from a good deal of tramping." 
 
 "Claysville, Ala., June 16, 1864. — I send this by 
 Lieutenant Balis, who goes to Woodville in the morning 
 with the remains of his brother, who died this afternoon 
 of pneumonia. He was a new recruit, about 35 years 
 old, and leaves a wife and one or two children. He was 
 a frail man and ought not to have gone into the service." 
 
 "Claysville, Ala., Sun., June 20, 1864.— Colonel 
 Chapman goes tomorrow morning with Companies A. B 
 and K too Whitesburg, ten miles south of Huntsville, 
 where he will have command. 
 
 "It seems very healthy here. The regiment is un- 
 commonly healthy. We shall occupy more than 40 miles 
 of the river. I shall have about 250 men here, or close 
 by. We are making arrangments to get mails and sup- 
 plies by river. 
 
 "We are not entirely out of the world, as a gunboat 
 patrols the river from Bridgeport to Decatur once or 
 twice a week ; and there is a railroad from Nashville to 
 Decatur, you know. This boat will carry us up and 
 down at any time. 
 
 "We hear that Forrest has whipped us near Mem- 
 phis and is making his way to Decatur. This will give 
 the 18th Michigan a job, if true. Colonel Jim Howe's 
 brigade is there, including the 32d Wisconsin. General 
 
OP THE CIVIL WAR 149 
 
 Granger is there, too. The 13th Wisconsin is not there. 
 I hear that the 8th Wisconsin is at Vicksburg on its way 
 home on veteran furlough. I wish you to show all pos- 
 sible attention to my Company K boys. Tell them that 
 I do not do much fighting now-a-days, but I think a 
 heap about them." 
 
 "Claysville, Ala., June 26, 1864. — I have sent two, 
 expeditions across the river the past week, one under 
 the Adjutant to Guntersville, and one under Captain 
 Blake into the country a few miles below here. They 
 captured quite a number of horses and mules, and Cap- 
 tain Blake captured two rebel officers — Captains, I 
 think. They encountered no armed force. The Adjutant 
 captured a rebel mail, containing many papers and let- 
 ters. I send you two of these specimens. The letters 
 are of no military importance. Most of them were writ- 
 ten by privates in Johnson's and Lee^s army, and the 
 writers all think that they are whipping us badly at all 
 points. The tone of all the rebel papers is very sanguine 
 of ultimate success. Never was any people so blind to 
 their real condition as is this people. One fellow writes 
 in May from somewhere in this State to his father that 
 Lee has just defeated Grant in a great battle, and that 
 our losses amount to 100,000 killed, wounded and pris- 
 oners, while the rebel loss is but trifling. 
 
 "The hot weather is upon us. This morning is clear 
 and still, and the sun lets us know that we are 'down 
 South.' Standing at noon with my back to the sun, my 
 shadow falls just two inches beyond the toes of my boots. 
 I am perfectly well, but I make as little exertion as pos- 
 sible during the day. The nights are comfortable. 
 
 "My regiment is so scattered, and therefore weak at 
 any given point, that although there is no force of the 
 enemy very near any part of our line, yet I can but feel 
 constant anxiety. Indeed, I think I am leading a more 
 anxious life than ever before in the service. The fact is. 
 
150 REMINISCENCES 
 
 we are doing the duty and bearing the responsibility 
 that ought to be divided between two regiments. I find 
 that I have a good horse, and I ride much more than I 
 ever did before. I can not realize that I have been in 
 Wisconsin within three months. I never felt so isolated 
 in my life." 
 
 "Claysville, Ala., Thurs., June 30, 1864.— It is 
 muster day, and I am very busy. Yesterday I visited 
 Company I, six miles below here. The road runs over a 
 mountain and the scenery is very fine. This afternoon 
 I go up the river six miles to Company G to muster it. 
 
 "Lieut. Fish made a raid across the river and cap- 
 tured a rebel. Colonel Smith. He is here, and very much 
 of a gentleman. He does not say so, but he acts just as 
 though he were well satisfied to be in our hands. He 
 will be sent to Nashville.* 
 
 "There is a rebel force about forty miles from us, 
 at Gadsden, on the Coosa river, about 3,000 strong, 
 under General Pillow. The same force attacked La 
 Fayette the other day and were repulsed. I rather hope 
 they will give us a call, just for variety, but do not ex- 
 pect it." 
 
 "Claysville, Ala., July 2, 1864.— Captain Hewitt 
 will be detailed as Assistant Ordinance Officer to Cap- 
 tain Townsend at Nashville, and his wife can get to him 
 without any difficulty when the weather will admit." 
 
 "Claysville, Ala., July 6, 1864. — Captain Hart cap- 
 tured a rebel mail, and I spent the forenoon in reading 
 the letters. They are all confident of whipping Grant 
 and Sherman just as they did Banks. They expect to 
 be in Tennessee during the summer. I don't know but 
 they will be." 
 
 "Claysville, Ala., July 11, 1864. — Yesterday I was 
 in the saddle all day visiting my command on the river. 
 
 * He was a splendid fellow. I said, "Colonel, you do not want me 
 to put a guard over you. You will have to go up to Nashville after a 
 little, but now you are my g-uest." — W. P. L,. 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 151 
 
 I rode about 16 miles on Saturday ; the day before, eight 
 miles. Tomorrow I start on a trip to visit Companies F 
 and D, down the river, and shall be absent about three 
 days. I take a company of home scouts I am organiz- 
 ing here, as an escort, although there is no enemy on our 
 route that we know of. Still, in this country we always 
 go prepared for emergencies. 
 
 "You ask me if I am not in a great deal of danger 
 here. I don't know. If only a moderate sized force of 
 the enemy attacks us, no ; if a large force, yes. We are 
 building strong fortifications on the river, and expect to 
 have three or four gunboats patrolling it in a few weeks ; 
 and if Sherman is successful in defeating Johnson, I 
 do not think that we shall have any trouble. I have a 
 good deal of business here with citizens. As there is no 
 civil law or courts, I am judge, jui'y, arbitrator, and 
 guardian for the whole country. An old woman is talk- 
 ing to me now, boring me to death with a long story 
 about another old woman, her neighbor, who she thinks 
 is a rebel and a very dangerous character. I write this, 
 with her talking persistently. I say 'yes,' and -really,' 
 occasionally, and that satisfies her. The most of the 
 people here are well disposed, and many of them, par- 
 ticularly the poor class, are truly loyal. The old lady 
 has finished her story, and so have I." 
 
 "Clarksville, Ala., July 13, 1864.— Here I am, tired 
 as a dog. I left Claysville yesterday morning and have 
 just got here, having traveled over mountains, through 
 swamps and canebrakes, escorted by about 30 Union 
 guerillas, or home guards. 
 
 "Stayed last night at Company D's, and expect to 
 get back there tonight, and home tomorrow night. This 
 point is on the Tennessee river, half way between Flint 
 and Paintrock rivers, and some 20 miles below Clays- 
 ville. It is the headquarters of Company F, Captain 
 Hart. 
 
152 REMINISCENCES 
 
 "I have passed through some wild, magnificent 
 scenery on this trip, which I have no time to describe. I 
 can write but little this time, but was not willing to let 
 this anniversary of your birthday pass without letting 
 you know that I remembered it." 
 
 "Claysville, Ala., Pri., July 15, 1864 (at sunripe). — 
 You will think it strange that I am writing to you at 
 this time of day. I will tell you how it happened. I got 
 back from my trip, concerning which I have already 
 written you, yesterday afternoon, and went to bed at 
 nine last night, very tired and sleepy, I assure you. Be- 
 tween 11 and 12 o'clock Johnny (my orderly) burst into 
 my room with, 'Colonel, the rebels are crossing the river 
 with a large force down at the landing.' ( This is where 
 Lieut. Fish is stationed, one mile from headquarters. ) I 
 was sleeping very soundly, but managed to tumble out 
 of bed, wondering why they couldn't just as well have 
 waited until morning. So I dressed, and Jerry saddled 
 the horse, and off the Adjutant and I galloped to the 
 river (I am getting to be a famous horseman). There 
 we found every evidence that there was a large force, 
 and a very demonstrative one, on the other bank. We 
 supposed that they had artillery from the noise made 
 by their wagon train. So we went to work collecting our 
 men, notifying the other companies on the river, sending 
 out scouts and patrols, and making every possible ar- 
 rangement for the battle that we expected to fight at 
 daylight this morning. But daylight came and revealed 
 to us a large force on the other side of the river, but the 
 men were all in blue. 
 
 "It turned out to be a large scout from Decatur, of 
 which we had received no notice. We the more readily 
 believed it a rebel force from the fact that only last 
 Tuesday morning Lieut. Fish was across the river with 
 only eight men and was attacked by between forty and 
 fifty rebel cavalry, fought them, and with the aid of a 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 153 
 
 few of our men, wlio succeeded in getting on an island 
 near by, whipped them handsomely. The rebels admit a 
 loss of three killed and four wounded. Not a man of 
 ours received a scratch. It was almost a miracle. 
 
 "I wondered often during the night what you would 
 think had you known that we were passing the hours of 
 the night in the trenches, expecting a fight in the morn- 
 ing; but the luck of the 13th still clings to them, and 
 nobody is hurt. 
 
 "The force on the other side sent over a wounded 
 officer, and behold, it was Captain Wilcox, of the 5th 
 Iowa Cavalry, an old friend. He got a charge of buck- 
 shot in the hip the other day on a raid south of this. He 
 is doing well. 
 
 "I find on going to my room that Jerry has packed 
 and boxed all of my traps, and had them ready to load on 
 the wagon in case Ave were worsted. I gave him no direc- 
 tions about them — did not even think of them. During 
 the night, the Adjutant, who remained at headquarters, 
 tells me, Jerry volunteered to go one and a half miles 
 alone to call in an outpost, and went. He was as cool 
 and brave as any of the soldiers." 
 
 "July IT, 1864. — I received a dispatch from General 
 Granger, who is at Decatur, sent through a courier from 
 Larkinsville, saying that if the rebels were crossing the 
 river I must concentrate and hold out as long as pos- 
 sible. 
 
 "I have heard from Colonel Chapman. He had 
 heard that we were falling back towards Woodville, and 
 had concentrated his detachment at Whitesburg. I fear 
 this scare will get into the newspapers and alarm our 
 friends at home. I expect to see a statement published 
 to the efeect that Forrest, with 15,000 men and 20 pieces 
 of artillery, forced his way across the Tennessee river 
 here, cut the 13th to pieces, killing, capturing and scat- 
 tering the whole command, and that Colonel Lyon is 
 
154 REMINISCENCES 
 
 among the missing — supposed to be killed, as he was 
 seen to fall from his horse. Not much ! Be easy about 
 us. I shall light all that come, and unless they have a 
 good deal of artillery I shall successfully resist the pass- 
 age of this river by any force short of an army. I don't 
 think we are in any great peril, although we may be 
 compelled to do some fighting. We are now very well 
 fortified against a river attack, and are building block- 
 houses, artillery proof, in which we could stand a siege 
 if driven to it. When these are completed we are safe 
 from capture. 
 
 "My trip last week, although fatiguing, was very 
 interesting. I rode half a mile under a precipice called 
 Paintrock, several hundred feet high, along a narrow 
 bridle path, running under projections of the cliff fre- 
 quently, and a precipice 50 to 100 feet deep below us, at 
 the bottom of which is the river. In some places it was 
 dark enough for late twilight, although it was the mid- 
 dle of a very bright afternoon." 
 
 "July 19. — You do not write much about the 8th 
 Wisconsin. I suppose they are soon to leave again. God 
 bless them, wherever they are. A braver and truer set 
 of men never faced an enemy." 
 
 "Claysville, Ala., Sat., July 23, 1864.— We have 
 heard a good deal of distant cannonading for three or 
 four days in the direction of Blue Mountain, 60 or 70 
 miles from here, where Pillow's force used to be. We 
 think General Rousseau is down there fighting him. Cap- 
 tain Ruger is with Rousseau. 
 
 "Everything is quiet here in this vicinity. Yester- 
 day I rode up to Company G and back (six miles), and 
 this afternoon I am going to Company I, five miles down 
 the river, returning tomorrow. I ride like a Texican, 
 and begin to like the saddle." 
 
 "Claysville, Ala., Wed., July 27, 1864.— I rode over 
 to Fort Deposit (Co. I) after writing to you Saturday. 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 155 
 
 Returned here Sunday night. I had a visit from Colonel 
 Anderson, 11th Indiana Cavalry, who is chasing and 
 killing guerillas out towards Huntsville. He used to 
 preach in Chicago and latterly in Michigan City. I 
 think he is one of the roughest men I have met lately; 
 but he is talented and brave. I rode over to Deposit with 
 him on Monday morning, and returnd the same day. 
 Was accompanied by an ex-Captain of the 18th Michi- 
 gan, who has been here a week buying cotton. His name 
 is Stevens. He resigned and turned speculator. 
 
 "We heard of a small force on the other side of the 
 river, and on Sunday night I let Captain Kingman have 
 over 100 men to go over to try to get them. The gang 
 got away, however. Everything is quiet now on both 
 sides of the river. The people on the south side are 
 anxiously inquiring what they shall do to be saved. 
 
 Kingman's advance guard had a skirmish with a 
 lot of rebels near a house where they had been getting 
 breakfast, the owner belonging to the gang. The Cap- 
 tain burned the house, very properly. We send all dis- 
 satisfied or dangerous persons across the river. I tell 
 them that I would rather fight them than watch them. 
 
 "The regiment keeps very healthy, except Company 
 K, at Whitesburg. That company has from 20 to 30 sick 
 in it. I intend to go there and to Decatur within a few 
 days. 
 
 "Lieut. Parker commands Company E. Captain 
 Hewitt is Assistant Ordnance Officer with Captain 
 Townsend. Captain Kummel has the same position at 
 Chattanooga on General Thomas' staff. Captain Noyes 
 is on a Court-Martial at Nashville." 
 
 "Decatur, Ala., Sun., Aug. 7, 1864. — I am on an 
 expedition. I left Claysville yesterday morning, reached 
 Huntsville last night, and came here this morning. I 
 rode part of the way to Woodville in an ambulance and 
 
156 REMINISCENCES 
 
 part of the way on horseback. My trip is doing me lots 
 of good. Captain Hart is with me. 
 
 "The 32d Wisconsin (Colonel Howe's regiment), 
 which has been here several months, left two or three 
 days since for the front. Colonel Howe has resigned. I 
 have been here with General Granger all the morning. 
 He told me that our brigade, before we came down here, 
 was ordered to the front and the order was counter- 
 manded. There seems to be no prospect now of our mov- 
 ing anywhere very soon. I go back to Huntsville to- 
 night and shall probably go to Whitesburg (10 miles) 
 tomorrow. I thought some of going to Nashville, but 
 found I could transact all my business here and was glad 
 to get rid of the trip." 
 
 "Claysville, Ala., Thurs., Aug. 11, 1864.— I have 
 just got back from my trip, tired but well. I stayed 
 three nights at Huntsville, one at Whitesburg with Col- 
 onel Chapman, and last night with Company G at Law's 
 Landing. I saw Captain Woodman, Captain Norcross, 
 Dr. Smith, Lieutenants Brown, Wemple, Button and 
 Murray, who is sick in Huntsville. 
 
 "I suppose there is a good deal of squirming about 
 the coming draft, and I really sympathize with many of 
 those who will be drawn, for I know from the experience 
 of these long, weary, anxious years what a terrible thing 
 it is to be separated from wife, children and home, and 
 to be surrounded by peril, suffering and death for so 
 long a time ; yet I do not know that it is any harder for 
 them than it is for those who are already in the service. 
 Besides, this draft is only for a year. Efforts are being 
 made to get negroes here to fill the quotas of some locali- 
 ties, but without much success. The soldiers are 
 strongly opposed to it and throw every obstacle in the 
 way of the recruiting agents." 
 
 "Claysville, Ala., Thursday, Aug. 18, 1864. — Every- 
 thing is quiet here. Occasionally a scouting party of 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 157 
 
 rebels make their appearance on the other side of the 
 river and fire across at our pickets, but they do not stay 
 long. Yesterday this occurred opposite Company C. 
 They are careful to keep the river between them and us. 
 There are guerillas in the mountains on this side, but 
 they never come on our beat. These fellows always give 
 cavalry a wide berth, but they sometimes pitch into in- 
 fantry. 
 
 "A great many deserters, contrabands and refugees 
 come to us from the other side. We send them North. 
 Some of the deserters enlist in our regiment. They tell 
 the same story of despondency, destitution, and a grow- 
 ing Union sentiment in the South. Lieut. Murray is 
 very sick at Huntsville. Fears are entertained that he 
 will not recover." 
 
 "Aug. 20, 1864. — The Adjutant has just returned 
 from an inspection tour down the line. There is a rebel 
 force on the other side of the river, as near as I can 
 learn. About a regiment recently came in there. I 
 suppose they are going to picket that side of the river 
 and try to keep us on our side. Five of Company A 
 men were captured across the river on Thursday, near 
 the mouth of Flint river, twenty miles below. They 
 were over there and were decoyed away from the river, 
 surrounded and captured — no one hurt." 
 
 "Claysville, Ala., Tues., Aug. 23, 1864.— The rebels 
 are on the other side of the river in some force, but they 
 do not act at all threatening. They seem to be doing the 
 same duty on that side of the river that we are doing on 
 this side — that is, picketing the river and watching us. 
 Thus far they have shown no disposition to get across, 
 but of course I know nothing of their intentions. We, 
 however, keep a strict watch on them. They appear to 
 be in our front from here to Whitesburg. 
 
 "The river is getting quite high and two gunboats 
 passed down yesterday to Decatur. It is rather agree- 
 
158 REMINISCENCES 
 
 able to have these fellows about when there is an enemy 
 near us. It seems a little more like war to see an enemy 
 occasionally, but I do not expect to have a fight with 
 them unless I go over there after it, which I may do when 
 I ascertain more about their position and strength. How- 
 ever, I shall take no unnecessary risks." 
 
 "Claysville, Ala., Sun., Aug. 29, 1864.— I have rid- 
 den fifteen miles today. I am now with Company C at 
 our landing, waiting the return of a gunboat that passed 
 down the river this morninig convoving a steamer loaded 
 with supplies for the regiment. 
 
 "There is undoubtedly quite a large rebel force on 
 the other side of the river a few miles back in the coun- 
 try. I hear they intend to try to cross the river. I think 
 the gunboats and the 13th together can prevent them 
 from doing it, and if the gunboats are not here when 
 they attempt it, the 13th will try to do it alone. The 
 river is high now and they can only cross in boats, which 
 I understand they are building for the purpose. It is 
 quite possible that we shall have a brush with them, and 
 if we do — there is so much solicitude felt about our abil- 
 ity to hold this line — you will hear all sorts of exag- 
 gerated reports from us through the papers before we 
 can get any news to you. Pay no attention to these re- 
 ports unless they are favorable ; and if you hear direct 
 from us, which will be as speedily as possible after any- 
 thing of interest transpires, I will keep you posted as 
 to our situation, as I always have done. 
 
 "On Thursday last a party of rebels came opposite 
 Law's Landing and fired at Company G, stationed there. 
 Lieut. Balis sent over a party of men soon after, who 
 came up to the rear guard of the rebels and killed two of 
 them. A woman wanted to cross there and our boys had 
 promised to bring her over. She had gone down to call 
 them across the river, when the rebels first made their 
 appearance, secreting themselves so that our men could 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 159 
 
 not see them, and insisted that she should call our boys 
 over, in which case they could easily be captured or 
 killed; but she absolutely refused to do so, and no en- 
 treaties or threats could shake her resolution. She 
 sat down and told them that they might kill her as quick 
 as they pleased, but she would not, even for the sake of 
 her life, do so base an act. They then commenced firing. 
 The party from Company G brought her back with them. 
 I have not seen her. She is a Union woman and a hero- 
 ine. 
 
 "On Thursday night Captain Blake, who is located 
 ten miles down the river, got information that a force 
 was intending to cross that night near his post. I put 
 the whole line in the best possible shape for defense and 
 went to Deposit, where Company I is stationed. I was 
 up nearly all night making arrangements to meet the 
 attack, and in the morning went down to Captain 
 Blake's. No demonstration was made on us, however, 
 and I returned to headquarters on Friday afternoon. 
 While the enemy is in our immediate front I expect but 
 little bodily or mental rest." 
 
 "Claysville, Ala., Tues., 2 a. m., Aug. 30, 1864.— You 
 will wonder why I am writing to you at this time in the 
 morning;. I will tell vou. We had information that a 
 large force of rebels was in our immediate front, on the 
 other side of the river. I spent the whole day yesterday 
 in preparing for an attack, which I confidently expected 
 before long. Last evening Sergeant Moulton came up 
 here from his station on the river and told me that he 
 had information from the same source that this force 
 received orders on Sunday to repair at once to Atlanta 
 and that they all left for that place on that day and yes- 
 terday ; that his informant saw the last piece of artillery 
 leave; and, further, that the rebels had 13 pieces of 
 artillery. I felt greatly relieved, and not having slept 
 
160 REMINISCENCES 
 
 much the night before I congratulated myself on a good 
 night's sleep in prospect. 
 
 "I had just sat down to write some dispatches to 
 General Granger to send off in the morning, when I re- 
 ceived a note from Lieut, Fish saying that a force had 
 made its apperance on the other side of the river. This 
 was about eight o'clock. I immediately went doAvn to 
 his camp and found that a force has reallj^ come into 
 Guntersville, which is about three-fourths of a mile from 
 the river. It was after dark and they could see nothing, 
 but they could hear commands given. I am satisfied that 
 the force is not large, and that it has no artillery; yet 
 their presence made ii: necessary to use all precautions 
 against a surprise or an attack, and that along my whole 
 line, for their making their appearance here was no evi- 
 dence that they would not strike at some other point 
 should they attack us, but rather the contrary. So I 
 came back here and have been engaged ever since in 
 sending off orders and dispatches. I expect some gun- 
 boats down today from Bridgeport, and when they get 
 here I shall feel easier." 
 
 "Claysville, Ala., Tues. Eve., Aug. 30, 1864.— The 
 rebel force has certainly left our front. There are two 
 gunboats here tonight, and they will be constantly along 
 our line hereafter. We have been in great peril, but I 
 think the danger permanently passed. We shall have 
 no serious trouble here now for some time, if at all." 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 
 
 161 
 
 iintsville, Ala., Sat., Sept. 3, 1864.— I 
 have been knocking about consider- 
 ably since I wrote to you last. Wed- 
 nesday I got an order to concentrate 
 my end of the regiment, except one 
 company, at Woodville. That evening 
 I started out with E and H, went four 
 miles. The next morning took G and 
 got to Woodville at noon. Soon after 
 I and D arrived. I supposed we were on an expedition 
 after Wheeler or some of these raiders who are playing 
 smash in our rear; but when I got there I found dis- 
 patches from General Granger ordering me to come here 
 and take command of the railroad and all of the troops 
 on it from here to Stevenson, together with all of the 
 troops at this place. 
 
 ''I came down here last evening on the cars, and sent 
 back a special train and brought down the men this 
 morning. I found Colonel Chapman here with A and B. 
 K is at Whitesburg and C at Claysville. F is on the road 
 here. The Adjutant, Jerry, and a good many men with 
 the ague are at Claysville. General Granger is up the 
 railroad somewhere at a threatened point and I have 
 not seen him. I have sent for the Adjutant and Jerry, 
 
 "We are cut off from Nashville and I don't know 
 when you will get this lettter. Wheeler has been in 
 there and cut the railroads. I will write just the same. 
 I have just issued an order assuming my command. The 
 General in his order gives me power to move troops 
 wherever I think they are needed, and orders me to meet 
 the enemy wherever they make their appearance and 
 'Strike to scatter and destroy.' 
 
 "We shall have rooms for the present in one of the 
 largest houses in town, owned and occupied by an old 
 widow, Mrs. Rice." 
 
162 REMINISCENCES 
 
 "Headquarters, E. R. Defenses, M. & C. R. R., 
 Huntsville, Ala., Sept. 6, 1864. — I give you the name of 
 my establishment. I think it quite showy. We have 
 just located this afternoon. We have nice quarters. The 
 Adjutant and I each have a large, carpeted, well furn- 
 ished room, in the second story of a large mansion very 
 pleasantly located. We have a kitchen in the back yard, 
 where we are to eat and where old Minty, our cook, lives. 
 Jerry, Johnny, and our clerk have pitched their tents 
 just back of the house, and we have altogether the coziest 
 headquarters you ever saw. 
 
 "I expect communications will be opened to Nash- 
 ville by tomorrow, via Stevenson. You will learn 
 enough of Wheeler's raid by the newspapers not to be 
 surprised at getting no letters from me. Wheeler is west 
 of us, and our troops are driving him toward the Muscle 
 Shoals. General Steadman went through here today with 
 a considerable force to join Rousseau and Granger. 
 
 "There is quite a large force of guerrillas south of 
 the railroad on my beat that I intend to drive out as soon 
 as General Granger returns and I can get some cavalry. 
 
 "Lieut. Graham was coming through with our 
 wagon train, and camped last night four miles out of 
 Woodville. I hear he was attacked in the night and that 
 Company F, which had just reached Woodville, has gone 
 out to help him. I do not know the result, but shall in a 
 few hours. 
 
 "Company F had a man shot and captured tbe 
 night before they left the river. He was carrying dis- 
 patches, and is supposed to be mortally wounded. So 
 you see we have war even here." 
 
 "Sept. 11, 1864. — I will write again from force of 
 habit, for the cars do not yet run to Nashville and two 
 letters that I have written to you still lie in the post- 
 office at this place. We learn that the railroads ai'e 
 nearly repaired. General Granger has not yet returned 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 163 
 
 to Huntsville, aud I am tied up here until he does re- 
 turn ; then I propose to make an inspection tour to Stev- 
 enson and back, and an expedition southeast towards 
 Claysville, to clear the country of guerillas. 
 
 "Quite a number of the men are sick with chills and 
 fever, caused by malaria. Captain Norcross and Dr. 
 Horton went to Nashville just before the raid and have 
 not been able to get back. I have sent Captain Kingman 
 to Whitesburg with a detachment of seventy-five men 
 taken from all of the companies. It is a sickly hole and 
 I intend to change the men there as often as once a week. 
 Company C, with the band and a lot of convalescents, is 
 still at Claysville Landing. I have not heard from them 
 for several days. I have no fears for their safety. They 
 are strongly fortified and the gunboats are frequently 
 there. 
 
 "I told you in my last of an attack made on Com- 
 pany F. It was a mistake. The attack was made on a 
 company of home guards, about a mile from the train — 
 one killed and one wounded on each side, and ten of the 
 guards (who are loyal men) captured. They were sur- 
 prised by guerrillas. 
 
 "It is a paradise here, where the rude hand of war 
 has not desolated it. Huntsville is a beautiful town. 
 Before the war there was much wealth in it, and it was 
 the pride of the South. The city has not been torn up 
 much, but the country about is devastated. 
 
 "General Granger, I hear, is expected tonight." 
 
 "Stevenson, Wed., Sept. 14, 1864. — I am here on an 
 inspecting tour of railroad defenses. I came yesterday, 
 leaving Huntsville on Monday. Went to Bridgeport last 
 night, returning early this morning. I have written sev- 
 eral letters during the blockade and you may receive 
 this one first of all. Colonel Anderson, of the 12th In- 
 diana Cavalry, which is a part of my command, is with 
 me. Dr. Horton came here this morning from Nashville, 
 
164 REMINISCENCES 
 
 where lie has been during the interruption of our com- 
 munication." 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Sun., Sept. 18, 1864.— I wrote to 
 you from Stevenson last Wednesday, returned here the 
 same night, and on Friday I received four letters from 
 you. What a feast I had ! 
 
 "Everything is quiet here except that there is a gang 
 of guerillas between the railroad and Tennessee river, 
 variously estimated at from 75 to 250 strong, under one 
 Johnson, a Methodist preacher. They do not disturb the 
 railroad thus far, but rob and murder Union men 
 wherever they find them defenceless. General Granger 
 has promised me some troops to make an expedition 
 after them in a few days. 
 
 "The 13th has been sent out on the railroad to take 
 the place of another regiment, the 12th Indiana Cavalry, 
 sent to Tullahoma. The regiment garrisons the defense 
 of the railroad to Wocdville, twenty-four miles towards 
 Stevenson. Company C is still at Claysville Landing, 
 and Captain Kingman, with 75 or 80 men, is at Whites- 
 burg. While I have my present command I shall 'do- 
 main here. 
 
 "I think I have met with a loss here in the way of 
 horses. Now 'horses' is rather a delicate subject for me 
 to write to you upon, but I will venture. The one I 
 bought in Stevenson got lame, and I took a captured 
 horse to ride in his place. Mine got well, but I liked the 
 other and kept him. Both turned out to be capital, good 
 animals, and last Wednesday both of them were stolen 
 out of a little yard where they were feeding, right in 
 the middle of this town. No one is to blame but the 
 thief. We can get no track of them. T\Tien I go for 
 Johnson I will try to capture another." 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Sept. 21, 1864. — I go out as far as 
 Woodville, 24 miles on the railroad, in the morning, but 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 165 
 
 will not be gone long. They run out a special train for 
 me, so I can return when I please. 
 
 "Everything is perfectly quiet throughout my whole 
 command. I have a lot of cavalry out after guerilla 
 Johnson, and they are spreading terror amongst the peo- 
 ple who have been guilty of harboring these fellows. If 
 the cavalry fail to smoke him out, I shall try him with 
 infantry and go myself. 
 
 "I have a pleasant room in the second story, well 
 furnished, my amiable and excellent landlady ( whom I 
 have not seen since we have been in her house) having 
 left the furniture. The room is nearly twenty feet 
 square, and at least fifteen feet high, has a grate, four 
 large windows with blinds outside and damask curtains 
 inside. The floor is carpeted. The furniture is all old- 
 fashioned — an enormous bedstead with high posts and 
 a canopy, spring mattress, bolster, pillows with ruffled 
 slips, sheets and a white counterpane; an arm rocking 
 chair, cushioned ; several flag bottomed chairs ; a chest of 
 drawers, wardrobe (kex)t locked), marble-topped wash- 
 stand, a little table, on which I am writing ; large look- 
 ing glass, a sewing machine, a few lithographs in square, 
 gilt frames; wash bowl and pitcher, some earthern 
 candlesticks and a thermometer, constitute my furni- 
 ture. The Adjutant has a similar room, with rather 
 more furniture, which we use as an oflflce. There is only 
 a hall between us. Our kitchen and dining room, where 
 old Minty and her little girl, six years old, live, is a few 
 rods back of the house, and Jerry, Johnny, clerk and 
 orderlies, live in their tents in the back yard. 
 
 "I think you could stand it if you were here, espec- 
 ially after wintering in a tent. I have sent by Captain 
 Noyes to Nashville to try and get a permit for you and 
 Minerva to come. He is acquainted with Colonel Saw- 
 yer, General Sherman's Adjutant-General, who has 
 power to gTant these permits, and thinks he can get it. 
 
166 REMINISCENCES 
 
 He left here for Nashville this morning. No ladies are 
 coining south of Nashville, so far as I know. If you were 
 to apply to him for leave to come he would say to you 
 that if the Government would be as much benefited by 
 your coming as it would be were 175 pounds of corn 
 shipped in your place, he would let you come. Mrs. 
 Moulton wishes to come, aud I think to accomplish it 
 she will take an appointment as matron in the hospital 
 at Decatur. Of course, it is entirely inadmissible for you 
 to get here in any such manner." 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Mon., Sept. 26, 1864.— Forrest, 
 with a large force, is raiding in this region, and I have 
 been up nearly all night for two nights, moving troops, 
 telegTaphing, etc. He captured Athens, 25 miles west 
 of here on the railroad, Saturday, and yesterday cap- 
 tured and burned a long trestle work a few miles north 
 of Athens. Reinforcements came down yesterday from 
 Chattanooga to go to General Granger at Decatur, but I 
 received orders from General Sherman's headquarters to 
 turn them about and send them to Nashville, which 1 
 did. I infer from this that Forrest is moving north. We 
 hear all sorts of reports about what his intentions are, 
 but can not form any definite idea about it. 
 
 "We have a good fort here, considerable artillery 
 and some troops, and will try to give a good account of 
 ourselves if attacked. A train was captured at Athens 
 which had on it a mail. The road to Nashville via Stev- 
 enson is still open, but will probably be broken, and we 
 shall have another blockade. I send this to Stevenson 
 and hope it will get through. 
 
 "I took all the troops that I could possibly spare 
 from the railroad and sent them to General Granger 
 yesterday. Colonel Chapman took about 300 of the 13th. 
 I do not hear a word from my horses. Two companies of 
 the 18th Michigan were captured at Athens. 
 
 "Now, do not worry about me. I, as well as you. 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 167 
 
 am in the hands of a kind Father, who does all things for 
 the best, and we can trust Him without a fear or doubt. 
 I do not disguise from you that we are environed with 
 perils, but I will try to do my duty and leave the event. 
 
 "I hear that recruiting is lively all over the North. 
 This is good news for us, for the men are needed." 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Thurs., Sept. 29, 1864.— I suppose 
 you learn from the newspapers that Forrest is playing 
 smash in here. He first struck the railroad at Athens. 
 His coming was a complete surprise. He captured the 
 garrison there (a colored regiment) without much of a 
 fight. Just as the surrender took place, reinforcements 
 from Decatur reached there, the most of whom were 
 captured. The 18th Michigan loses 300 and the 102d 
 Ohio, 150 men. He then went north to a heavy trestle 
 work a few miles from Athens and captured two regi- 
 ments, burning the trestle. Then he moved on to Elk 
 river bridge and captured and destroyed it ; after which 
 he pressed forward to Pulaski, where he encountered 
 General Rousseau with reinforcements. They have been 
 fighting, but we do not know the result. 
 
 "This morning I received dispatches from Decatur 
 that Forrest moved on Tuesday night towards the Nash- 
 ville and Chattanooga R. R., in the direction of Fayette- 
 ville. His force is 6,000 to 8,000 strong, with plenty of 
 artillery. I keep scouting parties in the direction of 
 Fayetteville constantly. I do not think he will come 
 this way, although when he was at Athens I felt a little 
 squally. 
 
 "Heavy reinforcements have come up from the front 
 and have gone toward Nashville, and more are expected. 
 So I think we are out of the woods. Colonel Chapman, 
 with a part of the regiment, is still at Decatur. 
 
 "Just at this point I received the following telegram 
 from General Granger at Decatur : ^Strengthen Hunts- 
 ville all you can. Use every available cotton bale for 
 
168 REMINISCENCES 
 
 traverses in fort to defend against enfilading- fire. Thor- 
 oughly barricade the streets. Defend all approaches to 
 the fort as comxiletely as possible.' 
 
 "I had been doing all this for several days, but, to 
 be certain that everything is right, I started out and 
 made a thorough examination of the works. I do not 
 know whether the General thinks that Forrest is coming 
 this way or not. I keep out scouting parties fifteen or 
 twenty miles towards Pulaski and Fayetteville con- 
 stantly, but as yet can hear nothing of his moving this 
 way. If he comes, I have a good fort, some artillery and 
 a gallant little garrison, and hope to be able to make a 
 good fight. I think, however, that the order is merely 
 precautionary, as this is the first time that he has said 
 anything about the defenses. If he had information that 
 we were in danger of attack he would have said so. His 
 family are here and have had no communication from 
 him on the subject. Then we can be reinforced in a few 
 hours, if attacked, both from Decatur and Stevenson. 
 The General is feeling very badly. He was surprised. 
 The railroad under his charge is seriously injured and 
 he has lost 3,000 to 4,000 of his command. These are 
 hard blows for any officer to stand up under. 
 
 "No doubt you will know the result of operations 
 here before you receive this. I am confident that a vig- 
 orous effort is being made by General Sherman to head 
 off and destroy the force engaged in this raid, and I shall 
 expect in a day or two to see large reinforcements mov- 
 ing this way. How fortunate that it did not happen be- 
 fore the capture of Atlanta, when no troops could have 
 been spared ! 
 
 "I have been much broken of my rest for four or five 
 nights, and am very busy all the time, I am a good dea' 
 worn and fatigued with labor, anxiety and loss of sleep, 
 but am well. If any one is ambitious for an important 
 military command in times of peril, or thinks it is a soft 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 169 
 
 thing to be an officer, I am perfectly willing that he 
 should have a chance to try it on. Oh, it will be para- 
 dise, indeed, if I am permitted to sit down at home once 
 more with wife and children, family and friends, and 
 know that the war is over, the flag triumphant, and my 
 duty as a soldier done. AVill not that be a happy day for 
 us all?" 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Oct. 2, 1864. — I keep on writing 
 to you, although I do not suppose that one of my letters 
 has reached Nashville for over a week. Of course, I re- 
 ceive none from you. The railroad over which our mails 
 pass is not used, and the other road is used exclusively to 
 transport troops. 
 
 "When Forrest left the railroad, near Pulaski, he 
 went east towards the Nashville & Chattanooga R. R., 
 but, as far as I can learn, has not injured it. On Thurs- 
 day I sent a scouting party nearly to Fayetteville, 28 
 miles north of this place, who learned that his army 
 passed through there the night before, going east. The 
 next clay I sent another scout in a northeast direction 
 and about 12 miles out. They ran into a large force of 
 the enemy and had a little fight. On their return Gen- 
 eral Granger, who in the meantime had arrived here 
 from Decatur, sent out another scout on the same road, 
 and soon after we heard them skirmishing some two 
 miles out of town. This was just at night. The scout 
 came in and reported 150 rebels there. They lost one 
 man, killed. We made every preparation for defense. 
 In the evening a flag of truce came in with a communica- 
 tion from the rebel General Buford, saying that he com- 
 manded the advance of Forrest's army, and demanding a 
 surrender of the town, fort, troops, etc., at this post. The 
 substance of General Granger's answer was, 'Go to h — 1.' 
 
 "Some further correspondence occurred during the 
 night, the dispatches purporting to be signed by Forrest 
 himself. He offered to let the citizens have two hours 
 
170 REMINISCENCES 
 
 after daylight to get out of the town. We allowed all to 
 leave who chose to go, and most of them went. There 
 was a terrible panic amongst them. They are nearly all 
 rebels, and General Granger, Colonel Johnson and my- 
 self had all told them repeatedly that if we were at- 
 tacked we would play smash with their old town. It was 
 interesting to see them, on foot, on horses and mules and 
 in all sorts of vehicles, run from their doomed town, as 
 they supposed. They went in all directions, but mainly 
 to the mountains near by. 
 
 "Well, about'eight o'clock on Saturday morning sev- 
 eral parties of the enemy appeared in sight and moved up 
 to within one or two miles of the town. Whenever we 
 could get a fair view of them we let the shells fly at them. 
 They kept pretty well under the cover of the woods, and 
 after an hour or so, there being no apparent increase of 
 their force, we sent out scouts, who at noon reported that 
 the enemy had left and were moving west, saying that 
 they could take Huntsville, but that it would cost them 
 more men than they could afford to lose. So the citizens 
 returned and everything quieted down again. I was up 
 all Friday night, and stayed at the fort last night, but 
 slept most of the time. Tonight I am at headquarters 
 and hope to have a good, quiet, ten-hours' sleep. 
 
 "The 13th had its usual luck, or would have had it 
 had there been a fight. About twenty minutes before we 
 learned that the rebels were in our neighborhood, Gen- 
 eral Granger started all of them who were here, some 
 200, on the cars toward Stevenson to remove the wreck 
 of a train that was fired into and ran off the track at 
 Bellfonte the same morning. So they would not have 
 been here at all, except Company E, which we brought up 
 from Whitesburg during Friday night. The regiment 
 returned last evening and this afternoon was sent to its 
 old stations on the railroad. 
 
 "Last evening several thousand troops arrived here 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 171 
 
 to reinforce us. They are commanded by General Mor- 
 gan, with whom I formed a very pleasant acquaintance 
 at Stevenson a year ago. This force went down towardb 
 Decatur this evening on a reconnoisance. While it is in 
 our vicinity we are in no danger of attack. 
 
 , "We have no knowledge of the size of the force that 
 made this demonstration on us. General Granger thinks 
 it was Forrest's whole force. I do not. I think it was 
 large enough, however, to satisfy them that it could take 
 Huntsville. I was much relieved to have the General 
 here to take the responsibility of the command. I was 
 also much relieved to know that you were in Wisconsin, 
 safe and snug. 
 
 "Jerry packed up my traps and carried them to the 
 fort, and then took a musket and went into a colored 
 company we have here and was ready to fight. The of- 
 ficers and men of the 13th are nearly all sick. I have re- 
 ported the regiment as unfit for field duty, and mean that 
 it shall lie still for a few weeks to recuperate." 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Oct. 4, 1864. — I am well but com- 
 pletely tired out. The raid seems to have passed us. We 
 find that we were menaced by 4,000 men with artillery, 
 and when they came they no doubt intended to attack, 
 but gave it up. So we have lost another fight." 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Thurs., Oct. 6, 1864.— We have 
 had lively times, but everything has settled down now 
 into the quiet of utter stagnation, and last night I was 
 allowed to sleep all night without interruption. The 
 night before, just at bedtime, I received information that 
 there were a thousand rebels nine miles from Larkins- 
 ville. So I had to put out in the rain and send out rein- 
 forcements and telegraph orders, and it was nearly mid- 
 night before I got to bed. It turned out to be a small 
 guerilla party. The last we heard of Forrest, he was in 
 the vicinity of Columbia. There are so many troops in 
 
172 REMINISCENCES 
 
 this vicinity that we had no fear of his coming this way 
 again." 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Oct. 9, 1864. — All is quiet now, 
 Forrest having recrossed the river without being much 
 damaged. There will be a large force kept in this dis- 
 trict, no doubt, which will lead to changes, and it is hard 
 to guess how it will affect us. We may remain right 
 where we are, we may be sent back to the river, and we 
 may go to Atlanta. One is just about as likely as the 
 other. We shall know soon. 
 
 "I have found one of my horses^ — the best one — in a 
 contraband camp two miles from town. As father used 
 to say, 'Give a man luck, and a little wit will do.' 
 
 "Most of the officers who are entitled to a discharge 
 will take one when the original term of service of the 
 13th expires. The officers who went home with the regi- 
 ment last winter are not held by reason of having done 
 so, the War Department having overruled General 
 Thomas in that respect. If the Major goes out. Captain 
 Kummel will be Lieut.-Colonel. We shall not be en- 
 titled to a Major, the regiment being below the minimum 
 (806 enlisted men). In that case. Fish may stay as Cap- 
 tain of Company C. If not, Bardwell will be Captain, 
 and I think that Moulton will be a Lieutenant. 
 
 "I go up the road tomorrow on an inspecting tour 
 as far as Stevenson. I take a special train and expect 
 to be gone two days. Officers and men of the 13th nearly 
 all sick, but I hope the cool weather will straighten 
 them up." 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Thurs., Oct. 13, 1864.— I went to 
 Stevenson and back on Monday on an inspecting tour. 
 The regiment is still very sickly. 
 
 "Things are very unsettled here, and we are liable 
 to be struck by heavy forces of the rebels almost any 
 day." 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Oct. 16, 1864.— Everything is 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 173 
 
 mixed and in confusion with us. The reason is that the 
 rebels are making desperate efforts to break up our com- 
 munications, and troops are being constantly moved to 
 threatened points. Today I am sending off parts of two 
 cavalry regiments in my command to Nashville to be 
 mounted. Colonel Johnson, the commander of this post, 
 goes with them ; and tomorrow morning, in addition to 
 my other duties, I assume command of the post. This 
 will give me about all the work that I can do, but I hope 
 that it will not last long. 
 
 "General Granger came up from Decatur and called 
 on us last night. He is very salubrious. His family are 
 here and are quite popular. General Granger's treat- 
 ment of the regiment and of myself is very kind and 
 considerate, as much so as I could ask and more so than 
 I could expect. 
 
 "The campaign now opening will be fought out be- 
 tween Louisville and Atlanta, and we are as much ex- 
 posed as any other part of the line north of the Ten- 
 nessee river, or more so. The tide of battle as it surges 
 from point to point along the line may strike us any 
 time, and it is hardly possible that we should escape it 
 entirely, and I do not know that I care to escape it. 
 
 "I am weighed down with care and responsibility, 
 and that responsibility is terrific, for it has to do with 
 human life. Then I am torn away and kept year after 
 year from home and family, and they seem dearer to me 
 every day; and further, I lead a life of constant peril 
 and uncertainty. All these things, added to the fact 
 that the best years of my life are passing away and we 
 are getting poorer every year financially, do sometimes 
 press on my feelings pretty snug. When I last wrote I 
 was not very well. I am better now, but everybody else 
 is sick. I have a fine command; my reputation as an 
 officer and gentleman is first-rate, and my military 
 standing, position and character are all I could desire." 
 
174 REMINISCENCES 
 
 "Himtsville, Ala., Oct. 19, 1864.— I took command 
 of this post on Monday morning and I do not have any 
 more leisure. I write this while I am waiting for din- 
 ner. Hood has, or has had, a large force up towards 
 Chattanooga. We hear that he is backing out, but know 
 nothing about it. There are plenty of troops up that 
 way to take care of him. We know nothing of Forrest's 
 movements since he crossed the river. I do not think he 
 will try another raid till we get the railroad which he 
 destroyed repaired. If he comes here we usually have 
 troops enough to make a pretty good fight." 
 
 "Huntsville Landing, Ala., Sunday, Oct. 23, 1864.— 
 I go on a tour of inspection up the railroad tomorrow 
 and expect to be gone two days. Lieut. -Colonel Horner, 
 18th Michigan Provost Marshal here, will command in 
 my absence. We expect some more troops here soon, 
 and if we remain here I shall probably retain my rail- 
 road defense command and move headquarters to Lar- 
 kinsville. That arrangement will suit me very well. I 
 hope matters will settle down before a great while so 
 that I can form some idea where I shall be the coming 
 winter. 
 
 "Lieutenant Bowerman's resignation has been ac- 
 cepted and I hear that he has gone home. A new order 
 from the War Department holds in the service all those 
 officers who had a veteran furlough with their regiments. 
 It affects several of our officers who were intending to 
 leave. 
 
 "Fifty or sixty recruits came to the regiment the 
 other day, and we sent up to find a clerk amongst them. 
 They sent us one, and it was George Larson, I was 
 taken completely by surprise. 
 
 "Colonel Chapman has gone to Nashville to see 
 about mustering out the non-veterans. The health of the 
 regiment is improving." 
 
 "Oct. 27, 1864. — Hood's army passed us within fif- 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 175 
 
 teen miles of Whitesburg, and yesterday they attacked 
 Decatur. They fought all the afternoon, and our troops 
 drove them off. I have no particulars, although I get 
 dispatches from there every hour. We heard the artil- 
 lery plainly here. There are 150 of the 13th there, com- 
 manded by Captain Blake. I think our losses are light, 
 as our forces had fortifications to shelter them. I do 
 not think they are fighting much today. The probability 
 is that the rebel army has moved down the river on the 
 south side towards Tuscumbia. 
 
 "We just got information from a scout that our 
 army is in hot pursuit and can not be far behind. It 
 was said to have been at Gadsden on the Coosa river last 
 Monday night. I have a number of first-class scouts and 
 spies that I have kept at work on the other side of the 
 river, mostly tracking Hood's movements. I think I 
 have furnished General Thomas with the earliest and 
 most authentic information he has had of the operations 
 of the rebel army for the past week. 
 
 "General Granger was here when the attack com- 
 menced at Decatur, but left for that place immediately.* 
 He has drawn away nearly all the force from here to De- 
 catur and Whitesburg. All of these operations keep me 
 
 * They thought Hood's army was moving on the south side of 
 the river, ten or fifteen miles away, and I had some splendid scouts 
 there. After the head of his column had passed south of Huntsville 
 and kept on Tvest, we expected tliat they would try to cross the river 
 at W^hitesburg; taut one niglit at midnight a courier came in with the 
 w^ord tliat the head of the army liad passed the Whiteburg road and 
 was poined toward Decatur, less than a day's march from where they 
 were. I got the artillery on tlie cars and had everything ready, be- 
 cause I knew that General Granger would be attacked. I called in 
 all the pickets that I could spare, leaving the necessary pickets 
 around Huntsville, but having the rest ready to march. After dinner 
 General Granger came into headquarters and said, "Colonel, I can not 
 find out anything and I have come up here to find what is going on." 
 I said, "General, you will find out before night what is going on. 
 Hood is advancing on Decatur and will get there before night." He 
 said, "I do not believe it," but as we sat there talking we heard the 
 distant boom of artillery and the General pricked up his ears and 
 said, "What is that?" I said, "It is Hood at Decatur." He said, "It is 
 impossible!" but he realized what it meant. I told him everything 
 was ready and could be started right away and asked him if he 
 wanted me to go with them. By the time he got to the depot every- 
 thing was ready, and he got to Decatur in an hour. They drove 
 Hood off and he went on down the river, destroying a pontoon bridge 
 — W. P. L. 
 
176 KEMINISCENCES 
 
 up nights and make me lots of work. Adjutant Scott is 
 invaluable to me in this crowd of business, and I have 
 another good Adjutant at post headquarters, so you see 
 I have good help. 
 
 "I have had no apprehension of an immediate at- 
 tack here, yet I am very thankful that you are snug in 
 Racine instead of being here. Hood has to be settled 
 before we shall have much quiet." 
 
 "Nov. 3, 1864. — To give you an idea of the way busi- 
 ness runs with me, I will give you my experiences after 
 tea Sunday evening. I sat down in my room thinking 
 that everything was quiet and promising myself a com- 
 fortable night's sleep, when a messenger galloped up 
 with a dispatch saying that the rebels had opened with a 
 battery on our troops at Whitesburg, which you know is 
 in my command. I immediately went down to post 
 headquarters, sent couriers to Whitesburg with orders, 
 and Avas making other dispositions to prevent the enemj' 
 from crossing the Tennessee river there, when a man 
 rushed into the office pale and almost breathless, an- 
 nouncing that the rebels were near the city on the New 
 Market road in heavy force, and that they were burning 
 every combustible thing as they advanced. Looking in 
 that direction, sure enough the flames of several burning 
 buildings corroborated the story. 
 
 "I immediately strengthened my picket lines and 
 sent out scouts to ascertain what was there, gave direc- 
 tions for the disposition of public property, assigned 
 their positions to what few troops I had, went to the 
 fort and made the necessary arrangements there, and 
 returned to headquarters to await further developments. 
 
 "In due time the scouts returned with the informa- 
 tion that the force was only a raiding party of guerillas 
 and citizens, who had burned some houses occupied by 
 colored people connected with the contraband camp 
 here^ — and the excitement was over. But all of this took 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 177 
 
 from one until two o'clock in the morning. In the mean- 
 time I received information that two gunboats had ar- 
 rived at Whitesburg, so I went to bed feeling easy. 
 There were no further demonstrations there. 
 
 "The next evening (Monday) I felt sure that all 
 was quiet ; when just as I was leaving the office to go to 
 bed, a dispatch from the commanding officer at Larkins- 
 ville came, saying that he was attacked. It turned out 
 to be nothing serious, but to find out that, and to make 
 preparations to meet it should it prove serious, took half 
 the night. 
 
 "Tuesday night we were moving some troops and 
 had to wait for trains, so the Adjutant remained up all 
 night and I got a good, undisturbed night's rest. Last 
 night for the first time since the rebel army approached 
 us we both slept all night. Yet, for all this, I keep per- 
 fectly well. How long our quiet will last I can not even 
 guess. Hood moved down the river from Decatur, but I 
 have no idea where he is. We have had reports that he 
 crossed the Tennessee river to the north side of Flor- 
 ence, but these reports are not reliable. 
 
 "Large numbers of troops have gone forward to 
 Decatur and Athens within the last three days, and I 
 feel quite confident that the tide of war has rolled by us 
 once more without striking us. The General has given me 
 more troops here on the river and on the railroad, and I 
 am feeling quite stout. The non-veterans will leave in 
 about a week for Nashville to be mustered out." 
 
 "Nov. 6, 1864. — Since Hood has left our vicinity T 
 do not have as much work on hand. We are having quiet 
 times, just enough bushwhacking around us to make us 
 remember that war is our business. 
 
 "The health of our men is improving rapidly. Yes- 
 terday morning we had a heavy frost, the first of the 
 season. The weather is mild. There are about 160 non- 
 veterans. They go north this week. 
 
178 REMINISCENCES 
 
 "We do not know where Hood has gone, but there is 
 a large force concentrated at Pulaski, ready tO' strike 
 him if he demonstrates this side of the river. 
 
 "Many of the best citizens pro%ss to be anxious to 
 have me remain here in command at Huntsville. My 
 opinion now is that I shall spend the winter in this 
 vicinity, perhaps at Larkinsville. It is a mud hole, but 
 a woman that has wintered at Fort Henry ought not to 
 be afraid of a little mud, 
 
 "I go up on Tuesday to vote with the regiment. Old 
 Abe will be elected, but that will not end the war. We 
 have to whip them and disperse their armies to do that. 
 Our people North are deceiving themselves if they ex- 
 pect the war to close on the strength of Lincoln's elec- 
 tion. It will have its influence, no doubt, in that it satis- 
 fies the people South that we are in earnest, but it will 
 not rout and destroy armies. The hope of the country is 
 the army and ballot box combined. Politics are good in 
 their place, but 24-pounder howitzers are better to bring 
 traitors and rebels to their allegiance." 
 
 "Nov. 9, 1864. — I went up to the regiment yesterday 
 and voted for Old Abe. I went as far as Larkinsville. 
 
 "It looks less and less like leaving Huntsville, un- 
 less we are driven out, which we do not expect at pres- 
 ent. I expect the Major down tomorrow to take com- 
 mand of the regiment. I have to work almost every 
 minute of my time. 
 
 "Dr. Evans is here. He has been appointed Medi- 
 cal Director of this district and ordered to establish a 
 general hospital here. I have taken a female seminary 
 for that purpose, and the 'females' are very sweet on me, 
 hoping to induce me to rescind the order and take some 
 other building. It can not be done, though." 
 
 "Nov. 13, 1864. — I have been to Stevenson, chang- 
 ing troops on the railroad. Was out all Tuesday night 
 and came back last night very tired, A ten-hours' sleep 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAK 179 
 
 straightened me up, however, aud today I am as good as 
 new. 
 
 "I think things are sufficiently settled now for you 
 to come here, and I have just forwarded an application 
 tO' General Thomas for leave. If granted, I can get it to 
 you soon after the first of December, and if we have any 
 trouble at all this winter it will likely come before that 
 time; but I fear that we shall fail to obtain the permis- 
 sion. An application of the same kind made by the pilot 
 of a gunboat to General Sherman has come back re- 
 fused, with a statement that the General has prohibited 
 women from coming south of Nashville. Yet the Chap- 
 lain got permission for his wife to come and she arrived 
 at the regiment yesterday. This permission came from 
 General Thomas. I think I shall move into another 
 house where there are furnished rooms and where we 
 can have better kitchen accommodations. 
 
 "I will tell you now what I have kept still about. I 
 expected that Hood would cross the river and move in 
 this direction, and I had orders from General Thomas 
 what to do in case his army came here. I was ordered to 
 fall back towards Stevenson, resist him at the streams, 
 obstruct roads and retard his movements as much as pos- 
 sible. I think that danger is pretty much passed, at 
 least it will be by the time you get here. With such 
 orders in my pocket, and while there was any prospect 
 of an occasion arising for executing them, I knew that 
 it would be folly to ask General Thomas to let you come. 
 
 "I have taken the female college, a treasonable 
 Methodist concern here, for a general hospital ; and 
 have had several interesting sessions with the lady 
 proprietors about it. Dr. Evans will move here in a few 
 days to take charge of it. 
 
 "I have had some nice presents lately. My chief 
 scout gave me a gold watch, which he took from the dead 
 body of a rebel Colonel killed by him in some fight be- 
 
180 REMINISCENCES 
 
 fore Atlanta, An artist here, Mr. Fry, gave me a beau- 
 tiful picture of General McPherson, worth |30, and the 
 chief clerk of our post Q. M. gave me a gold pen," 
 
 "Nov, 21, 1864. — We are about moving into another 
 house, where we can have more room and much better 
 kitchen accommodations, besides having the whole house 
 for headquarters. We have contemplated this for some 
 time, but have only just definitely decided to make the 
 change, Mrs. Eice, my landlady, is very sick. Last 
 evening she sent for me. I found her scarcely able to 
 talk. She said she thought she might not recover and 
 she wanted to thank me for all our kindness to her since 
 we have been here. I was with her for half an hour, I 
 hear she is a little better today. We have endeavored to 
 annoy her as little as possible and have improved every 
 opportunity to do her a kindness, in view of her louely 
 and forlorn condition. For this she seems to be very 
 grateful." 
 
 "Nov. 25, 1864. — I sit down this morning to write 
 you the last letter I expect to write from Huntsville for 
 some time. We are evacuating this line. Decatur is al- 
 ready abandoned, and when the troops from that place 
 arrive here we shall take up our line of march for Ste- 
 venson. We expect to leave about Sunday, I have been 
 very hard at work ever since we got the order on Wed- 
 nesday, 
 
 "This course is rendered necessary by Hood's move- 
 ment north, concerning which you are no doubt better 
 posted than we are here. There is no enemy near us, 
 and none is expected; and the evacuation is purely on 
 the ground of military policy. 
 
 "We march to Stevenson, and as we shall have no 
 mail facilities until we get there you will not hear from 
 me again as soon as usual. I send some money, |400, by 
 Colonel Towne, a reliable man. Eighty dollars of this 
 money belongs to . I got it from him because he 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 181 
 
 is rather worthless and has a family of motherless chil- 
 dren at Allen's Grove which he has neglected. The en- 
 closed letters from the oldest girl explain their situation. 
 This girl is onlj^ fourteen years old. The family must 
 have the full benefit of this money, even though you have 
 to go out there yourself to look after them. At any rate, 
 send the girl some money. In this way you will help 
 soften the sorrows caused by the war, and you thus help 
 the cause for which we are fighting, a cause that grows 
 dearer to me and more sacred every day. 
 
 "The citizens here, loyal and disloyal, express much 
 regret that we are to leave. Many of the loyal people, 
 including hundreds of colored folks, are leaving or will 
 leave with us. This evacuating is a terrible job. Fort 
 Henry is not to be compared with it, and that you know 
 was quite a task. 
 
 "Business has been lively here today. There are sev- 
 eral stores here, and this morning I removed all restric- 
 tions from sales and dealers are selling at cost. I bought 
 a pair of boots for ten dollars which would have cost |18 
 or f 20 yesterday ; and everything else is going in propor- 
 tion. The reason for this reduction is that it is doubtful 
 whether they can get cars to take their goods away, and 
 they would be cleaned out in two hours after we leave. 
 A great many men are compelled to go and leave desti- 
 tute families behind them. There will be none left who 
 are liable to conscription, and but few who ever professed 
 loyalty. I have seen a great deal of anguish and almost 
 despair in the last two days, I assure you, and can do 
 but little to alleviate it. I have often thought of you and 
 our dear babes, and thanked God devoutly that you have 
 not been called to these bitter experiences. I issue 
 rations freely to these people, without authority and re- 
 gardless of personal consequences ; but they are liable to 
 be robbed of them as soon as we are gone. 
 
 "There will be stirring times in Tennessee for a few 
 
182 REMINISCENCES 
 
 weeks and our communications may be cut off, so if you 
 do not get letters you will know the reason. Our brigade 
 is ordered to garrison Stevenson, and whether the tide 
 of battle is to surge that way time will determine. Di- 
 rect your letters hereafter to Stevenson. We are all 
 well. Minty is cooking for our march. Jerry says to tell 
 Minerva that he is 'just tollable.' We will postpone for 
 the present talking of your coming South this winter." 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAK 
 
 183 
 
 ,tevenson, Ala., Dec. 4. 1864. — Here we 
 are, safe and sound. We evacuated 
 Hmitsville last Sunday morning, went 
 to Brownsboro that night, to Paint- 
 rock bridge Monday, to Larkinsville 
 Tuesday, to Bellefonte Wednesday, to 
 this vicinity on Thursday, and came 
 in on Friday. We had pleasant weath- 
 er for our trip, but we had an im- 
 mense wagon train, the roads w^ere very bad a part of the 
 way, and I found myself overworked. W^e were not pur- 
 sued by any considerable force, but were bush-whacked 
 considerably. 
 
 "An immense crowd of refugees and contrabands 
 followed us, not less, I think, than three thousand ; and 
 there is much suffering amongst them, as they are all 
 very destitute indeed. General Granger, who marched 
 with us, did everything in his power to alleviate their 
 sufferings, which act raised him in my estimation very 
 much. This refugee crowd was bushwhacked the third 
 day out and a terrible panic resulted. It is reported that 
 a great many young children and infants were aban- 
 doned by their mothers. This occurred amongst the 
 contrabands. 
 
 "Colonel Given is sick, Colonel Doolittle is North, 
 and I am commanding the brigade until one or the other 
 returns to duty ; then I go back to the regiment. There 
 is now no communication with Nashville, and we have 
 but little idea what is going on up there. 
 
 "It will not do for you to come here now at all. The 
 whole situation is too precarious and uncertain. Be- 
 sides, we can get no accommodations. I have a little 
 office for brigade headquarters, in which four of us sleep, 
 and we mess along any way we can. I shall live in my 
 tent when I return to the regiment. Our regiment can 
 
184 REMINISCENCES 
 
 be very comfortable here, but a whole brigade can have 
 but little accommodation." 
 
 "Stevenson, Dec. 8, 1864. — I write to you at the 
 usual time, although I am as completely isolated from 
 you as I would be were I in the Fiji Islands. Communi- 
 cation with Nashville is entirely cut off and we have no 
 idea what is going on up there. You, I suppose, know all 
 about it. The last we heard from there was that Hood 
 was near Nashville. I expect to hear next that he has 
 crossed the Cumberland and gone to Kentucky. 
 
 "I am still in command of the brigade, but as soon 
 as the road is open Colonel Doolittle will return and take 
 command, when I shall go to the regiment once more I 
 hope. We are hard at work building fortifications and 
 getting ready for any rebel force that may stray off in 
 this direction." 
 
 "Stevenson, Ala., Dec. 11, 1864. — We are progi'ess- 
 ing well with our fortifications. The weather is unusu- 
 ally cold and there is considerable suffering amongst the 
 refugees, and even the soldiers are none too comfortable. 
 Whether we are to have any trouble here with the enemy 
 is uncertain, but I am not looking for an attack. Yet it 
 may come, and we are rapidly getting in that frame of 
 mind that we do not care much if it comes or not. It 
 costs a man weary days and weeks of anxiety, toil, and 
 almost suffering, to do his duty to his country in these 
 times. I have nothing of interest to write about and if 
 I had this letter will probably be a month old before you 
 get it." 
 
 "Dec. 15, 1864. — It seems like folly to keep writing 
 letters to you when they accumulate on my hands, yet 
 they may be of some interest to you when you get them. 
 When that will be I can not even guess. The blockade 
 still continues, and except a very few vague and unre- 
 liable rumors we know nothing of what is transpiring 
 north of us. 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 185 
 
 "Our life here is almost perfect stagnation now — 
 nothing of interest going on. I have moved the regiment 
 to better ground and nearer my headquarters, and I 
 spend part of eaeh day there. Then I ride around and 
 look at the 'fortifications, and visit the regiments of the 
 brigade when the weather is pleasant, and thus manage 
 to get through the day. Our fortifications are nearly 
 complete, and Stevenson is very strong now. I appre- 
 hend no attack, however. This uncertainty is wearing." 
 
 "Dec. 18, 1864. — Some time or other you will get a 
 batch of letters from me which I have written during our 
 blockade. In them you will find a history of our move- 
 ments for a month. 
 
 "Well, tonight we got orders from General Thomas 
 to go back and reoccupy the railroad to Decatur ; and to- 
 morrow we expect to leave here for Iluntsville. We do 
 not anticipate any resistance, and shall probably get 
 there on Tuesday, as we go by railroad. 
 
 "The rebels occupy Decatur in some force and we 
 may have to go down and clean them out before we settle 
 down anywhere. We get with the orders to move the 
 news of the glorious victory over Hood, telegraphed to 
 General Granger by General Whipple (Mrs. Sandford's 
 brother), who is General Thomas' chief of staff. Hood 
 is badly damaged and will probably be ruined before he 
 can get his army off — but you already know all about 
 this. You probably will not hear from me again for a 
 week, as communications will be rather unsettled for 
 awhile longer." 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Dec. 25, 1864.— I write now with 
 some little expectation that you will receive the letter 
 within a reasonable time, for I hear that they have at 
 last got a mail through to Stevenson for us, which should 
 reach us tomorrow. 
 
 "Monday morning General Granger ordered me to 
 take the 13th, the cavalry and a battery and go to Hunts- 
 
186 REMINISCENCES 
 
 ville and assume my old command. I commenced the 
 movement Monday afternoon, the infantry and artillery 
 moving by rail. We knew nothing about the situation of 
 things here, so we advanced cautiously, the cavalry re- 
 connoitering ahead of the train. We reoccupied the 
 place on the 21st, the few Confederates here fleeing at our 
 approach. It has not been strongly occupied during our 
 absence, and we find things much as we left them. The 
 people profess to be glad to see us back here, although I 
 think the most of them lie about that. 
 
 "We have taken a comfortable sort of a house for 
 headquarters, partl^^ furnished; and when you hear that 
 Hood's army, including Forrest, is across the Tennessee 
 river and everything gives promise of a season of quiet 
 on this side, if the winter is not too far advanced you 
 may expect marching orders for this place, but not until 
 the tide of war has rolled farther off. 
 
 "The next day after we got here my cavalry had a 
 severe fight just a few miles out of town with a part of 
 Roddey's command, and we were victorious. The rebel 
 loss was at least 100 in killed, wounded and prisoners. 
 Our loss is quite light. We have now some 80 prisoners 
 of war captured since we arrived in this vicinity, sev- 
 eral of whom are from here. We smashed a new com- 
 pany raised here during our absence. 
 
 "General Granger moved down the river with the 
 balance of his command to Decatur, but found the place 
 so strongly occupied that he did not deem it prudent to 
 attack. He returned with his fleet to Whitesburg, came 
 up here and waited for General Steadman, who passed 
 here on Saturday with a large force in that direction. 
 General Granger left me in addition to the 13th, the T3d 
 Indiana, and took the rest of his force down the river 
 again to co-operate with Steadman in taking Decatur. 
 Our force is so large there that the rebels will probably 
 evacuate without a fight. We know nothing of Hood's 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 187 
 
 army except that it was badly defeated before Nashville 
 and is retreating towards the Tennessee river. He will 
 get across badly damaged ; retreat as long as he is pur- 
 sued; and then halt, reorganize, and in sixty or ninety 
 days will have a force that will require another hard 
 campaign to disperse." 
 
 "Dec. 29, 1864. — We have finally got a mail through 
 up tO' the 15th. Huntsville is rapidly resuming its old 
 appearance, and the citizens generally profess to be 
 pleased with our return. The rebels did but little mis- 
 chief during our absence. 
 
 "We know but little of army movements except 
 those that pass under our immediate notice. I suppose 
 Sherman is in Savannah, and I think the rebels are right 
 when they say that the loss of that city is of but little 
 consequence to them; but the destruction of their rail- 
 roads on his march, and the capture of their cannon and 
 locomotives by Sherman, is a serious disaster, almost ir- 
 reparable. 
 
 "Hood will lose half of his army, and the balance is 
 powerless for mischief for many months. This is the 
 worst blow the Confederacy has had, but it all avails but 
 little towards closing the war so long as Lee sits defi- 
 antl}^ in the gates of Eichmond. When that army is 
 routed and destroyed, and not till then, can we begin to 
 look for the war to close. 
 
 "I am glad to see a call for 300,000 more men. They 
 will be needed, for the term of enlistment of half the 
 army expires next summer and fall." 
 
 1865. 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Jan. 2, 1865. — Company G, Lieut. 
 Wagener commanding, was surprised and captured at 
 Paintrock bridge on Saturday morning at about four 
 o'clock, and the bridge was burned. Some of the men 
 
188 REMINISCENCES 
 
 escaped. I think there are thirty to thirty-five missing. 
 One man was wounded. The bridge will be rebuilt in a 
 few days. The routine of duty here keeps both the Ad- 
 jutant and myself quite busy all the time. 
 
 "The rebels are across the river, and the campaign 
 virtually over. There will now be a reorganization of 
 the army, and where it will place us is more than I can 
 tell. I presume when the next campaign opens we shall 
 be in the field. I think we ought to be." 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Fri., Jan. 6, 1865.— On Wednes- 
 day I went up the river to where Paintrock bridge was 
 burned by the rebels on the Saturday before, which used 
 up the day. On my return I found the Fourth Army 
 Corps, commanded by General Wood, coming here for 
 the purpose of refitting for the next campaign. It is 
 about 12,000 to 15,000 strong, and is encamped outside 
 the city. Helping to get them settled, assigning quarters 
 to officers, etc., is Avhat has kept me so busy. General 
 Stanley is the permanent commander of this corps, but 
 he was wounded at Franklin and is absent. I find Gen- 
 eral Wood a very pleasant gentleman. The presence of 
 the corps here does not affect my command at all. 
 
 "Company G loses 37 men captured at Paintrock 
 bridge. The bridge will be repaired tomorrow. 
 
 "I think the army will soon be reorganized, and I 
 feel as though they ought to let us go into the field in the 
 next campaign. I am satisfied that the 13th would be 
 better off today had it gone with Sherman last spring 
 than it is now." 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., 11 o'clock p. m., Jan. 11, 1865. — I 
 WTite at this late hour because I have had no time to do 
 so before. I am constantly occupied, early and late, and 
 it is with difficulty that I get time to write at all. In ad- 
 dition to my other duties, the command of our brigade is 
 thrown upon me again. Colonel Doolittle is commanding 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 189 
 
 a brigade in the 23d Army Corps. This is Colonel Doo- 
 little of the 18th Michigan. 
 
 "Everything moves along nicely with me. Our town 
 is full of Generals. Wood, Kemble, Beatty, Elliott, 
 Granger, and others are here. My relations with them 
 are very pleasant indeed. Granger and Elliott called 
 upon me tonight. I knew the latter as Colonel of the 2d 
 Iowa Cavalry, and went up the Tennessee river with him 
 in April, 1862, to Pittsburg Landing. 
 
 "I am about making an entire change of force on 
 the railroad, and shall probably go to Stevenson in a day 
 or two to superintend the necessary movements. I have 
 received a reinforcemnt of two regiments, the 84th Il- 
 linois and the 18th Michigan, to enable me to increase 
 the strength of garrisons here and on the railroad. When 
 Colonel Doolittle returns I shall be relieved of the com- 
 mand of the brigade, and I hope of the post, so that I can 
 devote my whole time to the railroad and river defenses." 
 
 THE FIGHT WITH LYON AT SCOTTSBORO^ — BRAVERY OF THE 
 COLORED TROOPS. 
 
 {Letter from Colonel Lyon to the NasJiville Union.) 
 
 Huntsville, Ala., Jan. 14, 1865. 
 "A fight took place at Scottsboro, twenty miles west 
 of Stevenson, on the evening of the 8th inst., between the 
 forces of the rebel General Lyon and the garrison at that 
 place, consisting of detachments from Company E, 101st 
 U. S. C. T., and from Company E, 110th U. S. C. T., the 
 former commanded by Lieutenant John H. Hull, and the 
 latter by Lieutenant David Smart, the whole under com- 
 mand of Lieutenant Hull. This affair deserves more 
 publicity than it will get through the ordinary medium 
 
190 EEMINISCENCES 
 
 of an official report, as it helps settle the oft repeated 
 question, 'Will the negro fight?' 
 
 "Lieutenant Hull's command numbered fifty-three 
 muskets in all, but eleven of his men were on outpost 
 duty at the water tanks over one mile west of the depot, 
 in which the balance of the command, forty-two strong, 
 was stationed. Here the little garrison was attacked by 
 the whole force of the rebel General, reinforced by sev- 
 eral guerrilla companies that infest that region, and 
 numbering from 800 to 1,000 men, with two twelve- 
 pounder howitzers. 
 
 "After skirmishing with the enemy and holding him 
 in check for some time, the garrison was driven into the 
 depot, upon which three determined charges were made, 
 each one of which was repulsed with severe loss to the 
 enemy. The rebels then withdrew beyond musket range 
 and opened upon the depot with their artillery ; but the 
 garrison remained in it until it had been struck with 
 four shells, three of which exploded in the building. 
 Lieutenant Hull then withdrew his command to a moun- 
 tain four hundred and fifty yards distant, cutting his 
 way through the ranks of the rebels, who attempted to 
 intercept his progress, in a hand-to-hand fight. One 
 rebel seized the Lieutenant by the collar, but was in- 
 stantly killed by him. The pursuit was short. The 
 rebels had been too severely handled to approach within 
 reach of the muskets of these dusky warriors ; and, after 
 firing a few random shots with their artillery into the 
 mountain, they left for the Tennessee river. Their loss 
 was one Colonel and seventeen men killed, and forty or 
 fifty wounded. Ours was six wounded. 
 
 "The men on duty at the water tank were captured, 
 but before reaching the river they stampeded, at great 
 personal peril, and all of them escaped and are now with 
 their commands. 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 191 
 
 "There were some interesting incidents that took 
 place during the engagement, worthy to be mentioned, 
 
 "After the men had been driven into the depot, Lieu- 
 tenant Hull went out upon the platform to reconnoitre. 
 The enemy's bullets were flying thickly around him when 
 he discovered his orderly sergeant, a colored man, ap- 
 proaching him. The Lieutenant ordered him back into 
 the building. 'I wish to speak to you,' said the ser- 
 geant. 'Very well,' replied the Lieutenant, 'speak 
 quickly'. 'The men don't want to surrender,' continued 
 the sergeant. The response from the Lieutenant was, 
 'Go back and tell them that while a man of us lives there 
 will be no surrender'. 
 
 "The sergeant delivered this message, and a wild 
 shout of joy went up from the beleaguered garrison — a 
 shout that assured their gallant commander that there 
 would be no faltering on the part of his men in the 
 deadly conflict which was rapidly thickening around 
 them. 
 
 "Another incident. A colored sergeant named An- 
 derson had his leg torn off by the explosion of one of the 
 shells^ — and afterwards loaded and fired his musket three 
 times ! This brave soldier has since died of his wounds. 
 
 "It is worthy of mention that these soldiers were 
 mostly new recruits, and had never before been in action, 
 and a majority of them had not even been mustered. 
 
 "The whole affair lasted some three hours, and to 
 give an idea of the desperate character of the fighting I 
 will mention that in one at least of the assaults the rebels 
 came so close to the building that they seized the guns 
 of our men as they were projected through the loopholes 
 in the brick walls of the depot and attempted to wrench 
 them from the grasp of those inside. 
 
 "Lieutenant Hull, a resident of Ripley County, In- 
 diana, was formerly an enlisted man of the 83d Indiana, 
 and is a brother, I am informed, of the gallant Colonel 
 
192 REMINISCENCES 
 
 Hull, of the STth Indiana, whose name is so familiar in 
 the Army of the Cumberland. 
 
 "I am not acquainted with the history of Lieutenant 
 Smart, but it is just to add that Lieutenant Hull. speaks 
 in terms of the highest praise of his courage and ef- 
 ficiency in the contest. 
 
 Eespectfully yours, 
 
 Wm. p. Lyon, 
 "Col. 13th Wis. V. I., Comd'g." 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Sun. Eve., Jan. 15, 1865. — Sun- 
 day brings me but little respite from labor, and it is late 
 in the evening before I can find time to write to you my 
 usual Sunday letter. 
 
 "I returned last evening from a trip of two days up 
 the railroad. My principal business was to post and re- 
 arrange the troops along the line. I was on the cars all 
 night Friday night, and of course I came home pretty 
 well tired out. Captain Stevens of the 18th Michigan, 
 Brigade Inspector, went with me. I went to Stevenson. 
 
 "We have quite a family now, the Brigade Staff 
 being with me, three officers and three or four clerks and 
 orderlies. This will only last, however, until Colonel 
 Doolittle's return. We expect him every day. 
 
 "I have just received the commissions for the new 
 officers. They are Kummel, Lieut. -Colonel ; Cobb, Cap- 
 tain ; Auld, 1st Lieut, and Gibbs, 2d Lieut., Co. A. Hall, 
 Captain, and Chenej^, 1st Lieut., Co. B. Fish, Captain ; 
 Bardwell, 1st Lieut. ; Loucks, 2d Lieut., Co. C. Patch- 
 in, 1st Lieut., Co. D. Briggs, 1st Lieut., Co. F. Pratt, 
 1st Lieut., and Beckwith, 2d Lieut., Co. H. Wemple, 
 Captain, and Hollister, 1st Lieut., Co. K. The rest 
 are the old officers. Captain Randall writes me that 
 under a late order he is entitled to be mustered out of 
 the service and is going out. He veteranized, you know. 
 If there is such an order I think Captains Blake and 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 193 
 
 Noyes, Lieutenant Balis, perhaps the Quartermaster 
 and Dr. Evans, will go out, which will give a chance for 
 more promotions. I intend to make Matson a Lieuten- 
 ant in Company G, unless the Quartermaster goes out, 
 in which case I shall probably give him that position." 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Sun., Jan. 22, 1865.— I was up 
 the railroad looking after matters there last week and 
 returned here last evening. We are just commencing to 
 build block houses for the defense of the road. We make 
 them artillery proof and it requires a great deal of work 
 to build them. I pay more attention to this part of my 
 command than to any other. 
 
 "A new order lets out all of our offtcers who have 
 served three years consecutively in any one grade. Un- 
 der it Blake, Hewitt, Randall, Balis and Wemple go out. 
 They are all mustered out except Balis, who leaves to- 
 morrow. Captain Kummel was here a few days ago and 
 mustered in as Lieut.-Colonel. 
 
 "I have just received an order to go to Nashville as 
 a witness for the defense in the case of Colonel Ander- 
 son, of the 12th Indiana Cavalry, who is on trial for 
 ordering a young man, who was probably a guerilla, to 
 be shot last summer at Brownsboro. I shall probably 
 start on Tuesday morning and shall be absent about six 
 days. I will write you from there. 
 
 "Everything moves quietly and comfortably here. 
 The presence of an army gives a feeling of security to 
 which I have been a stranger for many months." 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Wed. Eve., Jan. 25, 1865.— I did 
 not get ready to start for Nashville until this morning, 
 and as the train was detained by the breaking down of a 
 bridge near Brownsboro, I postponed until tomorrow 
 morning. I leave at 6:30, and as the weather is now 
 quite cold for this country I am not much delighted 
 with the idea of turning out before daylight and then 
 
194 REMINISCENCES 
 
 riding in a caboose or box car. There is no change in my 
 command or in the situation of affairs here." 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Feb. 3, 1865. — I returned from 
 Nashville last evening. Our stay here is uncertain. A 
 good many movements and changes are taking place, 
 and no one can tell how soon our turn will come to be 
 sent to some other field of labor. One division of the 4th 
 Corps has just gone from here to Eastport, and I learn 
 that another division is ordered in the direction of Knox- 
 ville. It is possible and quite probable that the remain- 
 ing division of that corps may be kept on duty here and 
 in this vicinity, in which case we should be sent to some 
 other place. 
 
 "If I do not go out of the service next fall, I will 
 try to get a leave of absence next summer and visit you. 
 I can be mustered out September 26th next, but you 
 know I made some promises to the regiment to remain 
 with them. 
 
 "When I got back I found that the Adjutant had 
 moved headquarters. We have full as good a place as 
 before. I wrote you from Nashville that Colonel Doo- 
 little had returned and taken command of the post. I 
 have my old railroad command, which gives me enou^gh 
 to do without crowding me. I am very pleasantly situ- 
 ated indeed, if it only lasts. The evidence that I have 
 more leisure is the fact that I write longer letters. This 
 soldiering is rather uncertain business. 
 
 "I was handsomely entertained while in Nashville 
 by Major Bigney, and had a pleasant time. Nashville 
 and Edgefield look much as usual; about the same 
 amount of army wagons, mud, mules and shoulder 
 straps as there was last winter." 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Sun., Feb. 5, 1865.— I have not 
 been more pleasantly situated since I have been in the 
 army. I have just enough to do to prevent time from 
 passing heavily, without being at all crowded. Then I 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 195 
 
 have good quarters, a pleasant command, and business 
 which suits me. The same doubt and uncertainty hang 
 over our future movements that have kept me from send- 
 ing for you. Colonel Doolittle, of the 18th Michigan, is 
 making a strong effort to get his regiment in the 4th 
 Army Corps. If he succeeds it may throw me in com- 
 mand of this post again, a position that is an unmiti- 
 gated nuisance to any one, and which I am anxious to 
 keep out of." 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Wed., Feb. 8, 1865.— The division 
 of the 4th Army Corps that left here some days since has 
 returned, and we found it necessary this morning to give 
 up our headquarters, and it has taken us all day to find 
 another place. Everything in the shape of a house here 
 is full to overflowing, and I think we shall not be as 
 comfortably situated hereafter. I have not seen the 
 house assigned to us. Moulton and his wife are to live 
 with us. She is to oversee the mess affairs and try to 
 stop some leaks through which we are satisfied large 
 amounts of rations are lost. Ultimately she will prob- 
 ably do our cooking and we will get rid of our negro 
 help. Our expenses are so heavy that the Adjutant and 
 I both thought on consultation that this experiment was 
 worth trying. 
 
 "Everything seems to indicate a radical change in 
 our affairs here very soon, either of commanders or lo- 
 cation, and perhaps both. I do not think we shall re- 
 main in Huntsville long, but where we shall go I have 
 not the least idea. We received 98 new recruits from 
 Wisconsin last evening. Captain Kingman is home on 
 leave of absence and will probably call on you while 
 thera" 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Sun., Feb. 12, 1865.— We have 
 gotten settled and are very comfortable again. We live 
 much better and I think cheaper since we got Mrs. Moul- 
 ton. We discharged Minty, and by so doing stopped 
 
196 REMINISCENCES 
 
 some leaks. She is a good, faithful woman, but has a 
 lazy, good-for-nothing husband, who was a perfect nui- 
 sance to us; and we could not get rid of him without 
 letting her go, too. 
 
 "Companies C and G started for Claysville yester- 
 day, but Moulton remains here on duty at our headquar- 
 ters. The Adjutant has a brother here in business who 
 lives with us. He served three years in an Illinois regi- 
 ment as a private. I have taken a long ride today 
 through the camps of the 4th Army Corps, visiting the 
 24th Wisconsin." 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Wed., Feb. 18, 1865.— I find my- 
 self very busy again. Colonel Doolittle left for Nash- 
 ville this morning, and I have to command the post dur- 
 ing his absence, which will be several days. General 
 Granger expects to go North in a few days on leave of 
 absence. 
 
 "We live quite in the suburbs of the town, some 
 little distance from where the rest of the officers are 
 quartered. I see Major-General Stanley sometimes, and 
 my relations with him are very pleasant. He remem- 
 bered me as having served in his command at Corinth. 
 
 "An old lady here, a Mrs. Rogers, one of the P. F. 
 V.'s, has just returned from Washington, where she 
 went to try and get her grandson, who is a rebel pris- 
 oner, paroled. I gave her a letter of introduction to 
 Senator Doolittle, who has treated her with great kind- 
 ness and said many nice things to her about me. She 
 thinks I have more influence than any of the Generals in 
 the department, and I hear of her talking about it every- 
 where. It quite sets me up." 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Sun., Feb. 19, 1865.— Colonel 
 Doolittle has been promoted to a Brigadier, and this will 
 probably lead to some change in my duties. If he is as- 
 signed to some other command, which is quite probable, 
 I will be apt to stay here, permanent commander of the 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 197 
 
 post. In that case, I think I will try to get the railroad 
 defenses off my hands. All this is on the supposition 
 that our command remains here, which is by no means a 
 settled point yet. 
 
 "I ride a little brown mare. She is a perfect 
 little beauty. She would suit you, for she is kind and 
 gentle as a lamb. 
 
 "I frequently see General Stanley, and I hear of his 
 saying complimentary things of me. Do you think that 
 if I leave the service next fall I could make a living for 
 us in Racine? I sometimes have my doubts about it. If 
 the war was over I think I could make a living here, and 
 a good deal more. There is a splendid opening here for 
 a few good Northern lawyers. Now do not think that I 
 am contemplating moving here, for I make no such cal- 
 culations, at least not yet. 
 
 "Lieut-Colonel Kummel writes us that a fragment 
 of the 15th Wisconsin, Colonel Heg's old regiment, some 
 sixty in number, has been assigned at their own request 
 to the 13th. They have not yet joined us. 
 
 "It seems almost strange to me to live as I now do 
 week after week and not expect an attack; yet up the 
 railroad my men have fights with the guerillas quite 
 frequently. These are usually small affairs, however." 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Thurs., Feb. 23, 1865.— General 
 Granger is going North on leave of absence, and General 
 Doolittle takes command of the district in his place. It 
 looks so much like our remaining here for some time that 
 I am tempted to give you marching orders for Hunts- 
 ville. Indeed, I sent to Nashville two days since for a 
 pass for you and Minerva, and hope that by the time I 
 get it, which will doubtless be in a few days, I will see 
 my way clear to tell you to come. Captain Kingman is in 
 Wisconsin, and if you can get ready to come back with 
 him it will be convenient for you. Should the permit be 
 refused, I shall take it as an indication that we are not 
 
198 REMINISCENCES 
 
 to remain here. I do not dare to have you bring either 
 of the children, much as I would like to have them with 
 us. 
 
 "The men from the 15th Wisconsin ( Colonel Heg's 
 regiment) reached us last night. I learn that there are 
 some sixty of them. Dr. Cady, our new Assistant Sur- 
 geon, has arrived. He lives at Kibbourn City. He used 
 to practice at Canaan Four Corners, Columbia County, 
 N. Y. He knows lots of people that I used to know. I 
 like him." 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Feb. 26, 1865.— I took command 
 of the post and brigade again yesterday. General Doo- 
 little has take;i command of the district. So I have 
 plenty of work on my hands again and am likely to have 
 for some time to come. I am getting my heart so set on 
 your coming that I begin to feel almost nervous for fear 
 that we shall be ordered away." 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., March 2, 1865.— I write this 
 morning in the office, surrounded by a crowd of officers, 
 therefore can write but little. I do not hear a word from 
 my application for leave for you to visit me. The failure 
 to answer is equivalent to a refusal, and I fear that we 
 must give it up. There may be a good reason, but I do 
 not believe it, yet we are compelled in this service to en- 
 dure a good many annoying and humiliating things. 
 
 "I see the people North are in high spirits over the 
 evacuation of Charleston and Wilmington, etc. I am 
 entirely unable to see the importance of these evacua- 
 tions to us. I can not see that these movements will have 
 much influence in closing the war. We must crush and 
 destroy their armies before the war will end, and we are 
 making but little headway in that direction in the East. 
 But we must be patient, and if there is another year of 
 heavy fighting we must not be surprised or disheartened. 
 We are bound to conquer in the end." 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 199 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., March 5, 1865. — I hope the war is 
 drawing to a close; I believe it is. One victory like 
 Thomas' over Hood is worth more to our cause, does 
 more to put down the rebellion, than the evacuation of 
 twenty cities. It uses up their armies, while the evacua- 
 tion of these places concentrates their armies and makes 
 them actually stronger. The war will continue until we 
 succeed in dispersing and breaking up their armies. I 
 hope, and almost believe, that Grant and Sherman will 
 do this in the East, as Thomas has in the West ; but the 
 people must be patient. It can not be done in a day or a 
 month. 
 
 "The most hopeful sign of the times is the activity 
 North in raising troops. I am glad that the Governor 
 gave George Ginty a regiment. He is worthy and cap- 
 able. I rejoice at his success. I hear that he is ordered 
 to Nashville, and shall be pleased to get him down this 
 way ; but the new regiments are being sent towards Chat- 
 tanooga and Knoxville, and very likely Colonel Ginty's 
 will go in the same direction." 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., March 8, 1865. — We are in fine 
 spirits today, for we have just heard that Sheridan has 
 cleaned out Early in the Shenandoah valley, capturing 
 him and nearly his whole army. We all believe this and 
 rejoice, for it is by such blows as these, and these only, 
 that this war will be ended. 
 
 "I attended a review of the 1th Corps yesterday. 
 There were 6,000 or 7,000 troops in line and they made 
 a fine appearance. There are no signs of any movement 
 of troops here yet. About 20,000 lie around here doing 
 little or nothing," 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Sun., March 12, 1865.— The rail- 
 road is again repaired, and the first train came through 
 from Nashville last night. I found out yesterday why 
 everything has worked against your coming here. I re- 
 ceived an order assigning the 13th Regiment to the 4th 
 
200 REMINISCENCES 
 
 Army Corps, and this corps commences moving tomor- 
 row for East Tennessee, probably Knoxville. No troops 
 have come on yet to take our place, and it may be some 
 days before we are relieved. At the same time I received 
 a permit for you to come to Huntsville. I am rather 
 pleased to get out of this than otherwise. It is time the 
 regiment moved and had more active duty; and it is 
 more creditable to serve in an army in the field than 
 back in the rear. I am satisfied that I should have lost 
 less men had we gone with Sherman last spring than 
 we have lost by reason of malaria. Beside, if but a small 
 force is left back here, they will be annoyed with raids 
 all summer, and will be in more real peril than we shall 
 be in at the front. I do not see much of a fighting pros- 
 pect ahead. 
 
 "The activity in volunteering at the North is the 
 most hopeful sign of the times. We shall be able to con- 
 front the rebels everywhere with superior numbers, 
 which will soon, I trust, finish the war. 
 
 "In my next I will send the permit. I do not send it 
 now, fearing you would be the more disappointed when 
 you read this letter. 
 
 "The guerillas fired on the train last night between 
 here and Stevenson, killing a soldier and wounding the 
 engineer severely. The guard drove them away. I shall 
 have command of a brigade in the 4th Army Corps, I am 
 told." 
 
 "Huntsville, Ala., Wed., March 15, 1865. We are 
 still here, but expect to get off on Friday or Saturday. 
 I have been relieved of all of my commands, but the regi- 
 ment is not yet relieved. We expect the troops tomor- 
 row to take our place. It will be some new regiment. 
 
 "The 46th Wisconsin, Colonel Lovell, of Kenosha, 
 passed here yesterday for Athens. Colonel Ginty's regi- 
 ment, I hear, is at Tullahoma. The movement of the 4th 
 Corps is progressing. One advantage in going to the field 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 201 
 
 is that my exi)enses will be less. I have to keep up a 
 General's headquarters with a Colonel's pay." 
 
 During the first of March Captain Kingman was 
 home on leave of absence. Before leaving for the South 
 he came to Racine to call upon me. I was expecting a 
 passport in every letter, and was ready to start for the 
 South any day that it should come. I decided to go 
 South with Captain Kingman, for I felt that I could go 
 as far South as Nashville, and thought that if I could g^ 
 no further Mr. Lyon could no doubt come to Nashville 
 to see me. 
 
 I left for the South on the 13th of March, with Cap- 
 tain Kingman and Minerva. We left Chicago at 9 p. m., 
 on the 16th, riding all night. We reached Cairo at 8 
 o'clock the next evening, just in time to take the boat. 
 The packet Armada was just ready to start, so we went 
 on board immediately, considering ourselves very fortu- 
 nate, for there were some ladies there who had been wait- 
 ing three days for the boat. 
 
 MRS. LYON'S DIARY. 
 
 March 15, 1865. — The boat is tied up to a tree on 
 the Cumberland river. The wind is so high they dare not 
 run for fear of running into the woods, for the banks are 
 all under water. The river has not been so high in fif- 
 teen years. The water is up to the chamber windows of 
 all the houses along the shore. Yesterday one of the 
 houses was floating in the river and some men took a 
 boat and went out to it. They found in it the bodies of a 
 man and woman and five children. I presume we shall 
 hear of more such cases. We have seen a number of 
 horses and cattle floating down the river, all dead. 
 
202 REMINISCENCES 
 
 March 16, 1865.— The boat was tied up all night. I 
 wonder if it will be tonight. We rode all day. We 
 thought we saw the body of a man in the driftwood to- 
 day. We still pass lots of cattle floating in the river. 
 
 March 17, 1865. — The boat was tied up again last 
 night. We have gone very slowly today, for we go 
 against a strong tide. We arrived at Nashville after 
 dark. 
 
 "March 18, 1865. — I am very tired, for I have not 
 slept much on the boat. I have had no trouble, have not 
 needed any passes, nor has it cost me anything yet ex- 
 cepting porter's fees. At Smithland we changed boats. 
 Here we took the Cumberland river. We went on the 
 Superior, whose business it is to transfer troops. The 
 44th Wisconsin was on this steamer. I was the only 
 woman (except Minerva) on the steamer, and felt con- 
 siderably out of place. 
 
 As soon as we reached Nashville I went to a hotel, 
 ordered a room and went to bed. I wrapped myself in 
 my shawl and got into the dirty sheets. There was so 
 much noise in the house that I could not get to sleep 
 until late. I then heard a mouse nibbling at my lunch, 
 which was on the table at the head of the bed. Then the 
 bugs would bite me. I would get almost asleep, when 
 the mouse would nibble again, and so on until morning. 
 
 Sunday, March 19, 1865. — Ira Button came up this 
 morning from Huntsville, but did not know that we 
 were here. He told me that our regiment is assigned to 
 the 4th Army Corps and is ordered to Knoxville. They 
 would have started today but there was no regiment to 
 take their place. I shall go on to Huntsville, and if they 
 will take me will go on to Knoxville with them. If I can 
 go I can see more of the country than I expected to. 
 
 Now I have had some more good luck. Ira just 
 brought General Granger aide-de-camp and introduced 
 him to me. He tells me that General Granger and wife 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAK 203 
 
 are going this afternoon to Huntsville on a special train. 
 Major Bigney told him that I wanted to go to Hunts- 
 ville. After making a short call he left, but soon re- 
 turned with a note from General Granger inviting me to 
 accompany them this afternoon. I very gladly accepted 
 the in^dtation. The railroad is now repaired from here 
 to Stevenson, and by going with them I shall go through 
 without waiting at Stevenson, as I had expected to do. 
 Ira asked me if he should send a telegram to the Colonel, 
 but I told him no,that I wanted to surprise him. 
 
 March 20, 1865.— I started for Huntsville with 
 Minerva at 2 p. m. Mrs. Granger "ind her sister were 
 with the General. I had met him before. I found both 
 ladies very agreeable. We had quite a jolly night of it. 
 Our sleeper was a caboose, and our easy chairs were 
 cracker boxes. There were two chairs in the car, which 
 we occupied alternately. Of course, we had to do some- 
 thing to keep awake, as we could not lie down. I thought 
 the "General's special car would have a few more con- 
 veniences. He apologized for the accommodations, but 
 I was glad enough to go if the accommodations were 
 poor. The road was very rough. It has not been bal- 
 asted since it was repaired, and this is the first train that 
 has been over it 
 
 Huntsville, March 21, 1865. — We arrived here 
 safely, notwithstanding all the dangers we have escaped. 
 Whenever we would get sleepy, some of the officers would 
 tell of some escape or of the trains being fired into. Ours 
 was a wild train and would not be expected ; therefore 
 the General thought it was in no danger of being fired 
 into. When we reached here a beautiful barouche met 
 them at the cars. The General kindly invited me to ride 
 with them, and Minerva rode with the driver. He took 
 the ladies to the hotel and then took us to William's 
 headquarters. I went in and found Mrs. Moulton. Wil- 
 liam had gone down town. 
 
204 REMINISCENCES 
 
 We reached here about nine o'clock in the morning. 
 They did not expect William back until dinner, so I had 
 a good rest before he got here. When he got back he 
 came up to the room, not expecting to see any one, and 
 was very much surprised to find me here. The first thing 
 he said was, "I have just written for you not to come 
 here. We are ordered away and go in a day or two." 
 But he forgave me, however, for coming. Mrs. Moulton 
 said she would not have been more pleased to see her own 
 sister than to see me. 
 
 Jerry also had a great surprise. Mrs. Moulton sent 
 him for something into another room where Minerva 
 was sitting. We were on hand to hear what he would 
 say, and when he saw her he stood perfectly still with 
 his mouth wide open and his big eyes bunged out, star- 
 ing at her. She said, "Why, Jerry ! Ain't you glad to 
 see me?" He said, "Sartain, sure, I thought it was your 
 ghost until you spoke." 
 
 March 22, 1865. — There is a railroad as far as Knox- 
 ville, and William wishes me to go with him ; and if the 
 regiment should be ordered farther, I can return from 
 there at any time; and since I am here he wants me to 
 see all of the South that I can. The band came last night 
 and serenaded us. They play beautifully now. They 
 have improved very much. They always come and 
 serenade me as soon as they know I have come to camp. 
 
 Huntsville, March 24, 1865. — William and I went to 
 see the city. It is a beautiful city, the pride of the South. 
 It is beautifully situated. There are a great many very 
 handsome homes here, and every appearance of luxuri- 
 ous living. The colored quarters are all separate from 
 the main house. A great many residents have left their 
 homes and left their houses filled with furniture, carpets 
 and everything, just as they were living here. William 
 has taken the Academy again for a hospital. The citi- 
 zens do not like it, but there seems to be no other place. 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 205 
 
 We liave orders to start for East Tennessee in the morn- 
 ing. 
 
 March 25, 1865. — We started this morning at nine 
 o'clock. The train ran off the track six miles out and 
 had to stay there seven hours. I saw the hills on which 
 the rebels had guns planted and often fired at the trains, 
 especially if they were transporting soldiers. We ar- 
 rived at Stevenson safely. 
 
 March 26, 1865. — Went through Chattanooga and 
 the mountains today. Saw Lookout Mountain, where 
 General Hooker fought and bled above the clouds. The 
 scenery here is very grand. We saw Mission Ridge also. 
 The city is built in the valley near Lookout Mountain. 
 We had our dinner here. The boys built fires and made 
 coffee in a few minutes. We had hard tack and coffee 
 and a little cold meat. 
 
 Near Loudon we were going through a ledge of rocks 
 that extends out over the Tennessee river, when an axle 
 broke and two or three of the cars were wrecked. They 
 were smashed into pieces as small as kindling wood. 
 The engine and tender, and I think some baggage cars, 
 went through this ledge of rocks all right. The cars 
 loaded with supplies were broken up the most. A car 
 that the mules w ere in stood on one end and the poor ani- 
 mals were jammed into the lower end of the car. The reg- 
 iment were riding on the top of the cars, and when they 
 saw there was something the matter they turned the 
 brakes and ran to both ends of the train and there was 
 not a man hurt. Their thoughtfulness in turning the 
 brakes saved the rest of the train. The caboose that we 
 were in just hung over the river. It was a miraculous 
 escape. They thought that some of the mules would be 
 dead, but they chopped the car open as soon as they 
 could, to get them out. As they got them out they would 
 shake themselves and walk off. Some limped, but none 
 
206 REMINISCENCES 
 
 were killed. We went back to Loudon and stayed until 
 the track was repaired. 
 
 March 27. — We took the train yesterday towards 
 night, the road having been repaired. Today we got to 
 Knoxville. We found orders that they were to guard 
 and conduct a train of ambulances across the country, 
 and the men were to march. I expected to go back from 
 Knoxville, but William says that I shall not go home, 
 but go as far as they go with the train, for there is plenty 
 of ambulance room. We went ten miles on a fearful 
 road over the mountains. 
 
 March 28, 1865. — We started this morning at six 
 o'clock. We went over the mountains, and forded the 
 rivers. There is only a track for one horse, and we are 
 traveling with six mules. The people here all ride 
 horseback and have no use for roads. I have been very 
 nervous all day. We went through places where there 
 is no road, and it seemed impossible to get through. But 
 we did, however, get through to New Market about five 
 o'clock. We came through Strawberry Plains. Had our 
 dinner there, coffee and hard crackers again. 
 
 The 4th Army Corps makes a large army. They put 
 up the tent and we ate our supper and thought we should 
 be there for some time. We fixed up our bed as well as 
 we could and I went to bed. This was my first experi- 
 ence in sleeping on the ground. William and the Adju- 
 tant sent over to town and found that they were ordered 
 to go to Bull's Gap at six o'clock tomorrow morning. In 
 coming from town they rode over an opossum. The 
 darkies were much pleased to get it. They sat up nearly 
 all night in order to have it for breakfast. 
 
 Now we have gotten to the end of the railroad and 
 we women must go back to Knoxville. The Adjutant 
 goes with us. William left him to take care of us. We 
 had to get up early to get packed again to move. 
 
 March 29, 1865. — After the march of yesterday it 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 207 
 
 took some courage to get started. The Adjutant and 
 Jerry went with us. The Adjutant went to town for a 
 conveyance for us, and we had to say good-bye to our 
 husbands. The Adjutant found a mule team and double 
 wagon, and we all got in with our traps and went to the 
 depot. We waited there for the train, but it did not 
 come on time. After a while we learned that it had run 
 through a bridge and would not be in for several days. 
 The Adjutant then found a place in town where we 
 might stay a few days. We are making ourselves as com- 
 fortable as we can. We are staying with a Union family 
 who are Quakers. 
 
 New Market, March 30. — Cool and rainy. We find 
 these people very friendly. They are very glad to ac- 
 commodate us. Mrs. Pierce showed us a room in the 
 center of the house that they built on purpose to protect 
 her husband and boys when they come home. Mr. Pierce 
 is home now. He is not well, and the rebels let him 
 alone, but they are bent on getting the boys, because 
 they are Union boys. 
 
 Our life is very monotonous. It seems too bad to 
 stay here when the regiment is so near, only about thirty- 
 five miles from here. Mrs. Moultou and I took a long 
 walk over the hills. It is a very pretty country. A little 
 ^irl brought me a nice bouquet because we are Union 
 people; but this family are very careful about talking, 
 for fear of being heard. They shut the doors if they 
 want to talk. 
 
 April 2. — Mr. and Mrs. Pierce, Mr. and Mrs. Moul- 
 ton and I went to the cemetery. Mr. Pierce is a very 
 strong Union man. When we got there he was not 
 afraid to express himself. He would like to get away 
 from here. 
 
 The Adjutant went yesterday to Bull's Gap to help 
 with the month's report. He has returned today. Wil- 
 liam sent for me to go up there to see him again. They 
 
208 EEMINISOENCES 
 
 do not know how long they may stay there, Mrs. Moul- 
 ton and Minerva will have to go on a wagon with the 
 trunks. They have made up a train with a pony engine 
 and one box car, and that is all there is to use this side 
 of the break in the road. They are not willing to take 
 passengers, but decided that they would take the Adju- 
 tant and me. 
 
 April 3. — We were nearly all day on the road. Had 
 dinner on the cars, what the men had provided for them- 
 selves, about like a soldier's dinner, something to keep 
 the stomach from getting empty. William met us at 
 the depot. We walked to the camp. They have selected 
 a very pleasant spot about half a mile from the depot, 
 and all the way up hill. I was so glad to get there. 
 
 Bull's Gap, April 4. — I expect we shall stay here 
 some time, they are so nicely situated. The whole 4th 
 Corps makes a fine show in camp. W^e shall settle down 
 now and have a nice visit after all. 
 
 Later. — We have just had orders to march to Green- 
 ville at six o'clock in the morning. What a long rest! 
 
 April 5. — We maiched through to Greenville, 19 
 miles. I was the only lady from the 13th. We started 
 off behind balky mules. They ran down every hill, and 
 would not go up the hills. They finallj^ ran off a bridge 
 at the bottom of a hill. Colonel McConnell came to my 
 rescue and I then rode with Mrs. Moody in a pleasant 
 ambulance with the 2d Division. Got to camp and put 
 up the tent to stay. We think we will get a good rest 
 here. 
 
 COLONEL LYON'S LETTERS. 
 
 "March 19, 1865. — I was awakened about ten o'clock 
 last night by one of the boys, who told me I had a tele- 
 gram from home but there was no bad news in it. It was 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 209 
 
 from Janesville, announcing my nomination as Circuit 
 Judge. I am entirely in the dark about the position of 
 affairs there, but if matters are as I suppose I see no 
 earthly chance for my election. I concluded, however, 
 that a defeat would not hurt me much and so accepted 
 the nomination. It is tantalizing to be a candidate for 
 so important a place and know nothing of your position 
 or prospects. The time is so short between the nomina- 
 tion and the date of election that I shall probably lose 
 most of the army vote. I shall not be unhappy about it 
 if I am defeated, and you must not be." 
 
 WRITTEN AT GREENVILLE. 
 
 "We made a long march and reached here, 75 miles 
 above Knoxville, last evening. We have orders to move 
 on to Jonesboro, 35 miles further. Adelia travels in an 
 ambulance, and we are well and happy. 
 
 "The 13th did not vote. I know that I am beaten 
 and I did not care to swell my vote with that of my own 
 regiment. They would all have voted for me. I have 
 never expected for a moment to be elected. I suppose I 
 am defeated by at least 5,000. I know that some of my 
 best friends were committed to Judge Noggle long before 
 I was nominated, and could not do otherwise than sup- 
 port him. 
 
 "Everybody is in good spirits over the news from 
 Richmond." 
 
 MRS. LYON'S diary. 
 
 Greenville, April 6, 1865. — There seems to be no rest 
 for us. Yesterday we were indulging in the hope of 
 staying here for some time and had quite a settled feel- 
 ing. If I had not been tired I would have unpacked my 
 
210 REMINISCENCES 
 
 trunks, but I was fortunate in not doing so. We are 
 again ordered to march to Jonesboro, 35 miles farther. I 
 shall have to go behind the mules again. 
 
 We started. The mules ran down the hill as usual, 
 and when we were three miles out we broke an axle. I 
 then rode in an ambulance for ten miles, seated with 
 the driver. Stayed here all night. Some of the boys 
 march right along with us over these mountains to keep 
 the ambulance from turning over, the road is so steep 
 and sidling. I had much rather march than to ride in 
 this way, but they will not allow me to for fear I will get 
 sick; and then we have to ford so many rivers, when I 
 have to be in the carriage. I sometimes think we never 
 can get up and down the bank ; but I find it much better 
 sitting with the driver. Since we have been on this 
 march some of the men run on ahead of the regiment, 
 when we are to stop over night, and gather hay or straw, 
 or get pine boughs for me to sleep on. They do not seem 
 to think that I am in the way at all. They have shown 
 me so much kindness in preparing something for me to 
 sleep on, I shall never forget it. 
 
 Jonesboro, April 7. — The General sent his ambu- 
 lance for me to ride in this morning. I am very glad, I 
 shall be much more comfortable. He apologized for not 
 doing it before. He said he thought I had been provided 
 for more comfortably, and that he would see that I was 
 supplied with all the comforts he could command. 
 
 We came through very comfortably, and have found 
 a good, large house to live in. We have the parlor, and 
 a large room with a good bed, where we can rest very 
 well. 
 
 Jonesboro, April 8. — Find the people very pleasant, 
 although they are rebels. We shall board with them 
 until Minerva comes. 
 
 Jonesboro, Tues., April 17. — We have just heard the 
 joyful tidings that William is elected Judge. The first 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 211 
 
 we knew of it was a shout from the regimeDt that made 
 the welkin ring. We thought they had got a mail and 
 that they had news of some great victory; so William 
 and I started out to see what the noise was about. As 
 soon as they saw us they shouted, ''Hurrah for Judge 
 Lyon". The mail had come and brought papers an- 
 nouncing the fact of his election. We could hardly be- 
 lieve it, it was so unexpected. We had a curiosity to see 
 how many hundred votes he would be beaten by, but had 
 no thought of election. It is two weeks today since the 
 election, and we have only just heard of it. I never saw 
 William so nonplussed. I am so happy I can hardly con- 
 tain myself, for now William can leave the service hon- 
 orably and come home. They think now that we will not 
 go farther East, since Lee's surrender. 
 
 The 4th Army Corps, we now hear, was sent here to 
 go through to Richmond and reinforce the troops al- 
 ready there. The deserters are daily coming in. This 
 morning sixty of Vaughn's command came here and gave 
 themselves up. The war is over, but poor President Lin- 
 coln could not live to see the end. His assassination is 
 awful ! 
 
 COLONEL LYON'S LETTERS. 
 
 "April 17, 1865. — I suppose there is little or no 
 doubt of my election. I was never so surprised in my 
 life, for I never had the least expectation of being 
 elected. I shall come home as early as I can honorably 
 and properly do so, certainly by September and probably 
 before, to make the necessary arrangements and prepara- 
 tions for my new duties. You must not feel too hard 
 towards those of my best friends who opposed me. They 
 had an undoubted right to do so. 
 
 "We have just heard the shocking tidings of Presi- 
 
212 KEMINISOEKCES 
 
 dent Lincoln's assassination. Tiiis is an awful thiug for 
 the country. It makes my heart bleed." 
 
 MRS. LYON'S DIARY. 
 
 April 20, 1865. — We have had orders to march back 
 to Greenville. It has rained so much and been so un- 
 pleasant that I dread to return the way we came. We 
 were in hopes to go back by way of Richmond. We 
 started at 12 o'clock. It is very warm, roads almost im- 
 passable. Bade Jonesboro good-bye. 
 
 April 21, 1865.— We started at five o'clock this 
 morning and marched three miles beyond Greenville. It 
 was so warm that many of the boys threw away their 
 blankets, and some threw away their overcoats, they 
 were so burdensome. They say if the war is over they 
 will not need them again. We came to a beautiful 
 spring and the men filled their canteens. I saw one man 
 drop out of the ranks and go and lie in the corner of 
 the fence, and I asked the orderly to tell the surgeon 
 that there was a man left. He came back to see him and 
 found him dead. He had drunk too much cold water, 
 and being so very heated it had stopped the heart's 
 action. There were several ill from the same cause. 
 
 April 22, 1865. — We started at five o'clock in the 
 morning so as to get the cool of the day. Had a hard 
 march. Got to Bull's Gap in advance of the other 
 troops. 
 
 "Bull's Gap, Sunday, April 23, 1865.— We have 
 sent all the things to the cars. Stayed all day under a 
 borrowed fly to a tent. Captain King invited us to take 
 tea with him. He lives in a part of the depot. We will 
 take the cars here for Knoxville. 
 
 April 24, 1865. — Last night while we were waiting 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 213 
 
 for the cars there came up as hard a thunder storm as I 
 almost ever heard, and so many of us were driven into 
 the depot that the men went into empty cars. The train 
 did not come until after midnight, and as it was then 
 raining so hard and was so muddy, the question was 
 raised as to how I was to get to the cars, but Jerry said 
 that he could "tote" me, which he did. It was nearly 
 night when we got to Knoxville. We were delayed by 
 trains ahead of us being off the track. 
 
 April 25. — We got to Chattanooga, had another 
 view of those beautiful mountains, went over this bad 
 road at a tremendous rate, but safely, William got me 
 to playing whist before we got to the Whiteside bridge 
 so that I would not notice it, but I found it out. I had 
 dreaded it. ^Vhen we first went over it our attention was 
 drawn to it. Standing in the door of the car we could 
 see the engine and a letter S formed by the train be- 
 tween us and the engine. I have never been over such 
 a crooked road, and it made me feel nervous. 
 
 April 26. — We stayed on the track all night within 
 seven miles of Stevenson. There was a train off the 
 track ahead of us. There have been so many wrecks on 
 this road that you can not go a mile without seeing 
 where there has been one, so I am told. The guerillas 
 fired at a train in front of us and at one behind us. I 
 think we were fortunate to escape as we did, there were 
 so many dangers, both seen and unseen. 
 
 April 27. — We came through the tunnel near Tul- 
 lahoma. It is 2,226 feet in length and it takes five min- 
 utes to go through it, and it is as dark as a dungeon. 
 
 We are encamped in a very pleasant spot about 
 seven miles from Nashville, in a grove on a hill, cool 
 and shady. We shall go into Nashville next week and 
 see our acquaintances. There is a rumor that the 
 Fourth Corps is to be sent to Texas, but nothing definite. 
 
 When we got off the cars, a sick man was also taken 
 
214 EEMINISOENCES 
 
 off who had congestive fever the doctor said. He was 
 lying on the ground and I went to him and asked him if 
 I could make him a cup of tea. He said no, but that he 
 would like to have his face washed. So I got a dish and 
 some water and a cloth and washed his face and hands. 
 He had a high fever and I wet his head. He was very 
 grateful. I then made a cup of tea and some toast, but 
 he did not eat much. [Two days after that he died of 
 small pox. I was a little alarmed after I heard of that.] 
 
 COI.ONEL LYON'S LETTERS. 
 
 "May 9, 1865. — Yesterday was quite a gala day 
 here. The Fourth Army Corps, mustering 20,000 mus- 
 kets, was reviewed by Major-General Thomas. The day 
 was very fine and everything passed off nicely. Our 
 women never saw anything of the kind before, and of 
 course were delighted. Adelia brought a side-saddle 
 from home and I have a nice, gentle little mare which 
 she proposes to ride about the country. We are pleas- 
 antly situated in a beautiful grove on Mill creek, about 
 four miles south of town, and are enjoying unadulter- 
 ated camp life. When we were gone a few days ago the 
 boys built an arbor over our tent and made us a rude 
 bedstead. We eat from a rough table set under a tree, 
 and have no floor in our tent. 
 
 "We are all watching with great interest the final 
 disposition to be made of the army, with strong hopes 
 that we shall be sent home before many weeks elapse. 
 Certainly there is no more active service for us in this 
 war. The Government has failed to pay the troops as 
 it should. There is eight months' pay due this corps. 
 Adelia will stay as long as the prospect is good for our 
 being soon discharged." 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAE 215 
 
 LETTER FROM MRS. LYON. 
 
 Tuesday, May 9, 1865. — We attended the review. 
 It was the most gorgeous sight I ever saw. The bugler 
 makes more music in the calls than I ever heard before. 
 He passed in review alone and played all the bugle calls. 
 We had an ambulance at our disposal, and we went 
 around to see the sights. I saw much more of Nashville 
 than I did when we were living there. 
 
 I must tell you how our bedstead is made. The 
 posts are four posts driven into the ground, and the end 
 and side pieces are nailed onto them. Some small trees 
 were split and laid on them, the flat side up, and over 
 that is a straw bed. The quilts are in a bad plight. Wil- 
 liam has gone to bed so often with his spurs on that they 
 are pretty well used up. I frequently got my arms 
 through the holes, but I have had them washed clean 
 and have mended them the best I could, and get along 
 with them the best I can. The blue spread covers it all 
 and looks nice. We can't get any more here. I forgot 
 to tell you about the headboard of our bedstead. There 
 are three boards four inches wide driven into the ground 
 lenglhwise. This keeps the pillows in place. 
 
 MRS. LYON S DIARY, 
 
 May 11, 1865. — Cold and stormy. We got so cold 
 that we tied up the tent and went to bed to keep warm. 
 It is raining so hard we have had to take a lunch in the 
 tent. We could not build a fire to cook anything, nor 
 set the table out of doors. It cleared off towards night, 
 so we had a fire built before the tent and it made it quite 
 comfortable, and we had a good supper. I often find 
 that our goodies in the trunk come handy. 
 
216 KEMINISGENCES 
 
 Camp Harker, May 20, 1865. — They have named 
 the camp "Camp Harker," after some General I believe. 
 There is still no change in our condition. We are to 
 move camp soon. William and I have been to see the 
 place, about half a mile from here, and we shall have 
 more room. 
 
 LETTER FROM MRS. LYON TO ISAAC LYON. 
 
 Camp Barker, May 24, 1865. — We had a hard thun- 
 der storm last night. A heavy storm seems very near 
 when you are in a tent. I would jump at the peals, they 
 sounded so near. 
 
 William and I were sitting on a puncheon on the 
 grass, and as George went into the tent he called our 
 attention to a swift on the trunk I had been sitting on a 
 few minutes before. They captured it and I have it in a 
 bottle for you. 
 
 We had a call from Father Tracey and Mr. O'Riley. 
 I like Father Tracey very much. He has been with this 
 army corps considerably. 
 
 MRS. LYON'S DIARY. 
 
 Camp Harker, May 26. — Camp is being moved, with 
 the exception of headquarters, which will be moved 
 when we go to Nashville. 
 
 Camp Harker, May 27. — This morning when I first 
 wakened I looked up, and on the upper part of the tent, 
 right over the bed, were ever so many centipedes. I 
 spoke to William. We were quite alarmed and got up 
 and out of that tent about as quickly as we could. They 
 were different lengths, showing they had several famil- 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 217 
 
 ies. We did not get any of them on us. The men took 
 the tent down and killed all they could find. They said 
 there were numbers of them, but we escaped being bitten. 
 
 Camp Harker, May 28. — A large party of us took a 
 trip today to the Hermitage, General Jackson's home. 
 We had two ambulance loads, and nearly all our oflftcers 
 went on horseback, as a body-guard. We went through 
 the garden to the tomb where General Jackson and his 
 wife are buried. At the head of the tomb is a beautiful 
 large magnolia tree in bloom, which filled the whole 
 yard with perfume. There was a great variety of fiow- 
 ers in bloom and Lieut. Knilans bought me a beautiful 
 bouquet of roses. Hickory canes cut on the plantation 
 were also for sale, and I bought two for the two fathers, 
 
 We took our lunch, expecting to picnic, but the old 
 servants offered us the use of the dining hall, a large, 
 beautiful room, which they said was seldom opened. 
 There was a very nice mahogany extension table, made in 
 the old fashion, and they brought us the old family china, 
 and gave us all the buttermilk we could drink. (Butter- 
 milk is a great luxury with the Southern people.) We 
 saw the old family carriage, made entirely from the old 
 ship Constitution ; but the gray-headed negroes were the 
 greatest novelty about the plantation. Old Aunt Betty 
 said she cooked for General Jackson forty years. They 
 have numbers of visitors. We had a very pleasant day. 
 
 LETTER FROM COLONEL LYON. 
 
 "Camp Harker, May 29, 1865. — I expect to get a 
 leave of absence, which I have applied for; and in that 
 case we shall go home about the middle of June. I do 
 not like to resign, because I think we shall be mustered 
 out during the summer and I wish very much to stay in 
 
218 REMINISCENCES 
 
 the service to the end of the war. My leave will be for 
 twenty days if I get one. The surrender of Kirby Smith 
 practically ends the war, and saves us probably from 
 beins: sent to Texas." 
 
 MRS. LYON'S DIARY. 
 
 Camp Harker, June 1, 1865. — We have moved camp. 
 I found it all done when I came back from town. We 
 take long rides every day. I enjoy it very much now, 
 the mare is so kind and gentle. 
 
 Camp Harker, June 10. — We had quite an excite- 
 ment last night. I awoke with the feeling that there 
 was some one in the tent, and I raised up and saw a man 
 on his hands and knees looking up at me. I screamed, 
 "William, there is a man in the tent." I awoke all the 
 inmates of all the tents around us with the scream. The 
 man was looking for William's trousers, I suppose, and 
 found garments he did not expect to see. He got out 
 very quickly. William jumped up and tried to catch 
 him. He felt under his pillow for his pistol the first 
 thing, but I had objected to his having it when I was 
 there, so he did not find it. He shouted, "Stop that 
 thief," and immediately there were a number of men out 
 of their tents, but they did not know what they were 
 called out for. The man had to run between the tents 
 to get away, and he went like the wind and escaped. 
 Yesterday the Paymaster was here and paid off some of 
 the troops, but he did not pay the 13th. The thief had 
 been through all the tents but one and had taken all he 
 could find, but he did not get anything from us. 
 
 June 13. — I am starting for home. General Beatty 
 kindly takes me to Nashville in his ambulance. Adju- 
 tant Scott goes North with me. 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 219 
 
 June 17. — Arrived, home at five o'clock in the morn- 
 ing, having stayed over in Chicago a couple of days. At- 
 tended the Sanitary Fair. 
 
 LETTER FROM COLONEL LYON. 
 
 "Wed. Eve., June 14, 1865. — Our transportation 
 starts for Johnsonville tomorrow morning, and General 
 Wood informed me this evening that it is understood 
 that the Second Division also goes tomorrow and our 
 division on Friday. We probably shall not get off, how- 
 ever, before Saturday. If not delayed, I think I can get 
 home by Thursday of next week, but a delay of a day or 
 two at Johnsonville is not at all improbable. So do not 
 look for me until the last of the week. I am very busy 
 getting ready to move, and in the absence of the Adjutant 
 am compelled to look after all of the details of business 
 in person. The men mustered out will get off tomorrow 
 evening. 
 
 "I suppose you are steaming through Indiana now. 
 It is intolerably lonesome here since you left, and we 
 need the excitement of a march to help our spirits." 
 
 June 20, 1865. — William reached home on leave of 
 absence for 20 days. 
 
 COLONEL LYON'S LETTERS. 
 
 "Cairo, 111., Sun. a. m., July 9, 1865.— We did not 
 get here until after midnight, having been detained sev- 
 
220 REMINISCENCES 
 
 eral hours by a collision ahead of us, fifty miles from 
 here. I found the Major and Lieutenant Fowle in Chi- 
 cago. Saw nothing of the Adjutant. We leave on the 
 'Clara Dalson' at 11 o'clock this morning for New Or- 
 leans. The weather is somewhat warm here. We get 
 Government transportation from here, which is worth 
 flO to each of us, and our meals and staterooms cost us 
 |20 more." 
 
 "On Steamer Clara Dalson, July 12, 1865. — We are 
 now steaming past Milliken's Bend, 28 miles above 
 Vicksburg, where we expect to be before jioon. We left 
 Cairo at 2 p. m. Sunday. Arrived at Memphis, 240 
 miles below Cairo, at 5 p. m. Monday. Were near Helena 
 yesterday morning. Passed the mouths of White and 
 Arkansas rivers and Napoleon yesterday afternoon, and 
 this morning find ourselves here. We are 600 miles be- 
 low Cairo and over 1,000 miles from Racine. We are 
 yet 400 miles from New Orleans. 
 
 "We are having a delightful trip. We have a good 
 boat, and good fare; weather comfortably cool, with 
 considerable rain. We expect to be at New Orleans by 
 Friday. We hear nothing of the corps moving as yet. 
 We have green corn every day, and found plenty of ripe 
 I>eaches at Memphis. The country is low and flat, but 
 large plantations are becoming more frequent. 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAK 221 
 
 ew Orleans, Fri., July 14, 1865.— We 
 arrived here at eight o'clock this 
 morning, sound and well. I found 
 that our corps have moved and are 
 moving for Indianola, Texas. Our 
 division went several days ago. Lieu- 
 tenant Fowle and I leave tomorrow on 
 steamer Zenobia. 
 
 ''This is a beautiful city and the 
 cleanest one that I ever saw. There is some talk that 
 <tur division goes to Austin, which is said to be a healthy 
 place. I hope so. I go on board of the steamer soon " 
 
 "Green Lake, Texas, Sunday, July 23, 1865.— 1 
 wrote you from New Orleans on the 14th inst., since 
 which time I have had no opportunity to get off a letter. 
 r left New Orleans on the morning of the 15th and went 
 down to Corps Ileadquarters, six miles, where I changed 
 from the Zenobia to a larger and bettor steamship, on 
 which we left that evening, reaching the mouth of the 
 Mississippi Sunday morning. 
 
 "We found a heavy gale blowing on the Gulf from 
 the south, so we lay there until Monday night — the gale 
 subsided — we put to sea and reached the coast near 
 Indianola Wednesday evening. We had a very rough 
 passage, but I was not seasick. We lay at anchor, toss- 
 ing in a rough sea, unable to cross the bar into Mata- 
 gorda bay until Friday morning, when we succeeded in 
 getting over and ran up to Indianola, 18 or 20 miles 
 from the Gulf. There we learned that the regiment was 
 here. We took a lighter (a small schooner) and went up 
 the bay 12 miles to Lavaca. Here we found a good hotel 
 and a very nice little town, and remained until yester- 
 day morning; then got a conveyance and came to camp, 
 15 miles west. The Adjutant overtook us at the Balje, 
 
KEMINISCENCES 
 
 or mouth of the Mississippi, and transferred himself to 
 our boat. 
 
 "I found that the regiment has had a tough time. 
 There was no fresh water at Indianola and they had to 
 march directly here, 20 or 25 miles, which they did in a 
 night, the men suffering badly for water. I found Col- 
 onel Kummel very unwell. Mr. Foote was very seasick 
 on the Gulf, and is quite feeble yet. 
 
 "My poor boys seemed overjoyed to see me. They 
 gave some hearty yells when I came into camp, and I 
 think I had to shake hands with every man in the regi- 
 ment during the afternoon. They were getting very 
 restless, but I think they are better reconciled now to 
 their lot. Desertions from the corps are frequent aud 
 (juite numerous, though much less from the 13th than 
 from many other regiments. The men feel outraged aud 
 wronged because they are sent here while so many 
 thousands who have rendered less service are being sent 
 home. It is our principle business to encourage and 
 reconcile them, and I assure you I was needed here and 
 badly, too, for that service. 
 
 "You would like to know what sort of a country this 
 is. I will tell you. Everything except the climate is 
 damnable. From this to the coast is one vast, level 
 plain, perfectly naked, without a tree or shrub, covered 
 with a thin gTowth of coarse grass which affords pastur- 
 age to thousands of cattle and horses in a semi-wild 
 state that roam over it in every direction. Snakes, scor- 
 pions, tarantulas, centipedes, and almost every venomous 
 and loathsome reptile, abound here, and the streams are 
 infested with alligators. The boys killed one between 
 seven and eight feet long in the lake close to our camp 
 yesterday, and one eighteen feet long has been killed by 
 the command since it came here. Our camp is on a 
 clean piece of prairie which is less infested with these 
 reptiles than are some other locations, though it has oc- 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 223 
 
 curred several times since they have been here that the 
 boys have found snakes (I think venomous ones) in 
 their blankets. 
 
 "This lake is a shallow, fresh water one, from (me 
 to two miles wide, which sometimes nearly dries up. The 
 water is as warm as dishwater, but otherwise good. 
 
 "I am boarding with our new doctor (Woodruff), 
 Chaplain Foote and wife. Colonel Kummel, Captain 
 Fish and the Adjutant. We get but little to eat, except 
 that we have most excellent fresh beef. This, with cof- 
 fee and steamed hardtack, is our bill of fare — no vege- 
 tables — no nothing that makes eating a pleasure. The 
 country produces nothing in the way of vegetables to 
 speak of. 
 
 "When the balance of the corps gets here we shall 
 ''move on,' like poor Joe in Bleak House — probably in 
 a week or two. The First Division goes to San Antonio, 
 the Second to New Braunfels, and the Third to Austin, 
 the capital of the State, which is 150 miles from here. 
 What in the name of common sense we are going there 
 for, or why we are here in Texas at all, is more than I 
 can find out or even guess at, and I am unable to find 
 any one who is any wiser on this subject than I am." 
 
 "July 25, 1865. — The weather would be very hot 
 were it not for the trade winds, which come up about 
 nine or ten o'clock in the morning and blow a stiff breeze 
 from the south all day. But we shall lose the benefit 
 of this when we get into the interior probably. Every- 
 body says that the country improves as we advance into 
 it, and that at Austin we will get better water and more 
 to eat. If we do I will apologize for slandering Texas. 
 Do you think I am sorry that I did not resign at Nash- 
 ville? Not a bit of it. My presence here is absolutely 
 indispensible to the welfare of the regiment, and right 
 here, beyond all question, is my jyost of duty as long as 
 I can reasonably remain. 
 
224 REMINISCENCES 
 
 "My time expires September 25th, only two months 
 hence, and then I can be mustered out, get my three 
 months' extra pay, and I presume enough mileage to 
 pay my expenses home — neither of which would I get if 
 I resign. So I tell the bo^^s that if my health keeps good 
 I will stay with them until that time. Then it will take 
 me about twenty days to get home. 
 
 "At Lavaca I met a brother-in-law of Mr. Sheldon, 
 of Burlington, named Chrysler. Mrs. Chrysler looks 
 just like her brother. They had not heard from their 
 friends North during the war, and of course were much 
 ])leased to get recent news from them. They have been 
 here many 3^ears, are well off, and are ver3^ loyal. 1 hear 
 of Judge Irvin, our Judge when I commenced practice, 
 living some thirty miles from here on our road to Aus- 
 tin. I hope to see him. 
 
 "It cost me over |80 to get here, the best I could do. 
 I had Government transportation from Cairo. It will 
 cost me more than flOO to get home, and if I should fail 
 to get my final pay in New Orleans, which is quite prob- 
 able, I shall just about be out of money when I get ready 
 to start home, and there will be none in the regiment 
 then. 
 
 "General Beatty and General Wood have advised 
 Dr. Cady to resign. He is in the hospital at Indianola. 
 He will probably take the advice. Captain Pratt and 
 Lieutenant Loucks have resigned and gone home." 
 
 "Green Lake, Tex., July 26, 1865.— I am well and 
 in good spirits, notwithstanding we have nothing 
 decent to eat except fresh beef, and nothing but warm 
 water to drink. I keep cold coffee without sugar in 
 my canteen, and drink that. I have to sleep on the 
 ground, for the reason that there is not a pole nor a 
 board within ten miles with which to build a bunk. Only 
 two more months, and then I will leave for good." 
 
 "Green Lake, Tex., July 28, 1865. — The corps gets 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 225 
 
 here very slowly, and we can not get away from here for 
 some days, perhaps not in two or three weeks, and by 
 that time the order sending us so far into the interior 
 may be countermanded. Indeed, we hear a rumor that 
 we are only to go to Victoria, some 25 miles inland from 
 this point, but the rumor is not very reliable. We are 
 fitted up now so that we are very comfortable, except 
 that we can not get enough decent food. 
 
 "The Major reached us on Monday night last. He 
 and I are in the same tent. I have a bunk and mosquito 
 bar over it and sleep very comfortably. Before we got 
 fitted up I lay on the ground outside and a sudden 
 shower one night soaked me to the skin. We have but 
 few flies here. The boys kill lots of alligators two or 
 three miles from camp. Time hangs heavily on my 
 hands, and did I not expect to make one of the dear 
 home circle so soon I should be unhappy." 
 
 "Aug. 1, 1865. — Yesterday we received a mail and 
 in it two letters from you of the 9th and 13th of July, 
 the first I have had from you since I left home. It makes 
 me feel as though it had broken up the feeling of isola- 
 tion that prevails here. The country seems to be pretty 
 healthy and the men seem to improve — I think perhaps 
 because we all live short. I think no army since the 
 war began has been so miserably supplied as is this 
 army. The coarsest and plainest food is all we can get, 
 and even that is frequently scant and of poor quality. 
 There is one advantage in this, and that is that we can 
 not spend much money. 
 
 "General Stanley and Corps headquarters arrived 
 here last evening. I do not think we shall go to Austin. 
 The understanding now is that one division goes to San 
 Antonio de Bexar and the other two remain at Victoria, 
 20 miles from here. Which division goes up the country 
 we do not know. There will probably be no movement 
 for two weeks yet. We all, officers and men, feel 
 
226 REMINISCENCES 
 
 wronged and outraged that we are kept in service. The 
 law under which we volunteered declares that we shall 
 be discharged as soon as the war is over. The war is 
 over. Throughout the whole broad land there is not an 
 organized force of rebels in arms. The people of the 
 South have all returned to their allegiance and in good 
 faith are endeavoring to restore civil government. 
 There is no earthly use for an army here, and yet the 
 Government is paying 150,000 men. 
 
 "I do not mean by this that there is so large a force 
 in Texas. Probably there are not 75,000 soldiers here, 
 but the organizations to which they belong contain that 
 number of men. Only a little over half of the 13th is 
 here and none of the absentees return, yet all have to 
 be paid. I am astonished that the people at home do not 
 insist on having the army mustered out on the ground of 
 economy. I myself was opposed to doing it too hastily ; 
 but the time has now come when the regular army and 
 the colored troops are ample for all the purposes that 
 an army is required for. 
 
 "Of course it makes no difference to me whether 
 this corps is mustered out or not, for I can get out of the 
 service any time. I have already written to you that I 
 have concluded to remain until September 25th, when I 
 am entitled to be mustered out. Then there is a bare 
 hope that the regiment will be mustered out by that 
 time." 
 
 "Green Lake, Texas, Aug. 10, 1865. — None of our 
 officers or men from Wisconsin have returned yet, but 
 we expect some of them during this month. The mos- 
 quitoes are awful here. The weather has been rainy for 
 some days and they have increased in numbers fright- 
 fully. The sleeping in camp is done in the day time 
 mainly. The men have no bars and it is impossible to 
 sleep without them at night, so the men dance all night. 
 They have an old fiddle, and half a dozen fiddlers take 
 
OP THE CIVIL WAR 227 
 
 turns at the instrument, and a hundred men at a time 
 break it down in regular stag dance style on the prairie 
 by the hour. Last night they wanted to know if the 
 frolic disturbed me, but I told them no, to wade in and 
 enjoy themselves — yet they kept me awake for hours. 
 My bar affords me ample protection and if I do not get 
 sleep at night I take it in the day time. Looking over 
 the camp now, 11 o'clock a. m., you can not see twenty- 
 five men, yet there are 350 at least in it. They are all 
 asleep. The weather is hot, the thermometer seldom be- 
 low 80 degrees day or night, usually in the day time 
 from 90 to 95 degrees; but during the day we get a 
 breeze from the Gulf, which relieves us greatly. 
 
 "I need not tell you that I am impatient for the time 
 to come when I shall be home again for good. I think 
 when I walk into our shanty, hang up my hat, and take 
 you and our little ones (one at a time of course) in my 
 arms, I shall be about as happy a fellow as you can find 
 around there. I find it necessary to use some restraint 
 or I should be counting the days that intervene before 
 my muster out, but I do not do it, at least aloud. I will 
 say to yoii, however, privately, that it is just 45 days, or 
 one and one-half months. 
 
 "If I could take the regiment home with me I should 
 be just about perfectly happy, but I see but little pros- 
 pect of being permitted to do that. We shall leave in a 
 few days for San Antonio I expect. We do not know 
 when. The First Division has already gone to Victoria. 
 San Antonio is distant from here 120 or 130 miles. It 
 will require about three weeks to get letters there from 
 Wisconsin." 
 
 "Green Lake, Texas, Aug. 15, 1865. — I have but lit- 
 tle to write. Weather very hot, mosquitoes very thick, 
 and I continue well. We have rumors that the 4th Corps 
 is to be mustered out. I hope the order will come be- 
 fore my time expires. I find that if I am mustered out 
 
228 REMINISCENCES 
 
 before the regiment I do not get the three months' extra 
 pay. This is very unjust, and yet it is in perfect keeping 
 with the policy pursued by the Government toward us. 
 
 ''The 4th Corps has been dissolved by a War De- 
 partment order. Captain Hart has resigned, General 
 Wood, we hear, is ordered to report for duty to General 
 Reynolds, who commands in Arkansas. This looks like 
 a breaking up of the command. In the meantime we 
 keep as patient as we can under the circumstances. We 
 do not do very much soldiering now. No supplies of 
 clothing are sent us — the men are ragged — get scant and 
 poor rations — and of course are restless and dissatis- 
 fied." 
 
 "Green Lake, Tex., Aug. 22, 1865.— Still no change 
 in our condition or prospects. We keep constantly hear- 
 ing that we are to start up the country in a few days, 
 yet we see no signs of going. The Adjutant received 
 letters that told him that he ought to be in Chicago by 
 the 5th of next month to proceed with his business ar- 
 rangements, so he mustered out at once and left last 
 evening. I miss him very much indeed, and can not 
 supply his place. Captain Knilans and Lieutenant 
 Knox (Company I) left here two days ago as delegates to 
 the Union State Convention to be held at Madison on 
 September 6th. Captain Steele has leave of absence and 
 went with them. 
 
 "Your letter to Hastings is just the thing. I have 
 shown it to some of the officers and they think it can 
 not be beaten, although I should probably not have ad- 
 vised you to write it, yet I am glad you did so. 
 
 "The two doctors in the hospital, steward. Captain 
 Pish and myself constitute our mess. We live cheap, 
 but oh, such living! Our crackers are so old that the 
 worms have taken up their abode in them; but we rap 
 them on the table and nearly all fall out. They are also 
 musty and mouldy, and are not very appetizing. I do 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 229 
 
 not know but I shall kill myself by eating too much when 
 I get home. The health of the regiment is pretty good 
 now, and I seriously think the principal reason for the 
 improvement is that the doctors are unable to get any 
 medicine. The weather is very warm but the nights are 
 growing perceptibly cooler. Mosquitoes are on the 
 decrease, owing to dry weather." 
 
 "Green Lake, Texas, Aug. 27, 1865. — I have not 
 written to you since the 22d, for the reason that we are 
 in the midst of a great storm and no mails have gone out 
 or arrived for several days. It has rained terribly the 
 most of the time for three days and the roads are almost 
 impassable. It seems to be holding up now, and I hope 
 the mail will go out tomorrow. No vessels can get in or 
 go out the pass below Indianola. General Wood, who 
 has been ordered to Little Rock, has been at Indianola 
 for several days unable to get aM^ay. The storm comes 
 from the northeast and is unusual for the season. The 
 water has been over the bottom of our tent several times. 
 The men are getting sick a good deal. Ague and remit- 
 tent fevers predominate, but yield readily to treatment. 
 One trouble is that we can get scarcely any medicine at 
 all. The neglect and utter indifference of the authori- 
 ties to the welfare of these men is fearful. No supplies 
 of medicine or clothing, very poor rations and insuffi- 
 cient in quality at that — is our lot. This, in addition to 
 being held in service after their contract with the Gov- 
 ernment has been fully executed, is pretty rough treat- 
 ment for the men who have breasted the tide of war for 
 four long years and whose valor and fortitude have 
 saved the Government from total ruin. And the most 
 aggravating thing about our situation is that there does 
 not exist the least necessity for our services. For all 
 any good we do the Government we might as well be in 
 the Fiji Islands, and yet we see no indication that the 
 corps will be mustered out soon." 
 
230 REMINISCENCES 
 
 "Green Lake, Texas, Pri., Sept. 1, 1865. — Yesterday 
 we were moving camp about two miles to better ground, 
 and I had to muster the regiment, all of which made a 
 lively day's work. The health of the regiment is bad. 
 Fully one-third of the men are unfit for duty. The sick- 
 ness would not be severe, but we have no medicine, and 
 the men get worse and worse for want of treatment. One 
 died in Company F today, an Indian ; and we shall lose 
 several more. The officers on the sick list are Captains 
 Kingman and Patchin, Lieutenants Cheney and Beck- 
 with and Colonel Kummel. The latter has applied for a 
 leave of absence and if he gets it will start for home 
 soon. Captain Kingman will be mustered out as soon as 
 he is able to travel. Captain Parker has also sent in his 
 resignation. 
 
 "We have a clean, pleasant camp on the bank of the 
 lake, on the bare prairie, not a tree about us. The 
 weather is hot, but we get a breeze every afternoon 
 which makes us comfortable. Mosquitoes are reason- 
 ably plentiful and very large and energetic. I 
 find my bar a perfect protection. We get no light on 
 our future destiny, but rather expect to go up the coun- 
 try, at least as far as Victoria. That place is 22 miles 
 from here. I have pretty much given up the hope of 
 being able to take the regiment home with me, which I 
 assure you is a sore disappointment to me." 
 
 "Green Lake, Texas., Sept. 5, 1865. — The days drag 
 along slowly enough, but I keep myself in as patient a 
 frame of mind as possible. Coarse food, poorly cooked, 
 and very poor water, is enough to use up almost any- 
 body ; so the sick list is very large. Fully one-third are 
 reported sick — none seem to be dangerously so. In other 
 respects our condition is improving. We get better 
 rations and have received clothing. 
 
 "We are terribly troubled with mosquitoes. They 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 231 
 
 come in myriads and early in the evening drive us under 
 our mosquito-bars. 
 
 "The weather is generally very hot. Altogether our 
 situation is not pleasant here and I am anxious for the 
 time to come when I can leave. I ride nearly every after- 
 noon to a farm house between two and three miles from 
 here for a drink of water out of a cistern. It is a great 
 luxury. The country is infested with robbers between 
 here and Victoria. 
 
 "I have sent my last flO to New Orleans for quinine. 
 It is the only thing to break up the fevers, and it is so 
 long since the regiment was paid that there is no money 
 in the regiment, and while mine lasted it was common 
 property, and a man would be a heathen to not send for 
 the medicine if he had any money. I really needed it 
 myself for comforts, but it may save life. 
 
 "I sit here in this pestilential country, surrounded 
 with more discomforts and in more real danger than I 
 have been in for a long time, and wait as patently as I 
 can. I should have been glad to have crossed the Gulf 
 before the equinoctial storms, but that seems out of the 
 question now. No signs of being mustered out, or any 
 movement, at present. I command the brigade and 
 Beatty the division." 
 
 "Green Lake, Texas, Sept. 8, 1865. — I have only a 
 moment in which to write. The Adjutant had to come 
 back to get his papers corrected — he was very sick on the 
 way back, but is better. He arrived here yesterday 
 morning. Captain Knilans got paid in New Orleans and 
 sent me |50 to enable me to get out of this. I sent im- 
 mediately to Victoria to get an order from General 
 Stanley to muster out now. I expect it tonight. If I get 
 it shall start in two or three days, and hope to be home 
 by October 1st, perhaps a little before. If I do not get it 
 I must stay my time out. If you do not get a letter for a 
 week after you get this you may infer that I am en route 
 
232 REMINISCENCES 
 
 borne. The Adjutant leaves this morning for New Or- 
 leans, where he will wait for me. Captain Kingman 
 soes with me." 
 
 Soon after September 8, 1865, the date of the 
 last of the above letters, the regiment received orders to 
 march to Victoria, and at once moved to that place. As 
 the term of the judicial oflflce to which my husband had 
 been elected was to commence so soon after that time, he 
 felt that it was necessary for him to return to Wisconsin 
 as soon as possible to make preparations for his new 
 duties. He therefore forwarded to the proper officer his 
 resignation as Colonel, which was promptly accepted. 
 He then returned to Wisconsin, reaching Madison about 
 the first of October. Owing to the resignation of his 
 predecessor before the end of his term of office, his 
 judicial duties commenced on the first day of December, 
 1865, and from that time forward were constant and 
 exacting. 
 
 Later an order was received that the regiment re- 
 turn to Wisconsin, to be mustered out of service. It 
 reached Madison the latter part of December, when it 
 was mustered out and the men joyfully returned to their 
 homes and the peaceful pursuits of civil life. 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 
 
 233 
 
 Address of Colonel Lyon at Madison, Wisconsin, on the 
 
 Oocamon of the Presentation to the State of the 
 
 Battle-Flags of the Wisconsin Regiments. 
 
 (July 4, 1866.) 
 
 overnor Fairchild : It now becomes my 
 pleasing duty, in behalf of more than 
 ninety thousand soldiers who went 
 forth from Wisconsin during the late 
 war to aid in the preservation of the 
 Union, formally to surrender to the 
 State, through you, its honored Chief 
 Magistrate, these standards which 
 from time to time it committed to 
 our care. 
 
 "It is right and proper that this day, dear above all 
 other days to the hearts of freemen, should be selected 
 for this interesting ceremou}-. It is meet that these ban- 
 ners should be returned to the keeping of the State 
 amid the roar of artiller^'^, the ringing of bells, the in- 
 spiring strains of martial music, and in the presence of 
 these congregated thousands of people, so many of whom 
 have marched beneath them through all these weary, 
 anxious years of war, and through so many scenes of 
 peril and suffering and death. It is well on such a day 
 and on such an occasion that you receive these banners 
 from the hands that have borne them so proudly and so 
 gallantly, and with fitting ceremonies deposit them with 
 the archives of the State. 
 
 "They whom I represent today neither expect nor 
 desire that I should enlarge upon the subject of their 
 services or speak the language of adulation. Yet I will 
 not attempt to disguise or suppress the emotions of 
 glad exultation with which I regard these mute yet elo- 
 
:^34 REMINISCENCES 
 
 (jueut witnesses of the heroism, the fortitude, the fidelity 
 to duty of Wisconsin soldiers, 
 
 "When treason began its wicked work, and when 
 the institutions of freedom and the cause of human lib- 
 erty were in deadly peril, thousands of our sons rallied 
 around these banners; and at every call of our revered 
 President and Commander-in-Chief, thousands and tens 
 of thousands more rushed to the rescue; and they bore 
 these banners to every field of danger and duty. They 
 carried them in every memorable campaign and through 
 most of the fiercest battles of our terrible struggle for 
 national life. From the Potomac to the distant western 
 frontier, from the Ohio to the Rio Grande, wherever 
 there were foes to face or duty to perform, these banners 
 were borne. 
 
 "Some of them waved proudh^ over scores of the 
 bloodiest battlefields of the war. East and West. They 
 were at Shiloh, luka and Corinth; at Perrj^ville and 
 Stone River and Chickamauga ; at Mission Ridge and 
 Franklin and Nashville; at Manassas and Fredericks- 
 burg and Cedar Mountain ; at Chancellorsville and An- 
 tietam and Gettysburg — glorious Gettysburg! where 
 you, sir, received the stern baptism of fire and of blood I 
 And many of them were conspicuous in all the battles 
 which marked the triumphant advance of our armies 
 upon Vicksburg and Atlanta and Richmond and many 
 other strongholds of the rebellion. 
 
 "But I must not dwell longer upon these inspiring 
 themes. My comrades do not require that I should do 
 so, but they do require that I should improve this most 
 auspicious occasion in their name to thank the people 
 of Wisconsin for their constant sympathy and their un- 
 tiring devotion to the best interests of the soldiers in the 
 field. 
 
 "Those who were not in actual service can never 
 fully understand the value of that sympathy and that 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 235 
 
 devotion. It was a tower of strength to the soldier to 
 know that at his distant home every patriotic heart felt 
 for him the deepest solicitude, and that in almost every 
 town, village and hamlet throughout his State organized 
 efforts, earnest and presevering, were being made to pro- 
 mote his welfare. 
 
 "These considerations nerved his heart and 
 strengthened his arm in the hour of peril. They gave 
 him fortitude when surrounded by circumstances of dis- 
 couragement, and faith in the ultimate triumph of the 
 cause so dear to his heart. Thus was his patriotism in- 
 tensified and thus did he become invincible. 
 
 "It was the soldier's duty to toil and struggle and 
 light, and, if so ordered in the good providence of God, 
 to suffer and die for our cause; but toil was lightened 
 and suffering and death were easier to be borne when he 
 knew that from thousands of devoted hearts constant 
 aspirations were ascending to Heaven for his success 
 and safety, and that if he fell his memory would be 
 kindly cherished by the good and true who cared for 
 him. 
 
 "The evidences of the deep interest of our people in 
 the welfare of our soldiers are too numerous to admit of 
 more than a passing notice. It was manifested in the 
 princely contributions to the funds of the Sanitary and 
 Christian Commissions, in the active and efficient work 
 of the numerous soldiers' aid societies, in relieving the 
 wants of the destitute families of soldiers, and in thou- 
 sands of instances of individual effort and individual 
 sacrifice — all for the same beneficent purpose and all 
 tending to the same great end. And the State, through 
 its Legislature, true to the exalted patriotism of the 
 people, provided as far as practicable by legal enact- 
 ments for the protection and welfare of our soldiers and 
 their families. It sent out its accredited agents to watch 
 over and care for us and to protect our rights ; it gave us 
 
236 REMINISCENCES 
 
 the elective franchise; aud it appropriated immense 
 sums in the aggregate for the benefit of our families at 
 home. And from people and State, all through the long 
 and bloody and sometimes apparently doubtful contest 
 — came to us words of cheer and hopefulness and ap- 
 proval that filled our hearts with joy unspeakable. 
 
 ^'^It was this spirit that sent the lamented Governor 
 Harvey to the bloody field of Shiloh to minister to the 
 ^\auts of our sick aud wounded and dying men; and 
 u hen the turbid waters of the Tennessee closed over him 
 forever, the same spirit prompted her who was nearest 
 aud dea7*<\st to him to dedicate her life to the same holy 
 work. 
 
 "Aud it is the same spirit, still fresh and vigorous in 
 our State, that has organized and that fosters aud sus- 
 tains those beueficeut institutions made necessary by the 
 casualties of the war — the home for disabled soldiers and 
 for soldiers' orphans. 
 
 "I have alluded to some of the good effects of all 
 this care and solicitude for the welfare of our soldiers; 
 but it developed anotiier and more important result, to 
 which I will briefly refer. 
 
 "When the war commenced very many people were 
 deeply apprehensive that our young men who entered 
 the service might return to us more or less demoralized. 
 They feared that the associations of the camp, the ir- 
 regularities of military life, the absence of the salutary 
 restraints of home, and the necessary familiarity with 
 scenes of violence and blood, might render them less in- 
 dustrious, less moral, less peaceable, and therefore less 
 useful citizens than they otherwise would have been. 
 
 "But the war closed and these men returned to our 
 midst and quietly took their places in civil life, showing 
 no signs whatever of the existence of that demoraliza- 
 tion which so many feared. The only change we find in 
 them is that they are more thoughtful, more self-reliant 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAE 237 
 
 aud more earnest men, and therefore better and more 
 valuable citizens than they were before. 
 
 "Why is this? I have already hinted at the reason. 
 It is because the people at home manifested so deep an 
 interest in them ; because they gave so many substantial 
 evidences of that interest, and maintained intercourse 
 with them so constantly that our soldiers felt themselves 
 ever in the presence of their families and friends. The 
 restraints of social life and the sweet and tender influ- 
 ences of home were ever over aud around them, guarding 
 them from evil and preserving their integrity and char- 
 acter. 
 
 "Hence the wonderful phenomena of a vast army, 
 which had been in the field for years, disbanded and 
 scattered in every community throughout the whole 
 land, without discord, without demoralization, and with- 
 out any disturbance of the quiet, peaceful currents of 
 civil life. 
 
 "This is a sublime spectacle ; and I repeat with emo- 
 tions of profound gratitude that the most efficient, the 
 most powerful agency in producing a result of such price- 
 less value, was that spirit of deep, heartfelt sympathy 
 for our soldiers, and that active interest in their welfare, 
 so universally manifested by our people at home during 
 the whole period of the war. 
 
 "And now, sir, having acknowledged our obliga- 
 tions to our people, I return for a few moments to the 
 theme which the occasion presses more directly upon 
 our attention. These banners are the glorious symbols of 
 our national unity, the material representations of the 
 institutions of freedom and of the patriotism of the peo- 
 ple. Like the cross to the believer — to the soldier the 
 flag under which he fights is the cherished emblem of 
 his faith and his hope and the object of his devoted love. 
 To his mind, the honor of the flag is synonymous with 
 individual honor and with the honor and glorv of the 
 
288 KEMINISCENOES 
 
 State and the Nation, and includes them all. Every 
 patriotic heart cherished the same sentiment. 
 
 "Hence do these banners become to us the symbols 
 and emblems and mementoes of all the labors and sacri- 
 fices and prayers of all the people for the success of our 
 arms. In this view they have a history ; a history event- 
 ful, thrilling and glorious in some of its details, and yet 
 inexpressibly mournful and touching and sad in others. 
 A history which may never be traced on parchment or 
 fully uttered by human lips, yet which is written in in- 
 delible characters upon the hearts and memories of thou- 
 sands throughout the land. 
 
 "The mother who sent forth her son with prayers 
 and blessings and bitter tears from her peaceful home, 
 to fight and die for his country, and who sits today by 
 her desolate hearth-stone and weeps because he returns 
 no more, and yet who thanks God that she had an offer- 
 ing so valuable to lay upon the altar of her bleeding 
 country; the wife whose husband sleeps his last, dream- 
 less sleep upon some distant Southern battlefield, and 
 from whose life the light and joy and beauty have gone 
 (Hit forever; these, and every sorrowing, desolate heart 
 made such by the war, are amongst the custodians of 
 this wonderful history. So, also, is every soldier who 
 has marched and fought beneath these banners ; so, also, 
 is each patriot who has labored in civil life for the suc- 
 cess of our arms, or who has breathed fervent prayers to 
 heaven for the triumph of the right. 
 
 "But I must hasten to a conclusion. When these 
 banners were entrusted to our care we promised with 
 hands uplifted to heaven that we would defend the honor 
 of the State and the Nation, of which these were the 
 symbols, under all circumstances and to the last ex- 
 tremity ; and in behalf of those to whom they were thus 
 entrusted I solemnly declare that this promise has been 
 faithfully performed. 
 
OP THE CIVIL WAR 239 
 
 "So we return these banners to the State, from 
 Avhence we received them. They are bruised and torn 
 and tattered ; but, thanks be to God, there is no stain of 
 dishonor upon one of them ! 
 
 "Receive them, sir, from our hands, and deposit 
 them with the archives of the State. Let us always ful- 
 fill our sacred obligations to those who are maimed or 
 who fell in their defense, and to their helpless families; 
 and as we gaze with affectionate veneration upon these 
 sacred symbols of our national faith, let us never forget 
 the lessons of patriotism and of fidelity to duty which 
 their history inculcates." 
 
240 
 
 REMINISCENCES 
 
 Reunion of Vmnpany K, Eighth Wisconsin Volunteer 
 Infantry, Geneva, Wisconsin, October Sth. 
 
 [omrades of Company K, Ladies and 
 Gentlemen : There can be few more 
 joyous occasions on earth than the 
 meeting of those who in pursuit of 
 some great and glorious object have 
 endured together for years peril, 
 privation and suffering, and who have 
 been long separated by the chances 
 and vicissitudes of life. 
 "Hence it is that to 3'ou, comrades, who so long and 
 so faithfully served together as soldiers in the armies of 
 the Union during the late rebellion, the occasion of this 
 reunion is one of most intense interest and delightful 
 enjoyment. 
 
 "The friendships formed between those who volun- 
 tarily banded together and went forth to fight, and if 
 need be to die for their country, who marched and toiled 
 side by side, and who stood shoulder to shoulder in the 
 dark and terrible hours of battle and carnage, are 
 among the deepest and most lasting of earthly friend- 
 ships. 
 
 "As you clasp the hand and gaze upon the loved 
 features of each brave comrade, memories of some thrill- 
 ing scene through which you have passed together, with 
 some memorable event which stirred the hearts of both 
 either with gladness 01 sorrow, come back to you with 
 the vividness of reality. 
 
 "It may be that those memories are of the time when 
 in obedience to a sacred duty you sternly tore yourselves 
 away from the fond embraces of sister, or mother, or 
 child, or wife, who clung to you with such unutterable 
 love, and leaving behind you desolate homes and break- 
 ing hearts, your own heart bleeding at every pore, you 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 241 
 
 for the first time went forth to the fields of war. It may 
 be that they are of the time when the march was weary 
 and long, beneath a scorching southern sun, or through 
 storm and darkness, and when the luxury of repose, 
 even for a brief period and upon the hard earth, was 
 necessarily denied you. Perchance they are of the time 
 that you ministered, oh ! so tenderly, to your comrade 
 when disease was upon him and he lay prostrate and 
 helpless, racked with pain or scorched with fever, and 
 no gentle hand or loving voice of sister, mother or wife 
 could be felt or heard to alleviate his sufferings or soothe 
 his fevered brain. Perchance these memories are of the 
 hour when the fierce conflict raged, when the air was 
 filled with the iron messengers of destruction tearing 
 through your ranks, and when the brave, the good, and 
 the true died that a nation might live; or it may be that 
 they are of the time when the rebellion had been crushed 
 and the nation was saved, and amid the plaudits of a 
 grateful people (to use from memor}^ the language of 
 another ) , "the mustering-out order came and you turned 
 your faces northward, and marched, with joy unspeak- 
 able, to the music of "Home, Sweet Home !" ' 
 
 "These and kindred memories are awakened by this 
 glad reunion of comrades who have been long separated, 
 and they serve greatly to enhance the interest of the oc- 
 casion. 
 
 "But as we mingle here in affectionate intercourse, 
 and live over in memory the stirring scenes through 
 which we have passed, we can not forget that there are 
 many vacant places in our ranks today ! They who once 
 filled them can answer no more at our roll calls! We 
 shall meet them no more on earth, for 'The silver cord is 
 loosed and the golden bowl is broken !' They fell before 
 'the pestilence which walketh in darkness and the de- 
 struction which wasteth at noonday.' Their lives ebbed 
 
242 REMINISCENCES 
 
 out on the battlefield, or wasted away in camp and hos- 
 pital, from wounds or by the ravages of disease. 
 
 " 'They sleep their last sleep, they have fought their last 
 
 battle, 
 No sound shall awake them to glory again.' 
 
 "With drums muffled and arms reversed, with slow 
 and measured steps, with saddened hearts and tearful 
 eyes, we followed their lifeless remains to their last rest- 
 ing places and tenderly laid them there to await the 
 resurrection morning. 
 
 " 'Our bayonets earthward were turning. 
 
 And the drums' muffled notes beat around. 
 
 But they heard not the voice of our mourning, 
 Nor awoke to the bugle's sound.' 
 
 "Brave, heroic men ! Although life was sweet to 
 you, and your hearts were filled with bright anticipa- 
 tions of the future, yet with a sublime patriotism you 
 freely gave your lives to your country. The tree of lib- 
 erty has been fertilized and made vigorous with your 
 blood ! Your memories shall be cherished, revered and 
 blessed for evermore! 
 
 "Surely, while life and sensibility remain to us we 
 shall not fail to render heartfelt tributes of affection to 
 the memory of these, our fallen comrades. 
 
 "Nor would we forget those of our number who 
 survived the perils of the war but have since passefl 
 away. Within a few days one of these, a good and faith- 
 ful soldier and a true friend, was suddenly called from 
 our midst. As the years roll on, one after another of our 
 number will also receive the final discharge. But the 
 remnant of our company will meet year after year, as we 
 meet today, and will not forget their dead. The ranks 
 
OP THE CIVIL WAR 243 
 
 will be thinned, and the lapse of years will silver the 
 hair and palsy with age the bodies of the survivors ; yet 
 shall there be in the hearts of each a tender cord that 
 shall sweetly vibrate with deep and pure affection for 
 the loved and the earthly lost of our little band ! 
 
 "Let us now turn from the dead to the living. Few 
 more sublime scenes were over witnessed upon earth 
 than that of the mighty uprising of the loyal American 
 people in 1861, to preserve our Government and with it 
 the institution of freedom. With slight exceptions this 
 nation had enjoyed profound peace for almost fifty 
 years. Industry and enterprise were reaping rich re- 
 wards. Commerce, science and art were rapidly extend- 
 ing their benign influences. Education was becoming 
 more and more general. Every element of a lofty civi- 
 lization was in active operation. Outside of the accursed 
 influence of slavery, individual freedom, social, political 
 and religous, was respected and secured. The rule of the 
 Government was so mild and so parental, interfering so 
 slightly with us, that practically we scarcely realized 
 that we had a national Government ; and we had come to 
 believe that institutions fraught with so many blessings 
 and under which we had grown to be a great, prosper- 
 ous and happy nation were in no danger of being as- 
 sailed, much less destroyed. But we were most griev- 
 ously mistaken. 
 
 "Suddenly, and as unexpectedly as a peal of thun- 
 der from an unclouded sky, there burst upon the country 
 the startling intelligence that a gigantic rebellion, hav- 
 ing for its object the overthrow of our Government, had 
 been inaugurated, and that armed traitors were seizing 
 our forts, arsenals and munitions of war, which other 
 perjured traitors had wilfully left undefended or placed 
 within their reach. At first the loyal American people 
 were stunned, almost overwhelmed with astonishment. 
 Immediately came the call of President Lincoln for 75,- 
 
244 REMINISCENCES 
 
 000 volunteers for three months. Thousands in excess 
 of that number, among them many of you, tendered their 
 services to the Government and were not accepted. We 
 all earnestly hoped and believed that the storm would 
 soon abate. Soon after the first call, another was made 
 for 300,000 volunteers to serve for three years, or during 
 the war. In response to that call, and after the disaster 
 at Bull Run had made is quite apparent that a long and 
 bloody contest was before us, the most of you volun- 
 teered as soldiers in the army of the Union, and from 
 thenceforth for four long, weary years, and until the 
 rebellion was utterly crushed out and the dear old flag 
 waved triumphantly over every State, you bore an hon- 
 orable part in the great contest for the preservation and 
 perpetuity of the Union. 
 
 "It is not my purpose today to speak in detail of 
 your services, or to recount your exploits. These are 
 written in imperishable characters upon the pages of 
 your country's history. Suffice it now to say that a lofty 
 patriotism, a burning love of country, was the moving 
 power that sent you to the tented field and that renewed 
 your hearts and strengthened your arms to meet every 
 demand upon you, giving you patience and fortitude in 
 times of privation and suffering, and matchless courage 
 in hours when danger and death surround you. 
 
 "Many of 3'ou came forth from the fiery furnac e of 
 war unharmed in body, for which I devoutly thank God ; 
 and some of you carry upon your persons the wounds 
 which you received in the conflict. Permit me to say to 
 you who are still suffering from the effects of wounds 
 thus received, you have in your sufferings our deepest 
 and most heartfelt sympathy. We pray earnestly for 
 your entire restoration, and we commend you to the 
 loyal and true as men worthy of the rewards to which 
 those are entitled who in the cause of their country have 
 received the stern baptism of blood and fire. 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 245 
 
 "Before the expiration of your term of enlistment 
 it became apparent that the war would continue beyond 
 such term, and the Government made an appeal to you 
 to remain longer in the service. You had become vet- 
 eran warriors, and the continued service of large num- 
 bers of these seemed almost indispensable to the success 
 of our arms. You had served faithfully and well for 
 nearly three years. At the close of your term of enlist- 
 ment you could have retired from the service without 
 any danger of imputation upon your character as sol- 
 diers, and without any violation of your duty to your 
 country. And then, too, your souls hungered and 
 thirsted for all of those sweet sympathies and tender en- 
 dearments of home and family and friends, of which you 
 had been deprived so long. These had been the burden 
 of your thoughts by day and of your dreams by night, 
 through all those years of waiting. And yet, stifling 
 these strong heart-yearnings, many of you, all, doubtless, 
 who could consistently do so, responded gallantly to 
 that call, and re-enlisted as veterans for an additional 
 term of years. Thrice glorious is that page of history 
 upon which is recorded the story of such heroic, self- 
 sacrificing devotion to country ! 
 
 "I must now be pardoned if I make a few remarks 
 personal to myself. When in September, 1861, we or- 
 ganized Company K at Racine, you selected me as your 
 commanding officer. I occupied that position one year, 
 when I was assigned to another field of duty, after 
 which I saw you no more as a company. The first year 
 of his service is certainly the most trying in many 
 respects in a soldier's experience. But during the time 
 I was thus associated with you I received invariably 
 from each member of the company the most kind and 
 considerate treatment and every reasonable evidence of 
 your respect and affection. I regard that year of service 
 as the most memorable year of my life crowded as it was 
 
246 REMINISCENCES 
 
 with events never to be forgotten. I parted from you 
 with emotions of profound sorrow and I watched your 
 future career with intense interest, rejoicing with you 
 in spirit in your successes and sorrowing with you in 
 your afflictions. I never again expect to be associated 
 with a body of men on earth that I love more deeply; 
 and I shall carry with me to my grave a grateful re- 
 membrance of all your kindness. From the depths of 
 my heart I thank you and honor you. 
 
 "As the war approached its conclusion and our 
 armies were about to be disbanded great apprehension 
 was felt and expressed that by reason of their long ser- 
 vice in the field our soldiers had become unfitted for the 
 pursuits of peace and good men trembled for the effect 
 upon society of this supposed demoralization. This 
 fear was not an unreasonable one, because disastrous re- 
 sults had always before followed the disbanding of large 
 armies. But the army was disbanded, and behold, to the 
 astonishment of men the soldiers quietly resumed their 
 places in the ranks of civil life and became at once indus- 
 trious, honored and useful citizens. There was no fric- 
 tion, no demoralization, no letting down of the standard 
 of public or private morals. The reasons for this are 
 quite apparent, and I will briefiy discuss them here. 
 After the close of the war I had the honor to be selected 
 to return to the soldiers of Wisconsin the banners which 
 they carried through the war. That duty was performed 
 at Madison July 4, 1866, and in some remarks there sub- 
 mitted I discussed this subject more at length than 
 would be proper here. 
 
 "Suffice it to say that the reasons for this wonderful 
 fact are to be found : first, in the character of the Amer- 
 ican soldiers, and second, in the nature of the influences 
 which surrounded them. Our soldiers were fighting to 
 preserve the Government, and for the preservation and 
 extension of civil liberty. They were men of intelligence 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 247 
 
 and culture, and the nature of the contest in which they 
 were engaged led them to reflect deeply upon the duties 
 and obligations of the citizen to the Government and to 
 society, in peace as well as in war. Obeying the require- 
 ments of those duties and obligations in war, at the risk 
 of everything they held dear, was it strange that they 
 should also obey them in peace, and thus become at once 
 good citizens? 
 
 "Again, the soldiers were constantly kept within 
 the reach of home influences, iSJever before was there so 
 deep an interest taken in the welfare of an army by any 
 nation or people. The whole country abounded in 
 agencies and efforts having for their object the comfort 
 and improvement of the soldiers. Amongst these were 
 the Sanitary and Christian Commissions, most benefi- 
 cent organizations, with the operations of which you are 
 all familiar. Delicate women gave their time to nursing 
 the sick, the mails came to the army loaded with kindly 
 messages of love and encouragement, home bounty in 
 thousands of cases cheerfully relieved the wants of 
 those destitute families whom the war deprived of their 
 natural protectors. The hearts of the people were with 
 the army and their constant prayers ascended to heaven 
 for the welfare of the soldiers and the success of our 
 arms. 
 
 "Surrounded by such restraining and purifying in- 
 fluences, our soldiers in the field were as safe from de- 
 moralization as though they had remained in their quiet 
 and peaceful homes. 
 
 "Citizens: You who for the love of country sent 
 forth your dear ones to the fields of war, you who con- 
 tributed of your substance to alleviate the sufferings or 
 promote the comfort of the soldiers of the Union, or to 
 aid their families at home when in need, you who spoke 
 or sent to your country's defenders words of greeting 
 aii<l <if sympathy, you who with tender hands nursed 
 
248 REMINISCENCES 
 
 them when they were stricken down with wounds or by 
 disease, you who offered fervent prayers to heaven for 
 their safety and success, can rejoice today that you con- 
 tributed to this grand result. 
 
 "Comrades of Company K : Having testified in the 
 presence of this people of your fidelity in war and peace 
 to the obligations of American citizenship, I must hasten 
 to a conclusion. These institutions of freedom are of 
 priceless value. They are the hope and joy of the world. 
 Struggling, oppressed and down-trodden humanity 
 everywhere hail them with delight, and watch and wait 
 for the time, and pray that it may speedily come, when 
 their glory shall fill the earth. It is our high duty to 
 see to it that these institutions are maintained inviolate. 
 'Eternal vigilence is the price of liberty.' You were 
 faithful sentinels when perhaps the safety of armies de- 
 pended upon your fidelity. Be you also faithful senti- 
 nels upon the watch-towers of freedom ! Exert all the 
 powers and influence which God has given you to the 
 preservation of that for which you fought, and which we 
 now enjoy, to the end that our children and our chil- 
 dren's children to the remotest generation may enjoy 
 the same rich blessings; and to the end also that by 
 force of our example all kings and princes and rulers of 
 men in all the earth shall be constrained to acknowledge 
 and practice the sublime truths that, 'All men are equal 
 before the law,' and that every man upon this broad foot- 
 stool of God, however lowly his condition, is entitled to 
 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.' 
 
 "Comrades: Our pleasant reunion draws to its 
 close. We must soon separate, but we do so in the joyful 
 hope that this separation will be only for a season, and 
 that many delightful reunions await us in the future. 
 IVIay the God of our fathers bless you and help you and 
 make all your future lives useful, prosperous and 
 happy !" 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 
 
 249 
 
 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 Oration Delivered at Oakhill Cemetery, Junesvillc, W'ih- 
 
 consm. 
 
 have sometimeis doubted the propriety 
 of devoting to the delivery of ad- 
 dresses any portion of tlie time occu- 
 pied in these memorial services, which 
 are so appropriately held each year 
 throughout the country over the 
 graves of our dead soldiers. There 
 are conditions of mind that are far 
 better expressed by silence than by 
 words; there are emotions of the heart too deep for 
 utterance. In the first light of a great joy, or in the 
 first darkness of a great grief, the heart turns within 
 itself to revel in its happiness undisturbed or to suffer 
 its affliction in silence and alone. But after the first 
 emotions, whether of pleasure or pain, have passed, and 
 we come to contemplate more calmly the event that has 
 brightened or saddened our lives, we naturally seek the 
 congratulations or sympathy of others and derive a 
 satisfaction in giving utterance to our surcharged feel- 
 ings. 
 
 "This may be our state of mind today. When these 
 brave men whose services we are here to commemorate, 
 fell in the defense of the nation, whether on the field of 
 battle, or in prison or hospital, you bowed your heads 
 and wept. You thought of their sacrifices, of their suf- 
 ferings, and of their untimely death. You knew that no 
 mother, sister, or wife, was there to wipe the cold death- 
 damp from the brow, or to whisper in the ear of the 
 dying hero those words of love that are so precious to 
 one just entering the dark Valley of the Shadow of 
 
250 REMINISCENCES 
 
 Death. And if the blow fell not upon your own immedi- 
 ate circle (and oh, how few escaped!), you thought of 
 the desolated homes of others less fortunate, and of the 
 hearts crushed with anguish, from which the light and 
 joy and beauty had gone forever. Oh, how feeble and 
 impotent were mere words to give utterance to all you 
 felt! For such feelings there was no appropriate ex- 
 pression but that of deepest silence. 
 
 "But since these memorable experiences years have 
 elapsed. Time, which in the good providence of God is 
 ordained to assuage the bitterest anguish — else life 
 would be unendurable to most of us— time has softened 
 the keenness of the pangs we then endured, and we can 
 now with a degree of composure speak to each other of 
 our irreparable loss. Indeed, we can stand, as it were, 
 in the immediate presence of our honored dead, and 
 while our feet press reverently the green sod beneath 
 which they repose, we may derive a mournful satisfac- 
 tion in recounting the story of their deeds — how 
 promptly they responded to the calls of a lofty patri- 
 otism, to do which they were required to tear asunder 
 the dearest earthly ties — how faithfully and unselfishly 
 they performed their ceaseless round of duty — and how 
 fearlessly, even cheerfully, they made the last great 
 sacrifice. 
 
 "Whether we regard the nature of the sacrifice or 
 the cause in which it was made, the men who gave their 
 lives to the country in our late terrible struggle for 
 national existence are entitled to the everlasting grati- 
 tude not only of every American citizen but of every 
 lover of liberty throughout the world. These men died 
 for the cause of civil and religious liberty. They died to 
 vindicate the capacity for and right of man to self-gov- 
 ernment. In the words of our late lamented President, 
 Mr. Lincoln, 'They died that government of the people, 
 by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 251 
 
 the earth.' In what nobler cause could a man lay down 
 his life? He who dies for the cause of human libertj^ 
 dies for the cause of justice, of humanity, of religion ; for 
 all these depend greatly upon the existence of national 
 and individual freedom. 
 
 "And then what shall we say of the magnitude of 
 the sacrifice? Say what we will, moralize upon it as we 
 may, death is a most momentous event. To bid adieu 
 to earth, to close our eyes upon all its scenes of beauty, 
 to surrender its pursuits, its cherished hopes, its sweet 
 affections, and all that makes life so pleasant and joyful 
 — thoughts of these fill the hearts of the purest and best, 
 at times, with dark apprehensions. To solve the dread 
 mystery of death — to go forth upon that journey from 
 which we may return no more — to approach the portals 
 of the untried future world of which we hear so much, 
 and of which, save by the power of a lively faith, we 
 know so little, may well appall the stoutest heart. The 
 sacred influences of divine grace may cheer and encour- 
 age us, and give us fortitude to meet our inevitable des- 
 tiny with composure ; but how seldom do poor imperfect 
 mortals rise to that plane of Christian faith which en- 
 ables them fearlessly to exclaim, 'O Death, where is thy 
 sting? O Grave, where is thy victory?' 
 
 "It is because this is true that in all ages of the 
 world the highest honors have been paid by the living 
 to the memories of those who have given their lives for 
 the good of our race — of those who have died to vindicate 
 some great principle. The martyrs in every good cause 
 have sooner or later received the applause and veneration 
 of the world. The men and women who for their love of 
 Christ were in former ages thrown to wild beasts, or 
 swung upon the gibbet, or burned at the stake, were not 
 more truly martyrs than were those who gave their lives 
 for the salvation of our country and the preservation of 
 liberty. And when, throughout this broad land, thou- 
 
252 REMINISCENCES 
 
 sauds of our people assemble on the appointed day in the 
 silent cities of the deiid and tenderly strew the first 
 tiowers of the glad springtime upon the graves of our 
 martyred heroes, they but obey a most natural and yet 
 a most exalted impulse of the human heart. 
 
 "We must not forget that nearly all of those whose 
 heroic deeds we this day commemorate died in the morn- 
 ing of their lives. When they went forth from our midst 
 to face the wild storm of war, their cheeks were flushed 
 with health, their eyes sparkled with love and hope and 
 bright anticipations for the future, their hearts 
 throbbed with pure and holy aft'ections. How beautiful, 
 how full of peace and gladness did life appear to them ! 
 Its purest, richest, best treasures seemed within their 
 reach, and they doubted not their ability to stretch forth 
 tlieir hands and gather them and be happy. No fears of 
 disappointed hopes and crushed aft'ections came to mar 
 the beauty of that joyous, glorious future which their 
 ardent imaginations had pictured, for they had not been 
 called upon to endure the sorrows and disappointments 
 which in later years are so prone to cast their dark 
 shadows upon our hearts and wean our affections from 
 (^his perishing earth. To them their future pathway 
 seemed to be strewed with flowers as bright as those 
 which loving hands are this day scattering upon their 
 graves. 
 
 "Blessed be God for the buoyancy, the trusting 
 faith, the lofty purpose, and the pure and holy impulses 
 of youth ! These are oases to which the weary, heart-sick 
 traveler over the desert of life may turn and be refreshed. 
 But when the dark hours came, when Treason lifted its 
 head and sought the nation's life, and when it became 
 apparent that the tree of liberty must again be fertilized 
 with human blood, or else wither and die, the effect upon 
 our young men was most wonderful. They were equal 
 to the exigencies of the occasion. From farm and shop 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 258 
 
 and office, from the halls of learning and from the sacred 
 desk — from every calling and pursuit in life^ — they ral- 
 lied to their country's standard, ready to endure toil, 
 peril, and if need be death, that the nation might live. 
 The strong ties of affection, the cherished hopes and 
 plans of life, the grim presence in their path of 'The 
 pestilence which walketh in darkness and the destruc- 
 tion which wasteth at noon-day' — all these were power- 
 less to keep them from the post of duty and danger. 
 This sentiment of patriotism was no transient emotion 
 in their breasts. It was a deep, all-pervading, enduring 
 principle. It made them self-sacrificing, faithful, 
 brave, and yet kind and tender. In ai word, it developed 
 them into the full stature of heroes and rendered them 
 invincible. 
 
 "I have just alluded to one characteristic of a true 
 soldier upon which I love to speak. I said he was kind 
 and tender. Those of you who saw something of our 
 armies in the field understand this full well. Some of 
 you have seen him in every phase of a soldier's trying 
 life. You have seen him voluntarily and cheerfully take 
 the place of a disabled brother soldier on the lonely and 
 perilous outpost in the immediate presence of the enemy, 
 dnd there, through hours of darkness and tempest, faith- 
 fully keep the ceaseless vigils of liberty. You have wit- 
 nessed his self-sacrificing, generous spirit manifested in 
 a thousand ways. You saw him nursing his sick com- 
 rade with all the ineffable tenderness of women, and 
 you have seen him shed scalding tears when some loved 
 one fell. Oh, how precious are the tears of a soldier 
 over his dead comrade ! They show that a tender, loving 
 heart is compatible with the highest courage. So sang 
 some sweet poet long ago in words familiar to all : 
 
 " 'Go, watch the foremost rank in battle's wild career ; 
 Be sure the hand most daring there has wiped away a 
 tear/ 
 
L'51 KEMINIHCENCES 
 
 "Such were the men whose grand achievements and 
 sublime patriotism we this day commemorate. Standing 
 here in this quiet, lovely retreat, set apart for the final 
 resting place of your loved ones, after 'The silver cord is 
 loosed and the golden bowl is broken' — with the bright 
 sunlight of heaven upon us and all nature rejoicing in 
 the smile of its Creator, with this strange blending of 
 both sweet and mournful influences upon us, standing 
 here upon this thrice hallowed spot, in the mystical 
 l)resence of our dead heroes, and remembering their pat- 
 riotism and sacrifices for us and our children, our hearts 
 would be cold indeed did we not experience in some de- 
 gree the emotions which stirred the heart of Israel's great 
 lawgiver when the mysterious voice said to him from 
 the midst of the burning bush, 'Put off thy shoes from 
 off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy 
 ground.' 
 
 "But our gratitude is not confined to those of our 
 martyred sons who rest so peacefully here. Our hearts 
 expand to include all who fell in the Nation's defense, 
 wherever their lifeless forms may repose. These are not 
 all gathered where a grateful people may stand by their 
 graves and scatter these beautiful tokens of remem- 
 brance over them. In thousands they sleep where they 
 fell, and sorrowing friends may never know the place. 
 This sad thought is not without its consolations. There 
 is, after all, a propriety in burying a fallen soldier upon 
 the field from which amid the tumult and carnage and 
 wild scenes of battle his heroic spirit ascended to (lod. 
 Who has not felt the force of this thought when he has 
 read the sad and touching story of the burial of Sir 
 John Moore! 
 
 " 'We finished our task, and left him alone 
 On the field of his fame fresh and gory ; 
 
 We carved not a line, we raised not a stone. 
 But left him alone in his glory.' 
 
OP THE CIVIL WAR 255 
 
 "Although we may not literally scatter flowers upon 
 those unknown graves, yet will we do so in spirit ; and 
 the honors which we here pay to our dead shall be the 
 emblem and symbol of the gratitude we cherish for every 
 fallen Union soldier, wherever his final resting place 
 may be. In this enlarged spirit let this pious observance 
 be continued through the years as they come and go, 
 and let us never weary in rendering due honors to the 
 memories of our illustrious dead. 
 
 " 'Bring flowers, bright flowers, o'er their graves to shed, 
 Fit crowns for the brows of our gallant dead.' 
 
 "Turn we now for a few moments to the considera- 
 tion of another but kindred theme. My duty would be 
 but poorly and imperfectly performed did I fail to speak 
 of our obligations to the living. The dead are at rest, but 
 the living, who have been bereft of their stay and sup- 
 port, have yet to suffer and mourn. Upon the brave 
 hearts and strong arms of these men, aged parents, lov- 
 ing wives, and helpless children leaned and relied. The 
 strong arms are nerveless, the brave hearts have ceased 
 to beat, and parent, wife and child are treading the dark 
 pathway of life in sorrow and alone. They need our 
 warmest sympathy ; many of them need material aid. It 
 is our duty and our high privilege to give them both. 
 They have suffered much. When their loved ones went 
 forth to the rough fields of war, the anguish of parting 
 was almost unendurable; but who shall tell the depth 
 of agony that overwhelmed them when the tidings came 
 that the son, or husband, or father had fallen? Words 
 can not express it. None but those whose hearts have 
 been suddenly crushed by some terrible blow can ever ap- 
 preciate it. There are doubtless thousands of widows 
 and helpless children in our land today made such by 
 the cruel fortunes of war, who, in addition to all this 
 
256 REMINISCENOESi 
 
 mental suffering, are living in straightened circum- 
 stances, if they do not actually suffer for the necessaries 
 of life. The Governments, both national and State, have 
 done much to relieve this class — all, perhaps, that it is 
 practicable for them to do — and yet many meritorious 
 cases are unrelieved. I do not know that there are any 
 such in this community. If there are, those unfortunate 
 persons are entitled to your free and liberal aid. You 
 can not entirely lift from their hearts the burden of 
 their great sorrow, but you may lighten that burden 
 by ministering of your abundance to their necessities. 
 If you will feed them and clothe them, and, as you have 
 opportunity, by kindly offices bind up their broken 
 spirits, there shall fall upon your ear and heart in tones 
 more ravishing than strains of sweetest music, the 
 divine assurance, ^Inasmuch as ye did it unto these help- 
 less, sorrowing ones, ye did it unto me.' 
 
 "We shall now perform the pious rites for which 
 we assembled, and then we go forth from this sacred 
 place to the earnest struggles and unceasing duties of 
 life. But the dead, to whom we pay these tributes of 
 gratitude and affection, go not with us. Their bodies 
 rest peacefully here awaiting the resurrection morning. 
 They shall stand no more by our side on earth to encour- 
 age or to console us. With the returning seasons the 
 grass shall grow and the flowers of summer shall bloom 
 upon their graves, and the winter snows shall cover 
 them, and the night wind as it sighs low and plaintively 
 above them shall breathe sadly a dirge and requiem for 
 the dead. Their work is done, ours is not ; and we who 
 stand here today will have failed to catch the true in- 
 spiration of the occasion if we go not hence with high 
 resolve that from henceforth in the gTeat battle of life 
 we will shrink from no necessary toil, or danger, or sac- 
 rifice, but that like these heroic men we will obey the call 
 of duty wherever it may lead us. The highest tribute 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 257 
 
 we can pay to the memorj^ of those who died for our 
 country — who died for us^ — is to show by lives devoted to 
 the good of our fellow men, by earnest endeavor to make 
 the world better and happier because we have lived in 
 it, that their example of lofty self-sacrifice has not been 
 lost upon us. Let us rise to the height of the great argu- 
 ment. In the beautiful language of our own illustrious 
 Bryant, let us 
 
 " 'So live, that when our summons comes to join 
 The innumerable caravan, which moves 
 To that mysterious realm, where each shall take 
 His chamber in the silent halls of death, 
 We go not, like the quarry-slave at night, 
 Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed 
 By an unfaltering trust, approach the grave 
 Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch 
 About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.' 
 
 "Our theme stirs our hearts, and we love to linger 
 here and think and speak of the dead. But we must for- 
 bear. The lengthening shadows will soon admonish us 
 that our exercises must close. 
 
 "And now, ye patriot mart^^rs, you may not hear our 
 words of gratitude, or understand our emotions as we 
 perform these affectionate rites over your earthly rest- 
 ing places; and yet, perhaps you are cognizant of them 
 all. It accords with our feelings today to believe that 
 even now your spirits walk the fields of Paradise in the 
 vigor and glory of immortal youth and in the full enjoy- 
 ment of the rewards which must await those who do 
 their duty on earth. We may not know this certainly, 
 yet our yearning hearts irill ask : 
 
 " 'Where is your dwelling, ye sainted? 
 Through what Elysium more bright 
 Than fancy or hope ever painted. 
 Walk ye in glory and light?' 
 
258 REMINISCENCES 
 
 "But whether ye hear us or not, we will cherish the 
 memory of your achievements; still will we remember 
 you when we behold the victories of that peace which 
 you helped to purchase with your blood, the growth of 
 liberty, the increase of knowledge and of happiness ; the 
 rising, spreading glories of the land you died to save. 
 Still will we render our tearful tribute to your mem- 
 ories; and if wicked men shall again menace with de- 
 struction our cherished institutions of freedom, we will 
 come here to learn anew the lessons of patriotic duty, 
 and in the august presence of heroes once more with 
 voice and heart will we pledge life and everything which 
 we hold most dear on earth to the cause for which you 
 died — the cause of truth, of justice, and of liberty." 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 
 
 259 
 
 Oration Delivered at Waterford, Racine County, Wis- 
 consin, July 4:th, 1859. 
 
 n this beautiful islet, and in this peace- 
 ful 'Temple of the Firmament,' we 
 assemble today, in obedience to a time- 
 honored custom, to commemorate the 
 day and the event from which we date 
 our existence as a free and indepen- 
 dent nation. 
 
 "Eighty-three years ago this day, 
 in the quiet, peaceful city of Philadel- 
 phia, in the old Independence Hall, a scene was enacted 
 which was destined to exert upon the interests of the 
 world, and upon the happiness of mankind, a more im- 
 portant influence for good than any other event which 
 had transpired since the crucifixion and resurrection of 
 the Savior. 
 
 "The actors in this great event were the delegates of 
 the thirteen American Colonies in the Continental Con- 
 gress there assembled — the event itself was the promul- 
 gation by that Congress of the Declaration of American 
 Independence. 
 
 "It is almost impossible for us at this period of time 
 fully to appreciate the sublime heroism of these men in 
 thus boldly sending forth to the world this great declara- 
 tion of their rights, and of the rights of humanity. The 
 act itself was treason. In case of failure, the conse- 
 quences to them and to all who should take up arms in 
 support of the principles by them enunciated would be 
 appalling indeed. By all the rules for estimating the 
 chances of the contest, the failure and defeat of the col- 
 onists seemed almost certain. They were few in num- 
 bers — sparsely scattered over an immense territory — 
 without arms, without munitions of war; exhausted and 
 
260 REMINISCENCES 
 
 impoverished by bloody, harrassing and expensive In- 
 dian wars, the chief burden of which tlie mother country 
 had compelled the colonies to bear ; a hostile, savage foe, 
 infuriated by recent defeats and losses suffered at the 
 hands of the colonists, thronged their frontiers and 
 thirsted for their blood. They had no navy and no forti- 
 fications, they were without money and without credit — 
 and, in a word, they were almost entirely destitute of 
 every mere physical element of success. 
 
 On the other hand, the mother country abounded in all 
 these. She had immense armies and fleets, and vast, 
 boundless resources. She was in possession, by the oc- 
 cupancy of her fleets and armies, of all of the fortifica- 
 tions and strongholds upon this continent. She was en- 
 gaged in no other war of magnitude at that time, to 
 divert her attention or divide her forces. She was in 
 the very zenith of her power and her infiuence among 
 the nations of the earth. As has been most eloquently 
 and truthfully said of her at that period, 'She was rich 
 in arts and in arms, the roll of her morning drum-beat 
 encircled the earth, and upon her dominions the sun 
 never set.' 
 
 "Yet, notwithstanding this frightful disparity in 
 physical resources^ — notwithstanding that to all human 
 appearance the colonies must be crushed in the ap- 
 proaching contest, these heroes faltered not. They knew 
 that the colonies had been denied their just rights and 
 had been oppressed and down-trodden by the mother 
 country. They knew that their most sacred rights had 
 been invaded and destroyed, and they saw no hope in 
 the future that their grievances would be voluntarily 
 redressed. Their motto was, 'It is better to die free men 
 than to live slaves,' and they hesitated not to act. To 
 them the path of duty was plain; and although it was 
 the path of danger, perhaps of death, they never faltered 
 in the pursuit of their purpose. Appealing to the Su- 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 261 
 
 preme Judge of the world for the rectitude of their in- 
 tentions, and relying with a sincere faith upon the pro- 
 tection of Divine Providence, and pledging each to the 
 other, 'life, fortune and sacred honor,' in its support, 
 they sent forth to the world the glorious Declaration of 
 American Independence — and thus inaugurated the 
 American Revolution. 
 
 "It would be a pleasing task today to trace the his- 
 tory of that revolution ; to dwell upon the heroism, the 
 fortitude, the unyielding firmness of purpose, the deep 
 devotion to the principles of liberty, the firm reliance 
 upon the justice of their cause and the protection of the 
 Almighty, displayed by our forefathers in that mem- 
 orable contest. Did not other themes of more pressing, 
 practical importance to us claim our attention today, I 
 should delight to roam, for the brief period alloted me, 
 in these interesting historical fields ; to recall to mind the 
 noble heroism of the men and women of the Revolution ; 
 to speak of their labors, their sacrifices, and their suf- 
 ferings, and the glorious results which their valor and 
 wisdom achieved. I leave these delightful themes re- 
 luctantly, lingering only to say that the brave actors in 
 the stirring and momentous scenes of the Revolution 
 have nearly all passed away. 'The places that once knew 
 them shall know them no more forever.' There are doubt- 
 less those within the sound of my voice today who never 
 have met, and who never will meet this side of heaven, 
 a soldier of the Revolution. The men who fought for 
 liberty and the rights of men at Lexington and Bunker 
 Hill, at Saratoga, Bennington and Yorktown, at Brandy- 
 wine, at Guilford, at Eutaw Springs and at Camden, 
 and upon all the other memorable battlefields of the 
 Revolution, whether amid the frosts and snows of the 
 North or in the swamps and everglades of the South, 
 have been gathered to their fathers. 
 
262 REMINISCENCES 
 
 " 'They sleep their last sleep, they have fought their last 
 
 battle; 
 No sound shall awake them to glory again.' 
 
 "But they live in the gratitude of their countrymen 
 and of the friends of liberty throughout the earth, who 
 will with one accord acknowledge that whatever of 
 superior civil and religious liberty we enjoy, whatever of 
 the elements of power and greatness we possess as a 
 nation, whatever of influence for good our free institu- 
 tions have exerted and are exerting upon the destinies 
 of mankind, we owe it all to them. And so long as lofty 
 virtue and heroic deeds excite the admiration, and the 
 love of liberty inspires the hearts of men, so long will 
 the memory of these heroes be cherished and loved by 
 the good and the true of every land through all the ages 
 to come. 
 
 "I pass to another and I fear to a less interesting 
 theme. The great leading ideas of the Declaration of 
 Independence are the perfect freedom and equality of all 
 men, and that the true functions of human governments 
 are to protect and to preserve that freedom and that 
 equality; or, in other words, that governments were 
 made for the citizens and not the citizens for the govern- 
 ment. To us these ideas are truisms. They were not 
 such in the days of the Revolution. The world at that 
 time was imbued with monarchical sentiments and opin- 
 ions, one of which was that the sovereign and not the 
 people was the source of all power. It is true that some 
 nations enjoyed greater privileges than others, but these 
 privileges were regarded as concessions or fa(vors 
 granted by the sovereign to the people by the voluntary 
 act of the sovereign, or obtained from him by coercion 
 and force, and were never regarded as rights inherent 
 in the people. 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 263 
 
 "The famous Magna (Jharta, the pride and boast of 
 the English nation, was extorted by the barons from a 
 reluctant monarch at the point of the sword, and none 
 of them claimed or supposed when they were securing 
 the important rights guaranteed by that instrument, 
 that they were but reclaiming rights originally inherent 
 in the people, which had been usurped by the sovereign. 
 
 "Again, even in constitutional governments like 
 England, the idea of the political equality of all men 
 had never been entertained. If rights had been conceded 
 by the sovereign, or wrested from him by force, they 
 were conceded only to, or enured only to the benefit of 
 certain privileged classes, the great mass of the subjects 
 deriving no benefit therefrom. These were mere ap- 
 pendages of the State, not an integral portion of it. 
 Their rights as men were but imperfectly recognized, if 
 at all. They were but the mere instruments of the State 
 to sustain and uphold its power, without any admitted 
 claim upon it for the enjoyment of any rights as men. 
 This was the condition of the masses, and these were the 
 sentiments and opinions which had long ruled the world 
 when the Declaration of American Independence was 
 first promulgated. 
 
 "The individuality of man, his rights as such, being 
 almost entirely unrecognized, the sovereign or the State 
 was the absolute lord — the people, the abject subjects; 
 and all grants of privileges, even to privileged classes, 
 were conceded as favors — never yielded as rights. 
 
 "It was in such ideas as these that the doctrine of 
 the absolute power of the State over the subject took 
 deep root and flourished — and the universal prevalence 
 of these ideas was the great source of all the wrongs and 
 oppressions which the world had so long endured, and 
 under which humanity had so long groaned. 
 
 "It is true that men had lived who saw and realized 
 that these prevalent doctrines were fatal errors, and de- 
 
264 KEMINISCENCES 
 
 plored the consequences of them; but it remained for 
 the fathers of the Revolution to make the first successful 
 application in the administration of human affairs of 
 the sublime principles that all men were created free 
 and equal; that be he high or low, rich or poor, each 
 individual is entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of 
 happiness; that these sacred rights were inalienable, 
 and when a government failed to guarantee and protect 
 them, it became not only the right but the duty of the 
 people to abolish that government and establish in place 
 thereof one which would afford such protection. They 
 say: 
 
 " 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all 
 men are created equal ; that they are endowed by their 
 Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among 
 these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; that 
 to secure these rights governments were instituted 
 among men, deriving their just powers from the consent 
 of the governed ; and that whenever any form of govern- 
 ment becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of 
 the people to alter or to abolish it and to institute a new 
 government, laying its foundation on such principles, 
 and organizing its powers in such form as to them shall 
 seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.' 
 And again, 'When a long train of abuses and usurpa- 
 tions, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a de- 
 sign to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their 
 right, it i-s' their duty, to throw off such government and 
 to provide new guards for their future security.' 
 
 "The assertion of these principles was the grand 
 distinctive feature of the American Revolution, as the 
 triumph of them was its chief glory and value. It was a 
 mighty stride in the science of government, the equal of 
 which the world never before saw. 
 
 "But these great principles, before they became per- 
 manently established, must pass another ordeal. True, 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 265 
 
 they had been promulgated in the Declaration of Inde- 
 pendence, and the battles of the Revolution had been 
 fought, and the blood of patriots shed, to establish and 
 to confirm them. But how was a government to be or- 
 ganized and set in motion, established and made perma- 
 nent, that should make secure to the people these great 
 principles of equal rights and of individual freedom? 
 How accomplish these, and at the same time preserve the 
 sovereignty of the independent States and secure the 
 proper strength and efficienc}^ of the general govern- 
 ment? How should conflicting views and opinions be 
 reconciled and conflicting interests harmonized, so that 
 every element of discord should be hushed and a gov- 
 ernment reared — compact, simple, strong, permanent, 
 and yet free — a government that should fully realize the 
 hopes, the grand ideal of its founders? These were grave 
 questions, and full of diflflculties; but the course of 
 events had paved the way for their successful solution. 
 
 "Struggling in a common cause, engaged in the 
 pursuit of a common object, enduring together common 
 privations and common sufferings, through the changing 
 fortunes of a long and perilous war, the people of all the 
 colonies had formed for each other the warmest attach- 
 ments and had learned to cherish for each other the 
 most profound fraternal feelings. They who at the 
 commencement of the Revolution were as strangers to 
 each other, widely separated by distance and by inter- 
 est, without any of the ties existing between them which 
 bind nation to nation, or State to State, were then for 
 the first time brought together, and for the first time 
 learned that their hearts beat in unison, and that in 
 their sublime patriotism and love of liberty they were all 
 brothers I From the North and the South, from seaboard 
 and frontier they rallied together around the standard 
 of their common country. Together they faced danger 
 and death, together in the deadly conflict they ofifered 
 
l'()6 KEMINISCENCES 
 
 lip their lives a willing sacrifice upon the altars of free- 
 dom. The same breeze wafted their expiring sighs, and 
 the same gory battlefield drank their blood. Together 
 they had met and deliberated in council in the darkest 
 hours of the contest, and together had they invoked the 
 Divine blessing and the Divine protection upon their 
 cause. This union of purpose and effort, these fraternal 
 feelings that seemed to pervade all hearts throughout 
 the length and breadth of the land, tranquilized every 
 element of discord and led to a union of the States. 
 
 "Again, the dangers and sacrifices of the struggle 
 had led the people to reflect upon and discuss the prin- 
 ciples for which they were contending, until the whole 
 people were inspired with an unconquerable devotion to 
 the cause of liberty. The memorable sentiment of Pat- 
 rick Henry, 'Give me liberty or give me death,' was the 
 burden of every heart. This deep, all prevailing senti- 
 ment of the people enabled our forefathers to frame and 
 ado])t a system of government for the States thus 
 united, which guaranteed to every citizen liberty and 
 (Mjual rights; or, in other words, a system based upon 
 the principles enunciated in the Declaration of Inde- 
 jK'udence. Thus it was, through the blessing of Divine 
 Providence, and prompted by the most exalted patri- 
 otism, that our forefathers were enabled to overcome 
 every obstacle, to surmount every difficulty, and to es- 
 tablish the first really free government that the world 
 ever saw — the first government that reserved the sov- 
 (n*eign power to the whole people, and guaranteed the 
 largest rational liberty and perfect equality of rights to 
 each and every citizen. 
 
 "Were any evidence necessary to prove the inestim- 
 able value of free institutions in promoting the happi- 
 ness and prosperity of a people, that evidence is fur- 
 nished abundantly by our own national experience. 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAK 267 
 
 "Three-fourths of a century is but a brief i)eriod in 
 the history of a nation, and yet in that time what 
 mighty results have been accomplished! We have al- 
 ready glanced at the condition of the colonies at the 
 commencement of the Revolution. At its close, in 1783, 
 their condition in most of the material elements of pros- 
 perity was even worse than at its commencement. They 
 were still without resources, and burdened with a heavy 
 public debt. They had no commerce, no system of edu- 
 cation. Agriculture languished, and the arts of peace 
 were neglected; and, superadded to all these, they had 
 but just inaugurated a new and untried system of 
 government. 
 
 "I will not stop to draw a picture of the present 
 condition of the country. I leave that pleasant task to 
 my young and eloquent friend who is to follow me. 
 Suffice it for me to say that its progress in all the ma- 
 terial elements of greatness has been unparalleled in 
 the history of nations. This wonderful progress is but 
 one development of the value of free institutions. What 
 mind, except that of the Omniscient, can comprehend 
 fully their influence and their priceless worth! The 
 triumph of rational, individual freedom! The recogni- 
 tion of man as man and not as a mere tool or instrument 
 of the State! The equal rights of all men! Perfect 
 liberty of speech, of opinion, of conscience! Who will 
 attempt to fathom their value to a nation, to humanity, 
 to the world ! Who shall say how greatly the enjoyment 
 of these for three- fourths of a century by this people has 
 contributed to promote the cause of human progress, or 
 how much it has added to the sum of human happiness! 
 Who, looking down the long vista of the ages to come, 
 though he were gifted with prophetic vision, could form 
 even a faint conception of the mighty influences for 
 good which the triumph of these principles is yet to 
 exert upon the destiny of the human race! 
 
268 REMINISCENCES 
 
 "Here it would be pleasant to stop, or at least to 
 occupy the remainder of the time allotted me in giving 
 utterauce to kindred thoughts, or in elaborating those 
 already expressed. But he who is chosen to address an 
 audience of his countrymen on this sacred day has 
 obligations resting upon him which he can not avoid, 
 has solemn duties to perform which must not be neg- 
 lected. 
 
 "If he knows that any of the great fundamental 
 principles of freedom and equality upon which our in- 
 stitutions are based are being violated — if he finds that 
 the attachment of any portion of the people to those 
 principles has become weakened or impaired, it is the 
 duty of the orator upon these occasions (as it is the 
 duty of every citizen upon all proper occasions) to 
 raise the voice of warning, to give the alarm of danger, 
 and not to lull to repose. If there is oppression in the 
 land, if wrong prevail, if fraud and corruption exist in 
 high places, if the God-given, unalienable rights of any 
 class be stricken clown, it is his imperative duty (and 
 accursed be he who shrinks from it) to denounce to his 
 assembled countrymen the wrong and the wrong-doer 
 and to call upon his fellow citizens by all the sacred 
 memories of the past and all the glorious hopes of the 
 future, by their veneration for their fathers and their 
 love for their children, by all that is valuable in free- 
 dom or ennobling in a patriotic devotion to our country, 
 to arise in their might and by the proper use of the all 
 iwwerful yet peaceful means within their control, to 
 abolish the Avrong and correct the abuse, and to see to 
 it that the Government fulfill the purposes for which it 
 was organized. 
 
 "The framers of the Constitution declared in the 
 preamble to that instrument the objects for which the 
 Government was formed. They say : 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 269 
 
 " 'We, the people of the United States, in order to 
 form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure 
 domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, 
 promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings 
 of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and 
 establish this Constitution for the United States of 
 
 America.' 
 
 "Does this Government in its practical results come 
 up to this high standard? Is justice established and 
 liberty fully secured? That the thcorij of our Govern- 
 ment is perfect, that in its practical operation we have 
 become the most free and prosperous nation that exists 
 or that ever has existed, I joyfully admit ; but it becomes 
 my duty to say that thus far we come far short of carry- 
 ing out fully the beneficent designs of the founders of the 
 Government, that we have thus far failed in many 
 respects to give practical effect to the principles of free- 
 dom laid down and inculcated by the early fathers and 
 embodied in the theory of our institutions. 
 
 "We can not, if we would, close our eyes to the sad 
 and mournful truth that under the flag of our country, 
 and tolerated and sustained by the legislation and 
 public sentiment of very many of the States of this 
 Union, an institution exists which dooms to hopeless 
 servitude millions of our fellow beings; an institution 
 which denies to its victims every right dear to humanity ; 
 which consigns him to a life of ignorance, degradation 
 and servile toil ; which reduces him to the condition of 
 a chattel and transfers him like a beast of burden from 
 one owner to another by purchase and sale; which de- 
 nies him education and social rights; which seals up 
 from him the Bible and almost every other fountain of 
 consolation and knowledge; which tears his wife from 
 his helpless arms and his children from his desolated 
 bosom ; which, in a word, renders his whole earthly ex- 
 istence one dark scene of desolation and ruin and unut- 
 
270 KEMINISCENCES 
 
 terable agony ! God forbid that we should this day for- 
 get our brethren in bonds. Let us remember, though 
 it be with bitter regrets, when the morning of our great 
 national anniversary dawns upon us, and is ushered 
 in by the ringing of bells and the deep, booming roar 
 of cannon, with music and with every other possible 
 demonstration of our great joy; when we meet in vil- 
 lage, in town, and in city, in thronging multitudes to 
 celebrate tlie day and to exult in the consciousness of 
 the posst-b&'ion of so much liberty and in the contempla- 
 tion of our unexampled prosperity, when every heart is 
 jubilant and every bosom burns with the fires of a lofty 
 patriotism, O ! let us then remember that to four millions 
 of the people of this favored land our returning anniver 
 sary brings no emotions of delight, that it fails to allevi- 
 ate in the slightest degree their weary round of cease- 
 less, hopeless servitude! 
 
 "Listen to the mournful eloquence of one of these 
 victims of oppression [Frederick Douglas] upon an 
 occasion like this, speaking to us the sentiments of his 
 afflicted race. He exclaims : 
 
 " 'I am not included within the pale of this glorious 
 anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the 
 immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in 
 which you this day rejoice are not enjoyed in common. 
 The high inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and 
 independence bequeathed by your fathers is shared by 
 you, not by me. The sunlight that brought life and 
 healing to you has brought stripes and death to me. 
 The Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may re- 
 joice — / must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into 
 the grand, illuminated Temple of Liberty, and there call 
 him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mock- 
 ery and sacrilegious irony.' How appropriate to the 
 subject and the occasion was the plaintive language of 
 the captive children of Israel, in which language he 
 
OP THE CIVIL WAR 271 
 
 from whom I have quoted further bewailed the sorrows 
 of his people. 
 
 " 'By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, 
 yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged 
 our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For 
 there they that carried us away captive required of us 
 a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, 
 saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall 
 we sing the Lord's song in a strange land? And well 
 may our sorrowing bondsmen exclaim : 'How shall the 
 captive in chains join in the anthems of liberty?' 
 
 "Let it not be said that the introduction of this 
 subject gives a partizan character to my remarks. Not 
 so. It is a subject above and beyond mere partisan con- 
 siderations. It involves the most vital interests of hu- 
 manity, of morals, of religion, of liberty itself. It is a 
 question that must be boldly met. What time, then, 
 more appropriate for its consideration than when, as is 
 the case today, the whole nation is in council and the 
 cause of human freedom is the subject before it? Al- 
 though this giant wrong is in a measure beyond our 
 direct influence, still it can be reached and its progress 
 checked indirectly, if it can not be entirely eradicated. 
 We can bring to bear upon it the powerful influence of 
 a correct public sentiment. We can prevent its exten- 
 sion. We can withdraw from it the countenance and 
 support of the general government, and thus prevent 
 the reopening of the infamous African slave trade, 
 which is now so seriously threatened. We can prevent 
 wars of conquest for the purpose of extending its area. 
 In short, by united, earnest and persevering effort we 
 can restore the country to its earlier and purer faith 
 and purpose, that 'Freedom should be national, and 
 slavery, if it existed at all, should be sectional.' 
 
 "There have been other serious departures from the 
 original principles and purposes of the government, 
 
272 REMINISCENCES 
 
 which demand our serious attention. I can only glance 
 at some of these. Corrupt men of all parties have been 
 elevated to places of trust and responsibility. The 
 standard of our national morality has often been low- 
 ered in our intercourse with other nations. We have 
 not always kept in view the great, fundamental prin- 
 ciples of freedom and equality, which it is our especial 
 mission to preserve and perpetuate. We have often as a 
 nation disregarded and violated the immutable princi- 
 ples of justice, which no nation or people may violate 
 with impunity. Intoxicated with the consciousness of 
 our power and greatness, we have too frequently for- 
 gotten that 'The Lord, God, Omnipotent reigneth,' and 
 that His smiles and His protection are just, as neces- 
 sary for our preservation now as for the preservation of 
 our fathers when He led them through the danger and 
 peril and darkness of the Revolution to victory and in- 
 dependence. 
 
 "The length to which my remarks have extended 
 admonishes me that I must bring them to a close. A 
 few additional remarks upon our duty as American 
 citizens, and I am done. 
 
 "The institutions of freedom founded by our fath- 
 ers, have descended to us, not only to be enjoyed by us 
 but to be preserved, enlarged, improved, and finally to 
 be transmitted unimpaired, strengthened and perfected, 
 to our posterity. W^e have but a life estate in them, it 
 is true, the reversionary interest being in our children 
 and our children's children to the remotest ages; but we 
 are now the stewards of this precious inheritance, and 
 upon us rests the solemn responsibility of preserving it 
 inviolate and intact for the benefit of those who are to 
 succeed us on the stage of action. 
 
 "This responsibility is not confined to our posterity, 
 or to those who may hereafter live beneath the flag of 
 our own country. It extends to all mankind; for the 
 
OF THE CIVIL WAR 273 
 
 principles of true liberty which we profess, if fully il- 
 lustrated and carried out in our individual and national 
 life, will in due time radiate throughout the whole 
 earth, carrying with them destruction to tyranny and 
 deliverance to the oppressed, elevating and ennobling 
 humanity, and beautifying the world. 
 
 "All mankind then are deeply interested in this 
 sacred trust. And when impartial history shall have 
 recorded the manner in which we have discharged its 
 sacred obligations, the verdict of the world will be ren- 
 dered upon our acts. 
 
 "But the true patriot requires no such considera- 
 tion as this to prompt him to his duty. To him freedom 
 is a living, practical reality, and he loves it for its own 
 sake. He loves it because he knows that the enjoyment 
 of it is the only condition adapted to man's greatest 
 prosperity and happiness, and to his highest moral and 
 intellectual development. 
 
 "He has a burning desire that everything which 
 interferes with its full, complete and perfect enjoyment 
 be swept away, and that all kindreds and people and 
 nations and tongues should speedily become the recipi- 
 ents of its blessed influences. And when, with some- 
 thing akin to prophetic vision, he looks into the future 
 and obtains a glimpse — faint though it may be — of the 
 peace and glory and happiness ineffable that shall reign 
 over all the earth when the triumphs of freedom shall 
 be consummated, his soul yearns for its speedy ac- 
 complishment and the sublime invocation of the poet 
 Heber, though upon another theme, expresses the swell- 
 ing emoMons of his heart : 
 
 " 'Waft, waft, ye winds, the story 
 
 And you, ye waters, roll; 
 'Till, like a sea of glory. 
 
 It spreads from pole to pole.' 
 
« 
 
 274 REMINISCENCES 
 
 "And these sentiments and aspirations, stirring the 
 very depths of his soul, become vital, permanent prin- 
 ciples of action, and prompt him to the faithful and un- 
 tiring discharge of a patriot's duty. 
 
 "So may it be with us! So may it be with every 
 American citizen ! May the contemplation of these sub- 
 jects, and a just appreciation of the solemn obligations 
 of American citizenship, sink deep into our hearts! 
 With a zeal that knows no change, with a courage that 
 never falters, and a faith that knows no doubts, with 
 united heart and purpose, by every instrumentality 
 within our reach, by fostering education, by promoting 
 virtue, by encouraging industry, and above all by the 
 proper use of a freeman's peaceful but all-powerful 
 weapon, the ballot, let us labor to purify our own insti- 
 tutions from every taint of oppression and wrong and 
 corruption, and for the triumph of freedom throughout 
 the world. 
 
 "Let us labor to hasten the coming of that auspici- 
 ous day when the patriot's work shall be done, when 
 wrong and oppression shall cease, and the whole earth, 
 purified, redeemed and free, shall rejoice in the glorious 
 sunlight of liberty forever." 
 
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