UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 ILLINOIS LIBRARY 
 
 AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 
 
 ILONOIS HISTORICAL SURVEY
 
 
 - *
 
 'LI E> R.AR.Y 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 Of ILLINOIS 
 
 ILLINOIS HISTORICAL
 
 Ninety-Second 
 
 Illinois Volunteers. 
 
 " What we say here will soon be forgotten ; but what they did 
 here will ever live in the Nation's memory." Abraham Lincoln, 
 at Gettysburg. 
 
 FREEPORT, ILLINOIS: 
 JOURNAL STEAM PUBLISHING HOUSE AND BOOKBINDERY. 
 
 1875-
 
 Entered according to the Act of Congress in the year 1875, by the 
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS REUNION ASSOCIATION, 
 In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.
 
 -, 
 ' 
 
 Preface. 
 
 This work is published by the Ninety-Second Illinois Reunion 
 
 ^ Association, under the supervision of a Committee, appointed at 
 
 the third Reunion, at Mt. Carroll, September 4, 1873. Neither 
 
 - member of the Committee had any qualification for the proper 
 fO performance of the task imposed upon them ; neither had a 
 Jp scratch of a pen to aid in the compilation of the work ; neither 
 
 _ had time at his disposal to devote to it. The material facts have 
 
 i been gathered from the diaries and old letters of the members of 
 
 ^i the Regiment, and have been hastily thrown together in chrono- 
 
 ^ logical order. That it is but a broken fragment of an imperfect 
 
 - sketch of the services of the Regiment, the Committee well 
 
 5 know, and full of imperfections, they fear; but they submit it to 
 
 * the generous consideration of their comrades, hoping that it may 
 j> serve to revive, in the memory of each one who was a soldier in 
 
 the Ninety-Second, some pleasant remembrance. 
 
 THE COMMITTEE. 
 Freeport, Illinois, January 15, i$75-
 
 Contents. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 What was It All About The Slavery Question The Missouri Compromise 
 of 18-20 The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 The Kansas-Nebraska Bill 
 The Election of President Buchanan, in 1856 The Debate between 
 Douglas and Lincoln, in Illinois, in 1 858 The Election of President 
 Lincoln, in istio The Deliberate Secession Preparations by the South 
 President Lincoln's Inaugural Address The Progress of the Contest 
 until July 1, 1862 The Call for Three Hundred Thousand Additional 
 Volunteers How It Happened that the Ninety-Second Went to the 
 War 9 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Kecruiting Regimental Organization The First Dress Parade Camp 
 Life at Rockford Regimental Drill in Presence of the Ladies The 
 First March The First Man Wounded Camp at Covington, Ky. 
 Orders to March Company A Buys Mutton for the Hospital Camping 
 in a Snow-Storm Lexington Mt. Sterling The Difficulties on the 
 Negro Question Kentucky Methodists Marching Away from Mt. 
 Sterling Winchester Suits Against the Colonel for Stealing Negroes 
 Lexington Nicholasville Marching After John Morgan A Slave 
 Auction Taking the Oath of Allegiance Off for Louisville Embarking 
 on Steamers' Good-Bye, Loyal Kentucky." 25 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Down the Ohio Up the Cumberland Fort Donelsou Nashville Reso- 
 lutions March to Franklin Offering Battle to Van Dorn Brentwood 
 Back to Franklin The New Chaplain March to Triune Forrest's 
 Attack on Triune Shelbyville The Colonel's Application to be De- 
 tached from the Reserve Corps Wartrace The Regiment Mounted, 
 and Assigned to Wilder's Brigade of Mounted Infantry Camping at 
 Decherd 67 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The Campaign Against Chattanooga Over the Cumberland Mountains- 
 Artillery Practice at Harrison's Landing -First Scout on Lookout 
 Mountain Leading the Army of the Cumberland into Chattanooga
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 7 
 
 Catawba Wine Fighting Forrest at Ringgold, Georgia Rebel Spies 
 Pretending to be Deserters Gordon's Mill Marching Down Lookout 
 Mountain in the Storm and Darkness Scouting Along the Chattanooga 
 Before the Battle The Battle of Chicamauga How McCook's Corps 
 Was Surprised and Routed Back to Harrison's Landing A Dying 
 Woman Back Again Over the Cumberland Mountains Caperton's 
 Ferry Off for Huntsville Judge Hammond's Plantation The Cold 
 New Year's Night, 1864 Pulaski, Tenn. Back to Huntsville Skirmish 
 at Bainbridge Ferry Fight at Sweetwater Triauna Scouting Along 
 the Tennessee Detached from "Wilder's Brigade 9 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 From Huntsville to Ringgold Beautiful Camp at Ringgold The Massacre 
 at Nickojack Reconnoissances Under Kilpatrick Nickojack Avenged 
 Lieutenant Colonel Sheets and Major Bonn Complimented in Reso- 
 lutionsGeneral Movement of Sherman's Army Against Jo Johnston 
 Kilpatrick Wounded Reseca Guarding the Railroad Kilpatrick Re- 
 turnsOutpost Duty on the Chattahoochee Dave Boyle's Capture and 
 Escape Band Horses Gobbled Laying Pontoons at Sandtown Cut- 
 ting Railroad at West Point Raiding Around the Rebel Army at 
 Atlanta Night Fighting at Jonesboro Kilpatrick, Surrounded, Cuts 
 His Way Out Swimming the Cotton River Saving the Bridge Across 
 Flint River Brilliant Diversion on the Right of the Army of the 
 Tennessee Glass's Bridge Fall of Atlanta The Summer's Campaign 
 Ended /^^? 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 No Rest Off Again After Hood Powder Springs Drawing the Enemy's 
 Fire Picking Out a Farm Van Wert Washing for Gold in the Gold 
 Mines Marietta Getting Ready for the Great March The Start Bear 
 Creek Pontoons Described Feinting on Forsyth and Macon Crews's 
 Rebel Brigade Scattered Repulsing the Enemy Near Macon Sher- 
 man's Bummers Milledgeville " Blowed Up" Holding the Rear 
 Against Wheeler and Hampton Repulsing the Rebel Cavalry Near 
 Buckhead Creek Resting at Louisville, Georgia Destroying Railroads 
 -The Battle of Waynesboro Capturing a Rebel Major A Negro 
 Boy's Grave Covering the Rear of the 14th A. C. Our Friends Cruelly 
 Left Behind Covering the Rear of the 17th A. C. Fall of Fort McAl- 
 listerMidway Church Down to the Ocean's Edge Lockridge's 
 Capture and Escape Fall of Savannah Sherman's Letter to 
 Kilpatrick. /<?.5. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Camping and Foraging About Savannah Starting on the March Again 
 . Torchlight Battle Into South Carolina Barn well The Rebel Trap 
 at Aiken The Ninety-Second, Completely Surrounded by the Enemy, 
 Gallantly Cuts Its Way Out Exchanging Prisoners with Wheeler- 
 Sending Up Sky-RocketsRunning Into the Rebel Camps at Night 
 Averysboro Bentonsville News of Lee's Surrender Fighting Near
 
 8 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 Raleigh Entering Raleigh Chapel Hill Marching Along, Gray-Coat 
 and Blue-Coat, Together Concord Mustered Out Homeward-Bound 
 The Three.Years' Soldiering Ended 307 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Roster of Field and Staff Roster of Each Company of the Regiment- -Ros- 
 ter of Unassigned Recruits 254. 
 
 + CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Statement of Charles W. Reynolds, who was Taken Prisoner at Nickoj; 
 Statement of Nathan C. Tyler Statement of Don B. Frazer Carry 
 ing a Dispatch Chat with a Southern Lady Foraging in South Caro- 
 linaVenison Steak, and How the Boys Got It Captain Smith's New 
 Boots Serenading a Deaf and Dumb Asylum 3O6 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The Reunion at Polo, September 4th, 1867 General Atkins's Address A 
 Reunion Association Organized The Reunion at Freeport, Septeml 
 4th, 1870 General Sheets's Address The Reunion at Mt. Carroll, Sep 
 tember 4th, 1873 Major Woodcock's Address 3S&
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 WHAT IT WAS ALL ABOUT. THE SLAVERY QUESTION. THE 
 MISSOURI COMPROMISE OF 1820. THE FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW 
 OF 1850. THE KANSAS-NEBRASKA BILL. THE ELECTION OF 
 PRESIDENT BUCHANAN IN 1856. THE DRED SCOTT CASE. 
 THE DEBATE BETWEEN DOUGLAS AND LINCOLN IN ILLI- 
 NOIS IN 1858. THE ELECTION OK PRESIDENT LINCOLN IN 
 1860. THE DELIBERATE SECESSION PREPARATIONS BY THE 
 SOUTH. PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S INAUGURAL ADDRESS. THE 
 PROGRESS OF THE CONTEST UNTIL JULY i, 1862. THE CALL 
 FOR THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND ADDITIONAL VOLUNTEERS. 
 HOW IT HAPPENED THAT THE NlNETY-SKCOND WENT TO 
 
 THE WAR. 
 
 What was it all about? How did it happen that the Ninety- 
 Second Regiment went to the war? These are questions for a 
 reply to which the old members of the Ninety-Second will have- 
 no need to look into a book; they will find the ready answers 
 engraven upon the tablets of their memories in characters that 
 can never fade. But their children will be asking these questions, 
 nd we may ;is well answer them now. What was it all about? 
 ut that question reaches so far back into the past that we cannot 
 '. the whole story. It was about the rights of man, and they 
 n when Adam was created. If you throw a stone into a 
 a little circular wave will be caused upon the surface of the' 
 :er, and the circle will grow larger, and inside of it will come 
 ther circle, and yet another, and another ; and by and by one 
 e of the circles will break upon the shore at your feet, and the 
 Jier side of the circles will cross the pond and break upon the 
 farther shore. And so it is with the great events in history, only 
 there are no shores for the circles of influence to break upon; 
 they go back, by relation, many hundreds of years in the past, 
 
 2 (9)
 
 io NINBTT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 and no man can tell how far the widening circles of influence of 
 the great deeds of any age may reach into the coming centuries. 
 We said it was about the rights of man. We will be more specific. 
 It was about the rights of the black man ; for, we think it safe to 
 say now, whatever was said at the time, that African slavery was 
 the real cause of the war. That is what it was all about. When 
 the American Colonies were settled African slaves were intro- 
 duced into the Colonies; the first were landed at Jamestown, in 
 Virginia, by a Dutch trading vessel, in the year A. D. 1620. 
 They were afterwards introduced into other Colonies, and before 
 the American Revolution African slavery existed in most of the 
 North American Colonies. During the Revolution the American 
 slaves aided the American patriots in many ways. Many people 
 believed that the Declaration of American Independence, upon 
 which the American Revolution was fought, when it said "all 
 men are created equal," meant ALL men, black as well as white ; 
 but many also believed that it did not apply to slaves, or Indians, 
 or to any but white men. And when the American Revolution 
 was ended, and liberty had been gained, it was construed not to 
 mean liberty to black men, but to white men only. The Southern 
 Colonies did not wish to give up slavery, yet there appeared at 
 that titnejx) be a general sentiment among the people at the 
 North and South that slavery was wrong, and detrimental to the 
 best interests of the newly developing communities; and when 
 Virginia, in the year 1787, ceded to the General Government her 
 title to the Territory out of which the States of Ohio, Indiana, 
 Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan have since been formed, on 
 July 13, 1787, in the last Congress that convened under the 
 Articles of Confederation, the Northwest Ordinance was passed for 
 the government of all the Territory at that time owned by the 
 infant Republic. And by Article VI of that Ordinance it was 
 provided : "That there shall be neither slavery nor involuntary 
 servitude in the said Territory otherwise than in the punishment 
 of crimes, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted." 
 That was the way our revolutionary fathers provided for the 
 government of the Territory belonging to the Union in the first 
 legislative act they passed upon the subject. 
 
 But the invention of the Cotton Gin, a machine to separatt 
 the cotton seed fiom the cotton fibre, invented bv Eli Whitnr 
 in 1792, and afterwards brought into general use, made the cu 
 vation of cotton in the South, bv slave labor, profitable : and a 
 the cultivation of rice and sugar cane, by slave labor, beconr
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. it 
 
 profitable at the South, there was built up thereby in the 
 Southern Colonies a sentiment strongly favoring slavery. There 
 were no such reasons for continuing slavery in the Northern 
 Colonies, and it was abolished in New York and Pennsylvania, 
 and the Colony of Massachusetts Bay refused to permit slavery 
 when its State government was established. And in a few years 
 after the adoption of the Federal Constitution, in 1789, there were 
 but few slaves in the Northern States, and very few colored 
 people. When the Federal Constitution was adopted, slavery 
 was indirectly recognized in that fundamental law of the new 
 Nation, by its providing, in Section IX of Article I, that "the 
 migration or importation of such persons as any of the States 
 now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited 
 by Congress, prior to the year 1808." This was well known to 
 refer to the African slave trade, and it was a concession to the 
 extreme Southern States. It did not apply to the Territories out 
 of which new States might be carved, and afterwards admitted 
 into the Union, but only to the States at that time existing. But 
 in the early days of the Republic the best and most enlightened 
 sentiment of the nation, North and South, tended toward the 
 broadest liberty, and the American Congress, soon after the 
 constitutional prohibition expired, prohibited the African slave 
 trade, by declaring it piracy upon the high seas. For many years 
 afterward, in the South, slavery continued to grow more and more 
 profitable; in the North it died out entirely, and a strong senti- 
 ment inimical to slavery rapidly grew up. In 1820, when 
 Missouri was erected into a State, with slavery, it created great 
 excitement and profound discussion in Congress and throughout 
 the Nation ; but slavery already existed in Missouri by a clause 
 in the treaty ceding the Louisiana Territory, out of which the 
 State of Missouri was formed, to the United States, and at the 
 instance of Jesse B. Thomas, United States Senator from Illinois, 
 slavery was allowed in that State, but prohibited in all the Western 
 Territorial possessions of the United States in the future, North of 
 36 30', that being the Southern line of the State of Missouri. 
 That is known in history as the Clay Compromise, or Missouri 
 Compromise of 1820. Some statesmen thought that it was the 
 final settlement of all difficulty on the slavery question; but 
 compromises seldom settle anything, and the Missouri Compromise 
 of 1820 did not settle the slavery question; it only postponed the 
 day of settlement. The people of the South did not any the less 
 desire to extend the area of slavery : the people of the North did
 
 12 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 not look with any less aversion upon the institution of slavery 
 itself. The South saw the North prosperous, rapidly advancing 
 in wealth and population, and new States preparing for admission 
 into the Union, in which slavery would not be permitted. And 
 the South saw its own section languishing in -enterprise, and no 
 new States continually coming into the Union at the South, to 
 enable that section to hold the same relative political power in the 
 Union ; and political power was passing rapidlv into the possession 
 of the more populous, more enterprising free States of the North. 
 Slaves escaping from the plantations in the South were aided by 
 Northern citizens, fed and clothed, and secretlv and illegally 
 forwarded on their journey to freedom, in Canada. Free men of 
 color from the North were reduced to slavery in some portions of 
 the South. Freedom of speech was denied in a great portion of 
 the South, and any one who there asserted that slavery was 
 wrong was at the mercv of the mob, and always of a mob that 
 had no mercy. Slaveholding was denounced in the North in a 
 portion of the public press, and from the pulpit and the stump. 
 In 1850 there was great excitement again in Congress; the ghost 
 of slavery, although compromised out of sight in 1820, would 
 not stay down. The South demanded, with bitterness and threats 
 of war and disunion, additional safe-guards against the escape of 
 their slaves; and the North, or many people at the North, did 
 not like to become slave-hunters for Southern slave masters. 
 But the South, being united, succeeded in dividing the North, and 
 carrying with its section a portion of the Democratic party of the 
 North, passed the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, so harsh in its 
 terms as to meet the bitter denunciation of many of the wisest 
 and best men at the North Many men refused to obey the law, 
 and were sustained in such refusal by the Supreme Courts of 
 manv of the Northern States. In 1854 Kansas and Nebraska 
 were organized into Territories, and the bill for that purpose, 
 introduced into the Senate by Stephen A. Douglas, Senator from 
 Illinois, in express terms trampled down the compromise adopted 
 at the instance of Jesse B. Thomas, Senator from Illinois, in 1820. 
 The excitement was intense, and the slavery question was almost 
 the only question publicly discussed in the press and on the 
 stump, both at the North and South. The South was united and 
 the North divided. Most of the Democratic party at the North, 
 following the lead of Senator Douglas, joined with the united 
 South, and the Kansas-Nebraska bill was passed, on July 13, 1854, 
 providing that Kansas and Nebraska, notwithstanding the Com-
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 13 
 
 promise of 1820, dedicating that Territory to freedom, might come 
 into the Union as States, "with or without slavery," as the people 
 might determine at the time of their admission into the Union. 
 Then came a race as to who should settle up those Territories, 
 Southern people favoring slavery, or Northern people favoring 
 freedom. The Southern planter went with his slaves, his prejudice 
 against education, his pistol and his bowieknife. The Northern 
 people sent out colonies of settlers with bibles and Sharpe's rifles, 
 and the Northern settlers in Kansas built school houses and 
 churches, and roads, and mills; read their bibles as their Pilgrim 
 Fathers had done before them, and defended their settlements 
 with their rifles. They were raided upon and marty times 
 temporarily overpowered by the bands of slaveholders from 
 Missouri and Arkansas, but the Northern settlers in Kansas went 
 to stay, and they did stay. In the long run intelligence and free 
 labor always triumph over prejudice and slavery. They triumphed 
 in Kansas and Nebraska. 
 
 But, while the contest was being fought out in Kansas and 
 Nebraska Yankee intelligence and freedom against Southern 
 prejudice and slavery many other interesting phases of the con- 
 test were developing. One of the most interesting, and one that 
 ultimately assumed the most prominent part in the solution of 
 the slavery question in the United States, was a law case that 
 arose in the State of Missouri ; an action of trespass vi ft armis, 
 by Dred Scott, a negro, against one Sanford, who claimed to be 
 his master, to try the question of Dred Scott's freedom, and the 
 freedom of his wife and children ; which case found its way into 
 the Supreme Court of the United States. The facts in the case 
 were as follows: Dred Scolt, the negro, was taken by his master, 
 voluntarily on the part of his master, in the year 1834, to Rock 
 Island, in the free State of Illinois, and for two years held in 
 Rock Island as a slave, forty-seven years after the adoption of 
 the North- West Ordinance of 1787, which threw its protecting 
 shield of freedom over all the Territory from which the State of 
 Illinois was formed, and sixteen years after the Free State Con- 
 stitution of Illinois was adopted. The negro was then taken by his 
 master to the military post of Ft. Snelling, in Minnesota, and 
 there held as a slave two years longer. During the time he was 
 held as a slave in Minnesota, Dred Scott was married, and had 
 two children born unto him. The case was argued in the Su- 
 preme Court of the United States, at December Term, A. D. 
 1855; but it was not decided at that term. The Presidential cam-
 
 I 4 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 palgn of 1856 was approaching. The Democrats nominated 
 James Buchanan, of Pennsylvania, for President; the Republi- 
 cans nominated John Charles Fremont, who was the first 
 Republican candidate for the Presidency. The canvass was 
 exceedingly earnest, and the points upon which it turned were 
 the extension of slavery and the breaking down of the Missouri 
 Compromise of 1820. The supporters of Fremont were called 
 " black Republicans," and " negro worshippers," and great preju- 
 dice seemed to exist against them. They were not successful in 
 that Presidential campaign, and James Buchanan, the Democratic 
 candidate, was elected President of the United States. The 
 Senate a*hd Lower House of Congress were overwhelmingly 
 Democratic. The South had apparently triumphed ; they controlled 
 two of the three important branches of the Government under 
 the Constitution of the United States the Executive and the 
 Legislative and they were sure of the other branch the Judicial. 
 Surely, if now, having the Executive and Legislative branches 
 of the Government with them, they could " clinch" the repeal of 
 the Missouri Compromise with a decision of the Supreme Court 
 of the United States, then abolition hate, and Yankee ingenuity 
 and pluck, could not prevail against them. The decision came 
 immediately after the election. The Dred Scott case was 
 decided by the Supreme Court of the United States, at the De- 
 cember Term, 1856. In that case, it was decided to be the law of 
 the land, so far as the Supreme Court of the United States could 
 decide it to be law: First, that negroes had no rights' which 
 white men were bound to respect, and consequently that no 
 person who had African blood in his veins could be a citizen of 
 the United States, even to the extent of being able to sue in its 
 courts for his liberty or the liberty of his child. Second, that the 
 right of property in human beings was distinctly affirmed in the 
 Constitution of the United States. Third, that slavery could not 
 be prohibited in the Territories by any authority whatever, or any- 
 where else where the Constitution of the United States was the 
 paramount law. Fourth, that Dred Scott was lawfully held as a 
 slave, both at Rock Island, in the free State of Illinois, and at Ft. 
 Snelling, in Minnesota, and that it would have made no differ- 
 ence had he been taken there with the intention of a permanent 
 residence. 
 
 It was supposed by many that this decision, by the most 
 august judicial tribunal in the world, would settle the slavery 
 question forever. The fact was that it unsettled it more than the
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 15 
 
 passage of the Fugitive Slave Law in 1850, or the repeal of the 
 Missouri Compromise in 1854. The court went too far. It was 
 easy to be seen that, if that decision was to be followed out to its 
 logical extent, there was no such thing as freedom anywhere in 
 the United States for the black man; not in the Territories, nor 
 yet in the States, for the Constitution of the United States was 
 recognized as the paramount law in all the States and Territories. 
 The Northern people, the anti-slavery people of the United States, 
 denied the binding authority of that decision. They pronounced 
 it monstrous, but they never dreamed of going into a rebellion 
 over it. In the press, and in the pulpit, and on the stump, it was 
 'denounced. Greater political excitement prevailed than was ever 
 known before. More colonies of settlers, and more bibles, and 
 more rifles were sent by Massachusetts to Kansas. In 1858, in 
 Illinois, the most remarkable political debate that had ever 
 occurred in the history of the United States took place. Senator 
 Stephen A. Douglas, the author of the Kansas-Nebraska Bill, 
 which repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, and Abraham 
 Lincoln, Esq., of Springfield, Illinois, met in joint public debate, 
 and the turning points of the whole series of debates were the 
 questions of the extension of slavery, the repeal of the Missouri 
 Compromise, and the decision of the Supreme Court of the 
 United States in the Dred Scott case. Senator Douglas, as the 
 champion of the Democratic party, affirmed the wisdom of the 
 repeal of the Missouri Compromise, and the binding force of the 
 decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in the Dred 
 Scott case; and Mr. Lincoln, as the champion of the Republican 
 party, deplored both, and contended for a return to the tendencies 
 in favor of freedom, which prevailed in the infancy of the 
 Republic. It was the contest of intellectual giants. But Illinois 
 went Democratic, and Senator Douglas and the Democratic party 
 had the immediate victory. So confident was the South, in 
 complete victory, with every department of the Government 
 sustaining slavery, that the African slave trade was actually 
 revived, and a ship load of African slaves imported into Georgia, 
 by G. B. Lamar, of Savannah. 
 
 In 1860 came on another Presidential campaign. Four candi- 
 dates for the Presidency and Vice-Presidency of the United States 
 were presented for the suffrages of the people. The contest was 
 one of the most exciting that had ever occurred. The Demo- 
 cratic party was divided; one wing of that party supported 
 Stephen A. Douglas, of Illinois, for President, and Herschel V.
 
 16 NINETr-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 Johnson, of Georgia, for Vice-President; the other wing of the 
 Democratic party supported John C. Breckenridge, of Kentucky, 
 for President, and Joseph Lane, of Oregon, for Vice-President. 
 The old-line Whigs supported John Bell, of Tennessee, for Presi- 
 dent, and Edward Everett, of Massachusetts, for Vice-President. 
 The Republican party supported Abraham Lincoln, of Illinois, 
 for President, and Hanibal Hamlin, of Maine, for Vice-President. 
 Under the Constitution of the United States the vote is not 
 direct for President and Vice-President; but in each State the 
 voters vote for "Presidential Electors," as many as the State has 
 Senators and Representatives in Congress. After the election, 
 these Presidential Electors form an Electoral College, and a 
 majority of votes in the Electoral College elects the President 
 and Vice-President. The result of the Presidential election in 
 1860 was that, in the Electoral College, Lincoln and Hamlin had 
 one hundred and eighty electoral votes; Douglas and Johnson 
 had twelve electoral votes; Breckenridge and Lane had seventy- 
 two electoral votes; Bell and Everett had thirty-nine electoral 
 votes; that is, Lincoln and Hamlin had a majority of fiftv-seven 
 electoral votes, in the Electoral College, over all opposing candi- 
 dates. Curious students of history may wish to -examine the 
 popular vote, which was as follows: Lincoln and Hamlin 
 received 1,857,610; Douglas and Johnson, 1,365,976; Breckenridge 
 and Lane, 847,553; Bell and Everett, 590,631. The election of 
 Lincoln and Hamlin was the first great victory of the Republican 
 party, and the anti-slavery sentiment of the Nation. And never 
 was there a fairer election -held, except that the supporters of 
 Lincoln and Hamlin were mobbed in many, if not all, of the 
 Slave States. Had the Democrats not quarrelled, and voted 
 solidly, they must have, succeeded. It seemed that the Southern 
 Democrats deliberately resolved to quarrel, divide the Democratic 
 vote, and thereby help to elect Lincoln and Hamlin, and for no 
 other reason than that they might organize the Rebellion; and in 
 support of this view it may be mentioned that, at Charleston, 
 South Carolina, the hot-bed of secession, on November 7th, 1860, 
 the very day following the election of Lincoln and Hamlin, the 
 news of their election was received with cheers bv the Secession- 
 ists of that rebel city, and with shouts for a "Southern Con- 
 federacy;" and on the ninth of November, 1860, onlv two davs 
 after the election of Lincoln and Hamlin, the citizens of Charles- 
 ton, South Carolina, attempted to seixe the United States arms in 
 Fort Moultrie, one of the United States forts in Charleston Harbor.
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 17 
 
 Indeed, it became plain that the original Secessionists at the 
 South had deliberately planned treason, and deliberately de- 
 termined to put into execution their ot't-repeated threats of 
 disunion. Warlike preparations quickly followed each other in 
 the South. On the tenth of November, 1860, a bill was intro- 
 duced in the South Carolina Legislature, to raise and equip ten 
 thousand men; and the Legislature of that State ordered the 
 election of a Convention, to consider the question of Secession, 
 and James Chestnut, one of the United States Senators from 
 South Carolina, resigned ; which was followed on the eleventh 
 bv the resignation of United States Senator Hammond, of that 
 State., On the fifteenth of November, Governor Letcher, of Vir- 
 ginia, called an extra session of the Virginia Legislature. On 
 the eighteenth of November, the 'Legislature of Georgia appro- 
 priated one million dollars to arm that State. On the nineteenth, 
 Governor Moore, of Louisiana, called an extra session of the 
 Legislature. On the first of December, a great Secession meet- 
 ing was held at Memphis, in the State of Tennessee ; and on the 
 same day, the Legislature of Florida ordered the election of a 
 Secession Convention. On the third day of December, the 
 United States Congress assembled; and President James 
 Buchanan, a Northern dough-faced Democrat, who sympathized 
 with treason, denied, in his message to Congress, the right of 
 the United States to coerce a seceding State. On the fifth of 
 December, the delegates to the Secession Convention in South 
 Carolina were elected. On the tenth, Howell Cobb, Secretary of 
 the Treasury of the United States, resigned, and went home to 
 Georgia, to engage in Secession; and on the same day, the Leg- 
 islature of Louisiana assembled, and appropriated five hundred 
 thousand dollars to arm that State, and called a Secession Con- 
 vention. On the thirteenth of December, a special meeting of 
 President Buchanan's Cabinet was held, to consider the question 
 of reinforcing Fort Moultrie; and President Buchanan opposed 
 it, and no reinforcements were sent. On the seventeenth, the 
 Secession Convention of South Carolina assembled, and on the 
 twentieth, passed the Ordinance of Secession by a unanimous 
 vote; and President Buchanan sent a message to the South 
 Carolina Secession Convention, pledging 'hat Fort Moultrie 
 should not be reinforced. On the twenty-sixth, Major Anderson. 
 with one hundred and eleven men, evacuated Fort Moultrie, and 
 took possession of Fort Sumter, in Charleston Harbor. On the 
 twenty-seventh, the Revenue Cutter, William Aiken, was treach-
 
 i8 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 erously surrendered to the South Carolina authorities by Captain 
 M. S. Coste; and on the twenty-eighth, South Carolina seized 
 the United States property in the city of Charleston, and took 
 possession of Castle Pinckney and Fort Moultrie; and on the 
 thirty-first of December, South Carolina sent Commissioners to 
 other Slave States, to stir up Secession. So the year 1860 went 
 out. And the North stood still and quiet; amazed, but not 
 frightened. 
 
 And the new year, 1861, came in with the same methodical 
 preparations for war, on the part of the South. On the second 
 day of January, Governor Ellis, of North Carolina, seized Fort 
 Macon; and on the same day, the Secession militia of Georgia 
 seized Fort Pulaski, and Fort Jackson, and the United States 
 Arsenal at Savannah, Georgia. On the fourth of January, 
 Governor Moore, of Alabama, seized Fort Morgan and the 
 United States Arsenal at Mobile And the people of the North 
 observed that day as a day of fasting and prayer. On the sev- 
 enth, the Secession Conventions of Alabama and Mississippi 
 convened, and the Legislatures of Virginia and Tennessee 
 assembled. On the eighth, Jacob Thompson, Secretary of the 
 Interior, resigned and joined the Rebellion ; and on the same 
 day, the Secessionists of North Carolina seized Fort Johnson, at 
 Wilmington, and Fort Caswell, at Oak Island. On the ninth of 
 January, the steamer, Star of the West, bearing'provisions to the 
 United States garrison in Fort Sumter, was fired upon by the 
 Rebel batteries in Charleston Harbor, and the steamer turnec' 
 back ; and on the same day, Mississippi passed the Secession 
 Ordinance. On the tenth, the Florida militia seized Fort 
 McRea, and Florida passed an Ordinance of Secession. On the 
 eleventh, Alabama seceded ; and on the same day, the Governor 
 of Louisiana seized Fort St. Phillip and Fort Jackson, on the 
 Mississippi below New Orleans, and Fort Pike and Fort Macornb, 
 on Lake Ponchartrain, and the United States Arsenal at Baton 
 Rouge. On the thirteenth, the Secessionists of Florida took 
 possession of the Pensacola Navy Yard and Fort Barnacas. On 
 the sixteenth, Arkansas and Missouri called Secession Conven- 
 tions. On the eighteenth, Virginia voted one million dollars for 
 the Rebellion. On the nineteenth, Georgia adopted a Secession 
 Ordinance. On the twenty-first, Jefferson Davis, Senator from 
 Mississippi, resigned his seat in the United States Senate, and 
 joined the Conspirators; and all the Members of Congress from 
 Al-abama resigned and went home to engage in Secession, followed
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 19 
 
 on the next day by all the Members of Congress from Georgia ; and 
 on the following day, the Georgia militia seized the United States 
 Arsenal at Augusta. On the twenty-sixth, Louisiana passed a 
 Secession Ordinance. On the thirtieth, the United States 
 Revenue Cutters, Cass at Mobile, and McLelland at New 
 Orleans, were traitorously surrendered to the Rebel insurgents by 
 their contemptible Commanders. This is the record of Secession 
 preparation in the month of January, 1861, and it is by no means 
 complete; we have aimed only to give the most prominent 
 events. The month of February was as fruitful of Secession. 
 On the first of February, the State of Texas seceded, and the 
 Louisiana ^Secessionists seized the United States Mint and 
 Custom House at New Orleans. On the fourth, the delegates 
 from the Southern States met at Montgomery, Alabama, to 
 organize the "Confederate States of America." On the eighth, 
 the United States Arsenal at Little Rock, Arkansas, was seized. 
 On the ninth, Jefferson Davis, of Mississippi, and Alexander H. 
 Stephens, of Georgia, were declared the Provisional President 
 and Vice-President of the so-called Southern Confederacy. And 
 on the twenty-third, General Twiggs, a traitorous West Point 
 bantling of the Republic, surrendered and turned traitor in 
 Texas, taking with' him over one million two hundred thousand 
 dollars' worth of property of the United States. 
 
 And now we turn to the North. What was the North doing 
 all this time, in the face of all this warlike preparation and con- 
 certed treason, on the part of the South? The truthful answer is, 
 nothing, absolutely nothing. President James Buchanan did 
 nothing; and the Northern people waited for the inauguration of 
 Abraham Lincoln, as President of the United States. The 
 Northern people were exceedingly quiet; but they were very 
 solemnly in earnest, in their determination to maintain the integ- 
 rity of the United States Government. When Abraham Lincoln 
 left his home in Springfield, Illinois, to go to Washington, to be 
 inaugurated as President, on taking leave of his fellow citizens at 
 the depot, he said : " My friends, no one not in my position can 
 appreciate the sadness I feel at this parting. I know not how 
 soon I shall see you again. A duty devolves upon me which is, 
 perhaps, greater than that which has devolved upon any other man 
 since the days of Washington. He never would have succeeded 
 except for the aid of Divine Providence, upon which he at all 
 times relied. I feel that I cannot succeed without the same 
 Divine aid which sustained him. In the same Almighty Being
 
 20 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 I place my reliance for support; and I hope that my friends will 
 .ill pray that i may receive that Divine assistance, without which 
 I cannot succeed, but with which success is certain. Again I bid 
 vou all an affectionate farewell." On his journev to Washington, 
 the Secessionists attempted his assassination. At one time an 
 attempt was made to throw the railroad train off from the track. 
 At Cincinnati a hand-grenade was found concealed on the train. 
 A gang in Baltimore had arranged, upon his arrival, to " get up 
 a row," and, in the confusion, to make sure of his death with 
 revolvers and hand-grenades. The plot was discovered by a 
 detective; and a secret, special train was provided to take him 
 from Harrisburg, through Baltimore, at an unexpected hour of 
 the night. The train started at half-past ten from Harrisburg; 
 and as soon as the train had started, the telegraph wire was cut. 
 His safe arrival in Washington, the next morning, was tele- 
 graphed over the North. Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as 
 President of the Unied States, on the steps of the Capitol, March 
 fourth, 1861, General Winfield Scott having charge of the military 
 escort. General Scott, in his autobiography, says: "The 
 inauguration of President Lincoln was, perhaps, the most critical 
 and hazardous with which I have ever been connected. In the 
 preceding two months I had received more than fifty letters, 
 many from points distant from each other; some earnestly dis- 
 suading me from being present at the event, and others distinctly 
 threatening assassination, if I dared to protect the ceremony by 
 military force." Without General Scott's military force, it is 
 confidently believed that the diabolism of treason would have 
 accomplished the death of Abraham Lincoln before his inaugu- 
 ration as President. In his Inaugural Address, he spoke calmly 
 and kindly to the South. We quote only a few sentences: 
 
 "Apprehension seems to exist among the people of the 
 Southern States, that, by the accession of a Republican Adminis- 
 tration, their property and their peace and personal security are 
 to be endangered. There never has been any reasonable cause 
 for such apprehension. Indeed, the most ample evidence to the 
 contrary has all the while existed, and been open to their inspec- 
 tion. It is found in nearly all of the published speeches of him 
 who now addresses you. I do but quote from one of those 
 speeches, when I declare that I have no purpose, directly or 
 indirectly, to interfere with slavery in the States where it exists. 
 
 "A disruption of the Federal Union, heretofore only menaced, 
 is pow formidably attempted. I hold that, in the contemplation
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 21 
 
 of universal law and of the Constitution, the union of these 
 States is perpetual. Perpetuity is implied, if not expressed, in 
 the fundamental law of all national governments. It is safe to 
 assert, that no government proper ever had a provision in its 
 organic law for its own termination. Continue to execute all the 
 express provisions of our National Constitution, and the Union 
 will endure forever; it being impossible to destroy it, except by 
 some action not provided for in the instrument itself. 
 
 " I therefore consider that, in view of the Constitution and 
 the laws, the Union is unbroken; and, to the extent of my ability, 
 I shall take care, as the Constitution expressly enjoins upon me, 
 that the laws of the Union shall be faithfully executed in all the 
 States. Doing this, which I deem to be only a simple duty on 
 my part, I shall perfectly perform it, so far as is practicable, unless 
 my rightful masters, the American people, shall withhold the 
 requisiton, or in some authoritative manner direct the contrary. 
 
 " I trust this will not be regarded as a menace, but only as the 
 declared purpose of the Union, that it will constitutionally defend 
 and maintain itself. 
 
 " In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow-countrymen, and not 
 in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The Government 
 will not assail you. 
 
 " You can have no conflict without being yourseves the 
 aggressors. You have no oath registered in Heaven to destroy 
 the Government; while I shall have the most solemn one to 
 preserve, protect, and defend it. 
 
 " I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We 
 must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it 
 must not break, our bonds of affection. 
 
 " The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battle- 
 field and patriot grave to every living heart and hearth-stone all 
 over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when 
 again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our 
 nature." 
 
 These words of President Lincoln, so calmly and kindly 
 spoken, had no effect upon the people of the South; they had 
 deliberately entered into Secession, and they steadily pursued 
 their chosen course. They continued to seize the Forts, and 
 Mints, and Custom Houses of the United States, and to organize, 
 equip, and drill their soldiery. On the eleventh of April, Federal 
 troops were stationed in Washinton city ; and on the twelfth, the 
 Rebels commenced the bombardment of Fort Sumter, and that
 
 22 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 Fort was surrendered to them, by Major Anderson, on the day 
 following. On the fourteenth, Governor Yates called a special 
 session of the Illinois Legislature. On the fifteenth of April, the 
 President issued a proclamation commanding all persons in arms 
 against the Government to disperse within twenty days^ and 
 called an extra session of Congress, to meet July fourth, and 
 called for seventy-five thousand Volunteers for three months. 
 The Governors of Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, and Missouri, 
 refused to furnish troops under the President's proclamation, 
 claiming that their States would remain " neutral" in the con- 
 test ; but the call was more than filled within twenty-four hours. 
 On the nineteenth of April, the Sixth Massachusetts Regiment 
 was attacked by a mob while passing through Baltimore to Wash- 
 ington. On the twenty-fourth, Cairo, Illinois, was occupied by 
 Union troops; and on the twenty-fifth, Illinois Volunteers re- 
 moved twenty-two thousand stand of arms from the United 
 States Arsenal in St. Louis, to Springfield, Illinois. On the 
 twenty-seventh, all the officers of the Regular Army who still 
 remained in the service, were required to take the Oath of Alle- 
 giance to the United States. On the third of May, President 
 Lincoln called for forty thousand three years Volunteers, and 
 twenty-two thousand troops for the Regular Army, and eighteen 
 thousand seamen. The call was quickly filled. On May twenty- 
 fourth, thirteen thousand Union troops crossed the Potomac, and 
 occupied Arlington Heights. On the first of June, there was a 
 cavalry skirmish at Fairfax Court House, Virginia. On the 
 third, Colonel Kelly defeated the Rebels in a skirmish at Phil- 
 lippi, Virginia, killing fifteen. On the tenth, was fought the 
 battle of Big Bethel ; and on the eleventh, a skirmish at Romney ; 
 and on the same day, a skirmish occurred at Cole Camp, Mo. 
 On the seventh of July, General Patterson defeated the Con- 
 federates at Falling Water, Virginia. On the fifth, Siegel was 
 defeated at Carthage, Missouri. On the twelfth, Colonel W. S. 
 Rosecrans defeated the Confederates at Rich Mountain, Virginia, 
 the enemy losing one hundred and fifteen killed and wounded, 
 eight hundred prisoners, and their wagons, guns, and camp 
 equipage. On the twenty-first of July, occurred the battle of 
 Bull Run. The Union forces, forty-five thousand strong, under 
 the command of General McDowell, were defeated, losing four 
 hundred and eighty-one killed, one hundred and four wounded, 
 and one thousand two hundred and sixteen missing. General 
 Beauregard reported the Confederate loss at two hundred and
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 23 
 
 sixty-nine killed, and one thousand four hundred and eighty- 
 three wounded. The Union troops disgracefully retreated upon 
 Washington, and the Confederates disgracefully retreated toward 
 Richmond. On the tenth of August, General Lyon, with five 
 thousand troops, attacked General McCulloch, at Wilson's Creek, 
 Missouri. General Lyon was killed, and Colonel Siegel and 
 Major Sturgis retreated to Springfield, but McCulloch did not 
 follow. The Rebel loss, as reported by McCulloch, was two hun- 
 dred and sixty-five killed, and eight hundred wounded ; Federal 
 loss two hundred and three killed, and one thousand and twelve 
 wounded and missing. On the tenth of September, occurred the 
 battle of Carnifix Ferry, the Federals being successful under 
 Brigadier General Rosecrans. On the twenty-first of October, 
 was fought the battle of Ball's Bluff, in which General Baker, of 
 the Union Army, and United States Senator from Oregon, was 
 killed. The Union troops were defeated, with a loss of two hun- 
 dred and twenty-three killed, three hundred and sixty-six wounded, 
 and three hundred and fifty-five prisoners. On November seventh, 
 General prant, with two thousand eight hundred troops, attacked 
 Belmont, Missouri, and drove the enemy from his camp; who, 
 being reinforced, renewed the battle, and General Grant retreated. 
 Union loss, eighty-four killed, two hundred and eighty-eight 
 wounded, and thirty-five missing. On January nineteenth, 1862, 
 was fought the battle of Mill Spring, Kentucky, in which the 
 Rebels were defeated, and the Rebel General Zollicoffer killed. 
 On February eighth, General Burnside captured from the Rebels 
 the six forts on Roanoke Island, with three thousand small arms, 
 and two thousand five hundred Rebel prisoners. On the six- 
 teenth, Fort Donelson surrendered to General Grant, with fifteen 
 thousand prisoners, forty cannon, and twenty thousand stand of 
 small arms. The Union loss was three hundred and twenty-one 
 killed, one thousand and forty-six wounded, and one hundred and 
 fifty missing. On March eighth, General Curtis was attacked by 
 Van Dorn, Price, and McCulloch, at Pea Ridge, Missouri. 
 General Curtis defeated the Rebels. The Union loss was two 
 hundred and twelve killed, and nine hundred and twenty-six 
 wounded. On April sixth, the Rebels, under General Albert 
 Sidney Johnson and General Beuregard, attacked General Grant 
 at Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, and were defeated on the next 
 day by General Grant. Genaral Johnson was killed. The Union 
 loss was one thousand six hundred and fourteen killed, seven 
 thousand seven hundred and twenty-one wounded, and three
 
 24 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 thousand nine hundred and fifty-six missing, and the RebeJ loss 
 full y as great. On the eighth 'of April, Island No. 10, in the 
 Mississippi below Cairo, was captured by General John Pope, 
 with five thousand Rebel prisoners, one hundred siege guns, 
 twenty-four pieces of field artillery, five thousand stand of small 
 arms, two thousand hogsheads of sugar, and large quantities of 
 ammunition. On the twenty-fifth of April, Commodore Farragut 
 captured New Orleans. On June first, the Rebels were defeated 
 at Fair Oaks, and withdrew. The Union loss was eight hundred 
 and ninety killed, and four thousand eight hundred and forty-four 
 wounded. On June thirtieth, 1862, General McClellan retreated 
 from Richmond, after several days' very severe fighting and 
 terrible loss. On July first, was fought the battle of Mal.vern 
 Hill, the last of the Richmond battles. In the six days' fighting 
 before Richmond, the Union loss was one thousand five hundred 
 and sixty-one killed, seven thousand seven hundred and one 
 wounded, and five thousand nine hundred and fiftv-eight missing. 
 On this day, July i, 1862, President Lincoln called for three hun- 
 dred thousand additional Volunteers; and it was under this call 
 that the Ninety-Second enlisted. We have only faintly touched 
 upon the terrible struggle which had been going on with treason 
 since President Lincoln's inauguration. Immense armies were 
 in the field; and while the Union forces were many times success- 
 ful, their ranks were sadly thinned by battles and disease. Some 
 one must take up the muskets our dead and wounded soldiers 
 could no longer handle, and continue the battle for the Union and 
 Liberty so heroically commenced; and the Ninety-Second Illinois 
 Volunteers was a part of the grand Army of three hundred thou- 
 sand that marched to the war under the President's call of July 
 i, 1862. And this is the way we have told the storv of what it 
 was all about, and how it happened that the Ninety-Second went 
 to the War.
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 25 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 RECRUITING REGIMENTAL ORGANIZATION THE FIRST DRESS 
 PARADE CAMI' LIFE AT ROCKKORD REGIMENTAL DRILL 
 IN PRESENCE OK THE LADIES THE FIRST MARCH THE 
 FIRST MAN WOUNDED CAMP AT COVINGTON, KY. ORDERS 
 TO MARCH COMPANY A BUYS MUTTON FOR THE HOSPITAL 
 CAMPING IN A SNOW-STORM LEXINGTON MT. STERLING 
 THE DIFFICULTIES ON THE NEGRO QUESTION KEN- 
 TUCKY METHODISTS MARCHING AWAY FROM MT. STER- 
 LING WINCHESTER SUITS AGAINST THE COLONEL FOP 
 STEALING NEGROES LEXINGTON NICHOLASVILLE MARCH 
 ING AFTER JOHN MORGAN A SLAVE AUCTION TAKING 
 THE OATH OF ALLEGIANCE OFF FOR LOUISVILLE EM- 
 HARKING ON STEAMERS " GOOD BYE, LOYAL KENTUCKY." 
 
 That was a gloomy period in the history of the war, when 
 President Lincoln issued his cail for " three hundred thousand 
 more," on July first, 1862. McClellan had been hurled back, with 
 terrible loss, from the very battlements of Richmond. Soldiers 
 on crutches and soldiers with an " empty sleeve " were becoming 
 familiar sights in the North. The rough pine boxes at the ex- 
 press offices were often seen ; they contained the remains of the 
 "boys in blue" who had fallen on the battle-field, in the camp, 
 or the hospital, brought home for burial, that loving eyes might 
 bedew their graves with tears, and loving hands bedeck them 
 with flowers. The North was commencing to realize how ter- 
 ribly in earnest the battle was. To many it appeared that the 
 countrv could not spare any more of its young men. In North- 
 ern Illinois the golden grain fields were bowing their heavily 
 laden heads, and inviting the commencement of the harvest, 
 and the laborers were few. The quota of Illinois was large, and 
 it required time to get the machinery of recruiting and organiza- 
 tion into working order. At length, on the fourth of August, 
 the good President " put his foot down firmly," and directed a 
 draft of three hundred thousand in addition to the call of the 
 
 3
 
 26 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 first of July. Then the people, with an impulse that was grand, 
 took hold of the work in earnest. In every school house in the 
 three counties from which the Ninety-Second was recruited, 
 meetings were held; the fife sent out its shrill notes, and the 
 drum its roll, and the old flag was displayed ; the harvest hands 
 gathered to the meetings after their days of toil. Patriotic songs 
 were sung : " We will rally around the Flag, boys, rally once 
 again, shouting the battle cry of Freedom," and partriotisin 
 took up the refrain, and arswered it, "We are coming, Father 
 Abraham, six hundred thousand more." Gray haired fathers, 
 who had already sent one or more sons to the battle, attended the 
 meetings, and saw their remaining sons enlist. Many who went 
 onlv to hear the speeches and songs, were touched with the pre- 
 vailing spirit of patriotism, and signed their names to the muster 
 rolls. Eloquent speakers, many of whom did not say " Go, boys," 
 but said, "Come, boys," told the story of the Nation's peril. 
 Many who had seen the battle's terrible carnage, and were not 
 dismayed, were ready to go again to the front, and eloquently 
 plead with the people to " fill the vacant ranks of their brothers 
 gone before." The sacred fires of Liberty were kindled in these 
 meetings, and the people lifted up to the high resolve of demon- 
 strating to the world the strength of Republican government, 
 that a free people, of their own free will, with courage sublime, 
 would not halt in the battle for the Nation's existence, but march 
 forward, filling the battle-broken ranks of the army corps in the 
 field. It was a greater task than any nation had before accom- 
 plished; not to beat off the assaults of a foreign foe, but the far 
 more difficult one of " saving ourselves from ourselves." It was 
 in these meetings that "party was sunk in patriotism;" and those 
 who had been fighting political battles* clasped their hands in 
 friendship, and signed together the agreement to enlist, and 
 together to march and fight. No one who witnessed the recruit- 
 ing in the summer of i862, in Northern Illinois, will ever forget 
 it; the people rallying from their harvest-fields, leaving the 
 ripened grain ungathered, to fill the ranks of the new regiments. 
 It was grand, beyond all power of ours to tell. The true story of 
 the enlistment of the ten companies of the Ninety-Second would 
 require more space than this whole book. It never will be told 
 in print. Grandsires will tell to their grandchildren the story of 
 that great uprising of the people, when the fires of Liberty were 
 lighted in the hour of the Nation's need; and they in turn will tell 
 it to their grandchildren; and its effect will not be lost in the Re-
 
 XINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 27 
 
 public for generations to come. It was at first thought that one 
 regiment might be raised in the counties of Stephenson, Ogle, 
 Carroll, Jo Daviess, Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, and Lake. 
 But it was found that four regiments and three companies were 
 ready to muster, when finally put into camp at Rockford. 
 Major Smith D. Atkins, of the Eleventh Illinois Infantry, by the 
 direction of Governor Yates, had charge of the enlistment of 
 companies in Stephenson, jo Daviess, Ogle, and Carroll counties. 
 By his direction, Captain Stouffer, of one of the Mt. Carroll com- 
 panies, afterwards of the Ninety-Second, went into camp with 
 his company at Rockford, on July twenty-second, 1862, and was 
 joined by the other companies, afterwards organized into the 
 Regiment within a few days thereafter. Bv the twenty-sixth of 
 August, forty-three companies were encamped at Rockford. 
 Barracks were built of pine boards; but it was not till long after- 
 wards that the soldiers learned to appreciate how comfortably 
 they were situated. The companies, by ballot, selected their 
 Captains and Lieutenants; and the officers and men of the com- 
 panies selected the regimental officers. For days there was little 
 drilling. The making up of regiments, and who should be Colo- 
 nel, and who Lieutenant Colonel, and who Major, were the 
 important questions discussed. The following ten companies 
 unanimously resolved themselves into a regimental organization : 
 Captain William J. Ballinger, Lena, Stephenson Countv; Captain 
 VVilber W. Dennis, Byron, Ogle County ; CaptainWilliam Stouffer, 
 Mt. Carroll, Carroll County ; Captain Lyman Preston, Polo, 
 Ogle County ; Captain Matthew Van Buskirk, Polo, Ogle County ; 
 Captain Christopher T. Dunham, Freeport, Stephenson County ; 
 Captain John M. Schermerhorn, Lena, Stephenson County; 
 Captain James Brice, Rochelle, Ogle County; Captain Egbert T. 
 E. Becker, Mt. Carroll, Carroll County ; Captain Albert Wood- 
 cock, Oregon, Ogle County. And, with the same remarkable 
 unanimity, every commissioned officer and soldier in the ten 
 companies petitioned Governor Yates to be mustered in a regi- 
 ment together, under Major Smith D. Atkins, of Freeport, 
 Stephenson County, as Colonel. Their unanimous request was 
 granted. And with the same unanimity, Benjamin F. Sheets, of 
 Oregon, Ogle Countv, was chosen Lieutenant Colonel ; and John 
 H. Bohn, of Mt. Carroll, Carroll County, was chosen Major. 
 On September fourth, 1862, under the direction of Hon. A. C. 
 Fuller, Adjutant General of Illinois, the Ninety-Second was 
 mustered into the United States service " for three years, or
 
 28 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 during the war," by Lieutenant Long, U. S. A. As soon as 
 mustered, Adjutant General Fuller made a speech to the Regi- 
 ment, thanking the men for their patriotism, and telling them 
 how much Illinois expected from them. The unanimity which 
 had prevailed in the organization of the Regiment was continued. 
 Isar C. Lawver, of West Point Township, Stephenson County, 
 who had received a military education at the Military School at 
 Nashville, Tennessee, and had refused to join the Re- 
 hellion, when that school hroke up at the commencement 
 of the war, and who had been drilling the companies at 
 Rockford, upon the unanimous petition of all the line officers, 
 was appointed Adjutant of the Regiment. George W. Marshall, 
 of Mt. Morris, Ogle County, First Sergeant of Company K, was 
 promoted to Regimental Quarter-master. Clinton Helm, M. D., 
 of Byron, Ogle County, was appointed Regimental Surgeon ; 
 Thomas Winston, M. D., of Mt. Morris, Ogle County, First 
 Assistant Surgeon ; Dr. Nathan Stephenson, of Fair Haven, 
 Carroll County, Corporal of Company I, was promoted to Sec- 
 ond Assistant Army Surgeon of the Regiment; Rev. O. D. W. 
 White, of Mt. Carroll, Carroll County, was appointed Chaplain ; 
 Lieutenant Orville T. Andrews, of Rockford, Winnebago County, 
 who had lost a leg in the battle of Pittsburg Landing, was ap- 
 pointed Sutler. The line officers met, and drew lots for the letter 
 of the company in the Regiment, by which the company was to 
 be afterwards known. Little, square slips of paper, with the 
 letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, were written and put into a 
 hat; and each Captain drew out a slip, and the letter on the slip v 
 became the letter of his company. Captain W. J Ballinger, of 
 Lena, drew letter A. His company was enlisted in Stephenson 
 County, and principally in the townships of Winslow, West 
 Point, and Kent. Harvey M. Timms, of Loran, was First Lieu- 
 tenant, and William Cox, of Winslow, Second Lieutenant. On 
 the day of muster, the company numbered ninety all told. Cap- 
 tain Albert Woodcock, of Oregon, Ogle County, drew letter K. 
 His company was enlisted from all parts of Ogle Count}'. Hor- 
 ace J. Smith, of Oregon, was First Lieutenant, and Horace C. 
 Scoville, of Mt. Morris, was Second Lieutenant. There were, 
 ninety-four rank and file. Captain C. T. Dunham, of Freeport, 
 drew letter F. His company was organized at Freeport, but was 
 made up of men from all parts of Stephenson County. Alfred 
 G. Dunham, of Cherry Valley, was First Lieutenant, and Wil- 
 Ham C. Dove, of Freeport, was Second Lieutenant. The com-
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 29 
 
 pany numbered ninety-five. Captain Matthew Van Buskirk, of 
 Polo, drew letter E. His company was enlisted in Ogle County, 
 in the vicinity of Polo, Forreston, and Brookville. Joseph L. 
 Spear, of Polo, was First Lieutenant, and Jeremiah Vorhis, of 
 Polo, was Second Lieutenant. The company was ninety-four 
 strong. Captain Wilber W. Dennis, of Byron, drew letter- B. 
 His company enlisted in Ogte County, in the vicinity of Byron 
 and Rock Vale. William H. Crowell, of Marion, Ogle County, 
 was First Lieutenant, and Ephraim W. Bauder, of Leaf River, 
 Second Lieutenant. The company mustered eighty-five. Cap- 
 tain John M. Schermerhorn, of Lena, drew letter G. His com- 
 pany was raised in Stephenson County, principally in the 
 townships of West Point, Kent, and Waddams. John Gishwiller, 
 of Lena, was First Lieutenant, and Justin N. Parker, of Lena, 
 Second Lieutenant. The company had ninety-five rank and file. 
 Captain Lyman Preston, of Polo, Ogle County, drew letter D. 
 His company was enlisted in Ogle County, in the vicinity of Polo 
 and Pine , Creek. George R. Skinner, of Polo, was First Lieu- 
 tenant, and Oscar F. Sammis, of Polo, Second Lieutenant. The 
 company had ninetv-four officers and men. Captain Egbert T. 
 E. Becker, of Mt. Carroll, drew letter I. His company was 
 enlisted in Carroll County, Mt. Carroll, Lanark, Cherry Grove, 
 and Wysox being well represented. David B. Colehour, of Mt. 
 Carroll, was First Lieutenant, and Alexander M. York, of Lan- 
 ark, was Second Lieutenant. The company was ninety-six 
 strong, aside from the Captain, who was the strongest man in the 
 company. Captain William Stouffer, of Mt. Carroll, drew letter 
 C. His company was raised in Carroll County, Mt. Carroll, 
 Savanna, and York being well represented. Robert M. A. Hawk, 
 of Lanark, was First Lieutenant, and Norman Lewis, of York, 
 Second Lieutenant. The company mustered ninety-three. 
 Captain James Brice, of Rochelle, Ogle County, drew letter H. 
 His company was enlisted in Ogle County, principally in Ro- 
 chelle and White Rock. James Dawson, of Rochelle, was First 
 Lieutenant, and Edward Mason, of White Rock, Second Lieu- 
 tenant. Captain Brice had one hundred and six officers and men 
 in his company, aside from himself; and the Captain was too old 
 to he counted, except for his lofty patriotism, which induced him 
 to enlist when far on the downhill side of life. Company H was 
 the overflowing company of the Ninety-Second. The officers 
 and men of the Regiment had not been subjected to the searching 
 medical examination required by strict justice, justice to the
 
 30 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 * 
 
 men themselves, and justice to the Government, which required 
 not only patriotic hearts, but well developed brawn. Yet, taken 
 together, it was a band of sturdy yeomanry, equal to any for the 
 fatigue of the march or the shock of battle. We feel perfectly 
 safe in saying, that no finer body of men, physically, mentally, 
 and morally, were ever mustered together into a military 
 organization. 
 
 On September 5, 1862, the first regimental order was issued 
 by the Colonel, announcing the duties of the day, from reveille 
 in the morning until taps at night; and the roll calls, sick calls, 
 meal calls, commissary calls, quarter-master calls, guard mounts, 
 squad drills, company drills, battalion drill, and dress parade, took 
 up every moment of time from sunrise to sundown. Captains 
 found that they had parted with some of their authority. If they 
 wanted to stroll down into the city, it was necessary to obtain a 
 pass ; and, if in the evening, the countersign to return by ; and 
 passes for the men had to be approved at the head-quarters of 
 the Regiment. That evening the first regimental dress parade 
 was held. Just at sundown, the Regiment was formed into line 
 by Adjutant Lawver. They were without arms; and the Colonel 
 was received, with great solemnity, by each officer and soldier 
 removing his cap, with military precision, at the word of com- 
 mand. Captain Becker and associates sang The Star Spangled 
 Banner. The Orderly Sergeants reported the strength of their 
 companies. The commissioned officers marched to the front and 
 center, and " maintained an awful line, as they marched up to 
 face the Colonel for the first time at dress parade." They saluted 
 him gravely. Parade was dismissed. The Orderly Sergeants 
 marched their companies to their quarters, and the officers hur- 
 ried after them. The first day's soldiering was done. 
 
 On the sixth, Lieutenant Tibbits, U. S. A., paid each man in 
 the Regiment thirteen dollars, one month's pay. The seventh 
 was Sabbath. Many were permitted to spend the Sabbath at 
 home, with family and friends once more. Many attended 
 church in Rockford, and many in the grove adjoining the camp, 
 on the banks of Rock River, a beautiful spot. The camp was 
 filled with visitors from miles around. On Monday forenoon, 
 the Regimental Quarter-master issued uniforms; and in the after- 
 noon, the first regimental drill was had, still without arms. The 
 next day, all the duties called for by orders were gone through 
 with. Kind friends at home seemed afraid the boys would starve; 
 and wagon loads of cooked provisions, turkeys, chickens, pies,
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 31 
 
 cakes, puddings, and everything else that loving sister or mother 
 could imagine a soldier would eat, were brought to camp, and 
 resulted in about half the Regiment first learning to " double- 
 quick," in their reluctant endeavors to perform the " Rock River 
 Quickstep." That never was a popular march with the Ninety - 
 Second ; but, soonef or later, every officer and soldier learned it 
 to perfection. It was laughable to see them " light out," solitary 
 and alone, when the silent, but painful order came to " march," 
 and to note how slowly and demurely they would creep back to 
 their quarters. On the eleventh, the Colonel left for Springfield, 
 to draw arms and accoutrements; and the next day, Lieutenant 
 Colonel Sheets commanded the Regiment, for the first time on 
 battalion drill. He made a fine appearance on " Old Blutcher," 
 whose long body, and long legs, and long neck, and long nose, 
 were proofs that he scented the battle a long way off, and longed 
 for the fray. On the thirteenth, the Colonel returned from 
 Springfield with Enfield Rifles for the Regiment. The fourteenth 
 was Sabbath, and the first regimental inspection was held. 
 There was preaching in the grove, attended by the entire encamp- 
 ment. Dress parade, with a religious song by Captain Becker's 
 glee club, closed the duties of the day. On Monday, the " dress" 
 coats were issued. The little men looked laughable in their dress 
 coats, which fit them like a shirt on a bean pole ; but the large 
 men, with their hands dangling wildly, six inches below their 
 coat cuffs, and. their coat skirts just below their belts, were the 
 most laughable. By dint of considerable swapping between the 
 big and the little fellows, a nearer approach to a fit was obtained; 
 and the company tailors, by cutting off redundancies for the little 
 ones, and letting out seams for the big ones, finally brought the 
 men into fair uniformity in dress. The Regiment was now in 
 complete uniform ; the guns and equipments were new and bright; 
 the men were becoming steady in their drill, and methodical in 
 their movements; the officers acquiring confidence in their ability 
 to command. Company A bought a handsome sword for Cap- 
 tain Ballinger, which was presented with speech-making and 
 replies, and wound up with an oyster supper given by the Cap- 
 tain to his company. On the seventeenth, bv special application 
 to Governor Yates, permission was granted to the Colonel to fur- 
 lough twenty men from each company for forty-eight hours. 
 The men drew lots for the privilege of once more visiting home, 
 and two hundred soldiers were made happv. Many thought their 
 luck was hard, when a comrade with no wife and children would
 
 32 NINETT-SBCOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 get the lucky privilege, and they, knowing their wives and babies 
 were lonely at home, would draw blanks. On the twenty-fourth, 
 the furloughed men were back to camp; and the Regiment 
 marched to the Fair Grounds, while the County Fair was in 
 progress, as did the other regiments in camp at Rockford; and 
 the members of the Ninety-Second thought'they won the most 
 plaudits for drill and soldierly bearing. On Sunday, the twenty- 
 first, there was the usual inspection of arms, clothing, camps, 
 quarters, kitchens, and company books. Captains were begin- 
 ning to learn that they were responsible for ever}' article issued to 
 their companies, and must give receipts for and take receipts for 
 everything obtained or issued. There was preaching to the mul- 
 titude of soldiers and citizens in the grove, dress parade at sun- 
 down, and a temperance lecture to the troops in the evening. 
 
 On Tuesday, the twenty-third, the papers contained the Presi- 
 dent's preliminary emancipation proclamation, giving the Rebels 
 one hundred days to return to their allegiance. That it created 
 much discussion in the Regiment, is true. It was a rainy day ; 
 the ordinary camp duties were suspended, and little knots 
 were gathered through the camp discussing it. The general 
 verdict was approved. Indeed, manv hoped that the war would 
 not end before the hundred days had expired, and the freedom of 
 the black man had become secure. Some of the arguments used 
 by the soldiers were exceedingly apt and logical, as was this: 
 "According to the Southern idea, the black man is property. 
 Well, now, we can confiscate property in war. Nobody com- 
 plains if we take their mules to draw our wagon trains. If a 
 confiscated mule could take my musket and stop a Rebel bullet 
 in my place, I would not be sorry about it. I guess a nigger, 
 who is property, can be confiscated from the Rebels ; and if he 
 will take a musket and help us fight, all the better for the prop- 
 erty." The soldiers could see that freedom to the black man 
 meant regiments and brigades of black men, with muskets and 
 bayonets. On the next day, a train load of excursionists, from 
 Winslow, Lena, Freeport, and other places, visited camp, to see 
 their friends in the Regiment. At battalion drill that afternoon, 
 five thousand ladies and gentlemen looked on: and it was an 
 awkward drill, for the officers would bow to their particular friends 
 among the young ladies; and the men would not keep their eyes 
 steadily to the front, touching the ground at fifteen paces; but 
 they, too, would have some recognition for sweethearts, or a sly 
 glance as they passed, just to see if she was looking. The Colo-
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 33 
 
 nel had so many sweethearts to attract his attention, that he at 
 one time forgot all about the Regiment, and it marched bang up 
 against a high board fence. The next Sabbath, the Ninety- 
 Second escorted the 74th Illinois Volunteers to the depot, that 
 regiment having been ordered to Louisville, Kentucky. On the 
 first of October, knapsacks, haversacks, and canteens were 
 issued. The few old soldiers in the Regiment, with airs of im- 
 portance, showed those who had never seen one before, how to 
 pack a knapsack. From the first to the sixth, it was beautiful 
 weather; the camp was full of visitors, and the drills were fine 
 displays. On the seventh, twenty-seven dollars advance bounty 
 money was paid each man. On the night of the seventh, some 
 foolish difficulty arose between a portion of the 96th and Ninety- 
 Second men, while in the city ; and it required the efforts of the 
 officers of both regiments to prevent it taking the shape of a 
 general scrimmage with muskets. On the eighth, the 9&th 
 Illinois Volunteers left Rockford for the South. On the morning 
 of the ninth, the Ninety-Second received its first marching 
 orders. There was no drilling. The camp was full of fathers, 
 and mothers, and sisters, and sweethearts, bidding their soldier- 
 boys "good-bye." It was no ordinary journey on which that 
 thousand men were about entering; it was a march to battle, and, 
 for many, to the grave. No one could tell who would come back 
 again, and who would fall by the way. They were sad good- 
 byes. On the morning of the tenth, in full strength, with 
 blankets rolled and knapsacks packed, the Ninety-Second, with 
 music, and with colors flying, marched down through the streets 
 of Rockford, and embarked on a special train for Chicago, reach- 
 ing there at 3 P. M.; marched through the streets of Chicago to 
 the Illinois Central Depot, and stacked arms. At 6 P. M., the 
 Regiment took a special train for Cincinnati, and at 10 A. M. next 
 day, was delaj'ed, waiting for the repair of the railroad bridge 
 over the W abash River, near the battle-ground of Tippecanoe. 
 Some of the soldiers straggled oft" into the surrounding 
 orchards, for apples : and Dick McCann, of Company D,- of Polo, 
 was ferociously attacked by a tame deer, and while making a wild 
 retreat, the deer, with his sharp antlers, helped Dick along. 
 Dick was the first man wounded in the Ninetv-Second, and the 
 only one who ever retreated without orders. Owing to various 
 delays, the Regiment did pot reach Indianapolis until after dark, 
 and was all night reaching Cincinnati, arriving there at daylight; 
 and marched immediately through the streets of Cincinnati, in 
 4
 
 34 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS.. 
 
 the solemn stillness of the Sabbath morning, crossing the Ohio 
 River on a bridge of floating coal barges, and on through the 
 city of Covington, treading, for the first time, i the "sacred soil" 
 of Kentucky, and camped four miles south of the Ohio, in the 
 valley of the Licking. The sullen roar of artillery was heard to 
 the southward; it was the Union advance, pushing along the rear 
 guard of the Rebel column, under Kirby Smith, whose near 
 approach to Cincinnati had frightened some of the Porkopolis- 
 ites nearly out of* their wits. The Regiment held a dress parade 
 at sundown ; and then, without tents, for the first time, spread 
 their blankets on the ground, and lay wearily down, with only 
 the star-lit dome of heaven above them. 
 
 On Monday, the Regiment drew Bell-Tents, and a six-mule 
 team and wagon for each company. The entire day was spent in 
 breaking in the little three-year old mules, and in pitching tents, 
 and fixing up camp. On the next day, there was a review and 
 inspection of the Regiment, General Baird, Division Commander, 
 being present; and he complimented the Regiment highly for its 
 fine marching and drill. On the fifteenth, the Union regiments 
 that had garrisoned Cumberland Gap, reached Covington, ragged, 
 footsore, and weary. The camping ground was among the most 
 abrupt hills and gullies; and the battalion drills at Covington 
 will long be remembered. No matter how rough the ground, 
 the regimental manoeuvres were gone through with all the same; 
 and it was laughable to see the men sometimes helping each 
 other up the abrupt banks, or trying to dress into line on a side- 
 hill so steep they could not stand still in the position of a 
 soldier. At noon, on the eighteenth of October, the Regiment 
 received orders to be ready to march at 4 P. M. It was not to 
 march by cars or steamer, but to strap knapsacks on backs; roll 
 blanket, and tie the ends together, and hang it over the shoul- 
 der; put on a belt with a cartridge box and forty rounds of ball 
 cartridges; bayonet scabbard, with bayonet in it; and, with a 
 heavy Enfield Rifle, take the " route step" and trudge along 
 through the country, weary mile after weary mile. The start 
 was always splendid; every man in ranks, colors flying, drum 
 corps playing, arms at a shoulder or right shoulder shift, and left, 
 left, left, always with the tap of the bass drum ; but after a while, 
 the drum corps quit playing, the colors were furled, and " route 
 step" was the command. The officers returned swords to scab- 
 bards, and the men no longer carried their arms in any particular 
 way, or tried to keep step, but trudged along, like any other weary
 
 XINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 3$ 
 
 foot-man, for miles and miles and miles, through towns, over 
 streams, passing farm, and orchard, and forest, up hill, down hill, 
 on, on, on. The march was to Independence, county-seat of 
 Kenton County, probably thirteen miles from the camp at Cov- 
 ington, through a beautiful country, along a broad, smooth, lime- 
 stone pike road. Needham, the Drum Major, had marched in 
 the armj r before, and he tried hard to keep the Regiment from 
 pushing on so fast, but it was useless; the men were fresh and 
 strong, and they pushed ahead, determined to reach camp and 
 have the march over. The men, as they marched along that 
 October afternoon, continually heard the rumble of artillery-firing 
 to the front, the skirmishing of the Union forces with the Rebels 
 under Morgan, whose advance, on its march southward, occupied 
 Lexington that dav. The Regiment went into camp after dark, 
 on the County Fair Grounds of Kenton County. It was a much 
 longer march than the Regiment ought to have made; and weary 
 and tired out with their first day's marching of thirteen miles, 
 began late and ended late, many sank upon the ground in an 
 exhausted condition, and went supperless to sleep. It rained 
 during the night, rained as it only can when thousands of men 
 are laying out in the storm without shelter. Reveille sounded at 
 the first gray of morning; the Regiment was roused from slum- 
 ber, and many stood cold and shivering. A high board fence 
 inclosed the Fair Grounds; but not a board could be touched for 
 fires to fry the u sow-belly" and make coffee; and many munched 
 their " hard-tack" in the rain, and made no effort to cook. Many 
 who had disdained the coarse army shoes, with broad heels and 
 fiat, thick soles,- and clung to their neat-fitting French calf-skin 
 boots, learned their error; they could not get their boots on their 
 swollen feet, and, tieing them together, they slung them over 
 their shoulders, and marched on the gritty pike in their bare feet. 
 At seven A. M., the Regiment moved out, and down the pike 
 road, and made nineteen miles that day. The Regiment marched 
 at sunrise on the twentieth, and left the pike road to strike Fal- 
 tnouth in the Licking River valley; but after fourteen miles' 
 inarch, being delayed by the igth Michigan wagon trains, halted 
 for th night. On the twenty-first, the inarch was resumed early. 
 Soon after marching, the Colonel observed some men of 
 Company A going into the fields. Their movements were 
 watched. They killed a couple of sheep, and, dressing them, put 
 the mutton into the company wagon of Company A. The Regi- 
 ment kept on, and reached Falmouth at eleven A. M. The
 
 36 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 owner of the sheep killed, professing to be a good Union man, 
 was soon detailing his loss of mutton to the Colonel. The men 
 of Company A were called up; they saw they were caught; and, 
 as the Colonel suggested that it would be a good thing to take 
 up a collection and pay for the sheep, it was quickly done. Then 
 said one of them, " Well, Colonel, I suppose we can have the 
 mutton now?" But the Colonel replied, " No, it is paid for; and 
 this time I will let you off without further punishment. But, 
 boys, just take the mutton up to the hospital, to make broth for 
 the sick." The joke on Company A got out among the other 
 companies of the Regiment; and if any one said, " Ba! ba!" to a 
 Company A man after that, he had to run or fight. The Regi- 
 ment went into regular camp at Falmouth, and, the next day and 
 the day following, had regular battalion drills. 
 
 On the twenty-fourth, the Regiment marched at six A. M. 
 for Lexington, and, after marching sixteen miles over a very hilly 
 country, camped on the banks of the Licking ; and, on the next 
 day, marched fourteen miles, being turned out, off from the pike 
 onto a dirt road at four P. M., by command of General Granger, 
 to save a mile's march, and was two hours marching, in mud 
 ankle deep, to make a mile and a half, and camped at dark near 
 Cynthiana, in a snow-storm, with snow five or six inches deep. 
 The Colonel declined to occupy a house near at hand for his 
 head -quarters, but had the snow cleared away, and his tent put 
 up, and a fire built close to the door in front, and then sounded 
 the "officers' call," just to 'show the officers how snug and com- 
 fortable one could make himself, even in a dark night, and in a 
 snow-storm, by a little work. He then sounded the " orderlies' 
 call," and only to show them how easy it was to make themselves 
 comfortable by trying. But it was a sad sight to stroll through 
 the camp and see the men stand shivering in the storm, weary, 
 and apparently helpless. It is only by long experience that sol- 
 diers learn how to take care of themselves. Money had been 
 voluntarily subscribed by the officers and men, to purchase in- 
 struments for a band; and Collen Bauden left by rail that 
 evening for Cincinnati, to purchase the silver horns for the Ninety- 
 Second band. On the twenty-sixth, the Regiment trampetl on 
 through the snow to Paris, and camped at four P. M. On the 
 twenty-seventh, marched early for Lexington, but, after marching 
 five miles, was ordered to halt and go into camp. The twenty- 
 eighth was a beautiful day, and the Regiment marched early, 
 and reached Lexington at three P. M. The march was along the
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 37 
 
 pike north of Lexington, the most beautiful portion of the blue- 
 grass region of Kentucky. The Regiment passed the plantation 
 of Cassius M. Clay, walled in by stone fences, its oak-studded 
 blue-grass fields filled with blooded Short Horns. The Regiment 
 was joyfully welcomed in Lexington, by the colored people, 
 especially by one little darkey at the head of the Regiment, who 
 sang without ceasing, in a sesawing sort of a way, 
 
 " Wake up, snakes, pelicans, and Sesh'ners! 
 Don't you hear 'um comin' 
 
 Comin' on de run? 
 
 Wake up, I tell yer! Git up, Jefferson ! 
 Bobolishion's comin' 
 Bob-o lish-i-on!" 
 
 The Regiment marched through the city in column of platoons, 
 arms at a right shoulder shift, and a thousand voices joined the 
 chorus of " John Brown's body lies a mouldering in the grave." 
 The Regiment passed in sight of the monument of Henry Clay, 
 a beautiful iron column, one hundred and thirty feet high, and 
 camped one and a half miles west of Lexington. 
 
 On the twenty-ninth, orders came to march ; and on the next 
 day, we were off on the pike to Winchester, and marched twelve 
 miles and camped. Negroes came flocking to the Regiment, and 
 desired to accompany it, but were advised by the Colonel not to 
 do so. 'During the night, some of the soldiers who had been out 
 foraging approached a picket post, where Lieutenant Scoville, of 
 Company K, was on duty, and were arrested; and not being able 
 to account for their turkeys, chickens, and honey, the Lieutenant 
 ordered them to be retained at the picket post until morning ; 
 but during the night, they slipped away from the picket post,taking 
 all their turkeys, chickens, and honey with them, and the army 
 blanket of the Lieutenant in addition. The Lieutenant made no 
 report of their arrest the next morning. On the morning of the 
 thirty-first, marched early, passing through Winchester, and as 
 soon as east of the town, an advance guard was sent out for the 
 first time. The Regiment went into camp in the woods, early in 
 the afternoon. During the month, the Ninety-Second had 
 marched five hundred and fifty miles. All day long, negroes 
 had been flocking to the Ninety-Second, but were uniformly 
 advised to return to their masters. 
 
 On Saturday, November first, 1862, the Regiment reached 
 Mt. Sterling, Montgomery County, Kentucky, and went into
 
 38 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 camp one mile south of the town. While the Regiment was 
 marching into the grove to encamp, the following communication 
 was handed to the Colonel : 
 
 " FAYETTEVILLE Co., KY., Nov. ist, 1862. 
 COLONELS COCHRAN AND ATKINS : 
 
 Gentlemen: My brother-in-law, Mr. Graves, informs me that 
 one of his servants has left, and may be following your com- 
 mand. Mr. Graves has had a great deal of trouble during the 
 Rebel raid ; they have taken sixty odd of his cattle, and one of 
 his best horses. I feel well satisfied that Mr. Graves has not 
 aided the Rebellion ; he is a pacifier man, stays at home attending 
 to his farm. You will confer a special favor on me by granting 
 any aid Mr. Graves ask's in regaining his servant, which may be 
 compatible with your stations. 
 
 Very Respectfully Yours, 
 
 HOWARD SHAFFER, 
 JACOB HOUGHS." 
 
 On the back of which was written the following : 
 
 " COL. ATKINS, Comd'g g2d 111. Vol.: 
 
 I am satisfied, from the statement of the above gentleman, as 
 well as other evidences I have, that Mr. Graves is a 'loyal citizen. 
 He informs me that he has a Boy within your lines : if so, have 
 him put outside of the lines. Yours Truly, 
 
 J. C. COCHRAN, 
 Col. Comd'g Demi-Brigade." 
 
 The Colonel was evidently in a brown study; he read the 
 order over again, and then called Major Bohn, and giving him 
 the order, directed him to learn if the " Boy" referred to was in 
 the lines of the Regiment, and if so, to have him put outside, 
 and to endorse his action in writing on the order. The Colonel 
 visited the village, and had an interview with the so-called Union 
 men, and returned to camp in the evening. That evening the 
 Colonel examined the Proclamation of President Lincoln, dated 
 September 22, 1862, and published by the War Department, Ad- 
 jutant General's Office, Washington, September 24, 1862, in 
 General Orders, War Department, No 1391, and found that it 
 contained the following : 
 
 " Attention is hereby called to the Act of Congress entitled, 
 ' An Act to make an additional Article of War,' approved March 
 13, 1862, and which Act is in the words and figures following:
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 39 
 
 " Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 
 of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That 
 hereafter the following shall be promulgated as an additional 
 Article of War for the Government of the United States, and 
 shall be obeyed and observed as such : 
 
 " ARTICLE All officers or persons in the Military or Naval 
 service of the United States are prohibited from employing any 
 of the forces under their respective commands for the purpose of 
 returning fugitives from service or labor who may have escaped 
 from any person to whom such service or labor is claimed to be 
 due; and any officer who shall be found guilty by a Court- 
 Martial of violating this article shall be dismissed from the 
 service. 
 
 " SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That this act shall take 
 effect from and after its passage." 
 
 President Lincoln, in his Proclamation, added, " And I do 
 hereby enjoin upon and order all persons engaged in the military 
 and naval service of the United States to observe, obey, and 
 enforce, within their respective spheres of service, the act and 
 section above recited." 
 
 The Colonel called Major Bohn, and called for the order irom 
 Colonel Cochran, and his endorsement ; the order was handed to 
 the Colonel, with the following endorsement by Major Bohn : 
 
 " HEAD-QUARTERS 92d ILL. VOL., i 
 
 CAMP DICK YATES, MT. STERLING, KY., / 
 
 November ist, 1862. ) 
 
 The within named servant has been taken without the lines 
 by order of S. D. Atkins, Col. 92d 111. Vol. 
 
 JOHN H. BOHN, 
 Major 92d Reg. 111. Vol." 
 
 The Colonel read the endorsement, by the Major, and called 
 his attention to the Article of War. and the Proclamation of 
 President Lincoln, above quoted, and desired to know what 
 answer he could make why he should not be Court-Martialed 
 and dismissed the service; and assured him that he was aston- 
 ished that anv citizen of Carroll Countv, Illinois, would engage 
 in the unspeakably low employment of hunting up black men 
 living irom slavery. But the Major was an able lawyer, and 
 quite equal to the occasion. Said he, "In the first place, I was 
 obeying the positive order of my superior officer, Colonel Atkins; 
 and in the second place, I did not return the ' Boy ' to ' any per- 
 son to whom such service or labor is claimed to be due.' I took
 
 4 o NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 him to the picket post, and told him to make tracks for the 
 north side of the Ohio river." The Major's plea was accepted, 
 and he was not Court-Martialed. But it was unanimously re- 
 solved by the Field Officers, that if Colonel Cochran sent anv 
 more such orders they should not be obeyed ; but that the Proc- 
 lamation of President Lincoln, and the new Article of War, 
 should be the rule on that question. 
 
 The following day was the Sabbath. The camp was regularly 
 laid out, and policed. A Rebel soldier, who was home on a fur- 
 lough, was brought in. Scouting parties were sent out on all the 
 roads, and permanent picket posts and regimental guards estab- 
 lished. The Colonel prepared an order assuming command of 
 the Post of Mt. Sterling and vicinity, and went to the village to 
 have it printed. Before printing it he read it to the " Loyal 
 Kentuckians," who gave their general approval. As soon as 
 done reading the order, he was presented with several written 
 commands from Colonel Cochran, directing him to deliver up fugi- 
 tive slaves. He referred the citizens to the Proclamation of 
 President Lincoln and the law of Congress enacting the new 
 Article of War, and declined to obey the orders of Colonel 
 Cochran. He was informed, by the citizens, that Colonel 
 Cochran had directed them to report his refusal to him, and was 
 assured that no Kentuckian would countenance a set of " nigger 
 thieves," and that all " Loyal Kentuckians " would withdraw 
 their support from his command. Thev were evidentlv pleased 
 at his refusal, regarding it as a test question, and said that if the 
 Colonel was sustained, Kentuckv would be a unit for the cause 
 of Jefferson Davis. The Colonel then added the last paragraph 
 to the order, and it was printed as follows: 
 
 " HEAD-QUARTERS CAMP DICK YATES, c 
 MT. STERLING, KY., Nov. 2, 1862. f 
 
 " General Orders, No. i. 
 
 " In compliance with General Orders No. i, issued from the 
 Head-quarters of Demi Brigade, I hereby assume command of 
 the post of Mt. Sterling and vicinity. 
 
 " Loyal citizens will be protected as such, and the civil au- 
 thorities assisted in the enforcement of the laws. 
 
 " All loyal citizens and soldiers in Mt. Sterling and vicinitv 
 are commanded to give information of the whereabouts of any 
 one who is now, or has been in anv capacity in the Confederate 
 service, and to arrest all such parties found in Mt. Sterling or
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 41 
 
 vicinity, and report them in custody to the commander of the 
 post for further proceedings. 
 
 " All loyal citizens are commanded to give information to the 
 commander of the post, of the whereabouts of any citizen who 
 has at any time during hostilities given any aid or comfort to the 
 common enemy. 
 
 " Farmers are invited to bring their marketable products to 
 the town and camp for sale, and will be granted protection in so 
 doing. 
 
 " Dealers in intoxicating liquors are commanded not to sell, or 
 in any way to dispose of any intoxicating liquor to any soldier. 
 Any one doing so will, for the first offense, have his stock in 
 trade destroyed ; and for the second offense, be severely punished 
 and confined. 
 
 " Loyal citizens who are the owners of slaves, are respectfully 
 notified to keep them home, as no part of my command will in any 
 way be used for the purpos* of returning fugitive slaves. It is 
 not necessary for Illinois soldiers to become slave-hounds to 
 demonstrate their loyalty; their loyalty has been proven upon 
 too many bloody battle-fields to require new proof. 
 
 " By command of SMITH D. ATKINS, 
 
 Col. 92d 111. Vol. Com. Post. 
 
 " I C. LAWYER, Adj't." 
 
 That order appeared, for a little while, to have settled the fate 
 of the Ninety-Second. There was no Kentuckian loyal enough 
 to stand the last' paragraph ! The very officious "loyal Ken- 
 tuckians," who had essayed to control the Colonel in his action, 
 were the most bitter in denouncing him and the Regiment. 
 
 An amusing incident occurred the first Sabbath the Regiment 
 was in Mt. Sterling. Captain Woodcock and Lieutenant Horace 
 J. Smith were out walking, when they were hailed by a citizen, 
 and invited to come in and stay to dinner. During the conver- 
 sation which ensued, Captain Woodcock had informed his host 
 that he belonged to the Methodist Church. When dinner was 
 announced as ready, the Kentuckian, with true Kentucky hos- 
 pitality, addressed them, saving: " Well, gentlemen, before we 
 dine, let us take a drink of Bourbon whisky ; you drink, don't 
 you, Lieutenant? There is no use of asking I he Captain, because 
 he told me he \\asa Methodist, and the Methodists all drink!"* 
 The Lieutenant declined, and so did Captain Woodcock ; but the 
 Kentuckian did not understand how Woodcock could be a mem- 
 
 5
 
 42 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 her of the Methodist Church, and not drink Bourbon whisky 
 before dinner. There was, evidently, considerable difference 
 between Methodism in Kentucky and Methodism in Illinois. 
 
 On Monday, the regular duties of the camp were resumed. 
 Many negroes flocked to see the dress parade, and some Ken- 
 tucky white ladies came to see, and to hear the music and hear 
 the songs by the glee club. On Tuesday, November 4th, 1862, 
 the Regiment held an informal election for Member of Congress 
 from the Third Illinois District, which resulted in an almost 
 unanimous vote for Hon. E. B. Washburne. It was of no 
 importance. Illinois soldiers in the field were disfranchised! 
 Hospitals were arranged in the unoccupied buildings in the vil- 
 lage, and under the care of the Regimental Surgeons and Miss 
 Addie Parsons, of Byron, and Miss Fannie Carpenter, of Polo, 
 the two heroic lady nurses, the " Daughters of the Regiment," 
 the sick of the Ninety-Second were comfortably provided for. 
 The Regiment had review, inspection, and dress parade. Many 
 prisoners were being picked up by our scouting parties. On 
 the fifth, Captain Becker, of Company I, with a sufficient guard, 
 went to Lexington, to turn over fifty prisoners that had accumu- 
 lated in the command. Two more prisoners were brought into 
 camp. At night it rained. At about twelve o'clock at night, the 
 reports of two guns were heard in quick succession. Needham, 
 Drum Major, beat the long roll, and in just three minutes the 
 Regiment was in line of battle. Scouts were sent out in all 
 directions, but rio enemy was found. Some said the guns were 
 fired by negroes hunting coons. No one was hurt; but Needham 
 stove in the heads of three drums in beating the long roll, and 
 Major Bohngot into his pantaloons with his pantaloons wrong end 
 up. As soon as it was demonstrated that no enemy was near, 
 the men returned to their slumbers. On the sixth, Benjamin 
 Hetrick, of Company B, was shot and fatally wounded by the 
 accidental discharge of a gun at the guard tent. lie died the next 
 day, and his funeral, on the eighth, was attended by the entire 
 Regiment. The ninth was Sabbath, and the customary inspec- 
 tion of arms, clothing, and quarters was held. The weather was 
 beautiful. The preaching by the Chaplain was largely attended. 
 The camp was flooded with upward of five hundred colored peo- 
 ple, men and women, old and young, gaudily dressed, and in 
 tatters and rags, and of all colors. A soldier, in his diary, 
 writes: " Some of the slaves are as white as the Yankees. One 
 child was as white as any child, and was really pretty. The
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 43 
 
 more I see of slavery, the more I hate and despise the accursed 
 thing." There were more orders from Colonel Cochran to de- 
 liver up fugitives, but they were not obeyed. At night, if any 
 negroes were in the camp who were not employed as servants by 
 the officers, they were turned out of camp. There were no 
 rations to be issued to them, no tents or clothing for them ; and 
 while the Colonel would not issue orders to return them to their 
 masters, he was compelled to keep his camp from being flooded 
 and overwhelmed with them. From day to day, the negro prob- 
 lem was the great difficulty. If a negro was employed by an 
 officer as a servant, and was furnished with a written certificate 
 by the officer to that effect, he was protected. If his master 
 called for him, and was a Rebel, he was quietly informed that his 
 application was useless. If he could establish his loyalty, there 
 was no instance where the officer longer employed the negro; 
 neither the Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, nor Major employed any 
 colored servant in Kentucky. The thirty-seven officers of the 
 Regiment were all entitled to servants; and just fifteen employed 
 Kentucky negroes in that capacity, and all of them the former 
 slaves of Rebels, either serving in the Rebel army, or giving aid 
 or comfort to the Rebellion. But it appeared as though the whole 
 State of Kentucky was fated to go wild over those fifteen colored 
 servants. 
 
 On the fourteenth of November, the water having given out 
 in the spring near the encampment, the camp was moved three 
 miles north of Mt. Sterling, on the Maysville pike, on the planta- 
 tion of Colonel Thompson, who was serving " loyal Kentucky" 
 in the Rebel army. Here the Regiment camped by the side of 
 his cattle pond. The frosty nights had somewhat purified the 
 water. The pond was simply a hole scooped out in a field, and 
 the bottom puddled to hold the rain water that accumulated in it. 
 Thorougly boiled, and set out over night in the frosty air, it was 
 a very palatable and healthful drink. On the fifteenth, Major 
 Bohn drilled the Regiment for the first time. In the night, orders 
 came to march to Nicholasville, and report to General Baird. 
 On Sabbath morning, November sixteenth, the Regiment 
 marched at six o'clock, down through Mt. Sterling, and out on 
 the Winchester pike. About sixty men of the Regiment were 
 left in the hospitals at Mt. Sterling, under the charge of Dr. Na- 
 than Stephenson, Army Surgeon. Little regret was felt at leav- 
 ing Mt. Sterling. But, while the people could not forgive the 
 Regiment for its course on the negro question, thev were exceed-
 
 44 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 ingly hospitable, and many good Union families were there. 
 It can be said, to the great credit of the village, that, after the 
 Regiment had left, the residents were exceedingly kind to the 
 sick of the Ninety-Second left behind. The Regiment marched 
 twelve miles, and camped on the old ground it had occupied the 
 night before reaching Mt. Sterling. A hard rain-storm prevailed 
 during the night. The Regiment again marched at davlight. 
 Many negroes came in from the fields and woods, as the Regi- 
 ment marched along, and brought wild stories of the gathering 
 of ten thousand armed people at Winchester, where Colonel 
 Cochran was encamped with the I4th Kentucky Infantry, and, 
 with the assistance of the Kentucky "loyal" blue coated soldiers, 
 were determined to take the colored servants emploved by the 
 line officers out of the Regiment by force, and " clean out" the 
 whole Regiment of " nigger thieves." A few miles before reach- 
 ing Winchester, a Kentucky lady pointed out a colored lad as her 
 " Boy," and demanded of the Colonel his release ; and when 
 asked if she was a Union woman, she replied, " No, I am a Rebel. 
 You can keep him now, but you will never take him or any other 
 slave beyond Winchester; and you yourself \vill be put into jail, 
 unless you are killed." The Regiment all knew that the Colonel 
 did not want to be killed, or go to jail. When the Regiment 
 reached the top of the hill near Winchester, where the men could 
 look down into the town, it was apparent that the stories told by 
 the negroes, although exaggerated, contained much truth. The 
 streets were crowded with hundreds of people, mostly on foot, 
 and many mounted. The windows of the houses, on both sides 
 of the streets, were crowded with soldiers of the i4th Kentucky 
 Infantry. The head of the Regiment marched close to the town 
 and halted, and the Regiment closed up, and at the word of com- 
 mand, dressed into line of battle. Then came the commands, 
 " Order arms. Load at will. Load." Cartridges were handled, 
 and torn, and charged; rammers were drawn, and balls rammed 
 home; and the jingling steel ramrods returned, and gun-caps 
 placed on the nipples. Another command, "Attention, battalion. 
 Order arms. Fix bayonets." The rattling bayonets were placed 
 on the Enfields, and secured. The Colonel then said, " Soldiers 
 of the Ninety-Second, we are threatened with difficulty in passing 
 through this town. I hope there will not be any. Listen to my 
 orders. You will march in silence. No word must be spoken. 
 If you are spoken to, you must not reply. If a gun is fired at 
 you; if a brickbat, or club, or stone be thrown at you, do not
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 45 
 
 await orders, but resent it at once with bullet and bayonet. To be 
 attacked by citizens whose homes we are guarding, and by sol- 
 diers of Kentucky in the service of the United States, is no ordi- 
 nary warfare; we cannot meet it in the ordinary way. You 
 must not fire first; but if fired upon, kill every human being in 
 the town, and burn every building." A shout from the Regi- 
 ment that shook the houses, told that the men understood the 
 orders, and would obey them. All was again silent. A squad of 
 mounted Kentuckians, who had rode up to the head of the Regi- 
 ment, and listened to the Colonel's orders, scattered through the 
 town, telling the crowd what the Colonel's orders were. The 
 Colonel commanded, " Attention, battalion. Shoulder arms. 
 Right shoulder shift arms. By sections, right wheel. Forward, 
 march." Away the Regiment went. A soldier writes in a letter 
 home, " Lieutenant Hawk had charge of the van-guard, and as 
 he came sweeping around the square, with his fine, soldierly bear- 
 ing, and fight in his eye, the cowards fell back, putting their 
 pistols under their coats, knowing full well that it was useless to 
 say fight to the Ninety-Second." The Sheriff of the county, on 
 horse-back, rode up by the side of the Colonel, and asked if he 
 might speak to him, and was told that he could. He then served 
 summons upon the Colonel in several suits for stealing niggers. 
 One attempt was made to take a negro servant out from between 
 the sections of Company E, but it was not successful, and no 
 other molestation was experienced in Winchester. Had the Regi- 
 ment straggled along through Winchester, there would have been 
 trouble; but loaded guns, fixed bayonets, and a silent march, were 
 things not counted upon bv the Kentuckians. South-west of the 
 town about a mile, the Regiment was halted at the side of the 
 road on the hill, and the guns were emptied into the woods, the 
 whole Regiment firing at the word of command, the first time, 
 and the last time, that the Regiment together ever heard the 
 command, " Ready, aim, fire." It was said that the camp of the 
 i4th Kentucky was at the foot of the hill, in the direction of the 
 firing; but it was concealed bv the woods, and no one in the 
 Ninety-Second knew it. The rattling bullets from the Enfields 
 did no harm, for the camp of. the I4th Kentucky was deserted ; 
 they were all up at Winchester, where they had been swelling the 
 ovation given by the " loyal Kentuckians" to the Ninety-Second 
 as it marched along. It was a grand thing to have the entire 
 population turn out and give the Regiment a continual ovation ; 
 it was not just the kind of an ovation that would have pleased
 
 46 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 the Regiment best, but it was better than no ovation. Marched 
 thirteen miles, and went into camp at Pine Grove. The rain had 
 ceased, and the evening was beautiful. Captain Schermerhorn, 
 always ready for sport, had laid a large barn-door on the ground, 
 and was superintending a dancing match between a lot of ne- 
 groes. The Captain knew how to pat "Juba," and knew just 
 where to put in encouraging remarks, like " Go in, Sambo," and 
 " Lay right down to it, Caesar ;" and the shouts of the boys enjoy- 
 ing the scene soon brought the entire Regiment out, to help the 
 sport along. It was a merry lot of men that formed the ring 
 there, in the moonlight, around the barn-door on the ground, and 
 laughed and shouted at the dancing of the darkies. And when 
 they had wearied of that, or the darkies had wearied, they called 
 on Major Bohn to sing a comic song. The blushing Major com- 
 plied, and sang what he chose to call the Colonel's favorite, 
 commencing, "Julie am a handsome gal, her heart am young 
 and tender." Then the Colonel, not being able to sing a song, 
 gave a specimen of the " Mexican double-shuffle," while Captain 
 Schermerhorn patted "Juba" and made encouraging remarks to the 
 Colonel. When not on duty the men and officers of the Ninety- 
 Second were always on an exact equality. Picket posts were estab- 
 lished, and a line guard put around the Regiment, and in the mid- 
 dle of the night an attack was made upon the picket post between 
 Winchester and the camp. A volley was fired by the picket. A 
 white woman living outside of the picket post, said there was a 
 large body of men there in the night, and after the firing, pressed 
 in a wagon to carry their wounded back toward Winchester. 
 The Regiment marched at daylight, and passed again through 
 Lexington. The streets were crowded with people. In column 
 of sections, the Regiment silently marched through the streets, 
 with colors flying, and drum corps playing. After gaining the 
 hill at the southern extremity of the town, the Major rode up to 
 the head of the Regiment and informed the Colonel that there 
 was trouble in the rear. The Colonel rode rapidly back, and 
 found company A surrounded by a crowd of deputy sheriffs, 
 special policemen, and cadaverous looking Kentuckians, who 
 had attempted to take a negro out from between the sections of 
 that company. The Regiment came to an about face, and 
 marchd back to company A. The Colonel commanded com- 
 pany A to load at will, and the ball cartridges soon went into 
 the guns. The Colonel took out his watch and told the crowd, 
 "I give you just three minutes to clear these streets; if you
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 47 
 
 remain that long these streets will run with blood." The 
 crowd exhibited commendable anxiety in getting around the 
 street corners in the rear of the Regiment, and out of sight. 
 The march was resumed, and the Regiment went into camp 
 three miles south of Lexington. Very polite attentions were 
 extended to the Colonel. General Quincy A. Gilmore, of the 
 United States Army, commanding a Division at Lexington, sent 
 the Colonel an invitation to dine with him but concluding it 
 was a ruse to get him into the hands of the sheriff, the Colonel 
 declined, and returned an invitation to the General to ride out to 
 camp and enjoy a little hard-tack and coffee. That it was a ruse 
 was soon demonstrated, for General Gilmore immediately sent a 
 peremptory command for the Colonel to report at his Head- 
 quarters in Lexington; but his aid-decamp was informed by the 
 Colonel, that he was already under orders to report to General 
 Baird, his own Division Commander, at Nicholasville, and if 
 General Gilmore really desired to see him he must ride out to the 
 camp of the Ninety-Second. The Governor of Kentucky also 
 extended his polite invitation to the Colonel to dine with him in 
 Lexington, but the Colonel sent word to the Governor to ride 
 out to the camp and dine with him. The next morning the 
 Sheriff of Lexington brought a letter from. General Gilmore to 
 the Colonel, written, Gilmore said, at the request of the Judge of 
 the Court, advising the Colonel to give up the negroes the line 
 officers had employed as servants, as, if he did not, he would be 
 subject to very severe penalties for contempt of court. But the 
 Colonel stood by the law of Congress and the Proclamation of 
 President Lincoln. The Colonel ought to have been punished for 
 contempt ; for he certainly entertained the liveliest contempt for 
 General Gilmore, and the Governor of Kentucky, and the 
 Judges, and all the balance of the Ketuckians and Regular Army 
 officers, who thought more of the institution of slavery than they 
 did of their country. 
 
 On the nineteenth, the Regiment trudged along in the rain 
 nine miles to Nicholasville, and went into camp. On the twen- 
 tieth, it cleared up, and the camp was permanently established. 
 On the next day, Brigadier General Juda inspected the Regiment, 
 and placed it first for drill, discipline, care of arms, and cleanli- 
 ness of camp. General Juda was a fussy old gentleman, but a 
 very thorough Inspector General. The Colonel received the 
 following communication from General Baird, commanding the 
 Division:
 
 48 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 " HEAD-QUARTERS 3d DIVISION, ARMY OF KENTUCKY, } 
 NICHOLASVILLE, KY., Nov. 2ist, 1862. f 
 
 " COL. SMITH D. ATKINS, 
 
 Commanding Ninety-Second Illinois Volunteers, 
 
 ''Colonel: It having come to the knowledge of the General 
 Commanding, that during the time you were stationed at Mt. 
 Sterling, Ky., and subsequently, while upon the march from 
 thence to this place, grave questions, with regard to the rendition 
 of fugitive slaves, have arisen; and, also, that upon your march, 
 your Regiment was subjected to insult by certain members of 
 the I4th Kentucky Volunteers, combined with citizens and 
 others, he directs that you furnish a full and complete report of 
 all that transpired relative to that subject; and particularly, as 
 to how may negroes may, at that time, have taken refuge in 
 your camp, and the circumstances connected therewith. You 
 will also state, in your report, whether you delivered over any 
 of these persons to their claimants, and if so, under whose 
 orders, and what circumstances. 
 
 " I am, Colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 B. H. POLK, 
 Capt. and A. A. A. G." 
 
 On the next day the Colonel replied to the communication of 
 the Commander of the Division as follows: 
 
 " HEAD-QUARTERS y2d ILLINOIS VOLUNTEERS, / 
 NICHOLASVILLE, KY., Nov. 22, 1862. \ 
 "CAi'T. B. H. POLK, A. A. A. G., 
 
 "Sir: In compliance with your communication of yesterday, 
 I have the honor to report: 
 
 "That, on the first day of November, inst, Saturday, I arrived, 
 with my Regiment, at Mt. Sterling, Ky. On the road several 
 negroes desired to accompany mv Regiment, but I uniformly 
 advised them not to do so. 
 
 " I had scarcely arrived in camp, when a man presented an 
 order from Colonel Cochran, of the 14111 Ky., commanding me 
 to deliver up a fugitive slave, and, finding that the slave had got 
 into my Regiment on the road, I ordered him put out of the 
 lines, which was done. See exhibit 'A.' 
 
 "On Sunday, I issued General Order No. i, assuming com- 
 mand of the Post of Mt. Sterling and vicinity. Before printing 
 it I read the order to some of the ' loyal ' citizens of Mt. Sterling, 
 which order did not, at first, contain the last paragraph, relative
 
 NINETY -S&^OND ^LLINOIS. 49 
 
 to slaves. While reading it a person sought me out and pre- 
 sented a written order from Colonel Cochran, commanding me to 
 deliver up a slave, and said to me that Colonel Cochran had 
 directed him to report me if I refused. I read the order, and 
 told him that I did not wish to harbor the slave of any loyal 
 man, but that as I understood the law, I had no right to deliver . 
 up fugitive slaves by taking them beyond my lines under guard, 
 and that I would not, even under that written order of Colonel 
 Cochran, hunt up any slave and send him beyond my lines, and 
 within the lines of the enemy; that I was in command of Mt. 
 Sterling and vicinity, and that to obey that order I might have 
 to go as far as Abingdon, Va., with the fugitive; but that if he 
 was a ' loyal ' man, and his slave was within my lines, that I 
 presumed that no opposition would be made by any one if he 
 took him. The man claiming the fugitive, and the others whom 
 I had before supposed to be ' loyal ' men, seemed greatly gratified 
 that I had refused to give up a fugitive slave upon the order 
 of Colonel Cochran, and informed me that the matter could now 
 be settled, making -of it a test question; and told me that all the 
 people of Montgomery County, Kentucky, would now be against 
 me. My Regiment was stigmatised as ' nigger thieves ' in my 
 hearing, and Illinoisans declared worse enemies of Kentucky 
 than the Rebels. After this exciting conversation, I added the 
 last paragraph to my General Order No. I. 
 
 " At this time I am very certain that there were not six slaves 
 within my Regimental lines. 
 
 " I cautioned my men against enticing any slave within my 
 lines, and urged upon them the impolicy of, in any way, inter- 
 fering with the slaves of loyal masters. My pickets would, how- 
 ever, occasionally bring one in, all of whom claimed to be slaves 
 of Rebels, and seeking protection. On receiving Colonel 
 Granger's General Order No. 15, dated Nov. 4th, I ordered, in 
 compliance with that order, that all persons, not enlisted men, or 
 regularly employed, to be put out of my camp, andone colored 
 person, and only one, was put out, and that included ALL within 
 my Regimental lines at that time. 
 
 " Colonel Cochran sent me repeated orders upon this subject, 
 (See Exhibit ' C.') some of which I have preserved, and some 
 of which I have lost, but none of which have I obeyed, except 
 the first one, as above stated. 
 
 "I endeavored to adopt a conciliatory course; did not permit
 
 50 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 my camp to be filled up with " hangers-on," and none to remain 
 in after nightfall, except officers' servants, furnished with written 
 certificates, as per Army Regulations, and trusted that time 
 would allay the excitement. On Sabbath, the 8th, my camp was 
 filled with negroes, sent in from miles around, to the number of 
 five to eight hundred, in violation of my published order; and the 
 people seemed determined, by threatening my Regiment, and 
 sending their slaves into camp, to raise the question, and force it to 
 a violent issue. 
 
 41 When people came to my camp and furnished evidence of 
 their loyalty, and any of my line officers had EMPLOYED their 
 slaves, I introduced them to my officers ; and in every instance 
 where their loyalty has been undoubted, my officers have refused 
 to longer employ their slaves as servants, and they have been 
 permitted to take them. I uniformly refused to "order'' my offi- 
 cers to give them up; and I have as uniformly urged them not 
 to employ slaves of loyal men. Tn at least ten instances, where 
 the loyalty of the persons has been established to the satisfaction 
 of my officers, they have refused longer to employ the slaves, 
 and their masters have been permitted to take them away quietly 
 without opposition. 
 
 " Two days before I was relieved of the command of the post 
 at Mt. Sterling, the citizens informed me that the order relieving 
 me had been made; and I often heard that the i4th Kentucky 
 Infantry would join with the mob and the Rebels, and would 
 "clean out" my Regiment. In marching through Mt. Sterling, 
 no violence was offered but once, when a man said he would take 
 a negro from between the sections ; and I commanded my men, 
 that if he did so to bayonet him. One or two people standing on 
 the sidewalk drew pistols, but none were fired. All along the 
 road, 1 was told that at Winchester the I4th Kentucky Infantry 
 regiment (Colonel Cochran's), with the mob, would take every 
 negro out of my Regiment, or kill every man in it. When at the 
 edge of the town, I halted my command, ordered the men to load 
 and fix bayonets, and march in sections. I commanded my 
 Regiment to march silently, and in order, and under no circum- 
 stances to provoke an attack, or to answer any insulting remark 
 or questions; but if fired upon by any one, or if stones or clubs 
 were thrown, to fire in self-defense. The town was full of peo- 
 ple and soldiers, the sidewalks lined on both sides, many armed 
 with side arms, and, I am fully convinced, intended an attack, 
 but were intimidated by my bayonets and loaded guns. Only
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 51 
 
 one disturbance occurred, which is fully narrated in exhibit " D," 
 to which I beg to refer. 
 
 " That night, while encamped at Pine Grove, west of Winches- 
 ter, Lieutenant B. F. Sheets, of ist Battalion, Kentucky Cavalry, 
 and an officer of the i4th Kentucky, came to the guard ; but, as I 
 then knew of their actions during the day, as stated in exhibit 
 " D," I refused to admit them, but received from them a written 
 communication signed by officers of the I4th Kentucky Infantry, 
 marked exhibit " E," to which I beg to refer. 
 
 " While marching through Lexington, Kentucky, a crowd, 
 armed with revolvers and stones, forcibly made an attempt to 
 take a nego from between two of the sections of my Regiment. 
 I was at once notified, and rode to the rear, and told the crowd 
 that if the attempt was again made, the streets of Lexington 
 would run with blood, as we could and would defend ourselves 
 from any attack. No further resistance was offered. 
 
 " The next morning, the Sheriff of Lexington, Kentucky,came 
 to my camp and desired to serve papers on me in civil suits, to 
 which I made no resistance; and he left divers chancery sum- 
 mons and orders of court with me, one of each of which I inclose 
 as a specimen of all the others, marked exhibit " F." 
 
 " I was also complimented by a large batch of similar docu- 
 ments at Winchester, Kentucky. The Sheriff of Lexington, 
 Kentucky, also brought me a letter from Brigadier General Q. 
 A. Gilmore, written, he said, at the request of the Judge of the 
 Court, advising me to obey the summons and court orders, as, 
 otherwise, I would be liable to severe punishment for contempt. 
 I replied to him, that I was busy with the Rebellion, expecting 
 soon to meet the enemy, and could not stop to hunt up negroes, 
 or formally answer bills in chancery, or orders of court, but 
 would be happy to spread upon the records of the court a com- 
 plete defense after the war was over. 
 
 " Three colored persons have been taken from my camp, upon 
 warrants charging them with crime all that have been so 
 claimed. 
 
 " There are yet fifteen men employed as servants by the com- 
 missioned officers of mv Regiment, some of whom I know to 
 have been formerly the slaves of Rebels. There are none in my 
 camp that are not so regularly employed as officers' servants. 
 
 " Countless rumors, to which I am unable to give any definite 
 form, have come to my ears, like these : ' The Kentucky troops 
 would annihilate the Ninety-Second Illinois.' ' The Governor of
 
 52 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 Kentucky would call out the militia, to suppress the Ninetv- 
 Second Illinois.' ' That the jails of Kentucky would be filled by 
 the nigger thieves from Illinois,' &c. ; all calculated to produce 
 excitement and collision, and evincing a determination, on the 
 part of Kentucky soldiers and citizens, to force the question to a 
 bloody issue. 
 
 "I have the honor to be, Captain, very respectfully, your 
 obedient servant, SMITH D. ATKINS, 
 
 " Colonel 92d Illinois Volunteers." 
 
 EXHIBIT " A." 
 
 " FAYETTEVILLE COUNTY, KENTUCKY, j 
 November ist, 1862. ) 
 " Colonels Cochran and Atkins : 
 
 "Gentlemen: My brother-in-law, Mr. Graves, informs me 
 that one of his servants has left, and may be following your com- 
 mand. Mr. Graves has had a great deal of trouble during the 
 Rebel raid, they having taken sixty odd of his cattle, and one of 
 his best horses. I feel satisfied that Mr. Graves has not aided the 
 Rebellion ; he is a pacifier man, stays at home attending to his 
 farm. You will confer a special favor on me, by granting any 
 aid Mr. Graves asks in regaining his servant, which may be com- 
 patible with your stations. 
 
 " Very Respectfully Yours, 
 
 " HOWARD SHAFFER, 
 "JACOB HOUGHS." 
 
 " WINCHESTER, KY., Nov. ist, 1862. 
 
 " Colonel ATKINS, Comd'g g2d Illinois Volunteers : 
 
 " I am satisfied, by the statement of the above gentlemen, as 
 well as other evidence I have, that Mr. Graves is a loyal citizen. 
 He informs me that he has a Boy within your lines ; if so, have 
 him put outside of the lines. Yours Truly, 
 
 " J. C. COCHRAN, 
 " Col. Comd'g Demi-Brigade." 
 
 " HEAD-QUARTERS 920 ILLINOIS VOLUNTEERS, j 
 
 CAMP DICK YATES, MT. STERLING, KY., > 
 
 November ist, 1862. ) 
 
 " The within named servant has been taken without the lines, 
 by order of S. D. Atkins, Col. 92d 111. Vol. 
 
 " JOHN H. BOHN, 
 " Major 92d Reg. 111. Vol."
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 53 
 
 EXHIBIT "C." 
 
 " WINCHESTER, Nov. ist, 1862. 
 " Colonel ATKINS, Comd'g 92d 111. Vol.: 
 
 "Sir: Mr. James Ballurd informs me he has a Boy within 
 your lines. He is reported by the Union men here as being a 
 good Union man. He has in his possession a pass from the Pro- 
 vost Marshal of this place to that effect. If his Boy is inside of 
 your lines, have him put outside. 
 
 " Yours Truly, J. C. COCHRAN, 
 
 " Col. Comd'g Demi-Brigade " 
 
 " HEAD-QUARTERS DEMI-BRIGADE, } 
 WINCHESTER, Nov. ist, 1862. f 
 
 "Colonel ATKINS, Comd'g p2d 111. Reg. Vol. : 
 
 " Hiram Barclay, an undoubted Union man, of this county, 
 has a Boy within your lines. You will cause him to be put out- 
 side of vour lines, agreeably to General Gilmore's General 
 Order. J. C. COCHRAN, 
 
 " Col. Comd'g Demi-Brigade." 
 
 EXHIBIT " D." 
 
 " Nov. 1 7th, 1862. 
 
 " The 92d Ills. Vols., in marching from Mt. Sterling, Ky., to 
 Nicholasville, passed through Winchester, by sections, and had 
 command of the second section of Co. E; and as I gave the com- 
 mand, ' Right wheel,' three men came in on the right, and one of 
 them, who said he was a Lieutenant in the i4th Ky., (I think he 
 said the i4th Kentucky,) came into my section, and said to a 
 negro marching near me, ' Come out of there, you thick- 
 lipped son of a .' I brought my gun to the position of 
 
 ' charge bayonet,' and told him that I had command of that sec- 
 tion, and would not be interrupted by any man. He asked me if 
 
 I intended to defeYid the nigger. I told him I did. He 
 
 said, ' I have come for him, and will have him or die. The* 
 Ninety-Second is good for nothing but to steal niggers. I am an 
 officer in the Union Army; that nigger belongs to a Union man, 
 
 and we will have him, if we follow the Regiment to .' I 
 
 then said, ' Get out of this section, or I will run you through 
 with my bayonet.' He stepped out to the right of the section, 
 and drew his revolver ; each of the others also drew revolvers,
 
 54 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 and he said, 'I will shoot the cuss.' (I do not know 
 
 whether he meant me or the negro.) I told them that if they 
 leveled or cocked their revolvers, they would be dead men, and 
 they had better put them up, and that if they did not, I would 
 order my section to charge. They then put up their pistols, and 
 the Lieutenant of the i4th Kentucky said, ' If you don't give up 
 that Boy, I will go to my regiment, and bring it up, and clean 
 
 your Regiment out.' I told him that we were ready at 
 
 any moment. He said, 'Are you going to give him up or not?' 
 I said, ' Never.' He said, ' Do you claim him ?' I said, ' No, 
 the Second Lieutenant has hired him, and if you want to ask any 
 more questions, go to the Colonel.' For I had disobeyed my 
 orders for the first time, by answering him a question. He said, 
 ' It will do no good to go to him, for he is as big a thief as the 
 rest of you, and he will give me no satisfaction ; but I will go and 
 
 see the cuss.' And he went off, and when he came back, 
 
 he said, ' The Colonel says I can take him.' I said, ' You can, if 
 you have force enough.' He started back toward town, after fol- 
 lowing ijs about a mile, and said as he left, ' You may look for a 
 warm time.' I told him, ' That is just what we came for.' This 
 is a true statement of the conversation I had with the Lieutenant 
 of the I4th Kentucky, and I am willing to testify to it at any 
 time. 
 
 , "JAMES O'KANE, 
 
 " Orderly Sergeant Co. E, Q2d 111. Vol." 
 
 EXHIBIT " E." 
 
 " WINCHESTER, KY., Nov. lyth, 1862. 
 
 " Colonel ATKINS, Comd'g g2d 111. Vol. : 
 
 " Dear Sir : There are several negroes within your lines. 
 The fact of their being so is causing intense excitement, and 
 wounding the feelings of men who are unswerving in their loy- 
 alty and patriotism to our common cause. You have slaves 
 with you that belong to men who have had all their stock and 
 what property could be moved, taken from them by the Rebels. 
 *They think this Government they support should protect them 
 in their rights and property. If the negro is to be freed, let it be 
 done by the National Legislatures. If we understand the policy 
 of the General Government, it is not proposed to take the slaves 
 of either Rebels or loyal citizens without some formality of law. 
 The fact of your taking the slaves you have with you off, only 
 confirms the charges made by the Rebels, that we would deprive
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 55 
 
 the citizens of their slave property. For the good of our com- 
 mon cause, we expect you to turn them out of your lines. 
 
 " Yours Respectfully, 
 
 " GEORGE W. GALLUPP, Lt. Col. i^h Ky. 
 
 " R. M. THOMAS, Capt. i4th Ky. 
 
 "J. C. COLLINS, Capt. i4th Ky. 
 
 " JAMES H. DAVIDSON, Capt. i4th Ky. 
 
 " H. G. GARDNER, Capt. Co. I, i4th Ky. 
 
 " J. B. BUCHANAN, Capt. ist Batt, Ky. 
 
 " D. L. COOK, Lt. Co. A, ist Batt., Ky. 
 
 " B. F. SHEETS, Lieut. 
 
 " ISAAC TAYLOR, Lieut." 
 
 " WINCHESTER, KY., Nov. 17, 1862. 
 
 " COL. ATKINS : You are a stranger to me, but I like you for 
 your cause. I have labored in it, and suffered for it. I am not 
 negro crazy. The course of some of your Regiment, in regard 
 to slaves, has done us much harm, and, if persisted in, will do 
 more. You will personally get yourself into danger, all of which 
 I greatly regret. Just turn the slaves out of your camp don't 
 give them up to any one but turn them out. I ask this for the 
 sake of the cause. I have no interest in it beyond the purposes 
 expressed. You may find out who I am, if desired to, from any 
 one. Yours, &c., JOHN B. HUSTON." 
 
 EXHIBIT " F." 
 
 "(SUMMONS EXTRAORDINARY.) 
 
 " THE COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY. 
 " To the Sheriff of Fayette County Greeting : 
 
 " You are commanded to summon Smith D. Atkins to an- 
 swer on the 'first day of the next February term of the Fayette 
 Circuit Court, a petition filed against him in said Court by Wil- 
 liam Hickman, and warn him that, upon his failure to answer, 
 the petition will be taken for confessed, or he will be proceeded 
 against for contempt, and you will make due return of this sum- 
 mons, on the first day of the next February term of this Court. 
 
 " Witness, JOHN B. NORTON, Clerk of said Court, this iSthday 
 of November, 1862. 
 
 " Att. : JOHN B. NORTON, C. F. C. C."
 
 56 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 " (ORDER FOR DELIVERY OF PROPERTY.) 
 
 " (Section 231.) 
 
 " WILLIAM HICKMAN, Plaintiff, ) 
 
 against [ ORDER OF DELIVERY. 
 
 SMITH D. ATKINS, Defendant. ) 
 
 " THE COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY. 
 
 " To the Sheriff of Fayette County : You are commanded to 
 take the slave Sylvester, about 38 years old, and of black com- 
 plexion, and of the value of Five Hundred Dollars, from the 
 possession of the Defendant, Smith D. Atkins, and deliver him 
 to the Plaintiff, William Hickman, upon his giving the Bond 
 required by law; and you will make due return of this Order on 
 the first day of the next February Term of the Fayette Circuit 
 Court. 
 
 " Witness, JOHN B. NORTON, Clerk of said Court, this i8th 
 day of November, 1862. 
 
 " JOHN B. NORTON, C. F. C. C." 
 
 It may be mentioned that the Sheriff did not find the slave 
 " Sylvester" in the possession of the Colonel ; and whether the 
 Court took the petition for " confessed," or proceeded against the 
 Colonel for " contempt," has never been known to any member 
 of the Ninety-Second. An examination of these exhibits reveals 
 the usual Kentucky swagger ; first, attempting to intimidate, and 
 afterward t an argumentative communication in writing. And 
 Mr. Huston, who liked the Colonel for his cause, could not write 
 him a letter without intimating to the Colonel that he was per- 
 sonally in danger. 
 
 On Sunday, the twenty-third of November, all the regiments 
 in General Baird's division were inspected and reviewed by 
 General Baird. On the twenty-sixth, the Regiment took up its 
 line of march, in a snow-storm, for Danville, and, after marching 
 seven miles, went into camp. It is a necessary rule in army life, 
 that at " taps" every light be extinguished in the men's quarters, 
 and perfect silence be maintained until " reveille" breaks the 
 stillness. In an army of forty thousand men, dead silence is 
 maintained, save the foot-fall of the line guards. On this night, 
 some of the soldiers were hilarious after " taps," but their prompt 
 arrest was the result. The march was resumed at daylight, and 
 the broad pike road wound around among the hills bordering the 
 Kentucky River, passing through the ancient hunting grounds of 
 Daniel Boone, the famous Kentucky back-woodsman. A soldier
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 57 
 
 writes of this day's march: " At the Kentucky River, some of 
 the Western boys got a fair sight of mountain scenery for the 
 first time in their lives, and stood aghast, looking down over per- 
 pendicular rocks for hundreds of feet below, over and through 
 which the pike is cut, while upon the opposite side of the road it 
 was equally as wild ; and looming high up in the air stood the 
 sturdy pines and gentle cedars. For miles on this march, our 
 minds were relieved of the dull monotony of the ' route-step.' 
 Now we pass a great, high, cone-shaped mountain, around the 
 base of which we wind, until we have made two-thirds of its 
 circle. This mountain is celebrated as the place where Daniel 
 Boone tossed a ' Red-skin' heels over head off from the cliffs 
 into the great abyss below. Daniel did a good thing that time, 
 for which we will remember him. Pity that Daniel don't live 
 now to try his hand on a few of the Rebels who still infest these 
 hills. If the Rebels desired, or, rather, if they had the ' vim,' 
 our passage could have been disputed here for months, but they 
 ' don't stay about as thick as they used to.' " Camp Dick Rob- 
 inson was the next point of interest. Here we found the first sad 
 havoc of war. The fences were gone, timber cut, houses de- 
 serted, and everything in confusion. The Rebels, in their flight, 
 left several pieces of artillery, all dismounted but one fine, brass, 
 Spanish six-pounder, which the Ninety-Second took charge of. 
 There were fifteen hundred stand of small arms, badly smashed 
 and cut into pieces; one thousand five hundred barrels of salt 
 pork, and many tents, and other things. Captain Dennis, with 
 Company B, was detailed to take charge of the plunder. The 
 Regiment pushed on through Danville to the Fair Grounds be- 
 yond. Here was found a guard of the o/jth Illinois Volunteers, 
 holding the grounds for a camp for that regiment. The Colonel 
 marched the Ninety Second in, and placed the men in one half 
 of the buildings and stables, reserving the other half for the 96th, 
 and invited the officers of that regiment to share with him his 
 head-quarters in the principal building. It was the first time the 
 regiments had met since the difficulty at Rockford ; but the thought- 
 ful courtesy of the Colonel healed the breach, and it was never 
 mentioned again by officer or soldier. The next day, both regi- 
 men's moved nearer the town, and camped side bv side. A sol- 
 dier, writing from camp, says: " Danville is the prettiest place 
 we have seen in Kentucky. It is famous for its churches, semi- 
 naries, and asylums, as well as for being the residence of the 
 celebrated Divine, Dr. Robert J. Breckenridge, General Boyle, 
 7
 
 58 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS, 
 
 and Colonel Frey ; the latter being the individual who, through 
 his carelessness in handling a pistol, took the wind out of the 
 Rebel General Zollicoffer at Mill Spring. There is a strong 
 Union sentiment here plenty of" pretty Union girls, who are 
 polite and hospitable to the ' Yanks,' and the town is full of 
 Union wounded soldiers from the battle of Perryville, nearly all 
 the churches being occupied as hospitals. Lieutenant Colonel 
 Sheets is commanding the Regiment, Colonel Atkins being in 
 command of the Post, having, as a garrison, the Ninety-Second 
 Illinois, the 96th Illinois, and six hundred cavalry." Very strin- 
 gent orders relating to guard duty were issued. Captain Albert 
 Woodcock, of Company K, Ninety-Second Illinois Volunteers, 
 was detailed as Provost Marshal. A Kentucky lady came into 
 his head-quarters, and desired a pass for her servants to go outside 
 of the lines to obtain fuel. The Captain told her it would be 
 necessary for her first to take the Oath of Allegiance. She in- 
 dignantly declined, and swept out of the Captain's presence very 
 haughtily. A day or two afterward, she came again, saying she 
 was nearly out of fuel, and would take the oath, but that she was 
 a Rebel, and would not regard it. " Madam," said the Captain, 
 in his solemnly impressive tone, " 1 cannot administer the oath 
 to vou. According to your own statement, you would be com- 
 mitting perjury. I cannot permit so fine a lady to commit per- 
 jury in my presence, and imperil her immortal soul." The 
 Captain's impressive tone, stern morality, and unanswerable 
 logic, astonished the Kentucky matron, and she withdrew in con- 
 sternation. A few days afterward she again appeared, contrite 
 and in tears, and declared she was freezing for want of fuel. The 
 Captain explained the Oath of Allegiance to her, and said that, if 
 she took it at all, it must be of her own free will, without evasion 
 or mental reservation, when she subscribed her name, and swore 
 by " the ever-living God" to maintain her allegiance to the United 
 States. On another occasion, an old, gray-haired, colored man 
 applied to Captain Woodcock for a pass; but the Captain had pre- 
 viously been informed that the colored man himself was a 
 slaveholder and a Rebel. He was a free negro, and free negroes 
 sometimes owned slaves in Kentucky. So the Captain told *him 
 that he must first establish his loyalty. The old, colored man 
 took off his hat, and took out a copy of the New York Tribune, 
 and said: "For twelve years I have been a subscriber to that 
 paper. Would any but a loyal man take the New York Tri- 
 bune?" The Captain was convinced of his loyalty; and the old.
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 59 
 
 gray-haired subscriber to the New York Tribune obtained the 
 desired pass. The weather was very cold and changeable, alter- 
 nating rapidly between snow, rain, and sunshine, and the morning 
 sick call brought crowds upon crowds to the surgeons. One of 
 the large seminary buildings in the town was taken as a regi- 
 mental hospital,and every attention bestowed upon the sick that was 
 possible; but deaths were frequent. Colonel Sheets drilled the 
 Regiment whenever the weather would permit of it ; and one of 
 the soldiers, in his diary, writes : " He is getting to be a splendid 
 drill-master." On the seventh of December, it was so cold that 
 ice was frozen on the creek so solid that nearly all the Regi- 
 ment went sliding, with merry shouts, like a district school let 
 out. One of the boys' diaries says, " But it is rather cold lying 
 on the ground, with a little straw for a bed, and a slimpsy army 
 
 blanket for a cover, and one thickness of cotton cloth for a house." 
 
 - 
 
 It was Sabbath; and at two o'clock P. M., the Rev. Dr. Robert J. 
 Breckenridge preached a sermon on the camp ground. The 
 ninth was a beautiful day, and hundreds of ladies and gentlemen 
 visited the camp at dress parade. On the tenth, a slave auction 
 was held near the camp, and five slaves were sold under the ham- 
 mer, a very strange sight to most of the men. On the eleventh, 
 two more regiments of infantry arrived ; and on the thirteenth, 
 two more regiments of infantry and a battery arrived, accompa- 
 nied by General Baird, who assumed command of the Post. On 
 Sunday, the fourteenth, a negro preacher held services on the 
 camp grounds. In the afternoon, Company I was marching 
 through the town, accompanying to its last resting-place the re- 
 mains of one of their comrades, when a bevy of SeCesh women 
 made insulting remarks as the funeral cortege passed. It was 
 reported to General Baird, who promptly turned the family into 
 the street, and bccupied their residence as his head-quarters. A 
 storm of sleet and snow set in, and continued for several days. 
 The men resorted to all sorts of contrivances to make their cot- 
 ton houses comfortable. A favorite plan was to remove the earth 
 from the inside of the tent to the depth of three feet, piling the 
 removed earth around the tent on the outside; a fire-place was 
 tht-n constructed in the earth wall, just bevond the line of the 
 tent, and on the earth outside a rude chimney was constructed of 
 empty barrels or cracker boxes reaching above the top of the tent; 
 they were constructed with great skill, and usually had a good 
 draft, and a cheerful fire blazed and crackled in the earthen fire- 
 places. It was a pleasing sight to step down into one of the tents
 
 60 NINRTT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 in the evening, room enough to stand erect, arms, and belts, and 
 cartridge boxes, on racks around the center pole, the floor covered 
 with clean straw, the cheerful fire blazing, and the men laying 
 around on their blankets', with bayonets stuck into the ground for 
 candle-sticks; some of the men reading, some writing letters 
 home, some playing chess, or backgammon, or whist. But it was 
 fatal to health. The men were packed in the tents like herrings 
 in a box. At night, when the tent flap was closed, and the fire 
 had gone out, the warm, ascending breath from the sleeping sol- 
 diers struck the ice-cold cotton cloth, wet with dew and perfectly 
 air-tight, and back to the bottom of the tent would go the car- 
 bonic acid to be breathed over and over again, and poison the 
 sleepers with disease. The Colonel, directed the openings in the 
 top of the tents to be always kept open, in order to give ventila- 
 tion ; but that made the tent cold, and the soldiers would close 
 them up, and shut off every chance of fresh air. Removing the 
 earth and lowering the bottom of the tents were prohibited in 
 orders, but not in fact. Wood was brought from the wood-lots in 
 the surrounding country. Lieutenant Cox was detailed to go out 
 some six miles on the Stanford pike, with fifteen army wagons 
 and a squad of men, to chop wood. He was told that he would 
 find a large house on the right of the pike, with a large gate cov- 
 ered bv an arch, and to turn in there. He was not, as he ought 
 to have been, particularly instructed to go to the wood-lot a half 
 mile in rear of the house. He found the gate and turned in, and 
 his wood-choppers fell to work cutting down the beautiful oaks 
 adorning the lawn in front of the mansion. The matron was 
 amazed to see her lawn trees fall before the axes of the Yankee 
 vandals, and hastily despatched a servant to inform the Colonel, 
 and beg him to take wood from the woods, and not from the 
 door-yard. Orders were sent to the Lieutenant, but they reached 
 him too late; his wagons were loaded with wood from the finest 
 shade trees on the lawn. It was an accident; but as the owner 
 was supposed to be a Rebel, no one seriously mourned over it. 
 On the twenty-fourth, Captain Dunham, of Company F, topo- 
 graphical officer on General Baird's staff, was out examining and 
 mapping the country, with a party of six men, and they were 
 fired upon by a squad of roving Johnnies. Christmas was cele- 
 brated by a cessation of all ordinary camp duties; many of the 
 officers and men were invited out to dine by the Union ladies of 
 Danville. Rank never counted for anything in the Ninety- 
 " Second, except on duty. A single company had twenty mem-
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 61 
 
 bers who were graduates of high institutions of learning. Many 
 private soldiers of the Regiment had polished manners in the 
 drawing-room, and could hold their own in conversation with the 
 best blue bloods of Kentucky. They were always welcome to 
 the residence of the Reverend Doctor Breckenridge, and he never 
 took any note of rank in his visitors. Many of the members of 
 the Regiment were members, of churches, in regular standing at 
 home, and they especially were welcomed heartily in their calls 
 on Dr. Breckenridge. They did not leave their religion at home 
 when they went into the army; they "kept the faith," and, by the 
 example of their daily walk and conversation, testified to the 
 beauty of true Christianity. The afternoon 1 was celebrated in 
 camp by a grand game of town-ball. It rained during the night. 
 The next morning, the entire command at Danville, under 
 the command of General Gordon Granger, who had come from 
 Lexington to win glory, started on the tramp after John Morgan's 
 dashing Rebel rovers, who were supposed to be marching on 
 Lebanon. The Regiment marched at seven o'clock in the morn- 
 ing on the Lebanon pike ; the cold, winter rain poured in torrents ; 
 John Morgan and his Rebel raiders were mounted on fleet steeds, 
 and so was General Gordon Granger and his gorgeous staff ; on 
 and on through the pouring rain the division marched, with never 
 a halt for rest, and the Ninety-Second kept its place in the col- 
 umn. Eight o'clock, nine o'clock, ten o'clock, eleven o'clock, 
 twelve o'clock, and one o'clock passed, and no halt for breath; 
 the weak men were falling down by sheer exhaustion ; the ambu- 
 lances already overloaded, and the column kept on, leaving the 
 exhausted men by the roadside, in a storm of rain and sleet that 
 froze as it fell. The medical officers came to the head of the 
 Regiment, and begged the Colonel to halt for a little while, to 
 give the exhausted men a chance to rally. But on and on the 
 Regiment swept. The Colonel, as well as Gordon Granger, was 
 on horseback. It is not very hard work to ride a fine horse, 
 booted and spurred, even in a storm, with rubber poncho and 
 leggins, and meerschaum pipe. That is the way the Colonel was 
 fixed. Again and again the medical officers begged for only a 
 short halt, just a breathing spell, but the Colonel said, " - 
 
 - it, I have no order to halt." Colonel Cochran, of the i4th 
 Kentucky, was commanding the brigade; his regiment were old 
 soldiers, accustomed to the march ; his was among the regiments 
 that garrisoned Cumberland Gap, and had astonished the mem- 
 bers of the Ninety-Second when they came, ragged and dust-
 
 62 NINBTT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 covered, weary and foot-sore, to Covington, Kentucky. On and 
 on, through the storm, the black stallion of the Colonel kept his 
 course, and the Regiment tried hard to keep up. Never a man 
 fell out that could take one step more. But, by and by, in the 
 middle of the afternoon, when the Colonel, by some sort of an 
 accident, happened to look back, and see how few of his Regi- 
 ment were staggering along behind him, he ordered a halt. 
 Never was a Colonel more heartily " cussed," and he deserved it 
 too. The Army Regulations provide for frequent rests on the 
 march, and the men of the Ninety-Second had probably read the 
 Army Regulations oftener than the Colonel, and just at that mo- 
 ment they would have liked to have heard the Colonel explain 
 the violation of the United States Army Regulations on that 
 march. But the word " halt" was no sooner called than a staff 
 officer of Colonel Cochran came riding back, with an order to the 
 Colonel to " close up." If the Colonel of the Ninety-Second 
 ever swore at anybody, he let fly a few hard words at that staff 
 officer. But there is a sort of impression prevailing among some 
 of the members of the Ninety-Second, confined strictly to those 
 who always were in hospital, or on detached duty, and who never 
 served with the command, that the Colonel never knew how to 
 swear. There was a break in the column. After a short rest, 
 the Ninety-Second resumed the march. After that, there were 
 occasional breathing spells. It was almost dark, when the head of 
 the Regiment reached the brick house where Colonel Cochran 
 and General Granger had established head-quarters, and the 
 Ninety-Second was ordered into a plowed field, where the men 
 sank, at every step, over their ankles, in the mud; and just as 
 the men were closing up, preparatory to the order to stack arms, 
 Colonel Cochran came out of the house, and said to the Colonel 
 that no rails must be burned, the wagons must be unloaded, and 
 details made to go to the wood-lot, a mile away, on the hill, and 
 get fuel. The balance of the division was camped all around, and 
 not a fence had yet been touched. The Colonel was sitting on 
 his horse, and as the Regiment closed up and stacked arms, while 
 Colonel Cochran was still standing in hearing, he said : " Men 
 of the Ninety-Second, do you see those rail fences? Cook your 
 suppers with them." There was silence for a little while ; and 
 Colonel Cochran said to the Colonel, " This farm belongs to a 
 Union man; I shall have to report you to General Granger." 
 "All right; tell General Granger that my men are not responsi- 
 ble; I assume all of the responsibility." The Ninety-Second
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 63 
 
 " went for'' those rails, and so did the whole division. They were 
 only waiting for an example, and the Ninety-Second furnished it; 
 but the men had to work lively to get rails enough to cook their 
 suppers-. The Regiment lav encamped not far from Lebanon. 
 At twelve o'clock, the Regiment was called up, with orders to 
 push out, at three o'clock A. M., to Lebanon, in advance of the 
 division; but the order was countermanded, and the Regiment 
 did not march until seven A. M., when it returned to Danville, 
 with the balance of the division. When the Regiment marched 
 from Danville, the barrels and cracker boxes used for chimneys, 
 and the boards for tent floors, bunks, and walks through the 
 grounds, had been burned up. When the Regiment camped in 
 Danville, on the same ground they had left, the Colonel formed 
 the line, and congratulated the men of the Regiment that they 
 had .again returned to their old camp, and the boards, cracker 
 boxes, barrels, and everything else they had gathered with so 
 much pains to make camp-life comfortable, were still at their ser- 
 vice. The men saw the point, and sorrowfully went into camp, 
 minus straw, barrels, cracker-boxes, board floors, bunks, walks, 
 and everything else that fire could consume. The next morning, 
 the sick-call took nearly all the Regiment that was left. Dr. 
 Winston had charge of the largest building, used as a hospital for 
 the Ninety-Second at Danville, and every nook and corner was 
 filled, after this senseless and heedless march. Never did physi- 
 cians attend the sick more faithfully than did Doctors 
 Winston, Helm, and Stephenson, and the faithful " Daughters of 
 the Regiment ;" but the skill of man was not able to stay the 
 hand of death. This march, so utterly futile, and wholly without 
 results, cost the Regiment fifty lives. Nine out of ten of the 
 graduates of West Point do not possess as much common sense 
 as the most illiterate eighth corporal of volunteers, and Gordon 
 Granger was not the tenth exception. If he had comfortable 
 quarters, plenty of wine, and other enjoyments, he apparently 
 cared very little for the comfort of the men in his command. 
 
 The next day was Sabbath ; but the men were too weary for 
 preaching or dress parade, which were seldom omitted on Sunday. 
 
 On the thirtieth, Major Bohn, of the Ninety-Second, with 
 Company A, and five companies from the other regiments, and a 
 battery of artillery, went to Hickman Bridge, over the Kentucky 
 River, fifteen miles north of Danville, to guard the bridge from 
 being burned by John Morgan's Rebel cavalry, and marched in a 
 cold rain-storm, and did not return until the third of January.
 
 64 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 During the year 1862, the Regiment marched seven hundred and 
 seventy miles. 
 
 January first, 1863, was a bright, sunny day. It was cele- 
 brated by big dinners and various sports in camp. The Colonel 
 was serenaded, and said he wished the Ninety-Second could be 
 mounted and sent after Morgan. On the fifth, good news from 
 General Rosecrans, at Stone River, made the camp lively with 
 cheers. On the eighth, the Regiment was paid up to October 31, 
 1862. On the tenth, some of the line officers celebrated their 
 first pay-day by buying cigars and apples for the men of their com- 
 panies. On Sunday, the eleventh, there was no preaching in 
 camp; Chaplain O. D. W. White had resigned on account of ill- 
 ness. Many citizens from Illinois were visiting camp. Hon. 
 Joshua White and Capt. H. Weld, of Ogle County, were in 
 Danville on the twelfth. On the thirteenth, camp was moved 
 about a mile to new grounds and the Regiment went into camp 
 in a blinding snow-storm. Colonel J. C. Cochran, of the I4th 
 Kentucky, having resigned, Colonel Atkins assumed command of 
 the brigade, and Lieutenant Colonel Sheets of the Regiment. 
 The snow was four inches deep, and heavy details were made to 
 chop wood for the various hospitals. A soldier writes in his diary, 
 on the eighteenth: "I heard Colonel Atkins repremanding a 
 Kentucky teamster to-day for abusing his mules. Said the Colo- 
 nel, ' My man, you ought to use discretion when you are driving 
 mules.' The Kentuckian didn't know what ' discretion' was, and 
 artlessly replied : ' I would, Colonel, but I hain't got any.' " 
 The soldier was not punished. On the twenty-first, Captain 
 William Stouffer, of Company C, died of typhoid fever. He was 
 a generous-hearted, noble man, and the Regiment deeply felt his 
 loss. Lieutenant Hawk, of Companv C, was promoted to be 
 Captain, and Second Lieutenant Norman Lewis promoted to First 
 Lieutenant, and Sergeant George P. Sutton promoted to Second 
 Lieutenant; Lieutenant E. F. Bauder, of Company B, having re- 
 signed, on the recommendation of Captain William W. Den- 
 nis, and with the advice and consent of all the field and staff offi- 
 cers, Miles B. Light, of Company D, was promoted to be Second 
 Lieutenant of Companv B. Some weeks afterward, Captain 
 Wilber W. Dennis resigned, leaving Companv B \vithout its com- 
 pliment of officers; when Lieutenant Horace J. Smith, of Com- 
 pany K, was commissioned Captain of Company B. The men 
 of Company B were very justly indignant at the promotion of 
 men in other companies to command them. There was plenty
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 65 
 
 of good material for officers in Company B; but the field officers 
 of the Regiment did not learn of the excellent qualities of many 
 of the members of Company B until afterward. The promotions 
 for Company B were made with the best of motives ; and the men 
 of that company, while feeling the sting, conducted themselves 
 like the splendid soldiers they were, and yielded obedience to 
 their new officers. They soon learned to respect and love their 
 new Captain, Horace J. Smith, who was promoted against his 
 own wishes. He did not seek the place, but he filled it ably. 
 The weather was fine on the twenty-fourth, and Colonel Sheets 
 had the Regiment out on battalion drill for the first time in a 
 month. On Sunday, orders came to march; and on Monday, the 
 Regiment, with the brigade, marched at six A. M., on the Har- 
 rodsburg pike, passing through Harrodsburg about noon, and 
 marched seventeen miles and camped. The next day, the Regi- 
 ment marched through rain and snow, and camped three miles 
 north of Lawrenceburg^ Marched at daylight on the twenty- 
 eighth, the ground covered with snow; passed through Clayville, 
 and about eight miles south of Frankfort; made sixteen 
 miles, and camped at three o'clock P. M. Marched at day- 
 light,* passing through Shelbyville, sixteen miles, and camped. 
 Marched early and camped at two P. M., three miles south of 
 Louisville, Kentucky, on the Shelbyville pike. On the thirty-first 
 of January, the Regiment marched through Louisville, in col- 
 umn of platoons, and while passing the Gault House, a Kentuck- 
 ian stepped in between the platoons and grabbed hold of a col- 
 ored servant marching there, when a soldier clubbed his musket 
 and tapped the Kentuckian on his skull, letting out his brains. 
 Not a word was spoken, not a soldier broke step, but the Regi- 
 ment moved steadily along. The Sheriff of Louisville, with a 
 hundred special policemen, stood upon the sidewalk. They 
 intended to have taken the colored servants out of the Regiment. 
 The quiet but effective reception given to the man who made the 
 first attempt, deterred the others. The Regiment marched to 
 the Ohio River, and embarked on the steamers Tempest and 
 Arizonia. The work of embarkation was not a slight one; the 
 wagons were all taken apart, and stowed away between decks. 
 It was not till late the next' day, that the brigade was all aboard. 
 Mrs. Colonel Sheets, Mrs. Captain Woodcock, Mrs. Major Bohn, 
 Mrs. Dr. Helm, and many citizens from Ogle, Stephenson, 
 and Carroll Counties, visited the Regiment. The 14111 Ken- 
 tucky Infantry, Colonel Cochran's old regiment, was detached,
 
 66 NINBTT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 and remained in " loyal Kentucky." The Colonel of the Ninety- 
 Second was complimented with more suits for stealing negroes. 
 Gordon Granger ordered every colored man to be left in Ken- 
 tucky, and the police were ready to nab any colored man they 
 could. The order of Granger was, by most of the line officers, 
 thought to mean negroes who had no right to accompany the 
 troops, and not to refer to officers' servants regularly employed, 
 and very few negroes left the Ninetv-Second on account ot 
 Granger's order. At eleven o'clock P. M., as the moon rose, the 
 fleet of six steamers, carrying Colonel Atkins' brigade, quietly 
 dropped down the Ohio River, every one in the Ninetv-Second 
 happy at the thought of getting outside of " loyal Kentucky."
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 67 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 DOWN THE OHIO UP THE CUMBERLAND FORT DONELSON 
 NASHVILLE RESOLUTIONS MARCH TO FRANKLIN OF- 
 FERING BATTLE TO VAN DORN BRKNTWOOD BACK TO 
 FRANKLIN THE NEW CHAPLAIN-^-MARCH TO TRIUNE 
 FORREST'S ATTACK ON TRIUNE SHELBYVILLE THE COLO- 
 NEL'S APPLICATION TO BE DETACHED FROM THE RESERVE 
 CORPS WARTRACE ; THE REGIMENT MOUNTED, AND AS- 
 SIGNED TO WILDER'S BRIGADE OF MOUNTED INFANTRY 
 CAMPING AT DECHF.RD. 
 
 A steamboat journey on the Ohio River is generally antici- 
 pated with pleasure. In summer time, a cabin passage in a 
 floating palace down the Ohio, surrounded with genial com- 
 panions, and books, and music; sweeping bv inlands, and forests, 
 and farms; noting the eager crowds, who come and go at 
 every landing, forms, together, a journey full of pleasure and 
 enjoyment. The moving of troops by steamer in mid winter, is 
 altogether a different thing. It is not very hard for the officers, 
 who are comfortably quartered in the cabins and staterooms, but 
 the men suffer. All of the available space below hatches is filled 
 bv taking the wagons and ambulances apart, and packing them, 
 with everything movable, as closely as possible; if there is any 
 space left it is assigned to a company as " quarters," where the 
 men can spread their blankets and pack themselves in as closelv 
 as the living cargoes of African slaves were once transported. 
 On the bows, in front of the boilers, the artillery is " parked," 
 with the artillery horses tied to the railing as thick as they can 
 stand, while all the available space on the boiler deck is used for 
 the officers' horses and mules of the transportation trains. The 
 men are quartered all over the vessel, from the texas to the va- 
 cant space under the boilers, wherever a soldier can lie down 
 without being trampled bv a mule or a horse. By orders of the 
 Brigade Commander, the officers were directed to^put the sick 
 accompanving the Regiment into the unoccupied staterooms, and
 
 68 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 at night to cover the cabin floors with the weakest men, to whom 
 commanders of companies were to furnish written permits, and 
 in the day time to fill the cabins by reliefs; no well soldier to be 
 permitted to remain longer than an hour at one time, but to make 
 room for those outside. It was very cold on the 'morning of 
 February second, 1863, as the boats bearing the Regiment 
 steamed downed the Ohio. To sleep in the open air was out of 
 the question, and to keep warm in the cutting wind and piercing 
 storm required constant exercise. Shortly after daylight, a 
 landing was made upon an island, and the men went ashore to 
 cook three days' rations. As soon as the cooking was over, the 
 journev was continued down the river. At night the steamers 
 coaled at Evansville. *The weather continued very cold and 
 windy. A soldier, in his diary, writes under date of February 
 third : " This morning was so cold that the boys suffered 
 greatly ; not a shoulder-strap was to be seen outside of the cabin 
 until late in the morning, and then the gay officer would shiver 
 and run in again, like a rat runs into a hole when a cat makes an 
 unsuccessful leap at him." At five o'clock P. M., the boats landed 
 at Smithland, at the mouth of the Cumberland River, where the 
 artillery-firing at Fort Donelson was heard. Here the brigade 
 was to await the arrival of the corps; but the rumble of artillery 
 at Fort Donelson beckoned the brigade on ; and without orders, 
 except from the Brigade Commander, the six steamers continued 
 up the Cumberland, running slowly, and at eight o'clock the next 
 morning were within a few miles of the Fort. There was no 
 firing heard; it was evident that the battle was ended; but how it 
 had ended was not known. Caution had to be observed ; if the 
 Rebels held the Fort, it would not do to steam up to the landing. 
 Horsemen were observed in. the woods on the right bank of the 
 river, and the steamers landed. The Ninety-Second was quickly 
 on shore, and deployed in line of battle. Men were sent to 
 a house some distance up the river, and information obtained 
 that our forces still held the Fort, and that the enemy had 
 retired from the conflict. The Regiment returned to the boats, 
 and the brigade steamed up the river, reaching Fort Donelson at 
 eleven o'clock. The Rebel Generals Forrest and Wheeler, with 
 about eight thousand men, had, at one o'clock P. M. of the day 
 before, made a desperate assault upon nine companies of the 83d 
 Illinois Volunteers, and Company C, 2d Illinois Artillery, under 
 Colonel A. C. Harding, and kept up the battle till half-past eight 
 P. M., when the Rebels withdrew, with a loss of eight hundred
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 69 
 
 killed and wounded. The ground around the little village of 
 Dover was strewn with the dead, lying as they fell ; and for the first 
 time, the soldiers of the Ninety-Second looked upon the horror 
 of a battle- field after the carnage was ended. Not quite a year 
 before, the Commander of the Brigade was there as Captain of 
 Company A, nth Illinois Volunteers; and, after dinner, accom- 
 panied bv some of the members of his staff, he rode out to the 
 long grave of the nth Illinois, nearly two miles from the land- 
 ing; and while they sat upon their horses, with uncovered heads, 
 by the grave of the Eleventh, in a light snow-storm, such as had 
 prevailed at the time when the men who lay buried there had 
 fallen a year before, the rear guard of Wheeler and Forrest's Rebel 
 cavalry sent a few leaden messages over the party. It was a 
 remarkable incident that an officer of the nth Regiment, almost 
 a year after the first battle of Fort Donelson, on returning to the 
 battle-field, should find the ground covered with the freshly slain 
 unburied dead, and by the grave of his slain comrades in the 
 battle of nearly a year before, should listen to the rattle of Rebel 
 musketry. The next day the steamers lay at the landing, without 
 disembarking the troops, awaiting the arrival of General Gran- 
 ger's corps, which came up during the day and night ; and the 
 next day at noon, the entire fleet, of about sixty steamers, con- 
 voyed by several gun-boats, resumed the march to Nashville. 
 Before reaching Clarksville, where the iron railroad bridge had 
 been destroyed, leaving portions of the iron-work hanging to the 
 piers and into the river, somewhat obstructing the passage, Lieu- 
 tenant A. M. York, of the Ninety-Second, heard the Captain of 
 the steamer Tempest, in conversation with one of his pilots, pre- 
 dicting a disaster at the bridge ; and the Lieutenant believed that 
 it was the intention of the captain and pilot, who were Rebel 
 sympathizers, deliberately to wreck the steamer Tempest, and 
 the steamer Arizonia lashed to its side, on which the Ninety- 
 Second was being transported. He was therefore directed, by 
 the Brigade Commander, to take a file of soldiers, let them load 
 their guns, place the same pilot at the wheel, and the captain by 
 the pilot-house, and inform them that, if any accident happened 
 at the Clarksville Bridge, he was directed to shoot them both. 
 Lieutenant York did as he was commanded, and there was no 
 accident. The fleet of steamers and gun-boats moved slowly, 
 and did not arrive at Nashville until nearly night on the seventh 
 of February. The Regiment had marched eighty miles by land, 
 from Danville, Kentucky, to Louisville, Kentucky, and four
 
 70 NINETT-SBCOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 hundred and twenty miles by steamer, and occupied, in the march 
 from the morning of January twenty-sixth to the evening of 
 February seventh, thirteen days, at an immense expense to the 
 Government for steamboats and gun-boats, and the additional 
 expense of creating much sickness among the men and animals, 
 by their exposure to winter travel by steamers. From Danville 
 to Nashville, over good roads, it is but one hundred and seventv 
 miles; and in the same length of time, by easy marches of less 
 than fourteen miles a day, the command could have been placed 
 in Nashville, with the health of the men improved by the march, 
 and hundreds of thousands of dollars saved to the Government. 
 A volunteer corporal would have marched the command directly 
 from Danville to Nashville ; and why it was not done, is one of 
 those things which are not explainable by the ordinary rules of 
 common sense. The next day, Sabbath, the Regiment disem- 
 barked, marched through the city of Nashville, and three miles 
 south, on the Franklin pike, and went into camp in an old field, 
 where the mud was horrible in rainy weather, and it rained nearly 
 all of the time the Regiment remained there. On the fourteenth, 
 Lieutenant John Gishwiller, of Company G, resigned on account 
 of disability. On the sixteenth, Lieutenant Crowell, of Com- 
 panv B, resigned, and Sergeant Henry C. Cooling was promoted 
 to First Lieutenant. On the seventeenth, the entire Regiment 
 went into the woods to chop fire-wood, the rails being " ousga- 
 sphield." A large mail, from "God's country," came to the Regi- 
 ment. On the twenty-first, Colonel John Coburn's brigade 
 inarched to Franklin. February twenty-second, the forts about 
 Nashville fired cannon in honor of the memory of Washington. 
 Captain James Brice, of Company H, resigned on account of 
 illness, and Lieutenant John F. Nelson was promoted to Captain. 
 William McCammons, Sergeant of Company G, was promoted 
 to Lieutenant. On the twenty-fourth, the weather was beautiful, 
 and there was a review and inspection. On the twenty-fifth, it 
 rained; the tents were getting old and leakv ; the Lieutenant, 
 Colonel, and Major, " tenting together on the old camp ground," 
 were wet as drowned rats in their quarters. On the twenty-sixth, 
 news was received in camp, that Congress had authorized Presi- 
 dent Lincoln to call out additional troops. The papers from the 
 North, received in camp, and eagerly read, had kept the members 
 of the. Regiment fully informed regarding the opposition made to 
 the war by the peace-sneaks at home; and on this day, a meeting 
 was held by the commissioned officers of the Ninety-Second.
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 71 
 
 Captain Albert Woodcock, of Company K, was called to the 
 Chair, and Lieutenant George R. Skinner, of Company D, Act- 
 ing Adjutant of the Regiment, was elected Secretary. On 
 motion, the following named officers were elected as a committee 
 to draft resolutions, setting forth the views of the officers and 
 members of the Regiment upon the policy of the Administration, 
 and the conduct of the copperheads and traitors at the North : 
 Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin F. Sheets; Captains Lyman Pres- 
 ton, Mathew Van Buskirk, Egbert T. E. Becker, John M. Scher- 
 merhorn, John F. Nelson, Robert M. A. Hawk, Horace J. Smith, 
 Harvey M. Timms, and Lieutenant Horace C. Scoville, who 
 reported tyie following preamble and resolutions, which were 
 unanimously adopted by the officers; and, upon being read to 
 each company upon its company parade ground, were adopted, 
 with but three dissenting voices in the entire Regiment: 
 
 " CAMP OF THE NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS VOLUNTEERS, ) 
 " Near Nashville, Tenn., February 26th, 1863. f 
 " WHEREAS, We, the officers and members of the Ninety- 
 Second Regiment Illinois Volunteers, have left our >homes, our 
 farms, our work-shops, and all our peaceful avocations, and have 
 taken up arms in the defense of our country, now threatened by 
 tyrannical and treacherous foes, who are endeavoring to rend in 
 twain our once peaceful and happy nation; and 
 
 " WHEREAS, Certain unprincipled individuals and factions 
 have arisen at the North, who, by words and by acts, are daily 
 aiding and giving comfort to our enemies, by bitterly opposing 
 our Chief Executive, by clogging the wheels of legislation, by 
 encouraging our enemies, by discouraging our friends, and, in 
 general, using every effort to oppose any and all measures, 
 whether Executive, Legislative, or Judicial, which look to the 
 speedy and happy termination of the present Rebellion ; 
 therefore, 
 
 " Resolved, i. That we, as a Regiment, and as individuals, 
 hold all such persons in the light of enemies enemies to our 
 cause enemies to our country and justly deserving the condem- 
 nation of all true and loyal citizens. 
 
 " Resolved, 2. That any person who will not, in this hour of 
 his country's trial and peril, lend every nerve, use every effort, 
 and, lastly, sacrifice his verv life, if needs be, on his country's 
 altar, is undeserving the friendship and support of the members 
 of the Ninety-Second Regiment of Illinois Volunteers. 
 
 " Resolved, 3. That words cannot express the bitter contempt
 
 72 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 and detestation, in which we hold traitors to this Govern- 
 ment the best the sun ever shone upon wherever thev may be 
 found, and under whatever name thev may assume to hide their 
 hellish purposes. 
 
 " Resolved, 4. That we are opposed to all secret organizations, 
 organized for any political purpose, believing it to be an unmanly 
 way of gaining political power, subversive of Constitutional 
 Liberty, and in which injustice may be done, as witness the past. 
 
 " Resolved, 5. That a traitor has no rights which this Gov- 
 ernment is bound to respect, no matter where he resides ; that 
 copperheads at the North are but a revised edition of traitors at 
 the South, and that we most earnestly request our friends at home 
 to mark them for future reference shoot them, if need be, and 
 write over their graves, ' Here lies a cowardly traitor to his 
 country, rejected of God, and despised of honest men.' 
 
 " Resolved, 6. That we fully and unequivocally endorse the 
 Administration (Emancipation Proclamation included), in any 
 and all efforts to suppress this unholy Rebellion, and are deter- 
 mined that ' Butternuts, 1 either North or South, be brought to 
 speedy justice, ' that hemp be not created in vain, and that fire 
 and brimstone be not defrauded.' 
 
 " Resolved, 7. That we heartily endorse the acts of Hon. 
 Richard Yates, our Governor, and return him our sincere thanks 
 for his noble efforts in behalf of Illinois soldiers. 
 
 " ALBERT WOODCOCK, Chairman. 
 
 " GEORGE R. SKINNER, Secretary" 
 
 On the twenty-eighth of February, the Regiment was mus- 
 tered for pay. On the first of March, all the regiments in the 
 brigade having adopted resolutions of a similar import to those 
 adopted by the Ninety-Second, a brigade dress parade was held 
 in the afternoon ; after which each regiment was formed in col- 
 umn doubled on the center, and the brigade closed in mass; 
 when Colonel Atkins, the Brigade Commander, made the men 
 and officers an address, which he had previously been invited to 
 do. There was cheering for Governors Yates, of Illinois, Todd, 
 of Ohio, and Morton, of Indiana, and for President Lincoln and 
 the old flag. 
 
 Artillery-firing was heard on the fifth of March, in the direc- 
 tion of Franklin. Orders soon came lo be ready at a moment's 
 notice to march in light marching order, and the command was 
 ready at eleven A. M., and patiently waited, while the roar of
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 73 
 
 artillery was almost continuous until six P. M., when cars came, 
 and the Regiment, with the brigade, piled into and on top of the 
 cattle cars. In an old letter written b\' a soldier, and dated at 
 Franklin, March sixth; we find the following: "We left our 
 camp near Nashville, last evening at six P. M., for this point, by 
 rail, in light marching order, leaving tents, horses, knapsacks, 
 baggage, and everything else, except one day's ' hardtack', and 
 arms and ammunition, behind. The miserable old cars and 
 crazy engine were just five hours in getting us here, a distance of 
 seventeen miles. Our brigade had the good fortune to be dumped 
 down into a muddy corn-field, with no wood, shelter, or anything, 
 and the men and officers lay down in the cold mud, with a blanket 
 for cover, and the wind and rain pelting us from eleven o'clock 
 P. M. until daylight. In military parlance this is called ' bivou- 
 acing.' Call it what you please, our boys think it pretty rough, 
 but stand it unmurmeringlv. All day long we have been stand- 
 ing in the muddy corn-field, with no shelter, and the rain pouring 
 down heavily. Only think of eight thousand men packed into 
 close quarters in a corn-field in the pelting rain, and their con- 
 tinuous tramping, and, my word for it, there will be some mud. 
 Yesterday Colonel Coburn's brigade, about twenty-five hundred 
 strong, all that were fit for duty, were sent out toward Spring 
 Hill, and left all day unsupported, fighting about eighteen thou- 
 sand Rebels under Van Dorn, Forrest, and Wheeler. Coburn's 
 brigade made a gallant fight; but, surrounded and left alone, with 
 such terrible odds against them, were at last compelled to surren- 
 der, onl}' a few making their escape, and returning to Franklin. 
 Some one blundered, and it was not Coburn." The rain con- 
 tinued without ceasing; but in the afternoon of the sixth, the 
 tents and baggage of the Regiment came up, and the men were 
 more comfortable. The troops at Franklin held the right of 
 Rosecrans' armv. We were twenty-one miles south of Nash- 
 ville, and eighteen west of Murfresboro. Orders came to the 
 Regiment to keep constantly on hand three days' cooked rations. 
 Franklin was a Rebel town ; and it was reported in camp that the 
 Rebel citizens had sent word to Van Dorn, Wheeler, and Forrest, 
 to come into Franklin tor supper on the sixth. Bui the Rebel 
 Generals did not like the company that had forced itself upon the 
 people of Franklin, and did not accept of the invitation of the 
 citizens to take supper in that town. On the seventh, the rail- 
 road bridge across the Harpeth River was completed. On the 
 eighth, many troops, cavalry and infantry, including Sheridan's
 
 74 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 division, arrived and reported to General Gordon Granger. On 
 the ninth, all of the troops at Franklin, under the command of 
 Gordon Granger, marched southward on the Columbia pike, the 
 cavalry skirmishing lightly with the enemy, who fell back before 
 our advance, and the Regiment bivouaced one and a half miles 
 south of Spring Hill ; moved the next day at noon to Rutherford 
 Creek, seven miles south of Spring Hill, and went into camp 
 after dark. Remained in camp all the next day, the Rebels ap- 
 pearing in considerable force about noon, on the opposite side of 
 the creek, and, for an hour, shelled the Regiment, without doing 
 any injury. Our brigade battery shelled a column of the enemy's 
 cavalry marching on the other side of the stream. It cleared up 
 at noon. The cavalry followed the enemv to Duck River, at 
 Columbia. Duck River was at flood tide with heavy rains, and 
 no bridge, and the independent corporals of volunteers, who did 
 their own thinking, never doubted that Gordon Granger, who 
 commanded a column three times the force of the enemy north 
 of the river, by energetic work, might have compelled the enemy 
 to accept battle, and have killed, drowned or captured the entire 
 Rebel force. Moved back to Franklin the next morning, Gene- 
 ral Sheridan's division taking the lead, his corps of trumpeters 
 making the echoes ring as he marched out. His troops marched 
 like quarter horses, and made no halt until they reached camp at 
 Franklin, and the Ninety-Second bowled along nineteen miles 
 in six hours, without a halt, keeping up with the column. The 
 troops wondered why in the world Granger was in such a hurry 
 to get back to Franklin, when he had uselesslv consumed so 
 much time in marching out. Just before reaching Franklin, a 
 squad of Rebel cavalry fired on the rear guard, and the Regiment 
 was halted, and put into line of battle; but the enemy not appear- 
 ing in force, the Regiment crossed the Harpeth, and went into 
 camp. Oscar Taylor, Esq., of Freeport, the law-partner of the 
 Colonel of the Ninety-Second, and brother of the Chief Quar- 
 termaster of the Army of the Cumberland, visited the Regiment. 
 The next day the order to keep three days' cooked rations on 
 hand was renewed. On the fourteenth, the troops of Franklin 
 were reviewed by General Gordon Granger. On Sunday, the 
 fifteenth, the Regiment listened to a sermon by a private soldier 
 of Company E; and a soldier, in his diarv, writes: "I would 
 give more to hear him pi each, although he gets but thirteen dol- 
 lars per month, than I would to hear Chaplain White, who gets 
 a hundred dollars a month." Contrabands had been at work
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 75 
 
 building a fort on the north side of the Harpeth ; but, by order of 
 General Granger, heavy details of soldiers were made for that 
 purpose. On the seventeenth, a line guard was put around the 
 Regiment, to the great disgust of the men. A few unruly sol- 
 diers made it necessary to guard the entire Regiment. Heavy 
 siege guns were mounted on the fort at Franklin. Lieutenant 
 David B. Colehour, of Company I, died in hospital at Nashville. 
 He was an excellent officer, and his loss was deeply felt by his 
 comrades. On the twentieth, the Regiment, an hour before day- 
 light, marched over the Harpeth to the south of the town of 
 Franklin, and remained thirty hours on picket, the picket line 
 extending entirely around the town, from river bank above to 
 river bank below. An hour before daylight the next morning, 
 another regiment marched out to the reserve post, at an old cot- 
 ton gin and press south of the town, so that there were two full 
 regiments on picket at daylight: after daylight the Ninety-Second 
 returned to camp. On Sunday, the twenty-second, Company A 
 received large boxes of good things to eat and to wear from home. 
 Sergeant Samuel L. Bailey, of Company H, was promoted to 
 Lieutenant. There was brigade dress parade. On Monday 
 morning, the pickets were fired on, and the Regiment was in line 
 an hour before daylight. The first regimental drill since leaving 
 Nashville took place. On the twenty-fifth, firing was heard in 
 the direction of Nashville before daylight, and the Regiment was 
 soon in line of battle, with faces toward home. And there they 
 stood in the peach orchard, listening to an occasional gun at" 
 Brentwood, eight miles away, until long after daylight, when 
 orders came to march. From an old letter written by a soldier 
 of the Ninety-Second, we extract the following: " There we 
 waited until the cavalry, under command of Brigadier General 
 Green Clay Smith, of Kentucky, took the road didn't the bu- 
 gles blow though, and didn't they go helter-skelter out on the 
 pike, with sabers jingling! After the capture of Colonel Co- 
 burn, at Spring Hill, the debris of his brigade, convalescents, 
 teamsters, etc., about three hundred men, had been sent to Brent- 
 wood, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Bloodgood, of 
 the 22d Wisconsin, and had not been there many days, when 
 Van Dorn sent a column of cavalry from Spring Hill, crossing the 
 Harpeth on the Granny White pike road west of Franklin, and 
 made an attack on Brentwood just before daylight; and Lieuten- 
 ant Colonel Bloodgood surrendered without losing a man, or 
 scarcely firing a shot. A few of his men, in a stockade at a rail-
 
 76 NINETr-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 road bridge, held out until Van Dorn planted his artillery and 
 fired a few shots, when they surrendered also. It was while the 
 Rebel artillery was firing that the Regiment got into line of 
 battle at Franklin. General Green Clay Smith and his chargers 
 found a Rebel picket at Hollow Tree Gap, and fooled around 
 waiting until the infantry came up from Franklin, and until Van 
 Dorn's column, with all their prisoners and plunder, was well on 
 its way to Spring Hill by the road it came. And then, when the 
 Rebel picket at Hollow Tree Gap had voluntarily retired, the 
 cavalry followed up their rear guard, skirmishing occasionally ; 
 and the Kentucky newspapers had glowing accounts of how 
 General Green Clay Smith drove Van Dorn back to his camp. 
 Our boys said that Van Dorn had found the muster rolls of 
 Coburn's brigade, and had come back after the balance of the 
 command ; they got it all, slick and clean, by the second capture 
 at Brentwood. Now, the Granny White pike crosses the Harpeth 
 
 not far west of Franklin; and why in the d 1 General Gordon 
 
 Granger did not send a portion of his corps of infantry to inter- 
 cept Van Dorn on his return to Spring Hill, is one of those 
 things which no private soldier of volunteers can ever find out." 
 The Ninety-Second did not march farther than Hollow Tree 
 Gap, when it returned to Franklin, and went into camp. By 
 command of General Granger, the troops at Franklin were or- 
 dered into line of battle, each morning an hour before daylight, 
 to stand shivering in the fog from the Harpeth, until after sun- 
 rise. On the afternoon of the twenty-seventh, Lieutenant Colo- 
 nel Sheets received orders to be ready to march in fifteen 
 minutes. The Ninety-Second was promptly in line, and marched 
 at five o'clock P. M. to Brentwood, reaching there after dark, and 
 bivouaced in the rain. The Colonel of the Ninety-Second was 
 in command of the troops, having with him the Ninety-Second, 
 the 96th Illinois Volunteers, the 6th Kentucky Volunteer Cav- 
 alry, and gth Ohio Battery of Artillery. The next morning, the 
 Regiment, and all of the command, went into camp in a grove 
 near a railroad bridge which the}' were to guard, and, on the next 
 morning, commenced fortifying, the cavalry regiment doing 
 scouting duty. A strong little fort was built for the artillery on 
 the brow of the hill, and a trench large enough to hold two regi- 
 ments was dug around it, in zig-zag shape, six feet wide, and six 
 feet deep, with benches of earth left each side for the troops 
 to stand on while firing. Timber was cut, and out of the limbs 
 was formed chevaux-dc-frise; that is, the limbs were sharpened at
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 77 
 
 the points, and placed thicklv, points outward, around the trench 
 and fort, and staked fast, so that a charging column could not get 
 easily over, or through them, or remove them, without axes. 
 The bodies of the trees were laid along the trench on both sides, 
 elevated on skids, so that the troops in the trench could fire 
 through the opening under the logs, and have their heads pro- 
 tected from the enemy's fire by them. The ground was chosen 
 on the apex of a knoll ; and, bv cutting down the trees on a gen- 
 tleman's lawn, and felling the trees in his orchard, which was, 
 of course, done, a clean sweep for musketry was obtained all 
 around. It was an unique idea; no such work was treated of in 
 anv military book; but it was inspected bv Captain Merrill, 
 Chief Engineer of the Army of the Cumberland, and pro- 
 nounced by him to be one of the strongest works that could have 
 been as easily constructed on that ground. Major John C. Smith, 
 a gallant soldier of the g6th Illinois Volunteers, had general 
 charge of the construction of the little fort and trench. All of 
 the able-bodied contrabands in the vicinity were pressed into 
 service, and heavy details made on the command for the work. 
 One white man was pressed into the service also, Dr. William 
 Mavlield, a finely educated, gentlemanly appearing little fellow, 
 who practiced medicine in that neighborhood. The Doctor, on 
 March 3Oth, visited the head-quarters of the Colonel command- 
 ing, and requested a permit to pass the guards, night or day, on 
 4 professional duty." A permit was prepared for him, but he 
 was requested to sign a written statement that he was, and would 
 remain, a loyal citizen, and, under penalty of death, would not 
 give information to the enemv. The Doctor blandly remarked 
 that he could not sign it, for the reason that he was a Rebel. 
 "What!" said the Colonel, "do you come here into my head- 
 quarters, and insist on a permit to pass my lines, night or day, 
 and tell me that you are a Rebel? Guard, take this Rebel to 
 Major Smith, and tell him to put the fellow at work in the 
 trenches." The guard did not need a second order. Side by side 
 with his own slaves the little fellow dug and delved until, after a 
 day or two, Major Smith reported him ill, and obtained permis- 
 sion to relieve him. The soldiers, and the darkies, enjoyed it 
 considerably more than did the little Rebel Doctor. The boys 
 would have their sport, and always enjoyed getting some laugh 
 on the officers. They found in the vicinity a little, old jackass, 
 and dressed him up in officers' uniform, with the hugest pair of 
 shoulder-straps ever seen, and paraded him through the camps,
 
 78 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 to the delight of every one, for the officers good-naturedly joined 
 in the laugh, although it was at their expense. On the fifth of 
 April, there was a scare in camp, and the pickets were doubled ; 
 the enemy were reported to be marching in strong force to attack 
 the camp. How the boys did want them to come on, just to be 
 able to show them that surrendering, without righting, was not 
 what the Ninety-Second enlisted for. The command was ready 
 for them, and that is just the reason why they did not come. 
 Troops that are vigilant, and always readj r for battle, are seldom 
 gobbled up. For a nation, the surest guarantee of peace is to be 
 ready for war; for an outpost of an army, the surest guarantee 
 that there will be no fighting to do, is to be ready to accept battle 
 at any moment. The cavalry regiment was sent out, and found 
 parties of the enemy, who did not press on toward the command, 
 but retreated. On the eighth of April, General Morgan, with a 
 division of infantry, arrived from Nashville at Brentwood, and, 
 on thirty minutes' notice, at five o'clock P. M., the command 
 took up the line of march on its return to Franklin, arriving 
 after dark; and was up in line of battle at three in the morning of 
 the ninth, in accordance with Granger's order. On the tenth, at 
 about ten o'clock A. M., Van Dorn's cavalry, having been in- 
 formed that Franklin was evacuated the information probably 
 being based upon the fact that Sheridan's division had returned 
 to the vicinity of Murfresboro made a furious attack upon the 
 4Oth Ohio Infantry, of Atkins' Brigade, which was doing picket 
 duty south of Franklin. Of course, the Ninety-Second was in 
 line of battle very quickly. Van Dorn's troops charged the cav- 
 alry outposts on the three roads leading south from Franklin, and 
 chased them in on a dead run, all at the same time. The 4Oth 
 Ohio did not leave their posts ; but the officers and men of that 
 entire regiment made but little impression on the charging Rebel 
 columns that swept by while the 4Oth Ohio emptied their muskets 
 at them ; then the soldiers of the 4Oth Ohio took to the gardens, 
 buildings, and outhouses; while the charging Rebel columns 
 swarmed down into the village of Franklin, one Rebel even 
 crossing the pontoon bridge to the north of the river Harpeth, 
 and others being killed at the bridge on the south side. The 
 Rebels soon learned that their information in regard to the evacu- 
 ation of Franklin was a mistake, and that Granger's entire corps 
 still held it; and then they charged out again, a little more rapidly 
 than they had come in, while the 4oth Ohio gave them a hearty 
 salute as they passed back toward Spring Hill. The 4oth lost
 
 NINETY SECOND ILLINOIS. 79 
 
 but two killed and seven wounded, while nineteen dead Rebels 
 lay close by their line, all killed with their musketry, and there 
 must have been a large number of Rebels wounded. The hills 
 and woods south of Franklin swarmed with Van Dorn's grey- 
 coats; and the heavy siege artillery, at the fort on the north side 
 of the Harpeth, sent shells over the 4Oth Ohio, and screaming on 
 beyond. The newspapers reported one hundred 'and fifty killed 
 and wounded in Van Dorn's command, probably a high estimate. 
 The cavalry of Green Clay Smith followed the Rebels again on 
 their return to Spring Hill. The dead Rebels near the pickets of 
 the 4Oth Ohio had canteens, with whisky and powder mixed in 
 them ; and whether or not they were inspired by draughts from 
 their canteens, they certainly made a most wreckless and dashing 
 charge into Franklin and out again. On the eleventh, a large 
 number of Rebel wounded were picked up in the woods south of 
 the town, and taken to the hospitals. On the twelfth, the Ninety- 
 Second again did picket duty south of Franklin. Gordon Gran- 
 ger camped his corps north of the Harpeth, and daily sent a 
 regiment to encircle the town on the south, and a regiment to 
 reinforce it at three A. M., so as to have two regiments there at 
 daylight each morning. When Major General Schofield was 
 falling back in front of Hood's Rebel army, and made a stand at 
 Franklin, and repulsed Hood's fiery attack, Schofield made his 
 line of battle where the line of the reserve pickets of the Ninety- 
 Second was this day ; that is, south of Franklin, encircling the 
 town from river bank to river bank. On the fifteenth of April, 
 the Ninety-Second was made happy by receiving four months' 
 pay. Pay day was always looked forward to most anxiously in 
 the army; many of the men had families at home, and needed 
 the trifling amount of their stipulated monthly pay to keep the 
 wolf from their home firesides during their absence. There is 
 too much machinery in the United States Army; the Pay- 
 master's Department ought to be abolished, and Regimental 
 Quartermasters instructed to pay the men promptly every month. 
 If not desirable for Regimental Quartermasters to carry the coin 
 or currency with them on campaigns, payments might be made 
 in drafts' on the money centers of the country, adding five mills 
 on a dollar for every hundred miles, from place of drawing draft 
 to place of payment; such drafts, in the hands of the soldier, 
 would be worth the full amount of his monthly pay anywhere. 
 The laborer is worthy of his hire, and then he would have it 
 when due him. On the seventeenth of April, orders from brigade
 
 8o NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 head-quarters were issued to detail men from each company to 
 cook coffee, when the command went into line of battle before 
 daylight, and furnish each man in line A cup full of hot coffee as 
 soon as possible. Malaria lurks in the fog that rests upon the 
 earth just before sunrise, and coftee is an antidote to malaria. 
 Lieutenant Colonel Sheets had already disobeyed the orders of 
 Gordon Granger, to stand silently in battle-line, and had assisted 
 the circulation of the blood of the men in the Ninety-Second, by 
 rapid exercise in the manual of arms, and even by double-quick 
 marching; but, with every precaution, the men could not stand 
 it, and were rapidly going into hospital; it was only a sad conso- 
 lation to know that the percentage in the Ninety-Second of sick 
 men was much lower than in anv other regiment. On the 
 eighteenth, Second Lieutenant Horace C. Scoville, of Company 
 K, was promoted to First Lieutenant, and Sergeant Peleg R. 
 Walker, of Company K, was promoted to Second Lieutenant. 
 On the twentieth, there was target practice by the Regiment, and 
 Company A, with the smallest number of men, hit the target the 
 most times. On the twenty-second, the Regiment turned over 
 the bell tents drawn at Cincinnatit, and drew "dog tents." It 
 was the greatest possible improvement upon the old manner ot 
 sheltering the men far better for their health, and gave greater 
 mobility to the army, as it cut down the transportation trains 
 eleven wagons and sixty-six mules to every regiment. They 
 were simply strips of tent-cloth, about six and a half feet long, 
 by three feet wide, with button-holes on one edge, and buttons on 
 the other, one issued to each man, and to be carried by him on 
 the march, and two buttoned together formed the " tent" of two 
 soldiers. The men regarded them with extreme aversion, and 
 there were serious threatenings of mutiny when they were 
 issued. A soldier of the Ninety-Second, writing from Franklin 
 in a letter home, says: " The 'dog-kennels' have been introduced 
 into our Regiment; and now, in place of the sixty-five or seventy 
 tents used by us for the last eight months, we have one of these 
 rags for each man. Shelter tent is, however, a misnomer: there 
 is no shelter about it, but precisely the opposite. Have you ever 
 seen one? No. Well, I can introduce you to the modus ope- 
 rand! of making one. Rob your bed of a sheet, if you have 
 one (and if you have, it is more than I have had for some time, if 
 not longer); and now, while speaking of sheets, it is enough to 
 put a soldier to feeling bad not to have any, for there is a charm 
 in that word sheets : yes, there is. But to go on and tell you ho\v
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 81 
 
 to make one of these dog kennels. Go out into the yard, if you 
 have one ; pm down two sides of the sheet by a little pegging, 
 and then run a pole, if you have one, through the center, length- 
 wise ; elevate it upon big stones or stakes at the corners, and you 
 have a dog kennel such as we have, except that yours will be 
 larger than ours. Ours are about five feet wide by six feet long, 
 and are intended for two persons by splicing. In order to get 
 into them, the hands and knees are brought into requisition. In 
 turning over through the night, you must remember that it is 
 safest to back out, turn over, and then crawl in again. Unless 
 you do so, you are extremely liable to injure your pole, and down 
 comes your dog kennel. If Gordon Granger comes riding 
 through the camp, certain as you live, out comes the entire com- 
 mand on hands and knees from the dog kennels, and such un- 
 earthly barking, like dogs, never was heard ; and thousands take 
 it up, and away over and beyond the fort, and all through the 
 corps it is bark, bark, and growl, growl." During the night of the 
 twenty-sixth, the cavalry, under Gen. Green Clay Smith, inarched 
 out in the direction of Spring Hill, and surprised a camp of 
 Rebels, capturing about one hundred and thirty prisoners, and 
 one hundred horses; and on the morning of the twenty-seventh, 
 Atkins' brigade, including our Regiment, marched out to meet the 
 cavalry returning, and to be ready to support them, if support 
 was required. On April thirtieth, the Regiment was mustered 
 for pay, and inspected by Brigadier General A. Baird, Division 
 Commander. The day was observed by the Regiment as a day 
 of fasting and prayer. 
 
 On the first of May, Atkins' brigade, accompanied by a regiment 
 of cavalry, made a reconnoissance in the direction of Spring 
 Hill, with a little skirmishing, the Rebel picket falling back. On 
 the second, the Regiment again did picket duty south of Frank- 
 lin. Chaplain Cartwright, appointed vice White resigned, reached 
 camp, and, finding the regimental grounds nearly deserted, 
 approached Major Bohn, who was solemnly presiding over the 
 deserted camp, when the following dialogue is supposed to have 
 ensued: Chaplain "Do you belong to the Ninety-Second?" 
 Major " Yes, I have the honor to belong to that Regiment." 
 Chaplain " Well, God bless you; how do you do? I am Chap- 
 lain of the Ninety-Second. How are you? Where is Sheets?" 
 Major "Sheets, Sheets! Who is Sheets?" Chaplain "Why, 
 God bless you, man ; you a member of the Ninety-Second, and 
 don't know Sheets, Lieutenant Colonel Sheets?" Major " Oh! 
 10
 
 82 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 ah! you are inquiring about Lieutenant Colonel Sheets, are you?" 
 Chaplain "Yes, Sheets; I know Sheets, and Sheets knows me, 
 and I want to see Sheets." Major " Well, I am sorry to say 
 that Lieutenant Colonel Sheets is not in just now." Chaplain 
 " Well, where is Woodcock?" Major "Woodcock, Woodcock! 
 There are plenty of mocking-birds in the woods along the Har- 
 peth, stranger; but, I tell you what it is, I have n't had a shot at 
 a woodcock since I left Carroll County." Chaplain ' I mean 
 Captain Woodcock, the County Clerk at Oregon." Major " Oh ! 
 do you refer to Captain Woodcock, of Company K?" Chap- 
 lain " Yes, I know him." Major " Well, Captain Woodcock 
 is not in, either, just now." Chaplain " Well, then, where is 
 Preston; I know Preston." Major " Preston, Preston; it seems 
 to me that name sounds familiar; who is Preston?" Chaplain 
 " Why, Captain Preston, of Polo." Major " Oh ! you wish to 
 inquire about Captain Preston, of Company D?" Chaplain 
 " I know him, too." Major " Well, I am sorry to say that Cap- 
 tain Preston is not here just now." At this juncture, the Chap- 
 lain espied a soldier whom he had known in Ogle County, 
 Illinois, and bolted for him, and met a much warmer reception 
 than Major Bohn had given him. When the Major used to tell 
 about it, and declared that he was going to teach the new Chap- 
 lain to have dignity, everybody smiled out loud at the unique idea 
 of the Major teaching " dignity" to any one. On the third, the 
 new, old Chaplain preached his first sermon, and won the respect 
 and love of the men and officers from the start. Colonel Sheets 
 declined to order the men to attend preaching, but the Chaplain 
 found a way to get them out. At half-past ten, the usual church 
 time, the melodious and sonorous voice of the Chaplain was 
 heard, " Ho, boys ! Ho, boys ! Come up here, and help me serve 
 the Lord for half an hour, and I will help you in the trenches the 
 balance of the week." That was a proposition, on the part of the 
 Chaplain, that meant business. The boys took him at his word; 
 he had a congregation of willing listeners, and the men did not 
 afterward complain that the Chaplain did not keep his part of the 
 bargain. It did not run in the Cartwright blood to be lazy; and, 
 with pick, or spade, or axe, the Chaplain was an adept. On the 
 fifth, the Regiment went out chopping a swath through the tim- 
 ber on the hill-tops, for the signal corps to sight their flags 
 through. Now, of course, the soldiers of the Ninety-Second 
 know all about what that means; but, possibly, the child of a sol- 
 dier who may, perchance, read this book long years hence, will
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 83 
 
 not know what it means ; and it is npt an easy thing to explain 
 it in print, but we shall try and do so. If " the Committee on 
 Publication" belonged to the signal corps, and fully understood 
 it themselves, they might be able to explain it better ; but, alas ! 
 the}' don't. Well, to start with, the signal corps send messages 
 from station to station by motion of flags. The signal flag is a 
 large, square, white flag, with a square patch of red in the center. 
 In communicating with another signal station, down to the 
 ground will go the signal flag to the right and up again ; then 
 down to the right and up again twice in rapid succession ; then 
 down to the left and up again ; then down to the right and clear 
 over down to the left and up again: and so it goes. These 
 motions of the signal flag mean something; we don't know what 
 they mean, only that every quick motion of the flag indicates a 
 letter of the alphabet, and that the message is being spelled out 
 by an officer of the next signal station, who is watching the mo- 
 tions of the signal with a powerful field telescope. Sometimes, 
 when high points are occupied by the signal stations, they are 
 twenty miles apart. Sometimes the forest trees, on the highest 
 points between stations, have to be chopped down to open a sight- 
 way from signal station to signal station ; and the Ninety-Second 
 were all wood-choppers on the fifth of May, 1863, performing 
 such duty. On the sixth, the pickets on the Louisburg pike, 
 south of Franklin, were attacked, and Atkins' Brigade moved out, 
 the Ninety-Second having the advance. General Baird, a soldier 
 loved by all under him, accompanied the command, and skir- 
 mished with the enemy quite lively until dark; returned to camp 
 about nine o'clock at night. On the eighth, Dr. Peters, of Spring 
 Hill, walked into the head-quarters of the Rebel General Van 
 Dorn, and deliberately killed him, by shooting him through 
 the head with a pistol, on account of the alleged intimacy of 
 General Van Dorn with Mrs. Peters. Doctor Peters, in the ex- 
 citement momentarily created by the assassination at the head- 
 quarters of the Rebel General, made his escape to the woods, in 
 the rear end of the house, and was at Franklin the next day with 
 the Union lines, boasting of his exploit. General Gordon Gran- 
 ger fixed up a letter, directed to the Commander of the Confede- 
 rate forces at Spring Hill, and sent the Colonel of the Ninety- 
 Second to deliver it under a flag of truce. With a hundred cavalry 
 as an escort, and a good supply of Havana cigars, and imported 
 wine, from General Granger's stock, accompanied by a few offi- 
 cers in their best suits, he approached the Rebel pickets, and
 
 4 N1NETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 requested that an officer equal in rank might be sent for, to re- 
 ceive his dispatches. While waiting for a Confederate Colonel to 
 arrive, supper was prepared at a farm-house. When the Con- 
 federate Colonel came, accompanid by a few officers, all sat down 
 together at supper. The grey-coats made the best display of good 
 clothes ; but " Havana" cigars and " imported" wines were luxu- 
 ries they did not bring with them. While enjoying a social 
 smoke after supper, the conversation was turned upon Van Dorn's 
 sudden taking off. The Confederate officers pretended to know 
 nothing of it; but the Union officers detailed the story minutely, 
 without intimating that Peters had furnished the information, 
 and nonchalantly pretended that the Union officers knew every 
 thing daily occurring at Spring Hill. How they had such minute 
 information, was a puzzler to the Confederate officers; and so to 
 puzzle them, was the real object of the flag of truce. Just at 
 midnight, the grey-coats and blue-coats shook hands and sepa- 
 rated, each party returning to their own encampments. 
 
 Sunday, May tenth, was a beautiful day, and closed with a 
 brigade dress parade, an innovation of the Regulations ; which, 
 probably, did not occur in any other brigade in the army. The 
 brigade was composed of the gth Ohio battery of artillerv, the 
 Ninetv-Second, 96th, and ii5th Illinois, 74th Indiana, and 4Oth 
 Ohio infantrv regiment. At brigade dress parade, one regiment 
 was formed on the right; three regiments at right angles with the 
 first, the right of the line resting on the left of the first; the fifth 
 regiment at right angles with the three, right resting on the left, 
 forming three sides of a square, except that one of the sides was 
 three times the length of each of the others. The music of all 
 the regiments was massed, making a drum corps of a hundred 
 drummers and filers; and at the command, " Music, beat off," the 
 music, at slow time, the Ninety-Second Silver Band playing, 
 marched down in front of the first regiment, wheeled and passed 
 along the line of the three regiments, wheeled and passed the 
 fifth regiment. They marched back at quick time, the drum 
 corps of a hundred all playing. Lieutenant Lawver, Brigade 
 Adjutant, would then command, " Attention, battalions. Shoul- 
 der arms ! Prepare to open ranks, to the rear open order, march !" 
 The ranks opened, and aligned the commissioned officers in front; 
 the Adjutant took his position in front of the center of the line 
 of three regiments, and commanded, " Present arms!" Coming 
 to an " about face," he would salute Colonel Atkins, the Brigade 
 Commander, and say : " Sir, the parade is formed." The Adju-
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 85 
 
 tant would then take position to the left and rear of the Colonel ; 
 and the Colonel, acknowledging the salute, would draw his sword 
 and command, "Battalions, shoulder arms!" And would then 
 go through with the entire manual of arms The practical diffi- 
 culty of the command of execution being heard at the same 
 instant by so large a body of troops, was obviated by a little 
 Yankee ingenuity ; while not able to hear at the same instant, 
 they were able to see; and after giving the preparatory command, 
 " Shoulder," he would wait abundantly long for his voice to be 
 heard by the flanks; and at the command of "Arms," the left 
 hand of the Colonel commanding always went up into the air; 
 and every soldier in the line could see that at the same instant, and 
 the manual of arms was executed by the entire brigade, with as 
 exact precision as it was ever executed by a squad of five men. 
 Officers of the Regular Army looked on, and Avondered at the 
 precision of the execution of the manual of arms, but did not 
 detect the slight of hand by which it was attained. After the 
 manual of arms had been executed, brigade orders were read by 
 the Adjutant. At the command, " Parade dismissed," the field 
 officers of the brigade returned swords, closed on the Adjutant, 
 and marched up to salute the Brigade Commander. When the 
 field officers dispersed, the Captains marched their companies to 
 quarters. On May fourteenth, the Ninety-Second was again on 
 picket south of Franklin. On the nineteenth, there was brigade 
 drill, for the first time, in a clover-field north of Franklin. On the 
 twenty-first, there was another brigade drill, General Baird being 
 present. On the twenty-second, the Regiment was called up at 
 two A. M., and ordered to be ready to march at three A. M., but 
 the order was countermanded. Brigade drills every day, until the 
 twentv-seventh, when orders came to be ready to march at three 
 A. M., with two days' cooked rations and seventy rounds of am- 
 munition. The Regiment was ready, and waited all day for the 
 order to " march," but none came. There were countless rumors 
 of a Rebel attack on Triune. 
 
 On the first of June, the sick were all sent to Nashville. On 
 the second, there were orders to be ready to march at three A. M., 
 the time that Granger always proposed to march; but the Regi- 
 ment waited in the rain until Granger's leisurely breakfast had 
 been eaten, and started at nine o'clock A. M. for Triune. It was 
 very hot and showry, the dirt roads horrible for men and trains; 
 the men lightened up their loads, by throwing away extra pairs of 
 shoes, overcoats, and some even dress-coats and blankets. It was
 
 86 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 the first march for the new, old Chaplain, and the kind-hearted 
 old man knew the boys would want their blankets when night 
 came, and he loaded down his horse with as many as his horse 
 could carry. After reaching camp, he called the boys to come 
 and get their blankets ; but the Chaplain did not have blankets for 
 all who came; and it is said that he did not have one for himself 
 that night! It was a hard march, many of the men falling out bv 
 the way, and many not reaching Triune until the next morning. 
 The next day there was cannonading at Franklin, and the cavalry 
 was sent back there. General Granger reviewed the remainder 
 of his corps, thirty regiments of infantry, and thirty-six pieces of 
 light artillery. It was Granger's order to be up at three A. M., 
 daily, and stand silently in line of battle until after sunrise; that 
 order, kept up for months, killed more men of his corps than the 
 Rebels ever did. It rained on the fifth, and the picket firing was 
 continuous all day. On the seventh, the cavalry had a light 
 skirmish, and the Regiment was in line of battle from morning 
 until night. On the ninth, the Regiment was paid. On the 
 eleventh, Forrest made an attack on Triune. Atkins' Brigade, 
 holding the front, was promptly in line, two regiments on the 
 right of the road, concealed by timber and underbrush, with a 
 masked battery, an open clover field in front, through which, 
 about one hundred yards in front of the regiments, the water had 
 cut a deep gully, that no horse could leap or get through. For- 
 rest was leading a charge of Rebel cavalry over the open field, 
 right in the direction of the gully, where he must neces- 
 sarily have come to a halt, and been at the mercy of the 
 masked artillery and two. regiments of infantry, that had been 
 directed not to fire a shot until the Brigade Commander gave the 
 order. At this juncture, up rode Gordon Granger, and ordered 
 the boys to fire. The commander of the brigade endeavored to 
 explain to Granger, but he would hear nothing, and so the artil- 
 lery opened on the charging column before it had come within 
 musket range, and it quickly retreated. If Granger had been 
 acquainted with the ground himself, or had listened to the 
 Colonel commanding the brigade, there would have been terrible 
 slaughter in that Rebel column when it reached the gully 
 running through the clover field, which was not discernable 
 twenty feet away, but an effectual barrier to horsemen, where the 
 artillery could have thrown grape and canister, and two regiments 
 of infantry, at short range, poured in a musketry fire. As it was, 
 the- artillery killed only a few Rebels, and Forrest and most of
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 87 
 
 his troops rode safely away. Granger then ordered the troops to 
 fire on our own skirmishers, that the Brigade Commander had 
 just sent out to a brick house, on the left of the road, in front of 
 the line of battle, but the men knew they were our own troops, 
 and refused to obey his order. Granger then rode off. The 
 Rebels planted a section of artillery, and sent their shells flying 
 over the brigade. Our brigade battery of artillery replied, and 
 dismounted one of the Rebel guns. The Rebels soon withdrew. 
 There were no losses in the Ninety-Second. The newspapers 
 reported the Rebel loss at twenty-one killed and seventy wounded. 
 One laughable incident occurred. The camp equippage was 
 quickly loaded in wagons and moved to the rear, and on the top 
 of one wagon, the company wagon of Company I, sat a little 
 negro on a knapsack packed with clothing. A Rebel shell 
 knocked the knapsack out from under the colored boy, without 
 injuring him in the least; but he was terribly frightened. The 
 mules ware too slow for him after that, and he went to the rear 
 on foot double quick. About two A. M. of June thirteenth, a 
 brigade of infantry, and a force of cavalry, prepared to march 
 out on the road south of Triune, General Steedman in command, 
 and 'blowing of the bugles in the cavalry camp aroused all the 
 troops, who imagined it was the Rebel cavalry. At three P. M., 
 while our brigade was all out in the large clover field drilling, 
 the firing at the front became brisk, and the whole brigade 
 received orders to march to the assistance of Steedman, and 
 moved from the drill ground rapidly four miles south of Triune, 
 where Steedman was met, leisurely falling back, with only a 
 regiment engaged as rear guard, skirmishing. Steedman said he 
 had one pretty little brush with them, but there was no difficulty 
 in repulsing the enemy. Returned to camp after dark, and were 
 called up at eleven P. M. to await marching orders, and waited 
 until after daylight, but no orders came. The next day, Sunday, 
 June fourteenth, there was inspection, and orders received to keep 
 constantly on hand two days' cooked rations, and sixty rounds ball 
 cartridges to the man. This order kept the men constantly on 
 cold victuals, and sometimes spoiled victuals. On the seventeenth, 
 the Ninety-Second cut down the timber between the Shelbyville 
 and Murfresboro pikes, so that it could not be used as a cover by 
 the enemy. On the twentieth, there was a scare, and pickets 
 doubled, but no attack came. On June twenty-third, the Regi- 
 gent marched with the corps from Triune at daylight, but were 
 delayed by wagon trains, and, after marching twelve miles,
 
 88 NINBTT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 camped at two P. M. Marched next day at one P. M., in hard rain, 
 and at one o'clock at night bivouaced on the Shelbyville pike, at 
 Walnut Church. Willich's Brigade took Liberty Gap, and 
 Wilder's Brigade took Hoover's Gap from the Rebels, and we 
 marched all the afternoon to the music of heavy cannonading. 
 The rain was continuous night and day. The next day, the 
 twenty-fifth, inarched but a mile, standing in line all day, listen- 
 ing to the continuous roar of artillery in the distance. Sent the 
 knapsacks and surplus trumpery to Murfresboro, to lighten the 
 loads of the men. Remained at Walnut Church all the next 
 day, cannonading heavy at the fort. On the twenty-seventh, 
 moved at twelve M. down the .Shelbyville pike to Guy's Gap. 
 The cavalry, under command of General Mitchell, had the 
 advance, and charged into Shelbyville at five P. M., capturing five 
 hundred and five prisoners and two pieces of artillery. On the 
 twenty-eighth, the Ninety-Second guarded the Rebel prisoners, 
 marching eight miles toward Murfresboro, and turned over 
 the prisoners to the 96th Illinois. Captain Espy, of the H5th 
 Illinois, Commissary on the staff 'of the Colonel commanding 
 the brigade, was notified of the coming of" the Rebel prisoners, 
 and issued rations to them, and in the kindness of his heart, even 
 prepared hot coffee for them in large plantation kettles. How 
 different from the treatment of our soldiers in the hands of the 
 enemy at Andersonville! The kind-hearted, gallant Captain 
 Espy lost his life afterward, at Chicamauga. On the twenty- 
 ninth, the Ninety-Second joined the brigade, four miles north of 
 Shelbyville. On the thirtieth, marched through Shelbyville, and 
 camped one mile south of the town, on Duck River, and was 
 mustered for pay. On the first of July, moved a mile and went 
 into permanent camp. The Colonel of the Ninety-Second learn- 
 ed of the probability that General Baird would leave the divi- 
 sion, and, desiring himself to get out from under the command 
 of General Gordon Granger, he earnestly sought the influence of 
 Colonel Arthur C. Ducat, Inspector General oi' the Army of the 
 Cumberland, whom he had been intimately acquainted with 
 while they were serving together under Grant, at Cairo; and of 
 Colonel Simmons, Commissary of the Army of the Cumberland, 
 who had served with the Colonel of the Ninety-Second on the 
 staff of General Hurlbut in the Army of the Tennessee; and of 
 Colonel John W. Taylor, the Chief Quartermaster of the Army 
 of the Cumberland, who was a brother of the law partner of the 
 Colonel of the Ninety-Second, to induce General Rosecrans to
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 89 
 
 detach the Ninety-Second from the reserve corps of General 
 Granger, and attach it to some active command at the front; and 
 he received the assurance of the gentlemen named that they would 
 use their influence with General Rosecrans to obtain such an 
 order. On the third of July, the Ninety-Second marched at two 
 o'clock P. M. to Wartrace, eight miles, on the Nashville and 
 Chattanooga Railroad, through a terrible rain storm, the water in 
 the mountain roads being, frequently, two feet deep. From an 
 old letter written by a member of the Ninety-Second, from 
 Wartrace, we extract the following: "It was given to Stokes' 
 regiment, under the command of Major Gilbraith, to lead the 
 charge into Shelbyville. Major Gilbraith's family lived in that 
 town. At it thev went with a rush and a yell, dashing into town, 
 cutting, shooting, and killing. The Rebels were so hard pressed 
 that, for all to cross the bridge over Duck River, was impossible. 
 Many rushed for the ford above, the Union cavalry on their 
 heels, and into the river the Rebels plunged, which, being high 
 from recent rains, was difficult to cross, and between fifty and a 
 hundred of the Rebels were drowned. Our boys pulled out quite 
 ;i number of the dead Confederate soldiers two days afterward, 
 and gave them decent burial. Stokes' regiment were fighting 
 for their own homes and firesides. Such meetings of old friends 
 in Shelbyville never occurred there before. Men, women and 
 children were kissing and embracing each other in the streets, 
 while tears rolled down their cheeks, until the stoutest heart 
 would melt away in like feelings. To see men, old and young, 
 embracing and hugging each other, was a common occurrence. 
 For several davs after their deliverance, refugees who had sought 
 shelter and protection at the North for a year or more, returned to 
 their homes and families. O, such meetings and greetings as I 
 there witnessed is worth a year of the hard life of a soldier. 
 Bedford county, of which Shelbyville is the capital, 'is largely 
 Union, and it is due to the efforts of Mr. Edmund Cooper, an 
 influential, patriotic and able lawyer of Shelbyville, that so many 
 citizens of Bedford county have remained true and faithful to the 
 Union. Bragg made his head-quarters there, and during the 
 reign of terror the Union people suffered beyond the power of 
 iny description. The Fourth of July has been made perpetual there 
 every day since our troops broke the shackles, and Union flag*, 
 long sewn up in quilts, are brought out and deck the town. 
 Platforms are erected, and speeches are made by citizens and 
 oldiers daily, while the Court House square is packed full 
 11
 
 90 NINBTT-SBCOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 of the ladies and gentlemen of Shelbyville, waving flags and 
 handkerchiefs, and singing Union songs. The emotions, the 
 rejoicings, the joyful demonstrations, the bursting out of long 
 pent up feelings, are as boundless as the ocean, and no pen can 
 picture the real happiness of the citizens. Long live Shelbj-ville. 
 It is the general opinion that Bragg would have been bagged if 
 the weather had not been so continuously rainy ; and now he is 
 away down at Chattanooga, with a demoralized army, trying to 
 get up into Kentucky by the way of Knoxville. The Rebels 
 burned all the bridges over Duck River, and also over Elk River: 
 but the first are up again, and the others will be before this letter 
 reaches you." 
 
 July fourth was celebrated by a cessation of all ordi nan- 
 duties, and most of the men went black-berrying, and found the 
 most lucious blackberries in the greatest abundance in the "old 
 fields" about Wartrace. The Colonel of the Ninety-Second 
 dined with Captain Hicks, of the 96th Illinois. Many patriotic 
 speeches were made. On Sunday, the fifth, there was preaching 
 and black-berrying. On the sixth, the Ninety-Second marched 
 seven miles, under command of Lieutenant Colonel Sheets, to 
 Duck River, and engaged in building a wagon bridge across that 
 stream at Rouseville. Colonel Wilder came along, and, fancying 
 the Ninety-Second, declared his determination to have it detached 
 from the reserve corps, and assigned to his brigade of mounted 
 infantry. It is safe to say that the men of the Ninety-Second 
 were overjoyed with the hope that Wilder might be successful in 
 his application. Apples and blackberries were abundant, and 
 details were made to gather them, while the work of building the 
 bridge progressed, which was completed on the ninth. Colonel 
 Wilder's application was supplemental to the request of the 
 Colonel df the Ninety-Second, and was successful, and General 
 Rosecrans detached the Ninety-Second from General Gordon 
 Granger's corps, and assigned it to Wilder's brigade of mounted 
 infantry. On the tenth, the Regiment returned to Wartrace, and 
 there was great excitement among all the troops to be mounted. 
 The 4Oth Ohio, officers and men, joined in a petition to Colonel 
 Atkins to have that regiment mounted. On the eleventh, a detail 
 was sent to Murfresboro for horses, and Lieutenant Colonel 
 Sheets went to Nashville to procure equipments. In a letter 
 home, written at Wartrace, July i6th, 1863, a soldier of the 
 Ninety-Second writes: "The Ninety-Second is no longer first 
 regiment, first brigade, first division, reserve army corps,
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 91 
 
 but has been detached, by special order of General Rosecrans, 
 making a special selection of the Ninety-Second, without any 
 solicitation or knowledge on our part. Nothing but the good 
 reputation we bear could have secured to us this high and hon- 
 ored position. The Spencer Repeating Rifle is the arm we are 
 to use. With the Spencer Rifle one hundred men are as effect- 
 ive as five hundred with the Enfield. Our saddles are here. 
 Four hundred and forty horses will be here by noon ; and four 
 companies are now over Duck River, under charge of that excel- 
 lent and efficient officer and gentleman, Captain Horace J. Smith, 
 of Oregon. Six companies are here waiting for the equipments 
 which Lieutenant Colonel Sheets, now at Nashville, is pushing 
 forward as rapidly as possible. You may expect to hear of sharp 
 work from us soon, as our position (mounted infantry) will keep 
 us to the front of the invincible and advancing Army of the 
 Cumberland." On the nineteenth, the Ninety-Second, under the 
 command of Lieutenant Colonel Sheets, made its first march on 
 horseback, seven miles to Duck River, and joined Wilder's 
 brigade. Colonel Atkins was ordered, by telegraphic dispatch 
 from General Gordon Granger, to remain in command of the 
 brigade of infantry, which he had commanded more than six 
 months. He took the position that none but a department com- 
 mander could issvie such an order, and as the department com- 
 mander had detached his Regiment from the reserve corps, he 
 was also detached from that corps, and on the twenty-first, dis- 
 regarding Granger's order, he turned over the command Qf the 
 brigade to Colonel T. E. Champion, of the 96th Illinois^ and 
 himself joined the Ninety-Second, and assumed command of the 
 Regiment. On the twenty- second, a detail of two hundred 
 mounted men was ordered from the Ninety-Second to report to 
 Colonel John J. Funkhouser, of the gSth Illinois mounted in- 
 fantrv, to scout along Duck River, and pick up animals and able- 
 bodied contrabands. Colonel Atkins took command of the detail, 
 and reported to Colonel Funkhouser the entire detail under 
 Colonel Funkhouser, amounting to six hundred. On the twenty- 
 fifth, three hundred and eighty horses arrived from Nashville for 
 the Ninety-Second. On the twenty-sixth, at two P. M., the 
 Regiment marched, with Wilder's brigade, fifteen miles, to 
 Tullahoma. On the twentv-seventh, marched to Dechard, with 
 brigade, and joined division of Major General J. J. Reynolds, 4th 
 division, i4th army corps, Major General George H. Thomas 
 commanding. On the twenty-eighth, Colonel Atkins returned
 
 *8 N1NBTT-SBCOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 with captured animals. The detail had a gala time of it; the 
 column marched west, on the north side of Duck River, through 
 Shelbyville, and as far west as Hickman county, capturing all 
 the horses and mules and able-bodied contrabands in the country. 
 Scouting parties were sent bv Colonel Funkhouser along the 
 south side of the river, capturing all they could, but moving 
 rapidly, and spreading the report that thev were the advance of a 
 column marching west on the south of the river. The citizens 
 would gather up their stock and contrabands, and make for the 
 north side of Duck River, to escape capture, and run into the very 
 column they were attempting to escape. The results of the 
 expedition were the capture of fiftv Rebel soldiers, found home 
 on furlough ; between sixteen and seventeen huridred horses and 
 mules, the horses to mount our men upon, the mules for the 
 wagon trains; and eight hundred able-bodied negroes, for muster 
 into a colored regiment. On the thirtieth, the camp was moved 
 to better grounds, the camp regularly laid out, policed and adorned 
 with evergreens. The strictest discipline was enforced. A 
 soldier, in his diary, under date of July thirty-first, 1863, writes: 
 " Not much of anything to do, but water, feed, groom and graze 
 our horses. In the evening \ve had dress parade, bv Regiment, 
 when something less than a thousand orders were read to us, 
 concerning roll-call, drills, feeding and watering our horses, and a 
 great many other things too numerous to mention. They were 
 so arranged as to keep a soldier busy every hour in the day, from 
 half past four in the morning until nine o'clock at night. This 
 we find to be the effect of lying in camp, where the officers have 
 nothing to do but manufacture orders." The Regiment was all 
 mounted, and on the first of August, all the Spencers not in use 
 in the other regiments of Wilder's brigade were turned over to 
 the Ninety-Second, enough to arm three companies, and the 
 lucky companies getting them were D, E and F. In the forenoon 
 of the second, there was inspection ; in the afternoon, regimental 
 drill ; in the evening, dress parade. The soldiers did not fancy 
 the drill and discipline, especially as the other regiments of 
 mounted infantry paid no attention to drill, discipline or cleanli- 
 ness of camp, and a soldier, in his diary, writes: "This is what 
 makes the thing military." The blacksmiths were busy shoeing 
 and branding the captured animals. On the fourth of August, 
 the Regiment held its first inspection on horseback. The sixth 
 was observed as a day of thanksgiving, agreeably to the procla- 
 mation of the President, and the thanksgiving dinners were
 
 NINETT-SRCOND ILLINOIS. 93 
 
 composed of green corn, " sow-belly " and " Uncle Abe's plat- 
 form," as the boys called the " hard-tack." The Regiment was 
 addressed by the Chaplain and Colonel. The weather contiuned 
 intensely hot; on the ninth, a soldier was sun-struck while on 
 duty ; on the thirteenth, a soldier writes in his diary : " I was 
 again detailed on head-quarter's guard, and to-day had to stay 
 around to salute officers. It is certainly very disgusting to have 
 to walk backwards and forwards on a beat when the sun pours 
 down as hot as it does in this climate, and at this time of the 
 year, and see the red tape, the military pomp, the West Pointism 
 that is put on at our regimental head-quarters. In the after- 
 noon, it rained, making it a great deal more agreeable and 
 pleasant, as it was not so hot, and there were not so many officers 
 strutting around." Rations and forage were scarce, as " Rosy " 
 was using all the cars to get up hard-tack and ammunition for a 
 move. The men went foraging for their animals and themselves, 
 but the country was soon stripped ; no matter, the army was pre- 
 paring to leave it.
 
 94 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST CHATTANOOGA OVER THE CUMBER- 
 LAND MOUNTAINS ARTILLERY PRACTICE AT HARRISON'S 
 LANDING FIRST SCOUT ON LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN LEADING 
 THE ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND INTO CHATTANOOGA CA- 
 TAWBA WINE FIGHTING FORREST AT RINGGOLD, GEORGIA 
 REBEL SPIES PRETENDING TO BE DESERTERS GORDON'S 
 MILL MARCHING DOWN LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN IN THE STORM 
 AND DARKNESS SCOUTING ALONG THE CHICAMAUGA BE- 
 FORE THE BATTLE THE BATTLE OF CHICAMAUGA How 
 McCooK's CORPS WAS SURPRISED AND ROUTED BACK TO 
 HARRISON'S LANDING A DYING WOMAN BACK AGAIN 
 OVER THE CUMBERLAND MOUNTAINS CAPERTON'S FERRY 
 OFF FOR HUNTSVILLE JUDGE HAMMOND'S PLANTATION 
 THE COLD NEW YEAR'S NIGHT, 1864 PULASKI, TENN. 
 BACK TO HUNTSVILLE SKIRMISH AT BAINBRIDGE FERRY 
 FIGHT AT SWEETWATER TRIANNA SCOUTING ALONG TIIK 
 TENNESSEE DETACHED FROM WILDER'S BRIGADE. 
 
 Sunday morning, August sixteenth, 1863, General Rosecrans' 
 army, that, since the advance on Tullahoma and Shelbyville, had 
 been scattered in camps about Dechard and Winchester, north of 
 the Cumberland Mountains, pushed out after Bragg, whose head- 
 quarters were then at Chattanooga, south of the Tennessee River. 
 The main army marched to Stevenson, and crossed the Tennessee 
 at Bridgeport and Caperton's Ferry, and swung off through the 
 mountain gorges, to the south and west of the Rebel strong- 
 hold. Wilder's brigade of mounted infantry, Minty's brigade of 
 cavalry, and Wagner's brigade of infantry, crossed the Cumberland 
 range into the Tennessee valley north of Chattanooga, with orders 
 to demonstrate stronglv, as if contemplating a crossing, at every 
 ford and ferrv on the Tennessee. At eleven A. M., the Regiment 
 marched, with Wilder's brigade, toward the mountain that loomed 
 up in the distance, and, in a heavy thunder-shower, climbed up its 
 side over a rocky road, down which the water rushed and roared,
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 95 
 
 and, after marching twelve miles, camped at University Place, on 
 the mountain-top The town is celebrated for its mineral springs, 
 and as being the seat of the college over which Bishop Polk, of 
 Tennessee, at that time a Confederate Major General in Bragg's 
 army, had presided. There were many beautiful residences in 
 the place; among them Bishop Folk's, and the mountain village 
 had been quite a resort in summer for Southern people. A sol- 
 dier, on the seventeenth, writes in his diary : "This morning I 
 took my horse to graze on a spot high enough to overlook the 
 valley below. Beneath where I stood, over the valley hung a 
 heavy cloud, and where it hung, no portion of the valley could be 
 seen; and, looking from above on the clouds beneath me, I com- 
 pared the scene to a storm-tossed ocean. One cloud would be 
 higher than another, and all in constant motion, like the changing 
 billows of the sea 3 and all moving slowly down the valley. Such 
 a beautiful sight of the marvelous works of nature I never be- 
 fore looked upon. By and by, as the sun approached the zenith, 
 the clouds lifted higher and higher, until I could see the long 
 winding valley, as it stretched far off in the distance. It looked 
 to me like the prettiest land in the world, and as if the happiest 
 people on earth might reside there. But, alas! when I marched 
 through the valley, how different the scene ! Deserted log cab- 
 ins, a few only occupied by negroes that lived as best they 
 could. War had laid its destructive hand upon the valley. Hu- 
 man habitations were deserted, and even the birds refused to sing, 
 and nothing was heard but the neighing of horses, braying of 
 mules, the rumble of cannon wheels and wagon trains." On the 
 seventeenth, the Regiment marched about twenty miles, and 
 camped, still on the mountain. On the eighteenth, marched 
 early, passed Tracy City, a coal-mining town, and again camped 
 on the mountain. Marched at seven o'clock, on the morning ot 
 the nineteenth, and, a little after noon, descended into the Se- 
 quatchie Valley. On going down the mountain, the advance had 
 a brisk little skirmish with the enemy, and camped early. Com- 
 pany A was on picket on the Jasper road, and was fired upon by 
 the enemy, when Colonel Wilder sent out four companies of the 
 1 7th Indiana, who killed one, and wounded one, of the enemy 
 and captured eight prisoners. Another party, sent out by Colonel 
 Wilder on another road, surprised a party of Rebel conscript 
 officers in a church, killed two, wounded four, and captured 
 twenty ; among them eight Union men, three of whom had been 
 sentenced to be shot the next dav, but whose lives were saved by
 
 96 NINBTT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 the whole party being captured by the Yankees. These moun- 
 tainous regions were full of Union men, and the vilest scum of 
 the Rebel army was sent to conscript them into the Rebel ser- 
 vice. The atrocities committed by the conscripting parties 
 surpassed belief. They were too cowardly to fight in battle, but 
 ferociously brutal toward the defenseless Union men who fell 
 into their power. The Union men in the mountain regions 
 of Tennessee carried their lives in their hands. On the twen- 
 tieth, two companies of the Ninety-Second were sent back to 
 Tracy City to guard the supply trains. The mountain is about 
 twenty-five hundred feet high, and it is two miles up the steep 
 and winding road from the valley to the mountain top. On the 
 twenty-first, the brigade crossed Walden's Ridge, a continuation 
 of Lookout Mountain on the north side of the river, and camped 
 at Poe's Tavern, in the valley of the Tennessee. The scenery, 
 from the top of Walden's Ridge above Poe's Tavern, is very 
 beautiful. Below lies the valley of the Tennessee, some ten 
 miles broad, through which the river winds like a thread of 
 silver; off to the south lies the city of Chattanooga, twelve miles 
 distant. As the Regiment commenced descending, a party of 
 officers dismounted, and standing on a jutting rock that appar- 
 ently was overhanging the valley, thev could, with a field glass, 
 plainly see the streets of Chattanooga, swarming with the 
 army wagons of Bragg's army. On the river, ten miles above 
 the city, was seen a little steamer, flying the Confederate flag, 
 slowly moving northward. The day was beautiful, and the 
 officers lingered until shouts in the valley called them to 
 join the Regiment. On the twenty-second, Colonel Wilder 
 marched down the valley toward Chattanooga, leaving the 
 Ninety-Second and two pieces of rifled artillery to scout the 
 country, and demonstrate at the fords and ferries above and be- 
 low Dallas, on the Tennessee. The Regiment marched to Har- 
 rison's Landing. A Rebel picket was found on the top of the hill 
 where the road commences to descend to the Tennessee River, 
 but rapidly fell back, and crossed in a flat-boat to the other side. 
 The enemv had a fort on the hill, back some distance from the 
 water-front, in which were mounted three pieces of artillery ; and 
 close to the bank of the river were rifle pits, along the top of 
 which the gray-coated soldiers were leisurely pacing. A large 
 frame house stood on the bank of the river, on the side occupied 
 bv the Ninety-Second, in the vard of which the Colonel stood, 
 examining the Rebel works across the river with hi? glass, when
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 97 
 
 the Rebel officer of the day, with his sash across his shoulder, 
 rode down the hill from the fort, rapidly dismounted and kneeled 
 under a tree, on the opposite side of the river, and the Colonel 
 was endeavoring to discover what he was doing, when a puff of 
 white smoke informed him that the Rebel officer was firing a rifle, 
 and soon after the leaden messenger passed over the Colonel, 
 through the side of the house, and through the arm of William 
 C. Patterson, a member of Company D, the first soldier in the 
 Ninety-Second to be hit by the enemy. The men of the Ninety- 
 Second took position along the river's edge, and, concealed by 
 the undergrowth, opened a fire on the sentries leisurely pacing on 
 top of the Rebel rifle-pits, who quit marching their beats. The 
 Enfields would not carry across the river without a double 
 charge of powder, but the Spencers, with which three companies 
 were armed, carried over very accurately. The men of the 
 Ninety-Second had the advantage ; they were concealed from the 
 view of the enemy by the undergrowth along the river's edge, 
 and their position could only be guessed by the puff of white 
 smoke from their rifles; while, if the enemy put their heads 
 above the bare earth-work they were behind, they made fair 
 marks for our men. After practicing at long range across the 
 Tennessee for an hour, the Regiment withdrew and returned to 
 the vicinity pf Poe's Tavern. A scouting party up the river 
 found a small Rebel steamer concealed in a creek, and burned it. 
 On Sunday, August twenty-third, the Ninety-Second lay in 
 camp, listening to the guns of Wilder, Minty, and Wagner, shel- 
 ling Chattanooga from the north side of the river. On the next 
 day, the Ninety-Second returned to Harrison's Landing, and 
 planted two pieces of artillery on the hill; the three cannon of 
 the enemy in their fort were plainly discernable, the Rebel gun- 
 ners sitting on the parapet, smoking and whittling, out of the 
 range of musketry. The enemy had cut hazel brush and 
 willows, and thickly covered the top of their rifle-pits at the 
 water-front with them. We could not see their heads when they 
 fired as we could before, when the earth-work was bare. The 
 Lieutenant of the artillery was a long time in getting ready, and 
 when the Colonel urged him to hurry up, and give them a few 
 shots, the Lieutenant said he was waiting to get the range; he 
 wanted a man to stand up on the parapet of the Rebel fort, and 
 let him look at him through a little brass instrument the Lieu- 
 tenant held in his hand, by which he could tell the distance 
 within a few feet. An accommodating Rebel soon stood up for a
 
 98 NINETT-SBCOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 moment, and the Lieutenant sighted him with his instrument, 
 took out a paper and figured a while with a pencil, carefully cut 
 two shells, and loaded his pieces, sighted them, apparently at the 
 sky, and let them both off at once. The smoke cleared away, 
 and not a gun or Rebel could be seen again about that fort. 
 The Colonel tried his hand at sighting artillery. The first shell 
 he fired went into the Tennessee River ; the second bursted in the 
 air far beyond the Rebel fort. He gave it up, and the Lieuten- 
 ant of artillery kept up the firing leisurely for an hour or more, 
 the enemy not replying. It was not known then what injury our 
 artillery had done, but a copy of the Daily Chattanooga Rebel, 
 printed the next day, contained a statement that the first two 
 shots, fired with so much care by the Lieutenant of artillery, 
 had dismounted one of the Rebel guns, and killed four Rebel 
 soldiers. The Regiment moved up to Dallas, and let fly a few 
 shots from the artillery at a Rebel picket post on the opposite 
 side of the ferry, and scattered it into the woods out of range, 
 when the command returned to the Chattanooga road, a few 
 miles south of Poe's Tavern, and encamped, and lay there, 
 scouting to the various ferries along the Tennessee River, until 
 the fourth of September. Men and animals subsisted entirely 
 upon the country, and the only food procurable was green corn, 
 unripe sweet potatoes, and green peaches, and as the men were 
 generally in bad health when leaving Dechard, there was fear 
 that their diet would soon put the entire Regiment into the hospi- 
 tal ; but directly the reverse was true ; their vegetable diet agreed 
 with them, and by the fourth of September the men of the Regi- 
 ment were in robust health. The enemy at Harrison's Landing 
 would sometimes send over the ferry boat after daylight, and, 
 occasionally, a squad of Rebel horsemen, who would come out 
 to our pickets, fire a shot or two, and hasten back. One morning, 
 at one o'clock, a detail went to Harrison's with instructions to 
 dismount, and approach through the woods, dividing in two 
 parties, one some distance from the Landing, and one near it, and 
 to keep concealed in the thickets. Soon after sunrise the con- 
 cealed men heard the Rebels hallooing across, and they were 
 soon answered by the women in the house, at the Landing, waving 
 a handkerchief, the signal, that no Yanks were about. Six horse- 
 men, and a few dismounted men, soon entered the flat-boat and 
 paddled slowly across the river. The Rebel horsemen mounted 
 and rode up to the house, conversed with the women, and cau- 
 tiously kept on up the road, when the party below them stepped
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 99 
 
 into the road behind them, and another party in front of them. 
 They saw they were trapped, and did not attempt to fight, but 
 quieth' surrendered. The men then charged for the ferry boat, 
 but the Rebels in it shoved it from shore, laid down, and paddled 
 with one hand over the side of the flat-boat ; it floated off down 
 the river, slowly making for the other shore. The house on the 
 river bank caught fire and burned down. On the third of Sep- 
 tember, 1863, company K was on picket duty on the north bank 
 of the Tennessee River, opposite Harrison's Landing; the enemy, 
 in their rifle-pits, on the other side of the river, kept up a pro- 
 miscuous firing. Company K replied with-spirit, wounding, as the 
 company believed, many of the gray-coats. In the firing, James 
 Mullarky, a brave and faithfull soldier of Company K, was 
 wounded, being the second man in the Ninety-Second to be hit 
 with Rebel lead, and he still carries the 'Rebel musket-ball in his 
 arm. On the fourth of September, the Ninety-Second reported 
 to Colonel Wilder, near Chattanooga, and found that it had been 
 ordered to report to General Thomas, for scouting duty, he hav- 
 ing no mounted men with him, all being with Wilder and Minty 
 on the left of the army, or with McCook on the right. The Regi- 
 ment, with two brass guns, moved immediately to Thurman, 
 where Major Bohn, with Companies I and H, with wagon train, 
 joined th,e Regiment. Moved early the next morning, marched 
 twenty-two miles down the Sequatchie valley. The valley is 
 usually not more than three or four miles wide, and walled in by 
 very high and exceedingly abrupt mountain ranges, the bare 
 rocky walls, in places, rising twenty-five hundred feet above the 
 valley ; the river is a beautiful mountain stream, and the bottom 
 lands very fertile. It seems to be the natural home of the 
 weeping willow, and the most beautiful specimens of that grace- 
 ful tree were seen, some of them of enormous growth, their long 
 pendant branches nearlv sweeping the earth. Camped at Jasper. 
 Marched at daylight next morning, crossed the Tennessee on the 
 pontoon bridge at Bridgeport, and marching ten miles on the 
 south side of the river, went into camp at Cave Spring, where 
 the Rebels had extensive saltpeter works, leaching the earth 
 gathered from the floors of the huge cave in the mountain. Some 
 of the men and officers went far into the cave; and the band 
 played, expecting the cave to give back wonderful echoes, but it 
 didn't. Marched on the seventh, at daylight, climbed and crossed 
 Raccoon Mountain, and down into Trenton vallev. Marched 
 again at daylight, and reported to General Thomas at about ten
 
 loo NINETT-SRCOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 o'clock in the morning, in Trenton vallev, and was, by him, 
 directed to report to Major General Reynolds, who directed the 
 Colonel to put his Regiment into camp, and shoe his horses. 
 The animals were in bad condition. At one o'clock, a detail of 
 fifty men, on picked horses, under Captain Van Buskirk, of 
 Company E, was sent on a scout to the top of Lookout Mountain. 
 They climbed the west side of the rugged mountain by an unused 
 bridle-path, the first blue-coated soldiers ever on Lookout, 
 pushed the Rebel pickets to Surnmertown, in plain sight of 
 Chattanooga, and returned about ten o'clock at night, with 
 authentic information of the evacuation of Chattanooga by 
 Bragg's army. The Colonel was ordered to report to General 
 Rosecrans, who gave him written orders to take the advance into 
 Chattanooga, marching at four o'clock, on the morning of the 
 ninth, with orders to all infantry commanders to give the Ninety- 
 Second the road ; and the Colonel was directed to go into the 
 town of Chattanooga, and send General Rosecrans prompt 
 information; and then to return with his Regiment and report to 
 General Rosecrans; and as they parted General Rosecrans said: 
 "The flag of the Ninety-Second will wave first in Chattanooga." 
 The Regiment marched promptly, and passed long lines of 
 infantry that gave the road, until the Colonel came up to the di- 
 vision of General Wood. The Colonel rode forward and showed 
 his orders to General Wood, who criticised them and hesitated, 
 but finally halted his command, and the Ninety-Second passed 
 through it. The enemy's pickets were struck at the foot of 
 Lookout, and pushed along up the mountain. Company F was 
 dismounted, and on foot, from behind the rocks and trees, gave 
 back shot for shot to the gray-coats sullenly falling back in front 
 of them, until the mountain top was reached, when Wilder's 
 artillery, from Moccasan Point, on the north side of the river, 
 sent its screaming shells into our ranks. The skirmish line 
 halted, and two volunteers, from the Ninety-Second, good 
 swimmers, were directed to swim the Tennessee, and inform our 
 brigade battery that its shells were bursting among the men of 
 its own brigade ; but a soldier who had served in the signal corps 
 was along, and, tieing his white handkerchief by the corners to 
 a couple of straight hazel-sticks, he soon acquainted the troops 
 over the river with the situation, and the battery ceased firing, 
 and the. Ninety-Second's skirmish line pushed on. Just at this 
 juncture, a staff officer of General Wood rode up to the Colonel 
 and "said: " General Wood directs that you report to him." The
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 101 
 
 Colonel ordered the skirmish line and Regiment to push along, 
 and then rode back to the head of Wood's division of infantry, 
 and said to General Wood: " Did you send for me?" Wood re- 
 plied : " Yes, Colonel ; I wanted to say to you, that if you have 
 any difficulty I will reinforce you." The Colonel replied : " Oh, 
 is that all?" and again returned to the head of the Ninety- 
 Second, and found it just commencing the descent into the 
 Chattanooga valley. The Regimental colors were sent forward to 
 the advance, and it was ordered to go at a gallop from the foot 
 of the mountain into Chattanooga. Soon afterward, General 
 Wood rode up to the head of the column, accompanied by one of 
 his Brigade Commanders, with his brigade colors, but without 
 any troops, who dashed ahead ; but the colors of the Ninety- 
 Second with Company F were already flying through the valley, 
 two miles ahead of Wood's Brigade Commander. General 
 Wood told the Colonel that he must go to Rossville with the 
 Ninety-Second, and not send any of his troops into the town ; but 
 was pointed to the column of dust in the valley creeping rapidly 
 toward Chattanooga, and told that the advance of the Ninety- 
 Second would be in the town within five minutes. At ten o'clock 
 A. M. of September gth, 1863, the flag of the Ninety-Second 
 was waving over the Crutchfield House, the first Union flag to 
 wave in Chattanooga, as General Rosecrans had predicted, not- 
 withstanding Wood's efforts to detain the Regiment. The 
 remainder of the Regiment broke into a gallop at the foot of the 
 mountain, and was soon in Chattanooga. Scouts were sent out 
 on all the roads. Two companies went as far as Rossville, skir- 
 mishing with the Rebels falling back. Negroes and citizens 
 were brought to the Colonel, and the completest information 
 gathered regarding the evacuation, and an account of a rumor 
 among negroes and whites that Bragg was to be reinforced from 
 the Rebel army in front of Richmond, and give Rosecrans 
 battle shortlv, sent, by special courier, to General Rosecrans. At 
 twelve o'clock, General Crittenden arrived in Chattanooga. At 
 one o'clock, having rested horses and men in the railroad depot 
 at Chattanooga, the Ninety-Second was preparing, as ordered to 
 do, to return and report to General Rosecrans in Trenton valley, 
 when General Crittenden sent for the Colonel, and commanded 
 him to proceed with his Regiment to the mouth of the Chica- 
 mauga, north-east of Chattanooga, and drive away the enemy, so 
 that Colonel Wilder, with the balance of the brigade, could cross 
 the Tennessee there. The Regiment moved at once, under the
 
 lot NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 orders of General Crittenden, driving the enemy easily, and the 
 advance reached the mouth of the creek just before dark, and 
 found Colonel Wilder already crossing. The Regiment camped 
 nine miles north of Chattanooga, in the Chicamauga valley, on a 
 grape plantation. Forage was abundant for the animals ; and the 
 huge wine cellars in the ample barn contained abundance of the 
 purest and best Catawba wine. There were many temperance 
 men in the Regiment, who did not try the wine ; but there were 
 also many men who did try it, and the camp was a jolly one. On 
 the next morning, the tenth, with forage bags full of forage, and 
 canteens full of Catawba, the Ninety-Second was preparing to 
 march back through Chattanooga, and report to General Rose- 
 crans, when Colonel Wilder ordered the Regiment to march 
 with the brigade, which it did, on the road to Ringgold, and 
 camped with Wilder's brigade at Grey ville, where a Rebel mail 
 was captured, and merry times had at the brigade head-quarters, 
 reading the letters of the Rebel soldiers to their families and 
 sweethearts. During the night, Colonel Wilder received orders 
 to send the Ninety-Second to report to General Rosecrans, at 
 Lafayette ; and the Regiment pushed out at daylight, in advance 
 of the brigade, and soon struck the Rebel pickets, and, about a 
 a mile north of Ringgold, found the enemy in force. The Regi- 
 ment was dismounted, and formed in line of battle on the edge of 
 a field, the enemy forming a line mounted, at the same time, on 
 the opposite side of the field. The Ninety-Second had scarcely 
 formed, when the enmy's line, about five hundred strong, moved 
 out at walk, and, entering a depression in the field, were lost 
 to sight ; they soon came in sight again, and broke into a trot, and 
 then a charge ; but they were hotly received, the entire Regiment 
 fighting coolly, and the three Spencer companies greatly aided 
 in pouring in a fire the enemy could not stand ; and they wavered, 
 broke, and retreated, leaving thirteen of their dead upon the field. 
 Only four were wounded in the Ninety-Second, all of Company 
 F: Sergeant Harvey Ferrin, Corporal Eben C- Winslow, private 
 George E. Marl, and private Frederick Petermier, whose horse 
 was killed, his gun-stock shattered into fragments, and he caught 
 a flattened Rebel bullet in his wallet. In an instant, there was 
 a yell from a Rebel reinforcing column that had come up from 
 Ringgold, and the line we had turned back reformed, and, re- 
 inforced, commenced a second charge. Just at this instant. 
 Colonel Wilder came up, with Captain Lilly, of the brigade bat- 
 tery, and two guns, and Lillv unlimbered under the enemy's fire,
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 103 
 
 and sent his shell screaming up the road. Lilly was a dashing 
 soldier, and a splendid artilleryist, and his shots were always sent 
 to the right spot. Hardly had the reverberation of his first two 
 shots died away, when he heard two answering shots, but no 
 shell came toward us. The charging Rebel column halted. 
 Lilly worked his guns lively, for five or six rounds, and the 
 answering shots came regularly, but it was evident that no one 
 was firing at us. Wilder ordered the Regiment forward, and for- 
 ward it went, Wilder himself in the middle of the road, on the 
 skirmish line, revolver in hand, and telling the boys both sides of 
 the road : " Dress on me, boys." But Wilder and Companies F 
 and E, in the advance, pushed so rapidly that the Regiment on 
 foot could not keep up, and it was mounted and pushed after the 
 advance, but did not come up to it until Ringgold was reached, 
 where we learned that General Van Cleve, with his division of 
 infantry, had approached Ringgold, on the Rossville road, and it 
 was his guns we had heard. Forrest made lively time through 
 Ringgold Gap, and narrowly escaped capture with one ot his 
 brigades. Anticipating that the road to Lafayette was held by 
 the enemy, a scout was sent out, and soon returned with the 
 information that the road was held by the gray-coats in strong 
 force. A quantity of corn in bags was captured at the depot in 
 Ringgold, and with two feeds in forage sacks, the Ninety-Second 
 again left the brigade, and took the road to Rossville.' When a 
 few miles from Ringgold, and just as the advance was descending 
 a wooded hill, considerable commotion was observed in the val- 
 ley below. With a glass a Union wagon train was seen going 
 into camp ; and on a road south of the wagon train, running at 
 right angles with the road the Ninety-Second was marching on,was 
 observed a considerable column of Rebel cavalry. The citizens 
 said there were seven hundred Rebels. The artillery was unlim- 
 bered and placed in position, and the Regiment dismounted; 
 when the Rebels, with a yell, charged on the camp of the unsus- 
 pecting Yankee teamsters. The Rebels did not anticipate the 
 reception the Ninety-Second gave them ; and as our artillery and 
 musketry opened, they turned about and left, without capturing 
 a wagon, or firing more than a few pistol shots at the Ninety- 
 Second. Captain Hawk, with two companies, followed the 
 Rebels about two miles. The march was resumed ; and along 
 the road were found, every now and then, a Rebel soldier claim- 
 ing to be a deserter from Bragg's army; and, bv orders from 
 General Rosecrans, they were not arrested, but told to go on their
 
 104 NINETT-SBCOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 way home. It was apparent to every soldier in the Ninety- 
 Second that these straggling Rebels were spies, and not deserters ; 
 they were clean, well clad, in good health, and, in general intelli- 
 gence, the brightest soldiers of the rank and file of the Rebel 
 army. Such men are not often deserters; it is the ill-clad, unwell, 
 down-hearted, home-sick men who desert their colors. But 
 orders were orders; and these straggling Rebels were left unmo- 
 lested, to watch the movements of the Union troops on every 
 road ; and they must have been terribly puzzled to understand the 
 marching and countermarching of the columns they looked upon. 
 The infatuation of a Union General, who, by published orders, 
 invited his enemy to fill his camp with spies, has ever remained 
 a mystery. The Regiment camped at Rossville after dark. The 
 Colonel, confident that General Rosecrans was not in Lafayette, 
 sent an officer, at daybreak the next morning, to learn if Rose- 
 crans was in Chattanooga, and waited until nine o'clock; and, 
 receiving no information, the Ninety-Second took the Lafayette 
 road, from Rossville south, and struck the Rebel picket, which 
 fell back, without fighting, at Gordon's Mill, about one o'clock 
 P. M. The advance was halted at the Mill, and horses fed from 
 a cornfield, and a feed of corn put into forage bags; and as the 
 Regiment was preparing to move forward, an orderly, from 
 General Rosecrans, rode up with orders to the Colonel to send 
 his Regiment to the foot of Lookout Mountain, on the Summer- 
 town road, and report in person for further orders to General- 
 Rosecrans, in Chattanooga; it thereby becoming apparent that 
 the Regiment could not report to him in Lafayette. Before the 
 Regiment could take the road, it was filled with a division of 
 infantry marching south, that found its journey southward im 
 peded by a heavy force of Rebel infantry, just beyond Gordon's 
 Mill ; so strong, indeed, that no troops under Rosecrans ever 
 marched any farther south on that road. As soon as the road 
 was cleared of the infantry division, the Ninety-Second retraced 
 its march to Rossville, and on to the foot of Lookout Mountain. 
 The Colonel rapidly rode to Chattanooga, and was ordered bv 
 General Rosecrans to open communication with General George 
 H. Thomas, somewhere on the top of Lookout Mountain, south 
 of Chattanooga. An hour before sundown, the Colonel returned, 
 and the men dismounted, and, leading their horses, began the 
 toilsome ascent of Lookout Mountain, the head of the column 
 reaching the summit near dark. A storm had come up, and !he 
 rain poured down in torrents. The Regiment on the mountain
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 105 
 
 top was enveloped in the clouds, that seemed to sweep the very 
 ground. A guide was pressed into service, and leaving a squad 
 of men belonging to Company K, as a courier post at Summer- 
 town, the Regiment pushed along down the top of the mountain 
 in the storm and darkness, establishing frequent courier stations 
 with the men of Company K, until all of that company were on 
 such duty, and then with the men of Company C, exhausting 
 that company also. It was a tedious march; the storm, con- 
 tinuous, and the darkness so thick it could be felt; the animals 
 and men weary, and many of the men would fall asleep upon 
 their horses. It was a rough road, and the artillery was contin- 
 ually falling in rear. The head of the column would halt; and 
 when the artillery closed up in rear, the Commander of the 
 Artillery would cry out, " Artillery closed up;" and it would be 
 taken up by the officers along the line, until the head of the col- 
 umn was informed, when it would push along, feeling its way in 
 the darkness. During these halts, many of the exhausted men 
 laid down by the road-side; and when the column started, their 
 horses would keep their places in the ranks ; but it was so dark 
 that their companions could not tell whether the horses had riders 
 or not, until they found the saddles empty in the morning. At 
 three A. M., the picket of General Thomas halted the column. 
 The Regiment went into bivouac: and the Colonel, accompanied 
 by Major Lawver, proceeded to General Thomas's head-quarters 
 to deliver his dispatches, which he accomplished at four o'clock 
 A. M. on September twelfth, and by six o'clock A. M. of that day, 
 had returned a letter twenty-five miles over the courier line, and 
 placed it in the hands of General Rosecrans, at Chattanooga. At 
 nine A. M., the exhausted men were roused; and an hour after- 
 ward, the Regiment moved down off from Lookout Mountain to 
 the east, by Cooper's Gap, leaving Companies K and C on cou- 
 rier duty, and they did not join the Regiment again until long 
 after the battle of Chicamauga. Details were sent out for forage, 
 and the Regiment rested at the foot of Cooper's Gap. On the 
 thirteenth, the Regiment moved farther into the valley, and 
 camped at Pond Spring. On the fourteenth, the Ninety-Second 
 moved at daylight, with orders to scout along the north-west side 
 of the Chicamauga River, and open communication with Gene- 
 ral Crittenden at Crawfish Springs, and inform General Critten- 
 den of the position of the Union troops. Every road and 
 path crossing the Chic miauga was found picketed by the Rebel 
 pickets; reached Crawfish Springs at eleven o'clock, and came 
 13
 
 io6 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 very near being fired upon by the Union infantry there encamped, 
 who insisted that the Rebels had been seen a little while before 
 on the road by which the Regiment approached; learned that 
 Crittenden had marched toward Lookout Mountain ; rested half 
 an hour, and fed our animals. A strong scouting party was sent 
 back to Pond Spring, by the road just marched over, and the 
 Regiment followed on the road Crittenden had taken. The 
 scouting party found the Rebel videttes occupying the same sta- 
 tions as before, at every crossing and path over the Chicamauga, 
 and the woods full of Rebel soldiers, claiming to be deserters 
 from the Rebel army, which they depicted as in full retreat. 
 Orders were obeyed, and they were not molested. Three roads 
 were found over which Bragg's forces had moved from Chatta- 
 nooga, evidencing the fact that he had deployed his army south 
 and east of the Chicamauga. If in full retreat, with the abundant 
 leisure at Bragg's disposal, his columns would not move by di- 
 visions over unfrequented roads, leading nowhere except into the 
 dense forests south and east of the Chicamauga. Crittenden's 
 command was found, while it was halting for a rest, at about two 
 o'clock P. M. The Colonel had been directed to explain to Gene- 
 ral Crittenden the position of the Union troops, and did so ; and 
 informed him that everv road and path across the Chicamauga 
 was held by the enemy. General Crittenden very testily replied 
 that there was no enemy between him and Lafayette. He found 
 out for himself afterward, and to his cost. The Regiment re- 
 turned to Pond Spring, and the result of the scout was officially 
 reported. During the night, the Colonel was ordered to deliver a 
 sealed letter to General Crittenden, from General Rosecrans, and 
 he detailed a Corporal and four men to carry it ; the Corporal 
 found General Crittenden's head-quarters, at four o'clock A. M. 
 on the fifteenth, but at first, was refused permission to deliver his 
 dispatch, as General Crittenden had ordered that his slumbers 
 must not be disturbed. But the Corporal persisted, and delivered 
 his letter to the General in person while Crittenden was Iving in 
 bed; and, by insisting upon it, received from him a written receipt 
 for the package, which was returned to the Colonel. During the 
 fifteenth and sixteenth, the Regiment lay in camp at Pond Spring, 
 sending scouting parties, as ordered, in every direction, except 
 across the Chicamauga. That was a locality not comfortable to 
 scout in; and it appeared as if there was no anxiety to learn any- 
 thing about its topography, or who occupied it. Just at dark, on 
 the sixteenth, General Rosecrans and staff rode by the camp, and
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 107 
 
 there soon came an order to the Colonel to report to General Rose- 
 crans, at the head-quarters of General Reynolds, and the Colonel 
 did so, when General Rosecrans demanded to know why his 
 dispatch to General Crittenden, on the evening of the fourteenth, 
 had not been promptly delivered; and he was informed that it was 
 promptly delivered at Crittenden's head-quarters before daylight 
 the next morning, and Crittenden's receipt was handed to General 
 Rosecrans. He then sent for the Corporal who delivered it, and 
 inquired of him all the particulars, as to where and at what time 
 his orders to Crittenden were delivered. The Colonel detailed all 
 the iniormation the Regiment had obtained scouting. Generals 
 Rosecrans, Thomas, McCook, Reynolds, Baird and others were 
 present. The Colonel expressed it as his opinion that Bragg was 
 in force in the immediate front, when McCook, even more testily 
 than Crittenden had before done, replied that there was no enemy 
 to amount to anything between them and Lafayette ; that he could 
 march his command into Lafayette without the loss of five men. 
 Alas, for McCook! he learned for himself, too, afterward, and not 
 wholly to the credit of h,is sagacity or generalship. General 
 Thomas quietly, but very persistently and patiently, inquired about 
 the topography of the country the Ninety-Second had scouted over, 
 the roads and bridges across the Chicamauga, and listened 
 silently and attentively to the detail of all that the Ninety-Second 
 had learned regarding the country or the enemy. On the morn- 
 ing of the seventeenth, Company E, Captain Van Buskirk, was 
 ordered to report to General J. B. Turchin, whose brigade made a 
 reconnoissance to the foot of Pidgeon Mountain, at Dug Gap, 
 where he found the enemy in strong force, and fought desperately 
 all day. The Regiment was ordered out also, and spent the day 
 in scouting around the flanks of Turchin's command, finding a 
 considerable body of Rebel cavalry on his right flank. While 
 Company E was holding the valley road, on Turchin's right, a 
 heavy column of dust was observed approaching from the south. 
 McCook was expected from that direction ; and, after barricading 
 the road, not desiring to fire into our troops, Corporal Henry 
 Schlosser, of Company E, of Forreston, was sent up the road waiv- 
 ing his handkerchief. He was taken prisoner, and died in Ander- 
 sonville grave 2,585. While taking back the horses, private 
 Charles H. Giles, of Company E, of Baileyville, was instantly 
 killed. The enemy charged the barricade held by Company E, but 
 did not take it. John Evans, private Company E, of Polo, was 
 wounded. At sundown the fighting ceased, and the Regiment
 
 io8 NINBTr-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 went into camp on the old ground at Pond Spring. Charles H. 
 Giles was the first man killed in the Regiment. He was buried 
 that night near Pond Spring, by the light of fat pine torches, with 
 appropriate ceremonies by the Chaplain. On the eighteenth, the 
 Regiment remained in camp most ot the day. The men had noth- 
 ing to eat except green corn, and the animals nothing at all. A 
 few scouting parties were sent out. At two P. M., learning that 
 the brigade train was a few miles up the valley, the Regiment 
 marched to the train and drew three days' rations and one day's 
 forage, and returned to camp at Pond Spring. At daylight, on 
 September nineteenth, the Regiment was in the saddle, and 
 marched slowly with the infantry columns on the road toward 
 Gordon's and Chattanooga. At eight o'clock, the artillery and 
 musketry firing by a portion of Thomas's corps became heavy and 
 continuous. About ten o'clock A. M. the Ninety-Second was 
 ordered into line near Widow Glenn's house, where General Rose- 
 crans made his head-quarters. A soldier writes: " A man came 
 along and asked, ' What regiment is this in line here?' I answered, 
 ' The Ninety-Second Illinois, Wilder's Brigade.' ' That is good,' 
 said the man. I turned and looked at him, and saw the buttons 
 in groups of three on his coat, his shoulder-straps being hidden by 
 a common cavalry overcoat. When he says, looking at the men 
 coming out of the woods in front of the Regiment, ' What men 
 are those coming up there?' I said, 'I am told that is Hazen's 
 Brigade.' He then inquired rapidly, ' What does it mean? Where 
 is that fighting? How long has it been going on? What troops 
 are engaged? How far is that from here? What does that dust 
 mean? What does it mean?' To these questions I answered as 
 promptly and definitely as I knew how, for I saw I was in the 
 presence of the General commanding. He gave directions to his 
 men to open the road in the rear, and to establish his head-quarters 
 at the house, and immediately up went a field telegraph line." In 
 a few minutes General Rosecrans ordered the Regiment to throw 
 down the fence in its front and on the farther side of the field, 
 which was done, and the Regiment remained there about an hour, 
 when orders came from General Reynolds to move farther toward 
 the left, and the Regiment mounted and galloped up the road a 
 mile or more, and found General Reynolds, who ordered it into a 
 thick piece of woods. The men dismounted and held their horses, 
 and stray bullets from the Rebels rattled over the Regiment, cut- 
 ting the leaves on the trees. After some time the Regiment was 
 ordered to cross to the west side of the road, and go beyond a hill,
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS, 109 
 
 and hitch the horses in the woods, out of danger, and return dis- 
 mounted, General Reynolds saying that all his troops were hotly 
 engaged, and that the Ninety-Second was his only reserve. The 
 Regiment soon dismounted, hitched their horses to the trees, and 
 
 marched back to General Reynolds, who was found on a hill 
 
 
 
 having himself crossed to the west side of the road, and the Ninety- 
 Second was directed to reinforce King's brigade of Reynolds' di- 
 vision, and the Regiment marched down the hill, and just before 
 crossing the road at the foot of the hill the troops of King's brig- 
 ade came out of the woods beyond, in disorder and retreating. 
 General Reynolds ordered the Ninety-Second to return to the top 
 of the hill and form in line. The order was executed with difficulty 
 under the straggling fire of the enemy, the men obeying orders 
 and falling into line while the soldiers of King's broken brigade, 
 in full retreat, poured through the Regiment and by its flanks, pur- 
 sued by the gray-coated Rebels. The Ninety-Second poured into 
 the enemy a heavy fire, which halted the Rebel advance at the 
 edge of the timber at the farther side of the open field and across 
 the road : but they kept up a light fire for a little while, from the 
 timber, and then they came out in a long line of battle, stretching 
 far beyond both flanks of the Ninety-Second, and again the cool 
 fire of the Regiment, and a battery of artillery on its left, sent the 
 enemy in their immediate front back to the cover of the timber 
 across the road; but the flanks were being enveloped, and the 
 Ninety-Second could not alone repulse the yelling gray -coats, who 
 had just broken the line of King's entire brigade, and, flushed with 
 victory, were pressing forward their steady line of battle, and the 
 Ninety-Second was ordered to fall back to the horses and mount. 
 It was but the work of a moment, and the Regiment was soon be- 
 yond the range of the Rebel infantry. The loss in this engage- 
 ment was: In Company A, Lieutenant William Cox, wounded; 
 Sergeant Legrand M. Cox, severely wounded. In Company B, 
 Sergeant William F.Campbell, wounded; private John D. Mc- 
 Sherry, killed; private James J. Guthrie, wounded; private Edgar 
 S. Lent, wounded. Company C, private James T. Halleck, killed. 
 Company D, private Charles J. Reed, killed; private Jacob M. 
 Snyder, wounded. Company E, private John Donohue, mortally 
 wounded; private Coates L. Wilson, mortally wounded ; private 
 John J. Thompson, severely wounded ; private Jacob Sellers, 
 killed. Company G, Lieutenant William McCammons, severely 
 wounded; private James Foreman, wounded; Corporal Joseph B. 
 Train, wounded ; private Ernest Koller, wounded ; private Nathan
 
 no NINBTT-SBCOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 Corning, killed. Company H, Sergeant Roster J. Preston, killed ; 
 Sergeant John M. Hendricks, severely wounded; private William 
 S. Harlin, mortally wounded; private Cyrus Eyster, wounded. 
 Company!, Sergeant William H. Price, wounded ; Corporal James 
 A. Colehour, wounded ; Corporal James A. Bigger, killed. 
 
 There were many horses lost, not by Rebel shot, however, but 
 taken by the straggling infantry, while the Ninety-Second was 
 absent from them. The Regiment never dismounted after that, 
 without leaving a guard with their horses. Once out of range of 
 the enemy, the query arose of what to do. The Regiment was 
 without orders, and many troops were streaming off toward Chat- 
 tanooga; but the Ninety-Second was not demoralized by its effort 
 to retrieve the disaster to King's brigade, although it was .a fruit- 
 less effort, and the Regiment had met with loss. The Regi- 
 ment sought the left flank of the troops of the enemy that had 
 broken through the Union lines, in the gap left when King's 
 brigade was pushed back, found it, passed by it, and in its rear, 
 and found Wilder's brigade, and went into line of battle on Wil- 
 der's left, filling a part of the very gap made by the Union repulse, 
 where the Regiment lay in line of battle all night, listening to 
 the agonizing cries of the wounded calling for water; and, before 
 daylight, on the twentieth, was stretched out in line of battle on 
 horseback, to hold Wilder's brigade front, while the balance 
 of the brigade went back a mile or more, and formed in line on 
 the right of McCook's corps, on a range of hills. When it grew 
 light, the enemy was seen along the front, and there was a little 
 skirmishing, but the firing gradually ceased, and the Rebels ven- 
 tured out into the open field in _our front, to pick up their 
 wounded. The men of the Ninety-Second saw them carrying 
 them back, and had no heart to fire upon them while engaged in 
 such a work. Wilder had been charged by the gray-coats several 
 times, over that open field, the day before, and his Spencers had 
 punished them severely. Wilder's brigade was invincible; it 
 never failed to repulse a charge, and never was repulsed when 
 charging. Not long after sunrise, a heavy column of Rebel 
 troops, in column of regiments, was observed passing by the left 
 flank of the Ninety-Second, moving very slowly, making not a 
 sound, unaccompanied by an officer on horseback, and frequently 
 halting, as the light skirmish line in front of them would halt. 
 Information was sent to McCook, who irritably denied the truth- 
 fulness of the information. Little by little, the gray-coated 
 soldiers of the enemy, and, as silently as darkness, crept along.
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. rn 
 
 It was said to be Longstreet's corps. Their skirmish line was 
 but lightly engaged; but the heavy column of the enemy, some- 
 times dropping down on the ground, concealed in the corn-field, 
 or by the thick underbrush, slowly, steadily pushed t9ward Mc- 
 Cook's left. Lieutenant Colonel Sheets, of the Ninety-Second, 
 was sent to see McCook in person, and saw him, detailing to him 
 the information, and was most abruptly and ungraciously received 
 by McCook. The Ninety-Second could make no impression by 
 attacking such a dense mass of the enemy; nor could it do so 
 without positive disobedience to orders, by leaving the position it 
 was assigned to hold. The Rebel column was far off on its left 
 flank, and had far passed it, and McCook was again informed of 
 the coming avalanche, but he would not heed the information, or 
 do what he might easily have done, push out a few regiments of 
 his own troops, and demonstrate the truthfulness, or otherwise, of 
 the information repeatedly sent him. Hours passed by, and then 
 that quiet, creeping, heavy column of Rebel regiments sprang 
 upon the left of McCook's corps with a yell, and with irresistible 
 force. Although McCook had been repeatedly informed of the 
 approach of that column of the enemy in such overwhelming 
 power, it was a perfect surprise to him. In less than ten minutes 
 his left was irretrievably lost, and the amazed and astonished 
 General looked on helplessly, his corps broken into fragments, 
 and floating off from the battle-field in detachments and squads,. 
 like flecks of foam upon a stream. The eight companies of the 
 Ninety-Second, on horseback, were scattered out in a thin line, 
 covering a brigade front, the men only in talking distance of each 
 other, and were the only advanced troops in front of McCook, and 
 were really in front of the right of his corpse; and the charge of 
 that column was the signal for the whole Rebel line to advance, 
 and the Ninety-Second had to fall back rapidly, to avoid being 
 enveloped, and it joined Wilder's brigade, that was on the right 
 of McCook. Colonel Wilder, from the hills McCook had occu- 
 pied, saw the long column of Rebel regiments, and instantly 
 conceived the bold idea of charging through the very center of 
 the Rebel column, taking it in flank, and pushing for Thomas, on 
 the left. He was just the man to have led such a desperate 
 charge. He had five regiments, and a splendid battery, four 
 regiments armed with the Spencer Repeating Rifle, and the 
 Ninety-Second, with three companies of Spencers. He intended 
 to form two regiments front in line of battle, with opening for the 
 battery, a regiment on each flank in column, and the Ninety-Second
 
 ii2 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 in line'of battle in rear of the battery ; and the Ninety-Second was 
 just moving to take its place in this desperate charging column, 
 when Charles A. Dana, Assistant Secretary of War, rode up to 
 Wilder, and ordered him not to make the attempt, and positively 
 ordered Wilder to withdraw to Chattanooga, on the Dry Valley 
 road. Wilder was daring and desperate ; Dana, a coward and an 
 imbecile; and but for Dana's order, the gallant Wilder would 
 have undertaken that desperate charge, and would have succeeded 
 in joining Thomas with a portion of his gallant brigade. Gath- 
 ering up the artillery McCook's corps had abandoned, and, proba- 
 bly, a hundred ambulances of wounded, Wilder lingered until 
 nearly night; then sullenly retired, followed by Forrest's cavalry, 
 and, long after dark on the twentieth, bivouaced a mile south of 
 the Summertown road, about five miles south of Chattanooga, in 
 the shadow of Lookout Mountain. It is not the province of the 
 Publication Committee of the Ninety-Second to write the com- 
 plete history of that battle; the foregoing is but a fragment for the 
 use of some future American Macaulay. 
 
 Doctor Clinton Helm, Surgeon of the Ninety-Second, re- 
 mained upon the battle-field, caring for the wounded, until he was 
 taken prisoner, and, as a prisoner, for two weeks longer attended 
 to the wounded Union soldiers upon the battle-field of Chica- 
 mauga, when he was marched, with about fifty other Yankee 
 Surgeons, to Ringgold. From there he was taken by cars to 
 Richmond, Virginia, and, on the tenth of October, was confined 
 in Libby Prison. On the twenty-fourth of November, he was ex- 
 changed, and returned to the Regimental Pulaski, Tennessee. 
 
 At sunrise of the twenty-first, the Regiment was in the saddle, 
 and, finding the brigade supply train at the foot of the Summer- 
 town road, drew rations, and marched through Chattanooga, 
 crossed the pontoons to the north side of the river, marched to a 
 point opposite the mouth of the Chicamauga, and bivouaced. On 
 the twenty-second, light fortifications, facing the river, were 
 thrown up. On the twenty-third, the Regiment marched to Har- 
 rison's Landing, and went into camp, with orders to picket the 
 Tennessee as far north as the Hiwassee, as the only dependence 
 for rations to feed the army at Chattanooga were wagon trains 
 over the mountains, on the north side of the river from Bridge- 
 port, and well-grounded fears were entertained that the enemy 
 would cross parties of light troops to the north side of the river, 
 and put an embargo on the' Yankee cracker line. They did cross, 
 and .burned three hundred wagons loaded with rations, in the Se
 
 NINETY -SECOND ILLINOIS. 113 
 
 quatchie valley ; but did not cross at any point guarded by the 
 Ninety-Second Regiment. They crossed farther up the Tennes- 
 see, where the crossing was better. Our picket line was so long 
 that, frequently, a Corporal and three men did picket duty for days 
 in succession, at important river crossings, without being relieved . 
 It often happened that not a well man was in camp for days to- 
 gether, except the field officers, the Chaplain, and Assistant Sur- 
 geon ; and not all of them remained in camp, for some of them 
 would go galavanting around the country, visiting the secesh las- 
 sies! The Committee on Publication do not feel inclined to tell 
 who those galavanting officers were, except that the gay and 
 festive Major was, probably, not among them, and that Chaplain 
 Cartright was. The Committee have concluded to give an 
 account of one of the Chaplain's visits : The Major, out riding 
 for health one afternoon, passed a Tennessee palace, not far from 
 camp, where he observed one of the beautiful lassies of that beau- 
 tiful country engaged in the romantic occupation of coloring 
 home-made cotton cloth butternut color, a chemical metamor- 
 phosis which is accomplished by boiling butternut bark in water, 
 in large kettles, and dipping the cloth into the liquor procured by 
 such boiling. It may be remarked here, that from time imme- 
 morial, in all of those countries where cotton is the staple crop, 
 and butternut, or black-walnut trees are found (and they probably 
 are found in every climate where cotton will grow), this peculiar 
 butternut colored cloth is the almost universal dress of male and 
 female; although the same material, colored by some mysterious 
 process, indigo-blue is preferred by the female race. It frequently 
 happened that this outward garment of cotton cloth, colored 
 butternut or indigo-blue, was the only garment worn by the 
 mountain nymphs. O ! how divinely it did set off " the female 
 form divine," tied with a cotton string around the waist! The 
 Major was an observing officer; and, one afternoon, at Harrison's 
 Landing, at the Tennessee palace we have mentioned, he ob- 
 served, in the yard, a mountain sprite engaged in the romantic 
 occupation of coloring fabrics, in the manner described; and, 
 riding into camp, he nervously inquired for Doctor Winston, and, 
 not finding him, sent his Orderly to find the Doctor, and tell him 
 that a woman was " dying," at he house near the camp. The 
 Chaplain met the Orderly, and learned the message he was to 
 deliver; and the Chaplain charged away for the house, hallooing, 
 as he went, " Doctor Winston, Doctor Winston! there is a woman 
 'dying' over there!" The Doctor joined the Chaplain one to 
 14
 
 n 4 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 administer drugs, and the other spiritual advice and they were 
 soon at the house indicated. They inquired after the woman who 
 was " dying," and were referred to Sally, in the yard ! The 
 Chaplain saw the point ; and when he returned to camp, he shook 
 his head, saving: " Major, Major, you are a hard case." But it 
 is believed, by all the members of the Regiment, that Doctor 
 Winston has not yet seen the point! The enemy occupied their 
 old position, on the opposite bank of the Tennessee; but there 
 was no picket firing. The men would talk across the river, and 
 good-naturedly joke each other about the progress of the war. 
 One day, a soldier known by the knick-name of " Mother" (the 
 soldiers of the Ninety-Second will remember him) swam the 
 Tennessee River, and had a combat with the Johnnies, and then 
 swam back again. On Sunday, the twenty-seventh, the gray- 
 coats having invjted some of the men across, they went over, and 
 enjoyed a visit with their enemies, and returned the courtesy by 
 inviting them to our side of the river; and quite a squad accepted 
 the invitation, and took a cup of coffee with the Yanks. The 
 men of both armies, deadly enemies in battle, would lay aside 
 all feeling, and, with a perfect abandon, spin camp yarns for the 
 entertainment of each other On the fourth of October, wagons 
 were sent eighty miles up the Tennessee River, after forage for 
 the animals. The men were then living on parched corn, and 
 the horses on the little handfuls of grass the men could pull for 
 them along the river's edge. On the ninth, a few wagons arrived 
 from Bridgeport, with a light supply of rations and clothing. On 
 the thirteenth, the wagons returned from the cornfields of East 
 Tennessee, with light loads of corn, the most of their loads hav- 
 ing been consumed by the mules, on the return march. They 
 were immediately sent back again for more; and, as the mules 
 went without eating, on their return march to East Tennessee, 
 the next time they returned to camp, the teamsters provided 
 themselves for the return march after forage, by hiding corn in 
 the woods before reaching camp, and only a few bushels of corn 
 were left to a wagon. Sqme of the horses were dying of starva- 
 tion, and all like Don Quixote's famous steed. The rain had 
 poured down in torrents for days together. On the evening of 
 the eighteenth, Jefferson Davis took his supper at a. house on the 
 other side of the river, within sight of our camp. He was visit- 
 ing Bragg's army, to quell dissentions among his troops. On the 
 twenty-second, a man in Company D accidentally shot himself 
 through his leg. On the twenty-fourth, Colonel Smith's brigade
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. n$ 
 
 of infantry arrived. On the twenty-fifth, William Boddy, of 
 Company A, came near feeding the fishes of the Tennessee with 
 his body; while out hunting for forage, he crossed to an island in 
 the river, and, returning in a little skiff, he disrobed, and, on top 
 of the forage, essayed to guide his frail bark from the island to 
 the river bank, when the skiff capsized, and Boddy's body, with 
 forage and clothing, went into the water. Boddy thought more of 
 his body than he did of the apparel for his body ; and while his 
 body covering floated down the Tennessee, Boddy brought his 
 body out all right; and then, like a Modock Chief, with an army 
 blanket gracefully draping his body, Boddy rode ten miles to 
 camp. The pouring rains had nearly drowned out the men ; and 
 on the twenty-sixth, camp was moved to higher ground. The 
 hills were covered with chestnut trees, and the trees with chest- 
 nuts; and to gather them, hundreds of trees were cut down. 
 They helped along the rations, which, being principally parched 
 corn, needed helping along. On the morning of the twenty- 
 seventh, the Regiment took up its line of march for Bridgeport, 
 being relieved of duty at Harrison's Landing by Smith's brigade; 
 crossed Walden's Ridge at Poe's Tavern, and camped in the Se- 
 quathie valley, near Dunlap. Marched at daylight down the 
 Sequatchie valley twenty-two miles; the roads were very much cut 
 up by trains ; fences all burned ; houses deserted ; the ruins of three 
 hundred Yankee wagons, burned by Forrest, lining the road; the 
 contrast, since first marching in the valley, was most wonderful; 
 in a day's march, nothing but ruin was seen-, either animal or 
 man, except lazy buzzards; nothing for men or animals to eat; 
 camped near Jasper. Marched at daylight on the twenty-ninth, 
 and, seven miles from Bridgeport, passed through the camps of 
 Hooker's troops from the Potomac, well dressed, all with corps 
 badges and paper collars, and much style! The horses of the 
 Ninety-Second could scarcely crawl along empty corn-cribs! 
 The men were unwell from their lack of rations and hard duty, 
 and their clothing worn out and ragged. Some thoughtless Po- 
 tomac soldiers commenced to jibe the men of the Ninety-Second, 
 and it required an effort on the part of the officers to keep the 
 boys from replying with their Spencers. Men who are ragged 
 from hard service, and emaciated for the want of food, do not like 
 to be jibed. Reached Bridgeport at two o'clock, and drew 
 forage and rations, and went into camp. On the thirty-first 
 of October, the Regiment was mustered for pay at Bridgeport. 
 On November fifth, the Colonel, with a detail, went to Stevenson,
 
 n6 N1NETT-SBCOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 to draw Spencers for the seven companies still armed with En- 
 fields; but was informed, by Captain Horace Porter, Ordinance 
 Officer, that the Spencers were in Nashville. On the sixth, the 
 Colonel, by order of General Thomas, took a detail of one hun- 
 dred and thirty men, and proceeded by cars to Nashville, to 
 procure horses, mules, and Spencers, leaving the Ninety-Second 
 in command of Lieutenant Colonel Sheets, the Regiment re- 
 maining at Bridgeport. A soldier, in an old letter written from 
 Bridgeport on the eleventh, said : " On the morning of the 
 twenty-seventh of October, by order of General Thomas, we left 
 Harrison's Landing for this place, making it in three days, over 
 the worst roads I have ever seen. This is the third time we have 
 crossed Walden's Ridge, or mountain ; and if the weather con- 
 tinues as it has been for the last three' weeks, it will have to be 
 pontooned before we can cross it again. Our transportation 
 arrived, after a struggle of ten days through the mud, the distance 
 being just sixty miles. Our object, or rather the object of Gene- 
 ral Thomas, in ordering us to this point, is for the purpose of 
 giving us a more complete outfit; and at present writing, Colonel 
 Atkins, with one hundred and thirty men and officers, is at Nash- 
 ville, procuring Spencers, horses, and saddles, and all the traps 
 pertaining to completeness. The remainder of*the Regiment are 
 to recruit up the animals on hand, that have of late become mag- 
 nificently transparent. We have them tied to the trees with 
 trace-chains and sich, for the reason that they have eaten up all 
 the picket ropes and halters, and have turned in to eating each 
 other's manes and tails. The mules have fared some better than 
 the horses, but not much; not having any tails or manes, they 
 have lost their ears, ornaments indispensable to a mule's beauty. 
 There is not a tree within a mile of this camp that the horses 
 or mules have not gnawed off the bark; they work at it like so 
 many beavers felling timber. Last night, they all commenced 
 gnawing the trees at once ; and the Chief of Scouts said : ' The 
 cars are coming ; don't you hear them ?' ' No,' said I ; ' that is 
 the horses and mules grinding bark. 1 ' Why,' he said; ' what are 
 we grinding bark for?' I replied, 'Going to tan the hides of 
 them animals before spring.' And the Chief of Scouts replied, 
 'O, O; I see it.' 
 
 " If he dies, I'll tan his skin 
 
 And if he don't, I'll ride him again." 
 
 On November thirteenth, drew soft bread for the first time since 
 leaving Dechard. The fifteenth, ordered to march at daylight the
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 117 
 
 sixteenth, but order was countermanded, and two companies sent 
 on a scout south of the Tennessee. On the seventeenth, marched 
 at nine A. M., by command of Major General Stanley, and went 
 into camp on south side of Tennessee River, two miles from 
 Bridgeport. On the eighteenth, there were very strict orders for 
 every one to remain in camp, and two roll-calls daily. On the 
 next day, fixed up camp for a long stay. On the twentieth, the 
 detail that went to Nashville returned, with a fresh supply of 
 horses and mules, the Colonel remaining to draw the Spencers. 
 On the twenty-second, a lot of Rebel prisoners passed camp, going 
 to the rear. On the twenty-third, more Rebel prisoners passed 
 by, ragged, and some actually barefooted, and the weather so cold 
 that ice strong enough to hold a man up had formed over the 
 puddles of water. Day by day passed, lying in camp, and doing 
 scouting duty for General Stanley. On December second, marched 
 at noon ; crossed the Tennessee on pontoons at Bridgeport, and 
 camped five miles west on the Stevenson road, at Widow's Creek 
 rails, for fires, plenty. Marched early, arriving at Caperton's 
 Ferry at noon, and found fine quarters, log buildings erected by 
 Colonel Watkins's regiment. On the fourth, Company E, Cap- 
 tain Van Buskirk, that had been on duty, with General Cruft, re- 
 turned to the Regiment. The company reported to General Cruft 
 at Wauhatchie, and acted as body-guard and dispatch-bearers. 
 On the day of the battle of Lookout Mountain, Company E did 
 good service in bearing dispatches, and especially in furnishing 
 the infantry line of battle with ammunition, bringing up the am- 
 murfition boxes on horseback and distributing it to the infantry. 
 The company also took part in the battle of Missionary Ridge, 
 and the night after the battle guarded the Rebel prisoners ; and 
 marched with General Cruft's command to Ringgold. The con- 
 duct of Company E won special commendation in the official re- 
 port of General Cruft. 
 
 Companies K and C, that were left on courier duty on Look- 
 out Mountain, September eleventh, returned to the Regiment at 
 Caperton's Ferry. A soldier, a member of Company K, has 
 written his recollections of the services of those two companies, 
 while absent from the Regiment, as follows: "The sun was just 
 setting behind Lookout's craggy head as the Regiment com- 
 menced the ascent. In zigzag course, upward they toiled, men 
 and officers leading the jaded animals. Stumbling over flinty 
 points, flanking huge boulders, climbing the splintered sides of 
 ledges, the Regiment scrambled upward till it reached the lofty
 
 n8 NINETr-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 summit. The sun had set; there was no moon, and the night was 
 very dark ; a guide was necessary. A rap at the door of a house 
 close by brought the occupant out. The light he held in his hand 
 showed him to be a stout, vigorous mountaineer, of about sixty 
 years, with iron-gray hair, and a frank face. He said his name 
 was Foster; he reported himself a Union man, and such he after- 
 ward proved to be. Well did the old man, in the pitchy darkness, 
 guide the Regiment along that rough, winding mountain road. 
 Companies C, Captain Hawk, and K, Captain Woodcock, under 
 the command of the latter, were detailed for courier duty. A 
 Sergeant and ten men from Company K were stationed as a cour- 
 ier post, at Foster's. At points two miles apart along the road 
 were stationed a like number' of men, Company K covering ten 
 miles, and Company C fourteen miles. The first streak of dawn 
 came when the Regiment had completed its task. Both men and 
 animals, from sheer exhaustion, sank upon the ground in thepro- 
 foundest slumber. A courier line was formed above the clouds, 
 on Lookout's lofty summit, over which were sent all the dis- 
 patches to the army corps of Generals Thomas and McCook. The 
 views obtained by those left on the mountain were grand. The 
 boys from the prairies, unaccustomed to such scenes, looked with 
 wonder and admiration. They could see, in a clear day, into seven 
 different States: Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, North 
 and South Carolina, and the mountains of West Virginia. At 
 times the clouds would gather below them, and, silvered by the 
 sun, resembled great banks of snow; then they would lift from 
 the valley and float away, opening to view a most beautiful pano- 
 " rama. For miles about, the country, like a great map, seemed to 
 lie at their feet, a beautiful scene of mountains, valleys and streams. 
 For miles the silvery flood of the Tennessee River could be seen 
 in its winding course. The mountaineers were loyal. They had 
 been hiding away in the caves and fastnesses of the mountains to 
 avoid conscription into the ranks of the Rebel armies. They and 
 their families visited us, the first Yanks they had seen. They 
 vied with each other in bestowing upon the boys their kindness 
 sweet potatoes, all kinds of vegetables, ducks, chickens, pies, 
 cakes, honey, and apple-jack brandy were among their gifts. We 
 feasted upon the good things of the earth. The boys on the cour- 
 ier post at Foster's house were especially favored. Mrs. Foster, 
 an intelligent, kind-hearted, motherly, old lady, took them under 
 her especial care. She called them her boys. 
 
 ! ' Five days and nights were thus spent on Lookout
 
 NINBTT-SECOND ILLINOIS. ,119 
 
 Mountain, and are remembered by the members of Compa- 
 nies C and K as among the most pleasant of their soldier life. At 
 two o'clock in the morning of Wednesday, the sixteenth, orders 
 came to take up the courier line at once, and report to General 
 Rosecrans, at Crawfish Springs. The order was obeyed ; and on 
 the evening of that day, Captain Woodcock reported to General 
 Rosecrans with the two companies. On the seventeenth, by 
 General Rosecrans's order, Captains Woodcock and Hawk formed 
 a courier line from Chattanooga to Crawfish Springs, along the 
 base of Lookout, a distance of sixteen miles, both officers remain- 
 ing with their reserves at the head-quarters of General Rosecrans, 
 at Widow Glenn's house. Saturday morning, the nineteenth, the 
 battle of Chicamauga, one of the bloodiest of the war, commenced. 
 It raged fiercely all day, the earth fairly quaking beneath the 
 thunder of the artillery and incessant roll of musketry. Captains 
 Woodcock and Hawk, with their reserves, were engaged in car- 
 rying dispatches to different points in the field. Sunday, the 
 twentieth, the battle again raged fiercely. About ten o'clock in 
 the forenoon, General Rosecrans directed Captain Woodcock to 
 take up the line and form it from Chattanooga, via Rossville, to 
 his head-quarters. General Rosecrans said the southern portion 
 of the line was uncovered by his army, and was liable to be cap- 
 tured by the enemy, if not at once taken up. Sending orders to 
 remove the more northerly posts to the Rossville road, Captain 
 Woodcock hastened to the post at Crawfish Springs. The enemy 
 was just charging in. They captured one ot the videttes. Some 
 of the boys, in the confusion, mingled with the Rebels, but suc- 
 ceeded in escaping. The posts were rescued and formed on the 
 Rossville road. The line was completed about two o'clock P. M. 
 Captain Woodcock, with his reserve, moved in the direction of 
 Widow Glenn's, to report to General Rosecrans. He marched by 
 crowds of men that, in disorder, were going to the rear; still he 
 .kept on, until the pattering of bullets warned him to halt. On 
 looking back, he saw our troops reforming and in line of battle. 
 Knowing then that he was between the Rebel and Union forces, 
 he countermarched. He could learn nothing of General Rose- 
 crans. Meeting General Garfield, he reported to him, who or- 
 dered him to report to General Thomas. He found General 
 Thomas, who, as firm as old rock-ribbed Lookout, confronted the 
 Rebels and held them at bay. During the entire night of that ter- 
 rible Sabbath, the tall, noble form of General Thomas stood erect, 
 watching his line, while his staff officers lay around him on the
 
 120 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 ground, worn out and insensible with fatigue. Captain Hawk, 
 with his reserve, was, during the entire battle, with Rosecrans. 
 When the right of the army was crushed, the General, followed 
 by Captain Hawk and his reserve of Company C, dashed along 
 the broken lines, regardless of shot and shell, endeavoring to rally 
 the men. Captain Hawk, by the General's order, deployed his 
 men in the rear of the broken columns, and endeavored to halt the 
 retreating mass; but it was like attempting to stay the ocean's 
 tide by throwing pebbles in its way. 
 
 " From the twenty-second of September to the eleventh of 
 October, Companies C and K were employed in carrying dis- 
 patches to the army surrounding Chattanooga. On the afternoon 
 of Sunday, the eleventh, orders came to form a courier line from 
 Chattanooga, north along the summit of Walden's Ridge, to An- 
 derson's Cross Roads, a distance of twenty-one miles. Companies 
 C and K were at once stretched out on this line, Captains Hawk 
 and Woodcock, with their reserves, still remaining with General 
 Thomas. A famine was in the city. The men were on one- 
 fourth rations. The boys out along the line were feasting, while 
 those in town were starving by slow degrees. They cut down the 
 shade trees and broused their horses from the tops. The horses 
 becamfe skeletons, many of them laying down their bones in the 
 streets of Chattanooga. On the ninth of November, by order of 
 General Thomas, the courier line was removed from Walden's 
 Ridge, and formed from Chattanooga to Bridgeport. Captain 
 Hawk, with his reserve, was stationed at Bridgeport. Captain 
 Woodcock remained with General Thomas. Lieutenant Walker, 
 of Company K, with a courier post, was stationed at General 
 Hooker's head-quarters, in Lookout valley. On the twenty-fourth 
 of November, Hooker fought his battle above the clouds. A por- 
 tion of Companv K, as couriers, had the honor to participate in 
 that battle. On the twenty-fifth, was fought the battle of Mis- 
 sionary Ridge. The reserve at General Thomas's head-quarters 
 then came in for their share of glory. On the fourth of Decem- 
 ber, Captains Woodcock and Hawk were relieved, with their com- 
 panies, from courier duty, and ordered to report to the Regiment. 
 They found the Regiment at Caperton's Ferry, Alabama, and 
 were glad once more to be at home. While on the way to report 
 to the Regiment, as they were crossing Chattanooga Creek, near 
 Lookout, they met the old guide, Mr. Foster. The old man's 
 face lighted up as he recognized the men ot the Ninety-Second. 
 He told his story. It was a sad one. After the battle of Chica-
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 121 
 
 mauga, Lookout Mountain fell into the hands of the Rebels. 
 Some designing person reported to the Rebels that the old man 
 had acted as a guide to the Ninety-Second in forming the courier 
 line. His Union sentiments were also well known. The Rebels 
 gave him a mock trial, and sentenced him to be hanged ; and, with 
 a rope around his neck, they were proceeding to string him up, 
 when an officer of the Rebel army rushed forward, and, by impor- 
 tunities and threats, saved the old man's life. The officer had be- 
 fore taken up his quarters at Mr. Foster's house. The shock to 
 his wife, and her constant fear on account of her husband, aggra- 
 vated a disease that afflicted her, and caused her death. The old 
 mountaineer broke down in the middle of his story. Great sobs 
 choked his utterance, and he wept like a child." 
 
 On the fifth, the McClellan army saddles arrived from Nash- 
 ville; the Regiment, up to this time, had been using citizens' 
 saddles of every pattern. Long forage was very scarce, and the 
 men gathered from the cane-brakes along the Tennessee the cane 
 leaves, which they brought into camp in bundles, and they looked 
 like freshly -gathered corn blades, and were eaten with great relish 
 by the animals. On December seventh, the Colonel returned 
 from Nashville with the new Spencer Rifles, which were issued, 
 and the remaining Enfields turned over .to the Ordnance De- 
 partment. The Regiment was now well mounted, cavalry 
 equipments complete, and all had Spencers. On the ninth, the 
 animals began to die, and the trouble seemed general. The 
 Regimental Horse Doctor was unequal to the occasion, and the 
 Regimental Surgeon was called upon for a post mortem on the 
 defunct horses, and the result of his inquest was the information 
 that the animals were dying from the slivers of the hard center 
 of the cane leaves they were eating in place of hay, the stomachs 
 of the defunct animals/being stuck full of these slivers,which had 
 caused inflammation and death. For once the lazy soldiers, too 
 lazy to gather the cane leaves for forage for their horses, had the 
 advantage of the more energetic soldiers. It deserves mention, 
 for it was the only instance in the three years' service where lazi- 
 ness was rewarded. The Chief of Cavalry was informed by 
 telegraph of the result of feeding cane leaves to the animals, and 
 by telegraphic orders he ordered it discontinued throughout the 
 Department. For several days the animals continued to die: 
 there was no remedy. Old Blutcher, the faithful war-horse of 
 the Lieutenant Colonel, doubtless longed for a furlough to the 
 well filled barns on the borders of his native Pine Creek, in Ogle
 
 122 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 County, and yielded up the ghost. Major Bohn embalmed 
 Blutcher's memory in heroic verse, and sang it in a doleful way 
 to console the Lieutenant Colonel. On Sunday, the thirteenth of 
 December, the Chaplain dedicated his log chapel, erected by him 
 and the soldiers who volunteered to assist him. On the evening 
 of the seventh, the Regimental head-quarters were serenaded, 
 and there was much speech-making. It was a beautiful evening, 
 and the music of the band, echoed back by the mountains on the 
 south side of the Tennessee, was most novel and beautiful. Col- 
 len Bauden played a few notes of a bugle solo, and alter a while 
 it would come back, every note clearly and distinctly repeated 
 over and over again, from the rocky walls of the mountain. 
 During the night, orders came to march. Our winter quarters, 
 comfortable log cabins, had to be given up. On December 
 eighteenth, the Ninety-Second marched to Bridgeport, and re- 
 ported to Major General Stanley. On Sunday, the twentieth, 
 the Regiment crossed on the pontoons to the south side of the 
 Tennessee, marched three miles, and went into camp in a pine 
 thicket in Hog-Jaw Valley Sus-Maxillary Valley, Lieutenant 
 Skinner called it. On the twenty-first, Lieutenant William Cox 
 left for " God's country," on a leave of absence. Captain George 
 Hicks, of the g6th Illinois, visited the Regiment, and was sere- 
 naded by the band, and he and many of the officers of the 
 Ninety-Second were called out for speeches. The men had fixed 
 themselves up very comfortably with the pine boughs, and chim- 
 neys to their tents, a la Tennessee, constructed of sticks, plastered 
 inside and outside with mud. During the night, orders came 
 for the Ninety-Second to join the brigade at Huntsville, Ala- 
 bama, and the Regiment marched on the morning of the twentv- 
 second, camping that night in the old quarters at Caperton's 
 Ferry. Marched at daylight on the twenty-third, passing through 
 Stevenson, and making a detour to the north\vard, to avoid the 
 swollen streams by crossing near their sources, twenty-five miles, 
 and camped fifteen miles from Stevenson, near Bellefonte 
 forage for animals in abundance. Marched early, passing through 
 Scottsboro and Larkinsville. Several of the men were arrested 
 for shooting hogs, and all the officers of the Regiment were called 
 up before the Colonel, who lectured them like a Dutch uncle on 
 their lax discipline. Marched early, and met Colonel Wilder at 
 Brownsville, Alabama. The men called on the Colonel for a 
 speech, which was not much in Colonel Wilder 1 s line; but he was 
 received with great enthusiasm by the Regiment, and expressed
 
 ILLINOIS. 123 
 
 his gratification at meeting with the Ninety-Second once more. 
 Colonel Wilder here received several boxes of Christmas presents 
 for his regiment, which, not being there, and the eatables liable to 
 spoil, the Colonel turned them over to the Ninety-Second, and 
 the boys feasted on the nick-nacks the kind Indiana people had 
 intended for Colonel Wilder's regiment. Marched twenty-four 
 miles, camping in a hard rain-storm ; but rails were plenty for 
 building shelters for the men, and cooking. The Regimental 
 head-quarters were in a large farm-house, and those at head- 
 quarters, so inclined, passed the evening in drinking persimmon 
 beer, a light home-made beverage, prepared from persimmons. 
 The twenty-sixth of December was cold and stormy. Marched 
 early, through the beautiful city of Huntsville, and camped on 
 the south side of the town, a mile from the city limits. The 
 twenty-seventh was Sabbath, and many attended church in the 
 citv, and, for the first time in many months, listened to a church 
 organ, and sacred music with female voices. Forage was abund- 
 ant. Salt was scarce, and Company K was detailed to forage for 
 salt. They called at a house where they had been informed they 
 would find salt, but the owner protested that not an ounce of salt 
 was in his house. A young lady, with great ado, insisted that 
 the Yankees should not search her room for salt, but was evi- 
 dently delighted to have her room searched, and a large quantity 
 of salt was found in her chamber. She was a Union woman, 
 and, while out of the presence of the owner of the house, rejoiced 
 in her ability to aid the Yankees. She was a Northern school- 
 teacher, who had been compelled, against her wishes, to remain 
 in the South. A light snow-storm, on the twenty-eighth, re- 
 minded the North-men of home. On the thirtieth, Company 1 
 made a scout to the Tennessee River, and captured three prison- 
 ers and a ferry-boat, which the company burned. On the thirty- 
 first of December, marched early, and camped at Judge Ham- 
 mond's, twelve miles west of Huntsville. It was, probably, the 
 coldest night the Regiment experienced during all its service, 
 and how the men managed to keep warm is yet a mystery. The 
 rails were rapidly disappearing, and the Colonel ordered the men 
 to cut down trees, and get them well ablaze with the dry rails, 
 before they were exhausted. There was little sleep that night. 
 Standing around the huge burning piles of logs, roasting one 
 side, and freezing the other, the night was passed, watching the 
 old year out, and the new year in. There never was a more 
 picturesque watch-meeting held. In the sombre pine forest, by
 
 I2 4 N1NBTT-SBCOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 their blazing fires, the Methodist members of the Regiment 
 kneeled in prayer, remembering their families at home, who, at 
 the same hour, were likely celebrating watch-night in comfortable 
 churches. It was a noisy camp, and, with all the suffering from 
 intense cold, it was a jolly crowd that made the woods ring with 
 their shouts and songs. " Judge" Hammond (probably called 
 Judge because he was a good judge of a negro,) was . the 
 great landlord of the region. Originally himself a " poor white 
 man," a class looked down upon even by the negroes, he had, 
 by engaging in the profitable employment of raising negroes for 
 the market, and strict attention to business, with careful economy, 
 amassed a fortune, and bought up the smaller plantations around 
 him, until he owned hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of acres. 
 From his house could be seen many chimney stacks, once the 
 location of the plantation buildings of separate plantations that 
 his had swallowed up. He said he had seldom bought a planta- 
 tion, except when his neighbor had run into debt and died, and 
 it had been sold by the administrators. He was asked what 
 became of the families then, and replied that they were crowded 
 back into the poor lands among the hills, and soon sank into the 
 mass of "poor white trash." His plantation is in Limestone 
 County, one of the richest and most productive counties in 
 Northern Alabama, Huntsville being the Court House town, with 
 a population of about five thousand, a new city grown up within 
 a decade; and yet the population of the County, notwithstanding 
 the growth of Huntsville, which had a remarkable growth for a 
 Southern town, was actually receding year by year, owing to the 
 process of the consolidation of small plantations into large ones. 
 And the poor whites who were driven to the hills by this pro- 
 cess ! We have no language to describe their unfortunate and 
 hopeless condition. Even the wealthy, who, by the extravagance 
 or improvidence of the heads of families, were plunged into this 
 hopeless state, rapidly sank into a condition lower than the negro 
 slaves. Without schools, or churches, or a ray of hope in the 
 future, ambition dead, virtue and intelligence decaying, their 
 condition was indeed a sad one! And, with prayer and song, 
 and shout and story, the old year of 1863 went out, and the young 
 new year of 1864 was welcomed in by the Ninety-Second around 
 their camp-fires, on the great plantation of Judge Hammond. 
 During the vear, the Ninety-Second, plodding on foot, or on 
 horseback, had marched fifteen hundred and fifty-eight miles. 
 Welcome, New Year ! But, oh, how cold ! How clear the
 
 NINBTT-SBCOND ILLINOIS. 1*5 
 
 bugles rang out on the frosty air when " boot and saddle" was 
 sounded from head-quarters, and was repeated in the companies. 
 The roads were horrible, exceedingly rough on the hills, and 
 frozen in the lowlands strong enough to bear a man, but not a 
 horse ; marching along, the men on foot to keep from freezing, 
 and the horses breaking the ice as they went, until the horses' fet- 
 locks were bleeding, cutting the strong new ice! Napoleon's 
 army, retreating from Moscow, did not march on a colder day. 
 Late, in the afternoon the Regiment went into camp, the men very 
 weary, having marched on foot most of the day to keep warm. 
 The camp was at Elkmont Springs, a summer resort, and the cot- 
 tages were taken possession of by the men for quarters. They all 
 had fireplaces, and the men soon made themselves comfortable. 
 One negro boy, an officer's servant, while bringing forage from a 
 cornfield, had his arms and legs so badly frozen that both arms 
 and both legs were amputated. During the day Company B 
 scouted for horses and mules, and captured seventeen. Marched 
 on the second, at noon, twelve miles, to Prospect, and camped in 
 the woods near Elk River. Marched on the third, at noon, in a 
 sleet and rain storm, and camped five miles south of Pulaski, Ten- 
 nessee. Marched again at noon, and camped half a mile south of 
 Pulaski, where the Regiment lay in camp several days. From 
 the fourth to the ninth the weather remained very cold, the ground 
 covered with snow, and men and animals suffered greatly. On 
 the tenth, the weather moderated considerably. N. G. Collins, 
 Chaplain of the Fifty-Seventh Illinois, delivered an interesting and 
 amusing lecture, and offered his printed address for sale. Captain 
 Albert Woodcock, of Company K, was detailed as Provost Mar- 
 shal of the Second Division of Cavalry. On the twelfth of January, 
 the Ninety-Second marched thirteen miles on its return to Hunts- 
 ville, and camped amid plenty. Marched at daylight, on the thir- 
 teenth, and again camped on Judge Hammond's plantation. On 
 the fourteenth, marched at daylight; passed through Huntsville, 
 and camped on the pike two miles north of the city, and went to 
 fixing up permanent camp. The next day was fine and warm, 
 and the men fixed up their quarters comfortably for a long stav. 
 Forage was abundant, and the railroad brought plenty of rations. 
 On the sixteenth, many of the men having left camp and gone to 
 the city without permission, a line guard was put around the Reg- 
 iment for the first time in ten months. The men did not like it, 
 and did not perform their duty in just the manner that experienced 
 soldiers ought to have done. One of the guards commanded a
 
 w6 NINETT-SBCOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 dog that was passing the lines to halt, and, as the dog didn't, he 
 blazed away at it. Soldiers returning to camp were permitted to 
 slip in between the guards unobserved. One of the boys writes 
 in his diary: "The Colonel got mad, and put just three times 
 the usual guards on duty. The men concluded it wouldn't pay to 
 fool around any more, and guard duty was better done after that." 
 On the nineteenth, the ground was covered with snow; the Regi- 
 ment was ordered to march, but the order was countermanded. 
 The twentieth was delightfully warm, and the snow melted off. 
 On the twenty-third, the Regiment marched with the brigade 
 early, and camped on Limestone Creek, fifteen miles west of 
 Huntsville. On the .twenty-fourth, marched at daylight through 
 Athens, a town burned up by General Turchin. When that fight- 
 ing Teuton first entered Athens with his brigade, the enemy 
 fought him in the streets, and the citizens, it was said, fired upon 
 the Yankees from the windows of the houses. The burly Turchin, 
 it is reported, said to his men, camped about the town : " Boys, I 
 shuts mine eyes f9r shust one hour I sees netting." When he 
 opened his eyes again Athens was in flames and hopelessly ruined. 
 Camped at Rogersville. On January twenty-fifth, the Ninety- 
 Second marched at daylight, in the advance, and at ifbon crossed 
 Shoal Creek, and, when about one mile west of the creek, the ad- 
 vance was fired upon by a picket on the left of the column, on a 
 road leading to Bainbridge Ferry, across the Tennessee River, at 
 the foot of Muscle Shoals. Captain Becker, with fifty men, was 
 ordered to charge them, and he did it splendidly, charging down 
 to the river's edge, about a mile. He captured three of the enemy, 
 and drove the others around the base of the bluff, where they took 
 to shelter, dismounted among the rocks, leaving their horses on 
 the river's beach. A ferry-boat, with an ambulance loaded with 
 the enemy, nearly across the river, returned to the other shore. 
 The Rebel General Roddy's command was on the opposite bank, 
 and had rifle pits which commanded the approach to the ferry on 
 our side of the river. The men among the rocks were commanded 
 to surrender; but their friends opposite told them to lie still, that 
 the Yanks could not get at them ; and we could not, without 
 running the gauntlet of the enemy's fire, and likely losing more 
 men than we should capture by the effort. There were twenty 
 horses, and probably twenty men, under the bluff. We could see 
 the horses, but the men were concealed among the rocks. The 
 horses were all shot, and, bidding the Johnnies good-bye, the 
 Ninety-Second was withdrawn, and Captain M. Van Buskirk, of
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 127 
 
 Company E, with four companies, was ordered to march rapidly 
 to Florence. He started, but only a mile or so away, near the 
 Sweetwater, ran into the enemy, who had a strong line flanking a 
 log house, and the house itself was full of the enemy, who used it 
 as a fort, knocking out the chinking to fire through between the 
 logs. Captain Van Buskirk charged them on horseback; but, 
 finding a heavy force, the men slipped off from the horses, and lay 
 down in the grass and weeds. While lying there, with the open field 
 surrounding the log house in front of them, Captain Becker told 
 Company I, " By jingo, boys, we will have to charge over that 
 field, for I lost my hat out there." He did not wait long for an 
 opportunity to recover his hat. The" brigade moved up and dis- 
 mounted two regiments, and the line had just commenced ad- 
 vancing to the support of the four companies, when Captain Van 
 Buskirk ordered his four companies to charge on foot. Forward 
 they went, receiving a hot fire from the log house, and the two 
 Rebel regiments flanking it; but they routed the Rebels, captur- 
 ing twenty prisoners, and killing fifteen of the enemy, and prob- 
 ably wounding twice that number. Our loss, all in the Ninety- 
 Second, was: Captain Horace J. Smith, Company B, wounded, 
 musket bal! through his arm; Corporal J. A. Colehour, Company 
 I, wounded in shoulder the Corporal had been home with a 
 wound received at Chicamauga, and had just returned to the Reg- 
 iment; private Andrew Drafferty, Company B, wounded; private 
 William B. Smith, Company F, wounded; private Jeremiah Lam- 
 bert, Company F, wounded; private David O'Brien, Company I, 
 wounded; private Henry K. Hapster, Company F, wounded. 
 Among the fifteen of the enemy killed, were Lieutenant Colonel 
 Wynans and Captain Ingraham, of the Fourth Alabama Confed- 
 erate Cavalry. Lieutenant Colonel Wynans was in command of 
 the two regiments, and on his body were found marching orders. 
 He had been directed to make a junction with the forces that had 
 just commenced crossing the Tennessee River at Bainbridge 
 Ferry the force that Captain Becker had turned back by his 
 charge and with them to attack Athens at daylight the next 
 morning, where he was informed that a column of dismounted 
 men, with artillery, would aid him; the last-mentioned column to 
 cross the Tennessee River after dark, immediately south of Athens 
 the three Rebel columns striking Athens at daylight. By these 
 marching orders, captured from the dead body of Lieutenant Col- 
 onel Wynans, commanding one of the Rebel columns, we were 
 placed in possession of the Rebel plan of the attack on Athens.
 
 128 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 Manifestly, having turned back two of the Rebel columns, the 
 only thing left for us to do was to make a night march, striking 
 the Tennessee River south of Athens at daylight, and cut off the 
 only column left of the Rebel attacking force. Colonel Miller, 
 commanding the brigade, decided upon that course, and the com- 
 mand countermarched; and a mile east of Shoal Creek bivouaced 
 and fed animals, and resumed the march at eleven o'clock P. M. 
 At four A. M., of the next day, halted to make coffee and feed ani- 
 mals, when Lieutenant Colonel Phillips, with a portion of the 
 Eighth Illinois Mounted Infantry, from Athens, came up, and 
 Colonel Miller, taking his advice, again countermarched upon 
 Florence. About nine o'clock, a courier came from Athens, with 
 information that the Rebels had made an attack upon Athens at 
 daylight; but, not being supported by the cavalry they expected, 
 and learning that Wilder's brigade and the Eighth Illinois were 
 out on the Florence road, they feared that they would be cut off 
 from their retreat to the south side of the Tennessee, as they ought 
 to have been, and would have been had Colonel Miller acted reso- 
 lutely upon the information in his possession, taken from the body 
 of the Confederate Lieutenant Colonel Wynans. The column 
 was again countermarched, and started for the Tennessee River, 
 south of Athens; but the opportunity had been lost, and, on reach- 
 ing a point eight miles west of Athens, a courier came with infor- 
 mation that the enemy had made safe his retreat across the river. 
 The command camped in Athens that night. On the twenty- 
 seventh, marched from Athens toward Huntsville twentv-five 
 miles, and camped on Limestone Creek. Marched at daylight, 
 and camped at Huntsville. On the thirtieth, marched at eight A. 
 M., fourteen miles, to Trianna, on the Tennessee River, south of 
 Huntsville, at the mouth of Indian Creek, for the purpose of being 
 near ibrage, and to recruit the animals, where the Regiment re- 
 mained until the third of April. It was a beautiful camp, but 
 there is little to record while the Regiment lay at Trianna. 
 
 On the first of February, there was a very heavy rain-fall, 
 and the camp was ditched to carry off the water. On the second, 
 thirty recruits from Illinois joined the Regiment. On the sev- 
 enth of February, the Chaplain preached to citizens and soldiers, 
 in the church at Trianna. On the eighth, the Regiment was 
 inspected by Brigadier General Elliott, Chief of Cavalry. On 
 the ninth, the Regiment received two months' pay. On the fif- 
 teenth, a scouting party of the enemy was found on the north 
 side of the Tennessee, and four of them captured. On the
 
 NINETY -SECOND ILLINOIS. 129 
 
 eighteenth, there was quite a snow-storm. On the twenty-fourth, 
 five prisoners were captured. On the night of the twenty-fifth, 
 there was considerable picket firing, and the troops were in line 
 early on the twenty-sixth. On the twenty-seventh, several pro- 
 fessed religion, the Chaplain having succeeded in getting up a 
 revival in the Regiment at Trianna. The month of March came 
 in with snow and rain, but the snow melted off immediately, and 
 the trees were beginning to bud. On the fourth of March, the 
 Regiment commenced playing town-ball, and it had quite a run. 
 The weather was very fine. On the eighth, a soldier writes in 
 his diary : " In going through the Regiment to-day, the men 
 may be seen in their tents; some reading the papers; others, old 
 books, which they have found in the country ; some writing, and 
 some playing cards; while out of the tents, wicket ball, base ball, 
 and pitching quoits are going on. At night, music and dancing 
 are going on in camp." Fishing for bull-heads, in Indian Creek, 
 was a part of the passtime. Lieutenant Colonel Sheets sat, one 
 day, four hours, out on a log, patiently waiting for a bite ; he got 
 one, just one, and, attempting to pull out the fish, lost his balance 
 and his fishing pole; scrambling' up, he grabbed his pole 1 , but the 
 fish had departed! The Lieutenant Colonel was disconsolate, 
 and never more went fishing in Indian Creek. On the fourteenth 
 of March, stringent orders came from Department head-quarters 
 against foraging for food in the country, or burning rails, lor the 
 reason that it was desirable that the country north of the Tennes- 
 see should be cultivated, that it might furnish forage for men and 
 animals another winter. On the twenty-second, there was six 
 inches of snow in the morning; and on the twenty-third, great 
 sport was had, four companies against six, snowballing, and 
 occasionally some one would get a winder in the face with a hard- 
 packed ball, and then there would be balling of a different nature. 
 The snow-battle lasted until the snow was gone, and it resulted 
 in a drawn battle, for the lack of ammunition on both sides the 
 only instance where the opposing forces exhausted their ammu- 
 nition simultaneously. On the twenty-ninth, the new Sutler 
 came with a stock of goods, the first for the Ninety-Second since 
 leaving Franklin, Tennessee. On the first of April, the entire 
 Regiment, officers and men, spent the dav in April-fooling each 
 other. It is only fair to say that the officers suffered most in the 
 sport. On the second of April, orders came to inarch; and that 
 evening the camp was tilled with the people from miles around 
 come to see the last dress-parade, listen for the last time to Collen 
 ifl
 
 130 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 Bauden's excellent Silver Band, and hear the Glee Club sing its 
 farewell songs. During the time the Regiment was at Trianna, 
 Lieutenant Skinner, of Company D, was Chief of Scouts, with 
 about twenty brave fellows under him. They spent their time 
 riding around the country, occasionally capturing a Johnny home 
 on furlough, and interviewing the secesh lassies, which, by the 
 way, the Lieutenant assumed was a duty to be performed by the 
 Chief of Scouts in person. One morning, hearing from the 
 colored people that a Rebel soldier was home, the Lieutenant and 
 his scouts set out for his house. The ladies declared he was not 
 there; but the Lieutenant made himself agreeable, and soon had 
 the confidence of the old lady, who told him her son's name, his 
 company and regiment, the name of his Captain, his Colonel, 
 and Brigade Commander; and told him her son had been home, 
 but had returned, and informed him at what ferry he had crossed 
 the Tennessee. The Lieutenant, suspicioning that her son was 
 in the bush that is, hid away in the woods concluded to try a 
 ruse. He waited until night-fall, then went to the ferry where the 
 Rebel soldier had crossed the Tennessee, hallooed across, and was 
 soon answered by the Rebel picket, who inquired who was there 
 and what was wanted. The Lieutenant answered, giving the 
 name of the Rebel soldier, his company and regiment, his Colo- 
 nel's name, and the name of the Brigade Commander, and said 
 he wanted to come across. It seemed so straight that the Rebel 
 picket manned the ferry-boat with five men, and came over the 
 river with it, but found the Lieutenant and his scouts, with a 
 demand to surrender, at the moment of landing. Of course they 
 did so; they could not help it. The boat was burned, and the 
 prisoners brought .to camp. Patrolling the river bank one dav, 
 the Lieutenant's quick eyes detected a spot on the beach, where a 
 skiff had been recently landed, and, suspicioning that it might 
 land again, returned after dark with his scouts, and lay concealed 
 and quiet for hours, when they heard the snorting of horses swim- 
 ming in the river. Waiting a while, a dug-out, just large enough to 
 hold two men, came to the shore, two men in the boat, and two 
 horses swimming by its side. The men in the boat had no 
 chance but to surrender, and one of them was John Morgan's 
 Chief of Scouts, armed with two revolvers. He declared it had 
 always been his intention never to surrender alive; but, in that 
 little boat, with twenty men around him, and no chance to fight, 
 he had no other course. The horses were fine animals, and 
 both men shrewd and cunning. They were taken to Huntsville,
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 131 
 
 and, by the aid of Rebel friends there, and such stories as they 
 concocted, they were both released, by General Crook, to return 
 with the very information John Morgan had sent them to obtain. 
 On the morning of April third, the Regiment marched at day- 
 light for Madison Station and Huntsville. When crossing the 
 marsh bordering Limestone Creek, the men scattered out to the 
 side of the road. The Colonel told them it was better to keep 
 in the middle of the road, but the men had been over the road 
 oftener than the Colonel, and probably knew the road better; but 
 the Colonel kept in the old road. It was so cold that ice had 
 formed over the pools of water; and his horse breaking the ice, 
 the Colonel kept on, until he came to a little bridge beyond which 
 was a pool frozen over. His horse halted, but he gave him the 
 spurs, and he sprang forward, and went all over under in the 
 deep hole. The Colonel was in a sorry plight, when he was 
 pulled out of the mud by his Orderly, and the Regiment had a 
 good laugh. His Orderly scrubbed him oft" with a horse-brush, 
 in the swift water of Limestone Creek; and, nearly frozen, the 
 Colonel dashed ahead, to find a house at which to warm, and get 
 on a dry suit. The Regiment went into camp four miles south of 
 Huntsville, when orders came detaching the Regiment from 
 Wilder's Brigade, and assigning it to the Third Brigade, Third 
 Cavalry Division, Army of the Cumberland, with orders to report 
 to General Thomas, at Ringgold, Georgia. " Boot and saddle" 
 was at once sounded, and the Regiment marched through Hunts- 
 ville in column of sections, % the band, mounted on white horses, 
 leading, and received from General Gerrard, the then Commander 
 of the Cavalry Division at Huntsville, the compliment of his 
 saying that the Ninety-Second was the finest Regiment in his 
 command; but it was not in his command; it was already march- 
 ing to report to General Thomas. The Regiment camped two 
 miles north of Huntsville, and drew rations for its march to 
 Ringgold.
 
 i 3 2 N1NBTT-SBCOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 FROM HUNTSVILLE TO RlNGGOLD BEAUTIFUL CAMP AT RlNG- 
 GOLD THE MASSACRE AT NICKOJACK RECONNOISSANCES 
 UNDER KILPATRICK NlCKOJACK AVENGED LIEUTENANT 
 COLONEL SHEETS AND MAJOR BOHN COMPLIMENTED IN 
 RESOLUTIONS GENERAL MOVEMENT OF SHERMAN'S ARMY 
 AGAINST Jo JOHNSTON KILPATRICK WOUNDED RESECA 
 GUARDING THE RAILROAD KILPATRICK RETURNS OUT- 
 POST DUTY ON THE CHATTAHOOCHEE DAVE BOYLE'S CAP- 
 TURE AND ESCAPE BAND HORSES GOBBLED LAYING PON- 
 TOONS AT SANDTOWN CUTTING RAILROADS AT WEST 
 POINT RAIDING AROUND THE REBEL ARMY AT ATLANTA 
 NIGHT FIGHTING AT JONESBORO-- KILPATRICK, SURROUNDED, 
 CUTS HIS WAY OUT SWIMMING COTTON RIVER SAVING 
 THE BRIDGE ACROSS FLINT RIVER BRILLIANT DIVERSION 
 ON THE RIGHT OF THE ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE GLASS'S 
 BRIDGE FALL OF ATLANTA THE SUMMER'S CAMPAIGN 
 ENDED. 
 
 On the morning of April fourth, 1864, the Ninety-Second took 
 up its line of march from Huntsville eastward, in a driving rain 
 storm, which continued all day. - The Regiment marched thirty- 
 three miles. Marched at daylight, and camped at Bellefonte. 
 Marched at daylight, and, owing to high water, had to seek the 
 sources of the streams, and, after marching thirty miles, camped 
 ten miles from Bellefonte. Reached Bridgeport on the seventh, 
 at noon, and camped on old ground, awaiting wagon-trains, and 
 shoeing animals. The Regiment left Bridgeport at davlight, on 
 April tenth, crossing the Tennessee on pontoons for the eleventh 
 and last time; and marched over the winding, rough, mountain 
 road, traveled by the army trains until it was almost impassable, 
 some points being literally corduroyed with the carcasses of dead 
 animals. It is said that, in the climate of South America, the 
 atmosphere is so dry and pure that beef will cure perfectly in the 
 open air without salt, and that the roads are there mended with
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 133 
 
 sides of fresh beef. The steamboat landing, at Pittsburg 
 Landing, Tennessee, was paved with sides of bacon ; but the only 
 road, probably, ever seen in North America corduroyed with the 
 carcasses of mules and horses, was passed over in this day's 
 march. Passed Shellmound and Nickojack Cave, where General 
 Andrew Jackson fought a battle with the Cherokee Indians. 
 Marched at daylight roads horrible wound around over the 
 rocky, brow of Lookout Mountain for the last time, and camped 
 at Rossville, Georgia. The Colonel reported in person to the 
 Chief of Cavalry, Army of the Cumberland, Brigadier General 
 Elliott, in Chattanooga: and, on the Colonel's representing that 
 many men in the Regiment were without horses, he was in- 
 formed, by General Elliott, that mounted infantry regiments 
 must not expect to get horses until after all the cavalry were 
 mounted; and that all the cavalry never would be mounted. 
 The Colonel protested against such treatment of his Regiment, 
 and, in a stormy intervieAv, insisted that, as long-as his Regiment 
 was serving, by proper orders, with the cavalry, it should receive 
 the same treatment as the cavalry. Elliott, like all the Regular 
 Army officers, had a dislike for mounted infantry. They all 
 insisted on the European idea of cavalry, armed with short-range 
 carbines, pistols and sabres ; until that notion was taken out of them, 
 the cavalry in the Western Army was alwavs a nuisance. They 
 had to meet Forrest and Wheeler, in a rough, wooded, mountain- 
 ous country, with no chance for cavalry charges, except in column 
 of fours, on roads always barricaded at frequent intervals, and 
 the enemy fighting, dismounted, from behind barricades, fences, 
 ditches, in the thick woods, and armed with long-range Missis- 
 sippi rifles. It is an old saying that you must fight fire with 
 fire ; and it is true that, if you fight an enemy successfully, you 
 must fight as he fights, and with weapons such as he uses. If 
 his men are dismounted, and armed with long-range rifles, and 
 take advantage of stumps, ditches, trees, woods, barricades and 
 houses, you must fight him dismounted, with long-range 
 weapons, and take like advantage of stumps, ditches, trees, 
 woods, barricades, and houses. You might as well charge a 
 scattered band of Comanche Indians with a squadron of heavy 
 European cavalry, as to have attempted to fight Forrest or 
 Wheeler after the manner of European cavalry movements. 
 The cavalry was always getting into a tight place, and calling on 
 the Ninety-Second, with their long-range Spencer Repeating 
 Rifles, and fighting on foot, to help them out; and the Ninety-
 
 134 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 Second always did it; and here was the Chief of Cavalry, of the 
 Department of the Cumberland, insulting the Regiment openly 
 by declaring that the men might go on foot until all the cavalry 
 were mounted, and that the cavalry never would be mounted. 
 The Colonel resented, with hot words, the insult put upon his 
 men, and won the enmity of the West Pointer. 
 
 At Rossville, a large number of recruits joined the Regiment, 
 all dismounted, and armed with old Burnside carbines no better 
 for actual service with the Ninety-Second than potato pop-guns. 
 Marched early on April twelfth, eighteen miles, to Ringgold, 
 Georgia, and went into camp. The Colonel reported to General 
 Thomas, and protested hotly against the treatment his Regiment 
 was receiving from General Elliott, and insisted that his rights in 
 the cavalry were precisely on a par with the cavalry regiments. 
 On the thirteenth, the Regiment camped on ground that had 
 been long occupied by a mule train, the muddiest, filthiest spot 
 to be found, but also the highest, being on the brow of a hill. All 
 hands went to work cleaning up camp, grading and leveling, and 
 laying it out in regular order. The pickets of the Ninety-Second 
 were attacked, but the attack was repulsed without loss on our 
 side, and with a loss of one Rebel killed, and two captured. 
 The fourteenth was spent in planting evergreens throughout the 
 camp, and by two days' labor, the filthies spot the Regiment ever 
 camped upon was converted into the cleanest and handsomest 
 camp the Regiment ever occupied. Lieutenant Colonel B. F. 
 Sheets tendered his resignation, on account of business reasons, 
 and Major John H. Bohn tendered his resignation, on Surgeon's 
 certificate of disability. On the fifteenth, Colonel R. G. Minty 
 relieved the Colonel of the Ninetv-Second of the command of 
 the brigade. On April sixteenth, was held the first dress-parade 
 since leaving Trianna. On the seventeenth, Brigadier General 
 Judson Kilpatrick assumed command of the Cavalry Divison. 
 The Colonel had an interview with General Kilpatrick, and de- 
 tailed the conversation of General Elliott, at Chattanooga, and 
 insisted that it was simply right and just that the Ninety-Second 
 should not be made the tail end of the cavalry, but should be 
 placed upon a par with the cavalry in drawing horses, and in all 
 other particulars. General Kilpatrick promised that the Regi- 
 ment should be supplied with horses, and be treated in the future 
 just the same, in regard to all things, as cavalry regiments of his 
 division. It is but just to sav that General Kilpatrick kept his 
 promise, and never afterward did the Ninety-Second make com-
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 135 
 
 plaint ot" not receiving horses, clothing, and rations, in precisely 
 the same quantities that the cavalry received them. There was 
 only one point of difference between General Kilpatrick and the 
 Colonel in this interview : the General insisted that the Colonel 
 should turn over his long-range Spencer Rifles, and draw carbines 
 and sabres, the General saying that he always fought at short 
 range, and wanted every man to have a sabre. But the Colonel 
 explained the manner in which Forrest and 'Wheeler fought, the 
 rough and wooded nature of the country, and begged the General 
 to wait until he had at least one skirmish with the enemy, and 
 saw the Ninety-Second in action, before he took from them their 
 long-range Spencer Repeating Rifles. To that General Kilpatrick 
 consented ; and he never afterward desired to take away from the 
 Ninety-Second their Spencer Rifles. 
 
 It was thought necessary to keep a picket post eight miles 
 away from camp at Nickojack. It was a dangerous place. Its 
 danger was represented bv the Colonel to the commanding officers, 
 in a written communication sent to the Department head- 
 quarters through regular channels; but no attention was paid to 
 it. The brigade was made up of three regiments of Kentucky 
 cavalry and the Ninety-Second ; and the influence of the Colonel 
 of the Ninety-Second never amounted to anything in that 
 brigade. They were all Kentuckians; and while many Ken- 
 tuckians disliked traitors, it was only a feeble feeling in compari- 
 son to the bitter hatred with which nearly all Kentuckians looked 
 upon an Abolitionist. 
 
 On the twenty-second of April, the Regiment was received 
 and inspected by Brigadier General Elliott, in company with 
 Major General Thomas, and General Elliott was pleased to 
 boast considerably to General Thomas, in the presence of the 
 members of the Regiment, claiming that the Ninety-Second had 
 the cleanest and handsomest camp of any regiment, infantry or 
 cavalry, in the Army of the Cumberland; and General Thomas 
 admitted that no regiment in his Department had a cleaner or 
 handsomer camp. The men of the Regiment appreciated the 
 compliment. During the whole service, the Ninety-Second 
 always stood among the first for cleanliness of camps, care of 
 equipments, and soldierly discipline. Sometimes the men com- 
 plained of the drills, dress-parades, and strict discipline, but they 
 were always proud of the compliments earned from command- 
 ing officers and Inspector Generals. 
 
 April twenty-third, 1864, was a sorrowful morning in the
 
 136 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 Ninety-Second; the picket post, eight miles from camp, at Nicko- 
 jack Trace, was surrounded, and attacked in overwhelming force, 
 just at daylight. There were sixty-two men at that post, under 
 command of Lieutenant Horace C. Scoville, of Company K, 
 divided into squads, picketing several roads. A regiment of dis- 
 mounted Rebels crossed Taylor's Ridge during the night, and 
 placed themselves upon the road in rear of the pickets, and, at day- 
 light, a regiment of mounted Rebels charged simultaneously every 
 post, driving the men back onto the reserve, and the reserve back 
 onto the regiment of dismounted Rebels, who had barricaded the 
 road. Thirty-three, out of the sixty-two, were killed, wounded, or 
 captured. Lieutenant Scoville, a gallant and faithful officer, was 
 among the captured. But the horrible part of the transaction was 
 the brutal treatment our men received, after their capture, at the 
 hands of the cowardly fiends ! Our wounded men were picked up 
 by us, and lived long enough to tell the story of their cowardlv 
 murder by Lieutenant Pointer, of Wheeler's staff, and his cut- 
 throat crew. It was demonstrated to a mathematical certainty 
 that many of our men were cruelly, brutally, inhumanly, unsol- 
 dierly and cowardly murdered, after they were disarmed and 
 wholly powerless to defend themselves. Lieutenant Pointer him- 
 self shot William Catnach, of Company B, after he was disarmed 
 and a prisoner; and, Catnach not falling at the first fire., and while 
 Catnach was pleading for his life, the cowardly villain shot him 
 again, the last shot passing through his lungs, and being a mortal 
 wound. Catnach was brought back to the hospital, and told his 
 story under oath, and lived until the seventh of May, when he 
 died of his two wounds. William A. Hills, of Company K, famil- 
 iarly known in the Regiment as Willie Hills, met the same fate. 
 A soldier writes in his diary under this date: "When overpow- 
 ered, Willie delivered up his gun, as ordered. A Rebel then 
 stepped up to him, after he was disarmed, cursed him, and then 
 placed his gun to Willie's breast and fired. Willie fell dead. This 
 statement is made by a woman living near, and who saw it." Ten 
 dead bodies of our men were gathered up, and the wounded ten- 
 derly borne back to camp. Little squads of officers and men 
 throughout the Regiment discussed the butchery of the morning, 
 and it was that day very generally believed in the Regiment that 
 the Ninety-Second would never take another prisoner. There 
 was no dismay, but a very general and firm resolve that the butch- 
 ery should be avenged! On the twenty-fourth, three of the 
 wounded men died. In the afternoon, the Regiment held a solemn
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 137 
 
 funeral, and placed in one grave seven of the ten men killed at 
 Nickojack; three were sent home for burial. Lieutenant Colonel 
 B. F. Sheets and Major John H. Bohn, their resignations having 
 been accepted, bade good-bye to the Regiment, and started for 
 " God's country." They were excellent officers, and the Regi- 
 ment parted with them with much regret. On the twenty-ninth 
 of April, the Regiment moved at two A. M., with the Division, 
 through Ringgold Gap, to the south side of Taylor's Ridge, on a 
 reconnoissance. The cavalry, leading,, came to a stand, at the 
 first Rebel picket post; and the Ninety-Second, with their Spen- 
 cers, was called upon to clear the road of the enemy, and did so. 
 The Rebel papers reported twenty of the enemy killed. The 
 Ninety-Second lost three; one killed, and two mortally wounded. 
 On the thirtieth, the Regiment was mustered for pay, and re- 
 ceived a special order from General Kilpatrick, complimenting 
 the Regiment for its gallant conduct on the day before. 
 
 On the second of May, the Regiment again marched through 
 Ringgo'.d Gap, on a reconnoissance, to Tunnel Hill, with the 
 Division, the Ninety-Second leading, General Baird's division of 
 infantry moving out through the Gap, in support of the cavalry. 
 Kilpatrick wanted to dash onto the first picket post, and follow 
 them right into their camps on a run, a nice thing to have done; 
 but it was utterly impossible where the roads passed through 
 mountain gorges, and were barricaded every twenty rods. Just 
 before daylight, the first shot was fired by the enemy at the 
 Ninety-Second advance; and, with a yell, the men put spurs to 
 their horses, and dashed forward. The enemy fled; but the 
 Ninety-Second was soon halted by an impassable barricade that 
 required some time to remove. The Ninety-Second kept on, and 
 drove the enemy from three separate barricades, charging each one 
 in front. The enemy made the next .stand at a log house, with a 
 long stretch of open field and road in front. The Colonel halted 
 the advance, and sent a squad, dismounted, through the woods, to 
 (lank the house and come up in the rear of it. It required a little 
 time; and Kilpatrick, impatient, and as reckless of the lives of 
 his men as he was of his own, came up to the advance, and found 
 the Colonel seated on the ground, quietly smoking his meer- 
 schaum pipe. He demanded the reason why the advance was 
 halted, and the reason was explained to him. He waited a minute 
 or two, and then said: "Well, we can't wait, fooling around 
 here ; forward the advance." The Colonel replied: "All right: 
 forward it is, then." But the Spencer Rifles of the flanking party 
 17
 
 138 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 opened at that instant; and, with the advance, the General dashed 
 up to the log house, without receiving a shot from the enemy, 
 whom the flanking party had routed ; and five of the enemy were 
 left dead to tell the effectiveness of our Spencers. Then the 
 cavalry took the advance, and, a mile farther on, found the enemy 
 occupying a wooded hill, with an open field in their front; and, of 
 course, the Ninety-Second was sent for; and the order was to dis- 
 mount, and come forward on the double-quick. The Regiment 
 was dismounted, and went -forward. The Colonel was directed, 
 by General Kilpatrick, to take the hill ; he rode forward, and 
 reconnoitered the position, and .saw that, by moving through the 
 woods a short distance, he could flank it, and avoid the approach 
 over the open field under the enemy's fire, and therefore turned 
 the head of the Regiment into the woods. The enemy saw the 
 Regiment filing into the woods, and sent a straggling fire of 
 musketry, at random, where the Regiment was marching; and 
 Captain Preston, of Company D, as brave an officer as there was 
 in -the Regiment, but not the coolest, ordered the Regiment to 
 charge, and away it went over the open field. The Colonel 
 knew that the men could not double-quick over that field, and 
 then charge up the steep, wooded hill occupied by the enemy ; 
 and, with Adjutant Lawver, Captain Hawk, and perhaps other 
 mounted officers, rode out in front of the Regiment, and ordered 
 the men to go at a walk, and dress their line on the colors, so that 
 they would have breath and strength to make the final charge up 
 the hill; but, before the Regiment was at the foot of the hill, the 
 enemy retreated. The mounted officers dashed to the top, and 
 put in a few pistol shots at the retreating foe. We had now nearly 
 reached the camps of the enemy; their long wagon train was 
 winding over Tunnel Hill; their cavalry drawn up in line of 
 battle, five or eight thousand of them in plain sight. A battery 
 of artillery tossed shell at them; and, to make the enemy think 
 that Sherman's whole army was after them, the Ninety-Second 
 marched round and round in a circle, passing, everv few minutes, 
 over the bold brow of the hill, and back through the woods out 
 of sight of the enemy, so that it must have appeared to the enemy 
 like regiment after regiment of infantry, filing into the woods, 
 as' the stream of men over the brow of the hill was continuous, 
 and the regimental colors repeatedly passing, always in the same 
 direction. Having demonstrated that the enemy had no infantrv 
 north of Tunnel Hill, the object of the reconnoissance wasaccoiriT 
 plishd, and the command returned to camp, the Ninety-Second
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 139 
 
 holding the rear. When within a mile or two of Ringgold Gap, 
 the enemy grew very bold, and attacked the rear with considera- 
 ble force t and with great energy- The entire Regiment faced 
 about in line of battle, mounted, in an orchard, with an open field 
 in front. The enemy had a line of battle, on a hill beyond the 
 field, and a squad of the enemy occupied a wooded hill, on our 
 , left flank, and annoyed us with their sharp shooting. General 
 Kilpatrick led a charge of cavalry against the enemy in front, but 
 the cavalry he was leading didn't charge as fast as the General, 
 and, Kilpatrick having his horse shot, the cavalry retreated. 
 General Kilpatrick inquired if the Ninety-Second could charge 
 on horseback and take that hill, and was told that it could try, and 
 it did try ; and it took the hill, and held it. A considerable force 
 of the enemy had passed into a corn field, through a gap in the 
 line of hills; it looked like a column of two or three hundred, 
 and two companies of the Ninety-Second were sent to cut them 
 off from returning. After a while, there was considerable music 
 made by the Spencers in that corn-field, but the Ninety-Second 
 took no prisoners that day. Few of the enemy that went into 
 that corn-field ever came out of it again. " Boys, remember 
 Nickojack," was the battle-cry, but it never was afterward. The 
 massacre at Nickojack was terribly avenged ! The Regiment 
 was satisfied, and never afterward was Nickojack revengefully 
 mentioned in the Ninety-Second, but always sadly and sorrow- 
 fully. The hill was held until General Kilpatrick ordered the 
 Regiment to withdraw, and it passed on through Ringgold Gap, 
 and into camp, without another shot being fired by the enemy. 
 The camps about Ringgold were rapidly filling up; and, from the 
 top of Taylor's Ridge, it looked at night, when the camp-fires 
 were lighted, like a great city, the bright lights gleaming for 
 miles and miles. On the fifth, heavy columns of troops moved 
 through Ringgold Gap. On this day, a meeting of the officers 
 of the Regiment was held, which is explained in the following: 
 
 " RINGGOLD, GA., May 5th, 1864. 
 
 " At a meeting of the officers of the Ninety-Second Illinois 
 Volunteer Infantry, held on the fourth instant, Captain J. M. 
 Schermerhorn, of Company G, being called to the Chair, and 
 Adjutant I. C. Lawver elected Secretary, on motion of Captain 
 Van Buskirk, a committee, consisting of Captains E. T. E. Becker, 
 of Company I, H. J. Smith, of Company B, and Lieutenant G. 
 R. Skinner, of Company D, was appointed to draft resolutions
 
 I 4 o N1NBTT-SBCOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 expressive of the universal regret experienced at parting with 
 our late Lieutenant Colonel and Major, and of the high esteem 
 in which their memory is cherished by the Regiment. The fol- 
 lowing are the resolutions as reported and unanimously adopted : 
 
 " WHEREAS, Circumstances over which they had no control 
 have made it necessary for our much esteemed Lieutenant Colo- 
 nel, B. F. Sheets, and Major, John H. Bohn, to sever their con- 
 nection with our Regiment; and 
 
 " WHEREAS, It seems to us not improper to express our 
 regret in this public manner; therefore 
 
 " Resolved, That in taking final leave of us, thev carry with 
 them the best wishes of all, both officers and men, who have, for 
 over twenty months, served under their gallant leadership. 
 
 " Resolved, That bv uniform kindness, wholesome discipline, 
 and soldierly bearing, they have endeared themselves to everv - 
 officer and man in their command, and bound us together with 
 ties of friendship which cannot be broken while memory shall 
 last. 
 
 " Resolved, That the Secretary be instructed to request the 
 papers of Carroll, Ogle, and Stephenson Counties, Illinois, to 
 publish the above resolutions. 
 
 " J. M. SCHERMERHORN, President. 
 
 " I. C. LAWYER, Secretary." 
 
 On the sixth of May, orders came to be ready to march in a 
 movement of the whole army, on the morning of the seventh of 
 May, 1864. The movement on the morrow was to be a move- 
 ment of all of Sherman's troops in that immediate vicinity; that 
 is, a general advance, and in exact harmony with the whole 
 forces of the United States; Banks moving, at the same time, in 
 the Department of the Gulf, and Grant on Richmond. Sher- 
 man had the Army of the Cumberland, Major General Thomas : 
 Infantry, 54, 568; artillery, 2,377; cavalry, including the Ninety- 
 Second, of course, 3,828 total, 60,773; guns, 130. Army of the 
 Tennessee, Major General McPherson: Infantry, 22,437; artillery, 
 1,404; cavalry, 624 total, 24,465 ; guns, 96. Army of the Ohio, 
 Major General J. M. Schofield, of Freeport, Illinois: Infantry, 
 11,183; cavalry, 1,697; artillery, 679; guns, 28 total, 13,559- 
 Grand total: Infantry, 88,188; cavalry, 6,149; artillery, 4,460: 
 guns, 254; men of ail arms, 98,779. Marched, at three A. M., with 
 the Division, and crossed Taylor's Ridge, at Nickojack. Skir- 
 mished with the enemv all dav, after crossing Taylor's Ridge.
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 141 
 
 ( 
 
 Companies K and C drove the enemy, after a brisk little fight, 
 across a creek, on the left of Hooker's corps. Camped at 
 Gordon's Gap. 
 
 Sunday, May eighth, marched to Vilanow, and drove in a 
 Rebel picket. McPherson's corps passed Vilanow for Snake 
 Creek Gap and Reseca, General Dodge's division leading; and 
 if that division, on striking Reseca, had have pushed into the 
 town instead of Dodging back to the mouth of Snake Creek Gap 
 and fortifying, Jo Johnston's Rebel army would have been bagged. 
 Mav tenth, marched at noon to Snake Creek Gap, five miles, and 
 camped behind the infantry. There were heavy earthworks 
 thrown up by Dodge's troops across the Gap, facing toward Res- 
 eca. It rained terribly during the night. On the eleventh, the 
 Ninety-Second lay in camp, sending detachments to scout to Lay's 
 Ferry and Calhoun Ferry over the Oostanaula. On the twelfth, 
 a. portion of the Division, under command of General Kilpatrick, 
 the Ninety-Second leading, made a reconnoissance toward Dai- 
 ton, and, with some fighting, drove the enemy about three miles, 
 and held them until McPherson's corps had advanced two miles 
 and thrown up breastworks. On the thirteenth, the Division 
 marched at daylight, with orders to take and hold^the cross-roads 
 west of Reseca, to enable the infantry to deploy on the roads. 
 The Tenth Ohio Cavalry charged the picket of the enemy at the 
 cross-roads, and drove them back. In this charge the brave and 
 dashing commander of the Division, General Judson Kilpatrick, 
 was. wounded, and the command of the Division fell to Colonel 
 Eli H. Murray, a brave soldier, and the command of the Brigade 
 devolved upon the Colonel of the Ninetv-Second. The Ninety- 
 Second was dismounted and formed in line, and pushed consider- 
 ably beyond the cross-roads, taking position behind a fence, with 
 a field in their front ; the enemy, dismounted, attempted to charge 
 over the field and drive the Regiment back, but they were scarcely 
 out of the woods and in the open field, when the fire of the Ninety- 
 Second Spencers drove them back. Rebel soldiers, tied in trees, 
 were sharpshooting, and one, immediately in front of the Ninety- 
 Second, was discovered and killed by a Spencer ball, and his gun 
 dropped out of his hand, and his body fell to the ground. Many 
 of the enemy, at Reseca, were so securely fastened in the trees 
 that their dead bodies remained there for days after the bat- 
 tle was over, and until cut down and buried by our troops. The 
 Regiment lay in the position described, holding the road to Res- 
 eca, a mile and a half distant, until the infantry deployed; and the
 
 142 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 long line of infantry pushed forward and took the hill commanded 
 by the guns at Reseca, immediately in front of the Ninety-Second. 
 The Regiment was then withdrawn, and mounted and marched 
 again to Lay's Ferry and Calhoun Ferry, on the Oostanaula, and 
 exchanged shots with the enemy guarding those points, and re- 
 turned to the cross-roads and bivouaced. On the fourteenth, 
 marched to Lay's Ferry, sending Companies H and A to Cal- 
 houn Ferry. A division of infantry, under the command of Brig- 
 adier General Sweeney, of the Regular Army, made a crossing 
 at Lay's Ferry, and, being heavily attacked, repulsed the attack of 
 the enemv, but most unaccountably failed to lay the pontoons. 
 The failure to lay the pontoons at Lay's Ferry, on this day, must 
 have been a great disappointment to General Sherman; for, had 
 they been laid, and a corps crossed and placed at Calhoun, on the 
 road south of Reseca, it would have been very difficult for Johns- 
 ton to have retreated from Reseca. We wonder that the General 
 ot a great army can provide against little failures of this kind (nec- 
 essary steps in the plan of the general campaign), which, failing, 
 entail most troublesome results. Of course, it will be understood 
 by the reader that the Ninety-Second Committee on Publication 
 do not profess to know that General Sherman intended to place a 
 corps at Calhoun; we only know that if he had have d.one so, 
 Johnston, if he escaped at all, must have escaped without a cannon, 
 animal or wheel ; in fact, his army would have been broken up 
 and scattered beyond recall, if not in a body captured. In the 
 night, of the fifteenth of May, the pickets at Calhoun Ferry being 
 attacked, the Brigade moved out at eleven o'clock P. M., and the 
 Regiment, of course, moved with the Brigade, and, at the Ferry, 
 could distinctly hear the low, rumbling sound of Johnston's artil- 
 lery and trains moving southward it being made plain thereby 
 that Reseca was being evacuated by the enemy. Information was 
 sent to General Sherman, and a battery of artillery planted that 
 opened fire at random toward the Calhoun road, leading south 
 from Reseca. The firing of the batterv was kept up for a long 
 time, but no response from the enemy was elicited. The artillery 
 and musketrv firing in front of Reseca was continuous and ter- 
 rific. The morning of the sixteenth of May found Reseca de- 
 serted by Johnston, and his army intact in full retreat south of the 
 Oostanaula. The Ninety-Second escorted General Force to the 
 head-quarters of Colonel Wilder, near Rome, Georgia, and re- 
 turned to the Brigade; crossed the Oostanaula on the poontons at 
 Lay's Ferrv with the Brigade. While Iving in the woods south of
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 143 
 
 the Ferry the infantry advance was severely attacked by the enemy, 
 but they were repulsed. Marched several miles, and camped for 
 the night, the Regiment having marched forty miles during the 
 day. Sherman's whole army was in motion in pursuit of John- 
 ston. On the seventeenth, the Regiment did not march until two 
 o'clock P. M., and marched only five miles. On the eighteenth, 
 moved early, seven miles to railroad south of Calhoun, and waited 
 for the Armies of the Cumberland and Ohio to pass through 
 Adairsville; passed Adairsville a few miles, and bivouaced after 
 dark. On the nineteenth, marched early, on a roundabout road, 
 Hanking the infantry columns on the right; passed through Kings-, 
 ton and camped, after dark, in rear of the infantry skirmish line, 
 a few miles south of Kingston. On the twenty-first, the Regi- 
 ment retraced its march to Reseca, to guard the railroad from at- 
 tacks of the Rebel cavalry. On the twenty-second, the Regiment 
 was divided, one portion marching east and one west of the rail- 
 road, and camping together at night at Adairsville. Lay in camp 
 at Adairsville, sending out scouting parties in all directions. On 
 the twenty-fourth, reports came to camp of a Rebel cavalry col- 
 umn at Cassville. The Regiment marched at five P. M., five 
 miles toward Cassville, and sent the advance into the town. The 
 Rebel cavalry had been there, and gone again, capturing a few 
 wagons and straggling soldiers. The Regiment remained saddled 
 all night; and, at ten A. M., next morning, returned to Adairs- 
 ville, where the Regiment lay until the sixth of June. 
 
 On the fourth of June, George W. Marshall, Regimental 
 Quartermaster, was promoted to Captain and Assistant Quarter- 
 master of Volunteers, and Philip Sweeley, Quartermaster's Ser- 
 geant, was promoted to Lieutenant and Regimental Quartermas- 
 ter. Marshall was an efficient Regimental Quartermaster, and 
 had earned his promotion. Sweeley was always faithful as a 
 Quartermaster's Sergeant, and filled, with satisfaction to the Reg- 
 iment, the position of Regimental Quartermaster. 
 
 On the sixth of June, leaving Company G at Adairsville, the 
 Regiment marched through Kingston, and camped three miles 
 south-west of the town, to do scouting dutv along the Etowa 
 River. On the eighth, Company I was sent, on a two days' 
 scout, towards Rome. The weather was very warm. The Regi- 
 ment lay in camp, scouting and patrolling the Etowa, until the 
 thirteenth, living on the fat of the land. Cherries were ripe, and 
 the woods full of huckleberries. On the eleventh, two of Arm- 
 strong's cavalry were captured. On the thirteenth, the Regiment
 
 144 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 marched early to Reseca, sending scouting parties in all di- 
 rections. On the fourteenth, sent scouting parties to Vilanow 
 and Rome, and the Regiment marched on a roundabout road to 
 Calhoun and on to Adairsville. On the fifteenth, the Regiment 
 returned to its old camp near Kingston. On the sixteenth, Major 
 Charles W. Newcomer paid the Regiment four months' pay. On 
 the twentieth, Captain Albert Woodcock, of Company K, was 
 promoted to Major, vice John H. Bohn, resigned, and Lieutenant 
 Horace C. Scoville, who was taken prisoner by the Rebels at 
 Nickojack, and was still a prisoner, was promoted to the Cap- 
 taincy of Company K. On the twenty-eighth, Lieutenant I. C. 
 Lawver, Regimental Adjutant, left the Regiment, being detailed 
 as A. A. D. C. on the staff of Brigadier General A. Baird. The 
 entire Regiment parted with Lieutenant Lawver with great re- 
 gret; he was an educated soldier and gentleman, and had won the 
 respect and affection of the entire command. On the third of 
 July, the Regiment marched to Adairsville, and camped on the 
 old camp ground. On the fourth of July, marched early, to Res- 
 eca, and lay there in camp until the twenty-fifth, sending out 
 heavy scouting parties, and patrolling the railroad to guard U from 
 being torn up by small bodies of Rebel cavalry. On the twenty-first,' 
 General Kilpatrick, having recovered from his wound, returned 
 to the army, and took command of his old Division, to the great 
 joy of officers and men, who were weary of guarding railroads, 
 and they knew that when Kilpatrick returned it meant active work. 
 On the twenty-fifth, the Regiment marched to Calhoun. On the 
 twenty-sixth, the Regiment adopted commendatory resolutions in 
 compliment to Doctor Winston, who had resigned. On the 
 twenty-ninth, Captain J. M. Schermerhorn, of Company G, was 
 presented with a beautiful sword by his admiring friends in the 
 Regiment. The Smith D. Atkins Lodge of Free and Accepled 
 Masons was organized in the Regiment, under a Dispensation 
 from the Grand Lodge of Illinois. On August second, the Regi- 
 ment 'marched at daylight, through Adairsville and Kingston, to 
 Cartersville. On the third, the Ninety-Second marched at nine- 
 o'clock A. M., through Altoona Pass, and bivouaced a few miles 
 southeast of Altoona. On the fourth of August, the Regiment 
 was thrown in advance of the Division about three and a half 
 miles, the Division being on the right of Sherman's army in front 
 of Atlanta, where, near the banks of the Chattahoochee, it went 
 into camp, and did outpost duty. The Rebels were constantly 
 prowling about the picket posts of the encampment. While here.
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 145 
 
 Nat. Davis, of Company K, Regimental Postmaster, was cap- 
 tured, with the mail, while on his way to the Regiment from Di- 
 vision head-quarters. On Sunday, the seventh of August, Orderly . 
 David Boyle, of Company H, was sent, with a report of the fight- 
 ing strength of the Regiment, to General Kilpatrick. When on 
 the road, a mile from camp, five armed Rebels stepped out from 
 the bushes, and, with guns pointed at his breast, ordered him to 
 surrender. David obeyed. The Rebels marched David three or 
 four miles to the edge of a swamp, and there they lay concealed 
 until about midnight, when four of them started to the Ninety- 
 Second camp to gobble horses, leaving the fifth man in charge of 
 David. David, playing possum, went to sleep, snoring lustily, but 
 kept open his ears and one eye. After a while, the Rebel guard 
 dropped away into slumber, and snored in concert with his pris- 
 oner. Dave then silently rose to his feet, and, with the spring of 
 a panther, leaped upon the guard, seized the guard's gun, and with 
 
 it dashed out his brains. Dave then secured his trustv Spencer. 
 
 j 
 untied and mounted his own horse, and started for camp. When 
 
 about half way to camp, whom should he meet but those five 
 identical Rebels, returning to where they had left Dave in charge 
 of one of their number, as a guard, and each Rebel having a 
 milk-white horse, captured from the musical command of Collen 
 Bauden ! B} 7 the light of the moon, Dave recognized the band 
 horses of the Ninety-Second, and the Rebels recognized Dave. 
 A race and a fight ensued. David abandoned his horse, and took 
 to the swamp, and succeeded in eluding his pursuers. The next, 
 day, David came into camp, minus hat, coat, shoes, and shirt, the 
 very picture of hard times. 
 
 The Ninety-Second Band was made up of the very best 
 musical talent in the Regiment. Collen Bauden, the leader, was 
 modest, almost to bashfulness; and his soft hazel eye told of a 
 heart as kind as a woman's: there was music in his walk, look, 
 and gesture. No discordant note, but silver melody alone, 
 breathed from his horn. All the Band boys were fine fellows, 
 morally and physically, and, under Collen's instruction, thev 
 became experts, and, as a Band, second to none in Sherman's 
 Army. Their horns were German silver, and their horses milk- 
 white steeds. Like all musical people, the Band regarded them- 
 selves a degree above the common crowd. They did not belong 
 to the plebians of the rank and file of the Regiment; hence, 
 when the Regiment went into camp, the Band was accustomed 
 to pitch their tents a little way out; and the Band, in its whims, 
 18
 
 146 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 was humored, as all musical people are. On the night of the 
 day that Orderly David Boyle was captured, four of David's 
 capturers crept into Collen Bauden's command, and led away four 
 of his milk-white steeds! The next morning, the Band boys, 
 chagrined that the Rebels had stepped over them while asleep, 
 and led away their best horses, repaired to Major Woodcock, the 
 Regimental Commander, and, with woe-begone faces, related 
 their grievances. They asked for more horses at once. The 
 reply was, "A fighting man cannot be dismounted for the pur- 
 pose of mounting a non-combatant; the Band must go on foot." 
 Before nightfall of that day, it was amusing to see the Band boys, 
 like wayward but -repentant children, come creeping under the 
 wings of the Regiment for protection. A heavy camp guard was 
 thrown around the camp ; and, about two o'clock the next morn- 
 ing, the Rebels were seen approaching the Regiment, probably 
 in quest of more white Band horses; but the hawks missed 
 their game: the chickens were nestled snugly in the breast- 
 feathers, close to the Regimental heart. The guards fired upon 
 the Rebels. In about five minutes after the volley, the Regiment 
 was in line, ready for fight. From indications seen 'the next 
 morning, two or three of the Johnnies must have been wounded. 
 A day or two afterward, the dismounted Band bovs were on 
 mules. Where they got them was a query. It was generally 
 understood that no Ninety-Second man went on foot longer than 
 two days; that is, not if he understood himself, and he generally 
 did. A charger, in the form of a horse, mule, or donkey, was 
 pretty sure to fill the vacancy within that time. 
 
 On Monday, the fifteenth of August, 1864, at one o'clock in 
 the morning, reveille was sounded in the camp of the Ninety- 
 Second, in compliance with orders from Division head-quarters. 
 After grooming and feeding the horses, and making a breakfast 
 of fried " hard-tack and sow-belly," and coffee, the Regiment 
 moved into line, and awaited the coming of the rest of the Di- 
 vision. At four o'clock A. M., they came up. The Division, the 
 Ninety-Second leading, marched to a point within half a mile ot 
 the Chattahoochee, opposite Sandtown. The town was held by 
 a small force of the enemy, on picket duty. The immediate 
 object of the movement of the Cavalry Division was to lay a pon- 
 toon across the Chattahoochee, opposite Sandtown. The Ninety- 
 Second was ordered to deploy on foot, and to charge to the 
 water's edge, under the cover of a battery, on an eminence in 
 rear- of the Regiment, which was to shell the town during the
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 147 
 
 forward movement of the Ninety-Second ; but, while charging to 
 the river, the shell from the battery fell short, bursting, and tear- 
 ing up the earth in rear and front of the Regiment, scattering the 
 dirt over the men. The idea of being killed by friends was terri- 
 ble; it reminded the boys of the time when the Ninety-Second 
 drove the Rebels over and off from Lookout Mountain, and our 
 own Brigade battery recklessly tossed its shell into the advance; 
 only there the boys knew it was a want of information, for Wil- 
 der's battery was always ably managed; and now it was a want 
 of sense in the gunners in not elevating their pieces: there was 
 no glory in such a death. The men of the Ninety-Second stood 
 even such a fire, withovit a break or curve in their battle-line. A 
 little cursing from Kilpatrick caused the artillerymen to elevate 
 their pieces, and fire with more care. Luckily, none were in- 
 jured. The Regiment moved to the water's edge, throwing 
 several volleys across ; the shell from the battery dropping nicely 
 into the town. The Rebels, panic-stricken, fled like frightened 
 deer. A pontoon boat conveyed some of the Regiment over the 
 river; all went to work with a will, and, by noon, the bridge of 
 boats was completed, and the whole command crossed. The day 
 had been beautiful, the sun shining brightly. A thunder-storm 
 now rolled up, and poured its waters copiously on the command, 
 which moved on in the direction of the Montgomery and West 
 Point Railroad. When near Fairburn, the Rebels made a stand; 
 but a charge, in which the Ninety-3econd participated, swept 
 them away. The Yankees then burned the depot and Rebel 
 stores, cut the telegraph, and tore up some track, and fell back 
 some three or four miles. It was night. The Regiment, wet 
 from the drenching rain, without tents or blankets, lay down on 
 their arms, in line of battle, and slept until the break of day, on 
 the morning of the sixteenth. The Division moved back to 
 within three or four miles of the river, and struck a road leading 
 toward Atlanta. The Ninety-Second brought up the rear. As 
 the command crossed Camp Creek, the horses were watered, thus 
 consuming an hour in crossing. Corporal C. O. Trask, with a 
 detail of men, was stationed in the road, on an eminence south of 
 the creek. A force of Rebel cavalry, ten times the number of 
 the Corporal's squad, noticing the little band acting as rear guard, 
 dashed their horses into a charge. For a moment, the boys were 
 bewildered, and about to retreat; the Corporal sprang forward, 
 shouting to his men, " We must stand; we belong to the Ninety- 
 Second; we can whip them." The boys did stand. Bravely they
 
 148 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 volleyed the charging column, broke it into confusion, and the 
 Rebels went back faster than they came. After crossing the 
 creek, the Division moved, on a road, eastward, until within four 
 and a half miles of the railroad, between East Point, and Atlanta, 
 where, running against the Rebel army behind their earthworks, 
 the Division backed out, and returned to Sandtown, crossed the 
 river, and went into their old camps, both men and horses suffer- 
 ing from fatigue. On Wednesday, the seventeenth, the men and 
 horses were allowed to rest. 
 
 About two weeks previously, General Sherman ordered 
 General Stoneman, with five thousand cavalry, and McCook, 
 with four thousand cavalry, to march the one from the left flank 
 of his army, the other from the right flank and unite at Love- 
 joy's Station, and there destroy the railroad. Stoneman did not 
 reach the road, but was captured, with about a thousand of his 
 command. McCook reached Lovejoy,*but was heavily attacked, 
 and obliged to retrace his steps, losing about five hundred of his 
 men captured, among whom was Colonel Harrison, of the Eighth 
 Indiana Cavalry, well known in the Ninety-Second. General 
 Sherman then told Kilpatrick that he might try his hand. 
 Monday and Tuesday of this week, the Regiment had been 
 constantly in the saddle, with but little sleep at night. Thursdav 
 they were ordered to put themselves into first-rate fighting 
 condition; to provide themselves with all the Spencer cartridges 
 they could possibly carry, with several days' rations, without 
 tents, blankets, or other incumbrances, to be ready for the march. 
 
 On Thursday, at six o'clock in the afternoon, the command 
 formed. It consisted of Kilpatrick's Division, and also the bri- 
 gades of Colonels Long and Minty, and the Chicago Board of 
 Trade and Tenth Wisconsin batteries, numbering in all about five 
 thousand horsemen. The Ninety-Second, under the command of 
 Major Woodcock, was given the place of honor, the advance. 
 After crossing the Chattahoochee, and getting well under march, 
 night spread her mantle of darkness upon the land. After cross- 
 ing a creek, the advancing Ninety-Second descried the camp-fires 
 of the Rebels in and near the road. "Attention trot march!" 
 and " charge! " were the commands. On the keen run, the Reg- 
 iment went in ; the shouts of the men, as they madly dashed for- 
 ward in that reckless charge through the darkness, echoed and 
 re-echoed among the hills. They swept over the advance pick- 
 ets and guards of the enemy, dashed through their camp, driving 
 the-flying Rebels before them like autumn leaves before the wind.
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 149 
 
 Onward they rode, sweeping the enemy before them, until they 
 drove them beyond the Montgomery and West Point Railroad. 
 The men of the Ninety-Second then halted on the iron track, and 
 awaited the arrival of the command. Along the road where the 
 Regiment charged the Rebel dead were scattered. Among their 
 killed was a Lieutenant. He, with some men, was stationed at 
 an advanced post. The charge of the Regiment in the darkness 
 fell upon them like a thunderbolt. The Rebel Lieutenant had 
 just written a letter to his wife. One of the boys snatched it up. 
 It was crimson with the Lieutenant's blood. Among his ex- 
 pressions were the following: "The Yankees are encamped not 
 far from here. We are liable to have a fight at any moment. I 
 may never see you again. I commend you, my dear wife, and 
 our little ones, to heaven's protection." Tears blinded the eyes of 
 the Ninety-Second boy as he read to his comrades the letter. In 
 the charge the Ninety-Second had several men wounded, and 
 many horses killed. The Division fell upon the West Point and 
 Montgomery Railroad track like a devouring cloud of locusts upon 
 a grain field. The men, standing as thick as they could stand 
 along one side of the track, took hold ot the rails and ends of the 
 ties, and, by main force, lifted the track up bodily and turned it 
 bottom side up. They built fires, and, heating the rails in the 
 center, twisted and bent them. They toiled until the rosy light in 
 the east told of approaching morn. The bugles then sounded "to 
 horse." Kilpatrick said to the men: "This is not the road that 
 we are after; we want the one that runs southward from Atlanta." 
 The bold riders mounted and were away, the Ninety-Second still 
 leading. 
 
 As the sun was rising in golden glory above the eastern hills, 
 a roll of musketry in the rear of the column announced an attack 
 in that direction. The shells from the Rebel artiller}' came richo- 
 cheting along and bursting near the Regiment. Kilpatrick, who 
 at that time was sitting on the fence in front of a log house ques- 
 tioning a woman about the roads, looked up, and addressed Major 
 Woodcock, in command of the Ninety-Second, saying: "That 
 means fight. Move your men rapidly to the rear, and assist in 
 the engagement." General Kilpatrick's order was obeyed. In a 
 few minutes the Rebels were driven in disorder and put to flight. 
 The Regiment was then ordered to march by file upon the left 
 flank of the marching column, a space of four or five rods to be 
 maintained between each file. The enemy, save what had been 
 routed in the rear, were upon the left, between the command and
 
 150 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 Atlanta. The road wound along through the woods, and it was 
 thought the enemy might lie in ambush. The Ninety-Second 
 flankers were to draw the fire and engage the attention of the en- 
 emy, while the command got ready for action. Stumbling over 
 logs, scratched and torn by briars, often entangled in the wild 
 vines, the Regiment struggled along; but the toil and fatigue to 
 both men and horses was very great. They were obliged to keep 
 up with the column marching rapidly on a smooth road. In that 
 toilsome manner the Regiment marched until it neared Flint 
 River. Here the Rebels were massed to dispute the further 
 march of the command. Our artillery was placed in position. 
 The Chicago Board of Trade and the Tenth Wisconsin batteries 
 for a while threw their shells lively. A shell storm rained upon 
 the Rebels, while the command charged them in front. This was 
 more than they could endure. They broke and fled in wild dis- 
 order. The command then crossed the river, and moved into 
 Jonesboro. The road they were after was reached. 
 
 It was Friday evening. The sun had set. The torch had been 
 applied to the' depot, and all public buildings, and verv soon the 
 little town was a sea of fire, and the heavens lurid with the flames 
 of the burning buildings. No time to wait no time to eat no 
 time to rest the whole command fell to work. No railroad track 
 was ever more effectually torn up, or faster. The railroad ties 
 were piled up and set on fire, soon becoming burning log heaps; 
 the iron rails were then laid on them, and when they showed a 
 white heat in the center, the rails were twisted like an auger. 
 Sometimes the men would seize the iron rails by the ends, after 
 they were red-hot in the center, and bend them around the trees 
 in ox-bow shape. The destruction of the railway track M'ent con- 
 tinuously and rapidly forward until about eleven o'clock at night, 
 when a Rebel brigade of infantry made a bold attack from the 
 south. The Ninety-Second was ordered to leave their work of 
 destroying railroad, and double-quick to the point of action. The 
 men had not time to don their blue jackets, which they had thrown 
 off in the hot, fiery work of destroying the track; but, seizing 
 their trusty Spencers, and leaving their horses, they dashed for- 
 ward on foot to the point of attack. The cavalry were giving 
 way under the heavy fire. The Ninety-Second rushed in, stum- 
 bling over the dead cavalrymen that lay along the line, and, in 
 obedience to orders, the Ninety-Second laid down. The darkness 
 of the night showed sheets of flame rolling toward them from the 
 guns of the enemy. The men of the Ninety-Second gave them
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 151 
 
 better than they sent. They pumped fire at the enemy in volleyed 
 thunder from their repeating rifles. The Ninety-Second alone 
 against a brigade of four or five thousand Rebel infantry ! The 
 Ninety-Second checked the advance of the enemy, and held them 
 at bay for nearly three hours. The balance of the command 
 worked faithfully, destroying the track, while the enemy were be- 
 ing thus held. Lieutenant G. R. Skinner, of Company D, a 
 Brigade staff officer, came up to Major Woodcock, in command 
 of the Ninety-Second, with orders for the Regiment to fall back a 
 few rods to a rail barricade, built for them by the cavalry. He 
 remarked, " I do not see how men can live any length of time 
 under such a fire." The Regiment noiselessly fell back to the 
 barricade, as ordered. After a while, the enemy slackened up 
 their fire; but a broken sputtering of shots showed them still in 
 front, but afraid to advance. To the north of the town, the loud 
 scream of locomotives and the heavy rumbling of trains could be 
 heard. Kilpatrick's men knew that regiments of Rebel infantry 
 from Atlanta were being hurried toward them as fast as possible. 
 The men of the Ninety-Second were so overcome with fatigue, 
 that it was almost impossible for them to keep awake. The officers 
 moved up and down the line, shaking the men, charging them 
 that their own lives, and the lives of the men of the command, 
 depended upon their keeping awake. About three o'clock A. M., 
 on Saturday morning, the twentieth, orders came to Major Wood- 
 cock to keep his men in position fifteen minutes longer, when, 
 without noise, the men were to fall rapidly back to their horses, 
 mount, and follow after the command. The Regiment saw the rest 
 of the command mount and move away. For fifteen minutes longer 
 they held the Rebels; then, as ordered, the Regiment moved 
 noiselessly back, mounted, and rode rapidly until they overtook 
 the rear of the column. Many cavalrymen lay upon the ground 
 insensible with fatigue and sound asleep. The Ninety-Second 
 men tried to rouse them, told them of their danger, and tried to 
 get them to move with the command; but they were as immov- 
 able as statues, and, in a few minutes afterward, were picked up 
 by the Rebels. Alycrah W. Latham, of Company K, was shot 
 through the heart; several of the boys were wounded. The com- 
 mand moved rapidly east of the railroad until it struck a road 
 leading to Lovejoy Station ; into it the command filed, and toward 
 Lovejoy they marched. When near an extensive cornfield, the 
 command halted for half an hour, and the jaded animals were 
 given a feed of green corn. Then the command mounted and
 
 152 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 moved on to Lovejoy, where it commenced tearing up the rail- 
 road track, but a swarm of Rebel infantry drove the men from the 
 work. The command retraced its steps, but, after inarching four 
 or five miles, masses of Rebel infantry were found in its front. 
 The Rebels had been run down from Atlanta in the cars during 
 the night. The road led through a very large open field. In the 
 field the command was hemmed in; dense columns of Rebel in- 
 fantry and cavalry surrounded the Yankees. In this situation, 
 the command fought until three o'clock P. M. The Ninety-Sec- 
 ond had been frequently double-quicked on foot from point to 
 point of the field. The enemy's fire began to converge from all 
 directions. The^Rebels thought they could bag Kilpatrick, as 
 they had done Stoneman. In front, the Rebel artillery played 
 upon the men. To the right, to the left, and in rear of their artil- 
 lery, gray lines of Rebel infantry were stationed, with bristling 
 bayonets. " Surrender to. the Rebs? Never!" was the exclama- 
 tion of the men, uttered between their grinding teeth. Kilpatrick 
 formed his men for the charge in several columns, four horsemen 
 abreast in each column. The bugles sounded the charge. Men's 
 faces became rigid with determination ; thousands of sabres glit- 
 tered in the sunlight. The flashing sabres were a magnificent 
 sight. The sky resounded with the cheers of the men; the horses 
 caught the spirit of their riders, and were wild with excitement; 
 and away the columns flew toward the enemy. They ran over 
 the Rebel artillery, sabering the gunners, who gallantly stood by 
 their guns. They rode down the Rebel infantry, their lines van- 
 ishing like magic. Some of them rallied, and charged for the 
 Tenth Wisconsin Battery, and the captured Rebel batten', which 
 were in the care of the Ninety-Second. The Ninety-Second men 
 wheeled into line, and volleyed the charging Rebels with their 
 Spencers. The Rebels broke in confusion, and fled in consterna- 
 tion. In the charge, (Captain William B. Mayer, of Company F, 
 was wounded; several of the men were hit, but none had mortal 
 wounds. 
 
 Having captured the Rebel artillery, three battle flags, and 
 many prisoners, the command moved east about three miles, and 
 halted. Kilpatrick ordered a detail, to be made from each com- 
 pany of the command, to go to the adjacent fields for corn for 
 the animals. A regiment was thrown on the road, in the rear of 
 the command, as a picket guard. The detailed men had not 
 reached the corn-fields, before a heavy volley was fired into the 
 rear guard. The Rebel infantrv had rallied, and were in pursuit.
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS: 153 
 
 The bugles sounded recall. The men hastened back to their 
 horses; the command mounted, and were away, on the McDon- 
 ough Road. They reached McDonough, the county-seat of 
 Henry County, about five o'clock P. M. The heavens grew sud- 
 denly dark with clouds. It commenced to rain. The rain soon 
 poured in torrents. It seemed as if the very flood-gates of 
 the heavens had broken loose. The command moved through 
 the town, taking the road northward toward Covington. Captain 
 M. Van Buskirk, of Company E, and Captain Harvey M. Timms, 
 of Company A, and Captain Horace J. Smith, of Company B, 
 with their companies; were ordered to move rapidly, in advance 
 of the whole command, to South River, a branch of the Ocmul- 
 gee, seize the bridge, and hold it until the command crossed. 
 On reaching the bridge, they found it in possession of a detach- 
 ment of Rebel cavalry. The boys charged them, and drove them 
 from the bridge, as they were attempting to burn it. It was 
 already on fire, but the boys soon extinguished the flames. The 
 darkness had become intense. The column crossed a small 
 stream, and halted. An Orderly, from head-quarters, came 
 along and said to the Ninety-Second : " You will go in there to 
 the left, and await further orders." The Regiment did as di- 
 rected; they tound themselves in a plowed field, flooded with 
 water by the rain tempest; mud and water were nearly knee deep. 
 Some- of the men, through sheer exhaustion, sank down in the 
 mud and water, and were soon asleep, and oblivious to suffering; 
 others stood up, and held their horses that dark, chilly night 
 through. Next morning, no sooner had faint streaks of light in 
 the East indicated the approach of day, than the command rc- 
 su-med its march. After crossing South River, on the bridge 
 saved by the boys of companies E, A, and B, the bridge was 
 effectually destroved. The column moved on, until it reached 
 another branch of the Ocnuilgee, called Cotton River. There 
 was no bridge. The heavy rains had swollen the stream, so that 
 it overflowed its banks, and its angry flood whirled madly along 
 its channel. The ford was dangerous; and, for some eighty feet, 
 the horses must swim. Kilpatrick, on the opposite bank, stood 
 shouting to the men, ordering them to " let go the bridle rein?, 
 and let the horses guide themselves." The horses, snorting, and 
 breasting the flood, swam admirably. A frightened rider would 
 seize the bridle, and attempt to guide his horse; the horse would 
 turn up on his side, and away horse and rider would go, whirled 
 along by the angry flood. The command was a long time in
 
 154 'NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 crossing. In the swollen stream were lost the ammunition train, 
 one piece of artillery, and several ambulances, and a number of 
 horses were drowned. The ambulance in which Captain William 
 B. Mayer, of Company F, was riding, after he had been wounded, 
 was lost in Cotton River; and the Captain came near losing his 
 life in the water, but caught hold of a limb of a tree, and kept his 
 head above water until rescued. Every man and horse had a 
 cold bath. They were as wet as drowned rats, from the rain, 
 when they went in; but the bath washed away the mud. 
 
 The column moved in the direction of Lithonia, a station on 
 the Georgia Railroad, east of Atlanta. About three o'clock i# 
 the afternoon, it being the Sabbath, a lot of carriages and buggies 
 were met, leaded with ladies and gentlemen, returning from 
 church. They were halted; and the horses instantly entered the 
 service of Uncle Sam. Ladies and old men, clad in their Sun- 
 day suits, sat in their horseless carriages, in the center of the 
 road, demurely inspecting the Yankees as they passed. As the 
 Ninetv- Second moved by, the utmost courtesy was manifested 
 toward the unfortunates. Only one boy addressed them. To a 
 dark-haired young lady, of about eighteen, he said : " Sissy, are 
 you in favor of our Union?" She responded only by a shake of 
 her curls, and a flash of her black eyes. Lithonia Station was 
 reached at dark. The Ninety-Second was ordered into line east 
 of the railroad, and directed to act as a picket. It commenced to 
 rain again, and poured down the entire night through. 
 
 On Monday morning early, the command resumed its march, 
 moving along the railroad in the direction of Atlanta. The 
 heavens had cleared lip, and the 'blue sky was once more 
 visible. The sun shone brightly. About noon, the column 
 halted near a large corn-field; the horses were fed. No Rebels 
 were in sight. Large fires were made of cedar rails, and the 
 boys doffed their clothes, wrung out the water, and hung them up 
 by the fires to dry. Some of the boys, who were not Free Ma- 
 sons, having a great respect for the Order (as they said\ had taken 
 some of the masonic clothing from the burning Masonic Hall at 
 Jonesboro, consisting of little aprons highly ornamented with gold 
 and silver bullion, which they tied on, and marched around in a 
 circle, saying it was in commemoration of old father Adam, who 
 was partial to that, kind of a dress, except that his apron was made 
 of fig-leaves instead of rich cloth, adorned with the precious 
 metals. 
 After a little rest, the command moved, passing Stone Moun-
 
 NINBTT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 155 
 
 tain on their right, a rocky peak that rises, solitary and grand, 
 above the surrounding plain. On reaching Decatur, the advance 
 struck a body of Rebel cavalry. A few volleys sent them flying 
 toward Atlanta. After marching to a point midway between 
 Decatur and Atlanta, the column moved on a road northward, 
 and soon reached the picket line on the left of Sherman's army. 
 The Ninety-Second was warmly welcomed by Wilder's brigade, to 
 which it had formerly belonged. It was about five o'clock P. M. 
 Worn out, and burning with fever, from loss of sleep, the men 
 sank upon the ground in heavy slumber, and were not disturbed 
 until nine o'clock the next morning. Kilpa '.rick's Division then 
 inarched to its old encampment, on the right of Sherman's army, 
 on the banks of the Chattahoochfee, having made a complete cir- 
 cuit around both the Confederate and United States Armies. 
 
 On August twenty-fifth, with three days' rations, the Ninety- 
 Second marched, at sundown, six miles, toward West Point, and 
 lay in line of battle all night. At noon, on the twenty-sixth, the 
 Regiment marched back to camp at Sandtown. At eleven 
 o'clock at night, orders came to march at twelve o'clock ; drew 
 rations, and marched, at midnight, to same point occupied the 
 night previous. At noon next day, crossed the creek, and marched 
 six miles, skirmishing with the enemy, and threw up barricades. 
 The country was poor, and forage for animals scarce, but sweet 
 potatoes were plenty, to go with and save the hard-tack and 
 bacon- The firing was continuous all night. The morning of 
 the twenty-eight broke in perfect calm, neither party attacking. 
 The Regiment moved at seven A. M., traveling down the Mont- 
 gomery Railroad, and soon found the enemy in force. The 
 Ninety-Second was dismounted, and advanced one mile up the 
 railroad track, toward Atlanta, getting an occasional shell from 
 the Rebel artillery, the enemy retreating. After a while, the 
 Yankee artillery was brought into requisition, and silenced the 
 Rebel guns. The line of battle of the Regiment extended across 
 the railroad track, and rail barricades had been thrown up, when 
 the infantry relieved the Ninety-Second. Four of the Ninety- 
 Second men were wounded by the Rebel artillery. The Regi- 
 ment mounted, and moved down the railroad. The Regiment 
 was again dismounted, and moved farther down the railroad, to 
 hold the front in that direction, until the other regiments built 
 barricades. Here the Regiment remained until ten o'clock P. M., 
 constantly under fire, but they gave the enemy so careful atten- 
 tion that they dared not advance; moved back to the barricades,
 
 t$6 N1NRTT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 and held them until two hours after daylight the next morning, 
 when the Ninety-Second was again relieved by the infantry, and 
 ordered back to the horses ; and to remain ready to march at the 
 bugle call, and remained saddled all day. Eight miles of the rail- 
 road was utterly destroyed, rails burned and twisted around 
 trees and telegraph poles, in fantastic shapes, and the ties 
 burned up. At night, the Ninety-Second was ordered on 
 picket duty, holding the skirmish line all night. The cavalry did 
 good service in building barricades, but their carbines, pistols, and 
 sabres were not worth a cent for fighting; and, of course, the 
 Ninety-Second, with their long-range repeating rifles, did the 
 fighting and dangerous duty for the Division. The post of danger 
 was the post of honor, and the Ninety-Second always held it. 
 At seven o'clock, on the morning of August thirtieth, 1864, the 
 Ninety-Second moved on the road toward Jonesboro, having the 
 advance of the Armv of the Tennessee. General Howard was in 
 command of that army, General Logan commanding the fif- 
 teenth corps. The Ninety-Second skirmished with the enemv 
 constantly, driving them easily until it reached Bethsaida Church, 
 where, beyond an open field, the enemy were massed behind a 
 long line of works. Generals Logan and Kilpatrick reconnoi- 
 tered the 'position. Kilpatrick said: "Logan, throw forward 
 some of vour infantry, an-:! charge them out." Logan said : " Kil- 
 patrick, you are a charging man ; charge yourself." The order 
 then came to the Ninety-Second : " With the Regiment on 
 horseback, you will charge those works, and drive out the Rebs." 
 The question was asked : " May we not charge on foot, as we 
 are accustomed to?" The reply was: "You will charge on 
 horseback." Kilpatrick wished to show his cavalry. The Ninety- 
 Second men will remember how hard it was to wheel the horses 
 into line in that tangled wild wood, beneath a galling fire, the 
 bullets rattling like hail against the trees. Some of the men 
 shouted: "Let us charge on foot." The reply was: " No, we 
 are ordered to charge on horse." The command was given 
 " forward." Like wild mad-caps, the Ninetv-Second dashed over 
 that field, and threw their horses against the works; they brought 
 their Spencers down, and pumped fire into that living mass; 
 stricken with fear, the enemy fled. The ground along the works 
 was strown with Rebel dead and dying. Some prisoners were 
 taken. One boy, of Company I, in his excitement, sprung from 
 his horse upon the hack of a big Johnny, and, grabbing him by 
 the collar, dragged him over the works, and, leading him up to
 
 NINETr-SECOND ILLINOIS. 157 
 
 Captain Becker, said: "Cap, here's a prisoner; what shall I 
 do with him ?" Captain Becker said : " Take him back to the 
 rear." Boy said : " I have not time, Cap ; you take him 
 back; I want to go for another!" This charge cost the Ninety- 
 Second valuable lives, although the Rebels lost ten to our one. 
 Here Lieutenant Dawson, of Company H, was mortally wounded, 
 than whom a better, braver soldier never lived. His loss to Com- 
 pany H, and to the Regiment, was irreparable. His body sleeps 
 bv the Chattahoochee; but his noble, daring spirit finds rest in the 
 soldier's paradise. 
 
 The Regiment moved forward again on the Jonesboro Road, 
 until it reached a valley, where it was ordered to halt. Here the 
 Regiment witnessed a splendid artillery duel. On the range of 
 hills east of the Regiment was Rebel artillery; on a western sum- 
 mit our batteries were in position. We were midway between 
 the two. It was a grand scene to witness. White wreaths of 
 smoke curled upward from the guns, white wreaths from the 
 bursting shells; Rebel shot howled over us; our shells went 
 screaming over us back again. Thunder answered to thunder, 
 peai to peal, crash to crash ! Earth fairly shook. Our boys beat. 
 The Rebel gunners limbered up, and rumbled away. Onward 
 we moved, still toward Jonesboro. We marched until we reached 
 Flint River Valley, about two miles from town. As we looked 
 down from the hill we saw the river, a bridge spanning it; Rebel 
 ranks were guarding the bridge, and about to destroy it. " For- 
 ward, the Ninety-Second!" was the order. "Charge the Rebs, 
 save the bridge ! " At our request, we charged on foot. On the 
 run the Ninety-Second went in, cheer upon cheer uttered as the 
 men dashed upon the Rebs. They could not stand the blaze of 
 the Ninety-Second Spencers; they fled. The bridge was saved. 
 As the Ninety-Second was returning to their horses, they met 
 Generals Howard and Osterhaus. General Howard said : " Boys, 
 that was a splendid charge ; you are a noble Regiment." Oster- 
 haus said: "Das ist ein goot Regiment; dey trills de infantry 
 irill." Each man in the Ninety-Second, after those compliments, 
 felt as big as a full-fledged Major General ; and thev had a right 
 to feel thus, for they were good, brave, noble boys. Had they 
 been ordered to charge into the very jaws of death, they would 
 have done it. As soon as mounted, Kilpatrick said: "Captain 
 Estes will accompany you, and give you my orders." The Ninety- 
 Second moved down the hill, and as it was crossing the bridge, 
 Estes said to an infantry Colonel who stood bv : " Colonel, the
 
 158 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 cavalry will beat the infantry. We are going right into Jones- 
 boro." We made a right turn as we crossed the bridge, and 
 marched down the left bank of the river. The shades of night 
 were falling. The Ninety -Second had marched and fought the 
 blessed day through no rest, no dinner, no coffee or little hard- 
 tack. After moving about a mile and a half down the river, the 
 Regiment came to a swale; it was getting quite dark. Some of 
 the men said: "Yonder are the Rebels ! I see their line; there 
 are hundreds and hundreds of them." Estes replied : " It's a 
 d d lie ; there's not a Rebel between us and Jonesboro." As the 
 Regiment crossed the swale, and reached the foot of a hill, a roll- 
 ing volley of musketry greeted it. Estes said : " The General 
 directs that you dismount your command, charge the hill, take it, 
 and hold it." He then moved rapidly to the rear. In advance of 
 the rest of our Division, we knew not how far, the line of the 
 Rebel army running -across the top of that hill, the Ninety-Sec- 
 ond alone was ordered to charge the hill, take and hold it. Great 
 God, what a task ! " Prepare to fight on foot," was the order. 
 
 " Was there a man dismayed? 
 Not tho' the soldier knew 
 Some one had blundered; 
 Theirs not to make reply, 
 Theirs not to reason why ; 
 Theirs but to do and die. 
 Into the Valley of Death 
 Rode the Six Hundred." 
 
 " Forward ! " was the command. How like demons the Ninety- 
 Second fought its wav up that hill. Terrible was the roll of its 
 Spencers. The incessant, unbroken fire of the Ninety-Second 
 guns the Rebs, though ten to one, could not withstand. Dis- 
 mayed, they recoiled and fled back to the foot of the hill. " Lie 
 down!" was the order. The Ninety-Second obeved. How 
 closely, how lovingly the men hugged old mother earth ; had they 
 not done it, there would probably have been but one reunion of 
 the Ninety-Second, and that beyond the skies for fire to the 
 right of them, fire in front of them, fire to the left of them, volleyed 
 and flamed ! Should the men of the Ninety-Second live until 
 they are wrinkled and gray, they will never forget the terrible 
 hissing, whistling, and whizzing of bullets above them. It seemed 
 as if ten thousand colonies of bees were let loose in the trees about 
 them. One, two and three different messengers were sent back
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 159 
 
 with the word, " We hold the hill, send us reinforcements or fur- 
 ther orders." The Division had come up. The balance of the 
 Brigade tried to form on the left of the Ninety-Second, but could 
 not; had the balance of the Brigade succeeded, a general engage- 
 ment of the two armies would have ensued. Orders came " Fall 
 back." 
 
 " Stormed at with shot and shell, 
 
 While horse and hero fell, 
 
 They that had fought so well 
 
 Came thro' the jaws of Death, 
 
 Back from the mouth of Hell, 
 
 All that was left of them." 
 
 One-fifth of the number engaged were killed or wounded, and 
 nearly all while lying flat upon the ground. In this fight Lieu- 
 tenant Sam mis was twice wounded, one wound crippling him for 
 life. It was midnight before the Ninety-Second sank to rest on 
 the ground. Thus ended an eventful day in the history of the 
 Ninetj'-Second Regiment. A day or two after, General Howard 
 issued an order to Kilpatrick, complimenting him for the brilliant 
 diversion made by the cavalry on his right, which enabled him to 
 get his men into line without firing a gun. The brilliant diver- 
 sion referred to was made by the Ninety-Second Illinois Regi- 
 ment, and by that Regiment alone. 
 
 The following is the list of killed and wounded : In Company 
 D, Lieutenant Oscar F. Sammis, twice severely wounded. In 
 Company B, Lieutenant H. C. Cooling, wounded. In Company 
 H, Lieutenant William H. Dawson, mortally wounded. In Com- 
 pany D, private John Reed, severely wounded in side ; private 
 Stephen B. Lowe, slightly wounded in foot; private Augustus 
 Johnson, severely wounded; private Walter Scott, killed. In 
 Company G, Corporal James M. Phillips, wounded; Corpo- 
 ral William Backe, wounded ; private John J. Smith, se- 
 verely wounded ; private David Grossman, severely wound- 
 ed ; private Christopher Houser, wounded ; Corporal John 
 F. Spalding, wounded; Corporal William Dougherty, wound- 
 ed. In Company C, Corporal William Johnson, severely 
 wounded ; private Thomas D. Oakley, wounded and taken pris- 
 oner. In Company H, private Squire Diamond, killed; private 
 James W. Burton, severely wounded; private Harvey Schermer- 
 horn, severely wounded. In Company A, private John Deniouis, 
 severely wounded; private Allen Rand, wounded ; private Michael
 
 i6o NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 Wcndling, wounded. In Company E, private Edward Crawford, 
 severely wounded, arm amputated; private Joseph McElhiney, 
 wounded. In Company K, private Augustus Stalhout, killed. 
 
 At three o'clock, on the morning of the thirty-first of August, 
 the Ninety-Second was ordered to cross to the other side of Flint 
 River, which it did, and rested until ten o'clock A. M., when the 
 Regiment mounted and moved south four or five miles, and then 
 moved eastwardly, toward Harris's Bridge. Before reaching the 
 bridge, the Regiment was halted, and horses were fed from a corn- 
 field. The Regiment, with the Cavalry Division, was then on 
 the right of General Howard's army corps. About two o'clock 
 P. M., the corps of the Confederate Generals Stephen D. Lee and 
 Hardee moved out of their works at Jonesboro, and attacked Gen- 
 era! Howard fiercely ; but Howard was prepared for them, and in the 
 contest that ensued the slaughter of the enemy was fearful. The 
 battle lasted for two hours. The thunder of artillery and roar of 
 musketry reminded the Ninety-Second of Chicamauga. A por- 
 tion of the cavalry of Kilpatrick's Division were beyond the field 
 in which the Ninety-Second was resting and feeding their horses, 
 and, when the Rebel infantry charged, the cavalry broke and re- 
 treated in confusion. As a matter of course, when our cavalry 
 came skedaddling back, the Ninety-Second was ordered forward 
 on foot, on the double-quick. The Regiment deployed in the 
 edge of open oak woods, under a galling fire, arid met the gray- 
 coated Confederate infantry charging across an open field in their 
 front The Ninety-Second- opened upon them with their Spencer 
 Repeating Rifles, and with terrible effect. The enemy could not 
 stand the unremitting, and cool and steady fire from the Spencers 
 of the Ninety-Second; they faltered in their charge; they broke; 
 in confusion the gray-coats fell back to some scattering timber, 
 and there kept up a desultory fire upon the Ninety-Second. The 
 Regiment had soon thrown up a barricade: but the enemy did 
 not again venture a charge. In their first charge and retreat, sev- 
 eral hundred Rebels had fallen before the Spencer Rifles of the 
 Ninety-Second. Several of the Ninety-Second were wounded, 
 among whom were Charles Ames, of Company B, making him a 
 cripple for life. George Walters, one of the Color Guard, was 
 wounded, but would not leave the Old Flag until after the fight 
 was over. A bullet struck the gun of Albert Bissel, of Company 
 K, passed between the stock and barrel of his gun, then struck 
 him on the forehead, and traversed the upper part of the cranium, 
 laying open the scalp. " Bert," after picking himself up, coolly
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 161 
 
 tied up his bleeding head with his handkerchief, and continued to 
 fight. 
 
 After Howard's corps had given the enemy a general repulse, 
 the Ninety-Second moved back three miles with the Cavalry 
 Division, and camped. On the morning of the first of Septem- 
 ber, the Ninety-Second moved out, at seven o'clock A. M., taking 
 a road that had been cut through the woods, and which led to the 
 river. On reaching the river, at Anthony's Bridge, the Regi- 
 ment halted. The enemy was in heavy force on the other side. 
 The Ninety-Second dismounted, and soon threw up breastworks, 
 behind which the Regiment lay, skirmishing with the gray-coats. 
 The battery of the Cavalry Division did some splendid firing, 
 dropping their shell into the midst of the enemy. Griffin, one of 
 Kilpatrick's dare-devil scouts, mounted into a tree above the 
 Regiment, where he could get a fair sight. Whenever a shell 
 from our battery did fine execution, Griffin would sing out, " That 
 whoops 'em; hit 'em again." Just as the shades of evening 
 began to fall, the Seventeenth army corps, led by Major General 
 Frank P. Blair, moved up, relieving the Ninety-Second, and the 
 balance of the Cavalry Division. The Regiment then moved 
 back about two miles, and bivouaced, for the night, in a peach 
 orchard. During the night, while the Ninety-Second lay bivou* 
 acing there in the peach orchard, heavy explosions of magazines 
 were heard in the direction of Atlanta, and it was rightly con- 
 jectured that the enemy were evacuating that Rebel stronghold. 
 On the second of September, the Ninety-Second was in the 
 saddle early, and moved still farther to the right of Sherman's 
 army, skirmishing constantly with the enemy. *At ten o'clock 
 
 A. M., the Colonel rode up to the head of the Ninety-Second, and 
 assumed command. He was greeted with cheers by the men. 
 Soon afterward, General Kilpatrick, at a house by the road-side, 
 called to the Colonel, and said: " The Ninety-Second is tempo- 
 rarily detached from Colonel Murray's brigade, and you wil!^ 
 report directly to, and receive your orders directly from, Division 
 head-quarters. Glass's Bridge is about two miles ahead, and I 
 want you to take it; don't let. the enemy burn it; now go for it, 
 Atkins." The Ninety-Second moved out in advance of the 
 Division; Company F, under the command of Captain William 
 
 B. Mayer, and Company C, under the command of Lieutenant 
 George P. Sutton two as gallant and brave officers as ever drew 
 sabres, with companies as gallant were in advance, with orders 
 from the Colonel to charge, on the dead rvin, Glass's Bridge, and 
 
 20
 
 162 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 take it, if it was possible. The advance moved on. Silently the 
 Regiment followed. Soon there was a volley, then a shout ; the 
 two companies dashed gallantly forward. The enemy were not 
 prepared for so sudden and brave an attack, and, although they 
 had partially destroyed the bridge, it was saved. The flooring 
 had been removed, and preparations for firing the balance made; 
 but the fire was extinguished. The Regiment soon came up. 
 Plunging into Flint River, it crossed. A detail to repair the 
 bridge set to work. Company B, a gallant company, under com- 
 mand of as gallant an officer as ever mounted, Captain Horace 
 J. Smith, was sent toward Lovejoy's Station, on a road to the left, 
 and the balance of the Regiment moved forward on the direct 
 road, and, after marching about two miles, the Regiment halted 
 to feed animals; but the men had scarcely dismounted, when 
 word came that Captain Smith had struck the enemy in heavy 
 force; in fact, he had run into the camps of the Rebel cavalry 
 guarding that flank of the Rebel army ; he was hotly pushed back, 
 the enemy being in overwhelming force; and the Ninety-Second 
 must rapidly return, to be able to keep from being cut off from 
 Glass's Bridge. " Boot and saddle" was sounded from Regiment 
 head-quarters; the Ninety-Second men vaulted into their saddles, 
 and it was n. dead race to get back to Glass's Bridge and cross 
 before the enemy held the road. Company B fought like Tro- 
 jans; they apparently appreciated the stake they were fighting for; 
 and falling back, inch by inch, from barricade to barricade, they 
 held the overwhelming forces opposing them. The bridge had 
 been repaired, and Companies A and E, as soon as over the bridge, 
 were dismounted, and sent on the road towards Lovejoy's, to 
 relieve Company B, that had so gallantly held the road for the 
 Regiment to make good its escape by recrossing Flint River. 
 As soon as across the Flint, the Regiment dismounted, and sent 
 its horses to the rear. Company B, under the command of Cap- 
 tain Smith, passed through Companies A and E, and dismounted, 
 and, sending their horses to the rear, joined the line of battle of 
 the Regiment. The bridge was at an elbow in Flint River. The 
 Regiment threw up a barricade, or breastwork, of rails, old logs, 
 anything to stop a rifle-ball ; and the Regiment, in elbow shape, 
 laid down behind their temporary breastworks in line of battle. 
 The enemy came up in strong force, and attempted to dislodge 
 the Regiment with musketry ; they brought up their artillery. 
 Two Yankee batteries fired over the Regiment, and the shell. 
 iron? Yankee and Rebel artillery, screaming over-therh, made the
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 163 
 
 men hug the ground. The Rebel artillery was silenced. An 
 attempt by the Rebels was made to cross the river, on the left of 
 the Ninety-Second, but it was repulsed. Five horses were killed 
 by the Rebel artillery. After dark, leaving a company on duty 
 at the bridge, the Regiment moved back beyond the hill, and 
 bivouaced for the night. Lieutenant Frost, of Company A, a 
 faithful and brave officer, was wounded. The next day, the Di- 
 vision lay still, listening to the infantry firing, which was con- 
 tinuous and heavy. At ten P. M., the Division marched, the 
 Ninety-Second covering the rear. It crossed the bridge, and 
 silently moved along the sandy road, skirting the left of the Rebel 
 infantry, and joined the blue-coats on the right of Sherman's 
 army. After the command had crossed, the Ninety-Second 
 destroyed the bridge, and followed the command. It was a dan- 
 gerous march. Had the Rebel infantry discovered the movement, 
 it could not have been made. It was so quietly accomplished, in 
 the middle of the night, that it was not discovered, and the whole 
 Cavalry Division was placed on the east side of Flint River, and 
 safely in rear of Sherman's right. The next day, the Regiment 
 lay all day saddled up, and expecting orders, but none came. 
 The rain poured down. On the night of September first, the 
 enemy abandoned Atlanta, and, on the morning of the second, 
 General Slocum, commanding the Twentieth corps, entered that 
 city. On the fifth, General Sherman directed his army to cease 
 the pursuit of the Confederate army, and return to Atlanta, to 
 recuperate and rest, after its incessant campaign of four months. 
 The object of the summer's campaign had been attained. At 
 night, fires were kindled as usual ; but as soon as darkness had 
 settled down, the infantry silently withdrew, and took the road to 
 Atlanta, the cavalry remaining some hours afterward, when it 
 also withdrew, the Ninety-Second bringing up the rear. The 
 night was pitchy dark. After marching a few miles, it was found 
 that about half the Regiment had become separated from the 
 advance, and was marching alone, on a road leading to Flint 
 River. It was overtaken, came to an about face, pushed back to 
 the cross-roads, where it had taken the wrong direction. The 
 enemv had now discovered the movement, and his skirmishers 
 had just reached the road. A few volleys held him until the 
 Ninety-Second passed, and joined the advance. About three A. 
 M., of September sixth, the Regiment crossed Flint River, two 
 miles west of Jonesboro, where it bivouaced, guarding -the bridge 
 all dav. The Rebel infantry showed themselves in light force, but
 
 164 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 made no attempt to take the bridge. On the morning of the 
 seventh, a few shells were tossed towards Jonesboro, occupied by 
 the Rebels. The bridge across Flint River was destroyed, and 
 the Division marched to a point, 'on the Montgomery and West 
 Point Railroad, south-west of Atlanta, the enemy following, 
 lightly skirmishing, with the Ninety-Second holding the rear. 
 Camped at night, with no rations for the men, and no forage for 
 the animals. Marched, early on the eighth, to Mt. Gilead 
 Church, ten miles south-west of Atlanta, and camped. One day's 
 rations were issued. A soldier, in his diary, writes : " We were 
 all very hungry ; some of us have not had a mouthful of food for 
 the last three days." The next day, the ninth of September, 
 three days' rations were issued; the Regimental wagon-train 
 came up; permanent camp was established ; the summer's cam- 
 paign was ended, and the army was at rest.
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 No REST OFF AGAIN, AFTER HOOD POWDER SPRINGS- 
 DRAWING THE ENEMY'S FIRE PICKING OUT A FARM 
 VAN WERT-^WASHING FOR GOLD IN THE GOLD MINES 
 MARIETTA GETTING READY FOR THE GREAT MARCH 
 THE START BEAR CREEK PONTOONS DESCRIBED FEINT- 
 ING ON FORSYTH AND MACON CREWS'S REBEL BRIGADE 
 
 SCATTERED REPULSING THE ENEMY NEAR MACON SHER- 
 MAN'S BUMMERS MILLEDGEVILLE ' BLOWED UP" HOLD- 
 ING THE REAR AGAINST WHEELER AND HAMPTON RE- 
 PULSING THE REBEL CAVALRY NEAR BUCKHEAD CREEK 
 RESTING AT LOUISVILLE, GEORGIA DESTROYING RAIL- 
 ROADS THE BATTLE OF WAYNESBORO CAPTURING A 
 REBEL MAJOR A NEGRO BOY'S GRAVE COVERING THE 
 REAR OF THE I4TH A. C. OUR FRIENDS CRUELLY LEFT 
 BEHIND COVERING THE REAR OF THE iyTH A. C. FALL 
 OF FORT MCALLISTER MIDWAY CHURCH DOWN TO THE 
 OCEAN'S EDGE LOCKRIDGE'S CAPTURE AND ESCAPE FALL 
 OF SAVANNAH SHERMAN'S LETTER TO KILPATRICK. 
 
 The rest that the cavalry expected to enjoy was immediately 
 broken. Seven men belonging to the Cavalry Division were 
 captured on the tenth of September, 1864, by the enemy, who 
 commenced feeling our lines. Foraging parties were compelled 
 to go several miles for corn for the animals, and to fight for it 
 when found. A few wagon loads of corn sometimes cost the 
 lives of many men. On Sunday, the eleventh, the bodies of the 
 seven Union soldiers were found, lying together, shot by the 
 Rebels, after they had surrendered ! Their bodies were brought 
 to camp and buried. On the thirteenth, a foraging party, with 
 eighty wagons and four hundred men, went ten miles south-west 
 after corn, skirmishing all the way out and back. On the four- 
 teenth, the Ninety-Second once more turned out for dress-parade. 
 On the sixteenth, there was light picket firing; at night, the Smith 
 D. Atkins Lodge of Free Masons met in an unoccupied house,
 
 i66 N1NETT-SBCOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 and worked on the first, second and third degrees. On the nine- 
 teenth, the Rebels showed themselves in considerable force on the 
 Montgomery and West Point Railroad, near Fairburn's Station, 
 and also on the Chattahoochee, below Sandtown and Campbell- 
 town. On the fourteenth, there was a Brigade Review and In- 
 spection on horseback : at twelve o'clock P. M., the pickets were 
 smartly attacked, and the bugles blew " boot and saddle," but the 
 enemy did not push the attack. At one P. M., on the twenty- 
 first, the Regiment was ordered to send wagon trains, sick men, 
 and debris to Marietta, and march light, at three P. M. ; but the 
 enemy were farther and farther oft", apparently moving around our 
 right flank on Rome. On the twenty-third, a soldier writes in 
 his diary : " Nothing stirring in camp to-dav until evening, when 
 we gathered around Colonel Atkins's quarters and called for a 
 speech. He responded, and the best of feeling prevailed, and loud 
 cheers the result. His speech was divided into two parts the re- 
 lation and standing of the Ninety-Second Regiment, and politics 
 generally. The latter, as well as the former, was handled in a 
 patriotic manner." On the twentv-sixth, there was Brigade In- 
 spection and Review. The two ways of drilling, cavalry on 
 horseback, and infantry on loot, was bothersome, and Colonel 
 Atkins decided to drill the same on horseback and on foot, and 
 this evening, for the first time, dress-parade was held in a single 
 line. The boys did all they could to make the time pass cheer- 
 fully; one writes in his diary: " It has been cheerful in Company 
 B to-night. Frank Crowell is a natural clown, and his presence 
 is always welcome. He soon makes everything merry in a com- 
 pany." On the twenty-seventh, there was Regimental drill on 
 horseback; the pickets were driven in, and one man in Company 
 A was captured. The twenty-eighth was spent in horse-racing, 
 at Division head-quarters. On the twenty-ninth, the Colonel was 
 detailed as President of a Court Martial, at Division head-quar- 
 ters, and Major Woodcock commanded the Regiment. On the 
 thirtieth, a soldier writes in his diary : A beautiful day but no 
 mail. The Rebels are superintending the railroad north of At- 
 lanta, and it begins to looks as if we must soon pull out after the 
 gray -coats again." At one o'clock, in the morning of October first, 
 1864, the tents were struck, the sick and baggage moved to Mari- 
 etta, and at three A. M., the Regiment moved out, under command . 
 of Captain Lyman Preston, Major Woodcock being ill, and Colo- 
 nel Atkins in command of the Brigade. The Division crossed the 
 Chattahoochee, on pontoons, at Sandtown, and marched thirty
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 167 
 
 miles north-west, to Sweetwater. Charles T. Freeguard, of Com- 
 pany G, was transferred to Regimental Adjutant, vice Lawver, re- 
 signed, and Harry G. Fowler, First Sergeant Company G, was 
 promoted to First Lieutenant. 
 
 The next day, the command struck the trail of Hood's army, 
 moving northward. It was evident that he was moving in force, 
 and had protected his army the night previous, by heavy lines of 
 rifle pits. At noon, the Second Brigade, commanded by Colonel 
 Atkins, struck the enemy at a small creek; and the Ninety- 
 Second, dismounting, crossed the creek on fallen trees, and drove 
 a regiment of Rebel cavalry out oi its camp, and captured one 
 Rebel infantryman, a straggler, but furnishing positive proof that 
 the Rebel infantry was on the march northward. At noon, a ford 
 over a creek was found heavily guarded, and the stream swollen. 
 A bridge was constructed, by felling trees in the stream from both 
 banks, lodging the tops on an old fish rack in the middle of the 
 stream, and staking them fast, and piling on rails for a floor- 
 ing. The Third Kentucky and Third Indiana crossed with 
 horses, and the Ninety-Second crossed dismounted. When the 
 hill bevond the stream was reached, a heavy volley greeted the 
 Third Kentucky, which was ordered to charge, and it did it 
 splendidly, driving the Rebels about two miles, where they were 
 found behind strong barricades. The Ninety-Second was held in 
 reserve. The Third Kentucky and Third Indiana were dis- 
 mounted, and the enemy driven from the barricades. Several 
 dead infantrymen were found. Two of the Rebel infantry were 
 captured. Finding the enemy in force, that portion of the Bri- 
 gade which had crossed the stream recrossed, the movement 
 being covered by the Ninety-Second, and the enemy following in 
 strong force. The bridge became insecure, and the skirmishers of 
 the Ninety-Second barely crossed it before it gave way, and the 
 rails floated oft* down the stream. The Division marched three 
 miles towards Marietta, and bivouaced. Moved at daylight, 
 Atkins' Brigade leading, and the Ninety-Second in the advance, 
 and ran into the enemy at Knowles' Creek, a branch of the 
 Sweetwater; drove them, and pushed on to Powder River, near 
 the village of Powder Springs. The bridge was gone, and the 
 Rebels opposite were stubborn. The Ninety-Second men, with their 
 Spencer Rifle';, deployed along the river, and moved to its edge, 
 giving the enemy as good as he sent; and it was not long until 
 the men of the Ninetv-Second had crossed above and below the. 
 bridge, and drove the gray-coats. away. A bridge -was ha.stily con-.
 
 i68 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 structed, and the Ninety-Second, with two cavalry regiments and 
 two pieces of rifled artillery, were crossed. The enemy was 
 pushed from the brow of the hill beyond the stream, when the 
 terrific rain, that fell in sheets, absolutely put a stop to fighting. 
 Beyond an open field, in plain sight, in the edge of a timber belt, 
 was the Rebel line ; but both parties quietly waited for a slack in 
 the torrent of rain. The Ninety-Second, dismounted, was or- 
 dered to wait until two shots from the artillery were fired, then 
 charge across the field. Colonel Atkins put the artillery into 
 position near a house, and again tried his hand at sighting the 
 guns. The Lieutenant of artillery told him that the shot would 
 hit the ground in front of the enemy, and the Colonel replied : 
 " That is just what I wish to do." Around this house, a squad of 
 Rebels had been stationed, firing at our men on the other side of 
 the stream, and Kilpatrick ordered Lieutenant Stetson to let off 
 his guns at the house. Stetson had done so, and his shell went 
 through and through it. The enemy retreated. When Stetson 
 came up to the house with his guns, he went in, and there sat a 
 woman, wounded in the head with a splinter, and in her lap her 
 little child, wounded in the head, also with a piece of a shell; the 
 poor woman was so frightened that she was speechless. The 
 brave Lieutenant was unnerved, and declared that never again 
 should a shell from his section be aimed at a house, unless he 
 first knew that there were no women or children in the house. 
 
 After a while, the rain slackened the guns flashed, and .the 
 Ninety-Second sprang forward to the charge; the enemy fled. 
 By the barricade lay several of the enemy, badly wounded by the 
 artillery, the shots having struck the ground, richocheted, and 
 crashed through the rails of which the barricade was constructed, 
 spreading death in their path. On the Regiment pushed, the 
 enemy falling back, but keeping up a continuous fire. The Rebel 
 artillery sent its shell screaming down the road. The cavalry 
 regiments were ordered up. Close up to the town the Ninety- 
 Second pushed, when word came back that they were close onto 
 long lines of earthworks, filled with gray-coats. The Colonel or- 
 dered the Regiment to halt, and himself dismounted, and advanced 
 to the skirmish line, where he could see the Rebel line of earth- 
 works around the town, stretching far off on both flanks. Private 
 Edward S. Rowe, of Company K, being on the skirmish line, 
 dashed forward, calling out, " Come on, Ninety-Second boys, we 
 can whip them." But the brave fellow was killed a few rods in 
 front of the enemy's line. The Regiment was ordered to main-
 
 NINETY -SECOND ILLINOIS. 169 
 
 tain a strong line, and steadily fall back. The troops slowly re- 
 tired to the crossing over Powder River, but the flood had carried 
 the bridge away. A dozen pieces of Rebel artillery were drop- 
 ping their shell where the bridge had been. The Ninety-Second, 
 holding the rear, was skirmishing heavily with the enemy. The 
 little command could not cross, and it could not whip all of Hood's 
 army, and it could not long remain near that bridge, for the enemy 
 had practiced on it before, and knew the range, and were dropping 
 their shell in the midst of the command at every fire. Above the 
 noise of the bursting shell, the screeching voice of Kilpatrick, on 
 a hill on the other side of the stream, was heard, as he shouted: 
 " Atkins, oh Atkins! put your guns on the hill beyond your right 
 flank, and draw their fire." It was a shrewd Yankee trick, and 
 proved successful. Stetson was ordered to take up position on a 
 hill beyond the right flank of the command, and throw shell at 
 the enemy as fast as he could work his guns. He did so; and 
 soon the enemy, as Kilpatrick expected and hoped they would, 
 turned their guns upon Stetson, and there the brave fellow kept 
 up his fire, drawing the enemy's fire, while the bridge was rebuilt, 
 and the command recrossed Powder River. We had demon- 
 strated in such strong force the Ninety-Second, on foot, which 
 the enemy undoubtedly took for a portion of Sherman's infantry, 
 two regiments of cavalry, and a section of artillery that it is 
 likely that the enemy had no thought that we were recrossing 
 Powder River, but presumed we werfe still deploying our troops 
 to attack them ; Stetson moving out beyond our right flank, and 
 keeping up his artillery fire, was an evidence of it to them. It was 
 fortunate for us, for had the enemy moved out in force from Pow- 
 der Springs before the bridge was rebuilt, they must have crushed 
 all on that side of the stream. Eight men in the Ninety-Second 
 were killed, and many wounded. Among the killed in the Nine- 
 ty-Second were: William F. Campbell, Company B; George 
 Austin, Company D; Thomas J. Aurand, Companv F; James P. 
 Bloss and Edward S. Rowe, of Company K. A large house was 
 occupied for a Brigade hospital, and a detail made to bury the 
 dead. As was the custom, the Doctor examined the dead before 
 burial, and found that private Haggart, of Company G, who had 
 been shot in the head by a musket ball, that went in on one side 
 of his head and out on the other, was still alive. There was no 
 room for him in the hospital, and he was taken into the Colonel's 
 head-quarters, in one of the negro cabins, and a handkerchiei 
 drawn through the wound, under the skull. His limbs were 
 21
 
 tfo MHfETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 rubbed, and, shortly, he opened his eyes. Brandy was adminis- 
 tered, and in an hour he talked. Within a month he was again 
 on duty with his company. But the wound cost him his life long 
 after the close of the war. His brain became inactive, and he 
 gradually sank into the grave. Marched at nine A. M., the Nine- 
 ty-Second in rear of the Division, on the Marietta Road; when 
 within a mile of Marietta, the command turned west, and 
 marched beyond Stone Mountain and toward Altoona Pass; at 
 three P. M., countermarched, and camped south of Marietta. 
 Marched early, eight or ten miles to a cross-road, west of Kenesaw 
 Mountain, and found Ross's brigade of Confederate cavalry had 
 just passed; the command scouted the roads in all directions. 
 Marched toward Powder Springs, and bivouaced, the enemy near 
 us. Lay in camp on the sixth of October. Marched at daylight, 
 next day, and found the Rebel rear guard at Powder Springs vil- 
 lage; skirmished all day, and bivouaced twenty-two miles south- 
 west of Marietta. Marched at midnight, toward Lost Mountain, 
 eighteen miles. October ninth, drew three days' rations, turned 
 out weak animals, and sent them, with all dismounted men, back 
 to the wagon trains. On the tenth, marched at daylight, for Van 
 Wert, and ten miles out ran into Rebel cavalry, and easily drove 
 them to Van Wert, Atkins's Brigade leading. At the edge of the 
 village of Van Wert, the enemy had taken up a strong position, 
 with a long stretch of open, level country in their front. As the 
 leading regiment debouched from the hills, the enemy opened 
 with artillery. Our battery, stationed on a knoll, replied. The 
 Ninety-Second was dismounted, and placed in line of battle on 
 foot. A regiment of cavalry, mounted, was on the right flank, 
 and another on the left. At a walk, the three regiments in line, 
 moved out; then the cavalry regiments began to trot, and soon 
 the charge was sounded, and away the regiments of cavalry went, 
 the Ninety-Second moving forward on foot, in line of battle, at 
 quick time. The enemy limbered up his artillery and fled. Ten 
 prisoners were captured, and several of the cavalrymen killed and 
 wounded, but the Ninety-Second lost none. 
 
 We learned that the town ot Van Wert had been full of Rebel 
 infantry all day, Hood's troops passing through. At dusk, while 
 the Ninety-Second Band was playing, a Rebel band struck up 
 " Dixie," and it sounded as if not half a mile distant. It was in 
 the Rebel infantry camp, west of Van Wert, on the Cedartown 
 Road. From the hill near Van Wert, the camp-fires of the 
 enemy, .stretching miles away, could be seen. Our troops set up
 
 NINBTT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 171 
 
 a cheer, and it was promptly answered in the Rebel camps. 
 During the night, the enemy were feeling our pickets, on all 
 the roads, and it was rumored that we were surrounded, and an 
 attack was expected at daylight. At three A. M., of the eleventh, 
 the whole Division was in line behind barricades, but no attack 
 was made on us. About noon, Companies A, E, and I, dis- 
 mounted, charged the Rebel picket, about a mile west of Van 
 Wert, at Raccoon Creek, and drove them easily, and mounted 
 men followed them several miles, on the Cedartown Road. 
 Marched at eleven A. M., on the twelfth, on the road toward 
 Rome. There was some skirmishing by the Division, but the 
 Ninety-Second was not engaged, being in the advance, and the 
 skirmishing taking place in rear and on the left of the column. 
 It is more disagreeable to march and hear occasional skirmishing, 
 and not be near enough to see and know what is going on, than 
 to be right under the enemy's fire. Marched twelve miles. 
 Company A, on picket, was ordered to send a squad of men 
 around the Rebel picket post, and two miles in its rear, to the 
 house of an old man whom General Kilpatrick wished to talk 
 with, to obtain information of the enemy's movements. The 
 boys of Company A moved around the Rebel picket, and on to 
 the house; found the old man at home, and brought him around 
 the Rebel picket, and took him to Kilpatrick's head-quarters. 
 Marched at daylight, on the thirteenth, toward Rome. Soon 
 struck the Rebel picket; and the Eighth Indiana, under command 
 of Colonel Jones, a dashing officer, and he had a dashing regi- 
 ment, charged them, and drove them handsomely, capturing 
 several prisoners, and many carbines that the enemy had thrown 
 away in their flight. Halted two miles south of Rome, Georgia, 
 on Silver Creek, and fed ; had horses inspected, and weak ones 
 sent to Rome ; when the Ninety-Second returned to the Alabama 
 Road, and followed the enemy, over the range of hills, to the 
 Cave Spring Road, where Sherman's infantry was found in con- 
 siderable force, when the Ninety-Second returned to Silver 
 Creek, and camped. Forage in abundance. The country imme- 
 diately south of Rome is very beautiful. A large mansion stood 
 by the road-side, near the creek; and a Yankee wag, who man- 
 aged to get into conversation with the Southern ladies living 
 there, complimented the country highly, and especially that par- 
 ticular farm ; inquired how many acres there were in it, and had 
 them point out the corners, and where the lines ran around 
 the farm ; then the Yankee sedately drove a stake into the g-round.
 
 I7 N2NETT-SBCOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 Of course, the ladies inquired what he was doing that for, when 
 the Yankee said : " Every Yankee soldier is to have a farm in 
 the South after the war is over, and can pick it out himself; and I 
 have concluded to take this one for mine, and am driving my 
 stake as the evidence of my having decided to take it." The 
 lively manner in which those ladies went for that sedate Yankee 
 with their sharp tongues, was amusing, and was just what the 
 Yankee enjoyed hearing. The boys would stir up the female 
 Rebels, just to hear them talk, like the boys at the menagerie stir 
 up the lions to hear them roar. Marched early on the fourteenth, 
 turning our taces back toward Atlanta. We did not know what 
 it meant to let Hood go marching north, and ourselves turn around 
 and march away from him; but we had confidence that Sherman 
 knew what it meant, and we cheerfully obeyed orders. The Regi- 
 ment passed for miles through the finest pine timber seen in the 
 South, and camped on the Euharlie Creek, a clear, sparkling, 
 swift, rocky-bottom stream, where the Regiment lay in camp the 
 next day, sending scouting parties to Van Wert and Villa Rica. 
 
 At one P. M., of the sixteenth, the command marched to 
 Burnt Hickory, and camped after dark; the enemy on all the 
 roads, forage scarce, and not safe for less than twenty or thirty to 
 go out foraging. Burnt Hickory is like most of the towns in the 
 South, found on the map a cross-roads post-office, only one 
 old log house. Many years before, considerable gold had been 
 found in the vicinity. Captain Schermerhorn, of Company G, 
 on the morning of the seventeenth, took a wash-pan, and went 
 down to the spring, and, washing out a single pan of earth, he 
 procured several beautiful specimens of gold, one specimen as 
 large as a bird shot. Schermerhorn was an old California miner, 
 and said it would prove rich diggings, if every pan of earth would 
 turn out as well. Moved at one P. M., and camped on Raccoon 
 Creek, near Stitesboro. Forage was plenty along the creek. On 
 the eighteenth, Major Woodcock returned, and assumed com- 
 mand of the Regiment. Lay in camp all day. Sent a detail to 
 Van Wert in the night, with orders to go into the town rapidly at 
 daylight, and capture any Rebels they might find there; and the 
 detail captured two Rebel infantrymen, and brought them to 
 camp. Marched, at eleven A. M., through Burnt Hickory, and 
 camped at Dallas, marching thirty miles. Marched early, Ninety- 
 Second in advance, and skirmished lightly with the enemy. Sent 
 scouting parties in all directions; a scouting party, from Company 
 B, captured three Rebels, on the Villa Rica Road. A party, from
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 173 
 
 Company A, went to Flint Hill Church, and learned that Ross's 
 Rebel brigade had crossed there the night previous. On the twon- 
 ty-first, the Regiment marched early, through Dallas and near to 
 Stitesboro, and camped on the Van Wert Road. Captain Scher- 
 merhorn, of Company G, with a detail of thirty men, went to 
 Van Wert, but found only a few scouts of the Rebel cavalry. 
 Lay in camp, on Widow Folk's plantation, until the twenty- 
 seventh, no organized force of the Rebels near us, but the woods 
 full of scouting parties, familiar with ever by-path, and all the 
 citizens ready to give them any information; concealed in the 
 woods, within gun-shot of the road, they would fire a volley, and 
 then scatter and elude us. On the twenty-fifth, the boys cornered 
 a squad, and captured them, and also their horses. On the twenty- 
 sixth, a Rebel crawled close up to Adam Countryman, of Com- 
 pany 'F, and killed him at the first fire, while acting as a vidette 
 picket within a short distance of Brigade head-quarters. Two 
 other posts were attacked. Command saddled up, but not a 
 Rebel could be seen. Marched, early on the twenty-seventh, 
 through Burnt Hickory, and across the Pumpkinvine Creek, and 
 bivouaced. Marched early to Marietta, and went into camp, with 
 transportation and tents. Forage was scarce, and heavy details, 
 with wagons, went twenty miles for corn, and skirmished with 
 the Rebel scouting parties. On the thirtieth of October, Captain 
 Matthew Van Buskirk, of Company E, having been promoted to 
 Lieutenant Colonel, took command of the Ninety-Second. 
 Forage and rations were received by rail, and hundreds of horses 
 were turned over to Kilpatrick's cavalry, which was all the 
 mounted force that was to accompany Sherman, on his March to 
 the Sea. The horses were very poor, sore-backed, and scarcely 
 able to carry an empty saddle; but Kilpatrick said: "Take them, 
 boys, and you'll have a chance to trade horses with some rich old 
 planter in a few days." The time was spent in fitting up the 
 command for a long campaign. 
 
 On November fourth, the Division was reorganized, the Nine- 
 ty-Second being in the Second Brigade of Kilpatrick's cavalry, 
 Lieutenant Colonel Van Buskirk commanding the Regiment, and 
 Colonel Atkins the Brigade. The following officers, belonging to 
 the Ninety-Second, were detailed for staff duty on the staff of 
 Colonel Atkins, the Brigade Commander: Captain Horace J. 
 Smith, of Company B, Acting Assistant Adjutant General of the 
 Brigade; Captain J. L. Spear, of Company E, Acting Commis- 
 sary of Subsistence of the Brigade; Lieutenant C. B. Bowles, of
 
 174 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 Company H, Acting Quartermaster of the Brigade ; Lieutenant 
 George R. Skinner, of Company D, Acting Inspector General ot 
 the Brigade. They were brave, faithful and competent officers, 
 and Colonel Atkins frequently expressed himself as greatly in- 
 debted to them for the harmony and efficiency of his command. 
 Lieutenant Norman Lewis, of Company C, was detailed for staff" 
 duty on the staff of General Kilpatrick, and acted as Division 
 Ordnance Officer; and he never failed to have the Division prop- 
 erly supplied with arms and ammunition. On the fifth, the Reg- 
 iment was inspected and paid. A vote in the Regiment showed 
 the Ninety-Second almost unanimous for the re-election of Lin- 
 coln ; it was useless Illinois soldiers at the front had no voice in 
 the election of the President. Captain Taggart, of the Ninety- 
 Third Illinois, visited his acquaintances in the Ninety-Second. 
 On the sixth, it was cold and rainy, and the Chaplain held service 
 in the large house used as Regimental and Brigade head-quarters- 
 On the tenth, the men were told to write letters home, for that 
 night would leave the last mail northward ; the troops were al- 
 ready tearing up and utterly destroying the railroad south of Mari- 
 etta. On the eleventh, eight bushwhackers, or Rebel scouts, were 
 cornered and captured. In the evening, General Kilpatrick gave 
 a party to the officers of his Division. On the twelfth, the last 
 train of cars left Marietta, for the North, at noon, and the railroad 
 was at once torn up, and the rails heated in the center and twisted 
 around the telegraph poles and shade trees. The Military Insti- 
 tute, just south of Marietta, was burned up. It was expected the 
 command would march on the morning of the thirteenth, and the 
 boys, bound to burn up everything, burned their bunks and camp 
 trumpery; but the order was countermanded, and the men again 
 pitched tents. At eleven A. M., the Cavalry Division of General 
 Kilpatrick was reviewed in the open fields north of Marietta, by 
 General Sherman. Black clouds of smoke rolled upward from the 
 burning town, and General Sherman, looking at it, said: " Kil- 
 patrick, somebody is burning up that town." Kilpatrick gazed at 
 the rising columns of smoke, and replied : " Oh, no, General, 
 there are only a fev.' fires." Long columns of infantry were 
 streaming southward all the afternoon. On the morning of the 
 fourteenth of November, 1864, began the grand march from the 
 mountains to the sea. The Ninety-Second was in the saddle 
 promptly, and moved out at seven A. M., on the Sandtown Road, 
 the town of Marietta still burning at once the commencement 
 and- the symbol of the destruction the army was destined to leave
 
 NINETT-SECOPTD ILLINOIS. 175 
 
 in its track on its long march. The Regiment crossed the Ghat- 
 tahoochee, on the pontoons, five miles below Vinings, and biv- 
 ouaced three miles south-west of Atlanta. There was some 
 amusement in Company A over a stubborn donkey that Lieuten- 
 ant Cox was attempting to make a pack animal of. Cox became 
 disgusted, and court-martialed the contrary donkey, and dismissed 
 him from the service in disgrace. Marched at seven A. M., mak- 
 ing twenty miles, and camping three miles north-west of Jones- 
 boro. The Colonel sent two companies into Jonesboro, that cap- 
 tured a squad of prisoners, several horses, considerable corn, and 
 camp equipage of the enemy. Marched at sunrise, through Jones- 
 boro, and all of the town not before destroyed by fire was burned 
 up, except a house at the south part of the town, where several 
 ladies sat upon the porch, looking at the troops march by. Against 
 the side of the house they had pinned up a Free Mason's apron, 
 and its talismanic power protected the house and the property 
 surrounding it. At Lovejoy's, the First Brigade, which was lead- 
 ing, charged the Rebels behind the old Rebel earthworks erected 
 by Hood's anmy, just previous to the fall of Atlanta, making a 
 brilliant charge, and capturing two pieces of artillery. The Sec- 
 ond Brigade then took the advance, and five miles below Love- 
 joy's ran into the Rebels again, and the Tenth Ohio charged 
 them, capturing thirty privates and three Rebel officers. . The 
 command moved a few miles eastward, and camped. Marched at 
 seven A. M., through a beautiful country ; the citizens said that a 
 brigade of Rebel cavalry was ahead of us, but they did not contest 
 the road with us. The enemy was said to be concentrating at 
 Macon. Many horses and mules were brought in by the scouting 
 parties. Marched at seven A. M.; fed at Newmarket at noon, 
 and took two hours' rest. Marched to Ocmulgee Mills, and 
 camped at nine P. M. On the nineteenth of October, marched at 
 one A. M.; raining hard, and as dark as a pocket; crossed the Oc- 
 mulgee on the pontoons, at Planters' Factory, where two hun- 
 dred girls were employed making cotton cloth for the Rebel army. 
 Great fires were kept blazing on both banks of the river to light 
 up the bridge. The light was so bright that it reflected the fac- 
 tory, and trees upon the banks, and the crossing columns of troops 
 in the water as clearly and distinctly as if the river had been a 
 mirror. 
 
 Possibly some of our readers would like to know what a 
 pontoon is. Imagine a frame-work of a little boat, made very 
 lightly, with narrow strips of well seasoned .timber, the boat about
 
 176 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 three feet deep, twelve feet long, and four feet wide ; under and 
 over the sides and ends of this light frame-work is stretched 
 heavy duck canvas, or sail cloth, forming the bottom and sides of 
 the boat. That is a pontoon boat. Placed in a line across a 
 river side by side, the boats held in their places by an anchor for 
 each boat cast in the river some distance above the line of boats, 
 and along from boat to boat placed stringers of light timber, and 
 over them a floor of light pine boards, and that is a pontoon 
 bridge. Ready workmen will lay one in an hour across a river 
 hundreds of feet wide. The cavalrj' cross two by two, each 
 trooper dismounted and leading his horse. The artillery, eight 
 horses to a gun, sink the boats to within a few inches of the top, 
 the bridge rising behind the gun as it goes from boat to boat. 
 Those not familiar with them might think the frail little boats of 
 cloth not strong enough ; but all of Sherman's army crossed, upon 
 them, all the great rivers on the long march. As soon as the 
 troops are over, the bridge is taken up, the boards and wood-work 
 carefully packed on wagons, the canvas cloth dried by huge fires, 
 rolled up, and transported to the next river. 
 
 Ocmulgee Mills and Planters' Factory were, of course, con- 
 sumed by fire. Sherman had no use for the factory or mills, and 
 did not wish the one to continue making cloth to clothe the Reb- 
 els, or the other to grind grain to feed them. After crossing the 
 Ocmulgee, the command marched ten miles, passing to the ad- 
 vance of the infantry, fed animals and cooked breakfast. Kilpat- 
 rick, with the First Brigade, moved to Clinton, by the river road; 
 Atkins's Brigade marched on a circle, passing through Monte- 
 cello and Hillsboro, making forty miles, over very bad roads, and 
 reached Clinton after dark, where six Rebels were captured, and 
 a quantity of Rebel stores, and plenty of forage for the animals, 
 already in sacks for shipment to the Rebel army. About eleven 
 A. M., on the twentieth, moved toward Macon, Atkins's Brigade 
 leading, the Ninety-Second holding the advance. The Rebel 
 pickets were soon struck, and, about three miles out, the enemy 
 was found in considerable force, being Crews's brigade of Rebel 
 cavalry. Captain Becker, of Company J, with a battalion, dis- 
 mounted, passed through the woods to within a short distance of 
 the enemy. The Rebels were preparing to charge, and a cavalry 
 regiment galloped " forward into line" to meet it; but the charg- 
 ing column of Rebels did not come far. Starting with a yell, the 
 Rebels rushed out of their rail barricade, and came toward Cap- 
 tain Becker, with his battalion of Spencers concealed in the brush.
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 177 
 
 when the Captain ordered the boys to fire, and the head of the 
 Rebel column was surprised and halted; and it was now our turn 
 to charge, and the Tenth Ohio Cavalry started for the enemy with 
 a shout and flashing sabres; and then (he entire brigade of gray- 
 coats, like frightened birds, scattered, in confusion, through the 
 woods and fields, in terror and dismay. Five dead Confederates, 
 and six wounded ones, were the effect of Captain Becker's Spen- 
 cer Rifles. The command did not scatter out to follow after 
 Crews's brigade, which had separated like a flushed covy of par- 
 tridges, ever}' one for himself, but kept on down the road toward 
 Macon, no enemy impeding, until the railroad and Walnut Creek 
 were reached, two miles east of Macon, where a Rebel picket was 
 found. The Ninety-Second was dismounted, and drove the 
 enemy from the creek, and crossed over, and up the hill, driving 
 the enemy from the hill beyond. Our artillery opened, and the 
 Rebel artillery immediately responded. The Tenth Ohio Cavalry 
 was ordered to charge again, and did so, and drove Howell Cobb's 
 division of Georgia militia from their line of earthen breastworks, 
 and, for a few moments, the Tenth Ohio held the Rebel line, and 
 nine pieces of artillery the enemy had abandoned; but, behind 
 the Georgia militia, protected by another line of earthworks, were 
 older and steadier troops, who advanced on the Tenth Ohio, and 
 that regiment fell back and crossed the creek, the Ninety-Second 
 covering the movement. The balance of the Divison was on the 
 railroad, tearing up the track, and the Ninety-Second held the 
 enemy until dark, and until the Division had withdrawn on the 
 Clinton Road, when the Regiment also fell back two miles, and 
 bivouaced, still holding the front. The cavalry had demonstrated 
 so strongly upon Macon, that the enemy was effectually deceived, 
 and massed all his cavalry and available forces, to guard that 
 point, and the cutting of the railroad east of Macon gave Sher- 
 man's columns an open road, uninterrupted by any of the enemy's 
 troops, as Sherman's army swung off to the south-east, toward 
 Louisville, Georgia. Many of our troops were wounded, espe- 
 cially by the Rebel shell, for their nine pieces of artillery kept up 
 an incessant fire until dark, our guns replying. The poor 
 wounded men were loaded into the ambulances. 
 
 In this march we had no hospitals, in the rear, where our 
 wounded might bo sent; no supplies and nurses from the Sani- 
 tary Commission were available ; no furloughs could be granted 
 to the wounded to return home for treatment they had to remain 
 with us, and day by day the heavily-loaded ambulances wound 
 23
 
 178 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 along the rough roads as the column marched. A large house 
 was taken as a hospital for the night, where the surgeons per- 
 formed many amputations. It had rained hard all the afternoon, 
 and the rain continued all night. During the night, the Brigade 
 was ordered to fall back to the Clinton and Macon and Milledge- 
 ville and Macon cross-roads, and barricade and hold that point, 
 while the army made the turn and the infantry wagon trains 
 passed. The Ninety-Second was ordered to erect strong barri- 
 cades, and hold the enemy until the other regiments and battery 
 had reached the new point, and were ready for attack. After the 
 Brigade was in position, orders were sent to Lieutenant Colonel 
 Van Buskirk, commanding the Ninety-Second, to withdraw. He 
 was a vigilant and gallant soldier, and knew when to act- upon his 
 own responsibility, and he replied that the enemy had been feel- 
 ing his position very strongly, and he thought they would soon 
 attack him in force, and he wished to give the enemy a repulse 
 before he withdrew. In a short time, the enemy came on in 
 force, charging the Ninety-Second. Captain Lyman Preston, of 
 Company D, and Captain William B.Mayer, of Company F, with 
 their companies, were out in front of the barricade on picket, and 
 so sudden and determined was the attack of the enemy, tb,at the 
 officers and men of those companies had not time to get inside of 
 the barricade, but threw themselves down close to it on the 
 outside, while the Regiment fired over them from behind the 
 barricade. The overcoat capes of many of the boys on the out- 
 side of the barricade showed marks of the enemy's sabres. It is 
 worthy of remark, that this was the first time that the Ninety- 
 Second pickets were ever driven in. The enemy charged in three 
 columns, at the sound of the bugle; one regiment of the enemy 
 dismounted, swung around the left flank of the Ninety-Second, so 
 as to give a fire from the rear; and two heavy cavalry columns, 
 one down the main road directlv in front of the barricade, and 
 one down an old road, on the right flank of the Regiment. Lieu- 
 tenant Colonel Van Buskirk, a cool, brave officer, urged the men 
 to keep quiet, and let the enemy come on. And on they came, 
 until the Ninety-Second had their two mounted columns in good 
 range, when the Regiment opened a cool, steady and terrible fire 
 with their Spencer decimating Repeating Rifles. No enemy ever 
 did live long within range of those guns, in the hands of the 
 Ninety-Second men ; and that enemy, although he had carefully 
 prepared his plans, and felt sure of his game, could not, and 
 did not, long withstand the quickly successive volleys poured
 
 NlNEfT-SECOND ILLIXOI&. 179 
 
 into him by the Regiment. With heavy loss, after bravely fight- 
 ing, and coming close up to the barricade, the two columns of 
 Rebel cavalry fell back in confusion; and then the Ninety-Second 
 gave its attention to the regiment of dismounted Rebels, who had 
 passed into the rear, expecting to gobble up the Ninety-Second 
 when their cavalry columns had put it to flight. But the Rebel 
 programme did not work; it was not the Ninety-Second, but the 
 Rebel cavalry, which had been put to flight, and the dismounted 
 Rebels were themselves in danger of being gobbled up; but they 
 made double-quick time out of the range of those terrible repeat- 
 ing rifles, so coolly and bravely handled by the Ninety-Second 
 men. A Rebel prisoner, afterward captured, reported the Rebel 
 loss in this repulse to be sixty-five killed and wounded. And 
 then the Regiment slowly and leisurely fell back to the Brigade ; 
 but so complete had been the repulse of the enemy, that he did 
 not follow. All day and all night, while the infantry and wagon 
 trains went by, Atkins's Brigade lay guarding the "elbow," as the 
 army swung around, and not a wheel of all the vast transporta- 
 tion trains of Sherman's army was injured. The enemy felt 
 lightly the picket lines, but made no attack; the repulse the 
 Ninety-Second had given them made them exceedingly careful 
 and cautious. The Brigade moved early next day, and lay in rear 
 of the infantry, while Wolcott repulsed a severe attack of Howell 
 Cobb's troops, who had come out ot Macon and attacked Wolcott 
 desperately in his entrenchments. Marched three miles, on No- 
 vember twenty-third, and camped amidst plenty of forage. 
 
 During this march, Sherman's troops lived almost entirely 
 upon the country, subsisting both animals and men upon the 
 forage and provisions gathered up as the army marched. Heavy 
 details were made daily, to gather provisions, who would gene- 
 rally return at night, well loaded down with ducks, geese, hams, 
 bacon, sweet potatoes, turkeys, chickens, eggs, and everything 
 the country afforded. Some of the men so detailed, loved the 
 adventure, and, not returning to camp, kept along in advance of 
 the columns, and they soon became to be known as " Sherman's 
 bummers." Bummers they were, brave to recklessness; and, 
 while insensible to discipline, they were by no means wholly bad. 
 Thev were constantly furnishing valuable information, and, like 
 all the army, burned up everything they could iind that fire would 
 consume. The twenty-third was very cold, so cold that ice was 
 formed on the pools of water. A soldier, in his diary under this 
 date, writes : " Cold to-day ; but, with all the exposure, the men
 
 i8o NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 do not take cold; you will scarcely hear a man in the Division 
 cough, although they sleep in the open air, with no shelter at all, 
 unless it rains, and then their shelters are rudely and imperfectly 
 constructed, and the soldiers nearly always get wet." 
 
 On the morning of November twenty-fourth, 1864, the Cav- 
 alry Division marched early, crossing from the right to the left 
 flank of the army. The danger was now to be apprehended from 
 the left flank, and it might be possible that troops from Rich- 
 mond would make some demonstration against Sherman's 
 columns. The cavalry had deceived the enemy, by demonstrat- 
 ing strongly against Forsyth and Macon on the right flank, and 
 it must now deceive him again, by demonstrating strongly on 
 Augusta, on the left flank. There was also another object in 
 view to rescue, if possible, the Union soldiers confined in the 
 Rebel prison pen at Millen. The head of the Division reached 
 Milledgeville at noon. Kilpatrick had supposed that he would be 
 first into the capital of Georgia; but the irrepressible "bummers" 
 had occupied the capital for two days. When the " bummers" 
 approached Milledgeville, the Legislature was in session, and 
 such a skedaddling was never before seen. The members left on 
 French leave, leaving their books, papers, and documents lying 
 on the tables in the halls of the House and Senate, and the "bum- 
 mers" entered, passed a resolution declaring themselves members 
 of the Legislature of Georgia, organized by electing a Speaker 
 and Clerk for both branches of the Legislature, and then they 
 passed a bill repealing the Ordinance of Secession, and bringing 
 Georgia back again into the Union ! A jolly crowd were the 
 "bummers." The command passed through Milledgeville, a 
 dilapidated old town, like nearly all of the towns in the South, 
 with every sign of dry rot and decay, and with no signs of life or 
 energy. It looked as if it had been in a Rip Van Winkle sleep 
 for a century. Five miles east of Milledgeville, the command 
 crossed the Oconee River, and bivouaced at twelve o'clock at 
 night. 
 
 On the twenty-fifth, marched at sunrise. The men of the 
 Ninety-Second declared that, after getting into camp at twelve 
 o'clock at night, being " blowed up" by those noisy bugles, an 
 hour before daylight next morning, was worse than being 
 " blowed up" by the " old man" at home. But the bugles rang 
 out beautifully, clear as bells, first from Division head-quarters, 
 quickly repeated at Brigade head-quarters, and quickly again at 
 the head-quarters of the regiments, and still again at the head-
 
 NINBTT'SRCOND ILLINOIS. t8t 
 
 quarters of the companies, until all was ringing merrily with the 
 bugle notes; and then the fires began to gleam everywhere, like 
 the gas-lights of a great city ah! there was much of the beauti- 
 ful in the life of a soldier, but the soldiers themselves had but 
 little time to enjoy it. It was a beautiful day, and, with no enemy 
 in front or rear, the command marched rapidly. Heavy details 
 were made to hunt for horses. Hundreds of the finest animals 
 had been taken to the swamps and hid. The negroes, always our 
 faithful allies and friends among the faithless always faithful 
 gave our parties the minutest information of the hiding-places of 
 the horses, and hundreds of animals were found. The men 
 would find them hitched in the woods, far away from any house; 
 locked up in the smoke-houses; carefully hid away in the cellars; 
 and, in more than one instance, the favorite family nags and valua- 
 ble saddle horses had been led into the parlors, and matron and 
 maiden would tearfully beg that their houses might not be ran- 
 sacked. But a Ninety-Second man could scent a fine horse a 
 long way off, especially if he could have a conversation with 
 Uncle Bob in the yard, or Dinah in the kitchen, and locks on sta- 
 ble, smoke-house, cellar or parlor door, did not long keep him 
 from the coveted prize. The only trouble was that the captured 
 animals were soft from the want of service, and without shoes, 
 and could not well endure the fatigue of the march. The com- 
 mand traveled about thirty-five miles, and camped amidst plenty. 
 Marched early on the twenty-sixth. Captain Day, of the Tenth 
 Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, serving on General Kilpatrick's staff, 
 with a special detail, moved before daylight, and, by a brilliant 
 dash, completely surprised the Rebels guarding the large bridge 
 over the Ogeechee, at Ogeechee Shoals, and saved the bridge. It 
 was most gallantly done, and Captain Day deserved great credit. 
 The mills and factory at Ogeechee Shoals were consumed by fire. 
 No enemy, to amount to anything, during the day. Marched 
 thirty-five miles, and camped at dark. During the night, the 
 First brigade, in rear, was desperately attacked ; but it had barri- 
 cades, and held the enemy, until daylight of the twenty-seventh 
 of November. 
 
 The command was badly incumbered with the hundreds of 
 captured horses ; and, with an enemy pressing our rear, they were 
 too great a nuisance to be endured. Orders were received to turn 
 over to the Brigade Quartermaster all led animals. The Ninety- 
 Second turned over many horses under this order, and, before 
 daylight, they were slaughtered at Brigade head-quarters; four
 
 IS; tfTXETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 hundred splendid horses were knocked in the head with axes. We 
 could not use them, and we did not desire to have the enemy use 
 them. At daylight, the First brigade moved to take the advance, 
 and Atkins's Brigade held the rear, and the Ninety-Second, under 
 the command of Lieutenant Colonel Van Buskirk, held the rear 
 of the Brigade, with one piece of artillery and the Ninth Michi- 
 gan Cavalry in support of the Ninety-Second. As soon as the 
 First brigade passed through, the Rebels came on. The Ninety- 
 Second lay concealed by willows that grew along a creek, with an 
 open field in front; and, when the rear-guard of the First brigade 
 came across the field, and kept on over the creek and up the road, 
 the enemy, in strong force, set up a yell, and came charging over 
 the open field. The Ninety-Second, concealed by the willows, 
 waited for them to come close up, and then, with their trusty 
 Spencers, sent them flying back again across the open field. 
 Mounting quickly, after repulsing the enemy, the Regimen', fol- 
 lowed the command, always presenting a company front in rear, 
 ready to punish the audacious Rebels if they ventured too close. 
 Lieutenant Colonel Van Buskirk handled the Ninety-Second with 
 consummate coolness and courage, successfully beating off each 
 desperate assault of the enemy. He revolved his companies, one 
 around another, like a revolving horse-rake, always presenting an 
 unbroken front to the enemy. About ten o'clock, A. M., the 
 head of the Ninety-Second turned squarely to the right, and soon 
 found the road obstructed by the column, that was slowly crossing 
 by twos over a rickety old bridge, below a flouring mill; the Reb- 
 els were pressing desperately, and, crossing the angle, were at- 
 tacking the column in flank. By order of the Brigade Command- 
 er, a battalion of the Ninety-Second was deployed on foot to pro- 
 tect the flank, while the troops slowly crossed. The rifled gun, 
 and a company with Spencer Rifles, were stationed on the hill be- 
 yond the mill and stream, concealed by a growth of thorn-brush 
 and crab-apple trees. When the column was over, the mill and 
 bridge were fired, and the mounted rear-guard of the Ninety-Sec- 
 ond disappeared over the hill. The mill and bridge soon burned 
 down, also destroying the mill-dam, and the water from the mill- 
 pond rushed through so that the enemy could not cross. The 
 Rebels gathered in the open space around the mill, in crowds, on 
 the farther side of the creek, when the gun from the crab-apple 
 knoll, and the Spencers opened. The gray-coats hunted cover 
 lively. The Rebel column sought a crossing farther up the 
 stream, and the Regiment had not marched many miles, when
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 1% 
 
 the gray-coats were again charging the rear with desperate cour- 
 age. Their style of fighting was more dashing and desperate than 
 usual, and it was pretty certain that other troops than Wheeler's 
 cavalry were on our trail. Colonel Atkins, desiring positive in- 
 formation as to who was following him, sent two half-breed In- 
 dians, soldiers in the Ninth Michigan Cavalry, of his Brigade, 
 dressed in the butternut clothing worn by the citizens generally, 
 and by very many of the Rebel soldiers, to a house half a mile 
 from the road, with orders to remain until the Rebel column came 
 up, then mingle with the Rebel foragers, and ride through the 
 Rebel column. They did it successfully ; riding with Wheeler's 
 escort, they found all of Wheeler's command, with two fresh 
 brigades from the Rebel army at Richmond, under the command 
 of Lieutenant General Wade Hampton; when, starting out to the 
 side of the road with the foraging parties of the Rebels, they hur- 
 ried along through the woods and fields to return to the head of 
 their own Brigade with the information. The reckless, dashing 
 courage of the enemy in his persistent attack, was now explained 
 the Rebel soldiers from Richmond, under Hampton, were show- 
 ing the Western Rebels, under Wheeler, how to fight. Informa- 
 tion was sent to General Kilpatrick, at the head of the Division, 
 that Wheeler and Hampton were both after us, and it was sug- 
 gested that the Division had better turn around and give them & 
 square fight; but Kilpatrick replied: "Hold them steady, and 
 keep well closed up. lam going to Millen, and don't want to 
 fight, and shall not stop to fight if all of Lee's army is after me." 
 Desperately and continually the gray-coats kept charging the 
 Ninety-Second. Various were the devices for decoying the enemy 
 on close to those Spencers, and then punishing them severely. A 
 company of fifty men would form at some point in the thick 
 brush, with open fields in rear; in the road a squad of six or eight 
 mounted men would halt, fire at the enemy at long range, then 
 turn and retreat on the column; and on would come their Confi- 
 dent pursuers at a gallop. When close up, the fifty concealed 
 horsemen, cool and quiet from much similar practice, would'vblley 
 them with their repeating rifles. Then the enemy would imagine 
 a long line of Yankees concealed there, and while the fifty 
 mounted men were leisurely closing up on the column, the enemy 
 would deploy his skirmishers, and carefully feel his way, and find- 
 ing no one, he would come on again more desperately than ever. 
 Selecting points with good range to the rear, a company of cav- 
 alry would be turned out at the head of the Brigade, to build a
 
 184 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 barricade and such barricades were built frequently all along the 
 road the companies building them, as soon as done their work, 
 trotting through the fields, or by the sides of the road, to the head 
 of the column, and taking their places again. The Ninety-Second 
 would come along, and, concealed by the barricade, would give 
 the too confident enemy a repulse. And then the Ninety-Second 
 would pass the barricades, leaving them empty, and the enemy 
 would, for a while, imagine them full of Yankees, and would de- 
 ploy his troops, feeling his way carefully, or flanking them, and 
 finding many barricades empty, he would grow reckless again, and 
 would again run onto a nest of those death-dealing Spencer Rifles. 
 Companies D, Captain Lyman Preston, and C, Captain R. M. A. 
 Hawk, and I, Captain Egbert T. E. Becker, acted nearly all day as 
 the rear-guard of the Regiment. The advance of the Division 
 captured a train of cars at Waynesboro, tore up the railroad, and 
 burned up the town. The Ninety-Second passed through the 
 burning town of Waynesboro at dark, the enemy hotly pursuing, 
 and about a mile south of Waynesboro found the First brigade 
 encamped, with strong barricades facing north. The weary 'Regi- 
 ment passed through the First brigade, procured forage for ani- 
 mals, cooked supper, helped to tear up the railroad track, and sank 
 wearily to rest. The gray -coats skirmished around the barricades 
 of the First brigade all night long, but made no attack in force. 
 
 The cavalry had demonstrated strongly on Augusta. General 
 Kilpatrick learned, during the night, that the Union prisoners had 
 all been removed from Millen ; and on the morning of the twenty- 
 eighth, the Division took up its line of march for Louisville, 
 Georgia, where the infantry columns were to rendezvous., Kil- 
 patrick complimented the Ninety-Second highly for the splendid 
 manner in which the Regiment had held at bay the Rebel cav- 
 alry, under Wheeler and Hampton, the day previous, and desired 
 the Ninety-Second to hold the rear again on the twenty-eighth; 
 but the Colonel commanding the Brigade protested against put- 
 ting all the work on a single Regiment, and offered to hold the 
 rear with the Ninth Michigan Cavalry, ot his Brigade, a splendid 
 regiment, armed with Spencer carbines. General Kilpatrick de- 
 cided to take the Ninth Michigan and the Eighth Indiana, and 
 hold the rear himself, and did so. Not many miles out, the Gene- 
 ral, forgetting to " keep well closed up," as he had ordered Atkins 
 to do the day previous, formed the two regiments in a good posi- 
 tion, and resolved to give the enemy a charge with both regi- 
 ments ; but, while waiting for the enemy to attack, a portion of
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 185 
 
 the Rebel cavalry reached the road in Kilpatrick's rear, and cut off 
 the Ninth Michigan and Eighth Indiana, and the General had to 
 about face, and charge through the Rebels to join his own Divis- 
 ion. Just after crossing Buckhead Creek, an Orderly came riding 
 up to Colonel Atkins, telling him that the Ninth Michigan and 
 Eighth Indiana had been cut off, and those regiments, with Gen- 
 eral Kilpatrick, had been captured. Covering the crossing of the 
 creek with two pieces of artillery and the Fifth Ohio Cavalry, At- 
 kins's Brigade took up position, and waited for the First brigade 
 to pass through, and with the rear came General Kilpatrick and 
 the two regiments all right. The General said that the enemy 
 had surrounded him and those regiments, but that they cut their 
 way through to the command again. The artillery, and the car- 
 bines of the Fifth Ohio Cavalry, swept the bridge and corduroy 
 road at Buckhead Creek, as the enemy attempted to take the 
 bridge by a charge. The enemy was handsomely repulsed, and 
 the bridge completely destroyed. The command passed on about 
 two miles, to a large plantation, where General Kilpatrick re-, 
 solved to make a stand with the two brigades constituting his 
 Division, and give the enemy a repulse. The ground was admi- 
 rably selected for it. By the side of the road stood a large house, 
 and around the house, in circular shape, were constructed rail bar- 
 ricades, Murray's brigade on the left, and Atkins's Brigade on the 
 right of the road, dismounted. In front, on the right of the road, 
 was an open field, and the ground was, for twenty steps, rising, so 
 that the Yankee barricades could not be seen any distance off. 
 The barricade was constructed in the usual method, that is, of 
 rails, by first building a rail fence immediately in front of the 
 line of battle, and then laying on the fence other rails, one end on 
 the ground toward the enemy, and the other end on the fence, 
 and piling them on thicklv. It furnished an excellent protection 
 against musketry, and a complete barrier to a cavalry charge, as 
 no horse could leap it, or throw it down by impact from the out- 
 side. Eight pieces of artillery were stationed on the road, and 
 behind the barricade, and, flanking the artillery on the right, was 
 the Ninety-Second, and beyond, stretching to the right, were 
 other regiments of the Brigade. The enemy was delayed, in 
 crossing Buckhead Creek, a sufficient time to enable General 
 Kilpatrick to complete his arrangements, and get his two brigades 
 in position behind the barricades, when the enemy came on. One 
 battalion of the Fifth Ohio Cavalry, of Atkins's Brigade, was left 
 on the road, some distance in front, with instructions to stubbornly 
 23
 
 i86 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 resist the enemy, and compel him to deploy. Just before the 
 enemy made the attack upon Atkins's Brigade in force, and while 
 the one battalion of the Fifth Ohio, on picket, was stubbornly 
 holding the road, in order to compel the enemy to deploy, a Rebel 
 horseman showed himself on our extreme right. He halted 
 his horse beneath a large tree, and there, remaining mounted, 
 coolly surveyed us. This was too much for Colonel Van Bus- 
 kirk; his equilibrium .was disturbed by it. Said the Colonel to 
 William Black, of Company K, who stood near the Colonel : 
 " Will, hand me your gun, and I will shoot that fellow." Will 
 handed his gun to the Colonel; the Colonel took deliberate aim, 
 and fired. The Confederate soldier and his horse never stirred. 
 The Colonel blazed away again, but the Rebel remained as im- 
 movable as an equestrian statue. Said Will : " Colonel, you are 
 disgracing my gun; give it to me." Will took his gun one 
 quick glance along the barrel from his dark eye, and the rifle 
 cracked; the Rebel fell, and away went the horse, riderless. At 
 .about five P. M., the Rebels made the attack ; they deployed in 
 an open field, in front of Atkins's Brigade, on the right of the 
 road, in heavy force, and came on in splendid style; when the field 
 was filled with them, and their advance was within seventy paces 
 of the barricades, the eight guns, double shotted, opened on them ; 
 the Ninety-Second and Ninth Michigan volleyed them with their 
 Spencers, and the Fifth, Ninth, and Tenth Ohio Cavalry, with 
 their carbines. The field was so full that they could not well re- 
 treat, and, for a few moments, they, with courage, pressed on. 
 The artillery was fired as rapidly as the gunners could work their 
 guns, and the Spencers and carbines volleyed in steady succes- 
 sion, the roll of small arms being as unbroken and continuous as 
 the thunder of a waterfall. Men and horses were moved down 
 in front. One of the Confederate officers appeared determined 
 to find out just what was in front of him, and, mounted on a 
 beautiful white horse, with reckless courage, rode up to within 
 twenty paces of the barricade, glanced from right to left over out- 
 line; when, turning to retreat, horse and rider were killed; and 
 many a soldier wearing the army blue almost regretted to see so 
 brave an officer fall. The enemy retreated, and abandoned his 
 fruitless effort to run over Kilpatrick's two brigades, leaving the 
 field in front of the barricades covered with his dead and wounded. 
 A light attack was afterwards made on the First brigade, on the 
 left of the road, which was easily repulsed. A Rebel prisoner 
 reported the enemy's loss, in killed and wounded, at about three
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 187 
 
 hundred ; but a Major, in General Howard's corps, who after- 
 wards marched by that plantation, reported that the Rebel cavalry 
 buried two hundred of their dead there; and if that was true, their 
 killed and wounded must have been near five hundred. After 
 repulsing the enemy, the command withdrew. The rear guard 
 reported that, long after they had retired, they heard the enemy 
 firing upon the empty barricades. The Rebel cavalry had dogged 
 us most persistently for two days, and probably concluded, be- 
 cause Kilpatrick did not choose to fight them, that he was afraid 
 to fight, but this repulse undeceived them. The two brigades 
 from Lee's army, under Hampton, learned that the Western 
 Yankee cavalrv was not afraid to sit down in the road, and let the 
 enemy try to run over them. The Rebel cavalry did not follow us 
 any farther that night, and Kilpatrick bivouaced after dark, several 
 miles east of Louisville, Georgia. 
 
 On the twenty-ninth of November, 1864, the Ninety-Second 
 moved early, with the Division, to Louisville, where the infantry 
 columns lay resting for a day or two, and waiting for " Uncle 
 Billy," as the men familiarly called General Sherman, to tell them 
 when to go again and where to. It is not likely that any one, 
 aside from General Sherman, unless very high in rank, knew 
 where General Sherman was " coming out." Some wisely shook 
 their heads, and " guessed " he would go to Augusta, and through 
 the Carolinas; some thought it would be Savannah; and others, 
 with maps before them, demonstrated very clearlv that he in- 
 tended to break off to the right, and " come out " somewhere on 
 the Gulf of Mexico. A soldier, in his diary, writes : " If the 
 Rebels don't know Sherman's plans better than we do, they must 
 be sorely puzzled." General Sherman is chatty and talkative, but 
 nothing escapes his lips that he desires should remain unknown. 
 The country was very fine, the weather beautiful ; cattle, horses, 
 hogs, sheep, geese, chickens, turkeys, hams and sweet potatoes 
 were found in the greatest abundance. The camps were scattered 
 in the groves along the streams, and Sherman's soldiers, in the 
 heart of an enemy's country, were like a vast concourse of jolly 
 nicnicers, lolling around in the shade of the trees, telling stories, 
 wrestling, pitching quoits, playing ball or leap-frog, and anything 
 for sport and fun, they leisurely whiled away a day or two that had 
 been given them for rest. Sherman's soldiers, like Sherman's 
 bummers, were a jolly set. They would joke each other, and play 
 all dav on the march, and play at night when they went into biv-
 
 i88 N1NETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 ouac. The soldiers under Sherman will remember their campaign 
 through Georgia as the long holiday of their soldier life. 
 
 On the thirtieth of November, the Ninety-Second lay in camp, 
 washing their clothing, shoeing animals, visiting the infantry 
 camps to see their friends and relatives in other regiments, and 
 getting ready for a fresh start. A soldier writes in his diary under 
 this date : " We are now in a country where some sugar-cane is 
 produced; figs, apples, peaches, and all kinds of fruits, and horses 
 and mules, and .lots of niggers, of all colors, are also produced 
 here." That soldier's head was level negroes, of all shades of 
 color, were a regular " production " of that country. Some of the 
 female quadroons were really very pretty ; they always had large, 
 lustrous eyes, and pearly white teeth. They knew the Yankees 
 were their friends, and they warmly welcomed their deliverers 
 from slavery. 
 
 On the first of December, at about ten A. M., the Ninety-Sec- 
 ond marched with the Division. The enemy, apparently, still re- 
 garded Augusta as Sherman's objective point, and Wheeler and 
 Hampton's cavalry were north of Louisville, on the Augusta 
 Road. Their pickets were struck as soon as the command moved 
 out. General Baird's division of infantry marched in the road, 
 maintaining a line of battle with two regiments, Atkins's Brigade 
 of Cavalry marching through the woods and fields on Baird's right 
 flank, and Murray's brigade in the same manner on his left flank. 
 It was only a feint, and it was desired that the enemy should 
 especially see the infantry ; and for two days this manner of march- 
 ing slowly, the infantry always with a line of battle at the front, 
 was maintained, the cavalry on the flanks, with flags and guidons 
 unfurled, and bands of music playing. It was a magnificent 
 sight; and the enemy had frequent opportunities of observing the 
 heavv column of infantry, flanked by cavalry, slowly approaching 
 them, and marching on Augusta. It was eminently successful; 
 and the enemy gathered up all his forces to protect Augusta, 
 leaving an open and uninterrupted road for Sherman to Savannah. 
 On the third, the column marched near the place where the cav- 
 alry had repulsed Wheeler and Hampton, on November twenty- 
 eighth, after crossing Buckhead Creek, and the citizens, living in 
 that vicinity, put the enemy's loss at four hundred killed and 
 wounded. That night the column bivouaced at Thomas's Sta- 
 tion, on the railroad, between Augusta and Millen. The infantry 
 had orders to tear up and burn the railroad ties and twist the rails, 
 as" soon as supper was over. The Ninety-Second was sent to
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 189 
 
 picket the road beyond the infantry, toward Waynesboro. A sol- 
 dier writes: " I watched, with great interest, Baird's division of 
 infantry tear up and burn this railroad. Just at twilight, after 
 supper, the division turned out, all at once, at the tap of the drum, 
 and for four miles the track was one busy line of living blue. 
 They would stand in line, close together, on one side of the track, 
 and, taking hold of the ties and rails, they would, by main 
 strength, lift up that side of the railroad track and ties as high as 
 their heads, and then let it fall back. The first effort would al- 
 ways loosen a few of the iron rails, when a dozen men would pick 
 them up, handling the long iron rails as easily as a farmer handles 
 his pitchfork, and with them they would pry off other rails ; other 
 men would pick them up, and, in like manner, pry off other rails, 
 and, in an incredibly short space of time, without any tools so 
 many men were at work they would have the rails all loosened. 
 Then the railroad ties were piled up, like the boys build corn-cob 
 houses, crossing them regularly, in piles about three feet high, in 
 the middle of the old railroad track ; and then the iron rails were 
 carefully laid upon them, with the ends extending over. The 
 pitch-pine and red cedar rail fences at the sides of the road were 
 added as fuel to make the railroad ties burn well, and, in half an 
 hour, for four miles, those burning piles of railroad ties made a 
 magnificent sight. The work was so equally distributed that the 
 men all seemed to finish it at the same time, and the fires all 
 along were lighted at once. In half an hour more the iron rails 
 were red-hot in the center, and for four miles those piles of burn- 
 ing railroad ties, the rails heated red-hot in the center, made a 
 sight not soon to be forgotten. The men would take the iron 
 rails by the ends, when red-hot in the center, and wrap them 
 around the trees and telegraph poles ; or, twisting them into knots 
 and interlacing them, the ends sticking every way, would leave 
 them to cool in huge piles. In destroying those rails, the blue- 
 coated soldiers were putting their hands directly into the haver- 
 sacks of General Lee's soldiers at Richmond and Petersburg, and 
 taking from them their rations. No car loaded with food would 
 again pass over that railroad to Lee's army ; no long trains loaded 
 with troops would again pass over it, as Longstreet had done to 
 reinforce Bragg at Chicamauga." In the middle of the night, the 
 Ninety-Second, while on picket, heard the enemy bringing up 
 artillery, and soon the sharp report of their guns was heard. 
 What did it mean? Was the Rebel infantry before us? The 
 Rebel newspapers were representing Sherman as wandering about
 
 190 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 in Central Georgia, not knowing where to go, and obscurely 
 hinted that a terrible fate awaited his army. Camp rumors were 
 flying about that Richmond was evacuated, and Lee's army com- 
 ing to meet Sherman. But the Rebels fired only two shots, and 
 run their guns to the rear again, and the Ninety-Second men 
 knew that they did not intend to make a general attack. But 
 these two shots killed two men in the Regiment : Corporal 
 William Erb and Emmet A. Merrill, both of Company A. 
 
 Early on December fourth, 1864, the Division moved out, to 
 attack the Rebel cavalry under Wheeler and Wade Hampton, At- 
 kins's- Brigade in advance, and, as the column came by the 
 Ninety-Second, on picket duty, the Regiment, that had been up 
 all night, without a chance to cook a cup of coffee for breakfast, 
 and they had no supper the night previous, was ordered to advance 
 on foot, and forward it went. The Tenth Ohio Cavalry was lead- 
 ing the Brigade, and soon found the enemv, and charged in col- 
 umn down the road, and close up to the enemy's barricade, which 
 was erected around a house ; and there the Tenth Ohio halted 
 within pistol shot of the enemy, but the Rebels had carefully se- 
 lected their ground, and built strong lines of barricades, one back 
 of another, and felt so certain of repulsing our attack, that thev 
 did not care to punish, as they might have done, the Tenth Ohio 
 Cavalry; and, by direction of the Rebel General Wheeler, who 
 could be seen and heard distinctly by us, the Rebels held their 
 fire. The Ninety-Second was ordered to come forward on the 
 double-quick; but the weary men, who had not slept the night 
 previous, and had gone without supper, and had not a chance to 
 cook breakfast, were not in condition to double-quick far. Lieu- 
 tenant Colonel Van Buskirk, with the Ninety-Second, was or- 
 dered to move upon the enemy's first barricade, directly in front, 
 and charge him out. The Fifth Ohio Cavalry was ordered to 
 move in column on the right flank, and the Ninth Ohio Cavalry, 
 Colonel William D. Hamilton, commanding, a gallant soldier, 
 whose eagles should have been stars, on the left flank, in column. 
 The Ninety-Second came up, and formed in line within plain 
 sight and easv range of the Rebel barricade, but the enemy did 
 not fire. The Ninety-Second moved down to the fence in the 
 hollow, in front of the enemy, and crossed it, and again dressed in 
 line, and then coolly and deliberately started over the open field 
 and up the hill in front, and within ten rods, of the barricaded 
 Rebels. Now the enemy had the Ninety-Second, as they thought, 
 at their mercy, and up the enemv rose behind their breastwork of
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 191 
 
 rails, and blazed their carbines into the faces of the Ninety-Second 
 men ; but the storm of bullets from the repeating rifles of the 
 Ninety-Second that went hissing back at them was too much for 
 the gray-coated soldiers, and they sank back again behind their 
 barricade, while the Ninety-Second leaped forward with a shout, 
 and onto and over the Rebel barricade, and pumped their Spen- 
 cers at the backs of the retreating Rebel soldiers. Eighty-seven 
 prisoners were captured by the Ninety-Second, behind the barri- 
 cade from which they had driven the enemy. The Tenth Ohio 
 was pushed forward, and, just beyond the barricade taken by the 
 Ninety-Second, it was charged by the Rebels, and was broken into 
 confusion ; but the Ninety-Second, with cool courage, moved for- 
 ward in line, and repulsed the charging Rebels. Another line of 
 barricades was found full of the gray-coats, who, while fighting 
 hard, did not wait as long as the first line had done, but retreated 
 before the Ninety-Second. The artillery was brought up, and 
 commenced shelling the town of Waynesboro. The Fifth Ohio 
 was pressing in hard on the Rebel left, and the Ninth Ohio had 
 already passed the Rebel right flank, and the enemy was leaving 
 his third line of barricades. The Ninth Michigan and Tenth Ohio 
 were ready to charge in the center, as soon as Colonel Hamilton, 
 of the Ninth Ohio, opened the fight on the Rebels beyond the 
 creek and near the town, when Kilpatrick ordered a halt! Twenty 
 minutes more would, probably, have given us five hundred pris- 
 oners. As it was, the Rebel cavalry, under Wheeler and Hamp- 
 ton, that had tried to run over Kilpatrick at Buckhead Creek on 
 the twenty-eighth of November, and had been so handsomely re- 
 pulsed, had here chosen its own ground, erected three separate 
 lines of barricades, each back of the other, and had hoped to re- 
 pulse us; but the Ninety-Second alone had routed them from 
 their first and strongest barricade, with great loss to the Rebel 
 cavalry, including eighty-seven prisoners; and a single brigade 
 had put the Rebel cavalry, commanded by Generals Wheeler and 
 Hampton, to flight! 
 
 A soldier, on the evening of that day, writing to his wife, in 
 his letter, said : " I will give you a description of the fight of 
 Waynesboro, and how our line of battle was formed. The Sec- 
 ond Brigade, commanded by Colonel Atkins, of our Regiment, 
 did all the lighting, until after we drove the enemy, Wheeler's 
 and Wade Hampton's cavalry, into the town of Waynesboro. 
 The Ninety-Second took the center on foot, and the other four 
 regiments of our Brigade were on the right and left flanks, the
 
 192 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 battery of rifled guns with the Ninety-Second, and our horses fol- 
 lowing in rear; the First brigade of our Cavalry Division still 
 farther in rear, in column on the road, and then came General 
 Baird's division of infantry in column. The cavalry command 
 was nearly all in sight at one time ; it was a splendid sight to see 
 both armies drawn up in sight of each other in battle array, ten 
 thousand mounted men. I have read of such sights, but never 
 saw one before." The Ninety-Second, after Kilpatrick had com- 
 manded the Brigade to halt, was permitted to rest, and cook 
 breakfast. The First brigade followed the enemy out beyond 
 Waynesboro, on the Augusta Road, skirmishing lightly with the 
 Rebels, but the enemy made no stand in force. Our burial par- 
 ties, it was said, buried one hundred and eighteen of the enemy. 
 The Ninety-Second lost seventeen, killed and wounded. George 
 W. Downs, of Company I, and Jesse Robinson, of Company K, 
 were instantly killed while bravely fighting. In the very com- 
 mencement of the engagement, Captain J. M. Schermerhorn, of 
 Company G, was knocked down by a musket ball, but his life was 
 saved by the handle of his pistol in his breast coat pocket; the pis- 
 tol handle was broken completely off. Corporal David Scott, of 
 Company D, familiarly known as " Gedee," color-bearer for the 
 Brigade Commander, while waving the Brigade colors, and 
 cheering on the men, a brave, good soldier, was struck in the fore- 
 head by a Rebel musket ball, and instantly killed. It was close 
 up to the second barricade of the Rebels, and the Brigade Order- 
 lies dismounted to save the colors, when the Brigade color-bearer 
 fell dead from his horse; but a Rebel Major had come out of the 
 barricade, and seized the flag-staff, when Hiram F. Hayward, of 
 Company I, one of the Brigade Orderlies, seized the other end of 
 the flag-staff; the Rebel Major was in front of his own line of 
 battle, and his men could not lire at Hayward without danger of 
 killing their own Major. Hayward had his navy revolver in his 
 hand, and the Rebel Major only his sword ; and Hayward drew 
 bead with his revolver on the Major, and demanded his surrender, 
 and not only saved the Brigade colors, but brought in the Rebel 
 Major as a prisoner. 
 
 We had now feinted sufficiently on Augusta, and Sherman's 
 army, stretching from the Ogecchee to the Savannah River, and 
 with both flanks protected by those streams, less than twenty 
 miles apart at Savannah, swept onward toward that doomed citv. 
 The Brigade took up its line of march, the Ninety-Second in ad- 
 vance, toward Savannah, and camped that night at Alexander, on
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 193 
 
 the plantation of Mr. Sapp. Details from the Ninety-Second were 
 sent to all the bridges over Briar Creek, on our left flank, and 
 the bridges were burned. Old Mr. Sapp was sick, but young Mr. 
 Sapp was exceedingly polite, talkative and affable. The Brigade 
 head-quarters wagon was not yet up, and young Mr. Sapp volun- 
 teered to get up supper for the Brigade Commander and staff, and 
 they soon sat down to a smoking hot supper of sweet potatoes, 
 corn bread and ham. He had no knifes and forks; he said the 
 Yankee soldiers had taken them all but pocket-knives and fingers 
 served in lieu of his missing cutlery. After supper, one of the 
 Rebel prisoners asked Mr. Sapp to give him a pair of pantaloons, 
 in exchange for the blue ones the Rebel prisoner had on, as the 
 prisoner was afraid the Yankee soldiers might kill him on ac- 
 count of his wearing the United States uniform. He said he was 
 an acquaintance of Mr. Sapp, one of his poor neighbors, a private 
 in Wheeler's cavalry; but Mr. Sapp would not make the exchange. 
 Some of the Yankea soldiers, sympathizing with the Johnny in 
 blue pantaloons, took the responsibility of helping him to the 
 pantaloons and hat worn by Mr. Sapp. The Yankee soldiers 
 made quick work with the homes of rich Rebel planters, but, to 
 their everlasting honor be it said, they were always kind to their 
 prisoners and to the poor. Many a time might have been seen 
 some poor old lady, weeping by the roadside, made happy by the 
 hams and sweet potatoes the Yankee soldiers would give her, or 
 by an apronful of Confederate money. Mr. Sapp pretended to be 
 mourning the death of one of his favorite little negro boys, Jack, 
 by name, and any one could see his freshly-made grave in the 
 garden, with its little wooden head-board, marked "Jack." The 
 grief of Mr. Sapp was quite inconsolable. But the Yankee sol- 
 diers did not think Mr. Sapp would bury a little darkey in his 
 garden, among the graves of his family and ancestors, and, thrust- 
 ing their sabres into the newly-made grave, they discovered that 
 it was very shallow; and, opening the grave, they found it con- 
 tained a barrel of sugar, his missing knives and forks, silverware, 
 and even diamond rings. Poor little Jack proved to be a valuable 
 little darkey, and the Southern newspapers had an opportunity to 
 publish that Sherman's vandals did not respect even the burial 
 places of he dead. 
 
 The Regiment marched early, on the fifth of December. The 
 
 day was beautiful like June, in Illinois the birds Dinging in the 
 
 trees and the cattle grazing in the fields. The bridges over the 
 
 streams were all destroyed, and the roads barricaded by fallen 
 
 24
 
 194 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 timber. A soldier, in his diary, writes : "The enemy evidently 
 intends to dispute our passage and give us a fight; but if we do not 
 march along over this road there will be some heavy fighting 
 done, for our Generals do not propose that the enemy shall dic- 
 tate what roads we shall march on in the dominions rightly be- 
 longing to our venerable Uncle Samuel." During the day can- 
 nonading was heard at regular intervals, of about fifteen minutes, 
 like the low rumble of distant thunder. The citizens said it was 
 the heavy cannon at Fort Sumter, in Charleston harbor, more 
 than a hundred miles away on an air line. Marched early on the 
 sixth, through a flat, sandy and swampy country, the principal 
 productions of which were rice, alligators and negroes. The ne- 
 groes being the most profitable, the whites had .devoted their prin- 
 cipal attention to that production. On the plantation on which 
 the Regiment encamped at night was a negro overseer, and the 
 negroes said that he was more severe upon them than any white 
 man they had ever had for a driver. We were covering the 
 Fourteenth Army Corps; the other brigade, with Kilpatrick, had 
 gone to cover the right flank of the army. The Rebel cavalry 
 were following us up, but thev did not dash into us very hard; 
 still, the cavalrymen were being shot every day on that long 
 march, and the ambulances were loaded down with the wounded 
 men. Marched early on the seventh. It had rained during 
 the night, and it rained all day, and the swamps became almost 
 impassable. We were marching south, along the right bank of 
 the Savannah River, the infantry in advance, our Brigade follow- 
 ing, and the Rebel cavalry following us. On the river, the enemy 
 had a little steamer, with a heavy piece of artillery on it, prob- 
 ably a 32-pounder, with which he occasionally shelled the Yan- 
 kees; it made a terrific noise, but did little or no damage. ,A 
 soldier, this day, in his diary, writes : "We are now marching 
 close to the Savannah River, the boundary line between Georgia 
 and South Carolina, the State that was the hot-bed of treason, the 
 author of all the Nation's troubles. It would please us bovs to 
 travel in that State, and, undoubtedly, we shall pay them a visit 
 some day in the future. ' Uncle Billy' is ' on the rampage,' and 
 if he don't ' go through' South Carolina, it will be because the war 
 shall end before he ' gets a good ready.' " 
 
 On the eighth of December, the command marched, at twc 
 o'clock in the morning. The Ninth Ohio Cavalry held the rear 1 , 
 and soon after daylight, the enemv showed considerable spirit and 
 dash, attacking constantly the rear guard. The country was
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 195 
 
 generally level and sandy, with little streams crossing the road 
 frequently, and emptying into the Savannah River. These 
 streams always had a swamp on both sides of them, filled 
 with a dense growth of black gum, and other trees that grow in 
 swampy places, covered with parasites. Neither animals nor 
 wheels could get through the swamps, except upon the corduroy 
 roads. The pioneers would cut large trees nearly off, and, when 
 our rear guard had passed, they were felled into the road, upon 
 the narrow corduroy, to impede the enemv following. About 
 noon, the command crossed one of these swamps, and found the 
 infantry bivouacing, waiting for the building of the bridge over 
 Ebenezer Creek. An officer of the Ninety-Second writes in an 
 old manuscript: "The enemy were pressing the Ninth Ohio 
 hard, and at this swamp we must stop them. The cavalry bri- 
 gade was deploved on the right of the road, facing the rear, and 
 covering the swamp, while a brigade of General Baird's infantry 
 was deployed on the other side of the road. The entrance to the 
 swamp was more abrupt than usual, giving us a good opportunity 
 to barricade the road. The Ninth Ohio held them finely, while 
 the brigade deployed and made preparations. I was with the 
 Ninth Ohio, riding with Colonel Hamilton ; and, hearing a yell 
 like the Johnnies alwavs set up when they charge, I looked and 
 saw a long column coming in on a road to our left, so as to cut 
 off about half of the Ninth Ohio, including Colonel Hamilton 
 and myself; but, fortunately, a Corpora! and six Ninety-Second 
 men, with their repeating rifles, were picketing that road. The 
 enemy was charging in column of fours; I could see the column 
 plainly, and could hear the Rebel officers urging on their men. 
 But the Corporal, with his six men, pumped bullets into the 
 head of that column so rapidly that they halted it, and held the 
 road until the Ninth Ohio had passed the swamp, and the road 
 over the corduroy had been barricaded with fallen trees. The 
 enemy dismounted, and with a long line attempted to cross the 
 swamp on our right, but were repulsed by Atkins's Brigade; 
 they then made a like attempt on our left, but were repulsed by 
 one of Baird's brigades of infantry. They then held a steady line 
 on one side of the swamp, and we on the other. After dark, we 
 pushed our skirmish line out into the swamp, and the enemy did 
 the same; and while relieving our skirmish line during the night, 
 great caution had to be observed, to avoid relieving the Rebel 
 skirmishers instead of our own. It was verv dark, and the skir- 
 mishers were behind trees, not more than twenty or thirty paces
 
 196 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 apart, and they avoided the tedium of watching on the skirmish 
 line by chaffering each other. The Rebels said they would drown 
 the whole pack of Sherman's thieves in the swamps about Savan- 
 nah, and our men replied that Savannah would be in our posses- 
 sion within three days. I sat down by a fire, under a tree in the 
 middle of the road, a little distance in rear of our line of battle; 
 and it was all quiet during the evening, except occasional skir- 
 mish firing. About twelve o'clock at night, General Baird's 
 division of infantry withdrew, to cross Ebenezer Creek ; and, as 
 the head of an infantry brigade came into the road where, by the 
 fire, I was sitting, a couple of rifled shell went screaming and 
 richocheting up the road, close by the fire. Two more shots were 
 fired, and then the Rebels ran their artillery to the rear. The 
 boys called to them to keep their guns there a little while, and 
 thev would come over and get them ; and the Rebels replied, ' Go 
 to .' But we did not want to go." Another officer, in his 
 diary, wrote on the evening of this day: "I am sitting by a 
 camp-fire, writing on my knees, and the boys are spinning their 
 varns, and telling each other their big lies. The negroes come 
 into our lines by hundreds, but we cannot do anything for them. 
 They are of all sizes, all ages, all sexes, and all colors, from the 
 whitest white to coal black; women of all ages, and little children, 
 all barefooted, and with scarcely clothing enough to cover them. 
 We ask them, ' Where are you going?' and they answer, ' With 
 you all.' They are objects of pity. All have their ideas of free- 
 dom. They say they knew we would come, and that their 
 masters had told them that we would kill them, but that 'Old 
 Massa and Missus couldn't fool us in dat way.' " At three 
 o'clock, on the morning of December ninth, the cavalry brigade 
 followed the infantry over the creek, the Ninety-Second covering 
 the rear. Four companies of the Regiment were detailed to 
 guard the pioneers while they were destroying the bridge, and 
 barricading the road through the swamp. An officer with the 
 detail writes in his diary: "No sleep last night. We have 
 crossed Ebenezer Creek. Three companies besides ours are 
 here, guarding the pioneers while they destroy the bridge, and 
 obstruct the road through the swamp. (I fell asleep while writing 
 the above, and took a nap.) Last night, about twelve o'clock, the 
 Rebels opened their artillery on us; it created quite a commotion. 
 Their shell fell among us, but did no damage. The Rebel gun- 
 boats threw shell yesterday into the road, near where we are now. 
 I ha-ve no prospect of any breakfast yet, but I am not very nun-
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 197 
 
 gry. What this day will bring forth I cannot tell, but I do not 
 think we will be troubled with the enemy to-day. We have de- 
 stroyed the bridge, and obstructed the road through the swamp. 
 Nine o'clock A. M. Two of Company I men have just been 
 shot near the bridge ; one man, of Company A, was wounded, the 
 same ball killing a soldier back of him. I have been watching a 
 sight that will never pass from my memory. There have been 
 hundreds of negroes, men, women, and children, following our 
 army. Last night, on the other side of the bridge, at the edge of 
 the swamp, thev were all turned out by the guards, and not per- 
 mitted to pass, by the order of General Jeff. C. Davis, command- 
 ing the Fourteenth Army Corps, and the command crossed, and 
 the bridge was destroyed, leaving all the negroes on the other side. 
 At this present writing, the negroes are crossing; some swim- 
 ming, and some crossing on rafts. The Rebels came up and fired 
 into them ; and such another time I never want to witness. They 
 are as afraid of the Rebels as they would be of wild beasts, for 
 the negroes know that it will be death, or worse, for them to fall 
 into the hands of the Rebels, after leaving with the Yankees. 
 Some of them jumped into the water, and others crawled under 
 the bank on the other side, the women and children screaming 
 piteously at the top of their voices. Some of the children were 
 drowned. They are getting across as fast as possible, and I think 
 most of them will succeed ; but thev are most pitiable looking 
 objects, when they get over, and out of range of the Rebels. 
 Most of them have on very little clothing, and every thread of 
 that wet; and here they stand around the fires, shivering with the 
 cold, and the poor women and children crying as if their hearts 
 would break. And what is all this for? It is for freedom; they 
 are periling their lives for freedom, and it seems to me that any 
 people who run such risks are entitled to freedom. For my part, 
 I never believed it policy to let them follow our army at all; for 
 an army on the march has enough to do to take care of itself, 
 without being encumbered with such a helpless lot of non- 
 combatants. I do not believe there is any one in this army to 
 blame for their leaving their homes ; but, as they have been al- 
 lowed to come along part of the way, unmolested, I believe it is 
 a burning shame and disgrace, and inhuman to leave them to 
 struggle in thirty feet of water for their lives; for they prefer 
 sinking in the water to returning to slavery." 
 
 About ten o'clock A. M., the Brigade was ordered to join Kil- 
 patrick, and marched immediately to the Georgia Central Rail-
 
 198 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 way, and encamped. The same officer of the Ninety-Second 
 again writes in his diary : " Since writing the foregoing, we have 
 marched in a south-easterly direction; what the distance is I do 
 not know-. I must say a little more about the negroes I spoke of 
 this morning. When the Rebels fired and killed the men at the 
 bridge, they made the negroes all go back that had not got over 
 Ebenezer Creek. One negro woman fell in with us three days 
 ago. She said she would go with us or perish. She had then a 
 small child. I saw her this morning, on this side of the creek ; 
 she had lost her child, but how, I do not know. She herself 
 crossed the creek by swimming. I saw a negro man and woman 
 on this side of the creek, who had crossed by swimming, and their 
 little boy was drowned, and the mother was crying as though her 
 heart would break. I believe her boy was as dear to her moth- 
 er's heart as if she and her child had been white. The sights I 
 this morning witnessed I cannot get out of my mind. Supper is 
 ready ; it is eleven o'clock, and I will close for this day." An- 
 other officer of the Ninety-Second writes : " All the way through 
 Georgia we found the negroes our friends, ready to give us any 
 information or assistance in their power. It was useless for old 
 master to hide his horses and mules, for Sambo would tell us at 
 once where they were. It did no good to empty the smoke-house 
 and bury the me.at, for the slave that did the work was always 
 ready to point out the exact spot of its burial. If the corn was 
 carried away into the swamps and hid, as, indeed, it often was, it 
 did no good, for some slave was ready to tell us where it was. 
 Stopping at a house, one day, while the men of the Ninety-Sec- 
 ond were getting the corn from the well-filled crib close by, I 
 heard one of the men asking the women 'where their meal was. 
 The white women said they had none, but an old negro woman, 
 pointing to a swamp, said : ' Ole Massa out dar, wid all de meat 
 and meal dar is.' The men went to find it. I heard the report of 
 a Spencer rifle, and by and bv the men came back, loaded down 
 with hams and corn-meal. One of the men rode up to me and 
 said: ' I found the old man in the swamp, with lots of hams and 
 meal, on a pile of loose cotton, and when we came in sight he set 
 the cotton on fire and ran but my Spencer halted him.' The 
 young ladies, who had just informed me that they had no 
 father, listened to the soldier, and, in concert and in tears, cried 
 out: 'Father is killed.' At the sight of their grief I could not 
 repress my own tears, and regretted that the soldier had not let 
 the old man escape. While the white people were so intensely
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 199 
 
 bitter in their feelings toward the hated Yankees that they would 
 burn up their food rather than permit it to fall into our hands a 
 thing proper enough to be done by the regular troops of the Rebel 
 army, but not proper for citizens and women the negroes, on the 
 contrary, hailed our coming with great joy, as if the promised day 
 of jubilee had arrived. Many a time I have seen the negro men 
 and women standing by the roadside, weeping and laughing al- 
 ternately, and shouting: ' Bress de Lord, you all's come atlas. 
 I'se always knowed de good Lord would heah my prayah, and 
 send de Yankees down heah.' It may be that the Lord of Heaven 
 did hear the prayers of the humble black people of the South, and 
 sent the victorious Stars and Stripes, emblem of liberty in deed 
 and in truth to them, the faithful friends of the Yankees, waiting 
 patiently and praying fervently for their coming. Did one of the 
 Union prisoners escape from the horrible prison pen at Ander- 
 sonville, and, fixing his eye on the North star, which had filled the 
 hopes of many a fugitive slave flying from bondage, traveling by 
 night and bv stealth through that hostile country, tracked by 
 bloodhounds, as the fugitive slave had been tracked, wish for a 
 friend, or for food, or for shelter, the flying Union soldier knew 
 that the humble cabin of the black slave would safely furnish it 
 all to him. During the long march through Georgia, the negroes 
 had everywhere been our faithful friends and allies, and, literally 
 in thousands, were following our armies out of bondage; and, 
 had the Union Generals been heartily in favor of negro troops, 
 they might have organized whole brigades and divisions on this 
 inarch. Before daylight, this morning, the ninth of December, 
 the Fourteenth Army Corps, commanded by General JefF. C. 
 Davis, crossed Ebenezer Creek ; and, by the order of General 
 Davis, a guard was stationed at the bridge that would not permit 
 a negro man, woman or child to cross. Poor, simple people, thev 
 thought it was because the whites must cross first, and they quietly 
 and patientlv waited by the roadside, filling the woods at daylight 
 as far as the eye could see, never dreaming that they were to be 
 entirely debarred the privilege of crossing, nor did they know it 
 until the pioneers were tearing away the bridge after the last 
 white soldier had crossed. Lett, cruelly left, to the bitter mercies 
 of the infuriated enemy following us! And the negroes were the 
 only class of people we had found on our long march who were 
 our faithful, fast friends; a simple-minded, God-fearing people, 
 who had wrestled in secret prayer, beseeching the God of battles 
 that victory might be with our army, and now they are cut oft"
 
 200 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 and left behind. And then such a wild panic as seized them ; 
 such bitter, heartrending cries of despair; such pitiful, beseeching 
 entreaties to be permitted (o cross, I never before witnessed or list- 
 ened to. They ran wildly up and down the stream ; many plunged 
 in and struggled through, and many sank beneath the dark waters 
 to rise no more. And those people our friends. Let the ' iron 
 pen of history' write the comment on this action of a Union Gen- 
 eral." During the ninth of December, we marched through a 
 country settled long before the Revolutionary war. We passed 
 one old church erected in 1769, that had been used as a hospital 
 by the soldiers of the Revolution. 
 
 Marched early, on the tenth of December, and camped at three 
 P. M., nine miles from Savannah, covering the Seventeenth Ar- 
 my Corps, commanded by General Frank P. Blair. It rained 
 during the night, and the weather grew cold. Marched at eight 
 A. M., on the eleventh of December, and camped within six 
 miles of Savannah, the infantry cannonading the Rebel works. 
 There was no forage for animals, and the cattle that had been 
 driven along with the army, and killed for beef, were so poor and 
 weak that they had to be held up to be knocked down ; and the 
 meat was so dry the men could not fry or broil it; and when boiled, 
 it was as tough and almost as innutritions as leather. A soldier, in 
 his diary, writes: " I have just divided my last hara-tack with 
 some starving little children." On the tenth, lav all day in rear 
 of the Seventeenth Army Corps. On the eighteenth, the Brigade 
 marched at nine A. M., and, at one point, ran the gauntlet of the 
 Rebel artillery and riflemen in a Rebel fort. Marched twenty 
 miles, crossing the Ogeechee, at King's Bridge, and camping 
 after dark, on Clay's plantation, .near Fort McAllister. Hazen's 
 division of infantry had taken Fort McAllister during the after- 
 noon. The negroes said that Clay had, in his rice plantation, 
 nine thousand nine hundred and twenty acres of land ; he had two 
 hundred able-bodied slaves, and his negro quarters made quite a 
 village. Near the house was an extensive rice mill, which 
 Clay instructed his slaves to burn, if the Yankees came near; they 
 did so, and the Yankees burned up everything else that would 
 burn.' By the fall of Fort McAllister, communication was opened 
 with the Yankee fleet lying in Ossabaw Sound, and General Kil- 
 patrick visited one of the Yankee gun-boats. Rice in the straw 
 was all the forage the animals had, and the men had little or 
 nothing. One of the Brigade Orderlies had captured a turkey, 
 and the Colonel commanding the Brigade was calculating on a
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 201 
 
 feast for supper; but when his cook turned his back a moment to 
 tell the Colonel that supper was ready, some hungry soldier gob- 
 bled the roasted gobbler, and the Brigade Commander went 
 supperless to bed. By daylight next morning, the Yankee fleet, 
 loaded with rations, was at King's Bridge. 
 
 While Sherman was taking steps to reduce Savannah, the cav- 
 alry had to be subsisted upon the country ; and the Division 
 marched early, on the fourteenth of December, to Midway 
 Church, nine miles from Sunbury, and camped amidst abund- 
 ance of forage for animals, and plenty of hams, sweet potatoes, 
 turkeys, chickens, etc., for the men. Midway Church was 
 guarded from spoliation, as was also the grave-yard close by, 
 which was walled in with a heavy brick fence, built before the 
 Revolutionary War, the brick having been brought from 
 England. It was a sombre place. Great live oak trees, covered 
 with long hanging Spanish moss, stood, like mourning sentinels, 
 above the tombs. Graves were found with inscriptions a hundred 
 and fifty years old. A soldier of the Ninetv-Second, in his diarv, 
 writes: "Our Commander has placed a guard over the church 
 and grounds, to see that nothing is injured. The people here pay 
 a great deal of attention to their dead, and to their religion. 
 Their slaves get one pint of salt, and four pecks of corn, in a 
 month, to eat, and nothing else. Who says they are not a Chris- 
 tian people?" On the fifteenth, the command lay in camp. A 
 soldier writes in his diary : " To-day we obtained permission, 
 and organized a party, to go to the Atlantic coast. Sunbury, at 
 the head of St. Catharine's Sound, is where we went, and, for the 
 first time in my life, I saw the salt water. I rode my horse into 
 it, but he did not drink it. I bathed in the salt water; gathered 
 and ate oysters; and s;i\v, in the distance, a United States man-of- 
 war, and a gun-boat of our blockading squadron. Sunbury is one 
 of the oldest settled towns in the State of Georgia. During the 
 Revolution, the British captured and destroyed it, and marched 
 from Sunbury to Savannah. At that time, this country was all 
 settled up: many of the lands that were tilled then are now fine 
 forests, with trees from ten to sixteen inches in diameter. We 
 visited old Fort Sunbury : it was once a strong fort. There was 
 one 64-pounder, and one 12-pound gun, lying in the fort." The 
 Division marched at six P. M., the Ninety-Second in rear of 
 e\*rvlhing. The roads were badly cut up. Camped late. 
 Marched at ten A. M., on the sixteenth, to King's Bridge, and went 
 into permanent camp, in the pine woods bordering the Ogeechee,
 
 202 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 not far from the ship-landing, from which Sherman's troops about 
 Savannah were to get supplies of hard-tack, sow-belly, and am- 
 munition. At two P. M., the Division, under command of Colo- 
 nel Atkins, marched again toward Midway, in rear of General 
 Mower's division of infantry, on an expedition to Altamaha 
 River, to destroy the railroad and railroad bridges on the Savan- 
 nah and Gulf Railroad. The infantry wagon trains were fast in 
 the mud. Long after dark, the command bivouaced, having 
 inarched but six miles. Only five companies of the Ninety- 
 Second accompanied the command. At daylight, marched to 
 Midway, ted animals, and cooked breakfast. Marched at nine 
 A. M., passed the infantry, and took the advance, and halted for 
 dinner at Hinesville, a very pretty little town, quite a resort in 
 summer for the rice planters. The country was full of forage 
 and provisions. 
 
 Len Lockridge, of Company D, was picking up provisions for 
 General Kilpatrick, and, after the command had marched through 
 Hinesville, Len returned with a wagon load of such eatables as he 
 had gathered. Riding ahead of the wagon intoj Hinesville, he 
 ran into a squad of Rebel cavalrv belonging to Hawkins's brigade. 
 They had on blue overcoats, and, supposing them to be our own 
 men, Len rode right in among them. There were seven of the 
 Rebels. They stripped Lockridge of all his clothing, except pants 
 and shirt, and took him to Hawkins's head-quarters, and, after be- 
 ing examined by Hawkins, he was ordered to be taken to the 
 head-quarters of General Iverson, at two o'clock in the morning. 
 It was twelve o'clock at night, and, until the party were ready to 
 start with him, they put Lockridge into an old church, under 
 guard. Lying down near the pulpit, as if to sleep, he saw that he 
 might crawl under the seats to the door. His guards were nap- 
 ping, and he crawled carefully under the seats back to the church 
 door, determined to escape if possible. As he approached the 
 door, once through which and into the woods, he felt he would 
 be safe from the pursuit of his too careless guards, he saw, bv 
 the fire outside, two bloodhounds. His heart, panting to escape, 
 sank at the sight; to spring from that door was to be seized by 
 tltose bloodhounds, and he might as well face a Rebel prison-pen. 
 He quietly crawled back again. At two o'clock A. M., a Rebel 
 Captain and five men started with him to Iverson's head-quarters; 
 at the end of eleven miles, one man was relieved, and at the end 
 of the next ten miles, two men were relieved, and not long after 
 that the Captain and one man stopped at a house, leaving Lock-
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 203 
 
 ridge in charge of but one guard, who was told to shoot him if he 
 attempted to get away. A little farther on, they came to a house 
 where a woman stood at the door, and Lockridge requested his 
 guard to get him a drink of water. The woman handed a cala- 
 bash of water to the guard, and he handed it to Lockridge ; after 
 drinking, he returned the calabash to the guard, who was sitting 
 on his horse, with his guri across the pommel of his saddle, and 
 just as the guard was reaching the calabash back to the woman, 
 Lockridge struck the guard with his fist, knocking him from his 
 horse, and, grabbing the guard's gun, he beat him over the head 
 with it; then, mounted on the guard's horse, he dashed up the 
 road, and as soon as out of sight of the house he took to the woods. 
 He rode rapidly four or five miles, when his horse gave out and 
 mired in a swamp, and Lockridge kept on on foot. At sundown, 
 he could hear the hounds baying on his track. The Rebel gun 
 he held in his hand would not do for a pack of bloodhounds. To 
 climb into a tree, safe from their pursuit, would only be to wait 
 until the hounds came up, accompanied by his pursuers. To 
 escape the hounds and the pursuing Rebels, he swam the Alta- 
 maha River, and learning its course by its current, he kept down 
 the river on the other side. He had gone about five miles, when 
 he heard the hounds again, and he again crossed the river, and 
 kept on down the stream, and again hearing the hounds, he again 
 swam the river. Lockridge traveled on day and night, for sev- 
 enty hours, through swamps and woods, shunning the road, along 
 which the Rebel courier line ran. He grew hungry, and would 
 craAvl up back of the houses until he would see men about, and 
 then skulk back into the woods again. At length he found a 
 house with no men about it, and entered it and helped himself to 
 cold victuals from the cupboard, and hastened to the woods to eat, 
 the first he had tasted for seventy-two hours. And so he kept on, 
 through swamp and cane-brake, for four days and nights. Dur- 
 ing the fourth night he saw a fire in the woods, and, fearing it 
 might be a Rebel picket, he cautiously crawled up to it, and found 
 a single old negro asleep by the fire. Stalking up to him, with 
 his gun, he pretended to be a Rebel soldier, and endeavored to 
 learn his surroundings; but the old negro was so dumb he could 
 get no information from him. Lockridge changed his tactics, 
 and told the old black man that he was a Yankee soldier, trying 
 to escape .from the Rebels, and then the old negro was intelligent 
 and chatty. The old negro became his guide, and procured an 
 axe, with which they made a raft and crossed the Altamuha River,
 
 i04 N1NETT-SECOKD ILLINOIS. 
 
 At daylight he hid in the woods, and the old negro brought him 
 his breakfast; he lay in the woods all day, and in the evening the 
 old negro brought him his supper, and was again his guide; and 
 they traveled all night, making about twenty miles, when the old 
 negro again brought him his breakfast, and turned him over to a 
 friend, another negro, who was his guide the next night. And 
 thus guided and helped on his way by the negroes, he reached the 
 Yankee lines eight days after his capture. 
 
 The Cavalry Division camped after dark, on December eight- 
 eenth, at Johnston's Station. A lady residing there, said that 
 when the Union prisoners were taken South, she went to the 
 train with a basket of food, but that the guard would not let her 
 give it to the Yankees. She saw one Yankee prisoner pick up a 
 kernel of corn, and the guard made him throw it away again. 
 The command marched early on the nineteenth, crossed Jones's 
 Creek, and marched to the Altamaha River, opposite Doctor- 
 town, the intention being to burn the railroad bridge crossing the 
 river; but the Rebels had a fort protecting the bridge. The 
 Ninety-Second marched out into the swamps, dismounted, to flank 
 the fort, but was ordered back, and the command withdrew. The 
 Rebels ran an engine with a flat car ahead of it, from Doctortown 
 to the fort; on the flat car was a cannon, and the Rebels blazed 
 away with it, until a section of our jo-pound rifled Rodmans 
 opened in replv, when they ran their railroad artillerv to the rear. 
 A long, high trestle was destroyed. The command returned to 
 Johnston's Station, and camped, after dark. In fording Jones's 
 Creek, a large number of horses were drowned. Marched at 
 seven A. M., on the twentieth, to Jonesville, and camped amidst 
 plenty of forage for animals and plenty for the men to 'eat. 
 Marched next day, to Riceboro. The people had seen nothing of 
 the war, and were all at home. On the twenty-second, the com- 
 mand returned to King's Bridge, and went into old camps, after 
 dark. On the twenty-third of December, we heard of the capture 
 of the city of Savannah, with two hundred pieces of artillery, one 
 hundred railroad locomotives and many cars, thirty thousand 
 bales of cotton, and nine hundred Rebel prisoners. It was a 
 happy day in camp. Colonel Atkins, in closing his official report 
 of the march through Georgia, said : " During the campaign, my 
 Brigade has marched five hundred and twenty miles; been fre- 
 quently in action, and always successful; has captured eleven 
 hundred and fifty-nine mules and horses; men and animals were 
 subsisted principally upon the country : my Brigade burned five
 
 NINBTT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 205 
 
 thousand, eight hundred and forty bales of cotton, one hundred 
 and twenty-nine cotton gins and cotton houses, and eleven flour- 
 ing mills." General Kilpatrick's official report of the campaign 
 from Atlanta to Savannah, contains the following : " Before 
 closing my remarks, I desire to make favorable mention of my 
 Brigade Commanders, Colonels Murray and Atkins; both have 
 at all times faithfully and ably performed the responsible duties 
 which have devolved upon them; always on duty, attentive to 
 orders, energetic, skillful and brave. Both are educated, gentle- 
 manly and accomplished cavalry officers. Both merit promotion." 
 And further on in his official report, General Kilpatrick, in men- 
 tioning the various regiments in his Division, says: " The Nine- 
 ty-Second Illinois Mounted Infantry, Lieutenant Colonel Van 
 Buskirk, have, at all the various places mentioned, behaved most 
 handsomely, and attracted my especial attention." After receiv- 
 ing General Kilpatrick's official report, General Sherman ad- 
 dressed the following letter to General Kilpatrick : 
 
 " HEAD-QUARTERS MIL. Div. Miss. [ 
 " In the Field, Savannah, Ga., Dec. 29th, 1864. ) 
 " Brig. Gen'l Judso/i Kilpatrick, Comd'g Cavalry Division, Army 
 
 of Georgia: 
 
 " GKXF.RAT. : I have read, with pleasure, your report, just 
 received, as well as those of your Brigade Commanders. I beg 
 to assure you that the operations of the cavalry under your com- 
 mand have been skillful and eminently successful. As you cor- 
 rectly state in your report, you handsomely feinted on Forsythe 
 and Macon; afterwards did all that was possible toward the rescue 
 of our prisoners at Millen, which failed simply because the pris- 
 oners were not there. And I will here state, that you may have 
 it on my signature, that you acted wisely and well, in drawing 
 back from Wheeler to Louisville, as I had instructed you not to 
 risk your cavalry command. And subsequently, at Thomas's 
 Station, Waynesboro, and Brier Creek, you whipped a superior 
 cavalry force, and took from Wheeler all chance of boasting over 
 you. But the fact, that to you, in a great measure, we owe the 
 march of four strong infantry columns, with heavy train and 
 wagons, over three hundred miles, through an enemy's country, 
 without the loss of a single wagon, and without the annoyance of 
 cavalry dashes on our flanks, is honor enough for any Cavalry 
 Commander. 
 
 " I will retain vour report for a few days, that I may, in my 
 own report, use some of your statistics, and then will forward it
 
 306 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 to the War Department, when I will endorse your recommenda- 
 tions, and make such others as I may consider necessary and 
 proper. I am truly your friend, 
 
 " W. T. SHERMAN, 
 
 " Maj. Gen'l Comd'g."
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 207 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 CAMPING AND FORAGING ABOUT SAVANNAH STARTING ON THE 
 MARCH AGAIN A TORCH-LIGHT BATTLE INTO SOUTH 
 CAROLINA BARNW^LL THE REBEL TRAP AT AIKEN THE 
 NINETY-SECOND, COMPLETELY SURROUNDED BY THE ENE- 
 MY, GALLANTLY CUTS ITS WAY OUT EXCHANGING PRIS- 
 ONERS WITH WHEELER SENDING UP SKY-ROCKETS 
 RUNNING INTO THE REBEL CAMPS AT NIGHT AVERYS- 
 BORO BENTONSVILLE NEWS OF LEE'S SURRENDER 
 FIGHTING NEAR RALEIGH ENTERING RALEIGH CHAPEL 
 HILL MARCHING ALONG, GRAY-COATS AND BLUE-COATS 
 TOGETHER CONCORD MUSTERED OUT HOMEWARD BOUND 
 THE THREfe YEARS' SOLDIERING ENDED. 
 
 Sherman presented to President Lincoln the captured city of 
 Savannah, as a Christmas present, December 25th, 1864. It was 
 Sabbath. The Ninety-Second lay in camp, in the pine woods 
 bordering the Ogeechee River, near King's Bridge, enjoying a 
 Christmas least of oysters in the shell, fresh from the Atlantic 
 brine, all the Regiment feeling very happy at the glorious ending 
 of the long campaign. Captain J. M. Schermerhorn, of Com- 
 pany G, the informal Commissary General of the Ninety-Second, 
 had provided the oysters; with a detail of men, Captain Scher- 
 merhorn had gone to the coast, and returned with several six- 
 mule wagon loads of oysters in the shell. When Atlanta was 
 taken, the Regiment had anticipated a rest; but the capture of 
 Savannah created no such anticipations. Hood's army had gone 
 to Nashville, and we were too far from Lee's armv, which was 
 properly our objective; it must come toward us, or we must go 
 toward it. Preparations for a march through the Carolinas began 
 immediately, but it required weeks to put the large army in con- 
 dition to resume the march. On the twenty-sixth of December, 
 the Ninety-Second moved, at seven A. M., with the Brigade and 
 Division, and went into camp eight miles south of Savannah,
 
 208 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 where it remained until the second of January, 1865. It was ex- 
 pected that rations and forage would be plenty at Savannah ; but 
 rations were short, and forage so scarce that Sherman had not 
 enough for the animals belonging to the artillery, ambulances, 
 and trains of the infantry. The cavalry were without forage, and ' 
 the men dug the rice straw out of the Rebel fortifications, where 
 it had been used, as the ancients used straw to make bricks, to 
 hold together the soft swamp soil of which the fortifications were 
 constructed, carefully washed it in the swamp water, and fed it to 
 the starving horses. Sometimes, on the rice plantations about 
 Savannah, the men would find rice in the straw, and it was fed to 
 the horses, as the farmers feed oats in the sheaf; but the hard rice 
 was indigestible, and made the animals sick. 
 
 On the thirty-first of December, 1864, at midnight, the Ninety- 
 Second Silver Cornet Band played the old year out, with sad music, 
 and the New Year in, with gay music, and the men of the Regi- 
 ment joined in the chorus with gleeful shouts. Sweetly the music 
 of the silver horns rang out on the stillness of the midnight air. 
 Those who would have kept watch-night at home, kept it in the 
 camp. One year before, they had kept it by their great fires on 
 Judge Hammond's plantation, in Northern Alabama: and now, 
 beneath the long-leaved pines on the Atlantic coast, in Southern 
 Georgia, they watched the old year out, and welcomed the New 
 Year in. It was not so cold as the year before; roses, and many 
 other flowers, were in bloom in the gardens about the deserted 
 dwellings. The animals were in a starving condition, and, on the 
 second of January, 1865, the Brigade moved across King's Bridge, 
 and marched twenty miles, to Taylor's Creek, to be in a country 
 where food for men and animals was procurable. The horses 
 were so weak and poor that most of the command walked, and led 
 their faithful and hungry horses. Taylor's Creek was reached 
 after dark, and plentv of forage and provisions were found. On 
 the third, the Ninety-Second was sent out to forage for the Brig- 
 ade, and about five miles from camp found plentv of corn, hams 
 and sweet potatoes, and loaded the wagons, and returned to camp 
 with abundance for the entire Brigade. A soldier, in his diary, 
 wrote: " This is what is called living on the enemy, for the Lord 
 knows we have nothing else." But nothing else was needed 
 corn for the animals, and sweet potatoes and meat for the men, 
 were all that was required. On the fourth, one-half the Ninety- 
 Second went foraging. The following characteristic communica- 
 tion was received from General Kilpatrick, the jolly little Briga-
 
 NINETY -SECOND ILLINOIS. 209 
 
 dier, who commanded Sherman's cavalry. We give it as a 
 
 specimen : 
 
 " Colonel ATKINS, Commanding Cavalry, Taylor's Creek, Ga. : 
 
 " Colonel: I have heard from Colonel Jordan. He is doing 
 well. Has been directed to push in to-morrow and form a junc- 
 tion with you on, or beyond Taylor's Creek. I wish you to 
 thoroughly scout the country, capturing all the horses and mules 
 possible. Be bold. Times have wonderfully changed. One 
 Yankee can run sixteen lousy Rebs. Isn't it funny? Keep your 
 tailors, shoemakers, blacksmiths, and farmers, poor cowardly 
 devils from the North, constantly at work, and don't give the brave, 
 chivalric, and magnanimous sons of the sunny South a chance to 
 steal, cook, and eat ary tater. I desire you to remain until Satur- 
 day morning. No news of importance. 
 
 " Very respectfully yours, 
 
 "J. KlLPATRICK, 
 
 " Brig. Gen'l." 
 
 Many of the wealthy people living in Savannah had gone to 
 the plantations on Taylor's Creek, to escape Sherman's troops, 
 taking their elegant city furniture with them. The Ninety- 
 Second boys made saddle cloths of their beautiful Brussels and 
 Turkey carpets. On the sixth, the command started on the 
 return, every trooper loaded down with corn for his horse, and 
 eatables for himself a funny cavalcade. Many of the men 
 loaded their horses so heavily with corn, hams, chickens, turkeys, 
 and sweet potatoes, that the horses could scarcely stagger along 
 under their loads, the men leading them. Every old wagon, cart, 
 buggy, sulky, and family carriage that could be found in that 
 country, was loaded down ; and the soldiers had hitched to them 
 all kinds of animals. One silver mounted family carriage was 
 loaded inside and out, and drawn by a little, old jackass and a 
 cow hitched together! A handsome one-horse carriage was 
 drawn by a little burly bull! One aristocratic Yankee, seated on 
 a well loaded ox cart, drove a handsome tandum team a poor, 
 old, blind mule, led by a stubborn little jackass! To stop by the 
 roadside and see the cavalcade go by, was better than going to a 
 circus; and the wit of the men, when some soldier's team would 
 get to kicking, or his vehicle break down, was more pointed than 
 the old saws of the circus clowns. The column moved slowly, 
 and bivouaced that night at King's Bridge, and reached the old 
 camp, eight miles south of Savannah, at noon, on the seventh, 
 26
 
 2io NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 with many days' forage and rations, for men and animals. One 
 soldier wrote in his diary, in the evening: " Here we are in camp 
 again, as quiet as vou please. There was a rumor afloat, that we 
 will leave to-morrow. I fixed up my traps, and spun around 
 generally." Sunday, the eighth, was very warm. Many men in 
 the Regiment were permitted to go to Savannah. One soldier, 
 in his diary, wrote: "I to-day visited Savannah, with Captain 
 Hawk and others. The buildings are old, tumble-down things; 
 the streets, beds of loose sand ; I should call the city third-class. 
 The troops are constructing lines of earthworks around the city, 
 so that a small force can hold it. I think it very singular that 
 this place yielded up so soon. One good c'orps of Yankee troops 
 would have held it for weeks against the whole of the Rebel 
 armies." 
 
 On the twelfth of January, 1865, the Cavalry Division of Gen- 
 eral Kilpatrick was reviewed in the streets of Savannah, by Major 
 General Sherman, in the presence of Hon. Edwin M. Stanton, 
 Secretary of War. Mr. Stanton rode bv the line in an open car- 
 riage, and sat in his carriage while the column passed him in re- 
 view. On the fourteenth of January, orders were received to pre- 
 pare for a six weeks' campaign through the Carolinas. Colonel 
 Atkins received, from the Secretary of War, his commission of 
 Brigadier General U. S. Volunteers, by brevet, with a special 
 order of the President of the United States assigning him to duty 
 with his brevet rank. He was serenaded by the Ninety Second 
 Silver Cornet Band, and was congratulated, in the evening, bv 
 the officers of his Brigade, in a body. On Sunday, the fifteenth, 
 Chaplain Clark, of the Tenth Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, who was 
 taken prisoner at Lovejoy's Station, when the Division was making 
 the raid around Atlanta, August twentieth, 1864, preached an elo- 
 quent sermon, detailing his prison experience, which was listened 
 to by nearly the entire Brigade. The troops lay in camp, with 
 nothing to do; the officers drawing supplies of all kinds, and get- 
 ting ready for the march. A soldier, on the nineteenth, in his 
 diary, wrote : " Running horses seems to occupy the attention of 
 the sporting men of the command just now. I went out to the 
 race course and let my mare run through once, just to ascertain 
 her speed, but found she had none." It rained several days in 
 succession, and the horses were knee-deep in the soft soil. The 
 roads became so bad that it required three days for the teams to 
 get to Savannah, eight miles, and return, and, in consequence, the 
 merr were short of rations, and the animals again without forage
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 21 1 
 
 The swamps were almost impassable, and full of alligators, many 
 being killed by the men. Alligator steak is regarded by some 
 people as a luxury, but the hungry soldiers would not eat alli- 
 gator meat. On the twenty-third, supplies began to come from 
 Savannah by rail, and the Ninety-Second moved camp to be nearer 
 the railroad. On the evening of the twenty-seventh, General Kil- 
 patrick gave a party to the officers of his command, and, in his 
 speech, said : " In after years, when travelers passing through 
 South Carolina shall see chimney stacks without houses, and the 
 country desolate, and shall ask, 'Who did this?' some Yankee 
 will answer, ' Kilpatrick's Cavalry.' " On the morning of January 
 twenty-eighth, 1865, the march through the Carolinas began, the 
 Ninety-Second in advance. The roads were almost impassable. 
 Marched eight miles, and camped on the Springfield Road. 
 Marched at sunrise on the twenty-ninth, twenty miles, through 
 the swamps, and bivouaced at dark, with plenty of rails for fires. 
 Marched at daylight, passing through Springfield, a town thaUwas 
 nearly all burned up when Sherman marched to Savannah, and 
 camped at Sisters' Ferry, on the Savannah River, where there 
 was a large camp of infantry. Pontoons were being laid across 
 the Savannah River. At three o'clock P. M., a fleet of steamers 
 arrived from Savannah, with supplies and the mails. On the 
 thirty-first, the Regiment received orders to be ready to march at 
 a moment's notice, with five davs' rations, and all the ammunition 
 each man could carry. The road opposite Sisters' Ferry was filled 
 with buried torpedoes by the Rebels. One man was killed on the 
 thirty-first by the explosion of a buried torpedo. To fill country 
 roads with buried torpedoes was a new style of warfare, but about 
 equal to South Carolina valor. The Regiment lay in camp in the 
 pine woods, and, at night, the fat pine knots lighted made flaming 
 torches, and the men, full of fun, fought a battle with the fat pine 
 torches as weapons. It was a curious sight, beneath the sombre 
 pine trees, and the men enjoyed the sport hugely, although some 
 of them were severely burned; one man in Company B had an 
 .eye nearly punched out by a burning brand. At two P. M., on 
 February third, General Atkins's Brigade took the lead, crossed 
 the pontoons over the Savannah River, and floundered through 
 the swamps, caring little for buried torpedoes, and, by ten P. M., 
 had made six miles, reaching the first dry land, where the Brigade 
 bivouaced. A soldier, in his diary, wrote: " Crossed the Savan- 
 'nah River, and trod on the 'sacred' soil of South Carolina. I 
 rather expected that the earth would open and swallow up the
 
 212 NINRTr-SECOKD ILLINOIS. 
 
 grand army of 'mudsills;' but it didn't, and we got over the long 
 swamp, and found good bottom for man and beast. I saw the 
 place where once a noble, aristocratic South Carolina mansion 
 had stood ; and I looked, and lo, only ashes, charred timbers, and 
 a chimney stack of rough stone were left of that grand mansion, 
 and its chivalric owner, the noble South Carolina gentleman, had 
 fled from our advance, not waiting to whip three of the detested 
 Yankees." Marched at ten A. M., and passed through Roberts- 
 ville, and camped at Lawtonville, amidst plenty for horses and 
 men to eat. At night, the South Carolina skies gave back a blood- 
 red reflection from South Carolina's burning homes. Started 
 early next morning, and marched twenty miles, to Allendale; 
 forage and rations plenty, and the town, of course, burned up. 
 
 Marched early on the sixth of February, General Atkins's 
 Brigade leading; and when within two miles of Barnwell, the 
 enemy was found in strong position, on the opposite side of 
 SallSiatchie River and Swamp, occupying earthen rifle pits. The 
 Ninety-Second Illinois was dismounted, and two companies of 
 the Ninth Ohio Cavalry were also dismounted; and, pushing out 
 into the swamp, they waded the Salkhatchie, and flanked the 
 enemy out of his line of earthworks. We here learned that the 
 main force of the Rebel cavalry had been awaiting our advance, 
 at Barnwell ; but our cavalry not showing itself, the Rebel cavalry 
 had, the day previous, marched from Barnwell toward Branch- 
 ville, and the right of Sherman's army, leaving their heavy 
 earthworks at the Salkhatchie to be held by about one hundred 
 men. The squad of Rebels, when they found they were flanked, 
 retreated on the Augusta Road, leaving one killed and three 
 wounded. No one hurt in the Ninety-Second. After repairing 
 the road over the swamp, and rebuilding the bridge, the command 
 marched into Barnwell, and camped. All the cotton found had 
 been burned up; but the people of Barnwell hit upon a novel plan 
 to save their cotton. There had been thousands of bales stored 
 in the town; it was removed from the buildings, and scattered, a 
 bale in a place, in the woods and fields all around the town ; and it 
 had been soaked by the rains, and would not burn. The town 
 was burned up. Kilpatrick had his head-quarters at a hotel. 
 Nero fiddled while Rome was burning ; and the jolly Kilpatrick 
 gave a grand ball in Barnwell, while the dwellings of the inhabi- 
 tants were lighting up the sky with their flames. He sent out his 
 invitations, and the receivers, doubtless regarding them as impera- 
 tive orders, put in an appearance, and, like sad ghosts, went
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 213 
 
 through the whirling mazes of the dance. Kilpatrick's head- 
 quarters were frequently set on fire while the dance was in 
 progress. It was the bitterest satire on social pleasure ever 
 witnessed. 
 
 The command marched early, on February seventh, to Black- 
 ville, a small station on the railroad, between Charleston and 
 Augusta, driving the enemy, and destroying miles of the railroad. 
 Marched at noon, on the eighth of February, toward Augusta, ten 
 miles, and bivouaced at Williston Station, and destroyed the rail- 
 road and several cars found at the station. A small force of 
 Rebel cavalry fell back as we advanced, giving an occasional 
 'shot, but not fighting hard. Marched at seven A. M., on the 
 ninth, still toward Augusta, and camped at Windsor. A soldier, 
 in his diary, writes: " Goddard and Pulver, of the Ninety- 
 Second, out foraging, on returning, found themselves between 
 the Rebel picket and Rebel camp, and put spurs to their horses, 
 killed one of the Rebel vedettes, and captured the other; but, 
 being hotly pursued, they dropped their prisoner, and reached 
 camp all right, minus their forage." Captain E. T. E. Becker, of 
 Company I, reported to Division head-quarters, with fifty men, 
 and was ordered, by General Kilpatrick, to proceed to and destroy 
 the cotton mills near Augusta, on the Savannah River, provided 
 he could get by the enemy without being discovered. The Cap- 
 tain marched first south about four miles; then turned west, on a 
 road running parallel with the railroad. When near Aiken, and 
 the men were congratulating themselves on their success in evad- 
 ing the enemy, they suddenly ran upon one of his picket posts, 
 and gave the Rebels a most lively run into the town of Aiken, 
 which was found full of Rebels, in most disorderly disorder. 
 The detail returned to Pole Cat Pond, marching thirty miles in 
 going and returning. There were no casualties, except that 
 Lyman Gray's mule was shot through the nose. At half past 
 twelve at night, Captain H. M. Timms, of Company A, with his 
 company, and Companies C, B, and D, dismounted, accompanied 
 by Captain D. L. Cockley, A. A. D., on General Atkins's staff, 
 moved out through the woods and fields, from our reserve 
 picket post, two miles, and came on the road in rear of the Rebel 
 pickets, killing one, capturing one, and capturing six or eight 
 horses, and scattering the Rebel picket, without loss to us. At 
 daylight, on February eleventh, 1865, General Atkins's Brigade, 
 leaving the Division at Pole Cat Pond, marched toward Aiken, 
 eight miles distant. Two miles from our picket, we struck the
 
 214 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 Rebel picket post, and, at a house by the roadside, just behind the 
 Rebel picket, a woman informed General Kilpatrick, who accom- 
 panied the Brigade, that the Rebel Generals Wheeler and Cheat- 
 ham had just left her house. It was thereby made evident that 
 Wheeler and Hampton's cavalry was again in our front, with 
 Cheatham's division of infantry. The Ninetv-Second was in 
 advance, and moved cautiously, driving the Rebel picket ahead 
 of it. Flanking parties were marching through the woods 
 and fields on both sides of the road. The head of the column 
 came within plain view of the town of Aiken. Lieutenant 
 Henry C. Cooling, of Company B, as cool and brave an officer as 
 there was in the Regiment, reported to General Atkins that he 
 had discovered long lines of Rebel cavalry on the right of the 
 road in the woods and fields, dismounted, and holding their 
 horses by the bridle reins. The column was halted. It was evi- 
 dent that a trap had been laid; and into the jaws of that carefully 
 planned Rebel trap the Brigade Commander did not care to go. 
 The firing on the left of the road told plainly that our flankers 
 had struck the enemy, also, on the left. But there was no enemy 
 on the road between the head of the Ninety-Second and the town 
 of Aiken. Kilpatrick came dashing up to the head of the col- 
 umn, and desired to know the reason of the halt, and it was 
 explained to him. Just then a railroad locomotive ran out in 
 plain view near Aiken, and whistled and whistled. Kilpatrick 
 stationed a section of artillery on the road, and sent rifled shell 
 screaming toward the locomotive, and into the town of Aiken. 
 Kilpatrick wanted to capture that locomotive ; he was assured 
 that its whistling was only a part of the trap the enemy had set, 
 and that they would swing in from both flanks, and surround any 
 force sent into Aiken ; but Kilpatrick ordered the Ninetv-Second, 
 only about two hundred and twenty-five men in line, as part were 
 left on picket, and others engaged on various details and flanking 
 parties, to charge into the town. Forward it went, and met no 
 resistance in reaching the town ; the screaming locomotive 
 ran to the rear; the Ninety-Second was seen plainly entering 
 the town. There was no firing, and General Kilpatrick himself 
 rode forward toward Aiken. 
 
 General Atkins ordered the Ninth Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, 
 Colonel William D. Hamilton, into line of battle on the right ot 
 the road, flanking the section of artillery ; and the Ninth Michi- 
 gan Cavalry, Colonel George S. Acker, in line of battle, flanking 
 the artillery on the left of the road, holding the Tenth Ohio Cavalry
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 215 
 
 reserve. Colonel William D. Hamilton, of the Ninth Ohio, and 
 the Major commanding one battalion of the Ninth Michigan, 
 were ordered to be ready to charge into Aiken at the sound of the 
 Brigade bugle ; and, on reaching Aiken, and relieving any of the 
 Ninety-Second still there, to immediately fall back to the position 
 then held by them. These dispositions had not been completed, 
 when the enemy's cavalry swung in from both flanks, and the 
 little Brigadier, who commanded the Division, was seen coming 
 to the rear as fast as his horse could run, and hotly pursued by 
 forty or fifty Rebels. As he came within sight of the line of bat- 
 tle of the Ninth Ohio and Ninth Michigan, the Rebels were actu- 
 allv grabbing for him, as he hugged his horse's neck, and roweled 
 his horse's flanks with his spurs. It was laughable in the extreme ; 
 but the Ninth Ohio and Ninth Michigan could not fire a gun at 
 the enemy, so mixed up were the General and his staff officers and 
 orderlies with the pursuing Rebels. Let no one think that this 
 reflects upon Kilpatrick's courage; it does not; he was the bravest 
 man in all his brave Division. He made a mistake when he sent 
 the Ninety-Second into Aiken, and another mistake when he 
 himself rode toward the town, but he made no mistake when he 
 rode so rapidly back to the Brigade. Kilpatrick had now seen for 
 himself the heavy forces of the enemy ten times the force of the 
 Brigade and he ordered the artillery to the rear, and it went; and 
 he ordered General Atkins to withdraw with the balance of his 
 Brigade; but Atkins held his line^pf battle steadily, resolved to 
 aid the Ninety-Second, if an opportunity offered. The officers 
 and men of the Ninety-Second had heard the shots on the flanks, 
 and felt, when the\' went forward into the town, that they were 
 going into a trap. They found no enemy in the edge of the town. 
 The Secesh ladies waved their handkerchiefs in welcome, and 
 smilingly invited the officers and men into their houses; but that 
 kind of a welcome was unusual in South Carolina, and not an 
 officer or soldier accepted the seductive invitation it was an addi- 
 tional evidence of danger to the Ninety-Second. In the farther 
 edge of the town of Aiken the enemy's line of skirmishers was 
 found, and, at the same instant, the Rebels swung in from both 
 flanks, and formed a perfect line of battle in rear of the Ninety- 
 Second. Lieutenant Colonel Van Buskirk, commanding the 
 Regiment, quiet, cool and brave, took in the situation at a glance, 
 and, without the least excitement, or confusion, or haste, issued 
 his orders to the Ninety-Second as cool, quiet, and brave as their 
 competent and gallant Lieutenant Colonel, and leaving Compa-
 
 2i6 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 nies K and A engaged with the Rebel skirmish line on the farther 
 side of the town, to hold them, he formed his Regiment for a 
 charge upon and through the Rebel line of battle that had been 
 formed in his rear. Every man in the Regiment appeared to be 
 conscious that the only way to escape was to desperately assault 
 the Rebel line, and cut a hole in it. Coolly the Regiment rode 
 forward to the charge ! The Rebel line of battle stretched far oft" 
 to the right and left, and the Rebels, confident of bagging the 
 Regiment, very coolly awaited the approach of the comparatively 
 little squad of the Ninety-Second, until.within close range, when 
 the Rebels demanded a halt and surrender, and were answered by 
 every man in the Regiment pumping into them the eight Spencer 
 bullets in his trusty repeating rifle; and then, clubbing their guns, 
 with a wild shout the heroic Regiment dashed onto the Rebels, 
 the men wielding theii* heavy rifles, as stalwart Indians wield 
 their battle-clubs, knocking down and killing the gray-coats in 
 their way. It was 'a desperate charge, and desperately the Ninety- 
 Second men fought, face to face, and hand to hand. 
 
 " Was there man dismayed ? 
 Not tho' the soldier knew 
 Some one had blundered ; 
 Theirs not to make reply, 
 Theirs not to reason why; 
 Theirs but to do and die. 
 Into the Vley of Death 
 Rode the two hundred." 
 
 The men had read the story of the horrible sufferings of the 
 Union prisoners in the Andersonville prison pens; they had seen 
 the men of the Ninety-Second, who, surrounded and overwhelmed 
 bv the Rebels at Nickojack, had surrendered, and had been inhu- 
 manly murdered by their inhuman captors; they knew that our 
 men captured by Wade Hampton's troops had been stripped of 
 clothing, and had their throats cut by the roadside; and, while die 
 they might, and some of them must, yet; the Ninety-Second, 
 while there were three men left to stand by one another, would 
 not surrender. Enveloped by the huge mass of Rebel cavalry 
 surrounding them, and Tiiixed up helter-skelter, gray-coats and 
 blue-coats, in a confused and jumbled crowd, they pressed on to 
 the Brigade, and soon saw the Stars and Stripes floating over the 
 immovable line of battle formed by the Ninth Ohio and Ninth 
 Michigan Cavalry, that gave new courage to the Ninety-Second
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 217 
 
 men ; but those regiments could not fire a shot, so mixed up were 
 the soldiers of the Ninety-Second and the Rebels each claiming 
 the other prisoner ; and on they pressed, close up to the Brigade 
 line of battle, when the Rebels began halting and retreating; 
 then the Brigade bugle rang out clearly, and, with a yell, the 
 Ninth Ohio and one battalion of the Ninth Michigan gallantly 
 began the charge, the men of the Ninety-Second wheeling and 
 charging with them back again toward the town of Aiken. The 
 charge of the Ninth Ohio and Ninth Michigan, with the Ninety- 
 Second, was so quick and prompt when the Ninety-Second broke 
 through the Rebel line, that the Rebels were taken by surprise, 
 and, in confusion and disorder, rapidly gave the road to the steady 
 line that went forward toward and into the town of Aiken, reliev- 
 ing the two companies of the Ninety-Second, Companies A and 
 K, left on picket; and, before the Rebel cavalry could reform, the 
 three regiments had again withdrawn from the town, as they had 
 been ordered to do, bringing out the wounded. Twenty-six were 
 killed and wounded in the Ninety-Second, the loss not being so 
 heavy in any one of the other regiments of the Brigade. The 
 enemy buried eighty of his slain in Aiken. The Rebels had seven 
 divisions of cavalry, and were supported by Cheatham's division 
 of Rebel infantry, had laid a well-planned trap, and the Ninety- 
 Second had been sent into it; but with courage born of many vic- 
 torious battles, the Regiment extricated itself from the toils of the 
 enemy, and turned into glorious victory what would have been an 
 honorable surrender, had the Regiment been willing to have sur- 
 rendered upon any terms. But the Brigade was yet nearly eight 
 miles from camp, where the balance of the Division lay behind 
 their rail barricades, and seven divisions of Rebel cavalry, baffled 
 and defeated at Aiken, came thundering down upon the four little 
 regiments, the Ninety-Second, the Ninth and Tenth Ohio, and 
 Ninth Michigan, and the eight miles back to camp was a battle- 
 field all the way. The Tenth Ohio, a regiment that had long 
 belonged to General Atkins's Brigade, and that made so handsome 
 a charge at Bear Creek Station, in the very commencement of 
 the march from Atlanta to Savannah, and the gallant Ninth Ohio, 
 commanded by the brave and competent Hamilton, were sent to 
 the rear in column, on the road, building barricades at suitable 
 points as they inarched ; while the Ninety-Second, under Lieu- 
 tenant Colonel Van Buskirk, who ought to have been promoted 
 to Brigadier General for his gallant and cool management of his 
 little command at Aiken, moved back in line of battle on the right 
 27
 
 218 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 of the road, and the Ninth Michigan Cavalry, armed with Spen- 
 cer Repeating Carbines, commanded by Colonel George S. Acker, 
 a cool, confident and brave cavalry soldier, moved back in line of 
 battle on the left of the road. Time and time again, the Rebels, 
 in overwhelming force, charged the two regiments, who always 
 met them coolly, with murderous volleys from their Spencer 
 Rifles and Carbines, the two regiments together, many times, not 
 only repulsing the enemy's charge, but charging and routing them 
 in turn. And so the little Brigade fell back, repulsing every 
 assault of the enemy, and giving him no time to envelop the 
 flanks, or reach the road in rear. When Pole Cat Pond was 
 reached, the Brigade was dismounted, and took up position behind 
 the rail barricades. The enemvfelt the lines with his dismounted 
 skirmishers, but, even with his overwhelming numbers, made no 
 assault. While the Brigade lay resting, with arms stacked, behind 
 the barricades, Kilpatrick rode out to the line of battle, and wanted 
 to know why the men were not in line, and was told there was no 
 need of it; they lay resting close by their arms, and if an assault 
 was made, could spring to arms instantly ; but that Wheeler never 
 would assault a rail barricade after his repulse, near Buckhead 
 Creek, on the Georgia campaign. True it is, that neither Wheeler 
 nor Hampton ever assaulted a rail barricade after that memorable 
 defeat; and they did not assault that, after they had once seen it. 
 Wheeler and Hampton had seven divisions, but they dared not 
 assault Kilpatrick in his own chosen position, behind barricades. 
 Kilpatrick, a brave and dashing cavalry soldier, was as generous 
 as he was brave and dashing, and personally complimented and 
 thanked General Atkins for his disobedience to his order in hold- 
 ing his line of battle with his Brigade, near Aiken, and aiding the 
 Ninety-Second, and was profuse in his praises of the gallantry of 
 the Regiment. 
 
 During the twelfth of February, the Ninety-Second lay behind 
 the barricades, with the Division, at Pole Cat Pond, sending out 
 scouting parties toward Aiken, and finding the enemy's picket a 
 half mile beyond our own. The infantry came up to within five 
 miles of the cavalry, and spent the day in effectually destroying 
 the railroad. On the thirteenth, the infantrv marched toward the 
 South Edisto; and at noon, Kilpatrick's Cavalry Division pulled 
 out, and camped at night, close bv the infantry, at Davis's Mills, 
 on the South Edisto River, the enemy not following. The 
 Ninety-Second men were disappointed, in not visiting Aiken 
 again. They would have liked to have occupied that town for a
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. ug 
 
 few hours ; they would have gone into the houses without any 
 smiling invitations from the Secesh ladies; and when they had 
 marched out of the town, no houses would have been left. 
 Marched at daylight, on the fourteenth, twenty miles, to the 
 South Edisto River. Reveille sounded, at two o'clock, on the 
 morning of February fifteenth; but the enemy had cut a dam 
 above the place where the cavalry was to cross the river, flooding 
 the whole country ; and the Division did not march until seven 
 A. M., burning everything in the country as it inarched along. 
 A brigade of Wheeler's Rebel cavalrv was reported to be march- 
 ing on the same road ahead of us, and the balance of the Rebel 
 cavalry on a parallel road to our left, while the Fourteenth Army 
 Corps was marching in the same direction, on the first par- 
 allel road to our right. Camped that night within twenty mile-s 
 of Columbia. The country was a dense pine forest, and forage 
 for animals and rations for men very hard to obtain. Marched at 
 seven A. M., on the sixteenth, to Lexington, South Carolina, 
 twelve miles, and camped early ; drew one day's rations from the 
 wagon train, the first since leaving Sisters' Ferry. During the 
 night, our picket was attacked, and the Division was in line of 
 battle at daylight, but no attack came in force. Marched at nine 
 A. M., leaving the town of Lexington in flames, and crossed the 
 Saluda River, on the infantry pontoons, at Saluda Factory; drew 
 two days' rations from the wagon train. Marched at eight A. M., 
 on the eighteenth, to Alston, and attempted to save the large 
 covered bridge across Broad River; but the enemy had satu- 
 rated the bridge with turpentine, and fired it on our approach. 
 The countrv was poor, and had been passed over the day previous 
 by Cheatham's division of infantry from Aiken, and Wheeler and 
 Hampton's cavalry. Marched at sundown, on February nine- 
 teenth; but the roads were so filled with the infantry wagon trains 
 that onlv four miles had been made at four A. M., when the com- 
 mand bivouaced for two hours' rest. Started again, at six A. M., 
 and was three hours in marching three miles, to the pontoons 
 over Broad River; crossed on the pontoons, and inarched five 
 miles, and halted one hour to feed animals; and then inarched 
 through Montecello, already on fire when the Ninety-Second 
 passed through the town, and camped at White Oak Station, on 
 the railroad. The country was full of provisions and forage, and 
 many excellent horses and mules were found. George Fox, of 
 Company I, was missing at roll call. Nine of the soldiers belong- 
 ing to General Kilpatrick's Division were captured by Wade
 
 220 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 Hampton's men; and the fiends cut the throats of the Yankee 
 prisoners, and pinned upon them papers marked, " No quarter 
 for foragers." South Carolina valor was equal to the task of 
 burying torpedoes in the country roads; and South Carolina valor 
 was equal to the cool and deliberate butchery of prisoners, dis- 
 armed and helpless in their hands. General Kilpatrick threatened 
 retaliation, in a communication to General Wheeler, of the Rebel 
 cavalry; and Wheeler replied, denying all knowledge of it, and 
 promising to investigate it, and have the guilty punished but no 
 one has ever heard of any investigation or punishment. The 
 Division marched at sunrise, on the twenty-second, the Ninety- 
 Second leading, to Blackstock Station, fed animals, and erected 
 barricades. The infantry came up and completely destroyed the 
 railroad. Countermarched two miles, and turned square east, and 
 marched seven miles, and camped for night. Marched at day- 
 light, on the twenty-third, to Gladden's Grove, through a con- 
 tinuous rain-storm, and, at dark, started for the pontoons over the 
 Catawba River, at Rocky Mount. The roads were so bad, and 
 the night so intensely dark, the rain pouring in torrents, that 
 the crossing of the river was not effected until after daylight: 
 inarched out into the country in advance of the infantry, and the 
 weary soldiers, up all night in the pouring rain, lay down in the 
 mud and water to rest. Men and animals were completely ex- 
 hausted. Two Union officers, almost naked, and gaunt with 
 hunger, who had escaped, after having been twenty-two months 
 in a Rebel prison pen, hailed our advance from the bushes by the 
 roadside, and were warmly welcomed by our troops. The prison- 
 ers were wild with joy, at feeling themselves safe within the lines 
 of the Union army once more. Marched at noon, on the twenty- 
 fourth, eight miles, toward Lancaster, the roads almost impassa- 
 ble, and the rain still pouring down. Plenty of forage was found, 
 and the command camped at dark. At daylight, on the twenty-fifth, 
 marched five miles to Lancaster, without breakfast, the rain being 
 so heavy and continuous that fires could not be built to cook by. 
 At Lancaster, the command went into camp. Again all the extra 
 horses in the command were killed. Camped at Lancaster, the 
 rain continuing. On Sunday, February twenty-sixth, lay in 
 camp at Lancaster, picketing Camp Creek, five miles out, on the 
 Charlotte Road, the enemy picketing the other side of the creek. 
 Many animals were captured by our scouting parties. General 
 Atkins had his head-quarters at the residence of Dr. Wylie, and, 
 learning that the Doctor contemplated a visit to the Union pris-
 
 NINBTT-SBCOND ILLINOIS. 221 
 
 oners held bv the Rebels, he gathered up a quantity of Confede- 
 rate monev, from the Union soldiers who had escaped from the 
 Rebel prisons, and. sent it, by Dr. Wylie, to the Union soldiers still 
 remaining in the hands of the enemy, taking the following 
 receipt from Dr. Wylie: 
 
 " HEAD-QUARTERS 3D BRIG. CAV. COM'D, ) 
 Lancaster, S. C., Feb. 26th, 1865. \ 
 
 " Rec'd of Bvt. Brig. Gen'l Smith D. Atkins, U. S. Vols., 
 Eleven Thousand Two Hundred and Eighty-Two Dollars, 
 ($11,282) in Confederate Currency, which I agree to use my 
 efforts to have conveyed to the U. S. prisoners of war at Char- 
 lotte, N. C., or wherever they may be, it being money sent to 
 them by prisoners of the U. S. A., who have escaped from con- 
 finement, and are now within the lines of Sherman's army. 
 
 " R. E. WYLIE, M. D." 
 
 Lay in camp all day the twenty-seventh, at Lancaster, the 
 cold rain pouring down steadily. General Kilpatrick sent a flag 
 of truce to Wheeler, at Camp Creek, and he and Wheeler met, 
 and made an informal arrangement to exchange prisoners that 
 each might capture. The next morning, Kilpatrick sent a squad 
 of the gray-coats to Wheeler, with all their clothing and private 
 properly, and Wheeler returned twenty-two of our men, who had 
 been stripped bare of everything. It was a sad sight to see them 
 marching into Lancaster, in the cold February storm, barefooted, 
 hatless, coatless, pantless, and many with nothing but under- 
 shirt and drawers. They did not remain naked long. Kilpatrick 
 ordered them clothed by the citizens, and they were so clothed ; 
 and then they were a funny looking lot of soldiers, in citizens' 
 clothing; some with black broadcloth spike-tailed coats and plug 
 hats! At two P. M., the command left Lancaster, and camped 
 after dark in the woods, at Gill's Creek Church, where the Regi- 
 ment remained on picket the next day. The command moved 
 early, on the second of March, crossed Lynche's Creek, and 
 camped near the infantry. 
 
 Marched at daylight, on the third of March; roads very bad; 
 skirmishing in front and rear of the Division; marched eighteen 
 miles, and camped eight miles from Wadesboro. Ordered to 
 inarch at daylight, on the fourth, but order was countermanded 
 after the command was saddled up. A strong scouting party of 
 the Ninth Michigan Cavalry was sent toward Wadesboro, taking 
 with them sky-rockets, to be used as signals at night. News was
 
 222 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 received of the capture of Cheraw by the Yanks. At noon the 
 enemy made a furious attack, very suddenly, upon the Tenth 
 Ohio Cavalry, and drove that regiment out of its camp. The 
 Ninth Michigan and Ninety-Second, with their Spencer Carbines 
 and Rifles, repulsed the enemy, and held the cross-roads until the 
 First brigade, that had camped several miles in the rear, had come 
 up and passed through Atkins's Brigade, when the column con- 
 tinued its march, the Ninety-Second covering the rear, and fight- 
 ing all the way with the Rebel cavalry under Wheeler and Hamp- 
 ton. Camped at dark, the Division of Kilpatrick's Cavalry build- 
 ing circular barricades all around the Division. The enemy drove 
 in our pickets before dark, and by ten o'clock at night were encir 
 cling the entire Division, being in front of our barricades on all 
 sides. The Rebel artillery was brought up, and opened on the 
 house in which Kilpatrick had his head-quarters; but the Yankee 
 artillery soon silenced the Rebel battery. Wheeler and Hampton 
 had a very much larger force than Kilpatrick; and, with our pick- 
 ets driven in before dark, and the enemy encircling our barri- 
 caded position, it looked like a battle at daylight, or before, and 
 the men lay behind the barricade resting on their arms. Kil- 
 patrick was furnished with sky-rockets, that, when high in air, 
 would burst, giving different colored lights. Had the infantry 
 columns been near enough, they might have been signaled with 
 the rockets; but they were not near. Kilpatrick commanded the 
 officer in charge of his fireworks to send up a lot of rockets; and, 
 when the officer desired to know what information or message he 
 wished to communicate, Kilpatrick told him he wanted to scare 
 the Rebel cavalry; to just send up lots of rockets of all colors, and 
 have a regular Fourth of July display. Up the rockets went, a 
 white one, then a blue one, then a red one, then two blue ones, 
 and so on, until an answer came to them from the rear ot the 
 Rebel cavalry. We knew what it meant; it was the scouting 
 party from the Ninth Michigan Cavalry, of Atkins's Brigade, that 
 had been sent toward Wadesboro, and whom we had supposed to 
 be cut off. But the enemy didn't know what it meant. Rockets 
 in front of them, and rockets behind them it might mean a trap 
 for them. In a little while we could distinctly hear them with- 
 drawing their troops who encircled our position. The fertile gen- 
 ius of Kilpatrick had helped him to avoid a battle, by his regular 
 Fourth of July display of fireworks, so luckily and opportunely 
 answered by the Ninth Michigan scouting party. Marched at 
 daylight, three miles, when the Ninth Michigan scouting party
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 223 
 
 came in, and the Division waited an hour, but the Rebel cavalry 
 did not come up; marched seven miles, toward the Great Pedee 
 River, and camped, with plenty.of forage and provisions in the 
 country for the animals and troops. Marched at nine P. M., 
 March fifth, seven miles, to Great Pedee River, and stood all 
 night in column waiting for an opportunity to cross the pontoons, 
 and until ten o'clock in the forenoon of March sixth, when an 
 order came to unsaddle and groom horses and saddle up again ; 
 and there the column stood until dark, when it commenced cross- 
 ing the pontoons. The river was broad and swift, and there not 
 being pontoon boats sufficient to reach across the river, the army 
 wagon boxes were covered under the bottom and sides with the 
 cotton cloth wagon covers, and used as pontoon boats, there being 
 in the bridge across the Great Pedee forty-two wagon-box pon- 
 toons. The column camped late at night, seven miles from the 
 Great Pedee. Marched at daylight, on the seventh of March, and, 
 at noon, drove a squad of Rebel cavalry out of Rockingham, and 
 camped. Marched at seven A. M., on the eighth, in a northerly 
 direction from Rockingham, and was soon floundering in a laby- 
 rinth of swamps. The artillery was dragged along by the men 
 with ropes, sometimes arm -pit deep in the mud and water. Dur- 
 ing the day the advance and rear were skirmishing with the Rebel 
 cavalry, and frequent attacks were made by the enemy on our 
 flanks. The enemy was not in heavy force; but, scattered out as 
 the command was, floundering through the mud, the enemy had 
 a good chance to annoy the column, and did so; but was always 
 met with as good as he sent. The column camped after dark, 
 and skirmished all night with the enemy, who appeared to be all 
 around the command. The Ninety-Second men slept on their 
 arms, ready for instant action. , 
 
 Marched at eight A. M., on the ninth of March, Spencer's 
 brigade leading, Atkins next, and Jordan in rear. The roads were 
 in an almost impassable condition. Just before dark, General 
 Kilpatrick, waiting at a cross-roads until Atkins came up, directed 
 Atkins's Brigade to camp at a cross-roads farther on, while Spen- 
 cer's bYigade camped at another cross-roads to the right, and 
 Jordan's at another cross-roads in rear, the three brigades en- 
 camped forming a triangle, General Kilpatrick camping with 
 Spencer, on the Fayetteville road. Before the head of Atkins'* 
 Brigade reached the designated camping ground, long lines of 
 fires were observed in the woods. The Ninety-Second was in the 
 advance; the column was halted, and the position silently recon-
 
 324 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 noitered. A squad on foot approached the house Atkins had 
 been directed to occupy as his head-quarters, at the cross-roads, 
 and found the Rebel cavalry surrounding it. To be perfectly 
 certain, Sergeant Bashaw and two men went inside of the Rebel 
 lines, and learned that General Hampton had his head-quarters at 
 the house, and the Rebel cavalry was going into camp all around 
 it. The r^ad on which the Ninety-Second approached the Rebel 
 camp had not yet been picketed by the enemy ; but the Rebel 
 picket was preparing to come out and picket that road. The 
 Ninety-Second men were ordered to hold their fire, and let the 
 Rebel picket pass up the road unmolested ; but the Rebels dis- 
 covered the Regiment, and fired, and the Ninety-Second sent a 
 volley from their Spencers into the Rebel picket, which quicklv 
 retreated. The Rebel bugles, blowing " boot and saddle," made 
 the woods echo, and ring with their bugle notes. Leaving the 
 Ninety-Second to hold the road, the Brigade turned around, with 
 its trains and ambulances, and marched back to the cross-roads 
 where General Kilpalrick had left it, and gone to join Spencer's 
 brigade, toward Fayetteville. The Rebels made a strong attack 
 upon the Ninety-Second, but were repulsed. 
 
 The Brigade then followed after Kilpatrick, hoping to make a 
 junction with him. The flankers on the left found that the Rebel 
 cavalry was marching toward Fayetteville on a parallel road, not 
 more than half a mile distant, and the Brigade pushed on rapid! v 
 to reach the cross-roads ahead of the Rebel column, if possible. 
 The cross-roads were reached, where it was expected Spencer 
 would be found encamped, but his brigade had gone on beyond 
 the cross-roads, toward Favetteville. Atkins's Brigade pushed on 
 toward Fayetteville, and, when a mile farther advanced on that 
 road, a Rebel officer qime riding back, cursing the column for not 
 hurrying up he was taken prisoner, and proved to be a start" 
 officer on the Rebel General Wheeler's start". Three divisions of 
 Rebel cavalry were already on the road ahead of Atkins's Brig- 
 ade, and between it and Spencer's; and, following on the same 
 road, were four divisions more of Rebel cavalry, and to hurry them 
 up the captured Rebel officer was riding to the rear, and; in the 
 darkness, had mistaken Atkins's column for a column of Rebels. 
 We had just filled the gap in the Rebel column. Wheeler, with 
 three divisions of Rebel cavalry, was just ahead of us, on that 
 same road, and Hampton, with four divisions "of Rebel cavalrv, 
 was closing up in the rear of us. A section of artillery was planted 
 at 'the cross-roads, and the Ninth Michigan Cavalry was dis-
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 225 
 
 mounted, with orders to hold the road; and the column again 
 turned around. The Ninety-Second, left holding the rear, was 
 attacked, but held the enemy at bay. The Brigade, pressing in a 
 frightened lady as a guide, withdrew from the road, on a blind 
 road running to another Fayetteville road farther south. The 
 artillery and Ninth Michigan were withdrawn ; and the Ninety- 
 Second, still acting as rear guard, the Brigade pushed hard, 
 hoping to pass around the Rebels, and join Kilpatrick before day- 
 light. Just before daylight, a stream was reached that had to be 
 bridged; and a bridge was constructed of pine trees and rails, so 
 long as to require the length of several pine trees as stringers. A 
 report came that the enemy, in strong force, was following; and 
 the Ninety-Second built barricades, on the hill near the creek, to 
 hold the rear. The building of the bridge went rapidly forward. 
 An old road led through the swamp and stream, that had, at one 
 time, been corduroyed with pine poles, covered with sand, to 
 keep them upon the bottom ; but the road had been many years 
 unused, and, in many places, the corduroy had been washed out. 
 Not a wheel could be taken across without a bridge. Forty pio- 
 neers, with axes, were set at wdrk, cutting down the tall pine 
 trees that grew close by. Five hundred men were sent to bring 
 rails for flooring. One hundred men were sent to an old straw 
 stack, to bring straw to cover over the loose rails, so that they 
 would not roll and break as the animals trod upon them. Some 
 of the trees were immediately cut into eight foot lengths, and 
 split, and with them two hundred men waded into the stream, 
 and built six piers, corn-cob-house fashion, the men holding 
 the timbers down under the water, as placed, until the piers 
 rose above the water, and, the men still holding them, the 
 heavy pine trees for stringers, notched so that they would not 
 roll, were placed upon the piers the men still holding and steady- 
 ing the piers, the loose rails were laid thickly upon the stringers, 
 forming the floor, and over the rails spread thickly the loose straw. 
 In less 'than an hour, the long bridge was completed ; and the 
 cavalry, ambulances loaded with wounded men, wagon trains, 
 ammunition trains, and artillery were safely over; and then the 
 men holding the piers and steadying the bridge, leaped into the 
 water on the upper side, and pushed the bridge over, and floating 
 oft" down stream went the dry rails, and straw, and cob-house 
 piers; and just as the first streaks of light appeared, as the bridge 
 floated oft" down stream, the roar of artillery and musketry on 
 our left told us that the Rebel cavalry had struck Spencer' s 
 28
 
 226 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 brigade. Atkins's Brigade pushed on through labyrinths of 
 swamps, almost impassable, and, at last, reached the other Fay- 
 etteville road, where the result of the Rebel attack on Spencer's 
 brigade was learned, and the fact that the fight was over, and the 
 Rebels repulsed, authenticated, whan the Brigade halted and fed 
 animals. Near noon, Jordan's brigade came up. Spencer's 
 brigade, in the afternoon, also withdrew to the road Atkins's 
 Brigade was then on, and the Division was all together again. 
 The following is General Kilpatrick's official report: 
 
 " HEAD-QUARTERS, CAVALRY COMMAND, \ 
 In the Field, March u, 1865. |" 
 
 " MAJOR DAYTON : 
 
 ''Major: You will remember that I stated in mv last com- 
 munication, from Solemn Grove, that Hardee was marching 
 rapidly for Fayetteville, but that Hampton and Wheeler were still 
 in the rear, and that I would endeavor to cut them off. The 
 information was correct. Hampton, however, was found moving 
 upon two roads the Morgan town Road, and a road three miles 
 farther to the north, and parallel to it, just south and east of Sol- 
 emn Grove. I posted upon each road a brigade of cavalry, and, 
 learning that there was a road still farther north, upon which some 
 of the enemy's troops might move, I made a rapid night's march, 
 with Colonel Spencer's little brigade of three regiments, and four 
 hundred dismounted men, and one section of artillery, and took 
 post at the point where the road last mentioned intersects the 
 Morgantown Road. During the forepart of the evening, I left 
 General Atkins, and joined Colonel Spencer with my staff, and 
 actually rode through one of General Hampton's divisions of cav- 
 alry, which, by eleven P. M., had flanked General Atkins, and 
 was then encamped within three miles of Colonel Spencer. Mv 
 escort, of fifteen men, and one officer were captured, but I escaped 
 with my staff. 
 
 " General Atkins and Colonel Jordan discovered, about nine 
 P. M., that while the enemy was amusing them in front, Hampton 
 was posting with his main torce on a road to Atkins's right. 
 These officers at once pulled out, and made every effort to join 
 me before daylight, but failed to do so, owing to bad roads and the 
 almost incessant skirmishing with the enemy, who was marching, 
 and, at some points, not a mile distant. Hampton had marched 
 all day, and rested his men about three miles from Colonel Jor- 
 dan's position, at two A. M., and just before daylight charged my
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 227 
 
 position with three divisions of cavalry Hume's, Allen's and 
 Butler's. 
 
 " Hampton led the center division, Butler's, and in less than a 
 minute had driven back my men, taken possession of my head- 
 quarters, captured my Aids, and the whole command was flying 
 before the most formidable cavalry charge I ever have witnessed; 
 Colonel Spencer, and a large portion of my staff", were virtually 
 taken prisoners. On foot, I succeeded in gaining the cavalry 
 command, a few hundred yards in the rear, and found the men 
 fighting with the Rebels for their camp and animals, and they 
 were soon finally forced back some five hundred yards farther, to a 
 swamp, impassable to friend or foe. 
 
 " The enemy, eager for plunder, failed to promptly follow us 
 up. We rallied, and at once advanced on the foe. We retook the 
 cavalry camp, and, encouraged by our success, charged the enem v, 
 who were endeavoring to harness up my battery horses, and 
 plundering my head-quarters. We retook the artillery, turned it 
 upon the forces about my head-quarters, not twenty steps distant, 
 and finally forced him out of my camp, with great slaughter." 
 
 To this official report of General Kilpatrick, we can add that, 
 Dr. Clinton Helm, of the Ninety-Second, Acting Medical Director 
 of the Cavalry, was one among several Union officers who were 
 sleeping in the second story of the house occupied by General 
 Kilpatrick as his head-quarters; and, after the enemv had captured 
 the camp of Spencer's brigade, and were swarming around 
 the house, they were about to descend and surrender, when thev 
 heard a Rebel soldier, who had been stationed as a guard at the 
 house, order another Rebel soldier, who came into the house, and 
 had to go up stairs to go out of the house, the guard saving that 
 General Hampton had taken that house as his head-quarters, and 
 had ordered that nothing in it be disturbed. The Union officers 
 kept still, and waited for something to turn up. From the win- 
 dows, they could plainly see the Rebels plundering the camps. . 
 At Savannah, four hundred dismounted men had turned over 
 their carbines, and drawn Springfield muskets, with bavonets, 
 and, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Stough, of the 
 Ninth Ohio Cavalry, of Atkins's Brigade, were marching with 
 the cavalry wagon trains. Lieutenant Colonel Stough was :i brave 
 and cool officer; he had camped his dismounted men beyond the 
 swamp mentioned by Kilpatrick in his report; and when the- 
 Rebels made the attack, Colonel Stough formed his men, and 
 marched them toward the house occupied by Kilpatrick as head-
 
 228 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 quarters; and when the Rebels saw that column of dismounted 
 men, under Colonel Stough, with their long Springfield muskets 
 and bright bayonets gleaming in the morning sunlight, they 
 mistook it for the Fourteenth corps of infantry, and, setting up 
 the cry, plainly heard by the Union officers in the second story of 
 the house, " The Fourteenth corps ! the Fourteenth corps!!" the 
 Rebels hastily beat a retreat. The Rebels knew that the Four- 
 teenth corps of Sherman's army was marching on a road to the 
 right, and supposed that Colonel Stough's advancing column of 
 dismounted men was a portion of the Fourteenth corps that was 
 approaching. Colonel Stough deserves great praise for his cool- 
 ness and good sense, in displaying his little command so oppor- 
 tunely, and the cavalry under Kilpatrick deserve high praise, for 
 taking advantage of the panic among the Rebels, occasioned by 
 Colonel Stough, and joining with him, and retaking their camps. 
 Colonel Spencer was among the officers in the second story of 
 the house, and saw the soldiers of his little brigade scattered, and 
 saw them again rally and retake their camps, and release from 
 his singular position their Brigade Commander. Sergeant T. M. 
 Hawk, of Company C, who was Division Ordnance Sergeant, 
 assisted the gallant Stetson in firing the first shot at the enemy 
 from the retaken Union artillery. It was said that the enemy's 
 loss was severe, he having left upon the field one General officer, 
 two Colonels, and over one hundred men killed, and a large num- 
 ber of his wounded. Near sundown, on the tenth of March, the 
 Cavalry Division under Kilpatrick marched toward Favette- 
 ville, the Rebels attacking the left flank frequently during the 
 night's march; they appeared to be small parties of the enemy, 
 who would approach the road the column was marching on, and 
 fire into it, and retreat. The column bivouaced about midnight, 
 and marched early, on the eleventh, to within one mile of Fay- 
 etteville, and then marched out on the Raleigh Road, and camped. 
 The enemy had burned the bridge across the Cape Fear River, at 
 Fayetteville, and pontoons had to be laid by the infantry columns. 
 The Ninety-Second lay in camp near Fayetteville, on the twelfth; 
 the country was poor, and forage for animals scarce. A tug-boat 
 came up from Wilmington, bringing the mails. Drew one day's 
 rations, on the thirteenth, and the Regiment lay in camp, most of 
 the men writing letters to send home, by the tug-boat, down the 
 Cape Fear River to Wilmington. Beautiful day on the fourteenth 
 of March ; lay in camp, and drew two days' rations of hard-tack. 
 On March fifteenth, 1865, the Ninety-Second broke camp, at
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 229 
 
 half past twelve in the morning, and moved out with the Brigade 
 and Division, and marched down through Fayetteville, reaching 
 Cape Fear River, and crossing the pontoon just after daylight. 
 The Division, Atkins's Brigade leading, pushed rapidly up the 
 Cape Fear River toward Raleigh. When within a few miles of 
 Averysboro, the advance struck the enemy in considerable force. 
 Colonel Acker, of the Ninth Michigan Cavalry, in the advance, 
 dismounted his regiment, and drove the enemy over a swamp, 
 and reported that he was fighting infantry, whose skirmish line 
 was much longer than his regiment. General Atkins sent scouts 
 out to the Cape Fear River, to learn if the enemy's line of battle 
 rested on the river. The scouts found that the enemy's line did 
 not extend to the river ; the scouts passed around the Rebel line of 
 battle, and behind it; and, seeing an officer on horseback, some 
 distance in rear of the enemy's line, the scouts, dressed in butter- 
 nut clothing, rode up to the officer, who mistook them for some 
 of his own mounted troops, and began cursing because the Rebel 
 cavalry did not hurry up and pass the point he was guarding, 
 when the scouts quietly informed him that they belonged to Kil- 
 patrick's cavalry, and that, if he wished to save his life, he must 
 quietly move along with them ; and they brought him around the 
 flank of his own skirmish line to General Atkins. The Rebel 
 officer proved to be Colonel Barnwell Rhett, of the First South 
 Carolina heavy artillery, who, with his regiment, had garrisoned 
 Fort Sumter, in Charleston Harbor, until Sherman's movements 
 had dictated its evacuation. It was his regiment of heavy artillery, 
 armed with muskets, that Acker was fighting. In our immediate 
 front was the Rebel infantry. Information was sent at once to 
 General Kilpatrick, in rear of the column, and he was soon at the 
 head of his Division. We quote the following from a book 
 published in New York, by W. J. Widdleton, in 1865 : 
 
 " The Ninth Michigan soon became hotly engaged with the 
 enemy, and, by splendid fighting, held him in check until Kil- 
 patrick had taken up a strong position, dismounted, with his 
 flanks resting upon the ravine, and his front fortified with rails, 
 brush and timber. Meanwhile, Aide after Aide had been dis- 
 patched to General Sherman, six miles in the rear, for infantry 
 reinforcements. The enemy, having deployed his lines, finally 
 advanced, driving the Ninth Michigan Cavalry back into the 
 woods. But now, the rapid and destructive fire from Captain 
 Bebee's artillery, soon forced him to halt, and, finally, to fall back 
 under cover of a ravine a thousand vards distant. It was now
 
 330 NINBTT-SBCOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 dark, and our troops rested upon their arms. During the night, a 
 brigade of infantry came up, and, with his cavalry and this force, 
 General Kilpatrick moved forward in line of battle at daylight, 
 the infantry having the centre, a strong force of cavalry, under 
 Colonels Jones and Spencer, moving upon either flank, while the 
 artillery, and a majority of the cavalry, under General Atkins, 
 held the rear. Kilpatrick had not moved a mile from out his 
 works, when the pickets of the enemy were encountered, and 
 driven in, and in a few minutes his whole skirmish line became 
 engaged, telling him that he had met the enemy in force. He 
 extended his lines upon the right and left, and soon forced the 
 enemy in upon his line of battle, and drawing the fire of his 
 artillery. 
 
 " The enemy, believing that cavalry alone was making the at- 
 tack, took the offensive, and moved from right to left, and rapidly 
 bore down upon the cavalry under Colonel Jones, who held the 
 right. This movement was discovered in sufficient time to re- 
 inforce the right, and Colonel Jordan, with his cavalrv brigade, 
 reached the point threatened before the attack was made, and, with 
 Colonel Jones, and his command, dismounted, handsomely re- 
 pulsed three determined charges, and finally forced the enemy 
 back and into his line of works. 
 
 " In the meantime, Kilpatrick had thoroughly reconnoitered 
 the entire position, and had sent for, and received, a second 
 brigade of infantry, which was pushed in upon our left, with in- 
 structions to carry the enemy's works upon his right. While 
 this was being done, the enemy again moved out of his works, 
 and furiously attacked the cavalry on the right. General Atkins 
 was now brought up, and pushed in to the assistance of Colonel 
 Jordan. At this moment the shout of the infantry, upon the 
 left, as they rushed forward to storm the enemy's works, was 
 heard. A general advance was at once ordered, and the emeny was 
 driven back at all points, over and out of his first line of works, 
 with the loss of three pieces of artillery, and many prisoners. 
 The Twentieth corps, under General Williams, had, in the mean- 
 time, came up, as well as a portion of the Fourteenth, General 
 Davis, and under the personal direction of Major General 
 Slocum, commanding the left wing, was sent forward into posi- 
 tion, and steadily pressed the enemy back, until late in the night, 
 when, under cover of the darkness, he retreated toward Raleigh. 
 
 "In this engagement (i6th of March) the cavalry fought side 
 by side with our infantry, mounted and^lismounted, and behaved
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 231 
 
 most gallantly. Charge after charge of the enemy's infantry 
 was repulsed, and Colonel Jones, of the Eighth Indiana Cavalry, 
 actually rode over the enemy's works, losing one-third of his 
 entire command. Our cavalry, on this day, won the admiration 
 of the entire army. 
 
 " During the night Kilpatrick withdrew his command, crossed 
 Black River, and moved off upon the Smithfield Road, to the left 
 and front of the main army, now moving on Goldsboro. The 
 following day, Lieutenant General Johnston evacuated Goldsboro, 
 and massed his forces at the little town of Bentonsville, on Mill 
 Creek, midway between Raleigh and Goldsboro, and there, be- 
 hind strong intrenchments, resolved to dispute the further ad- 
 vance of Sherman's victorious columns." 
 
 It was GeneralSherman's order that the cavalry should not in- 
 terfere with the inarch of the infantry columns, the infantry always 
 having the right to the road; on the evening of the seventeenth, 
 Atkins's Brigade, having to cross a road filled with a corps of 
 infantry marching, the Brigade was closed up in mass in column of 
 regiments, and, throwing down the fences on both sides of the 
 road, the Brigade awaited a break in the infantry column, when, 
 taking advantage of such a break, the Brigade moved, in mass, 
 across the road, without interrupting the march of the infantry 
 column. The command camped near a mill filled with corn, 
 from which the Rebels were driven, and the corn used as forage 
 for the animals. The command marched at seven A. M., on the 
 eighteenth. About noon one regiment passed over a difficult 
 swamp, and was followed by a section of artillery, that was con- 
 siderably behind the regiment after crossing the swamp, and the 
 enemy made a dash from the flank, and temporarily captured the 
 artillery. It was immediately retaken, and the enemy driven 
 off. After the command had camped, a,t night, two men were 
 shot while foraging, and the enemy appeared to be all around the 
 command. Marched early, on the morning of the nineteenth, in 
 rear of the infantry. The Fourteenth Army Corps was attacked 
 furiously near Bentonsville, by troops under Johnston, and the 
 army was deployed, the Ninety-Second, with the Division and 
 Brigade, closing up on the left of Slocum's army, being on the 
 left of Williams's corps, heavily barricaded. Lay in camp on the 
 twentieth, in fortified position, on the left of Williams's corps. 
 There was considerable fighting, by the infantry, Johnston attack- 
 ing. On the twenty-first, the Brigade changed position a little, 
 erecting new barricades, st| holding the extreme left of the army.
 
 232 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 During the night, the Twentieth Army Corps was moved to the 
 right of the army, General Atkins's Brigade holding the Corps 
 front. All of the Ninety-Second Illinois and Ninth Michigan 
 Cavalry were dismounted, and deployed as skirmishers in front of 
 the empty rifle pits of Williams's corps. At daylight, the skir- 
 mishers pushed out, and soon discovered that there was no enemy 
 in front of the Brigade, and it mounted and pushed rapidly to- 
 ward Bentonsville, capturing nearly all of the First Regiment 
 South Carolina Heavy Artillery, that had been left on picket near 
 Bentonsville, and, instead of fighting, stacked arms and surrendered. 
 The Tenth Ohio Cavalry, of General Atkins's Brigade, went 
 into, and beyond, the town, of Bentonsville, to Mill Creek; the 
 enemy having destroyed the bridge across the creek, the pursuit 
 here ended. The enemy had withdrawn in great haste, leaving 
 his dead unburied, and his wounded uncared for. The day was 
 spent in caring for the wounded and burying the dead. Marched 
 at sunrise, on the twenty-third, and camped within one mile of 
 the village of Clinton, forage plenty, and plenty for the men to 
 eat. Lay in camp near Clinton on the twenty-fourth, sending 
 out heavy scouting parties, and details for forage and provisions. 
 On this day the following orders were received and read to the 
 men: 
 
 " MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ) 
 In the Field, March 22, 1865. f 
 
 " SPECIAL FIELD ORDERS, ) 
 No. 35. ) 
 
 " The General commanding announces to this army, that it 
 beat, on its chosen ground, the concentrated armies of our enemy, 
 who has fled in disorder, leaving his dead, wounded, and prisoners 
 in our hands, and burning his bridges on his retreat. 
 
 " On the same day, Major General Schofield, from Newburn, 
 entered and occupied Goldsboro, and Major General Terry, from 
 Wilmington, secured ^Cox's Bridge crossing, and laid a pontoon 
 bridge, so that our campaign has resulted in a. glorious success, 
 after a march of the most extraordinary character, near five him 
 dred miles, over swamps and rivers deemed impassable to others, 
 at the most inclement season of the year, and drawing our chief 
 supplies from a poor and wasted country. 
 
 " I thank the army, and assure it that our Government and 
 people honor them for this new display ot physical and moral 
 qualities, which reflect honor upon th^whole nation.
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 233 
 
 " You shall now have rest, and the supplies that can be 
 brought from the rich granaries and storehouses of our mag- 
 nificent country, before again embarking on new and untried 
 dangers. W. T. SHERMAN, 
 
 " Major General Commanding. 
 
 " Brevet Major General J. KILPATRICK." 
 
 The following congratulatory circular letter was received from 
 General Kilpatrick : 
 
 " HEAD-QUARTERS CAVALRY COMMAND, \ 
 In the Field, March 22, 1865. f 
 " (CIRCULAR) : 
 
 " The campaign is over, and we are promised rest. Our depot 
 will be at Mount Olive, and a railroad shall be at the disposal of 
 officers and men. Every liberty shall be granted consistent with 
 the best interests of our cause, for which I feel in my heart the 
 invincible soldiers of my command have done so much. This 
 day I met our great Chief on the field of battle, amid the dead 
 and dying of our enemy, who has again fled before our proud, 
 advancing banners, and my ears were made to tingle with the 
 grateful words of praise, spoken in admiration of the cavalry. 
 
 " Soldiers, be proud! Of all the brave men of this army, you 
 have a right to be. You have won the admiration of our infantry, 
 fighting on foot, and mounted, and you will receive the outspoken 
 words of praise from the great Sherman himself. 
 
 " He appreciates and will reward your patient endurance of 
 hardships, gallant deeds, and valuable services. 
 
 " With the old laurels of Georgia, entwine those won in the 
 Carolinas, and proudlv wear them! 
 
 " General Sherman is satisfied with his cavalry. 
 
 " By command of Brevet Major General KILPATRICK. 
 
 " (Signed) L. G. ESTES, 
 
 " Major and A. A. G." 
 
 We again quote from the book published by Widdleton : " The 
 wounded and sick in this famous campaign were attended with 
 all the surgical and medical skill necessary ; and it may be truly 
 said that the Medical Director, Dr. Helm, (Ninety-Second Illinois 
 Volunteers) and all the medical officers, promptly, and in the face 
 of dangers, responded to every call of duty. But, in a long and 
 wearisome march, ambulances, broken down or stuck in the 
 mud, often had to be abandoned. Of all the officers in this cam- 
 paign, the medical officers were not the least painfully taxed ; and 
 29
 
 234 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 the skill, humanity, and promptness with which their duties were 
 executed, are worthy of the highest praise. 
 
 " These men, in toil, danger and battle, did their duty. To 
 have been of, and with them, is the writer's pride. A grateful 
 nation will never forget them. Their ranks are thinned; many 
 rest in the quiet of the grave. But the services rendered the 
 Nation are worthy of imitation by all posterity; and, long as the 
 Republic lasts, their memories will continue to exist. How freelv' 
 they offered their lives a sacrifice at the altar of their country ! 
 How gladly, on the most sanguinary fields of the Rebellion, they 
 met the enemy, will be told in terms of eulogy by historians and 
 poets in future generations." 
 
 On the twenty-sixth of March, the Brigade moved to Faison's, 
 and camped, still living upon the country. On the twenty- 
 seventh, large mails were received from home. On the twenty- 
 eighth, just as the command was nicely fixed in camp, at two 
 P. M., "boot and saddle" was sounded, and the Brigade moved ten 
 miles toward Mount Olive, leaving huge piles of accumulated 
 forage and rations at Faison's. Lieutenant Sutton, of Company 
 C, returned from a scout, with some fine horses, and a lot of jolly 
 darkies. On the twenty-ninth, marched to Mount Olive, and 
 camped, and drew clothing. The command remained at Mount 
 Olive until April tenth. On the third of April, General Atkins 
 was serenaded, and called on for a speech, and he predicted that 
 the war would end within ninety days. On April ninth, the fol- 
 lowing dispatch, from General Grant to General Sherman, was 
 read at dress parade : 
 
 " BURKESVILLE JUNCTION, VA., ) 
 
 April 6, 1865. C 
 " To Major General SHERMAN : 
 
 " SIR : I am pressing Lee, and his men are deserting by 
 thousands, and going to their homes. Press Johnston hard, and 
 let us end the war at once. By order of 
 
 * LIEUTENANT GENERAL GRANT. 
 
 " J. A. RAWLINGS, 
 " Adjt. Gen. and Chief of StaJ}'." 
 
 At daylight, on the morning of April tenth, 1865, the Ninety- 
 Second was again in the saddle, the whole armv in motion, and 
 all anxious to "press Johnston hard and end the war at 'once." 
 It was the object of the cavalry, by rapid marching, to reach the 
 road between Smithfield and Raleigh, and cut oft" some portion of
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 235 
 
 Johnston's army, which, it was predicted, would not give battle, 
 but retreat toward Raleigh. The Cavalry Division marched 
 about thirty miles, over the same roads the army had marched 
 on before, and camped after dark, near Bentonsville. The coun- 
 try was desolate, the inhabitants nearly all gone from home, and 
 hardly a sign of life was seen. Marched at seven A. M., on the 
 eleventh, toward Smithfield, and camped about eight miles south- 
 west of that town. There was a light force of Rebel cavalry in 
 front all dav, but not sufficient to impede the march. Moved at 
 daylight, on April twelfth, General Atkins's Brigade in advance, 
 and the Ninety-Second leading, and driving the enemy before 
 them. About ten o'clock A. M., Swift Creek was reached. The 
 enemy had destroyed the bridge, and held the opposite side of the 
 stream, but was dislodged by the Ninetv-Second; and the advance, 
 under Captain Schermerhorn, wading the stream, the opposite 
 side was held, and the bridge repaired. Just as the balance of 
 the Regiment began crossing the repaired bridge, Major Nichols, 
 of General Sherman's staff, rode up from the rear, bringing the 
 joyful intelligence of the surrender of Lee's army to General 
 Grant. The cavalry column was wild with joy, and made the 
 woods echo again and again with shouts; the Band played " Hail 
 Columbia;' 1 the Ninety-Second crossed over the bridge; the 
 Regiment had scarcely crossed the creek, when the still stubborn 
 brigade of Rebels, holding an earthwork on the hills opposite, 
 and who had been waiting for a part of the column to cross to 
 make an attack while no support could be rendered by the Union 
 cavalry, not yet across the creek, deemed this their favorable oppor- 
 tunity ; and, with a yell, the Rebel brigade furiously charged the 
 Ninety-Second, hoping to force it back into the creek ; the gray- 
 coats had not heard of Lee's surrender, and evidently did not 
 know that the war was, in fact, over. On the Rebels came ; and 
 the Ninety-Second, the men still shouting and laughing, with the 
 glad news they had just heard, received the charge of the Rebel 
 brigade with murderous volleys from their ever faithful repeating 
 rifles; halted it; turned it back; and, like wild mad-caps, dashed 
 upon the retreating foe, captured their line of rifle pits, and put 
 the Rebel brigade to flight, and pushed on, without another halt, 
 to the wagon road and railroad, seven miles east of Raleigh. A 
 soldier who was with the command wrote: " Brilliant victory ! 
 But, oh, the price we paid. I never felt so sad in battle before, 
 as I did then, when I looked upon the poor boys who there, after 
 the great war was in fact over, and victory was with our eagles,
 
 236 NINETr-SZCOXD ILLINOIS. 
 
 received marching orders to report in Heaven." It was in this 
 brilliant charge of the Ninety-Second, headlong against that 
 Rebel brigade, that Captain R. M. A. Hawk, of Company C, 
 received his terrible wound, supposed at the time to be mortal; 
 and more than one soldiers' eyes filled with tears as they saw him, 
 pale and bleeding, by the roadside. His life was spared; but he 
 gave his good right leg to his country that day. Lieutentant 
 Peleg R. Walker, of Company K, was also wounded. Alexander 
 Jackson, of Company C, was killed. The Brigade and Division 
 hastened on after the flying Ninety-Second, and was soon upon 
 the Sfrtithfield Road, seven miles east of Raleigh. The advance 
 of the Ninety-Second had caught a glimpse of a railroad engine 
 and passenger coach, bearing white flags, going toward Smith- 
 field, and rightly conjectured that it meant the surrender of 
 Raleigh. By command of General Atkins, a regiment and sec- 
 tion of artillery were placed in line of battle, facing Raleigh, to 
 hold the road against the Rebel brigade that had been flying 
 before the Ninety-Second, and a line of battle quickly lormed, 
 facing toward Smithfield ; and the first two regiments, the Ninety. 
 Second Illinois and Ninth Michigan, armed with Spencer Rifles 
 and Spencer Carbines, had barely formed in line of battle, when 
 Wade Hampton's cavalry made a spirited charge upon those two 
 regiments; but the Rebels could not stand the volleys from their 
 Spencers, and fell back. The locomotive and passenger coach 
 that had gone toward Smithfield returned, and was halted; and 
 on the train were found Hon. David L. Swain, and Hon. William 
 A. Graham, two of the Ex-Governors of North Carolina, who 
 had been sent, by the Hon. Zebulon B. Vance, the then Governor 
 of North Carolina, to General Sherman, with an offer of the sur- 
 render of Raleigh, and bearing a petition to save the public 
 property, and the dwellings of the citizens. They had attempted 
 to reach Sherman, but Wade Hampton had refused them per- 
 mission to pass his lines, and turned them back. 
 
 The following account of their capture is taken from a book 
 written by Mrs. Cornelia Spencer, a Southern lady, and published 
 in 1866: " General Hampton retired, and the train had proceeded 
 slowly about a mile or so, in the direction of Raleigh, when it 
 was again halted, and this time by a detachment of a hundred 
 Spencer rifles, a portion of Kilpatrick's cavalry, under the com- 
 mand of General Atkins. Th6 Commissioners were informed 
 that they must proceed to the head-quarters of General Kilpat- 
 rick, distant a mile or more. While waiting for a conveyance,
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 237 
 
 they were courteously treated, and a band of music ordered up 
 for their entertainment. After a brief interval, General Kil- 
 patrick's carriage arrived for them, and they proceeded in it, under 
 escort, to the residence of Mr. Fort, where the General then was. 
 He received them politely, examined the safe conduct of General 
 Hardee, and the dispatches for General Sherman, and then 
 remarked that the circumstances in which they were placed, 
 according to the laws of war, gave him the right, which, however, 
 he had not the smallest intention of exercising, to consider them 
 as prisoners of war. 
 
 " ' It is true, gentlemen,' said he, ' that you came under the 
 protection of a flag of truce, and are bearers of important dis- 
 patches from your Governor to my Commanding General, but 
 that gave you no right to cross my skirmish line while a fight was 
 going on.' 
 
 " Governor Graham remarked that the circumstances under 
 which they came explained themselves, and were their own 
 justification. That, in a special train, with open windows, pro- 
 ceeding with the deliberation proper to a flag of truce, with only 
 five persons in a single car, they had little temptation to proceed 
 if they had known, in time to stop, that they were to be exposed 
 to a cross-fire from the skirmish lines of the two armies. 
 
 " General Kilpatrick replied that all that was very true, but 
 that it was proper, nevertheless, that he should require them to 
 proceed to General Sherman's head-quarters. He then remarked 
 that the war was virtually at an end, and that every man who 
 voluntarily shed blood, from that time forth, would be a murderer; 
 and read a General Order from General Sherman, congratulating 
 the army on the surrender of General Lee, intelligence of which 
 had just reached him by telegraph. This was the first intelligence 
 our Commissioners had received of this final blow to the Southern 
 Cause. It was, indeed, not unexpected, but no anticipation of 
 such tidings can equal the moment of realization ; and to receive 
 it under such circumstances, where extreme caution and self- 
 command were an imperative duty, and where no expression can 
 -be allowed to the natural feeling of anguish and dismay with 
 which it filled their breasts, gave an additional pang." 
 
 By direction of General Kilpatrick, the Cavalry Division was 
 placed in line of battle by General Atkins, as the Regiment came 
 up, facing Smithfield, and, in stronger force, Hampton again 
 charged our line, hoping to break through and reach Raleigh. 
 His charge was handsomely repulsed by the Spencer Rifles,
 
 238 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 carbines, and artillery. And again Hampton's men, mounted 
 and on foot, charged the line, but met with no better success, 
 the Spencers and artillery halting his dispirited troops, who, of 
 course, knew that Sherman's infantry was following them in 
 rear, while Kilpatrick held the road to Raleigh in their front. 
 Darkness came on. Had there been two hours more of daylight, 
 Hampton could not have escaped: but, under cover of the dark- 
 ness, the wily Rebel cavalryman slipped out of the trap, on a 
 road to the Northward, and passed into Raleigh ahead of Kilpat- 
 rick. As soon as Hampton had withdrawn, our troops opened 
 communication with General Sherman, and General Kilpatrick 
 sent the locomotive and car, and the distinguished gentlemen 
 named, to General Sherman's head-quarters, and they succeeded 
 in procuring from General Sherman orders for the protection of 
 Raleigh, and the college buildings and libraries at Chapel Hill. 
 To those gentlemen, in a great measure, the citizens of Raleigh 
 and Chapel Hill are indebted for the protection afforded them by 
 General Sherman's orders. On the thirteenth of April, the com- 
 mand marched early. A soldier, in his diary, wrote: "As it was 
 known that there would be no fighting before the command 
 passed through Raleigh, the Ninety-Second could not have the 
 advance to-day; but the cavalry borrowed our Band, and cut a 
 great dash, marching down through the streets of Raleigh." 
 The Mayor and distinguished citizens met General Kilpatrick on 
 the outskirts of Raleigh, and surrendered the town, and assured 
 General Kilpatrick that the citv had been entirelv evacuated by 
 the Rebel soldiery. No advance guard was needed, and with 
 banners and guidons unfurled, and music playing, General Kil- 
 patrick rode into the city, at the head of his Division. In passing 
 up Fayetteville street, from the Governor's house to the Capitol, 
 with nc thought of an enemy near, General Kilpatrick was 
 suddenly fired upon by one of Wheeler's men. Mrs. Spencer 
 told the story of this shooting, in her book, published in 1866, and 
 we copy it, as follows: 
 
 " When walking from the railroad station to the city, the 
 Commissioners had passed through the lines of General Wheeler's 
 cavalry, pressing in the direction of Chapel Hill. Half an hour 
 after reaching the State House, a dozen men, the debris of our 
 army, were observed, at the head of Fayetteville street, breaking 
 open and plundering the stores. Governor Swain, who had 
 remained at the State House, approached them, and stated that he 
 was immediately from General Sherman's head-quarters, and had
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 239 
 
 assurance from him that if no resistance was offered to his 
 advance guard, the town should be protected from plunder and 
 violence, and urged the soldiers to leave at once and join their 
 retreating comrades. They replied, ' D n Sherman, and the 
 town, too; they cared for neither.' Robert G. Lewis, Esq., the 
 first citizen of Raleigh who had yet been seen, came up just then, 
 and joined his entreaties with earnestness. More and more 
 vehement remonstrances were used without effect, till the head 
 of Kilpatrick's column appeared in sight advancing up the street, 
 when they all, with a single exception, sprang to their horses and 
 started off in full gallop. Their leader, a lieutenant, whose name 
 and previous history are yet unknown, mounted his horse, and 
 took his station midway between the old New-Berne bank and 
 the bookstore, drew his revolver, and waited till Kilpatrick's 
 advance was within a hundred yards, when he discharged it six 
 times in rapid succession in the direction of the officer [General 
 Kilpatrick] at the head of the troops. He then wheeled, put 
 spurs to his horse, and galloped up Morgan street, followed by a 
 dozen fleet horsemen in hot pursuit. Turning a corner his horse 
 fell. He remounted, and dashed around the corner at Pleasant's 
 store on Hillsboro street. A few yards farther on, near the 
 bridge over the railroad, he was overtaken, and brought back to 
 the Capitol Square, where General Kilpatrick ordered his imme- 
 diate execution. It is said that he asked for rive minutes' time to 
 write to his wife, which was refused. He was hung in the grove 
 just back of Mr. Lovejoy's, and was buried there. He died 
 bravely a vile marauder, who justly expiated his crimes, or a 
 bold patriot, whose gallantry deserves a more generous sentence, 
 as friend or foe shall tell his story." 
 
 Mrs. Spencer is a Southern lady, who mav be regarded as his 
 friend, and the story she has told leaves no room for a more gen- 
 erous sentence. An officer in the Rebel army, straggling in rear 
 of his command, joining other straggling soldiers in pillaging his 
 own friends, non-combatants, in a city that had been evacuated 
 and surrendered, attempting the assassination of a Union General 
 who came with orders to protect the surrendered city ! We 
 desire to add no harsh word, but friend or foe can add no generous 
 sentence. 
 
 Sherman's infantrv was following the cavalry. The Cavalry 
 
 Division marched rapidly through Raleigh, and on toward Mor- 
 risvillc. A few miles from Raleigh, General Jordan's brigade, 
 
 which was leading, struck the enemy, Wheeler's cavalrv, en-
 
 2 4 o NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 camped, not -expecting the Yankees to march beyond Raleigh 
 that day, and Jordan's brigade rattled them out of their camps 
 lively. At the first station west of Raleigh, Carey, a quantity of 
 corn was captured at the depot. At Morrisville, twelve miles 
 west of Raleigh, an engine attempted to take cars loaded with 
 corn from the station, but a few shots from the artillery frightened 
 the engine off, and the cars and corn were captured. The Di 
 vision camped at Morrisville. Here the roads divided, the road 
 to- Chapel Hill leading to the left, and the road to Hillsboro fol- 
 lowing the railroad. General Wade Hampton, with his cavalry, 
 had gone toward Hillsboro, along the railroad, and General 
 Wheeler's cavalry had gone toward Chapel Hill. General Kil- 
 patrick, with Jordan's brigade, had followed Hampton ; and 
 General Atkins, with his Brigade, was ordered to follow Wheeler. 
 Atkins's Brigade moved early, on April fourteenth, 1865, and had 
 not gone a mile beyond the picket, when the enemy was found, 
 and he stubbornly disputed the road. The Tenth Ohio Cavalry 
 charged splendidly, driving the enemy, and following them nearly 
 four miles on a run; but the regiment was halted, and the entire 
 Brigade went into camp, General Atkins having received an order 
 from General Kilpatrick, comprised in a single word " halt." 
 There the Brigade lay halted all day and all night, and until nearly 
 noon of the next day, when General Atkins received another 
 order from General Kilpatrick "Go ahead" and, of course, 
 ahead the Brigade went. A terrible rain-storm was prevailing, 
 and the streams were rendered almost impassable by the flood. 
 When the Brigade reached Atkins's plantation, near the New 
 Hope River, General Atkins received another order from General 
 Kilpatrick, only one word " Halt." The Brigade halted, built 
 barricades, and went into camp again. The bridge across the 
 river had been destroved; but the Ninth Ohio Cavah^y, the lead- 
 ing regiment of the Brigade, crossed a hundred dismounted men 
 over the river, on one stringer of the bridge that was left, and 
 were scarcely over, when thev were furiously charged by 
 Wheeler's cavalry. That regiment had been armed with tin- 
 Spencer Carbines, at Goldsboro, and had not yet had a chance to 
 try their new Spencer Carbines. Mrs. Spencer gives the following 
 account of what happened : 
 
 " The Federal cavalry were in close pursuit, and several 
 skirmishes had taken place on the road from Raleigh. A Bri- 
 gade, under General Atkins, followed General Wheeler, while 
 Kilpatrick, with the balance of the Division, followed Hampton
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 241 
 
 toward Hillsboro, along the Central Railroad line. The last skir- 
 mish occurred, and perhaps the last blood of the war was shed, 
 on Friday evening, fourteenth, at the Atkins plantation, eight 
 miles from Chapel Hill, near the New Hope River, which was 
 much swollen by heavy rains, and the bridge over which, as well 
 as all others on the road, was destroyed by Wheeler's men. 
 They attacked the enemy, endeavoring to cross on fallen trees 
 and driftwood, and several were killed on both sides." 
 
 Mrs. Spencer was mistaken in the date it was Saturday eve- 
 ning, the fifteenth, not the fourteenth, and none were killed on 
 the Union side. The Ninth Ohio met and repulsed four distinct 
 charges of Wheeler's men, and killed and wounded several of 
 them, but did not lose a man in the Ninth Ohio. A bridge was 
 built over the river, but the rains raised the stream, and the bridge 
 was carried off during the night. On Sunday morning, General 
 Atkins was apprised of the truce between Generals Sherman and 
 Johnston, and was directed to go with his Brigade to Chapel Hill, 
 protect the University of North Carolina, with its libraries and 
 grounds, and remain there until the truce was ended. A new 
 bridge was constructed, and the command moved out, the Ninety- 
 Second in the advance. A few miles farther on was found another 
 river, with the bridge destroyed, and the Brigade went into camp, 
 rebuilt the bridge, and Captain J. M. Schermerhorn, of Company 
 G, of the Ninety-Second, was sent forward into Chapel Hill. We 
 again quote from Mrs. Spencer's book : 
 
 " On Sunday, at two P. M., General Wheeler called in his 
 pickets, and once more, and for l.he last time, we saw the gallant 
 sight of our gray-clad Confederate soldiers, and waved our last 
 farewell to our army. A few hours of absolute and Sabbath still- 
 ness and silence ensued. The groves stood thick and solemn, the 
 bright sun shining through the great boles and down the grassy 
 slopes, while a pleasant Irayrance was wafted from the purple pin- 
 nacles of the paullonia. All that nature can do was still done with 
 order and beauty, while men's hearts was failing them for fear, 
 and for looking after those things which were coming on the 
 earth. 
 
 " We sat in our pleasant piazzas, and awaited events with a 
 quiet resignation. The silver had all been buried some of it in 
 springs, some of it under rocks in the streams, some of it in fence 
 corners, which, after the fences had been burned down, was prettv 
 hard to find again; some of it in the woods, some of it in the cel- 
 30
 
 242 NINBTT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 lars. There was not much provision to be carried off that was 
 one comfort. The sight of our empty store-rooms and smoke- 
 houses would be likely to move our invaders to laughter. Our 
 wardrobes were hardly worth hiding homespun and jeans hung 
 placidly in their accustomed places. But the libraries, public and 
 private, the buildings of the University all minor selfish consid- 
 erations were merged in a generous anxiety for these. So we 
 talked and speculated, while the very peace and profound quiet of 
 the place sustained and soothed our minds. Just at sunset, a 
 sedate and soldierly-looking man, at the head of a dozen, dressed 
 in blue, rode quietly in by the Raleigh Road. Governor Swain, 
 accompanied by a few of the principal citi/ens, met them at the 
 entrance, and stated that he had General Sherman's promise that 
 the town and University should be saved from pillage. The sol- 
 dier replied that such were his orders, and they should be observed. 
 They then rode in, galloped up and down the streets inquiring 
 for Rebels; and being told that there ivere none in town, thev 
 withdrew for the night to their camp ; and the next morning, being 
 Easter Monday, General Atkins, at the head of a detachment of 
 four thousand cavalry, entered about eight A. M., and we were 
 captured. 
 
 " That was surely a day to be remembered by us all. For the 
 first time in four years we saw the old flag the ' Stars and 
 Stripes,' in whose defense we would once have been willing to die, 
 but which certainly excited very little enthusiasm now. Never 
 before had we realized how entirely our hearts had been turned 
 away from what was once our whole country, till we felt the bit- 
 terness aroused by the sight of that flag shaking out its red and 
 white folds over us. The utmost quiet and good order prevailed. 
 Guards were placed at every house immediately, and with a 
 promptness that was needful ; for one residence, standing a little 
 apart, was entered by a squad of bummers in advance of the 
 guards, and in less than ten minutes the lower rooms, store-rooms 
 and bed-rooms were overhauled and plundered with a swift and 
 busi-ness-like thoroughness only attainable by long and extensive 
 practice. A guard arriving, they left; but their plunder was not 
 restored. The village guards, belonging to the Ninth Michigan 
 Cavalry, deserve especial mention as being a decent set of men, 
 who, while they were here, behaved with civility and propriety." 
 
 The Brigade commanded by General Atkins went into camp 
 around the little village of Chapel Hill, one of the prettiest, most 
 lovely spots found in all the campaigning of the Ninety-Second
 
 KlNtiTT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 343 
 
 during its three years service. The enemy had destroyed all the 
 railroad bridges, and, so far as he could, the railroad track, and 
 while there were plenty of army rations at New-Berne and Golds- 
 boro, General Atkins's Brigade was compelled, per force, to " live 
 upon the country." A soldier, in his diarv, wrote : " Strict orders 
 from Brigade head-quarters, instead of rations, to-day." Genera! 
 Atkins could issue " strict orders " to his command, but he could 
 not furnish them army rations until the destroyed railroad bridges 
 and track were repaired. Who was to blame for that? Certainly 
 the Confederate army, that destroyed the railroads and bridges in 
 a country they were abandoning and not attempting to hold 
 Mrs. Spencer, in speaking of Wheeler's cavalry, was right when 
 she said, " There were rough riders among these troopers men 
 who, if plunder was the object, would have cared little whether it 
 was got from friend or foe." Just so ! And much of the pillaging 
 charged to Atkins's men was really committed by the " rough 
 riders" with Wheeler, a gallant Confederate .soldier, but never a 
 disciplinarian. Atkins's Brigade was well disciplined ; the Ninety - 
 Second, and, also, each Brigade successively that Atkins com- 
 manded, complained of his strict discipline. On the day that his 
 Brigade reached Chapel Hill there were no rations to issue, but 
 there were " strict orders " from Brigade head-quarters. Never- 
 theless, his command was compelled to "live upon the country." 
 Thousands of men and horses are not easily fed, and with all his 
 " strict orders," it is reasonable to suppose that many plantations 
 were stripped of everything eatable. And, again, of course, all 
 animals were taken that were fit for Uncle Sam's service. Conse- 
 quently it happened that some families were left, first, without a 
 morsel of food, and, again, with many mouths, colored and white, 
 to provide for, without an animal to make a crop of corn with, 
 the coming season. There was no help for it. "Such is war," 
 and there is no use in attempting to refine it. Useless cruelty in 
 war, and to the defenseless inhabitants of a country occupied by 
 an army, is, of course, indefensible; but " war is cruelty," and the 
 cruelty that ensued from an army subsisting upon the country 
 was not useless. It was an absolute necessity. But Wheeler's 
 cavalry had "lived upon the country" before Atkins's Brigade 
 reached there, and there was but little left to live upon. 
 Ex-Governor Swain, President of the University of North Caro- 
 lina, a few days after Chapel Hill was occupied by the Federals, 
 addressed the following: communication to General Sherman :
 
 244 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 " CHAPEL HILL, April 19, 1865. 
 "Major General W. T. Sherman, 
 
 "Commanding United States Forces : 
 
 "GENERAL: . . . On my return to this village on Saturday 
 morning, fifteenth instant, I found that General Wheeler, with his 
 division of cavalry, had been encamped here for two days. He 
 resumed his march on Sunday morning, leaving the country 
 denuded to a considerable extent of forage, and taking with him a 
 number of horses and mules. General Atkins arrived with his 
 Brigade on Monday morning, and is in camp here now. I have 
 had several interviews with General Atkins, and have pleasure in 
 stating that he manifests a disposition to execute his orders with 
 as much forbearance as he deems compatible with a proper dis- 
 charge ot his duty. Nevertheless, many worthy families have 
 been stripped by his soldiers of the necessary means of subsist- 
 ence. A Baptist clergyman a most estimable citizen, and the 
 most extensive farmer within a circle of three miles is almost 
 entirely destitute of provision for man and beast; and with a fam- 
 ily of more than fifty persons (white and colored), has not a single 
 horse or mule. Other instances, not less striking, exist, of fami- 
 lies in less affluent circumstances; but I refer particular!}' to Mr. 
 Purefoy, because he has been mv near neighbor for about thirty 
 years, and I hold him in the highest estimation. He, like many 
 others, is not merely without the present means of subsistence, 
 but unless his horses and mules are restored or replaced, can make 
 no provision for the future. The delay of a few days even may 
 render it impossible to plant corn within the proper time. 
 
 " I am satisfied from the impression made upon me in our 
 recent interview, that, personally, you have no disposition to add 
 to the unavoidable horrors of war, by availing yourself of the 
 utmost license which writers on the subject deem admissable, but 
 that, on the contrary, you would prefer to treat the peaceful tillers 
 of the soil with no unnecessary harshness. I venture to hope, 
 therefore, that the present state of negotiations between the con- 
 tending armies will enable you to relax the severity of the orders 
 under which General Atkins is acting, and I am satisfied that if 
 you shall feel yourself justified by the course of events in doing 
 so, an intimation of your purpose will be welcome intelligence to 
 him. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 "D. L. SWAIN." 
 Tp which letter General Sherman replied as follows :
 
 NINBTT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 245 
 
 " HEAD-QUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ) 
 " IN THE FIELD, RALEIGH, N. C., April 23, 1865. J 
 
 " Hon. D. L. Sivain, Chapel Hill, N. C.: 
 
 " MY DEAR SIR: Yours of April nineteenth was laid before 
 me yesterday, and I am pleased that you recognize in General 
 Atkins a tair representative of our army. 
 
 " The moment war ceases, and I think that time is at hand, all 
 seizures of horses and private property will cease on our part. 
 And it may be that we will be able to spare some animals for the 
 use of the farmers of your neighborhood. There now exists a 
 species of truce, but we must stand prepared for action; but I 
 believe that in a very few days a definite and general peace will 
 be arranged, when I will make orders that will be in accordance 
 with the new state of affairs. 
 
 " I do believe that I fairly represent the feelings of my coun- 
 trymen that we prefer peace to war; but, if war is forced upon 
 us, we must meet it: but, if peace be possible, we will accept it, 
 and be the friends of the farmers and working classes of North 
 Carolina, as well as actual patrons of churches, colleges, asylums, 
 and all institutions of learning and charity. Accept the assur- 
 ances of my respect and high esteem. 
 
 " I am, truly yours, 
 
 " W. T. SHERMAN, 
 "Major General Commanding-." 
 
 Until the railroad which the enemy had destroyed had been 
 repaired, and rations for the army brought up from the rear, the 
 severity of the orders under which General Atkins was acting 
 could not be relaxed ; but, when rations could be drawn through 
 the Commissary Department, General Atkins ordered his Brigade 
 Commissary, Captain J. L. Spear, of the Ninety-Second, to issue 
 rations, not only to his troops, but to all the citizens, white and 
 colored, who applied for them ; and rations were issued to the in- 
 habitants for miles around. On the nineteenth of April, was 
 received intelligence that a truce had been arranged for fifteen 
 days, and that the first agreement for the surrender of Johnston's 
 army had been forwarded to Washington, for the approval of the 
 President, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armies and Navies of 
 the United States. The terms of surrender granted to General 
 Johnston, by General Sherman, were deemed too lenient by the 
 President, or by Hon. E. M. Stanton, then Secretary of War, and 
 were disapproved. The writers ot this book thought, at the time,
 
 246 N1NBTT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 that it was most unfortunate that the Government did not approve 
 of the terms of surrender at first arranged between Generals Sher- 
 man and Johnston ; and, even noAv, they think it was unfortunate 
 Sherman, in war, was severe; but the war was over, and severity 
 in time of peace was not required, either as punishment, or as secu- 
 rity for the future. He who conquers can afford to be generous ; 
 and, especially, when the conquered and conquerors are members 
 of the same family. In war, the entire inhabitants of the rebel- 
 lious States, those who voluntarily aided the Rebellion, and those, 
 also, who gave the Rebellion no aid, or only that which they were 
 forced to give, were enemies to the United States; but, when 
 peace came, they all became a part and portion of the Republic, 
 no longer enemies, but friends ; and not only friends, but brothers 
 and equals. 
 
 The Ninety-Second, with the Brigade, remained in camp 
 nearly three weeks, at Chapel Hill, waiting for Johnston's sur- 
 render, which finally transpired. The interview between Gener- 
 als Sherman and Johnston, in which terms for the surrender of 
 the Confederate army were agreed upon, took place near Dur- 
 ham's Station, between the picket lines of Hampton and Kilpat- 
 rick, Doctor Clinton Helm, Surgeon of the Ninety-Second, and 
 Chief Medical Director of the Cavalry Division, being present. 
 There is little to record in regard to the Ninety-Second, during 
 its stay at Chapel Hill. On the evening of the twenty-second of 
 April, 1865, the Ninety-Second boys, with the Band, proceeded to 
 the head-quarters of General Atkins, to serenade him ; and, find- 
 ing him absent, they proceeded to the residence of ex-Governor 
 Swain, where the General was visiting, and serenaded him there. 
 After several pieces of music had been played by the Band, they 
 called on the General for a speech, when he appeared upon the 
 front porch of Governor Swain's residence, and said : 
 
 " Soldiers, I am making a speech to a young lady here to- 
 night, and I have no eloquence to waste she requires it all. The 
 war, as I told you it would, at Mount Olive, has played out, and in 
 less than the ninety days I then named. I think speech-making 
 has played out also, except to the young ladies. You must go to 
 your quarters." 
 
 The boys went to their quarters very sullenly. It was the 
 most unpopular speech the General ever made. Never before, 
 when serenaded by the men of the Ninety-Second and it had 
 often happened had he failed to appreciate the compliment, and 
 had always responded cheerfully to their calls for a speech.' But
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 247 
 
 the General was cross in those days to every one, except the girl 
 he was making love to. He went all through the war without 
 being a prisoner, and was captured at last, after the war was oven 
 by the youngest daughter of ex-Governor Swain, and he has been 
 her happy and contented prisoner ever since. 
 
 On the twenty-fourth of April, the Ninety-Second received 
 orders to be ready to resume hostilities in forty-eight hours, the 
 terms of the surrender of Johnston's army, first agreed upon, hav- 
 ing been disapproved at Washington'. The men of the Regiment 
 were very willing to resume hostilities, if it was necessary to do 
 so, and to do, as Grant had written to Sherman, " press Johnston 
 hard, and end the war at once." But there was not a soldier in 
 the Regiment but that felt that it would be cruelty to fight another 
 battle. Every man was conscious of the fact that the war was 
 really over; but orders were orders, and they were ready to 
 resume hostilities. 
 
 On the twenty-sixth, the Regiment received orders to be ready 
 to march at daylight; but the orders were countermanded, and 
 news of Johnston's surrender received. The men of the Ninety- 
 Second were not soldiers by profession, and clamorously demanded 
 an immediate muster-out, when news of Johnston's surrender 
 reached them. Certainly, infantry regiments had been ordered 
 to be mustered out and discharged, but the order did not include 
 the Ninety-Second, and, on the twenty-eighth of April, Lieutenant- 
 Colonel VanBuskirk, commanding the Regiment, was called out 
 for a speech, the men desiring to know why certain regiments of 
 infantry were mustered out, and the Ninety-Second retained. Col- 
 onel VanBuskirk explained the order to the general satisfaction of 
 the Regiment. On the twenty-ninth, Major General Kilpatrick 
 came over to Chapel Hill, from Durham's Station, and reviewed 
 the Brigade. At ten o'clock A. M., on May third, the Ninety- 
 Second, with the Brigade, bid adieu to Chapel Hill, and marched 
 twelve miles, to Hillsboro. The Confederate cavalry had been 
 paroled, and were marching home, the men permitted to retain 
 their horses and side-arms, and, together, the Ninety-Second and 
 their late enemies, enemies no longer, filled the road, and together 
 they marched along. The Confederate soldiers were somewhat 
 downcast and dispirited; but the Ninety-Second men, who had 
 frequently met them in battle, had no jibes for them ; they had 
 learned, on many a hard-fought field, how brave the Confederate 
 soldiers under Wheeler and Hampton were; they respected their 
 bravery ; indeed, gray-coat and blue-coat, mingling together in
 
 248 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 their march that day through Hillsboro, were friends, enemies no 
 longer, but friends and equals, all citizens of the Republic saved. 
 Had the terms of the surrender of the Confederates, and all 
 questions of re-construction and future Union, been left that day 
 to the soldiers alone, of both armies, there would have been no 
 disagreement; the blue-coats would not have imposed harsh 
 terms upon the gray-coats, and the generosity of the brave con- 
 querors would have been met by the generosity of the brave men 
 conquered. 
 
 On the fourth of May, the command continued its march from 
 Hillsboro to Company Shops, and camped, and on the next day, 
 marched to Greensboro, reaching there at four P. M. Two hun- 
 dred Confederate cannon were parked at Greensboro, surrendered 
 by the Confederate army under the command of Johnston. The 
 Brigade lay several days at Greensboro, waiting for horse-shoes. 
 In the sandy coast country it made but little difference whether 
 the horses were shod or not; but on the rocky and gravelly roads 
 of the higher country the barefooted animals were becoming 
 lame. The war was ended the Cavalry Division had no other 
 duty than to occupy the country, and maintain quiet and peace, 
 until the civil authorities had re-established government. The 
 discipline of the troops was very strict. No foraging was per- 
 mitted; the troops were supplied with army rations; the railroad 
 was in running order, and all kinds of supplies were regularly 
 received, and in abundance. On the eighth of May, the com- 
 mand moved to Lexington. On the eleventh of May, the Ninety- 
 Second marched to Salisbury, as an escort for the wagon trains 
 of the Twenty-Third army corps. 
 
 On the twelfth of May, 1865, the Ninety-Second made its last 
 march on horseback, to Concord, and, as one of the soldiers wrote 
 in his diary, that day : " Camped, to put on style." It was a styl- 
 ish camp the Ninety-Second had at Concord, in a grove of young 
 pine trees. Lieutenant Horace C. Scoville, of Company K, cap- 
 tured at Nickojack, in Northern Georgia, returned to the Regi- 
 ment, and was warmly welcomed. He had been promoted to the 
 Captaincy of his company during his absence in the Confederate 
 prisons. First Sergeant James D. White, of Company K. was 
 promoted to Second Lieutenant. On Saturday, the thirteenth of 
 May, the Regiment put its camping grounds in fine order. On 
 Sunday, the fourteenth, the Chaplain held services in a church in 
 Concord. The Regiment lay at Concord, day after day, with 
 nothing to do, except to grumble and grumble about not being
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 249 
 
 mustered out and sent home. The disaffection was general, 
 among officers and soldiers all wished to return at once to those 
 peaceful pursuits they had reluctantly left when they volunteered 
 to help maintain the life of the nation. The glorious end had 
 come the life of the nation was no longer in danger, and it 
 required some effort to keep the men from going home, orders or 
 no orders. There was considerable excitement in camp on the 
 twenty-first of May. The War Department had ordered all 
 infantry regiments, the term of enlistment of which would expire 
 within four months, to be mustered out immediately. The 
 Ninety-Second was an infantry Regiment, although mounted 
 and serving with the cavalry, and it came fairly under the orders 
 of the War Department for immediate muster out. But General 
 Kilpatrick sent a written communication to the Ninety-Second, 
 saying that, in his opinion, the Ninety-Second was not an infantry 
 Regiment, but a Regiment of cavalry; it was mounted and 
 equipped throughout precisely as the cavalry ; was then, and has 
 long been, serving with the cavalry ; and that he had ordered his 
 mustering officer to regard the Ninety-Second as cavalry, and 
 not to muster out the Regiment under the orders of the Wai- 
 Department, referring to infantry regiments. At Chattanooga, 
 Brigadier General Elliott, commanding the Cavalry of the De- 
 partment of the Cumberland, had chosen to sneeringlv regard 
 the Regiment as an infantry Regiment, and refused to give the 
 Ninety-Second its quota of horses to mount the men, until the 
 cavalry had first been mounted. The Regiment had then wished 
 to be regarded as cavalry, and have received the same treatment as 
 the cavalry. Now the Regiment wished to be regarded as infantrv, 
 and be mustered out and sent home; but Kilpatrick chose to regard 
 it as a Regiment of cavalry. There was considerable harsh 
 language used; but reasonable counsels prevailed; for a time 
 Kilpatrick's orders were submitted to; but an appeal from his 
 ruling was taken to General Schofield, commanding the Depart- 
 ment, and before General Schofield had decided the matter, an 
 order came from the War Department to muster out cavalry 
 regiments, whose terms of enlistment would expire within four 
 months; and there being no possible way to longer avoid it, for, 
 cavalry or infantry, no matter which, the orders were to muster 
 the Regiment out, and the mustering officer leisurely proceeded 
 to prepare the muster out rolls. The recruits of the Regiment 
 were transferred to the Sixty-Fifth Illinois Veteran Infantry, and 
 Captain H. M. Tynms, of Company A, one of the officers de- 
 31
 
 250 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 tailed to accompany the recruits, was promoted to Major of 
 that regiment. The transfer to the Sixty-Fifth Illinois was made 
 under the following order : 
 
 " HEAD-QUARTERS TWENTY-THIRD ARMY CORPS, ) 
 Greensboro, N. C., June 21, 1865. J 
 " Special Orders, ) 
 No. 61. f 
 
 " III. The following named officers of the Ninety-Second 
 Illinois Infantry are hereby transferred, with two hundred and 
 twenty-five (225) enlisted men of that Regiment, to the Sixty- 
 Fifth Illinois Infantry, and will report to Lieutenant Colonel 
 Stewart, commanding, for duty. 
 
 "Captain John F. Nelson, Captain Harvey M. Timms, First 
 Lieutenant Norman Lewis, Second Lieutenant James D. White. 
 
 " By command of Brevet Major General Ruger. 
 
 " HENRY A. HALL, 
 
 " Captain and A. A. G." 
 
 On the seventh of June, 1865, blanks having been received 
 from the mustering officer, the very cheerful work of preparing 
 the muster out rolls began in the various companies of the 
 Ninety-Second. Everybody in the Regiment was very happy at 
 the thought of soon going home cheerfulness and gayety took 
 the place of the grumbling discontent. On the eighth of June, 
 Company G procured a fiddler, and gave a stag-dance to the 
 Regiment, and " all hands around" made everything gay and 
 lively. On the fourteenth of June, the Regiment turned over its 
 horses and horse equipments. On the fifteenth, the Regiment 
 was without horses, no drilling, nothing to do in camp, and again 
 Company G enlivened the time by giving another stag-dance party 
 to the other companies of the Regiment. On Sunday, June 
 eighteenth, 1865, good, old Chaplain Cartwright, who had been 
 preaching to the Freedmen regularly, since the arrival of the 
 Ninety-Second at Concord, preached his farewell sermon to the 
 colored people, and gave them sensible advice, urging them to 
 remember that they were now free, 'but that they must depend 
 upon themselves entirely in the future, and could only expect 
 happiness and comfort in life by being sober, honest, and indus- 
 trious citizens. When the Chaplain had concluded, an old, col- 
 ored man rose up in the large audience that had assembled in the 
 grove to hear his last sermon, and proposed to take up a collection 
 for the benefit of Chaplain Cartwright. The hat was passed, and,
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 251 
 
 full of greenbacks, it was handed to the Chaplain ; he took the 
 hat, and thanked them for their great kindness, and then told them 
 that he could not accept the money from a poor people just out of 
 years of bondage, but would add to it the last dollar he had in the 
 world, and then the money should be expended by them for books 
 to educate their children. Chaplain Cartwright was a poor man, 
 but he was too rich in sensible Christian charity to take a gift 
 from the Freedmen to whom he had preached ; to their charitable 
 donation he added his last dollar, and left it to purchase books for 
 the children of the black people there assembled. Chaplain Cart- 
 wright was a genuine Christian minister, and the best Chaplain 
 that served with any regiment in the army. On the twenty-first 
 of June, the Ninety-Second was ordered to be ready to leave for 
 the North-land and home on the morrow never was there an 
 order more joyfully welcomed. Early on the morning of June 
 twenty-second, the Regiment marched to the depot in Concord? . 
 but did not get away on the train until half past one P. M. The 
 train arrived in Lexington just after dark, where General Atkins, 
 in the absence of General Kilpatrick, was then stationed in com- 
 mand of the Cavalry Division ; he came to the cars, and, with the 
 Ninety-Second, proceeded homeward. The train reached Greens- 
 boro before daylight of the twenty-third of June, and the Regi- 
 ment left the cars and cooked breakfast, and remained until eight 
 A. M. of the twenty-fourth, when the Regiment again embarked 
 on a train of cars for Danville, reaching there at three P. M. On 
 the morning of the twenty-fifth of June, the Ninety-Second again 
 embarked on the cars, an\d reached Burkeville Junction after dark. 
 At the first station south of Burkeville Junction, the officers of 
 the Regiment had gone in advance on a passenger train, leaving 
 the men without officers, and the only thing that mars the fair 
 fame of the Ninetv-Second then took place. Let one of the 
 soldiers who saw it tell the story ; he writes in his diary : " The 
 officers got on a passenger train, and went ahead at the last station 
 on the road up, and while we were lying over for a down train to 
 pass, the boys made a rush for the Sutler's chebang, and, in a very 
 unjust manner, completely robbed the Sutler of all his stores, and 
 then tried to upset the building. There were no officers along to 
 put a stop to it. It seems to me that the officers ought to be with 
 us." The soldier was right, and the blame of this one disgraceful 
 act must rest upon the thoughtless officers; had they been pres- 
 ent, it would not have occurred. At nine P. M., on June twenty- 
 sixth, the Regiment reached City Point, on the James River, and,
 
 252 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 on the next morning, embarked on the Philadelphia, an old, leaky 
 ferry-boat, that was unfit to transport troops upon. The Captain 
 of the boat thought it would surely go to the bottom ; but, bv 
 pumping hard, and hugging the shore, she reached Baltimore 
 safely the next day about three o'clock P. M., and the Ninety- 
 Second, after taking supper at the Soldiers' Home, marched 
 through the city of Baltimore and embarked in box cars for Har- 
 risburg, at about eleven P. M. Daylight, on the twenty-ninth of 
 June, tound the Regiment at York, Pennsylvania. There were 
 two trains, and no stops were made, except for wood and water. 
 The Regiment was greeted at all the towns, as the trains rolled 
 through them, with waving of handkerchiefs in token of welcome. 
 Breakfasted at Altoona, and was sixty miles east of Pittsburgh 
 the next morning, detained by a jam of trains in advance of the 
 Regiment. At eleven A. M., of the thirtieth, arrived at Pitts- 
 burgh, and dined at the Soldiers' Home. Left Pittsburgh about 
 three P. M., and at noon, on the first of July, the train halted near 
 Camp Douglas, in Chicago, and the Regiment disembarked and 
 marched into that camp, and was put under a regiment of the 
 Veteran Reserve Corps, on duty there. Many of the men, as soon 
 it was known that the Regiment would not be immediately paid 
 and discharged, were granted informal furloughs to go to their 
 homes, and return by the seventh of July. On the eighth of July, 
 1865, the men received their pay and final discharge papers; and 
 on Sunday, July ninth, 1865, the officers were paid, received also 
 their final discharges, and the three vears' soldiering was done. 
 
 The Committee who have jointly had in charge the preparation 
 of these pages painfully appreciate how poor and tame is the 
 story they have told of those eventful three years. But they trust 
 it will revive many a pleasant memory, as the surviving members 
 of the Ninety .-Second peruse it; while life lasts, those memories 
 will be cherished with pride ; and thej- ought to be. It is some- 
 thing to have been a soldier in the great war that saved the 
 Republic that Washington founded, struck off the shackles from 
 the limbs of four millions of human beings, and kept " the 
 jewel of freedom in the family of nations." In that great struggle, 
 the Ninety-Second did, everywhere and always, its entire duty 
 bravely and well ; on lonely outposts, serving as " the eyes ot 
 the army," building bridges, mending roads, throwing up fortifica- 
 tions, as infantry, as cavalry, on foot, on horseback, repulsing the 
 charge of the enemy, or charging the enemy with shout and 
 cheer and the terrible music of the rattling Spencers, in camp 
 >
 
 NINBTT'SECOND ILLINOIS. 253 
 
 and campaign, in bivouac and battle, the Ninety-Second was 
 always obedient to orders, guarded with jealous solicitude the 
 honor of the " Stars and Stripes" given into its keeping, and 
 always received the praises of Brigade, Division, Corps, and 
 Department Commanders, and the admiration of the regiments 
 with which it was associated. The members of the Ninety- 
 Second have good reason for the pride they feel in having their 
 names associated with the honorable record the Regiment made, 
 and their children after them will tell with pride, " My father was 
 a soldier in the Ninety-Second."
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 
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 ( Promoted from Eleventh 111. Inft'y 
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 Discharged April 12, '63, disability 
 
 Hiprl AlnrtTppshnm Tprm .Inlv 9.7 'fin 
 
 ed, Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 17, '63 
 ed, Danville, Ky.. March 3, '61 
 scharged April 3, '64, disability 
 ustered out June 21, 1805 
 ustered out June 21, 1865 
 
 
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 Remarks. 
 
 Mustered out June 21, 1865 
 Absent, sick, at m. o. of Regiment 
 Mustered out June 21, 1865, as Corp'l.. 
 
 Mustered out June 21, 1865 
 Absent, sick, at in. o. of Regiment 
 Died at Nashville, Tenn. May, 5, '63. 
 Absent, sick, at m. o of Regiment.... 
 Discharged May 24, 1863 
 Mustered out August 23 1865 
 Died at Danville, Ky.,Feb. 4, 1863 
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 i Dis. July 31, '61, to accept commis- 
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 Mustered out June 21, 1865, as Sergt... 
 Mustered out June 21, 1865, .as Corp'l.. 
 Diseliarged March 18, 1864 ; wounds... 
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 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 Deserted Oct. 17, 1862 
 Transferred to Company K 
 Mustired out June 21, '65, as Corp'l... 
 Musti red out June 21, 1865 
 Dis. March 23, 1863, as Corporal 
 Music red out June 2l,l,S65 
 Music red out June 21, 1805 
 .Musti red out June 21, 1865 
 
 niur-li inri-il Aiiril 80 ISfi3 .... 
 
 Died, Lexington, Ky., Mar. 12, 1863.... 
 Musi. 'red out June 21, 1865 
 Killed, Cllickamauga, Sept. 19, 1863... 
 Mustered out June 21, 1865 
 Mustered out June 21, 18C5 
 Wounded, trans, to I. C., Mar. 21, '64.. 
 Mus. out June *1 ,'65; was prisoner.. 
 
 j l| 
 
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 Discharged Jan. 17, 1863 
 Mustered out June21,lS63 
 Died, Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 13, '63 
 Transferred to Company K 
 
 Mustered out June 21,1865 
 Died, May !>, 18'i4. wounds 
 i Promoted Com Serg't ; reduced. 
 "I Dis. Nov. 25. '63, pro. U. S, C. T 
 Mustered out Jnne 21, 1865, as Corp'l... 
 Mustered out June 21,1865 
 Mus. out July 22, 1865 ; was prisoner... 
 Mustered out June 21, 1865, as Serg't,. 
 
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 Remarks. 
 
 Promoted First Lieutenant 
 
 Promoted Sergeant Major 
 Prom. 1st Serg't, then 1st Lieutenant. 
 Promoted Second Lieutenant 
 Mustered out June 21, '65, as 1st Serg't 
 
 Died, Nashville, Tenn., April 22, '63... 
 Mustered out June 21, 1865, as Serg't. 
 Mustered out June 21, '65, as Sergt... 
 Died at Sand Lowe, Ga., Aug. 30, '64. 
 Ti-ans. to Inv. Corps, June 17, 1864 
 Missing in action, Feb. H, 1865 
 Mustered out June 21, 1865, as private 
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 Pres. Resid'ce 
 
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 moted Major ; pro. Lieut. Col. 
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 Pt-leg R Walker 
 Edwin \V Newton 
 Alexander M. Norris.. 
 X:ird:is Jewell 
 
 COHI'ORALS. 
 
 I OHIO (-.^...U,.!- 
 
 Samuel M. Benedict.. 
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 305 
 
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 Rowland, William F 
 Robinson, Benjamin D 
 Rand, Comodore R 
 Rahn, Jacob O 
 Tagney, Joh 
 Tuller, Oliver
 
 306 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 STATEMENT OF CHARLES W. REYNOLDS, WHO WAS TAKEN 
 PRISONER AT NICKOJACK STATEMENT OF NATHAN C. TYLER 
 STATEMENT OF DON R. FRAZER CARRYING A DISPATCH 
 A CHAT WITH A SOUTHERN LADY FORAGING IN SOUTH 
 CAROLINA VENISON STEAK, AND How THE BOYS GOT IT 
 CAPTAIN SMITH'S NEW BOOTS SERENADING A DEAF AND 
 
 DUMB ASYLUM. 
 
 Charles W. Reynolds, of Company I, Ninety-Second, was one 
 of the soldiers on picket at Nickojack Gap, Georgia, on April 
 twenty-third, 1864, and he thus narrates what he saw at the time 
 of the capture, and what he experienced at Andersonville, and 
 other Rebel prisons: 
 
 Lieutenant Horace C. Scoville, of Company K, was in com- 
 mand of the outpost, with about sixteen men, I being among the 
 number. We were on the main road that runs south parallel 
 with Taylor's Ridge, and where the road crosses the Ridge and 
 runs to Tunnel Hill. At that time the Union army lay west of, 
 and the Rebel army east of, Taylor's Ridge; the Union troops 
 being encamped about Ringgold,'and the Confederate army south 
 of Tunnel Hill. Taylor's Ridge separated the two armies. Our 
 post was near the Gap, just where the mountain road crosses the 
 Ridge, our reserve being a little way in rear at some old log 
 buildings. We had several vedettes out, some at the Gap, and 
 some along the top of the Ridge. In rear of our post, about 
 three-quarters of a mile, was another post of about thirty men. 
 We had been on duty nearly forty-eight hours, and no enemy had 
 been seen along our lines. In the night, under cover of the 
 darkness, a regiment or more of Rebel infantry had crossed Tay- 
 lor's Ridge in our rear, and barricaded the road. I was at the 
 head-quarters of the picket, having been on duty during the night. 
 My brother William was on guard at the head-quarters of the 
 picket. Just at daybreak we heard firing up the road, at the top 
 of the Ridge, and, instantly, the reserve was mounted, and await-
 
 MlNETT-SECONfr ILLINOIS. 307 
 
 ing orders. Lieutenant Scoville, observing that the boys on the 
 Ridge were having a lively time, ordered some of us to go and 
 assist them, and five of us immediately started. We soon met the 
 boys coming down, saying: " Fall back to the head-quarters of the 
 picket, for the Rebels are as thick as bees." The bullets were 
 whistling around us we fell back rapidly, but before we reached 
 the picket post the Rebels were charging down the main road 
 from the Gap, and driving everything before them. Lieutenant 
 Scoville ordered the pickets back onto the reserve, hoping to stop 
 the Rebel charge there ; but, instead of reaching the reserve, he 
 ran into the trap prepared in our rear by the Rebel infantry, and 
 he and all with him were immediately captured or killed. The 
 little squad I was with, seeing that we were cut off from our main 
 reserve, took back again through the fields, the enemy on both 
 sides of us and in our rear, and popping it to us with their rifles, 
 which, in the morning dawn, was not a pleasant sight to us, as 
 the flames leaped from the muzzles of their guns. We were 
 making good time, and we hoped to reach the next post, when we 
 saw that the Rebels were heading us off. They had already cap- 
 tured Lieutenant Scoville and the men with him, and were after 
 us. They were well mounted, and dashed forward, and cut off 
 our only hope of escape. Up to this time I had done more run- 
 ning than fighting I changed tactics, and, halting my horse, I 
 played my Spencer Rifle on them until a Rebel, with twenty 
 more closely following, came upon me, the Rebel shouting: 
 
 " Surrender, you Yankee son-of-a ." I didn't object to 
 
 his abrupt way of speaking, but, as quietly and gracefully as I 
 could, I informed him that I was ,at his service. He told me to 
 dismount, and give up my arms; then, taking my horse by the 
 halter-strap, said : " Yank, if you will behave yourself, you can 
 ride back over the Ridge to our lines." I mounted, and he led 
 my horse. He questioned me closely, but I was not very com- 
 municative. He showed his generosity by giving me two crack- 
 ers, and told me I had better take them, for it would be a long 
 time before I would get anything to eat. I took them, and voted 
 my captor the most gentlemanly Reb I was acquainted with. 
 Would to God that my comrades had fallen into as good hands. 
 We soon passed our captured boys; they had been dismounted, 
 and were double-quicked to keep up with the Rebel cavalry, now 
 rapidly falling back to Tunnel Hill, evidently fearful that the 
 Yanks would follow. But our camps were eight miles from Nick- 
 ojack, and they need not have been in such a hurry. They shot
 
 308 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 down many of the boys who gave out in double-quicking. My 
 brother William was shot, after his capture, because he hesitated 
 to pull off his boots! Lieutenant Pointer, of Wheeler's staff, was 
 the wretch who murdered my brother. When Lieutenant 
 Pointer had shot away, at his defenseless prisoners, all the shots 
 in his revolver, he beat the disarmed boys, his prisoners, over the 
 head with his heavy navy revolver; he knocked Lieutenant Sco- 
 ville over the head with his revolver, with no warning to Scoville, 
 from pure maliciousness, and nearly knocked the Lieutenant 
 senseless. Lieutenant Pointer was a contemptible wretch s I 
 never had a " confidence game" played on me until then. A 
 Rebel rode up to me, and, with tears in his eyes, said that if I had 
 any valuables about me I had better give them to him until we 
 reached Tunnel Hill, when he would return them to me. I 
 thought it very kind in him, and gave him all my little keepsakes, 
 love letters from " the girl I left behind me," etc., but it was the 
 last I ever saw of that kind-hearted Johnny. When we were 
 safely inside of the Rebel lines, I was dismounted, to await the 
 coming of the balance of the Yankee prisoners. While waiting, 
 I was frequently invited to " shell out " all the valuables I had, 
 but all I could do was to inform them that I had already "shelled." 
 One Reb proposed to trade boots with me ; and trade it was, with- 
 out ceremony or delay ; but I think I got the best of the bargain, 
 for I got a pair of number nines old enough to vote, for a pair of 
 number fives. Another Johnny unceremoniously traded hats 
 with me. I soon found myself with nothing left that a Rebel 
 thought it worth while to trade for. Everything valuable, or sup- 
 posed to be valuable, was taken from every Yankee prisoner; but 
 that was nothing compared to the cool manner in which the infa- 
 mous Lieutenant Pointer coolly murdered our poor boys. At 
 last, all that were captured were gathered together, and marched 
 to Tunnel Hill, and placed in the railroad station house. One by 
 one they were taken out, and questioned and cross-questioned by 
 the Rebel officers, in order to learn the strength and situation of 
 our army ; but I think they obtained but little information useful 
 to them from the Ninety-Second boys. When we came to have 
 roll-call, we found twenty-one of the Ninety-Second boys answer- 
 ing to their names, as follows: Lieutenant Horace C. Scoville, 
 Company K ; Wallace Revelle, Company K ; James M. Merritt, 
 Company K; Benjamin F. Heistand, Company D; E.D.Har- 
 rington, Company K; William Snyder, Company D; David 
 Shoemaker, Company D; William P. Me Worthy, Company I:
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 309 
 
 Charles W. Reynolds, Company I; Alexander Baysinger, Com- 
 pany G; Abraham Houser, Company G; Corporal James W. 
 Starkey, Company H ; Benjamin Noe, Company H ; Mahler D. 
 Kooker, Company H; Henry Miller, Company F; William 
 Guyer, Company E; Coston Z. Best, Company E; Francis M. 
 Chase, Company C; Edwin W. Elliott, Company B; Morris R. 
 Miller, Company A; and Nathan C. Tyler, Company A. 
 
 We were captured, and were bound to see something of prison 
 life in the liebel prison pens; but, had we known at that time 
 what per cent, of our little band would never see the Union lines 
 again, sad and sorrowful as our future was, it would have been 
 worse. But, at that time, we did not fear them we were soldiers 
 under the " Stars and Stripes," and let come what fortune might 
 bring to us, we* would accept it uncomplainingly, as was becoming 
 to soldiers. We had abiding confidence that the Ninety-Second 
 would pay the Rebels, with fearful interest, for what they had 
 done that day. At three P. M., we were put on board of the cars 
 and sent to Dalton, where we were placed in a jail with a hundred 
 or more prisoners, including negroes, Rebel deserters, and Union 
 spies. Some of the spies were to be tried in a few days, and they 
 said they expected to be shot. Among the prisoners were a num- 
 ber of Union men, arrested for their loyalty to the United States; 
 they were true men, and preferred imprisonment and death rather 
 than service in the Rebel army. Soon after we reached Dalton, 
 we were taken to General Hill's head-quarters, where the General 
 and his ladies appeared quite delighted to see us. We were again 
 searched, but little of value was found. At five P. M., we were 
 placed on the cars again and started for Atlanta, where we arrived 
 at eleven P. M., and were immediately marched to the military 
 prison and locked up. At four P. M., of the twenty-fourth, we 
 were furnished with some rations, consisting of corn-meal and 
 salt, the first food since our capture. We went to work to cook 
 our corn-meal but our boys longed for some of Uncle Sam's 
 hard-tack, even if it was branded " B. C." On the twenty-fifth, 
 we were again placed on the cars, guarded by the Thirty-Fourth 
 Tennessee Confederates, a regiment that had laid at Harrison's 
 Landing while the Ninety-Second did picket duty there. They 
 wished to know how " Mother" was getting along, referring to a 
 member of Company H, of the Ninety-Second, who had crossed 
 the Tennessee by swimming it, at Harrison's Landing, and had a 
 chat with some of the Thirty-Fourth Tennessee soldiers. We 
 arrived at Macon the same day, and were placed in the city prison,
 
 310 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 with a checker-board iron grating to look through, all in a room 
 i ox 1 2 ; it was a dismal cell, and we were glad when ordered aboard 
 of the cars again. The guards told us we were bound for Ander- 
 sonville ! They told us it was a fine, healthy place ; that the pris- 
 oners were well cared for, and had good shelter and plenty of 
 food. We found that it was a healthy country, full of pure water, 
 fuel and food ; but Rebel diabolism denied to us poor Yanks the 
 boon of fresh air, cold water, or any shelter, and, in a country full 
 -of fuel within sight of our prison pen, they denied us wood enough 
 to cook our scanty rations with. We reached Andersonville 
 about two o'clock P. M., on the twenty-sixth. We got off from 
 the cars in a timbered country, with a dry, sandy soil. About 
 three-quarters of a mile away we could see a large enclosure, com- 
 posed of timbers set in the ground on end, close together, about 
 fifteen feet high, with sentry boxes along the top and that was 
 the Andersonville prison pen. The " old Dutchman," as he was 
 called, Captain Wirz, riding a white horse, came along, and es- 
 corted us to the prison gate. Here he left us with the guards, and 
 himself went inside to learn what part of the prison to assign us 
 to. While we were waiting outside of the prison gate, a squad of 
 Yankee prisoners came from the woods with armsful of fagots 
 that they had been gathering for fuel. At first we thought it was. 
 a squad of negroes ; but, as they came nearer, we saw that they 
 were Yankee prisoners ! They were black as negroes, and such 
 downcast, hopeless, haggard, woe-begone looking human beings 
 I never saw before. They said they were glad to see us, but 
 would to God that it was under better circumstances. After 
 awhile the prison gate was opened for us to pass through. As we 
 entered, a sight of horror met our eyes that almost froze our 
 blood, and made our hearts stop beating. Before us were skele- 
 ton forms that once had been stalwart men covered with rags, 
 and filth, and vermin with hollow cheeks and glaring eyes! 
 Some of the Ninety-Second boys, in the heat and intensity of 
 their emotions, exclaimed: " Is this hell? Great God, protect 
 us." Well might Wirz, the incarnate fiend who presided over 
 that Rebel inferno, have written over its gate: " Let him who 
 enters here leave hope behind." The prisoners were divided into 
 squads of nineties and we fresh-comers were distributed around 
 to fill up some of the nineties where others had died; seven of us 
 were placed in the same part of the prison, and we formed a little 
 family of ourselves, for each other's comfort and mutual encour- 
 agement. I will never forget my first night in that horrible place.
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 311 
 
 There was a heavy, cold dew falling. We lay down in the sand, 
 without a thing Under or over us, and already nearly stripped of 
 clothing by our captors ; and there we lay, seven of us, spoon- 
 fashion. For many days we remained so exposed to the cold dews 
 at night, and the scorching sun by day, until we managed to save 
 some of our scanty rations and trade them with our starving com- 
 panions for an old blanket and the half of another one. Then two 
 of the boys and myself went to the prison gate, cut the buttons off 
 our coats, and bought our way out to the woods, and each brought 
 back an armful of poles and wood the poles to make us a shel- 
 ter by stretching our old blanket and a half over them, and the 
 wood to cook our coarse corn-meal, which, without the wcjpd to 
 cook it, we would have h.ad to eat raw. When we had fixed up 
 with these scanty materials as best we could, we thought ourselves 
 quite comfortable, in comparison with the thousands around us 
 who had no shelter of any kind. And this in a country filled with 
 timber out of which we could have constructed shelters, if our 
 inhuman and fiendish captors had only have permitted it! I 
 shall never forget the unfortunate predicament we were in when 
 we drew our raw corn meal, cob and kernel ground up together, 
 and we without a dish to cook in, or a splinter of fuel to cook 
 with. Had it not been for the generosity of one of the old pris- 
 oners, we would have had to eat it raw he loaned us a scanty bit 
 of fuel to cook it by, and his chip to cook it on. As soon as we 
 saw what constituted cooking utensils in Andersonville, and were 
 able to do so, we procured a chip of our own, and were as happy 
 aye, as we could be! At this time there were about seven 
 thousand Yankee prisoners crowded and huddled into the stock- 
 ade at Andersonville. Nearly all of them had wintered at Belle 
 Isle or Danville. They were almost destitute of clothing, and 
 were living skeletons. All were eager to find out the prospects of 
 an exchange, and the least encouragement they could get they 
 would catch at as drowning men do at straws. Every day we all 
 had to fall in by nineties, and if one man was missing that could 
 not be accounted for, the whole ninety starving skeletons were 
 kept absolutely without food that day. The poor fellows tried 
 hard to keep up good spirits, and outlive the Confederacy. About 
 the middle of May, as the Union armies began to advance, Yan- 
 kee prisoners would be brought in every day, and from them we 
 obtained our only news from the United States. The Rebels 
 would never let us know what was going on at the front only
 
 312 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 when they gained some slight victory, we would hear them boast 
 of it. 
 
 It would be remarkable if, among so many men in horrible 
 confinement, there should not be methods of escape devised and 
 attempted. The work of tunneling out was silently going on, and 
 we hoped that it would be successful ; but, in some way, the Rebels 
 discovered it, and the fiendish Wirz swore that not another morsel 
 of food should be issued to any one of his thousands of starving 
 prisoners until the partly-constructed tunnel was again filled up. 
 Wirz was the commander of the interior of the prison, and was a 
 wretch of the lowest type, insolent, overbearing, heartless, and, 
 of course, a coward, for no one with a spark of manly courage 
 about him would come among helpless prisoners, famishing for 
 the want of food, and draw a revolver, as he did. I formed the 
 acquaintance, in Andersonville, of a man by the name of Henshaw, 
 from Lee county, Illinois. He had made his escape several times, 
 but was always caught by the bloodhounds (nigger-dogs), which 
 the Rebels kept for the purpose of pursuing prisoners, and which 
 rendered it almost hopeless for any one to attempt to escape. In 
 the latter part of May, the prisoners arranged to make an attempt 
 at an escape on a grand scale. It was to be done by undermining 
 the stockade, and, at a given signal, in broad daylight, a rush was 
 to be made by the prisoners against the stockade, and topple it 
 over, and seize the Rebel artillery and all the arms and ammuni- 
 tion and provisions possible, and make a grand attempt to reach 
 the lines of the Union armies. But just before the time for action 
 had arrived, we found the whole plot had been disclosed to the 
 Rebels some traitor or spy had given the minutest details of the 
 plan to Wirz. Soon after the following was posted near the prison 
 gate: 
 
 " NOTICE. Not wishing to shed the blood of hundreds not 
 connected with those who concocted a mad plan to force the 
 stockade, and make, in this way, their escape, I hereby warn the 
 leaders, and those who formed themselves into a band to carry out 
 this, that I am in possession of all the facts, and have made my 
 dispositions accordingly, so as to frustrate them. No choice 
 would be left me but to open with grape and canister on the 
 stockade, and what effect that would have in this denselv crowded 
 place need not be told. May 25, 1864. H. WIRZ." 
 
 The only consolation left us was that we had badlv frightened 
 our Rebel guards. About this time Henry Miller, of Company
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 313 
 
 F, of the Ninety-Second, died, the first among the Ninety-Second 
 prisoners captured at Nickojack to fall a victim to Rebel cruelty. 
 The prisoners in Andersonville were dying off at a fearful rate; 
 especially those who had been longest in Rebel hands. The Rebel 
 authorities had deliberately planned the murder of the prisoners 
 in their hands by the slow process of starvation and disease it 
 was, at first, slow but sure, and then it was sure and rapid. I 
 have counted one hundred and thirty lifeless skeletons of our boys 
 that had died in one day. You might walk around the prison any 
 hour in the day and see men closing their eyes in death. Diar- 
 rhea and scurvy appeared to be the most fatal diseases. None can 
 know the horrors of scurvy except those who have beheld them. 
 Sometimes the cords of the victim would be contracted, and the 
 limbs drawn up so that the patient could neither walk, stand, nor 
 lie still; sometimes it would be confined to the bones, and not 
 make any appearance on the outside ; sometimes it would be con- 
 fined to the mouth, and the gums would separate from the teeth, 
 and the teeth drop out. There were hundreds of cases of this 
 disease in Andersonville. I have seen many of our prisoners 
 suffering with scurvy actually starve to death because they could 
 not eat the coarse corn meal furnished by the Rebels to the Yan- 
 kee prisoners. In the month of June it rained continuouslv for 
 twenty-one days, and it was not strange that disease multiplied 
 in our crowded prison pen, and assumed every possible form. 
 There were fifteen thousand prisoners in the stockade during all 
 that rainv time, without shelters, lying out in the storm dav and 
 night. I cannot describe the hopeless misery and suffering. 
 Imagination cannot conceive of it. Night after night, in a sort of 
 delirium, I have dreamed of sitting down to some bountifully 
 supplied table, away up home in Northern Illinois, and, waking, 
 would find myself in the wet sand, cold, and nearly famishing for 
 food. One principal topic of conversation, forced upon us by our 
 sufferings, and the cravings of hunger, was something good to 
 eat. If any one knew of a rare dish, something especially good, 
 he would entertain, and momentarily satisfy, the rest of his mess, 
 by describing it minutely, the manner of cooking it, etc. We not 
 only lacked food, but clean water. We were forced to use the 
 swamp water that ran through the prison pen, that had been filled 
 with filth by flowing first through the Rebel camps. One dav a 
 clear spring of water burst out near the swamp inside of our 
 prison during the rainy weather, and day and night there was a 
 continual stream of men there trying to get a drink of clean 
 39
 
 3H NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 water. All around the inside of the Andersonville Prison, about 
 fifteen feet from the stockade, was a slender pole, or slight ditch, 
 which was called the " dead line." Any one who put his foot 
 beyond that line was a dead 7nan the Rebel guards, without 
 commanding a halt, would shoot him down. Many poor fellows, 
 so starved that they had lost their reason, crossed that line uncon- 
 sciously, and were coolly shot dead. During the month of June 
 prisoners came in so fast that the Rebels had to build an addition 
 to the stockade, after which there were about thirty acres in the 
 entire enclosure. When the addition was completed, they made 
 a small gap in the stockade, and ordered thirteen thousand pris- 
 oners to pass into it, giving them two hours to move into the 
 additional enclosure, with a threat to deprive them of the few 
 ragged blankets they had left, and their rations, if they did not 
 pass through in the time allotted. On July third many new 
 prisoners arrived, and the entire dav was spent in roll calls, and 
 assigning the new prisoners to fill vacancies in the companies of 
 nineties. They gave us one-half pound of corn meal that dav. 
 On the fourth of July we received no rations at all, nor until four 
 o'clock of the fifth, when each man received one-half pint of 
 corn mush, without salt, but with plenty of cob and husks in it. 
 At this time there was organized among the prisoners a gang of 
 robbers, or, as they styled themselves, raiders. They would steal 
 the rations and clothing and fuel of the weaker prisoners, and 
 when they met with resistance, they did not hesitate to commit 
 murder, and more than one poor prisoner was murdered by these 
 robbers among the Yankee prisoners. Wirz, the prison keeper, 
 (and I tell this of him cheerfully, for it is the only good thing I 
 can sav of him,) (old us to form a police of our own, and point out 
 the guilty ones, and he would have them arrested. About forty 
 of the leading spirits in that robber gang were captured, and tried 
 by a jury selected by the prisoners themselves six of them 
 were found guilty and sentenced to be hanged. On the twelfth of 
 July a gallows was erected inside of the prison, and at four o'clock 
 P. M. Wirz came in, with the six prisoners under Rebel guards, 
 and, said Wirz: "These men have been tried and convicted by 
 their own comrades, prisoners with themselves, and I now return 
 them to you, in as good condition as I received them. You can 
 now do with them as your reason, justice and mercy dictate, and 
 mav God protect both you and them." As they were mounting 
 the scaffold, one broke loose and ran to the opposite side of the 
 prison, but was soon brought back and placed with the other five.
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 315 
 
 After giving them time to make a few remarks, meal sacks were 
 drawn over their heads, and they were launched into eternity, to 
 meet, perhaps, a more merciful fate from the Judge of all the 
 world, than was accorded them by their starving and dying com- 
 rades, whom they had banded together to rob of their little food 
 and clothing. That men could be found in that horrible place 
 ready to rob the dying and the dead, their own comrades, is a 
 terrible commentary upon the sufferings there endured. It was 
 near this time that Edwin W. Elliott, of Company B, died, and 
 many more of our little company were slowly starving to death, 
 and failing day by day. If a man once permitted the thought to 
 find lodgment in his brain that he would not live to get out, he 
 was certain to die ; there was one thing remarkable about it 
 you would never hear a man regret that he was about to die it 
 seemed to be to them a glad feeling of relief and liberty that their 
 sufferings and tortures were so soon to end the gloom of Ander- 
 sonville was darker than the gloom of the grave. I remained 
 comparatively healthy until July twentieth, when I began to see 
 and feel the unmistakable evidences that I was to suffer with 
 scurvy. Within ten days I was suffering so badly that I could 
 not walk, and my teeth were nearly dropping out of my mouth, 
 and I am now confident that I would soon have been numbered 
 with the fourteen thousand Yankee soldiers who lie buried at 
 Andersonville, had not Nathaniel Davis, of Company K, of the 
 Ninety-Second, who had been captured and just brought into the 
 prison pen, have given me some money which he had secreted 
 about his person, with which I bought of my Rebel guards some 
 Irish potatoes, and ate them raw. In two weeks after that I could 
 see I was recovering. To my comrade, Mr. Davis, I most truly 
 owe my life, for, without his timely kindness, I surely would have 
 died. About September first Sergeant John Spence, of Company 
 F, was brought to Andersonville. By the new arrivals we kept 
 posted about the Ninety-Second. Our Rebel guards were con- 
 tinually setting a time for exchange, and our boys would cheer up, 
 but when the time had passed the boys would get the blues, and 
 die faster than ever. Our Rebel guards gloried in our disappoint- 
 ments. On September first there were thirty-four thousand 
 Yankee prisoners in Andersonville. Our guards were getting 
 afraid that we would be rescued by our troops, and began moving 
 the prisoners out for different points. On the eight of September 
 the company of ninety, to which Mahler D. Kooker, of Company 
 H, Morris R. Miller, of Company A, William P. Me Worthy, of
 
 316 NINE TT-SECOND ILLINOIS . 
 
 Company I, and myself belong, was ordered out; but Miller and 
 McWorthy were so weak that they could not walk, and the 
 guards took them to the hospital. Poor boys, they were heroes, 
 but they could stand such treatment no longer, and it was not 
 many days until we heard that they were both dead. We were 
 crowded into old box cars, sixty of us into a car, and we were 
 soon on our way, via Savannah, to Charleston, S. C., where we 
 were placed in the city jail yard, under the fire of General Foster's 
 gun-boats, where the Yankee shell were bursting continually 
 around us. When a shell would burst close by, the boys would 
 set up a cheer; they said it sounded good, for it came from home. 
 We were placed there to keep Foster from shelling the .city, but 
 it did not stop the Yankee shell from screaming through the 
 streets of Charleston ; and after they found it useless to keep us 
 there, the Rebels moved us out to the Charleston fair grounds, 
 where we were kept for five weeks ; and we there received the 
 best rations ever received in the Confederacy, and had the benefit 
 of the fine sea breeze, and the poor Yankees began to recover 
 health and spirits. On October fourth, we were again placed on 
 board the cars, and taken to Florence, South Carolina, and again 
 placed in a stockade, like that at Anderson ville, but not so ex- 
 tensive. Lieutenant Barrett was in command of the interior of 
 the prison pen, and, if it be possible, was a meaner and more 
 fiendish villain than Wirz. We had plenty of fuel for a time, for 
 at first there was plenty of timber inside of the stockade; but 
 our rations were scantier than at Andersonville. For three 
 months we received nothing in the shape of meat. Tunneling 
 by the prisoners was attempted to some extent, but without suc- 
 cess. At one time Lieutenant Barrett had an idea that there was 
 a tunnel about completed, and ordered that no rations be issued 
 until the facts were disclosed. But only two or three men knew 
 anything about the tunnel, and they would make no disclosure, 
 and for three days the already half starved ten thousand Yankee 
 prisoners went entirely without any kind of food, and hundreds 
 literally died of sheer starvation! I believe that if the three men 
 knowing about the tunnel had not at last pointed it out, every one 
 of the ten thousand prisoners would have been starved to death! 
 About this time George M. Frank, of Company C, Ninety- 
 Second, came into the Rebel prison pen at Florence. I shall 
 never forget the expression on his face when we met. He could 
 hardly believe that I was the same boy whom he had known as 
 a member of Company I, of the Ninety-Second. I did not weigh
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 317 
 
 eighty pounds, and yet I was a fair specimen of the Yankee pris- 
 oners who had been long in Rebel hands. On February fifteenth, 
 1865, we were again on board of the cars, and our Rebel guards 
 said we were going to be exchanged. We had been so often 
 deceived that we dared not believe them. We passed through 
 Wilmington to Goldsboro, and then to Greensboro, N. C. Here 
 the officer of the guard told us we were going to Richmond, Vir- 
 ginia, to be exchanged, and we began to hope that it was true. 
 At Greensboro seven of our boys actually froze to death, in a 
 country covered with timber, and where there was no excuse for 
 it, save alone Rebel cruelty and heartlessness. On the night of 
 the twentieth of February, we arrived in Richmond, and marched 
 immediately over the frozen pavements, many of us barefooted 
 and nearly naked, to the Pemberton Prison. On the twenty-third, 
 we signed parole papers, and on the morning of the twenty- 
 fourth of February, 1865, we were matched on board of a Rebel 
 steamer, and were soon on our way down the James River to 
 Aiken's Landing, where we crossed the line between the two 
 armies, and stepped again under the old " Stars and Stripes." 
 Never will I forget my feeling of happiness as I stood and gazed 
 at the dear old Flag, 'that for nearly a year I had not seen, looking 
 brighter and more beautiful than ever before. Again the drum 
 beats roll-call, and we gather around to see how many of the 
 twenty-one captured at Nickojack, on the morning of April 
 twenty-third, 1864, will answer. Nearly half will never answer 
 roll-call again on earth. The following fell victims to Rebel 
 cruelty : Henry Miller, Company F, died at Andersonville, July 
 tenth, 1874; ms grave was numbered 3139. Morris R. Miller, 
 Company A, died at Andersonville, September twenty-sixth, 
 1864; number of grave, 9795. Edwin W. Elliott, Company B, 
 died at Andersonville, September seventh, 1864; number of grave, 
 8084. Sergeant Benjamin F. Heistand, Company D, died August 
 second, 1864, at Andersonville; grave numbered 4583. William 
 Snyder, Company D, died at Andersonville; number of grave 
 not known. Coston Z. Best, Company E, died in the Rebel 
 prison pen at Florence, S. C., February fourteenth, 1865; grave 
 not known. Alexander Baysinger, Company G, died at Ander- 
 sonville; date of death and number of grave unknown. Corporal 
 James W. Starkey, Company H, died at Andersonville; date of 
 death and number of grave unknown. E. D. Harrington, Com- 
 pany K, died in the Rebel prison pen at Florence, S C., October 
 fourth, 1864; number of grave unknown. William Guyer, Com-
 
 318 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 pany E, died in Andersonville Prison, August eighth, 1864; 
 number of grave, 5025. William P. McWorthy, Company I, died 
 in Andersonville Prison, September twenty-fifth, 1864; number of 
 grave, 9710. What a story of death the numbers of the graves 
 reveal ! On August tenth, 1864, when Henry Miller, of Company 
 F, died, his grave was numbered 3139; on the twenty-sixth of 
 September, 1864, Morris R. Miller, of Company A, died, and his 
 grave was numbered 9795 ; six thousand six hundred and fifty- 
 six victims to Rebel cruely, whose graves were numbered, and 
 many graves were not numbered, in one prison pen, from July 
 tenth, 1864, to September twenty-sixth, 1864! 
 
 Nathan C. Tyler, of Company A, Ninety-Second, was also one 
 of the prisoners captured by the Rebels at Nickojack, on the 
 morning of April twenty-third, 1864, and Mr. Tyler makes the 
 following statement: 
 
 We had been nearly two days on picket duty, at Nickojack, 
 eight miles from camp ; the attack upon us was made about four 
 o'clock on the morning of the twenty-third of April, 1864, the out- 
 post at the top of the Gap being first to receive the enemy's fire. 
 There were twelve men at that post. Lieutenant Scoville sent 
 men to reinforce the post, and I was one of them. Just as we 
 reached the post the Rebels came on in full force, and, at the same 
 time, strongly attacked the main reserve at the foot of the moun- 
 tain. Finding ourselves completely cut off from any support, we 
 started toward camp, trying to reach the road leading to camp be- 
 hind the reserve the Rebels had attacked, but we found the road 
 blockaded with Rebels, who had taken up position in the rear of 
 the reserve and barricaded the road. They had crossed the moun- 
 tain on foot, in the night, and taken up position in our rear; com- 
 pletely trapped and surrounded by the enemy, we were captured. 
 They instantly stripped us of our boots, clothing, watches and 
 money. Some of our men were deliberately shot down by them, 
 after our men had surrendered and given up their arms. We 
 were double-quicked to the top of the mountain, when they re- 
 garded us as beyond chance of rescue by our troops, and we were 
 permitted to march a little slower. On the opposite side of the 
 mountain we found a regiment of Rebels that had been held in . 
 reserve. We were marched on to Tunnel Hill, where we took 
 the cars for Dalton, and were taken to the head-quarters of the 
 Rebel General commanding, and closely cross-questioned. We 
 were taken from there, by cars, to Atlanta, and [from there to 
 Macon, and then to Andersonville. We were drawn up in line,
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 319 
 
 and the roll called. Lieutenant Scoville was sent back to Macon, 
 and the rest of us, twenty in number, entered the prison pen. We 
 shuddered with horror as we entered that living tomb. The first 
 thing that met my eyes was the Rebels carrying out the dead 
 from the prison. They were carried on stretchers to the gate of 
 the stockade, and then thrown into wagons, entirely nude, from 
 twenty to thirty in a wagon, promiscuously, heads and feet to- 
 gether, and hauled away, and thrown into trenches. When we 
 reached the inside of the prison we found the most wretched 
 looking human beings that it is possible for the imagination to 
 conceive of bareheaded and barefooted, all of them almost naked, 
 and many of them entirely naked, mere skeletons, filthy, and eaten 
 up with vermin. No one could keep clean. No soap or towels 
 were furnished, and not even water to wash in. I never looked 
 upon a sight so appalling before. Our hearts sank within us, and 
 almost quit beating. We were divided up, and parcelled out to 
 fill up the companies of nineties, taking the places of those who 
 had died. Our rations consisted, at first, of one-half pint of corn 
 meal to each man, ground with the cob. My first dough-cake I 
 baked on a chip. After a while our rations were furnished to us 
 cooked, but not increased. This kind of food without shelter 
 from the storms or sun, huddled together in rags and filth was 
 too much for the strongest of us, and the weakest soon died. It 
 seemed to me that we must all inevitably die, and not one of the 
 thousands there be left to tell the horrid story. From thirty to 
 fifty, and sometimes more, would die daily. I was sick a great 
 share of the time in fact, all of the time for awhile in the stock- 
 ade, and afterward in the hospital, which was simply an inclosure 
 with a board fence around it. Our only shelter in the hospitals 
 were old tent flys, so old that the rains sifted through as readily 
 as through a seive. The hospitals were heavily guarded. Only 
 the worst cases were sent there. I was in the hospital nearly 
 three months. I speak of one ward, containing hundreds of sick, 
 and myself and one other prisoner were the only two that ever 
 entered that ward during those three months who came out alive. 
 There were fifty or seventy-five such tents, or wards, in the hos- 
 pital grounds. We were laid side by side, twelve or fifteen in a 
 row, close together, and received very little attention during the 
 day, and none whatever during the night. I have known men to 
 die early in the night, and lay close by them, until the Rebels 
 would come around late the next forenoon and remove them. I 
 was too sick and weak to move myself, or remove the dead. If
 
 320 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 our strength recovered a little, we would be so overcome with 
 hunger that we would dream about eating, and wake up with our 
 mouths all foam and froth, and feeling as if we could eat our own 
 hands off. Many a time I have wished for the poor privilege of 
 skimming a swill barrel by the door of some farmer in Stephen- 
 son county ! Often I thought that if I could only get back to 
 Uncle Sam's afmy rations I would never murmur or complain 
 again. Our daily talk was about being exchanged, and rumors 
 would be set afloat almost every day that the glorious time would 
 soon come. It seemed to us that if our pitiable condition was 
 known at the North, something would surely be done to relieve 
 us, either by the Government in securing our exchange, or by 
 the people in raising an army large enough to come and liberate 
 us. When we went to Andersonville the stockade consisted of 
 about eighteen acres, inclosed by a tight fence twelve or fourteen 
 feet high, made by setting hewn timbers in the ground six or 
 eight feet deep, and close together. On the top of the fence, six 
 or eight rods apart, the Rebel guards were posted, with platforms 
 to stand upon, and steps to ascend and descend by. Inside of the 
 stockade, a light fence, two or three feet high, run all around, 
 about fourteen feet from the stockade, called the " dead line." 
 The guards were ordered to shoot any prisoner crossing the "dead 
 line." I remember seeing one of our poor prisoners shot for 
 simply reaching his hand a little way beyond the " dead line" to 
 get a chip to cook his coarse corn meal upon ! Occasionally we 
 would hear the yelp of the hounds in the heavy timber outside of 
 the stockade, after some poor Yankee trying to escape from that 
 earthly hell ! A small stream of water run through the prison 
 pen from west to east. One time, after a heavy rain, the water 
 undermined and broke down from twelve to fifteen feet of the 
 stockade. The Rebel guards raised a cry that the Yankee pris- 
 oners were going to make a break to get out. Wirz sent in word 
 that if any attempt to get out was made he would turn the Rebel 
 batteries on the prisoners and kill every d d one of them. I was 
 inside the stockade eleven months and four days. I remember 
 that at one time some of the prisoners formed a plan of escape by 
 digging a tunnel, commencing thirty or forty feet inside of the 
 stockade and coming out on the outside. They worked by reliefs 
 during the night, under an old tent, used in the daytime by the 
 Rebels to distribute rations from. The dirt was carried down into 
 the middle of the stockade, by the creek, and so well was the 
 work carried on that the plot was not discovered until some forty
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 321 
 
 or fifty of the boys had got through the tunnel and got out of it 
 on the outside of the stockade. But bloodhounds were put upon 
 their tracks by the Rebels, and few of them, if, indeed, any of 
 them finally reached the Union lines. Their effort exasperated 
 our Rebel keepers, and made our miserable condition worse than 
 before, if such a thing was possible. Soon after Lee's surrender, 
 and Lincoln's assassination, I was removed from Andersonville. 
 Lee's surrender caused an awful alarm among the Rebels, but the 
 assassination of Abraham Lincoln cheered them up again. I 
 was taken by the way of Jackson and Meridan, in Mississippi, to 
 Black River, marching the last thirty miles on foot, which took 
 us six days, so weak and feeble had we become. At Black River 
 we were paroled, and I then saw the happiest day in my life the 
 dav on which I bid good bye to the Southern Confederacy. Don 
 R. Eraser, of Company I, makes the following statement: 
 
 On the nineteenth of October, 1864, while assisting in shipping 
 ammunition from Atlanta to Kilpatrick's Division, the Rebel 
 cavalry captured the train I was on. Obstructions had been 
 placed upon the track, and the train was wrecked, and the Rebels, 
 secreted in the brush each side of the railroad, cut off escape for 
 all upon the train. The Rebels gathered up forty-six Yankee 
 prisoners, and, after robbing us of all valuables, and most of our 
 clothing, started us across the country toward Alabama. We 
 trudged along down-hearted enough. After a few hours my 
 thoughts turned upon some" method of escape. Lieutenant Colo- 
 nel Showers, of the lyth Ohio, was among the prisoners. I 
 managed to get in conversation with him, and we began talking 
 over some plan of escaping from our captors, but our guards soon 
 suspected us, and we were separated. Among our Rebel guards 
 I recognized an old acquaintance whom I had known in Jo 
 Daviess Countv, a private in the First Mississippi Rebel cavalry. 
 We had quite a chat, and he was kind enough to go to the Rebel 
 Captain and obtain a horse for me to ride. In four days we 
 reached Oxford, Alabama, having had rations issued but once to 
 us, a little meal and fresh beef, about enough for one good meal. 
 We remained at Oxford two days. I there became acquainted 
 with Lieutenant W. D. Stone, of Clauton's Rebel Scouts. He- 
 had considerable sympathy for us. His company guarded us. 
 He offered to assist in procuring my exchange but he was sent to 
 the front, and I to Castle Morgan, at Cahawba, Alabama. At 
 Talladega we fell in with more Yankee prisoners, swelling our 
 numbers to about six hundred. On settling down at Cahawba, I 
 40
 
 322 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 still thought much about some plan of escape, and, taking others 
 into my confidence, we soon had made up a party of fifty agreed 
 upon making an attempt together to overpower the guards ; we 
 had everything arranged, even to the hour that the attempt was 
 to be made, when some traitor or spy among us told our plans. I 
 was taken out, and questioned, and the six hundred that went into 
 the Rebel prison when I did were sent to Millen, and I retained 
 .at Cahawba. While at Cahawba I noticed, for the first time, the 
 effect of slow starvation upon the human system how the never- 
 ceasing, wolfish cravings of nature eat out of a man all human 
 feeling, eradicating all sympathy and benevolence, leaving noth- 
 ing but the most indurate selfishness. My experience in Castle 
 Morgan, at Cahawba, was short, but compared favorably with the 
 others in which I was afterwards confined. The officials did not 
 appear to have lost all human feeling, and, although the amount 
 of rations allowed us would certainly have led to starvation ulti- 
 mately, the unnecessary cruelty practiced elsewhere was not 
 adopted to the same extent. On account of our plan to escape, 
 all who were suspected of being connected with it were started on 
 the cars for Montgomery. We reached Columbus, Georgia, 
 about dusk, and were taken off the train to camp there that night. 
 While marching from the train I noticed several smoke-stacks 
 lying on the platform the chance of escape was tempting, and, 
 in the crowding and contusion, I dived into one of the smoke- 
 stacks. After the crowd had gone I found that I had company 
 two other Yankees had adopted the same plan Harvey Hart, 
 from Indiana, and William Welch, from Iowa, both of whom 
 had been captured at the same time with myself. Hart told me 
 that he had been in Andersonville, but, while being transferred to 
 Florence, South Carolina, had escaped, and, after thirty-two 
 nights of lonely travel, had reached the Union lines near Atlanta, 
 but had been so unfortunate as to be again captured by the Rebels. 
 Welch told me he had once been a prisoner at Macon, Georgia, 
 and had escaped to Atlanta. We cautiously pushed out of Co- 
 lumbus. When near the outskirts of the town we were hailed 
 but our hailers proved to be two more Yankees trying to escape 
 "Lieutenant Colonel Showers, and Lieutenant Hudson. We were 
 glad enough to meet, and, after a hearty consultation, we, as 
 nearly as we could guess, started northward ; but it was very 
 dark, and we frequently found ourselves during the night ap- 
 proaching Columbus, and, at daylight, were only five miles from 
 the town. We knew that the hounds would soon be on our
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS, 323 
 
 track, and, in order to avoid them, we waded down stream in a 
 creek for nearly a mile, and climbed into trees to hide for the 
 day. About noon we heard the baying of hounds. With beating 
 hearts we listened. If they were really on our track at all, either 
 our marching in a circle during the night, or our stratagem of 
 wading in. the running stream, deceived them, and they did not 
 come near us. In the evening we approached a negro shanty 
 and procured a meal, and continued our march. In the daytime 
 we lay concealed in the woods. The next night it rained, and 
 was very cold. Hart and I approached a house, and entered ; one 
 woman soon went out, and the others told us we had better leave. 
 As we left the house we saw a man with a torch, blowing a__tin 
 horn, as we supposed, for the hounds, and we all scooted, through 
 briers, over fences, through marshes and creeks; it was dark as a 
 pocket. No hounds followed us. Shortly after midnight we saw 
 a light, and flanked it farther on we found ^more^ fires, and 
 flanked them and we found still more fires, with Rebel soldiers 
 around them. We knew we were near a camp of some kind. A 
 wagon train moved by. Negroes afterward told us that it was a 
 portion of Hood's army moving from Jonesboro to Macon. After 
 a deal of dodging we passed the Rebels, or they passed] us. At 
 daylight we approached a negro shanty, wet, cold and hungry ; 
 the negroes gave us a meal. I lay down on the floor and had a 
 chill that I thought would shake the buttons off my clothes. 
 The negroes, not daring, to keep us long in the house, took us to 
 the corn house, where we remained until evening. On leaving, 
 one negro joined us in our tramp for freedom. About eleven 
 o'clock that night we reached a negro shanty where there was but 
 one man a miller he had plenty of flour and bacon, and sup- 
 plied us with a lot of biscuit. Another negro joined our party. 
 At dawn, after flanking some Rebel soldiers, we passed around 
 the town of LaGrange, on the West Point Railroad. Here, by 
 some means, our party became separated, Lieutenant Colonel 
 Showers and Lieutenant Hudson taking one road, with the two 
 darkies, and Welch, Hart and I another. We never saw them 
 again, but heard afterward that they reached the Union lines 
 safely. We regretted the loss of the biscuit, which the negroes 
 carried in pillow cases, but not the company of the darkies', as, if 
 captured with them in our company, we should certainly meet 
 death at the hands of our captors. We went into the woods to 
 sleep, but were soon awakened by the baying of hounds we ran 
 about half a mile, and crept into a tangled thicket of blackberry
 
 324 
 
 brambles ; after a while we crawled out, and pushed on through 
 the woods as fast as we could go, and found again a secluded spot, 
 and slept until darkness came on, when we again continued our 
 tramp all night, and slept the next day. The next night Welch 
 was too sick to travel, the weather cold, and the rain pouring 
 down, and we crawled into a cotton gin house, to rest, and went 
 so soundly to sleep that we did not wake until after daylight. We 
 dared not remain, and we tried to dodge along into the woods 
 again, but it was our ill luck to be seen by two Rebel officers, 
 fully armed, who came upon us, and again we were prisoners in 
 Rebel hands. After considerable cross-questioning we had to 
 own up that we were Yankees trying to escape to the Union lines, 
 and we were turned over to two of Harvey's scouts, to be taken 
 to Newnan. When near Newnan they stripped us of our cloth- 
 ing, giving us the rags two negroes had on, who were with them. 
 They turned us over to the Rebel authorities at Newnan, and we 
 were put into the jail. The next day we were sent to West 
 Point, and placed in jail along with six colored men. From there 
 we were taken to Andersonville. We reached there in the after- 
 noon, but, there being no prisoners there at that time, Wirz 
 refused to receive us. We remained there one night, and, the 
 next morning, were sent to Millen. It was about one week after 
 the Presidential election. I was kept there about three weeks, 
 when Sherman's army was getting too close, and they marched 
 us to Savannah, Georgia. From there a part were sent north ; 
 and a part, among whom my lot was cast, were started for Black- 
 shear, by rail, on flat cars. About five miles below Doctortown 
 the train was stopped for wood. It was dark, and I slipped down 
 between the cars, and lay down on the ties close up to the wheels. 
 When the train had left I found that I had five companions, but 
 none of my former comrades. After consultation two started 
 back to meet Sherman. Two, who belonged to the tyth Iowa, 
 and myself, decided to try to reach the United States gun-boats 
 of the blockading squadron, near Brunswick. After traveling part 
 of the night through swamps and thickets we stopped to rest; we 
 took off our clothing, and, wringing the water out, put our 
 clothing on again; my clothing consisted of a pair of cotton 
 drawers, and part of a shirt; my companions were a little better 
 clad, and had blankets; we lay down together; when we awoke it 
 was broad daylight, and we found ourselves almost surrounded 
 by water. In the evening we approached a negro cabin and pro- 
 cured food, and directions as to the course to travel. We passed
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 325 
 
 around a station on the Gulf Railroad, and, at daylight, dived into 
 a swamp to remain during the day. This was our usual course; 
 we never approached a human habitation except to procure food ; 
 every one was suspicious of us even the house dogs appeared to 
 know that we were Yankees. The interminable pine forests 
 appeared to be full of Rebel patrols. On one occasion we called 
 at a house where were two white women and some negroes, who 
 gave us a good supper, and while we were enjoying it in came the 
 planter himself, of course a soldier in the Rebel army, home on 
 French leave. He seemed very friendly, and invited us to remain 
 all night, and gave us very lengthy directions about the road, for 
 which we were very thankful, until one of the women whispered 
 to me: " For God's sake go away he has sent to Waynesville 
 for soldiers to capture you." I told her, " We will go." I said to 
 the boys, " Well, let's go, bovs." Our entertainer urged us not 
 to be in a hurry, but we started off slowly until out of sight, and 
 then " scooted" into the woods, and took the back track, and 
 when beyond the house in the other direction, we heard mounted 
 men approach the house, and we continued our march on the 
 back track. For six days and nights we laid low in the swamps, 
 assisted to food by negroes, and a couple of Union ladies. We 
 lay there hiding, not thirty miles away, when Kilpatrick's Divis- 
 ion, under command of General Atkins, and my own regiment 
 with them, attempted to destroy the railroad bridge near Doctor- 
 town. We heard rumors from the negroes of troops on the road, 
 but we did not know then how near they were to us. When we 
 judged it safe we resumed our journey, and, on reaching Turtle 
 River, we found a boat, and, as it proved, most unwisely pro- 
 ceeded down the river in it, in broad daylight. About ten o'clock 
 in the morning we heard one of the United States gun-boats 
 whistle, and our hearts beat fast with hopes of reaching the gun- 
 boat but soon after a Rebel soldier hailed us with: "Halloo, 
 thar come in out o' thar, or I'll shoot!" On the bank stood four 
 Johnnies, with their muskets ready to shoot, with a four-oared 
 boat tied by the bank. The game was up. We deserved to be 
 captured for navigating that river in a boat in broad daylight, and 
 our foolhardiness met with its proper reward. When we landed 
 they inquired: "Is you'ns Yanks? Whar is you'ns gwoin? 
 Whar did you'ns cum from?" Our captors treated us kindly, 
 gave us plenty to eat, and their officer, Lieutenant Beverly, gave 
 me a pair of cotton pantaloons, a pair of shoes, and ten dollars in 
 Confederate money. The next day we were sent to Waynesville,
 
 326 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 where we remained two days, when we were sent to Blacksheai 4 , 
 where I again met my old prison comrades, and had many invita- 
 tions to join in overpowering the guards and trying to escape; 
 but I was sick of trying to escape through such a swampy, deso- 
 late country as that along the Atlantic coast of Southern Georgia. 
 After a few days I was sent to Thomasville, with many others, 
 arriving in a hard rain-storm, in which we stood all night, in a field 
 by the railroad. In the morning Captain Bledsoe, in charge of 
 us, gave us permission to cut timber and build us shelters; three 
 others and I scooped out the sand about two feet, put over it a 
 ridge-pole, and covered it with slabs, and made us a bed of pine 
 boughs. We were allowed plenty of wood at Thomasville, and, 
 together, we had several dollars of Confederate money, and we 
 were very comfortable there. But, in about three weeks the 
 Rebels again moved us to Andersonville, marching us on foot 
 fifty-five miles, to Albany, where, at night, we were locked up in 
 box cars, ninety in a car, so crowded and smothered that twenty 
 died before morning in the car I was in. About nine o'clock in 
 the morning we reached the old Andersonville Prison. We got 
 off from the cars sick, stiff and nearly famished, and entered the 
 prison, and were assigned to various companies, to draw rations. 
 I remained there until about the twenty-fifth of March, 1865, 
 when, with others, I was put on the cars, expecting to go to the 
 new point of exchange, Jacksonville, Florida. From Albany we 
 marched on foot, and, the first night, while going into camp, it 
 was whispered among us that we would be sent back again to 
 Andersonville. Sure enough Colonel Jones, the Rebel officer 
 in charge, came along, and said : " Boys, you are ordered back. 
 Your authorities at Jacksonville will not receive you." Oh, how 
 cruel our own officers not receive us! It seemed to us that they 
 did not want us, a lot of starved skeletons that might never be fit 
 for duty again better let us die in prison than be troubled with 
 us. I watched all that night for a chance to escape to the woods 
 and swamps once more, but got no opportunity. Lots of the 
 men gave up trying to live, and died. In three days all that were 
 left of us were back again in Andersonville, where we remained 
 until the seventeenth of April, when we heard that the Union 
 cavalry were approaching from the direction of Montgomery, 
 Alabama. At ten o'clock at night the Rebels put us on the cars 
 and started us for Macon, burning up the stores left at Anderson- 
 ville, and it looked as if that hell was permanently evacuated. 
 We did not reach Macon the trains ahead of us came back with
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 327 
 
 the prisoners aboard, and we all started back toward Anderson- 
 ville. How anxiously we wondered if we would stop at Ander- 
 sonville! We came in sight of it, and the train rolled by! How 
 glad we were! We grasped each other's hands, and cried, we 
 were so glad. We reached Albany, then marched to Thomas- 
 ville, and then to Ocean Pond. Five of us, and I among them, 
 were set at work making out new paroles, working at it three 
 days. We there heard of the surrender of Lee's army, and of the 
 assassination of President Lincoln, but we did not believe either, 
 our guards so often deceived us. They piled us on the cars and 
 took us to Baldwin, twenty-seven miles from Jacksonville. They 
 told us to start we were free, and must walk. Brown, Ulmsted 
 and I started together. After a while said I, " Boys, let's hur- 
 rah?" " No," said Brown, " the Rebels may change their minds, 
 and take us back ! Wait until we are safely outside of their 
 pickets." We did cheer when Ave got safely outside of their 
 pickets, and with light hearts we kept on. About nine o'clock the 
 next morning, April twenty-eighth, 1865, we caught sight of the 
 "Stars and Stripes" floating over the city of Jacksonville, Florida. 
 The sun grew brighter, and the air fresher. Oh, how good the 
 old Flag looked to us as we marched on ! How happy we were 
 when we marched under its bright folds, with uncovered heads! 
 We were at last at home ! 
 
 A soldier who was with the detail sends us the following 
 account of carrying a dispatch : 
 
 On the morning that Kilpatrick's cavalry took up its line of 
 march from Marietta, Georgia, to Savannah, just as the Ninety- 
 Second had reached the top of the hill near the Military Academy 
 south of Marietta, four men from Company D, Corporal Andrew 
 Delhi, and privates Ezra Wallace, Johnson Lawrence and Albert 
 Craven, were detailed to report at once to General Kilpatrick. 
 The detail immediately reported to General Kilpatrick at the 
 head of the Cavalry Division, and the Corporal was given a sealed 
 dispatch to carry to Colonel William D.' Hamilton, of the 9th 
 Ohio Cavalry. General Kilpatrick told us that our undertaking 
 was a dangerous one, for the woods and mountains were full of 
 bushwhackers, but that we must trust to our alertness and our 
 trusty Repeating Spencer Rifles. We were directed to go back 
 as far as Dalton, should we not meet the gih Ohio Cavalry before 
 reaching there. If we should meet the gth Ohio before reaching 
 Dalton, we should deliver the dispatch to Colonel Hamilton, and, 
 with the gth Ohio Cavalry, return to Kilpatrick's command
 
 328 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 again. But, if we missed the gth Ohio entirely, then, on reach- 
 ing Dalton, we were to choose between the chances of going on 
 back to the garrison at Chattanooga, or making an attempt to 
 retrace our steps, and, following on in the track of the army, 
 rejoin Kilpatrick's Division. So we four started back northward, 
 while all of Sherman's army was marching southward. Nothing 
 occurred to break the monotony of our ride until we reached Al- 
 toona Pass, where we found the citizens engaged in removing the 
 wounded Rebels, who had been there since their fierce attack just 
 after Hood had commenced his march toward Nashville. Some of 
 the Rebel officers, who were but slightly wounded and had their 
 side arms, were a little inclined to be saucy, and intimated that 
 our little squad might have a body-guard before long; but, heed- 
 less of their dark hints, we pushed on, and were soon winding 
 our way along the lonely road around the sharp crags and bluffs 
 that loom up on each side of the road north of Altoona Pass, 
 when, as we made a sharp turn in the road, we saw, only a short 
 distance in front of us, a squad of about thirty Rebels riding 
 leisurely and carelessly toward us. Quickly our four Spencer 
 Rifles came up and flashed their bullets toward the Rebels. In 
 concert we shouted, " Forward, forward, come on, boys," and we 
 four dashed forward, when the thoroughly surprised Rebels, as 
 demoralized as if they had met the whole of the Ninety-Second 
 Regiment, broke and retreated in confusion. As they retreated 
 before us, by ones, and by twos, and by fours, thev dived into the 
 woods to escape their pursuers, and verv shortly the coast was 
 clear in our front. And then we bovs began to realize that our 
 greatest danger was at hand ; for, we knew that the Rebels, as 
 they climbed the hills that overlooked the road, would very soon 
 discover that they had been bluffed, and would rally and pursue 
 us. Our forebodings were not amiss; very soon we heard the 
 shrill notes of a Rebel bugle sounding the " recall," and, in a few 
 moments, the scales were turned, and it was we four Ninety- 
 Second boys that were fleeing for dear life, with that whole pack 
 of Rebels in pursuit of us. Our pursuers did not appear to be 
 gaining on us very much, until, when we were descending a steep 
 pitch in the road, the horse that Lawrence was riding stumbled 
 and fell, throwing Lawrence some feet ahead of his horse, and so 
 confusing him that, when he regained his saddle, he insisted on 
 going .back instead of going forward. The other boys, who had 
 halted to assist him, and defend him by pumping their repeating 
 rifles at their pursuers, soon convinced Lawrence, and we four
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 329 
 
 again dashed forward. The Rebels were close upon us ; but we 
 boys knew that it was life or death with us, and with our spurs 
 we roweled our jaded horses, and with our Spencer Rifles we 
 sent back shot for shot at the gray-coats chasing us and we 
 answered them defiantly, yell for yell. The race was exciting 
 our horses were sensibly slackening their speed, and the Rebels, 
 with drawn sabres, and yelling at us, were gaining on us, and the 
 Etowah River was close in our front our fate seemed sealed 
 when, suddenly, the pursuing Rebels stop yelling they halt 
 they are themselves retreating ! And well they might, for the Reb- 
 els were the first to see the advance of the gth Ohio Union Cavalry 
 coming up the bank of the Etowah River. Colonel Hamilton 
 sent a company from his regiment after the retreating Rebels, 
 but darkness soon came on, and they made good their escape. 
 The Corporal delivered his dispatch to Colonel Hamilton, and 
 with the 9th Ohio we joined our command again, and marched 
 with it from the mountains of Northern Georgia down to the 
 sea-shore. 
 
 On the ninth of September, 1863, the Ninety-Second entered 
 Chattanooga, and information was immediately sent to General 
 Rosecrans that Bragg had evacuated that place, and, with rein- 
 forcements from Richmond, intended to give battle, very shortly, 
 to Rosecrans. That wily Teuton gave no heed to the informa- 
 tion he regarded Bragg as flying from him in fear and dismay 
 a thing that Bragg had no idea of doing. The Ninety-Second 
 marched through Chattanooga to the mouth of the Chicamauga, 
 and an officer of the Ninety-Second, who was unwell, stopped at 
 a fine country mansion by the roadside, and remained over night. 
 His hostess was a Rebel lady of much intelligence. We extract 
 from a letter written home by the officer, the following account of 
 his night's entertainment: 
 
 I dusted off my clothing, and, with the aid of a darkey or two 
 washed up, and was soon seated at the supper table. The party 
 
 consisted of Mrs. W ; a young lady, a Miss R , 
 
 dressed in home-spun of excellent manufacture; and two pretty 
 little girls, daughters of Mrs. W . My hostess was an intel- 
 ligent lady, with very agreeable manners at the table. Supper 
 over, I was conducted into the finely furnished parlor, Mrs. W. 
 and Miss R. accompanying me, and conversation ran on chattily 
 between the Rebel ladies and myself. They plied me with ques- 
 tions; how long had I been in the service? how manv men 
 had General Rosecrans? where was my home? why did I 
 41
 
 330 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 come away down here to fight them? what was my politics? 
 what did I think about the war? and a thousand other questions. 
 After a while I asked, " Mrs. W., where is your husband?" She 
 answered, " My husband, at my request, left home yesterday, for 
 the middle portion of the State." " Is he in the Confederate ser- 
 vice?" I asked. She answered, quite positively, " No, sir; he is 
 in very delicate health, and has been for more than three years. 
 He is not able to do any duty as a soldier; otherwise he would be 
 in the Southern army, for he is a true Southern man. I wished 
 him to go away from home and stay until the Yankees were 
 driven back." " Indeed, Madam," said I, " that was cruel in you; 
 for, if he remains absent until we are driven back, I am afraid 
 you will never see him again." Miss R. smiled in derision, and 
 Mrs. W. confidently answered, " O, I don't know about that. If 
 my seeing him again depended strictly upon your being driven 
 back, I am very sure I would see him again before many days. But 
 I did not wish him to remain here and fall into the hands of the 
 Yankees. He is a true Southern man, and has given largely to 
 support our cause, and he would be too good a prize fora Yankee 
 prison. I would rather never see him again than to have him 
 captured and thrown into a Yankee prison the very thought 
 almost kills me. IToti may think the Yankees are going to hold 
 this country; but you will not do so many days." And then she 
 added, smilingly and coaxingly, " How many men does General 
 Rosecrans have?" I answered, "I might tell, I suppose, very 
 nearly; but you must excuse me it would not be soldierlvfor me 
 to impart such information." She pleadingly pursued, " O, why 
 not tell me it would not injure your cause to tell me I am sure 
 I will never say anything about it, and, if I desired to communi- 
 cate with our officers, I could not, for I am inside the Yankee 
 lines do tell me?" I replied, " Well, lines sometimes change, 
 and, besides, it is very easy for you Rebels' 1 and then I hesitated 
 to see the effect of that term ; I feared' that it was a little harsh, but I 
 began to feel that it was just she was quick to see my hesitation, 
 and said, " Do not be backward about the use of the word Rebel, 
 for I am proud to be called a Rebel." I continued, "You cannot 
 be prouder of that term than I am of Yankee, and so we will use 
 both terms without offense to-night. It is verv easy for you 
 Rebels to communicate -with your arm}', although you are within 
 our lines, and it would not be proper for me to impart information 
 regarding our army." She pleadingly continued, "O, there would 
 be nothing improper in just telling me, for, as I live, I will not
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 331 
 
 tell any one. You can just give me an idea, without committing 
 yourself, you know?" I answered, "No, no; you know that I 
 am an officer of the Union army, and to impart such information 
 would be doing violence to my sense of duty, and would surely 
 give you a poor opinion of a Yankee officer." " Well, well," she 
 said, "it will do no harm at any rate to say where General 
 McCook is, and how many men he has?" " 1 beg pardon," I said, 
 " but, really, it is useless to press such questions upon me." She 
 smiled pleasantly, and said, " I do believe you are honest." 
 "Well," I replied, "do you, really, now? That is compli- 
 mentary." " Oh, no offense," she quickly responded, "do not be 
 offended ; I did not mean it so." The conversation ran along on 
 many subjects I endeavored to keep it away from anything con- 
 nected with the war, but the ladies would bring it back to that 
 again and again, by their questions. Said Mrs. W., " I don't see 
 how so fine a gentleman as you are can think of living under Abe 
 Lincoln. What do you think of his Emancipation Proclamation?" 
 " I think it a most blessed thing, madam," I replied. She con- 
 tinued, " Do tell me, are you an Abolitionist?" I answered, 
 " Well, no that is, when the war broke out my feelings were not 
 that way but they have changed now. When the Proclamation 
 was first issued I did not exactly approve .of it; but the longer I 
 am in the army, and the more I see of the Rebels, the better \ 
 like the idea of giving the black man his liberty. In fact, I am 
 beginning to like it considerably; and it is my opinion that, if the 
 war lasts a great while longer, there will not be a black man left 
 in the Confederacy to darken your doors, unless it is with United 
 States muskets in their hands." " Do you really think so?" she 
 asked. " I certainly do, madam," I replied. She said, " O, if 
 Lincoln would only withdraw that Proclamation, I believe the 
 war would soon be over." I laughed, and replied, " No, it 
 would not. The Rebels had three months' notice of the Procla- 
 mation, and refused to lay down their arms." She petulently 
 inquired, "What do you think of old Lincoln, anyway?" I 
 answered warmly, "Me! I think that Abraham Lincoln is one of 
 the greatest and noblest men now living on earth." " Oh, dear 
 me," she said, "do you really think so?" 1 answered, "I do, 
 madam." " Well," she said, " I believe you are honest in it. But, 
 for my part, I cannot see what there is to admire in him." I 
 looked at her and at Miss R., and smilingly replied, " Procla- 
 mation, ladies!" They dropped their eyes for a moment; then 
 Mrs. W., looking up, said," O, that nasty Proclamation ! If he
 
 ,332 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 would only take that back and I half believe he will have to do 
 it yet." I answered, " It is useless to think so. The North has 
 been lenient to Rebels too long already." I was anxious to drop 
 the subject, and made many efforts to change our conversation to 
 some more agreeable topic. I asked her how much corn she was 
 raising, and she replied, that she had on that plantation one hun- 
 dred and eighty acres, and on another eighty acres, and considera- 
 ble on another up the Tennessee River, near Knoxville. The 
 conversation ran smoothly along for some time upon other 
 subjects than the war. But after a while Mrs. W. asked, "When 
 do you think the war will close?" I answered, " Not until the 
 Rebels lay down their arms and submit to the authority of the 
 United States." She earnestly retorted, " They will never do 
 that." " Then," said I, " the war will continue until the Southern 
 people are annihilated," and I added, half jokingly, " if the war 
 lasts so long, you may never see your husband again." She 
 looked at me inquiringly, while the moisture in her eyes betrayed 
 the emotion she did not wish me to notice, and said, " Do you 
 really think so?" "I do, indeed, madam." "But," said she, 
 " that would be inhuman." " Not more so," I replied, " than a 
 continued resistance to the authority of the United States. There 
 is no escape from it sooner or later the South must submit to 
 the lawful authority of the government they are in rebellion 
 against." " But," she replied, " I know that the South will never 
 do that." " Well," I said, " the question cannot be argued out 
 with words, ladies. Dreadful war must settle it, and one side or 
 the other must yield. I feel sure that, in the end, the Rebels will 
 yield to lawful authority. I might be as positive as you are, and 
 say I knoiv they will, for the Rebellion will be crushed out, even 
 if it requires the death of all the Rebels to accomplish it." She 
 answered me, " I believe you are sincere, for I have never con- 
 versed with a gentleman of more apparent candor and earnestness. 
 But I think well, in fact, I know, you cannot hold this country 
 but a short time longer. It will be a Buell and Bragg race for the 
 Ohio, except under more favorable circumstances for us. Gene- 
 ral Rosecrans will be driven out of Chattanooga into the Ten- 
 nessee River. I do not believe that Rosecrans will ever get his 
 troops onto the north side of the Tennessee again, for, when 
 General Bragg commences, he will give you no time to cross." 
 " Well," I replied, " I believe you are very candid with me in this 
 conversation. But I feel sure we shall not be compelled to fall 
 back, unless Bragg has a much larger force than he is supposed to
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 333 
 
 have." "What force do you think we have?" she asked. I 
 replied, " Well, you cannot drive us back, unless you have at 
 least one hundred thousand men to do it with." She quickly 
 answered, " We will concede to you a greater force than that, and 
 then General Bragg will whip Rosecrans, and not far from here." 
 Not far from here! thought I, and inquired, "Why do you say 
 'not far from here?'" "Because," she answered, " this will not 
 be far from the battle-field, and we shall have Chattanooga too. 
 I wish you to remember this conversation, and if you live through 
 the battle, which, indeed, I earnestly hope that you may, you will 
 find that I am right. I am only telling you what you may as well 
 be prepared for, and I do hope that you will get through sate, and 
 that I will see you again some other time, under more favorable 
 circumstances." I laughed at her prediction of disaster to Rose- 
 crans, and turned the conversation again upon other matters, and 
 the evening wore away. At a late hour I was shown to my room, 
 and Mrs. W. told me I could sleep, without fear of molestation, in 
 the same bed that more than one Rebel General had slept in. 
 With a pleasant "good night," I was left alone. At daylight I 
 arose, and, going out on the back porch, was putting on my spurs, 
 when Mrs. W. came out through the dining-room door, and bid 
 me a cheerful "good morning." I arose, and greeted her as 
 cheerfully as she had greeted me. We chatted cheerfully, she 
 urging me to remain for breakfast, and ordering her servant, 
 Cato, to give my horse a good feed. The conversation would 
 turn again upon the war, and, Mrs. W., looking out toward the 
 Chicamauga River, said, " Your army will be defeated right 
 here; you are not going to get along so fast as you think. I wish 
 you to remember what I tell you." " Why," I asked, " if Bragg is 
 going to fight, why did he evacuate Chattanooga?" She ans- 
 wered, "That was not done of necessity, but as a matter of 
 strategy on the part of General Bragg, in order to get Rosecrans's 
 army among the mountains on the south side of the Tennessee) 
 where escape will be hopeless after the sound thrashing Bragg 
 will give Rosecrans." Mrs. W. was a very intelligent lady, and I 
 began to think that she knew what she was talking about. She 
 had informed me the evening before that she was well acquainted 
 with Bragg, and Wheeler, and Forrest, and other Confederate Gen- 
 erals.- We soon went into breakfast, which over, I cordially shook 
 hands all around, thanked Mrs. W. for my kind entertainment 
 over night, and bade them adieu. As I mounted to ride away,
 
 334 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 Mrs. W. said, " Remember what I told you." I replied, " O, I 
 will remember it. Good bye, ladies." 
 
 No one can read this chat with Mrs. W., an intelligent South- 
 ern lady, in the light of subsequent events, without arriving at the 
 conclusion that she did know what she was talking about. Bragg's 
 evacuation of Chattanooga was entirely a question of strategy. 
 He fell back behind the Chicamauga in order to await his expected 
 reinforcements under Longstreet, from Richmond, and in order 
 to strike Rosecrans's columns singly, and destroy them in detail. 
 That explains Mrs. W.'s anxious inquiry about General McCook, 
 and the forces under him. Failing in that, after his reinforce- 
 me/its arrived, Bragg actually struck Rosecrans's army in flank 
 while it was racing back to Chattanooga; and Rosecrans's army 
 was only saved from meeting the complete disaster predicted by 
 Mrs. W., through the heroism and soldierly skill of one of Rose- 
 crans's subordinate Generals, Major General George H. Thomas. 
 
 J. W. Gushing, of Company D, sends us the following narra- 
 tion ot a day's experience foraging in South Carolina: 
 
 On the thirteenth of February, 1865, a party of six, including 
 myself, were detailed to forage during the day for our company. 
 We left the command at daylight, with instructions not to ven- 
 ture more than five miles from the road the Regiment was march- 
 ing on ; and, under no circumstances, to scatter out on different 
 plantations, but to keep in a body, ready for battle, and with our 
 forty-two shots in our trusty Spencers defend ourselves if occa- 
 sion required. We met with no difficulty during the forenoon, 
 and had no success in foraging, as other Yankee troops were 
 ahead of us. We, therefore, ventured farther from the command, 
 and had better success in finding corn for our animals, and hams, 
 sweet potatoes and chickens for the men, of which we laid in a 
 bountiful supply for ourselves and comrades in camp, when we 
 started for our command, which was to camp that night at the 
 junction of the Charleston and Augusta Railroad. The negroes 
 informed us that it was fifteen miles to the junction. About four 
 P. M., while halting for lunch, we distinctly heard firing a long 
 distance in our front; but, supposing it was some of our own men, 
 killing hogs or turkeys or chickens, we gave no heed to it. On 
 continuing our march, as we rounded a curve in the road, we 
 were surprised to hear from a Rebel patrol the command " halt!" 
 accompanied by a shot from his Confederate musket. As quick 
 as thought up came our half dozen Spencers, and the Rebel patrol 
 was killed. We began to fear trouble ahead. We Captured the
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 335 
 
 Confederate horse the patrol was shot off from, and loaded him 
 with a part of our provisions and forage, and cautiously pro- 
 ceeded; after we had traveled some distance, coming in sight of a 
 cross-roads, we saw a squad of a dozen Rebels, having a joyous 
 time, judging from their gleefulness. They had not discovered 
 our approach. Some had on blue coats, others blue pants, and it 
 was with some difficulty we determined their true character. We 
 had to pass that point; the country was swampy, and no other 
 road for us. We formed in line across the road, and quickly 
 charged them with a yell, pumping our Spencers at them as we 
 rushed toward them. They were completely surprised, and, ex- 
 changing only a few shots with us, they retreated up one of the 
 cross-roads. And our eyes here met a sight that was horrifying; 
 there, by the roadside, where the Rebels were so gleeful when we 
 first caught sight of them, lay three Yankee soldiers, two of them 
 dead, and one just breathing his last. I put my ear to his mouth, 
 and he had just strength left to tell his name, company and regi- 
 ment, and say that "we were murdered after our surrender." 
 They belonged to Company D, fth Michigan Cavalry, of Atkins's 
 Brigade. The Rebels had captured them, and, after disarming 
 them and stripping them of their valuables and clothing, had delib- 
 erately shot them down. A negro on the plantation, who saw it, 
 detailed to us the story. We ordered the negroes to bury the 
 murdered boys of the gth Michigan, and moved on, and had not 
 proceeded far, when we could distinctly hear the clatter of hoofs 
 in our rear, and we knew that the squad of Rebels, far outnum- 
 bering us, had rallied, and were after us. We started our Con- 
 federate pack-horse on in advance, and formed in line across the 
 road and awaited our pursuers, and, as soon as they came in sight, 
 we gave them a volley from our Spencers, and charged them, 
 keeping up our firing while charging, and driving them back some 
 distance, when we wheeled and hastily retreated. The gray-coats 
 had been reinforced, and instead of a dozen, we had twdnty-five 
 or thirty after us. We felt alarmed it was nearly twelve miles 
 yet to camp. It was nearly night, and we hoped our pursuers 
 would not come on again but we soon saw a squad of them on 
 our left, attempting to flank our little party and get ahead of us 
 on the road. We whipped up our Confederate pack-horse, and 
 had the advantage of the flanking party, as they were going 
 through woods and fields, and had occasional fences to impede 
 them, while we had a good road to march upon. It was growing 
 dark, and, hopeless of reaching the road in our front, the gray-
 
 336 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 coats again charged our rear; but we halted them with our Spen- 
 cers, one of our boys having his horse shot in the charge. It 
 began to look like a capture for us Andersonville began to loom 
 up before our imaginations. The Rebels were in rear of us, and 
 troops approaching us in front also. We might take to the woods 
 and scatter, and trust to the darkness of the night to escape our 
 enemies ; but the troops approaching us in front proved to be a 
 squad of the 9th Ohio, of our Brigade. They were in our advance, 
 and, hearing our firing, had returned to our assistance. The Reb- 
 els, probably judging from our cheers that we had been rein- 
 forced, did not molest us again, and we returned to camp with the 
 rations for our comrades and forage tor their animals. 
 
 Richard H. Lee, of Company B, who was " Orderly" for Cap- 
 tain Horace J. Smith, of Company B, who served on General 
 Atkins's staff as Brigade Adjutant, sends us the following: 
 
 On the morning of March fifth, 1865, I was sent by Captain 
 Smith four miles to Division head-quarters, to obtain for him a 
 pair of new cavalry boots. I returned with them, but they were 
 too small ; and back I went for a 4arger pair, obtained them, and 
 returned, and Captain Smith had just pulled them on, when a 
 sharp volley was heard at the picket post. The Captain mounted 
 old "Possom," and started for the picket post, I following, but he 
 soon directed me to order the regiments of the Brigade to saddle 
 up, and T returned to obey his order, and the Captain rode out to 
 the picket post. Giving his horse to a soldier to hold, he climbed 
 to the roof of an old log house to discover the position of the 
 enemy, when the Rebels charged, and sent a volley toward the 
 post. The Captain's new boots slipped out from under him, and 
 he rolled to the ground. The soldier holding old " Possom" 
 thought the Captain was killed, and, letting old " Possom" go, he 
 retreated with the picket post. General Atkins and staff were 
 riding toward the front, and, having delivered my order, I rode 
 with them, until our troops came back pell mell, some horses 
 with and some without riders, and among the latter was old 
 " Possom," Captain Smith's horse. I caught him. One soldier 
 told me that Captain Smith was killed, but another said he saw 
 him take to the brush. I waited with his horse, hoping he would 
 come up. The Rebels were advancing, and shooting so carelessly 
 that my hair stood on end, and pulled for a week afterward. I 
 soon saw the Captain coming through the brush, and beckon- 
 ing me to hold on. I waited until he came up and vaulted
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 337 
 
 onto the back of old " Possom," and we hastily retreated within, 
 our lines. 
 
 Dick Lee tells the folllowing also: 
 
 While camping for the night, near Wadesboro, N. C., a tame 
 deer came running through the vard near the camp-fire of the 
 Brigade Orderlies, with a jingling sheep bell attached to his neck. 
 One of the boys proposed a venison steak for breakfast ; it would 
 not do to shoot the deer but we soon had him corralled in a 
 corner by a smoke house, and not many minutes after he was cut 
 up into steaks and distributed. Then out of the house comes an 
 old man, accompanied by a staff officer, passing close by us, and 
 we heard the old gentleman say, " The deer is one I am raising, 
 and I am afraid they will shoot him." The officer replied, " No, 
 they dare not shoot in camp, and if he is like some dears I know 
 of, he will be hard to catch." The old man replied, " If I could 
 just hear the bell, I would drive him into the grove back of the 
 house, and feel safe." " Elias," who stood by, cautiously picked 
 up the bell, and we soon heard its tinkling jingle in the grove. 
 " There," said the old man, " I know'd he was too smart for 
 you'uns." And the satisfied old gentleman accompanied the staff 
 officer back into the house. 
 
 A soldier writes : While passing through Raleigh, N. C., one 
 of the gayest and most gallant officers on General Atkins's staff, 
 when near what he supposed to be a " Female Seminary," asked 
 permission of the General to take the Brigade Band and serenade 
 the ladies. The General tipped a wink to the other members of 
 his staff, and gave permission. Away went the officer with the 
 Band, and music was soon floating out on the air; but the ladies, 
 talking to each other by making signs with their fingers, soon 
 revealed to the officer that his music was unheeded by the deaf 
 and dumb mutes he was serenading. The officer returned with 
 the Band, and, until he was mastered out of service, he never 
 heard the last of that gallant serenade. 
 
 It was expected that this chapter would contain some contri- 
 bution, story, personally reminiscence of the march, battle, picket 
 duty, scouting or foraging, by every member of the Ninety- 
 Second. But the members of the Regiment have been slow to 
 furnish such material, and the Committee on Publication can onlv 
 say, that they have, in this chapter, made use of all the material 
 furnished them.
 
 338 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE REUNION AT POLO, SEPTEMBER FOURTH, 1867 GENERAL 
 ATKINS'S ADDRESS A REUNION ASSOCIATION ORGANIZED 
 THE REUNION AT FREEPORT, SEPTEMBER FOURTH, 1870 
 GENERAL SHEETS'S ADDRESS THE REUNION AT MOUNT 
 CARROLL, SEPTEMBER FOURTH, 1873 MAJOR WOODCOCK'S 
 ADDRESS. 
 
 The first Reunion of the Ninety-Second was held at Polo, 
 Ogle County, Illinois, on September fourth, 1867. The following 
 account of that Reunion is taken from the public press. The 
 Chicago Republican said: v 
 
 " At the depot the Polo band welcomed the visitors, and 
 General Atkins found himself busy for a season, shaking hands 
 with his boys. One mile away a beautiful grove was prepared for 
 the occasion, and thither, in line of march, the throng pressed 
 forward. The meeting was called to order by Major Albert 
 Woodcock." There was music by the band, and prayer was 
 offered by the old Chaplain of the Regiment, Rev. Barton H. 
 Cartwright. Then followed the address, an hour and twenty 
 minutes in length, by General Smith D. Atkins, of Freeport, the 
 Colonel of the Ninety-Second. The following is a resolution 
 adopted by the members of the Regiment present at the Reunion, 
 immediately after the close of General Atkins's address, with his 
 reply : 
 
 "Resolved, That we have listened with pleasure to the address 
 of General Smith D. Atkins on this occasion, and respectfully 
 request a copy for publication." 
 
 " POLO, Sept. 4, 1867. 
 " To the Soldiers of the Ninety-Second Illinois Volunteers : 
 
 "In compliance with your resolution, I herewith hand you a 
 copy of my address at your first Reunion. 
 
 " Very Respectfully Your Obedient Servant, 
 
 "SMITH D. ATKINS."
 
 ILLINOIS. 339 
 
 The following is the address delivered by General Atk'ins 
 at Polo : 
 
 Soldiers of the Ninety-Second Illinois : 
 
 COMRADES FRIENDS: I commence my remarks with con- 
 flicting emotions of joy and sadness joy that so many battle- 
 surviving veterans are here to answer to roll-call to-day, and 
 sorrow for the many who sleep quietly in their beds of glory on 
 the battle-field's holy ground, who never more will answer roll- 
 call until the bugle note of the resurrection reveille shall sound 
 the assembly to the morning call of the grand Adjutant on high. 
 Hail, survivors of a most glorious band ! Citizen soldiers, and 
 soldiers that are citizens ! The crowded memories of the last five 
 years come rushing, thronging, so thick and fast, like battalions 
 closed in mass, that I find it difficult to detail those that must 
 perform the duty of a single relief on this occasion. 
 
 Five years ! so long to look forward so short to look back ! 
 It seems only yesterday that our prairies were all alive with 
 patriotic ardor, and little parties were traveling over the country 
 with fife and drum, holding meetings in every school-house, 
 drumming up recruits ; where the laborers from the harvest fields 
 thronged late at night, and glee clubs were singing, " We are 
 coming, Father Abraham, six hundred thousand more," and "We 
 will rescue our country, we'll save her or die!" Who can torget 
 those meetings, or would forget them if he could? It was in 
 those meetings that the hearts of the American people were 
 touched with the sacred fires of liberty, and melted into a patriot- 
 ism from which was moulded as heroic deeds as embelish the 
 history of any age. How many a husband who went to those 
 meetings with no thought of enlistment, returned to his wife with 
 tearful eyes to tell her he had enlisted he couldn't stand it any 
 longer the dear old flag of his fathers had been insulted, aye, 
 liberty was in danger traitors had dared to raise their bloody 
 hands against the country Washington had saved, and by the 
 memories of Bunker Hill and Lexington, and his gray-haired 
 revolutionary sires who had bared their breasts to the storms of 
 war, he must go! And then a sleepless night, in which all the 
 little plans for his absence were discussed and the good-bye kiss. 
 Ah, boys, you will not soon forget your partings ! Happy, happy 
 wives that have your husbands back again. Happy maidens 
 whose lovers are here. Happy mothers, happy fathers, that are 
 here with your soldier boys to-day. But, Oh! God pity the wives
 
 340 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 who are waiting yet the maidens whose lovers come not back 
 the fathers, the mothers, whose darling boys shall never come 
 home. 
 
 In this Reunion you will rapidly live over again you already 
 have done so all those bloody years; you already have recounted 
 to one another the incidents of every camping ground, every 
 march, bivouac, skirmish, and battle. 
 
 You have not forgotten Rockford, where you took your first 
 lessons in camp-life. You thought the rough board barracks, 
 and the rations prepared by loving hands at home, and brought 
 you in baskets, hardly good enough. You thought the company, 
 squad, and battalion drills hard work; but you learned by and by 
 what a terribly in earnest thing it was to leave a citizen's for a 
 soldier's life. Don't you sometimes quietly smile when you think 
 of the dirk-knives you bought, the pistols with which you loaded 
 down your belts, and the curiosity shops you so carefully stowed 
 away in your knapsacks to the tune of a hundred pounds? When 
 will vou forget your first march down through the streets of 
 Rockford, that bright October morning, nine hundred and fifty 
 strong, with colors streaming in the wind and martial music 
 filling the air? How many tearful eyes were there how many 
 delicate hands waved adieu, as the train slowly rolled off bearing 
 you away ! 
 
 And you have not forgotten your camp in the old field south 
 of Covington, Kentucky, where you heard the first hostile shot, 
 and the last one fired by Kirby Smith in his raid on Cincinnati. 
 Do you remember your field drilling there " Foward into line. 
 By companies, left half wheel. Double quick. March!" and 
 away you went tumbling down into the dark ravines, or climbing 
 the sides so steep you had to cling to the grass. It was there you 
 drew your bell tents, and a six mule team to each company to 
 " tote" your " traps." It was there, at four o'clock one afternoon, 
 you started on your second march, thirteen miles on a good pike 
 road, and I never saw a Regiment march so before or since. A 
 quarter horse was nowhere. I couldn't keep you back ! But the 
 next morning, when you tied your boots together and hung them 
 over your shoulders, because you couldn't get them on your swollen 
 feet, you could march quite comfortably slow. Do you remember 
 how the sullen roar of artillery sounded off to the front that 
 evening, when Aids came riding back to tell us somebody was 
 fighting? But you got used to artillery after that! 
 
 You remember, too, your experience in Kentucky, marching
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 34! 
 
 along by the plantations of the rich old Rebel planters of the 
 blue grass region, guarding the property of the enemies of the 
 country, while you drank out of their cattle ponds ! And our first 
 entrance into Lexington, the home of Henry Clay, all the 
 Regiment singing, 
 
 " We will rally around the flag, boys, rally once again, 
 Shouting the battle-cry of Freedom !" 
 
 And on the road to Mt. Sterling. Have the boys of Company 
 "A" forgotten the nice, fresh mutton they furnished the hospital 
 one day? How the darkies flocked into our camp. Have you 
 forgotten Mt. Sterling? I wonder if those " secesh" planters 
 have got their slaves back yet? Do you recollect Winchester? 
 It seems to me I can now hear the " tramp, tramp, tramp," of the 
 old Regiment on the broad pike road of Winchester town, with 
 guns loaded and bayonets fixed, while the crowds ot the cadaver- 
 ous looking Kentuckians, who had come there with the avowed 
 purpose of suppressing the Ninety-Second Regiment, slunk 
 away. And the moonlight evening in camp, where the Major 
 sang, " Dinah am a handsome gal," and your Colonel got down 
 from his dignity, and showed you how to "cut a pigeon wing!" 
 And on to Lexington again I don't imagine the State of Ken- 
 tucky is many millions better off for the black boys they 
 compelled you to return to them. And at Danville, where our 
 Band was organized, and our glee club sang at our dress parades, 
 
 " So let the cannon boom as they will, 
 We'll be gay and happy still, 
 Gay and happy, gay and happy, 
 We'll be gay and happy still." 
 
 But among the first music our Band learned was the solemn funeral 
 dirge, and we followed to their burial many of our boys at Dan- 
 ville. And what a march we had from there after John Morgan. 
 Perhaps the regular army officers thought we could catch that bold 
 rider with columns of infantry, but no volunteer officer thought 
 so. How the rails disappeared that dark and rainy night when 
 our boys went into camp, and how long your faces were the next 
 evening, when you camped again in Danville on the very ground 
 you had occupied before, and were without the board floors to 
 your tents which you had made bonfires of when you began your 
 march. And the march to Louisville. I wonder if the fellow 
 who got his skull cracked with the butt of a musket in Louisville
 
 342 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 has been hunting fugitive slaves lately? And down the Ohio and 
 up the Cumberland, where we reached Fort Donelson in time to 
 see the dead Rebels that Colonel Harding, of the 83d Illinois, had 
 mustered out, but not in time to take active part in the glory of 
 that repulse. And on to Nashville and Franklin. We didn't do 
 much fighting at Franklin, but we cut down lots of timber, built 
 the largest kind of breastworks, had some fine Brigade drills, and 
 turned out in line of battle regularly every morning two hours 
 before daylight! It was at Franklin that our new old Chaplain 
 came to us, and it was marching from Franklin to Triune one hot 
 morning that you threw away vour blankets, which the Chaplain 
 kindly gathered up and piled in front of him on his horse and 
 returned to you again on going into camp, when some graceless 
 soldier even took the Chaplain's blanket, to pay him for his pains! 
 And at Triune you heard Rebel shell go fluttering over your 
 camp for the first time. And from Triune you marched through 
 rain and mud to join the right flank of Rosecrans's army in his 
 movement against Tullahoma and Shelbyville. Do you recollect 
 your march from Guy's Gap, with the "Johnnies" captured at 
 Shelbyville, and the plantation kettles full of coffee Captain Espy 
 had prepared for them? Would to God the kind treatment we 
 always gave the Rebel prisoners had induced them to treat kindly 
 our poor boys at Andersonville and Libby. And from Shelby- 
 ville to Wartrace, through the hardest rain-storm that ever fell. 
 And the building of the bridge over Duck River, where, while 
 you were working, details were made to gather for you black- 
 berries by the tub full. And then you were " paddle-ducks" no 
 longer, for Wilder came along and "gobbled" you up for his 
 " Spencer Brigade." How glad your faces were Avith the thought 
 that you would have no more hard marches, loaded down with 
 heavy knapsacks. And what a gala day was that about Columbia 
 and Shelbyville, gathering up horses and darkies the horses to 
 mount yourselves upon, and the darkies to muster into the ranks 
 of the Army of the Cumberland, bearing the bright banners of 
 liberty, and " keeping step to the music of the Union." What a 
 funny cavalcade you were, mounted on Tennessee plow nags, with 
 citizen saddles of every pattern, infantry clothing and long Enfield 
 Rifles, but a happier, more determined, braver set of men never 
 drew rein. General John E. Smith used to call you " Mame- 
 lukes," and as I remembered the campaign of Napoleon in the 
 shadow of the Pyramids of Egypt, and the annoyance the fiery 
 Mamelukes gave him, hanging on his flanks or falling like an
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 343 
 
 avalanche on his detached parties, I was disposed to accept as a 
 compliment what he intended as a jeer. And then from Decherd 
 over the mountains into the Tennessee Valley, at Harrison's Land- 
 ing, where one of the Polo boys got a shot in the arm, sent from 
 Dixie's land across the Tennessee River, the first soldier in the 
 Ninety-Second wounded by Rebel lead. There you learned that 
 the " Spencers" would carry f arther than the Enfields, and taught 
 the swaggering "Johnnies" on the other side of the river to " hunt 
 their holes" behind their breastworks. And here it was that our 
 good old Chaplain was so exercised about the Tennessee lady that 
 was coloring her cotton clothing " butternut." How his voice 
 rang through the camp as he went hallooing, " Doctor Winston ! 
 Doctor Winston! There's a woman 'dying' over there!" and 
 Doctor Winston, good-natured fellow, couldn't see where the 
 " laugh came in." And back again over Walden's Ridge, down 
 through the Sequatchie Valley, and over the Tennessee, to report 
 to General Rosecrans for special duty, the only mounted force at 
 his immediate command, for all the cavalry was with McCook on 
 the right, or with Wilder and Minty on the left. Colonel Van 
 Buskirk, and the detail with him, were the first blue-coated sol- 
 diers to drink in the air on the top of Lookout Mountain, and 
 brought back the first authentic intelligence to General Rose- 
 crans that Bragg had evacuated Chattanooga. And the. next 
 morning it was your honor to lead the advance over Lookout 
 Mountain, driving the Rebel pickets before vou and into the town 
 of Chattanooga, planting your colors first in that Rebel strong- 
 hold, while columns of dust from the fleeing cavalry of the enemy 
 were yet rising, and the rattle of advance firing sounded on the 
 air, and made it possible for General Wagner, who laid idly on the 
 north side of the Tennessee, to cross over in a skiff and telegraph 
 over the country that he was the first into Chattanooga! And on 
 through the town, after Forrest and his Rebel horde, to Frier's 
 Island, where Wilder was attempting to ford the Tennessee. Do 
 you remember your camp that night on the old grape plantation? 
 And then to Ringgold. Can't you hear the bullets, boys, " tszip,'' 
 " tszip," as they sounded that bright morning, our first prospect of 
 a fair stand-up fight? If General Van Cleve had pushed into 
 Ringgold, instead of stopping for an artillery duel, we would have 
 " bottled up" Forrest and two of his brigades. And away toward 
 Rossville, saving on the road Crittenden's wagon train, the 
 Ninety-Second coming up just in time to repulse the Rebel charge. 
 And down the top of Lookout Mountain that dark night "artil-
 
 344 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 lery closed up !" to Thomas's head-quarters, establishing courier 
 posts. And with Turchin's brigade at Dug Gap, where the 
 Rebel army was held in check irom morning until sundown, 
 waiting for McCook. And the burial of Giles at night with light- 
 wood torches 'neath the fat pines. And then the bloody field by 
 Chicamauga's dark river! Words fail me to tell that story. When 
 General Reynolds said to you his front line was hotly pressed, 
 and the Ninety-Second was the only reserve he had, you hitched 
 your horses to the trees, and, forming as infantry, you started to 
 reinforce the line, and found the regular battery already captured, 
 and the entire brigade cut to pieces and fleeing before a tumultu- 
 ous sea of Rebels, and you, halting in the open field, while the 
 enemy's bullets rattled around you, and the fleeing troops of the 
 broken brigade crowded past and through your line, it was yours 
 to steadily receive the shock of the enemy's victorious charge, to 
 halt it in your front by your heavy volleys of musketry, and hold 
 the ground until your artillery had left you, and the gray-coats 
 were surging past your flanks! Then you sprang to your horses, 
 and while the flood of artillery and infantry went streaming to 
 the rear, you faced to the front again, and passing around the 
 Rebel column that had broken and penetrated our lines, you re- 
 joined Wilder's Brigade and formed on his left flank, filling a part 
 of the very gap made by the assault on our lines! Were you not 
 glad when General Nagle's column marched in on our left? How 
 terribly sounded the continuous roll of musketry, as he pushed 
 out on the enemy in the gleaming of the twilight! Will you not 
 hear, ringing in your ears in your old age even, the agonizing 
 cries of the wounded between our line of battle and the enemy, 
 crying for " water! water!!" God grant that in all our fair land 
 such cries may never again be heard except in memory. 
 
 And the next morning, when we scattered out in a thin skir- 
 mish line to hold the entire front of Wilder's Brigade, while 
 Rosecrans's lines were retired to the hills, and sent word again 
 and again to McCook of the heavy columns of the enemy moving 
 past our left, and when the shock of the storm of which we had 
 repeatedly warned him burst on McCook, it scattered his thin 
 lines like chaff, and left us nearly surrounded, and we only got out 
 in time to see all McCook's corps, like a cloud of dust, floating 
 away from the field. But you did not join the cloud! With 
 Wilder you gathered up the wounded, the ambulances, and 
 deserted artillery left upon the field, and, holding the Rebel cavalry 
 in check, sullenly retired. How your hearts ached to be with old
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 345 
 
 " Pap" Thomas on the left, where the Union cannon still thun- 
 dered defiance to Bragg's minions and Longstreet's legions! 
 Companies " K" and "C" were there to witness the bull-dog 
 tenacity of the hero of Chicamauga, and have a part in the glory 
 achieved by the troops under Thomas. And away again to Har- 
 rison's Landing, picketing the Tennessee, and back again over 
 Walden's Ridge to Caperton's Ferry, to Huntsville, to Trianna, 
 where Colonel Sheets "didn't catch a fish," but where we had 
 plenty of forage for our jaded animals, and where Skinner and 
 his scouts had plenty of riding, and played many a trick on the 
 confiding "Johnnies" on the south side of the Tennessee. And 
 then back again to Ringgold, where we went into Kilpatrick's 
 Division, and had a camp in the open field so finely policed and 
 shaded with artificially planted evergreens, that General Elliott 
 pronounced it the handsomest camp in the Army of the Cumber- 
 land, and the onh' camp in the cavalry. I can see the camp now, 
 with Taylor's Ridge sweeping away to the south; and oh! what 
 sad memories come back to me as I remember the bloody mas- 
 sacre of our poor boys captured at Nickojack Trace! I had 
 solemnly protested against picketing eight miles away, and 
 expected disaster at that post; but I did not expect that soldiers 
 captured bravely fighting would be brutally murdered after they 
 had laid down their arms! No civilized people could be thus 
 guilty! It required a barbarism that had enslaved four millions 
 of men, lifted its bloody hands against the temple of liberty 
 WASHINGTON had raised, contrived and executed the horrible 
 tortures of Andersonville, Millen, Salisbury and Bell Isle, and 
 culminated in the assassination of the great and good LINCOLN, to 
 produce the libel on a soldier or a man that could coolly murder a 
 captured enemy, as our poor boys at Nickojack were mbrdered. 
 Whenever I think of the brave men so cruelly butchered, I will 
 curse the cowardly guilty criminals who did it, and curse the 
 treason that was the father of the crime. But a day or two after 
 Nickojack, when we pushed the enemy down to Tunnel Hill, 
 many a gray-coated Rebel bit the dust, when you went into battle 
 shouting, " Boys, remember Nickojack!" And then with Kil- 
 patrick in the lead on Rockyface, and through Snake Creek 
 Gap to Reseca, where our little General was wounded, and on to 
 Lay's Ferry, and Adairsville, and Kingston, and while Sherman 
 was thundering against Atlanta, scattered along the line of rail- 
 road keeping open communications, or under Major Woodcock 
 on the wild ride around at Atlanta, and at Jonesboro, Flint River 
 43
 
 346 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 and Lovejoy's. And at all these places the music of your 
 " Spencers" was heard whenever a gray -coated " Johnny" was 
 seen, heard first, and heard latest when we heard their sharp 
 rattle, we knew the enemy was near, and when we no longer 
 heard it, we knew the enemy had gone. 
 
 And when Sherman captured Atlanta and gave his army rest, 
 you lay in camp on half rations, while your Division Commissary 
 was running bakeries, and selling you bread at a shilling a loaf ! 
 And when Hood started around Sherman on his campaign 
 against Nashville, it was yours to lead Sherman's columns 
 against him, and gallantly achieve new laurels at Powder Springs 
 and Van Wert. Do you remember how you drove the enemy 
 from Powder River and pushed up to the village of Powder 
 Springs, under the command of Captain Preston, until you de- 
 veloped the long line of the enemy, and drew the fire of his light 
 and heavy artillery, and then retired bearing your wounded and 
 your dead? Do you remember your charge at Van Wert and the 
 music of the dozen Rebel bands, that solemn evening when the 
 news came that the enemy had surrounded us on every side? 
 And back again to Marietta, where our Division was reorganized 
 for the grand campaign from the mountains to the sea. Do you 
 recollect your review by General Sherman, the smoking ruins of 
 Marietta, and the destroying of the railroad, and the commence- 
 ment of our march, leading Sherman's columns southward, while 
 Hood was marching north? Do you remember the brilliant 
 charge of the first brigade, at the old Rebel earthworks at Love- 
 joy's, when that brigade took back again the two pieces of artillery 
 the Rebels had taken from Stoneman? And at Bear Creek 
 Station, where we sent Wheeler flying toward Macon, and the 
 night marching across the Ocmulgee on the pontoons, and into 
 a country where horses and turkeys and sweet potatoes were 
 plenty. And from Clinton to Macon, where Captain Becker, 
 with a battalion so handsomely repulsed the charge of Crew?'s 
 brigade; and do you recollect how that Rebel brigade scattered in 
 utter confusion in every direction through the woods and fields, 
 leaving us an open road up to the Rebel earthworks east of 
 Macon? Can you not now even hear the cannon thunder, and 
 the bursting shells from the nine pieces of artillery with which 
 the enemy opened on us and can't vou see the long line ot 
 burning railroad ties, with the iron rails heating for bending? 
 The cutting of that railroad put Wheeler in our rear, and cut off 
 the Rebel General Cobb with his Georgia " Melish," and gave
 
 ILLINOIS. 347 
 
 Snerman uninterrupted roads as he wheeled his grand army to 
 the left and held his course for Savannah. And then that rainy 
 night when we retired on the Clinton Road, and buried our dead, 
 and amputated the limbs of the wounded. And the next morning 
 when you boys, under that cool, intrepid officer, Colonel Van 
 Buskirk, who honored the silver leaves he wore, and had doubly 
 earned the eagles he would have honored, so handsomely repulsed 
 the four heavy columns charging against you, and achieved as 
 brilliant a little victory as the history of the war can furnish. I 
 give the credit to the skill of your commander, and your cool 
 braverv; but you, I know, will give the credit to your trusty 
 " Spencers" that served you so well and faithfully on many a 
 trying occasion. And then away through Milledgeville to the left 
 flank of the army, feinting on Augusta, and turning short off for 
 Millen. Do you remember the day when Wheeler came up in 
 our rear, joined by Wade Hampton and his Potomac cavalry, and 
 you so steadily and ably held the rear guard while Kilpatrick's 
 column, uninterrupted, continued its march all day long? I 
 seldom have seen the cool bravery and courage of the Ninety- 
 Second put to a severer test, or more evenly and squarely vindi- 
 cated. After they had charged one or two of the "rail barricades'' 
 and found them full of " Spencers," they became very shy of 
 charging, and the remark I made to Kilpatrick was true, that 
 there was no danger to his Division as long as the Ninety-Second 
 was between it and the enemy. Kilpatrick thought the next day 
 that he would superintend the rear guard in person, and came 
 very near getting his precious little person into a Rebel prison, 
 and he himself confessed if it had not been for one of the regi- 
 ments of my Brigade, the 9th Michigan Cavalry, with their 
 " Spencer" Rifles, he would have been captured. Do you recol- 
 lect Buckhead Creek Church, when an Orderly came to tell us 
 that General Kilpatrick was captured, and we waited for the first 
 brigade to pass through ours? and the fight on the Chevish planta- 
 tion, a little farther on, where we all sat down in the road and 
 gave Wheeler and Hampton, with their combined force far out- 
 numbering ours, an opportunity to run over us if they could, and 
 how they couldn't! The only mistake of that engagement was 
 that Kilpatrick did not have a couple of regiments ready to 
 charge the confused ranks of the enemy, after we had given them 
 so handsome a repulse! But that was lacking a great manv 
 times. If always, when the Ninety-Second had charged the 
 enemy on foot, broken their ranks and sent them flying, a well-
 
 348 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 ordered cavalry charge had followed up the victory, Kilpatrick 
 would have done what the Rebel General Forrest never failed to 
 do, and his many laurels, bright now, would have been brighter 
 still. And then the fight at Waynesboro. Do you recollect your 
 night on picket, when the enemy brought up his artillery, and 
 Erb and Merrill were mustered out honorably? and the next 
 morning, when you were double-quicked into the fight without 
 breakfast? Thanks to the pistol in Schermerhorn's breast coat 
 pocket if it had not been there, he would have had marching 
 orders to report to his quarters on high. How proud I was of 
 the old Regiment that morning! How coolly vou charged the 
 enemy's long line of barricades, capturing eighty-seven of the 
 "Johnnies," and grinding out the shot from your coffee-mill guns 
 on the backs of the fleeing mass that attempted to retreat. How 
 soldierly you behaved, scorning to leave your ranks to take 
 charge of the prisoners your valor had captured, leaving them to 
 be picked up by the cavalry following, and yourselves pressing 
 forward, shoulder to shoulder, and repulsing, with the deadly fire 
 of your death-dealing " Spencers," the heavy charge of Rebel 
 cavalry by which they attempted to regain their lost ground! 
 That was a brilliant victory, but brilliant as it was, we paid dearly 
 for it. Brave "Gedee" Scott and his no less brave comrades who 
 sleep to-day in their narrow little beds on that victory-crowned 
 field was part of the price paid for victory. And on to Savannah, 
 where the dashing waves of the Atlantic sounded welcome to the 
 brave Western men who had marched from the heart of the 
 Continent, over mountain barrier, through rocky defile and dis- 
 mal swamps, to plant the eagle-surmounted shot and shell-torn 
 standards of the old Republic on the ocean-beat shore! Have you 
 forgotten your foraging after rice in the straw for your horses, 
 your trip to the Altamaha River, your foraging expedition to 
 Tavlor's Creek after corn, sweet potatoes, honey, turkeys, and 
 chickens? How did you like your oysters gathered up from the 
 neglected oyster beds, on New Year's day, 1865, at King's Bridge? 
 Do you remember our second review by General Sherman, in the 
 streets of the captured city of Savannah, where we passed in 
 review before the Secretary of War? And away again through 
 rain and swamps on to the " sacred soil" (?) of South Carolina? 
 Do you remember how you put your cartridge boxes on your 
 heads and held your guns up over them and waded the Salke- 
 hatchie River under the fire of the enemy, and charged over the 
 abatis up the steep hill opposite, and drove them out of their
 
 NINBTT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 349 
 
 earthworks? When will you forget Barnwell wrapped in flames, 
 or Blackville Station, with its miles of burning railroad ties? 
 When will you forget Aiken? Wheeler and Hampton had there 
 prepared a trap for you, and Kilpatrick's dare-devil dash drove 
 you squarely into the jaws of the trap, but when they sprung it 
 and thought they had you nicely, they found they had caught a 
 tartar! There never was a tight place that the Ninety-Second, 
 with their Repeating Rifles, was not sent into; and you will 
 , remember how fearful I was that the Regiment would some day 
 be surrounded by the enemy and be left by the cavalry to get out 
 again .is best it could. 
 
 At Aiken, Kilpatrick ordered me to withdraw with the balance 
 of my Brigade and leave you surrounded, but I determined to 
 maintain the reserve line until you came out, or at least until I 
 could no longer hear the rattle of your " Spencers." How often I 
 have urged you to stick by one another, and fight in a body, what- 
 ever might be the odds against you. You did it at Aiken, and 
 we did not have to wait long until you had cut your way through 
 and were ready to turn again upon your enemy ; and, with the 
 gallant gth Ohio and pth Michigan, charged them in turn, driving 
 them through Aiken in confusion, and rescuing Companies " K" 
 and "A," still left surrounded by the "Johnnies," and fighting 
 among the buildings in the town, and bringing off your wounded. 
 Bitterly the enemy paid for their effort to gobble up the Ninety- 
 Second Regiment. They buried eighty of their slain at Aiken ! 
 After that I had no more fears that the Regiment would ever get 
 into a place it could not get out of, and about concluded that all of 
 Jeff. Davis's gray-coated legions could not capture the Ninety- 
 Second! It was a hard task to fight, with four little regiments, 
 Wheeler and Hampton with seven divisions; but seven divisions 
 could not whip you while you had plenty of ammunition for your 
 "Spencers." And on again, past Saluda Factory, Columbia, 
 Winnsboro and Rocky Mount to Solemn Grove, where vou 
 marched in the night on a parallel road with the enemy's column, 
 and so close your flankers mingled with theirs, and the loud talk- 
 ing in their column could be plainly heard, and when we struck 
 the forks of the road, and supposed we had got in ahead of them, 
 we met one of Wheeler's aids, who came dashing back ordering 
 us to " hurry up," and we quietly informed him he was a prisoner, 
 and Kilpatrick's troops didn't obey Wheeler's orders. But we 
 learned from him that three divisions of Rebel troops were on the 
 road just ahead of us, and four divisions of Rebels coming up in
 
 350 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS, 
 
 our rear we had just filled the gap in the L^ebel column, and 
 with Wheeler leading and Hampton following, we were marching 
 along the same road with them ! So we concluded that if the 
 Rebels wanted that road so bad they might have it all bv them- 
 selves, while we plunged into the dark pine woods and found an- 
 other road off on the right. Only cool, intrepid men, who would 
 not speak above their breath, and were ready to fight, could be 
 taken out of so dangerous a place. And on, by Fayetteville to 
 Averysboro, where we opened the fight by capturing Colonel 
 Rhett, of South Carolina, who had just evacuated Fort Sumter. 
 And on again, to Bentonsville, where Johnston's "Johnnies" 
 showed fight, but where, when " Uncle Billy" turned his columns 
 around to give them fair battle, between dark and davlight, 
 
 " Folded their tents like the Arabs, 
 And as silently hastened away." 
 
 It was your fortune to first make the discovery in the morning 
 that the ubiquitous gray-backs had " slid out," and to lead the 
 advance that followed on through the town of Bentonsville. Then 
 we turned around and greeted Schofield at Goldsboro, who, after 
 his magnificent victory over Hood at Franklin, from behind the 
 very fortifications you helped to construct, and Hood's final repulse 
 at Nashville, had taken the cars to the sea-coast and sail to New 
 Berne, to shake hands again with his old comrades of the Atlanta 
 campaign. Honor Lincoln, and Grant, and Sherman, and Thomas, 
 and Schofield, and all who planned or helped to execute that 
 grand winter's campaign; and when you grow old tell your little 
 grandchildren that you marched and fought with Sherman's boys 
 in the grandest campaign in all the world's history. And as soon 
 as Sherman had issued clothing, you led his columns against 
 Johnston at Smithfield. Have you forgotten the bright morning 
 when we drove the enemy across Swift Creek in North Carolina, 
 found the bridge destroyed, and, after part of your Regiment had 
 waded the creek so as to hold the other side, our pioneers rebuilt 
 the bridge, and just after the Ninety-Second began crossing, Major 
 Nichols, of Sherman's staff, rode up with the news that Lee had 
 surrendered to Grant? No, you have not forgotten it, and you 
 will never forget it. How your caps went into the air, how loud 
 your glad voices rang out how bright the starry banners we had 
 so long followed looked as you gave them to the breeze and the 
 sunlight; and never before did bugles blare and trumpets blow so 
 loud, or music sound so sweet as when our Band struck up " Hail
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 351 
 
 Columbia!" But the still stubborn "Johnnies," in their earth- 
 works half a mile across the creek, who had been only waiting for 
 part of the column to cross to make an attack when no support 
 could be offered by the troops not yet across, had not yet heard of 
 Lee's surrender, and did not know the war was ended ! But you 
 boys of the Ninety-Second, shouting and laughing with the glad 
 news you had just heard, coolly received the wild charge of that 
 Rebel brigade, halted it with murderous volleys from your ever 
 faithful " Spencers," turned it back, and shouting still with joy 
 over Lee's surrender, dashed after the retreating Rebels, and cap- 
 tured their earthworks. Brilliant victory but, oh ! the price we 
 paid ! I never felt so sad in battle as I did then, when I looked 
 upon the poor boys who there, after the great war was in fact over, 
 and victory was with our eagles, received marching orders to 
 report in heaven. Little did I dream when I saw Major Hawk, 
 under the great oak tree by the white farm house, pale and bleed- 
 ing with his terrible wound, that I should greet him here in a 
 Reunion of our Regiment in our Illinois home. Long may he 
 live to receive the greetings of his old comrades in arms! And 
 on, through Raleigh to New Hope Creek, where our Brigade fired 
 its last shot. It was my fortune while Captain of Company "A," 
 nth Illinois, to assist in capturing one of the first (if not the first) 
 Rebel flags captured west of the Alleghanies ; it was a few days 
 after Ellsworth captured the Rebel flag at Alexandria, Virginia, 
 and a day or two before Governor Oglesby captured the Rebel 
 flag on the Mississippi, near Columbus; and a book recently pub- 
 lished in New York, edited by a Southern lady, gives the Brigade 
 I commanded the honor of firing the last loyal shot in the war 
 before the surrender of Johnston's army. And then you quietly 
 sat down in Chapel Hill to await the terms of surrender that was 
 to close the most gigantic Rebellion known in all the world's his- 
 tory. 
 
 No sooner did you hear of Johnston's surrender than you were 
 clamoring to be mustered out; you were not soldiers from choice; 
 you went from a sense of duty alone, and when the power of the 
 Rebellion was broken, and the Rebel armies scattered, your duty 
 was done. All the world's history can furnish no prouder record 
 than was achieved by our citizen soldiery, and never before have 
 a million battle-scarred heroes left the bloody field as soon as the 
 last hostile shot had died away, and hastily returned to kiss their 
 wives, their babies, and their sweethearts, and resume the peaceful 
 callings they had left. With the flag of your country, known and
 
 352 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 honored in every part of the world where the bible is read and 
 Christianity acknowledged, proudly floating over you, secure in 
 the liberties your valor helped achieve for your country, you are 
 laboring in your professions, at your trades, or on your farms. 
 Children of the North American Republic, proud of your coun- 
 try, your country is proud of you. 
 
 One feature in our Regiment I have not yet mentioned a 
 feature which will gladden the hearts of some of the fathers and 
 mothers of the boys. As soon as the Regiment was mustered in, 
 a party of Christian gentlemen belonging to the Regiment organ- 
 ized a Thursday evening prayer meeting, and, during all our 
 service, I do not believe that one Thursday evening was permitted 
 to pass without a meeting of that Christian band. Many a time 
 have I heard their earnest prayers and fervent amens rising above 
 the din and confusion of the busy camp, and louder than the wind 
 and storm. Such Christianity is a badge of honor in this life, and 
 will prove the highest honor in the next. Those who believe the 
 army so demoralizing that virtue cannot live in it, are sadly mis- 
 taken gold is refined in the fire and I can bear cheerful testi- 
 mony that the professors of religion in the Ninety-Second, both 
 officers and men, so bore themselves as to honor the profession 
 they made. 
 
 Very little have I told you of our Regimental history battle 
 after battle have I passed by without mention yet who shall say 
 that your Regimental career was not one of uninterrupted honor? 
 and shall not the impartial historian record that the Ninety- 
 Second Illinois did fully its part in crushing out the great slave- 
 holders' Rebellion? and who shall dare assert that the starry 
 emblem of liberty, " flag of the free heart's only hope," given 
 into your keeping, although tattered and torn in battle and 
 campaign, was not brought back by you without a stain on its 
 bright blue field ? 
 
 Some tell me these Reunions are wrong, that we ought to 
 strive to forget, and not to remember our terrible sufferings, pri- 
 vations, battles, and maimings, the horrible prison pens, and 
 deliberate butchery of our captured prisoners, and forgive our 
 erring brothers of the South, who tried to lay our temple of 
 libertv in ruins, and attempted to wade through seas of blood to 
 found a Confederacy, with slavery as the chief corner-stone. Did 
 our revoiutionarv sires seek to forget Bunker Hill and Lexington 
 as soon as the power of King George was broken? Did they 
 forget the prison ships? Did the people of America forget
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 353 
 
 WASHINGTON and his compeers? No! While liberty survives, 
 the fame of the Continental soldiers will remain bright, and as 
 long as a revolutionary hero shall live, so long will the American 
 people honor the survivors of the revolutionary struggle; and 
 when all are gone, their memories will live to keep bright the 
 sacred fires of liberty their heroism kindled. Time, in its flight, 
 will bring such memories to the American people of you. Their 
 battle, and your battle, was for freedom. In the sacred cause of 
 liberty and humanity, they fought and bled ; and so did you. For 
 the last ninety years, those who have loved their country and 
 liberty have met annually, and, kneeling around the altars of 
 liberty, have renewed their vows to keep their memories bright 
 forever; and hereafter, mingled with praises of them, will be 
 praises of you. 
 
 Christ has taught us that forgiveness is for those who seek it, 
 "confessing their sins." There is no man living more willing 
 than I am to forgive those people in the South who see their sin 
 and are turning from it. But when their sins are forgiven, and 
 they are received into full fellowship in the American Church of 
 Liberty, they must kneel with us and worship at Liberty's altar; 
 thev must join with us in chanting the songs of Freedom, and in 
 sounding the praises of the "boys in blue," who battled Rebel- 
 lion's hosts under Liberty's bright banner. 
 
 Let us cherish the sacred memories of our soldier life let us 
 never forget the terrible price we have paid for liberty, or the 
 " crimson currency" in which it was paid. Let us honor the 
 memory of our dead comrades, whose graves are scattered over 
 Kentucky, on the banks of the Tennessee, by Chicamauga's dark 
 river of death, around Atlanta's hills, along the roadside beneath 
 the dark pines of the Carolinas, or in nameless graves at Millen 
 or Andersonville. 
 
 " The muffled drum's sad roll has beat 
 
 The soldier's last tattoo; 
 No more on life's parade shall meet 
 
 The brave and fallen few. 
 On Fame's eternal camping ground 
 
 Their silent tents are spread 
 And Glory guards, with solemn round, 
 
 The bivouac of the dead." 
 
 And it seems to me that now, from their bright homes on high, 
 they are looking down on this Reunion of the old Regiment, and 
 44
 
 354 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 there comes a message from away beyond the clouds, "Comrades, 
 stand by your colors keep the old flag to the breeze!" And 
 from your hearts I know goes back the reply, " Aye, we will ! 
 The bright starry banner, emblem of liberty, that floats so proudly 
 over your graves, shall be kept to the breeze ! We are children 
 of the Republic, and if dangers threaten we will 'rally around the 
 flag' as in days gone by !" And again from heaven's starry dome 
 I hear the return reply, "All is well!" 
 
 Cherishing the sacred memories of our comrades gone, owe 
 we no duties to the gray-haired father or mother, whose staff and 
 support in life's declining years these fallen boys were? owe we 
 no duties to the weeping widows, or little fatherless children 
 they have left? Yes, we owe these duties they are solemn and 
 binding. We should e%'er be ready to divide the rations from our 
 well filled haversacks which the all-bountiful Commissary of the 
 universe so freely issues to us, with any of those who need. Let 
 a permanent Reunion organization be formed, and let its most 
 sacred duty be to hunt up those suffering ones, and systematically 
 apply the relief which a soldier's warm heart is always ready to 
 bestow upon the kindred of his dead comrades. 
 
 And in the Articles of Reunion, let us provide for a meeting 
 every three years, as long as any of the old Regiment survive, to 
 renew our vows to liberty, and our allegiance to the dear old flag. 
 Will all that are here to-day meet in our Reunion three years 
 hence? No, not all. If I am living, I will be at that Reunion. 
 But, ere then, some of us will have marching orders from Him 
 who outranks the President or The General, the Grand Com- 
 mander of the universe, and will have gone into permanent quarters 
 beyond death's pontoons, on the other side of the dark river. And 
 who will be here ten, twenty, forty years from now? Will our 
 old Chaplain be here to offer his spiritual advice, and on bended 
 knees offer prayer to the Throne of God for the gray-haired vete- 
 rans, who, forty years from to-day, will hold the Reunion of the 
 Ninety-Second Regiment? Not likely. In the course of nature, 
 it is probable that the oldest will be gathered to their fathers first. 
 And who among us all will be the last to answer roll-call on 
 earth ? 
 
 And then, while liberty blesses the loved land of our bjrth, the 
 old Regiment shall all meet together again, up yonder, where our 
 blattle-slain comrades are waiting to greet us, in a Reunion where 
 there never shall be parting more, nor death, nor battle, on the 
 "eternal camping ground" beyond the skies.
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 355 
 
 At the close of General Atkins's address the Band played. 
 Afterward the "Commissary call" was sounded on the bugle, 
 occasioning a lively interest. After two or three hours, pleasantly 
 spent in picnic fashion in the beautiful grove, the Regiment held 
 a "dress parade" and a short " battalion drill." " Sick call" was 
 sounded, but all present reported for duty. A permanent Re- 
 union organization was perfected. General Smith D. Atkins was 
 chosen President; Captain R. M. A. Hawk, Vice-President; J. C. 
 Lowe, Recording Secretary; Dr. George R. Skinner, Correspond- 
 ing Secretary; Dr. Clinton Helm, Treasurer; Rev. Barton H. 
 Cartwright, Chaplain. In the evening the generous citizens of 
 Polo gave the Ninety-Second, and all soldiers present, an enter- 
 tainment and supper in Agricultural Hall. 
 
 The following account of the second Reunion of the Ninety- 
 Second is taken from the Freeport Journal : 
 
 The Ninety-Second Illinois Mounted Infantry Volunteers 
 held their second Reunion at Wilcoxon's Opera House, in Free- 
 port, on Thursday last, September first, 1870. The day was 
 beautiful ; the early train from the east brought large delegations 
 from Companies B and K ; extra passenger coaches were attached 
 to the 9:30 train from the south, on the Illinois Central, and came 
 in loaded; the morning train. from the west brought large delega- 
 tions ; the noon trains from the east and west, on the Western 
 Union Road, also brought many to attend the Reunion ; from an 
 early hour in the morning until noon, the old members of the 
 Regiment, accompanied by their lathers and mothers, their wives 
 and children, and family friends, came thronging into the city in 
 wagons and carriages, until the streets presented a holiday ap- 
 pearance. At a little past one o'clock p. m. the Freeport Zouaves, 
 under command of Captain Hurlburt, accompanied by the Wins- 
 low Brass Band, paraded through the city, and at two o'clock p. m. 
 the audience assembled at Wilcoxon's magnificent Opera House, 
 the use of which had been tendered for that purpose by Mr. 
 Wilcoxon without cost, and at a little past two o'clock p. m., 
 after the jam of finding seats in the Opera House was over, the 
 exercises began, by the audience being called to order by General 
 Atkins, President of the Ninety-Second Illinois Reunion Asso- 
 ciation, who stated that the Reunion was held under the auspices 
 of the Ninety-Second Illinois Mounted Infantry Volunteers, a 
 Regiment that was composed of five companies from Ogle 
 County, three companies from Stephenson County, and two com- 
 panies from Carroll County, and was mustered into the service at
 
 356 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 Rockford, Illinois, on the fourth day of September, 1862, and, 
 after almost three years' service, after the close of the war, was 
 mustered out, and held its first Reunion at Polo, Illinois, on Sep- 
 tember fourth, 1867, five years from the day on which they were 
 mustered into the service. At that Reunion they had resolved 
 to hold a Reunion so long as two of the members of the old 
 Regiment should be alive, once in every three years. In obedi- 
 ence to that resolution they were there and they had cordially 
 invited the soldiers of other regiments to meet with them, and 
 the citizens also, for they well knew that the memories of the 
 past, which were so dear to the surviving members of the Ninety- 
 Second Illinois Volunteers, were the common memories of all 
 the soldiers of the Republic, and of the people of America. The 
 exercises began with music by the Band. Afterward the Presi- 
 dent stated that it was a well-known fact, that the Ninetv-Second 
 Illinois was a God-fearing and a God-serving Regiment, and it 
 would be appropriate that, before anything further was done, they 
 should join in prayer, while Chaplain Cartwright, the old and 
 well-beloved Chaplain of the Regiment, invoked the blessings of 
 Deity, and the President called upon Rev. Barton H. Cartwright, 
 who made an appropriate prayer. 
 
 After which the President called upon Captain 'E. T. E. Becker 
 for a song, and Captain Becker came forward to the stand, and 
 sang the beautiful song commencing, 
 
 " 'Tis finished, 'tis finished, the great work is ended," 
 
 which was heartily applauded by the audience. 
 
 After music by the Band, the President introduced General 
 Sheets, of Ogle County, late Lieutenant Colonel of the Ninety- 
 Second Illinois Volunteers, who, the President said, was a modest 
 gentleman, quite bashful among the ladies, but whom he had 
 known to face the enemy upon the battle-field without flinching. 
 The General came forward, amid applause, and spoke as follows : 
 
 SOLDIERS, COMRADES, FRIENDS: Addresses are sometimes 
 appropriate but at a soldiers' Reunion I believe them always out 
 of place. We come here to think and talk of the scenes of the 
 past of events gone by of hardships endured of struggles deep 
 and earnest, and to renew the associations of the past; and under 
 such circumstances a set speech must always be out of order. 
 And yet, in obedience to the orders of my superiors, I am here to 
 inflict on you just such a speech. 
 
 When our good old Chaplain Cartwright first came to the
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 357 
 
 Regiment, he asked me how we got the Regiment out to preach- 
 ing. I told him, if the boys, being hungry, could find a good din- 
 ner, they would need no urging to eat, and a good Chaplain, fur- 
 nishing them with such spiritual food as they needed, would have 
 no difficulty in getting them out to hear. 
 
 Sabbath morning came the hour for worship had arrived 
 no church bells broke the stillness of the morning instead of the 
 Chaplain asking the Adjutant to call the Regiment together for 
 worship, I heard his clarion voice (not always melodious) crying, 
 " Ho, boys! come up here and help me serve the Lord for half an 
 hour, and I will help you in the trenches the balance of the week." 
 I need not assure you that everything was abandoned, and if all 
 did not serve the Lord for half an hour, they listened to the Chap- 
 lain's sermon. I shall not make you so rash a promise. 
 
 I have arranged, briefly as possible, a few of the events in the 
 history of our Regiment. If there are soldiers of other commands 
 here, we greet them most cordially we were brothers struggling 
 in the same cause and they may find something in our history 
 that will be responsive to their own experience. 
 
 The Ninety-Second Illinois was mustered into the service of 
 the United States, at Rockford, Illinois, September fourth, 1862. 
 It was composed of two companies from Carroll, three from Steph- 
 enson, and five from Ogle. Of the one thousand men composing 
 the Regiment, 999 of whom I dare speak, were as true and good 
 as the war ever produced. It is no disparagement to others, to say 
 that better material for soldiers was never mustered for the con- 
 flict. Men of noble impulses, men of high culture, your own 
 sons, brothers, or husbands were there. 
 
 Our first experience in camp was at Rockford. It was so un- 
 like the experiences of war, that none of us will ever forget it. I 
 have no doubt but that your memory to-day is fresh in the remem- 
 brance of those yellow-legged chickens those broad-backed tur- 
 keys the delicious fruit the rich cakes, and everything which 
 wife, or mother, or sister could provide for our wants. How those 
 tables in the rear of our barracks used to groan beneath their 
 load! 
 
 And there, too, came our first experience in drill. Do you 
 remember a crowd of very wise looking fellows, numbering 
 thirty-three, with 'bright shoulder-straps, to whom nine hundred 
 and seventy of you less fortunate fellows used to tip your hats? 
 Do you remember how we thirty-three dignified men were lead 
 out each day, by a beardless boy called Lawver, and put in train-
 
 358 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 ing for our high position? You called them the a-wk-ward squad. 
 The most prominent thing about them was the glitter of their 
 new uniforms. Their hands and feet were always in the wrong 
 place. Was there ever anything more laughable or amusing than 
 this officers' drill; unless it was to see Doctor Winston on horse- 
 back, at review ? 
 
 Who will ever forget how wise your Captains and Lieutenants 
 were after these drills, when they took you out into the same 
 fields and repeated what they had learned? There, too, your awk- 
 wardness was displayed. Then came the Regimental drill, when 
 we were exhibited to the multitude. Do you remember the first 
 time I undertook to drill the Regiment? My first command, 
 promptly executed by you, put the Regiment in such a position as 
 to require the skill of every officer for ten minutes to straighten 
 the line again. I had not then learned to say that I kneiv the 
 command was wrong, and only gave it to see if you would exe- 
 cute it. Fond parents looked on at those drills, and, pointing with 
 feelings of noble pride to their boy, said, " Isn't our John a model 
 soldier? Wouldn't he look fine with those shoulder-straps ? and 
 he would certainly set an awkward horse better than those awk- 
 ward field officers." 
 
 But the days of this soldiering were soon numbered. The mid- 
 dle of October brought the long hoped-for order to move to the field 
 of strife. Every fellow seemed spoiling for a fight, and in his own 
 estimation weighed two hundred pounds avoirdupois! The last 
 farewells were said the last kiss from mother, sister, or maiden 
 was taken, and away with the speed of the wind, we went South- 
 ward. Many alas, how many, never again to return to friends 
 or loved ones. All over the South-land lie buried those who went 
 forth that morning with hopes bright as we. Noble boys no 
 sister's, or mother's, or maiden's hands pressed their foreheads, or 
 closed their eyes in death. They went down always with their 
 face to the foe. Noble, heroic boys how we loved them ! 
 
 " Sleep, soldier boy ! the clarion tongue 
 
 Of deathless fame shall speak of thee; 
 And ages hence, thy name among 
 The brightest of the earth shall be," 
 
 I am glad that here in Stephenson county you are building a 
 Monument in honor of these heroic men. The people of Byron, 
 in my county, were among the first to pay this tribute to the 
 memory of our fallen comrades. There, as here, you honor the
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 359 
 
 men, and the cause for which they fell. The Monument you 
 build will perish. Time, relentless time, with sunshine and storm, 
 will deface the words you have inscribed upon the marble but 
 out in the unfolding future, the fame and glory of these men will 
 gain new lustre. Humanity's cause, for which they battled, shall 
 never die. Soldiers surviving comrades while we enjoy this 
 Regimental Reunion, let us remember our fallen comrades. 
 
 After leaving Rockford, our first campaign was made in Loyal 
 Kentucky. We marched through her blue-grass region, always 
 beautiful ; we drank the green waters from her miasma stock 
 pond, while loyal Major Generals locked the wells; we burned no 
 fence-rails, robbed no bee-hives, twisted no chickens' necks, kissed 
 no pretty girls; but -we tvould steal niggers! 
 
 After marching and countermarching, we neared the moun- 
 tain region, and, finding no armed Rebels, we went into garrison 
 duty at Mt. Sterling. Here was developed the startling announce- 
 ment that the Regiment had but one married man, poor old Cap- 
 tain Brice, and I really believe he would, have passed for unmar- 
 ried, if he had not have had a gray-bearded son in the Regiment. 
 It was here that we witnessed the first, and, so far as I know, the 
 only, exhibition of cowardice on the part of a private soldier in our 
 command. While marching through the streets of Mt. Sterling, 
 one of our boys said to a beautiful Kentucky girl, who was carry- 
 ing a little flag the Stars and Stripes " What will you take for 
 that flag?" Her quick and ready response was, " a kiss, sir!" 
 And he, who afterward faced danger on a hundred battle-fields, 
 and assisted in carrying our banner on to victory and triumph, 
 was too cowardly to capture that little flag! 
 
 I have always thought that the soldier imagined that the Adju- 
 tant reserved all such duties for himself; I am sure he was not an 
 officer, for we had no officer, not even Captain Becker or Captain 
 Hawk, who ever turned his back on such a foe. It was here that 
 our Colonel Atkins (wonder if Mrs. A. is present?) learned to 
 sing, with gret fervor, 
 
 " Miss Julie am a handsome gal, 
 Her heart am young and tender." 
 
 Boys, have you forgotten Miss Julia? The Colonel used to 
 take me along, and the old lady (so unlike most mothers) had 
 such an easy way of getting me out of the parlor, so that the Col- 
 onel and Miss Julia could admire alone. The old lady used to tell 
 me about her lands, her niggers, and her family, while the Colonel
 
 360 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 in the parlor defined love to Miss Julia. Here is what he was 
 overheard by one of the boys to say : 
 
 " Love, real love, cannot well be defined, 
 'Tis a feeling of feelings deep down in the mind; 
 
 . Suffice it to say, it is tenderly furious, 
 Painfully pleasing and peculiarly curious." 
 
 Mrs. Atkins can tell us whether the Colonel ever surpassed 
 this poetic effusion ! 
 
 At Mt. Sterling, too, we had our first long roll. A crowd of 
 innocent darkies were hunting coons at night. Having treed his 
 coonship, they used powder and shot to bring him down. Our 
 sentinels, smelling the enemy afar off, gave the alarm. Needham 
 rushed for the drum men and officers for their arms, and in less 
 than three minutes our line was formed and ready for the strife. 
 
 The foe, of course, did not test our metal. Our only loss was 
 the heads of three drums that Needham stove in. And the only 
 disaster was that of the Major, who, in the great haste, got into 
 his pants, with his pants wrong end up. 
 
 The anti-slavery sentiment of our Regiment soon became 
 obnoxious to the good people of Mt. Sterling. Repeated orders 
 and changes brought us to Danville, Ky. On the whole, the 
 change was a pleasant one. Our stay in Kentucky was made up 
 of a mixture of pleasant and unpleasant events. We were called 
 the Abolition Regiment using the more chaste language of 
 Kentucky loyalists, we were " nigger thieves." We were pursued 
 by men and women hunting their chattels. Our Colonel, I 
 believe, stands indicted as a thief under the old laws of Loyal 
 Kentucky! I believe I express the sentiment of every soldier, 
 when I say that our cause suffered more from the so-called loy- 
 alists of Kentucky, than from the Rebel element. Had Ken- 
 tucky joined the other Rebellious States, the war would have 
 been shortened by years. Her loyalty was always with an "if." 
 
 I need not assure you that the order, transferring us from the 
 Army of Kentucky to the Armv of the Cumberland, was hailed 
 with shouts of joy, and songs of gladness. It meant more active 
 work. We learned that inaction was death. What we needed in 
 the army, as well as out of it, was something to do. Active work 
 brings good health, and develops strong muscle. . We soon found 
 this, but not exactly to our taste. Time and events brought us to 
 Franklin, Tennessee, where we found ample room for the exercise 
 of muscle in digging ditches, and building fortifications. These
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 361 
 
 works, that seemed useless then, afterward served to protect our 
 army under General Thomas, and many a brave fellow who 
 found shelter in them, gave thanks to the men whose efforts had 
 built them. At Franklin came that senseless order, putting us in 
 line of battle, long before daylight, and keeping us there until 
 General Granger should wake from his morning sleep, and order 
 " recall" sounded from the fort. That order would have cost us 
 the lives of fifty noble men, if we had not violated its spirit, and 
 spent the time in drill. 
 
 Our march from Franklin to Triune you have not forgotten. 
 I shall never forget how those knapsacks of yours looked on that 
 June morning. Many a fellow, anxious to save extra shoes and 
 blankets, started with knapsack larger than himself. We had not 
 marched more than five miles, before you began to strew the 
 ground with boots, shoes, overcoats, blankets, etc. This was our 
 first march after Chaplain Cartwright joined the command. 
 Seeing this great waste of property, the Chaplain undertook to 
 save it; riding up to the head of the Regiment, he told me what 
 was going on. I told him it was all right, that you ought to 
 lighten your load. "But," said he, "the poor fellows will need their 
 blankets." That night the Chaplain rode into camp, with his horse 
 loaded with blankets, and calling to the boys, he gave to each his 
 own. The Chaplain followed this until, one day, some wicked 
 chap claimed the Chaplain's own blanket, and left him to sleep 
 without any covering. This was the first time that Brother 
 Cartwright entertained a doubt but that everv Union soldier was 
 a good honest Christian. The second doubt came when he traded 
 horses with a cavalryman, and got a horse so religious that he 
 would always kneel, in going down hill. This march to Triune 
 brought us into the movement against Tullahoma. 
 
 During the following month, we were mounted and attached 
 to Wilder's Brigade. Could you have seen us as we were first 
 mounted, you would not have wondered that General John E. 
 Smith called us "Mamelukes." We had horses and mules of 
 every age, size and color. In August we crossed the Cumberland 
 Mountains, demonstrating against Chattanooga. Recrossing the 
 mountains, we reported to General Thomas at Trenton, Georgia, 
 and, on the morning of the ninth of September, entered Chat- 
 tanooga, and unfurled on the Crutchfield House our flag the first 
 Stars and Stripes seen in that city since the fall of Fort Sumter. 
 
 I must not attempt to trace longer in detail the history of our 
 command I can say of it, without detracting from others, that 
 45
 
 362 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 in camp, on the march, in battle everywhere it did its duty, 
 whenever that was made known. Its discipline and drill were 
 above the average. Its fighting qualities below none. Those who 
 measure the service of a Regiment, or its bravery, by its losses, 
 fail of a correct estimate. I remember in the Chicamauga battle, 
 that in less than five minutes we lost, in killed and wounded, 
 thirty men, and it was at a time and in a place where we were 
 doing no possible good. He is a good commander who accom- 
 plishes the object desired with the least loss of life. The life of 
 a Union soldier was too precious to be sacrificed to gratify the 
 ambition of a reckless leader. 
 
 It would be pleasant to follow the Regiment into battle, to tell 
 you where, and how they fought. But this has formed no part of 
 my purpose. Three years ago General Atkins gave a detailed 
 account of the Regiment in battle. Since that time it has become 
 history, and you can read it there. The record is one of which 
 all are proud. No stain of dishonor rests upon it. It has been my 
 purpose, rather, to make mention of a few of the pleasing 
 remembrances of the past; to call to mind some of the unwritten 
 history of the Regiment. Of course I cannot picture these 
 events to do them justice. 
 
 I might describe to you Doctor Winston on horseback, or 
 Captain Schermerhorn as a cook, or Captain " Bobb Shorty" on 
 parade, and yet you could not appreciate fully those events with- 
 out the sight of the natural eye. I am sure if you should see the 
 Doctor on horseback, or eat one of Schermerhorn's camp dinners, 
 you would never forget it. 
 
 Camp life was not altogether as unpleasant as the people at 
 home were in the habit of believing. It had its bright and its 
 dark days its sunshine and its shadows its January and its June. 
 It was not always without social enjoyments. You have never 
 had a finer time at home in your parlors than we used to enjoy 
 when our Captain Becker used to sing of home, and friends, and 
 country. How often that trundle-bed song so simple, yet so 
 beautiful used to take us back over the by-gone years to child- 
 hood's happy hours. And then came Hope, painting the future 
 in characters of living light and beauty. 
 
 [General Sheets here suggested that it might be a good thing 
 if the Captain would sing that good old song right at that time. 
 The Captain came forward, amid applause, and gave the song, 
 when General Sheets continued:] 
 
 Do you imagine that Lawver or Skinner ever enjoyed a social
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 363 
 
 gathering more than that near Bridgeport, Alabama, where each 
 of them took behind him on his horse a buxom Alabama girl and 
 went with " we uns" to the party ? All went merry at the party, 
 but on the way home Skinner's girl fell from the horse, and buried 
 herself in Alabama mud, so that neither Lawver nor Skinner, nor 
 both combined, could lift her on the horse again. Do you think 
 Schermerhorn was ever more tranquil than when he used to visit 
 Widow Lewis, down at Trianna? Even that long row of hats 
 failed to give him pain. Trianna was a great town for widows. 
 It was the custom there to hang a hat of each departed husband 
 on the wall as a remembrance of the loved ones gone. Widow 
 Lewis had ten of these hats. The Captain was there one day (of 
 course he was inquiring about the departed loved ones), and while 
 he was thus engaged some wicked fellow stole his horse and 
 equipments, and Schermerhorn never saw them again. 
 
 Speaking of hats reminds me of a fellow of Company F, 
 whom I saw hatless one day 
 
 I remember Petermyre, one of the boys ot Company F. It 
 was near Ringgold, in Georgia; we had received orders to report 
 to General Rosecrans, at Lafayette, Georgia and, by the way, 
 General Rosecrans himself never went quite so far south as 
 Lafayette, for Bragg, with his Rebel army and with the reinforce- 
 ments of Longstreet, from Lee's army, at that time lay between 
 us and Lafayette but we had our orders, and pushed out bright 
 and early on the road for Lafayette. Near Ringgold, we struck a 
 division of Rebel cavalry under Forrest. General Atkins was com- 
 manding, and he had formed a line of battle across the road, facing 
 south, with the right flank resting on the Chicamauga River, and 
 the left flank on the mountain, and we were pushing the enemy 
 with our Spencer Rifles, when suddenly the enemy's line of skir- 
 mishers gave way, and we charged up to their main line. Peter- 
 myre had got far in advance of the rest had, in fact, dashed right 
 in among the Rebels. Pretty soon he came down the road on 
 foot, and I asked him what he was coming back for, and he said : 
 " O, Colonel, Colonel, dey shoots my horse, dey shoots my gun, 
 dey shoots me here, and dey shoots me dar, and I'se almost 
 dead!" And sure enough Petermyre's horse had been killed 
 under him; another bullet had wounded him; another bullet still 
 had struck him, and lodged in the side of his pocket-book ; and 
 yet another bullet had shattered and torn away the butt of his 
 Spencer Rifle. It seemed laughable to me at the time, but I
 
 364 N1NETT-SBCOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 didn't feel like scolding him for coming back. You see Peter- 
 m jre could not capture all of Forrest's cavalry alone ! 
 
 While we were lying on the Tennessee River, General Atkins 
 sent me out one day to visit the picket posts. It was against 
 orders to kill the animals in the country, but sometimes the boys 
 would kill a hog, particularly if they thought they would not be 
 caught at it. " Dide" Haggart was on picket at one of the posts 
 I visited, and when I rode up to the post the first thing I saw was 
 a handsome porker, killed and dressed; "Dide" was greatly fright- 
 ened, but he was equal to the occasion. Said he, "Colonel,'' 
 
 pointing to the hog, " that was the d dest hog I ever saw; he 
 
 came at me with his mouth wide open, and I had to shoot him to 
 save my life." I thought "Dide" was not very much to blame for 
 shooting such a very ferocious hog, and he escaped punishment. 
 The next morning the officers' mess had fresh pork for breakfast; 
 but the cook did not tell where it came from. 
 
 I have a notion to tell a story about our good old Chaplain ; I 
 hardly know whether I had better, but I guess I will. We were 
 on the march, and the boys came across %. patch of sweet potatoes, 
 and they " went for them," every man for himself, down on his 
 hands and knees, and clawing after the lucious tubers, and the 
 Chaplain was in the crowd. By and by the owner of the potato 
 patch came out, a tall gentleman, in a suit of black citizens' 
 clothing, with white neck-tie; the Chaplain did not look up to see 
 him, and the citizen said, ' It is too bad, it is too bad." " Yes," 
 said the Chaplain, "it is too bad," but kept on going for his share 
 of the sweet potatoes. " Why," said the citizen, " I am a min- 
 ister of the gospel." " Yes," replied the Chaplain, as he hauled 
 out a big potato, " so be I." 
 
 These incidents were of every day occurrence. If it were 
 possible to gather them together, they would form an interesting 
 volume. Who will ever wish to forget them? And it in this 
 Reunion we shall spend the hours in refreshing our memories of 
 the past, our coming will not be in vain. We may talk of 
 heroic deeds ot the noble ones fallen, of the cause for which they 
 fell, and in all this find that which will be pleasant and profitable. 
 
 The war with its events is over. I trust the bugle may never 
 again call us or our children to the field of strife. It was a fearful 
 war. The Government has never, and can never reward you for 
 the hardships and perils you endured. 
 
 You can only look for your reward in the results accom- 
 plished. You have seen the hour of triumph. You have seen
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 365 
 
 our beautiful banner carried forward to victory. You gaze to-day 
 upon its bright stars and ample folds, and there you read in 
 characters of living light and beauty, those sublime words: 
 " Liberty and Union Now and Forever One and Inseparable!" 
 
 Your valor has vindicated the honor of the country, and saved 
 it from Rebel hate. Aside from the conscious assurance of hav- 
 ing done your duty well, you have the thanks of all loyal hearts. 
 The people have never forgotten the debt of gratitude they owe. 
 Politicians have, and would still deceive you. I heard them say 
 to men in my own county, "Go to the war, you ought to go, and 
 when you return the people will bestow upon you the offices, and 
 hold you in .remembrance." And yet, with the exception of two 
 or three post-offices, I know of no Federal positions in all this 
 Congressional District filled by soldiers. You were good to stop 
 bullets, but you must beg if you would fill a place of profit or 
 trust. Offices which have grown out of the war are filled by 
 men who never smelled powder, and all over the land there are 
 crippled or maimed soldiers, every way worthy, struggling in 
 poverty and want. These things have been so in the past, because 
 this patronage has been used by the politicians to secure place and 
 power. It ought not to be so. I am glad to say that I believe 
 this District is now represented bv a man who thinks more of his 
 Christian manhood than of the place he fills. 
 
 I rejoice in another fact. Higher and nobler motives than 
 these prompted you to shoulder your guns and peril your lives 
 for your country's defense. You saw the flag insulted and tram- 
 pled in the dust, and, leaving the endearments of home, you 
 placed friends, and property, and life upon the altar of your 
 country a willing sacrifice. You have saved the country from 
 Rebel hate, and have perpetuated, to yourselves and to your 
 children, the blessings of a free Government. You have solved 
 for the world the great problem of self-government. 
 
 The crushing of the great Rebellion here has done more to 
 perpetuate this Republic, and to plant in other lands the germ of 
 civil freedom than a thousand years of peaceful discussion. Such 
 an effect has b.een produced all over the world by our success, 
 that I belive those simple words, " I am an American citizen," 
 would bring to the stranger a more affectionate and a broader 
 shield of protection, than to be clothed in the robes of royalty 
 and called a king. Its influence will be seen and felt all over 
 Europe in her populous cities, and in her mountain fastnesses 
 and shall be echoed and re-echoed along her blood-stained battle-
 
 366 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 fields, until every man and woman struggling for a nobler 
 development shall read with new joy of our achievements here. 
 
 You crushed the Rebellion. You destroyed slavery, and iny 
 these years of strife you lifted the Government over a thousand 
 years of discussion, and placed her in the van of Christian 
 civilization. 
 
 In 1861 Jeff. Davis went out of the United States Senate to 
 destroy the Government he was sworn to defend. In 1869 Jeff. 
 Davis's seat in the same Senate was filled by a colored citizen of 
 Mississippi. 
 
 Your efforts have placed the Government where nothing but 
 gross folly can ever impede its progress. We may go forward in 
 triumph leveling the mountains, filling up the valleys, develop- 
 ing our soil, laying parallel tracks from the Atlantic to the Pacific, 
 and binding with these cords of commercial intercourse East and 
 West, North and South, into a Union so firm and indissoluable, 
 that, under the providence of God, even the gates of hell shall not 
 prevail against it.. 
 
 The triumphs of our civilization shall spread all over this land, 
 covering the hills and vales, the green riverside and broad savan- 
 nas of our young continent. 
 
 The sword shall be beaten into the plewshare, the spear into 
 the pruning-hook, and these implements of industry, in the hands 
 of a free and brave people, shall develop here a continent rich in 
 all that constitutes true wealth. Should traitors ever again assail 
 the flag, we will beat the plowshare into the sword, and the prun- 
 ing hook into the spear, and vindicate again the honor and unity 
 of the Government. 
 
 A career of unprecedented glory awaits this nation. Disen- 
 thralled from the sins that have so long impeded us, we wake to 
 a new life. Already the darkness disappears and the morning 
 light gilds the horizon. If we prove true to our high trust, the 
 dreams of the past shall more than be realized. I see the nation 
 coming up in its grandeur to the fulfillment of its lofty destiny. 
 Our vast territory shall be peopled with an industrious, freedom- 
 loving people. 
 
 Christian civilization, no longer an apologist for slavery, shall 
 rear here her imperishable monuments, and science and art shall 
 gain new and bloodless victories, while the songs of our joy shall 
 float out over all lands, and shall fill all climes. 
 
 Here, O young man, here, my soldier friend, is the field of your 
 glory. Here you may identify yourself with interests that time
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 367 
 
 cannot destroy. Here, if honest, virtuous, earnest, you may assist 
 in moulding for this nation a destiny noble and grand. Here you 
 may grapple with the grandest problems of human life. Here you 
 may set in motion chords of influence that shall vibrate on and 
 on through the coming years. Here, however humble your lot in 
 life may be, you may aspire to be good and great. Here every 
 man is his own king, and may write his history in characters of 
 light and beauty. 
 
 Our ranks are growing thin. One by one we shall drop away. 
 But the ranks in the great battle of life will be filled by our chil- 
 dren, or children's children. 
 
 When another three years shall roll around, some who hear me 
 now will have listened to the angel reveille on the other shore. 
 This battle of life is an earnest battle. In it we need stout hands 
 and brave hearts. There is no " discharge" in this conflict. It is 
 not a muster for three j'ears, but for life. Let us acquit ourselves 
 like men. If we shall prove as true to ourselves as to our coun- 
 try, the future will be radiant with hope for each one. Comrades, 
 God bless you ! If we meet no more here, when on the other 
 shore let us gather at the great Reunion. Living, I shall love to 
 remember you. Dying, I shall hope to meet you where the 
 anthem of peace and good will is unbroken. 
 
 General Sheets's speech was received with shouts of laughter 
 and rounds of applause, and at its conclusion it was unanimously 
 resolved that it should be printed in the proceedings. 
 
 After music by the Band, Captain Becker again came forward 
 and sang a song. The audience called for various persons to 
 speak, but the election of officers for the ensuing three years being 
 in order, it was proceeded with, and Captain R. M. A. Hawk was 
 elected President. The ex-President of the Association intro- 
 duced Captain Hawk to the audience and retired, when Captain 
 Hawk thanked them for the honor conferred upon him, and took 
 his seat as the presiding officer. Dick McCann, private of Com- 
 pany D, was elected Vice President, and Al. McClure, private 
 Company C, was elected Secretary. 
 
 Chaplain Cartwright made a handsome speech, and closed by 
 presenting General Smith D. Atkins, late Colonel of the Ninety- 
 Second Illinois Mounted Infantry Volunteers, with a beautiful 
 bouquet. The General accepted it, and in a short speech returned 
 his thanks for that, and the many tokens of kindness he had re- 
 ceived. He referred to the terrible sacrifice in human life that the 
 putting down of the Rebellion had cost the nation ; to the peaceful
 
 368 NINETY-SECONb ILLINOIS. 
 
 security that had been wrought out by the bloody sacrifice that 
 the nation had made, and to the bright and happy future that was 
 before the American people. 
 
 Major Albert Woodcock, of Ogle county, being loudly called 
 for, came forward and made an eloquent speech of ten or fifteen 
 minutes. He was feeling good, and his talk made others feel 
 good. He had promised the boys of the Ninety-Second that as 
 long as he was County Clerk of Ogle county, their marriage 
 licenses should cost them nothing. He had already issued more 
 than a hundred marriage licenses on those terms, and he thought 
 when a pretty girl married one of the members of the Ninety- 
 Second that was a recruit mustered in ; every time one of the old 
 members became a father, and that was pretty often, that was an- 
 other recruit mustered in; and so the old Regiment was growing, 
 and getting larger and larger every year. He thought that at 
 every Reunion the wives and babies should be brought along, and 
 then every Reunion would be larger and larger. Captain Horace 
 J. Smith was called for, and it was said that if he could not make 
 a speech, he could at least show himself on the stand, and make 
 such a speech as Grant makes, but the Captain rose up in the body 
 of the hall, and modestly said he could not "Grant it." Captain 
 Schermehorn, Dr. Tom Winston, Captain Becker, and many 
 others were called for, but they declined. 
 
 The singing by Captain Becker has not been surpassed in the 
 Opera House. The music by the Winslow Band was splendid. 
 
 On motion, a vote of thanks was tendered to Mr. Wilcoxon, 
 for the generous donation of the free use of the Opera House, and 
 to the Freeport Zouaves, for turning out on the occasion. 
 
 On motion, it was resolved that the next Reunion of the 
 Ninety-Second Illinois Mounted Infantry Volunteers be held at 
 Mt. Carroll, three years from the fourth day of September inst. 
 to-wit: September fourth, 1873. 
 
 At about six o'clock P. M., the meeting finally adjourned, and 
 after manj' hand-shakings and good-byes, the hall was emptied. 
 
 R. M. A. HAWK, President. 
 AL. McCLURE, Secretary. 
 
 The third Reunion of the Ninety-Second was held at Mt. Car- 
 roll, Carroll County, September fourth, 1873. We take the follow- 
 ing account of it from the Freeport Journal : 
 
 Our reporter wended his way to the Western Union Railway 
 depot, in Freeport, at 8:40, last Thursday morning, and found
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 369 
 
 about one hundred and fifty people waiting for the Mt. Carroll 
 train. The railroad people at Freeport had evidently not antici- 
 pated such a rush, and had made no arrangements for passenger 
 coaches; but the gentlemanly agent, Mr. E. C. Fitch, did all he 
 could to make the passengers comfortable, by adding four extra 
 cabooses to the train, and with the cabooses packed full, the train 
 soon started. The train was a heavy one, and did not make very 
 fast time, but reached Mt. Carroll about twelve o'clock M., where 
 Major Hawk, President of the Ninety-Second Illinois Reunion 
 Association, was in waiting, with a committee on reception, and 
 a brass band, with ample omnibus room to convey the entire 
 party free to the picnic grounds in the Court House Square. 
 Reaching there, after a pleasant ride through the beautiful city of 
 Mt. Carroll, the party found a large number of ladies and gentle- 
 men already assembled. President Hawk called the assemblage 
 to order, and after prayer by the Rev. Barton H. Cartwright, 
 Chaplain of the Ninety-Second Illinois Volunteers, Hon. H. A. 
 Mills, Mayor of Mt. Carroll, delivered a beautiful and ap- 
 propriate welcoming address to the soldiers of the various 
 regiments, and their friends. After reading the programme of 
 the day's exercises, President Hawk invited the assembled multi- 
 tude to partake of a bountiful dinner provided by the citizens of 
 Mt. Carroll, set upon tables in the open air; after all had assem- 
 bled around the tables, thanks were returned by the Chaplain, and 
 all were supplied with one of the best dinners our reporter ever 
 saw out of doors. There was everything in abundance, and 
 everything of the nicest and best, especially the hot coffee and 
 genuine Carroll County blue grass dairy cream. The ladies of 
 Mt. Carroll waited upon the tables, and pressed upon their guests 
 the dainties their superior cookery had provided. There was 
 room for all the hundreds there assembled, and abundance pro- 
 vided, and no hurry and no confusion. If the good citizens of 
 Mt. Carroll could have heard the universal praise accorded them, 
 they would never regret the trouble and expense they voluntarily 
 imposed upon themselves. 
 
 After dinner, the Black Oak Brass Band again discoursed 
 sweet music; and while the Band played, the audience, numbering 
 fully one thousand ladies and gentlemen, assembled around the 
 speaker's stand, and were called to order by Major R. M. A. 
 Hawk, President of the Ninety-Second Illinois Volunteer Re- 
 union Association, who introduced Chaplain Cartwright, who 
 addressed the Heavenly Father, in one of his old-fashioned, soul- 
 46
 
 370 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 stirring Methodist prayers. The boys of the Ninety-Second 
 Illinois are very warm in praise of their beloved old Chaplain, 
 and he deserves it; for if there is a sincere Christian man on the 
 face of the globe, Rev. Barton H. Cartwright is one. Music 
 followed prayer, and then the President introduced the orator of 
 the day, Major Albert Woodcock, of Ogle County, who spoke as 
 follows : 
 
 DEAR COMRADES AND BROTHERS: With a heart wild with 
 happiness, I greet you. Mr. President, .endeared to us by ties 
 made sacred by the great loss you sustained for the old flag, we, 
 your brothers, greet you. Meeting, dear comrades, as we do, on this, 
 our Thanksgiving day, about the family heart of the old Ninety- 
 Second, with joy, with gladness we greet and embrace each other. 
 Brave comrades of other regiments, you who shared with us the 
 march, the bivouac and battle, should you be here, we greet you. 
 We bid you welcome to this our encampment; welcome to break 
 with us a little hard tack, and share with us our social joy. 
 
 You will remember, dear boys, in the South, at the close of 
 the day, as we went into bivouac, whether it was upon the moun- 
 tain tops, banks of snowy clouds beneath us, or in the valley by 
 the spring, jutting crag, and mountain peaks towering above us, 
 or in the piney woods of the South, near the cypress swamp, or 
 beneath the giant live oaks, the air fragrant with magnolia blos- 
 soms, no sooner would the camp-fire be lighted than the story 
 would run the round. This one would tell of a hair-breadth escape ; 
 that one, of an amusing adventure while foraging; and another 
 would tell the story of Chicamauga, or some other battle scene. 
 O, boys, how we enjoyed those narrations, as we sipped our 
 amber-hued coffee from our cups of tin, or watched the blossom- 
 ing tobacco smoke curl upward from our pipes of brier-wood. 
 The story, the song, the joke, the laugh would gladden the heart, 
 till sleep would step in and assert its power. The fatigued form 
 would then sink upon the ground its bed ; the head reclining upon 
 the saddle for a pillow; the star-studded blue above for curtains; 
 the sighing of the winds through the pine tops, or the song of the 
 mocking birds a lullaby. Sweet sleep would then, in dreams, 
 restore home and loved ones distant. The march, the scout, the 
 battle of life for the past three years, have ended, and we are 
 again in camp. Our camp-fires are already ablaze. Here are our 
 head-quarters. There is our commander. He has detailed me, 
 and placed me on duty, not for picket, but to tell our oft-repeated 
 story. In our command are our Brutuses of silver-tongue and
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 371 
 
 famed oratory ; but poor Mark Antony is before you to-day, of 
 broken speech and hesitating tongue ; but no Ninety-Second boy 
 ever disobeyed orders ; hence, respected commander, your order I 
 obey. Were no one present, boys, but you, I would not care ; but 
 citizens, our friends God bless them are here. What I may 
 say will be about ourselves ; hence our friends will not think us 
 guilt}' of self-praise. What little I may relate of the history of 
 the Ninety-Second to-day, in the hearts of comrades here of other 
 regiments, will stir up sweet memories in their own history. 
 What deeds of valor of Ninety-Second boys I may describe, will 
 be but a fac similie of brave, daring deeds of their own. Friday 
 morning, October eleventh, 1862, we bid good-bye to our weeping 
 friends at Rockford, and rolled away for the seat of war. Sunday 
 forenoon, October thirteenth, we crossed the Ohio into Dixie land, 
 commencing a series of marches of which the memory to you 
 and me is terrible ; it was the saddest experience of our soldier 
 life. It killed many of our comrades, and you, boys, to-day feel 
 the effects of it. The country was dried up a drouth had been 
 in the land ; the sun was fearfully hot, ranging from 85 to 100 . 
 The whole army was moving, and the roads were terribly cut up ; 
 the dust was ankle deep, and rolled in whirling clouds heaven- 
 ward; so thick was it that you could scarcely see your file leader; 
 dust was in your nose, your mouth, your throat and your lungs; 
 you could scarcely breathe. On your back was strapped the 
 ponderous knapsack; from your shoulder hung the haversack, 
 full of hard tack and old pork. The cartridge box and accoutre- 
 ments, nearly as heavy as a buggy harness, was upon you. Your 
 clothes were wool, your shoes heavy brogans, forty-five rounds of 
 ammunition were in your box, with the long Enfield Rifle and 
 bayonet on your shoulder. You were loaded down like a mule. 
 Staggering under such a burthen, you would march, march, 
 march, tramp, tramp, tramp, wondering when the bugle would 
 sound the halt. Your throat would become dry and parched; 
 your lips hot and fevered. You would feel dizzy, and wonder 
 whether you would hold out. Here and there you would see a 
 comrade faint and fall, but 'twas nothing but a soldier or two, now 
 and then, and the columns kept on. Guards were stationed all 
 along the road. Kentucky did not secede, and those people were 
 a very loyal people. A guard was at every house. You saw the 
 oaken bucket, the iron-bound bucket, the moss-covered bucket 
 that hung at the well. O, how you longed for the pure sparkling 
 cold water to slake your thirst, but a guard was there ! Those
 
 372 N1NETT-SBCOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 people were a very loyal people, you know; and the well water 
 you could not touch. You were ordered to halt at the frog-pond 
 beyond, and there slake your thirst. At the pond, with your 
 hand you would carefully remove the crust of green scum from 
 the surface, which enabled you to see the dead mule in the bottom 
 of the pond whose flesh seasoned the water. Not minding the 
 bugs and polliwogs that came in your way, you drank and drank, 
 till you were full. You rilled your canteens, and then it was 
 again march, tramp, tramp, tramp. In this way you marched all 
 over the State of Kentucky; up this pike, down that pike, hither, 
 thither, yonder; sometimes after Morgan and his troops, they on 
 horseback, you on foot. During these scenes of trial, it was 
 pleasant to witness the acts of kindness shown by comrades to 
 each other. It was a common sight to see a soldier carrying the 
 knapsack of a weaker one in addition to his own. I remember 
 one day of seeing a brawny-shouldered old chap, who lives some- 
 where hereabouts, carrying three knapsacks of his boys. While 
 thus marching and suffering, patriotism and love of the old flag 
 buoyed up the heart and animated the spirit, and the joke and 
 laugh went round. Often while passing through a village, the 
 whole Regiment would burst into song, led by our grand old 
 singer, and the sky would ring again and again with the following 
 
 stanzas : 
 
 " Yes, we'll rally 'round the flag, boys, 
 
 We'll rally once again, 
 
 Shouting the battle-cry of freedom ; 
 
 We'll rally from the hill-side, 
 
 We'll rally from the plain, 
 
 Shouting the battle-cry of freedom. 
 
 The Union forever, hurrah, boys, hurrah! 
 
 Down with the traitors, up with the Stars, 
 
 While we rally 'round the flag, boys, 
 
 Rally once again, 
 
 Shouting the battle-cry of freedom." 
 
 Our Regiment was never captured but once, and that was in 
 Kentucky. It was taken by negroes. It will not be far from the 
 truth for me to state, that every shoulder strap, and every boy in 
 the Regiment, had one or more black servants; fine, thick woolly- 
 headed fellows they were, each one worth from $2,000 to $3,000. 
 After leaving Mt. Sterling, the order of march was : 
 ist. The advance guard, 
 and. The Band.
 
 NINBTT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 373 
 
 3rd. The Colonel and Regimental officers. 
 
 4th. The rank and file. 
 
 5th. The colored recruits. 
 
 6th. A very heavy rear guard, with bristling bayonets. 
 
 7th. The Sheriffs of Kentucky. 
 
 8th. And last, the fat, rotund, Manor Lords, slave owners. 
 
 The Sheriffs wanted our Colonel; the Lords, our colored re- 
 cruits. February second, 1863, we left, with great' rejoicing, the 
 very loyal State of Kentucky. On board steamers Tempest and 
 Arizona, for seven days and nights, we steamed down the Ohio 
 and up the Cumberland. Those were days and nights of suffer- 
 ing to you, my comrades; soldiers, niggers and mules were mixed 
 up together in grand chaos. It was in dead winter. The icy 
 winds of the North seemed to be let loose; they howled about our 
 boat, shrieking between decks, and piping through every nook 
 and cranny. It seemed to you your hearts would stop beating, 
 you were so cold. You crawled about the boilers, and some of 
 you climbed on top of them ; some of you crept under, your side 
 next the boiler roasting, your other side freezing. Some of you 
 could notlget to the boiler, and, blue, and cold, you shivered, your 
 teeth making doleful music. I heard some of you say, " It's a 
 hard way to serve the country." I heard others wish they were 
 in a fight. 
 
 Our Kentucky marches helped largely to populate Danville 
 cemeteries. Our steamboat march in winter added many to the 
 cemeteries of Nashville. Of our noble dead of Danville, I remem- 
 ber Captain William Stouffer. He was a fine looking soldier, as 
 straight as an arrow, with flashing black eyes, and commanding 
 mien. As a companion, he was genial and pleasant, and as a com- 
 pany commander, respected and loved by his men. He was mus- 
 tered out of the service by the great Captain of all armies Janu- 
 ary twenty-first, 1863. Of our patriotic dead of Nashville, I 
 remember Lieutenant David B. Colehour. He was a fine boy, 
 and every inch a soldier. His frank, open face, and large, gener- 
 ous heart, made everybody his friend. No braver soldier ever 
 died, more regretted, than did our Lieutenant boy. The country, 
 in his death, met a great loss, but heaven acquired a rich gain. 
 He was transferred from the Ninety-Second to heaven's glorious 
 army March seventeenth, 1863. 
 
 Save the hardy mountaineers of the Cumberland Range, the 
 people of Tennessee were not very loyal people, hence the crystal 
 well, and the singing rill furnished us with pure, sparkling, cold
 
 374 NINBTT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 water to drink ; chickens, ducks, pigs, honey, sweet potatoes and 
 green corn, food to eat; and the fences, cedar rails with which to 
 cook our food. 
 
 While at Franklin, you remember, boys, the little pleasure trip 
 we took with Phil. Sheridan to Duck River? Phil, was so mad 
 that the Rebs would not stand and fight that he double-quicked 
 us all the way back to camp. You remember, too, while at Tri- 
 une, the Rebs had the impudence to move up and shell our camp? 
 While in line of battle, awaiting orders, the shells screaming over, 
 Brother Cartwright, who had just joined us as a new recruit 
 (Chaplain), came dashing along on his war-horse, a rifle upon his 
 shoulder, with the exclamation : " Why don't you move out, 
 boys? Move out and pitch into them ! " Brother Cartwright had 
 not yet learned the lesson which we had already conned over to 
 wait, wearily, patiently wait, for orders. 
 
 July second, 1863, was the day of jubilee for the Ninety-Sec- 
 ond, for then we were mounted, and armed with the Spencer 
 Rifle. I cannot stop to tell how we chased Bragg through Ten- 
 nessee a skirmish here, and a fight there; nor of the noble rivers 
 we crossed; nor of our fine encampments on the Cumberland 
 Range, from which we could see into five different States, bil- 
 lowy, sun-lit clouds beneath us, the serene blue above us; nor of 
 the beautiful valleys we passed through ; not even old Sequatchie, 
 whose rich crops of green corn saved us and our horses from star- 
 vation. By the way an incident: When we first descended 
 from the mountain into Sequatchie, you remember, boys, we ran 
 into a band of Rebs, capturing a few, the rest escaping up through 
 the valley? As we filed along the road, I noticed Brother Cart- 
 wright in the distance, in front of a mourning group. He called 
 to me ; I rode to his side, and there witnessed a heartrending 
 scene. It was a mother with a babe in her arms, and three or 
 four little ones clinging to her skirts. She was wringing her 
 hands in terrible agony, and was wild with grief. She said, "Oh ! 
 if you had only come a little sooner my husband would be living, 
 and this great sorrow would not be upon me. They (referring to 
 the flying Rebs) conscripted my husband this morning, saying he 
 should serve in the Confederate army. My husband told them he 
 loved his country, and would die before he would fight against the 
 old flag; they then led him out a little ways from the house, and 
 shot him down, murdering him before my eyes. Oh! he was 
 brave, he was good, he was true ; my poor, dear, dear, dead hus- 
 band!"
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 375 
 
 The great tears trembled down Brother Cartwright's cheeks 
 as he pointed the sorrow-stricken woman for comfort to the 
 Father of the fatherless, and the widow's Friend. 
 
 I must not, dear boys, linger to tell of our break-neck ride over 
 Lookout's craggy head, where Jo Hooker afterward fought the 
 Rebs above the clouds; nor how the Ninety-Second, being in ad- 
 vance of the entire army, and, charging the Rebs, your guns were 
 the first to echo and re-echo among the crags and ragged rocks of 
 Lookout Mountain; and how the Ninety-Second flag was the 
 first to float over Lookout's crest, and the first to wave over Chat- 
 tanooga. 
 
 The night of that day, September ninth, 1863, we encamped at 
 Boyce's plantation, which was an extensive grape vineyard. From 
 his cellars, you remember, boys, you rolled out several casks of 
 wine. Every man in the Regiment drank and became merry. 
 It was said that even the Chaplain drank, but of this there is no 
 proof; that he was merry, is true, for he was always merry. As 
 the canteens went round, gurgling out their sparkling contents 
 down the throats of Uncle Sam's boys, the joke, the laugh, and 
 the song were had. Every boy's heart was in tune, and they sang, 
 with Captain Becker, our favorite campaign song, as composed by 
 General Wolt, near the heights of Quebec : 
 
 " How stands the glass around? 
 For shame, ye take no care, my boys ; 
 How stands the glass around? 
 Let wine and mirth abound. 
 
 The bugles sound, the colors they are flying, boys ; 
 To fight, kill, or wound, 
 
 And may we be found, content with our hard fate, my boys, 
 On the cold ground. 
 
 Why, soldiers, why? 
 
 Should we be melancholy, boys? 
 
 Why, soldiers, why? 
 
 Whose business 'tis to die. 
 
 Such sighing! fie! drown care, drink on, my jolly boys, 
 
 'Tis he, you or I. 
 
 Cold, hot, wet or dry, we're always bound to follow, boys, 
 
 And scorn to fly. 
 
 'Tis but in vain; 
 
 I mean not to upbraid you, boys ; 
 
 'Tis but in vain,
 
 376 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 For a soldier to complain. 
 
 If next campaign sends us to Him who made us, boys, 
 
 We're freed from all pain. 
 
 But if we do remain, the bottle and kind sweetheart, boys, 
 
 Cures all again." 
 
 (At this point Captain Becker was called out, and sang, with 
 great effect, the foregoing song, when Major Woodcock resumed.) 
 
 Allow me to say that Boyce's wine was not very old; that the 
 strongest drink the Regiment was accustomed to imbibe was 
 coffee; that, if my memory serves me, I never saw a Ninety- 
 Second boy drunk, and I never expect to. The days that followed 
 were days of blood. September nineteenth and twentieth came 
 the terrible battle of Chicamauga. History describes it, but fails 
 to depict its horrors no pen nor tongue can do that. In it, boys, 
 you took an honorable part; some of you bear scars to-day of 
 wounds there received; some of you are cripples for life, Captain 
 Thompson, of Company E, of that number. Many of our brave 
 comrades sleep the sleep of death upon Chicamauga's bank. 
 
 In this battle was enacted a small theatrical scene. The actors 
 were General Atkins and a private of King's brigade. At the 
 time the earth was trembling, quaking beneath the united dis- 
 charge of a thousand cannon, while the roll of musketry 
 sounded like muttering thunder, King's brigade in front of us had 
 given way before the Rebs, and broke through our ranks. Gen- 
 erals Atkins, Sheets and others tried to rally them. As a boy 
 was dashing by, the General ordered, " Halt! " Boy halted. Gen- 
 eral said, "Fall into your ranks!" Boy said, "Show me my 
 ranks." General said, " Fall into these ranks," pointing to the 
 Ninety-Second. Boy said, "I won't!" General Atkins's sabre 
 gleamed in the sunlight as he brought it up in the attitude of the 
 downward stroke. Boy wheeled into position of guard against 
 cavalry. Pantomime General Atkins, towering up to his full 
 heighth, his blade gleaming, quivering as it was about descending 
 upon the boy's skull; boy at a guard, with long Enfield Rifle, a 
 wicked, glittering bayonet on its end, pointed at the General's 
 breast, ready to parry. The pantomime lasted just three seconds, 
 when the Rebel fiends, howling like devils in their charge, caused 
 the curtains to drop upon the scene. 
 
 In the month of April, 1864, the Regiment was stationed at 
 Ringgold, doing out-post dutv for Sherman's army. From Ring- 
 gold, in a south-west direction, for many miles extends Taylor's
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 377 
 
 Ridge, a rocky, sharp-crested mountain, being a part of the Cum- 
 berland Range. On the opposite side of this mountain was the 
 Rebel army. Along this range, to a distance of ten miles from 
 camp, were established the outposts, or videttes. The mounted 
 men were so few in number that to occupy this space, the videttes 
 had to be stationed too far apart ; so distant that, in a dark night, 
 the enemy could pass between the videttes unseen. We who did 
 this duty knew that we were isolated from the command, and in 
 great danger of being killed or captured, but it was our business to 
 obey orders. A detail for forty-eight hours, every other morning, 
 was made from the Regiment for this duty. When the detail 
 would start from camp for the mountain, we were wont to say 
 jocosely, "Good-bye, boys;" but we meant it, and the boys knew 
 it. On the morning of the twenty-second of April, Captain Sco- 
 ville, with about forty men from the Ninety-Second, was detailed 
 for the ridge. As the Captain, with his men mounted and 
 equipped, were making their way out of the camp for the field of 
 danger, as usual you called out, " Good-bye, Lieutenant Scoville, 
 good-bye, boys." " Good-bye, good-bye," was the response. It 
 was the last good-bye spoken by many of that noble band. The 
 night following was very dark. The Rebels, as we had feared, 
 passed between the videttes, and accumulated a large force in the 
 rear of our men; they barricaded the road in the direction of camp. 
 A heavy force then charged over the ridge; the boys were sur- 
 rounded ; they fought with desperation ; several were killed in the 
 fight; crushed with overwhelming numbers, they surrendered. 
 The Rebels, on horseback, started for the gap below. Our boys, on 
 foot, were ordered to keep up with them as they trotted their 
 horses. In rear of the boys rode the Rebel Lieutenant Pointer, 
 cursing them with every breath, threatening to shoot the first 
 man that failed to keep up. Soon, overtaxed, nature began to 
 fail; as a bov's breath grew short and thick, his form to stagger, 
 and his speed to diminish, Pointer, that fiend incarnate, would 
 shoot him through the heart. Several had thus been cruelly 
 murdered, when Willie Cattanach, of Company B, began to totter 
 and his strength to fail. Pointer threatened; Willie plead, "Don't 
 shoot me, I'll keep up." Regardless of his entreaty, Pointer fired; 
 the ball struck the noble boy, but he did not fall, and continued his 
 exertion to keep up; the black-hearted villain fired again, the ball 
 passing through Willie's lungs, inflicting a terrible wound. 
 Willie fell, mortally wounded, but lived long enough to tell the 
 heart-rending story. Oh! what a terrile crime! Can such a 
 47
 
 378 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 wretchgounpunished? I trow not. If he is not already suffer- 
 ing for his crime, a terrible retribution will overtake him. The 
 next morning we gathered up ten dead ones, of whom the largest 
 part were foully murdered. The larger part of those who escaped 
 murder by the hand of Pointer, were afterward murdered by star- 
 vation and terrible suffering in Andersonville Prison. The vows 
 of vengeance on the part of the Regiment were terrible. You 
 declared, boys, you would never take another prisoner, but 
 would shoot every Rebel that fell into your power. A few days 
 afterward, I noticed you took some prisoners. I noticed, too, how 
 well you kept your vows of a terrible revenge. This is the 
 manner in which you shot them down : " Johnny, are you hun- 
 gry?" " Yes." "Sit down, then, by me on this log, and try some 
 of Uncle Sam's hard-tack and sow-belly." " Johnny, have they 
 any coffee where you came from?" "No, blockade can't get 
 any." " Try a little coffee and sugar in this tin cup." " Where's 
 your blouse, Johnny ?" " Hain't got none." "Here, take mine; 
 I can get another from the Quartermaster." 
 
 I must not stop to tell of your advance from Ringgold to the 
 OoStanaula; thence to the Etowa; thence to the Chattahoochee, 
 fighting your way as you went. I must not linger to tell of your 
 raid about Atlanta, in which, for five davs and nights, you were 
 constantly in the saddle, without a wink of sleep or rest, unless 
 you caught it on horse, being almost constantly under fire, and 
 in which Captain Billy Mayer and others received scars; but I 
 will relate one day's experience in Sherman's flank movement 
 that gave us Atlanta. 
 
 At seven o'clock on the morning of August thirtieth, 1864, 
 we moved on the road toward Jonesboro, having the advance of 
 the army of the Tennessee. General Howard was in command 
 of that army, General Logan commanding the Fifteenth corps. 
 We skirmished with the Rebs constantly, driving them easily 
 till we reached Bethsaida Church, where, bevond an open field, 
 they were massed behind a long line of works. Generals Logan 
 and Kilpatrick reconnoitered the position. Kilpatrick said, "Logan, 
 throw forward some of your infantry, and charge them out." 
 Logan said, ."Kilpatrick, you are a charging man, charge your- 
 self." The General then ordered Colonel Baldwin, of the 5th 
 Kentucky Cavalry, to make the charge. The Colonel replied, 
 " I'll be d d if I do it. It's not the business of cavalry to charge 
 fortifications." Colonel Baldwin, not long after, went under arrest. 
 The order then came to the Ninety-Second : " With the Regi-
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 379 
 
 ment on horseback you will charge those works, and drive out 
 the Rebs." The question was asked, " May we not charge on 
 foot, as we were accustomed to do?" The reply was, " You 
 will charge on horseback." Kilpatrick wished to show his cav- 
 alry. Boys, you remember how hard it was to wheel the horses 
 into line in that tangled wildwood, beneath a galling fire, the 
 bullets rattling like hail against the trees. Some of you shouted, 
 " Let us charge on foot." The reply was, " No; we are ordered 
 to charge on horse." The command was given, " Forward." 
 Like wild mad-caps you dashed over that field, and threw your 
 horses against the works; you brought your Spencers down and 
 pumped fire into that living mass; stricken with fear, they fled. 
 The ground along the works was strown with Rebel dead and 
 dying. Some prisoners you took. One boy of Company I, in 
 his excitement, sprung from his horse upon the back of a big 
 Johnny, and, grabbing him by the collar, dragged him over the 
 works, and, leading him up to Captain Becker, said: "Cap, here's 
 a prisoner; what shall I do with him?" The Captain said, "Take 
 him back to the rear." The boy said, "I have not time, Cap; 
 you take him back; I want to go for another!" Captain Becker, 
 at the time you told me the boy's name ; I have forgotten it. Is 
 he present? This charge cost us valuable lives, though the Rebs 
 lost ten to our one. Here Lieutenant Dawson, of Company H, 
 was mortally wounded, than whom a better, braver soldier never 
 lived. His loss to Company H, and to the Regiment, was irrepa- 
 rable. His body sleeps by the Chattahoochee; but his noble, 
 daring spirit finds rest up yonder in the soldier's paradise. We 
 moved forward again on the Jonesboro Road till we reached a 
 valley, where we were ordered to halt. Here we witnessed a 
 most splendid artillery duel. On the range of hills east of us 
 was Rebel artillery; on a western summit our batteries were in 
 position. We were midway between the two. It was a grand 
 scene to witness. White wreaths of smoke curled upward from 
 the guns, white wreaths from the bursting shells; Rebel shot 
 howled over us ; our shells screamed back again. Thunder 
 answered to thunder, peal to peal, crash to crash! Earth fairly 
 shook. Our boys beat. The Rebel gunners limbered up, and 
 rumbled away. Onward we moved, still toward Jonesboro. We 
 marched till we reached Flint River Valley, about two miles from 
 town. As we looked down from the hill, we saw the river, a 
 bridge spanning it; Rebel x ranks were guarding the bridge, and 
 about to destroy it. "Forward the Ninety-Second!" was the
 
 380 N1NETT-SBCOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 order. "Charge the Rebs, save the bridge !" At our request we 
 charged on foot. On the run you went in, cheer upon cheer 
 uttered as you dashed upon the Rebs. They could not stand the 
 blaze of your Spencers ; they fled. The bridge was saved. As 
 you were returning to your horses, you met Generals Howard 
 and Osterhaus. General Howard said, " Boys, that was a splen- 
 ' did charge; you are a noble Regiment." Osterhaus said, " Das 
 ist ein goot Regiment; dey trills de infantry trill." Each of you, 
 after these compliments, felt as big as a full-fledged Major 
 General ; and you had a right to feel thus, for you were good, 
 brave, noble boys. Had you been ordered to charge into the very 
 jaws of death, I believe you would have done it. As soon as 
 mounted, Kilpatrick said, "Captain Estes will accompany you, 
 and give you my orders." We moved down the hill, and as we 
 were crossing the bridge you heard Estes say to an infantry Colo- 
 nel who stood by, "Colonel, the cavalry will beat the infantry. 
 We are going right into Jonesboro." We made a right turn as 
 we crossed the bridge, and marched down the left bank of the 
 river. The shades of night were falling. You had marched and 
 fought the blessed day through no rest; no dinner, no coflFee or 
 little hard-tack in your stomachs. After moving about a mile 
 and a half down the river, you came to a swale; it was getting 
 quite dark. Some of you said, " Yonder are the Rebels! I see 
 their line; there are hundreds and hundreds of them." Estes 
 replied, "It's a d d lie; there's not a Rebel between us and 
 Jonesboro." As we crossed the swale, and reached the foot of a 
 hill, a rolling volley of musketry greeted us. Estes said, "The 
 General directs that you dismount your command, charge the 
 hill, take it, and hold it." He then moved rapidly to the rear. In 
 advance of the rest of our Division, we knew not how far, the line 
 of the Rebel army running across the top of that hill; we 
 ordered to charge the hill, take and hold it. Great God, what a 
 task! " Prepare to fight on foot," was the order. 
 
 " Was there a man dismayed? 
 Not tho' the soldier knew 
 Some one had blundered; 
 Theirs not to make reply, 
 Theirs not to reason why; 
 Theirs but to do and die. 
 Into the Valley of Death 
 Rode the Six Hundred."
 
 NINETT-SECOND ILLINOIS. 381 
 
 " Forward ! " was the command. How like demons you fought 
 your way up that hill. Terrible was the roll of your Spencers. 
 The incessant, unbroken fire of your guns the Rebs, though ten 
 to your one, could not withstand. Dismayed, they recoiled, and 
 fled back to the foot of the hill. "Lie down!" was the order. 
 You obeyed. How closely, how lovingly you hugged old mother 
 earth ; had you not done it, there would probably have been but 
 one Reuion of the Ninety-Second, and that up yonder, for fire 
 to the right of you, fire in front of you, fire to the left of you, 
 volleyed and flamed! Should you live till you are wrinkled and 
 gray, you can never forget the terrible hissing, whistling, and 
 whizzing of bullets above you. It seems as if ten thousand col- 
 onies of bees were let loose in the trees about you. One, two 
 and three different messengers were sent back with the word : 
 " We hold the hill, send us reinforcements or further orders." 
 The Division had come up. The balance of our Brigade tried to 
 form on our left, but could not; had they succeeded, a general 
 engagement of the two armies would have ensued. Orders 
 came " Fall back." 
 
 " Stormed at with shot and shell, 
 While horse and hero fell, 
 They that had fought so well 
 Came thro' the jaws of Death, 
 Back from the mouth of Hell, 
 All that was left of them." 
 
 One-fifth of our number engaged were killed or wounded, and 
 nearly all while lying flat upon the ground. As we were moving 
 back, we met Colonel Murray; he exclaimed, "God bless the 
 Ninety Second! Such terrific firing I never heard; I feared that 
 not a man of you would come out alive. Brave, brave boys!" 
 As he thus complimented you, the tears were streaming down his 
 cheeks. In this fight, Lieutenant Sammis was twice wounded, one 
 wound crippling him for life. It was midnight before we sank to 
 rest on the ground. Thus ended an eventful day in the history 
 of the Ninety-Second. A day or two after, General Howard 
 issued an order to Kilpatrick, complimenting him for the brilliant 
 diversion made by the cavalry on his right, which enabled him to 
 get his men into line without firing a gun. The brilliant diversion 
 referred to was made by you, bovs, and by you alone. 
 
 Brother Cartwright's little sermons, so warm from the heart, 
 that he talked to you down yonder, seldom exceeded twenty
 
 382 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 minutes. We always thought it safe to follow his example. I 
 fear in my little talk to-day I shall digress somewhat from it ; but 
 I'll hasten. 
 
 I'll not stop to tell how General Atkins, with his Brigade, 
 pounced upon the Rebs at Macon, making them believe that city 
 was Sherman's objective point, which enabled the army to swing 
 to the east, getting between the Rebs and the sea. In that charge 
 you had the post of honor the advance. Brother Cartwright 
 undertook to pick up the Rebel wounded your Spencers had scat- 
 tered along the road, most of whom were shot through the head, 
 but he found the job too big. I'll not tell of your triumphant 
 march through Milledgeville, the Capitol of Georgia, our Brass 
 Brand,, led by Collen Bauden, playing Yankee Doodle in finest 
 style. Neither must I relate how well you acted as rear guard of 
 the Division, Sunday, November twenty-seventh, while moving 
 toward Waynesboro, Wheeler's whole command following close 
 in you steps. Charge after charge of Rebs you repulsed ; many 
 saddles you emptied, horses going back riderless. The next 
 morning General Kilpatrick said, "Atkins, the Ninety-Second 
 must again act as rear guard to-day;" General Atkins replied, 
 "The boys are worn and weary from yesterday's toil ; they ought 
 not to bear the brunt again today." Kilpatrick said, "They 
 must." Atkins replied, "They shall not; if you think the other 
 brigade can not take its turn on duty, I will again march in rear 
 with my Brigade, but the Ninety-Second shall not be the rear 
 Regiment." General Kilpatrick, with a little profanity, yielded, 
 but not with a very good grace. I will not tell of the fight you 
 had .at Buckhead Creek, in which Kilpatrick lost his hat, and 
 came near being captured; the liebs, after our Division went into 
 line behind barricades, meeting a terrible repulse, losing some two 
 hundred men. Wheeler, and his command, were growing more 
 and more insolent every dav. It was necessary they should have 
 a good drubbing. Sunday morning, December fourth, you were 
 ordered to strip for fight. The night previous you had been on 
 picket, so annoyed by Rebel shells that you got no rest. You had 
 had no breakfast. You loaded up with cartridges. General Atkins 
 was ordered to open the fight. The General directed that you 
 should charge on foot in the centre, and the cavalry on your right 
 and left, mounted. Our artillery opened up in fine style. On 
 foot, in line of battle, you moved forward till you came to a creek, 
 which you waded. As you halted on the opposite bank to re-form 
 your line, you saw the enemy. On the crest of the hill beyond
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 383 
 
 frowned their works; those barricades swarmed and were gray 
 with Rebels. Wheeler's whole command was in and about them. 
 Their battle-flags floated in defiance. You could see the gleam 
 of their guns pointed at you, as at a rest they were taking aim. 
 You knew when that death volley came, many of you would go 
 down; but you were not daunted. Victory you were resolved 
 to win. " Forward !" was the command. " Charge for the works ! 
 On, boys! On!" Up that hill you double-quicked. When near 
 the works, a sheet of flame volleyed at you down went some of 
 your numbers; the Rebs had fired high. Cheer upon cheer you 
 now sent up, for you knew you had them. Like mad you sprang 
 forward, threw yourselves upon the works, pumped fire from your 
 Spencers at the Rebs as you climbed up. Down upon the Johnnies 
 you leaped, capturing almost as many Rebels as you had men in 
 your Regiment. You did not stop here; you ordered your pris- 
 oners back to the cavalry, and forward you dashed, driving the 
 Rebs from a lesser line of works. In consternation they fled. In 
 grand confusion they were mingled together in a large open field, 
 each in the other's way, struggling to get to the rear. An un- 
 broken sheet of flame rolled at them from your Spencers. 
 "Where's the cavalry? Where's the cavalry?" some of you 
 shouted. "Oh! what a glorious chance for a cavalry charge!" 
 The cavalry were not up to time the golden moment was lost. 
 The Rebs got on the Waynesboro road, and oh! how they did 
 skedaddle! Kilpatrick came up, and in his fine, piping voice 
 screamed out, " Boys, barricades don't stop you, do they?" You 
 shouted in reply, " We want our breakfast." Said he, " Ride into 
 yonder wood, and make your coffee." Of our hero boys that here 
 fell, I must speak of but one brave, noble Geede Scott, of Com- 
 pany D, General Atkins's Brigade color-bearer. As you were 
 dashing forward in your charge, sending up cheer after cheer, 
 Geede rose in his stirrups and cheered with you, waving in triumph 
 the Brigade flag. A Rebel shot struck him ; he fell. You were 
 victorious over the enemy he, over death. He was transferred 
 to the command up yonder, to become a standard-bearer in the 
 shining ranks of Heaven's great army. 
 
 December fifteenth, 1864, from Midway Church some of you 
 went to Sunbury Sound, and there watered your horses in the 
 Atlantic. I believe you said your horses did not relish its briny 
 waters; but that you very much relished the big, fat oysters you 
 swallowed from the shell, seasoned with a little Atlantic 
 brine. December twenty-second, 1864, Sherman presented to
 
 384 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 President Lincoln the city of Savannah, with one hundred and fifty 
 heavy guns, much ammunition, and twenty five thousand bales 
 of cotton. A little rest beneath the giant live oaks, and you were 
 away upon the Carolina campaign. 
 
 February eleventh, 1865, you were in front of Aiken, S. C. 
 Wheeler's whole command and Cheatham's division of infantry 
 were there. About the town in horse-shoe shape the Rebs were 
 formed, a little retired and concealed from view. The road into 
 the town was open, a column of Rebs in the town being in line of 
 battle. Kilpatrick said, "Atkins, had you not better charge into 
 the town?" Atkins replied, " I think not; I believe the Rebs are 
 massed in heavy force in and about it; but if you order it, I will 
 charge." The order was given. " Forward the Ninety-Second," 
 was the command. "Charge into the town !" Away you went, 
 boys, flying into the town. You struck the column of Rebs 
 there, hurling them back. While you were thus charging, the 
 Rebs outside of the town in massive columns closed in upon your 
 rear, cutting you off, and surrounding you. Kilpatrick, who had 
 witnessed the movement, said, " There's a Regiment gone to 
 hell !" But to that hot place, boys, you did not go, and I hope 
 you never will. " Right about," was the order. "Charge for 
 your lives! Fight your way through ! Surrender, never!" You 
 charged, throwing yourselves upon the enemy; they were ten to 
 your one; the shock was so heavy it broke your slender line into 
 atoms. Each was then his own General, and fought on his own 
 hook. How nobly you did it, shooting down every man who con- 
 fronted you. A majority came through, but a portion still 
 remained in the coils of the enemy. You reformed, and, with 
 the gth Ohio and gth Michigan, you charged again, driving back 
 the Rebs, and rescuing the remainder of your comrades. A his- 
 tory of your daring deeds that day would make a book; few were 
 captured, but many killed and wounded. As you were charging 
 back, several Rebs took after Kilpatrick, and chased him in fine 
 style. The General called out, " Shoot the d d Rebs, shoot 
 them !" Several Spencers cracked, the Rebs fell, and General 
 Kilpatrick and his spotted horse were saved. A big overgrown 
 Reb charged Colonel Van Buskirk ; their steeds came together 
 with a heavy shock ; both riders were thrown to the ground ; 
 Colonel Van Buskirk was first to his feet, and with his heavy 
 navy revolver, which he had before emptied, he struck the rising 
 Reb upon the head, prostrating him again to the earth. Ed. 
 Webb, of Company B, shot his antagonist, and led off his horse
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 385 
 
 and accoutrements. Thus I might relate a daring adventure of 
 each of you, had I time. I wrote Captain Becker, asking him for 
 incidents to relate. He replied, " Ridicule the officers, but praise 
 the boys, for they deserve it. You may tell how I lost my hat 
 at Florence, and how at Aiken my old sabre was so rusted in the 
 scabbard I had to take both hands to draw it." I will add what 
 the Captain did not tell me, but what I know. Two big Rebs 
 confronted him, contemplating his capture. Captain Becker, in 
 tones of thunder, yelled at them, " Get out of my road, you 
 rascals, or I'll smash you!" As the Captain made for them, they 
 thought discretion the better part of valor, and fled. It appears 
 that Captain Becker thought his sword was in better condition to 
 " smash" than to cut. 
 
 Many were your fights and skirmishes in the Carolinas. 
 
 April twelfth, 1865, you reached a branch of the Neuse River, 
 as the Rebs were in the act of destroying the bridge. You drove 
 them from it. As you halted to repair it, news came from Sher- 
 man that Lee had surrendered. O, how the sky echoed and re- 
 echoed again with your exultant cheers! The bridge repaired, you 
 crossed. The Rebs charged you; you repulsed them, and, in 
 return, charged them, driving them up the road, over the hill, and 
 away to the railroad, and beyond it. While at the railroad, a 
 train of cars came dashing along. You halted it. Ex-Governor 
 Swain and others stepped out. General Atkins received them, 
 and, for the first time, in the Governor beheld his future father- 
 in-law. The Governor was bearing to Sherman the surrender 
 of the city of Raleigh. The battle fought that day, my com- 
 rades, was your last, and your trusty Spencers there fired the last 
 shots of the war. In it the Regiment lost valuable lives. Of the 
 wounded was our respected President, who fell in the thickest of 
 the fight. Though maimed and deformed for life, he is loved and 
 respected by his comrades, and esteemed and honored by the 
 people among whom his lot is cast. 
 
 Of our noble patriot dead, their graves are scattered along the 
 line of our march, from the banks of the Ohio through to the 
 sea, and thence northward through the Carolinas. Their heroic 
 spirits, I believe, are here to-day, hovering over us at this 
 moment, and enjoying the blessedness of this home scene. 
 
 Sergeant Bloss, of Company K, who fell mortally wounded in 
 
 the charge at Powder Springs, Georgia, after commending his 
 
 wife and babes to the care of Omnipotence, said : " My life is 
 
 a part of the price of freedom ; cheerfully I die." Brave words, 
 
 48
 
 386 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 and true. Our fallen heroes died in freedom's cause the noblest 
 death allotted to man. 
 
 In the words of others: 
 
 " Their names will thrill the coming ages as they are spoken 
 by the tongues of the eloquent; and their deeds will forever be 
 chanted by immortal minstrels." Manning. 
 
 "Every mountain and hill shall have its treasured name; 
 every river shall keep some solemn title; every vallev and every 
 lake shall cherish its honored register. And till the mountains 
 are worn out, and the rivers forget to flow, till the clouds are 
 weary of replenishing springs, and the springs forget to gush, 
 and the rills to sing, shall their names be kept fresh with reverent 
 honors, which are inscribed upon the book ot National Remem- 
 brance." Beechcr. 
 
 Mr. President, dear comrades, and brothers : Let us so live 
 that when tattoo with us shall sound, and the lights of our lives 
 shall be blown out, we may lie down to rest, having well fought 
 life's battle, and nobly done our duty in life's campaign, in full 
 accord with that Book of Regulations that was written by God's 
 own hand; that when resurrection morn shall come, and you 
 awake to the peals of Gabriel's trump, as he blows reveille, you, 
 with the boys down yonder, will rise triumphant to form a part of 
 the great Reunion of the army of God, in Heaven's blessed 
 encampment. 
 
 Major Woodcock's address was received with many demon- 
 strations of applause, and was heartily cheered at its close. Music 
 by the Band followed, when Major Hawk announced a business 
 meeting of the members of the Ninety-Second Illinois, in the 
 court-room, and with a benediction by the Chaplain the out-door 
 audience was dismissed; not, however, without an urgent invita- 
 tion to report promptly on the grounds at six o'clock for supper. 
 
 The business meeting was opened by prayer, and the Presi- 
 dent stated the object to be to select a place for the next Reunion, 
 and to elect officers for the coming three years. General Sheets 
 tendered an invitation on behalf ot Oregon, Ogle County, to the 
 Association, to hold its next Reunion there on September fourth, 
 1876. Mr. King tendered a like, invitation on behalf of Rochelle. 
 On motion, the invitation from Oregon was accepted, and Ore- 
 gon, Ogle County, fixed as the place of the next Reunion of the 
 Ninety-Second Illinois Volunteers, and September fourth, 1876, 
 fixed as the time. General B. F. Sheets, late Lieutenant Colonel
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 38? 
 
 of the Ninety-Second Illinois, was unanimously chosen President 
 of the Association. 
 
 Major Hawk made a touching and feeling address to his com- 
 rades, on retiring from the Presidential chair. A vote of thanks 
 was unanimously tendered Major Hawk. General Sheets, on 
 assuming the chair, returned thanks for the honor, and promised 
 to serve as faithfully as he knew how. John M. King, Esq., late 
 Corporal of Company B, Ninety-Second Illinois, was unani- 
 mously elected Vice-President. Richard H. Lee, Esq., late 
 private of Company B, was unanimously elected Secretary. E. 
 A. Irvine, Esq., late Sergeant of Company B, was unanimously 
 elected Corresponding Secretary. 
 
 A Committee was appointed to prepare and publish a History 
 of the Ninety-Second Illinois Volunteers. 
 
 Thanks were returned to Major Woodcock for his able 
 address, and a copy requested for publication. Major Hawk 
 was unanimously chosen as the orator for September fourth, 
 1876. The Major was taken by surprise, and vainly tried to 
 decline, but they would not let him off. He intimated that they 
 would get the worst of it in the end . One of the boys said, 
 " Cram in a big load, Major, and we will take the chances on your 
 firing off your mouth." 
 
 The following letters and telegrams were then read : 
 
 INDIANAPOLIS, IND., July 2, 1873. 
 
 DEAR GENERAL: Your note of invitation to the third trien- 
 nial Reunion of the Ninety-Second Illinois Regiment has just 
 reached me. I regret to say I cannot go. I well remember the first 
 time I saw the Ninety-Second, with you at their head, just begin- 
 ning their glorious career, their uniforms new, their guns bright, 
 their flags unsullied by battle smoke or shot, their men bright- 
 eyed, buoyant. It seems but yesterday, so powerful and brave; 
 gone now, scattered, dead. Who can answer the muster roll? 
 Where are the shot-torn and ragged flags? Where the well 
 burnished instruments of death? All have vanished like a pa- 
 geant, and the mighty war itself, rocking thirty millions of 
 people on its stormy waves, has vanished too. 
 
 But it was not all a dream; personally, life-enduring friend- 
 ships were formed; politically, the greatest results were wrought 
 out; and all time shall bear witness to the patriotism and devotion 
 of the men who risked their lives to do it.
 
 388 NlNETT-S&COtfD ILLINOIS. 
 
 I wish you all a most happy Reunion, and long life to the 
 brave men of the Ninety-Second. 
 
 Yours truly, JOHN COBURN. 
 
 To General S. D. Atkins. 
 
 IOWA FALLS, IOWA, Sept. i, 1873. 
 CAPTAIN E. T. E. BECKER : 
 
 My Dear Captain and Comrade: I had fondly anticipated 
 meeting you and the old comrades of the Ninety-Second at this 
 Reunion, but business has ordered otherwise. But though absent 
 in person, will be with you in mind. Words are inadequate to 
 express the true admiration and gratitude I have for the comrades 
 of the old Ninety-Second, with whom I have been in many well 
 fought battles, and, through you, extend the hand of friendship 
 and fellowship, and the many regrets that I am not able to be 
 with you at this, your third triennial Reunion. 
 
 Yours truly, M. VAN BUSKIRK. 
 
 FREEPORT, ILL., Sept. 4, 1873. 
 MAJOR R. M. A. HAWK, Mt. Carroll: 
 
 Please present regrets and warmest greetings to my old com- 
 rades. I am celebrating a Reunion at home. It is a big boy ! 
 
 LAWYER. 
 
 The business meeting then adjourned, and the Ninety-Second 
 boys again mingled with their friends in the Court House Square. 
 The soldiers had come, bringing with them their wives and 
 babies, their fathers and mothers, their cousins and sweethearts, 
 and friends, and such happy groups as were there are seldom 
 seen. Some had come more than a thousand miles to attend the 
 Reunion. Stories of the camp and battle went around again, 
 and the merry mood of all told plainly that they knew where the 
 laugh came in. And tears started too, sometimes, when the 
 names of beloved comrades, who had fallen, were mentioned. It 
 was a Reunion where patriotism was both sanctified and born 
 in which the past was honored, and the future made more secure. 
 Promptly at six o'clock, supper was announced. They assembled 
 in an orderly manner around the long tables, and reverently 
 bowed their heads while the good old Chaplain returned thanks, 
 and asked God's blessing. And such .a supper! Smoking hot 
 coffee for the soldiers, and tea for the ladies! Cold chicken, 
 turkey, ham, beef, mutton, buttered rolls, cake in endless variety,
 
 NINETY-SECOND ILLINOIS. 389 
 
 grapes, apples, and ice cream! And the free gift, too, of the 
 generous people of Mt. Carroll. The ladies of that goodly city 
 were again the waiting maids. Again there was abundance, and 
 no hurry or confusion. 
 
 With the gathering shades of night the grove was lighted up 
 with Chinese lanterns, and when the Band struck up, the audience 
 assembled around the speaker's stand. The President called it 
 to order, and the Chaplain offered prayer, when the President read 
 the first toast "The Fifteenth Illinois Infantry," which was re- 
 sponded to by Major Adam Nase, the present Collector of 
 Internal Revenue for this District. Major Nase was wounded in 
 battle, and after having his leg amputated by Rebel surgeons, 
 came back home by way of Libby Prison. His speech was full 
 of patriotism and eloquence, and we regret that we cannot give 
 it in full. We have not room for any of the patriotic and eloquent 
 addresses made in the evening. We can only give in order the 
 toasts, and the names of those who responded : " The 34th Illi- 
 nois;" response by Dr. John S. Hostetter; an able address. The 
 boys loudly called for General Atkins, when the General appeared 
 and made a short speech. General Sheets was also called out, 
 and made a humorous address. "The 45th Illinois;" response by 
 Captain J. M. Adair, in an excellent speech. " The 52d Illinois;" 
 response by Captain S. S. Dunn. " The 96th Illinois;" response 
 by Moses Furlong. "The igth Illinois;" response by Captain 
 W. H. Wildey. " The 8th Illinois Cavalry ;" response by John H. 
 Bowman. " The 7th Illinois Cavalry;" response by T. G. Smith. 
 " The 55th Illinois;" response by D. B. Smith. " The i4th Iowa;" 
 response by Rev. Mr. Kinen. "The West Virginia Cavalry ;" 
 response by Rev. W. H. Tibbals. " The 3d Wisconsin ;" response 
 by Charles Vandergrift. " The 146111 New York ;" response by 
 D. W. Hughes. " The 2Oth Wisconsin;" response by Captain H. 
 Vandergrift. The toasts were interspersed with fine music by the 
 Black Oak Band. During the evening Captain Becker (old dad) 
 was twice called out, once to sing " The Trundle Bed Song," and 
 once to sing " The Soldiers' Song." The good old Chaplain was 
 called out, and responded feelingly. Thanks were returned to the 
 people of Mt. Carroll, with three cheers and a tiger, and three 
 cheers and a tiger were given by the Ninety-Second boys for 
 their comrades of other regiments. The proceedings proper 
 closed with prayer by the Chaplain, and a benediction. But while 
 waiting for the 'busses to convey them to the cars, the boys called 
 for Becker to lead in the song, " We'll rally around the flag,
 
 390 N1NETT-SBCOND ILLINOIS. 
 
 boys," and " John Brown's body lies mouldering in the grave," 
 while old and young joined in the chorus, and made the rock- 
 bound hills of Mt. Carroll echo with their songs. So ended one 
 of the happiest Soldiers' Reunions ever held in Northern 
 Illinois.
 
 HECKMAN 
 
 BINDERY INC. 
 
 MAY 95 
 
 -Pl.a.J' N.MANCHESTER.
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA