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YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

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LIFE IN THE MIDDLE
WEST

Reminiscences of
J. S. CLARK

The Advance Publishing Company
223 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago

Qc.17, I5¦^

COINTEINTS
Chapter I — Pages
The Beginnings of the Clark Family  7-9
Chapter 11 —
Making a Farm in Indiana  10-33
Boyhood Days  19-24
Markets in Those Days  25-27
Great Gulf and Windfall  27, 28
Pioneer Settlers of Indiana  28-30
Barly Settlers from the South  30-33
Chapter III —
Leaving Indiana for Iowa  34-3S
Barly Days in lowa  38-42
Starting to College  42, 43
Chapter IV —
Election of Lincoln and the Civil War  44-46
The First Iowa Regiment  46-50
Illustration (J. S. Clark, private)  48
Eebel Spirit in Missouri  50-53
Meeting Lyon at Booneville  53-59
Happy Land of Canaan  59-63
Springfield and Wilson Creek  63-72
Illustration (General Nathaniel Lyon)  68
Discharge and' Return to Iowa  72, 73
Nine Months More in College  73-75
Chapter V —
Thirty-fourth Iowa Regiment  76-78
Illustration (General G. W. Clark)  77
In Camp Lauman, Burlington  78-80
Going Into Eebeldom  80-83
First Assault on Vicksburg  83-85
Battle and Capture of Arkansas Post  85-88
Going North with Prisoners  88-90
Serious Ulness — Made Captain  90, 91
Chapter VI —
Siege and Capture of Vicksburg  92-97
Vicksburg National Park and Cemetery  97, 98
Chapter VII — '
Going Down the River to Ncm^ Orleans .... 99-101
New Orleans  101, 102
Across the Gulf to Texas  103, 104
A Winter in Texas  105-109

Chapter VIII —
Recross the Gulf to New Orleans  110, 111
Joining General Banks up the Red River .... 111-115
Delightful Stay in Baton Rouge  115, 116
Pirst Movement on MobUe  116, 117
Chapter IX —
Home on a Recruiting Trip  118, 119
Pensacola, Florida, and the Camp there .... 120-122
Chapter X —
Final Movement Against MobUe  123-127
Chapter XI —
Up the Alabama River to Selma  128, 129
Going to Houston, Texas  129-135
Chapter XII —
College Life after the War  136-143
A Vacation Peddling Pictures  143-145
A Winter Teaching Country School  146
Graduation and Return to Iowa  146, 147
Chapter VIII —
Choosing a Profession  148-150
Deputy United States Marshall  150-152
Practicing Law  152, 153
My First Law Case  153-155
Chapter XIV —
Change from Law to Insurance  156-161
Illustration (Captain J. S. Clark)  160
Chapter XV —
My Domestic Life  162-172
Illustration (Mrs. J. S. Clark)  164
A Lucky Business Deal  172, 173
Death Enters Our Home  173, 174
Chapter XVI —
Veterans of the Civil War  175-178
MUitary Order of the Loyal Legion  178, 179
Grand Armv of the Republic  179-182
Chapter XVII—
Inventions and Discoveries  183-188
Seeking a Warmer Climate  188-193
La JoUa  193-197
After Sixty-one Years  197-199
Appendix  200-226

LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST

CHAPTER I
THE BEGINNINGS OF THE CLARK FAMILY
In the year 1916 I am seventy five years old', thus hav
ing passed the allotted period of a full life as flxed by King
David. I have lived a busy life, but have now retired and
am living on hoiTowed time, in rest and at peace with God
and all mankind.
I therefore will occupy a pa.rt of my time in setting
down some things of my life and times with the thought
that my posterity may find the story of interest. I was
born one fine Sunday moming seventy-five years ago, Octo
ber 17th, 1841 in a log cabin in the back woods of Johnson
County, Indiana, fifteen miles south of Indianapolis.
The time appears short to me since then. It seems only
yesterday, when as a little white headed boy I played in my
father's orchard and climbed the cherry trees, and enjoyed
mother's pancakes and apple dumplings.
But when I refiect that our nation was bom in 1776,
and had lived only sixty five years when 1 was born, and
has lived seventy-five years since ; and that I am older now
than it was then ; and that I have seen it grow frorn a com
paratively small state, little regarded by other countries,
into a mighty republic, leading all the nations of the world ;
the period of my life assumes greater proportions. When
my father was born, John Adams was president, he being
the second president of the United States. Indiana was an
unsetttied wilderness. When I was bom -John Tyler was
pi'csident, he being the tenth president of the XJnited States,
and there have been twenty since. And Iowa was wild
unoccupied prairie.
My father and mother were Archibald Glenn Clark and
Susan Wishard Clark, nee Alexander. My paternal grand
parents were Alexander Clark and Sarah Clark, nee Glenn.

8 LIFE IN THB MIDDLE WEST
My paternal great grandparents were Archibald Glemi and
Sarah Glenn, nee Furgison. My maternal grandparents
were William Alexander and Annis Alexander, nee Wish
ard. My maternal great grandparents were William Wish
ard and Susan Wishard, nee Ijittle.
My father was born in Kentucky April 8, 1800. My
mother was also a native ol the Blue Grass State, bom Feb
ruary 1, 1805, of which state also were both my grandpar
ents, Alexander and Sarah Clark. My great grandparents
Archibald and Sarah Glenn were both bom in Ireland. My
grandfather Alexander was bom in North Carolina May 7,
1770, and my grandmother Alexander in Pennsylvania,
seventeen miles south west of Philadelphia, December 25,
1775 ; both of her parents were natives of Scotland.
My great grandfather William Wishard was born in
Scotland in 1729, and on coining to the new world settled
in Pennsylvania. He became a member of Washington's
anny and fought in the battle of Brandywine, Deleware, to
which place he had previously removed. His father, my
great great grandfather, G eorge Wishard, was a Scotch dis
senter and was burned at the stake for heresy to the Catho
lic Church. Hisi family afterwards fled to Countj' Tyrone,
Ireland, and later came to Pemisylvaiiia.
My great grandfather Archibald Glenn came to Amer
ica from Ireland in 1770. He was about twenty years of age
and served with three brothers all through the Revolution
ary War. Their descendants are scattered all over the coun
try from ocean to ocean, and from the lakes on the north to
the gulf on the south. Thus it will be seen that I had an
cestors on both sides of the family in the Revolutionary
War; and when my brothers and myself enlisted for the
Civil War we were only keeping up the family record for
patriotism. When my father was nine years old, Abraham
Lincoln was bom near where he lived in Kentuclvy, and one
year later in the same locality Jefferson Davis was bom.
And a few years before my father moved into southern
Indiana, Lincoln moved with his father, a poor carpenter,
a kit of tools and several hundred gallons of whiskey across
the Ohio River into the same localitv, where he remained

THB BEGINNINGS OF THE CLARK FAMILY 9
until after my father located thore, when, in 1830 he moved
to Illinois. In the meantime Jefferson Davis had moved
with his family down into Mississippi.
My mother was born in Nicholas County, Kentucky.
When she was a young girl, approaching womanhood, her
mother's family was scattered, and she went to live ^vith her
uncle James Wishard in Muhlenburg County, Kentucky,
where she and my father met and where they were married
September 4th, 1823. They lived on a rented farm in that
locality for about two years. One child was born to them
there, July 24th, 1824, named Sallie Amiis for its two
grandmothers. When this baby was less than a year old,
my father and mother went on horseback two hundred
miles, carrying it on a pillow, to visit my mother's people
in Nicholas County. While there the baby sickened and
died at its grandmother's.
My cousin Dr. W. H. Wishard (who lately died in
Indianapolis in his ninety-ninth year), wrote me a letter
about that visit, in which he said:" I well remember the
day they came to our house on their way to see her mother.
The death of the child was a great sorrow to your father
and mother. They deposited it in mother earth never more
to see its grave, to return home childless. I shall never for
get the inexpressible anguish of your mother when they
started from father's."

CHAPTER II
MAKING A FARM IN INDIANA
December 20, 1825, father and mother started to move
to Indiana. Mother rode in a wagon driving the horses with
•a cow tied to the tail-gate and father walked, driving a small
bunch of sheep. Father had saved a little money, with
which he had bought one hundred and twenty acres of land,
of the government, for two dollars per acre, fifty cents per
aere cash down and the ballance on long time. When they
reached their land they were alone in the forest, only one
famUy within ten miles. Hugh McFadden had recently
located in that region.
They slept in the wagon until father could build a little
one- room log cabin. Here they began a life-time struggle
for both of them : he with his axe of siteel to hew out of that
tangled forest a small farm and provide food for a rapidly
increasing family; she to care for the home, to spin and
weave and make the clothing for the entire family.
Now there is, strictly spealdng, no frontier to fhe Unit
ed States. But then the larger part of the country was
frontier. In any portion of the country to-day, even the
remotest villages and hamlets, on the farms of the Dakotas
and on the ranches of California, may be found some of the
modem appliances of civilization, such as were not dreamed
of seventy-five years ago.
The artificial light in my father's home was from the
open fire-place, or a rag in a saucer of lard. Tallow dips or
moulded' candles came later. Bread was made from a coarse
corn meal, produced by a hand grater. WUd turkeys,
squirrels and an occasional deer furmshed the meat. The
only drink was milk and water, with now and then a tea
made from spice brush or sassafras. 10

MAKING A PARM IN INDIANA U
To build his cabin father cut logs out of trees the same
size, twelve feet long for the ends and fourteen feet long
for the sides. He laid the two flrst end logs at the proper
places, trimmed or edged the upper side near the ends, so
as to flt perfectly a corresponding notch cut on the under
side of the first two logs for the sides. AVhen these four logs
were thus placed in position the foundation for the cabin
was complete. He then prepared logs enough for the entire
house with edges and notches to fit into each other as. the
cabin went up.
When all the logs were thus prepared, he mounted a
horse and struck out to flnd men to come to his flrst house-
raising. Those pioneers would leave their work and go to
help a stranger raise a house without charge or pay for time
and labor. After the house was up father split or rived boards
three feet long and six inches wide with v/hich to make a
roof. There were no shingles nor were there any nails. The
fij'st course of boards was laid and a straight pole placed
on them and tied or secured in position to firmly hold this
course in place. Then the second course was laid lapping
six inches over the first and secured in like manner Avith an
other pole, and other courses were laid until the house was
completely covered. The floor was mother earth. The
chimney was built of sticks, but well plastered on the inside
with mortar made of yellow clay and water.
The vrindows were square holes cut in the walls and
covered -with paper or thin white muslin. The single door
way was an opening cut in the wall, cased with a slab- of
wood secured by wooden pegs driven into the ends of the
logs. The door was made of split boards, which was hung
on wooden hinges and swung out. It was fastened by a
wooden latch which fell in a notch in the inside, and was
raised from the outside by a string Avhich always hans our.
A necessary article of furniture for this cabin was a
bedstead. Only one post was required. It was set up
four feet from one wall and six feet from another wall. Two
large holes were bored into this post two feet from tlie
ground; and two holes opposite these in the walls, and into

12 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
these holes were inserted two poles, smoothed with a draw
ing knife, one four feet and the other six feet long. This
structure constituted a frame upon M^hich were placed spiit
boards for the bed to rest upon.
With a cabin for shelter and a bed to sleep on, the
next indispensible thing was bread. My father knew it was
in the ground, beneath the forest where he was to dig for it.
In' digging for that bread he began by cutting out the under
brush and cutting down all the trees that were eighteen
inches or under in diameter. He did not sit down and re
pine and then reload his wagon and retum to the place
whence he came. He was a man, and his capital was cour
age and strength.
When the trees were felled, they were cut into sections,
twelve to flfteen feet in length, the brush was piled around
the large standing trees for the purpose of killing them by
buming. Thus the sunshine would reach the ground and
start the corn and garden stuff. The pioneers in this great
forest had an understanding among themselves for many
miles around to work together in log-rolling time. Every
man was a veteran and they, working in concert, hastened
on to the work with precision and skill. If the number as
sembled was large enough they were divided into squads of
eight, that being the number to work together with the best
resnlts. Each squad had a captain or leader, not by elec
tion, but he was such by pre-eminence and skill in the busi
ness. My father in a quiet way was always looked to as a
leader. A man of good sense, full of resources, and alwa„ys
ready for any emergency. He would cast his experienced
eye over the logs as they lay on the ground, by accident or
design, and take in the situation for a wide scope. A half
dozen might be l.ving a few feet apart in a parallel positiou,
which could easily be thrown together in a nice pile for
buming. The leader speaks and these logs suddenly seem
to have acquired the power of locomotion and are in a pile.
And thus on and on the fascinating work goes. And while
this work was going on at our place, my mother, assisted
by one or more of the wives of the workmen, was cooking
the dinner and supper for all these men. All this cooking

MAKING A FARM IN INDIANA 13
was done in the log cabin, over an open fire place, swinging
the iron kettles on a crane; and baking in skillets with long
legs, with red hot coals piled under and over, rieh, hear'tj',
but simple meals which everybody enjoyed to the limit.
It was the custom for the settler whose logs had been
rolled and fired to ' ' right up ' ' his buming logs before daj'
light, and after a hasty breakfast reach the place for the
next log rolling by sun-up. And after laboring with a hand
spike all day until sun-set, go home and again ' ' right up ' '
his o\\ai burning heaps until ten or eleven o'clock at nighL
In that way the log-rolling work was kept up for about two
months in the early spring of each year, by every able-bod
ied pioneer. When the timber was cleared off and the ground readj'
for planting, the stumps were so close together that the hoe
v/as the only instrument with which to plant and cultivate
the first crop. This was the heaviest timbered resion in all
the state, and the labor of clearing the ground was the ab-
soihing work of my father for many j'ear.-i. When he had
finally got a little patch cleared and raised his first crop of
corn, he was confronted bj' a new trouble.
They began a fight with the squirrels and raccoons to
save his hard earned grain. He kept his loaded rifle alwaj-s
close at hand and shooting squiiTels in self defen.'ie fur
nished plenty of squirrel meat for the table. The coons
ravaged the corn at night, which made it necessary to pro
vide himself with dogs to hunt them down. Thus coon hunt
ing by men and boys at night with their coon dogs fumished
fun and excitement. No need of theatres and moving pic
ture shows when a coon hunt was in sight !
Another source of grief was the prowling wolves, to
which the sheep were subjected. It became necessarj^ to
build high tight rail pens in which to shut up the sheep at
night. The wolves were also destructive to pigs. The
mother sows soon learned to feed in bands, and, when the
wolves made their attack, to bunch the little pigs and sur
round them, standing with their snouts outward ^.nd thus
to successfully fight the wolves off. In this same manner

14 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
it is said the buffalo protected their young from the fierce
Rocky Mountain panthers and wolves in the earlj' days.
I must not fail to mention the great abundance of rattle
snakes that crawled and rattled' and hissed in every thicket.
There were two species of these reptiles: the black rattle
snake, shortt, thick, and very active; and the yellow, grow
ing from six to eight feet long, and sluggish. Thej' were
most abundant along the banks of creeks.
Many stories were told of lai'ge rattlers being found
near springs and wells and in cabins of the settlers. One
pioneer killed a large one and plucked a trophy of Lweiitj'-
two rattles from his tail. But rattle snakes had their en
emies. No man ever met one without trj'ing to kill it. Deer
even took delight in their destruction. Hogs regarded a
rattle snake as a dainty morsel, and the bite of a rattle snake
had no effect upon a hog.
The milk was kept in crocks in the spring house and the
vessels were kept carefully covered to keep out snakes and
other creatures that liked milk.
While my father and mother were self-reliant and
fought their battles alone, there were times when they, like
all other pioneers, were dependant on others for help. The
building of cabins and bams, the log-rollings and other
things requiring the strength of many hands, brought the
people together and cultivated sociability and generosity
and sympathy that worked for good in building up a happy
community. Social instincts were fostered and cultivated,
but the fun and frolic were not allowed to interfere with
or delay the work in hand. All quarreling was suppressed,
fighting was prohibited and the use of ardent liquors, then
so common, was so regulated that the drunkenness of the
intemperant was not permitted to delaj' the work.
My father and mother belonged to the Cumberland
Presbyterian Church. No liquor was ever kept or used in
their home. That was a southern church and never verj'
strong. At the time ol which I write its traveling preach
ers were the first to visit that localitj', and my father 's cabin
was the first preaching station in that region.
Constant in his labor all the long day and until late at

MAKING A FARM IN INDIANA 15
night, and beginning before daj'light again in the moming,
as was my father, no less constant was the toil and patience
of my mother. She had much to do besides the usual care
and labor of the house. She took the wool which my father
sheared from the sheep, dj'ed it with the walnut ooze, carded
it by hand card boards into rolls, spun it on a large spinning
wheel into yarn thread, wove it on a hand loom into a web
of durable jeans cloth. She then cut this cloth and made
of it winter garments for each member of the family, in
cluding headwear for males and females. From the yarn,
she knitted stockings and socks for all alike in the family.
She also wove blankets for all the beds from this home made
yarn. To provide sheets and summer wear, my father each
year raised a patch of flax. When this was ripe, he pulled
it by hand and spread it in rows or swathesi on the ground
for the straw to drj- and rot. He then broke it and hack
led it, thus producing a quantity of clear, clean fibre. This
fibre mother spun on a small spinning wheel into fine linen
thread. From this, thread she wove great webs of strong,
durable linen cloth, from which she made sheets and sum
mer clothing for every one of the family. From this thread
she knit snmmer socks and stockings for all.
During this time there were born into that home, where
all this work was going on, twelve children, (besides the one
that had died in Kentucky), eight daughters and four sons.
There is due to that mother, and others like her, a debt of
honor and veneration from this and all succeeding genera
tions of America that is seldom recognized and never can
be fully paid.
My father produced from the farm wheat for flour,
wool and flax for clothing, hides which he tanned and
dressed for boots and shoes, meat and vegetables for the
table. Mother made a good imitation for tea and coffee
which was sweetened with maple sugar from our own sugar
trees. We could have built a Chinese wall around our farm
and lived comfortably within its boundaries, asking favors
of no man.
After my father had a little farm established, he built

16 LIPE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
a log blacksmith shop. He drove one hundred miles to
Iiawrenceburg, a trading station on the Ohio River, and
secured the tools and iron for every thing he needed. He
made horse shoes and horse-shoe nails. He shod his own
horses and those of his neighbors, made ploughs, harrows,
hoes, shovels, forks, — in fact, everything necessary for use
on the farm. He also brought home from Lawrenceburg a
shoe-maker's outfit. During rainy days and evenings he
made shoes for mother and the girls, and boots for himself
and the boys.
The winter caps were made of the jeans cloth and the
summer hats were made out of oat straw, braided into nar
row strips and sewed into wide brimmed hats fitted to the
heads of little and big, girls and boj'S and parentsi.
There was always, once a year, a "hog-killing time"
when meat was provided for the entire year. That day was
followed' by the putting up of sausage, and the smoking of
the hams, shoulders and sides in the old simokehouse until
beautifully cured and browned, so that they kept sweet and
good until hog-killing time came again the next December.
That day was an event in each year. Father was very care
ful to put the hogs in the best possible condition of fiesh.
The day was fixed in advance. A raised platform of slabs
about three feet high, strong and well secured, was con
structed, upon which to handle the hogs after they were
killed and scalded. A large barrel was planted by this
platform leaning against it ; a pile of boulders or ' ' Nigger-
head ' ' stones about the size of a small child 's head, was pro
vided; a good log fire made, into which these stones were
throAvn and heated ; the barrel was filled half full of water,
and when the first hog was killed, enough of these hot stones
were thrown into the water to make it scalding hot ; then the
hog was inserted into the barrel, first one end then the other,
and the quickest possible work was done in pulling off the
hair and bristles wliile hot, and the hair in condition to slip.
The work was exciting, and one of my earliest recollections
is of trying to help father and my older brothers pull off
the hair, no doubt being more trouble and hindrance than
help.

MAKING A FARM IN INDIANA 17
When the first hog was thoroughlly cleaned and scraped
with knives, the two hamstrings Avere opened' and a strong
stick about two feet long and sharpened at each end, was
inserted so as to catch the hamstrings and spread the hind
legs and the hog was hung snout down over a pole properly
placed for the purpose. Then the process was repeated with
each hog until the day's killing was completed. From
eight to ten j'oung hogs were required for the family. It
was a hard and exciting day's work, commencing before
day light and' closing after dark, — ^leaving a row of white,
clean porkers hanging in perfect line to become cold by the
frostj' vrinter night. The j'oungsters of the faniily had a
happy day watching the exciting work, not unfrequently
slyly cutting off a fat tail and roasting it in the log fire, thus
getting a fine bit of fresh pork of an exceedingly delicious
flavor. A flne grove of sugar trees was found in the wood pas
ture, on the farm. Prom the flow of the sap in the early
spring we made sugar and syrup enough to last the familj'
through the year. This sugar-making time was another in
teresting event, especially for the kids. Father with axe
and adze made a large number of small wooden troughs,
each sufficient to hold the drippings from one tree for twen-
tj'-four hours. He then took hard elder stems which he
cut into eight inch lengths, pushed out the pith and inserted
one each into a sugar tree at such an angle as to drain the
sap into the trough.
Then began the process of gathering the sugai'-watcr
into tanks at the sugar camps every morning. When a suf
flcient quantity was on hand, the boiling started in large
iron kettles over log flres, under a shed in the woods. Sev
eral daj's and nights of constant, uniform boiling was re
quired to convert the water into sj'rup and a still longer
time to make the sugar. And here around the camp fires
wcrc happy times for old and young alike; especially was
it fascinating for the children when the syrup began to get
good, and the sugar began to harden.
These special seasons became events of deep and ro-

18 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
niantic interest in my boyhood life, and remain in my old
age precious memories of bright and happy times.
In our cabin suspended to the joists hung a frame work
of nicely smoothed poles one foot apart. On these, in the
carl J' Avinter season hung in long thin slices to dry for pies
and steAving, rich golden pumpkins. And later on, Avhen
our orchard trees began to bear abundant fruit, the roof
was covered Avith apples and peaches nicely pared and' cut
into suitable sized pieces for sun-drying, and in quantities
sufficient to last until the following season came around
again. Thus father and mother, always frugal and fore
handed, provided dried pumpkins, dried fruit, and filled the
cellar with apples, potatoes, tumips, cabbagest, and other
vegetables, besides a barrel or tAvo of cider, a, quantitj' of
popcorn and other things needed for Avinter use.
Por J'ears cornmeal Avas the only provision for bread.
The Kentucky corn dodgers and hoe-cake fumished the
staple bread supply. Mush a.nd milk provided the evening
meal for the familj' was a luxury after a hard day's AA'Oi-k,
and Avas sufficienth' soporific to make sleep sound and rest
ful. Later on a giist raill at Avhieh wheat could be ground
into flour was esta.blished. Then Ave began to raise wheat
ill small quantities. The flrst process of threshing out the
Avheat was by laying the sheaves on the bam floor in a roAv
around the Avail, and driving the horees two abreast around
and around OA'er it. To separate the grain from the chaff
two men would toss it up in a linen sheet when the wind
Avas bloAving. To shoAV the remarkable capacitj' and resourcefulness
of my father, I will speak of tAvo things he did that were
unusual among pioneers of the time. When he found he
needed a good deal of leather for shoes, harnesses, and
other things, he constructed a tanning vat, gathered the kind
of bark necessary to make good leather and gathered a few
hides and made the leather required for all the needs of the
farm. He also raised a sraall crop of hemp which he cut
and cured and broke and hackled, and made into rope of
different sizes for clothes-lines, bed-cord and other purposes.

BOYHOOD DAYS 19
The improved beds of those early days had bed-cord bottoms
upon which the straw and feather mattresses or ticks were
placed, thus making very comfortable beds. Por making
these ropes' a suitable frame called a rope-walk was made
and placed in an open place in the orchard.
BOYHOOD DAYS
As a boy 1 was fond of athletics and excelled in feats
of phj'sical strength and daring, such as swimming, run
ning, jumping, and Avrestling. I also acquired a local fame
for breaking to the saddle \^ild young horses. Thj neigh
bors would call on me to saddle and ride their Aiildest tin-
broken animals. I Avould tackle the most dangerous mule
or horse without fear or hesitation and seldom Avas throAvn
and never failed to master the most stubborn and A'icious.
There AVere in those days no theatres, circuses, no or
ganized sports to amuse and entertain the young peoplo.
Hence the boys, healthy and rugged, full of animal spirits,
made use of all the resources available for fun and excite
ment. Among these Avere rooster flghts, dog fights, and bull
fights. One of the latter stands out clearly in my memory
to this day. My father had become a prosperous farmer for
that time and locality, and had bought an extra fine young
Durham bull calf Avhich rapidly grew to full stature. One
day a neighbor's animal came belloAving up our private lane
as if he knew there Avas a new world for him to conquer. He
Avas the conceded master in all that region, in fact "The
Bull of the Woods." Our young animal, although he had
never felt the shock of battle, feeling he had the honor of
the Clark farm to sustain, met the challenge. Then begau
the greatest bull fight ever Avitnessed by us boj's. It was
fierce and relentless and lasted for hours. The fences and
sheds for acres around Avere IcA'clled to the ground. The
victory Avas finally won by our j'oung hero and the old
leader driven from the place, amiclst the shouts and delight
of all the Clark boys.
I remember another, somewhat simUar incident that has
remained in my mind while I have forgotten many serious

20 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
and important things. We owned a small dog, of the variety
made famous by James Whitcomb Riley 's poem ' ' The Bench
Legged Fiste. " He was small but his bench legs gave him
great strength. One day a neighbor passing through the
lane stopped outside the picket fence to talk Avith father.
He had with him a large cur dog which soon discovered our
little fellow inside the yard, and began growling and' snap
ping at him through the palings of the fence. Our fiste,
feeling the responsibilitj' of protecting his master's prem
ises, showed his bristles and defied the big cur to his teeth.
This audaeitj" made the big fellow furious, and he kept get
ting madder and fiercer until flnally, in a savage struggle
to get at and eat up the small teaser, he pushed his nose far
in between the palings, Avliere upon the little champion set
his teeth into that intruding nose, and settled his stout legs
against the fence. The rage and furj' of the cur were be
yond words. The struggle lasted a long time, and the Clai-k
boj's jumped up and doAsai and turned somersaults on the
grass and screamed Avith excitement. At last the big dog
dropped his tail and cried piteously to be released, Avhich
was done by the united force of all hands, when he strack
out for home a well AA'hipped cur. This was another noted
victory for the Clark boj's, and became the talk of the com
munity. I thought of this incident when Russia poked her nose
into the home yard of Japan and got such a severe drubbing
at Port Arthur.
Among the joys of my boyhood days I recall my delight
in the old SAvimming hole in LeatherAvood Creek, not far
from the family home. 1 Avas a perfectlj' healthj' rugged
type of Hoosier boyhood and any hot summer day I Avould
rather go swimming than eat when I was hungry. James
Whitcomb Riley kncAA- all about boys and their fondness
for the old swimming hole :
' ' Oh ! the old swimming hole ! in tiic long lazy days
When the hum-dl^lm ol school made so many ranaAvays
How pleasant Avas the joumey doAvn the old dusty lane
Where the tracks of our bare feet Avas all planted so plain

BOYHOOD DAYS 21
You could tell by the dent of the heel and the sole
They was lots o' fun on hand at the old sAvimmin' hole."
For manj' years it was no uncommon thing for us to
plow up Indian arrow heads and flint stones used by them
to strike fire. The Miami tribe occupied the whole of Indi
ana and adjoining territory at the time thisi region was first
explored by the Avhites. Unlike most other tribes they had
no traditions of former migrations, and it was presumed
that they had long occupied this land. And this fact con
firms the truth of the historj- of North America, that every
portion of this countrj' was occupied' by the Indians in
peaceful undisturbed occupancy until the white man came.
ill 1816 Indiana was admitted into the Union, but the In
dians still held reservations until 1818, when they relin
quished their claims and Avere removed by the government
and located on land now within the borders of the state of
Kansas. Johnson Countj' Avas organized Dec. 31, 1822 and
named for John Johnson, one of the early Supreme Judges
of the state. The countj'-seat Avas laid out by the county
commissioners, one of Avhom, S. Herriot, had recently read
Franklin 's Autobiography, and named it Franklin.
Referring again to the family life in the Clark home :
as the children grcAv in strength and vigor and were able to
take a hand in the straggle for life and success, a system and
order of work developed as regular as the seasons come and
go. I can not conceive of a better method of developing
habits of industry and building character than this regular
and orderly sj'stem of work.
At com planting time all Avorked together side by side,
girls and boys, barefooted, racing across the field, their
skUled fingers dropping the correct number of grains in the
exact spot without checking their speed. Father and the
older boys followed and carefully covered the grain Avith
hoes. In those busy times holidays were rare, but when corn
planting Avas finished it became a general inile to take a daj'
for recreation and sport. So the Clark family regularly
went fishing, either to White River, four miles Avest, or to
Sugar Creek four miles east.

22 LIPE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
Then soon followed harvest, Avhen men worked together,
all the work being done bj' hand. Reapers, cradles and
binders marched in phalanx across the field, followed in the
latter part of the day by one or two men and boys who care
fully shocked up the bundles of grain and capped each
shock vrith tAvo bundles spread and broken in shape to turn
the rain. When the winter evenings came the com shucking par
ties of young men and Avomen chaperoned by older people,
eame on for a season. Thus sitting side by side in the edge
of the pile of unhusked com Avith jest and frolic the work
went merrily on. When a j'Oung man found a red ear it
Avas his privilege to kiss his girl. EA-ery one was eagerly
looking for red ears. And some times red earsi were found
so frequently that a suspicion arose that the finder had gath
ered and hidden thum in advance. After the com was fin
ished, followed a supper, games, dancing and frolic until the
wee small hours.
In those days there were few books to read and fewer
newspapers. No teleghaphic ncAvs and no dailies. The
women of the neighborhood wonld often join in an after
noon quilting party, and sitting around a four square quilt
ing frame, inspired bj' the flj'ing needles and each other's
presence, talk the roof off the h.ouse in happy intercourse.
These quilting parties closed Avith a supper to Avhich the men
were invited and a happj' evening Avas spent together, the
babies laid around on the floor or on the beds.
My father was the first permanent settler in his part of
the county, settling there in 1825. His industry, thrift and
steady habits gave him a leading and substantial place in
the commumty as it grew in population. So that in 1838
when a ncAV toAvnship Avas organized, it Avas named for him
and the latest maps show it as Clark township. As time
passed and homes increased and children grcAv up, the neces
sity for schools became urgent. In 1 838 mj' father got a f eAV
of the neighbors together and built a school house in the
AVOods on Leatherwood creek just east of our land, the
ground being donated by Charles Dungan, the owner. It
was knoAvn as Leatherwood Schoolhouse and Avas the first

boyh:ood days 23
one built in that part of Johnson County. Children came
through the Avoods for miles around.
The flrst school Avas taught bj"- a Mr. Fifleld, a mimster
of the Christian Chureh, who Avas by courtesy called "Doc
tor. ' ' In this little log school house my elder brothers and
sisters and many others of the settlement received all the
school education they ever had.
This building Avas eighteen by sixteen feet, a regular
log cabin built of round logs from the ground' up. A huge
flre place occupied most of the east end. Into this flreplacc
in Avinter, large logs of AA'ood Avere rolled! and a great flre
made to Avami the room.
Por seats, benches made of split logs, resting on wooden
pegs cut long or short to suit the legs of the pupils. A place
to write was provided for the older students by driving long
Avooden pins in the north Avail Avith an upward slant, and
placing boards on them. Light Avas provided for this long
desk by cutting out a log immedi atelj'l over it, and covering
the opening with oiled paper. Goose quiUs were used for
pens and home made ink served for Avriting fluid.
The teacher was employed by subscription and the
rudiments of education were taught to a generation that
proved not to be unAvorthy sons and daughters of worthy
fathers and mothers. The memory of this old' Leatherwood
school house is as distinct and A'ivid as the happenings of a
few days ago. There for many long hours I sat on that
puncheon bench with mj' feet hanging until my legs were
numb and dead. And Oh ! the shout of freedom that went
np as we rushed out to the play ground when the noon hour
came. None of the modern athletic games Avere known then.
The popular game for school boys in those times was "Bull
Pen." Two boys would be selected to head the opposing
sides, choose their teams and start the game. Por this game
a space about the size of a foot ball ground would be laid
off. One side would go into the center of this square and
the other side would take positions on the line. At a given
signal the fellows on the line would begin throwing balls at
those in the pen. When one was hit he Avas put out, and
so on until all had been put out, when sides were changed.

24 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
and the other fellows took the hitting. The players became
expert throAvers and artful dodgers. The exercise was fine
and the sport very exciting.
There was a ball game used in the toAvns which we
countrj' boys called toAvn ball. It was a crude form of
what later developed into the popular game of base ball.
In the Leatherwood school there came into vogue, at
Christmas time, a custom of requiring the teacher to treat
the pupils to candy, apples and sometimes other things.
And Avoe betide the teacher Avho refused to respond! A
council of Avar Avas held by the big boys. I was selected,
being a very small and active boy, to go to the school house
early on the moming foUoAving such a refusal, and go in
and close the door and brace a seat against it so that it could
not be opened from the outside, and then climb out through
the narrow window. When the teacher came he could' not
get in. He "was asked if he was going to treat the school.
He sharply replied that he would not and demanded that
the door be opened. My oldest brothers William and George
and some ol the other large boys siezed the teacher, carried
and dragged him to Leatherwood creek, chopped' a hole in
the ice and asked the teacher again if he was going to treat.
He again refused. They then chucked him in the icy water
and held him there until he surrendered and he furnished
the customary treat.
With books crowding every home, and newspapers and
magazines "to bum" noAv, it is impossible to imagine the
condition in respect to these things on the frontier eight j'
years ago. For years the onlj' book in my father's house
besides the Bible was a weU Avorn copj' of Baxter's Saints
Rest. There was little time given to literature, and' that was
a necessity, for all the time was needed in the struggle with
the forces of nature, and contending Arith the conditions of
pioneer life. Now there are too many books and too many
things to know. LoAvell said of an old pioneer: "What a
lucky dog Methusaleh was ! No books and nothing to knoAV
and nine hundred years to learn it in.

MARKETS IN THOSE DAYS 25
MARKETS IN THOSE DAYS
Subduing the forest and making a fann and supporting
a large faniily and getting ahead in the Avorld' was a slow
and diifieult process for my father and other pioneers in
those days. AVhen he produced something to sell, there was
no market place, no demand and no price. When he had
wheat to sell he had to haul it in a wagon to Madison or
Lawrenceburg on the Ohio river, over a hundred miles aAvay
and get 371/2 cents per bushel.
Corn sold for about fifteen cents and oats for eight to
ten cents per bushel. We fed our corn to hogs and drove
the hogs to Cincinnati, about one hnndred and fifty miles,
and got about one dollar and fifty cents per hundred
pounds. Think of starting a bunch of fat hogs to-day on a
drive like that ! ! Every hog in the drove would give out
and lie down in the first mile.
Dressed pork at the farm sold for one dollar per hun
dred pounds. Good farm horses sold for twenty-five dollars
each ; milk cows for five dollars ; chickens for fifty cents per
dozen; fat turkej's, tame or Avild, for fifteen cents each;
butter for five cents per pound; eggs for three cents per
dozen. These figures are accurate, but avUI seem incredible
to the reader of the present time, when the high cost of
liA'ing is perplexing statemen, scientists and students of
economics. Imported articles Avere higher priced. Coffee cost fiftj'
to sixty cents a pound ; tea one dollar and fifty cents; muslin
seventy-five cents per yard; calico forty cents; wall paper
for window shades, twelve and a half cents per yard ; fools
cap paper twenty-fiA'e cents per quire; a paper of tacks
twenty-five cents.
It was a great event for us boys to go with father Arith
a drove of hogs to Cincinnati. The trip required about ten
da J'S. A wagon was taken along to carry prorisions for men
and horses. Feed for the hogs Avas easily procured from the
farms along the route. Frequently stray hogs would fall in
with the herd and not be discovered for a day or two. These

26 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
Avere called' "cider hogs," and they AA'ould be traded for
eider, apples, or gingerbread.
In 1844 the Baptist Church founded a College at
Franklin AA'hich Avas about ten miles south of our home place.
This Avas the flrst college in that part of the state. I refer
to this college because of its effect upon the Clark family.
Mj' brother George W., ten years older than I, got a taste
for books and a desire for education from reading a neAV
magazine called, "Fowler and AVells Phrenological Jour
nal. ' ' He became so infatuated Avith books and so fond of
reading that he would eland estinelj' take a book to the fleld,
and the com ploAring suffered neglect while he sat in a fence
comer improving his mind. Father Avas too good a farmer
to alloAV the Aveeds to groAV and was too busy in his shop to
Avatch the boy, so he put a coav beU on the horse so as to
know when the ploAving stopped. On one occasion he
thought the somicl of the bell was singularly monotonous
and went doAvn to the field Avhere he found George reading
in a fence corner, regularly pulling a string Avhich was at-
ta.ched to the cow bell. Whereupon another, and it is hoped
more effective, remedy Avas applied.
When George Avas about eighteen j'ears old he coaxed
father to let him go to Franklin College, and it became inj'
duty and pleasure each Monday moming to ride behind
George on horse back to Franklin College and take the horse
back; and to go to Franklin e^•crJ' Priday aftemoon and
agaiii ride behind him on the waj' horae. Thus began a
college career for Georoe whieh he followed in higher in
stitutions until hc had procured a finished education and
become a successful laAvj'er. And I maj' saj' here that this
Franldin College gave mc indireetlj' an inclination to later
seek college life and college training.
Franklin College is still a flourishing institution,
though it had one serious interruption. When the Civil
War raade a strong demand for j'ouiig men this college was
obliged to suspend, its last term haring but two students,
and they both cripples and unflt for military dnty.
After a while there Avas a little grist mill started on
Sugar Creek about four iniles east of our place. I remember

GREAT GULF AND WINDFALL 27
mj' father flUed a tAA'o bushel sack with sheUed com and
laid it across old Peggy 's back and set me on top of the sack
and started me to mill. 1 had a hard time of it keeping the
sack balanced. When I got there I had difficulty to get the
miller to help me get the sack of com in the mill. There
was always a long line of felloAvs Avaiting their tum. The
miU had but one run of burrs and ground sloAvly; manj'
times it AA'ould be late in the night Avhen I would get home.
The miller Avould take out about one-fourth of the com as
his toll. I remember a funny stoi'y about this mill. A neighbor
hoy, whose mental faculties were dull, grew very impatient
over the slow process and' groAving tired waiting, said to the
miller, "Do you knoAv, Mr. Miller, I could eat that meal
faster than j'ou can grind it?" "A^es, " replied the miller,
' ' But hoAV long could j'ou keep it up ? " "I could keep on
eating it till I starved to death. ' '
GREAT GULF AND WINDFALL
A f CAV miles south of our farm Avas a great swamp fllled
Avith water and dense underbrush. It Avas knoAvn to every
settler as the "Great Gulf," and Avas a famous resort for
wild game. To us children it was a place of mj'stery and
terror. Another place of interest and mystery a few miles
north was the ' ' Windfall. ' ' We only thought of it as a cele
brated game resort and a curious condition. For a long dis
tance as it seems to me now, miles and miles, the forest had
been laid fiat, the trees tumbled in heaps, uprooted, criss
crossed, and piled in strange shapes. We had not then
heard of cyclones and tornadoes. But some terrific tArister
had done the deed.
Well, these two raj'sterious places were the last game
resorts in all that region, and as late as in the forties,
hunters were in the habit of organizing a drive of deer from
one to the other place, while the sharp shooters stationed on
the runway near our house, brought down the game. In
1854 a deer was shot not far from our place and in the same
year a catamount chased the hogs of one of our neighliors
in broad day light and in their fright they ran into tho
dAvelling for protection. In the same year forty seven Avild

28 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
turkeys came feeding close around the house.
' ' The Great Gulf ' ' Avas in Clark township and in recent
J'ears has been cleared out and drained and has made that
the richest toAvnship in the countj'. So Arith the disappear
ance of the "Great Gulf" and of "The WindfaU," the ro
mantic and mysterious spots of my childhood have long
since passed from the face of the earth, but still linger in
memory's gallery as distinct pictures of the long ago.
There was near by a Avild pigeons ' roost, a deep forest
where at t.Arilight innumerable Avild pigeons would assemble
and fill all the limbs and tAvigs and spend the night. Occa
sionally when some alarm would startle them they would
all rise at once, and the roar and noise of the multitude of
fiopping Avings could be heard for miles around, and sound
ed at our house like the roar of distant thunder.
PIONEER SETTLERS OF INDIANA
Archibald Glenn, mj' father's uncle, came into the ad
joining township, AA''hite Eiver, in October, 1822. In that
AAas the town of GreeuAvood, our nearest trading place, after-
AAards on the railroad running from Indianapolis to Frank
lin. I want to speak of Archibald Glenn as a tyjie of sturdy
pioneer manhood. He Avas preeminently the father of
A\rhite River toAvnship. He was in all respects fullj' quali
fied to lead in every industry. No man ever Arielded a seven
pound axe more effectively or continuouslj' during the time
the farms were being made. My Eather said of him, "I can
see him yet, with his Kentuclvy axe, pole and bit equallj'
heavy, severing large branches from the trunks of fallen
trees Arith a single stroke, Arith unequalled skill and terrific
blows." In smoothing the sides of building logs, he Avould take
a broadaxe large enough to tax the strength of a giant, and
handle it not Avith delicate, faint, timid touches, but stand
ing erect and swinging the axe in a radius the full length
of his arms and vrith unerring precision and overhand bloAvs,
advance Avith quick steps from end to end of the long tim
ber, scattering the flying chips far away in all directions.
He was a leader at house-raisings and log-rollings, and by
his skill and sound judgment accomplished great results

PIONEER SETTLEES OP INDIANA 29
Avith incredible celerity. In short, he was skilful in anjr
Avork to be done in a ucav country. He was the finest marks
man with a rifle in the state of Indiana, and' could -hoot oft'
hand twentj' squirrels in the head Arithout a single; miss.
Eut above all things he was a man of splendid character.
He was loved, respected and honored by all who knew him.
He left three sons and tAvo daughters Avho did credit to his
good name. One of the daughters, the Avif e of Doctor Bren
ton, died a feAV years ago in Adel, Iowa.
Colonel John Wishard', mj' grandmother's brother and
mj' mother's uncle, located in AVhite River toAvnship near
Archibald Glenn in the fall of 1825 on a farm of three hun
dred acres of rich land bought of the governnient. This
flne land on the river bottom he, assisted by six sons, soon
put in cultivation, making one of the finest farms in John
son County. He was a military man and Avas delighted Avith
the pomp and display of military movements. He was eaily
elected colonel of the county militia, which position he held
as long as their services were needed. He was one of the
"Bloody three hundred" that volunteered in the Black
HaAvk War. None contributed more to build up and make
this new country than did Colonel Wishard. In log-rolling
and house-raising he was always on hand. He Avas sym
pathetic, kind and helpfiU to all in trouble, found at the
bedside of the sick and dying on all occasions. He Avas a
radical, and enthusiastic in his beliefs and opinions. He
Avas surprised Avhen others, who differed with him, would
not be couA'inced by his arguments. "You Iniow better,"
Avas a set phrase of his.
Tavo of his sons became eminent physicians. One of
them. Dr. W. H. Wishard, recentlj' died in Indianapolis at
the age of 99, where he was for many years the leading mem
ber of his profession. Another son, S. E. AVishard, eminent
as a minister in the Presbyterian Church, Avas pastor of the
Central Presbyterian Church in Des Moines in 1887-8-9, and
recently died in Los Angeles, California, at the age of nine
ty. Colonel John Wishard was another example of the
pioneer world makers of the early days.
Henry Musselman opened the first store in the toAvn-

30 LIFE IN THB MIDDLE WEST
ship and sold goods for many years. He was a very active
man, but totally devoid of book education, and could nei
ther read nor Avrite. He carried on a successful business
and what was most remarkable, he did a credit business and
kept his accounts in a most peculiar fashion. He could
make flgures, could add and snbtract mentally. He kept
his accounts by marking Arith a nail or pencil on the walls
of his store, and each customer had his own place of account
allotted Mm. His memory was so weU trained that he never
forgot the right place nor the meaning of the marks, nor
did any man dispute his account.
A debtor came in one day to settle, and among other
items charged Avas a cheese. "But I never bought a cheese
of you in my lif e, " said the debtor. "Didn't you? Well,
AA'hat did you buy ? Think, ' ' and the debtor thought awhile.
' ' Ah, said he, light breaking at last, ' ' Yes, I bought a
grindstone. ' '
' ' Oh, so you did. I forgot to put the hole in it ! "
On another occasion when Musselman was in Madison
buying goods, a merchant asked him how he knew what per
cent to charge seeing he was unacquainted Arith letters.
"Well, I don't know anything about your percent, but I db
knoAv that when I buy an article of you for a dollar and
take it out to my place and sell it for two dollars, I am not
losing anything. ' '
EARLY SETTLERS PROM THE SOUTH
In the course of my study of the early days of the
settlement of Johnson Countj', Indiana, where my father's
family came as pioneers I was struck Arith the fast that near
ly all the families of that early period came from the South.
I have carefully considered the cause for this remarkable
fact, and will here give briefly what I believe to be the direct
forceis in our national development that led to the condition
to Avhich 1 have referred.
The flrst settlements in America iiaturallj' began on
the Atlantic coast. It Avas not long until the flne climate
and rich soil of Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida
began to attract permanent settlers. The splendid results

EARL A" SETTLERS FROM THE SOUTH 31
from this rich virgin soil soon began to enrich the enterpris
ing beginners on this new continent. Thus there Avas devel
oped a long thin fringe of opulant civilization, whose front
doors looked upon a trackless ocean and upon whose back
doors frowned a savage forest. And j-et that long thin
fringe of civilization with the devil on one side and the deep
sea on the other won American Independence and bred and
nurtured the race of men and women Avho builded an Em
pire. The planting of tobacco and cotton became a source
and ineans of wealth Ijeyond the dreams of avarice. With
the groAvth of these industries, the demand for slave labor
rapidly increased. More African negroes .weie imported
and larger holdings of land were acciuired. The foreign
demand for American products, especiallj- cotton, tobacco
and rice, became so enonnous that capital and labor were
concentrated to keep pace Avith the demand, and increased
to-ritory Avas required. About this time, in 1793, another
great impulse to the cotton planting (jccurred Arith the in
vention bj' Whituej' of the cotton gin.
During the period of this steady increase of these sta
ple products for the home and foreign markets there had
boon a constant immigration of the peasant and' poor classes
to the advaneiug settlements in Virginia, the Carolinas,
Kcntuckj' and Tennessee. These were largely Irish, Scotch,
English, and Prench Hugenots, A\'ho became small farmers ;
industrious, frugal, and ambitious to oavu a littie land of
their own. Thej' passed the barriers hithei'to fixed by the
occupancy of the Indian tribes and passed into the iiewlj"
ceded land. Thus the occupa nej' of this new country was di
vided into two distinct classes ; the prosperous and ambitious
land owners whose holdings occupied the tide water planta
tions and nearby counti-y extending back into the interior;
and the small farmers, hunters, and adventurers, farther in
the interior ; and following closely upon the heels of the re
treating red men who Avere graduallj' ceding their claims to
the new government.
The planters rapidly groAring rich from the great for
eign demand for cotton and tobacco, made haste to extend

32 LIPE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
their plantations up the rivers and into the territory al
ready occupied by small producer of com and oats, work
ing with his OAVU hands on land only partly paid for. The
frontiersman was thus pushed farther into the interior.
The increase of Avealth bj' slave labor and the enlargement
of the plantations naturallj' led to the groAvth of an aris-
tocracj' among the rich planters. An entire change in the
social system from the generous, free a.nd democratic spirit
that had hitherto prevailed in this Avestern world'. LikeAvise
a dominating and controlling tendency in political affairs
Avas early developed by the greed and power that came to
this aristocratic class.
Very earlj' begaii the struggle betAveen the slave power
and the free democracj'. The slave holding planters soon
saw the need of protecting their slave property and the
fruits of slave labor. They learned earlj' hoAV to safeguard
the minority by dominating and dictating in social and' po
litical affairs. This experience Avas now to serve the south,
Avhen having attained power bj' the spread of slavery into
the interior it found itself as a section in the same relation
to the Union which the slave holding tide Avater area had
held toward the more populous up countrj' earlier. It is
interesting and curious to notice that the rich aristocracj"
of this earlj' period begaii a system of ruling and dictating
to the majority Avhich was continued during the entire exis
tence of slaA'ci-y. And when they felt that that poAver was
slipping awaj' from them they sought to break aAA'aj' from
the Union. Por instance, in 1825 the Avestem men complained that
tAventy counties Avith only fifty thousand' population in the
plantation region dominataed and controlled tAventj' coun
ties with tAVO hundred and twentj' thousand free AA'hite in
habitants. As cotton planting and slave holding advanced
into the interior countrj', the small farmers were obliged
either to change to the plantation ecoiiomj' and buj' slaves,
or to sell their lands and moA'c out. Thej' Avere mostlj'
French Hugenots, Scotch Irish and Germans. Large num
bers of them were Baptists, Presbyterians and Quakers,
which fact, combined vi'ith their training in manual labor

EARLY SETTLERS FROM THE SOUTH 33
and agricultural habit made this change to slavery obnox
ious to them.
The opening up of the land of southern Ohio, Indiana,
and lUinois fumished an opportunity for these perplexed
people to secure land in a state free from the dominating
spirit of the slave holding aristocracy. They had earlj'
felt the truth of Lincoln's declaration that it is impossible
for any community to exist and remain half free and half
slave. This quiet movement of these hardy free farmers from
the south to the north Avas an epoch in our nation. The rise
of this new west was the most significant fact in American
history following the war of 1812. A frontier settlement
had advanced, cutting into the forests, pushing back the
Indians, and steadily widening the area of cirilization. A
new and a greater west, more influential in the nation's
destiny, was created. The land practically free and open
in this vast area, not only attracted the settler, but fur
nished opportunity for men to work out their oavu careers.
The wilderness ever opened the waj' for the poor, the
free, hardy honest j'comanrj' who felt oppressed by the so
cial conditions crystalizing in the south through the aris
tocracy of wealth and political power. Here grappling
with new problems the society that spread into this western
region, by necessity developed' inventiveness and resource
fulness. The restraints of custom Avere thrown off and new
activities and new lines of growth and new activities and
new institutions were produced.
It was in this region that the true American spirit Avas
developed. The ideal of the west was its emphasis upon
the worth and possibilities of the common man, a belief in
the right of every man to rise to the full measure of his own
nature under conditions of equality and freedom of actimi
and conduct.
Thus came into southern Indiana a race of sturdy,
stalwart men equipped by nature and training to conquer
this frontier land and build an empire of civilization where
hitherto the untutured Indian and wild animals had roamed
unhindered.

CHAPTER HI
LEAVING INDIANA FOR IOA\'A
In 1851 a small graveyard given to the public by mj'
father on a corner of his farm was filled by little graves for
the children of that locality, swept aAvay' by a terrible
scourge of flux. In one graA'e were buried my two youngest
sisters, sweet little girls, Emily four years old' and JiUia
tAVO. That was the flrst touch of grief that came into mj'
life. Emily Avas a beautiful girl and I loved her dearly.
By this time our f amUy had outgroAvn the little farm
of 120 acres, and we had heard of the beautiful prairie lands
of lowa with its rich acres ready for the plow at govern
ment prices one dollar and twentj' cents per acre. In 1854
my father Avith some friends went in a two horse Avagon into
central Iowa, Avhere he entered some government land and
bought a partly improved private farm. He retumed to
Indiana weU pleased with his investigation of that prairie
country. He told us of that promising land where the farmer
would not have to contend with forests and stumps and
rocks. He sold our little farm of one hundred and tAventj'
acres for about one hundred dollars per acre. This had been
the home of mj' father and mother for thirty years. Here
their children had been born and raised. Here they had met
and fought life 's battles and won their Adctories. Here their
children had passed their happy childhood and into hope
ful youth and young manhood and womanhood. Here five
of the older children had married, Eliza, William, Sarah,
Mary, and Susan. To mj' mother, selling the dear old home
was a great sorrow, and as events turned out, proved to be
the end of her happiness in life. To the younger children,
34

LEAVING INDIANA FOE IOWA 35
of whom I was one, being the next to the youngest, the
change and moring into a new state Avas a romantic adven
ture, a veritable lark.
In August, 1855, we Avere readj' to start west. At that
tirae father was just recovering from a severe illness with
tj"i)hoid fever and was unable to travel Arith the teams. .He
and mother came later, by railroad, from Indianapolis via
Chicago, and joined us at Burlington, Iowa, which was then
the westem terminus of the Chicago, Burlington and Quin
cy EaUroad. Our partj' Arith two coA'cred Avagons and an open buggy
started about the last of August, and consisted of Susan and
her new husband Luther Tharp, Moses, Elizabeth, myself
and the youngest sister Belle. We joined what seemed to
bc an innumerable caravan. We Avere seldom out of sight
of family groups Arith covered wagons, in front of us and
behind us. Old America seemed to be breaking up and
moring west. Good camping places were crowded, and
water and provisions grew scarce. I was just fifteen years
old, groAring like a young Eucalyptus tree, and eating every
thing in sight. Something I ate or drank caused a rash or
breaking out which gave me the appearance of haring a
violent attack of smallpox. The crowds of emigrants be
came panic stricken and spread the report of a serious case
of smallpox. This incident proved to be a blessing to us. The croAvd
avoided us as they would the plague. Our camping ground
was undisturbed and we had little trouble getting water
and feed for our horses and' food for ourselves.
We reached Burlington the fifteenth day of September,
1855, crossing the Mississippi river on a ferry boat in the
midst of a snow storm. Here we were joined by father and
mother, who rode Arith us in the buggy. There was not a
mile of railroad in Iowa at this time.
My father's land was in AVarren county, then called the
"three rivers" county, so called from the fact that three
small rivers ran across that county side by side about thi'ee
or four miles apart. In due time our wagon procession ar
rived at Indianola, the county seat. This town was only a

36 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
village about tAvo j'ears old. Every house was new and full
to overfiowing. AVe camped with some kinfolks a few dayR,
and as avc could not rent a house, we bought a new, cheaply
constructed house and moved into it for the winter. That
winter, 1855, was one of the severest I have ever knoAvn.
The poor carpenter work, and the undried lumber used,
left cracks and openings AA'hich permitted the snow to drift
in and cover the beds and the floor at night. The hard
winter and father's illness made this a season of distress and
anxiety for mother.
Iowa Avas then on the frontier. The buffalo had disap
peared from her borders, but there were still straggling
bands of Indians and plenty of deer, antelope, prairie
chickens, and wild turkeys. There Avere no orchards or
tame fruit in our region, but plenty of Arild fruit, plums,
grapes, crabapples, and quantities of hazel nuts and' wal
nuts. We had left on the old home place in Indiana a splen
did orchard in Avhich the varieties of apples and peaches
had been selected Avith great care by mj- father. And when
Ave left there in the fall of 1855 the trees were loaded with
fine apples which we sold on the trees by estiraate at three
cents per bushel. In this new Iowa settlement none could
bc had for love or monejj. How Ave children did long for
the big BellfioAvers and Pippins we had for j^ears so greatly
enjpyed !
An event that winter was the arrival of the four horse
stage coach with the mail and passengers from the east. At
that time there Avere not only no railroads in Iowa, but there
were no regularlj' established state roads or highways. The
open prairies were sparcelj- settled and there Avere few
fences to obstruct travel. Wagon ways took the easiest
course over the unoccupied land, following the open smooth
prairie along the ridges as much as possible, and when nec
essary to cross creeks or rivers, seeking convenient! places.
In the spring of the j'ear these streams were impassable
with a loaded wagon. At that season of the year the stage
company kept several yoke of oxen near the bad places on
the route, to pull the coaches out of the mud holes when
they got stuck and the horses mired doAvii. An ox with his

LEAVING INDIANA FOR IOWA 37
divided hoof could do better work in the mud than a horse.
As traffic and travel increased with the increasing pop
ulation the business of the Great Westem Stage Company
became enonnous. The value of its capital stock advanced
from one hundred dollars a share to one thousand doUars
a share. The barns at the relaj' stations were kept full of
horses to accomodate the increasing demand as ucav coaches
were added from day to day. The crack of the driver's
whip and' blast of his signal hom could be heard at all
hours of the day or night. On the arrival of the mail coach
in each town a crowd of eager people would assemble to see
the new comers and Avith the hope of hearing from friends
back east.
The carrying of the mail in early days in loAva was a
process of evolultion. First it was by a man on horseback
coming occasionally ; next came a little wagon Avithout
springs with white muslin top draAvn by two horses arriving
with great regularity semi-occasionally. Later a company
called The Great Westem Stage Company took possession
of the field and continued to handle the mail and public
traffic until 1870 when it Avas pushed out of business by the
railroads. E. F. Hooker, a cousin of the famous general Hooker,
and a descendant of the Hookers who founded the city of
Hartford, was for years a conspicuous flgure in Des Moines,
a fine specimen of the old school gentleman. In 1850 he
became westem manager of the Great AA^'esteni Stage Com
pany. He was a passenger in the first of the neAV companj' 's
coaches, and oil his arrival, took up his residence in Dos
Moines where he remained until his death, long after the
stage coach had disappeared from Iowa.
The pioneers of the daj's of the stage coach never
dreamed that they were laying the foundation for the mar
veUous state of loAva as she takes her proud place in the na
tion to-day. She developed from the quiet and unknoAAoi
settlers, scattered in lonely granges, Avithout city or town
ship or roads, and with houses so solitary and remote that
hardly was one in sight of another. Out of the once rirgin
and untrodden soil of prairie and woodland the early set-

38 LIFE IN TIIE MIDDLE AVEST
tiers have builded by their nameless and transient lives one
of the greatest of all the great commonAvealths— a kingdom
Avhere all are sovereigns. EARLY DAYS IN IOWA
But to go back to the incidents of our dreary winter
of 1855-6 in Indianola. I helped to take care of the house
and did odd jobs of hauling Avith one of our teams. I re
member hauling great loads of pumpkins from a field where
the buildings of Simpson College now stand. That land
then belonged to George E. Griffith, a public spirited man
of wealth, who afterward gave all he had in helping to found
Simpson College and in helping to build a railroad from
Indianola to Des Moines. The young people of our familj'
Avere all in their teens and were growing to ' ' beat the band. ' '
That fact Avith coming to a new country with its changes of
climate and conditions developed the most amazing appe
tites. Mother was put to her wits ends to get food enough
on the table for us to eat. No matter how much she got
ready we ate it all. It seemed to me I was always hungrj'.
We greatly missed the cellar full of prorisions, ahvays
ready for us in our old home.
While I was doing odd jobs of hauling in Indianola,
mj' brother Moses was using the other team hauling goods
for merchants from Burlington, tAvo hundred miles awaj".
With the mercury twenty, thirty, and even forty degrees
below zero, that cold winter, Moses on the road Arith his
team suffered greatly from the cold and many times was al
most frozen to death. Poor mother had constant cause for
worry and anxiety.
The first of March avc were to get possession of our
farm, eight miles south of Indianola. To get there we could
take almost any route over the open prairie but were com
pelled to cross South River, and the first of March was the
time when the unbridged rivers of Iowa were almost im
passable with loaded wagons. Brother Moses and' I did the
moving Avith two teams. The family Avith some of the light
er things were taken out first. We then went back to town

EARLY DAYS IN IOWA 39
and loaded both wagons with the heavy things and about
the middle of the aftemoon started to the farm, with the
cow tied to the tail gate of Moses' Avagon. AVhen we struck
South River our loaded wagons sank in the soft mud to the
hubs and we were hopelesslj' stalled. AVe Avere mere boj's.
I was fifteen and Moses nineteen ; we had had no experience
with this sort of thing. AVe suddenly realized that we Avere
up against a hard proposition. AVe went vigorously to
Avork unloading the wagons. To do this Ave had to carrj'
the stuff through the water and mud up the bank to the level
road above, a very laborious job. We then, bj' the use of
long ropes, fastened to the wagon tongue and four horses,
pulled each Avagon in turn out of the mire to the place where
we had carried our goods and reloaded them.
By that time night was upon us, and the clouds of a
threatening stonn so greatly intensified the darkness that
we could not see the road ahead of us. But as there was no
settlement or house anywhere for shelter Ave started our
teams trusting to the horses to follow the dim trail whieh
we called the road. AVe had only gone a short distance and
reached the open prairie when a severe snow storm, a reg
ular blizzard strack us squarely in the face. Our teams
hesitated but we urged them on. Time passed' on. We were
almost frozen to death, but we saw no" sign of home. AA'e
flnaUy stopped and got together for a conference and found
that our horses had turned back from facing the storm,
had left the road, turned back tOAvard the timber that skirt
ed the river, and we Avere completelj' lost. We tied our
horses and got into one of the wagons and' tried to get warm.
My brother, who was trying to shield me because I was just
recovering from a serious illness, found that the numbness
of perishing was beginning to come over him. He aroused
mc and we got out on the ground. Neither of us was able
to stand at first without holding ourselves up to the wagon
bj' our hands. Finally by vigorous effort we got our blood
to circulating again, and began to walk. After the snow
stopped falling it began to grow verj' cold, and as our cloth
ing was wet from working in the water, we had to keep con
stantly in motion which Ave did until day light the next
moming.

40 LIFE IN THB MIDDLE WEST
Our famUy cow that had been tied behind one of the
wagons had, in the night caught one of her homs in a tree,
by which it had been torn off, and the blood had run doAvii
and frozen in great icicles on her jaAV. The horror and dis
ti'ess of that night have ncA'er been forgotten.
AVith that year began agaiii the pioneer life in making
a new farm in a new countiy. I took eight head of young
steers, trained them to the use of the neck yoke and hitched
them to a heavy breaking ploAv and broke the prairie on our
land. In the winter nights AA'heii the snow Avas deep, the
hungry Avolves would make night hideous Avith their howling
near the house. One night a neighbor boj' and I were re
turning from a sleigh ride in a one horse "jumper," when
we discovered a large grej' Avolf pursuing us. We croAvded
our horse, but the beast Avas rapidlj' gaining on ns. 1 took
the whip and while my companion drove the horse on a SAvift
gallop, I kept the wolf off by a vigorous use of the Avhip
until we reached home.
Mj' father's illness became more alarming after avc
moved on the farm. In fact the trip from Indiana in his
feeble condition, the hard Avinter and the exposure of going
into the country, with all the trials and' anxieties of these
changes, rendered his recovery hopeless. He died the
tAventy -ninth of June, 1856, soon after avc were settled on the
farm. He Avas only fifty-six years old, had been a man of
remarkable physical strength and vigor, had won in the
struggle with nature in the primcA'al forests of Indiana ; and
full of hope and courage had planned another conquest,
under more faA'orable circumstances, in the new land of
Iowa. But the severe fever which fastened itself upon his
sj'.?tem, and the trials an.d exposures, took his life. He Avas
one of the best types of the men of his time : patient, honest,
industrious, AA'ith capacity for everj' dutj' or responsibilitj-
that came to him.
Of the thirteen children of my father and mother, ten
lived to full age and niarried and raised families of their
OAvn. So that at the time I am Avriting there are more than
one hundred descendants of the family founded by Glenn
Clark. By his death there were left in the family home, my

EARLY DAYS IN IOWA 41
mother and the four youngest children: Moses and Eliza
beth, nineteen, they being tArins, myself, fifteen, and Nancy
Belle, eleven years old.
Thus again my mother found herself in the struggle of
making a farm and founding a home on a new frontier. To
remind her of the early days of Indiana, she had occasional
visits from the Indians, and f requentlj' heard the hoAvling of
Avild animals. Her life Avas one of perpetual care and anxi
ety, and constant and uncontrollable grief over the mitimely
death of my father. But the struggle was not for long.
Three years after father's death she AA'ent to join him in
the land of peace and rest, closing a life of perpetual serrice
and care for others. If there was satisfaction and happiness
for her in this life it was the joy of self forgetfulness in
ministering to those about her.
AVhen mother died the home was broken up. The others
married and I was alone in the world. 1 Avas among people
interested in their own aff'airs, and not at all in mine. I was
then eighteen. The following summer, 1860, I taught a
summer country school for twelve dollars a month and
boarded around among the patrons. 1 then really first be
gan to see and feel the responsibUities of life, and to hope
and to aspire to some purpose. I had little companionship
in this dreary, sparsely settled community. I had much
time for solitary walks and meditation Avheii unoccupied by
the short hours in the school room.
One night as I walked alone on the open prairie, I be
came oppressed with a feeling of loneliness and a sense of
friendlessness hitherto unknown to me. A feeling of deso
lation and abandonment came over me and I wept like a
child. When the agony of the hour was partlj' over, I dis
covered that the earth was flooded with the light of a full
moon and the heavens were illuminated with brilliant stai's.
There began to come over me for the fli'st time a conscious
ness of the marvelous beauty of God's creations, and of the
greatness and grandeur of the universe, of things etemal
and everlasting ; of the Avorld of things to leam and ol the
few things that I kncAV. I was then reading a wonderful

42 LIPE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
book called Dicks AVorks, which had a great influence on my
life. The thoughts and feelings that came to me in th:it
lonelj' moonlight walk Avere like a revelation, a new birth,
and a new life seemed to open up to me. In it all was
mingled a feeling that the soul of my sainted mother Avas
near me, if not a moving part of it all. From that time on
a new purpose animated me and gaA'e hope and courage to
my work and plans. STARTING TO COLLEGE
I began to consider trjdng to take a course in college.
I found that some poor boys managed to get along with little
expense bj' boarding themselves. A kind m.an in Indianola,
George E. Griffith, heard of my desire to go to school and
loaned me a scholarship in the loAva Wesleyan University at
Mt. Pleasant. I gathered up a few things for fitting out a
bachelor's quarters, and got a friend to take his team and
haul them and me to Mt. Pleasant for the fall term of 1860.
I found tAVO other boys about as poor as I was, and we joined
forces and rented a cheap shack Arith .about three rooins for
$3 a month. We put our outfits together and started in on
an economical basis to get a college education. I had saved
tAventy dollars of mj' teacher's salarj' and sold a ealf and
saddle for ten dollars. So my AA'ealth to take me one year
in college amounted to thirty dollars, a part of which I spent
for clothing. I fear that my stateraent that my first j'car
at college cost me only forty-five cents a week will be seri
ously doubted.
Economical liring was compulsory Arith me. The high
cost of liring which is now the world's most serious problem,
had not then come into consideration. AVe lived on the
simplest and cheapest food. Potatoes cost us ten cents a
bushel and constituted our staple article. AVe could get of
the baker a basket full of stale bread for fiA'c or ten cents ;
cheap country butter ,a little rancid at times, for five cents
a pound ; a bag of corn meal for ten cents ; and once a week
we paid five cents for meat, that is to say we had a soup

STAETING TO COLLEGE 43
bone which my room mate Newt Harris called steak, mean
ing the stake the animal stood on. OccasionaUj' some kind
neighbor who had a cow would send us a pitcher' of milk,
and then we would indulge in the luxury of mush and milk.
We drank water with our meals when we did not have milk
given to us.
On this plain wholesome food avc kept perfectlj' Avell
and our minds clear for vigorous Avork. AVe stood Avell in
our classes and were well respected by our teachers and
school mates, except a few who Avere rich and regarded pov
erty as a disgrace, and who regarded college life as a place
for spending raoney and haA'ing a good time in idleness and
extravagance. The lowa Weslej'an Umversity was the first college
establisihed in the state and for manj' years Avas the only
Methodist school in the Avest. It had a good start under
President Charles Elliott and was in able hands in 1860.
Thus my first year in college was launched and thus
passed a year that marked an epoch in nij' life.

CHAPTER lA^
ELECTION OF LINCOLN AND CIVIL A\'AR
At the November election that j'car Abraham Lincoln
was elected President of the United States. T felt that I
Avas intelligent enough to vote, Avent to the polls, and cast
TO.y first vote. No questions AA'ore asked as to age and my
vote Avas counted for Abraham Lincoln. I Avas only nine
teen. The election of Lincoln was hailed with delight by
many Southern leaders, Avho seized upon that as a reason
for launching a long cherished plan, of seceding from the
Union. The South Avas ready for secession and for v/ar if
necessary, though many thought the North would not fight
but quietly submit to the dissolution of the Union.
On April 1 2th the first shot Avas fired in the Ciril AA"'ar,
on Port Sumpter. The next day April 13th, the fort sur
rendered to General Beauregard. On the 15th, Lincoln is
sued his flrst call lor troops, 75,000 men to serve three
months. Mr. Seward, Secretary of State and leader of the
cabinet, told Lincoln that ninety days would flnish the job.
Samuel J. Kirkwood, GoA'crnor of Iowa, received bj' wire
on the 16th an order for a regiment of infantry. When he
read the message he said to Mr. A^'andcA'er who brought the
message to him: "AVhy, the president Avants a whole regi
ment of men. Do you suppose I can raise so many as that? ' '
His question was answered when ten thousand men were
offered in about ten daj's.
The intense excitement that followed these thrilling
events was beyond Avords to describe. In everj' community
the people abandoned business and assembled in some pub
lic place for consultation and action. The threatened war
had come. One of my class mates and' intimate friends was
44

ELECTION OP LINCOLN AND CIVIL WAR 45
young David T. Mitchell from Chariton, loAva. He and 1
went together as spectators and joined the excited crowd
assembling in the public square. Suddenly there went up a
cry for ' • a speech, " " a speech. ' ' The most eloquent speak
er in Iowa resided in Mount Pleasant, and had been noticed
by the crowd, Henry Clay Dean, who had recently been
chaplain of the U. S. Senate and whom the London Times
pronounced the greatest American orator. He was called
for and reluctantly ascended the speaker's stand. Por once
his eloquence failed him. His sympathies were Arith the
south and when he said before that audience that he be
lieved secession Avas justiflable, he Avas unceremoniously
hustled from the platform and out of the grounds.
My young friend Mitchell had become known for his
patriotism and eloquence. He was noticed in the croAvd and
loud calls came for "MitcheU," "MitcheU," "David T.
Mitchell." The call was unexpected and ist.artling to the
boy of eighteen and he tried to escape, but the call was over
whelming and young Mitchell, trembling with excitement
and on fire Arith patriotism, sprang to the platform, and
throwing his hat on the ground made a speech of such mag
netic power and eloquence as to satisfy and meet the de
mands of the occasion. When he got through there was no
longer doubt or uncertainty as to duty, — it was to go to
war and put down the rebellion. An enlistment roll was
produced and a full company enrolled as rapidly as the
names could be Avritten down. David T. Mitchell's name
was among the first and mine immediately below it. School
books were thrown aside, business was largely suspended
and war news and drilling soon took all ray time.
There was a fancy military company already organized,
known as the "Mount Pleasant Grays" and many of them
enlisted and their officers became the officers of our new com
pany , viz. : Captain, Samuel M. Wise, Pirst Lieutenant,
George A. Stone; Second Lieutenant, Simeon P. Roderick.
Our company was one of the first offered to the governor,
was accepted and became Corapany F. of the Pirst loAva
Infantry Eegiment. This company was mustered into the

46 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
State service on the 25th of April, only nine days after
Governor KirkAvood got the telegrara from Lincoln.
When the day came for oui' company to leave Mount
Pleasant for the war, the toAvn was filled Arith relatives and
friends of the men. The hearts of mothers, sisters, and
sweethearts were filled Avith anxiety and grief at parting
with those they loved, and seeing them march away to dan
gers, known and unknown, Avith a feeling of uncertainty as
to ever seeing them again. The patriotism and enthusiasm
of the crowd was heightened by the martial music and wav
ing flagsi and shouts of encouragment and farewells.
Our young, hot blood was quickened Arith the applause,
and many of us experienced our first sensation of fame and
glory as we marhced away Arith a proud step and high head,
to ' ' glory and other things. ' ' Mothers were sobbing, sisters
and lovers' with streaming eyes were waving farewells as
long as they could be seen by the boys who were learing.
On our Avay to Burlington, great enthusiasm was mani
fested by the farmers and villagers and we received a warm
reception on our arriA'al at Burlington. Our entire com
pany was quartered at the Lawrence House, where we were
to await a boat which would' carry us to Keokuk where Ave
Avere to go into camp for regimental organization and arms
and equipment. On the following day, the Sth of May, the steamer
' ' Ewins" took us on board and landed us at Keokuli at mid
night, sleepj' and hungiy. The company Avas for a time
quartered in a large upstairs haU in the center of town.
Here I may say begaii my army life, Arith the tedious and
monotonous routine of guard duty, drill, complaints about
rations, and impatience at the delay and inaction of the
army. THE FIRST IOWA REGIMEN T
On the eleventh of May we elected our regimental of
ficers, already arranged for us by the governor and politi
cians: Colonel John F. Bates of Dubuque; laeutenant Col
onel William H. Merritt of Cedar Rapids; Major Asburj'

THB FIRST IOWA REGIMENT 47
B. Porter of Mount Pleasant; all of Avhora were democratic
politicians. I have always believed that there was an under
standing between Lincoln and the govemors of the north
em states that the democrats should be favored in order to
secure the loyalty of that party to the Union cause. It is
true that the hope of the southern cause rested largely in
the belief that the North a's'ouIcI be divided and the democrats
Avould support the South.
These field officers did not possess, nor did they acquire,
much railitary ability. In fact the Colonel and Lieutenant
Colonel left the scrA'ice when the Pirst lov/a was mustered
out at the end of three months and never again entered the
service, although urged by the governor to do so.
On the twenty-fourth of May the ladies of Keokuk de
lighted us by preparing a splendid picnic dinner for the
soldiers which was served in the grove west of toAvn. 1 will
here quote a few lines from my diary of that date : ' ' After
feasting gorgeously on the fat things full of marrow, avc
had music which is said to aid digestion, toasts and some
very spicy and patriotic speeches by Colonel Curtis, Colonel
Bates, Judge G. G. Wright and others, Avhen we returned
to our quarters with a higher opinion of, and more love for,
those blessed souls who do so much to alleriate man's suf
ferings and smooth life 's uneven way. ' '
Up to the twenty-eighth of May we remained quartered
in buildings in town, not at all an ideal way to learn the real
life of the soldier. On the tAventy-eighth we marched out to
a real encampment fitted up Avith tents; each tent large
enough for six or eight men. The occupants of each tent
organized themselves into a common ' ' Mess. ' ' Mj' mess was
composed of Murphj', Lucas, Feghtly, Adams, Hamilton,
Mitchell and Clark, all college boys and college friends. By
this arrangeraent and through a dirision of labor, things
moved along verj' smoothly. Our location in a fine grove
west of the toAvn was called Camp Ellsworth in honor of
young Colonel Ellsworth "^'ho was shot and killed by a rebel
hotel keeper in Alexandria, Va., while taking down a con
federate flag from the hotel building.
On June third Stephen A. Douglas died in Chicago.

J. S. Cl/xRK
Private in First Iowa.

THE FIRST IOWA REGIMENT 49
He was an able statesman, leader of the democratic party
of the North and their candidate for the presidency against
Lincoln in 1860. But his most enduring fame rests on the
fact that he was Lincoln's competitor for the United States
Senate, in the contest for which place occurred the great
debate between these two wonderfiU raen, the most notable
discussion of the subject of slavery iu ail the Avorld's his
tory. In honor of his raemory the soldiers of Camp Ells
worth, the citizens of Keolruk an.d the countrj' around, held
a meeting on the eleventh of June. Quoting from my diary :
"About three thousand soldiers and as many citizens
marched in regular order, slow time, soldiers with reversed
arms, to a pleasant grove. Among other exercises a memor
ial address of more than an hour 's length Avas delivered by
Judge Craig of Keokuk. He delineated the life and char
acter of the great statesman in a masterful manner. The
people of aU parties listened with intense interest, especially
to the story of Douglas espousing the cause of the Union
and giving the great weight of his influence and counsel in
favor of Lincoln 's policy of putting down the rebellion. ' '
On June thirteenth our camp was greatly excited over
an order to break camp and embark for the scene of war.
Everything was hurry and bustle. "But it was not until
the shades of night had thrown her mantle over the earth
that we started south on the steamer Jennideans. We ar
riA'cd at Hannibal, Missouri, about midnight, marched into
an empty large warehouse, w"here Arithout breaking ranks
or removing the panoply of Avarfare, we stretched' our forms
on th© dirty fioor and slept soundly until the rosy fingered
Aurora came streaming through the open doors. ' '
As soon as we had eaten a meagre breakfast we Avere
ordered to go Avest on the line of the Hannibal and St. Jo
seph railroad, to join General Lyon who was in hot pursuit
of a force of the eneray. We mounted the cars with joyful
hearts, expecting soon to realize our great ambition to meet
the eneray and face him in battle.
As we proceeded into rebelldom the inhabitants grew
more and more hostile. At one place the white people came
forward shouting for Jeff Dav.^s, while the blacks behind

50 LIFE IN THB MIDDLE WEST
the houses were going through the gesticulations of a Meth
odist love feast. At another place our boys found' a seces
sion fiag pole and held the train while they cut it down and
fired a few bullets into it as a warning to rebels who hovered
around it. On the same day Ave reached Macon, our desti
nation, and where avc expected battle, but the enemy had
fied on hearing of our approach. We found a few strag
glers, made them take the oath of allegiance, and released
them. We heard' many rumors of rebel forces assembling
through the country, especially at Bloomington seven miles
north west of Macon. On the fifteenth Ave seized a rebel
fiag pole and ran up the stars and stripes to the great dis
gust of the rebel people. We remained at Macon until the
eighteenth of -June, captured some rebel flags and a few
prisoners, one a man of some note, a Brigadier General of
the C. S. A. Some of the ladies were very kind to us Avhile
there. It Avas a curious study to observe the feeling of doubt
and uncertainty on the part of many of the citizens as to
Avhich side of the coming struggle thej' should take. Thej'
are in the field of Avar Avith anned forces all about them in
hostile camps. God pity them !
REBEL spirit IN MISSOURI
The Secesh element dominated' during that time and the
sentiment in northern Missouri was bloodthirsty. There
was a railroad newly built running south from Macon.
When we arrived there Avere two engines there. The Secesh
ran one of thera off and disabled the other hj' taking aAA'ay
a A'alve so that it could not be made to move. "Corporal
BiU" Heustisof Co. E. examined the engine, then went into
a blaclfflmith shop and made a neAV A'alve and put the engine
in good order. We had men in our regiment that could do
anything that needed' to be done.
President Lincoln in a message Julj' 4th, 1861, said:
' ' So large an army as the government has uoav on foot, was
never before kiioAvn without a soldier in it but Avho has

EBBEL SPIEIT IN MISSOURI 51
taken his place there of his own free choice. But more than
this, there are many single regiments whose members, one
and another, possess full practical knowledge of aU the arts,
sciences, professions, and whatever else, whether useful or
elegant, is known in the Avhole world, and there is scarcelj'
one from which could not be selected a president, a cabinet,
a congress, and perhaps a court, abundantly competent to
administer the Government itself." The First Iowa regi
ment was a conspicuous illusti-ation of Mr. Lincoln's state
ment. In its ranks, with muskets in their hands, were
scholars, classical students, men of high standing in all the
learned professions as well as expert artisans in all lines.
So when we were ordered south we hitched up this re
paired engine to a lot of freight cars and equipped the train
with engineers and brakemen, and all got aboard and pro
ceeded in corafort. We Avent about thirty miles to a place
called Renick. There we found our runaway locomotive
and also found that the rebels had burned the bridge so
that we could not go further with our train. A secesh flag
Avas flying from a pole which we chopped down and used
for fuel. We saw a good many horsemen around the edges
of town, and were told that there was a tide of recruits go
ing in companies to join rebel General Sterling Price, and
that they might gather in sufficient numbers to attack us.
The principal flre-eaters of the South at that time were
A' aney, AVigfall, and Toombs. They were the great rebel
and rabble-rousers. They were really of no military use
and faded out long before the war closed.
Renick was wildly and flercely secession and the big
frame hotel in the town was named the ' ' Yancy House ' ' in
very large black letters across the whole side of the building.
A soldier was seen putting up a ladder against the side of
the hotel. We watched him ; he mounted with a pot of paint
and began erasing the letter "Cin the name Yancy. Great
was our delight when he flnished by putting a "K" in, mak
ing it read ' ' Yanky House. ' ' A news paper was also pub
lished' there that was ferocious. A lot of the last issue were
obtained and read and produced much indignation. Finally
a gang of printers got together from the ranks and got out a

52 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
large edition of the paper. It Avas loyal to the Union, de
nounced secession and pledged a regiment of soldiers
around Renick to the Union army. AA^e had' a flne orator, a
private in Company A, Henry 0 'Comior, who after the war
became famous in State and National politics. He soon had
about half the town assembled around him listening to as
flne a speech as was ever heard in that countrj"- in all that
Avar period. In the meantirae avc were anxious to get to General
I/j'on who was moving on Price and Jackson's armj' at
Boonerille. Our Colonel had sent three messages to General
Lyon and got no replies. Some of the Secesh told us that
Price had Avhipped Lj'on, others said that Lyon had gone
back to St. Louis.
On the raorning of the nineteenth we began to hear ru
mors of the battle at Boonerille. It was described to us
somewhat like this: General Lyon made the attack in the
form of a crescent. A strong fight was made against him
and it looked doubtful. All at once he ordered the points
of the crescents to charge and he pulled the men away from
the center, disclosing a battery of Artillery which fired a
volley supporting the charge and the Confederates were
whipped. We Avere eager to get to Booneville, so we impressed a
lot of wagons to haul our baggage and s-truck out on a sArif t
march. The evening of the nineteenth we camped at a place
called Bunker Hill. It has disappeared from the map since
the war. Here a man came into our camp who had been
shot through the arm at Boonville. He said that some of
Lj'on's men charged them and fought, and fired and loaded
lying on t'he ground. He said that was what whipped them.
He said he had had enough of Avar and damn the Dutch.
We were immensely tickled at the ".Loading on the
ground. ' ' That was what we had been drilled in and Avere
anxious to get a chance at. We had Avorii out our clothes
rolling on the ground, practicing loading while lying doAvn.
While at Bunker Hill one of our men found a coat con
taining the dispatches that had been sent to General Lyon

MEETING LYON AT BOONEVILLE 53
bj' our Colonel, showing that the raessagers had been Avay-
laid and killed.
Our scouts saAV manj' horsemen, some with guns and
some Arithout. They seemed to be retreating from Boone-
viUe and spying on us. AVe were told that Lyon was in a
trap, that the Confederates had surrounded him and he
neA'er could get out, etc., etc.
MEETING LYON AT BOONEVILLE
The march from Renick to Booneville, fifty-eight miles,
in two days on only three meals, was severe ; and that we
did well we need no better cA'idence than General Lyon's
expression to Colonel Bates that he knew of no better march
even by old regular soldiers. But we were sore and stiff
and our feet were blistered. We reached the Missouri River
opposite Booneville and a ferry boat took us aboard. We
could see tents across the river among the trees upon the
hill. It was the Cooper Countj' Fair Ground, and a beau
tiful place, where we soon went into camp.
The river was high, running bank full. There were
two men alone on the shore watching our boat come across.
We rounded near them. One had on blue army pants, a
linen coat and black felt hat : the other was dressed in citi-i
zen's clothes with an army cap. The captain of the boat
said "The man with the hat is Gen. Lyon and the other is
Col. Frank P. Blair." They were two brave capable raen,
whose efforts raore than anything else saved Missouri to the
nion. While in camp at Booneville I found a family near,
Avho were loyal and friendly to the bo.vs in blue. Everj'
day the kind women gave me buttermilk, of which I was
very fond, and sometimes bread and butter and other things
Arithout monej"- and without price. The fact is I had no
raoney. A few days before I had on a march, gone aside to
a farm house for a chicken, and finding no one at home, had
taken the chicken and left under the door the last money
I had in the world. I hadn't learned then to forage with a
free hand.

54 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
AVhile at Booneville the quartermaster began to outfit
a transportation train for Lyon's Army. Mules, horses and
big wagons were being gathered in from all sides. At our)
regiraental headquarters was a covered farra wagon with a)
team of strong Missouri mules. At midnight one of them
in the dark silence would send off a loud, self-conceited,
egotistical bray. It would be takeii up here and there until
the camp was in a perfect uproar and this would continue
for several minutes mitil it finally died' doAvn into silence.
Our mules kept up this habit all during the campaign. How
they could come so near guessing midnight puzzled us. They
were entirely ignorant of astronomy except as they were in
he habit of seeing some one come doAva whom they had
sent up. Corporal Churubusco said it was the same way
'luring the Mexican War, and that they stopped the mules
from braying at midnight by tj'ing weights to their tails.
We were being drilled every day, forenoon and after
noon. Our feet Avere getting into good condition and we
were learning under Lyon's orders how to be good soldiers.
Our guns and cartridge boxes were frequentlj" inspected.
We were all supplied with fortj' rounds each and with fifty
percussion capsi in our cap boxes. The cartridges were
tough brown paper with big charges of coarse black poAvder.
The ball was a minnie bullet weighing an ounce, conical at
the front and with a cavity in the rear filled A\'ith a conical
wooden plug, so that Avhen we rammed one doAvn Arith our
concave pointed steel ramrod the ball was spread so as to
tightly fit the smooth-bore barrel. We bit off the end of the
cartridge vrith our teeth. When doing so we always got a
few grains of powder in our mouths, and as the taste was
pleasant we chewed the paper which we had bitten off, and
by the time we had fired a fcAv shots Ave had a wad of paper
in our mouths which we would chew as a school girl would
chew gum. In the heat of battle, the powder and sweat gave
us soon the complexion of the black man for whose freedom
we were fighting. The cartridge box when filled weighed
four pounds.
Our regiment while at BoonvUle received from the
State of loAva pay for the time betAveen our muster into

MEETING LYON AT BOONEA'ILLE 55
the State serrice until mustered into the United States ' ser
vice. My pay amounted to $7.70 and thus put me into
funds again. Some of the boys received money from home
from time to time, but I had no resources except my salarj',
Avhich at that time was eleven dollars a month. Up to this
time we had not received from the govemment any money
or any clothing. The uniforms we Avore Avere cheap, shoddy
stuff fumished by the state and were rapidly falling into
rags. In fact our goA'emment was having a mighty tough
time of it up to this time to hold itself together and trying
to keep alive. The rebels had got the best of everything.
They had controlled the govemment for years and had
stripped it clean of forage, supplies, guns, ammunition, and
everything to equip an army.
The First loAva had some of the best dtilled companies
I ever saw. They had' been fancy home companies driUed
for exhibitions and parades. My company, Co. P., had been
perfected in what was called the Zouave Drill, an attractive
spectacular performance that was greatly admired. Our first
Lieutenant, Geo. A. Stone, Avas a fine drill officer and a
fine soldier. He afterwards became a Brigadier General.
The Zouave drill of Co. F. was admitted to be th© best
of any of the troops, even the regulars. The people of
Boonerille got up a petition to Gen. Lyon that if any would
be spared when he went away, to leave the First Iowa In
fantry. We felt complimented but said no. We wanted to
go with the movement on the enemy.
During our stay at Booneville, our rations Avere good,
though not up to the army standard. We lived on bread,
beef, and coffee. An army ration at that time was as fol
lows: 12 oz. pork or bacon, or in lieu thereof 20 oz. fresh or
salt beef. 22 oz. soft bread or fiour, or 20 oz. corn meal, or
16 oz. hard tack.
15 lbs. beans or peas  to 100 rations.
10 lbs. rice or hominy  " " "
10 lbs. green or 8 lbs. roasted coffee " " "
in lieu of coffee 24 oz. of tea  " " "
15 lbs. of sugar  " "

56

LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST

1 gallon of vinegar
20 oz. star candles . .
4 lbs. soap 
60 oz. salt 
4 oz. pepper 
1 qt. molasses ....
30 lbs. potatoes ....

The foregoing were the regular rations, but we never
got all of them even when in camp, and on the march we
got what we could and foraged for the rest.
All the steamers passing up or down were compelled to
land for inspection and occasionaUj' it required a cannon
shot across their bows to bring them in. A few days before
wc left Booneville a isteamer called the "Spread Eagle"
from the Y^ellowstone was brought in by a cannon shot. They
Avere astonished to hear of the war. They had gone up the
riA'er 2,000 miles and had remained all winter among the
Indians and been frozen in. Aboard the boat were some
tough looking long haired trappers in buckskin clothes and
moccasins. The boat was piled full of buffalo hides, beaver
skins and other valuable furs. In those days pioneering
and trapping was profitable. An industrious trapper could
clear $2,500 a year. One of Daniel Boone's grandsons on
this boat said he had cleared on an average, $5,000 per j'ear,
but it was a hard and dangerous life.
Our camp was near a command of regulars. They were
a lot of toughs and loved to tell us long yams about Indian
service. One afternoon on their parade ground there was
one of their men bucked and gaged with a guard marching
back and forth near hira. We had never seen that sort of
thing and fiocked around. A dudisli young officer came with
his sword draAvii and ordered us off, whereupon we threat
ened to unloose the man. AVe told the officer they might do
that to regulars, but that they could not do that sort of
thing to free American citizens. We were right. The pun
ishment of the man was inhuman ; it does more hantn than
good to punish a man Arith conspicuous prominence, and
ruins him for a soldier.

MEETING LYON AT BOONEVILLE 57
_ General Lyon had in his comraand at this tirae the fol
loAring troops:
First Missouri Infantry under Col. Frank P. Blair.
Second Missouri Infantry under Col. Henry Boernstein.
First loAva Infantry imder Col. J. P. Bates.
James Tatten's Batteiy, 2nd U. S. Artillery.
Corapany B. 2nd U. S. Infantry, Lyon's old company.
200 regular army recruits, unassigned.
Major Peter J. Osterhaus of the 2nd Missouri had a
voice like a trumpet, and soraetiraes gave his orders in Ger
man and sometimes in English, both of Avhich languages he
spoke very well. He afterwards became one of our best
Major Generals. Captain Totten 's battery Avas called light
artiUery. The guns were smooth bore brass, twelve pound
ers, muzzle loading. Totten seemed' always to carry a can
teen of brandy with him and gave his orders in a lurid,
sonorous raanner. The first tAvo that I heard will illustrate
his manner : ' ' Forward that caisson, G-d d-n you sir. Swing
that piece into line, G-d d-n you sir. ' ' He was alert, brave
and capable.
The Pirst Iowa ten companies were made up from the
f oUoAring naraed cities :
Companies A and C, Muscatine.
Company B, Iowa City.
Companies D and E, Burlington.
Corapany F, Mount Pleasant.
Company G, Davenport.
Companies H and I, Dubuque.
Company K, Cedar Rapids.
Some of the companies had separated names which had
been given them under their fomier organizations, as fol
lows: Company D, "Burlington Rifles." Company E,
"Burlington Zouaves;" Company P, "Mount Pleasant
Grays;" Company H. "Wilson Guards;" Company I,
"Governor's Grays."
The Iowa regiment boys Avere all alike. They were rag
ged and Avell drilled soldiers, and they didn't want to go
home without being in a battle. Their three months ser
rice was nearly out. It was reported that General Lyon

58 LIPE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
Avas discouraged about his transportation and supplies ; that
he could not wait longer. It took seven wagon loads a day
to feed his army. Only one two horse wagon was allowed
each companj' to haul tents, cooking utensils, the company
desk, three days rations, the sick, and forage for the team.
We had no 'hospital arrangements worthy of the name.
We had been in Boonerille nearly two weeks, and on
July 3rd started south toward Springfield in hopes of cap
turing Price's army before he could receive reinforcements
from the south. We marched out of Boonerille in the mud
with flags flying and drums beating. Old men and good
looking girls escorted us far out of town on horseback, rid
ing at the side of the road. Before the war in the south
©A'ery AVoman OAvned a horse and kneAV how to ride it. They
gave ns a great ovation. And the little boys ran along be
side us in gangs ; on their caps were the letters C. S. or U. S.
They were playing Avar and had sticks and would hit each
other promiscuously. Some represented the Confederacy
and some the United States. The letters indicated the senti
ments of their mothers. The Avomen are always patriotic
and if there is a Avar the Avoraen ahvays help flght it.
After marching ten iniles avc stopped for lunch. Then
we started on again, going southAvest. The roads becanie
more muddj' and harder to travel. AV© suppos©d it Avas our
duty to ke©p up Avith the regulars who Avere in front of us,
and so we trod on their heels all day. H©nce Avhcu on© of
them stopped to ti© his shoe he fell back into our ranks about
tAVO hundred feet. And avc sang "The Happy Land of
Canaan" nearly all the time. We wanted to show the regu
lars that we could stay Avith them. They did not like our
stj'lc, but w© liked theirs and wanted to associate Arith them,
and kept ready to run over them all day long.
The stuff Ave carried was about as follows: gun, 10
pounds; cartridge box, cap pouch, belt, bayon©t and scab
bard, 8 pounds ; one day's rations and hav©rsack, 4 pounds ;
blanket, 3 pounds ; canteen filled, 3 pounds ; total, 28 pounds.
When night came after an all daA''s march in the mud with
our 28 pound load w© were almost too tired to ©at. W© lay
down in our tracks and thought of hom© and Avished the war

HAPPY LAND OF CANAAN 59
would ©nd when Secretary Seward said it would. He put it
at ninety days and the time was about up.
General Lyon was an early ris©r and got up about three
o'clock in th© raorning. The glorious Fourth of July had
come and we were early on the march. Each company took
its turn on "fatigue duty" helping the regimental wagons,
part of which Avas to assist the driver when he ran out of
profanity ; also to pull back on the wagons when they went
down hill, to push on them Avhen they went up hill, and to
help across rivers and mud holes.
There is no animal on earth like the Missouri mule. He
has no superiors and few equals. His strength is inexhaust
ible and he Arill pull till he drops. He enjoys profanity,
likes a joke, and is a good judge of men. He helped to save
th© Union. Thore were at that time 115,000 slaves in Missouri and
most of them north of the Missouri river, and that made
that part of the State strongly hostile to the Union. There
were few in the southem part of the state and that portion
Avas more loyal to us.
On the night of the Fourth of July w© slept out of
doors and looked up at the sky. W© asked many questions
of the silent stars and went to sleep.
happy land of CANAAN
The First lowa Regiment had many good singers in its
ranks. One source of amusement and inspiration was the
happy, jolly songs they sang as they marched along. On©
favorit© song was "Th© Happy Land of Canaan." Col.
Sigel of a Missouri regiment grew very tired of hearing that
song, and when he would hear the boys start it up he would
grow indignant and say ' ' Zer goes dot tam Happy land of
Canaan regiment. ' '
On the raorning of July 6th the bugle roused us at
3.30. The day was hot. The First Iowa Avere put in the
advance with the regulars just behind. In an hour there
Avas a gap of a mil© betw©©n us. Ev©ry hour w© start©d up
"Th© Happy Land of Canaan." Th© Colonol stopped us

60 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
©very hour to giv© us a breathing sp©ll, and as our succes
sors hove in sight w© struck out at a gait that could not b©
foUoAved. Every once in a while General Lyon would send
a courier to tell us to halt until th© brigade could close up.
We led the brigade twenty thr©e miles that day.
It was on this march that Lyon gave us the name of the
' ' Iowa Grayhounds. ' ' We went to sleep that night f ©©ling
delightfully satisfied with ourselves. We had shoAvn that
little army that Ave could outmarch them. We were Arithout
doubt the champions ; nothing and nobody could Avalk away
from us.
Eugene P. AVare 's mess had a splendid darky cook who
greatly enjoyed being with the army. All he feared was
being captured. He used to say:" They won't kill me,
they'll captivate mc. l's Avuf two thousand' dollars, l's
done sold for dat mor an woiice. ' ' Darki©s took rank among
themselves in thos© days according to the valu© of actual
sales. Eugen© P. Ware Avas a privat© in Company E from
Burlington. After th© war h© became famous for his writ
ings, over the name of ' ' Ironquill. ' ' He served as Pension
Commissioner mider Roosevelt.
During the day July 7th, we Aver© passing a little vil
lage in which was a large building made out of native lum
ber from a nearby saw mill. A man in "butternut" rode
by on horseback, and pointing at th© n©w building said,
"that is a rebel depot of supplies." W© all went for it,
officers and men. W© smashed in the doors and found it
fiUed Avith hats, shoes, and citizens ready made clothing.
Some of Lyon 's staff finally drove us off and th© stock was
taken and tumed over to the quartermaster.
The next day a big ruffian fellow rode into camp and
sought General Lyon in his tent and told him h© was th©
OAvner of the plundered store. The Missourian said he had
worked hard for what he had, and did not Avant to los© it.
He had a list of th© stuff and wanted the cash. Lyon said :
"You are just the man I Avant to see. Sergeant of the
guard," he exclaimed. The sergeant came. Said Lyon:
' ' Put this man undcr guard and if he tries to escape shoot

HAPPY LAND OF CANAAN 61
him." We were told by the natives who came into camp
that day that this man had killed seven Union men. The
story goes that he was taken out and shot. AVe never saw
him again.
We had great difficultj' in crossing the Grand River as
it was bank full and running very swiftlj'. Some of our
boys swara the river and carried a clothes line to which a
heavy rope was attached', thus making a way to draw over
som© iraprovis©d f©rry boats by which the army Avas carried
across. We had a new experienc© in the Grand river timber:
AV© got covered with wood ticks, seed ticks, and bed bugs.
Down in this timber the bed bug is indigenous to the soil or
to the trees. In the house he is merely a domesticated
stranger. We also had acquired lice of tAvo vaiieties of
Avhich th© body lous© was the most persistant. The latter
afterwards became very common in the army under the
narae of ' ' gray backs. ' ' In addition to these we acquired a
lot of chiggers and fieas. When avc added up the varieti&s
Ave were harboring there were seven, and later when av©
struck the mosquito©s w© had eight pests to keep us on the
jump and render our sleep troubled and make us dreara of
murder and slaughter.
At Grand river we were joined by Major Sturgis of the
First U. S. Cavalry, who had come from LeaveiiAvorth,
Kansas to join Lyon. Sturgis had vrith him the First Kan
sas Infantry, Col. George W. Dietzler, the Second Kansas
Infantry, Col. Robt. B. Mitchell, 600 regular cavalry and' a
battery of regular artillery, amounting to 2,200 men. Thus
Lyon's army of 2,400 men was sAvelled to 4,600.
Sturgis had Avith him ,'i,s his Adjutant Capt. Gordon
Granger who afterwards became a Major General and led
the troops that captured Mobile. Both of the Colonels of
the Kansas regiments, and also the Lieutenant Colonel of
the Second Kansas became Brigadier Generals.
Lj'on wanted to get some troops to the Osage River,
tAventy-five railes south, as quickly as possible to get posses
sion of the ferries before the Confederates destroyed them.
He picked on the Iowa Greyhounds for the speedy march

62 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE AVEST
and started us out at 6 A. M. in the mud vrith high heads
singing "The Happy Land of Canaan," but when we
reached the Osage river we were nearly dead and fell in our
tracks. But we saved the ferries and made it possible to
get the army across the full raging Osage river.
There were several men lost here; four overcome by
th© h©a.t di©d, on© was accidentally killed. One man Avas
on the ground asleep and an army wagon turning out of the
road ran over him and broke his neck. Tavo committed
suicide by droAvning and two were missing, probably had
gone foraging ancl had been waylaid. Casualties were con
stantly happening.
AVe started on toward Springfield and marched 52 miles
almost without stopping. A^eiy few men were in line Avhen
AV© stopped, after marching day and night. We went into
camp about fift©©n miks west of Springfield.
Fremont was in St. Louis iioav in coramand of the de
partment, but no supplies were coming to us and we Avere
not getting any mail. There wer© no clothes, no food, no
glory. We were not hearing from our girls, and worst of
all our girls were not hearing from us. While in this carap
a man in a Kansas regiment killed one of their oavu men
in a personal quarrel. He was immediately court martialed'
and ordered shot. On th© afternoon, Sunday the 14th, we
were all drawn up on three sides of a hollow square to se©
th© execution. The guilty man had been tak©n out in th©
morning and compelled to dig his own grave. In the after
noon while w© stood in line, h© sat on a box bj' the side of
his grav©. TAventy ©ight men Avere detail©d to shoot him
and stood about tw©nty-fiv© feet from him. The gmis AA'ere
stacked behind the shooting squad. One half of the guns
were loaded Avith blank cartridges and one half Avith bullets.
The men wer© told this and each one was given a gun not
knoAring hoAv it Avas loaded. The order Avas given " ' Make
ready, take aim, fire." The guns Aveiit off in a. volley, the
man rolled over and struggled briefly, Avas pitched into the
grav© h© had dug and was quicklj' covered over. Th© cere
raony was quickly flnished and avc Avcre inarched to our
quarters and disbanded.

SPRINGFIELD AND AVILSON CREEK 63
The soldiers became verj' fond of a new brand of tobac
co known in this locality as "boot heel plug." Around
Springfleld is a very fine tobacco countiy, and the way boot
heel plug was made is as follows : The tobacco Avas very
carefully selected, dampened and a trace of molasses giv©n
to each leaf. A two inch auger Avas used in boring holes
into hickory or walnut logs, into which a strong, loose-fit
ting plug was fitted to use as a rammer. Then ©ach leaf Avas
rolled up into a Avad and put into the hol© and it Avas pound
ed down leaf by leaf with this plug, by a lieavj' maul. After
the hole was mauled nearlj' full a ucav tight plug was driven
in to hold the tobacco solid and it stayed ther© aU winter
and until needed for use. Then it was chopped out with an
axe. AVhen taken out it could be broken up into disks.
Th© boys who used tobacco liked the "boothe©l" plug
very much. Personally I ii©ver learned to us© tobacco in
any form, a very sensible custom Avhich has been followed
by my sons. SPRINGFIELD AND AVILSON CREEK
On July 20th we marched to Springfield, about fifteen
miles. Springfield is on the summit of the Ozark mountains,
a nice toAvn, not very large but doing a good business. Tt
Avas 130 miles from a railroad, the nearest point touched by
a railroad being RoUa to which a road had been built from
St. Louis. We were marched into the center of toAvn and told to
stack arms and' assemble again at th© call of the bugle. And
here Ave got a lot of mail, letters from hom© and newspa'pers
telling about th© war and movements of th© armies. The
people in and around Springfield Avere generally for the
Union. In fact th© (3zark country Avas not a slave holding
region and had little sympathy for the rebel cause.
Soon after arriring in Springfield our regiment with a
few cavalry and some artillery made an exp©dition to For
syth about fifty miles to th© south. Th©r© w© had a skir
mish Arith the ©n©my and drov© th©ra off, capturing about a
hundred men, som© horses and' other rebel property. Major

64 LIFE IN THB MIDDLE WEST
SAveeney was in command and Avon the high regard of all
th© boys. H© was a gallant r©gular army officer with an
empty sleeve and a lot of Irish Arit and good humor. He
afterward became a Major General.
On the twenty-fifth of July we got raore letters and
more newspapers, and for the first tirae heard of th© Battle
of Bull Run Avhich discouraged us very rauch. We felt that
th© South had not only the b©st arras and had been drilling
longer and wer© mor© prepared, but had in addition to all
the best and most efficient officers, haring had the choice of
the old regular army.
Besides there was little confidence in old General Scott.
He had got the name of "Old Fuss and Feathers," which
seemed to be deserved. And again Gen. Fremont had been
in command in our department at St. Louis since Julj"
ninth and had done nothing for our struggling little army
in the crisis of the most important movement in his oaa'u
field. If there ©ver was an empty, spread-eagl©, shoAV-off,
hom-tooting, general, it was Fremont. He had manued the
daughter of a great United Stat©s Senator, Tom Benton.
Th© daughter, Jessie, was a great woman. She and her
father tried hard to mak© soraething out of him, spent
money advertizing him, and ran a literary bureau in puffing
him and exploiting his all©ged t.al©nts. Th©y gav© him
chances for great d©©ds, braced him up with good advice,
and gave him the advantage of the most intelligent guid
ance. He was Aveak and vain, Arith a heaA'j' touch of what
Orpheus C. Kerr called "the damp hool. " If he had been
elected President in 1856, things Avould have gone greatly
different. Th© south was then ready for Avar. They would
have seceded. Th© north would have been d©feat©d under
Fremont's incompetent govemment, and th© Union brok©n
up. My company had been mustered into the state servic©
on April twentj'-fifth, for three months, and when July
tAventj'-fifth arriA'cd we felt that our time was out. And
still w© didn't want to go home without a fight. So av©
began to clamor for "a figJit or a discharge."
At Springfield Avas a celebrated Union man who was a

SPRINGFIELD AND WILSON CREEK 65
Congressman from that district, John S. Phelps, aftei-ward
Colonel and Gen©ral, and later Governor of Missouri. The
United Stat©s avUI always be under a debt of gratitude to
him and his wife. His wife was a most superior woman,
and as staunch and influential as he.
About twenty percent of our men Avere sick; for some
weeks our diet had been cornmeal and sasafrass tea and we
couldn't stand it. I Avas sick and suffered from intense
heat. A large portion of the inhabitants of the place Avant
ed to get out with their wives and children and go north
for they feared a Conf©derate victory. So ther© Avas a
train of wagons and peopl© on foot and hors©back undcr
an escort of home guards started for Ealla. Lyon sent Arith
thera all of his sick soldiers that could b© haul©d off. Phelps
Avent in charge. 1 did not go but stayed Avith my company
for the fight which was approaching.
During August first, second and third Ave made an
other march to find the enemj' south of Springfield: W©
had two severe skirmishes, one at "Dug Springs" and one
at "McCuUas Store." Our loss Avas about seventy-five
killed, wounded, and missing, Avhile the enemj- lost about
tAvice that number. But they would not stand for a battle
and kept running aAvay from us. AVe then marched back
to Springfield, where avc arrived at sunset on August the
fifth. On th© next day there Avas a perfect panic going on
around us among the civUians. Thousands of people were
fiocking into Springfield. These Avere all Union sympa
thizers coming in so as to b© protected in their fiight north.
If Lyon had been proA'idcd Avith arms and supplies he
could have equipped and organized several regiments; but
he was powerless ; he had been abandoned by his superiors
to his fate. We could not see where we had any shew if
we did have a battle. Wc camped near Mrs. Phelps ' home.
She would come out to us with a colored Avoman carrj'ing
ripe tomatoes. She Avas very sj'mpathetic and we liked her.
Our little army Avas uoav in a most critical position.
We had about five thousand m©n, many of Avhom had s©rv©d
out their term of enlistment. Some were sick and all Averp
nearly nak©d. The enemy, amounting to over twenty thou-

66 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
sand men under able generals, was approaching from the
south. They reached Wilson's Creek, ten miles from us,
and were getting ready to attack us. Lyon had kept the
govemment at AVashington and General Fremont the de
partment commander at St. Louis, informed of his move
ments; had made urgent calls for supplies and reinforce
ments. Messenger after messenger had been dispatched to
St. Louis to present in person the desperate straits of the
brav© band that held the key to ]\Iissouri. No help came,
and time with rapid flight Avas making Lyon Aveaker and
weaker and the en©my Avith added reinforcements stronger
and stronger. Lyon had waited in great suspense and
anxiety until the situation had groAvn desperate. On the
evening of August eighth Lyon called a council composed
of the principal officers of his command. He said in the
pr©senc© of the council: "Gentlemen, ther© is no prospect
of our being reinforced at this point; our supply of pro
visions is running short ; there is a superior force in front,
and it is reported that Hardi© is marching Avith nine thou
sand men to cut our lin© of communication. It is erident
we must retreat. The question arises, what is the best
method of doing it. ShaU we endeavor to r©tr©at without
giving th© enemy battie before hand and run the risk of
having to fight everj' inch along th© lin© of our retreat, or
shall w© attack him in his position, and ©iideaA'or to hurt
him so that he can not follow us? I am decidedly in favor
of the latter plan. I propose to march this evening Avith
all our available force, learing only a small guard to pro
tect the property which aa'UI be left behind and marching
by the Fayetteville road, throw our whole force on him at
once and endeavor to rout him before he can recover from
his surprise." This bold, daring plan Avas carried out the foUoAving
night. Before starting. Gen. Lj'on rode by each companj'
and stopped to saj' a f cav words : ' ' Men avc are going to havc
a fight. We will raarch out in a short time. Don't shoot
until you get orders. Fire low, don 't aim higher than th©ir
kn©©s. Wait until they get close. Don't get scared; it's
no part of a soldier's duty to get scared."

SPEINGFIELD AND WILSON CREEK 67
The little army of men that marched out of Springfield
that dark night, August ninth, 1861, in silence, with armj'
blankets around their cannon Avh©©ls to pr©v©nt noise and
gunny sacks on their horses' feet, were ragged, some of us
sick and Avcak, but all full of courage and ©ager for battle.
AVe marched until about midnight when w© w©re near the
©iiemy. W© halted and lay d'oAvn in our tracks and slept
until th© ©arlj' dawn, Avh©n we wer© sil©ntij' aAvaken©d and
told to fall in line and march to th© front. In a short time,
as it began to grow light, w© heard a musket shot, then two
or three more. Our advance had already surprised and
captured the enemy 's pickets and had begun to engage th©ir
camp guards. Totten 's Batterj', Arith the First Iowa im
mediately behind it, was in a few minutes placed in position
on a commanding eminence overlooking the valley of Wil
son's Creek where the enemy was located. The securing of
this position Avas fortunate, and to that fact we owed much
of the success of the day. There th© hott©st part of th©
battl© Avas fought and it was afterwards called "Bloody
Hill. ' ' Her© the enemy made their first desperate charge ;
here avc met them and held onr ground ; loading and firing
as rapidly as we could, our men falling dead and wounded
every moment. No one kncAV who would be the next. But
in the heat of the battle there was no fear of death and no
desire to get aAvay from the fight. As avc drove back the
enemy there were fresh troops s©nt against us and the
en©my's artill©ry was hurling shot and shell into our ranks
all the time. Capt. Totten Avith his battery right by us did
splendid work," directing his guns with great precision.
Gen. Lyon was near us, keeping track of the fight in
every movement. His horse was shot under him and he was
Avounded in an ankle and' in his head a,nd was bleeding pro
fusely, but he walked about directing th© battl©. He had
said to Major Scofield his chief of staff," I would give my
life for a victory." And this se©m©d to be what he was
trying to do. Scofield dismounted one of his orderlies and
gave his horse to Lj'on. But in a little while as hc was
leading the First loAva and Second' Kansas h© was shot
through th© breast and fell dead in the arms of Lehman,

General Nathaniel Lyon

SPEINGFIELD AND WILSON CREEK 69
his faithful orderly. His death was kept secret, and the
battle went on. Major Sturgis taking command.
Major Sigel, at his earnest request, had been alloAved to
take a part of th© Army und©r separate command and go
on another road and attack th© ©nemy from anoth©r side.
H© m©t with a speedy rebuff and left the field and Avcnt
back to Springfield Avithout sending Avord to Lyon or giving
anj' further help. For this he should have been court
martialed and dismissed from the serrice.
At on© time Totten 's Batteiy started in to silence the
enemy's artillerj', who in tum trained their guns on Totten,
and for awhile w© witnessed a splendid artillery duel, and
we wer© n©ar enough to feel the crash and shock of the
going and coming shot and shell. Much damage was done
to our artillerj', but our guns wer© not silenced. On© of
the larg© roan colored artillery horses was standing back
of the guns and over th© crest of the hill. A shot from the
enemy strack this horse and tore off his left shoulder. Then
began the most horrible screams and neighing ever heard
from a horse in battle. It was so absolutely bloodcurdling
that it had to be stopped, and a soldier shot the horse
through the heart.
In a little AA'hile in front of us appeared, advancing
toAvard us in th© meadoAV, a regiment or two of th© enemj'.
Our artillery opened upon them and they were soon in con
fusion. But they rallied and came on. It was a fierce on
slaught. We wer© mostly on th© ground loading and firing.
Our cartridges AA'ere paper and avc had to bite off the ends.
In doing so grains of powdor got on our faces and mingled
with th© perspiration, making us black in the face. The
fighting became almost hand to hand, but avc kept our
ground, in fact kept inching forAvard. At last the firing on
us grew l©ss and as the smoke of battle blcAv away av© found
the charging force had' withdraAvn. Sitting on the fence in
front of us on the edg© of the meadow Avas a standard bear
er waring a confed©rat© fiag. S©v©ral Avanted to shoot at
the man on the fence, but the officers went along the line
threat©iiing to kill th© first man that rais©d a musk©t. Bnt
a little Irish sergeant of artillery turned a twelve pounder

70 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
on the man who was waving the flag in such a foolhardy
way. The gun AA'ent off, the Confederate flag pitched up
in the air, and the man fell to pieces gradually over the
fence ; and a thousand men on our side who saw it, cheered
in such loud unison that it conld hav© been heard as far as
the report of th.© tAvelve pound©r.
Soon after this came another charge aiming to get the
twelve pounder and the Irish gunner. They almost touched
the gun and one man assaulted the Irish sergeant with his
bayonet, but bj' good fencing with his SAVord the sergeant
parried the thrust of the bayonet. The First loAva boj's Avho
were supporting the batteiy then got in their work and none
of the enemj' near the guns got away with their lives, and
the main bodj' Avere started back; the tAvelve pounder Avas
then loaded and the s©rgeant assisted theii' flight.
The last charge of the encmj' was raad© about eleven
o'clock, was desperate and prolonged, but ended in their
bemg driven back. Here the battle ceeised. After resting
awhile, Major Sturgis decided to order a retreat and we
quietly marched back to Springfield, where we arrived about
flv© 0 'clock. As subsequently learned, this was a great mis
take, because the Confederate army, being out of aramu
nition, was in full retreat and another advance from the
Union army would have sent them off the field for good.
This Avas recognized as a Union victory by the govemment
at Washington. A vote of thanks and praise was given
Lyon's army for its gallantiy and service, and th© same
was promulgated in a general ord©r by Presid©nt Lincoln,
to b© read at th© head of eveiy regiment in the army of
the United States. No greater display of courage and
noble daring Avas given in any battl© of the war than in this
battle of Wilson's Creek.
Govemor Kirkwood Avrote a personal letter to ©verj'
lovv'a regiment in Avhich he said, "Remember AVilson 's
Cr©©k; r©niember the deeds of the First loAva." A histor
ian said, "AVe belicA'e that no state Avhose railitary sun ros©
in such splendor as did that of Iowa, would alioAv it to set
in disgrace." A word from Major Bj-ers in "loAva in AVar
Times:" "In the four long bloody j'ears, no Iowa soldier

SPRINGFIELD AND WILSON CREEK 71
Avho fought, but remembered and emulated his comrades
Avho fought in the first battle of tlie West."
Shelby Norman, a fair haired boy of eighteen, Avas th©
first one kiUed in our r©giment in that battle. As the regi
ment entered the battle fleld, brave and fearless, refusing
to stoop or seek to avoid the enemy's bullets, he fell pierced
through the brain. Recognizing the fact that Shelbj' Nor
man was the flrst Iowa soldier killed in battle, the Commis
sioners did a most fitting thing in putting his form and
f©atur©s in bronze upon th© loA's'a Soldiers Monument, repre
senting the Infantry Arm of the military serrice.
The body of General Lyon was conveyed to Spring
field and taken in charge by Mrs. Phelps and kept con
cealed in an out door cellar and later delivered to relatives
Avho went for it under a flag of truce. It was received in
great honor as it passed through the cities of the north and
buried near his birthplace in Eastford, Conn. Many of the
great men of the land attended the funeral to do him rever
ence and honor. He died too soon, at forty-three, but he
had done a great Avork. By Avisely planning, by boldly
doing, and bravelj' dj'ing, he had won the fight for Missouri,
and saved that state to the Union cause.
Our army in that battle numbered 4,300. Of that num
ber we lost in killed, wounded, and missing 1,225. The
enemy had over 22,000. Their loss Avas never accurate] j"
known but was supposed to be much greater than ours.
We rested in Springfield the night following the battle.
On the moming of the eleventh we started early on oar
march to RoUa, one hundred and thirty niUes, where avc
arrived on the sixteenth. I had a young college friend,
William Brooks, Avhos© uncle was a prominent Miethodist
pr©acher in St. Louis. On this march young Brooks came
to me in great distress. He told me that his uncle was
coming out to meet him, and he AA-as so nearly naked he
Avas ashamed to be seen by this great man. In fact his trous
ers were entirely gone and he had very little other clothing.
1 gave him my pants to his great relief, Avhile I marched in
light dress uniform. Brooks afterAvard became a Colonel
and was killed in the battle at Helena, Arkansas.

72 LIFE IN THB MIDDLE WEST
When Ave arrived at RoUa we were delighted to find
aAvaiting us a new outfit of clothing sent the regiment by
the State of lowa. We threw away our filthy, infested rags,
took a bath, and dressed' up in fresh new clothing and
shouted for joy at the pleasant sensation. The First loAva
took the train th© foUovring morning, th© sevent©enth, and
reached St. Louis at 6 P. M.
That night some of mj' chums and I took a room in a
rooming house and went to bed early to get a good night's
sleep and rest. But we had become so accustomed to sleep
ing on the rocks and nobs of the Ozark mountains that av©
could not sleep on soft beds, and took our blankets and went
dcwn and slept soundly on th© ston© sidewalks.
DISCHARGE AND RETURN TO lOAVA
On the tAventy third of Jun© av© receiA'cd our pay and
Avith that our discharge from the U. S. Seiwice. Our three
months' serrice from date of muster into the U. S. had ©x-
pir©d on the fourteenth, while on our march to RoUa. I
find this entry in my diary : ' ' Free agaiii ! and invested Avitli
an invaluable ©xperienc© and a conviction that Venus is not
the consort of Mars. ' '
After a fcAv daj's of delay we took a steamboat for
home, reaching Burlington on the thirtj' first. Cannons
began to boom. Twenty thousand peopl© were at the
AA'harves to see us and Avelcome us home. W© sang "Th©
Happy Land of Canaan" for th© last time, as a regiment,
as th© boat rounded to. Ther© stood tAvo iieAA'lj' form©d
regiments at "present arms." AVe marched up between
them until we reached a triumphal arch. We were honored
like th© retum of a Roman Legion after the conquest of a
new empire. The governor was there to bid us Avelcom© and
pronounce a eulogy on our heroic courage, and the pace w©
had set, and the example we had shoAvii for all succeeding
Iowa regiments. A banquet was spread and Ave were feasted
and praised beyond' words to tell. The next day my company
went on, tAventy-five miles, to Mount Pleasant, where most
of the members lived and where we were again welcomed

NINE MONTHS MORE IN COLLEGE 73
with cannon and bands of music and shouts of gladness.
But there Avere tears and broken h©arts for those who nev©]-
r©turned. Later I reached Indianola, alone and unanounced, in a
stag© coach. But I was soon discovered and the news vvent
like wild fire that a young soldier had returned fresh from
the field of battle. A crowd swarmed about me for news
and I was called on for a speech. I was much embarassed
at being regard©d as a hero and could say but little. I had
never personally been lionized before, and as soon as possi
ble I slipped aAvay and went to my sister Sarah's hom© in
the country. There I r©main©d in r©tir©ment for some days,
the wonder and admiration of the boys in the neighborhood.
In July, before the battl© of AVilson 's Creek, the Civil
War had taken on proportions of great magnitude and the
authorities at AVashington realized that a great army would
bc required, and Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for
five hundred thousand men for the thre© years' serrice.
During th© ©nlistm©nt and ©quipm©nt of this larg© army
ther© was no verj' great actirity among the troops.
NINE MONTHS MORE IN COLLEGE
I therefore decided to retum to my books and college
for awhile. Hene© I soon found' myself at Mount Pleasant,
keeping batchelor 's hall and economicallj' living on the fcAv
dollars left of my soldier's pay which was eleven doUaj-s a
month for about four months. President Jocelyn soon dis
covered that I had become very efficient in the drill of the
soldier, and made me captain and drill master of the stu
dents, whom we organized into tAvo companies, one of the
boys and one of the girls.
I remained in college during the entire college year, in
spit© of the temptation to IcaA'c for the Avar. There is little
to record of that nine months. Th© air was electrical with
war news and the organization and equipment of troops.
I haA'c mentioned Henry Clay Dean and his rebel pro-
clirities'. He still lived in Mount Pleasant. H© had a fam
ous lecture entitled "Portraits of the Leaders of the Re-

74 LIPE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
bellion. ' ' His intimate relation to the subject and his power
of oratory prompted the Ladies Relief Society of the toAvn
to engage him to deliver the lecture to raise funds to aid
them in their work for the sick and wounded soldiers. The
tim© arriv©d and' the crowd that packed the largest hall in
town proved the wisdom of the ladies' choice. At this time
there Avas camped near th© town the Fourth Iowa Cavahy
regiment preparing to go to the front. Mr. Dean, happy in
being greeted by so many of his toAvnspeople, and warming
to his great theme, was fairly under way when suddenlj'
Major George A. Ston© of th© Fourth Cavalry, sword in
hand, leading ten well armed soldiers, marched into the hall,
passed to the speak©r 's stand, and gav© th© command' in his
sharp, military tone: "Halt, front."
Dean stopped speaking and was dumfounded. The
audience Avas amazed. Major Stone then said: "Mr. Dean,
J'OU are required to tak© the oath of allegiance to the United
States of America befor© you can proceed Arith your lec
ture. " Dean inquired, "By what authority is this order
given ? ' ' Stone repli©d ? ' ' By the officer in command of the
troops stationed h©re, and must be obeyed." Dean slipped
down from th© platform and started to l©av© th© hall, but a
guard stationed at the door turned him around and hustled
him back to the platform. By this time he had rallied and
putting on a bold front said, "I consider this an outrage
against the principle of free speech in our land, but 1 AriU
comply on the condition that every raan, woman, and' child
in this audience take th© sam© oath of allegiance required
of me." After a little hesitation, some oue made a motion
that Mr. Dean's request be complied with. Whereupon
Colonel Drummond of the Fourth Cavalrj', the commanding
officer who had issued the command to Major Stone, a bril
liant man with fiery temperament, arose and said: "This
is a loj'al patriotic community, and to ask this peopl© to tak©
th© oath on demand of Mr. Dean, a knovm rebel, is an insult
that no one should be asked to submit to. ' '
Mr. Dean, who kncAV and hated Drummond', replied
AA'ith great heat : " I ImoAV this f elloAv, have known him ever
since he was a snotty-nosed good-for-nothing boy. He is

NINE MONTHS MORE IN COLLEGE 75
unworthy of the offic© he holds and not entitled to the re
spect of any community."
This set Drummond on fire, and he started for the plat
form, crying as he went:" 1 hold j'Ou responsible for this
language. ' '
Dean squared himself for the encounter. Major Stone
gave the command to his men "DraAV sabres." Women
screamed, and some of them fainted. I was ther© Arith ray
best girl, who knew I was a soldi©r and had be©n in battle,
so w© kept our ground' and saAV the thing through.
The fight was headed off. A peace officer was called to
the stand and Dean took the oath and finished his lecture.
Ijater in the Avar he was put in prison for treason and kept
in confinement, as were manj' other northern r©b©ls Avho
wer© abusing th© administration and discouraging ©iilist-
ments.

CHAPTER V
THIRTY-FOURTH IOWA REGIMENT
In the spring of 1862, when the college j"-ear Avas out,
1 returned to the home of my sister Sarah Tharp, on a farm
m Warren County. When Lincoln made a caU for three
hundred thousand more men .July 2nd, 1862, 1 mad© a per
sonal canvass for A'olunteers in th© countj"- and spoke in some
of the A'illages. Notice was published in th© pap©rs for :i
public meeting to be held on the court-house grounds m
Indianola at 10 A. M., August 13, 1862, for the purpose of
raising a company. Th© m©©tiiig Avas large and enthusiastic,
and enough men enrolled to form two companies of one
hundred men each.
The first company, in Avhich I enlisted, was swom into
the serrice by Lewis Todhunter, a Notary Public, at noon
and then adjourn©d for dinn©r. At one o'clock av© ni©t for
th© election of company officers. Dan H. Lyons was elected
Captain, H. C. Henderson, first lieutenant, and J. S. Clark,
second li©ut©naiit. Captain Lj'ons Avas a wagon maimer, a
fine man and much liked, but AvhoUy ignorant of railitarj'
affairs. Lieutenant Henderson Avas a shoemaker, and less
competent in the school of the soldier. The Captain tumed
th© Company ov©r to me. 1 marched them on th© stre©t,
show©d them a few evolutions, and dismissed them with in
structions to assemble tAric© a w©©k for company drill Avhich
1 conducted. I had taken great interest in the manual of
arms and evolutions of the company in the Pirst loAva, and
under Lieutenant Stone, the finest company drill officer
1 ©ver saAV, had become an expert, and delighted in drilling
the men. As second lieutenant I was appointed mustering officer,
and w©nt to Davenport to receive ray commission and iii-
76

General G. AV. Clark

78 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
structions from the Adjutant General of Iowa, N. B.
Baker. The military headquarters of the State Avere at that
time in Davenport, but later moved to Des Moines.
On S©pt©mber 2nd, I proceeded to muster the company
formally into the state service, and had to make out tripli
cate muster-in-roUs. That was a tedious task, but only a
small part of the machinerj' of entering properly th© army
of th© United States.
When this had been done Ave expected orders to proceed
to the place of rendezvous, in vi©AV of which our men were
required to m©©t for driU every day. Thus the company
becara© very efficient in the school of the soldier. Mj' oldest
brother William came to Indianola from Appanoose County,
where he left his wif © and children on his farm, and enlisted
in my company, as did also my brother Moses, leaving his
wife and child on their farm in Warren Countj".
We were assigned a place in the Thirtj'-fourth Iowa
regini©nt to assemble later at Burlington. On the ninth
of September the ladies of Warren Comity pr©pared a great
dinner for four companies then newly organized in the
County. The tables were spread in the public square by
a large committee of our best citizens, under the direction
of a marshaU of the day. This Avas a great daj' and one to
be long remembered with love and A'eneration for the noble
women who made the offering and rendered this farewell
serrice to manj' men n©v©r to r©tum again.
IN CAMP LAUMAN, BURLINGTON
Two days lat©r nw companj' d©part©d for Camp Lau
man at Burlington wh©re we arrived on the thirteenth daj'
of September. Th© ©ntir© ten companies making th© com
plete regim©nt soon were assembled and th© regiment or
ganized with the following officers : My brother G. W Clark,
Colonel; AV. S. Dungan, Lieutenant Colonel; R. D. Kellogg,
Major; Wm. M. Bryant, Adjutant; C. W. DaA^is, Surgeon ;
V. H. Coffman, Assistant Surgeon; J. D. Sarver, Quarter
Master; U. P. Galliday, Chaplain.
Our camp, named for General Lauman of Burlington,

IN CAMP LAUMAN, BURLINGTON 79
was in a beautiful oak woods, adjoining the toAvn on the
Avest. The camp was laid out in the form of a hollow square,
four companies on the front, three on each fiank and the
fourth open and' unoccupied. The regiment was' made up
of four companies from AVarren Comity, three from Lucas,
tAVO from Decatur, and one from Wayne. The companies
are lett©r©d in the order of their acceptance and take po
sitions in th© line of a regiment in th© ordor in Avhich the
letters come; that is to saj'. Company A comes first and
takes position on the right flank. Company B holds th©
left flank, Company C takes th© c©iit©r and carries the regi-
m©ntal flag, and is called the color company. That place
Avas assigned to my company and ray brother Moses Avas
made Color Sergeant. It aa'UI be noticed that the four
Clark brothers Avere all in the Thirty-fourth loAva regiment.
AVhen I was made a company officer it became necessary
to provide myself Arith an officer's uniform of fine blue cloth
and shining brass buttons. I found that such a suit would
cost about one hundred dollars, and I could raise only about
thirty cents ! ! ! In tliis eniergencj' my brother George came
to ray r©li©f and paid for my first uniform. My salarj' as
Second Lieutenant Avas one hundred and twenty-five dollars
per month. The largest salary I had received before this
Avas tAvelve dollars per month for teaching school, and
eleven dollars per month as a private in the First loAva.
This jump to on© hundred and twenty-five dollars loomed
UJ) and looked like a source of AA'ealth beyond the dream of
aA'arice. The Thirty-fourth Avas welcomed by the people of Bur
lington with great warmth and cordiality. The kind treat
raent and favors shown us by the hospitable p©ople of the
city won our hearts and were long r©memb©red by the boys
of the r©giment.
The nieasl©s broke out in th© camp and soon assumed a
malignant form. Several died there, others were dis
charged, while hundreds partly recoA'cred only to suffer a
relapse later by the exposure that came as we moved to the
front. In all the career of the regiment no misfortune ever
befell us that compared Avith this calamity. This dreadful

80 LIPE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
dis©ase, with the rain and snow and cold w©ath©r that fol
lowed us, cost the regiment about fiv© hundred of th© thou
sand rugged, stalwart fellows who marched into Camp Lau
man full of ©n©rgy and strength.
I personally was very sick and had a relaps© that almost
proved fatal, and from the effects of which I hav© n©v©r
recovered. I think mj' life Avas saved by the kindness and
care of the family of "uncle" John Sunderland, into whose
home I Avas removed and Avhere I remained for many da.ys.
I quote from my diary : ' ' Mrs. Smiderland is very kind and
labors constantly to make me comfortable, and supply me
with the little delicacies which a av Oman's hand alone can
proride for a sick man. Her daughter, Miss Emma, is at
tentive and does much to cheer my drooping spirits vrith
her kindness, smiles and sympathy. ' ' Before leaving Bur
lington the ladies of the city presented the regiment Arith a
beautiful large silk flag. Judge Phelps delivered the pre
sentation address to which Colonel Clark made a suitable
response. GOING INTO REBELDOM
On th© twentieth of NoA'cmber w© embarked for the
south on Ihe steamer "Ad-IIine, " and as we steamed out
from the wharf the glistening eyes and continued farewell
signals gave proof that avc carried Avith us the affection and
sympathy of the loj'al people Avho had been so kind to us.
Our going was with mingled feelings of joj' and sorroAv; joy
iu the prospect of active service, and sorrow to leave the
dear friends whom we had learned to love and admire.
We reached Keokuk in the CA'ening and Avere trans-
f eiT©d to the steamer ' ' Sucker Stat©, ' ' and moved on toAvard
rebeldom. Wh©n av© r©ached St. Louis w© land©d and
marched to Benton Barracks, where w© found comfortable
quarters and plenty to eat. There Avere at that time in the
barracks three thousand Confederate prisoners, one thou
sand Union paroled men, and four thousand equipped Union
soldiers. After fiv© days in St. Louis, w© Avent on board the
steamer "Ed Walsh," and set out for Helena, Arkansas.

GOING INTO REBELDOM 81
On this trip we passed several points which became noted
during the war, among them Cape Girardeau, Cairo, Bel
mont, Columbus, Island No. 10, Ncav Madrid, and Memphis.
We disembarked at Helena, Arkansas, on the fourth of
December, and s©l©cted our OAvn camping ground, Avifh an
army of men camping all about us. For the first tim© in my
soldier expeiience we crawled into our little dog-tents', just
big enough for two and open at both ends. Ther© was a cold
rain coming down as av© w©nt to bed, and when we Avoke in
the morning we were covered with snow. This experience,
with several hundred men just recovering from the measles,
brought on a trail of distress and death that followed us all
through the Arinter of 1862-3. I Avas ordered home on sur
geon's certificate of disability, but AA'ould not go. On the
morning of December eighteenth, there Avere three hundred
and twenty nine of the regiment reported sick, and only tive
hundr©d and thirty nine able for duty. Our men AriU n©A'er
think of Helena except as a place of discomfort and' miseiy.
Som© called it heU.
I her© quot© from my diary : ' "' W© have over twenty
thousand soldiers here under command of General Steele,
and have orders to join General Shennan as soon as he
comes down from Memphis. On the eighteenth the steam.cr
' ' Mill Boy ' ' came in from the north and reported that she
Avas fired on at Commerce, and had three men Idlled. Gen
eral Gorman immediately dispatched Colonel Stock Avith the
Forty Seventh Indiana, with orders to burn the toAvn and
devastate the country for a hundred miles around. On Sun-
daj' the twenty-first General Sherman arrived with his
troops from Memphis, consisting of three divisions, to whicii
will b© added a division at Helena, making four, commanded
by Gen. A. J. Smith, Gen. M. L. Smith, Gen. G. AV. Morgan,
and Gen. Frederick Steele. Admiral Porter dropped doA^1l
frora Cairo with his whole gun boat fleet, read'j' to co-operate
Avith the moveraent, thus making an armj' of OA'cr thirty
thousand men. To transport this army, with cavalrj' and
artillery and supplies, AriU tax the capacity of all the trans
ports on the upper Mississippi river. "
I will here give &>ome inforraation as to th© vess©ls con-

82 LIPE IN THE MIDDLE AVEST
stituting this fl©©t. Pirst Avas th© Forest Queen, th© general
headquarters ; then th© old lataii carrying th© Thirty-fourth
lowa, the Metropolitan, J. C. SAvan, Citizen, Des Arc, Hia-
Avatha, Champion, John II. Dickej', J. E. Pring, City of
Alton, Post Bag, Ohio Belle, I. W. Cheesman, Duke of Ar
gyle, R. C. Penn, City of Memphis, Sioux City, Spread
Eagle, Ed Walsh, Sunny South, Gen. Anderson, Key West,
Sam Catey, North©ner, Die Vemon, Von Phul, Fanny
Buulitt, Planet, Omaha, Chandor, AVest Moreland, Uiiiv©rse,
J. K. Belle, Robt. Allen, AVar Eagle, Beel Plana, Lady
Jackson, J. R. AVilliams, Crescent City, Des Moines, Isab©lle,
Sucker State, Continental, Emma, Metier, Louisiana, John
J. Roe, Ella, Decatur, J. Warner, Conway, Janbina, Fannj'
Ogden, D. G. Taylor, Polar Star, Kennette, Gladiator, Adri-
ator, Nebraska, Dakota, Tecumseh, Thoinas E. Tett, Em
press, SouthAvestern, AViscoiisin. And in addition to these
named th©r© AA'ere a great manj' gun boats and United States
transports. I think the aggregate Avould reach at least on©
hundred v©ssels, an immense fleet to b© gathered on the
wat©rs of the Mississippi.
Again I quote from mj' diai'j' : " To behold this gigantic
fleet Avith banners flj'ing, is a magniflcent scene. A flag
' Fore and aft ' denote a division commander ; ' fore and mid
ship,' a brigade commander. All other vessels have the
stars and stripes flying amidship only. The countiy on
either shore presents a flat, marshj', Avild' appearance, for th©
most part, unadorned bj' villages or towns, except here and
ther© a trading station or Avood j'ard. The hand of th© in
cendiary has marked th© places where Avealthy habitations
once reared their peaceful Avails. The three principal places
of rendezvous for troops are, Prior's Point, Widow Gaines'
Landing and Milliken 's Bend.
Dec. 25th. HaA-e arrived at the last named place. Mil
liken 's Bend is only a short distance from the mouth of th©
Yazoo river. A'esterd'ay we passed some very large and once
iinportant plantations, but Avhich are uoav deserted and fall
ing into decay. The fleet is iioav lying at the Bend on the
Louisiana, or west, shore. Our uext movement is a complete
mystery. That this is Christmas Day, the mild and delight-

FIRST ASSAULT ON VICKSBURG 83
ful weather seeras to deiij'. One from the north is inclined
to think that Stern Chronology has fallen into error. The
officers of our regim©nt indulg©d in an oj'ster supper last
night, in view of th© approaching anniveisary whi(?h is ac-
knowl©dg©d and celebrated by the Christianized avo rid. My
friend Ken Biyant and 1, in private counsel this Christmas
night, firmly resolved that we will never forsake the Christ
whom we have celebrated in this feast ; neither Avhen jiros-
perity smiles and the Aviiids of fortune favor, nor Avheii the
bleak blasts of adversity blow and the ills of life haunt us
Avith their t©rrible f roAviis. ' '
FIRST ASSAULT ON VICKSBURG
I ara now about to give an account of what is knoAvn as
the first attack on Vicksburg; in fact it Avas an unsuccessful
assault on the impregnable heights of CIhickasaA\' Bluffs, the
northem d©f©nses of Vicksburg. Grant had laid out a secret
mov©m©nt, by Avhich he was to lead th© Army of the Tenn
essee by land, reaching the rear of Vicksburg about the last
of December, Avhile Sherman AA'as to approach by water and
arrive about the same time. Thus by a simultaneous assault
front and rear to cany the city by storm and at on© fell
strok© op©n up th© Mississippi river.
Both great armies started to cany out this deep, avcU-
laid scheme. Grant made Holly Springs, Mississippi, his
base of supplies, and' moved on south, leaving a small force
to guard his immense quantities of army rations and ammu
nition. On the twentieth of December, Confederate General
Van Dom dashed into Holly Springs, defeated the guard
and captured and destroyed all of these supplies, thus forc
ing Grant to abandon his campaign and hasten back north
A^-here he could sustain his army.
Of this change of plan f oUoAring this disaster, Sherman
had no word and so went on Avith his moA'cment, now to be
referred to. Th© next day after Christmas our fleet entered
the mouth of the A^azoo river, and spent three d'ays carefully
fe©ling our way up this deep, sluggish stream. I Avill now
quot© from my diary: "On Saturday, th© twenty-s©v©iith,

84 LIPE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
the woods Avere shelled by our gun boats. No enemy being
discovered, avc landed and moved over a large plantation on
the south side of Chickasaw bayou. After arriring near the
Bluff of the same name, Ave bivouaced for the night, no fire
or lights being allowed. The next moming, Sunday, our
artillerj' opened on th© enemy in our front, in an attempt to
fore© a pass leading to th© eii©my 's works on th© hill wh©r©
h© was discovered strongly entrenched. We moved up on
the double quick and remained under fire in supporting dis
tance of the line in our front. A heavy artillery fir© opened
iioAV along our ©ntir© line, and was replied to by the con
federate batteries, and soon the inf aiitrj' fir© opened hearily.
Frank Blair's brigade, lying near us, passed over the space
of the level ground to th© foot of the hills, but meeting a
very sever© cross fir© of artillery, was staggered and finallj'
fell back graduaUy, leaving about fiv© hundr©d kill©d,
Avounded and prisoners, among the latter Colonel Thomas
Fletcher, (afterwards governor of Missouri). Our troops
Avere unable to dislodge the enemy or to stonn his position.
Our positioii is in the low ground exposed to an enfilad
ing and cross fir© from the enemj' 's batteries ; and his in
fantry and sharp shooters are strongly posted on the bluffs
in easy rang© of the foot of the hills and well protected by
rifie pits and a large number of batteries Avell post©d for
miles along the brow of the hills. ' '
General Sherman saj's : " So critical was the position of
the men in the front, that we could not recall them till after
dark. Our loss had been pretty heaAO', and Ave had accom
plished nothing and had infiicted little loss on our enemy.
Our aggregate loss, maiiilj' on the tAventj'-niiith of Decem
ber, was one hundred and seventj'-fiA'c killed, nine hundred
and thirty wounded, and seven hundred and fortj'-thre©
prisoners. ' '
General Grant, speaking of this assault of Sherman's,
saj'S : ' ' Pemberton got back into Vicksburg before Sherman
got there. Th© reb©l positions Averc on a bluff of th© Yazoo
river som© miles above its mouth. Th© wat©rs w©r© high,
so that the banks Avere generally overfiowed, learing only
narrow causeways of dry land betAveen points of debarka-

BATTLE AND CAPTURE OF ARKANSAS POST 85
tion and the high bluffs. These were fortified and d©fend©d
at all points. The rebel position was impregnable against
any force that could be brought against its front. Sherman
could not use one-fourth of his force. His efforts to capture
the city, or the high ground north of it, were necessarily
unavailing. ' '
On the night of the tw©nty-niiith we laid our rabber
ponchos on th© w©t ground and sl©pt on thom. During th©
night it rain©d hard ; and in th© moming Ave found ourselves
lying in Avater half over our bodies, each one having his OAvn
particular puddle caught and held by the rubber poncho.
Sherman was still hoping to hear Grant's guns, and
remained in front of the enemy until the second of January,
1863. On that day his command were all afioat on their
proper steamboats. Then he first leamed, through General
McClernand, who came doAvn to supercede him, of Grant's
loss at Holly Springs, and that he had abandoned the move
raent on Vicksburg. BATTLE AND CAPTURE OF ARKANSAS POST
On the fourth of January our fleet was collected at
Milliken 's Bend, ten miles above the mouth of the A''azoo
river. In a few days th© whole fleet, including Commodore
Porter Arith his gun boats, started north for a confed©rate
arm^y Avhich occupied Port Hindman, called Arkansas Post
on th© Arkansas riv©r. On the eighth we reached the mouth
of White river which w© enter©d and passed up to a cut-off
connecting that river with th© Arkansas, through which our
fleet passed and entered the Arkansas and' continued on our
way until we arrived within shelling distance of Arkansas
Po^t, a strong, well-fortifled position held by about seven
thousand troops undcr G©neral Churchill.
W© tied up on the northem shore during the night.
Early in the moming avc diserabarked and took up our
march northward to secure a positioii in th© ©neray's rear.
We continued our march until noon of the tenth through
an almost irapenetrable forest and SAvanip, Avhen it Avas de
cided' irapossible to proceed further in that direction. We

86 LIFE IN THB MIDDLE WEST
floundered back through mud and water and arrived near
the river and our boats again at dark.
Here we prepared supper and dispatched it with un
usual celerity and good avUI. Coffe© and hard tack ii©v©r
tasted so good before. Our supper was hardly flnished when
we were put in motion again, this time marching up along
the river bank. Our gunboats kept up a constant fire on the
fort, and as afterward ascertained, with great ©ff©ct. We
marched on in dense Avoods and denser darkness. It was
finally concluded that our guide Avas either lost or leading
us astray to our hurt. Then avc agaiii counter-marched for
a few hours. After while a halt Avas called. W© th©n started
in a direction at an oblique angle to our former course, and
kept marching through mud and Avater and underbrush,
which we concluded was universal in Arkansas. At last it
was discovered that we were marching recklessly into a rebel
carap. Then came a suppressed order to about face, which
Avas stealthily executed.
But soon an aid reported that th© camp was ©mptj'.
Whereupon we returned and halt©d near th© camp at four
o'clock in the morning, utterly ©xhaust©d, and laid down
in our tracks and in a moment Avcre sound asleep. At the
break of day we discovered that avc Avere near a well ar
ranged camp of log huts, roofed Avith boards, all newly
erected on a clear piece of ground, and sufficieiitlj' coraraodi
ous for thirty or forty thousand troops.
We also discovered that where w© had first halt©d and
slept w© wer© in a Confederat© grav© yard, and raany of us
had b©en sl©epiiig on newly made graves, of which there
were a vast nmnber. In th© huts we found large supplies of
com meal and fresh pork, also cooking utensils, all of which
we proceeded to use for an early breakfast.
The shells of our gunboats the day and night befor© had
hustled th© soldiers out of their quarters and under shelter
of th© fortifications of the Fort. A larg© part of Sherman's
division had disembarked on the north hauls: of the river and
wer© ©ariy in the morning of Januarj' eleventh, so disposed
around the rebels as to prevent an escap© or fiank mov©-
raent on their part and insure success to our arras. Mor-

BATTLE AND CAPTURE OF ARKANSAS POST 87
gan's division had been landed on the south bank to act in
case an atterapt to ©scape should be mad© in that direction,
also to raeet reinforcements to the enemy which they were
expecting. Upon coming in riew of th© enemy 's position it seemed
to hav© been chosen Avith care and fortified with great skill.
It was at a sharp bend of th© river about seventy-five miles
from its entrance into th© Mississippi, and commanded the
river for miles toward the ©ast. Th© lin© of earth works
©xt©nded to the west about a mile from the Fort. This space
was suiToiuided by the river on the south and east, and by
an impassable baj'ou on the Avest and north w©st, while on
th© north and in our front were their breast works.
Early in th© morning Ave moved our line up to the
front, within easy shelling range, wh©re w© remained await
ing orders to charge. About ten o'clock the ball was opened
by the ©nemy trying to dislodge us with their artillery. AVe
remained quiet until about twelve, when our batteries wer©
all in position. Then at a given signal, all opened oil the
en©my 's works with terrific force. After an hour of furious
bombardment by our artillery, our line of infantry was
throAvn forward in the face of a tempest of shot and shell
and musketry from the enemy. We advanced over stumps,
brush, and abatis, until within one hundred and fifty yards
of their works. Here we halted and returned their fire as
AVC had opportunity. In this position w© sustained consid
erable loss. Captain Dan H. Lyon of my company rec©iv©d
a shot in his breast from which he died the following day.
About sunset the white fiag fluttered from the enemy 's fort
and rifle pits for a moment, when the stars and stripes
floated over a conquered foe.
On entering the line Ave saw that our muskets and guns
had done good execution. There was a horse battery, and
every horse lay dead in its traces. Th© fr©sh mad© parapet
had been knocked down in raany places and dead men laj'
around thick. Such havoc as had been done in th© fort by
th© shells from the gun boats, I never had seen before and
never saw afterwards. The fragments of men were scattered
in all directions, here a head, there an arm, and over th©re

88 LIPE IN THB MIDDLE AVEST
a leg with a shoe or cavalry boot on the foot; with blood
and brains strewn everywhere.
The loss in our dirision was five hundred and nineteen
killed and wounded. I never knew the losses in the gun
boats and Morgan's division. The number of Confederate
killed and Avounded was more than eight hundred, and the
number of prisoners was four thousand, seven hundred, and
ninety one. Among these was General Churchill and his
staff, and seven Colonels, along Arith about three hundred
and flfty other offlcers. GOING NORTH Vi'ITH PRISONERS
As if in recognition of the gallantrj' of the Thirty-
fourth in the siege and capture of the large nuraber of
prisoners, they were placed in charge of Colonel Geo. W.
Clark. He took his oaa'ii regiraent and six corapanies of the
Thirteenth Illinois as a guard and' escort, in taking the pris
oners north. All the prisoners except the coraraissioned of
fieers were taken to Camp Douglass, Chicago ; the officers to
Johnson's Island, Ohio.
FoUoAring the campaign on the A^azoo and operations
against Chickasaw Bluff's, and up to the capture of Arkansas
Post, our regiment was in a deplorable condition of health.
In addition to the after effects of the measles, small pox and
mumps went through the camp, and malarial and camp
fevers became prevalent. To intensify and aggravat© the
condition, we Avere packed with the six companies of the
Thirteenth Illinois, and nearly five thousand prisoners, on
three Mississippi river transports' and started north.
I hesitate to attempt a description of the suffering of
this trip. Th© cases of small pox Avere greatly multiplied in
the regiment and the disease broke out among the prisoners.
We were two weeks going frora Arkansas Post to St. Louis.
Colonel Clark said in his official report: "The huraan
suffering during this trip exceeded anj'thing 1 have ever
witnessed in the sam© kngth of time. The state rooins were
filled Arith the sick officers. ' ' The floors of the cabin Avere
covered with the sick of our OAvn regiment, and also sick

GOING NORTH AVITH PRISONERS 89
rebels, all lying closely together, sorae with fevers, some with
pneumonia, sorae with measles, some with small pox, all Avith
chronic diamhoea. There were not enough Avell men to
guard th© prisoners and care for the sick. Each night the
pails used for excretions were filled to over fiowing and the
OA'er flow would run down the sides of th© cabin. Th© poi
sonous st©nch arising from th© cabin was ten-ible. It could
have been no Avors© in th© Black Hole of Calcutta, or in the
holds of slave ships, Avhich before the war made their long
trips vrith closed hatches. Every moming we gathered up
the dead and buried them on th© islands and at th© landings
along th© riv©r. At Memphis we put off a number of sick, at
Cairo more, and at Arsenal Island just below St. Louis, a
desolate looking place, we left over a hundred cases of small
pox. In the Chicago Hospital wc left two hundred of our
poor sick boys.
Among the prisoners at Arkansas Post was Col. C. C.
Gillespie from Houston, Texas. He Avas a brilliant Metho
dist preacher and a very enthusiastic rebel. He talked freelj'
to his captors ; said that we could n©v©r conquer th© south ;
that w© might by force of greater nurabers kill off all th©
ra©n, but w© would then b© confronted AA'ith an army of boys
Avho wer© now growing up and l©aming th© art of Avar ; and
when they were all killed we would meet an army of women
Avho would flght lik© m©n ; in fact, w© could never whip the
south. Of this gallant Colonel w© will hear mor© befor© this
history is flnished.
Another incident of this river trip is worth recording.
At on© plac© where we touched the bank and were just pull
ing away, a prisoner in a desperate attempt to escape the
horrors of his situation ,leaped from the boat to the shore.
An officer called to the guard "Shoot him, damn him." He
was riddled Avith bullets and left lying on the land. Some
years after the Avar, Major Kellog was sitting in the Old
Plant©rs' Hot©l in St. Louis, when a well-dressed man cam©
up to him, and said, ' ' Isn 't this Major Kellogg of the Thirtj'-
fourth Iowa?" .KeUogg replied that hei had been in that
regiment. Then th© man continued Avith his story: "A^ou
probably remember that on the tiip north Avith prisoners

90 LIPE IN THE MIDDLE AVEST
you wer© in command of one of the boats when a prisoner
escaped and that you commanded the guard to shoot him,
Avhich Avas done. AVeU, 1 was thai pi'isonei-. I was not a
rebel, but Avas forced into the Southern army, and I saAv
nothing but suffering in a prison pen, and decided to take
a long chance, to escape or die in the atterapt. 1 Avas badly
shot to pieces, but after a Aviiile 1 found 1 could craAvl along.
I found an old woman, a negi-e-js, carrj'ing water from the
river, and Avith her help and kindness 1 finallj' got av©11 and
went to St. Louis and joined the IT^nion arraj^. Sine© the
Avar I have remained in St. Louis, Avhere I am a successful
business man. ' '
SERIOUS ILLNESS; MADE CAPTAIN
Aft©r disposing of the 'prisoners in Chicago, th© regi
ment returned to Benton Barracks on tho fifth of Pebruarj',
1863. The regiment was at this time totaUy brok©n doAvn.
Its dead had been planted along the islands of the Mississ
ippi, and at ©v©iy point av© touched av© made a gravej'ard of
our dead. Its sick and dj'ing had fllled' the hospitals at
every place where such accommodations could b© had.
On the twenty-sixth of Pebruarj', flve months after our
thousand men had left Burlington, we had less than three
hundred men, and onlj' one hundred able for duty ; a mere
skeleton of onr fomier organization. Those of the sick Avho
were fortunate enough to secure leaA'e of absence had gone
to (their homes to die, or to be nursed back to health bj'
loving helpful families or friends.
Of this number 1 Avas one, and with Major KeUogg, also
sick, reached Burlington February fifth. We Avere unable
to travel further and for several days lay on beds in oppo
site corners of the same room, watching and Avaiting to see
which would die first. As neither seemed Avilling to go and
l©av© th© other, avc Avere flnally helped into th© cars and in
course of time by car and stage coach reached home and
friends. The trip home in mj' enfeebled condition was too
rauch for me. When I reached Indianola February sev
enteenth, I was carried to the home of my cousin Nancy

SERIOUS ILLNESS; MADE CAPTAIN 91
Ross Barngrover, where I lay at the point of death for
Aveeks. I believe my life Avas saved by the kind nursing of
my cousin, one of the salt of the earth, and the skiU of our
old family physician. Doctor Noble. I Avas fond of butter
milk, it was refused rae. One night Lizzie Clark, ray sistei'-
in-law, was sitting up Arith rae. I begged for butterraUk.
She brought me a pitcher full. I drank it all and began to
get well. During my couA'aleseeuc© I enjoyed a delightful
visit Arith family and friends.
AVhile at home, 1 received a letter from Colonel G. AV.
Clark informing m© that I had been coramissioned as Cap
tain to tak© th© place made vacant bj' th© death of Captain
Lyons. This was a surprise to me as I was second lieu
tenant, and the flrst lieutenant still held his position. It
was a decided compliment to me, and met with the general
approval of th© ra©n.
Wh©n I retumed to my regiment in St. Louis, I found
the health and efficiency of the men A-ery much improved.
On the twenty-flrst of April we proceeded to Pilot Knob,
Missouri, which was being threatened bj" the Confederate
army under General Marmeduke. After we had diverted
the moveraent of the eneray we had a comfortable tirae in a
delightfully Avholesome camp. We lived in tents, th© men
in wedge tents, flve men in each, the officers in Avail tents.
This was th© most soldier-like and th© raost comfortable
camp life w© had thus far exp©rienced.
My flrst lieutenant, H. C. Henderson, Avas naturally
offended at my being promoted over him, and resigned and
left th© service. I promoted my flrst sergeant, R. E. Martin,
to be first lieutenant, and made Joseph T. Meek, who was
quarter raaster sergeant, ray second lieutenant. On the
twenty-fifth of May I was detailed to act as a member of a
Court Martial to try some parties charged with crime.

CHAPTER Aa
SIEGE AND CAPTURE OF A'ICKSBURG
On the second of June, 1863, the regiment was ordered
to proceed to Vicksburg, bj' raarching across to Saint Gene-
A'i©v©, and ther© taking a st©ara©r down the Mississippi river.
Th© railitary court was not r©li©A'©d, and hene© I was left
behind. Three days later 1 Avas relieved at ray oavu request
and followed the regiment, going by St. Louis and doAvn the
river on the steamer "Hope," to Vicksburg. 1 here quote
from my diary: "Jun© eighth, 1863. The sight of Cap©
Gerardeau gr©©ted us this morning ; a pleasant tOAA-n on the
Missouri shore one hundred and fiftj' railes below St. Louis.
Next came Cairo, fifty miles further south, on the Illinois
side. Her© w© found large reinforcements for Grant, tAvo
diA'isions of th© Ninth Corps under command of General
Park. Thes© troops are from New Jersej' and Pcnnsj'h'ania,
all veteran soldiers AA'ho have seen serA'ice Avith Burnside at
Roanoke, Antietam, and Fredericksburg. I'hcy are now em
barking for Aricksburg.
June ninth. To-day we passed Forts AVright, Randolph
and PiUow, between Ncav Aladrid and J\Iemphis. and reached
th© last named city.
Jun© twelfth. Left Alemphis at seven this morning;
reached Helena abont two in the afternoon. I am now on
board the Silver Moon, being th© h©ad(iuarters boat for the
Ninth Array Corps. At Helena I saAv some colored troops
in camp. They are well clothed, aa'gU ©quipped, and present
a fin© military appearance.
On Sunday, the sixteenth, we landed at the head of
Grant's or Farragut's canal, and raarched down iu front of
Vicksburg, on th© west bank of the riA'er, through an im
mense carap or asserably of conti.-a,bands of all ages, m(>n,
92

SIEGE AND CAPTURE OF VICKSBURG 93
women, and children. AA'e Avere ferried over the riA'©r at
Warr©nton, ten mil©s b©loAV Vicksburg, and rejoined our
regiment. We were assigned to th© Thirteenth anny corps.
General McClernand; General Hei"ron's diA'ision, and Gen
eral Vand©v©r's brigade, and our plac© on the flring line
Avas the extreme left touching the river south of the citj'."
In Grant's movements to reaeh the rear and surround
Vicksburg h© had encount©r©d the enemj', had two hard bat
tles, and won two decided victories, at Champion Hills and
Big Black river. H© had driven Pemburton within the for
tified city with about thirty-five thousand men, and closed
the line of circumvallation. He thought the city could be
taken by a quick assault. He says in his Memoirs: "The
attack was ordered to commence on all parts of th© line at
ten 0 'clock A. M. on the twentj' second with a furious can
nonade from every batterj' in position. All the corps com
manders set their watches by mine, so that all might open
the engagement at the same minute. The attack was gallant,
and portions of the arm.y succeeded in getting up to the verj'
parapets of the enemy and in planting their battl© flags
upon th©ra, but at no place were av© able to enter. I ordered
a second assault, and the three corps commanders, Sherman,
McPherson, and McCleimand, responded with another des
perat© charge, resulting only in a fearful loss.
As soon as it was dark, our troops that had reached the
enemy's line and been obliged to remain ther© for security
all day, were withdrawn; and thus ended the last assault
upon Vicksburg. I now determined upon a regular siege —
to out-camp the eneray, as it were, and incur no raore
losses. ' '
Now began the Avork of sappers and rainers, with daily
details from every regiment to tighten the lines around the
doomed city of A'"icksburg. The process was sIoav, deliberate,
but certain. Th© flrst thing was to raove our ©ntir© line up
as near the enemy 's works as possible in the darlmess of the
night, and quietly dig a trench deep enough to afford pro
tection from th© eneray's bullets. Th© carap was sora© dis
tance back in the rear. Another detaU would be made the
next night, and would quietly go and relieve those in th©

94 LIPE IN THB MIDDLE WEST
trenches. This new detail Avould dig a straight ditch toward
the enemy about twenty or thirty feet, and then make an
other tr©nch parallel with th© enemy's line. This work thus
went on from night to night, Avith great labor and loss of
sleep. But the men Avere well and rations Avere abundant
and good, and the Avork kept them from groAring restless
and impatient. The investment was' thorough, both on th© land and
riv©r sides. Soon the enemj' begaii to suffer for want of
food. They w©re in constant peril from the shot and shell
of the gun boats and stationerj' batteries. Every morning
would disclose some ncAA'ly mounted guns bearing on th©
city. The lines grew shorter and short©r. The citizens had
made shelters for themselves by burrowing in the hills,
thus liring m caves and cellars. Ther© Aver© raen killed bj"
sharp shooters and the cannon shots every day on both
sides. On June twentj'-flfth, at one plac© w© had rain©d
under a parapet of the enemy, a heavj' artillery flre along
th© entire lin© Avas ordered and the mine exploded. A few-
men AVer© in this parapet and others at Avork in a counter
mine. All of thes© Avere throAvn into the air some of them
coming down on our side, still alive. One of these was a
colored raan. He Avas not rauch hurt, but terribly fright-
©n©d. Some one asked him how high he had gon© up.
' ' Dunno, Massa, but tink about tr©© mil©. ' ' General Logan
took this colored man to his quarters Avhere he kept him as
a servant. W© w©re up at this time at tlu-ee different points where
only the parapet of the eneniy divided us. The picket lines
were so close to ©ach other that the men could converse. On
th© twenty-flrst of June, Grant was infomied hj' this means
that Pemberton Avas preparing to escape by crossing th©
river to th© Louisiana side under cover of th© night ; that he
had ©mployed AA'orlnmen in mal?:ing boats for that purpose ;
that the men had been canvassed to ascertain if they Avould
make an assault on the A^aiik©©s to cut their Avaj' out; that
they had refused and almost mutinied because their cora
raander Avould not surrender and reliev© th©ir sufferimra

SIEGE AND CAPTURE OF VICKSBURG 95
and had oiUy been pacifled by the assurance that boats
enough would b© flnished in a week to carry them all over.
Steps were taken by Grant to render such an attempt
abortive. Our pickets were doubled ; Admiral Porter Avas notified,
so that he might be more Avatehful ; material was collected
on the west shore for being lighted in casa an attempt to
cross was' made ; and batteries Aven^ established along the
levees crossing the peninsula. Had an attempt been made
to escape that Avaj', the garrison of Vicksburg vrould have
b©©n droAvn©d, or mad© prisoners on the Louisiana side.
By th© first of July our approaches had reached the
enemy's works at a number of places. Every little Avhile,
both in day light and at night, the entire line of our artil
lery would open with terrific fuiy, and at the same time the
gun boats would throAV their shot and shell into the be
leaguered city. At night the sight and roar of these con
certed assaults made a spectacle of Avonderful grandeur. To
us it was a displaj' of poAver, inspiring and magnificent be
yond description, and to the enemj' one of teri'or a'nd des
pair, carrying fear and death.
On the night of July first -loseph E. Johnston Avas near
the Big Block, Arith a large rebel foi'ce, and Avrote Pera
berton from th©re that about the scA'cntli he v/ould make an
attempt to create a diversion to enable him to cut his Avay
out. Peraberton v^-as a prisoner before this message reached
him. On the third about ten o'clock A. M. Avhite flags ap-
pear©d on a portion of th© rebel As'orks. Sooii two persons
w©r© s©©n coming towards our lines bearing a Avhite fiag.
They were General Bowen and Colonel Alontgomery bearing
a note to General Grant frora Pemberton asking the appoint
ment of commissioners to arrange terms of surr©iid©r.
Grant sent a reply declining to appoint commissioners and
stating that no terms but unconditional sun'ender Avould be
off'ered. Several letters Aver© exchanged and considerabl©
irritation Avas displaj'ed by Pemberton, but Grant's terms
wer© flnally acc©pt©d. It Avas agreed that at ten o'clock in

96 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
the morning, on the Fourth of July our army Avas to march
into the city as conquerors.
It Avas a glorious sight to officers and men on our line
when the white fiags Avere displayed on the i Confederate
works. The troops felt that their long and Aveary marches,
hard fighting, ceaseless AA'atching by niglU and bj' day, in a
hot climate, exposed to all sorts of weather and to diseases,
were at last at an end.
During the siege ther© had be©n a .good deal of friendly
sparring betAveen the soldiers of the two amiies, on jjicket,
and where the lines were clos© together. ,\11 rebels Avere
kiioAvn as ' ' Johnnies, ' ' all Union troops as ' ' A^aiiks. ' ' Often
Johnny would call "AVell, A^ank, wh©n are .vou all coming
into toAvn?" The reply was, "We propose to celebrate the
Fourth of July there." Th© A^icksburg ncAvspaper, v^'hich
w© rec©iv©d regularly through the courtesj' of the rebel
pickets, said prior to the Fourth, in speaking of the A'ankee
boast, that they Avoiild ©at dinn©r in Vicksburg that day,
that th© best recipe for cooking a rabbit Avas "Pirst ketch
your rabbit." The paper at this time and for som_e time
prerious, was printed on the plain side of Avail paper. The
last number was issued on th© Fourth and anncunced, ' ' A'ou
have caught j'our rabbit. ' '
At the appointed hour th© garrison of Vicksburg
marched out of their Avorks and formed line in front, stacked
arms, and marched back in good order. Our Avhol© array
witnessed this seen© Avithout cheering.
Our soldiers were no sooner in the lines than the tAvo
armies begaii to fraternize. The enemy had been suffering
from hunger. Our men began taking bread from their
haversacks and giving it to th© ©nemj' thej- had b©©ii so re
cently engaged in starving out. It Avas accepted Avith avid-
itj" and thanks. We found many families had built homes
by carving rooms in the clay hills. Sorae of these Avere
carpeted, and furnished Avith nice furniture. .Here they Av©re
secure from the shot and shells Avhich Averc falling in the
city at all hours of the daj' .ind night. We captured thirty
one thousand, six hundred prisoners ; on© hundr©d and
sev©nty two cannon; sixty thousand muskets, and a large

VICKSBURG NATIONAL PARK AND CEMETERY 97
araount of aramunition. Among the captured Avas a battery
from Panola, Mississippi, composed d j'oung men Avho had
been memb©rs of a s©l©ct school taught bj' AV. S. Dungan a
few years befor© th© war, who Averc caUcd "The Dungan
Artillery, ' ' in honor of their old teacher. Thej' were j.iTcatly
surprised to fhid among their captors Colonel W. S. Dungan,
Lieutenant Colonel of th© Thirty-fourth Iowa regiment.
They seemed delighted to see their old much loved teacher,
and had an interestijig visit Avith him
Vicksburg was naturally a very strong position. Its
fortifications and defenses were prepared Avith groat skill
rendering its capture bj' direct assault impossible by land
or water. Hence Grant's tactics ot out-camping the enemj',
starving them, was the onlj' method of capturing the gar
rison. VICKSBURG NATIONAL PARK AND CEMETERY
The Federal government, in commemoration of the
sieg© and capture of Vicksburg, has constructed a splendid
National Park covering the ground where that heroic strag
gle took place. The avenues foUoAV in a general waj' the
lin©s of inv©stment and defense. Por instance, Conferedate
Avenue, nine miles in length, is just in the rear of, and fol-
loAA's th© line of the Confederate earth-Avorks and parapets.
Union Avenue, about seven and a half miles long, follows
and is immediately to the rear of the first parallel of the
Union army. Leading out from these avenues are shorter
park roadAvays. There have been erected along the line of
siege and defense, where they Aver© us©d at the time, a large
number of fleld and siege guns of the kind and caliber used
in the sieg© and def©nse. Bronze and iron inscription tab
lets, over fiv© hundred in number, have been prepared stat
ing th© part bome by corps, divisions, brigades, and batter
ies of th© two armies, and designating the h©adquai't©rs of
gen©ral officers, th© points where general officers were killed,
and all other matters of interest needing explanation. And
th© different states haring troops in th© siege, have erected
splendid and costly monuments. There is a monument
showing the position of ray regiraent, with the name of the

98 LIPE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
commander. Colonel G. AV. Clark, upon it. The position of
the opposing armies in the sieg© and defense of A^'icksburg
remained practicallj' the same, hence the positioii shoAvii
in the park gives a correct picture of the opperations. This
is not true of anj' other battle ground in the Civil War,
Avhere the lines were constantly changing. There is a Na
tional Cemetery established and maintained at Vicksburg,
and blending into the National Park at th© north end. It
contains the graves of sixteen thousand, eight hmidred, and
tAventj'-tAvo Union soldiers AA'ho lost their lives in and aromid
A'^icksburg, of which the appalling number of tAveh'© thou
sand seven hmidred and iiinet©©n ar© mark©d "UnknoAvn. "

CHAPTER VII
GOING DOWN THE RIVER TO NEW ORLEANS
I shall here quot© from my diary : " A f ©av days after
th© capture of Vicksburg, I was sent, in command of a few
troops, up to A^azoo City to gather cotton. AVe found un
told quantities concealed in out of the Avaj' places. W©
gathered and loaded our steam boats with all thej' could
carry leaving great quantities behind. On the twenty-first
of July we retumed to Vicksburg, taking vrith us, besides
cotton; raules, horses and contrabands.
Grant is planning a movement against Mobile. My
regiment went aboard the steamer Terapest on the tAventy-
fourth of July and started doAvn the river. Passed Grand
Gulf, Natches, mouth of the Red river, and stopped at Port
Hudson, recentlj' surrendered to our troops under General
Banks. This vicinity has b©©n devastated bj' Avar ; th© sugar
and cotton plantations are in rains, and the town is little
raor© than a waste place, marked with ash heaps and stand
ing chimneys. Both armies have shared in the sacking of
this region, taking alike frora friend and foe. This is a
desolate place ; the spring and well water are very bad, and
sickness is rapidly on the increase. The funeral raarch is
ill the air almost constantly.
"August 7th. Disease and death are not confined to
the rank and file alone ; to-daj' Colonel D. H. Hughes of the
Thirty-eighth Iowa Avas carried to the grave. Last night I
retumed with tAventy men from a tAvo days' foraging ex
pedition into th© back countiy. AVe found th© country
pretty w©ll stripped of provisions. But by persisitant ef
fort and at the risk of being captured, w© penetrated into
the interior and brought in a rich supply. AA^e had to steal
our h©arts against th© entreaties and protests of th© rebel
99

100 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
women, and nothing but th© sickness and suffering of the
poor boys in camp justified us in this cruel course. We
brought in a large flock of sheep, nearly a hundred head;
on© larg© b©ef st©er; on© hundred turk©y, geese and chick
ens; an army wagon loaded with green com, melons, and
other vegetables. AV© wer© hailed with delight and our
supplies wer© greatly ©njoy©d by th© soldiers. To-day I
buried George Forman of my company, a noble fellow; the
second one of the f amUj' we have buried, and the last son of
a AvidoAved mother. Many cases like that are happening all
the time. AVho can tell the somow and agonj- of this war ! !
Port Hudson, Aug. loth. The troops at this place are
now moving to New Orleans as fast as transportation can
be fumished. On© j'©ar ago to-daj' my company was or
ganized. Traly the Avorld can say that something has been
don© by our army in that tim©.
On the seventeenth my regiment arrived at New Orleans
and Avent into camp at CarroUton a few miles above the
Crescent City, on the east bank of the river, a beautiful,
clear plat of ground knoAvii now as the ' ' Champ de Mars. ' '
( Since the war this camping ground has become the charm
ing campus and building sit© of th© greatest college in the
south, "Tui ane University.") On th© tw©nty-second a grand
revicAv of the troops was held, by General N. P. Banks, ac
companied by a larg© retinue of gen©ral and staff officers.
Th© daj' was fine and Champ de Mars furnished a splendid
field for the spectacle. Banks on hors© back, presented a
noble figure, the most graceful equestrian I ©ver saAV. And
no general so much enjoys the pomp and glory of an im
posing military display.
AVhen the r©view was over, a party composed of Colonel
Clark, Captains RockAvcU, AVaters, and myself, Avent to th©
city for a two days' outing and sightseeing. We visited
Jackson 's Square, a place of great interest and beautj'. The
equestrian statue of Jackson in bronze is magnificent. The
city of New Orleans presents manj' features of interest.
The quaint old narroAV streets and French and Spanish
quarters have a strikingly foreign appearance. We enjoyed
the delightful cuisine of th© famous St. Charles hotel. But

NEW ORLEANS 101
our gr©atest pleasure was our trip to Lake Pontchatrain,
Avhere we spent the day, eating fish, the most luxurious of
the finny tribe, drinking champagne, bathing in th© lake,
and haring a g©iieral good time, until late at night, Avhen Ave
returned to carap. ' ' NEAV ORLEANS
New Orleans Avas founded in 1718 and becaine the cap
ital of the Prench coloiij' of Louisiana, in 1722, Bienville,
then governor of the colonj', moring from Biloxi to New
Orleans in that j'car; he had preriously sent his chief of
engineers to laj' out the citj'. In 1762 France transferred
Louisiana to Spain, and in 1800 Spain again transferred
Louisiana to France, and in 1803 Napolean sold and trans
ferred th© colony to the United States.
New Orleans was rebel to the core. We met a few
loyal poopl©. A v©iy charming littl© girl, OUie A'ining, and
h©r father, visited the Thirty-fourth nearly every Sunday,
and sh© b©caine a great favorite with the boys. She was
about ten or twelve years old, pretty and old-fashioned.
I wonder what became of her !
Her© we buried John Montieth, a splendid young fel
low of my companj', and a few others of the regiment. W©
raust©r©d for pay ©verj' tAvo raonths. It Avas reraarkable
how raany whose names AA'ere promptly responded to by
' ' present ' ' tAvo months before were at each subsequent mus
ter silent in the grave.
On Sept. 2nd, 1863, General Grant and his staff ar
riA'cd in New Orleans ; and Banks at once arranged for an
other grand review of the troops. Champ de Mars Ava.s
again the scene of the splendor and glory of an anny Arith
banners. General Grant and Staff and Banks and Staff,
foUoAved by a large bodj' of raomited orderlies and attend
ants made a formidable cavalcade as they swept doAvn in
front and up in the rear of our long line of infantry, cavalry
and artillery. General Grant, referring to this review, says in his
memoirs: "Th© horse I rode Avas ricious, and but little
used, and on my rotum to Nbav Orleans ran away and shy-

102 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
ing at a locomotive in the street, fell, probably on me. I was
rendered insensible, and when I regained consciousness,
found myself in a hotel near by, with several doctors at
tending rae. My leg Avas swollen from the knee to the thigh,
and the swelling, almost to the point of bursting, extended
along the body almost to the arm-pit. The pain was almost
beyond endurance. I lay at the hotel something over a
week Arithout being abl© to turn mys©lf in bed. I had a
stearaer stop at the nearest point possible, and was carried
to it on a litter. I was then taken to Vicksburg, where I
reraained unable to move for som© tim© af t©rward. ' '
Immediately after this reriew, oui- army erabarked on
transports and went up the river above Port Hudson. In
this region Ave found rebel General Dick Taylor, a grandson
of old Zack Taylor, Avith about six thousand troops, on the
west of the river, along the Atchafalya river or baj'Ou.
We spent about a month, watching and skirmisliing
with this active anny. AVe lost some of the Thirty-fourth
bj' being killed and more by being captured. While in this
localitj' I was in command of the Division Pioneer Corps of
two hundred raen. Her© the riA'cr stearaers passed constant-
Ij' up and doAvn, bringing news papers and l©tters. I re
ceived in on© raail tAA'o verj' interesting lett©rs, one from
Miss Arpie Ross and on© from Miss Alice Corkhill, tAvo of
my classmates at Mount Pleasant.
October twelfth found us again in Caiu'ollton, on
Champs d© Mars. Our ©ntir© division camped in order of
battle, in splendid line on this beautiful ground.
By a wis© prorision of the Iowa legislature, the soldiei-s
AVer© allowed to vot© for State offlcers, though thousands of
miles away from th© state. October fourteenth AA'as elec
tion day, and Colonel W. M. Stone was the Avar candidate
for governor, and General J. M. Tuttle th© anti-Avar candi
date. The Thirty-fourth vote stood, Stone 176, Tuttie 72.
The weather Avas pleasant and health of the men much
improved while in this camp. We occupied our time in the
school of the soldier, held an officers ' class frora eight to ten,
a non coraraissioned class from one to three, and the battal
ion drill from four to six, but our stay in carap Avas not long.

ACROSS THE GULF TO TEXAS 103
ACROSS THE GULF TO TEXAS
I quote from mj' diary: "October 24th. Struck tents
and raarched to the landing at dark to-night. A fearful
rain storm has almost engulfed us in its torrents. A slimy
compound of silica, peat, carbonates of lime diluted Arith
aqua, vulgarly called mud, is a very diabolical impediment
to our mov©m©iits. ' ' The gOA'ernment had becorae alarraed
at rumors of an invasion from Mexico, and directed Banks
to cross th© gulf with his coinmand, landing at the harbor of
Brazos de Santiago near the mouth of the Rio Grande riA'er,
which river separates Mexico from the United States. This
command fumished Banks an opportunity for a military
display to suit his fancy. He chartered twenty-three large
stearaers and erabarked his army of infantiy, cavalry and
artillery, and moved down the Mississippi river. There ai'c
three passes or raouths of the riA'cr into the gulf; we used
the south west pass, the on© most used.
The Thirtj'-fourth Iowa, together with a battalion of
the Pirst Texas cavalrj', were on board the st©ara©r "Belri-
der©, ' ' a large, h©avy, old vessel. The day was fin© and the
water smooth and quiet. By dir©ction of General Banks,
the steamers took position in two columns one half mile
apart, and each vessel one half mile behind th© on© in its
front, vrith ord©rs to maintain this position. The spectacle
of this formation of twenty-three stearaers raoving majestic
ally across the sea, sraooth as a lake, with th© sun shining
and the bands playing, Avas irapressive and inspiring. My
being fresh from th© classic halls of th© University wiU ac
count for th© f oUoAring note in my diary : ' ' Virgil 's glowing
account of the wandering Trojans comes viridly to my
mind. Though w© have strong faith in our Aeneas, yet if
eolus roUs away the guarding stone and tums his Avild
winds loose upon us, Neptune's aid wiU be invoked with
genuine pathos and earnestness. I never felt such grand
poetic ©motions in ray life as I do at this first lamiching out
.m the bUlo-wy ocean."
The second day out a stiff wind piled the water into
swells and hollows which tossed our old hulk like a bubble.

104 LIPE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
Th© poetry and romance began to graduaUy ooze out of my
sj'stem, and th© joy of an ocean voyage seemed to hav© an
effective antidote in a serious attack of sea-sickness.
On the night of the second day a storm struck us Avith
great fury. 1 again quote from my diary: "Our fleet of
tAventy-'three ships is scattered to th© four Avdnds. Some of
them we fear are lost entirely. The white caps are madly
tossed in air, and the furious bUlows roll mountain high.
Our old boat creaks and bends in a frightful mamier, and
reels and lurches from sid© to side like a drunken man.
There is great fear lest sh© will go down with her cargo of
life." As a partial relief all the cavalry horses wer© thrown
OA'crboard. After tAvo days the stonn abated, and the strain
and anguish gave place to rest and comfort. Josiah Mc-
Ijead, a bright Scotchman of my company composed a par
ody on a good old hymn, one stanza of AA'hich I recall :
"Banks moves in a mysterious way,
His blunders to perform.
He puts a fleet upon the sea
To be scattered by the storm."
Late in the afternoon of November First Ave amved in
sight of land, after six days' voyage, being at least tArice
the usual length of time for the -t^rip. We hailed the land-
view with joy. Tavo days later all the ships of our fieet came
ill sight except the Steamer Union whieh went doAvii in the
storm. Some of the lighter draft vessels crossed the bar
and landed their cargoes. Our heavy old Belvid©re could
not cross. AVe transferred, Avith much difliculty, to a lighter
vessel, the Clinton, and finally reached the land. Colonel
Clark's fine stallion, named Morgan, was lifted 'by a derrick
in a swing and transferred to the Clinton and thus landed.
We did not reach the main land, but wer© on Brazos island.
The water Avas saltj', and we suffered intenselj' for Avater.
I was sick Avith a hot fever. In the night a storra of rain
came up, like a message of salvation from Heaven. It
quenched my thirst and cooled my fever.

A WINTER IN TEXAS 105

A AVINTER IN' TEXAS

"After a f©AV days w© w©r© put in motion, and marched
up the Rio Grand© to BroAvnsville. This place is about
thirty miles up from the mouth of the river and immediatelj'
across from th© old Mexican toAvn of Matamoras. Browns
ville has a population of seven or eight thousand people,
mostly Mexicans, Spanish, and half-breeds. A decidedly
shabby town. AVe remained in camp in an old cotton field
just north of toAAm. This entire region is sparcely settled
hj' a mongrel, shiftless class of half-breed renegades. Th©y
s©em to have very httle to eat, and charge us big prices for
everything they have. Ther© is nothing for us to do here,
and no reason for our coming."
After about a week's stay in Brownsville, we received
orders on Novemb©r thirteenth to prepare to march the next
day. On our last night there my first lieutenant, R. B.
Martin, and I determined to swim the Rio Grand© and set
foot on Mexican soil. We did not fully realize the breadth
and depth and wonderful current of that stream. The
night was dark. When we Avere about half Avay over we
began to feel the strong under-toe and our helplessness.
Martin called on me for help, but I was struggling to keep
afloat, and was utterly unable to help him. I struck back
for camp and cried to the boys on shore for help. Nothing
could b© se©n in the darkness and no help came. I finally
reached shore utterly exhausted. Nothing was seen or heard
of Martin and w© all supposed he was drowned. To our
gi'eat surprise, about ten o 'clock the next daj' he came into
camp in Mexican dress. He said he had float©d down
stream and finally landed in Mexico in a helpless condition
and been takeii care of by a Mexican family.
We started that daj' on our march to Point Isabella on
the Gulf Coast. We passed over the historic battle ground
of Resaca dela Palma and Palo Alto. These were mere
skirmishes, but wer© made th© most of by thos© taking part
in them, and seem destined to live in history as battles of
some note. W© r©ach©d Point Isabella and imm©diat©ly em-
bark©d on th© old Steamer "Bagley" and pi'Oce©d©d up

106 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE AVEST
the coast to Aransas Pass. On our Avaj" north Ave passed
Corpus Christi, then a raere sea-port station, but since a
leading city of that coast.
I here quote frora my notes: "Upon arriring at Ar
ansas Pass, General E. T. Ransom came on board and di
rected us to cross the barr, which we did, and immediately
landed on Saint Joseph Island. This is a desolate, sandy
island about eighteen miles long and from one to four miles
wide. Upon it we find fresh water, sorae vegetation, and
vast herds of deer and Texas cattle. Our rations ar© grow
ing pinchingly short, but thanks to th© Proridence who
supplied raanna and quails, we find rich oyster beds along
the coast ; th^se w© serve up in the latest improved style, on
the half shell, and mak© of th©m our chief diet. ' '
In the northem part of the island is a strong, well-
built fort, called Port Esperanza, built by the Federal gov
ernment before the war, and at this tim© occupied by con
federate forces. As we advanced northward Ave met rebel
troops and had some skiimishing, in which Major Hill of
the enemy was killed. The Thirty-fourth was in the ad
vance. We drove the pickets into their Avorks. We at once
formed a line in front of Port Esperanza and dug trenches
and prepared to start a regular siege. Our artillerj' opened
out in lively stjde ; firing continued at intervals for two days
Avhen the enemy blcAV up the Fort and ©scaped on the main
land by means of some old ferry boats thej' had under their
guns. Captain Rockwell and his company and I with mj' cora
pany were detailed to go aboard the gun-boat "Granite
City, ' ' as sharp-shooters for a ciuise up the baj-. Tliis was
a pl©asant variation frora the raonotony of carap life. AVe
had everj' corafort and good living and littl© to do. Wo
captured a few schooners and a sloop, and after a week of
high liring retumed to camp and regular dnty. Our Avinter
in Texas Avas a monotonous routine, with little of general
interest. At times we suffered intensely Avith th© cold.
Every little while a "norther" Avould strike us and for
about thr©e days the Avind chilled us through and through.
Water would freeze into ice a half inch thick. AVe had no

A WINTER IN TEXAS 107
fuel for heat, and no shelter but our thin tents. During
the storm ev©ry soldi©r would roll hims©lf in his blankets
and lie on his bunk and shiver. I put on all raj' clothes in
cluding mittens and cap, and rolled myself in my blank©ts
and r©ad Victor Hugo 's Les Misei'ables, that most wonder
ful of all nov©ls. After that I got a copj' of Rollin's An
cient History, and read that with great interest and profit.
We moved over from the island to the raaiii land. Some
of the troops went up the countrj' thirty or forty miles in
pursuit of the enemy, had som© skirmish©s, but no serious
opposition. W© all grew to admire and lov© our brigade
commander. General E. T. Ransom, a splendid officer, a
gentleraan and scholar, a favorite of General Grant's. He
died before the Avar was over. He was gentl© and kind but
a strict disciplinarian.
I frequently took my companj' to th© beach near by and
made a charge on th© surf. Bathing in th© s©a is v©iy
delightful. The salt Avater is more buoj'ant than fresh
water, mor© cleansing, and a greater tonic to blood and
nerves. Colonel Clark went to Iowa for recruits, and sent our
regiraent two hundred and twenty-five fresh men, thirty of
whom joined my company, thus giring rae on© of th© largest
companies in the regiment. These new men were splendid,
young fellows, enthusiastic and vigorous, nearly all under
twenty. On February fourth w© Av©re rejoiced to receive a good
package of raail. The infrequency and uncertainty of let
ters from home greatly increased th© pleasure when thej'
did come. The same steamer that brought the mail, bi-ought Major
General Ord, the commander of the Thirteenth Army Corps,
to which we b©long©d. He was an old man, but a brav© and
efficient officer. H© inspected and r©ri©wed the troops. His
inspecting officers especially coraraended my company, for
soldierly appearance and efficiency in drill.
On February fift©©nth my regiment was moved over
to Matagorda Island and set to work constructing outer de
fences on the island. We remained at this work about two

108 LIFE IN THB MIDDLE WEST
months; built a line of breast Avorks across the island,
strengthened at short intervals bj' strong redoubts or forts.
I had a great deal of time that winter in Texas for
reading, but had some difficulty in getting books. Besides
Les Miserables and Rollin's History, I read Bulwer's Last
Daj's of Pompeii, the first volum© of Blackstone's Commen
tary on English LaAv, and some other books. The cold daj's
Avere greatlj' relieved by these books.
1 was frequentlj' complimented bj' being appointed to
the duty of drilling th© recruits of th© entire regiment. In
fact I had become so expert in the Zouave drill that I Ava.3
requested by the Colonel to drill the entire regiment in that
spectacular mov©m©nt.
My most intimat© friends Av©r© Captain Rockwell, Sur
geon Coffman, and Adjutant Biyant. On© of our pleasant
recreations was to ride on horseback up and doAvn th© coast
on th© hard smooth beach. The sand packed hard and
smooth by the beating of the surf makes a perfect coursi^
for riding or driving. There is an automobile beach race
course at Daj'tona, Florida, said to b© the finest in the
world. Our camp while on the island was near the ocean beach.
We wer© hushed to sleep at night by the sonorous roar of
the Avavcs and the monotonous splashing of the surf.
Th© toAvn of Indianola Avas onlj"- about thirtj' miles
north of our camp, and made largely of Union people. On
April 4th, haying heard that our array was going awaj', a
larg© delegation of their citizens cam© to us under a flag of
truce. They wanted to go Avith the Union arnij' and lose
all their propertj', rather than remain at the mercy of the
rebels. On April 6th General Lawler, th©n in command of our
Brigade, issued an order that on© companj- in each regiment
be selected by the commander of th© regiment to compete
for th© honor of th© best drilled companj' in the Brigade.
My company was selected from the 34th Iowa. The time
of the exhibition Avas flxed for the llth. Ther© Avas a tcr-
riflc rain storm the night before, but th© ©xciting contest
was held in th© aftemoon. I giA'e here a copy of the report

A AVINTER IN TEXAS

109

of the judges. This shows th© place Avhich my company
took in th© contest, standing in second plac© and only two
points b©hiiid the first : Hd. Qrs., 2d Brig. 1st Div.,
Matagorda Is., Texas.
April 15, 1864.
General Orders
No. 11. The following report of the Company trial drill held
yesterday the 14th inst., is published for the information of all
concerned. No. 5 indicates the highest merit.

C g

B

VC

c
mo

.11

oc

-I-' '—

0
'C d

Co.

"K"

16, 0.,

5

3

5

0

3

3

19

19

Co.

"C"

34, Iowa,

3

4

1

5

4

5

17

22

Co.

"I"

49, Ind.,

2

2

4

0

2

2

12

12

Co.

"A"

69, Ind.,

4

5

2

4

5

4

20

24

Co.

"K"

114, 0.,

1

1

3

0

1

1

7

7

fCol. 18 Ind., H. D. Washburn.
Judges -j Maj. 23 Iowa, L. B. Huston,
[ Capt. 22 Iowa, A. B. Cree.

CHAPTER VIH
RECROSS THE GULF TO NEW ORLEANS
From the early part of Noveniber, 1863, to April 19th,
1864, Avas spent in Texas, nearly six months. This was the
most prolonged inactive period in my Avar service. Our
drilling and discipline taught us to be good soldiers and fit
ted us for the hard campaigns which foUoAved. But Ave Avere
glad to saU aAvay from the quiet lonesome coast of Texas,
on the "Saint Mary," for New Orleans on April 20th. 1
here quot© from my diarj' :
"AprU 21st. W© haUed the blockading fleet off Gal-
A'eston and left tAvo Union spies to be landed on th© en©ray 's
territoiy. Sailing Avith a calm sea to-daj', but I am miser
ably sea-sick and must be excused from coraraenting on the
beauty and grandeur of lif© oil the ocean Avave. On the
ccntrarj' I ara singing ;
0! were you never sea-sick?
And did yon never feel
That heaving of the stomach
That makes you fairly reel?
"April 22. Entered the jMississippi river this morning
at sun-ris©. Passed forts Jackson and Philhps, and later
Jackson's battle ground and raonumcnt, and reached the
Avharf at New Orleans and disembarked. ' '
About a month before this time General Banks, com
manding at Ncav Orleans, Avas directed lij' General Halleck
to move an army against Shreveport, a little toAvm at the
head of navigation on th© Red River, Louisiana. Shreveport
Avas th© center of an ©normouslj' rich cotton district, and
among other objects of this ©xp©ditioii, it Avas proposed to
110

JOINING GEN. BANKS UP THE RED RIVER 111
secure all this cotton for the half famished mills of the
north. It was no uncommon thing before the war for
Shreveport to ship 40,000 bales of cotton doAvii river in a
single J'ear. But there Aver© other more important objects
connected with this campaign, the greatest of which Avas to
get full railitarj' possession of all that part of Louisiana and
Arkansas, and be in a position for th© imm©diat© occupation
of Texas, thus saring to the countiy and giving protection
to all the large population in those districts that had re
mained loyal.
Ther© also was to be a political signiflcane© attached to
this movement. The occupation of Texas, especiallj', Avas
to have a bearing on public sentiment in Europe. These
suggestions furnish an explanation in part at least, for the
Avinter 's occupancy of southern Texas by th© troops, of
which my regiment was a part. Otherwise that long six
months was squandered, without explanation.
JOINING GENERAL BANKS UP THE RED RIVER
My regiment haring landed at New Orleans on the
22nd of April, 1864, on the foUowing moming, Sunday, avc
sailed up th© Mississippi riv©r on th© steani©r ' ' Emma, ' '
Generals McClernand and LaAvler Avith th©ir staff officers
on board. Thr©© days later fomid us slowly feeling our
way up the Red River. This is a narrow, crooked, stream
difficult of narigation ; deep, muddy, and shifting its chan
nel; inhabited by alligators, turtles and various aquatic
reptiles of the long-tailed breeds.
We flnally arrived at Alexandria and landed and went
into camp. "This was an old historic town. It was here
that General Sherman founded for th© stat© of Louisiana
what was called ' ' The Louisiana Seminary of Leaming and
Military Academj', " of Avhich he Avas President when the
Civil AVar broke out.
When we reached Alexandria, Ave found Banks' Army
of over 20,000 raen had been beaten by Kirby Smith and
Dick Taylor at Sabine Pass, about 30 miles from Shreve
port, which was farther up the river, and was falling back

112 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE AVEST
in full retreat. The campaign had failed and Banks Avas
generally held responsible for it all. The loss in killed and
Avounded and missing was very heavy. An enormous supplj'
train fell into the hands of the enemy. The heavy part of
the flghting was over before my regiment arrived.
We encamped on a large, rich, sugar plantation. The
OAviier pretended to be a Union man and procured from the
general, orders that a guard should be stationed at the door
of a sugar house, Avhich was full of sugar. I had some
expert foragers in my company. They soon fomid a way
to tap this sugar house by crawling under it from the back,
and it was not long until the mess kettles of every company
in the 34th Avere travelling back and forth well fllled, Avhile
the guard marched back and forth, innocently watching the
front door.
The water supply Avas very short. This planter had
large wooden tanks, overground cisterns, which is th© cus
tom in the south. AVhen we tried to g©t Avater from them
none Avould iun out of the faucets. He told- us they had
been dry for some time. One of the 34th boys who had
been to college and knew soraething of hydraulics, flnding
that there was plenty of water in th©s© tanks below the
faucets, bent a lead pipe and inserted it, and raade a syphon.
H© soon had th© water running in quantities sufficient to
supply the r©gim©nt. The old planter was amazed to se©
Avater run uphill.
In the ricinity of Alexandria the army sloAA'ly gathered
itself together and held its ground for about tAvo weeks.
There was a good deal of skirmishing and some sraall bat
tles, with losses in killed and wounded on both sides daily.
We had th© protection of our gun boats on the one side, and
on the other side earthworks Avhich we had throAvm up. To
indicate how we were eraployed during much of our time
in that locality, I quote from my diary.
"May 4. The enemy wakened us up by throAving some
shot and shell into our camp. Our batteries promptly re
turned their salutation, wh©n both retired for th© night.
May 5. The 13th Corps moved to the front early and
engaged the enemy, driring him until 4 P. M. W© Av©re

JOINING GEN. BANKS UP THE RED RIVER 113
undcr sever© fire all day long, and Aritnessed some fine tests
of courage in our steady march to the front facing shot
and shell. Our loss was not great as the firing was chieflj' by
artiUery. We raarched back over the long Aveary road to
camp after night.
May 6. Rested in camp until 4 P. M. AA^e then pro-
ce©d©d again to the front, driring th© enemy in front of us
four miles and then bivouacked for the night in an old
orchard. May 7. Moved forward early, my company being se
lected as advance skirmishers. I ordered mj' men to pile
their knapsacks in an old field and left a sick man to guard
them. Released from their load th© men pressed forAvard
eagerly and rapidly, driving th© enemy by a quick and
sharp fir© which we Aver© compelled to keep up. W© have
consuraed about fifty rounds of ammunition to the man to
day, and driven th© ©nemy about fifteen railes."
On May twelfth, Colonel Clark Avas made commander
of the 2nd Brigade, 4th division of the 13th Army Corps.
He made Adjutant Bryant his Acting Assistant Adjutant
General and made me Acting Aide de Carap. I was thus
made a mounted officer and rode at the head of the brigade
among the staff officers.
The Commander saw the peril to his gun boats by the
rapid falling of th© Avat©r of the Red River. This, Avith the
steady increas© of the rebel army, made it necessary for
Banks to withdraAv from that region.
On the thirteenth the toAvn of Alexandria was des
troyed by fire, started bj' demoralized and discontented
soldiers against the orders of commanding general. ' '
On the fourteenth of May, at 4 A. j\I., avc commenced
our final retreat down the Red River. The Avatoi' in the Red
River in March, 1864, M'as exceedingly low, and many of the
deep-draft vessels could not get doAvn the rapids at Alexan
dria. How©v©r Avith som© thirty transports, fourt©en of the
gunboats were dragged up th© stream, onlj' to find them
selves, Avhen they Avish©d to retum at th© end of April, help
less above the falls by the receding water. Their rescue
through the aid of th© genius, resource and indefatigable

114 LIPE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
efforts of Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Bailey of the Fourth
AViscoiisin, inakes a thrilling story. He succeeded in damn
ing the river, thus banking the Avater up, and by the thir
teenth of Maj' amid the mighty cheers of the spectators and
the lumbermen from Maine and Wisconsin who had built
the helpful barrier, the vessels which had been caught, had
passed doAvn to safety.
The gunboats and transports raoA-ed along doAvu the
river, accorapanying the armj- in its march along the banks.
The enemj' Avas in front of us and behind us, constantlj'
annoying us by sharp shooters and shot and shell from his
cannon. On one occasion a cannon ball passcd through the
ranks of the 34th. Colonel Dungan Avas in command and
riding his hors© at th© head of the regiment. As the ball
approached the horse shrank and squatted to th© ground.
The ball passed over A'erj' near the Colonel 's head, Avciit on
through the ranks, taking a canteen from on© man, a sword
scabbard from an ofticer, without doing any further harm.
Dungan was sure he Avould have been killed but for the
singular movement of his horse.
As Ave approached the Atchafalj'a river, a deeji, Avide,
sluggish stream Avith no bridge, the enemj' becaine more
determined and forced us to flght our way Arith desperate
courage. On a wide, open plain near Marksville, the enemj'
massed his artillery and opened up Avith all his guns. Our
guns responded. The day Avas fine and the countrj' open
to fuU riew. The spectacle of this artillery duel was one of
the grandest sights I ever saAv. AVhen it ceased avc occupied
the fleld and moved on AA'ith caution, soon reaching the
Atchafalya River.
This river we crossed on a pontoon bridge made of
twenty steamboats anchored side bj- sire Avith their boAvs up
stream ananged in such a Avaj' that troops, Avagons, artillery
and all could move OA'er them Avith safetj'. All the boats had
steam up, ready for action at once in case of accident or an
attack from the ©ii©mj'. As soon as all were safely over
and at a given signal, the anchors were raised and the bridge
disappeared. W© struck out on the march to the Mississipti River and

DELIGHTFUL DAA" IN BATON ROUGE 115
down that until w© reached Morganza Bend, an old farailiar
camping ground. This place w© reached on the twenty-
second of May after a Aveek of severe marching, night and
day, amid constant fighting, anxiety and weariness.
Th© r©st and relaxation of this splendid camp were ex
ceedingly grateful. And to add to our pleasure, avc r©c©iv©d
a larg© accumulation of mail from the north. I got six or
seven letters from family and friends, and f©asted on them
with great ariditj- after the long interruption.
DELIGHTFUL STAY IN B.ATON ROUGE
W© remained in camp at Morganza mitil the 29th Avhen
our brigade took transports to Baton Roug© ("Red Stick"),
th© old historical capital of Louisiana. There avc went into
camp on the eastem outskirts of the toAvn. The brigade
headquarters, to Avhich I still belonged, located in the beau
tiful grounds of the Pemal© Orphan's Asj'lum. This insti
tution was not then occupied. Here began on© of the pleas
antest periods of my Avar experience. The people of the
town were rebel to th© core, but many of them Avere refined,
cultured and tactful. The young oflicers of my regiment
soon had calling acquaintance with the ladies of scA'cral nice
families, and greatlj' enjoyed their societj'.
One day an elderly, fine-looking woman passed the
brigade headquarters' tents and Avent into th© Asylum. As
she cam© out I m©t her. She greeted me pleasantl.y She
said her name Avas Mrs. Read, and that she was Matron of
the Asylum, or in some Avaj' had charge of it.
I here quote from my diary: "July Sth. I have been
reading historj', romance and poetrj' almost constantlj'
lately. To-day I finished the historj' of Louisiana, bj' Gayga-
re, a lawj-er of the state. It consists of a course of lectures
portraying in charming language the poetry and romance of
this stat© during the French and Spanish dominations, com
prising two centuries, closing Avith 1740. I have enjoyed the
pleasure of this book by the kindness of Mrs. Read, a good
and worthy ladj' whose acquaintance I accidently made since
coraing here. I hav© been cordially received at her home

116 LIPE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
and highly entertained by herself, her daughter. Miss Mary
Read, and the private instiuctress of the young ladj^, Mrs.
Henderson, a lady of English ©xtraction and widoAV of an
army surgeon. Their conversation is chast© and r©flned and
their music charming.
My stay in Baton Rouge has been rendered very pleas
ant and Avill b© recalled with fondness and prid© by having
met this worthy family. Mrs. Read is a widow about flfty,
has one son a Captain in the Confederat© armj', and other
relatives in the federal army. ' '
Por a long time, and after th© clos© of the War 1 kept
up a correspondence with the Read family. And in th© late
year of 1906 Mrs. Clark and I had a pleasant risit Avith
Mary Read, a charming gray haired lady, herself a AvidoAV
with grown up children.
Major General Dan Sickles came to Baton Rouge and
rcA'iewed the troops while there. He Avas a noble looking old
Avarrior, who lost a leg at Gettysburg. On Julj- 20th I was
detailed by order of Gen. Banks to take part in reorganizing
the colored troops in the d©partm©nt. I was attached to the
board of examiners as Inspector and Adjutant Bryant as
Recorder. W© wer© sent to Port Hudson, a small railitarj'
post a short distance above Baton Rouge, on the river.
FIRST MOVEMENT ON MOBILE
I remained on this detached service nearly a month,
Avhen Bryant and I AV©r© relieved at our oavu request and
returned to Baton Rouge. AV© ther© l©arned that our regi
ment had gone to Mobil© Point, and we immediately started
to join it. AVe stopped in New Orleans a Icav days and
visited friends.
On the 26th w© took th© steamer "Planter" and pro
ceeded though lakes Pontchertrain, BoAvii and Mississippi
Sound, a series of inland Avater ways, and joined th© Thirty
Fourth at Fort Morgan, Mobile Bay, on the following day.
I was sorry to have missed seeing Admiral Farragut's
celebrated run by the forts into Mobile Bay, lashed to the
mast of his flag ship on the flfth of August, and the sur-

FIRST MOVEMENT IN MOBILE 117
r©nder of Fort Morgan to the Thirty-fourth lowa on the
24th, all of which made an important chapter in th© history
of th© Civil AA''ar, and an ©poch in th© career of th© Thirtj'-
fourth loAva.
We remained ensconced in the sand hills of MobUe
Point until th© 13th of September Avhen the regiment em
barked on th© steamer "Ship Alliance," comraanded by
Capt. Lopkwood, an old sea captain Avhom we had often met.
After hanging on a bar near the dock all night, av© passed
out on the gulf and steamed for the south east mouth of the
Mississippi River. We onlj' touched at Ncav Orleans, going
up to Morganza, wher© av© landed and went into camp on the
16th of September, 1864.
From my diary: "Sept. 18. I haA'e an excellent com
pany and love my men dearly. After two years of hard
service Avith them th©j' haA'e become almost as brothers to
me. Nothing so binds hearts together in the bonds of love
and friendship as suff©ring togeth©r iii a common cause of
noble aims and high aspirations. To undergo the same pri
vations, rejoice in th© same triuraphs, and grieve over the
sarae defeats, strengthen the ties of union betAveen the hearts
of brave raen. ' '
I think I OAV© much to the great amount of reading 1
had done, in keeping my mind active and my ambition for
a college education alert. Among books Avhich 1 had read
.since I last referred to the subject were some of th© leading
AVorks of Charles Dickens, Lord Bulwer and Charles Reade.
I also mad© a study of Roman historj', Avith Liddell 's His
tory as a basis. In poetry Aloore's Lalla Rhook, Milton's
Paradis© Lost, and Pollock 's Cours© of Time, Aver© the books
I read. Soon after flnishing Liddell, I took up Gibbon's
Rome, Avhich I found a panacea for all my mental Avants ; as
interesting as a romance and as full of facts as a fll bert is ol
meat. And with Lidd©ll, it giv©s a complete chain of history
frora th© origin to the fall of th© Roman Empire.
We r©maiii©d in camp at Morganza sometirae, Avith an
occasional tramp after the enemj', Arith now and thon a
sharp skirmish.

CHAPTER IX
HOME ON A RECRUITING TRIP
On the 21st of September, Colonel Clark, who was in
New Orleans, telegraphed us that he had orders for himself,
myself, and four other officers of the 34th to proceed to Iowa
for the purpose of recruiting our health and recruiting men
for th© regiment, and asking us to join him on a steamer
then head©d north. This was interesting and exciting iigavs.
This message reached us at night, while out on a hard ti'ip
in the back country and just as we were trying to go to
sleep. Prom ray diary : ' ' Goodbye sl©©p and sorrow. Immed
iately we returned to the river Avher© we ari'iv©d before daj-
light and joyfully prepared for th© honi©ward journey.
Then we boarded one ol the largest and finest steamers on
the river. We are having a royal time; our party of six
offieers of th© 34th have a table to ourselves and Avith sub
sidized waiters avc have all that heart can Avish. ' '
This trip, with the stay among friends, and return to
th© regiment occupied tAvo inonths. This was the happiest
period of all that war time. Rest from Avork, Avorry and
exposure ; the glad raeeting of friends and faraily ; welcomed
as heroes in public and private ; Arith a clear vision that the
war would soon be over ; a glorious victory and a reunited
country. With a clean, successful car©©r behind me and an
open door and fair field *b©f ore me for the future, I Avas
radiantly happj'.
W© rejoined our command on the 23d of November and
found that th© regiment, which had become a mere skeleton
of its former numbers, had b©en consolidated from ten com
panies into five, and thus made into a battalion.
My old Company " C " and Companj' "' D " now Jiecamq
118

HOME ON A RECRUITING TRIP 119
Companj' " B " Avas assigned to mj' coramand. By this con
solidation there Avere seven surplus regimental officers to
be mustered out. This policy Avas raade general throughout
the army, thus greatly reducing the ©xpenses.
Colon©l Clark was on© of th© surplus officers, but he
arranged Arith the department commander to consolidate the
38th loAva and merge the battalion vrith the 34th and thus
make a full regiment, to the command of which he was as
signed as Colonel.
By this consolidation the 34th again became a full regi
ment, in fact one of the largest and finest regiments in the
army of the southwest.
On January Sth, 1865, our comraand moved doAvn the
river to the littl© towm of Kenner, ten miles above Ncav Or
leans, wher© General Steel© was organizing an important
movement against Mobile. Old Capt. Ward of our regiment
was an interesting character. He was a droll Englishman
Avho had been a private soldier in the Mexican war. When
his corapany was organied he was elected Captain because
he had been in the army. H© was awkward and uneducated,
but ©very one liked hira.
One day he inrited several of the officers to go with him
to the famous St. Charles Hotel to get a "squai'c meal."
We had been on short rations and were delighted to go. The
old captain took the bill of fare, very elaborate but in
Prench, which of course he could not read, and commenced
ordering for the entire party. He touched the waiter and
said, "Bring us this first item," which was soup and very
fine. "Now," he said, "Bring us the second it©m, " which
Avas also soup of a different kind. Again he said, ' ' Bring us
this third itera, ' ' and once more we were furnished Arith aii-
oth©r variety of soup. H© then said, with a sweep of his
hand over the ©ntir© bill of fare, ' ' Bring us all the balance,
barring the soup. ' ' The waiter called two or three assistants
and loaded our table with a rich outlay of good things. The
Captain leaned back on the rear legs of his chair and ex
claimed, "Boys, here is the opportunity of a life time, but,
by thunder, I am full of soup ! ' '

120 LIFE IN THB MIDDLE WEST
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, AND THE CAMP THERE
On the twentj'-fifth of Januaiy. 1865, the Thirtj'-fourth
with some other troops left Kenner on ocean steamers by
Avaj' of the Gulf for Pensacola, Florida, where Ave arrived
on the twenty eighth after a disagreeabl© trip on the choppy
waters of that inland sea. AVe Avent into camp at the town
of Port Barrancas eight miles AA'est of Pensacola, just across
th© ©ntranc© to Pensacola Baj' from Fort Pickens.
This had been a beautiful town of about three thousand
population, but uoav had become a desolate place Avith le^s
than one hmidred people. A large part of the tOAvn had
been burned. Many fine residences Avith elegant grounds
and public buildings Avere going to ruin for Avaiit of atten
tion. Bats and lizards, and what is more loathesorae than
all, a few straggling saffron-colored wretches, poor whites,
inhabited the place. The soldiers freelj' used the material
from the empty houses in building up their camps, and liA'ed
like lords in their splendid quarters.
The natural appearance of that part of the countiy
is unattractive. Barrancas is a narroAv sandy pemnsula, a
third part covered with pine openings, Avith here and ther©
clusters of live oaks. Along th© shore the sand is Avhite and
on a raw day creates the illusion of snoAv.
The Port Avhich giA'Cs the place its name Avas originally
built by the Spaniards about Iavo centuries ago, and Avith
Fort Pickens, which is opposite, helps to guard the entrance
to the splendid harbor of p©nsacola. On the southeastern
side of the peninsula are the ruins- of the Pensacola NaA'y
Yard, and surrounding that ar© the A'illages of Woolsej'
and Warrington. From the landing at Barrancas the
ground rises slightly for a mile, and then declines slightly
to a bayou on th© north side. On th© higher ground Avas
located the camp of the brigade. Its front Avas along the
edge of th© pine wood, and near Avas a small clear str©am.
The brigade was caraped in the foUoAving oixlcr from
right to left, the regimen-ts haring taken positioii as they
happened to arrive, rath©r than according to rank : The 24th
Indiana, (veteran) consolidated Avith th© 67th, Col. AV. T.

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, AND CAMP THERE 121
Spicely; the 34th loAva, consolidated vrith the 38th, Col.
G. W. Clark ; the 114th Ohio, consolidated with the 120th,
Col. J. H. Kellej'-; the S3rd Ohio, consolidated vrith the
48th (veteran) Col. F. AV. Moore; the 69th Indiana, Col.
P. 0. Perry; and the 97th Illinois, Lieut.-Col. Vifquain.
Some time later the 76th lUinois, Col. S. T. Bussey, ai'rived
and being attached to th© brigade, took position on the
left. It is a saying among th© volmiteers that th© more
pleasant their camp is raade, th© sooner wiU they b© called
upon to leaA'© it. HoAvever much or little this thought in
fluenced thes© r©giments, they certainly in a very few days
raade a beautiful and attractive carap. It Avas laid out
with flv© streets to a regiment, vrith tents for two companies
on a street, the companies facing. Small evergreen trees
were cut and hauled to camp, and set in rows on either side
of every street and in front of everj' tent. Handsome
arbors Avere made and artiflcial groves before the officers
tents, which however, wer© f©w in numb©r and had b'at f©w
inraat©s. AValks w©re neatly arranged, haring their mar
gins adorned with shrubbery, handsome sheUs and devices
moulded from the whit© sand. Guns, mortars, shields, can
non balls, and other Avarlike implements Avere iiig©niously
carved in this sand, with her© and there a felicitous motto
or inscription. Its cleanliness corresponded with the taste
and industry displaj'ed in omamcnting it.
These young men were some of the best yomig men
of the West, and had the characteristics of proud and gal
lant men, as one could plainly see Avho noticed them off
duty in their familiar and joyous groups around the camp.
Th© plat©s of their accoutrements were kept brightly pol
ished, and their muskets and accoutrements ahvays neat.
Two hours in th© for©iiooii they spent in company drill, de
voting considerable attention to the manual of arms and tar
get practice, and tAvo hours in the afternoon were devoted
to brigade driU. Th© ground on which these drills took
place was a mil© north of Port Barrancas. The fl©ld of
ficers met evenings in the school of the brigade, and the
exercises of the brigade in the field were eminently success-

122 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
ful. As these battalions moved Arith so rauch precision and
beauty, closed in mass or rapidly deployed, or advanced in
line of battle in double-quick on the charge, their bayonets
gleaming and their alignment grandly preserved, no ob
server could doubt, — r©memb©ring that they had heen
through many battles, — that these were rehearsals for no
common event.

CHAPTER X
FINAL MOVEMENT AGAINST MOBILE
On March 20th all the assembled troops, about ten
thousand, und©r command of G©n©ral Steele, marched out
of the historic old toAvn of Pensacola taking a northerly
route in order to reach Mobile from the woods on the north.
For eleven days we marched in the rain through the
Plorida swamps. In order to mov© th© wagons and h©avy
guns over the water-soaked ground, it was necessary to
build corduroj' roads most all the way. The delay caused
bj' this heavy work soon put us on short, rations. W© wer©
Avet and hungrj' day and night. Our men gathered and ate
corn Avhich had been left on the ground by the ©nemy, and
slobbered over by their horses.
Th© Thirteenth Army Corps under Gen. Gordon Grang
er, and the Sixteenth Corps under Gen. A. J. Smith, ar
rived by a diff'erent route in front of th© def ©nees of Mobile
the latter part of March, and laid siege to Spanish Fort.
The first day of April found us, Steele's Command, op
posit© Blak©ly, at one time a town of 3,000 people, now one
of the main fortified defences of Mobile. Fort Blakely was
in command of Confederate general J. R. Liddell. Its forti
fications Avere circular in form, three miles long, and includ
ed nine well built redoubts.
These Avere ai'med Avith forty pieces of artillery, and
surrounded by ditches four feet deep. The heavy timber
for 600 j'ards in their front had been felled. Fifty yards
out from the works Avas a line of abatis, and opposite some
of the redoubts was a second line ; then 300 yards out to the
front, parallel with their works, was another line of abatis,
and behind the latter detached rifle pits. Thes© works wer©
manned by 3,500 soldiers. 123

124 LIFE IN THB MIDDLE WEST
The second of April was occupied by us in investing
Port Blakely, during Avhich operation av© lost sixty men,
killed and Avounded.
The Thirteenth army corps, under comraand of General
Granger, took position on our right. The Sixteenth army
corps, under command of General A. J. Smith, was on the
left. General HaAvkins' dirision, composed of colored
troops, Avas on the right center, General Gerrard 's dirision
on the left center, and General AndrcAv's division occupied
the center of the line. It is considered that ten men well
protected by earth Avorks can successfully resist thirty or
forty. Therefore, instead of throAving his troops against
th© enemy's fortifications, Avith great loss and possible re
pulse, General Steele determined to adA'ance by gradual ap
proaches with pick and shoA'cl, with Avhich we wer© wt;ll
supplied. In fact, when the campaign against ]\Iobil© Avas
coraraenced, Canby in general orders, provided that on©
pick, one axe and on© spade should be carried by every
tAvelve ra©ii.
Our first intrenchment ditch Avas dug 1000 yards from
th© enemy's Avorks. A fcAV Avords as to temporary entreiich-
m..eiits may b© inserted here. Thej' are usuallj' called "rifle
pits," and ar© two or three feet deep the dirt being throAvn
on the side toward the enemy. Sometinies on top of this dirt
will b© placed the trunk of a tree, about six inches in diam
eter. By scraping away a little dirt from under this trunk,
th© enemy could be seen without exposing the head of the
observer. Thes© ti'©nchcs are alwaj's dug at night, no talking
above a whisper being permitted, and no noise but that
which comes from th© pick and slioA'cl. It took three night's
Avork to complete our first ditch, and bj' the eighth night avc
had flnished a second and third line of entrenchments, the
last one being six feet wide, capable of holding troops in
throe ranks, and Avas only 600 yards from the Confederate
works. Our skirmishers in front of this Avide ditch entrenched
themselves within eighty yards of the enemy's outer line of
pickets.

PINAL MOVEMENT AGAINST MOBILE 125
In the meantim© sraall forts for our artill©ry had been
constracted along our first and second lines, and th© guns
of our light batteries placed in them.
The ©nemy Av©re not quiet whil© these things Avere being
done, and any exposure of our men drcAv his fire, both
musketry and artilleiy, killing and wounding each day
twenty to forty union soldiers.
Spanish fort. Gen. R. L. Gibson in command, eight
miles south, which had been invested March 27 by the Six
teenth armj' corps, surrendered to Gen. A. J. Smith on the
Sth. Sorae of th© guns used in its siege Aver© irara©diatelj'
sent to Gen. St©©lc, Avho had thera placed in position during
the night of the Sth and morning of th© 9th. Fiv© P. M. of
the 9th was fixed as the tim© for general assault on the ene
my's works.
At that hour the siraultaneous firing of all the camion
on the line was to be the signal for th© charge. Our troops
had all been forraed in line of battle in th© ©iitr©nchments
nearest the enemy, Avith bayonets fixed. One regiment of
each brigade was deploj'cd as skirmishers along th© front of
the ©ntrenchments. Breathlessly all awaited the signal to moA'e forward.
The silenc© was interrupted only bj' an occasional shot from
a confederate picket. The waiting and suspense was a sever©
test of courage. Some tried to conceal their anxiety by an
©ffort to appear reckless, careless and brav© ; th©y Avhisp©r©d
jokes and Avitticisms pretending that thej' enjoyed it im
mensely. Others, more candid and serious, gave their cora
rades messages to b© delivered to loved ones at home in case
they fell. The faces of non© indicated that they shrank
from the approaching battle ; AA'hile all dreaded it, they were
impatient for the charge.
With th© crash of the signal guns, our first line of skir
mishers leaped from the trenches and Avith yells rush©d for
Avard 150 yards, Avhere th© second line soon joined them,
when all rushed forward together.
Now, every cannon the enemj' had on his line, and ©very
rifle, poured forth their deadly missiles on our adA'ancing
men. Tempests of bullets, pieces of bursting shell, grape

126 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
and camiistcr, filled the air and whistled about our ears. We
were met by deadlj', unseen and unknoAvn dangers in sunken
torpedoes, which, Avhen trodden upon, exploded stripping
the flesh from the legs and wounding t©rribly those not
killed outright.
Fallen trees, abatis and Avire stretched along near the
ground, impeded our progress and exposed us longer to the
enemy's destructive flre.
No replj' Avas made to their gmis except by our artillery,
which pounded away over our heads with great effect.
In t.Aventj' minutes we had surmounted all obstacles,
climbed over the enemj' 's Avorks and given him the bayonet.
As Gen. B[awkins' colored troops Avent over th© works,
they shouted, "Remeraber Port PilloAV, " Avhereupon th©
Confederates in their front threw doAvn their guns and ran
doAvn the line and surrendered to Gen. Andrew's Avhite
troops. That Avas on© of the most brilliant and spectacular
charges of the Civil War? But it is little known and has
had scant mention, bj' reasoii of the great events just then
eulminating in the collapse of the rebellion and end of the
great civil Avar.
We were victorious, but 775 of our men, Avho one-half
hour before had been joking and laughing with each other,
had fallen. In these tAventy minutes our losses Avere greater than
those in th© four revolutionary battles of Lexington, Bunker
HiU, Trenton and Bemiington. Yet ©ach one of these has
be©n written into the eternal ages, their renoAvn perpetuated
in history, song and stoiy, and their glory and fame made
imperishable bj' tablets of bronze and obelisks of marble.
Like the battle of Nbav Orleans, fought and won by Gen.
Jackson after peace had been declared in 1815, the last
battle of the Civil AVar was fought after the Avar was over,
late in the afternoon of April 9th, 1865. Lee had surren
dered to Grant some hours earlier the same day.
On April 13th, 1865 av© marched into the city of Mobile,
— and for us th© war was over, — just four years from the
day Fort Sumter Avas surrendered. Before the Avar this was

FINAL MOVEMENT AGAINST MOBILE 127
a rich and prosperous citj'. Mobile Bay furnished one of
the flnest harbors in Araerica. This made Mobile, next to
New Orleans, the greatest commercial port on the Gulf
Coast. It had a population before the Avar of about thirty
thousand, which had dwindled to about twelve thousand at
the tim© we entered the citj'.

CHAPTER XI
UP THE ALABAMA RIVER TO SELMA

On the 21st of April th© Thirty-fourt^h was sent up the
Alabaraa river about tAvo hundred railes to Selraa, an ira
portant inland citj' of about six thousand people. Soon
after we left the landing at Mobile a signal officer on our
vessel Avas startled bj' a signal frora th© city, saying in the
language of the signal corps that Avord had been received
that Lincoln and Secretary ScAvard had be©n assassinated.
This Avas an aAvful shock to us as it Avas to th© nation, and
caused a revulsion of feeling frora the joy and ©xultation of
great rictories, to that of intense grief.
Selraa had not recovered frora the panic of General
Wilson's recent captui-e of the city with his flying army of
cavalrj' and artiUerj-. The Thirtj'-fourth went into camp on
an open piece of ground in the residence portion of the
toAvn. A flne looking old gentleman who lived in one of the
near-bj' dweUings, hung around th© camp, showing much
anxietj' and concern. Just about dark h© asked Col. Clark
to step aside for a little private interview. He then confieded
to th© Colonel that the family had a good deal of jcAvelrj'
and silver AA'hich thej' had buried for safety from the Yankee
soldiers, and that the regiraent had camped upon the verj'
spot, and he felt alarmed. The Colonel told hira to rest easy,
and detailed a fcAv men and had the valuable stuff dug up
and restored to him at his home.
This turned out to be Colonel Todd, th© broth©r of Mrs.
Lincoln but an officer in the Confederate army. He Avas
veiy grateful and appreciatiA'c of the kindness shown hira.
I was not well and Colonel Todd invited me to occupy a
room in his house, which I did. During the evening w© had
128

GOING TO HOUSTON, TEXAS 129
a long risit. He spoke of Lincohi's assassination, appar
ently Avith great grief, and quoted a passage from Macbeth,
Avhich he said, by substituting the name of Lincoln for that
of Lord Duncan, fltlj' desci'ibed the tragedy. This was the
quotation : ' ' Besides, this Lincoln
Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been
So clcai' in his great office, that his rirtues
AVill plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against
The deep damnation of his taking off :
And pity, like a ncAV-born, naked babe,
Striding the blast, or lieaA'en's cherubim, horsed
Upon the sightless couriers of the air,
Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye.
That tears shall droAA'u the Avind."
At Selma Ave leamed of the surrender of Lee's armj'
and also of the truce betAveen Sherman and Johnston. AVe
then retumed to Mobile, Avhcre we remained in camp until
in June. We began to grow restless and impatient to be
discharged and sent home.
GOING TO HOUSTON, TEXAS
Our disappointment and disgust can hardlj' be imag
ined Avheii we Averc informed that Gen. C. C. Andrews'
Brigade, to Avhich the Thirty-fourth belonged, Avas ordered
to proceed to Texas. But to obej' orders is the dutj' cf a
soldier. So on a flne daj- in June Ave once more steamed out
011 the Gulf of Mexico and proceeded to GalA'estoii where avc
disembarked. After a short time we proceeded to Houston,
about one hundred miles inland, Avhich was to be our station
and place of operation.
Houston Avas a rieh old citj' Avhich had never been
visited by a Federal soldier. It Avas thoroughly rebel, and
hostile to the Union. It had not felt the iron heel of Avar
ancl Avas unwhipped.
AVhen avc marched through the streets the city appeared
to be deserted. Doors Avere closed, shutters and blinds

130 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
draAvn close, no Avomen and few men anywhere. A little boy
on the sideAvalk AA'as heard to say, "Why, pa, them's men!"
We learned afterward that the women had joined in a prom
ise never to see or look on the face of a Yankee soldier, h©nce
they had closed their shutters and turned their faces away.
These Avomen had given much to the Confederate cause, had
given monej' and property, had even sacrificed their jcAvels
and silver plate to the cause so dear to their hearts.
We Avent into camp at the edge of the city. I Avas ap
pointed ' ' officer of th© day, ' ' and as night came on, I took
command of the detail for guard dutj' and marched through
the streets looking for a suitable location for headquarters.
I came to a large brick business block Arith an unoccupied
store room. I immediately took possession.
In a few minutes a flne looking, elderly gentleman came
down stairs, saluted me and introduced himself as Col.
McGreal of the late Confederat© army, said he was the
OAAuer of the building and bid us welcome. He inrited mc
to join him and his familj' for supper in their apartment up
stairs. His Arife, a charming Creole, gave me a cordial Avel
com©. After supper I spent a delightful evening Arith her
and th© Colonel on the balcony. During the evening some
one within began playing the piano. I asked Mrs. McGreal
who Avas giring us that beautiful music. She said it Avas her
daughter. 1 said 1 did not linow she had a daughter, that
she had not been at supper Avith us. ' ' No, ' ' sh© said, ' ' sh©
was so int©nse in her feehng for the South that she had
refused to meet a Union officer.
I was interested and asked to meet th© hot-headed
young r©b©l. We immediately stepped inside and when Mrs.
McGreal said, ' ' Hortense, I Avaiit you to meet Captain Clark
of th© Union army," she froze me with a cold bow and
immediately left the room.
I was at th© McGreal house a good deal, and always
welcomed by the parents, but it Avas a long tim© before, Avitli
greatest kindness and good humor, I could win Hortense to
a cordial and friendly feeling. She Avas an accomplished
woman, a great r©ad©r and possessed of a striking person
ality.

GOING TO HOUSTON, TEXAS 131
She told me that when th© Avar b©gan she and a number
of her lady friends had tak©ii the Umon flag one moonlight
night, and gone to the garden and buried it deep in the
ground and kneeling around the open grave, pledged them
selves, mind, soul and bodj', to the cause of the Confed
eracy, and gave that incident as an indication of th© d©vo-
tion of the women of the South to the south©rn cause.
1 was invited by the McGreals to an elaborate Fourth
of July dinner. There were a fcAV guests from th© nearbj'
plantations, I being th© only Unionist at the table. During
the meal Col. McGreal in a courtlj', formal manner had the
Arine glasses fllled and proposed a toast. The real purpose
of our troops being in Texas was to aid in the ©stablishment
of a provisional government in loyal Union hands. That
was one of the difficult probleras in all the Confederate
states. The President had appointed as the prorisional Gov
emor of Texas a loj'al man, Jack Hamilton, who had left the
state and fled to the North and was of course regarded by
the rebels as a renegade whom they hated Arith intense bit
terness. And Avhen Col. McGreal announced the toast,
' ' Here is to Govemor .lack Hamilton, ' ' and Ave wer© raising
our glasses. Miss Hortense knocked th© glass out of the hand
of the lady next to her, spilling the Arine over th© tabl© and
creating a sensation.
The sensation increased Avhen the Colonel struck the
tabl© Avith his fist and said, "Hortens©, ther© will be no
rebellious spirit around this table. ' ' Peeling that this scene
was largely on account of th© pr©s©nce of a Union soldier
and that it was up to me to show a g©n©rous spirit, I said to
the young lady, "I am sorrj' you refus© to drink this toast
Avith us. I AriU drink Arith you any toast you will propose. ' '
Like a flash she raised h©r glass and cried, "Her© is to
President Davis." "All right," I replied, "her© is to Jeff'
Davis and raay he soon be forgiven and become a loyal
citizen." My Avinning the friendship of this leader of the rebel
spirit in Houston opened the Avay to meeting several of her
friends. Among them was a Mrs. M. J. Young, one of the
most brilliant women of th© south. Her work and written

132 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
and published appeals to the (confederat© soldiers Avas on© of
the influences in prolonging the fighting of Kirby Smith's
Trans-Mississippi Army. I Avas furnish©d a copy of the last
appeal, Avhich Gen. Kirby Smith had caused to be read to
each regiment in his command. It Avas later published in
The War of the Sixties, edited bj' E. R. Hutchins.
Miss Hortense married a Yankee soldier, my friend
Captain WiUiam Black, a leading laAvycr in Chicago, Avhere
I have occasionally visited them.
Another interesting character who met us soon after Ave
Avcnt to Houston was General C. C. Gillespie, whom avc had
captured at Arkansas Post, and Avho had told us wc never
could conquer the South. He had returned to his old home
in Houston and was editor of the Houston Telegraph. He
came to our headquarters and invited Col. Clark aud a fcAV
of us out to his home and gaA'c us a warm welcome to Hous
ton. He said Ave had conquered the South and he Avas glad
of it, that he Avas going to do all he could to make this a
great nation with one flag and a united people, all loyal to
the common cause of human freedom.
Respecting General Gillespie, a letter I Avrote to the
Houston Post, Avas published in that paper on the tAventy-
flrst daj' of April, 1904, of Avhich the foUoAving is a copj' :
To the Editor of The Post.
At the close of the great civil Avar in 1865, Colonel C. C.
Gillespie was in command of the Confederate troops in and
around Houston. He Avas a conspicuous character and as
brave and fearless an officer as eA'cr led a regiment into bat
tle. A business correspondence has latclj' put mc in touch
with members of Colonel Gillespie's family, thus reviving
some incidents of his career that possibly may be Avorth
recording. Historj' was made so rapidlj' back in the 60s that ciilj'
a small part of it Avas recorded. The movements and cara
paigns of large armies and great battles and the careers of
famous leaders were set doAvii. But the historj' of deeds of
heroism of the individual, the companj' and regiment, Avas
not recorded, and is perishing daily bj' the rapid disappear
ance by death of the actors and witii©ss©s.

GOING TO HOUSTON, TEXAS 133
C. C. Gillesine Avas an able Methodist minister, living
in Houston in 1862. Hc raised a regiment of Avhich he Avas
made colonel. This regiment and two others, each com
manded by a preacher. Colonel Wilks and General Carter,
Averc brigaded together and knoAvn as the "Preachers'
Brigade." Thej- Avero all under command of General
Churchill at Arkansas Post, on Januarj' 11, 1863, and on
that day fell into the hands of the Federal troops as prison
ers of war bj' tho ca])turc of that stronghold bj' General
Sherman's ai'my. The Avritcr Avas in that engagement as an
officer of the Thirtj'-fourth loAva, to vvhich regiment all of
the prisoners, 4791, Avcre assigned for escort to Northern
prisons. It Avas at this time that I became personallj- acquainted
Avith Colonel GUlespie. His intelligence, courage and devo
tion to the Confederate cause made him a enuspieuous figure
iu all that large company. He conA'crsed freelj' with his
captors and sought to convince us that our atteinpt to con
quer the South Avas an utter piece of foUj' and a Avanton
waste of life and cnergj'. He was eloquent in the defense of
his cause, told us of the loj-altj' and devotion of the Southern
population and said that if avc succeeded in killing and cap
turing all the men, that another armj' of AVomen and beys
trained to the use of arms Avould confront us.
After a long and tedious journej' we separated. The
enlisted men of the prisoners Averc taken to Camp Douglas
at C.'hicago, and the officers to Camp Chase at Columbus,
Ohio, and later, I believe, to Johnson's Island. We knew
nothing more of Colonel Gillespie and the "Preachers' Bri
gade" until the Avar was over. AVe aftei'Avard learned that
these prisoners Averc exchanged in a few months and that
f.olonel Gillespie resumed command of his regiment and
marched and fought for the cause so dear to his heart until
badly wounded at riiickamauga, Avheii he Avas sent to Hous
ton to be nursed back to health; and thus he came to be
placed in command of the post at Houston, as stated above.
The Thirtj'-fourth Iowa was with the troops co-operat
ing Avith Coraraodore Farragut at Alobile bay, and later as
sisted in capturing and occupj'ing Mobile on April 9, 1865,

134 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
the very daj' of Lee's surrender to Grant. We considered
the war over and Avere anxious to go home. Instead of going
North, our regiment was ordered to Houston, Texas, to assist
in establishing a State govemment under the new order of
things, Arith Jack Hamilton as provisional govemor. We
went on steamers to Galveston and proceeded by rail to
Houston. In my historical notes I find this entry: "Our
regiraent raarched through the streets of this old historic
town, th© first army of A'ank©© soldiers who had ever trod
the soil of that region. The dAvellings wore closed, shutters
Avcre draAvn, the women of the citj' having sworn never to
look upon a A^ankee, hence they closed and bamed their
doors and Arindows. Yet it is historically tiue and should
be so r©cord©d that befor© the Thirty-fourth left Houston
raany of these ladies smiled sweetly upon the ' boys in blue, '
and the leading spirit of them all. Miss Hortense McGreal,
married a Yankee soldier. Captain WUliara Blaclc of Chi
cago." * * * Colonel Gillespie, who had just taken
charge of the Houston Telegraph as editor, soon leamed
that his old friends and traveling companions, the Thirty-
fourth Iowa boys, were there, and promptl.j' called on
Colonel G. W. Clark, commander, and other officers, and
gave us a friendlj' greeting and Avelcome to the city. He
invited us to his home and entertained us Avith that generous
hospitality for which the old tim© families of the South Aver©
always famous. He r©grett©d th© failure of the Southem
Confederacy, but with a philosophy and fars©©ing wisdom
ahead of his time, accepted the in©vitable conditions and
gave his allegiance to the one flag and one caus© — the Stars
and Stripes and the great American Republic.
A report has reached his friends in the North that this
gallant son of th© South AA'hose energy and poAvers and life-
blood were given to th© Confederacy, was in a measure ostra
cized and deserted by his old friends because of his rencAved
allegiance to the flag of our fathers and his advocacj- of th©
best things for the growth and prosperity of our common
country, th© United States of America. And that such in
fluences led him to leave the old city which he loved so much
and where he expected to spend his life and repose in death.

GOING TO HOUSTON, TEXAS 135
It is to be hoped such rumor is unfounded, for h© de
served th© lov© and affection of his Southem friends, as h©
had won the r©sp©ct and admiration of his Northem foes.
The heroism of th© men Avho fought in the ("Confederate array
during that struggle is on© of the precious possessions of the
South. Th© narae of Colonel C. C. Gillespie should stand
high on the roll of honor of the Lone Star State and b© held
in loving memory by the citj' of Houston, whose good fame
and fortune he ahvays championed Avith mai'velous ability
and power. J. S. Clark.
While in Houston I sei-ved some tirae as Judge AdA'O;
cate of a court martial board, for the trial of criminals
Avliose offenses came witliin th© jurisdiction of such a court.
Col. Dungan was President and Al SAvalm, later a avcU
known Iowa editor, was my clerk in that work. Wc re
mained in Houston from June until August 17, 1865, Avhcn
we were mustered out and returned to our horaes in loAva,
glad and happj' for peac© and rest once more.

CHAPTER XII
COLLEGE LIFE AFTER THE AVAR
AVhen the war broke out 1 Avas onlj' nineteen years of
age. The records shoAv that, of that Union ai'my of 2,778,304
men, OA'cr two million Avere under tAventj'-tAvo, and 1,151,438
were under nineteen, 800,000 Averc under seventeen, 200,000
wer© undci' sixteen, 100,000 Avere under flfteen, and the aA--
erage age of the entire aiinj' Avas under tAvcntj'-one.
It wa.s in fact an army of school boys. So that Avheii
thej' Avere mustered out of service thej' Avere confronted v.'ith
the problem of Avliat they Avere to do in life. The Avar had
upset the plans of most of the j'oung men and it left them
adrift, and the future had assumed ucav aspects and ncAV
phases to many.
While still in the service Captain B. RockAvell, Ad
jutant Ken Brj'ant and mj'sclf hacl talked of our future
course and planned to all go to college together. We had
nothing to go on but Avhat av© had saved from our govern
ment wages but that Avould give us a start.
Brj'ant had been mustered out at the consolidation in
December, 1864, nearlj' a j'car before the regiment, and had
gone to the Ohio Wesleyan ITnivcrsitj- at DelaAvare, Ohio.
Hence in accordance Avith our compact 1 decided to join him
in that college, Avhich 1 did in September, 1865, in raj-
twentj'-fourth j'ear. Captain Rockwell gave up his college
plans and went into business. DelaAvare Avas a fine little
toAvii, the countj' seat of DelaAvare Countj', Avhere the delic
ious Delaware grapes had their origin. This place had liepii
selected by the Methodist church with special care for the
founding of one of her great colleges.
The Ohio AVesleyan UniA-ersity v\-as a child of faith. In
1841, the year I Avas bom, Charles Elliott J. JI. Trimble and
136

COLLEGE LIFE AFTER THB WAR 137
A\'. P. Strickland drove from Urbana, Ohio, to DelaAvare to
look at the grounds which the citizens of that plac© had of
fered to the Methodist Church for college purposes. When
these three pi-eachers returned to the seat of th© Conference
onlj' one of them had monej' enough to paj' for th© carriage
in Avhicli thy made their joumey, and Dr. Trimble mad© th©
first contribution to th© college by meeting the expenses of
that historic visit. Dr. Elliott's speech portraying the pos
sibilities of a college for Ohio Methodism awakened great
enthusiasm and led the Conference to accept the gift of the
citizens of Delaware and to midertake to launch a [Jniversity
upon faith.
But in his wildest dreams no raember of that (Confer
ence supposed that Avithin fifty j'cars the college would
secure a larger endowment than A''ale secured during the
first one hundred and flfty j'cars of her existence. That
during the lifetime of the flrst teachers the coUeg© Avould
send out 2,200 graduates and 15,000 students Avith their
IIa'CS touched to nobler issues by the reflning influences of
Christian Culture ; and send forth thousands of teachers and
hundreds of ministers and more missionaries than the ]\Ieth-
odist church had commissioned, altogether, doAvn to the time
the college was founded. The college was commenced in 1844,
and owes its location to the famous White Sulphur Spring
on the land donated for it.
That spring, and the beautiful grove and high ground
about it, justifled the language of Dr. Elliott Avhcn he said
in his deep Scotch tone, "I don't believe God Almighty ever
made a better place for a college." The students would
become so attached to the Sulphur Avatei" that Avlien thej'
left they longed for it as an old toper longs for his toddy.
The first president of this college was EdAvard Thomp
son. When I Avent to DelaAvare Dr. Thompson had been
made Bishop and had retired from the college but still re
sided in DelaAvare, Avhei'© I becaine acquainted Avith him and
Avas ill college Avith his son Ed, Avho is still living and is a
noted Methodist preacher.
The years immediately foUoAving th© ©nd of th© Avar
becara© an epoch in th© strength and numbers of the student

138 LIFE IN THB MIDDLE WEST
body of the Ohio Wesleyan University. The four years of
war had kept many young men, lik© myself, out of school,
and they made haste to get into college classes and try to
make up for lost time. My class which graduated in 1S6S
Avas considered the ablest and raost raature of any class ever
graduated from the college up to that time. Among mj'
most intimate friends 1 maj' narae a fcAv, soldiers. Capt.
J. B. Foraker, Capt. Sara'l. Keene, C. W. Everett, who left
an armon a battle field, Capt. W. H. Baxter, Avith one leg left
in the South, Major J. W. White, A. H. McVey, Adjutant
Wm. M. Bryant, and Major A. C. Houghton. In fact, a
large per cent of the student body at that period had served
in th© Civil War. On an average they Aver© about three
J'ears older than those who had' not been in the army. These
added y©ars and th© s©rvice and discipline of army lif© made
them mor© mature and more appreciative of the college
training. Although I had had less than two years in college 1
entered the Sophomore class ; and in spite of a hard strag
gle for the first year, 1 graduated with honors in th© class
in 1868. It had been three years since I had looked at a text
book, and when I first rose in ray Greek class to recite, and
raj' Gre©k prof ©ssor, W. G. Williams, said, ' ' Mr. Clark AriU
translate into Greek this sentence, AVho can find a blacker
dog than this, ' ' I gave up the conundrum and sat doAvn in
confusion. I realiz©d that three years aAvay from school
and college work, in the distraction and exciteraent of arnij-
lif©, had driv©n from my mind th© technical rules of text
books and unfitted me for close and sj'stcmatic application.
I felt discouraged and' depressed, and for some tirae dreaded
the ordeal of the class roora, and was sure 1 could not find
a ' ' blacker dog than this. ' ' But graduallj- my mental ma
chinery "mUimbered and got into action," confidence re
turned and the work became a pleasure and the call of the
bell to the class roora a joj' and delight.
There were four or five Greek letter fraternities in the
college at that time. Th©se were strictly secret societies
made up of promising young raen. Thej^ joined onlj' on
invitation. Th© objects' of these frat©miti©s were sociabU-

COLLEGE LIFE AFTER THB WAR 139
itj", good felloAVship, and the development of the best and
highest things in college hf©. Th© tendency was, however,
to develop© a spirit of clannishness and exclusiveness in aU
of these societies ; and in some of them the desire for a good
time gradually led to a n©glect of studies and fondness for
social life, games and sports, with a tendency to dissipation.
The tAVO leading fraternities at that tirae Avere the
"Beta Theta Pi" and the "Phi Kappa Psi." The latter
Avas characterized by its ambition for scholarship and ser
ious work; many of its members wei-e studying for th© min
istry. The former was noted for its general culture and a
fin© f rateimal spirit of a substantial character. Its members
were preparing for literary or prof©ssional work. My room-
mat©. Adjutant Bryant, had joiii©d this societj' and I Avas
at one© inrited and urged to become a Beta. I felt that
I owed all my tirae to class Avork and hard study, and de
layed going into any side lines. This delay caused some
anxiety on the part of the Betas. They finally sent a strong
delegation and compelled my attendance at a meeting and
initiated me into the order.
I found it composed of a dozen splendid congenial fel-
loAvs, whose companionship 1 greatlj' enjoj'cd thronghout my
college life, and among thera haA'c remained some of ray
most lasting friendships up to the present time. Of these
1 may name Adjutant Wm. M. Bryant, Major A. C. Hough
ton, C. W. Everett, A. H. McA^ey, and 0. A. BroAvn. AU of
these have made successful careers and mad© themselves felt
in the world. The Beta fraternity had chapters in manj'
colleges in the middle and westem states, and th©se chapters
wer© in the habit of holding a national convention about
cveiy four years. Such a convention Avas held at Indian
apolis in August, 1866.
Although 1 was one of the ncAvest members of the chap
ter, (Theta), I Avas sent to represent it in this convention.
This was a very happy occasion. Indianapolis was iieac my
old home where I wasi bom and lived for the first fifteen
years of ray life. In this convention I met many interesting
people. Tavo friendships were mad© ther© which have con
tinued. I th©r© first m©t L. H. Jackson of Iowa City, whom

140 LIFE IN THB JIIDDLB AVEST
1 afterAvard kncAV intimately in his home tOAvn, Avhei'c he
became a leading citizen and avcU known as a laAAyei- of the
laAV firm of Boal and Jackson.
I also became acquainted Avith Colonel David H. Moore
of Oxford, Ohio. Hp read a beautiful poem before th© con
vention. We found we had been in the Mobile campaign
and charge on Port Blakely together. Hc became a leading
minister in the JI. B. Church and later one of her ablest
bishops. He recentlj' visited Des Jloines and recognized my
Beta badge and saluted me Avith the .siigii of the Beta grip
across the banquet hall in the church.
1 also met there the ' ' Tall Sj'camore of the Wabash, ' '
Dan AV. A''oorhees, U. S. Senator from Indiana. He was an
old man, but had been a Beta in College and loved its charm
ing good fellowship. AVhen he came into the convention he
Avas loudlj' applauded and called ou for a speech. Hc began
a beautiful speech by saj'ing, ' ' 1 heard that j'OU Avere here,
boA's, and I felt like a lovei' Avho had come into the neighbor
hood of his SAveetheart, and 1 couldn't staj' awaj'."
I there first met Chaplain Lozier, noted among CIa'U
War veterans as an eloquent and braA'c soldier, and Avlio
Avas afterAvard famous as a Avittj' and poetic Methodist min
ister in loAva.
At this time a great crisis Avas pending in National
politics. President AndrcAv .Johnson, Avho had been made
president bj' the bullet of Wilkes Booth, Avhich had killed
Lincoln, had split Avith the Republican Congress on the
ReconstiTiction of the South. The struggle for supremaej'
Avas fierce and bitter. Johnson, Avho vvas an able speaker and
had alwaj'S carried the people of Tennessee lij' his eloquence
on the stump, organized a campaign Avliich Avas called
"sAvinging round the circle," in the hope of SAvinging the
republican partj' to his side.
He and his travelling companions arrived at Indian
apolis and stopped at the Bates House where I Avas staving
at the lime of our Beta meeting. AVith Johnson Avas Grs^iil,
Parragot, Admiral Bradford, Generals Rousseau, Custer,
Sleadman , Stoneman and Crook, also Gideon Wells, Secre
tary of the Navy, aud William H. Seward, Secretary of

COLLEGE LIFE AFTER THE WAR 141
State, some of the Arives of these, and a fevv other prominent
people. This trip lasted about thre© Aveeks and took in many of
the leading towns of the countrj'. The mass of the repub
lican party and raore radical press gave Johnson the cold
shoulder, and sought to disturb his meetings in many places.
Gideon Wells Avho was in sympathy Avith Johnson says of
the meeting at Indianapolis, "There Avas turbulence and
premeditated violence at Indianapolis more than at any
other and all other places. At Indianapolis I became con
rinced of what I had for some daj'S suspected, that there
was an extreme radical coiispii'acj' to treat the President
with disrespect and indignity, and to avoid him. Governor
Oliver P. Morton fled from us as Ave entered liidiaiia]Jolis.
So too the Governors of Pennsj'lvania and Oliio Avere pur
posely absent Avheu avc arrived at (Jolumbus and Hairis-
burg. "
I was interested iii seeing President Johnson and hear
ing his speech, and in seeing th© members of his partj', es
pecially ScAvard and Grant. But it soon became evident
that " SAvinging around the circle" Avas a bad move for
Johnson, as it aroused little enthusiasm and exposed him to
criticism and j'idiculc. His fight Avith Congress contir.ued
to the end of his Presidency, tied his hands from any eff'ec-
tiv© service, and resulted in his trial by impeachment.
President Merrick of the college suggested that the
students organize into a railitarj' bodj' as a regiment for
drill exercises and display occasions. This suggestion Avas
carried into execution and I was honored by being elected
(Jolonel of t.he regiment and took command of the organiza
tion and officiated in that capacity as long as the organi
zation continued.
President Men'ick had been a tcachei' in th© college
from the beginning and was made president Avheii Pres.
Thompson became Bishop. The professor most loved by 1 he
students was Dr. Lorenzo Doav McCabe, teacher of Philos
ophy and Ethics. Hc was uncle to Chaplain JlcCabe, noted
for his good cheer and music in Libby prison, Avho after
Avards became a faraous bishop in the Methodist church.

142 LIFE IN THB MIDDLE WEST
Prof. W. G. Williams, teacher of Greek, Avas also a
favorite. He and McCabe and Merrick began teaching when
the college first started. Thej' taught side by side and lived
side by side for more than fifty years. They were grand
good men in their liv©s, and in th©ir death they were not
dirided. An interesting character among the students at Dela
Avare was a little Italian named Antonio Arrighi who had
b©en a room-mate of mine at Mount Pleasant, lowa befor©
the war. H© Avas a poor boj', Avho Avas coiiA'crted from
Catholicism and joined th© JI. E. Church. The church
undertook to educate him and send him back to Italy as a
missionary. He was a bright, handsome little fellow, vA-ho
had been petted and spoiled by the girls at Mount Pleasant
and seemed to los© int©i'©st in his raissionarj- Avork. I Avas
siirpris©d to find hira raarried and attending college at Dela
ware. He did not graduate but becarae a preacher and is
noAv a pastor in New A^ork City, and is the author of a pop
ular fitorj', entitled, "Antonio the Galley Slave."
When I was at Delaware the school Avas for men only ;
but on the opposite side of the town was a Methodist school
for girls, called ' ' The Delaware Female College. ' ' This col
lege was prosperous and well patronized, and had' among its
teachers and students manj' interesting and attractiA'e
young ladies. Although rigid and strict rules were mad© in
r©gard to calls and visits by j'omig men, there were manj-
friendships formed betAveen the students of th© tAvo institu
tions. And manj' lov© affairs developed, som© of thera re-
sultmg in happy marriages. My friend Brj'ant married
Miss Gussa Shad© of Columbus, a stud©nt at this Female
College; and another frined of mine, Capt. .J. B. Foraker,
married another of thes© college girls, Miss Dide Buiiday,
daughter of Judge Bunday. Capt. Foraker was aft©rAvards
Gov©rnor and U. S. Senator from Ohio.
I had several friends among the teachers and students
of this college, literarj', refined young ladies Avhose friend
ship and society was very helpful to inc. It Avas the opinion
ol many of us that the church Avas making a raistake in
maintaining two separate institutions.

A VACATION PEDDLING PICTURES 143
This sentiment gained ground, and finally in 1877 the
tAVO institutions Avere consolidated by merging the Female
CoUeg© into the Ohio Weslej'an University. This co-educa
tional movement added much to the growth and' prosperity
of the college.
One of the leading literaiy societies, named in mj'
diploma ' ' Societas Athenieasis, ' ' was selected by me for
membership. In its halls I spent many interesting and prof
itable hours, and from time to time held all the official posi
tions in its gift, and took part in some of its raost noted
public exhibitions.
Th© thre© years of my attendance at the Ohio Weslej'a.n
University was the happiest period of my life as a j''uing
man. After the first f©AV months of discouraging class room
Avork, my success Avas secure. Jly relations Avith the faculty
were always pleasant and my good friends among the stu
dents were a constant pleasure and satisfaction. I had no
responsibility resting upon me. Jly father and mother long
sine© dead, my sisters all happily married, I was th© onlj'
one of a large family then unmarried except my brother
G eorge. A VACATION PEDDLING PICTURES
I had no home to go to for my vacations. The first long
vacation, in the summer of 1866, 1 spent as an agent for
seUing by subscription only " Jliddleton 's National Oil Por
traits. ' ' This Avork of art Avas produced by E. C. Middleton
and Company, of Cincinnati. Their general agent, one H.
Rash, came to Delaware before the close of the college year
and got permission from the college authorities to ©ngag©
students to sell their portraits during the vacation. He in
terested many of the boys and apportioned the state of Ohio
into districts by counties and mad© a writt©n contract with
one or tAvo students for each district. Jly district embraced
Green©, Franklin, and Montgomery Counti©s.
I first went to Xenia, the county seat of Greene County,
rented a roora and settled doAvn to make a thorough canvass
of the city. There I secured samples of the portraits. They

144 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
Avere bust portraits of AVashington and his wife Martha
AVashington, also of AVebster, Claj and a fcAV other great
characters in American historj'. Each Avas a very pr©ttA^
print of some kind, verj- much like an oil painting, a.bout
one-third life size and' prettily framed in an oval frame and
under glass. The size of the frame was about eighteen by
twenty-four inches.
My emploj'cr fumished me with a fram© case large
enough to hold Iavo of thes© framed pictures, which I se
cured flrnilj' in the case bj' scrcAvs through the back of each
sicl© of the case and into the back of each picture frame.
Thus Avhen the case Avas closed and fastened Avith the pic
tures inside, th© case had the appearance of a neat piece of
handiAvork, a.nd naturallj' created some curiosity in th© aver
age person, to see Avhat it contained. Th© price of each
picture was fifteen dollars, and my commission on each Avas
three dollars or twentj' per cent. When I could get p©rmis-
sion to show the pictures, all I had to do was to unfasten the
clasp and SAving open th© case and stand it on the floor. That
suddenlj' displaj'ed two very beautiful pictures, so much
like oil paintings as to be verj' attractive. This was a neAv
tiling in portrait work and appealed strongly to many
people. After getting two or more orders I would send for the
pictures and deliver and collect for them. Frora Xenia I
Avcnt to Dayton, the county seat of Jlontgoraerj' County, and
flnallj' to Columbus, the county seat of Franklin Countj'.
1 had many trying and some funny experiences. In
Daj'ton a ladj' bought two pictures and sent me to her
husband for the paj'. He was cross and uglj', Avhich embar
rassed me so that when he handed rae a check I thought it
Avas a receipt for the pictures and sat still. I had alwaj's
been paid in cash before. He said, "Well, what are j'ou
Avaiting for? What more do j'ou want?" 1 said, "T Avas
Avaiting for my money. " " AVell, ' ' he snorted, ' ' if you are a
fair sp©cim©ii of the men they turn out of that Jlethodist
institution it is a damned poor school." 1 retreated bj' the
left flank in sorae confusion.
I had rauch better success selling to the ladies. The

A VACATION PEDDLING PICTURES 145
men when they saw my case became suspicious that I Avas
an ordinarj' peddler, and manj' times would refuse to look
at the pictures. One man ,Avhen urged to see AA'hat 1 had in
ray case, said, "If you had Jesus Christ in there, 1 vvould
not look at him. ' '
In canvassing Columbus 1 called at the home of Gov
emor Noyes. His AAufe, a veiy pretty, attractive young
woman, became interested and ordered portraits of General
and Lady Washington, Avhich she said were to bc a birthday
gift and surprise to her husband. She signed up for them
in mj' subscription book and seemed verj' happy over the
matter. I sent for th© portraits and about a Aveek from the
time she ordered them 1 went to her house to deliver them
and get my monej'. She had changed her mind and said
she had decided not to take them. She Avas so flckle and un
businesslike that I could not convince her that she had
bought them and should accept thera.
I called on the Governor and explained the sit'aatioii.
Hc asked permission to examine mj- order book, which con
vinced hira that sh© had ordered the pictures. He smiled
and asked me to go Avith him to his house and take the pic
tures AAdth me. When Ave arrived lus Avife met us, and he said
in a bright cheery way, ' ' Carrie, I have bought two A'cry
handsome pictures for j'Ou. " She looked very much be
wildered' and said, "AVhj', mj' dear, j'ou have done nothing
of the kind." "A"es, " he replied, "1 have, and I want Mr.
Clark, who understands such things, to hang thom for us in
a good light, and they will be beautiful on our Avails. ' ' lie
aud I hung them, Avhile she Avatched us Avith a puzzled look
on her face. He paid for the portraits, and seemed glad and
happj' that I had honored him Avith the call. I said to
mj'self, "That is a born diplomat." He Avas after-.vards
minister to France, and for diplomacj- and politeness
equalled the most accomplished and courteous Prciichman.
Littleton and Companj' Averc much pleased Avith mj-
successful canvass for them and assured me that my sales
more than doubled those of any other one of the college
boys. In Xenia I met some of the Gatches aud Ankcnys,
whom with Jlrs. GctehcU I afterAvards knew avcU in Des
Moines.

146 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
A AVINTER TEACHING COUNTRY SCHOOL
Bj' the time I reached mj' last year in college, I had
becorae so avcU established in ray course that I got permis
sion to go out and' teach a three months term in the country
Avithout losing any time. So 1 engaged a school in Madison
county and taught a Avinter term Avith success and satisfac
tion, thus saA'ing the expense of boarding in town and add
ing something to mj' liaiik account. The school examiners
gav© me a certificate to teach that astonished th© sub-direct
or when I shoAved it to him. It shoAved me perfect in every
branch. The sub-director sent and got a blank book and
copied my certificate in it as a model for all succeeding
teachers in that district.
When mj- school closed in the spring of 1868 I returned
to Delaware and entered upon the last terra of ray college
course. The closing of mj' college career I felt was an im
portant event in mj' life, the "comraenceraent" of actual
life. Cutting loose from the school of preparation, facing
the Avorld and testing my metal.
GRADUATION AND RETURN TO IOWA
Mj' gi-aduating oration Avas something to be thought
about and prepared. On© of mj' classmates, A. H. JIcA^ej',
and I had frequentlj' debated the problem of CouserA'atism
and Radicalisra, as illustrated in the IIa'CS of Henry Claj'
and Williain Loj'd Garrison, he defending th© policj' of Claj'
and I standing for Garrison. I suggested that h© tak© Claj'
for his graduating address and I take Garrison, giring our
orations in the form of a debate. AA^e did not exactly do
that, but I took the general theme of "Fidelity to Princi
ple, ' ' and put a good deal of snap and fire into it and won
much applause and many compliments.
The Coraraenceraent exercises Avere held in the open,
among th© fin© trees near the AVhite Sulphur Spring. The
daj' Avas fine and the setting ideal. I can sc© the picture in
my meraoiy to this daj'. A fine looking raan cam© to me
after mj' address and said, " 1 see j'ou represent lowa to-day.

GRADUATION AND RETURN TO IOWA 147
I am from Iowa and Avant to congratulate you and my state
on your fine oration. ' ' He told me he was from Dubuque
and that his nam© Avas Hancock, I hav© sine© oft©n heard
of him as a leading citizen of this part of the state. Jun©
1868 I received mj' diploma signed by each raember of th©
faculty conferring on me the title of Bachelor of Ai*ts. In
1S95 1 receiA'ed a diploma conferring on ra© the degr©© of
Master of Arts, from th© same f acultj'. ,
Just before leaving DelaAvare a lot of us boys who were
clos© friends took a farewell dinner together. AV© talked
of the past and of the future, and enjoyed a few hours of
close, intimate, friendly intercourse. Only a few of these
have I seen since that day. I left for loAva alone. That
journey seemed taking me aAvaj' from everything that Avas
dear to m©.
I had a feeling of loneliness and frieiidl©ssness b©yond
AVords to describe. At one place I had to change trains and
there Avas a delay of some hours. I went into a private room
at a hotel and spent much of that time on my knees praying
for strength and courage to fac© lif© and its duties.
Up to that tim© I had not decided upon a profession or
occupation. I had regarded Avith about equal inter©st the
profession of the pulpit, the bar, and that of teaching. It
Avas unfortunate that I had' no special bent or penchant for
auy particular vocation. 1 had no one to consult, iiiterest©d
enough in ra© p©rsonallj' to give trustAvorthy adrice.
When I reached Des Moines my brother George, who
Avas United States Marshall for loAva, gave me a place at
one© in his office and a little later mad© ra© his deputy with
a good salary.

CHAPTER XIH
CHOOSING A PROFESSION
That position thrcAV me in close contact Avith laAvyers
and judges and courts. A few years before that tirae Jud
ges Grco. G. AVright and C. C. Cole of the Suprerae Court,
and W. G. Hammond, a fine laAvj-er and splendid teacher,
had established a private law school in Des Moines which
had graduated tvvo classes. Bj- an arraiig©ra©iit with the
State of loAva, this laAv school had been transferred to, and
made a part of, the loAva State Universitj' at Iowa City, to
commence Avith the college j'cav in Sept. 1868, in the fall
foUoAving my graduation from the Ohio AVesleyan Univer
sitj'. Some of mj' laAvj'cr acquaintances and friends ad-
A'ised me to take a course in that laAV school. These circum
stances seemed to open the Avaj- and led me to decide in fa
vor of the laAV.
I Aveut to loAva Citj' in September, 1868, and entered
the flrst laAV class that graduated from that department.
The class Avas small, onlj' about tvveutj- members, onlj' sca'-
eiit©©ii of Avliom graduated. Prof. Haimnond Avas dean of
the department and made his home in loAva (_'itj'. Hc Avas
the most scholarlj' man in the literature of the laAv and his
torj- of laAV I ever kiicAV. He Avas not a successful laAvj'cr
in actual practice, but Avas a remarkablj' fine instructor. He
Avas made Chancellor, and afterAvards became the leading
professor in the law department of the Universitj' of St.
Louis, of Avhich he Avas made chancellor, Avhicli position he
held until his death manj' j'cars later. He took great satis
faction in building up the lavv department of the Universitj'
of Iowa. Th© classes graduallj' increased in numbers until one
year thej' reached about four hundred. But he often said
148

CHOOSING A PROFESSION 149
he never enjoj'cd any class as much as he did the first one,
the reasoii for which wasi that the class was so small he
could knoAV each member avcU and havc much closer and
more intimate personal relations Avith them.
At that time the course could be completed in one year.
All Avho could pass an ©xaniination at fhe close of one year's
course Avere giveii diplomas and admitted to practice in all
the courts of loAva. I selected for my graduation oration
the subjeet of "An International Peac© Congress." I was
honorecl by the I'aciUtj' Avith the positioii of A^aledictorian
of the class, and 1 received more ' ' bouquets ' ' than any other
speaker on that occasion.
1 Avas given a diploma June 30, 1869, conferring upon
rae the title of Bachelor of Lhavs, signed bj' Geo. G. Wright,
Chester C. Cole, Professors, W. G. Hammond, Principal,
James Blaek, President of the University, and Governor
Sa.muel Jlerrill, President of the Board.
While in Iowa Citj' I became intimatelj' acquainted
with many of the leading families there. There was much
actiritj' in the social life of the commmiitj' and the people
Avhoni I met Avere most charming and many of them became
my lasting friends. 1 may mention a few of the more prom
inent; Govemor S. J. KirkAVOod, the famous Avar governor
of loAva; Peter A. Dj'c, a noted Engineer Avho helped build
the rock Island and Union Paciflc Railroads and also the
beautiful Capitol Building of lowa; the well known laAv
Arms of Edmonds and Ransom, Pairall and Jackson, and
Rush Clark, AA'ho died in Congress a few j'ears later; and
John P. Irish, the most eloquent and popular Democratic
politician in the state at that time, and for many years since
famous on the Paciflc coast as editor, orator, and political
leader. Among the noted laAvyers and judges who lectured be
for© mj' laAV class, besides those already named, I will men
tion Justice S. P. Miller of the Supreme Court of the United
States, Judge John P. Dillon of the U. S. Circuit Court,
Judge J. M. Love of the U. S. District court, and Henry
Strong of Chicago.
At the college commencement of 1877 I was chosen by

150 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
the alumiu to represent them by d©livering the annual ad
dress, which I did, taking for my subject "Individuahty
of Character. ' ' This, I believe, was th© only instance wh©r©
this annual addr©ss was delivered by any on© not a meraber
of the regular acaderaic part of the University.
The next year I was president of the alumni association
and presided at th© annual meeting and banquet afterwards.
This law department has turned out several thousands
of lawyers, among them many able men. This vast bodj'
makes itself felt in the business and politics of the state.
Many of them hav© been, and now are, on the bench in the
district and supreme courts of the state. Others are in
public life and places of influence. This law school, from
its simple begimiing, has come to take a high place among
schools of its kind in the nation. Its founders have all
passed away, but their influence goes on in ever-Avidening
circles as the j'ears go bj'.
DEPUIY UNITED STATES MARSHALL
When I was through my law course I retumed to Des
Moines and continued my work as Deputj' U. S. Marshall.
Most of my Avork during the summer and fall of 1869 was
travelling through the state serving court processes, smn-
mons©s, warrants, ©xecutions and the like. The state of
Iowa was at that time all in one district and there was but
one marshaU. There Avas a great deal of litigation and much
vvork in the marshall 's office. Ther© Avere many suits against
counties and cities on defaulted bonds that had been issued
to build railroads. Judgments wer© rendered and Boards of
County Superrisors and Citj' Councils refused to pay them.
The court ordered them to levj' taxes and raise money with
which to pay these judgments. Thej' ii©glected and refused
to comply. Then the court issued warrants for the arrest
and punishnient of these officials for contempt of court. I
Avas sent out with warrants, and on one trip I arrested and
brcught to Des Jloines about two hundred prisoners. I was
ill danger at on© tim© of being murdered and throAvn into
the Mississippi river by indignant people Avho felt outraged

DEPUTY UNITED STATES MARSHALL 151
bj' the taxes they were compelled to pay for these debts.
I received for service a warrant from the Federal Court
of South Carolina for th© arrest of two men, who were fugi
tives from justice and had located at Atlantic Iowa where
they Aver© running a banlt. I went to Atlantic, located the
men that evening, and the first thing after breakfast the
next moming created a sensation in th© community by ar
resting these two popular j'oung bankers. They were bright,
attractiA'e young men. Both of thera had yomig wiv©s. They
had rented a two story frame building, the upstairs of which
they used as living apartments and the lower floor as their
bank. I started Avith them for Charleston, South Carohna,
taking the Rock Island train ©ast, ria Des Moin©s. My
prison©rs surprised me with their cheerfulness and Avilling
ness to go Avith me. But they were shi'©wd fellows and had
plenty of friends.
When th© train reached Des Moines, th© Polk (Jounty
Sh©riff at once ©nt©red th© car and serv©d on me a writ
issued by a judge of the District Court of Iowa, called a
Writ of Habeas Corpus, to produce these men before hira.
After a hearing the judge decided that they should be per
mitted to give bonds in the sum of ten thousand dollars, for
their appearance in the U. S. District Court of South (Caro
lina. They at once produced the bond's, with B. P. Allen
as sur©ty. Allen was then the leading banker of Iowa, sup
posed to be a millionare. My trip to Charleston was sud
denly terminated in this manner, and my prisoners returned
to Atlantic. 1 do not knoAv what became of them, but I do
know that they left the country and forfeited their bond,
and before the government couldg©tjudgra©nt against Allen
on thoir bond, he had becorae a bankrupt and nothing was
CA'er recovered.
At another time I received a warrant from the P©d©ral
Court of Southern Ohio for the arrest of a man at Council
Bluffs. 1 took with m© a pair of handcuffs, found and ar
rested ray man, who proved to b© a qui©t, r©spectabl© citizen
with many friends. When thes© fi'iends saw that I had
handcuffs they begged me with tears in their eyes not to

152 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
humiliate him by putting him in irons. I was conrinced
that he Avas not a desperate or dangerous man and did not
use th© irons. But this made it necessarj' for me to keep a
close guard of mj' prisoner during the entire trip from
(Jouncil Bluffs to Cincinnati, tAvo days and two nights. By
appointment the U. S. Marshall for Ohio met me Avith mj'
prisoner at the Pike House, Cincinnati and 1 gladlj' turned
him over to the local ofiicer and Aveiit to bed for a long
sleep and rest. PRACTICING LAAV
Along tOAvard the close of the j'car 1869 I had an oppor
tunity to form a law partnership and take up the regular
practice. An old flrm, Siblej' and Harbert, AA'as about to
be dissoh'ed, bj' reason of Stephen Sibley's removal from
the citj', and Captain AV. S. Harbert invited me to take the
place vacated by this change. 1 accepted th© offer, and
bought Mr. Sibley's interest in the furniture and books, and
on January 1, 1870, began the practice as a member of the
laAV flrm of Harliert and Clark. I Avas admitted to a full
on© half interest in the pending business, and the established
good Avill of the old firm. .
Thus I entered upon a business that Avas from the start
a source of income and Avhich gaA'c me training and practice
in mj' profession.
1 had inherited from mj' father and mother a decided
trait for ecoiiomj' in habits of living. This disposition en
abled me to save a good share of mj' salarj' as an officer in
the army. This monej' I invested in part in gOA'ernmeiit
bonds, and in part in cheap land ; that is to saj'. In loAva
land that Avas sold for unpaid taxes. So that from the
abject poverty of my earlj' college daj's, I had taken mj' last
three j-cars of college life in comfortable eircumstaiiees, and
also my course in laAv school, and still had monej' in bank
and thre© or four thousand dollars Avorth of land. .Vnd I
hav© never since knoAvn the pinch of povei'tj' or financial
distress. Jla.iiy young officers in the ai'iiij', Avhose salaries Avere
as good as mine, spent it all and came hom© as poor as thej'

JIA" FIRST LAW CASE 153
Avent out, and Avori'ied along for yeai's before getting on
solid ground, if indeed thcj- ever did reach a comfortable
condition. MY FIRST LAVV CASE
One daj', not long after our firm Avas organized, a man
bj' the name of Bankhead, a farmer from AVari'cn Countj',
eame in and' Avanted a lawj'cr to go out and trj' a laAv suit
for him before a Justice of the Peace. I had never tried a
case in court but I undertook this job. He was to paj' me
ten doUars and take me out and bring me back.
AVhen avc got to the school house Avherc the court Avas
to be held I found the other partj- to the suit Avas an old
soldier by the name of Jliller avIio had served Avith me three
j-ears in the 34th Iowa, and that he had emploj'cd Judge
C. C. Nourse, one of the ablest laAvyers in the state, as his
attorncj'. The case Avas about the ownership of a yearling colt.
Each of the farmers ovvmed a j'earling colt, and they Averc
very much alike. While the herds Avere running at large
on the same prairie one of the colts disajipeared. Each man
claimed the colt that Avas loft. Jliller took possession of it
and Bankhead brought suit liy action in replevin and this
trial Avas brought before the justice and a jurj' to decide
vvho OAvned the colt.
Th© m'ighbors took sides and the school house Avas
croAvdcd, to witness the proceedings. The trial Avas inter
esting and at times exciting. Nearly all the neighbors testi
fied but as there avc re no distinguishing marks their tosti-
iiioiij' Avas only a guess or matter of impression. The evi
dence Avas about equallj' balanced and the fight went on
all day and iiiitil late at night. Finally the jury decided in
favor of Jliller and 1 Avas defeated. 1 gave notice that my
chent would appeal the case to the district court, and the
court adjourned.
As the further conduct of the case Avas to be at Indian
ola, the county scat of AVarren County, local laAvyers avcvc
employed and neither Judge Nourse nor myself had any
thing further to clo with it. But this became one of thos©

154 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
noted laAV suits where the whol© community is involved, and
as it dragged on for years the costs and attorney fees bank
rupted both the farmers and no one ever did know Avho
owned the colt. Probablj' every county in the state has had
on© or more such controversies over the OAvnership of liv©
stock, groAring out of the mingling of herds on the open
prairies. Judge Day of th© Supreme Court told a good story of
a calf case which Avas tried before him in the District Court.
After a prolonged trial the juiy was sent out under the in
struction of the court to consider their verdict. Finally
they came in and the judge asked if they had agT©ed. The
foreman said ' ' No, your Honor. ' ' Th© jud'g© inquired Avhat
th© difficulty Avas. The foreman said, ' ' Well, your Honor,
when the attorney for the plaintiff made his argument ^ve
thought th© calf belonged to the plaintiff, and when the
other attomey made his speech Ave thought the calf belonged
to the defendant. But Avheii your Honor gave us his in
structions we didn't know Avho the hell the calf did belong
to." Whil© I was acting as deputy United States Marshall,
Judge J. M. Love of the U. S. District Court appomted ra©
as coraraissioner of that court. That is an important office.
Its chief duty is to hear cases where parties are charged
Arith crimes against the laAvs of the United States when
court is not in session, and hold guiltj' pai'ties for hearing
before the grand jurj-; also to take testimony and make
findings tn civil actions that maj' be r©fei'r©d to him by the
court. I tried a good raany cases, as Commissioner, after
I was in the r©gular practice of the law, most of Avhich
cases were passing counterf©it monej', and for riolation of
th© postal laws.
Th© attorn©j's of the state organized a ' ' Stat© Bar As
sociation" a large and active organization. I Avas ©l©cted
secretary of this association and continued in that office for
several j-ears. Tbis position, Avith my s©i'vice in th© U. S.
Marshall's office gave me a large acquaintance Avith raera
bers of the bar all over the state. 1 kncAv personallj- every
laAvyer of any proinin©nc© in th© state, which was a source
of satisfaction and also a business advantage.

MY PIRST LAW CASE 155
My partnership Avith Captain Hai'b©rt was pl©asant and
prosperous and continued four years. Our families became
intimat© friends and that friendship has continued up to
the present time. Both families spend much time, of lat©
years, in Southem California and meet often.
Bj- th© removal of Harbert to Chicago in 1873 I was
left without a partner and continued the practice alon© a
few years. In 1875 I formed a partnership with AVilliam Connor
Avhich continued until h© aves made judge of the District
Court in 1879, Avheii 1 Avas again Avithout a partner and
continued the practice alone until 1884. On the 15th day
of Januarj' in that A'eai- a law firm was formed consisting
of C. C. Cole, A. H.' JlcVey and J. S. Clark, entitled Cole,
JIcVcj' and Clark. This firm soon took rank among the
leading firms of Des Jloines and established a large and
profitable business. Judge Col© Avas kiioAvn as on© of the
ablest laAvyers in the United States. Hc was on© of the
founders of the Law department at the State University and
Avas one of its ablest instructors. He was on the Supr©me
bench for years and Chief Justice of the Iowa Suprerae
Court. He established the law school of Drake University
of which h© was D©a.ii for many years.
His long j'cars as teacher in law schools entitled' him to
share in th© Carnegie Teachers' Fund, Avhich blessed the
later years of his life. He died in his ninetieth year in
October, 1913 in Des Jloines. 1 was one of the pall bearers
at his funeral.
The business relations of the members of the firm of
Cole, JTcA^ej' and Clark Avere pleasant and harmonious.

CHAPTER XIV
CHANGE FROM LAAV TO INSURANCE
This partnership continued until October first 1890 at
Avhich time I sold my interest in the firm and all mj' laAV
books to T. A. Cheshire and retired from the practice of laAv.
The occasion for this change may be briefly stated as fol
lows; Some j'cars before I had taken a large block of the
stock of the Des Jloines Fire Insurance Company. I had
been Vice-President and an active meniber of the board' of
directors of this company from its organization. In 1888
the Secretary of the Company suddenlj' died and left the
company without a manager. The (Citizen's Baii people,
Govemor S. Merrill, J. H. Jlerrill and J. G. Rounds, hold
ing the controlling interest, asked mc to take the active man
agement of the companj' until a suitable man could be
found. 1 accepted the positioii temporarilj', still retaining
mj' partnership in the laAV firm. The directors of the In
surance Company Avere so avcU pleased' Avith mj' manage
ment of the company that thej' asked m© to take the place
of Secretarj' and become the permanent manager. JIj- A'oice
had become badlj' impaired, practicallj' disabling me from
work in court. So Avith the approval of mj' partners I
retired from the firm and transferred mj' interest to Jlr.
Cheshire and took the Secretarj- 's desk in the office of the
Des Moines Fir© Insuranc© Companj'.
Up to this time thei company had not been Avell man
aged and had not been prosperous. I was fortj--nine years
of age, in fin© condition physicallj- and mentallj-. I gave all
my time, eiiergj' and ability to reorganizing and building up
the Companj'. I divided the state into four districts -md
put in each district a good field man Avhose business it Avas to
appoint agents and train them as solicitors.
156

CHANGE FROM LAW TO INSURANCE 157
I made thes© special agents mj- personal friends and
Avcnt over their Avork with them nearlj' every Aveek. I backed
up their efforts and got in touch Avith every agent of the
company. I had some natural talent as a letter Avriter. This gift
I cultivated and soon had a reputation for my letters to
agents. Up to this time the A'olurae of premiums each j-car
had av©rag©d about $80,000. Jlj- first year, commencing
in October, shoAved over $100,000, Avith a constant annual
increase until it reached about $400,000, and the capital
stock more than doubled in value.
Mj- kind treatment of the clerks and agents won their
regard and affection. Every ( Christmas the office force and
the special agents gave me valuable presents in tokens of
their affection and appreciation. The agents in the field in
many Avays showed their appreciation of my friendly inter
course with them.
Th© Des Moines Fire Insurance Company under mj'
ma.nagement, from one of the smallest, became the largest
company in point of business in the state. 1 helped to or
ganize the Iowa companies into an association and to estab
lish friendly co-operation in the conduct of the business.
And finally we got the co-operation of all the eastem com
panies and organized in Chicago what Avas called the "Iowa
Alliance." The affairs of this Alliance Avere undcr the control of
nin© able insurance men. Adam HoAvell, president of the
Hawkey© Insurance Companj', Dr. J. H. Smith, President
of the Farmers Insurance Company of Cedar Rapids, and
myself were members of the governing committee of that
Alliance. We held meetings once a month, generally in
Chicago. Through this association and these monthlj' meet
ings I came in touch Avith the leading fire insurance men of
the United States and foi-med many pleasant friendships
araong thera.
Governor Jlerrill in 1898, having large investments in
California, became financially embarrassed and was com
pelled to sell his stock in the Des Moines, and his associates
joined him in selling the controlling interest. This deal put

158 LIFE IN TEIB MIDDLE WEST
th© company into unfriendly hands, so I decided to sell my
interest also. I then took a temporary plac© with the Cap
ital Insurance Company as manager of agents.
I bought an interest in the Anchor Mutual Fir© In
surance Company and Januarj' first, 1900, I becarae Presi
dent and General Manager of the Corapany. I pursued th©
sarae general policy in the management of the Anchor which
I had done in the Des Moines. It soon responded and' its
arteries felt th© throb of n©AV lif© and growth. Within Iavo
years I reorganized this company from a mutual and made
it a regular stock company. It at once took rank with the
other leading loAva stock companies.
My courtesj' and kindness to employees and agents avoii
the affection of all in th© Anchor as had b©©ii th© case in
the Des Jloines. Every Christraas I sent to ©ach agent a
letter in th© form of a holiday greeting, a friendlj' personal
letter having no reference to business. Th©s© Holidaj' let
ters came to be looked for, and I have been told that they
were in manj' cases placed in scrap books and carefully
presei'ved. I give here a copy of one of these as a sample.
ANCHOR PIRE INSURANCE COMPANY
Holiday Letter
Des Moines, Iowa, Dec. 25, 1909.
Dear Friends: —
Every holiday brings something of good, but none brings the
general joy and reaches all the homes in all the earth as does
this sweet Christmas time. The best there is in life comes from
the spirit of peace and good will that began in the first Christinas,
and has expanded by the added impulse given with each recur
rence of the day. It brings to all a sentiment of kindness, a cor
dial sympathy with human suffering, and teaches the greatest
duty of the human race — the duty of men to help men.
The greatest thing on earth is that warmth and sympathy of
heart called love, which inspires helpfulness to those who need
help. The wisest thing said by the wisest man of all times was,
that a man is only needed in the world and only valuable to man
kind for what he possesses of this helpfulness — "The desire
of a man is his kindness."

CHANGE FROJI LAW TO INSURANCE 159
It is sometimes claimed that business is a cold proposition,
without kindness or sympathy or consideration for others. That
a man, a corporation, or a nation may climb to success over the
prostrate bodies and ruined hopes of others. That doctrine is
erroneous and is proven to be so, by reason, religion and re
sults. It is out of harmony and at war with the spirit of peace
and kindness that is abroad in the land to-day, and more powerful
in its sway of human thought and sentiment than at any time in
the world's liistory. It underlies and influences the great events
and happenings of later times.
Statesmen and rulers recognize its. power in the affairs of
government. Those who direct and control the commercial and
industrial combinations that so excite and disturb our times are
beginning to recognize the fact that the adoption of the philoso
phy of the founder of Cliristnias as a practical creed for the con
duct of business and the arbitration of all differences, will bring
a sure and perfect solution of the difficulties that are pressing
doAvn upon the business world.
Could there go out to-day a greeting from every business
man to his fellows, expressing the honest conviction of his
heart, viz.: that he believes in, and will practice, the principles
of brotherhood, of fair dealing and kindness, the problems of
government and the enforcement of laws would be greatly sim
plified; strikes and the reason for them would disappear and
much would be added to the sum of human happiness.
And is it too much to say that there*, is in America to-day
enough of the spirit of the sweet message which the shepherds
heard on the plains of Judea two thousand years ago, to give us
these inestimable blessings and extend them to our Islands of
the Sea and thence to the ends of the earth?
A little reflection will lead you to approve all that is claimed
in this letter. Ages of teaching have made the belief univei'sal
with good and bad alike, that Good AVill and all it stands for Avill
greatly bless the race and that those who steadfastly practice
it are loved and honored by posterity. When a man dies, it is
no longer so much il.e question, how much property did he leave,
as it is, what was his character and how much good did he do.
One who was buried by his friends in a borrowed tomb, whose
life was a perpetual- message of peace and good will, llA-es more

Captain J. S. Clirk
President Anchor Insurance Co.

CHANGE PROM LAW TO INSURANCE 161
in the hearts of men and is better known throughouL the world
than any millionaire of all times. Let us close this greeting by
an appeal to make this inspiring Christmas time helpful and to
keep its happy spirit alive until the next one comes. May it be
truly said of us, and all of us, that v^e know how to keep our
Christmas well and to secure a lasting benefit from its beneficent
influence. And so, as Tiny Tim observed, "God bless us — every
one." Yours very sincerely,
J. S. Clark, President.
The cold Iowa winters began to cause ra© to suffer from
bronchitis, and it seemed best for me to go to a warmer
climate for the vrinter. My associates urged ra© to go and
k©©p well, and alloAved ray salary to go on just the sarae. I
did so for a fcAv winters. But that hardly seeraed fair to
ray associates and I decided to retire from active business
altogether. On June 20, 1910, I sold mj' Anchor Stock for
$27,000. This stock had cost me $14,500. I had r©c©ived
diridends on it much of the time and a good salary all the
time, so that ray iiiv©straent in th© Anchor had been a good
one. This closed ray active business career at the age of
sixty-nine years. 1 was at that time worth in money and
property something over one hundred thousand dollars,
which I estiraated Avould produce incorae sufficient with
economy to corafortably support ray family, and th© car© of
ray property would' give rae sufficient occupation to pass the
tim© pl©asantly.

CHAPTER XV
MY DOMESTIC LIFE
111 the Stat© University at Iowa City there is a pleasant
custom of having a public receptioii at the beginning of the
college year. In the fall of 1868 Avhen 1 entered the LaAv
Department, I attended th© opening reception. I there first
met many charming young people and began many lasting
friendships. There I first raet Jliss Laura C. Hutchinson, a
recent graduate of th© State University and a resid©nt of
Iowa City, and a member of one of the old Avell known fam
ilies of that community.
Our acquaintance grcAV into a strong friendship and
befor© I graduated a closer bond was ©stablished. We Avere
married November 29th, 1870. W© built a littl© home at
718 5th Stre©t, Des Moines, Avhere we lived a beautiful
happy lif© for a few months. August 23rd, 1871, sh© sud
denly and unexpectedly passed awaj-. Her death Avas a
shock to her faniily and fri©nds and to ine a deep and last
ing sorroAV. The sjrmpathy and kindness that cam© into my life at
this time developed and grcAV into a circle of the dear©st and
most lasting fri©ndships that ever blessed a man's life.
Th©s© were ladies of the community who had met and ad
mired my young Arife and had become interested in the
bright happy life that Avas opening up to us. Among them
were Mrs. B. S. Page and her daughter Jliss Fannie, Jli-s.
George Osgood, Mrs. C. T. Savery, Mrs. T. E. BroAvii and
Jlrs. T. P. Withrow. These ladies constituted a group of
th© rarest woraen I ever raet. Thej- Avere all intimate friends
of ©ach oth©r and all took a deep personal interest in mj-
sorroAv and became by their sj'mpathj- and' kindness verj-
helpful to me. Through my gratitud© and appreciation of
162

JIY DOMESTIC LIFE 163
their goodness to me grew up in ray heart a friendship as
lasting and deep as lif© itself, and I believe as enduring as
eternity. Most of thera hav© passed on, but their sw©et in
fiuence on th© lives and characters of those whora they
touch©d and blessed remains and extends in ever widening
circles. Mr. and Mrs. C. T. Savery came into my httle house
and made a hora© for me for fiA'c years. During all these
years I saAv much of the group of charming women I haA'e
m©ntion©d, and greatly eiijoj'ed their society. It was like
a neAV world to me, after so manj- years of knocking about,
araong men, in a homeless condition. I always had a warin
welcome in the homes of my sisters, but th©y wer© all mar
ried and w©r© deeply engrossed in caring for their homes
and th©ir children. They were all overloaded with care and
Avork. I now come to speak of th© gr©at©st piece of good for
tune that ever carae to rae. On the 18th day of October
1876, my marriag© to Miss Panni© M. Page in her family
horae in Iowa City was consuraraated.
With this ©vent began a car©©r of uninterrupted' happi
ness to two lives congenial in tastes and temperam©nts. We
started in the little house at 718 Fifth Street in a simple,
quiet Avay, in the midst of good friends of several years
standing. In that small cottage home four years later was
bom to us our first child, Avhom we named Laura Osgood
Clark. As the years went, our happiness increased. Then
came other children, until our hom© Avas richly blessed with
three girls and thr©© boys. We had gon© into a larger house,
but that wasi full. And our hands w©re full of work and
car©, and our hearts wer© full of happin©ss and cont©nt-
raent. With a prosperous business, and a happy horae, pre
sided over by a wife so pure and noble and true, and with
six children so full of sweet, charming ways, surely no man
was ever more blessed, and none happier or mor© cont©nt©d
Avith the great and good gifts of his Heavenly Father.

Mrs. j. S. Clark

MY DOMESTIC LIFE 165
A littl© picture of that family group, with the names
of the children, is here given in a poera I wrot© in 1895.
SATURDAY MGHT
Saturday night, at last, at last;
Six long days have come and passed.
Saturday night means home once more —
After the toil of the week is o'er;
Down by the street they will all be
To watch for and welcome me.
I can see them now just as they stand —
A happy, peaceful, little band;
There's Glenn our true and faithful son;
And Page, our wild and wayward one.
For whom the Mother daily prays — ¦
That he may shun the thorny ways.
There's fair sweet Dot with eyes of gray,
And shining hair of golden ray
And sturdy Helen, with tresses dark,
So wise and strong and true of heart;
There's Morton — Heavenly Father's heart
Deal gently, for our Morton's part.
And now Mabel the romp of the flock.
Comes trotting o'er the grassy plot.
With Dandy, bringing up the rear.
Cautious, alert and ever near.
To keep from harm our bonnie six.
Whose height we count by notch on stick.
There is still another cherished one —
Who will watch for me at set of sun.
She's standing now within the door,
To welcome me when work is o'er.
The dearest of them all, I ween —
My best beloved, my wife, my queen.

166 LIFE IN THB MIDDLE WEST
1 owe Avhatever success I have attained, and the great
measure of happiness that has come to me, to the rich good
fortune Avhieh brought into my life and home the woman
Avho has been mj' companion for so many years. She has
been a blessing not only to me and to the children, but to
all Avho came near her. As a housekeeper she always won
the respect and admiration and even lov© of the servants
who surrounded her.
I look back upon my entire married life as one of con
stant and uninterrupted happiness. We alike coraprehended
what is needed to raake marriage the perfect bond of noble
natures. Ours was a household of which the best qualities
of heart and mind were so firralj' joined together in a part
nership of highest aims and dutiful industries as to giv© at
last a sense of that oneness of life Avhich realizes the tru©
conception of raarriage.
To our home life Avere added w©ll ©arned friendships,
deflnite pursuits rewarded by a competence sufficient to en
able us to giv© generously and indulge tastes which reflne,
and also such leisure as keeps strong the rauscles of mind
and body. Such has been our united life, siraplj' lived and
deeply enjoyed. THE "TEDDT" MOTHER
[A Table Talk by Mrs. J. S. Clark at a supper given by the
ladies of Plymouth Church in Des Moines, February 22, 1907.]
It is diflScult to see the "Teddy" mother, for it is so easy to
mistake one's own ideals for those of another. But I will try to
put on the "Teddy" glasses.
A vision is before me, a little blurred by the unaccustomed
spectacles. I see a woman — tall — a little matronly — not young —
not old; her hair tinged with gray. She has something much
less common than beauty in her face — it is sympathy. When
you talk to her, she listens with interest — she cares about you.
,Sh6 gives to you all her attention while) you talk. This is her
charm. Husband, child and friend see only the beautiful soul
that lights her eyes and forms the smile upon her lip.

MY DOMESTIC LIFE 167
By her side stands one, who, tall and slender, or short and
square, is a man for "a," that;" a man who has never caused her
to blush because she said "obey" at the marriage altar. Her only
shame would be to flnd him unworthy of that word. She is in
terested in all that interests him — business affairs, money mat
ters, literature, and politics.
Grouped about her are her children — six, eight, twelve. We
will not count them — boys and girls — a loyal circle. They talk
to her of school — its worry, its work and its play. She listens
with interest, if not with understanding, to all the ins and outs of
a football game. She answers all questions, is never stern or
severe, but responsive and get-at-a-ble.
Shei is truly domestic, and yet loves and works for her church
— and her club, keeping abreast of the times for her family and
friends. She is a philanthropist. Having loved her parents, she
loves all old people. Loving her children, she loves all children,
and desires to help every unfortunate child. There are lines
upon her face that sorrow has left there, and as we look closer,
we see gaps in the family circle that have bound her closer to
.all humanity. This mother knows there is something more to do than pray
with and for her children — necessary as that is. She knows Bible
texts and Sunday School will not save her children. To make
her children God's children, she must prune, and weed, and hoe.
She must live with her children, be young with her children,
stand by them in time of temptation as a pilot stands by his
wheel in a storm. She believes in fun and frolic, in making
home attractive, and is not willing to give anything to the devil
that will make young peoplei happy.
She never worries. Why should she? God made the world —
she did not — and she knows God is capable of taking care of His
own. She does not sink under responsibilities; she only does her
part each day and leaves the rest to the Great All-Father.
She knows this world is only a prelude to Eternity, and that
the broken sounds of illy-touched flutes and harps here will
there unite in one grand harmony.

168 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
A HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
FROM "the daily NEWS"
Friday, October 18th, 1901 was the twenty-fifth wedding an
niversary of Capt. and Mrs. J. S. Clark. They received warm
congratulations from many sources, but nothing gave them more
pleasure than did the following poem, written for the occasion
by their son, Glenn Clark, now a student at Iowa College.
SPRING
The may-flower gives its perfume to the air
The grass is growing green on hill and vale
And everywhere are signs and sounds of spring.
/Tis evening and the sky o'erhead is flak'd
With stars. Long shadows cast by elm and oak
Extend upon the meadows here and there.
The lane beyond the hedge is silent; stilled are sound
Of wheel and hoof. All signs of life are gone
Save for a form approaching in the gloom.
A youth it is with eyes cast down in thought.
He stops and views the meadows 'neath the glint
Of moon's soft beams: then turns his gaze above
To where the universe extends beyond
The ken of men. He pauses long and then
With lingering eye he turns and gazes back
From whence he came. He seems again to see
The forest waste, the cabin made of logs,
The creek, where, as a boy, he loved to roam.
Thus as he stands a gleam of light appears,
A ruddy glow bathes sky and distant hills
And morning breaks. He turns and looks before
To where the lane joins with the broad highway.
And standing there he sees a gilded hall
Where youths are passing to and fro with books
Held in their arms. Beyond the hall appear
A thousand roofs and steeples. Myriad sounds
flome to his ear, of life and work and power.

MY DOMESTIC LIFE 169
The youth looks back once more to wood and stream.
Then looks the sun full in the face and smiles.
And there with quiet resolution's strength he casts
The die and firm of heart he marches on.
Beside a little cottage home there stands
A sturdy elm with arms extended wide.
Its leaves are many and its ample shade
Is pleasant refuge from the sun's hot rays.
A maiden fair is sitting 'neath the tree;
She holds a little book within her hands;
Within her eyes there beams that mellow warmth
That tells of thoughts too deep for words, of love
Too pure for all the world to see. And there
Old Time holds up before her face his map
The picture of all time. She sees beyond
Where Future stretches onward, dark and dim
With life strewn with its ever blending sea
Of tears and Joy. With light of hope and peace
And thrills of noble ideas in her heart
She waits to meet life's struggles without fear.
AUTUMN
The autumn time has come. The woods look grand
Trimmed in their garments of Dame Nature's loom;
The orchards bend beneath their weight of sweet;
The fields show well the ploughing of the spring;
The grain within the massive barns is stored;
And sounds of merry-making flll the air.
Away from rush and roar amid the trees
There stands a home where dwell the King and Queen
Of Hearts. The sounds of laughter and of song
And patter, patter, as of children's feet
Are heard within. And in the eventide
Around the hearth is seen in happy glow
The happy family gathered for its happiest hour.
The father first, the noblest of all men
Who comes from his hard day of toil and strife
With merry heart and free from worldly care

170 LIPE IN THB MIDDLE WEST
To sit, the center of the circle and its joy
With heart so warm that all who meet him feel
The icy membrane of their torpid souls.
Like frost beneath the sun, become as dew.
His genial laugh and kindly beaming eye
And quiet strength and manly modesty
Give him the throne of love — "The King of Hearts."
Next "Mother," sweeter in her holy motherhood
Than when she sat a pensive, thoughtful maid;
Only a little deeper faith in God is hers,
A little greater love for all mankind.
But that same heart where lives the flame of spring.
With face fine chiseled by sweet thoughts sublime.
An heart deep-laden with God's nectar. Love;
A flower too rare to bloom for all the world.
She grew apart and in her solitude
Sent roots down deep, down deep into the soil.
So deep her beauty cannot ever fade.
.With soul linked close to the All Soul above
She sits amid the circlel as its queen.
The eldest child, one of God's rarest flowers
Sits next, the sister and the child of peace.
If God e'er created one who never sinned
That one was she. Next sits the eldest boy
A pensive dreamer whose entire life's work
Seems but the solving of life's tangled strings.
And who must learn the riddle of the knot
By never ending effort day by day.
And next a chair — O God for give the tear
That fills the eye and makes the vision fail
To see the vacant chair beside the hearth ;
For he who filled it was the light of all.
How merry rang his laugh In hour of mirth:
How pensive in the time of thought were his bright eyes :
He came and gladdened all with his true heart
And staid awhile, then went to meet his God.
Next sits a girl whose face is dimpled o'er
With merry laughter. In her heart there lies
A wealth of warmth, enthusiasm, zeal.

MY DOMESTIC LIPE 171
¦ Her treasure mine to meet the tasks of life.
A quiet strength shines from her merry eyes,
A smiling victor in what sphere she moves.
Next sits a little maid with large bright eyes.
The reader and the child of thoughts. Her heart
Is warm with room for pity and for love.
With wondering eyes she sees the race of life
And feels great questions that weigh heart and soul.
And last of all within the, circle small
There sits a little lad, with listening ear,
^To whom the world seems endless holiday
One long glad romp of keen soul-stirring play.
And thus grow boyish mind and muscle strong
For time to come when youth becomes the man.
Thus sit the little family round the hearth
And as the fire-glow lights upon them all
So from above there seems to shine the glow
Of peace and harmony of God's own smile.
# A :):
' And so the Autumn of thy lives has come.
The sweetest time of all the happy year,
The time to reap the sowing of the spring.
The time when summer's toil sees its reward.
The winds without but add more cheer within.
The sturdy logs cut in the time of spring
Shall send the merry fiame with merry leap
Still higher, higher, higher toward the sky.
The winds may sing their songs without the door
Forever from their touch their lives secure.
A cheery hearth that holds the flame of spring.
To-day may all the hearts of all thy friends reach unto thee,
May all thy children's love, unstained and true, encompass thee.
May the All Father, over all, draw near and smile on thee,
May joy and love and peace be thine for all eternity.
MEMBERSHIP IN PLYMOUTH CHURCH
About the time of our marriag© Plymouth Congroga-
ticnal Church of Des Moines called for its pastor a young

172 LIPE IN THB MIDDLE WEST
minister from New England, A. L. Frisbie. He and his
littl© family cam© at once to liv© just across from our littl©
hom© on Fifth Stroet. We soon becarae interested in them^
and there coramenced a friendship Avhich has never been
disturbed. Mj' Avif© and I very soon joined Plymouth
Church and began to take part in all its activities and' have
foUoAved its career of growth and prosperity through all the
forty J'ears' of Doctor Frisbie 's pastorate.
Its meinb©rship was composed of many of the best peo
ple of Des Moines. With thes© our Christian lives wer©
shar©d, they became our friendsi, their companionship gav©
us happiness and contentment. In thisi church constantlj-
pi'cvailed a harmonious home f ©©ling which carae like a bene
diction from the ministration of Doctor Frisbie and his veiy
helpful Avife, a Avoman of reraarkable gifts, capable and
tactful. Our connection with the Congregational Church
hi ought us in touch with lowa College, th© leading Congre
gational College of the Avest. To that coUeg© Ave sent all of
our children, wh©re they Avcre equipped vrith the best things
in education and character building that any school can
give. A LUCKY BUSINESS DEAL
111 glancing back over th© past I oft©n wond'©r at th©
raany fortunate things that hav© corae to me. On© daj- 1
was at AVork in my law office when an old man cam© in,
poorly clad and with a careworn look on his face. His name
Avas G. W. Jones. I had knowii him in Indianola AA-heii he
Avas a rich banker. He said he was trying to earn a little
money as a real ©state agent. Hc had a client Avho Avanted
TO trade ©ightj' acres of land in the country north of Des
Moines for sorae cheap lots of min© in East D©s Moines. 1
told him th© deal did not interest me. H© urg©d m© to make
the trade and' said he really ii©eded the money he Avould get
as commission from his man. Out of sympathj- for hira I
made the trade.
The lots had cost me about three hundred dollars. Th©
land was around in the bend of the river mosth' bottom

A LUCKY BUSINESS DEAL 173
land, but running on to the high land in part. Later a
bridg© was built across the Des Moines River, raaking a road
Avhich led into this locality.
My faraily got into the habit of going to this land for
picnics and soon fell in lov© with the quiet, retired spot in
the oak woods. In 1894 we built a home there. With this
horae in the timber land began an ideal life for us. The six
children then in our hom© enjoyed the open Avoods and un
restricted conditions, as free as the birds and squirrels that
flitted and scampered about them. Befor© long this land
was taken into the citj- and a street car line came near us.
A fine sand bank with an unlimited supplj- of fine
building sand was found on the southern border of tliis
property, which has been a constant source of revenue to
rae. Coal was found in paying quantities to miderlie the
entire tract, Avhich has yielded rae many thousands of dol
lars. The valu© of the land increased to at least five hun
dred doUars p©r acre. Take it all in all, this land that was
almost forced upon rae, proved to be better than a gold mine,
besides being the most delightful and charming place for a
home in all the city.
An ind©p©ndent school district was organized for our
locality. Por many years 1 Avas president of the School
Board and took great interest in building up one of the
best grade and high schools in the city. From this high
(school our children graduated with spl©ndid r©cords.
DEATH ENTERS OUR HOME
In this home on© great sorrow came to us. Page, our
tAvelve year old boy, the most fascinating and charming of
all the children, was stricken Avith appendicitis, and after
an operation, suddenly died on the twenty-first of June,
1896. All in the home were deeply affected by tiiis loss.
Our lives wer© softened and our characters deepened and
strengthened ; a marked increase in the affection and kind
ness and tenderness for each other developed. Wc seemed
iiev©r to hav© thought of th© possibility of a break in our
happy hom© circle. Th© leading of th© way into the un-

174 LIPE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
known, by our bright, happy little Page, turned our
, thoughts in a new way to the things touching religion and a
future beyond the grave.
On th© 22nd day of May, 1898, ray brother Gen©ral
Georg© W. Clark died from a stroke of apoplexj- in his hom©
at Washington. The telegram giving th© news was t©l©-
phoned out to our home. I heard the messag© with a shock,
and turned to ray wif© who sat near by with a book in her
hand, and told her what had happened.
Without a moment 's hesitation she said to rae, ' ' Jaraes
you must go at one© and bring his orphan children to us. ' '
My brother's vrife had been dead three years, so that by
his death they were left homeless orphans.
I went immediately to Washington, buried my brother
in the beautiful Arlington Cemetery, and' brought the three
children, Edith, Clifford, and Eleanor, to our home in Oak
Park. The death of little Page tAvo years befor© had left
us our fiv© children, to which these three cousins werc noAv
added, making a group of ©ight. These extra three w© took
into our h©arts and home and made th©m part of the family
circle, giring them th© same car© and ©ducation as our oavu.
My Arife Avas a delicate woraan, already over burd©n©d
vrith th© care of a large house and large family. The gen
erous welcome she gave to thes© orphan children, the loving
car© which she gave them, amazed her friends and ii©ighbors.
All this showed forth a beautiful spirit of serric© and sacri
fice which is rarelj' s©©n in a human life.
The two girls, Edith and Eleanor, developed into
splendid Avomeii, whose devotion to their "Amit Faiiiii©"
she says is ample reward for all she did for them. The boj',
Clifford, developed into a man of great physical strength,
and took up th© life of western ranch man in Wj-oming.
Edith is now State Superintendent of instruction in Wj'-
oming and Eleanor a fine teacher of Latin.

CHAPTER XVI
VETERANS OF THE CIVIL WAR
The raost not©d meeting of old soldi©rs in which I ©ver
took part AA'as held in Des Moines in August, 1870, a gen
eral reunion of all the soldiers of the Civil War within the
state. Th© city appropriated $15,000 to provid© food and
shelter for th© men. Th© railroads transported' th© soldiers
free. Adjutant General N. B. Baker, a resourceful organiz
er, threw into this affair his Avhole soul. Th© hero pre-em
inent in the Westem Ai-niy, General W. T. Sherraan, was
the raost conspicuous character of that occasion. There were
asserabled nearly thirty thousand of the Civil War veterans.
The grounds of the Capitol Hill and adjacent territory were
choseii for the carap and araple prorisions wer© made with
tents and other equipment.
A public meeting was held in Capitol Square at which
Govemor Samuel Merrill presided and made an address of
Avelcome. He then introduced General W. W. Belnap, at that
time Secretary of War. The General was at his best, his
heart warmed by the generous welcome given hira, gave
added eloquence to his carefully prepared address.
General Sherman could not escape the loud and pro
longed cheers and calls for a speech. He made an address
so full of force, so true to history and so prophetic of the
future that it has entered into the record's and history of
the times and of Des Moines for all ages to come.
After this public raeeting foUoAved a bounteous dinn©r
and r©st. Then th© firing of big guns called th© v©t©rans in
hne for the grand march. They wer© organized into their
old companies, regiments, brigades and divisions, and com
manded as nearly as possible as they had been in the war.
The spectacle was imposing and inspiring. Des Jloines
175

176 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
never did' so generous a thing for the old soldi©rs b©fore
nor sine©. And there never has been a raeeting of anj' Mnd
in Iowa equal to this grand reunion of veterans of th© Civil
War. Fiv© years later, in Sept.©mb©r, 1875. occurred another
m©©tiiig of notable men in Des Jloines. This Avas the Ninth
Annual Reunion of th© Armj' of the Tennessee. I was a
member of the receptioii coraraittee. President U. S. Grant
and his wife came, and Avere entertained at the home of
Judg© C. C. Cole. General Belknapp, S©cr©tarj' of War,
Ex-Secretary Boric, Gen©ral Sherman, Governor Fletcher,
and raany other distiiiguish©d officers of that Array of the
Tennessee, wer© pr©s©nt.
The first evening meeting Avas held in Moore's Opera
House, Avher© Avas assembled the largest audience ever con
gregated in that building. Thousand's were unable to gain
admittance. Judg© Col© in his happiest mann©r delivered
the address of welcome.
The annual address was delivered by Govemor T. C.
Jletcher of Missouri. In the course of his address he paid
high tribute to th© lowa soldi©rs, and ©specially to the First
loAva Infantry, who side by side Avith loyal Missourians
' ' trod the dark valley of terror and blood at Wilson Creek. ' '
When the sp©aker had tak©n his s©at loud calls were made
for Grant, and to the surprise and delight of all, the ' ' SUent
Man" arose and delivered the longest and raost significant
sp©©eh h© ev©r raad©. This address was afterwards regarded
as an epoch in the general's life and in the nation's historj'
as well. The burden of his address Avas the free school, the pro
moter of that inteUigence which is to preserv© us as a free
nation. He urged Free Thought, Pre© Spe©ch, a Pre© Press,
Pur© Jlorals, Unf©tt©red Religious Sentiment, and Equal
Rights and Pririleges to all men, irrespective of color, na
tionality or religion. To encourage free schools and resolv©
that not one dollar of monej' appropriated to their support,
no matter hoAv raised, shall be appropriated to the support of
any sectarian school and to keep the church and state for
ever separate, Avas his plea.

VETERANS OF THB CIVIL WAR 177
General Sherraan and others wer© called on and raade
short spe©ches. Captain Church, noted as a leader in camp
fir© songs, sang "Old Shady," th© audience joining in the
chorus. Th© next evening, after the business session, which oc^
cupied the day, a grand banquet Avas held in the Savery
House which amply sustained the promis© of Macartney and
Company that it should be a record breaker in elegance aud
completenesB. Here follows the prograra of regular toasts.
REGULAR TOASTS
1. Our Country — One and Indivisible 
Response by Gen. M. M. Baine.
MUSIC
2. The President of the United States  Drank Standing:.
IVIUSiC
3. The State of lowa and her Volunteers 
Response by Gen. W. AV. Belknap
IVIUSIC
4. The March to the Sea! Happy in its Conception: Fortunate in its
Leader: Glorious in its Results 
Response by Gen. AV. T. Sherman
MUSIC
5. The Society of the Army of the Tennessee 
Response by Col. L. M. Dayton
MUSIC
6. The Regular Army! Our Teachers In War; Our Defenders in Peace
Response by Gen. John Pope
MUSIC
7. The Navy! Behind its Iron Walls, the Country's Honor Is Safe. ...
Response by Ex-Secretary A. E. Borie
MUSIC
8. The Army of the Cumberland 
Response by Gen. Jeff. C. Davis
MUSIC
9. The Army of the Ohio 
Response by Gen. A. McD. McCook
MUSIC
10. Our Volunteer Army! Gallant Soldiers and Honored Citizens 
Response by Gen. John M. Thayer
MUSIC
11. The Signal Service! Its Efficiency imparts Confidence to the Plans
of our Army and Navy, and Certainty to the Labors of our
Husbandmen 
Response by Gen. A. J. Myer ("Old Probabilities")
MUSIC

178 LIFE IN THE JHDDLB WEST

12. The Patriotic Women of America 
Response by Gen. John Tillson
MUSIC
General Belknap who had attended every meeting of
the Army of the Tennessee said this Des IMCoines Reunion
was the most successful of them all. This was bj' far th©
most notable meeting of the kind ©ver held in Iowa, and in
the nature of things can never be again equalled.
MILITARY ORDER OF THE LOYAL LEGION
On the daj- after the assassination of Pr©sid©nt Lincoln,
a f CAV offlcers of the Civil War met in Philadelphia to adopt
]-csolutions on that ti'ag©dj'. Th©j' discussed th© subject of
a permanent organization of the officers of th© Army. Th©
result of many meetings and much consideration was the
organization November 1st, 1865, of the Military Order of
tbe Loyal Legion of the United States. In the organization
provision Avas made for each state to organize a com
mandery. Within a fcAv years several states, among them Iowa,
oi'gaiiizcd commanderies. The chief features w©r© that anj-
commissioned officer of the Armj- or Navy Avas ehgible to
membership and to give permaiiencj- to the Order, sons of
such officers were made eligible, and their sons, and so on,
for all male descendants for all time.
1 became a niember of the loAva Comraanderj- and haA-c
greatly enjoyed the good fellowship and clos© and dear
friendship of th© companions of the order. Meetings are
held once a month, at Avhich a carefully prepared paper on
some feature of the Civil War is UvSuaUy read. These papers,
as they accuraulate, are published in book form. In this
way many such volumes have been issued by the diff©r©nt
state commanderies, thus putting in permanent forra and
preserving rauch interesting history of the Civil War.
On one occasion I prepar©d and read a paper entitled,
"G©n©ral Lyon and the Fight for Jlissouri. " This paper
Avas afterwards published in the August, 1897, issue of the
Midland Monthly of Des Moines, was printed in the Bui'-

GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC 179
lington Hawkeye, the Saint Louis Republican, and the Mag
azine of Histoi-y of INcAv York. It also app©ars in the
Second Volume of the War Sketches of the Iowa Coraraand
ery. It will be found in the supplement to this book.
GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC
Chaplain W. J. Rutledge of the llth Illinois Infantry
and Major B. F. Stephenson of the same regiment were tent
raat©s aud bosom friends. These two, after the war Avas
over, undertook to Avork out a project for an orgamzation of
veterans of the Civil War. They met at Springfleld, Illinois
in March 1866 and spent some tim© in arranging a ritual for
the proposed organization. On the 6th day of April, 1866,
Major Stephenson assisted by Captain John S. Phelps, 23rd
Illinois Infantry, organized at Decatur, Illinois, th© first
Post of the Grand Army of the Republic.
This organization, made up of soldiers of the Civil War,
rapidly spread over all the northern states, and has become
one of the most active and infiuential associations in
America. I early joined Crocker Post of Des Jloines. The little
bronze button worn in the button hole of the memb©rs is an
introduction to all comrades in the world and has furnished
inspiration for sora© of the most magnetic eloquence and
patriotic poetry of raodern times.
The Pirst, Second and Third Iowa Regiments all com
menced their soldier life in camp at Keokuk in 1860. The
sui'vivors of these regiments decided to celebrate the half
ccntury period from that time by holding a reunion on
August 10th, 1911, this to be th© closing and farewell meet
ing. The day selected was the fiftieth anniversary of the
battle of Wilson Creek. I was president, and had b©©n for
many years, of th© Pirst Iowa regiment association. The
greeting and welcome of the people of Keokuk for the f©©bl©
remnant of the old boys was warm, and' deeply touched our
hearts. Judge John E. Craig, a leading laAvyer of the city,
made the address of welcome, to which it was my duty as
president to respond. The occasion was one of de©p int©rest

180 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
and it was an ©poch in th© history of the Pirst Iowa as well
as in my oavu life. I therefore give here the substance of
my address.
Dear Friends of Keokuk :
This greeting from you to-night is more to us than a
formal Avelcome from your city.
Returning her© as Ave have to-day, after a long absence,
brings to mind that other welcorae and the great kindness
shown to us, raere lads as w© were by the people of Keokuk
fifty J'ears ago. And' avc are reminded of that glorious day,
Avhen as high-h©ad©d, proud young soldiers, with muskets
on our shoulders w© marched away to Avar, followed by the
tearful goodbyes and prayers and blessings of your people.
That Avas an epoch in our lives, and this reunion is in mem
ory of that tim©.
We w©nt from here that day at 21 (our aA-erage age),
full of hope and ambition ; we return to-day at 71, our work
finished and our hopes and ambitions fully reahzed, with
not only peace in America, but treaties of permanent peac©
being made and' signed by th© great powers of th© ©arth.
At our last reunion, Avhen some one suggested that we
go to Keokuk for our half centurj' reunion, everybody voted
yes. And the more w© thought about it, th© more we Avere
fascinated with the thought of going back to dear old Keo
kuk. We were like a lover who has corae into the neighbor
hood of his sweetheart, and we could not stay away.
Your Avarm welcorae has touched our hearts and mad©
our coming a precious one — another raemory to can-y aAvay
Avith us when w© go.
It is often said that th©r© is no adequate compensation
for the horrors and sufferings of Avar. So nations ©r©ct raon
uments in memory of their soldiers and history writes them
in the eternal ages. But I say to you, at this tim© and place,
that the tear of sj'mpathy and appreciation and the Avarm
hand-clasp of thos© about us, ar© d©arer to us than statues
of bronz© and obelisks of marbl©. Let the granite sbafts
and historic records teach patriotisra to coming generations,
but give the touch of personal interest and affection to the
living.

GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC 181
W© hav© corae here in a very rerainiseent mood. Many
of us kept journals, near the top of the first page was the
name "Keolruk" in large letters. W© have carried that
narae in our records and in our hearts all these y©ars. And
1 assure you we hav© been glad to see her winning success
and farae both in war and peace.
In th© civil Avar she produced mor© distinguished field
officers and generals than any city of her size in the land.
And in peace her right to distinction Avas no less marked.
Wh©n President Lincoln was searching for a great jurist
for the supreme bench, to hold unbroken our organic laAV
in that trying time, he carae to Keokuk and selected Samuel
P. Miller. When President Grant needed a man Arith
courage and abilitj' for secretary of war he sent to Keokuk
for General W. W. Belknap. When Presid©nt Hays want©d
an able advisor in his cabinet h© turned to K©okuk for
G©orge W. McCrary. And Avlien President Harrison looked
over th© land for a man broad enough to manag© th© great
est department of th© national govemment he made General
J . W. Noble of Keokuk secretary of the interior. All these
things, and manj' more, we have been pleased to know of
your city. But I must not dwell longer on the fame and
glory of Keokuk.
All this historic interest, intei-woven with our precious
memories makes this coming a glad and happy one, to the
few that are left of that three thousand j'oung athletes who
Avon applause for physical vigor and strength as we marched
through your streets fifty years ago.
There are only a few of us left, and our numbers ar©
rapidly growing less. The one who was expected to stand
w-here 1 now stand and make this address to you, our much-
loved comrade, Eugen© F. Ware, died only a few days ago.
He was enthusiastic about coming to Keokuk for this meet
ing. You all know him and haA'e read "The Rhymes of
Ironquil. ' ' He was a charming writer and speaker and av©
greatly miss hira here to-night.
His own death Avas beautifully described bj' his OAvn
pen, in telling of the death of a soldier friend of his in
Kansas a few years ago, when he said :

182 LIFE IN THB MIDDLE WEST
' ' An aged soldier Arith his hair siioav white.
Sat looking at the night.
A busy, shining angel came, with things
Like chevrons on his wings.
He said: "Th© ev©ning detail has b©en mad©;
R©port to your brigad©. "
Th© soldier heard the raessage that was sent ;
Then arose, and died, and w©iit. "
This will probably b© our last regimental reunion. Prom
Keokuk we ansAvered to the call of the first morning detail.
And we come back to Keokuk for oui' last reunion befor© the
final evening detail is made.

CHAPTER XVII
INVENTIONS AND DISCOVERIES
I hav© shown that my f ath©r 's lif© Avas a hand to hand
sti-uggle vrith nature for existence. In this chapter I Avill
give a brief summarj' of inventions, discoveries and im
provements since about the date of his birth.
In 1807, Avheii my father Avas seven, Robert Stephenson
ran th© first railroad engine in England. Th© same daj-
Robert FuUerton demonstrated the possibilitj' of steam beat
navigation on the Hudson River.
The discovery of steara poAver to be applied to mechan
ical uses, divided recorded time into two distinct ©ras. And
it may well be said that the entire history of man's material
endeavors count forward or backward frora that date. This
event affected mankind in all his relations more than any
political change or decision in battl© that is ordinarily re
corded by the historian, to mark the beginning of a n©w
epoch. In 1820 a single line of horse cars was first operated in
New York City. By 1850 several cities in the TJnited States
had installed street car service with horse poAver. The first
cable str©©t car line was ©stablish©d in San Francisco in
1873. The first electric street raihvay Avas operated in Ger
many in 1881. Jlr. Dait, an American, in 1883 built th©
Saratoga and Mt. McGregor line, and in 1886 he b'ailt the
Baltiraore Union Electric line.
In 1901 Frank J. Sprague, an electric engineer, in
vented his famous multiple unit system of control for el©c-
tric railways. In this systera all cars ar© provided with two
motors each, and' all these can be sAvitched in or out by a
single motorman at the head of the train. This system is
noAV in use on the South Side El©vat©d railway in Chicago.
183

184 LIPE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
In 1901 S. P. Stone's system of ©l©etric train lighting
was introduced. On Jun© Sth, 1783, in Franc©, Montgolfcr Brothers sent
up a large hot air balloon, and about the same tira© another
Frenchman sent up a large balloon filled Avith hydrogen gas.
These events created a great sensation. The king sent for
the Montgolfer brothers and they sent up another hot air
balloon carrying a cage of live animals, and Avhen the bal
loon descended th© animals Av©re unhurt. After that human
beings were sent up, th© first balloon carrying men being
sent up on Oct. 15, 1783.
About this time a man mad© a balloon ascension in
Philadelphia. Then soon all the civilized world was inter
ested and balloons wer© being sent up very generally. But
balloons were found to b© impractical for air navigation,
and manj' aeronauts and inventors began to construct ma
chines for navigating th© air.
Sept. 24, 1852 Henri Giffard made a flight of s©v©ii
miles in France in a machine of his own make. In 1872
another Frenchman made an air machine which mad© suc
cessful flights with fourteen persons on board, working the
power bj' hand. In 1883 Tissander brothers in Prance ap
plied an electric raotor to one and attained a speed of four
teen miles per hour.
Wilbur and Orville Wright, Americans, by 1901 had
Avon fam© and success in building machines and navigating
the air. July 2nd, 1910, Count Z©pp©lin and four assistants
made th© maiden voyage in the enonnous machine con
structed under his direction and called the "Zeppelin Dir
igible Balloon." And iioav Air Navigation is as common
and safe as S©a Travel.
The first bicycle, a sort of hobby horse, Avas used in
1820, and twenty jears later an English blacksmith put on
cranks and appliances ; and in 1865 rubber tires Avere put on
and it came into use. In 1869 Judge Cole and I rode them
in a public hall in Iowa City. A fcAV years later poAver was
attached and th© motor cycle appeared.
In 1804 TreA'cnthick, an Englishman, invent©d and
built an ©ngiiie for a large road Avagon, the first automobile,

INVENTIONS AND DISCOVERIES 185
but abandoii©d it. By 1824 a iiunib©r of autoraobiles had
been invented and were in us© in England, but kgislation
Avas unf ri©ndly and not until Otto 's gas engine was invented
in 1877 did th© automobile begin to become popular and
practicable. Barney Oldfield made a record at Ormonde
Beach, Plorida, March 16, 1910, of a mile in 27.33 seconds,
faster than the speed of a homing pigeon.
The first submarine Avas built by David BushneU of
Main© in 1775 and reported in d©tail to Thomas J©fferson.
Robert Fulton built one in 1785 and several Averc built and
used during the Civil War. The Housatonic U. S. Warship
Avas destroyed by one Peb. 17, 1861. This ai'm of marin©
service has achieved prorainence in th© gr©at Europ©an Avar.
Aft©r attempts by Sellers in 1861, Donesthorpe in 1878,
Morej' in 1881, and Reynoud in 1889, or Avhil© th©s© for
eigners werc at work, Henry Heyl of Philadelphia gav© a
successful moving picture shoAv on February 5, 1870 to an
audience of 1500 people. This work Avas crude and imper
fect. In 1889 Edison mad© his first moA'ing picture camera,
but Edison was held by ord©r of court not to be the creator
of the modern moving picture apparatus, — it is a composit
of the work of raany persons, but Edison did fine Avork in
d©v©loping the machin©.
In 1885 Robertson, an American, invented a device for
transmitting handwriting by telegraph. Th©n follow©d a
method of photography by telegraph.
Natural gas was first used for lights in 1820 in Fre
donia, New York, and twenty years later for cooking pur
poses in the country near Pittsburg. In 1886 and ever since
it has been widely used for lighting and heating purposes
far and wide in the United States.
Petroleum oil was discovered about 1865 in Pennsyl
vania, New York, Ohio, and Indiana, and lat©r in other
states. This became the means of Avealth beyond the dr©ams
of avarice, and a source of convenience and comfort beyond
estiraate. The power dam at Keokuk, a mile long and thirty-five
feet high, was finished in 1913. It furnishes electric power
within a radius of one hundred and fifty miles, within which

186 LIPE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
is St. Louis and oth©r cities. About one hundred years after
my fath©r was born Niagara Falls was put into harness to
do man's work. Five miUion tons of Avater rush down this
two hundred feet of fall every hour. This force had been
going to waste for untold ages, as if fiv© million unbridl©d
horses exhausted their strength in ceaseless plunging. Man
has harnessed enough of thes© horses to run the power
houses and street cars in Buffalo, and ultimatelj' in Chicago
and New York City.
The word ga.s Avas coined by Von Oelmont in 1672.
Many persons Avork©d on ra©thods of producing gas from
coal. England seems to have been the first country to us© it,
the London Lyceum Theatre being lighted Avith gas in 1803,
and Arithin th© n©xt flve years gas street lamps were in use.
Acetyline gas was discovered and put in use in 1836, th© gas
b©ing mad© by mixing lime and crushed coal and applying
water. June 30, 1905, lowa passed the flrst pure food law. One
year later Congress passed a national pure food law. Noav
every state in the Union has a pure food laAv, one of the best
reforms of modem times. My soii-in-laAv, J. Raymond Chit-
tick, was th© flrst pure food chemist in loAva, and he and
his brother George H. Chittiek, also mj- son-in-laAv, and
chemist, helped make that department a great success.
In 1856 Organic Chemistrj- Avas first developed. It is
now the largest field of chemistry. At the beginning of th©
great European War Germaiij- and Switzerland had nearlj'
all th© chemists in the Avorld. The Avonderful combination
of gun cotton, nitroglycerin and picric acid in maldng
powerful explosives, has actually developed' the fact that
this war has proven to be a war b©tAv©en gr©at chemists.
About 1860 the first Baking Po'rt'der Avas manufactured,
in Burlington, loAva. Noav it has become one of the greatest
industries of modern times.
Electricity engaged the attention of students and phil
osophers five hundred years before the C'hristian Era. But
not until the Eighteenth Centurj' did th©y raake much prog
ress. In 1752 Franklin performed his famous kite experi-

INVENTIONS AND DISCOVERIES 187
ment. In 1791 Galvani made experiraents with frogs' legs
Avhich led to the discovery of th© galvanic battery.
The study and progress went on. In 1878 Edison
found a crude lighting apparatus travelling around the
comitry Avith a circus, and he set about raaking a machine
that would produce little lights, and a distribution of them
tc people's houses, similar to gas. So he raised a little
money and forra©d th© Edison Electric Light Company.
And the world soon became illuminated by electricity and
the wonder of its power and uses still goes on.
But the story of interesting inventions and discov©ri©s,
in d©tail, Avould fill many large volumes. To the feAv men
tioned above I here append a list of what seem to rae the
raore important ones Avithin the period of tirae covered by
this little book, with a few of earlier date.
Printing press  Gutenberg  1450
Stationary steara engine  James Watt  1769
Cotton gin  Whitney  1793
Cylinder press  Bensley  1812
Photography  Niepce  1824
"  Daguerre  1839
 Archer  1850
Kodak  Eastman  1888
Reaping machine  McCorraack  1831
ScAring raachine  Greenough  1842
Typewriter  Thurber  1843
Telegraph  Mors©  1844
T©lephone  Bell  1876
Wood pulp machine  Keller  1840
Rubber factories  1841
Harvester  Marsh  1858
Elevator in hotels  Tufts  1859
Electric lighted house  Farmer at Newport .... 1859
OU well  G. L. Draper  1859
Ic© machine  Carre (French)  1860
Self wire binding harvester  Lock©  1873
Self cord binding harvester  Gorham  1874
Typesetting machine  Lawston  1887
Air brake  Westinghouse  1869

188 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
Steam elevator  Otis  1870
Block signal  Hull  1871
Rotarj' knitting machine  Lamb  1866
Reinforced concrete  Monin  1867
Pneumatic tube transit  Beach  1866
Arc lights  Thomson Houston . . . 1880
Artificial silk  Chardonctt  1 885
Pneumatic tire  Dunlap  1890
Flying machine  Langly  1898
Graphaphone  Berliner  1887
Submarine torpedo boat  Goubet  1885
Telephon©grapli  Roulson  1898
Cash register  Patterson  1885
Gas mantel  1882
Incandescent lamp  Edison  1880
Talking machine  "  1878
Motion pictures  "  1893
Watch making machine  Bucher  1888
Electric lamp  Brush  1879
Knot tying harvester  Appleby  1880
Water gas  Low©  1875
Barb wire machine  Glidden  1875
Car coupler  Janny  1873
TroUey car  Van d© Po©le  1884
Electric steel  Heroult  1900
Dynamite  Nob©l  1867
Gas engin©  Otto  1877
Smokel©ss powder  Viell©  1886
Mantle burner  Welsbach  1890
Wireless t©l©graphy  Marconi  1895
Ford profit sharing plan .... Henry Ford  1914
SEEKING A AA'ARMER CLIMATE
On February sixth, 1906, Mrs. Clark and I started on a
trip south. We stopped at the famous old Planters House
in St. Louis where we wer© called upon by good friends.
Jly wife had attended school there in her girlhood days
and had many good friends there, among them Judge

SEEKING A WARMER CLIMATE 189
Broadhead's and Gov©rnor Pl©tcher's families. On this
trip she had a delightful visit with Minnie Broadhead and
Ella Fletcher Bartholow. I had a call from Major Murphy
of Murphy's famous battei'y, and Adjutant Bryant, both
old army friends then residing in St. Louis.
We next stopped for a night and day in Memphis,
where we suffered int©ns©ly with cold in a hotel vrithout
heat. We spent two days in Vicksburg, stopping with Col
onel Longly, a member of the Iowa command'ery of the
Loyal Legion and his family. We took great satisfaction
in looking over the National' Park and battlefield and Na
tional C©met©ry, already d©scribed in this sketch.
We then passed on South through Baton Rouge to New
Orl©ans, where we remained for a few weeks. One short
sight seeing trip we took from there is worthy of mention.
We took a state room on a little steamer whos© run took
us up the Mississippi river to the racuth of th© Red River,
thence up that river to the noted Atchafalya Bayou, all of
which rout© I had oft©n taken in my soldier campaigns.
We learned frora the steamboat captain that th© Mississippi
river had attempted to change its channel by ©nt©ring the
Atchafalya and cutting its way through that route to the
Gulf of Mexico, thus leaving Baton Rouge and New Orleans
without a river and ruining aU that old famous region. The
U. S. government put a lot of expert engiii©©rs on th© job,
and at ©normous expens©, by putting a cement and concrete
bottora in the treacherous old bayou, tumed the great river
back into its old channel.
In this work they used convict labor. W© found th©re
a large carap of Louisiana conricts under guard. The sys
tem of handling th© criminals, in raany of th© south©rn
states, is not to shut thera up and feed them in; the peni
tentiaries, but to have them labor on public works of var
ious kinds, Avith a guard to Avatch over them and go from
place to place with them. Thus our boat took a large gang
of convicts and guards from the Atchafalya over to the Mis
sissippi riv©r wh©re they were to work on the levees.
We returned to Ncav Orleans on the day the Mardi
Gras began. This is a wonderful stre©t play imported to

190 LIPE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
New Orl©ans from Franc© in 1857, and which had its origin
in the closing days of th© great Roman Carnival, which
were days of revelry just preceding Lent. On these days
the whole city of New Orleans is turned over to the rule of
Rex, who passes through the streets escorted by his body
guard, the mystic CrcAv of Comus, and various military and
risiting organizations. In the evening occurs th© great
street pageant in which are display©d ©laborat© tableaux,
placed on moving fioats and brilliantly illuminated. These
represent noted scones of history, poetry and fiction, and
are constructed at great expense and vrith artistic elegance.
All the arrangements are under the control of secret
societies, composed of the best known professional and busi
ness men of the city. At the time w© were there the affair
Avas in the hands of the Conius Club celebrating its fiftieth
anniversary, and the Proteus club, celebrating its twenty-
fifth anniversary. These two anniversaries jointly, made
the occasion one of unusual interest, and these two noted,
wealthy societies united in making the display the most
ehtborate and expensive ever held in the city. The fioats
alone must have cost over one hundred thousand dohars,
and were beyond words to describe them. Galveston paid
about fifty thousand dollars for them second hand, not in
cluding the costumes.
The Proteus pageant was given Monday night and the
Coraus Club pageant Tuesdaj' night. The Cleveland Grays,
the finest railitary companj' in the country acted as the
escort of Rex in his landing at the city. Frora our steara
boat we witnessed the arrival and welcorae of Rex and Avere
d©af©n©d by the roar of artillery and the whistles of aU the
steamers at the wharf.
From New Orleans we went to Biloxi, Pass Christian,
Gulf Port, Visited B©au Voir, th© splendid hom© of Jeffer
son Daris which has been converted into a horae for ex-
Confederat© soldiers; also stopped at Mobile, Pensacola,
Jacksonrille, Saint Augustine, Chattanooga, Lookout Moun
tain, Missionary Ridge, Chicago and then home to Des
Moines. In 1908 we took the old Atchison, Topeka, and Santa

SEEKING A WARMER CLIMATE 191
Fe road for California, stopping for a visit with Captain
RockweU and his family in Kansas City. Also at the old
historic toAvn of Santa Fe, Avhieh claims to be th© oldest city
m th© United States. There avc visited many places of inter
est, among them the old state house where Gen. Lcav WaUace
then governor of the territory Avrote Ben Hur. We stopped
at the Grand Canyon of Arizona, and then Los Ang©les and
Southem California where avc spent th© Arint©r in the quaint
little riUage of La JoUa by th© sea.
The next winter, 1909, avc again spent in the South.
One cold night in January, to escape threatened Ulness, 1
left Iowa for the Southland. Some points of historic inter-
©st wer© seen in passing, — St. Louis, that old French city,
the great©st mule market in the Avorld, supplying th© army
and southern plantations ; Chickamauga, Avher© General
Rosecrans lost a great battle Avhich General Thomas recov
ered, thus vrinning his nam© ' ' The Rock of Chickamauga ; ' '
Missionary Ridge, where a great battle was fought and won
by private soldiers Arithout a leader ; Orchard Knob, w-hich
General Grant captured and made his headquarters and
vantage ground for greater victories; Lookout Mountain,
where Hood fought a battle above the clouds ; Atlanta, the
Chicago of the South, where Sherman began his march to
the Sea; Charleston, South Carolina, where Calhoun sowed
the seed of state rights and secession, and wher© Beaure
gard began to haiwest that fatal crop of war and death bj-
firing on Fort Sumpter; Savannah, Georgia, wh©re Sh©r-
man ended his raarch to the sea, and wher© G©neral Ogle-
thorp founded a colony of English bankrupts and named
the stat© for his king; Jacksonville, burned to ashes a fcAv
years ago, but now the largest and finest city in Florida;
St. Augustine, the oldest citj- in the United States, where
Ponce de Leon sought th© etci-nal fountain of youth.
Frora ther© we passed on down the coast and out to
sea on Henry M. Flagler's railroad, alr©ady built into tid©-
wat©r out of sight of the raain land. Th©nce by steamship
from Knight's Key across that mysterious Gulf Stream
whose h©at©d curr©nt controls the climate of two continents ;
landing in Havana, Cuba, where Colurabus established his

192 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
early headquarters and where his bones reposed for a hun
dred years ; and where, ' ' lest we forget, ' ' the wreck of th©
battl©ship Main© stood out so long conspicuous in the center
of Havana's splendid harbor.
Then back to southern Plorida, wher© my wife, daugh
ter Helen and myself took a "wee bit cottage" in West
Palm Beach and lived the simple life, thus passing three
months of Arinter in the raidst of sumraer warrath and trop
ical v©g©tatioii and fruits. But I want to say that I come
home Avith the settled conriction that Iowa is the best place
on earth, and that Iowa people should be contented and
happy. The following Avinter, 1909-1910, having sampled many
southern climates, we decided that Southern California
pl©as©d us best. W© retumed to La JoUa, th© most charm
ing spot on the Pacific coast. We rented a cosy littl© fur-
nish©d bungaloAV of Miss Virginia Scripps. A custora of
this place is to giv© names to the dAvellings instead of street
numbers. Our rented cottage was named The Redwood, on
Connecticut street, fronting north and the living roora
which ran the full length of the hous© in front, was all Arin
dows. We were satisfied that we would want to raake La JoUa
our Avinter home. So before leaving for Des Moines in th©
spring of 1910 we bought two beautiful lots across the
street from the Redwood at th© corner of Connecticut and
Eads streets fronting th© pretty Episcopal church of "St.
James by the Sea." On the rear end of these lots was a
sraall house.
Aft©r we had returned to Des Jloines in 1910 I sold
my holdings in the Anchor Pire Insurance Company and
retired from active business.
Wh©n we returned to La JoUa in th© fall, we went into
our own littl© house and at onee set about building a com
fortable, attractive California bungalow on the front of our
lot facing the little church and the sea. Our new home
cottag© wh©n complet©d Avas verj- prettj' and attracted
much admiration. W© moved in and greatlj' enjoyed
the villa Arden until the next summer, when we re-

LA JOLLA 193
turned to our home, Sunnyside, in the Oak Park Avoods
in Des Moines. Then for two more years w© spent the
Avinters in La JoUa and the sumra©rs in Des Moines.
In th© summ©r of 1914 I platted ten acres of my land
around Sunnyside, and sold th© home and three lots to
Dr. Geo. P. MagiU, President of Highland Park CoUege,
and we moved to La JoUa and took up our permanent home
and citizenship in California, Avhere all th© faniily includ
ing my wif© and daught©r vot©.
LA JOLLA
La JoUa, although a suburb and fifteen miks out, is a
part of San Diego. It is up the coast to the north, on the
auto road to Los Angeles. It has its OAvn post office and
city library. Its beach and sea frontage are said to be rhe
most attractive stretch of coast line on the Pacific. It is
a clean, wholesome attractive place with a permanent resi
dence population of about two thousand. A large percent
age of the residents ar© i'©tired, persons of education and
r©finem©nt, retired educators, laAvj'crs, physicians and edit
ors; ther© ar© also many AvidoAvs and spinstors. The so
ciety is choice and social life is attractive.
It is a popular resort in both summer and Arinter for
tourists of a desirable class seeking quiet and rest, The
tourists about double the population. The cl9,ss of tourists
may be judged when it is kiioAvn that John Burroughs,
the naturalist, Georg© McDonald of th© Tomonto Globe,
William Allen White, author of A Certain Rich Man, and
many authors, editors, lecturers and artists ar© among those
who com© and rent furnished bungaloAvs and staj- for
months. Th© climat© is unsurpassed in the world, the win
ters raild and the summ©rs cool. Sea bathing is alAvays fin©
and is much enjoyed th© j'©ar around. Pish are abundant
and catching them is great sport.
The Union Congregational Church has just constructed
an attractive concrete fire proof building, and has installed
J. Spenser Voorhees of Massachusetts as pastor. Rev. Mr.
Birchby, until recently pastor of the Presbyterian church,

194 LIFE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
and his wif©, splendid people, still liv© in their La JoUa
home. Miss Ellen Scripps has been a great factor in making
La JoUa attractive. She came to this place some years ago
and established a fine home surrounded by larg© grounds
with floAVers, shrubberj-, walks and drives, overlooking the
sea. Her sister, Virginia, furnished the ground and Miss
EUen er©cted a large concrete school building for girls and
gave it to the Episcopal church. It is called' the ' ' Bishop 's
School on the Scripps Pomidation. ' ' This has become popu
lar and Avell patroniz©d and she is now adding oth©r build
ings to meet the increased demand for room.
She next constructed a large college building foi'
scientiflc work, called the ' ' Scripps Institut© for Biological
Research," Avhich sh© gave to the Stat© University, which
is noAv in charge of Doctor William E. Ritter, a noted sci
ence teacher of Berkley.
Miss Scripps next constructed a building for the
Woman's Club, a larg© fine concrete club house, and pre
sented it to the Woman's Club of La JoUa. Mrs. Ritter,
Arife of Dr. Ritter, is the very efficient President of the club,
and my daughter Helen is the Vice-President.
The croAvning contribution of Miss Scripps to her home
town Avas the furnishing of large space and constructing
and equipping the completest plaj- grounds in the United
States, upon whicii is a splendid, Avell arranged Conmiunitj'
House all free for the citizens and risitors in La JoUa.
These muniflcent gifts of Miss EUen Scripps for the
public utilitj^ and blessing and betterment of the race must
have cost little less than a million dollars, and haA-e avoii for
her the deserved title of Patron Saint of La JoUa.
One of the most significant occasions CA-er held in La
JoUa was the dedication of the new librarj- — museuin build
ing and Avharf at the Biological Institution on AVednesday
afternoon, Aug. 9, 1916.
The significance laj- not alone in the material structure
added to the Biological Colonj', but in their relation to the
future of science, to the Avidcr fields of invcstigaTicn, th©
broad©ned and extended scope of scientific Avork that these

LA JOLLA 195
structures render possible. AVhat they Avill mean to th©
world twenty-five years hence no one would dare prophecy.
Before the hour set for the exercises, the auditorium
was filled, ©v©n to standing room and a hundred or mor©
gu©sts had to content themselves Avith vicAving th© mus©um,
acquarium and Avharf .
_ Pr©sid©nt B©iijainin Ide Wheeler of the University of
Califomia presided at the meeting, and in his remarks em
phasized the fact that this institution though somewhat re-
mot© in distance from the central plant of the University,
is an integral part of it. He also made elear the relation
existing betAveen a modeim university and such research
institutions. Academic training, mere scholasticism, no
longer constitute a real uniA-crsity. It must hav© d©part-
m©nts for creating knoAvledgc, for adding to th© v/orid's
stor© of information in everj- possible branch.
All industrial interests, commerce, governments, CA'ery-
thing, must finally turn to th© trained experts who can delve
into th© secrets of nature and solve hei' raysteries. And
these trained experts must have places to work, the neces
sary ©quipm©iit, and th© funds to carrj- cn their investi
gations. Of on© of the great institutions of which the world will
be proud thru all coming generations. La JoUa bids fair to
be possessor, — in that the Scripps Institution for Biological
Research is located within her borders.
Dr. David Starr Jordan, Chancellor Meritus of L©land
Stanford Jr. UniA'crsity spoke in his usual emphatic manner
on the training of naturalists. He illustrated his remarks
by picturing what would b© necessarj- in the making of a
DarAvin. First there raust be the raAv material, a germ-cell
that could produce the peculiar quality of mind that Danvin
possessed. England had developed on© .such germ cell, one
Darwin. Then, given th© necessary quality of raaterial,
there raust be provided the ©nvironnieiit in Avhich such a
raind ean b© trained.
Prof©ssor D. T. MacDougal, of the Departraent of
Botany of th© Cam©gie Institution of Washington next
spoke on R©s©arch Institutions, their methods, their opera-

196 LIPE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
tions and the men who can make their productions. As Dr.
MacDougal is director of the Cai-negi© Desert Botanical In
stitution situated in Arizona (yet belonging to Washington,!
h© could speak f©©liiigly on the iioed and the results of such
institutions and their relations to other branches of learn
ing. Dr. George Herb©rt Park©r, professor of zoology of
Harvard University, gave a most int©r©sting account on
nervous system in animal life. Dr. Parker has been working
on this interesting subject for years and came to the Scripps
Institution to prosecute his investigations on certain lowly
animal forms found in this vicinity.
He showed very clearly that the central nerve mass, the
brain, is the seat of all s©nsations and emotions. Love is
not felt in the heart nor pain in the skin, but both are
reflected outward from th© cortex of th© brain. It was also
demonstrated that th© brain is th© last portion of the ner
vous system to be ©A'olved. In the simplest aniraals there is
no brain. The beginning of sensation seems to be a muscular
sense which is developed to meet th© need of the animal.
Later come sens© organs, and last of all the brain.
In introducing Professor Ritter, Director of th© Scripps
Institution and its originator. President Whjeel©r referred
to his score and more years of patient endeavor in building
a dream into this reality. H© spok© of Professor Bitter as
a man Avith a vision, and a smile. The greater th© obstacles
encountered, the deeper the smile, until flnally all obstacles
had been overcome to the ©xt©iit that th© vision could to-daj'
b© d©dicated in concrete buildings and wharf, with already a
vast amount of scientiflc results to the credit of the Insti
tution. Professor Ritter gav© a brief outline of what the
Scripps Institution is trying to do. He aimed to show its
spirit, rather than actual work going on, and th© breadth of
its understandings as well as its intensive efforts. He stated
that in the study of th© efl'ects of enrironment on h©redity,
the whol© stat© of California is th© present ' ' labor-Btornium
being used ' ' and that it is likely to be extended into Mexico
and Alaska. He also showed that in solving the problems

APTER SIXTY-ONE YEARS 197
of the life of sea-animals, a high poAver boat is as necessary
as a high power microscope. His chief endeavor Avas to
show that the researches of such an institution are related to
the welfare of mankind in general, and that pure science
and applied science are not at war but mutually independ
ent. He appealed for intelligent interest in the work of the
Institution on the part of the coraraunity, th© public at
large, and th© state.
Bishop Johnson opened and closed the exercises by in
voking the help of the God of Nature upon these efforts to
better understand a part of the laws of His miiverse.
Those on the platfoi'm, besides the speakers were Dr.
W. W. Campbell, Director of the Lick Astronomical Ob
servatory, and president of the American Association, for
the Advancement of Science; and th© chief donors. Miss
Ellen BroAvning Scripps and Jlr. W. E. Scripps.
In closing Pr©sid©nt Wheeler paid an eloquent tribut©
to Miss Scripps, the little woman whost great love for truth,
faith in human-kind, and hope for a better understanding of
th© relation between the things about us, and the "God of
things as they are," has mad© this Institution and what it
stands for, possibl©. AFTER SIXTY-ONE YEARS
On the tw©nty-fourth day of August, 1916, just sixty-
on© years frora th© day we left the old horae in Johnson
County, Indiana, and a few days before this book went to
press, I retumed to the old place to look agaiii on th© scenes
of my childhood, that had groAvn so dear and precious in
th© long m©raori©s of thos© three score years. A n©ph©w,
one of the later generation, took the party from Shelbyrille,
not in an old' lumber wagon such as I had last travelled those
muddy roads Avith, but in a swift running Intcr-Stat© auto
ov©r a flnished pike highway. We passed the old grist raill
where sixty-flve years before I had ridden Old Peggy on a
sack of com to be ground, as told in the earlier pages of this
story. Then on to Clarksburg, where we found and picked

198 LIPE IN THE MIDDLE WEST
up Jim Tom Kinnick, a cousin Arith whom as a boy I had
lived and worked and played until the time of learing that
localitj'. H© shoAved us the old haunts and places, now changed
alraost beyond r©cognition. Th© old church was r©placed by
a n©Av one. We saw the old home of Aunt Jane Parmer,
now in ruins; the spot Avhere his mother. Aunt Sally Kin-
nick, lived ; and th©n my own old home. Th© old log hous©
was gon©, but the cellar Avhere my father stored his apples
and barrels of cider was still there. And also th© old well,
over which the long Avell SAveep swung so many years. And
by it the stump of the large locust tree that shaded the
whol© place. The flne large orchard Avas all gon© except the
wreck and ruin of one old sweet June tree, with a f ©w leaves
and one apple on it. Cousin Jim Tom got that apple for mc,
the last one on the last tre© of th© dear old orchard.
"Ifl should live to be the last leaf on the tr©©,
In the Spring,
Let them smil© as I do now.
At th© old forsaken bough.
Where I cling. ' '
We then went to th© little cem©t©ry on the farm wli©re
my two grandmothers, two littl© sist©rs and many old
fri©nds and neighbors hav© long rested in peace. Then on
by th© school hous© Avhich my father built on another corner
of the farm. And after meeting many of my cousins and
early day friends, whom I remembered and AA'ho gre©t©d me
Arith a glad welcome, I closed a day full of sensations of dear
memories of. happy childhood days, and sadness at th©
changes and ravages of time.
At the time I am closing this record I have four grand
children. My oldest daughter, Laura, raan-ied Prof. J. Raj'-
mond Chittiek, and they have a littl© girl Raj'mona, five
years old. Mj' youngest daughter, Mabel, niarri©d Georg©
H. Chittiek, brother of Prof. Chittiek. They hav© a litti©
daughter, Helen Louise, nearly tAVo years old. My oldest
son, Glemi, married Louis© Miles. They have a little girl

APTER SIXTY-ONE YEARS 199
named Helen Maj', only a few months old. My yomigest
son, Morton, married Ruth Jliller. Their littl© six months'
old daughter is named Ruth Elizabeth. The grandmother
and I are proud and happy to b© the ancestors of thes© sweet
and charming little girls, who in time, it is hoped, will in
turn found hora©s.
I ara closing this sketch at seventj'-five, but I ara not
adraitting that ray work is finished. I ara still in full rigor,
and ©xp©ct to live and enjoy life for many years. A skilful
physician has recently examined raj- heart and arterial sj's
tem, and informs me that by that test 1 am fifteen years
younger than ray years would indicate. The Psalmist's
estimate may have been reasonable for his time, but since
that day th© average term of human life has been greatly
prolonged. Master pieces are now frequently produced by
persons over .s©venty. I firmly believ© that hy prop©r diet
and faithful attention to bodily exercise, as many may hve
to one hundred years as did to seventy v/hen I was bom.
Ther© are now living in the U. S. 30,000 persons over 80, and
6,000 over 100.

THE END.

AN APPENDIX
GE>ERAL NATHANIEL LTON AND THE FIGHT FOR MISSOURI
Delivered before The Iowa Loyal Legion Commandery
The state of Missouri at the time of Lincoln's first election
was a border slave state, bounded on three sides by free common
wealths. The government of Missouri was in the hands of pro
nounced secessionists. Governor Claiborne Fox Jackson was an
astute and powerful political leader of his party. Lieutenant
Governor Thomas C. Reynolds was a zealous and able assistant.
The Missouri legislature met December 31, 1860, and, dominated
by these leaders, passed laws placing the police power in St.
Louis in the hands of the governor, and provided for a convention
which was expected to take the state out of the union.
Thus it was that in the early days of 1861, when slave states
were rivaling each other in their zeal to enter the southern con
federacy, Missouri was seeking to take her place with the South.
Governor Jackson was a rebel from the start. He was backed
by all the official machinery of the state. Jefferson Davia and
his counselors were co-operating. Confederate troops were en
listed, camps were established, artillery was shipped from New
Orleans, and small arms and ammunition from the government
arsenal at Baton Rouge. St. Louis, an old, rich, slave-holding
community, gave its powerful influence to these early secession
measures. At this period, the military department of the west, embrac
ing all the country between the Mississippi and the Rocky Moun
tains, except Utah, was under the command of Brigadier Gen
eral W. S. Harney, with headquarters at St. Louis. Harney was
a southerner by birth, and associated by ties of blood and friend
ship with the southerners. While he was loyal and brave, he
was deceived and lured into inactivity by the craft and fair pro
fessions of his secession friends, who were planning to capture
the St. Louis arsenal and get control of the government property.
The loyal people saw the peril of the situation and their help
lessness, and appealed to the secretary of war, Simon Cameron,
to replace Harney with a commander who would fully grasp
the situation. Forty-three years before the period referred to, on a fine
day in July (July 14, 1819) was born in the village of Ashford,
200

Conuecticut, near the grave of General Putnam, a very small
red-headed boy, whose mission in life was to meet these condi
tions in Missouri.
Nathaniel Lyon graduated from the Military School at West
Point In the class of 1841. In that class were Buel, Longstreet,
Grant, Steele, Buckner, Hardie and Hancock, and Lyon took rank
above all these in college honors. He entered the army at once
and pursued the vocation of the soldier with an ardor and devo
tion peculiar to his nature. He took part in all the active oper
ations of the federal arms from 1841 until his death. He won a
brevetcy at Cherubusco, and was wounded in the assault on the
City of Mexico.
Nathaniel Lyon came of an iron race; he was a descendant
from Thomas Lyon, Eighth Lord Glamis, of Scotland, in the
sixteenth century, and was grand-nephew of Thomas Knowlton,
who commanded the Ainerican right wing at the battle of Bunker
Hill. He was a deep thinker and a profound student of the
foundation principles and growth of our government. He pub
lished, in 1860, a series ot articles masterful and clear in their
analysis of the powers and duties of the United States in the
face of threatened rebellion. As a spldier, he was alert, vigilant
and untiring; without wife or family, he gave his affections to
his country, and took her for his bride. As an evidence of this
great love, it is stated that he bequeathed his fortune, $30,000
to be used by the government in putting down the rebeUion.
He was a man of keen intellect, and a close observer of
current events — one of the few who believed the civil war was
coming, and who wanted it to come. He hated slavery, and the
doctrine of disunion, and his intense nature led him to hate, per
sonally, those who advocated these fallacies. He had abiding
faith in the ultimate triumph of freedom, and free government.
To him that cause was the holiest for which man ever engaged
in battle. The government on whose side he was arrayed, was
the work of the good men of all ages. It had grown out of the
blood of martyrs, the fires of persecution and the courage and
valor of nearer ancestry. To him this union was "The Ark of
tho Covenant." He was therefore ready for the struggle and
impatient of the delay of the government in meeting the strong
combinations so rapidly made in Missouri and elsewhere. It was
well for Charleston that Port Sumpter was not commanded by
201

Nathaniel Lyon. General Sherman said, "Lyon was the first man
in this country that seized the whole question and took the in
itiative, and determined to strike a blow and not wait for the bloAV
to be struck." Had he lived, he would have been the Stonewall
Jackson of the union army, if not the highest general, next to the
Commander-in chief.
When Lincoln was flrst inaugurated, Lyon said, "If Mr.
Lincoln does one tithe of his duty, as he promised, we must have
hostilities with the south. I do not see how war is to be avoided.
Under quack management, it may be long and bloody, yet I have
no apprehensions about the flnal triumph of Almighty Truth,
though at the cost of many unnecessary sacrifices. But let them
come; I would rather see the country lighted up with flames
from' its center to its remotest borders, than that the great rights
and hopes of the human race should expire before the arrogance
of secessionists. Of this, however, there is no danger. They are
at war with nature and the human heart."
William A. Hammond, Surgeon General during the Civil war,
served on the western frontier with Lyon in the Second United
States Infantry, one being a captain and the other surgeon of
that regiment, and were close and intimate friends in those ex
citing ante-bellum days. The great Surgeon GeneraJ, shortly be
fore his death, wrote a paper entitled "Recollections of General
Nathaniel Lyon," which was published after his death in the July,
1900, number of the "Annals of Iowa," at Des Moines. A few
sentences from that paper will give his estimate of the character
of our hero.
"Though he and I differed on many points, we were more
intimate than any other two offlcers of the large Garrison of Fort
Riley. In some respects it was a most remarkable friendship;
we had been differently educated, and there was scarcely a sub
ject in politics, science, religion or social matters upon which
differences existed, that we did not differ.
"The chief mental characteristics of Lyon as I knew him a
few years before thCi civil war, in which he lost his life, were
intensity and conscientiousness. Whatever he felt he felt with
a force that carried everything before it. At the same time he
was possessed of as tender a heart as ever beat in a man's breast.
"He was especially kind to children and animals. I have
often witnessed him get intensely angry at some teamster who
202

was maltreating a horse or mule. On one occasion he took from
the hand of a man the whip with wliich he was belaboring a mule
about the head, and laid it over the fellow's shoulders till he
shrieked for mercy. Upon another occasion he made a man
employed in the quartermaster's department go doAvn on his
knees to a dog he had been unmercifully beating, humbly beg the
dog's pardon and promise not to do so again. In quickness of
perception, indomitable energy, and the most unflinching courage
no man living or dead ever surpassed him."
In April, 1861, Lyon was a captain of Company B, Second
U. S. Infantry, in command of the arsenal at St. Louis, with a
little handful of men. General Sherman speaks of visiting Cap
tain Lyon at the arsenal about this time, and characterizes him
as "a man of vehement purposes and determined action."
Captain Lyon thus found himself at the beginning of the
great struggle in a critical situation; suri'ounded by powerful
adverse combinations, and an onward sweep of secession senti
ment and influence almost resistless.
He was entirely alone with this responsibility. It is true
that Frank P. Blair, James 0. Broadhead, 0. D. Filley and some
other Unionists, perceiving that Lyon was the man for the emer
gency, backed him with their political influence. Yet there was
no one near to consult on his duties as a soldier and commander
in that dark hour.
Without hesitation or delay he took the aggressive, and at
once began a series of movements and strategic military oper
ations, so rapid and daring as to bewilder and almost paralyze
the enemy. He captured Camp Jackson so quickly that General
Frost, a West Point graduate in command, hardly knew what had
happened, and in his humiliation and embarassment, published a
long protest against such rude treatment. Lyon did not give him
an opportunity to flre his big guns just received from New
Orleans. Gen. Sherman in his Memoirs, gives the following incident
of this day. He was living in St. Louis with his family at the
time, not yet having entered the service. He says: "Miss Eliza
Dean, who lived opposite us, called me across the street, told me
her brother-in-law. Dr. Scott, was a surgeon in Frost's camp, and
she was dreadfully afraid he would be killed. I reasoned with
her that General Lyon was a regular offlcer; that if he had gone
203

out as reported, to Camp Jackson, he would take with him such
a force as would make resistance impossible; but she would not
be comforted, saying that the camp was made up of young men
from the first families of St. Louis; that they were proud and
would fight. I explained that young men of the best families
did not like to be killed any better than ordinary people. Edging
gradually up street, I was in Olive street near Twelfth, when 1
saw a man running from the direction of Camp Jackson at full
speed, calling as he went, "They've surrendered, they've surrend
ered." So I turned back and rang the bell at Mrs. Dean's. Eliza
came to the dooi' and I explaned what I had heard, but she an-
grilly slammed the door in my face. Evidently she was disap
pointed to find she was mistaken in her estimate of the rash
courage of the best families." This was Friday, May 10th, mem
orable as being the day on which the flrst blow was struck by
federal troops in the west against the gigantic front of unjustifi
able rebellion.
It is a noteworthy fact that both Grant and Sherman, un
known to each other, were in St. Louis as civilians the day
Camp Jackson was taken, and both give incidents of the day in
their Memoirs. Grant says: "There was a considerable force of
state militia at Camp Jackson. There can be but little doubt
that it was the design of Governor Jackson to have these troops
ready to seize the United States arsenal in the city of St. Louis.
Why they did not do .=o I do not know. There w-as but a small
garrison, two companies I think, under Captain N. Lyon, at the
arsenal. Camp Jackson surrendered without a fight, and the gar
rison was marched down to the arsenal as prisoners of war. Up
to this time the enemies of the government in St. Louis had been
bold and defiant, while the Union men were quiet but determined.
The enemies had their headquarters in a central and public po
sition (in the Berthold mansion) on Pine street near Fifth, from
which the Rebel fla^ was flaunted boldly. The Union men did
not dare to show their flag. As soon as the news of the
capture of Camp Jackson reached the city, the condition of
things changed. The secessionists became quiet, but fllled
with suppressed rage. The Union men ordered the rebel flag
taken down from the building on Pine street. The command
was given in tones of authority, and it was taken down, never to
be raised again in St. Louis. I witnessed the scene."
204

The capture of Camp Jackson caused excitement and con
sternation throughout the state, and Jefferson City, where the
legialature was in session, was a pandemonium. The legislature
adjourned without ceremony, members not taking time to draw
their salaries, and the state officials dispersed never to meet
again. Having captured the organized forces in St. Louis, with all
their arms and ammunition, Lyon turned his attention to the in
terior and remote regions of Missouri. The most urgent dispatch
was necessary in view of the fact that Governor' Jackson on the
l2th of June, issued a proclamation calling for 50,000 men, and
forces were rapidly aassembling and being drilled and equipped
to fill this call.
An event that occurred about this time will throw much light
on the character of General Lyon. Harney had just been removed
the second time, and Lyon placed in command. Jackson and
Price, knowing a more vigorous policy would be pursued, sought
an interview with Lyon, hoping to hoodwink him as they did
Harney, (who had agreed to let them alone), or, failing in that,
at least to ascertain his plans. It is this meeting that is referred
to in the following incident:
A well known man in New York is Col. Thomas L. Snead, a
native of Richmond, Va., who was a member of the confederate
congress, and at the same time a colonel in the fleld. Colonel
Snead was on Price's staff' at Wilson's Creek, and knew the great
leaders of both sides of the war. A gentleman recently said to
him, "Whom do you regard as the greatest man you ever saw in
all that war period?"
"Captain Nathaniel Lyon," said Snead. "He was the greatest
man I ever saw in my life. I met him on three occasions, at the
conference between the Missouri state authorities and himself;
on the battlefleld of Wilson's creek; and when I laid him in the
grave. All these happened in the space of about three months.
I buried him by instructions from GeneraJ Price, and I said to
myself when I put him in the ground, "that is the greatest en
thusiast I ever saw and the greatest man."
Mr. Snead was asked for an estimate of Lyon's character.
He said : "The impression he made on me was derived from being
present at the Planters' house, St. Louis, when Lyon, Frank Blair
and Lyon's offlcer, Conant, met by appointment with Governor
205

Jackson, Gen. Sterling Price, and myself. I am the only survivor
and living witness of that scene in June, 1861. Lyon was a little
red-headed captain of infantry, stiff, precise, unbending. General
Price was an old and high officer of the Mexican war, had been
governor of the state, and was one of the best politicians we had.
"Claib" Jackson was one of the best politicians in the country.
Frank Blair, though rather narrower in qualities than these, was
a very expert manipulator of men. Price had been a union man •
in the constitutional convention, but after the capture of Camp
Jackson, went the other way and joined the governor at Jefferson
City. Rising in a stiff, stern way, Lyon said, — "Governor, Mr.
Blair on this occasion will represent my government, whose
confidence he possesses in an eminent degree, and of whose in
tentions he is informed." Frank Blair then stood in to urge the
Union cause, but before he had gone any considerable distance,
Lyon seeing that he was playing the politician and not the man,
interfered. He took the conversation up, and I never in my life
saw such an exhibition of pluck, honesty, coolness and statesman
ship. These old politicians were turned about and confounded;
he never lost his temper, and was grave and cold as death. The
others wanted no invasion of Missouri by the union troops, and
a sort of neutrality. At the last, rising stiffly, Lyon said, "Before
I will consent, sir, that my government shall agree not to march
into your state, flght in your state, and be in every respect the
government in your state, I will see you, sir," — he put his fore-
flnger against Jackson's breast, "and you," — touching old General
Price, "and you," — to Blair — "and you, and you," turning to my
self and Conant, "or myself," said he, without a particle of brav
ado, but with a measured coolness and honesty, which carried
the deadliest meaning, — "I will see you all under the sod. This
means war. Governor Jackson."
"He then took his watch out of his pocket, and said, "You
will be allowed time to eat your dinner, which I have ordered
for you. There will be a carriage at this door of the hotel to take
you to the train. You will be allowed time to eat your dinner and
reach the train." Without bowing himself out, he left the room,
his spurs ringing on the floor, and if we had not hastened out of
town and burned the bridges behind us, he would have caught us
that night. He was right after us, raced us out of Jefferson City,
kept to us till he saw he was overpowered, and then he died like
a man." 206

Lyon sent a part of his small army, the regiments of Sigel,
Salamon, and B. Gratz Brown, to the southwest to meet forces
under McCulloch and Price, who were aproaching in that quar
ter with troops from Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. He pro
ceeded with other troops under his immediate command, to Jef
ferson City, where Governor Jackson was collecting an army.
With Camp Jackson fresh in mind, and knowing the man who was
after them, this new encampment was abandoned at Lyon's ap
proach and its forces moved farther up the river, and joined the
troops under Marmaduke in a strong position at Booneville.
Leaving a small force at Jefferson City to hold the capital, Lyon
pushed on with the remainder to Booneville, where, after a sharp
flght, he routed Marmaduke and Jackson, and dispersed a large
demoralized army of the enemy .
Insignificant as these operations seem they were the con
summation of a well-conceived campaign. The capture of Camp
Jackson had disarmed the state, and compelled the loyalty of St.
Louis and all the adjacent counties. The advance upon Jefferson
City had put the state government to flight, and taken away from
it that prestige which gives force to established authority.
Lyon next moved rapidly to the south, and July 13th made a
junction of his scattered forces at Springfleld, Missouri. He had
divulged to the safety committee in St. Louis, before he left, his
plan for making Springfleld the out-post of St. Louis in case of
imminent peril from the rebels in the state.
He had at this time, all told, 5,868 men, brigaded as follows:
First Brigade — Major S. P. Sturgis  884
Second Brigade — Col. Frantz Sigel  1420
Third Brigade — Lieut. Col. G. L. Andrews  1264
Fourth Brigade— Col. Geo. AV. Deitzler  2300
Grand total  5868
Many of these Avere sick and unfit for duty; and the term of
enlistment of the three month's men was expiring, and some of
them were leaving for home.
Lyon's impetuous, courageous soul led him to go forward
unmindful of danger, relying upon the government in whose
behalf he was making this heroic effort. He had kept the govern
ment at Washington, and Fremont, the new department com
mander at St. Louis, informed of his movements ; had made urgent
207

calls for provisions, clothing and reinforcements, and was in
great need of all of these. Messenger after messenger was dis
patched to St. Louis to represent in person the desperate straits
of the brave band that held the key to Missouri. Gen. Wherry, of
Lyon's staff, says:
"In vain they applied at the portals of the Brant mansion,
where the commanding general kept his state surrounded by
foreign adventurers and flunkies, and military dalgettys from
every clime. Chiefs-of-staff, Adlatus to the chief-of-staff, and
aids-de-camp, barred the way.' '
And time with rapid flight, was making Lyon weaker and
weaker, and the enemy stronger and stronger. He waited a few
days in suspense, expecting daily and hourly, some assurance of
supplies and troops. During these days the enemy was rapidly
increasing in his front.
On the evening of the Sth of August, 1861, General Lyon
called a council of war composed of the principal officers of his
command. He said in the presence of the council: "Gentlemen,
there is no prospect of our being reinforced at this' point; our
supply of provisions is running short; there is a superior force
in front, and it is reported that Hardie is marching with 9,000
men to cut our line of communication. It ia evident we must re
treat. The question arises, what is the best method of doing it.
Shall we try to retreat without giving the enemy battle before
hand, and run the risk of havingi to fight every inch along the
line of our retreat; or shall we attack him in his position, and
endeavor to hurt him so that he cannot follow us ? I am decidedly
in favor of the latter plan. I propose to march this evening Avith
all our available force, leaving only a small guard to protect the
property which will be left behind and, marching by the Fayette
ville road, throw our whole force on him at once and endeavor to
rout him before he can recover from his surprise."
This bold, well-planned maneuver, was carried out the fol
lowing night, August the 9th.
Lyon's military sagacity was unerring as instinct. He was
quick to comprehend a danger, swift to form and execute a plan
to meet it.
The little army of men that marched out of Springfield that
dark night, the 9th of August, in silence, with army blankets
wrapped around their cannon wheels to prevent noise, and gunny-
208

sacks on the horses' feet, were weak and hungry and almost
naked. But it may be said, without offense, that there never were
in a like number of troops going into battle more men of a high
order of military talent and ability; more men of general intelli
gence, of education, of learning in all departments of knowledge.
President Lincoln, in a message July 4th, 1861, said: "So
large an army as the govermnet has now on foot, was never
known without a soldier in it but who has taken his place there
of his own free choice. But more than this, there are many single
regiments whose members, one and another, possess full practical
knowledge of all the arts, sciences, professions, and whatever
else, whether useful or elegant, is known in the whole world, and
there is scarcely one from which could not be selected a presi
dent, a cabinet, a congress, and perhaps a court, abundantly com
petent to administer the government itself."
Each regiment in Lyon's command was a conspicuous ex
ample of Mr. Lincoln's statement. In the ranks, with muskets
in their hands, were scholars, classical students, men of high
standing in all the learned professions. The rush to get into
these regiments was so great that in many instances social and
family influence was used to obtain admission, even as a private
soldier. Secretary Seward said the job would last only ninety
daya and the boya all wanted to get into the service fearing it
would be the only chance; and they worked the wires as many
do who want to be made delegates to state or national conven
tions, or get into congress or some other office. The companies
were full to overflowing, and therefore many were rejected, and
the rule of the survival of the fittest applied, until the companies
were made up of picked men of superior physical and mental ex
cellence. As to military talent in that little army, — there was flrst and
formost. Brigadier General Lyon, only just promoted from the
rank of Captain, — scholarly, strategic, matchless.
Gen. Franz Sigel, then Colonel of the Third Missouri Infantry.
Gen. Geo. L. Andrews, then Lieutenant-Colonel of the First
Missouri Infantry.
Gen. J. M. Schofleld, then Major of the First Missouri In
fantry. Gen. S. P. Sturgis, then Major of the First U. S. Cavalry.
Gen. E. A. Carr, then Major of the First U. S. Cavalry.
209

Gen. James Totten, then Captain of the Second U. S. Artillery.
Gen. J. B. Plummer, then Captain of the First U. S. Infantry.
Gen. Gordon Granger, then Captain of the Mounted Rifles.
Gen. Peter J. Osterhaus, then Captain of the Second Missouri
Infantry .
Gen. Thos. W. Sweeney, then Captain of the Second U. S. In
fantry. Gen. D. S. Stanley, then Lieutenant of the First U. S. Cavalry.
Gen. F. J. Herron, then Captain of the First lowa.*
*Gen. Frank J. Herron. at the beginning of the war, was 'a
banker in Dubuque. He was captain of the "Governor's Grays,"
one of the finest equipped military companies in lowa.
This company Herron tendered to the general government in
January, 1861, which tender was forwarded by Governor Kirk
wood in the following letter to the Secretary of War.
Executive Office, lowa, January 24, 1861.
Honorable Joseph Holt, Secretary of War, Washington, D. C.
Sir: — I have the honor to enclose a letter tendering to the
President the services of the Governor's Greys, a military com
pany at Dubuque, in this state. The services of other military
companies have been tendered directly to me.
While I deeply regret that the perils to which the Union of
the States is exposed arise from domestic, not foreign foes, I feel
a great, and I think an honest pride, in the knowledge that the
people of lowa are possessed of an unyielding devotion to the
Union, and of a flxed determination that so far as on them de
pends, it shall be preserved. Very respectfully, Samuel J. Kirkwood.
General Geo. A. Stone's company, the Mount Pleasant Greys,
was offered about the same time, and this no doubt is one of those
referred to by Governor Kirkwood in the foregoing letter.
The Mount Pleasant Greys entered the First Iowa as Com
pany F.
Captain Herron took the Governor's Greys into the First lowa
as Company I of that regiment and led them with conspicuous
bravery at the battle of Wilson's Creek. He was soon after made
lieutenant-colonel of the Ninth Iowa, and for gallantry at the
battle of Pea Ridge (March 6, 7, 8, 1862), where he was wounded
and taken prisoner, he was made brigadier-general, and within
the year, for great courage and military skill at Prairie Grove,
was made major-general.
He was Iowa's youngest major-general and the second one
of that rank from the state. He was the only Iowa soldier ap
pointed to the rank of brigadier-general from that of lieutenant-
colonel. General Herron is still living, and in business in New York
City. 210

Gen. C. L. Matthies, then Captain of the First lowa.f
Gen. Geo. A. Stone, then Lieutenant of the First Iowa.
Gen. Geo. W. Deitzler, then Colonel of the First Kansas In
fantry. tGeneral C. L. Matthies was a character of great force and
interest in the war history of Iowa. He was born in Bromberg,
Prussia, May 31, 1824. His father, a rich farmer, sent him to the
University of Halle, where he received a thorough military edu
cation. He Avon a commission in the German Army by his good
conduct and gallantry.
He came to America in 1849 and located in Burlington, Iowa.
He organized the "Burlington Rifles," composed exclusively of his
own countrymen .
These stalwart Germans under Captain Matthies' superior
skill became one of the flnest companies in the state. This com
mand was offered to the governor among the flrst. Captain Mat
thies' lettter is missing from the official flies. Governor KirJc-
wood's reply was as follows:
Executive Office, Iowa, January 26, 1861.
C. L. Matthies, Captain Burlington Rifle Company,
Burlington, Iowa.
Dear Sir: — ^Accept for yourself and the company you command,
my thanks for the tender of their services, "in case of any public
event involving the necessity of arms." Should any such event
occur, I shall accept the services so gallantly tendered. I am
pleased to know that you and your command believe that the flag
of our country is worthy of preservation, and that the men who
first upheld the one and established the other, did not intend to
have both at the mercy of rebels and traitors. I hope to be in
your city about the first of February, and will endeavor to see you
and consult with you in regard to arms.
Very respectfully, Samuel J. Kirkwood.
The Burlington Rifles became Company D of the First Iowa.
In the severe summer campaign they marched to the music of
old German songs and cheered the worn-out army by their great
good nature and military spirit.
Later, as Colonel of the Fifth Iowa, Matthies Avon fame as the
hero of the desperate battle of luka.
Afterwards as Brigadier-General, he served with distinction
under McPherson, Sherman and Grant. He died since the war
and lies in the cemetery at Burlington, Iowa, with General Corse
and other gallant soldiers.
tShelby Norman, a fair haired boy of 17, Avas one of the flrst
to enlist in the flrst company of the first regiment, and the flrst
Iowa soldier killed in battle. He was a private in Company A,
from Muscatine in the First Iowa. As the regiment approached
211

the battleground of Wilson's Creek, young Norman, brave and
fearless, refusing to stoop or seek to avoid the enemies' bullets,
fell pierced through the brain. Those near him heard the dull
quick thud as it struck him in the head, a sure sign that the bullet
had reached its victira. That whistling bullet never heard by the
One it hit and which never hit the one who heard it.
Recognizing the fact that Shelby Norman was the first Iowa
soldier killed in battle, August 10, 1861, the commissioners did a
most fltting thing in putting in life size, his form and features In
bronze Upon the Iowa Soldiers' Monument representing the In
fantry Arm of the military service.
Another recognition of the devoted sacriflce of young Norman
may be mentioned, and that is that the G. A. R. Post of Muscatine,
is called the Shelby Norman Post.
The writer Would like to mention Salamon, Brooks, Wherry,
ahd mahy others, but "the time would fail to tell of Gideon, and
of Barrak, and of Samson and Jeptha, and the rest." A large
portion of this little army became commissioned officers, and
about thirty of them Brigadier and Major-Generals before the war
was over .
'The writer will not attempt to describe the battle of Wilson's
Creek or "Oak GtoVe" as the Confederates called it. It was in
Joint of disparity of numbers engaged, casualties suffered, and
general effect upon the country, one of the great battles of the
war. The Union forces on duty numbered only 4,300. The enemy
numbered over 20,000, thus in actual figures reversing the oft
repeated Munchausen claim, of one Confederate whipping five
Yankees. Our total loss, killed, wounded and missing, numbered 1,225.J
The battle was a success to the Union arms in that it did all
General Lyon expected. The enemy was punished and driven
from the field and our troops Withdrew unmolested. Had Sigel's
detachment been handled as well as Lyon's, or had Fremont fur
nished two or three regiments of fresh troops, the Confederate
army in south-west Missouri would have been whipped and driven
from the field. The courage and valor of the volunteer troops
side by side with regulars, won the praise of all. The government
at Washington took official recognition of this event as a victory,
in the following proceedings: 212

THANKS OF THE U, S. CONGRESS TO GENERAL LYON'S
COMMAND
General Orders III
Headquarters of the Army. Adjutant-General's Office.
Washington, Dec. 30, 1861.
The following acts of Congress are published for the informa
tion of the army:
Joint resolution expressive of the recognition of the gallant
and patriotic services of the late Brigadier-General Nathaniel
Lyon, and the officers and soldiers under his command, at the
battle of Springfleld, Mo.
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
U. S. of America in Congress assembled.
1st. That Congress deems it just and proper to enter upon
the records their recognition of the eminent and patriotic services
of the late Brigadier-General Nathaniel Lyon. The country to
whose services he devoted his life,, will guard and preserve his
fame as part of its glory.
2nd. That the thanks of Congress are hereby given to the
brave officers and soldiers who, under the command of the late
General Lyon, sustained the flag and achieved victory against the
overwhelming numbers at the battle of Springfield, Mo. And that
in order to commemorate an event so honorable to the country,
and to themselves, it is ordered that each regiment shall be au
thorized to bear upon its colors, the word "Springfield" em
broidered in letters of gold, and the President of the United
States is hereby requested tO' cause these resolutions to be read
at the head of every regiment in the army of the United States.
Approved Dec. 24, 1861.
Srd. The President of the U. S. directs that the foregoing
joint resolution be read at the head of every regiment in the army
of the U. S.
By command of Major-General McClellan.
L. Thomas, Adjutant-General.
And in further recognition of the character and Services of
our hero, the United States donated a plat of ground 10.92 acres
213

on South Broadway, St. Louis, for Lyon Park in the center of
which was erected an obelisk to his memory.
Judged by what he did, and by what his rare talents prom
ised, it may be affirmed that this nation has rarely, if ever, pro
duced a greater military genius, or a more unselfish patriot.
Public recognition of his services and his great qualities has been
slight, but will surely come ; for his fame is permanent and it Avill
increase; it is of the sort that the people take to heart long after
the flags are folded and the drums are silent. Less than five
years ago, the State of Connecticut unveiled a statue of Col.
Thomas Knowlton, the grand-uncle and pmotype of Lyon, who
fell under Washington more than a centuiy before the monument
was erected.
Lyon fought on that 10th day of August against fearful odds,
and with heroic and desperate courage. His life and death was a
tragedy. He lived and thought and worked alone. He fought out
and ended his mission guided by the deep conviction and counsel
of a great soul. At the last, his horse shot under him, weary,
wounded, constant and unfaltering, daring the worst; his face,
his hair, dabbled in blood, he called like Richard for a horse, an
other horse, and being helped into the saddle, leading one of the
volunteer regiments, he rode to instant death. He had finished
one of the greatest destinies of a great man. Thus died General
Lyon, in the crash of battle, with the diapason of the cannon's
roar, the rattle of musketry, and the voices of contending armies
sounding in his ears. If die he must, this was the death he would
have chosen.
Lyon had not planned, fought and died in vain. Through him
the SAvift movement of secession in Missouri was checkmated. By
this service and sacrifice he not only saved Missouri but he also
saved southern Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa; for had the secession
forces held Missouri, these adjacent regions would have been
overrun by the confederate army and become the scenes of bloody
battles, and the ravages incident to an invasion by hostile troops.
By capturing their first camp and driving the Governor from
the Capitol, and all of his troops into the uttermost corner of the
state, and by holding McCulloch and Price at bay, he had given
the Union men of Missouri time and courage to bring their State
Convention together, and had given that convention an excuse
and the power to depose Governor Jackson and Lieutenant-Gov-
214

ernor Reynolds, to vacate the seats of the members of the General
Assembly, and to establish a state government which was loyal to
the Union, and which would use the whole organized poAver of the
state, its treasury, its credit, its militia and all its great resources
,to sustain the Union and crush its foes. All this had been done
while Lyon was boldly confronting the overwhelming strength of
Price and McCulloch.
Had Lyon abandoned Springfleld and opened to Price a path
way to the Missouri river ; had he not been willing to die for the
preservation of the Union, none of these things would then have
been accomplished. By wisely planning, by boldly doing, and by
bravely dying ,he had won the flght for Missouri. A noble sacri
fice, which in the economy of God's universal plan seems always
required for the vindication and triumph of a mighty truth.
Fearless, honest, and loyal to duty, our hero died for what
he knew to be a great cause. His blood enriched the valley of
Wilsons' Creek, and his death gave an impulse to freedom that
will go on forever. Many of the little army he led survived his
fall only to afterwards prove that he had taught them how to die.
Their graves are upon the heights of Gettysburg, upon the hills of
the Susquehanna, by the banks of the Potomac, and by the side
of the Cumberland. They sleep in glory on the field of Chicka
hominy, on the plains of Chickamauga, on the shores of Vicks
burg, and on other battlefields far from tbe homes they loved.
Let them sleep on in their glory. Posterity will do them
justice. In the ages that are to come, they will receive the adora
tion of all. When the teeming millions from north, and south,
who are to inhabit in future centuries the vast and fertile regions
of the Mississippi Valley, shall recount in song and story the
glorious achievement of that Spartan band at Wilson's Creek, and
those who fought like them on other fields, and when they shall
dwell with just pride upon the renown of their deeds, and when
hoary age shall tell to kindling youth the marvelous story of a
rebellion, the like of which the sun has never gazed upon in its
thousands of years of created splendor, then it will be that their
I gallant dead will live in the memory of mankind. Then will pos
terity raise and build a fitting monument to perpetuate their fame.
Broad will be laid its foundation; deep down in the rock-ribbed
earth. Vast will be its proportions. Upon its ascending sides as
they slowly aspire to the clouds, will be engraven the names of
215

those who sleep in soldier's graves. Upon its angles and around
its broad pedestal will be erected the bronze statues of those most
illustrious for deeds of noble daring, while upon its lofty summit,
as the crowning glory of the whole structure, a gigantic flgure
will be reared, girt about with a warrior's sword, while upon his
head shall be wreathed a chaplet of immortal glory. The fleecy
clouds will love to linger around him, and the earliest sunlight
shall brighten his features. Upon the pedestal, where stands
this statue, let the muse of history inscribe in letters of everlast
ing fire, the words, "AN AMERICAN SOLDIER."
GENERAL F. J. HERRON'S LETTER TO J. S. CLARK
No. 30 Broad Way. Room 545, New York, September 25, 1897.
Capt. J. S. Clark — My Dear Comrade:
Every soldier who took part in the first campaign in the
southwest owes you a debt of gratitude for your article on "Gen-i
eral Lyon and the Fight for Missouri." He was one of the grand
est characters brought to the front by the war, one who had
watched events closely from the beginning and imderstood the
situation thoroughly and did not underestimate the magnitude of
th© struggle that was before us, but who seemed clearly to foresee
even at that early day, what did actually takel place later, and
what would be the results of the war. I was in St. Louis on a
mission for Gov. Kirkwood in regard to arms for Iowa, on the day
that Lyon captured Camp Jackson, and saw the prisoners
marched to Jefferson Barracks. That same evening I talked with
General, then Col. Frank Blair, and learned the situation in
Missouri as it really was, and I can assure you it was desperate.
Ho was Lyon's closest friend and admirer and was in ecstacies
over the events of the day, which he said saved Missouri as well
as Southern Illinois and Indiana. On the march from Booneville
to Springfield in July, 1861, I had the good fortune to meet Lyon
frequently, having a relative among the regular officers with the
command. Young as I was then (23), his talks impressed me
with the seriousness of the business before us and I made it
known in all my letters home. I was at his headquarters in
Springfield the evening of the council before the battle of Wilson's
Creek. A few days before he had inquired of me what the First
Iowa would do, as their time had about expired, and he feared
216

'they might insist on being mustered out. I told him with the
knowledge the enemy was approaching they certainly would re
main with him, as my own and several other companies had
talked the matter over and they would never leave with the enemy
in front. That they did not enlist for $13 a month, but to meet
the enemies of their country and he could count On their remain
ing any length of time. He was much gratifled at what I said and
spoke highly of the volunteers with him, saying that while not
well disciplined, he was sure they would flght. At the battle of
Wilson's Creek the last thing his eyes rested on was the First
Iowa, advancing in response to his order of "Charge" and he fell
within our ranks. I regret to say that his history and his ser
vice is but little known here in the east. The battles west of the
Mississippi, what was accomplished there by the army of the
frontier, their long marches and severe campaigns, have never"
been written up and in current histories hardly figure with out"
post skirmishes that took place near Washington, and yet in
heavy fighting and casualties they were among the severest bat
tles of the war.
You say that Lyon saved Missouri. He did more. He saved
southern Illinois and Indiana by his prompt action at Camp
Jackson, and the victory at Wilson's Creek gave new life to the
north after the terrible disaster at Bull Run. He was a great
soldier and had he lived would have been one of the greatest
leaders. As one of his admirers, I thank you for your magnificent
tribute to his memory.
Sincerely your friend and comrade, F. J. Hei-roh.
IOWA'S SE3II.CENTENNIAL TEAR, 1896
Reminiscences of Prominent Iowa Men.
Read before a Historical Society in July 1896
Bancroft in his prosy volumes, tells how the Earl of Shafts
bury and John Loche made a model constitution for the Carolinas
and how the whole thing failed.
The governments of the states were not carved out and mod
eled by brilliant and daring statesmen, no nation makers, with all
their wisdom and philosophy could invent and patent the system
in advance. 217

Our State of Iowa whose golden wedding to the Union we
celebrate to-night with pride and pleasure, was an endiginous
growth. It developed from the quiet and unknown settlers;
nameless in history, scattered in lonely granges, without city or
township or roads, and with houses so solitary and remote that
hardly was one in sight of another.
Out of this once virgin and untrodden soil of woodland and
prairie, the early settlers have builded by their nameless and
transient lives, one of the greatest of all the great common
wealths, — a kingdom where all are sovereigns. A few brief rem
iniscences of this interesting period of growth will be my offer
ing on this occasion of graceful tributes.
A man whose life runs parallel with this century still living,
in vigorous health, gave this state its beautiful name. He is
sometimes called the father of Iowa, — General Geo. W. Jones of
Dubuque. He was its flrst territorial delegate in Congress, its
flrst United States senator, and from his colleagues and friends
of those early days, selected names for many of the counties,
such as Clay, Webster, Calhoun, Benton and others.
He made an effort in 1838 to have Iowa admitted as a terri
tory, carving it out of the vast and almost unknown region of the
northwest, but John C. Calhoun opposed it, and nothing could
go through with that powerful opposition.
Jones won the good graces and gratitude of Calhoun's daugh
ter by polite attentions and she undertook to win the consent of
her father to the measure, but failed. When, she reported her
failure, he said, "You must help me. I will ask your friend young
Clemenson to call and take you to the gallery of the Senate dur
ing the Session to-morrow, when I send a card to you I wish you
would send a request to your father to step outside for a moment
to see you." This program was carried out, and the young lady
met her father in the library. No sooner had Calhoun left the
Senate chamber than the bill was called and when he returned
twenty minutes later, Iowa was an admitted territory.
He was second for Jonathan Cilley, U. S. Senator from Maine
in a noted duel in which figured Wise of Virginia, Graves of Ken
tucky and Cilley of Maine. What names for a duelling party.
Wise, Cilley and Graves. Cilley the man challenged was killed.
General Jones served in the U. S. Senate by the side of his
brother John Jones, Senator from Texas.
218

In 1859, on the recommendation of Senators Grimes and
H:arlan, President Buchanan appointed Jones minister to New
Granada. When he received the telegram from the President, he
immediately wired back, "Your appointment is accepted as Min
ister to Bogata, but where in Hell is Bogata."
Upon his return in the midst of the late Civil War, some
correspondence between him and his old friend Jeff Davis was
intercepted and he was arrested in New York and thrown into a
military prison and held for some months on suspicion of dis
loyalty. His friends claim this was a mistake and that his
loyalty should never have been questioned.
Gen. Jones narrated to me the following reminiscences which
I give in his words.
When the Hon. Thos. H. Benton "Old Bullion," became a can
didate for the House of Representatives in Congress against Hon.
Louis V. Bogy in Missouri, I met with him on a steamer on his
way to Cape Girardeau, where he was advertised to address the
people. Alluding to the flerce denunciation of him by his op
ponents, he asked me what they said of him, I replied that "They
say very hard things that I do not wish to repeat." "Tell me
what they say?" "They say you are vain and egotistical." He
promptly replied "G  d  them, I've got something to be
vain and egotistical of. I know more than all of them put to
gether." I recollect that he came to the door of the House on one
occasion (I was then a delegate) and hallooing in stentorian
tones to them that "they should adjourn sine die, as it was Sun
day, and therefore, their sitting and acts were illegal," Hon.
John Quincy Adams was then a member of the House, and in re
ply to Col. Benton's remark, said "The Constitution of the United
States does not recognize any Sunday, and the house has a
perfect right to continue their session until twelve o'clock, albeit
it is Sunday, the last day of the Session." And so they remained
in Session until 12 M. when they adjourned sine die.
During the great compromise session of 1850, Henry S. Foote
of Mississippi, one of the most eloquent men in Congress, was
4n the habit of making very sarcastic speeches, and when he
flrst came to the Senate, he asked, in one of our Democratic cau-
causes, "AVhy don't some of you Democrats give Seward a raking
down?" "Well," some one replied, "you'll have an opportunity
to do so soon." 219

Governor Foote soon afterwards made one of the most sar
castic, able and denunciatory speeches that was ever heard, and
almost in violation of the rules of the Senate. Seward sat across
the room looking at him all the time. As soon as Foote bad
flnished his speech hel sat down with his back to Seward, who
arose immediately, walked over to Foote, grasped his hand and
shook it heartily, and congratulated him on his eloquent and
beautiful speech. The] whole Senate laughed and Foote turned
red as flre. Foote took it for granted that Seward had come to
knock him dpwn. Not long after that he made a like attack upon
Col. Benton, the "Thirty years Senator from Missouri." He even
endeavored to make his anathemas stronger. Foote stood in the
back tier, near the railing in the Old Senate Chamber, now the
Supreme Court room. Col. Benton sat with his side proflle
toward Foote at the far west end of the semi-circle. When Foote
alluded to Col. Benton's having "stolen the bank notes that were
found folded up in his silk cravat," Senator Benton quickly rose
up, and in doing so knocked over one or two of the large chairs,
making quite a crash, and marched toward Foote, who retreated
rapidly through the aisles on the Democratic side. As he went
he drew from his bosom a pistol, which I saw taken from him
by Senator Daniel S. Dickinson of New York. When Senator
Benton was told that Foote had drawn a pistol he iminediately
returned to his seat, and baring his breast, exclaimed, "Fire, you
coward. Fire, you damned coward." That was the most exciting
scene I ever witnessed in the Senate. Soon after that Foote had
a street flght with Col. Benton's son-in-law, J. C. Fremont, who
came to me to be his second, but Foote did not challenge him.
A friend of Gen'l. Jones who served with him as his asso
ciate from Iowa in the United States Senate and also as a foreign
minister, was Augustus Ceasar Dodge of Burlington. Dodge Avas
a gentleman of the Old School, punctiliously courteous and po
lite. Always well dressed and conspicuous In any company. In
1859 he was the Democratic candidate for governor against Sam
uel J. Kirkwood. Kirkwood was wholly unlike Dodge in charac.-
ter and habits, an uncouth, plain, homespun man of the people.
A man of brains and force. The great commoner of Iowa. These
candidates were booked for a joint debate in Muscatine one flne
summer day. Dodge arrived first. He had recently returned
from his mission to Spain as Minister from) the U. S., and bis
220

managers thought to capture the public by making his entry one
of great pomp and ceremony. So they escorted him into town
seated in a splendid open carriage drawn by six white horses,
with brass band and other imposing accompaniments.
Kirkwood's managers an hour later brougbt him in on a hay
wagon drawn by three yoke of oxen, amid tbe shouts of the
grangers and crowds of sturdy voters who bad come from far
and near. It is needless to say that while Dodge had the glory,
Kirkwood had the votes. Dodge never ran for offlce again. While
be was a flne typical character of his times, had he lived in Vir
ginia or Georgia, he was hardly acclimated here in tbe early days
of Ipwa. He served in the United States Senate by the side of his fa
ther Henry Dodge from Wisconsin, the only instance of the kind
in our history.
James W. Grimes of Burlington, the greatest man of Iowa
jafter Judge Samuel F. Miller, was a toAvnsman of A. C. Dodge,
and while the latter would be seen passing down Main Street in
his elegant dress, with his polished manners and splendid bear
ing. Grimes might be seen walking down the other side in his
shirtsleeves, one pant leg on top of his boot and the other down,
stopping to shake hands and chat with the blacksmith or any
farmer he might meet. In character and habits Grimes wa§ much
like Kirkwood. Also like him, only greater, in vigor and breadth
qf mind. Grimes had a law partner, Henry W. Starr, one of the
brightest and most noted of Iowa lawyers in his day. Starr
sharred the habit of many of his associates, that of drink. Judge
Wright was on the Supreme bench and repeated to me this anec
dote of Starr. He Avas in Des Moines attending the Supreme
Court, One of his cases was called, but Starr did not respond.
After a little delay he was brought in from a neighboring salpon.
Judge Wright said, "Mr, Starr what do you desire done in the
case of Underwood vs. the School District." Starr boosily said,
"I don't care much, but I believe I will give you $5.00 if you will
affirm the loweri court decision." The judge rapping the desk,
said, "Mr. Starr, what do you mean by such an offer, you are
trifling with the Court." Starr replied, "I beg your pardon but
you did not quite understand me, I did not mean $5.00 for the
whole Court, but $5.00 a piece."
John A, Kasson, the polished, cultured scholar and diplomat,
221

easily the first man of his state in the polite and versatile gifts so
essential in dealing with delicate international questions. He
resided for years at Vienna while filling the position of Minister
to Austria. He was special commissioner under Grant to nego
tiate postal treaties with Great Britain, Belgium, Holland, Ger
many, Switzerland, Italy and other countries. His long residence
at these foreign capitols and close relations with the refined
ladies and gentlemen composing the social and political court
circles of these nations so conspicuous for learning, account for
his ability to produce so eloquent and charming a lecture as was
given before the Woman's Club in Des Moines a few weeks ago.
Mr. Blaine in his "Twenty years in Congress," speaking of the
young men from the West entering Congress for the first time
in 1861, says of James F. Wilson of Iowa, "A man of positive
strength, destined to take a very prominent part in legislative
proceedings." Much of his life from 1861 to his death in April
1895 was spent in Congress and the Senate, and it is a remarkable
fact, when the general scramble for office is considered, that in
every convention before which he was a candidate he was nomi
nated by acclamation and without contest.
He was chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the House
in 1866 and prepared and presented the resolution in favor of the
impeachment of President Andrew Johnson, and was selected as
one of the managers to present the impeachment charges at the
bar of the Senate. President Grant offered him a place in his
cabinet as Secretary of State, which he declined.
In his late years he became deeply interested in the City
Library of Fairfleld. The Mayor of that City, A. W. Jaques, said
to me a few days ago. "You can hardly understand how highly
this City appreciates Mr. Wilson's work for our Library. It was
the apple of his eye and the pride of his declining years." He
interested Andrew Carnegie in this work, and through his own
liberal gifts and the munificent aid of this iron king, noted for
his generous charities, the little City of Fairfleld is blessed with
a well appointed flre proof library building that cost $40,000, paid
for by Carnegie. Museum, lecture rooms and probably the flnest
City Ijibrary in Iowa. An enduring monument to the good name
of James F. Wilson.
In the early days. Judge J. C. McFarland of Des Moines,
together with the Goddess of Justice, looked after the rights and
222

equities of the litigous citizens of a wide scope of country. There
were no court houses for his use. In Story County the court was
held in a small log house used for a grocery store. The trial
jury occupied a stable; one of the jurors was kicked by a horse
while in the jury room, and the Grand Jury retired to the woods
to deliberate and discuss many matters including a jug of whis
key. During the excitement caused by a flght in the court room
one day, the sheriff sprang upon the top of a barrel of molasses
to more effectually restore order, when the head gave way and
let the minister of justice into the sweets below. In Des Moines
court was held in a little church or school house that stood where
the Wabash Depot now stands. On one occasion Dan Finch a
rnost eloquent Democratic politician and lawyer was loudly ad
dressing a jury, when a mule just outside an open window lifted
up its voice as only a mule can. Judge McFarland from the
bench called out, "hold on Daniel, one at a time, one at a time."
When Gen. Sherman was preparing for his strategic and mas
terful march through the heart of the Confederacy to the sea, he
had accumulated at Allatoona pass about one million and a half
of rations and other valuable and necessary supplies. One Octo
ber day in 1864, all these were well nigh lost, and only saved by
the courage and heroism of a young Iowa soldier, Gen'l. J. JVI.
Corse from Burlington, then only twenty-nine years of age. There
is no more picturesque event in the tragic story of the war than
that, AVhich gave rise to the inspiring and popular gospel hymn,
"Hold the Fort for I am coming." His laconic reply to General
French of the Confederate army showed his cool courage. With
only a handful of men surrounded by overwhelming odds, the
demand came to surrender and thus prevent the needless effusion
of blood. He replied, "We are prepared for the needless effusion
of blood whenever it is agreeable to you." And later on in the
day when his men were nearly all killed or Avounded, and, bis
ammunition about exhausted, and he himself had been laid Ioav
by a bullet, he answered by signal across to the distant KenesaAV
Mountain in reply to Sherman's anxious inquiry. "I am short a
cheek bone and one ear, but am able to Avhip all Hell yet." This
was a new Thermopyls after twenty-three centuries. Had he
lost the day and the great stores under his care, the war would
have been prolonged and many of its events greatly altered.
Grant in his memoirs said of him. "Corse was a man who never
223

would surrender, one of the very able and efficient volunteer of
flcers produced by the war." He was a devoted loving son, and
When he lay in his coffin in the Congregational Church at Burling
ton On the day of his burial, the Eastern sun lighting Up the
scene, came softly through the memorial window placed there
by him in memory of his mother."
During the civil war, the most striking and picturesque char
acter in Iowa was Adjutant General Baker. Governor Kirkwood's
appointment of N. B. Baker July 25, 1861, to this position was one
of the best things this remarkable. man ever did. Baker and his
chief, the war governor, were men of destiny, raised Up to meet
the demands of this great crisis.
Ffom the date of Baker's appointment until his death years
afterward, every pulsation of his heart and every aspiration of bis
soul Were for the welfare of the soldiers of Iowa, whom he loved
and served with a marvelous devotion. He was the ablest and
most popular Adjutant General in all the Union. His life's his
tory Would flll volumes of wonderfully flne reading.
He was governor of New Hampshire in 1854; was classmate
and Close friend of Franklin Pierce. When the delegation from
New Harapshire went to the national convention that nominated
Pierce for president, they intended to present the name of N. B.
Baker, but be declined in favor of his friend, Franklin Fierce,
who was nominated and elected. It was conceded that NeAV
Hampshire was to furnish the candidate. Thus, but for his gen
erous regard for his friend, N. B. Baker would have been presi
dent of the United States.
As Adjutant General during the war, he displayed marvelous
powers for organizing and equipping troops, always at >vork, day
and night. Seemed never to sleep. His devotion and love for his
"dear boys," the Iowa soldiers, touched and won all hearts.
When he received a telegram saying "Fort Donelson is taken
and the 2nd Iowa led the charge," he rushed into the legislature,
then in session, with the message high in air and proclaimed the
news in tones that set all in a tumult of excitement. The scene
that followed can hardly be realized in these times of peace so
,remOte from those days of Intense anxiety. General Baker, a
large, powerful man, took Colonel Redfleld in his arms and car
ried him through a large closed glass window into the streets
Bhouting the good news. (This same Col. Redfield was killed at
224

Allatoona while defending the pass under Gen. Corse). Baker
was big hearted and generous to a fault; gave freely to any who
needed help and kept himself and family poor. If he would meet
on the streets of Des Moines a child that was scantily clothed in
cold weather, he would take it into the first store and order what
was needed and have it charged to himself; whether he was ever
able to pay the bill was left to the merchant's care.
He died Sept. 13, 1876, full of years and loved by all the
people. On the western border of Woodland cemetery in Des
Moines is a splendid granite shaft erected by the state in honor of
nis memory, surrounded by cannon that saw service in the war
manned by his "dear boys."
In the life of Bishop Simpson, who was president of the
Indiana Asbury University, now De Pauw University, occurs this
passage. "In an adjoining county a family lived, poor in this world
but rich in brain, grace and industry. Their son a boy whose
pocket money was the result of his gathering of nuts and wild
fruits, heard of the University and tying up a change of home
spun clothing started to obtain an education. Board in Green-
castle ranged from fifty cents to one dollar and a half a week,
but so slender was the chance of this boy to pay, that he could
not get board. So, true to his manhood, he went to Dr. Simpson's
room and asked if he was the man who kept the school there.
Being answered, he said he had comel to get an education, but
he failed to flnd a boarding place, and if he could have the use
of an empty room in the biulding he would make fires and .sweep
the rooms for pay, and try to get his board some way. Of course
he was accomodated. When he graduated hisi best dress while
receiving the highest honors of his class, was a calico morning
gown. Within sixty days of the commencement, a committeo
visited Dr. Simpson looking for a president for an Iowa College,
and were told the man was Avithin thirty miles of Greencastle.
They had started for the east of the Alleghanies and were siu--
prised to hear Dr. Simpson so speak. But they sent for the In
diana boy and took him as their college president. The Legis
lature the same year made him superintendent ot public instruc
tion, and since then he has served the state of his adoption as
United States Senator and has also been a cabinet officer." This
of course was James Harlan. The Iowa AA-esleyan University at
225

Mt. Pleasant was the Iowa College. And when Fort Sumpter
was flred upon, the writer of this sketch was reading Virgil and
demonstrating geometrical problems along by the side of Mary
Harlan, now Mrs. Robert Lincoln, in that same college. This
sketch as quoted above is a trifle over drawn, but such stories are
charming for we all like to hear that the boy in rags is a prince
in disguise. And the lines in the picture came out strong when
in the United States Senate in 1871 Harlan met and mastered
Chaiies Sumner and Carl Schuz in a mighty debate and led the
Senate to a spectacular triumph with the whole country watching
and applauding his wonderful leadership.
On the last day of Lincoln's life, Colfax saw the president
and asked him why he had revoked his call for the meeting of
the Virginia legislature. "Why" said the great president, "Har
lan says it won't do." And the man whom Lincoln could lean
upon in this Avay is as modest and unpretending as a little child.
I would like to speak of Judge ilillcr, Judge Love. Judge
Baldwin, Allison, Grinnell, Wright and others, but what shall I
say more. The time would fail me to tell of Gideon and of Barak,
and of Sampson and of Jeptha and all the rest.

226