3F CALIFORNIA LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA [Y OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA ) Y OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA HISTOKY SECOND IOWA CAVALRY; CONTAINING A DETAILED ACCOUNT OF ITS ORGANIZATION, MARCHES, AND THE BATTLES IN WHICH IT HAS PARTICI PATED ; ALSO, A COMPLETE ROSTER OF EACH COMPANY. BY SERGEANT LYMAN B. PIERCE, \ ^ REGIMENTAL COLOR-BBARBR. BURLINGTON, IOWA : HAWK-EYE STEAM BOOK AND JOB PRINTING ESTABLISHMENT. 1865. 5oy PREFACE. When I entered the service of the United States as a soldier nearly four years ago, I commenced a diary for my own personal use, sending it to my parents as opportunity offered. Having been greatly blessed with health I have been able to accom pany the command on nearly all of its marches, and to participate in most of the battles in which the regiment has been engaged. This has enabled me to obtain a very complete record of its doings, which I have been urged by my companions in arms to publish, that they might obtain copies. The notes from which I have written have been taken upon the inarch, at the time the incidents recorded transpired, and then com pared with those taken by others, and the official reports. The manuscript has been inspected by Gen. Hatch, Gen. CoDn and the field officers of the Second Iowa cavalry, all of whom have attested to its correctness ; hence we claim for our book a degree of authen ticity which no historian, not a participant in the events he records, can attain. Justice requires me to add here, that during the first term of service the Third battalion companies E, K } L and M were armed with sabers and carbines, and hence did most of the charging ; while the First and Second battalions being armed with Colt s revolving rifles, figured less in dashing exploits, but did more hard fighting, This remark will account for the saber-men being oftener spoken of in the following history in connection with fiery dashes, than the rifle companies, while these receive and repulse more of the charges of the enemy than do the saber companies, M126552 CONTENTS. PART FIRST. CHAPTER I. Organization of Regiment Field Officers Aggregate Strength of Regiment Place of Camp Drill Flag Presentation Benton Barracks Sickness. . 9 CHAPTER II. Bird s Point Scout after Jeff. Thompson Charleston Independent Lane of Starvation Fight at New Madrid Pope s Canal Island No. 10. . . . 12 CHAPTER III. Move to Hamburg Cavalry Looked Down on by Infantry Organization of Cavalry Brigades and Divisions Reconnoissance to Monterey Charge by Col. Elliott s Escort Major Love and Masked Battery First Raid by the Second Iowa Cavalry Major Love Ambushed Farmington Charge Boonville Raid Flag Captured by Company G 18 CHAPTER IV. Corinth Evacuated Blackland Fight Rest at Farmington Blackberries Boonville Rienzi Faulkner s Attack upon Company L On Picket. . 25 CHAPTER V. Fall Campaign of 1862 March to Boonville Battle of luka Fight at Payton s Mills Rosecrans and Stanly Battle of Corinth Capture of Fort Robinette Pursuit of Rebels Gen. Rosecrans Ordered to Army of the Cumberland. . 29 CONTENTS. CHAPTER VI. Change of Commanders Grant s Campaign into Mississippi Cavalry Raid on Holly Springs Fight at Yocona River Fight at Water Valley Exploits of Company K Coffeeville Fight Col. Dickey Raid to Okolona Van Dora s Raid Second Coffeeville and Second Okolona Raid. . 38 CHAPTER VII. First Bridge Burning Raid in 1863 Grierson s Raid Fight at Palo Alto and Birmingham Exploits of Company G Exploits of Mills and others of Com pany A Crossing Tippa River Loyalty of Blacks Senatobia Trip Gen. Chalmer s Hooped Skirt and Corn-cob Pipe 47 CHAPTER VIII. La Grange and Camp there Mizner s Raid to Paola Company K sent Back Transports Fired Into Property Burned in Retaliation Scout to Jackson, Tenn. Battle There Exploits of Companies L and M Desperation of a Rebel Lieut. Bandy with Dispatch Granada Trip Large Destruction of Rolling Stock 59 CHAPTER IX. Memphis Churches and Prayer Meetings Battle of Colliersville and Cold Water Gen. George Captured Narrow Escape of Capt. Foster Camp at Colliersville .67 CHAPTER X. Gen. S. D. Lee at Oxford Hatch s Movements into Tennessee Foraging Col. Mosby Skirmish at Saulsbury Battle of Moscow Col. Hatch Wounded Forrest in Tennessee The Tuttle Raid. , 73 CHAPTER XI. Camp at Colliersville Cold Weather Move to Memphis Sooy Smith Raid Okolona and Surroundings Capture of Cox and Others Burning of Prairie Station Charge of Capt. Graves and Lieut. Bandy West Point Captured Battle of Feb. 21st Critical Position of the Second Iowa Bad Management Battle of Feb. 22d Loss of Cannon Stampede Grierson Assumes Command Scare in McCivllis Brigade Regiment Re-enlists Election of Officers. 79 CONTENTS. Vll PART SECOND. CHAPTER I. Date of Muster as Veterans Aggregate Strength Veteran Furlough Col. Hatch made a Brigadier General Reception in Iowa Maj. Coon Commis sioned as Colonel Return to Memphis Draw Spencer Carbines Gen. Forrest a Terror Gen. A. J. Smith s Tupello Raid Enemy Surprised at our Seven- ShootersFight near Ripley Fight at Pontotoc Smith s Strategy Tupello Fight Battle of Old Town Creek 95 CHAPTER II. Expedition to Oxford under Gen. A. J. Smith Crossing the Tallahatchie The Rain Charge of Oxford Reconnoissance of Captains McMannus and Bandy Charge led by Sergt. Coulter Battle of Hurricane Creek Attack at Talla hatchie 108 CHAPTER III. Reconnoissance by Capt. Bandy Forrest moves to Middle Tennessee Hatch Starts for the Army of the Cumberland Night March Cross Hatchie Mode of Marching Poor Country Greenwood Volunteers Reach Clifton Lack of Horse Shoers Gen. Hatch Ordered to Report to Gen. Sherman at Atlanta Move to Pulaski 116 CHAPTER IV. Gen. Hood s Invasion of Tennessee Hatch Moves to Shoal Creek Fights of November 8th and 9th Maj. Moore Moves Around Hood s Army Fight of November llth Fight of November 16th Dash of Company D Reconnois sance by Major Hoi-ton Fight on Butler Creek Gen. Forrest s and Gen. Ruker s Attempt to Capture us 123 CHAPTER V. flood s Advance on Nashville Gen. Forrest Shoal Creek Fight at Lawrence- burg Fight at Campbellville Maj. Moore Cut off Desperate Fighting of the Ninth Illinois Reached Columbia Mail Herses Mount Carmel Battle of Franklin Retch Nashville and Edgefield 132 Vlll CONTENTS. CHAPTER VI. Sufferings at Edgefield Thomas and Hood Fortifying Battle of Nashville Cap ture of Forts, Guns, Prisoners, &c. Charge by the Twelfth Tennessee Battle of December 16th Capture of Gen. Ruker Capture of a Rebel Flag by Sergt. Coulter Desperate Hand to Hand Encounter Lieut. Griffith and the Second Iowa Standard Lieut. Crawford in Rebel Ranks Gen. Hatch Captures Three Cannon Charge of the Fifth Iowa at Pulaski March to Huntsyille, Eastport and Gravelly Springs Captures of the Brigade. 140 CHAPTER VII. Trip to Tuscumbia Retreat of Gen. Roddy from Russellville, Ala. Exploits of Thos. Bearsner Extracts from a Rebel Minister s Journal A Refugee Mer chant Aided in Getting his Family and Cotton Away Horses and Arms Turned Over Complimentary Order from Gen. Wilson Trial Drill Recep tion of the News of the Surrender of Gen. Lee. 157 HISTORY SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. PART FIRST. CHAPTER I. ORGANIZATION OP THE REGIMENT THE FIELD OFFICERS AGGREGATE STRENGTH OF REGIMENT PLACE OF CAMP DRILL FLAG PRESENTATION BENTON BAR RACKS SICKNESS. The Second regiment Iowa cavalry volunteers was mustered into the service of the United States at Dav enport, Iowa, August 25th, 1861, by Capt. Chambers, commissary of musters. Washington L. Elliott, Captain in the Third TJ. S. cavalry, was commissioned as our Colonel. Col. Elliott was a graduate of West Point, an officer of acknowl edged ability, who had been in active service as a cavalry officer for fifteen years previous to the breaking out of the slave-drivers rebellion, which now called him to a broader and prouder sphere of action. He was a strict disciplinarian, every inch a soldier, and to his untiring efforts as our instructor in the science of ; 1$ KISTOEY OF THE war, are we in a great measure indebted for whatever honor we afterwards won as a regiment. Our Lieut. -Col., Edward Hatch, was a lumber mer chant of Muscatine, Iowa. He was by nature a military genius of the first magnitude, and soon became the pride and idol of the regiment, a position which he never lost, while his sword nobly carved the "stars" which afterwards bedecked his worthy shoulders. He entered the service as Captain of company " A," but was commissioned Lieut.-Col. at the organization of the regiment. Our First Major, W. P. Hepburn, was a lawyer from Marshalltown, Iowa. He entered the service as Cap tain of company " B" ; was a man of fine native talent, though not overly successful as a soldier. As a discip linarian he had few equals. Our Second Major, Datus E. Coon, was formerly an editor in Cerro Gordo county, Iowa. He was constantly on duty in camp or on the march ; a zealous worker and brave fighter, he carved for himself an honorable distinction among his fellow officers. Hiram W. Love, our Third Major, was highly esteemed by all who knew him as a perfect gentleman. He was a mechanic from Iowa City, and entered the service as Captain of company " H." " The Iowa Boys " had already earned a proud dis tinction upon the ensanguined fields of Wilson s Creek and Belmont, and the boys of the Second Cavalry de termined to add to rather than detract from this good name. Our aggregate strength at time of mustering into service was 1,019. The " Fair Grounds " at Davenport were assigned us for camp, and commodious barracks constructed for our accommodation. While at Davenport our time was SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 11 occupied learning the school of " the trooper dismount ed," and, acquiring the knowledge of fencing under the tutorage of a German gladiator by the name of Graupner. Officers paid him $5.00 each; enlisted men $2.50 for his instructions. He was a master of the science, and under his instructions the majority of the regiment acquired a good degree of efficiency in the use of the saber. For our efficiency in this, as well as in the " foot drill," we were paid many compli ments by visitors to our camp, and were much petted by the good citizens of Davenport, who claimed us as " their regiment." While at Davenport the State of Iowa presented us with a stand of colors. The flag was presented to Col. Elliott by Adjt.-Gen. Baker. Everything went off creditably to all concerned. We left Iowa for Benton Barracks, St. Louis, Mo., Dec. 7th, 1861. Here we were crowed into small, poorly ventillated barracks, and being in the initiatory stage of our career as soldiers which has ever proved by far the most fatal period in the history of military men diseases made sad havoc in our ranks. Although we were in St. Louis but about sixty days, over sixty of our number found their graves there. We afterwards were where we met the enemy nearly every day, for two months at a time, but never had half as many deaths in the same length of time after we entered upon active field duties. So reduced were we by sickness in Benton Barracks that it was but common for our strongest companies to appear on " dress parade " with not to exceed ten men in ranks. We here drew horses, horse equipments and sabers, and were drilled in the " school of the trooper mounted." 12 HISTORY OF THE CHAPTER II. BIRD S POINT SCOUT AFTER JEFF. THOMPSON CHARLESTON INDEPENDENT LANE OF STARVATION FIGHT AT NEW MADRID POPE S CANAL ISLAND No. 10. On the 17th of February, 1862, we bade farewell to our camp of instruction, and taking the steamer at St. Louis, sailed for Bird s Point, Mo., which was then "the front." We were now armed with sabers and pistols, and being totally ignorant of practical warfare we imagined ourselves well equipped for the fray. Each thinking himself a young Napoleon, but chafed for an opportunity to exhibit his prowess. The heavy boom of the cannon then knocking at the gates of Co lumbus, Ky., as our gunboats patroled the river, and the battle scarred monsters of our river navy, which had just returned from the Fort Henry and Fort Don- elson contests and were receiving repairs at Cairo, reminded us that we now had to do with the stern re alities of war. Nor were we destined long to remain inactive, for the rebel Col. Jeff. Thompson was prowl ing about the swamps in the vicinity of Charleston, Mo., and on or about the 25th of February, Maj. Love left our camp with his battalion to attend to the wants of those rebellious disturbers of the peace. At Charleston our forces captured a printing office, from which the rebels sent forth a weekly paper enti tled the " Charleston Courier." Major Love remained at Charleston with companies " I " and " F," while SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 13 Capt. Graves moved on eight miles further to Bertrand with companies "B" and "D." The boys left at Charleston having possessed themselves of the material left in the " Courier" office proceeded to put out a paper called the " Charleston Independent," which was perhaps the first truly loyal sheet ever published in that vicinity. Capt. Graves had quite a chase after some rebels through the swamps around Bertrand. Some ten or fifteen prisoners and a horse were the principal fruits thereof. About 10 o clock p. M., February 28th, Col. Elliott was ordered to take the remaining eight companies of the regiment and reinforce Love, and try and capture Thompson. We left camp about 11 o clock. The night was dark and foggy, the roads desperate, the horses and men all green at the business, and as we made a " forced march " the ride was all but agreeable. We reached Charleston at daylight where we halted forty minutes and fed, and then pushed on to Bertrand, where we halted about two hours, when Elliott learned that other forces had done the work and dispersed Thompson with the loss of his command ; hence we returned to our camp at Bird s Point, which we reached just at dark on the 29th. We had been gone near twenty-one hours, eighteen of which had been spent in the saddle, and as this was our first march we were sore and weary. On the 4th of March we left Bird s Point for New Madrid. The waters were very high and much delay was experienced on the march. On one occasion we marched for near a half a day where the average depth of the water was belly deep to our horses. Near Bertrand we were halted for three days in a lane by 14 HISTOEY OF THE the well stocked plantation of a rebel Colonel. Our rations gave out and our Colonel forbade us taking the value of a chicken from the well stocked yards of the rebel owner of our camping place, on penalty of death. Those who had money purchased eatables from the overseer at exorbitant rates ; others fasted, and the place is now known to the Second Iowa as " the lane of starvation." What a comment is this on the policy of our government at this stage of the war, and what a deadner to those croakers who still pretend that Jcind- ness would have won the " erring brother of the South " back to the Union. From Sykestown, Mo., we escorted the siege guns to be used in the reduction of New Madrid, which point we reached March 12th. Here we were told that we should be treated to a battle the next day. We had never yet seen a battle, and although anxious for the fray, the thoughts of the reflective were divided be tween their loved homes and the dear ones there, and the imaginary scenes of the fast approaching conflict ; and as we betook ourselves to our blankets many a tremulous heart breathed a prayer to the Grod of bat tles for protection for the living, and salvation for such as should fall. Would to God the number of those who pray as they fight were greater in our armies. With the early dawn of the 13th of March we were all on the way to the field, and whatever may have been the internal feelings of the boys, they exhibited no outward signs of fear ; but a look of their deter mined brows was required to tell the beholder of the determination each had formed to do his duty, come what would. Our nerve was not destined, however, to be tried on this occasion, for the battle which opened SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 15 at daylight continued all day, and resulted in the occu pation of the place by our forces, proved to be only an artillery duel, which we saw, but took no part in. We were marched off the field about 4 o clock p. M., still expecting that our services would be required before the place was taken. The rebels, however, evacuated the fort that night under cover of a severe thunder storm, and our forces took possession on the morning of the 14th. The works surrounding the place were very strong, and had they been properly defended thousands of lives must have been sacrificed before they could have been taken. As it was, the strategy of our ex cellent General, John Pope, took the place, with a loss of but eighteen men killed and wounded. New Madrid ours, the next object to be gained was to get transports below the batteries of Island No. 10, which was still in rebel hands. To accomplish this Gen. Pope caused a canal to be cut through a bayou on the west side of the river, the upper end entering the river above, and the lower end below the island. So secret was the execution of this that although we wa tered our horses in the bayou all the time the work was in progress, we knew nothing of it until we saw the smoke of the downward bound transports. The canal, which was twelve miles in length, had been cut out of a very heavy timbered swamp or bayou, in which the water was now of sufficient depth to be nav igated by ordinary steamers. The rebels now fearing for the safety of the forces stationed at Island No. 10, since, as they said, " the d d Yankees could navigate dry land," evacuated this tower of strength which had so long successfully defied the fiercest assaults of our gunboats, and struck to the interior for safety. 16 HISTORY OF THE Gen. Pope crossed a part of his army known as " the army of the Mississippi," to the Kentucky side of the river, April 7th, when, learning of the evacuation of the Island, he discontinued the movement and returned to camp at New Madrid, not, however, until he had de tached a small force to pursue the retreating foe. Com panies " K " and " L," of the Second Iowa, formed a part of this detachment, and were the first Federal forces within the rebel works on the Kentucky side, at Island No. 10. With these forts were captured fifteen hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) worth of army stores. Over 6,000 prisoners were picked up by our forces. The rebels having left their cover and trusted to flight for safety, appeared to have lost all confidence in their ability to fight, and surrendered at the first call from a Yankee pursuer regardless of the numerical strength of J- O the squads who thus came in collision. One infantry man came single-handed upon a rebel sergeant and five men, bearing a costly silk flag, on which was inscribed, "Mississippi Devils. Presented by the ladies" One would think that six men would fight against one for such a memento as this from " the girls they left be hind them," but facts talk differently, for our hero cap tured the squad and marched them into camp under their own flag, bearing it himself. Col. Elliott was in command of the cavalry which first discovered that the rebels had evacuated " Island No. 10." As he neared the place he ordered Lieut. Gustavus Schnetger, of company "E," acting regi mental Adjutant, to take eight men and a guide and reconnoiter the rebel works. Lieut. Schnetger took the men from company " L," who were advance guard. SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 17 A citizen guide was pressed for the occasion. As this little band neared the works they discovered that the principal part of the forces were gone, although many stragglers were to be seen on every side. Upon these the boys dashed with so much intrepidity that the reb els, never dreaming but that the entire Yankee army was upon them, surrendered at sight, and when CoL Elliott came up with his reinforcements Schnetger re ported to him with eighty-six prisoners. The infantry were in sight when our boys reached the fortifications, coming down the river by boat, and but for this ad vance guard under Lieut. Schnetger, would have merited the honor of first entering the work. As it was the honor of capture was awarded the cavalry, although Gen. Buford tried to claim the honor for his infantry. Among the captures here were two steamers, viz : the " Ohio Belle" and "lied Hover" besides many cannon and many tons of ordnance stores. 18 BISTORT OF THB CHAPTER III. MOTE TO HAMBURG CAVALRY LOOKED DOWN ON BY INFANTRY ORGANIZATION OF CAVALRY BRIGADES AND DIVISIONS RECONNOISSANCE AT MONTEREY CHARGI BY ELLIOTT S ESCORT MAJ. LOVE AND MASKED BATTERY FIRST RAID OF TH SECOND IOWA MAJ. Lovs AMBUSHED FARMINGTON CHARGE BOONVILLE RAID FLAG CAPTURED BY COMPANY "G." On the 12th of April, 1862, we went on board a fleet at New Madrid, and in common with the balance of the " Army of the Mississippi," moved down the river for the purpose of capturing Fort Pillow and Memphis. The stage of the water in the river, however, was so high as to prevent successful operations in this quarter, and on the 17th instant we were ordered back, and thence up the Tennessee river to Hamburg, which place we reached April 23d. We now formed part of the grand army under Gren. Halleck, which was investing Corinth, Miss. We were still under Gen. Pope, who formed Halleck s left wing. The cavalry branch of the service was now in great disrepute among Halleck s entire army. At Shiloh the infantry said they had acted badly, and all assumed that all cavalry would do the same. Pope, however, being himself an old cavalry officer, showed the world that he could make this branch of the service very effective. Instead of mix ing them with infantry in the same regiments and brig ades, he organized cavalry brigades and divisions, plac ing them under cavalry officers, and when thus organized he assigned to them their appropriate duty. When SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 1$ advancing we were required to reconnoiter every foot of the country before the infantry occupied it. We were kept constantly on duty, either as pickets our selves or feeling the pickets of the enemy, and gaining information relative to the whereabouts of the foe, or raiding to their rear and cutting their base of supplies. Col. Elliott was given command of a brigade consisting of the Second Iowa and Second Michigan cavalry, and Lieut.-Col. Hatch assumed command of the regiment. On the 28th of April, while advance guard for a re- connoissance in force, we came upon a rebel camp near Monterey. A small squad of the regiment, principally from the Colonel s escort, charged this camp, driving the rebels pell mell through it, and thence back to their reserve force, a mile and a half beyond the camp. This squad, not over fifteen in number, charged the retreating rebel cavalry, seventy-five strong, through the infantry pickets, of whom they captured seventeen and brought them safely back to camp. Private J. Canfield, company " B," captured in this chase six of the pickets of the enemy in one squad. Private R. M. Downer, of company "K," captured three on an ad joining post. Both of these boys had been reduced to the ranks from Sergeants but a few weeks before, be cause they resented the tyranny of officers over them. While this scene was being enacted Major Love came with his battalion unexpectedly upon a masked battery, which opened on him with grape, killing one man of company " B," and wounding three of company " I." This was the first blood spilled by the Second Iowa upon the altar of liberty. The first raid made by the Second Iowa was made under the command of Lieut.-Col. Hatch, on the 30th 20 HISTORY OF THE of April, 1862, and resulted in the burning of a bridge on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, which then formed one of the principal avenues through which supplies reached the rebels at Corinth. The feat was accomplished without loss to ourselves. On the 8th of May Col. Elliott, with our brigade, made another reconnoissance on the left wing of Beau- regard s army. We skirmished with the enemy at sev eral points. Major Love, while reconnoitering upon the right with his battalion, was ambushed by a vastly superior force, and barely escaped with the loss of one killed and five wounded. " H " company were left on picket while the remainder of the regiment returned to camp. Everything now indicated that the long expected battle between Halleck and Beauregard would open with the dawn of the 9th of May, and as we betook ourselves to our blankets after our reconnoissance on the 8th, we were happy and yet sad. Happy, because as we fondly hoped, the next sun would look down upon a signal victory for the Federal arms ; sad, because we knew that if our hopes were realized and a victory gained, many a brave companion in arms must that day seal his devotion to his country with his life s blood. The 9th of May came clear and beautiful, but with it came not the expected bugle call summoning us to the deadly fray. We had misjudged. Halleck s plans did not, as we had guessed, contemplate a grand attack, and as the forenoon wore away we very naturally con eluded that that day would add little worthy of note to our history ; but here again were we mistaken, for God had ordained that it should try the nerve of the Second Iowa as few regiments are ever tried. About SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 21 10 o* clock A. M. an Orderly came dashing into onr camp with orders to Lieut.-Col. Hatch to fly with all possible speed with the Second Iowa to the assistance of Gen. Paine, who, -while making a reconnoissance near Far- mington, had been suddenly attacked by a vastly su perior force and was in imminent danger of losing his entire division. In less than five minutes after the Or derly reached Hatch s headquarters the regiment were galloping to the field, distant two miles. As our col umn came from the timber we saw the lines of Paine s division rapidly retreating before the murderous grape and canister of the rebel artillery. Hurrying to the top of a hill near we came in full view of a confederate battery of eight guns. These all opened on us, and the few minutes we remained there inactive awaiting orders, were far more trying than any other I ever ex perienced as a soldier. Orders to fall back soon came, and we found ourselves partially sheltered by a little rise in the ground. Gen. Paine s only line of retreat now lay across a creek 500 yards to our rear, and one rail bridge afforded the only means for crossing. Across this bridge the division, with its artillery and train, must go, or salvation from capture was impossi ble. As Paine s forces neared this bridge, the rebels, who knew every foot of the country, prepared to charge with their artillery to a hill now between the two con tending forces. If the rebels should gain this hill they would command the bridge with twenty -four pieces of artillery, and could of course keep any force from cross ing. This would render Paine s capture certain. To checkmate this move we were ordered to form for a charge. As we formed, a force of rebel sharp-shooters on our right gave us notice of their proximity. At $2 HISTORY OF THE this juncture Gen. Paine came up, and in a voice suffi ciently loud to be heard by the entire regiment, thus addressed our commander: "You will charge that right hand battery with this cavalry ; take and hold it at all hazards until I can get the infantry there to sup port you" The enemy s cannon, twenty-four in number, were formed in a curve. They were supported by 15,000 infantry, and they in turn were supported by all of Gen. Price s army. Our little band did not exceed 500 men, and yet we were ordered to " take and hold a bat tery supported by this force" We " drew saber " and at the given signal all spurred to the conflict. The scene is said by spectators to have been awfully grand. As we arose the hill so as to come in direct range of the rebel guns they opened upon us, and the air was perfectly thick with grape, canister and exploding shell. About midway between where we started the charge and the object of our mad ride, was a ditch so deep and wide that not over one-half of the horses could cross it. This, with the balls from the foe, so completely broke our ranks that men could not keep with their companies, or officers with their men ; still all spurred onward, thinking only of the capture of the guns. Lieut.-Col. Hatch seeing the condition of affairs did all mortal could to stop us, but we had got such a start that his voice could not be heard. As we came within a few yards of the rebel lines their infantry arose and poured such a volley upon us that it was a wonder we were not annihilated. Fortunately for us, however, our course was over plowed ground, and as it was quite dry a friendly cloud of dust obscured us, and the aim of the infantiy was too high, while that of the SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 25 artillery was too low. This alone saved us. We drove the gunners from one battery, but were, of course, quickly repulsed. Although the charge lasted less than three minutes, over one-half of our number were rendered " kors du combat" in it. The charge was a success, although we were repulsed, for by it Paine gained time to run his forces across the bridge. He said we went much further than he desired us to go, and that the order for the charge was given in the strong language used because he feared, being raw re cruits, we would give back too soon. When Col. Elli ott, commanding the brigade, learned where we had been sent, he was very angry with Paine and cursed him vehemently. Paine excused himself by saying that he did not think we would go so far. To this Col. Elliott responded : " I v/ant you to know that I have taught that regiment to gc to h I if ordered there, but I did n t fetch them here to have them or dered there." The Federal forces having now got Corinth nearly surrounded it became desirable to cut their railroad communication with Mobile. For this purpose it was proposed to send a cavalry force around to the rear of Beauregard s army to strike the " Mobile and Ohio " Railroad at Boonville, Mississippi, wheie it was known the rebels had a valuable depot of army steles. This raiding party must pass between different portions of the rebel army ; hence the exploit was a very hazard ous one. Gen. Pope selected Col. Elliott and our brig ade, consisting of the Second Iowa and Second Michigan cavalry, as, in his judgment, best fitted for the under taking. We set out at midnight of the 28th of May, 1862, 24 HISTORY OF THE by stealthy marches by cow-paths and by-roads r reached Boonville in safety on the morning of the 30th. At daylight Elliott charged the town, capturing 3,000 convalescent confederate soldiers and a large train of ( cars loaded with 10,000 stand of small arms, and two pieces of artillery ; also, a depot containing a very large amount of ammunition. All these stores were burned. Sergt. Budd and six men of company " Gr" were sent up the railroad in a hand car in search of a bridge that could be burned. They encountered a force of rebels guarding a wagon train, and succeeded in capturing the train. Private Jas. Kennedy captured a large rebel flag and gave it to Sergt. Budd, who re turned with it to the command. The enemy now came up and the balance of the squad were captured. Ken nedy was severely wounded. The flag here captured was forwarded to the capitol of the State of Iowa, where it can be seen for the trouble of calling. As may be supposed, the rebels had by this time massed a heavy force to oppose to Elliott, and all his strategy and skill were required to successfully retrace his steps and regain the command at Farmington. The trip was, however, made successfully, and Elliott reached camp about dark on the 31st of May. This raid was pronounced a great success by the military men of the day, and secured for Elliott a " star." SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 25 CHAPTER IV. CORINTH EVACUATED BLACKLAND FIGHT REST AT FARMINGTON BLACKBERRIES BOONVILLE RIENZI FAULKNER S ATTACK COMPANY " L " ON PICKET. Beauregard finding Halleck s coil drawing closer day by day, evacuated Corinth without a battle, and our forces took possession of it on the 31st of May, 1862. Among the first Federal troops to enter Corinth was company " E," of the Second Iowa, then acting as body guard to Gen. Pope. On the 2d of June Elliott again started with his brigade Hatch being in command of the Second Iowa and followed the retreating rebel army to Blackland. Here the brigade got into a des perate though short contest with the enemy, in which company " D " were especially complimented by the Col. commanding for their coolness and daring. The command had to cross a narrow bridge under a galling artillery fire, and great coolness was required to keep the different companies from crowding together and thus blocking the passage. Two of company "H" were killed by a cannon ball on this bridge. On the 15th of June our regiment was relieved from the front and allowed to move back to Farmington for a little much needed rest. We had been in the field just four months, during which time we had been con stantly on the go. We had saddled up nearly every morning at 3 o clock, and much of the time we had slept at night in line of battle, each man holding his horse by the bridle. Hardly a day during this time 4 26 HISTORY OF THE had passed without more or less skirmishing by the regiment with the rebels. Our horses, which were in fine condition when we reached Bird s Point, were now very lean, and their backs presented a sad spectacle. < Blackberries were in their prime, and surely no country on the globe can compete with Tishamingo county, Miss., in the production of this fruit. As we had little duty to do we kept a supply of these berries constantly in our tents, and feasted on them to our heart s desire. The result of this was a marked im provement in the sanitary condition of the regiment. But rest and luxuries belong not to soldiers, and on the 26th of June we were again ordered to the front. We took up our post at Boonville on the 28th. We now formed an outpost eight miles in advance of infantry support. The rebels soon learned the circumstances surrounding us, and quickly prepared to improve their supposed advantage. On the 1st of July Col. Chal mers, with 4,000 strong, furiously attacked our camp at Boonville, having first gained the road in our rear so as to prevent our retreat upon the infantry at Bienzi. This precaution of the rebel Colonel, however, was un necessary, for Col. Phil. Sheridan, who then command ed our brigade, had no thought of retreat, although he had but 800 men from the Second Iowa and Second Michigan cavalry. So confident was Chalmers of suc cess that he came well supplied with a wagon train to be used in conveying away our camp and garrison equipage which he should capture. But, alas for hu man expectations, we loaded his train with his killed and wounded, and sent him back at a much livelier tune than that to which he advanced. The Second Michigan were armed with Colt s revolving rifles ; the SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 27 Second Iowa with Sharp s carbine, a navy revolver and a saber each. The Second Iowa held the flanks and made dashes upon the enemy s rear, while the Second Michigan were dismounted and placed behind the trees to hold the centre. The riflemen allowed the charging column of the rebels to come almost upon them, when, still clinging to their cover, they poured volley after volley into their faces with such telling effect that they wavered, and breaking, fled in confusion. Maddened by their severe loss, and deeply chagrined at this un expected failure, the rebel officers again rally their forces. Again the "charge" is sounded, and down they come this time in column, determined to avenge their misfortunes at any cost of life. As they near our lines death is again meted out to them from the trusty rifles of our nicely covered battle line, but they are no cowards, and having determined to " do or die," they falter not. Again and again is sad havoc made in their ranks by the gallant Second Michigan, but they will not stop, and their advance reaches our lines. Our little band, hitherto hidden by the trees, now draw their revolvers, and springing into the road, shoot ev ery rebel as soon as he reaches the line. Several dead rebels fell through the lines, but not a live one was ad mitted. While this was transpiring in front, companies " B " and " F," of the Second Iowa, with two companies of the Second Michigan, gained the enemy s rear and fu riously charged them from that direction. Capts Queal and Gilbert distinguished themselves in this charge. Private Win. Myers, of company " I," who had volun tarily joined this charge, split a rebel s head open with his saber, killing him instantly. This was probably 28 HISTORY OF THE the first rebel killed by a saber by our regiment. Pri vate David Lutz, of company "I," also volunteered to join this charge, and lost an arm in the hand to hand fight that ensued. The enemy s loss was over 100, while ours was less than one-fourth of that number. We moved back to Rienzi on the 9th of July, where we remained during the summer, doing ordinary camp duty and scouring the country for fifty miles around for guerrillas. Peaches were abundant, and we devour ed them as soldiers alone could. On the 26th of August, while company "L" was on picket, Gen. Faulkner attacked our camp with 2,500 cavalry. So impetuous was the attack upon the pick ets that they were run in without being able to give the camp the alarm. Faulkner captured six of com pany " L," and then charged on into camp ; but at his approach the boys sprang out of their tents and gave him such a warm reception that he quickly commenced the retreat. While a part of the regiment repulsed Faulkner dismounted, the balance " saddled up " and gave chase under spur, capturing sixteen of the enemy and dispersing the remainder in every direction. SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 29 CHAPTER V. FALL CAMPAIGN OP 1862 MARCH TO BOONVILLE BATTLE OP IUKA FIGHT AT PAYTON S MILLS ROSECRANS AND STANLY BATTLE OP CORINTH CAPTURE OP FORT ROBINETTE PURSUIT OF REBELS GZN. ROSECRANS ORDERED TO " ARMY OP THE CUMBERLAND." On the 5th of Sept., 1862, we broke camp at Bienzi and commenced our fall campaign. Our first march was to Boonville, whither we went in search of a rebel column under Gen. Price, reported . as moving north with the intention of breaking through our lines into the rich fields of Middle Tennessee. At Boonville we learned that Price was thus moving and that luka would probably be his point of attack. With this information Col. Hatch returned to the Gen. eral commanding as rapidly as possible, but Price had got such a start that he succeeded in capturing luka before Gen. Grant could reinforce the garrison there. Price found, however, that his success at luka came far short of securing for him the coveted storehouses of Tennessee. Grant was quickly on his trail in two col umns. One column, commanded by Gen. Ord, was to attack Price at luka from the North, while Rosecrans, with 9,000 men, was to gain his rear and cut off his retreat. The Second Iowa, Lieut.-Col. Hatch com manding, formed a part of Gen. Rosecrans force. We left Jacinto on the 14th of September. When within twelve miles of luka, " Rosie," as the army fa- 30 HISTORY OF THE miliarly called their idolized General, halted, and for thirty-six hours we anxiously listened for the sound of Gen. Ord s cannon, which would call us to our part of the work ; but we listened in vain ; the other column had not made time. Our rations were entirely ex hausted, and as nothing could be obtained from the surrounding country, but one course remained for us we must risk the chances of a battle. Accordingly Rosecrans moved forward cautiously. On the morn ing of the 19th he sent Hatch with our regiment on a reconnoissance to the right. When twenty miles from the main column, at Payton s Mills, Hatch came upon Col. Faulkner, with 2,500 rebel cavalry. We were much better armed than Faulkner s men and defeated them in a short but brisk skirmish. The rebels fled, leaving the field with fifteen killed, wounded and pris oners in our hands. Our loss was nothing. Later in the day we came upon a rebel camp and a large drove of beef cattle, abandoned by the rebels. We also captured a few prisoners at this place. The camp and garrison equipage was burned for want of transporta tion. The main column, under Rosecrans, struck the rebel lines about noon and pressed them back slowly until near sundown. Price was expecting an attack from the north, and hence had his forces mostly sta tioned on that side of town. When he learned of Rosecrans movement, and that his lines on the south side had been driven back to near the town, he ordered his forces on the north side to move to the south front on the double quick. The Fifth Iowa infantry was in advance of Rosecrans 7 army, and as all moved along smoothly, the enemy falling slowly back, they little dreamed of the terrible shock just before them. They SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 31 met the rapidly advancing column under Gen. Price just at sunset, and it is beyond the power of pen to describe the collision. The forces met in a forest where the ground was covered with a heavy growth of un derbrush. As the foliage was full, neither party dis covered the other until within close pistol range. As the best mettle of both armies was there, the fighting for fierceness and desperation is equaled by few con tests in the annals of war. The earth for miles around trembled at the roar of firearms, while the groans of the wounded and dying were enough to sicken the most resolute. Night with her sable pall was fast approach ing, and here and there a regiment would mistake foe for friend and not learn their awful error until they re ceived a volley from their supposed friends which would almost annihilate them. Thus the fight raged until pitch darkness enforced her mandate to cease the fearful slaughter. Both armies now fell back a short distance, and the field was under a flag of truce during the night, the ambulances of both sides being busily engaged in carrying off the wounded. Our regiment, returning from the reconnoissance, came up in time to hear but not to participate in the engagement. We camped for the night about three miles from the field. We were very weary and hungiy, having eaten nothing for twenty-four hours, and marched forty-five miles that day. Nor had we anything with which to appease the gnawings of hunger save a little coffee, which we hast ily drank, and folded in our blankets we were soon far away mid the fair scenes of "dream land." Short, however, was our repose, for before 10 o clock P. M. we were aroused and summoned to " the front." As we moved out we met the train. With many misgivings 32 HISTORY OF THE we asked of the teamsters the reports of the battle thus far. All agreed that the slaughter was unparal leled ; that the Fifth Iowa had left half their number on the field, and that the victory was far from won. With these unwelcome tidings we reached the front and there formed a line of battle, when we dismounted and were ordered to " stand to horse" until daylight. For hours after taking our position here a continuous train of ambulances passed us, loaded with the mangled though living victims from the field. As these wretched beings passed us their agonizing groans called to our minds anything but pleasant reflections, for we but awaited the light of day to ourselves enter the field from which they came, and we " knew not what a day might bring forth." About midnight Gen. Rosecrans called a council of war composed of brigade commanders. He thus ad dressed this meeting : " Generals, we move at daylight. The infantry will go in on the bayonet ; the cavalry with the saber ; not a shot is to be fired" Gen. Stanly was not at this meeting. He was next in command under Rosecrans, and a favorite of that General. He was sleeping in a fence corner when Rosecrans came up and thus addressed him : " Stanly, Stanly." He awoke and replied, "What do you want, Rosie?" " You will go in at sunrise on the bayonet ; not a shot is to be fired." "Our loss has been fearful," said Stanly. " They are five to our one ; they have butch ered my men like sheep." Rosecrans wrung his hands in agony, as he said, " Where, in the name of God, is Grant ? But go in on the bayonet don t fire a shot." " I feel," said Stanly, " that I shall be killed to-morrow, but your order shall be obeyed," and folding his blanket SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. about him he again fell asleep. Before daylight we had made a strong cup of coffee, which constituted our breakfast, and with the early dawn the lines moved forward. As we crossed the field where, on the previ ous day, the red tide of war had poured its flood, the dead of both armies lay indiscriminately mingled, al most in heaps, on every hand. The reader can form some idea of the sanguinary nature of the strife when I tell him that I counted forty-eight ball marks in one side of one tree, which stood near where the two col ; unms met. The smaller saplings were so riddled by balls as to be killed. Not meeting the foe as he expected, Eosecrans order ed Hatch to send a part of his cavalry in advance to reconnoiter the town. Company " M," Second Iowa, Lieut. Foster commanding, was selected for this pur* pose. Foster moved cautiously forward and reached the town just in time to see the rebel reaf guard leave it. They entered on the charge, and were the first f ed^ eral troops in the place. They found the houses filled with rebel wounded; The federal loss in 1 this action was about 600 ; the rebels left over 1,200 in our hands. The Second Iowa took the advance in the pursuit, and BO pressed the rebels as to compel the abandonment of a part of their train. They made a stand about 2 o clock P. M., on the 20th. Col. Hatch quickly formed his regiment, and we drove them from their position with a loss of two men Wounded, when we were order 4 ed back to Jacinto. Gens. Price and Van Dbrn now united their forces^ Van Dorn commanding, and again moved north towards our lines. This, of course, afforded work for the cav- airy, and .we were kegt in the saddle most of the 34 HISTORY OF THE night and day. About this time Lieut.-Col. Hatch re ceived his commission as Colonel, and was given com mand of a brigade. On the 1st of October Van Dorn began to , hover about our lines, making feint attacks upon various points, while the rich storehouses of Corinth were the objective points aimed at. The general attack was made on the third of October. Rosecrans sent but a small force to the front and these were steadily driven back all day, and at night Van Dorn bivouaced within the old line of breastworks made by Beauregard for the defense of Corinth. The Second Iowa were pick eting the opposite side of the town from that upon which the attack was made. It was, therefore, with many misgivings that we learned that our forces had retreated all day, and that the enemy were camped inside the breastworks. Our inexperienced eyes could not descry the great strength of the forts yet to be taken before Corinth should again fall under confeder ate rule. But our sagacious General, Rosecrans, knew his business, and he alone, perhaps, slept that night, free from any forebodings of the coming struggle. With the early dawn of the morning of the 4th of Oc tober, 1862, the rebel army advanced, confident of an easy victory and a choice dinner out of the luxuries of a well-filled U. S. commissary. In imagination they already drank of the wine and coffee, and breakfasted on the flour bread and choice hams before them. But alas ! for coffee they were to be served tea of an explo sive nature, and grape and canister awaited them for breakfast instead of hot cakes. Fort Robinette com manded the entrance to the town from the west, which was the direction from which Van Dorn advanced. As SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 35 <* the rebels approached this fort the siege guns mounted there opened upon them with such murderous effect that every effort on the part of the officers to urge their men forward proved abortive. Van Dorn soon saw that all hope of success lay in taking and holding this fort ; hence he made an appeal to his men, explaining the importance of the capture of the fort, and then asked for a general officer and 8,000 men to volunteer for a forlorn charge upon these works. Brig.-Gen. Rogers and the required number of men responded to the call and at once formed for the mad enterprise. On came the assailing force, but the garrison in the fort calmly awaited the shock. The 32-pound siege guns on the works had been doubly charged by shoving a half bushel of musket balls into them after ramming down the cartridge. When the enemy were within a few yards these guns opened upon them. Hundreds fell, and the rest broke in confusion ; but Gen. Rogers and his men had resolved to take the fort or die in the attempt, hence they again formed, this time in platoon column. As they advanced they displayed a solid mass of living, maddened valor, heedlessly rushing to a fear ful doom. Again the match was applied, and again hundreds fell to rise no more. Again and again are they mowed down in wholesale slaughter, still on they come resistless as an Alpine avalanche, and in spite of their numerous dead enough live to scale the fort and capture tlie guns. The rebel flag-bearer fell just as he reached the ditch, when Gen. Rogers seized the flag and planting it on the walls of the fort, shot men from the breach of our guns. His life, however, paid for this audacity, for he fell from the works pierced by over fifty balls. The rebels now sprang over the em- HISTORY OF THE bankment, and elated with their success, they filled the paptured fort like a crowded church. Rosecrans had prepared for this emergency. While constructing the defences of this place a 64-pound mortar had been so placed on the east of the town as to command not only Fort Robinette, but also all the other forts around Corinth. No sooner was the fort filled with the exul tant foe thai; this mortar opened, and a huge shell was dropped in their midst. It exploded and literally blowed tJiem from the fort. Our Chaplain, Rev. Wm. Truesdale, told me that he viewed the effect of this ex plosion by the aid of a field glass, and that fragments of the wretched victims could be seen twenty feet in air. The Second Iowa infantry followed this explosion with a bayonet charge, and tjie fort was again in federal hands. Van Dorn now withdrew his shattered forces, leav ing the field with the killed and wounded of the enemy in our hands. Lieut. Jacob F. Bandy, of the Second Iowa cavalry, was detailed to superintend the burying, and his reports show that he found a little over 300 Union dead on the field, and over 1,300 confederate dead. The cause of this great disparity in the number killed on a side was traceable to the fact that our forces fought from behind good cover, whereas the rebels had to advance across an open field upon an abattis. The rout of Van Born s army amounted almost to a stam pede, and everything that could in any way impede their march was abandoned by them. We followed them as far as Ripley, picking up many prisoners, an4 then returned to Corintji, which place we reached on he 13th of October. Gen a Rosecrans was now taken from us and sent tg SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 87 the " Army of tlie Cumberland." His loss was deeply lamented by the entire army, who had learned to re.- pose great confidence in him as a brave, sagacious and very successful General. I should have mentioned that the First and Second battalions of the Second Iowa acted as couriers and provost guard in the battle of Corinth. Much of Gen. Rosecrans success in battle was attributable to his excellent provost regulations, which compelled every soldier to keep his post and jkept an army of stragglers from seeking tfye rear. 38 HISTORY OF THE CHAPTER VI. CHANGE IN COMMANDERS GRANT S CAMPAIGN INTO MISSISSIPPI CAVALRY RAID ON HOLLY SPRINGS COMPANY "A s" CAPTURES SCOUT TO RIPLEY SECOND MOVE TO HOLLY SPRINGS FIGHT AT YOCONA RIVER FIGHT AT WATER VAL LEY EXPLOITS OF COMPANY " K " COFFEE VILLE FIGHT COL. DICKEY RAID TO OKOLONA VAN CORN S RAID SECOND COFFEEVILLE AND SECOND OKOLONA RAID. *t- Gen. Franklin now assumed command of Rosecrans old army under Gen. Grant, department commander. Major W. P. Hepburn was promoted to Lieut.-Colonel in place of Hatch, promoted, and Frank Kendrick, Cap tain company "E," to Major, in place of Hepburn, promoted, while Lieut. Schnetger, acting regimental Adjutant, was commissioned Captain of company " E." Lieut.-Col. Hepburn was away on detail as staff officer for Rosecrans; hence as Col. Hatch commanded the brigade, the command of the regiment devolved on Major Datus E. Coon. We left Corinth for Grand Junction, acting as ad vance guard of Grant s army, November 2d, 1862. We reached Grand Junction on the 4th. On the 12th, Col. Lee, of the 7th Kansas cavalry, commanding our division, started on a reconnoissance to Holly Springs. Lee divided his forces into two columns. The right was under his own immediate command, while Col. Hatch commanded the left. There was some skirmish ing in front of both columns all day. Hatch camped for the night at Hudson ville. Company "A," Capt. SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 39 Charles C. Horton commanding, was placed on picket on the Holly Springs road. Soon after dark a rebel patrol party came up, and Horton with his company succeeded in so fooling them that the Lieut, command ing and the entire company were induced to come with in our lines, where they were all captured. They mistook Capt. Horton for a confederate officer and did not learn this error until escape was impossible. On the 13th we went to Holly Springs, from which place we drove a small rebel force. Here Lieut. Foster, commanding company " M," was sent out on the Wa- terford road to picket and patrol. He was soon at tacked by an Alabama regiment. So gallantly did Foster and his little band resist the attack that in a sharp fight of two hours which ensued, the rebels were compelled to retire. Lee returned to camp at Grand Junction on the 14th. On the 19th Col. Hatch was ordered to proceed with his brigade to Bipley, Miss., where Col. Faulkner was organizing a rebel cavalry command. We charged the town at daylight on the 20th. The rebels scattered in all directions, and the day was spent scouring the sur rounding country for confederate soldiers, horses and mules. We captured thirty soldiers, including Faulk ner s Lieut.-Col. and a Major. We also picked up over sixty horses and mules. On the 28th of November Grant commenced his for ward movement into central Mississippi, designed to result in the capture of Vicksburg. Our division of cavalry was in advance. We drove the rebels through Holly Springs on the 29th, and pressed them back to their fortifications on the Tallahatchie river. Artillery was freely used on both sides, and our division dis- 40 IltSTOKY OF THE mounted and captured one of the rebel cannon. CoL- Hatch barely escaped death here from the ball of a rebel sharp-shooter, which cut a limb just by his head. The rebels had very strong works on the Tallahatchie at this point, which would have defied any attack from the front. Grant compelled the evacuation of the works by a flank movement. On the morning of December 2d Hatch crossed the Tallahatchie with Ms brigade, the boys leading their horses over on a frail bridge constructed for the pur- pose. Col. Lee was already in Oxford, where we joined him. We moved south at daylight on the 3d, Hatch having the advance, the Seventh Illinois cavalry being advance guard. Soon after setting out the Seventh Il linois came upon a company of the enemy left back by Gen. Van Dorn to destroy the bridges and burn the cotton before our column. This company was surpris ed and all captured but three. Small squads of pris oners w r ere now picked up on every hand, and at the close of the day s march Hatch had 103 to turn over.- Van Dorn made" a stand on the Yocona river, just at the close of day.- A sharp skirmish ensued in which the Tth Illinois alone participated on our side. They lost one killed and two wounded*- The rebels left ten v wounded in the village of Springdale near where the skirmish took place. Hatch now fell back to a neigh* boring plantation and camped for the night. At 3 o clock A. M. on the following day we were again in the saddle. Hatch had taken the precaution before bivou* acing to send a company down the river to a bridge, and the result attested his wisdom ija- so doing, for at the bridge in question this patrol found a rebel detail had been sent there to destroy this means of cross- SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 41 ing. They drove away the detail and picketed the bridge until our column reached there. The Second Iowa was now put in advance, company " K," Capt. Chas. P. Moore commanding, acting as ad vance guard. We had pursued our course but a short, distance beyond the bridge when the advance videttes discovered the pickets of the enemy upon a distant hill. Lieut. P. L. Reed, commanding advance platoon, ordered them to charge the post. The boys dashed forward, but just now two men were seen coming to wards our column from the enemy s pickets in a slow trot. The videttes supposing these men to. be desert ers held their fire and met them face to face, when they learned that their prisoners for such they now were were the Lieut, and Sergt. of the rebel guard, and that they mistook our column for a confederate force ; hence the blunder which resulted in their capture. As the videttes neared the pickets they fled without even the show of a ficrht. Two more, however, were thrown O / / from their saddles, and captured by our men. We now moved rapidly forward until we came in sight of Water Valley, when we saw rebel stragglers in every direction. Lieut. Reed saw a small squad of the enemy across the field to our front and left, and ordered four men from the advance guard to gallop across the field and capture them. Privates Demais Ryon, Wm. Moter, John Canterbury and John Stathers responded to this call. Canterbury found four prison ers in a house, on his way to the squad -after which he started, hence he returned with these to the column, while Stathers, misunderstanding the order, charged unsupported into the town of Water Valley, and was killed. This left only Ryon and Moter to deal with 42 HISTORY OF THE the squad first seen. They spurred on, however, to a clump of brush, behind which the squad in question had disappeared. What was their surprise upon reaching the edge of the brush, to find instead of three or four as they supposed, eighteen rebels all armed with Enfield rifles ! As they were face to face with the foe, retreat was out of the question ; hence they took a bolder and more successful course. Leveling their carbines upon the breasts of the two in advance, Ryon in a command ing tone ordered the squad to "drop their arms and surrender" Overawed by the boldness of their con- fronters, they all obeyed the summons, and quick as thought the boys placed themselves between their pris oners arid their arms, and marched them in safety to our column. Capt. Moore afterwards made a detail to go and destroy the arms of these prisoners, and they found seventeen out of the eighteen guns loaded. While this scene was transpiring two rebel officers were discovered leisurely riding towards us on the Spring- dale road. As they came up Lieut. Reed ordered them under guard. They did not yet comprehend the true condition of affairs, but still supposing us rebels they thought that they had been "put in arrest " by order of some confederate officer. Nor did they learn their mistake until in answer to questions propounded by Lieut. Reed and Col. Hatch, they had revealed many of the secrets of their army. Among other things they told where Van Dora s headquarters train was, which we at once proceeded to capture. These officers proved to be a Captain and R. Q. M., and a Lieutenant and A. D. C. on Van Dora s staff. Companies " K " and " C " now led a charge upon the town, where they captured several more prisoners. The captures of these SECOND IOWA CAVALKY. 43 companies, before 8 o clock A. M., summed up as fol lows, viz : Four commissioned officers, thirty-nine en listed men ; also fifteen mules and four wagons, loaded with Van Dora s headquarters baggage. The rebels were greatly surprised at our presence at the place where we made the attack, for it was almost in their rear. When Van Dorn learned of our opera tions he dispatched six regiments of cavalry to the scene of conflict. These attacked us about 11 o clock A. M. A very spirited conflict of two hours duration ensued, the rebels striving hard to regain their losses of the morning ; but Col. Hatch dispatched company u M," Lieut. Hamilton commanding, back to the bridge across the Yocona river, and then with the rest of the brigade he safely returned with the prisoners and plun der. Among our wounded in this action were Lieut. Reed and Sergt. Fickel, of company " K ;" also, one man killed and one wounded from company " A." At the close of this action one company, Capt. Moore commanding, was sent back to Oxford with the prison, ers, 150 in number, while the rest of the division fol lowed the retreating foe to CofFeeville. Col. Dickey, of the Fourth Illinois cavalry, was now with us, and being senior officer and chief of cavalry, he was in command. At Coffeeville, the county seat of Yallabusha county, Miss., Van Dorn made a determined stand, bringing his entire force of infantry, artillery and cavalry into a line of battle to oppose our further advance. The cavalry division, now commanded by Col. Dickey, had already driven Van Dorn sixty miles without the aid of infantry support, and had sent 1,500 of his forces to the rear as prisoners. Dickey s command numbered 44 HISTORY OF THE but 2,500 strong; Van Dorn commanded over four times this number, and now tliat he had formed his line of battle on advantageous ground, Cols. Lee and Hatch both demurred to Col. Dickey s order to advance. But like most commanders who do little fighting them selves, he was immovable in his determination to fight Van Dorn there ; hence he ordered the command for ward. Lee had the advance, and he made the attack with great coolness, but so overwhelming were the odds against him that his brave followers were forced back, and their artillery came very near being captured. One battalion of the Second Iowa, under Major Love, was detached as guard for Col. Lee s battery, which con sisted of a part of the Second Illinois artillery. This battalion, consisting of companies " B," "D," "F" and "I," saved the battery by repulsing a desperate charge from a greatly superior force of rebel infantry. As Col. Lee fell back Col. Hatch brought his brigade to his support, and by dint of hard fighting they sue ceeded in making good their retreat. But I should no1 fail to state that no sooner did Col. Dickey see his forces overpowered than he discovered that his presence was needed at the rear, whither he went, leaving Cols Lee and Hatch to get the forces out as best they could The loss of the Second Iowa in this encounter was twenty-two. We now fell back to the Yocono river where we waited the arrival of the infantry. On the 14th of December, 1862, Dickey again lefi camp on Yocona, with our division of cavalry, anc moving southeast we soon struck the Mobile and Ohic railroad at Tupello, Miss. The Second Iowa, Majoi Coon commanding, made a dash upon Camargo station which place they reached in time to fire into, but 1101 SECOND IOWA CAVALKY. 45 to capture, the . southern bound train of cars. The railroad was reduced to a complete wreck, after which we dashed into Okolona, where we burned ten thousand bushels of confederate corn and a large amount of com missary stores, and captured thirty prisoners. With these prisoners we returned to the main column near Pontotoc. As the column passed Pontotoc on their homeward march, we learned that a cavalry force of 10,000 strong, under Van Dorn, had passed there but one hour before, on their way to Grant s base of supplies at Holly Springs. Our force, though too small to defeat Van Dorn with his 10,000 followers, was yet amply strong to harrass and detain him until notice could be given the garrison at Holly Springs of his approach, and proper means of defense employed. Hatch wished to pursue this course, but Dickey would not allow it, and we rapidly moved towards our camp, leaving Van Dorn to go his way undisturbed. The result of this blunder was the success of Van Dorn at Holly Springs, and the consequent abandonment of the campaign by Gen. Grant. Dickey now threw up his commission, and the next we learned of him he was making copperhead speeches in Illinois, a business for which he was much better fitted than a leader of cavalry raids. On the 21st of December, 1862, our brigade, Col. Hatch commanding, was again on the move. We reached Coffeeville on the 22d, and there commenced destroying the Mississippi Central railroad. We were now the rear guard of Grant s retreating army. We reduced the road to a complete wreck as far back as to the Tallahatchie river. On the 25th Hatch again started in the direction 46 HlbTORY OF THE of Okolona with a view of trying to intercept Vai Dora s march, for he was now retreating before Col Lee. We could not overtake the rapidly retreating i*ebel force, however, and returned to cainp, whicl place we reached on the 28th. We were in great neec of rest, as the reader will readily believe when tolc that our marches for the last thirty days had averagec forty-one and a half miles per day. We fell back tc La Grange, Tenn., where we went into winter quarters SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 47 CHAPTER VII. FIRST BRIDGE BURNING RAID IN 1863 GRIERSON RAID FIOHT AT PALO ALTO AND BIRMINGHAM EXPLOITS OF COMPANY " G " EXPLOITS or MILLS ANI* OTHERS OF COMPANY "A" CROSSING TIPPAH RIVER LOYALTY or BLACKS SKNATOBIA TRIP GKN. CHALMER S HOOPED SKIRT AND CORN COB PIPK. On the 10th of March, 1863, the Second Iowa, Col. Hatch commanding, started on the first raid of our spring campaign. The object of the raid was the des truction of a railroad bridge across the Tallahatchie river, near Waterford. The bridge was reached on the llth and burned. A large supply of lead which had been collected there to be transported to rebel ar mories, was also destroyed. Hatch then turned towards camp. We bivouaced for the night of the 12th three miles south of Holly Springs. We had been in the saddle near all the time thirty-six hours previous to this halt, and were hence much needing repose. We were not to be allowed to take it, however, that night, for scarcely was our supper over before a citizen living near Waterford came into camp, and voluntarily inform ed Col. Hatch that Brig.-Gen. Chalmers, with his brig ade, and Col. Faulkner, with his regiment, and a battalion of Texas Legions, had prepared an ambuscade for us in a swamp between our camp and Holly Springs. As Hatch had no ambulances along, or other conven iences for caring for the wounded, which he must ex pect to have if he gave battle, he determined to give 48 HISTOEY OF THE these watchers the go by ; hence he directed us to sad dle up and move out in silence, and by the guidance of the citizen who had warned him of his danger, he made a successful circuit around the ambushed foe, and by marching all night and all the next day, we reached camp in safety, though much exhausted, having been in the saddle nearly all the time for three days and two nights. The citizen who told us of this ambuscade was afterwards arrested by the confederates, and came very near paying for his patriotism with his life. His gold, however, saved him. After this a battalion of the reg iment was kept on patrol all the time after Col. Street and his guerrilla band, which then infested the vicinity of La Grange. During the month of March the Sec ond Iowa marched 350 miles and captured a large number of horses and a goodly number of prisoners, without loss. We were kept busily employed in these lesser raids until the 17th of April, 1863. Col. Hatch had now prepared to move with the brig ade down through Central Mississippi, to the rear of Vicksburg, cut the railroad communications with the rebel army there, and then move on through to the federal lines of the " Department of the Gulf." The orders for this march were circulated on the afternoon of the 16th of April; the column was to move at 3 o clock on the morning of the 17th. The midnight train that night brought to us Col. B. H. Grierson, of the Sixth Illinois cavalry, who had been to Illinois on furlough. As his commission was older than that of Hatch s, he assumed command of the expedition, and Col. H. took command of the Second Iowa. On the 18th Hatch left Grierson, and moved through Ripley and Molino, where he had a slight skirmish SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 49 with Smith s regiment of Partisan Kangers; thence southwest forming a junction with Col. Grierson, on the 19th, five miles below Pontotoc, Miss. There Major Love was detached with a portion of the regiment to return to La Grange. This reduced Hatch s command to about 500 men. The brigade now moved in one column until they reached the junction of the roads leading to Louisville, West Point and Columbus. Here Col. Grierson, with the Sixth and Seventh Illinois cav alry, and three 2-pound cannon, moved southward, while Hatch, with the Second Iowa and one 2-pound cannon, moved towards Columbus. He sent company " E," of the Second Iowa, with the cannon, a short distance on the road taken by Grierson. This patrol returned in column of fours, thus obliterating all the outward bound tracks. The cannon was turned in the road in four different places, thus making their tracks corres pond with the four pieces of artillery which Grierson had with the expedition. The object of this was to deceive the rebels, who were following us, into the be lief that the entire column had taken the Columbus road. The ruse worked well. Hatch now moved to Palo Alto, where he halted and fed. The enemy, under Gen. Golson, had been massing in our rear with a view of capturing us while crossing the Hooka river. Our column had been inspected at every house we passed by women and old men, and from these Gen. Golson had learned our exact strength and kind of arms. He had with him Srnith k partisan reg iment, Bartoe s regiment and Inge s battalion, while an Alabama regiment, with artillery, was in our front. The principal object of Hatch s movement was to de coy this force to the east, and thus give Grierson time 50 HISTOKY OF THE to get well under way. We moved from our bivouac at Palo Alto about noon on the 21st of April. While we were halted there Golson had arrived with his force at the junction of the roads, and patroled the road taken by Grierson until convinced that the column had all taken the Columbus road, when he moved in that di rection. He reached Palo Alto and made the attack just as we were moving out, while company " E," which had just arrived, was yet unbridled. Company " H " was on picket. They gallantly repulsed the first charge made by the rebels, and aided by company " E," held the enemy in check until Hatch could form a line, which he did in the edge of timber, where his men, being covered by the trees, could command with their rifles the open field in their front, across which the enemy must advance. Our little cannon was placed in a favorable position and did good service, notwith standing the rebels had made their brags at a house at the edge of the field that they wanted but three min utes in which to capture it. The rebels formed beyond rifle range, and came down on a charge. Our boys kept the cover of the trees until they were within short range, when they opened upon them such a murderous fire from their trusty re volving rifles that they were not only repulsed, but stampeded and scattered all over the woods. The rebels acknowledged a loss of twenty-five in this skir mish, and citizens said their loss was much heavier. Owing to the "completeness of our cover not a drop oi Yankee blood was shed. Hatch now moved north until near the Tippah river, where the rebels were waiting for us at the ford, when he took across a field to the right. We marched for a SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 51 long distance without a road of any kind. When we came to a ditch the boys would lift the cannon over by hand. The naked gun weighed 140 pounds, and the carriage could be so taken apart that the gun was heavier than any piece about it. We soon entered a a large swamp, through which we traveled by an ob scure path, guided by a negro until we struck the river some miles below the ford the rebels were guard ing. Here Hatch found some flood-wood lodged against a fallen tree ; with this he constructed a rude foot-bridge, and we unsaddled our horses and each trooper carried his saddle across the bridge on his back. The bank on the side from which the horses must enter was about six feet above the stream and very nearly perpendicular. Three or four troopers would seize each horse and throw him into the stream, when they would, by the aid of long poles, compel him to swim to the opposite bank, where two men stood hip deep in water to aid him up the bank. In this way the entire com mand was crossed in safety, between the hours of 10 o clock P. M., and 3 o clock A. M., of as dark a night as I ever experienced. Large bonfires were built on each bank to expel the darkness. The cannon was taken to pieces and hauled across by means of a rope. As soon as the column was all over, we saddled up and moved out, and before daylight we were several miles in the rear of the rebel force stationed at the ford. We moved towards Okolona, where the rebels had eight pieces of artillery, but so completely had Hatch fooled them as to the objective point of his march, that the enemy, designed for support for their guns, had been all despatched to various points to oppose us, and now that we were rapidly nearing Okolona, they were 52 HISTORY OF THE obliged to run their cannon South for safety. We charged into the town just before sunset, where we burned thirty barracks filled with Confederate British stamped cotton. This done we moved five miles out of town and camped for the night on a wealthy plantation, which afforded everything we needed both for animals and men. We were in the saddle early on the morning of the 23d, and before noon we had marched to all points of the compass, thus baffling all attempts on the part of the enemy to keep track of us. Most of this day and the next were spent in skirmishing through the large swamps, in which Central Mississippi everywhere abounds. These swamps were filled with horses and mules which had been run there by the affrighted citi zens, and placed in charge of their most trusty servants, to keep them from the hated Yankees. These servants, with commendable shrewdness, pretended to credit all the tales of horror, relative to Yankee deeds of barbar ity to the blacks, told them by their masters in order to deter them from leaving with our forces. Now that we were where these fellows could claim our protection, however, they threw off the mask, and hurrying to us, proffered their services as guides to the coverts of these animals, gladly accepting our offer of the privilege of accompanying us and leading our captured stock. In this way we soon accumulated 600 head of horses and mules, with about 200 able bodied negroes to lead them. As the colored women and children could not be taken along, they expressed their feeling towards us by running out to the road, as we passed, with a bowl of milk or a pone of corn bread and slice of meat, and the heartfelt De Good Lord bless you, Massa, which ac companied these offerings, left no room to doubt their SECOND IOWA CAVALEY. 53 loyalty to our cause. They did not understand all the ininutia of the acts of our Government relative to their condition as slaves, but all believed that their freedom from bondage in some way depended on the success of our arms, hence they were anxious to aid us in any way in their power. When the attack was made on us at Palo Alto, 1st Serg t A. R. Clark, company " G," with twenty-five men was on the flank in search of horses. They cap tured thirty horses and as many negroes and returned to the road where they expected to find the column, when to their surprise they found that during their ab sence the Palo Alto skirmish had taken place, and that Hatch was gone, they knew not whither, while they were in the rear of the rebel army. Privates Jas. Kennedy and C. C. Eves, of company " G," struck the rebels rear so closely as to preclude the possibility of retreat. Kennedy, the reader will remember, was wounded and captured on the Boonville raid in the spring of 1862, he had therefore tasted the joys of Southern prisons, and had no curiosity to satisfy in this respect. He dashed furiously foward along the rebel lines, followed by Eves, shouting in an officer like tone : Foi^m a line, men / the Yankees a/re coming in the rear. The rebels fooled by this trick, mistook him for a Con federate officer, and he rode in safety along the entire column of one-third of a mile in length, and joined our forces in safety. Eves mule fell with him and he was captured. Serg t Clark, with the balance of his com. mand, moved around by the flank. They marched sixty miles in seven hours, encountering the rebels at all points, and loosing their train of horses and negroes, and five prisoners. They reached Hatch s column while he was crossing the Tippah river. 54 HISTORY OF THE As CoL Hatch neared Birmingham, April 24th, he sent Maj. Coon off on a reconnoissance to our left with six companies, while he, with the other four companies, the prisoners, thirty-one in number, and the captured horses, mules and negroes, moved on to Birmingham. Col. Bartoe had been following us for some time with Smith s Partizan Rangers, his own regiment and the Second Alabama Mounted Infantry. Now that Hatch was reduced to but four companies, and incumbered with such a train of plunder, Bartoe thought this his time to relieve him of his train, if not to capture the guard. He therefore attacked our rear just as w^e reached Birmingham ; company " C " were rear guard at the time, Lieut. Connor commanding. This gallant officer quickly dismounted his company, and forming them across the road, they, by the aid of their revolv ing rifles, succeeded in checking three separate charges made upon them by Smith s Partizan Rangers. The enemy now attempted a flank movement, when compa ny " C " fell back upon the column. Col. Hatch formed a line with all that he could dismount of com panies " A " and " C." This line numbered only sixty - five men armed with Colt s revolving rifle, and one 2-pound cannon, manned by a corporal and five men of the Second Illinois artillery. On one flank of this bat tle line he placed seven of company " E " mounted, and on the other flank were placed seven of company " K" mounted ; the balance of these companies were detailed to guard the prisoners and train. The fighting line thus formed, as the reader will see, numbered just eighty-five. In the centre of this line Hatch took his position mounted. Bartoe formed his men and corning upon our centre on a charge, was handsomly repulsed ; SECOND IOWA CAVALEY. 55 rallying his men he tried a flank movement, but Hatch checkmated this by falling back too rapidly to allow the enemy to pass his flank, hence they again tried his centre but with no better success than before, when they discontinued the attempt. In this engagement, as at Palo Alto, Hatch kept his troops so well covered that he lost none. The rebel loss was thirty as shown by their own reports. We now fell back without farther fighting to La Grange. When about fifteen miles from Federal lines we halted to feed ; while there Hatch sent his orderly, Chas. H. Ellithorps, of company " L," with an order to the picket, distant about one mile. On his return he was mortally wounded by a ball from a squirrel rifle in the hands of a guerrilla, who stole up to the roadside for the purpose of committing the murder ; this was all the man Hatch had killed or wounded on the entire trip. On the 23rd, while the column was near Okolona, bugler Amos Mills, and privates John Shafer and Geo. Eidgeway, of company " A," were detached from the column in search of forage, when upon their return they reached the road where they expected to find the column, they came upon the rear guard of the enemy s forces. As they were between the rear of the main rebel column and the rear guard, they charged after the guard who fled farther to the rear at their approach. In this chase the boys captured one man, and made two more drop th.eir guns, while they drove six from under their hats. They now struck northward, first telling their prisoner that they would spare his life only on condition of his giving his parol of honor that he would in no way betray them while on their way to 56 HISTORY OF THE camp. He gave this parol and therefore they took him along unmolested. After riding about three miles farther, they stopped at a house and changed their clothes for such as the Confederates wore. At Pontotoc they encountered seven rebels ; they passed themselves off to these as Bartoe s scouts, their pris oner faithfully keeping his parol with them. At Harrisburg they encountered a second squad of Con federates, but passed them as they had done the others. At Tupelo they were in sight of rebel pickets but left them to their right. When three miles North of Tupelo they came upon Lieut. Eains, one of Forrest s spies, whom they captured, and mak ing him give the same parol as the other they took him with them. When near Baldwin they moved off into the brush and fed their jaded horses five ears of corn each, and rested a little more than an hour when they resumed their march. They reached the pickets of the Sixty-Sixth Illinois, at Camp Davis, near Corinth, on the evening of the second day after they left the col umn. They had marched 130 miles without food or sleep and with but five ears of corn each for their horses. The Colonel of the Sixty-Sixth Illinois received them with kindness, gave them a good dinner and a pass to Co rinth, where they turned over their prisoners, and tak ing the cars rejoined the regiment at La Grange. A new brigade, consisting of the Second Iowa Cavalry, the Second Tennessee Cavalry, the Sixth Iowa Mounted Infantry and four pieces of artillery, was now organized at La Grange. This brigade, Col. Hatch commanding, left La Grange on the 29th of April, and taking southward passed Chestersville, where we broke up a conscript camp. We penetrated the country as SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 57 far as Okolona, when finding nothing to fight v .we re turned to camp with 300 captured horses and mules, twenty -three prisoners, and the usual compliment of black Yankees, as the rebels call their slaves who -go with the Federal army. We marched 200 miles and reached camp, May 5th, having been out seven days. On the llth of May, our brigade, Col. Hatch com manding, was again on the war path. We went to Sena- tobia this time to offer Chalmers battle on his own ground, if perchance he would dance at a loll of our making upon any terms. Nothing of importance trans pired until. we reached Senatobia, where we struck the Second Missouri cavalry ; while a part of the force en gaged these, Col. Coon with the Second Iowa, made a rapid march to the enemy s rear for the purpose of try ing to get between them and the river, but they were too fast on a retreat to be overtaken. At Senatobia we captured a rebel mail and a telegraph operator with dispatches. Finding that Chalmers was rapidly retreating south, and in despair of getting a fight out of him, Hatch started back for camp. Now that we were falling back, Chalmers became suddenly valiant, and coming to an about face he started after us, telling the citizens on the route that he felt sure of his ability to capture Hatch and his thieves as soon as we should reach a favorable place of attack, known as Wall Hill. So confident did the citizens feel that he would keep his promise in this respect, that they prepared a reception for him when he should return on his triumphant march. Accordingly as we neared the designated spot on the 25th of May, the rear was suddenly and furiously assaulted. Company " C," who was rear guard, gallantly repulsed the charge 8 58 HISTORY OF THE without loss. It was repeated, however, with so much fury, that Hatch found it necessary to halt and form a line, as companies "C" and "G" were being over whelmed by numbers. Our artillery was advantageously planted, and the Sixth Iowa detailed to support it. Chalmers was well supplied with artillery which he also threw into position on a favorable locality. Our gun ners fired with so much precision that the rebel guns were silenced in ten minutes. No sooner did Chalmers see our forces in a line of battle, than he beat an igno- minous retreat, although he greatly outnumbered us. So disgusted were the citizens at this failure, that the ladies about Senatobia presented Chalmers with a hooped skvrt and corn-cob pipe as tokens of their regard for him as an officer. Our loss in this skirmish was three wounded and six missing. We reached La Grange on the 15th with sixty prisoners, 600 horses and mules, and 400 blacks. We were out five days and marched 180 miles. SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 59 CHAPTER VIII. LA GRANGE AND THE CAMP THERE MIZNER S RAID TO PANOLA COMPANY " K * SENT BACK TRANSPORTS FIRED INTO PROPERTY BURNED IN RETALIATION SCOUT TO JACKSON, TENNESSEE BATTLE THERE EXPLOITS OP COMPANIES "L AND " M " DESPERATION OF A REBEL LIEUT. BAND* WITH DISPATCH GRANADA TRIP LARGE DESTRUCTION OF ROLLING STOCK. As there was a prospect of our spending the most of the hot season at La Grange, we constructed a nice camp, building comfortable shades over all the tents of the men as well as over the stables. La Grange before ruined by the devastating presence of armies, was one of the pleasantest inland towns in Northern Mississippi. It is the county seat of Fayette county, beautifully sit- uated upon high ground, on the Memphis and Charles ton railroad, fifty miles from Memphis. It is well wa tered by springs, and also by Wolf river, which flows past but a short distance south of town. Sanitary agents regarded it as the most healthy camping ground occupied by any part of Grant s army. With these natural advantages in locality, added to all that skill could do to render our camp agreeable, we here spent a very happy summer. On the 5th of June the regiment, Col. Coon com manding, was again sent out with five days rations. They reached camp on the 10th, having been down to the left of the railroad, towards the Mississippi river ; nothing worthy of note occurred on this march. Col. 60 HISTORY OF THE Coon sustained no loss, but brought back a few prison ers and a few negroes, also a small number of captured liorses and mules. The Sixth Iowa infantry were now dismounted and taken from our brigade, being sent by boat to Vicks- burg. We were sorry to part with these brave fellows, but the good of the service required the change, besides the transfer gave their excellent Colonel, John Corse, a better chance to develop his military genius. But the history of this brave leader of the brave needs no com ment from my pen. On the 16th of June we were again on the wing with six days rations. Our force now consisted of the First and Second Brigades cavalry division, Col. Mizner com manding, Col. Coon as usual commanding the Second Iowa, We struck southeast to the Tallahatchie river at Wyette where we crossed by swimming the animals. A raft was hastily constructed out of the lumber taken from a house near by, upon which the cannon and wagon train were conveyed over. We crossed on the 18th, and moving down the river reached the rear of Panola about 10 o clock, A. M., on the 19th. This was Gen. Chalmers Headquarters, and as he commanded a force equal in numerical strength to ours, we reasonably expected at least a show of defense, but we were disappointed in this, for he fled at our approach, leaving but a picket at Panola, We entered the town after a brief shirmish. In the town we found a few tents and a little ammuni tion which had been abandoned by the enemy. Com pany " K," Second Iowa, Capt. Chas. P. Moore com manding, were now detailed to bear a dispatch to the Federal lines, The nearest point where he could strike these lines was at Germantown, eighty miles from Pa- SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 61 nola, his point of departure from the column. The trip was hazardous, for his course took him within two miles of a rebel camp of eighty-five men, while his force num bered but thirty-five ; besides this he had, when near this rebel camp, to cross Cold Water and Pidgeon Roost creeks. These crossings were so difficult that five reso lute men could have held either of them against- his entire force. When near the rebel camp, Corp l G. R. Bradley, commanding advance videttes, came suddenly upon and captured the rebel Captain commanding the Confederate forces of the vicinity. With this prisoner Moore reached Germantown in safety, thirty hours after leaving Panola. When Chalmers left his camp at Pa- nola, he sent a small detachment to the Mississippi river ; these barbarians fired into a transport,killing one woman and two children. By way of retaliation for this out rage, the Second Iowa were ordered to burn all the property found in the vicinity of the depredations, sparing nothing save the dwellings which sheltered wo men and children. The country thus doomed was of great wealth, and the amount of property destroyed in compliance to the order, immense. Millions of dollars worth of cotton, grain and meat, together with many miles of fencing and thousands of outbuildings, fell be fore the circling flames. Rebel papers place the loss in this burning at $15,000,000. The expedition now returned to camp, which they reached on the 24th of June, bring ing with them a few prisoners, and 1,000 head of horses and mules, and as many negroes. About the 1st of July, Gen. Forrest moved his force into Middle Tennessee, taking up his Headquarters at Jackson. His men were kept raiding over the country, gathering up conscripts and barbarously persecuting 6 2 HISTORY OF THE every Union citizen who might fall into their power. On the 12th of July, Col. Hatch took our brigade and a detachment of the Ninth Illinois mounted infantry, and proceeded to Jackson for the purpose of driving Forrest from the place. Hatch s force numbered 1,300 ; Forrest s was supposed to number 2,200. But our boys were better armed than the Confederates, and hence feared not their greater numbers. In the Forkeddeer river bottom, near Jackson, were no less than nineteen bridges across which Hatch must go before he could reach the main fortifications held by the rebels. For rest contested the advance of the Union forces at all of these bridges, but the Third Michigan cavalry, who were in advance, pressed them steadily back, unassist ed until they reached the last one, where the resist ance was so obstinate that the Ninth Illinois infantry were brought into action as support, when the bridge was soon carried. The Union forces now formed in front of the breastworks and quickly carried them by assault. Our artillery, Lieut. Reed, of the Second Iowa, commanding, got into position so near as to command the town. Major Coon, commanding Second Iowa, ordered company "M," Lieut. Hamilton, and company " L," Lieut. Dunham commanding, to charge the town. As these companies entered they separated, Lieut. Hamilton taking one street and Lieut. Dunham another. The town was completely full of the enemy, and this little charging force soon found that theirs was no easy task. The foe, who were dismounted, fired upon them from coverts on every side, but the chargers checked not, and were soon rewarded for their intrepid, ity by seeing the foe fly panic stricken in every direc tion. The horse rode by Lieut. Humphrey, of company SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 63 " M," becoming unmanageable, dashed with its rider into the midst of a squad of over fifty rebels. Serg t K. M. Wallace and private Samuel Gibson, of company "M," seeing their Lieutenant thus in danger, spurred af ter him. The Lieutenant 7 s horse was killed and he was severely wounded, but so gallantly was he de fended by the sabres of these two men, that the enemy were prevented from capturing him until Lieut. Hamil ton could come to their aid with the balance of the com pany, when the rebels were repulsed with a loss of twelve prisoners. Serg t James Crawford, of company " L, r with five men, charged down one street, unsupport ed ; after capturing six prisoners they came upon a company of the enemy s pickets, drove them off, taking the post with one vidette. A little incident occurred here which deserves notice as showing the desperation with which some men will fight rather than surrender to a hated foe. During the charge just recorded, a squad of company "L" overtook a rebel trooper and ordered him to surren der ; he refused with an oath ; one of the boys fired, the ball passing through the rebel s body ; he still urged his steed onward, refusing the summons to sur render ; two more balls passed through him, but still he halted not; when one of the boys, not relishing this butchery, dashed along side of him and took his horse by the bridle, while another one seized the bleeding wretch by the collar and dragged him to the ground. With a ghastly, though defiant look, he addressed his captors as follows : "You can kill me, you can hold me, but / never will surrender to a d d Yankee" The boys held him for a few moments, when he sank to the ground from loss of blood. 64 HISTOEY OF THE The victory was soon complete, the enemy flying in every direction, hotly pursued by the federal forces. The Federal loss in this action was three killed and eleven wounded ; the enemy lost in killed, wounded and pris oners, 178, all left in our hands. Forrest said in the midst of this fight, that he " never had been whipped, and never would be," but he was soon Hatched at his heart s content. Company " K," Second Iowa, was left behind on picket, at La Grange, when this expedition left. On the night of the 13th, Lieut. Bandy was ordered to take fifteen men and bear a dispatch to Hatch. When they reached Bolivar they encountered a force of guerrillas in the act of firing the bridge over the Hatchie river. A wagon load of dry wood had been placed on the bridge and was in a blaze when Bandy reached the spot. He at once ordered the charge, and the boys dashed forward scattering the guerrillas in gay style. The wood was hastily thrown from the bridge and the fire extinguished. Bandy then pushed on with his dispatch, which he delivered in safety. The expe dition reached La Grange July 16th, bringing with them 100 prisoners, a few horses and mules, and the usual compliment of negroes. After this we w^ere allowed to enjoy our nice camp at La Grange, interrupted only by short patrols, until Au gust 13th, when Col; Coon, with six companies of the Second Iowa and a portion of the Third Michigan cav alry, started out on another raid. Moving south they reached the Tippah river just at dark on the 13th. The heavy rains had greatly swollen this stream and render ed the crossing very difficult, especially in the night. On the 14th the command crossed the Tallahatchie at SECOXD IOWA CAVALRY. <>,"> Rocky Ford. On the 16th the} crossed the Tocuapatfa river by means of a ferry^. Company " C," Second Iowa, were the first forces across, and while the balance crossed they moved on to Water Valley, where they canie upon a train of six Confederate army wagons, fully equipped and in running order ; after a short skir mish all these teams were captured with their drivers. That night a most terrific rain storm set in, accompa iiied by continual flashes of lightning which served to completely blind both man and beast. It was so diffi cult to keep the road that horse and rider not unfre- quently were precipitated into the ditch together, while broken noses, lost hats and lost -arms, was but the order of the night. At midnight the column reached the battlefield of Coffeeville, when Col. Coon, hoping the darkness would abate, halted the column one hour, af ter which they again endeavored to advance, but the darkness was so intense that a halt until daylight was ordered. At sunrise on the morning of the 17th they were again in the saddle, and moved on to Coffeeville where they captured three prisoners. Taking the Granada road the advance struck the pickets of the en emy two miles from Coffeeville r capturing one of them. When six miles out they came in sight of a locomotive which they endeavored to head off without success. When eight miles from Granada, six locomotives and twenty-five cars were captured. The main line of the enemy was soon encountered and pressed back until near the river, when they opened on our forces with six and ten pound artillery. Col. Coon now sent two 12- pound cannon to the front, soon after which the rebels displayed the white flag, at the same time making good their escape from the surrendered town, while our 9 6 HISTORY OF THE forces were engaged in crossing the river. With Gra nada, sixty locomotives and 500 cars of all kinds were captured and burned ; also, two depots and two large machine shops, containing a large amount of machinery ; also, two large steam flouring mills, containing each not less than 1,000 sacks of flour and meal; also ten flats loaded with army wagons. The destruction was thor ough and complete. The force now returned to Holly Springs, which point was reached on the 23d of August, after an absence of thirteen days. 100 prisoners, 500 horses and 1,000 negroes were brought in on this trip. The command marched 400 miles while out. SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 67 CHAPTER IX. MEMPHIS CHURCHES AND PRAYER MEETINGS BATTLES OP COLLIERSVILLE AND COLD WATER GEN. GEORGE CAPTURED NARROW ESCAPE OF CAPT. FOSTER CAMP AT COLLIERSVILLE. On the 27th of August, 1863, our regiment went into camp in Memphis. While here we had little hard duty to perform. The city afforded far greater temptations to vice than any other place in which we had been quartered. Gambling hells, drinking saloons and houses of ill-fame, were to be met with on every corner, and were the weapons used by Satan to rob the soldier of his money and drag his soul down to the black gulf of despair. For a time it appeared as if Satan had indeed been " loosed for a season." But thank God, a spark of divine fire could be found to burn even in Memphis. Preaching and Sabbath Schools were constantly sustained in the churches, where many soldiers were in regular at tendance, wMle the U. S. Christian Commission kept a room open in the Gayoso Block, where the soldier could pleasantly while away an hour reading or writing to his friends. A daily prayer meeting was also kept up in this room by the soldiers alone, and it speaks well for the army to state that the averaged daily attend ance at this meeting was greater than at any daily prayer meeting in the United States, the Fulton street meeting in New York excepted. 68 HISTORY OF THE In a military point of view, our sphere of operations while encamped at Memphis, was very limited, for Gen. Veach, Post Commander, would not allow us taken far enough from the city to get a fight out of the enemy. Hatch did not like this cooping up of the Second Iowa, for it greatly weakened his brigade by preventing him from using us on raids. About the 1st of November, Gen, Chalmers advanced with a heavy force, menacing the railroad between Memphis and Corinth. We had been idle for two months, with the exception of short patrols about the city or in the surrounding country, as far as Hernando, and now that the railroad was in dan ger, Gen, Veach permitted Hatch to take us to Colliers- ville to aid in repelling an attack upon the garrison there. We reached Colliersville at 12 o clock, M., on the 3d of November. The rebels, seven regiments strong, had already driven in the pickets of the little garrison of less than 200 of the Seventh Illinois caval ry, who alone held the post. These boys were armed with but single shooting carbines, a fact which the citi zens had not neglected to report to Chalmers. When but two miles from the place, Chalmers met a citizen, who, by virtue of his loudly professed loyalty to the Union was permitted to pass our lines, who told him the exact strength of the garrison and the kind of arms they were supplied with. Confident of an almost blood less victory and a rich prize from the good supply of army stores and horses known to be in camp there, the Confederate forces were formed for a mounted charge on the south of town, beyond rifie range. Just at this time the Second Iowa, Lieut.-Col. Hepburn command ing, came up from the north of town on a gallop. Quick- ly dismounting the eight rifle companies, Hepburn sent SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. t> them to the railroad across which the enemy must charge, and which afforded fine shelter ; while compa nies "E" and "K" were placed on the right, mounted, and " M " and " L " on the left. No sooner were these preliminary orders for our formation executed, than the enemy came down upon us at full speed, their right led by Chalmers, and their left by Gen. George, of the Mississippi Militia. The sight was truly imposing, for their course was across an open field where their entire line was visible. They kept their line remarkably well dressed, while the riflemen of the Second Iowa quietly awaited their approach, conscious of their ability to check them when they should open. Unfortunately they fired a moment to soon, and few fell from the balls thrown. Gen. George, who supposed he was charging single shooting carbines, now yelled to his men to " Come on, as they have now no loads in their guns, they will be ours before they can reload." These words were not out of his mouth, however, ere a second volley, more murderous than the first, apprised him of his error and the nature of the work he had undertaken. His lines waver, but still follow their dauntless chief tain ; a third volley whistled past him with murderous effect upon his followers, who break in confusion ; two more vollies are fired at them as they leave the field. Gen. George, however, refuses to stop, but comes mad ly on regardless of the leaden hail around him. With four brave followers he reaches our lines and leaps over the railroad, when his horse falls pierced by five balls. Serg t John M. Guild, of Co. " G," seized George by the collar and ordered him to surrender ; George refused, saying that he would not surrender to a private, and attempted to draw his sabre. At this, Guild raised his Vti HISTORY OF THE rifle and gave Mm to understand that if lie wouldn t surrender to him he must fight him, when George very prudently waived his objections and handed over his arms ; three others, one an officer, were killed just as they reached our lines, and one other captured. The prisoners said they should not have attempted the cap ture of the place had they known that it was defended by the Second Iowa rifles. Simultaneously with this attack upon the centre, Capt. Foster, commanding companies U L" and "M" upon the left, was furiously assaulted by greatly supe rior numbers. Foster, in anticipation of this attack, had dismounted his men and sent the horses to the rear. The boys, however, had no cover, whereas the rebels were sheltered by timber, and hence had great advantage. The fighting here was bloody in the ex treme. The Captain was mounted, and at one time it became necessary to ride along his lines, which he did gallantly, with a loss of his horse killed under him, pierced by two balls, three balls also passed through his own clothes; fortunately, however, he was untouched. His lines were forced slowly back, not, however, until all their ammunition was exhausted did they call for aid, when companies " A " and " H," Capt. Chas. C. Horton, were sent to their support with their five shooting rifles. (Companies " L " and " M " were armed with single shooting carbines.) The rebels were now checked and in a few minutes their rout was com plete. Lieut. -Col. Hepburn now mounted his command and gave chase, company " K," Capt. C. P. Moore commanding, taking the advance. The chase was ex citing. It was ten miles to Cold Water, where the rebels, being reinforced, made their first stan-d. This SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 71 entire distance was traversed by both parties on the gallop. Lieut. Jacob F. Bandy, commanded the ad vance platoon of company U K." He overtook the rear guard of the enemy at the edge of Cold Water bottom, where they had attempted to make a stand. He charged them with so much dash that they broke in confusion, leaving their Captain wounded and a prison er in our hands. Our boys charged after the retreating foe until they came face to face with the mpin line of battle, which the enemy had by the aid of reinforce ments been able to form on the bank of Cold Water creek. The skirmish line was on the north side of the stream, which was the side from which Bandy was ad vancing, while their main line was on the south side. As the creek was very difficult to cross, this gave the enemy great advantage. As it was now after dark, Bandy with his platoon of sixteen men ran up to within ten or fifteen steps of the rebel line before he discovered them. He was not long left in ignorance as to their position, however, for no sooner had he attained this distance, than he was received by a volley from the en tire line of several thousand ; but fortunately their aim was too high and no one was hurt, while the light made by the flash of the guns, revealed the situation and force of the enemy. Although Bandy had but sixteen men, while the enemy were numbered by thousands, he did not give back, but springing from the horses, the boys took shelter behind trees, logs and stumps, and awaiting the fire of the enemy s guns to give them light, they used their carbines to a good purpose, while the main force was formed and sent up to their support. For an hour the fighting was sharp, each side firing at the blaze of the others guns, when finding that nothing 72 HLSTOKY OF THE could be gained by continuing the contest, Hepburn ordered the forces to be withdrawn. Capt. Chas. C. Horton was wounded in this action. The forces fell back to the first plantation and camped for the night. The next morning Hatch came up with the balance of the brigade, and the pursuit was continued until the en emy reached the south side of the Tallahatchie, after which the brigade returned by way of La Grange, where they rernBpd for several days. The Federal loss in this campaign was five killed, twelve wounded and twenty missing. The enemy left forty-one dead on the field, and we captured fifty prisoners ; their wounded could not fall short of 200. Among the prisoners were eight commissioned officers, including one Brigadier General. We found our camp equipage at Colliers- ville, which place we reached on the 14th of November, 1863. SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 73 CHAPTER X. GEN. S. D. LEE AT OXFORD HATCH S MOVEMENT INTO TENNESSEE FORAGING COL. MOSEBY SKIRMISH AT SAULSBURY BATTLE OF Moscow COL. HATCH WOUNDED FORREST IN TENNESSEE TUTTLE RAID. The Confederate forces had been foiled twice in their attempts to gain a footing on the Memphis and Charles ton railroad, and feeling much chagrined at their fail, ure, they determined upon a more powerful and more successful attempt. For this purpose, they massed a large force of veteran troops at Oxford, Mississippi, under the command of Brig.-Gen. S. D. Lee, who en joyed an enviable reputation in the South as a gallant and skillful cavalry officer. For several days Colonel Hatch waited impatiently for an attack from this new champion, but Lee appeared very loth to risk a battle ; Hatch, therefore, determined to, if possible, hasten the desired collision. For this purpose he ordered nearly all the cavalry stationed along the railroad, to prepare for a ten days 7 inarch ; accordingly on the morning of November 26th, our brigade, consisting; of the Second o / o Iowa and Sixth and Mnth Illinois cavalry, with eight pieces of artillery, Col. Hatch commanding, moved out, taking a northeast course ; this took us into the rich fertile region of West Tennessee. Two days march found us in the vicinity of Covington, where we added greatly to our stock of good horses, and fared sumptu ously upon the chickens, turkeys, fresh pork, sweet 10 74 HISTORY OF THE potatoes, dried fruits, jellies, preserves, sweetcakes, mo lasses and honey, in y/liich the storehouses of the wealthy planters of the vicinity abounded, and which the boys confiscated in quantities sufficient to appease the appetites of the most gluttonous. The looks and feelings of fair belles and worthy dames as they saw their eatables, preserved with so much care for the re ception dinners for their own sons and lovers when they should return from the wars, thus vanish before the touch of the hated Yankee thieves, as they called us, can be better imagined than described. He who has never seen an army foraging upon a well supplied enemy s country, can form but a faint conception of the destruc tion which attends it. Every trooper is his own com missary, and takes if he can find it, as much as he pleases of such as he likes. Hence, but the best of any article is eaten, while all will be destroyed by culling. A hog will be slaughtered for the hams, or a stand of bees destroyed for but a few pounds of honey ; hence, although much is eaten, far more is wasted. On the 30th of November, eleven companies of the Second Iowa, Capt. Graves commanding, camped for the night on the plantation of one Col. Moseby. The Colonel had just completed the butchery of twenty-four fine fat hogs. As the column came up, Moseby for he w^as not at this time a soldier came out, and with a view of saving his property through the intercession of the commanding officer, he received the Captain com manding and the officers of his staff after the most im proved pattern of Southern chivalry. Champagne, wines, brandy and oysters crowded the table to which they were invited. The Colonel now asked his guests to look at his fine supply of pork, with a view of asking SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. fc 75 for a guard for the same. Imagine his surprise upon reaching the smokehouse, to find that he had not meat enough left for a breakfast for his guests. The boys Jiad carried every hog to their company grounds, where they were busy cooking the best of each upon fires made from the Colonel s fence rails. Tis but just to add that the boys, most of them, thought they were feasting off of the supplies of Col. Moseby, the guerrilla chief of Potomac notoriety, or they would perhaps have been a little easier with him. While thus engaged, Gen. Lee thinking this his time, made an advance in force, and the 1st of December saw us rapidly moving towards Pocahontas, Tennessee, some twenty miles west of Corinth, where it was sup posed Lee would strike. We reached Middletown, eight miles east of Pocahontas, at dark on the 2d. Soon the evening train for Memphis returned with the intel ligence that the rebels had struck the road at Sauls- bury, where they narrowly escaped capture. A little past midnight we were moving towards the point now held by Lee. We reached the rebel pickets two hours before day, about five miles east of Saulsbury. The rebels contested every foot of the ground, but fell slowly, though stubbornly, back before the rifles of the Second Iowa, until they were near Saulsbury, where Lee showed a strong line of battle of some two miles o in length. His position was selected in the edge of a large open field. Hatch, who had not more than one- fourth as many men as Lee showed, formed his forces on the other side of the field, so as to make the greatest possible display of numbers, at the same time, continu ally pushing the enemy s flanks, while he engaged his centre with artillery. Thus arranged, Hatch waited the 76 < HISTOKY OF THE arrival of Gen. Tuttle, who was coming up with in fantry support. For two hours the two lines thus con fronted each other, waiting but for the will of their leaders to rush to the deadly conflict. Just before Gen. Tuttle arrived, however, Lee ordered a retreat. While pursuing the rebels before daylight, the two lines often came within speaking distance of each other. At such times the boys, on each side, were free with their jests and taunts to each other. At one time, when the rebels were retreating rather lively, one of our boys thus ad dressed the Captain of the rear guard : "Hallo, Cap.; your men ain t worth a d m to fight ; we are clear give out running after them ; do try and get them to stand until we give them a round." The Captain pushed on, however, heedless of the taunts of his pur suers. Our loss in this skirmish was one wounded ; they left two dead behind them. Lee now moved south and west, while Hatch moved down the railroad to La Grange. On the 4th, Lee made a feint upon La Grange, while with the principal column, 5,000 strong, he moved by a rapid march upon Moscow, which place was garrisoned by one regiment of colored troops, the Second West Tennessee A. D., Col. Frank Kendrick, formerly a Major in the Second Iowa cavalry, commanding. Hatch was not to be fooled by such feints, and rightly divining the real point of attack, he rushed his brigade down the railroad to Moscow, with all possible speed. The Sixth Illinois cavalry were some distance in the advance, and as they rushed across the bridge over Wolf river, they were ambushed by a superior force, and sustained a heavy- loss in horses and men, before succor reached them. The enemy followed up the advantage thus gained, by SECOND IOWA CAVALKY. 77 a desperate attempt to gain possession of the bridge, which done, the day would be, they thought, easily won, for Lee had 5,000 good men, whereas Hatch had not over 1,300, aided by perhaps 500 colored troops. Hatch now arrived at the bridge, and throwing his en- o i O tire force into the conflict, succeeded in driving back the foe. The fighting was desperate, and the roar of the cannon and small arms, deafening. In the midst of this struggle, Col. Hatch was shot through the right lung, a very dangerous wound. So engrossed in the battle was he, that he refused to give up the command or leave the field, though the ball had passed entirely through his body. Ordering an ambulance to the spot, he was placed therein and driven from point to point on the field, while he directed the movements of the men. In this way he fought and won the battle, driv ing Lee from the field. Hatch s loss was eleven killed, thirty wounded and forty missing. Lee left sixty of his dead on the field, in our hands. We were out on this trip ten days, and marched 180 miles. After the battle the regiment returned to camp at Colliersville. During the skirmish at Saulsbury, Gen. Forrest crossed the railroad and went North with 3,000 men. The object of this was to obtain possession of a large force of conscripts his agents had collected in Middle Tennessee, and take them through our lines to Lee s I O headquarters at Oxford. To checkmate this move, the cavalry along the railroad between Memphis and Corinth, were ordered out on the 22d of December, with ten days rations ; Gen. Grierson commanding cavalry division, Maj. D. E. Coon commanding Hatch s brigade, while Capt. Graves commanded the Second Iowa. The infantry were also ordered out, Gen. Tuttle being in 78 HISTORY OF THE command of all. Forrest s force amounted to 3,000 regular soldiers, with 8,000 conscripts, 5,000 of whom were armed, the balance were under guard. Tuttle s command consisted of at least 20,000 veteran troops, well supplied with artillery. Yet strange to tell, we were kept huddled together under the guns of the fort at Grand Junction, while the Seventh Illinois cavalry were overpowered and badly cut up near Bolivar, and while Forrest leisurely moved to Lafayette, where he overpowered the light picket left there and crossed the railroad in safety with all his plunder. Twenty-four hours after Forrest got safely through our lines, the cavalry were started in pursuit. Maj. Coon, with our brigade, followed rapidly, and after twenty-four hours chase, he was in a fair way to catch the fugitives, when he received positive orders to countermarch, which we did, reaching camp December 31st, very much disgusted with army life. All expressed a strong hope that we might have no more raiding to do until our old leader, Ed. Hatch, should be again able to command us. While we were out on this trip, our camp at Colliersville was left in charge of Capt. Foster, of company " M." After crossing the railroad at Lafayette, Forrest sent a force of 500 men to burn our camp. Capt. Foster, assisted by Lieut. Watson, of company " I," and eighty " camp guards," met this force near Lafayette, and so bravely did this little force oppose the advance of the enemy, that they were an entire half day driving Foster five miles, when darkness came to his relief and the camp was saved. Thus, Foster, with a few home guards, did more than the rest of the army. SECOND IOWA CAVALKY. CHAPTER XI. CAMP AT COLLIERSTILLK COLD WEATHER MOTE TO MEMPHIS SOOY SMITH RAID OKOLONO AND SURROUNDINGS CAPTURE OP Cox AND OTHERS BURNING OP PRAIRIE STATION CHARGE OP C APT. GRAVE AND LIEUT. BANDY WEST POINT CAPTURED BATTLE OF FEBRUARY 21 ST CRITICAL POSITION OP SECOND IOWA BAD MANAGEMENT BATTLE OF FEBRUARY 22o Loss OP CANNON STAMPEDE GRIERSON ASSUMES COMMAND SCARE OF MCCRELLIS BRIGADE REGIMENT RE-EN. LI g TS ELECTION OP OFFICERS. Our camp at Colliersville was well fixed for winter, each tent being nicely boarded up, with a cozy fire place attached, and as the "New Year s eve," which bade farewell to 1863, and the "New Year s day, 7 which introduced 1864, were both remarkable for their severity, the reader will readily believe that we enjoyed these cozy " Katives," as only the war-hardened soldier, accustomed to all the hardships and suffering of an active winter campaign, can. " Blessings brighten," we are told, " as they take their flight." Who is better fitted to appreciate a good fire, than he who has stood as picket during the long watches of a cold stormy night, upon some exposed dreary peak, or who will more prize a snug warm bed, than he who is accustomed to spend wintry nights with but the soldier s blanket to shield him from the piercing air above, or the ice covered earth beneath him. We reasonably hoped now that our fall campaign was ended, that during the rigor of winter we should be allowed to enjoy our comfortable quarters at Colliersville. In this ? however, we were 80 HISTORY OF THE sadly disappointed, for on the 2d of January, 1864, orders to break camp came. The day was severely cold, and Avith many misgivings we obeyed the order to pull down our tents, and again nerved ourselves to face the wintry storm, unprotected by even the canvass house of the soldier. We moved to Germantown, where we bivouacked for the night on beds of snow and ice. We reached Memphis on the 4th, and pitching our tents on the frozen ground, without fires, we wrapped ourselves in our blankets, and shivering with cold, we existed, not lived, while the night " dragged her lazy length along." As material for building winter quar ters was very hard to obtain about Memphis, it was a week, and a bitter cold week at that, before our new quarters presented anything like an inviting appear ance to the cold and weary soldier. We remained in camp at Memphis until the 5th of February, when we moved to Germantown, to join a large raiding force of cavalry about to start from that point, under command of Gen. W. S. Smith and Gen. B. H. Grierson. While at Memphis the regiment re ceived a large lot of recruits, so that we now moved out with greater numerical strength than we had had since the fall of 1862. The finest cavalry force which had ever operated in this department, was now massed in the vicinity of Germantown, and placed under the control of General Smith. The force was divided into three brigades : The first brigade, Col. Waring commanding, consisted of the Second Illinois, Second New Jersey, Fourth Missouri, Seventh Indiana and Nineteenth Pennsylva nia cavalry. The second brigade, Lieut.-Col. W. P. SECOND . IOWA CAVALKY. 81 Hepburn commanding, consisted of the Second Iowa, and Sixth, Seventh and Ninth Illinois cavalry. The third brigade, Col. McCrellis commanding, consisted of the Second, Third and Fourth Tennessee, Third Illinois^ Fifth Kentucky, Seventy -Second Indiana and Fourth Regular cavalry. The entire force numbered nearly 9,000 well armed and well mounted men. Brig.-Gen. B. H. Grierson, who was, without doubt, the most capable officer who accompanied the expedi tion, was given no regular command, but to use his own expression, " was taken along as a sort of supernumera ry." Added to this force were fourteen pieces of light artillery. We moved out before daylight on the llth of Feb ruary, going south by very slow marches. The object of the expedition was to join Gen. Sherman at Merid ian, Mississippi, and thus furnish the cavalry for a large expedition under him, moving into the interior from Vicksburg. The command moved in three columns until the Tallahatchie river was reached at New Albany. We crossed the river there on the 14th, and thereafter the command moved in one column. On the 18th we reached Okolona, little of interest having transpired thus far. We were now on one of the most beautiful prairies in the United States, and which may properly be termed the bread basket of the Confederacy. Millions of bushels of corn, thousands of bales of cotton, and the well filled smoke houses on every plantation, told of the countless wealth of this section of the country. Living some two miles from Okolona, was a wealthy rebel by the name of Cox. On one of our former raids, a negro, the property of this planter, had, impelled by his love of freedom, left wife and children, to try his 11 82 IIISTOEY OF THE fortunes with the Yankee army. Now that he was within two miles of his family 7 (he was a servant of an officer in our brigade,) he resolved to see them at the risk of his life. For this purpose he stole, under cover of darkness, to his " old cabin home. 7 While there, his wife told him that her master had, for a week past, kept his horses and mules hid out, for fear of a visit from u the Yankees ;" but that on that day, upon learn ing that we had taken another direction, he had caused them to be brought back again ;. that they were then in the barn, while the "white folks house," that night, sheltered a rebel Captain and three privates, including her master. Before day Sambo returned to our camp with the above information. Upon this, Capt. Moore was ordered to take companies "K"and "L," of the Second Iowa, and pay his compliments to said Cox ic a morning call We reached the place, guided by this negro, just at daylight on the morning of the 19th, We entered the yard upon the gallop, and surrounded the house so quickly that its rebel inmates could no1 escape, hence they were all captured. We also took from this plantation a large stock of horses and mules, with negroes enough to aid in leading them. This done we struck out for the column, which we overtook at Aberdeen. This was the first Yankee force ever in this town, and hence the source of great terror and cu riosity to the citizens. Twenty or thirty prisoners were surprised and captured there. We now moved towards West Point. As we crossed the prairies, along our line of march, thousands of negroes, each leading a file of horses and mules, joined the column. On the morning of the 20th we reached Prairie Station, where we burned a long train of cars, together with a large SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 83 amount of Confederate corn ; pursuing our course to West Point, we soon encountered the enemy s pickets. The rebels fell slowly back until noon, when Lieut. Bandy, commanding advance platoon, struck the centre of a rebel column, moving down a lane at right angles to our line of march. Lieut. Bandy was an officer of acknowledged dash and ability, and although he now had but sixteen men with him, he charged into the lane so furiously as to break the enemy s column. He pur sued the advance portion rapidly down the lane, while the portion cut oil , consisting of about 200 men, moved back and thence through a field, off upon the left, to rejoin their comrades. At this juncture of affairs, Capt. Graves, commanding sabre battallion, reached this lane. Seeing this force cut off by Bandy, crossing the prairie in our front, Graves at once ordered the charge with drawn sabres. The scene presented the finest chance for a successful sabre charge that I ever saw. The rebels, who were exerting every energy to escape, were hemmed in by a slough, which could be crossed but by file. The men seeing a chance to capture a force equal in numbers to their own, with very little danger to themselves, eagerly obeyed the order to charge, and at the word every horse sprang forward goaded by the spur of the anxious rider. Scarcely, however, had our steeds taken the first leap, when, much to our disap pointment, " recall " sounded, and the "halt" was or dered. Deep were the curses of the mortified troopers thus robbed of their game. The cause of Maj. Coon s ordering the " recall " sounded, was a want of support, for the balance of the brigade, it appears, had not kept up with the Second Iowa, which had the advance. But where is Lieut. Bandy whom we left pursuing the rebel 84 HISTORY OF THE column down the lane ? As remarked above, he had but sixteen men with him, but with this little band he forced the enemy through the lane for nearly a mile, into the woods beyond, where they formed a line, and he could, of course, drive them no farther, hence he re turned to the column not a little angry with the officers above him for their failure to support him, avering that if a few hundred men had been sent to his support at the proper time, he could have easily captured a brigade of the enemy. But this few hundred could not be had, because the brigade was too far in the rear. Thus was lost, by default, the most golden opportunity of the trip. But we soon learned better than to look for success under our present leaders. Regimental and company commanders can do little but sacrifice men, unless brigade and division commanders act their part properly. The enemy now appeared in force, and stubbornly resisted our advance at every favorable point. They were steadily driven back, however, by the dismounted riflemen of the Second Iowa, and before the close of the day, West Point, with all her stores of corn and a large depot, was in our hands. Lieut. Dwire of company " F," a gallant and deserving officer, was killed in the fight for the occupancy of this place. Sev eral enlisted men were severely wounded. The next day, February 21st, was the Sabbath. The sun arose to a cloudless sky, shining forth mid all the beauty and grandeur of a lovely Southern spring day. The birds sang sweetly their morning lay from the bud ding trees, and all nature seemed to praise the God of its being. The small-pox had made its appearance among us, and several of our comrades were compelled to leave their place in ranks for the ambulance train. SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 85 Gen. Sherman, with whom we were to co-operate, had already commenced his retrograde movement, having waited at Meridian, with no word from us, until he had despaired of seeing us. Hence, our expedition had al ready failed of its object ; failed because our leaders were too slow, therefore, we had but to return to Mem phis with our plunder, which now amounted to 3,000 horses and mules, 1,500 negroes and about 200 prisoners. We soon found that we were destined to have our hands full to even return to camp. Gen. Smith ordered the retreat early in the morning of the 21st. First directing Maj. Coon to take the Second Iowa and a battalion of the Sixth Illinois, and attack the enemy and press him back towards the Sookataunchie river, thus giving the train time to get under way in safety. In obedience to these orders, Maj. Coon moved out a little after sunrise. We soon struck the pickets of the enemy, and for two hours pressed them back in a sharp skirmish, when Major Coon received orders to fall back and rejoin the main column, which was then fast retreating towards Okolona. The rebels, under Maj. -Gen. Forrest, followed closely and kept up a brisk skirmish with the rear guard. We fell back with little difficulty until the column was over taken. But now Forrest massed heavily upon the cen tre, while he sent large mounted forces upon either flank. This necessitated either a standing fight on our part, or to retreat so rapidly as to keep ahead of For rest s flanking parties. Maj. Coon believed the former the better policy, and hence requested from Lieut.-Col. Hepburn, commanding brigade, the authority thus to do. This request was, however, refused, and the re treat accordingly continued. Capt. Graves held the 86 HISTORY OF THE rear with the third battallion. The fighting in the rear became desperate, the rebels repeatedly charging both rear and flanks. Capt. Graves and his men fought with great gallantry and with great loss, since the en emy vastly outnumbered them. Maj. Coon dismounted the other two battalions, armed with Colt s revolving rifle, commanded by Captains Queal and Horton. From long experience, the sabre battalion had learned to repose implicit confidence in the support of these riflemen, hence as they saw them drop behind the trees in a line, a few rods to their rear, they raised a shout of exultation, and nerved themselves to so hold the rebels in check by falling slowly back, as to give this newly formed line a chance ; but alas for human hopes, just before the sabremen reached this line, it was ordered to retire, an order which these brave fellows, who saw their comrades, by whose sides they had so often fought, being thus butchered for lack of the aid they could, if but allowed, render them, obeyed with great reluctance. Maj. Coon now called an orderly and sent him to Lieut. -Col. Hepburn with these instructions: " Tell Col. Hepburn that I must either be supported and allowed to fight, or the column must get out of my way and let me run, for I cannot fall back at this pace any longer." AS this appeal brought no relief, Coon sent his Adjutant, Lieut. Theodore Sydenham, to Gen. Smith to implore him to do something to stay the butchery going on in the rear ; at the same time, assur ing him that one brigade could whip the enemy, if but allowed to fight. Smith s only reply was : " Mount the rifles and close up." But, said the Adjutant, we can t do this without losing half of the regiment. Smith s cool response to this was, " I expect you to SECOND IOWA CAVALKY. 87 obey orders." The rebels now dosed ill on three sides, and without further orders, the entire regiment plunged into the fight, regardless of consequences or support. The slaughter was fearful, but as our boys who were well armed, kept covered as well as possible, the loss on the rebel side was probably the greatest. Seeing that the boys would not run any farther, the brigade was sent back, and the Second Iowa relieved by the Seventh and Ninth Illinois. The enemy still pressed hard, but as the rear was now allowed to stop and fight no farther advantages were gained by him. Darkness soon set in, but Forrest did not discontinue the pursuit until he had been twice ambushed and sorely punished by the rifles of the Ninth Illinois. Among those who distinguished themselves for coolness and bravery, while the Second Iowa was engaged in this fight, should stand prominent the name of Paul A. Queal, Captain com manding the second battalion. The Second Iowa left fifty brave fellows on this field, which was more than we ever before lost in any one day. The fight did not terminate until 10 o clock, p. M. We continued the retreat until 2 o clock, A. M., when we camped for three hours, resuming our march at daylight on the morning of the 22d. The third brigade, CoL McCrellis commanding, took the rear, the battery which formerly belonged to the Sixth Illinois being turned over to them. As the rear passed Okolona, early in the forenoon, the rebels- charged McCrellis brigade, stampeding it and captur ing five pieces of the cannon received from our brigade but a few hours before. Our brigade was now ordered to the rear again on the gallop, where a line was quick- lv formed and the exultant foe checked. The advance HISTORY OF THE and iiank guards were taken from the second brigade, who were also required to form the line of battle in the rear. The stampede, which commenced with the Fourth regulars and Second New Jersey, had now be come so general in the first and third brigades, that upon the second -brigade alone, could there be any de pendence placed to save the command from capture. Some regiments from the other brigades did well, but as brigades, they were too badly stampeded to be trust ed. The road in rear of the line of battle presented truly a deplorable scene. To the train of contrabands, 1,500 strong, was added double that number of demor alized soldiers, skulking from the fight; these, with 3,000 lead horses and mules, together with -a long train of wagons and ambulances, all mingled in one stampeded mass, moved like an avalanche to the rear. At one time this mass or mob, which was over one.fourth of a mile in width and miles in length, was moving off with out advance or fiank guard, or commander. This stam pede was in full view of Forrest s army, and separated from them but by one line of battle, in which there was not more than 4,000 men who could be trusted. I need not tell the reader that the fighting here was bloody. Our boys had a favorable position and bravely did they ply their faithful rifles. The rebels charged and were repulsed by countercharges. Camion were taken and retaken. When once repulsed, the enemy, who were determined to secure the stampeded prize before them, would reform and come down with redoubled fury. Our lines, however, under the guidance of Gen. Grier- son, firmly resisted every assault until reinforced by darkness, by the aid of whose friendly cover, they with drew from the field. This engagement conclusively SECOND IOWA CAVALKY. 89 established the fact that even one-lialf of Smith s army were equal to the task of coping with the enemy, if but allowed to stand and fight, but the trouble was our brigade and division commanders were whipped by Forrest s first assault on the 21st, and no amount of pleadings, from those subordinate, could- induce them to terminate this disgraceful run by an honorable stand. Tis but just, however, to Gen. Smith to add, that he was very unwell during this trip, and wholly unable to be in command of such an expedition ; besides this, he was an infantry officer, doubtlessly well qualified in that branch of service, though lamentably wanting in the necessary requirements for a cavalry chief. Gen. Grierson, rather by common consent, as well as from the necessity of things, assumed the direction of affairs as soon as darkness put an end to the battle of the 22d, and to him we owe our salvation from capture. Placing a guard across the road in front of the stam pede, he ordered them to halt, every man, black or white, and kill any one who refused to obey the order ; at the same time, directing that each soldier, found among the stampede, should be driven into a lot desig nated for the reception of the brigade to which he belonged. A different field was set apart for each brigade, and the officers of the same sent in there to re-assort the men and send each to his own company and regiment. This course, in about four hours, brought the command in sometiug like fighting trim again, when Grierson ordered them to move out in the following order : First, McCrellis brigade, followed by the negroes, led horses and train, moved out on the run, and made for the Tallahatchie with the greatest possible speed. Next came Waring s brigade, followed 12 90 HISTOUY OF THE by the second brigade, Lieut.-Col. Hepburn commanc ing, the Seventh Illinois, supported by the Secom Iowa and Sixth Illinois, taking the rear. The enem pressed closely for a while, but lie soon learned tha fight was the order of the day if we were pressed, cor sequently about 10 A. M., the hard fighting ceased, an< we continued our march to the ford, at New Albany unmolested. We were safely across the river by < o clock, p. M., of the 23d. For sixty hours previous to this, we had been in a] most incessant battle with the enemy, without sleep o] food, and as may be supposed, we Were very much ex hausted ; but now that we were beyond the balls of th< foe, we were also out of the country where rations conic be obtained. We moved out on the Waterford road hoping to find the much needed supplies of eatables We were destined to traverse many a weary mile, before the object of our search should be within our grasp Midnight came, and still no signs of forage or food foi hungry and almost famishing beasts or men. Most oi the soldiers became so exhausted as to fall fast asleep in their saddles, and thus for miles would they ride nod ding^ along, to the great merriment of those who, by the friendly scratch of some limb, or the falling of their horse, had been so aroused as to see their sleepy com rades. Now some one, thus aroused, would play a trick upon his companion, which would awake him ; he, in turn, would trick the next neighbor, and so on until perhaps a platoon would join in the merry laugh which would follow; soon, however, the excitement thus aroused would die down, and the boys again drop nod ding off to the land of dreams. About 2 o clock, A. M., we came upon a well stocked plantation, which afforded SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 91 the requisite supplies, where we camped until about noon, when we again resumed the homeward march ; moving in three columns the better to facilitate the gathering of forage. Crossing the Tippah river at Baysford, our brigade, which moved in the centre, pur sued their course down the river. Just as we were going into camp for the night near Waterford, a staff officer, bestride a charger white with foam, came up to Gen. Grierson, who was with our brigade, with the startling intelligence that McCrellis brigade, upon our right, had been furiously attacked t^hile crossing the Tippah river, and that Smith, fear- rul of their ability to hold them in check until aid could reach him, wished for reinforcements with all possible haste. Accordingly, Maj. Coon, with such men from 3ne battalion from the Sixth Illinois, and two battalions Tom the Second Iowa, as were mounted on horses still able to strike the lope, spurred to their relief. Upon reaching the spot designated by the messenger, as the acene of bloody strife, Maj. Coon found McCrellis and Smith snugly encamped, and learned that the danger liad been but imaginary, the scare being caused by a small squad of guerrillas, who fired upon the rear guard just before the falling of a dead tree near by, the report rf this tree being mistaken for artillery firing. We reached our camp at Germanton, February 26th, hav ing been out sixteen days. The Federal losses in this expedition were 400 men, six cannon, five caissons, two ambulances and 200 stand of small arms, besides over 2,000 horses which were ruined by the exposure of the march. As the rebels were the attacking party in nearly all the fights, their loss was likely equally heavy in men. We brought in 92 HISTORY OF THE with us 1,500 negroes, 3,000 horses and mules, mostly mules. We destroyed over forty miles of railroad, millions of bushels of corn, thousands of bales of C. S. A. cotton, with great quantities of commissary and quartermaster stores. Great efforts were now made, on the part of both the general government and the officers over the Second Iowa, to persuade the boys to enlist as veterans for another term of three years. Four hundred and two dollars bounty was offered by the government, to which the officers added, as further inducements, the promise that the veterans should be allowed to elect their officers, and that the men elected by their ballots should receive tie commissions to which they were chosen. K?,j. Coon. ?jid Gen. Grierson both pledged this to : :ie boys. Maj. Coon also told us that Governor Stone, :> Icwa ; had authorized him to pledge his word that tlie commissions should be issued as the boys should elect ; abc, that GSR. Hurlbert, commanding post, and Sherman, commanding department, had authorized these pledges rcade. Thus assured, the boys who were anxious to see the end of a struggle in which they had played so prominent a part, re-enlisted in sufficient num bers to make the regiment a veteran organization. Company "H" was the first to be sworn in this enter prise. The re-enlistment papers bore date, March 1st, 1864. The election of officers resulted as follows : For Colonel, Maj. Datus E. Coon. " Lieut-Colonel, Capt. Geo. C. Graves, of Co. D. " 1st Major, Capt. Chas. C. Horton, of Co. A. " 2d Major, Capt. Chas. P. Moore, of Co. K. " 3d Major, Capt. B. P. Stiles, of Co. C. SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 93 For Capt, of Co. A, Lieut. D. J. Terrel. " 1st Lieut. " " Serg t J. M. Terry. " 2d Lieut. " " Corp l Birney McLain. " Capt. of " B, Serg t B. A. Beeson. " 1st Lieut. " " Serg t John L. Herbert. " 2d Lieut. " " Serg t H. H. Boyes. " Capt. of " C, Capt. B. F. Stiles. : " 1st Lieut. " " 1st Lieut. Michael Connor. " 2d Lieut. " " Serg t Isaac Gillmor. " Capt. of " D, Serg t Frank M. Griffith. " 1st Lieut. " " Serg t Arthur S. Catron. " 2d Lieut. " " Serg t Richard Barker. " Capt. of " E, Capt. Gustavus Schniitzer. " 1st Lieut. " " Prhr e Chas. Reese. " 2d Lieut. " " Serg t John Borchers. " Capt. of " F, Lieut. Harry Babcock. " 1st Lieut. " " Lieu ;. Wm. H. Bulley. < 2d Lieut. f < " Serg t Jas. G. Riley. " Capt. of " G, Serg t Chas. S. Miller. " 1st Lieut. " " Serg t Ansel R. Clark. " 2d Lieut. " " Serg t Chas. Cope. " Capt. of " H, Serg t Thos. J. Harper. " 1st Lieut. " " Priv e Thos. B. Allen. " 2d Lieut. " " Corp l Henry H. Longwell. " Capt. of " I, Lieut. Ben. K. Watson. " 1st Lieut. " " Serg t J. C. Smith. " 2d Lieut. " " Serg t Henry Trenchard. " Capt. of " K, Serg t Jas. Fickel. " 1st Lieut. " " Corp l A. R. Heck. " 2d Lieut. " " Corp l G. R. Bradley. " Capt. of " L, Serg t Jas. Crawford. " 1st Lieut. " " Priv e Geo. W. Kelsall. 41 2d Lieut. " " Corp l G. W. Click. 94 HISTORY OF THE For Capt. of Co. M, Lieut. T. M. Hamilton. " 1st Lieut. " " Lieut. J. R. Humphry. " 2d Lieut. " " Serg t Austin A. Scott. Tis proper to add, that from some unknown cause, the pledge to commission the above named men was not fulfilled, and but a very small per cent, of them re ceived the promised promotions. The war had now raged with unremitted fury for three years. Armies, such as the world had never be fore seen, had been sent to the field by each side ; they had been consumed by the sword or in hospitals, and their places filled by others, even more powerful. All the inventive genius of the age had been taxed to its utmost, to construct life-saving, as well as life-taking, implements. The struggle, which at the commencment was thought but a ripple on the political sea, had proved a storm more dreadful than had ever passed into history. From the Potomac to the Rio Grande ; from the Missouri river to the Gulf, was one vast grave yard, where reposed the coffinless remains of the pride and flower of the land, while in every village, and in nearly every hamlet, from the pineries of Maine, to the rice swamps in Louisiana, the weeds of mourning told of a loved one slain. Our country, noted for her anti-war proclivities, had exchanged the plow for the sword, and the warlike nations of the globe now looked upon our battle equipped Eagle with mingled feelings of reverence and fear. Three years of the bloodiest strife on record had passed, and still each side stripped himself for re doubled exertions in another campaign. SECOND IOWA CA VALET. $5 SECOMD. CHAPTER I. DATJ or MUSTER AS VETERANS AGGREGATE STRENGTH VETERAN FURLOUGH COL. HATCH A BRIGADIER RECEPTIONS IN IOWA MAJ. COON COMMISSIONED COLONEL RETURNED TO MEMPHIS DREW SPENCER CARBINES GEN. FORREST A TERROR GEN. A. J. SMITH S TUPELO RAID ENEMY SURPRISED BY OUR SETIJI SHOOTERS FIGHT NEAR RIPLEY FIGHT AT PONTOTOC SMITH S STRATEGY TUPELO FIGHT BATTLE OF OLDTOWN CREEK. The Second Iowa Cavalry Veteran Volunteers, was mustered into the service of the United States, March 28th, 1864, at Memphis, Tennessee. The aggregate strength of the regiment at that time was 1,088. They were divided as follows: Commis sioned, 45 ; Veterans, 360 ; Non- Veterans and re cruits, 683. The veterans and most of the officers started for Iowa on furlough, April 7th, ? 64, aboard the steamer (7. E. Hillman. The non- veterans and recruits were quar tered in Fort Pickering, Memphis, for garrison duty, while we were gone. Lieut.-Col. Hepburn, Captain Goodrich, and Lieuts. Dunham and Humphrey, were left in charge of this detachment. We reached St. Louis on the 10th, where we met our former Colonel, now General, Hatch. He had not yet fully recovered from his wound, although he was able 96 HISTORY OF THE to have command of the cavalry bureau at that point We were detained in St. Louis one day, for transpor tation. While there we were Furnished, through th< agency of the Major, with a reception dinner, supper and free beer. We passed Burlington, Iowa, in the night, and reached Muscatine at 8 o clock, A. M., on the 14th. As our boat came in sight, the boom of cannon welcomed us to the home of our General Edward Hatch. As oui boat rounded to, the air was vocal with the cheers from the shore, where the ladies received us by the waving oi handkerchiefs, accompanied by that approving smile which made the boys feel that the welcome came from the heart; then followed a sumptuous repast for the inner man, which rather eclipsed the " hard tack and bacon," for which we had often sighed in Dixie. We could not halt here but twenty minutes, when we pro ceeded to Davenport, where a reception dinner, with cheers, handkerchiefs, and smiles, and a speech from Judge Dillon, formed a part of the welcome awaiting us. The furloughs were then given out and each sol dier went to his home a free man for thirty days. On the 15th of May, the regiment re-assembled at Davenport. Maj. Datus E. Coon returned to us with the eagle upon his shoulder, while Capts. C. C. Horton, Gustavus Schmitzer and Chas. P. Moore, had replaced their bars with the Major s leaf. We left D avenport for St. Louis, May 17th, Col. Coon commanding. We reached St. Louis on the 20th, where we remained six days, when having been supplied with horses, we took a boat for Memphis, which place was reached on the 29th. While at Memphis, waiting for our arms, we were called upon to witness the awfully SECOND IOWA CAVALKY. 97 solemn scene of the execution, by sentence of a court martial, of three of the Second New Jersey cavalry, for the crime of rape and robbery. The crime was commit ted while the unfortunate victims were on picket, in a state of intoxication. They were shot in front of Fort Pickering, in the presence of 10,000 soldiers and many thousand citizens, on the 10th of June, 1864. On the 19th of June we were armed with Spencer s Seven Shooting Carbines. This was the best arm in service, carrying a forced ball, and so arranged that the mounted trooper could throw fourteen balls from it per minute dismounted, a little more. The rebel Gen. Forrest had been very active during the three months occupied by us in veteranizing and re-equipping. During that time, much of the cavalry about Memphis, had, like ourselves, been absent on veteran furlough. Forrest so improved the advantage thus offered him, as to make his name a source of terror to the entire North. The inhuman massacre of the gar rison of Fort Pillow, by Forrest s troops, had been fol lowed by the unprecedented defeat and rout of General Sturgis, at Guntown, Tennessee, and none were found? able to cope with this tower of cruelty and strength this Goliah of the Confederacy. About the middle of June, Brig.-Gen. A. J. Smith was ordered to Memphis to try his skill in this, of late, unfortunate department. Being now well mounted and armed, we were ordered to join Smith s forces in an expedition against Forrest s headquarters, at Tupelo, Mississippi. Gen. B. H. Grier- son accompanied the expedition in command of the cavalry division, while Col. D. E. Coon commanded our brigade, Maj. Chas. C. Horton commanding Second 13 98 1I1STOKY OF THE Iowa. Smith moved up the Memphis and Charleston railroad as far as Grand Junction, where, on the 5th of July he cut loose from railroad communications and struck South with fifteen days rations. The weather was op pressively warm, the thermometer being 100 degrees above zero, while the dust was almost suffocating, hence the expedition was compelled to move very slowly. The enemy s pickets were found on the morning of the 7th. The Second Iowa were in advance. As soon as our videttes, two in number, saw the rebel videttes, four in number, they charged them with a view of try ing their new $pencens. The rebels seeing their number, concluded to capture them, as a reward for their audac ity ; hence they quietly awaited the assault ; but our boys, bringing their rifles to their faces, "pumped*"* the lead therefrom with such rapidity, while yet spurring forward, that two of the Johnnies were dismounted, and the other two put to night before our boys had traversed half of the space between them and their foes. This firing brought the rebel reserve in line, while two more Spencers were added to the charging squad ; these four charged the reserve and put it to flight, as the videttes had been before. The rebels were much surprised at the amount of lead thrown by so small a force in so short a time. Two prisoners were captured in this run, and as soon as they recovered from their fright, they asked to see " one oi the guns you all fight with," adding, " you bring them to your shoulder and hold them there, while a contin ual stream of lead rolls from them into our faces. It is no use for us to fight you ens with that kind of gun." A few days after this, a prisoner asked if we "loaded Sundays and fired all the week." The rebels now fell SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 99 slowly Lack until they reached a hill, about three miles from Bipley, which commanded an open field, across which an assaulting force must approach. On this hill they made a determined stand. A line of battle was now formed by a part of the regiment and the advance ordered. The rebels held their fire until this line was half across the field, when they showered forth volley after volley, so rapidly that the dust created by their balls as they struck, arose in a cloud sufficient to almost obscure the line from view ; fortunately for us, however, the first volley from the enemy, who were upon a high hill, was aimed too high and did no dam age, and before the second volley could be fired, the boys had taken cover in a friendly ditch, that was prov identially at hand. From the cover of this ditch the boys engaged the attention of the enemy, until Major Horton gained, with one battalion, his left fiank. Just as Maj. Horton struck the fiank, the centre joined them in a charge, and the enemy were instantly put to flight, leaving four of their dead in our hands. They took their wounded off with them ; twelve of these were left in Bipley that night, and fell into our hands on the fol lowing morning. We lost none in this action. Among the rebel dead was an orderly with a dispatch on his person to Maj. Gen. Forrest, stating that the Yankees had been handsomely repulsed, and were in full retreat towards La Grange ; also asking for reinforcements to follow and capture them. This dispatch was probably written while the centre was waiting for Maj. Horton to make the fiank movement spoken of above. As the rebels retreated through Bipley, they told the citizens they had " more than salivated the Yan&$, while they had lost but twenty-five men themselves." The reader 100 HISTORY OF THE is already aware that it was a bloodless victory on our part. Little farther resistance was offered us until we neared Pontotoc on the 10th, when the foe appeared in force in front of the Seventh Kansas cavalry who were in advance. Pontotoc was entered by Smith s army on the llth. As the centre, lead by the Sev. enth Kansas cavalry, neared the place, the enemy threw a heavy line in their front, just north of town. Just at this time Col. Coon, commanding second brigade, came up from the east side. Coon pressed forward slowly until near the suburbs, when he turned to Capt. Bandy commanding company " K," addressing him as follows: "Captain, take your company and put the rebels through that town." Shall I charge them ? said the Captain. " Don t care a d m what you do," replied the " same old Coon," as the boys called the Colonel. Bandy moved his company forward in platoon col umn, supported by company " L," Lieut. Crawford com manding. He was soon greeted by a volley from the rebels secreted behind the fences and houses of the town ; his quick eye readily saw the advantages the enemy possessed over him, being thus covered, and he ordered the charge. The ground was so broken as to compel the chargers to move " by fours ;" as soon as Bandy reached the streets of the town, however, he formed platoons without checking the speed of the horses. The rebels fired a volley, which whistled h|irm- lessly around the boys ears, and then hurried with all haste to the rear. The chase through the town was truly exciting ; the rebels freely used the spur, while our boys followed closely pumping a continuous stream of lead after them from their invincible seven shooters. In two minutes but two rebels were left in Pontotoc, and SECOND IOWA CAVALEY. 10 1 they were dead. This was to us a bloodless victory, as the one near Ripley on the 7th had been. Forrest now took up a strong position about three miles south of town, while Smith, not wishing to follow further on that line, halted his infantry in Pontotoc, placing the cavalry on picket, in Forrest s front, while Maj. Moore, with a battalion of the Second Iowa, made a feint upon their works, and then fell back upon the main force. On the following day, the Ninth Illinois cavalry made another feint upon the rebel works. They went a little too far and were partially ambushed, and were compelled to cut their way out, with a loss of eight men. Forrest, greatly elated by his success in thus check ing what he took to be a grand advance of Smith s army, set vigorously to work fortifying his position, while he sent for all his available force at Tupelo, to join him to aid in the capture of " Whisky Smith," as the rebels called our General, and who, Forrest said, he had now got just where he wanted him. The loss of the Ninth Illinois, spoken of above, and one man killed from the Seventh Kansas, was all the loss Smith had sustained, although he had driven Forrest over thirty miles, and taken from him two strong positions, inflict ing a loss of thirty upon him. Smith allowed Forrest to think him defeated for thirty-six hours, while his army got a little rest. On the night of the 12th, he notified the commanders of his pickets, that his army would move out by the left flank, at midnight, and ordered them to follow at daylight, taking the Tupelo road. This move completely fooled this wily rebel gen eral, and as the pickets paced their beat that night, 102 HISTORY OF THE they could hear the Confederate soldiers, busy with the axe, pick and spade, as they extended and perfected their fortifications, preparatory to the attack whicl Smith was expected to make on the following day, What then was their surprise, when on the morning oi the 13th of July, they learned that Smith had quietly moved around their right, and was then completely in their rear, rapidly moving upon their base at Tupelo, With wonted intrepidity, Forrest determined to offset this out-generaling move of his Yankee adversary, by a flank attack upon his train. For this purpose he massed his cavalry, and about 10 A.M. they struck the centre of our train with so much fury, that for a few minutes they created quite a panic among the frightened team sters. Three wagons were ruined and fifteen mules killed. This success, however, was of short duration, and Forrest was soon to learn that he was not dealing with Gen. Sturgis. No sooner did the victorious rebels be gin their work of destruction, than Col. Kendrick, com manding colored brigade, and who w r as detailed as train guard, pounced upon them with such resistless fury, that the rebels were glad to escape with flight, with heavy loss. I should have remarked above, that as Vhe differ ent pickets followed the column in the morning, one battalion of the Third Iowa cavalry, were so late reach ing Pontotoc, as to find themselves cut off by a rebel force that had entered the town before them, by another road. Deeming it safer to cut through the foe than to O o attempt to run around them, these gallant fellows drew their sabres and came down upon the astonished rebels so furiously, that they fled before them, and the chargers joined our column without loss. Forrest, who never loses courage by defeats, made a SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 103 second attempt upon our train, as it passed the cross roads, before reaching Harrisburg. But this time they run upon the white infantry of the " fighting Joe Mow er," and paid dearly for their folly. Smith now entered Tupelo. He quickly formed a line of battle upon a semi-circular hill, with his centre resting at Harrisburg, while either flank rested on a swamp. The rear was also protected by a swamp just east of Tupelo. The train was correUed in the rear of his battle line, and the cavalry placed around the swamp as picket. Smith now occupied the very spot of ground which Forrest had selected for his own army, while he should fight and defeat Smiths guerrillas, as this army was called while eno;ao;ed with Banks in the Heel River ex- o o pedition. Smith had so out-generaled Forrest at Pon- totoc as to draw him out of this strong hold, and com pel him to assume the offensive under the most unfa vorable circumstances. With his army thus stationed, he joyfully awaited the morning of the 14th of July, which he rightly guessed would bring with it an attack from the rebel army. Slight breastworks were thrown up, and the centre and probable point of attack placed under the immediate eye of Gen. Mower, who would rather fight than eat. Forrest opened the ball by a fierce attack at daylight on the morning of the 14th, and a little after sunrise the entire line was engaged. Maddened by his former reverses, the rebel leader determined to retrieve his for tune at whatever cost of life. As he could not flank, because of the swamps covering Smith s flanks, he re solved upon a direct assault in front. In order the better to inspire his men with confidence he harangued 104 HISTOKY OF THE them just before the attack, telling them that Smith had but a small force of conscript recruits, and although they might present a bold front at first, all that was re quired to insure perfect success, was an intrepid, persist ent assault. Duped by this speech of their chieftain, they advanced, with a bravery worthy of a better cause and a better fate, across the open field, in front of the hill behind which Mower s veterans were concealed, The Federal troops awaited the shock with pleasure, conscious of their strength and advantage of position. No effort was made to check the rebel advance, until they were within easy range, when, at the bid of theii leader, our boys sprang from their cover, and the earth resounded with their cheers and the roar of their well aimed death-dealing pieces. Tis saying nothing against the bravery of the rebels to state that they quailed be fore this unexpected volley, as before the resistless shock of an earthquake. The Federals now sprang forward, and completed with the bayonet the work their bullets had so nobly begun. Hundreds of the Confederate army now lay bleeding upon the field, while, owing to the completeness of their cover, our loss had been very small. Still Forrest seemed but frenzied by his misfortunes, and with a fiendish disre gard for consequences, drove his men to the slaughter. This devil incarnate, placed himself, with his subordi nate officers, in the rear of the army, and with sword and pistol compelled them to renew the attack, shooting such as refused. Not until these wretched victims of a slave aristocracy had been thus driven into this slaugh ter-pen, four times, and as often expelled with fearful loss, did this fool-hardy general withdraw his shattered forces. SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 105 The field presented truly a sickening appearance even to the battle-hardened soldier. The mutilated and lifeless bodies of the rebel soldiery lay so thick in front of our lines that the spectator could almost walk over the field upon them. Smith now devoted himself to the destruction of the railroad, of which he made a complete wreck for miles, by burning all the bridges and trestle-work and upsetting the track off the grade. "While this was going on, an unfortunate mistake occur red with the pickets on the south of Tupelo. The Fourth Iowa cavalry were on post there, supported by Capt. Bandy, with companies " A," " I " and " K," of the Second Iowa, when Capt. Woodward, A. A. A. G. for Gen. Grierson, approached the pickets on this road from the outside. The videttes of the Fourth Iowa fired upon him and his escort without halting him. He returned to Gen. Grierson, who was off to the right of the pickets, and reported a rebel picket on that road. Grierson, supposing the enemy had gained this position from the swamp at the left, and feeling that if not at once dislodged the train would be in danger, ordered Maj. Moore to take companies "B," "L" and "M," and with them hurry to the spot, and drive in that picket, and capture it if possible. As Moore neared the scene, the videttes heard him, and fired upon him before he could be seen through the thick brush sur rounding the post. This reassured Moore as to the nature of the enemy with whom he had to do ; and dismounting his force he sent them forward. The Fourth Iowa videttes fell back, and Capt. Bandy quickly dismounted his men and rushed them forward, deter mined to hold the post at all hazards, until reinforce ments should arrive. Each side were ordered to hold 14 106 HISTOKY OF TliE their fire until within easy range. In obedience to these orders they advanced in silence. The troops on both sides kept so well covered by the brush that their uniforms were not seen until just as the order to open the bloody fray was about to come from the lips which held the destiny of both sides, when a soldier from company " B" recognized one of the boys in company " K," and by promptly reporting the same, the affair was checked before the blood-letting commenced. As- the forces opposed to each other here were of very nearly equal numerical strength, and all armed with Spencer s carbines, and each advancing determined to succeed at whatever cost, the fight would have been bloody in the extreme, had the mistake not been dis covered in time. As it was, one of the Fourth Iowa was killed. Forrest withdrew his forces a few miles, and reorgan ized them for another attack on the following day. Accordingly on the morning of the 15th, he again ad vanced on Mower who still held his old position at Harrisburg. This attack was made while Smith, who had completed the work he was ordered to do, was moving his train back toward Pontotoc. The attack was made with determination, and raged bloodily for two hours, when it terminated, as the others had done y with the complete overthrow of the rebels. The rebel loss in these actions was between 1500 and 2000. Ours was not more than 450 or 500. Smith now moved slowly towards Pontotoc, while Forrest followed at a respectful distance, closely watch ing for a chance to gain some advantage, by the turns of fortune, which he now saw he could not accomplish by fair fighting. SECOND IOWA CAY ALKY. 107 Smith s mode of moving a column deserves notice : First came a division of infantry as advance, with one regiment of cavalry for advance guard. Then came the train with six infantrymen marching by each side of each wagon. In the middle of the train was a bat tery, while on each flank moved a cavalry column stretching the entire length of the train. Cavalry flankers were still outside of this cavalry column, and every by-road picketed by the cavalry until the entire train was past. Then in the rear of the train followed the balance of the army. We camped for the night of the 15th on Oldtown Creek. Forrest waited until the majority of the army was over this creek, when he furiously charged the rear guard, hoping to capture them before reinforce ments could recross. But he here run upon the Four teenth Iowa and the colored brigade again, who punished him severely for his intrusion. Disheartened by his repeated reverses, he now withdrew his army, and Smith returned to Memphis with little more fighting. We reached our camp at Memphis on the 24th of July, bringing with us nearly all of our wounded. The rebel wounded were properly dressed by our surgeons, and left with the citizens of Tupelo. Smith estimated the rebel loss in this campaign at 2500. The federal loss did not exceed 600. 108 HISTORY OF THE CHAPTER II. EXPEDITION TO OXFORD UNDER GEN. A. J. SMITH-CROSSING THE TALLAHATCHIE-TIIE RAIN CHARGE OP OXFORD RECONNOISSANCE BY CAPTS. MCMANNUS AND BANDY CHARGE LED BY SERG T COULTER BATTLE OF HURRICANE CREEK ATTACK AT TALLAHATCHIE. The enemy rested at Memphis ten days while it was being refitted for another campaign. On the 2d of August, Smith again left Memphis with a large army, Brig.-Gen. E. Hatch, being in command of the cavalry division. This was Gen. Hatch s first field service since his wound, from which he had never yet entirely recovered. The second cavalry brigade, consisting of the Second Iowa, and the Sixth and Ninth Illinois cavalry, was commanded by Col. Coon ; Major Chas. C. Horton, commanding the Second Iowa. We moved up the M. C. R. R. as far as Grand Junc tion, when we took down the Mississippi Central to Waterford. This railroad had not been in use since we destroyed it in the fall of 1862, hence it required much repairing, which was done under the immediate eye of Gen. Hatch, who remained with the construction train until the work was completed. On the 7th of August, Col. Coon made a feint down the Tallahatchie river to the crossing at Wyette. This move was designed to cover a move of the main force, who, at the same time, forced a crossing near Waterford where a bridge was built. Col. Coon returned to Wa- SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 109 terford and crossed the river there on the 9th, where he rejoined the division. Hatch now pressed forward, forcing the rebels from their fortifications on the hill, south of the bridge, where the enemy lost one piece of cannon. The first brigade, Col. Herrick, of the Seventh Kansas cavalry, commanding, held the advance and forced the rebels back in a sharp skirmish until they neared Oxford, where artillery was briskly used on both sides. Col. Coon was here ordered to take the advance with, the second brigade. The Ninth Illinois cavalry were ordered to move rapidly by the right flank, and strike the road in the rear of town. As soon as Col. Coon thought the Ninth Illinois had had time to gain the de sired locality, he ordered the Second Iowa forward to a direct assault. The first battalion, Maj. Schmitzer commanding, and the second battalion, Capt. Foster commanding, were sent forward dismounted. As soon as they reached the edge of town, the third battalion, Maj. Moore commanding, rushed forward on a mounted charge. As they reached the court house, they ob tained a view of the rapidly retreating enemy. The boys spurred forward with all possible rapidity, but could not overtake the rebel column. The Ninth Illi nois were detained by bad roads, and did not get up in time to cut off the enemy, as we had hoped they would. In their haste, however, the Confederates were com pelled to abandon a caisson, filled with fixed ammuni tion, which fell into Maj. Horton s possession. The Second Iowa lost none in this action. The Seventh Kansas had five men wounded. We remained in Oxford over night, feasting from the chickens, turkeys, hams, eggs, potatoes, flour, etc., in 110 HISTORY OF THE which the city abounded. Many, and indeed most, of the citizens looked as if they were rather unwilling con tributors to our stock of rations, but the hungry soldier cares little whether what he wants \& freely donated, or per force of circumstances. The next day we returned to the;{main column at Abbeyville. By accident, com pany " D " were left on picket, several miles south of Oxford, when the division evacuated the place. The blunder was not discovered until the column was some four miles from town, when Maj. Horton moved the Second Iowa back upon " gallop march," Fortunately, the enemy had not discovered the error, and the picket was relieved in safety. The enemy followed us back, throwing their picket upon a hill on the south side of Hurricane Creek. Our picket was posted on a hill in the north of the creek, two miles from that of the en emy. About midnight on the eleventh of August the rebels crossed the creek and crept stealthily upon our picket. The darkness was so great that a vidette could not be seen at a distance of ten yards. The enemy advancecl undiscovered, to within a few paces of the vidette, when one of them snapped a cap, hoping thus to draw the vidette s fire, by the light of which the balance expected to be able to shoot them. The strategy did not succeed, however ; the videttes prudently held their fire until after that of the enemy, whose balls did no damage, and who were quickly repulsed without loss to our side. The next day Capt. McMannus of the Ninth Illinois, and Capt Bandy of the Second Iowa, with two companies of each regiment attacked the enemy s pickets and drove them in upon the main force, in a brisk skirmish of two hours dura tion. As they neared the rebel camp they were met SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. Ill by a raking fire of grape and cannister, when they fell back to their old line of pickets. As on former occa sions the enemy s cavalry followed our patrol in, taking up their former position. Upon reaching the picket-post the boys received a mail the first for many days and as may be supposed, they were so absorbed for a few moments, with their let. ters from home, as to in a measure avert their attent ion from their duty as pickets. Just at this juncture the enemy s cavalry furiously attacked the videttes. Sergt. Moore, with a platoon of Company " D " was on post at the time. They scarcely had time to notify the re serve of danger by the discharge of their pieces, before the rebels were upon them, and they were compelled to flee for their lives. Sergt. Coulter instantly rushed to the reserve with a platoon of Company " K," who met and repulsed the rebels by a counter charge. Lieut. Fickel, commanding Company " K," and Lieut. Dang ler, commanding Company " D," soon came to Coulter s support with their companies, and the ground gained by the rebels was retaken. The fight between the pickets continued until dark. The next day the Twelfth Missouri cavalry held this post. The enemy repeated on them the tactics of the previous day, when Lieut. Col. Brown set a trap for them. The result of this trick of Col. Brown s was the loss of tw enty-seven of his own men, instead of the cap ture of the rebel assailants as he had fondly hoped. This picket fighting did not please Gen. Hatch, and he determined to punish the enemy for their meddling. For this purpose, he immediately moved upon their for tifications with his division. The Sixth and Ninth Illinois, Lieut. Col. Starr com- 112 HISTORY OF THE manding, was sent to the right, while Col. Herrick, with the Seventh Kansas cavalry took the left, Major Horton, with the Second Iowa and a battery taking the centre. Through the carelessness of some one, the ad vance guard of the Second Iowa, consisting of compa nies " B " and " I," Lieut Stoddard commanding, were ambushed before reaching the rebel works, and narrow ly escaped, with a loss of four wounded and two pris oners. Major Horton now fell back with the Second Iowa, hoping thereby to draw the rebel centre forward so as to enable Cols. Herrick and Starr, by doubling their flanks, to cut off his retreat. The enemy refused to leave their works, however, and Horton advanced and engaged them with the artillery, while Herrick and Starr devoted themselves earnestly to the work of doubling them up. The Sixth and Ninth Illinois ad vanced across an open field, upon the rebel works, with such intrepidity, that they soon possessed themselves of their entire line of fortifications in their front. This caused the enemy to retreat, leaving their breastworks all in Hatch s hands. We drove the rebels through Oxford, when we again returned to our old position on the Tallahatchie. The loss of the division in this fisvht o was six killed, thirty-three wounded and two prisoners. Why we were ordered to fall back to the Tallahatchie after every engagement, in all of which we drove the enemy from their fortifications, I could never learn. On the 19th of August, Hatch again advanced upon the rebels, who occupied the same line from which we had so often driven them. The fortifications were cap tured by the first brigade, Col. Herrick commanding, the Seventh Kansas cavalry taking the advance in the pursuit. The rain, which fell in torrents, soon rendered SECOND IOWA CAVALKY. 113 the Sharp s carbines, with which the Seventh Kansas were armed, unserviceable, when the Second Iowa, whose Spencer carbines were impervious to rain, were sent to relieve them. We now had it all our own way T for the rain had been as injurious to the rifles of the enemy, as to the carbines of the Seventh Kansas, while our pieces emitted their deadly stream with as much certainty as if the day had been one of cloudless beauty. We drove the rebels through Oxford, and again re turned, in obedience to orders-, to the river, the rebels following as before. For the next two days a continu ous picket fire was kept up, with no other result than the consumption of ammunition. On the 22d of August, Smith advanced to Oxford with his entire army. There he received a dispatch from Memphis, notifying him of a raid upon that place by Maj.-Gen. Forrest, and ordering him to return. In compliance with this order, Smith returned to the Tal- lahatchie and started his train across the bridge near Waterford. Just as the third team got upon the bridge, it gave way, precipitating the teams into the water. This caused the army to bivouac until a new bridge could be constructed. Gen. Chalmers, who had followed our rear with a view of pouncing upon and capturing the rear guard, after the balance of the force should cross the river, was ignorant of this accident to the bridge, hence he waited until he supposed that the bulk of the army had had time to cross, when he furiously charged the rear. The pickets were not yet out, and the rebels came directly into the camp of the infantry, who quickly repulsed them with a loss of ten killed and nine wounded, left in our hands. The Federal loss was none killed and ten wounded. The cavalry pursued 15 114 HISTOKY OF THE the retreating enemy back to Hurricane Creek. In this pursuit the Seventh Kansas lost one man killed. Eations were scarce, and the boys were compelled to do a great deal of foraging for subsistance. As the country in all directions was filled with roving bands of rebel cavalry, the foraging parties were in much danger, being often attacked by vastly superior numbers. On the 26th of August, ten men from the Second Iowa and Seventh Kansas, were in search of eatables, some ten miles from the column, when they were beset by a rebel force of twenty-five cavalry. They were in a house at the time the attack was made, eating dinner. The picket, H. H. Berner, of company " M," Second Iowa, was shot at the first onset, and then the rebels charged into the yard and overpowered the balance of the squad before they could prepare for a fight or mount their horses for a retreat. The horses were all lost, and one of the squad killed and six wpunded. This system of foraging was made the means of many great wrongs inflicted upon the citizens. As the men were not only allowed,, but compelled, to forage for food, many stopped not when their necessities were supplied, but made the want of food the pretext for escaping from the column, and from under the eye of an officer, when they carried on a wholesale robbery busi ness. Money, watches, jewelry, and valuables of any kind were stolen by them, calling themselves foragers ; they were literally thieves, and robbing banditti. Gen. Hatch allowed foraging, but did all within his power to prevent this theiving, but it could .not be stopped, because of the difficulty in detecting the guilty. It is but one of the many lamentable, though inevitable, con sequences of war. SECOND IOWA OAVALKY. 115 We reached La Grange on our return march on the 28th of August. We moved down the railroad towards Memphis, very slowly, acting as guards for the road, while the government stores were being removed from different posts, preparatory to evacuating them. We reached White s Station, Tennessee, on the 5th of September. There we established a camp, and acted as an outpost for Memphis. 116 HTSTOliT OF THE CHAPTER III. KKCC+XXOISSANCB BY CAPT. BANDT FORREST MOVES TO MIDDLE TENNESSEE HATCH STARTS FOR ARMY OF CUMBERLAND NIGHT MARCH CROSS HATCHIE MODE OF MARCHING POOR COUNTRY GREENWOOD VOLUNTEERS REACH CLIFTON LACK OF HORSE SHOES HATCH ORDERED TO REPORT TO GEN. SHERMAN AT ATLANTA MOVK TO PULASKI. Forrest now saw Ids hopeless inability to vie with Smith s veteran army, in Northern Mississippi. He therefore decided to leave this section of the country to its fate, transferring the war, as far as his army was concerned, to Middle Tennessee. For this purpose he rebuilt the Mobile, and Ohio railroad, as far up as Corinth, where he established a base and collected sup plies sufficient for the contemplated raid upon the rail road between Nashville and Decatur. . On the 17th of September, Capt. Bandy left camp at White s Station with a detail of 100 men from compa nies " C," " G-," " L" and " M," for a reconnoissance of Forrest s movements. They were out three days, and learned that Forrest was preparing for a raid upon the Memphis and Decatur railroad, and that he was making Corinth his base of operations. With this information, and three prisoners, with a few horses, Bandy returned to camp on the 20th. Gen. Hatch now rapidly fitted up his division for a change of base, to comport with this new move of his. adversary. The necessary arrangements being com SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 117 pleted, we bid farewell to our camp at White s Station, and as our subsequent history shows, to the Department of West Tennessee. Forrest, who was many days ahead of us, had crossed the Tennessee at Florence, Ala., and was already spreading consternation among the garri sons in the region of Middle Tennessee. Many of the lesser garrisons along the railroad, between Pulaski and Huntsville, had been overpowered and captured, while Pulaski itself had been unsuccessfully assailed. Gen. Rousseau, with the cavalry of the Army of the Cum berland, defeated him at Pulaski, and drove him back across the Tennessee again at Florence, before General Hatch ould reach that point to cut him off. We left White s Station September 30th, and moved to Germantown, where we turned north, crossing North Wolf river near Germantown. This stream was much swollen by recent rains, and hence difficult of crossing. We crossed by the aid of bonfires during the night of the 30th, on a bridge constructed for the occasion. The great darkness was only equalled by the bad roads con fronting us. But Hatch, who was never known to halt for mud, storms or rains, pushed onward through the swamps. It is useless to attempt a description of this night s march, but those who participated therein will not soon forget the logs, ditches, mudholes, ravines and tree-tops they encountered. Overturned wagons, fallen horses, lost hats and broken noses, were a part of the pleasantries accompanying this Gilpin ride. We bivouaced a few hours before day, at which time the column was again in motion. Many of the boys were hatless, rendered so during the night s march. A draft, to replace this very nec essary article of clothing, was enforced by the needy 118 HISTORY OF THE troopers upon all well supplied citizens who met th< column. Gen. Hatch pressed forward to Bolivar where he constructed another bridge over the Hatchie river. A squad of guerrillas opposed us at this point, but a few shots from our carbines dispersed them, witl a loss of three of their number prisoners. We camped near Bolivar on the night of October 2d, and the nexi morning Gen. Hatch ordered all extra wagons back to White s Station, first supplying the men with rations for ten days. Celerity of motion was the great point now to be gained. Hatch moved as follows : The advance moved at 3 A. M., made the distance allotted for a day s march as soon as possible, and camped early, while the real would not be called up until near daylight, and thei required to march, if need be, until midnight to read the camp of the advance. In this way the column was kept in motion eighteen or twenty hours a day, and yel no regiment was deprived of its compliment of repose, or sufficient time for foraging. After passing Jackson, Tennessee, we entered a country- the most uninviting, in an agricultural point oi view, of any over which we had been called to march since entering the service. For miles our course would lie along the high and barren lands of a divide, while deep and almost inaccessible ravines formed our bound aries on either side. JSFow we descend an almost per pendicular hill side, cross a small stream of beautiful spring water, and then, by a hard and slow process, ascend an equally steep and rocky eminence. The soil was of so worthless a nature as to scarcely produce sufficient vegetation for the sustenance of a mountain goat, and yet here and there could be seen a miserable SECOND IOWA CAVALKY. 119 hut, the surroundings of which plainly told that the inhabitants of this region, more productive than the soil, faithfully obeyed the command of the scripture to multiply and replenish. Very few negroes were seen through this region. No able bodied men were to be found. At first we supposed this lack of males was attributable to the fact that they were in the Confed erate army, such having been the case in all parts of the South over which we had yet traveled. But we soon learned that another cause prevailed here. Few Yankee soldiers had ever visited this section, hence we were a source of great curiosity to the women and chil dren, who crowded the doors and loaded the fences as the column passed. " Where is your husband ? " asked the boys of the mother of half *a score of flaxenpolls, eyeing us with pleased wonder. " Gone to the army," was the quick reply. " What command does he belong to ? " " Greenwood s command, Capt. BusKs company," was the facetious response. At first we did not under stand this dialect, but we soon learned that we were in a Union settlement, and that the men, to avoid the merciless conscription by the Jeff Davis officials, were compelled to leave their homes, and fleeing to the woods, there hide from their hunters, as does the deer upon our Western prairies. Nor is the rebel s rifle the only thing these wretched outcasts have to fear far from it ! The hellish yelp of the bloodhound is continually wringing in their ears, and often are their fangs buried in the flesh of those whose only crime is a love for the country that gave them birth, a refusal to become traitors. When. Col, Coon told one of these mothers that we should camp for the night around her house, and that her husband, if within calling distance, could 120 HISTORY OF THE spend the night at home in safety, her eyes filled with tears of gratitude, as she replied, " Twill be the first time for more than a year." An hour later, as I passed the door, I saw her husband in the midst of his family, his little ones playing about his knee, as if it was a treat seldom enjoyed. As we moved out the next morn ing, the Greenwood volunteers could be seen at every house, but as soon as our column was past, they gave their dear ones a hasty kiss, and slunk back to their places of concealment, there to remain until the glad return of peace should call them to the family board again. Pity claimed a sigh for these unfortunates, and yet we could but feel a contempt for a man, who would thus allow the oppressor to grind him down, while he lacked the spunk to join our army and aid in procuring his freedom. What a comment upon the institution of slavery, that it thus crushes even the poor whites, with whom it comes in contact, until every spark of manhood becomes extinct. Who, after such a sight, will brand the black race as unfit for freedom,, and assign as a rea son for their course the fact that they lack the snap usually seen in the free Anglo-Saxon of the North ? Can we expect the negro to withstand the direct influ ence of an institution, the indirect contact with which has so degraded our own race ? We reached Clifton October 6th, crossing the Ten nessee river at that place on transports. As we moved out on the Nashville Pike we began to experience no little inconvenience from the lack of shoes for our horses. As the soil in Northern Mississippi is not of a nature to render shoes so indispensable to the horse, we acquired the habit of going unsupplied with the extra shoes and nails, which the trooper s SECOND IOWA CAVALKY. 121 saddlebags are supposed to contain at all times. Consequently, now that we had reached a country where the barefooted horse was wholly unserviceable, we had not the stock necessary for replacing the shoes lost. Every horse that died or gave out on the march was robbed of his shoes, while nails were obtained wherever they could be found through the country. In this way we got along, poorly it is true. As stated above, Forrest had already crossed the river with his principal army, although there was a small detachment still left on the north side. Hatch rapidly moved to Lawrenceburg and thence down the Florence road, hoping to overtake the enemy, but they were too fast for him, and we again moved to Clifton, where we remained several days depending for supplies upon forage obtained from the surrounding country. Clifton was the centre of a strong Union settlement. Many of the citizens in the surrounding country were in the Union army. Others had organized themselves into a sort of Union guerrilla band, known as the Clifton Boys, whose business it was to aid the Federal cause in any way in their power. These bands were dressed and armed like Confederate soldiers. At Clif ton we were supplied with material for shoeing our horses, without which little could have been accom plished for good. Gen. Hatch here received orders to report to General Sherman at Atlanta, to join with his division the great Georgia Coastward bound expedition of this hero. In obedience to these orders we left Clifton at 3 p. M., Oc tober 29th, and moved direct to Pulaski, which place we reached November 1st, 1864. At Pulaski, General 16 122 HISTORY OF THE Hatch received other orders directing Mm to join his forces with those of Gen. Thomas, to be used in repelling an invasion of Tennessee by General Hood. SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 123 CHAPTER IV. GKH. HOOD S INVASION OF TENNESSEEHATCH MOVES TO SHOAL CREEK FIGHTS or NOVEMBER STH AND QTH MAJ. MOORE MOVES AROUND HOOD S ARMY FIGHT or THE HTH FIGHT OF THE 16TH DASH OF COMPANY " D " RECONNOISSANCE BY MAJ. HORTON FlQHT ON BUTLER S CREEK GEN. FORREST S AND GKN. RuKER S ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE us. The Confederate government, conscious of their ina bility to check the advance of Sherman, had already commenced the execution of their long talked of scheme of invading Tennessee, capturing Nashville, an& plant ing their victorious armies on the banks of the Ohio. This movement they claimed would compel Sherman to abandon his campaign, and thus prove the turning point of the war. But they had counted without their host. Sherman took no notice to Hood, but having turned him over to Gen. Thomas, he leisurely pursued his plans for the final blow at the rebellion. Gen. Hood, Jeff. Davis chosen leader for this invasion, had been given command of the finest army the Con federate government boasted, out of Richmond, one corps of which he had already crossed to the north side of the Tennessee, at Florence, Alabama. Brig.-Gen. Croxton was stationed on Shoal Creek, ten miles northeast of Florence, with a poorly armed brigade of cavalry to watch Hood s movements, but his force was entirely too small to confront so large an army. Hatch was therefore ordered to proceed t 124 HISTORY OF THE Slioal Creek with Ms division, now known as the Fifth Division Cavalry corps, M. D. M., and having united his forces with those of Gen. Croxton, to take command of all. Croxton s command had suffered severely from the assaults of Hood s troops, and Gen. Hatch found great diligence requisite for guarding against this wily and powerful foe. But in selecting him for this work, Gen. Thomas had placed the right man in the right place, as was attested by the fact that while he re mained there, the enemy, who outnumbered his force five to one, did not succeed, in any instance, in gaining advantage over him. Gen. Hatch reached Shoal Creek, November 6th, and that night made a reconnoissance of the rebel pickets, the result of which was a sharp skirmis^ between the two forces * across the creek. No advantage, save a knowledge of the rebel position, was gained. Our loss was none. Hatch attacked the ene my s pickets on the 8th. The Second Iowa were the advance and the attacking party. Capt. Foster moved forward upon the rebel right until he gained the creek, when company " D," Lieut. Griffith commanding, plunged into the stream, swollen by the rains. The current, however, was too strong to be resisted success fully, and as the horses reached the swiftest part of the water, they were rolled down the stream with resistless fury ; this necessitated the abandonment of the attempt at crossing. While this was passing on the left, com pany "I," Lieut. Watson commanding, pressed to the creek on the right, and attempted to reach and burn a mill near the opposite side of the stream, used by the rebels to grind corn for their army. But this mill was strongly guarded, besides being protected by the same resistless flood that had turned company " D " back on SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 125 the left. Under cover of this attack, Maj. Moore, with the third battalion, moved off to the right and crossed the creek at a ford some distance above. Thus over the creek, Moore moved southwest bv a rapid march, passing entirely around Hood s army, Trom one to three miles from his lines, and at daylight on the morning of the 9th, he struck the Tennessee river, fourteen miles below Florence. The object of this hazardous dash was to aid eight soldiers sent down the river a few days previous to attempt the destruction of Hood s pontoons at Florence. As soon as Moore struck the point de signated, he caused a large bonfire built as a guide to these fellows, who Hatch hoped might have reached that neighborhood in need of help. Moore waited here for them to report as long as it was prudent, when hearing nothing from them he turned his face camp ward, which he reached after a^ain swimming; Shoal Creek on o o the night of the 10th. The boys with Moore were hungry, wet and weary, having been out thirty hours in a continual rainstorm. Twenty-nine hours of this time were spent in the saddle, either fighting or on the rapid march. Maj. Moore pressed citizens to guide him on the 9th, palming himself off upon them as a Confed erate officer. The men, after whom Maj. Moore went, did not succeed in their pontoon destroying enterprise, and were most of them captured. As Gen. Hatch was determined to keep posted as to the doings and positions of the enemy he was watching, he made a third attack upon their lines on the llth. Maj. Schmitzer, with the second battalion of the Second Iowa, forced a crossing, fording the creek, and driving in the pickets on the other side. At the same time of this move, Capt. Harper, with the Ninth Illinois cavalry, 126 HISTORY OF THE crossed the creek above, and coming around in the rebel rear he charged their pickets, striking a panic in their camp, under cover of which he recrossed below and rejoined the command. On the 18th dP November, Col. Coon again crossed Shoal Creek with the second brigade, and moved several miles around the enemy s camp. When some five miles from the creek, we struck the rebel pickets just as they were being posted after a foraging tour ; company " D," Lieut. Griffith commanding, was in advance. As the videttes, four in number, discovered the pickets, they immediately charged them with such fury that the rebels fled without firing a shot, or even halting to see the strength of their pursuers. These videttes pursued them to the main column, capturing two prisoners, two revolvers and sixteen guns. Col. Coon continued the reconoissance a few miles farther, and then returned to the neighborhood of Cowpen Ford, where he camped for a few days. On the 18th, Maj. Horton made a reconnoissance across the creek with the Second Iowa and Ninth Illi nois cavalry. He crossed at Cowpen Ford and moved around Hood s lines, within from three-fourths of a mile to a mile of the rebel pickets, penetrating the country as far as the Waynesboro 1 road. When about midway between Shoal Creek and this road, he had to cross a main thoroughfare leading direct to the rebel camp, not more than three miles distant. At this road he lelt the Ninth Illinois to keep back any force the enemy should send in that direction, until, with the Second Iowa, he could complete the reconnoissance, and return to that place. We had not moved far, however, before the report of the Ninth Illinois rifles told us that SECOND IOWA CAVALRY 127 Harper could not hold his post in peace. Soon an orderly came from Harper informing Horton that the enemy were concentrating such a force at that point, that he should be forced to yield the road to them. Upon the reception of this news, Horton ordered Har per to fall back by the most practicable route and recross the creek, leaving him to get out as best he could after completing his march to the Waynesboro road. We now pressed rapidly forward until the de sired point was reached and the requisite information obtained. This done, Maj. Horton directed his guide to take, him to some ford farther up the creek than the one at which Harper was expected to cross. As we had no train, the guide took us to an old disused ford, where having to cross a very rough country, and a very muddy field, we succeeded in crossing the creek in safety. The knowledge obtained by Horton of the ex istence of this ford, subsequently proved of great im portance to our brigade. On the morning of the 19th of November, General Hatch ordered Col. Coon to cross the creek with the second brigade, and establish a camp on Butler Creek. From information gained by former reconnoissances, Col. Coon regarded this as a very dangerous experiment ; he nevertheless promply obeyed the order, and by 10 o clock, A. M., the brigade, with train and baggage, had crossed the creek and moved towards the spot design ated as our camp. Col. Coon crossed at Cowpen Ford, which is below where Bufler Creek empties into Shoal Creek, and within less than two miles of Hood s picket. A few miles above Butler Creek is another ford in Shoal Creek. No sooner had Coon moved out towards Butler Creek, than Gen. Forrest, who from the frequency of 128 HISTORY OF THE onr reconnoissances was anticipating this move, moved upon our rear, cutting us off from Cowpen Ford. For rest had also sent Gen. Buford 7 s division of mounted infantry, consisting of ten regiments, to the ford above Butler Creek. As the Second Iowa, who were in the advance, crossed Butler Creek, they were attacked by General Buford, at the same time that the Ninth Illinois were attacked by Forrest in the rear. Our position at this crisis was anything but favorable. Our force did not number over 1,200 fighting men. Shoal Creek, fear fully swollen by the copious rains of the past few days, separated us from the balance of the division. Our front and rear was beset by vastly superior numbers, while a little distance to our left, lay the powerful army of Gen. Hood. We were completely within the trap set for us by Forrest, and all the known outlets guarded with a sufficient amount of troops to preclude the hope of breaking through them. Fortunately for us> the centre of our column still commanded a by-path that led to the old ford where Maj. Horton had crossed the day before. It seems that Forrest knew nothing of this ford, or he would have guarded it as he did all the other crossings. Maj. Horton, who commanded the advance, saw at once our only hope of escape was in crossing Shoal Creek here, before Forrest should dis cover it. He therefore quickly threw the Second Iowa to the front, to hold Buford in check. Then, without waiting to communicate with Col. Coon, he ordered Lieut. Boget to take charge of the pack train and rush with all possible speed across this ford. He then sent an orderly to Col. Coon, who was directing movements in the rear, informing him of the existence SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. of this crossing and of his doings in ordering the train over. Col. Coon approved of this promptness on the part of his subordinate in assuming responsibility, and ordered the wagons to follow the pack train. These orders were obeyed with such dispatch, that in less than one hour the encumbrances of the brigade were all safely over the creek. But how did the fighting part of the brigade spend this hour ? Let the incessant roar of their faithful seven shooters answer. Several compa nies of the Second Iowa were on picket, so that their fighting strength in the engagement was not more than 1 150 men, and yet this little band were holding in check Buford s entire division. The men were dismounted and well covered in a strong position. At one time the 1 enemy came upon our centre in a strong dismounted charge, but as they neared the cover behind which the Second Iowa lay, they were received with such a telling sheet of lead, that great as Was their superiority in numbers, their officers could not make their men (vet erans though they were) face* the storm, and they fell back m considerable disorder. Under cover of this mo mentary advantage, Maj. Horton fell back and crossed the creek in safety, bringing off his wounded five in number with him. While this was being done, the Sixth and Ninth Illinois were as gallantly doing their part in the rear and on the flank, where Gen. Forrest was vainly at tempting to break through their lines to the 1 train. Capt. Mock, with a battalion of the Ninth Illinois, got cut off from the ford, and was compelled to break out in another direction. He managed to maneuvre FO as to defeat all attempts made to capture him, until night covered his movements with a friendly shield. Deeming 17 130 HISTOBY OF THE it safer to divide up into small squads, they separated into platoons, each acting independently, but all striv ing to reach the command. As these squads wandered about in the darkness, they often found themselves within the enemy s lines. At such times they would either play off rebel, or by a dashing charge cut out, as appeared most expedient. As these little bands struck the rebel lines in various places, no little alarm and con- fusion was created in the enemy s camp, for each squad was naturally taken as the advance of an attacking col umn. ^ Hood s army was under arms ; staff officers and orderlies galloped in every direction, while various trains, loaded with headquarter baggage, were in motion for more secure localities. Capt. Mock came upon one of these trains, loaded with Gen. Chalmers headquarter luggage, and by a dashing movement captured it with all the mules and teamsters. Of course they could not take the train off and it was abandoned, not, however, until Chalmers large garrison flag, which was in the wagon, was secured and born off in triumph ; but even this was more than these gallant fellows could get away with, for it soon became entangled in the brush, and as speed was everything to them at this point, they were obliged to abandon it. By daylight all these squads were safely over the creek. Some of them were in almost a state of nudity, having been captured and stripped by the representatives of Southern chivalry. During that night, as we afterwards learned, General Kuker prepared a night attack upon our brigade, being, as he afterwards told Gen. Hatch while a prisoner in our lines, confident of his ability to capture the most of the brigade. His men were all instructed to wear a white cloth upon their arms, so that they would know SECOND IOWA CAVALKY. 131 each other in the dark. Just as Gen. Ruker was start ing, he received orders from Gen. Forrest to defer the attack, as he, Forrest, had another scheme which he hoped would result in the capture of the division. Thus we were spared what would doubtless have proved an exciting, bloody fight, for our officers were on the alert and Ruker would have found that his task was not an easy one. Forrest s scheme for the capture of the di vision was defeated by Hatch, who, knowing the vastly superior force of the enemy, slipped out of the trap just before it was sprung. iJISTOIlY OF THE CHAPTER V. HOOD S ADVANCE ON NASHYILLB GEN, FORREST SHOAL CREEK FIGHT AT LAW. RENCEBURG FlGHT AT CAMPBELLYILLE MAJ. MOORE CUT OFF DESPERATE FIGHTING OF THE NINTH ILLINOIS COLUMBIA REACHED MAIL HORSES MOUNT CARMBL BATTLE OF FRANKLIN REACH NASHYILLE AND EDGEFIELD. Gren. Hood advanced towards Nashville with his entire army on the 20th of November, 1864. He now com manded one of the most magnificent armies ever put into the field by the Confederate government. He had 45,000 infantry and ninety pieces of artillery, command ed by the best generals the Confederacy afforded, be- .sides 15,000 well mounted cavalry, commanded by Maj. Gen. Forrest, or the old war horse, as the rebels called him. Although Forrest was by profession a slave dealer, #nd entirely destitute of even the rudiments of a com mon school education ; a barbarian, wanting in every qualification which constitutes a gentleman; yet ii must be admitted that as a leader of cavalry, he had few equals ; he had none in the Confederate army. Brig.-Gen. Hatch who had confronted this powerful army for fifteen days with but 4,600 cavalry, now fell slowly back before them, being over forty miles from infantry support. It speaks well for Gen. Hatch to .state that during this fifteen days, he kept himself well advised of the movements of the enemy, with a loss of but one man killed, and that from his own body guard. In order correctly to judge of the difficulties surrounding SECOND IOWA CAVALKY. 133 us on the Shoal Creek campaign, the reader must know that during our stay here the rain fell in torrents nearly every day, which made our camping grounds perfect quagmires, while the roads over which we were com pelled to march .and countermarch daily, were so muddy as to render locomotion over them next to impossible. Add to this the fact that we had no shelter from the continued rain, save such as we could make from our gjim blankets ; and no rations for ourselves or forage for our animals, except as we collected it in the face of a vigilant and vastly outnumbering enemy, from the sur rounding country, which, was at best so poor as to afford but a stinted subsistence to the owners, who of course hid all they could from us ; and that owing to a peculiar poisonous ingredient in the mud in this region, our horses, which to the cavalryman are of first importance ? took that worst of all diseases, the greese keel, to such a fearful extent that scarcely a sound animal could be found, while two-thirds of them were entirely unfit for use ; and the reader will have some idea of the difficul ties surmounted by Gen. Hatch and his command, dur ing his fifteen days stay on Shoal Creek -a time not soon to be forgotten by those participating in it. Taking a glad farewell of these scenes, Hatch retreat ed to Lawrenceburg, where it became necessary to make .another stand to allow the infantry at Pulaski longer time in which to evacuate that place. He bivouaced his command a little north of Lawrenceburg, placing a strong picket on the pike south of town. The enemy attacked this picket with cavalry on the morning of the 22d. Capt. McManis with a battalion of the Ninth Illinois cavalry, and Lieut, Bandy with companies " B," " D," " F," " I and " M," held this picket post so 134 HISTORY OF THE stubbornly, that the enemy were compelled to bring up their infantry before they could advance, which they succeeded in doing about 4 o clock, p. M., when Col. Coon went to the support of his pickets with the second brigade. The fight now raged with a good deal of fury until dark, the enemy advancing steadily. Artillery was freely used on both sides ; the Sixth Illinois cavalry gallantly holding the rear against repeated charges and flank attacks from the enemy. Hatch retreated that night about ten miles and camped, moving back the next morning to within ten miles of Pulaski, where he halted again The enemy pressed the rear somewhat, but devoted most of his attention to a scheme for cutting us oif from our support. Early on the morning of the 24th we moved to Campbellville, where we were vigorously assailed by Forrest. This wily leader had here arranged a trap in which he expected to capture Gen. Hatch and his command. Soon after the action began the rebel centre gave way, with the hope of drawing Hatch forward, while a heavy flanking force should swing upon his rear and cut him off from the Franklin Pike. This move was detected, however, by Maj. Schrnitzer, who was on the left with the first battalion of the Second Iowa. Schmitzer conveyed the knowledge of this movement of the enemy to Gen. Hatch just in time to enable him to change front, and by rapidly throwing the second bri. gade upon the left, checkmate the attempt of the enemy to gain his rear. The fighting on the left with the second brigade, Col. Coon commanding, now became fierce and bloody. The Ninth Illinois, Capt. Harper commanding, at first held the rear, and gallantly did these brave fellows hold in check the swarming hosts SECOKD IOWA CAY ALKY. which Forrest hurled against them. The fighting was bloody in the extreme, but this little band of a few hundred heroes on scores of well fought fields, fell back in good style, retreating or fighting, as ordered. They were overpowered and terribly punished, some compa nies leaving half of their number upon the bloody field. But as the Second Iowa, Maj. Horton commanding, re lieved them, we plainly saw by their defiant mien that they were far from being whipped. Horton dismounted the Second Iowa and threw them forward to check the exultant enemy. The boys had scarce time to take cover behind a neighboring fence, before the rebel column came down upon them in a charge calculated to ride down all that opposed it. The monient was a critical one ; if they overpowered the little hand of not over 350 opposed to them, they could gain Hatch s rear, and sad indeed would have been the consequence. But the boys who held that line of fence, knew well the responsibility resting upon them, nor was the confidence reposed in them misplaced. As the rebel column advanced, it was met, by not well directed vol- lies, but a ceaseless sheet of murderous lead. The enemy are confounded, they waver and at last break in confu sion Scarcely, however, have the cheers of the victors told of their success, when other and even more power- full forces of the enemy s cavalry are discovered closing in still farther to the left, while another column appears upon the right. The order to retire is given, but as Maj. Moore, who commands the right of the line, at tempts to obey the order, he finds that the enemy already command the road in his rear, completely cut ting him off from his led horses. Seeing the impossi bility of escape by this road, he fell back by the right 136 UlSTOBY OF THE and rear. Fortunately for him, a neighboring hill screened him so that the enemy did not discover the advantage they had gained, and but a portion of their force followed him. With these he kept up a running fight until he succeeded, after a inarch of some four miles, in forming a junction with the first brigade and was safe. After Maj. Moore was cut off, the brunt of the battle fell upon Captain Bandy, commanding com panies "I" and "D." For a few moments it seemed that these companies must be inevitably lost, but after thirty minutes fighting, in which all, both officers and inen r showed the best of mettle, they succeeded in mak ing good their retreat. The Sixth Illinois now took the rear. The fight raged until dark, when we reached the Pike at Linnville. Hatch fell back that night to Columbia, which place was reached about midnight. We were now within the infantry lines- for the first time for near a month. We here received a mail, the first for sixty-five days, or since we left White s Station. Gen. Hatch crossed Duck river at Columbia on the 254h of November, and camped for the night two miles from town. An inspection of the horses was now ordered, the re sult of which showed that out of over 400 horses, in the Second Iowa, less than sixty were serviceable, the bal ance being rendered unfit for service by the greese Tieel. Gen. Hatch was now relieved with his division from duty at the front, and allowed to proceed to Nashville for a remount if he desired. But this did not suit his fiery spirit, as it would probably take him out of the balance of the fight, hence he obtained permission to move his division out into the country, northeast of Columbia, and press horses from the citizens. SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 137 Accordingly we moved out in the direction indicated, about eight miles, when we went into- camp, while small squads scoured the country in all directions for horses. We remained here two days, during which time the boys had picked up horses in sufficient numbers to give us the best remount we had had since we veteranized. On the evening of the 28th, Gen. Hatch moved out on the Shelbyville pike, where we laid in line of battle all night. Before daylight on the morning of the 29th, he moved back to Mount Carmel and halted for break fast. Gen. Croxton who was now in the rear, soon came up closely pressed by the enemy. Croxton was relieved at Mount Carmel by our brigade, Col. Coon commanding. Coon held the fortifications here for an hour when he was ordered to retire, which he did in column of squadrom. The enemy followed until con vinced they could make nothing following a force armed as we were, which could be so readily thrown into line of battle, when they withdrew, leaving us to complete our march to Franklin undisturbed. It was a common remark by both officers and men, that our brigade was never better maneuvred on a retreat than during this day s march. We reached Franklin on the 29th of November. Gen. Schofield, who commanded there, had not yet completed his arrangements for the evacuation of the place. A vast government train loaded with army stores was there. As but a very small part of Gen. Thomas army was at Franklin, Gen. Hood thought this his time to break the Federal power by a crushing blow, and the capture of this train. Hood assembled his army and excited their cupidity by a description of the wealthy stores 18 138 HISTOKY OF THE just before them. These deluded beings, who were al most entirely naked and poorly supplied with subsist ence, were told , that the coveted train contained the comfortable clothes and palatable rations always to be found in abundance at a well supplied post occupied by Federal troops. Hood told his barefooted followers, that this tempting prize was separated from them but by a demoralized fourth corps, and that if they would strike one bold blow it should be theirs. For many days our army had driven splendidly, and they supposed we were indeed whipped and demoralized. Schofield had constructed some very formidable breastworks south of Franklin, behind which he placed his infantry the veteran fourth corps under that skillful leader Maj.-Gen. Stanly, while Brev t-Maj.-Gen. Wilson, com manding the cavalry corps, was ordered to protect the flanks. Gen. Hatch, with the fifth division, was placed upon the left flank. The enemy attacked the entire line at the same instant, but massing the heaviest force upon the centre. Company " K," Second Iowa, Capt. Bandy commanding, were on picket in front of the left when the attack was made. They fell back fighting, and were relieved by the Sixth Illinois cavalry, Maj Wlritzet commanding, just as they had expended al their ammunition one hundred rounds each. Tlit Sixth Illinois were forced back until they were protectec by the guns of the brigade. The enemy now made i charge upon our brigade, which was handsomely re pulsed by the Sixth, Seventh and Ninth Illinois, wh< in turn charged the enemy, completely routing them a all points. The rebel centre came down upon Genera Stanly in a style probably never excelled for detei mined bravery, by any charge of the war. As the; SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 139 neared the works, tlie boys opened upon the assailants a fire so destructive that no living force could withstand it. The rebels succeeded in gaining possession of the works in one place for a few seconds, but they were quickly repulsed and the battle was over. The contest had been very brief, not having lasted over an hour, and yet the enemy had lost over 6,000 men killed and wounded. The rebels lost five Generals killed, viz : Maj.-Gen. Cleburne, Brig.-Gens. Gordon, Adams, Strahl and Granbery ; also two Major-Generals wounded. The Federal loss was but 600 killed and wounded. We fell back to Nashville without farther fighting, which place we reached on the 2d of December. The cavalry crossed the Cumberland river and camped at Edgefield. We there found our tents and knapsacks, the first time we had seen them since we left White s Station in September. 140 HISTORY OF THE CHAPTER VI. SUFFERINGS AT EDGEFIELD THOMAS AND HOOD FORTIFYING BATTLE OF NASHVILLE CAPTURE OF FORTS, GUNS, PRISONERS, ETC. CHARGE BY TWELFTH TENNESSEE BATTLE OF DECEMBER I&TH CAPTURE OF GEN. RUKER CAPTURE OF REBEL FLAG BY SERG T COULTER DESPERATE HANIJ TO HAND ENCOUNTER LIEUT. GRIFFITH AND SECOND IOWA STANDARD LIEUT. CRAWFORD IN REBEL RANKS GEN. HATCH CAPTURES THREE CANNON CHARGE OF FIFTH IOWA AT PULASKI MARCH TO EUNTSYILLR, EASTPORT AND GRAYILLY SPRINGS CAPTURES OF SECOND BRIGADE. Wliile at Edgefield the weatlier became intensely cold, the thermometer settling to 10 deg. below zero. No wood was furnished for the command, and all the protection we had from the wintry blasts, was a simple canvass covering for the frozen ground, and a soldier s blanket. The suffering caused by the want of wood and a comfortable camp, far exceeded anything we had ever been called upon to endure upon the march or the battle Held. Our camping ground was an open field, with the exception of a few large gum trees. Guards w^ere placed over every rail or stick of wood in the vicinity. At first the boys cut the gum trees in camp, and with them made fires on the company grounds, around which they clustered to keep from freezing. This we thought se vere enough to satisfy any disciplinarian, but facts showed differently, and on the morning of December 9th, a bitter cold day. we were greeted by an order to cut no more trees. Had this order been obeyed, every soldier in the command must inevitably have frozen to SECOND IOWA CAVALKY 141 death, except sucli generals as toasted their toes by warm parlor fires. As it was the boys managed to steal enough from the guards to keep from freezing. Some of the men constructed underground furnaces in their tents, and so economised the heat that three rails per day would suffice. They were purloined after night and packed a half mile on our backs. Who was in fault for this outrage, is more than I know. It is the pro vince of the historian to write facts without searching for causes. While we were refitting at Edgefield, the armies of Thomas and Hood were both actively employed in for tifying their respective positions. Gen. Thomas com pelled all the citizens of Nashville to work upon the breastworks surrounding the city. Gen. Thomas occu pied a semi-circular line of hills, extending completely around the city from river to river. Gen. Hood con structed his fortifications on a similar chain of hills, from one to four miles outside of Thomas 7 line. The cavalry recrossed the Cumberland river to the Nashville side December 12th, and for three days we camped in an open field east of the city. The mud in this field was knee-deep, which rendered our stay very unpleasant, and caused the boys to become impatient to exchange the disagreeable scenes of a poor camp for the more exciting, though more bloody, experience of the battle field. Gen. Thomas determined to attack Gen. Hood on the 15th of December, and issued the necessary orders pre paratory to such a step after dark on the 14th. The morning of the 15th dawned upon us through a dense and almost impenetrable fog, which settled over both armies and seemed loth to unveil the sun to scenes so 142 HISTORY OF THE terrible and so fraught with interests to the cause of liberty. About 9 o clock A. M., as if by the behest of the Almighty the fearful hour had come, the fog slowly cleared away and the magnificent and confident army of Gen. Thomas advanced from behind their breastworks and nerved themselves for the encounter for which they had been selected, and by which they were destined to carve their names in characters of blood far up the pinnacle of fame among war s heroes. As they marched out, all to victory, though many to their graves, the expression on each countenance told the looker-on that they were earnest men, confident of their ability to crush the traitor army confronting them, and resolved to deal telling blows for liberty and union. Brig.-Gen. Hatch commanded the fifth division cav- .alry corps, and occupied the right of Gen. A. J. Smith s corps. Col. D. E. Coon commanded the second brigade, fifth division, which was composed of the Second Iowa, Sixth, Seventh and Ninth Illinois and the Second Ten nessee cavalry, with battery " I " of the First Illinois light artillery. Maj. Horton commanded the Second Iowa, while Maj. Schmitzer, and Capt s. Foster and Bandy each commanded a, battalion of this regiment. Most of the cavalry moved out dismounted, as mounted men could effect but little when operating against breastworks. Soon after the ball opened, Gen. Hatch made a left half wheel, when we found ourselves confronting a strong rebel redoubt, from which five cannon saluted us with shot and shell. By order of Col. Coon the second brigade battery was quickly thrown into posi tion, and the Second Iowa cavalry detailed to support it covered as well as we could be by a little rise in the SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 143 ground. Tlie artillery duel which followed was unusually brisk, the guns of both sides being manned with great ability. Soon after the commencement of the action a shell from our battery exploded a rebel caisson, doing much damage to the inmates of the rebel fort, while their shell killed two of the Second Iowa, and wounded Lieut. Boget of company " H." When our artillery ammunition became exhausted, Gen. Hatch ordered us to " go for the fort." The cover was so poor that supporting the artillery was very try ing business, and the boys gladly heard the order to decide the issue with a charge ; all sprang forward, and in three minutes the fort with its guns and 200 prison ers was in Federal hands. As we sprang over the rebel works, our shouts of triumph were answered by a shower of lead and iron from our right ; glancing in that direc tion we beheld another strongly fortified redoubt, situ ated 500 yards to our right and far above us, upon a pinnacle, such as are found only in mountainous locali ties, from which belching cannon and blazing musketry hurled death and defiance upon us. To remain in our captured fort was certain death, to retreat promised little better, while to attempt the cap ture of this second fort seemed madness. But Hatch was with us, and failure is nowhere found in his vocab ulary. He ordered us to follow him and carry this fort as we had the other, by storm. In the excitement oc casioned by the capture of the first fort, we had for the instant disregarded company or regimental organiza tions, and the entire brigade was mixed together like a crowd of school-boys. It was deemed inexpedient to delay to re-form and advance in line, hence the regi mental commanders called upon their men co follow HISTORY OF THE them, while Hatch and Coon led towards the second redoubt. Some difficulty was experienced by the officers in checking their men from pursuing the retreating rebels from the first redoubt, but it was finally accom plished, and all moved together upon the fort for whicl they were now striving. The boys, unused to marching on foot, had no^ charged for near a mile and were so completely exhaust ed as to be wholly unable to move faster than a S!OT$ walk, still made sure, though slow, advance up the hill, seemingly regardless of the vollies they were called upon to meet. Now some one too much fatigued to gc farther, would sink down behind a tree, and there dis charge his seven loads and reload his carbine, and then slowly drag himself up the fearful hights. Gen. Hatch directed one fellow, too much exhausted to go farther, to take his horse by the tail, and thus aided him up the hill. In this way the boys kept such a stream of lead whistling over the fort, as in a great measure to keep the rebels from rising " above the works to fire, and when they did shoot they had no line to aim at, hence their balls usually whistled hamlessly past us ; this ac counts for the small loss we sustained in the charge. Gen. Hood had left this fort but five minutes before our charge was made, and ordered it held at all hazards. The defenders fought until our boys had scaled the works and engaged in a hand to hand encounter, and until the Major commanding fell severely wounded, when they yielded to the superior numbers of the assailants. Among the first to enter the fort was the color bearei of the Second Iowa, Serg t John F. Hartman, of com- pany " F." He had been the first to plant the flag oi SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 145 the free in the first fort, and now with just pride and the steady nerve of a true soldier, he planted his colors within this stronghold. But alas, his work was done ; he fell mortally wounded just as the action closed. His loss was deeply felt by the entire regiment, who had so often followed where his standard led to victory. With these forts the second brigade captured over 500 prison ers and eight pieces of cannon, two wagons loaded with entrenching tools, also a large amount of fixed ammuni tion. Tis proper to add that McMillinJs brigade of McCarther s division of infantry, participated in these charges, but the cavalry entered both forts ahead of tbem, consequently the General awarded the capture to Col. Coon s brigade. To Capt. Budd and his cainpany, " G," Second Iowa, was awarded the praise of being first into the first fort, although Gen. Hatch and Maj. Horton, with the balance of the Second Iowa, were but a jump behind them. The second fort was the prize of the brigade ; no company or regiment justly claiming ascendency there. This fort .ours, we discovered still another upon a hill to our left, from which the enemy still poured their deadly rain. The second brigade was too much exhausted to go farther, but the first brigade, Col. Stewart commanding, was now on hand, anxious for their part of the game. To this brigade General Hatch galloped, having first turned the captured guns upon the enemy. At the sight of their General, the boys of this brigade raised a yell and enthusiastically followed him up the hill and into the rebel fort, which surrendered as the others had done. In all these charges Gen. Hatch and Col. Coon had been in the foremost rank, and being mounted, while their men were dismounted, it is the greatest wonder that they 19 \ 146 HISTORY OF THE came out untouched. While this was going on, the Twelfth Tennessee cavalry, Col. Spaulding command ing, made a gallant mounted charge upon the right, capturing a large wagon train loaded with ammunition and some prisoners. After the first fort surrendered, the woods around was full of rebels fleeing from the captured works. So numerous and so demoralized were these fugitives, that good judges estimated that had there been a battalion of mounted men there to have followed up the charge, a brigade more prisoners could have been secured. As it was, Lieut Kinnin of company " A, n acting R. C. S., and Serg t Beesom, R. Q. M. Serg t, and Thomas An derson of company" D," Regimental Bugler, and Winn, company " I," and Ben. Lilly, company " G," orderlies for Maj. Horton, being all mounted, dashed among the retreating rebels with drawn sabres, and drove over fifty back to our lines as prisoners. Lieut. Watson, of company " I," private Hardin, of company " F," and others who were dismounted, headed off large squads . and drove them back to our column. Night now put an end to the fight. Our division had been engaged but a few hours, and yet it had completely turned the rebel left, doubling them, panic stricken, back upon the centre, with a loss of three of tlteir best forts, twelve pieces of artillery, a large ammunition train and many prisoners. Gen. Hatch had also de monstrated the fact that cavalry when dismounted and properly handled, can successfully compete with the best of infantry in capturing breastworks and forts. This is, we think, the first instance in the history of the war where cavalry had been thus used in storming forts. Gen. Hatch had accomplished, with but a small loss, a SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 14? feat that Maj.-Gen. Thomas pronounced impossible but an hour before. The Second Iowa lost twenty-five killed and wounded in this day s fight. Signal advantages had been gained this day all along our lines. The enemy had lost sixteen pieces of cannon and between 2,000 and 3,000 prisoners, and as we rested at night all felt that our complete success was certain. Gen. Hood now began to realize the nature of the work he had undertaken, and during the night of the 15th he greatly contracted and strengthened his lines. Gen. Thomas renewed the attack at daylight on the 16th, and during the entire day the heavy booming of more than a hundred pieces of artillery, mingled with the crackling of thousands of small arms. Gen. Hatch continued to press back the rebel left as he had done the day before. The enemy had, during the night, erected strong works upon a chain of hills back of the one captured by the fifth division on the previous day. About noon the Seventh Illinois, who were on the right, charged a hill in their front capturing it with a large number of prisoners, but the enemy being strongly re inforced at this point, the Seventh was repulsed with heavy loss. The Ninth Illinois, who occupied the left of the brigade, now joined in fierce combat with the oc cupants of a strongly fortified pinnacle in their front. A battery was thrown into position on the left which opened upon the rebels on this hill with telling effect. Gen. Hatch now called for companies " L " and " K" of the Second Iowa to assist in dragging two pieces of cannon, by the aid of a rope, to the top of a pinnacle held by the Second Iowa, which commanded the works of the enemy. The General assisted in this work with his own hands. When the cannon were planted they 148 HISTORY OF THE raked the enemy s lines with such telling effect, thai they soon yielded to a charge from the Ninth Illinois and the coveted breastworks were in Federal hands. The Seventh Illinois now advanced upon the enemy in their front with complete success, the rebels retreat ing in every direction. Col. Coon hotly pursued the retreating foe, and just after dark he charged them with the Twelfth Tennessee cavalry. The charge was a per fect success, resulting in the complete route of the ene my. The Twelfth Tennessee captured Brig.-General Euker, with a stand of division colors and many prison ers. This closed the action for the day. Hood had been routed at every point. He had yielded all his for tifications, and with them fifty pieces of cannon and 5,000 prisoners. Gen. Hatch now advised a vigorous night attack, and to so follow up the advantage gained, as to prevent the reorganizing of the stampeded enemy, thus rendering their complete capture sure. But in this he was overruled by his superiors, and we camped for the night nine miles from Nashville, near the Gran- ny White Pike. This day s work ended the fighting as far as the Federal infantry was concerned. On the morning of the 17th we moved out behind the seventh division, Gen. Nipe commanding. General Nipe did finely; before noon he had sent near 500 prisoners to the rear. About 2 o clock p. M ., the enemy was compelled to make a stand to save their train. They selected a strong position and opened upon the seventh division with artillery, strongly supported by cavalry and infantry. This stand was made on the Little Harpeth Greek, a few miles south of Franklin. Gen. Hatch galloped to Nipe s assistance, and both di- visions formed for a mounted charge, under a galling SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 149 artillery fire. The charging line was a mile and a half in length, and as they spurred forward they presented a truly imposing sight. We had a long ride over a very rough country before we reached the rebel lines. The Little Harpeth also had to be crossed, which, together with the volleys of the enemy from a strong and well covered position, completely broke our line before we reached them. As we neared the fence behind which the rebels lay, we were greeted by a galling and well aimed fire which carried death to many a noble heart. The enemy was dismounted and well covered, which gave them so great an advantage that they could not at first be dislodged. The Federals broke through the fence and joined in a hand to hand struggle with the enemy. Most of them were dressed in Federal uniforms, and as it was quite dark and foggy, it was with great difficulty we discerned friend from foe. Many of our boys, mistaking the enemy for friends, rode into their lines, and either obeyed the summons to surrender, usually pronounced over a dozen leveled muskets, or by desperate fighting cut their way out with fearful loss. Fierce hand to hand encounters and scenes of personal darmg, where clubbed muskets, sabres and pistols were freely used, became the order of the hour. Now some fellow so overpowered by num bers as to make further resistance madness, would sur render ; the next instant a ball from a friend s carbine would lay the captor dead at the prisoner s feet, and thus liberated he would rejoin his comrades in the fight. In this struggle, which for fierceness exceeded any the regiment ever engaged in, company " L," Lieut. Craw ford commanding, and v company " K, r Serg t Coulter commanding, were the principal actors in a conflict 150 HISTORY OF THE over the colors of Ross (rebel) brigade. As the con tending forces came together, private Dominic Black, of company " K," ordered the rebel color bearer tc surrender ; he refused, when Black, followed by others, rushed upon him. Just as he was in the act of striking the color bearer down with his sabre, one of the coloi guards shot him through the heart. Serg t Coulte] then siezed the flag, wrenching it from the hands of the bearer ; the moment Coulter got possession of the flag he was shot through the shoulder by a rebel not three steps distant ; though severely wounded he succeeded ir escaping with the prize. Private Wall was confrontec by a rebel who placed the muzzle of his gun againsi his breast. Wall dropped his own gun, which he sa^ he could not use in time, and seized the barrel of the rebel s, forcing its aim past his side. Tho s Bell rushec to Wall s relief with an empty carbine ; seeing Bell, the rebel dropped the gun for which he was tussling, anc jerking a pistol from his belt fired it at Bell s head missing him ; he saw another pistol in the rebel s belt and by a lucky movement secured it and with it killec his antagonist. Wall who had the rebel s gun, killec with it a second rebel who Had assaulted Bell ; he no^ attempted to escape when he was assailed by a third to whom he surrendered. As he was being marchec to the rear, Hilderbrand rushed to his relief and snappec Ms carbine in the rebel s face ; it missed fire ; the rebe snapped at Hilderbrand with like result, when the tw< clinched. Magee, of company " L," rushed to Hilder brand s aid, but was felled to the ground by a bloia from the rebel s musket. Chas. Shultz, of company " L," killed the rebel that struck Magee and rescuec him as well as Hilderbrand. A rebel shot at L. L IOWA CAVALRY. 151 Backus, of company " K, 7 after Backus had, ordered him to surrender, but missing him begged for quarters. Backus now refused to take him prisoner and fired upon him, missing his aim ; the rebel thinking that he now had the best of the fight, rushed upon him with his pis tol, crying "D m you, I ll teach you to shoot at me after I have surrendered." Backus was too quick for him, however, and felled him with the butt of his car bine, at the same time throwing another ball into the barrel, with which he killed him. Before he could re load, another rebel fired at him, taking off two of his fingers. Wm. Anderson escaped from a hand to hand ! encounter with an officer, with the loss of one eye. John Tabb was forced to surrender, but relieved by Wall, who killed his guard. Corp l Margretz of company "F," i Corporal Heck of company " K," private McCormic of I company " B, 1 and a member of the Seventh Illinois j cavalry, were all killed in this struggle for the flag ; also : eight rebels. Privates Hamrnitt, All brook and Bennett, of company "I," were captured in this conflict, but es caped before reaching the Southern prisons. Seven | others were captured and taken South. Lieut. Griffith, with ten men of company "D" and { the Second Iowa standard, passed through the Confed- j erate lines, but escaped capture by playing off rebel. They were at one time in the road in the rear of the rebel cannon, which were at the time playing upon our lines in an opposite direction. It was so difficult to tell friend from foe, that Gen. Hatch, at one time, could not distinguish his own forces; hence he ordered Lieut. Crawford, with Jas. Trusdell, j of company " H," as his orderly, to ride down to the forces in question and ascertain who they were. 152 HISTORY OF THE Crawford rode near to them but could not tell them from Federals, until he tapped one of them on the shoulder, demanding of him "what command." "Nineteenth Tennessee, Bell s brigade, rear guard," was the reply. He now knew they were rebels, and slipped out and returned with the information to Gen. Hatch who opened his cannon upon them. At this juncture of affairs, Capt. Foster, commanding second battalion, galloped a little to the right to see if the flank was safe, when he came face to face with the head of a rebel column, and was greeted with "sur render you d d Yankee." Foster swung his sabre, crying, " don t you fire upon this column," when the en emy mistaking him for a rebel, took down their arms. He then put spurs to his horse and escaped, the enemy firing a volley after him, one ball of which passed through the head of his orderly, J. W. Kooker of com pany " D," taking out both of his eyes. Hooker fell a prisoner and was left on the field after being robbed. The brigade was repulsed at first, but Col. Coon and Capt. Avery, of the Ninth Illinois cavalry and A. A. A. G., quickly rallied the men, when they again ad vanced, this time with their horses at a slow walk, fir ing as rapidly as possible. The rebels could not stand their leaden hail, but fled so rapidly as to leave their cannon unsupported. Gen. Hatch saw this and charged the battery with but nine followers, capturing all the guns three 12-pound brass pieces. He had no weapon in this charge but a riding whip, having previously lost his pistol. The rebels soon re-formed and made desperate at tempts to recapture this battery, but Capt. Harper with the Ninth Illinois stubbornly and successfully SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 153 resisted every advance of the enemy. The Ninth Illi nois here fired by vollies at the word of command ; in this way, it being after dark, they prevented the enemy from taking advantage of the light created by the dis charge of their guns, as they would have been able to do had they fired at random. I never heard better vollies fired over a grave than these Illinois boys- fired that night. After repeated and fruitless attempts to break through our lines, the Confederates withdrew and the day was ours the field, with the enemy s killed and wounded, as also their cannon, being in our possession. Up to this time Gen. Hatch had captured every piece of artillery the enemy had fired at his divi sion, since he left Nashville on the morning of the 15th. On the 18th Forrest made another stand at Huthers- ford Creek ; as he had destroyed the bridge after cross ing, he succeeded in checking our advance one day. In an engagement which took place across this creek, ar tillery was freely used on both sides; the Second Iowa lost one man killed and two wounded. We reached Duck river, opposite Columbia, on the 20th, when Capt. Foster was sent with the second battalion out on the Murfreesboro road, where he captured two how itzers, two army wagons and three ambulances. On the 25th of December, Gen. Hammond had the advance. He found the enemy near Pulaski, where the Fifth Iowa cavalry gallantly charged them, driving them through the town so rapidly as to save a long covered bridge over Hichland Creek at Pulaski. The saving of this bridge was of great importance to our forces, and reflected great credit upon the brave regi ment that did the work. Owing to the failure on the part of the enemy to check our advance by the 20 154 HISTORY OF THE destruction of this bridge, Forrest was compelled tc abandon over a hundred wagons loaded with fixed am munition, besides much other property. About 2 o clock on the afternoon of the 25th, For rest made a stand upon a fortified hill, where he, to some extent, routed Gen. Hammond, capturing from him one piece of artillery. General Hatch was ordered to th( front, where he quickly formed his division and chargec the rebel works, capturing them with a small numbei of prisoners. The loss of the Second Iowa in this actioi was two wounded. On the 27th of December, Maj. Horton was orderec to report to Col. Spaulding, of the Twefth Tennessee cavalry, with 200 men. Spaulding was ordered to take 500 picked men from the brigade and -push ahead of the main column, and follow Hood to the Tennessee river The Colonel pressed him so hard as to compel him tc abandon three pontoon wagons, and forty army wagons and ambulances. Capt. Bandy and Lieut. Hamilton with fifty men, drove his rear guard across the river al Bainbridge on the eve of the 28th of December. The following sentence is from Maj. Horton s official report of this campaign : " Of the conduct of officers and men, I can only speak in terms of the highest commendation. Where ever}; soldier deserves special mention, it is hard to discrinii nate. I will only make special mention of Lieut. Syd enham, Reg tl Adj t, and by battalion commanders. Maj. Schmitzer, Capt s Foster and Bandy, to whom 1 am greatly indebted for the efficient, prompt and gal laut manner in which all my orders were executed." This campaign had almost annihilated Hood s mag nificent army. His losses by desertion was almost SECOND IOWA CAVALKY. lf)f) fabulous, besides nearly 10,000 that we captured, with seventy -five pieces of artillery. It is said by those claim ing to know and Southern papers confirm the asser tion that out of the 60,000 men taken by Hood into Tennessee, not over 15,000 could be made available in the future operations of the war. His entire train was burned by a detachment of the Second Tennessee and Nineteenth Pennsylvania cavalry, after he crossed the Tennessee. The cavalry corps was now^ordered to Huntsville, Alabama, where we hoped to get a little much needed rest. The roads were almost impassible, and the creeks high and difficult to ford ; still we advanced a few miles each day, until the 2d of January, 1865, when being within fourteen miles of Huntsville, we received orders to countermarch and go to Eastport, Mississippi. Twas now mid winter and the weather cold. The creeks which we were compelled to ford daily, were BO high as to come up to the backs of our horses, hence, as may be supposed, some of the command were daily immersed, which in no way added to their pleasure. We reached Eastport January llth, where we re mained until the 14th, when we were ordered to Grav elly Springs, where we constructed winter quarters, which we were allowed to enjoy a little over two weeks, when we moved back to Eastport and again construct ed winter quarters. The captures of Col. Coon s brigade in the battle of Nashville and during the pursuit of Hood to the Ten nessee river, as shown by the Provost Marshal s report at Nashville, sum up as follows : One General, two Majors, two Captains, six Lieuten ants, 1,175 privates, one stand division colors, three 156 HISTOKY OF THE stands brigade colors, 1,315 muskets, twenty-one wagons, seven ambulances, fifteen pieces of artillery, The loss of the Second Iowa in this work was sixty-one : fourteen of whom were killed. SECOND IOWA CAVALRY 157 CHAPTEK VII. TRIP TO TUSCUMBIA RETREAT OP GEN. RODDY FROM RUSSELLVILLE, ALA EXPLOITS OF THOS. BEARSNER EXTRACTS FROM REBEL MINISTER S JOURNAL A REFUGEE MERCHANT AIDED IN GETTING HIS FAMILY AND COTTON AWAY HORSES AND ARMS TURNED OVER TO WILSON S COMMAND COMPLIMENTARY ORDERS BY WILSON- TRIAL DRILL RECEPTION OF THE NEWS OF THE SURRENDER OF GEN. LiEE, ETC. On the 19th of February, 1865, Maj. Schmitzer left camp at Eastport in command of a detachment of 400 men from the Second Iowa and Ninth Illinois cavalry, and marched to Tuscumbia, Ala., which point he reached on the 20th. On the following morning he started for Russell ville with all the command but the 1st battalion of the Second Iowa, Capt. Bandy commanding, which were left at Tuscumbia. Russellville was the head quarters of the rebel Gen. Roddy, who commanded a division of cavalry. His ranks were so reduced by de sertion that he deemed it unsafe to risk a battle with even the small force of 300 men with which Major Schmitzer moved against him, hence at our approach he moved farther South for safety. The country be tween Tuscumbia and Russellville was full of Confed erate soldiers, who feeling their cause hopeless, had de serted Roddy s command, and were hiding in the woods to avoid the gangs who were hunting them with orders from him to shoot them at sight. Abut thirty of these wretches flocked to our column and were overjoyed at the opportunity of thus surrendering themselves as 15.8 HISTORY OF THE prisoners, and claiming the protection of the flag they had trampled in the dust. As Roddy had retreated from Russellville at our ap proach, Maj. Schmitzer returned with the prisoners who had joined the column, to Tuscumbia. When within a few miles of the town some of the orderlies went upon the flank after meat. Through mistake Maj. Moore s orderly, Thos. Bearsner, was left at a house alone. He did not discover that his comrades were gone until he saw a soldier ride into the yard, whom he soon discov ered to be a Confederate. He had no arms, but thrust ing his hand behind him as if to draw a pistol, he or dered the rebel to surrender, which he did, giving up a dirk which was the only weapon in his possession. A second rebel now came up, from whom Bearsner, with the aid of his dirk, took a carbine and bunch of car tridges. Just as he got his carbine loaded, the third rebel came up who was captured as his comrades had been ; all three were marched safely to camp. Bears ner also captured a Methodist Minister by the name of Ferdinand S. Pet way, whom he released on account of his clerical toga, having first relieved him of a journal from which we clip the following extracts, as examples of the Gospel of Christ as heralded by the clergy of Dixie. The author of the following sentences is a Meth odist Minister, who was stationed on the Tuscumbia Circuit at the time the journal was captured. On the 19th of January, 1864, Petway wrote as follows : " Shall we, in view of the immense odds against us, yield the struggle and become the subjects, aye, the fawning slaves of a detestable tyrant, in comparison with whom the devil himself is almost a saint ? Shall we give up, then ? Yes, provided we are ready to be SECOND IOWA CAVALKY. 1.59 the slaves of a petty despot ; to be held and treated as conquered provinces ; to be denied the right of repre sentation in Congress halls ; to have insolent abolition officers to rule and insult us in military and civil depart ments ; to give up houses, slaves, lands, cattle, and wan der homeless to the ends of the earth ; to shoulder a Yankee debt of five thousand millions ; to pay taxes without the means of paying them ; to make brick, as the ancient Israelites did, without straw; to see our wives and daughters go to the kitchen, the wash-tub, the plow-handle, and the dirty drudgery ; to see our mothers serving and waiting maids to the wives of Yankee Generals ; to see our sons and relatives drafted into Yankee armies, and compelled to shed their blood in enforcing the Monroe doctrine against the French in Mexico ; to see social and political equality enforced between whites and blacks ; oh ! worse than this, social amalgamation at the point of the bayonet ; to see our virtuous accomplished Southern ladies insulted by de graded, abominable foreign hirelings, and the detested Yankee,and insulted by filthy brutal thick-lipped negroes, who will force upon them his polluted touch, more re pulsive to refined woman than would be the touch of the adder or the slimy coil of the boa-constrictor ; to have every newspaper in the land edited by a villain ous Yankee ; every pulpit and every school filled by abolition fanatics ; to adopt an c anti-slavery Bible and an anti-slavery God ; to welcome free-love as a new dispensation ; to see all traces of Southern ancestry and heritage abolished, all families scattered, and all social institutions destroyed ; to see the graves of our fathers and mothers desecrated by the footsteps of hire lings and cut-throats ; to forget that ladies and gentle- 160 HISTORY OF THE men existed ; to forget the pride of a good name and an unsullied reputation, and to worship an aristocracy of wealth acquired by villainy and force of arms ; in a word, to encounter the nameless horrors of Yankee sub jugation. If we are prepared for all this, then, I say, give up, and the sooner it is done the better, for the burden may thereby be lightened by a speedy submis, sion. But if we are unwilling to drink of the bitter cup to its very dregs, then I say fight on, fight against hope, fight to the last expiring gasp. Far better that we should be exterminated, and our names blotted from the remembrance of all but the good and virtuous, than to live in chains and slavery. " Let the poor thieves, in their fiendish exultations, luxuriate on their ill-gotten gain ; let them sneer at the valor of a virtuous people, a principle to which they are utter strangers ; let them in their savage indiffer ence turn a deaf ear to the cries of injured innocence ; let them laugh to scorn, as cowards and villains are wont to do, the wan cheeks, haggard visage, and tat tered garments of orphanage and widowhood; let them offer their tribute of curses to brave humanity sacrificed in the cause of freedom and justice ; let them kiss the feet of " her Majesty" the august upstart Queen, whose gracious smile is their touchstone, and before whose glance they cower and quail ; let them hug to their bosom the filthy thick-lipped descendents of Ham, and luxuriate amid the fragrant aroma from his charcoal carcass fit emblems of their social and moral stench that pervades all Yankeedom ; let the boasted intelligence of their beautiful refined damsels, in their gracious sympathy with poor Sambo, assimilate itself with the principle of social amalgamation, and SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 101 pining love rest in matrimonial bliss upon his sable bosom ; let them draw the sweet nectar from his pre cious lips, and whirl in his lascivious embrace amid the charms of the giddy waltz ; let them court the polished society of negro wenches as boon companions and sis ters in marriage, as beautiful household pets, and prat tling kinky-heads as parlor ornaments. Let them do all this under the gracious pretext of sympathy with the negro. It is at last but the development of North ern corruption among male and female ; the natural outbearings of principles congenial with their nature; and as the old trite adage goes, " murder will out," so " from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." The dog will bark and whine ; the brute is known by brutish instincts ; and so likewise, as the germ of all rottenness is inherent in the Yankee heart, the brute, the thief, the villain, the dog, with doggish instincts and passions, will be developed whenever the chance is afforded, by fraud or force of arms. "They are welcome to indulge their fiendish instincts, if they will select subjects among themselves ; but to be forced to an association of any kind with those, before whom virtue withers, and at whose presence common . decency instinctively revolts, would be a penalty in comparison with which imprisonment would be an eden home, exile a grand luxury, and death a sweet and glo rious privilege." On the 15th of February he wrote : " I should have recorded, that on Sunday afternoon I preached to the colored people from Heb. iv., 15-16." After the battle of Franklin, Tenn., he wrote : " We have captured six thousand prisoners ; I would much prefer they were dead ; we have no rations to 21 162 IIISTOUT OF THE spare the poor devils. The enemy, thank God, are re treating towards Murfreesboro 7 , having been cut oi from Nashville by the old " war horse," Gen. Forrest I trust the last scamp will leave his bones on Tenneese< soil, and become food for buzzards, if the buzzards cai digest them, and if they cannot it will go hard witl them, tor they are unaccustomed to preying upon ai corrupt material as a Yankee carcass." Is it to be wondered at, that the ignorant white; of the South should be rebels, when even the minister! of the gospel preached to them in strains like the above While Maj. Schmitzer was making this movemen upon Russellville, Capt. Bandy with 100 men remainec in Tuscumbia, aiding a former merchant of the p!ac< in getting about $30,000 worth of cotton, which he hac secreted there, to the Tennessee river, where it wai made into a raft and run down to Eastport. This mei chant had been driven from Tuscumbia three years be fore this on account of his Union sentiments, being com pelled to leave his family behind him. By the aic rendered by Capt. Bandy, he got his cotton to Eastpor in safety, and his family came down in a carriage witl the column. Brev t-Maj.-Gen. Wilson now prepared to start on t grand raid into the centre of the Confederacy, with % large cavalry command. The fifth division was not tc form a part of this force, hence we were ordered tc turn over our horses to those troops who were selectee for the enterprise. This done, Gen. Wilson applied foi a supply of Spencer carbines, with which to arm sue! regiments as had a poor weapon for an active fighting campaign ; but these carbines did not arrive in time foi the use for which they were designed, arid Gen. Croxtoi SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 163 asked that his division be allowed to take the Spencers of this brigade, as they would likely need them worse than we would. It was no small sacrifice for the boys to relinquish their carbines with which they had fought so many a bloody battle, but the probabilities were that the good of the service required the sacrifice, and it was made ; whereupon Gen. Wilson issued the following complimentary order : HEADQUARTERS CAVALRY* CORPS, M. D. M., CHICKASAW, ALA., March 18th, 1865. General Order No. 24. The Brevet Major General commanding takes great pleasure in announcing to the Cavalry Corps, that the officers and men of the Second Iowa, Sixth and Ninth Illinois, through Brig.-Gen. Edward Hatch, command ing fifth division, and Col. D. E. Coon, second brigade, have, with a spirit of generosity excelled only by their gallantry, voluntarily turned over to the first division a large number of Spencer carbines, taking in exchange an equal number of inferior arms of various patterns : this too after they had been compelled to turn over their horses to the seventh division and other detach ments. Such an exhibition of zeal for the interests of the public service, of self denial, and of friendly regard for their brothers in arms, is unparelleled, and entitles the brave men who have so cheerfully made it, to the thanks and admiration of every soldier in the corps. Troops who have distinguished themselves by so many acts of gallantry, as adorn the history of the, fifth di vision, could have made no greater sacrifice. They are entitled to the best remount, equipments and arms the country can furnish, and every effort will be made to Itf4 HISTORY OF THE secure them in time to enable them to participate in the events of the ensuing campaign. This order will be read to every regiment of the fifth division. By command of Brev t-Maj.-Gen. Wilson, . [Signed ] E. B. BEAUMONT, Major and A. A. G. The second Brigade soon received muskets and were fitted out as infantry, and went to drilling per infantry tactics. A friendly rivalry on drill soon sprung up between the different regiments of the brigade ; this led to trial drills, which usually came off on Wednes day afternoon, before a large crowd of staff officers, and a prize drill of all the regiments in the brigade came off April 1st, and was followed by the following order : HEADQUAKTERS SECOND BRIGADE, FIFTH ] DIVISION, C. C., M. D. M., EASTPORT, Miss., April 2d, 1865. ) General Order No. 9. The Colonel commanding takes pleasure in submit ting the following report for the information of the command : We, the undersigned Board of Judges of Test Drill, have the honor to report as follows : For regiment executing the best movements of the battalion, and best drilled in sabre exercises, Second Iowa Cwvdbry Volunteers. The Board would respectfully recommend the follow ing named enlisted men of the brigade for furloughs, for best soldierly bearing, and having their arms and accoutrements in best condition, viz : Serg t David Ray, Co. M, 2d Iowa Cav. Privt. Franklin Groves, " G, " " " SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 165 Serg t Arthur St. Clair, Co- E, 6th 111. Cav. Privt. James Fereman, " G, u " " 1st Serg t Mich. Fraybarger, " H, 7th " " Privt. Frederick Bender, " E, " " u Serg t Joseph Gardner, " C, 9th " Privt. Christian Meyer, " G, " " " Serg t JohnMcMinn, " H, 12th Tenn. " Privt. Reuben Davis, " G, " " " Application for furloughs for the men mentioned in the above report, will be made by their respective com pany commanders, and forwarded to these headquarters without delay. In conclusion the Colonel commanding would state, that the drill arid military appearance of each and every regiment, yesterday, surpassed anything that he had been prepared to witness. By order of Datus E. Coon, Col. Com dg Brig. F. E. OLMSTED, Lieut, and A. A. A. G. To the energy and efficiency of Maj. Gustavus Schmit- zer, who usually acted as drill master for the regiment, and who in this respect probably had no equals in the brigade, are we indebted, in a great measure, for our success at this Test Drill. The boys being accustomed to the excitement inci dent to active campaigning, soon became weary of camp and its monotonous routine, and longed for orders to rejoin the armies who were dealing such telling blows in the front. But our lot was to perform the more dis agreeable duty of garrisoning a military post. As the boys could find nothing more useful to busy themselves about, they proceeded to decorating their camp by set ting rows of pine trees along each side of each street, 166 HISTORY OF THE and erecting curiously devised," and beautifully deco rated arches over the head of the streets. This made our camp look more like a beautiful pleasure garden, than like a rendezvous of soldiers. Unparalleled success had attended the Federal arms during the past six months. Gen. Hood, as we have seen, had been almost annihilated by the army under Gen. Thomas, but this was but a beginning of a series of victories, such as no army ever before enjoyed in the same length of time. Gen. Sherman had pushed his triumphal march from Atlanta to Savannah, and thence to Charleston, Columbia and Goldsboro - thus demonstrating his ability to go where he pleased. None were able to cope with the dashing Gen. Phil. Sheridan in the Shennandoah Valley. Gen Wilson s march to Montgomery, Alabama, was not less success ful ; while Gen. Canby held Mobile at his mercy. In view of these things, all looked forward in joyful an ticipation to the day that should witness the overthrow of the rebellion. Nor were we destined long to wait farther good news. On the 6th of April, the official news of the fall of Richmond was read to the command at dress parade. The boys received this announcement with few outward manifestations of gladness, for they had soldiered too long to attach very great importance to the fall of any city, provided the armies who defend ed it escaped ; hence, all waited with intense anxiety for the further developments, which would show wheth er Gen. Lee and his army, which formed the head and heart of the rebellion, were so environed by the armies under Grant, as to compel their surrender. As news to this post must come .by river from Cairo, it took sever al days to transmit the doings of the Eastern armies to SECOKD IOWA CAVALRY. 167 our waiting ears. It came at last, however. About midnight, on the llth, a boat reached Eastport with the dispatch from A. Lincoln, announcing the surrender of Lee. The soldiers were startled from their slumbers by the boom of the 9-inch cannon on the gunboats, which were immediately fired in honor of the event. Every soldier sprang to his feet, at a loss at first to de cide whether the firing was a salute, or called forth by the approach of the enemy. The suspense was short, for the dispatch was soon conveyed by orderlies through the camps. The assembly sounded, and cheer after cheer told of the joy the news conveyed *to the war worn soldiers, who now regarded the end as indeed at hand. The sad news of the assassination of our beloved President followed by the next fleet, and the shouts of joy were turned to sighs of grief. There wa no out ward demonstrations, but the sorrowful look of every face, told more plainly than words could do, that all were mourning as for the death of a natural parent. Great fears were entertained that something might arise that would prolong the war, but each soldier inwardly resolved to be an avenger of the murder, if the subse quent conduct of the South should be such as to require him to again unsheath his sword, But the news of the surrender of Gen. Joe. Johnson, and of Mobile, and the forces under Gen. Dick Taylor, allayed our fears, and as the different commands in our front sent in their ac ceptance of the terms of surrender offerred them, we knew that the struggle was over, the rebellion crushed, and the Union saved ; that we had but to wait for the preliminary arrangements for our discharges, before we could exchange the sword for the plow, and bidding 168 HISTORY OF THE a joyful farewell to the tented field, return to our happy homes, and there enjoy the approving smiles of those we loved, and the fruits of the peace we had helped tc conquer. The announcement of the death of the mur derer, J. Wilkes Booth, and denial of a known burial to his remains, with the capture of all that was left of the bogus Confederacy, in a petticoat, closed the wai drama. And here our history ends. SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 169 PA.RT THIRD. ROSTER SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 22 170 HISTORY OF THE f*\ o pq o O TH.I8X jo SP=P + fco " I - SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 171 I <M "p-o ~ w 0<N fe o ^* 4H TS g) Si a Ic 5 O EPd ^ QQ 1 rt "o co o 03 03 K 11 53 .SP 1 Q 5 5 t> 5 . Q 5t> ES Q ^ o d > OP-i !-H M i. 2 cioi CO I CC O^s ^J /" d ef- - x> *f d.- - - - b c c" o d" - - JOrt" Oi^tD IZ^oS""* ^^^ ^ 02 ^.^01^5 .^g o - i S^-ffi^tf H - i > 9- u *2? -i^^^lli" 172 HISTORY OF THE .s "> S O o gj co ja" o S ^ g S S ^ i -i ! * i I i S . fig, -i as c ^, P o g >-5 g ca <3 T3 O 13 O rrt rQ .2 "S.2 o .2.2 ft T;T ^ ^ 1 l-Ss| ^^1^ ^^ -^ I ? 5 s ?>?. "& 3 S s fr 1 ! .2 - jL t g g t. * ^ S C s g - " o o ^ C " o C 5 "C o _,o 1 PR (-1 PH O 2 * s ^ 2 %_- cj^--^^ 33..... .- S--- * f P3 U9JG S ----- O o-------- g- 3 - C CO r-l TO r-" CO i-l CO H MaisnH jo r-tiO>Cr-i * T-l C<f CO CO CO07JO COf to co co to to o co o co co cc o to co e^a g,g ^^^ ^^ il^^ ^^ M NAMES. :*::. : * : : s ::.*:; .:..::::: |^| : : : : : .^ . -^ -^ S Kf f || 1 ill f i If J| 1 1 f If Hi oooSo3owwttHHW;5wwtetS!w3 SECOND IOWA CAVALKY. 173 M o J "S si Jig o Hjp ^ r ~ v-i O rG O Vete Vete II O t 0> PQ Q 1 fl >-..2 G 8 S S3 cS h 7 C IT* CO tf^ ar ,0 ^csai <1 1-9 fe Albert J : : : fe ;&* .^Ja o <o> CpQ tC ^ : : :-2 i*f a ** o> S rt w c* F te OQ T C <-^ 0^> PhiletusE :^ : 2 B-w: : : :B : ijn- ^!i :^ * ^3 O > ;< : 02 III G " rt o> lorton ilexander & s s M d N So^ S ^ G : :^" w 174 HISTORY OF THE I I O O :f ^02 3 - C S " rttif^ p ^icS oS o ISIg! 1 .1 HQ t> Q P-i a o o ye o > fe t -C P CC CU H cc O JO S - - - . . ^p H p H p H p H pHC > PHMWP^P^Wcciaicci72a2a2a2a2ccccaia:cQ SECOXD IOWA CAVALRY 175 > I s ^ fcfl bO C/2O ^2 $1 O !H 02 PH Ss ir ^ ^ ^-i <M CO O ,, -w S - O P CC Hj CC -5 1-5 :::::. .a . . j . . -aa O C * * * ^ 1.76 HISTORY OF THE PQ o Q H OQ O 1 1 g g * g" d ^^sssss 111 O r-H OPnO fcb- SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 177 CO g SP :. 1-2 oo o a % ^ ^ | "o 13 <1> 4) "S *c .2 .2 o "S .2 .2 -C .3 "S o . ^.rt^^v.^^^^.^ tn O f-t ^2 CH CU cS c3 >-. S^. i I CO CO CO cp CO p cp CO CO cp CO " G CU fi r o a* a> os * >-5 M *~S 3-. to to- - t^j QQ^O o o o a> S g g B s o rt o CB< O ^ O 178 HISTORY OF THE * OJ <l 1 ^ | 0, a 3 10 . 2 i-i CO CM ,_ +J co .S > 1 O 5 ^ -g? O A n3 ^ Mil el 14 g IS!! 11 J 1 eteran. K^ f>Q t>G t>t> ^Q{> fc> ? imjOaSOIQ o (D C3 di r- (15 * r-H-*^ O"*^"*^ _ k-j ^6-S- cfi ^cKfx; " 5 O Q 1 N !H PH O 2 fa B "- S tf LUJ.dJj CO r-t CO i- CO *- CO "J8^snj\[ jo g>3 s g r - p r g r g>g"g>r * Ag>= cVddg)- - fcb l c ^ o <! Q 1-3 1-3 <J Q <^ C/2^ *-jtt(CA2^2 <1 <1 <3 <1 <1 | *O A . L J 1-3 I-H oa i_j "^ ^ "_;W 1 3 * , ; * - " " " _r- --3 C^ " -^ ^ .^H * m 1* * ^H (u o i-* & ^ ^ W ^ O- p^-jj S^O 5 20gO" <f <ON ,J t ^ i ^ S g gill gi = :2 gf ll *| | S^| c Sf ll Kirkpatrick, Learner, Wa SECOND IOWA CAVALRY 179 c g o I* J s >4 ; veteran. 82. ? x C4 (J O Q <M" SP -* <o ^i ir^ *^ "S - N o -d * 5"- O t>D ^ * [Veteran ; prisone Veteran ;.wounde Veteran. OQ * " ,0 R-rf i.5^ liss Q Q Killed Feb. 22d, 6 Wounded Dec. 17 Wounded Sept. 1J Veteran. Died March 16th, Veteran. Wounded ; discha Discharged Dec. 1 Died of wounds A -2 t.2 S-2 rT-irt-E^aiS.iicSE-RrEErE P- ^ be > fc *" o K is r-t CO r-> ?C ^H CO CO SO CO ?O CO to x to ._ to x bc^j to o to &, to t: e to x e -U to P. R R cT 3 O = R r *. g * S* S O 3 C4MQBOO 180 HISTORY OF THE o O PQ &* & <! PH a O .!(> ^M . c H o - .-S SECOND IOWA OAVALKY. 181 3 . O , 0*02 O e - m > = -.s- :ro g - 182 HISTORY OF THE T3 O> g O O >H <l PM a o o ^ o tf w H OQ O P3 H2.AYJ09SOIQ ye b 3 -< to & - C C ~ g * o Ipl ^ *Ja CC CO CC SECOND IOWA CAVALKY. 185 4 i cS fc 5 . a = . oOt-i O o IN o "C "* "* Q*|J CO O ?H Q 02 P-i 02 PH Q -w ci oj S ^ S 3 S 3 (L^-S S S 8 =0 O O CO t( - - .0 fcfl^ - C5u*i- W) a - J" OS OOO3,j O fe-^ 00 O O *! i-s O**1 184 HISTORY OF THE O O O O H cc O lf ^ c O ^* O 61 -Si O SL, OPH : : -a : & 1 -5 co . ^o .2 "5 .2 -g ^r S - - SECOND IOWA OAVALIIV. 185 a = != -a = i II II S .> r > - - - s 2 s i r i 5 rr^r^-o.S: C ^ C - 02 PH 186 IlISTOKY OF TIIK * 00 ^0 8 . T3 w g 3 g* 1 a if h a 3 w T}5 O ^> s OQ a ^ to . ^ o . ^ c* c3 ^ ^ " ^ ^ "S " ^s? .2 i g ^^1 SiS^c 12 -a ^ 2 3 g S i 1 S^-g 3 H o .2 .2 E S 5 -AJOOWE, S .2 5 s <U ^ Q) PH TB 3[UtJH .s "3b.3 ^^r-r^- &*;:.:: fc- l c >- ---"*- g w o ^ o^ Q u^zin^gjo >-.-. fe O w tn tn m M P3 uuoj, - - |- | S -.3 S S t|s i 2 g ,L . f-r\ CO rH CO r-l CO rH CO i 1 CO CO CO T^l i 1 -r^l iO t-H SS 3S^ CO 10 CO co < co c: jo^snpf jo ^ ^ ^ ^ co o^a -J"- A-M ^ ^- 3 - 2. O.C" ^^ ^ 3 +3 fcC- d +S p ,-g d- ,bc O O CO O ^ CC >-s "^ O-^ QOcO O H| 1-5 a W : NAMES. ^ : vj : ^j : : -g ja .4 * : .2 iya^j^|IJl|^l| s^S^Hdg-^ ~H3 cc fe 9 *i! 3 oSaogS^ g ~& *. *s > P^ ^ . ic^fo i -=3 C .2 & ^ fl IIIIJ S ^" &5-S ll^fa^a ia^ Si SSS-S rtOGOoOOg rt ^Q^ OQ^CCQQGQHHE-iE-iE-iHH^^^^ !^.l-3 ^ ,.p (-3 "S O O ff S <U co tn ^3 -- O ^:n3S^^ o t> {> t> t> b- t> &&&{>&& sT 5 o bcT sSl|| SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 187 HISTORY OP T1IK rH +J O O O o o H O REMARKS. o CD ^6 o -2 o 8 ? ^ E g | <* J * <3 > 5 1 1 1 O "3 -M *j a; .i <a = cs O . r- O O O c c e g g | c c d c g 3 | c & g 1 55 o o o c^ o .^2 o o o .2^ .^i .^ o j ;:;r S J g ais o | III 1 || C | 7;;::r ^ t< > "p fc- "*- > W >- >T - ! L> &J3> ~ ---* ^C "^ i- -. .iL nrt ^ fl* ^ s - c S - c c rt *c tC *c PH pq fXifapnOQOHCQP4|>P4 nuai, ^B 0""" J ^--r,^^^^.^ CO rH CO aa^sriH JQ o S^"S o S 3 3 10 Tt< T*< r-H If 2 r r I|| C " s 3 il l lil " li 3 ~ il" 2 2 NAMES. I I +* " EC I ^ . ...... sii!|iiyiilji| s ^j !lllliiil|lfi!i!li fc53pQWooQfc*?^i53^t3WeQS^G>i la; : : : : : |^l|jS| e : llfilili 1 S^ & S S -< pq pq pq w pq PQ P5 SECOND IOWA AY ALKY. 189 5 co < a> *S O <N of QP Q 2 J -II "2 P s 5"2 d IP CE=H * 2^-^ 2 |l 1 lllll QQ Q ! >~> >> I-H CO O^-^Cl- >* m i si i E gf -*ii rf -a sgi^sfl s H sj^.s a 1 HJ li^l 111 S|rfg-Sl SrfJI _2 *T^ ^T i-( /^ <-( ij ti -C r7* *t "; . P- r; ,-, /-* r * r*^ ceo3OOa3c3C=3O3c3 T3n3o3.T:^ 5 =,2,2 ,2 -3^ ; BlTVifSl ^5^lii 190 HISTORY OF THE nd I I o O O o H3A1J09SOIQ .s j3 cj oaj T^Q t5 o .2 o I "C " ^2 uuaj, CO t I CO 1-H <MCS|CO Vh rH^ftM "^ 1O i I Qo> fj . . |_i O * * ~ H "fe." <i o ps w : a : . -: : : w o *-" H S ^^5:^^020 ^ rtSl^aeS-g-s SPHi -rt^-S^S^^I^o^Sg^ SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 191 F t. ^ u fc tj <D O> Q) CD 00 g to J 35 aa <M V-t ^^^ C *- ^t-H t *~ l <N o a <M\2 (N o a c a a a ",.2.2 .2 2-2 =45 ^ g S "3 g "S "S g s 2 .^-a 5 15 g<* go | - . ^t X K X ^ - ,Q O O) O C> ^ rC fe Is "S "S "S "^ ^J s S S^-S S.d& ^& dd ^ 2^ o- g g TJ^O T3<1>O O>O> 2 o .22 .2 o 2 "S "S T3 T3 T3 O T3 tJ _ , O C^ O O O ^ *7^ to to to to to to ^ OS S ci cfl 03 03 -<1 O O O C2 O C^ *^ OT CQ CO OD 03 CO <D Q|>Q QQQ PPQQPQQ 8 > - - 35-35-3-2-S3*- .... MM 2 c3 t> *c - - CH 03 9} 05 OT 2 -1 2^^2 >,^^^ ^.^S S 3 >, - ^.^ to i-c CO rH CO -H CO -i CO 5*| p cpcp 5P 50 ^iP^PJP^^P CO CD O ^ iP ^f tb- - xf to- - r r to ;c ^ r - to r to- ----- a r fl r Hj ^. . .^1 . A^^. <1 ^ -^ "-oi-s : o^ Id jJ2|^|g|^ jj :::::::: H :: a **]. ^.|| I g Is 1 jil|| 1 111 | lll^Jl l "o O ^ WiJ ~ _ a ^ ^ ^ 2 -r u"M tT M - o ^ S W 2 ^ --^ o55<u ^<UQ^J^<DH-t-t> j-T s-i3s?-c2oasw||-H 5 tT a^> ^^ g H^^. "H S ^ I " 8f^ S fe" 9 J<y O ^J ? c3 O J O O -=i .2 02 02 03 02 02 O2 ig|Sgg3 192 HISTORY OF THE a o o o H O . 2 .. - sss j - -! f 3 p - 58 J5 S iT C PQ PH PQ O2 > PH SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. L98 3 ^H 1 D & *l o W of O S o O i es II 1 js s o> o> JS ass SSS O 01 g I E Oca " 3 * :^ : -3 t> M _;K-^ : s : . ^ . . ^ M . . CQ :&H*-3 : !i H :^ : : :&a : : > 194 HISTORY OF THE r O a o O H 0} O ja;snj\[ jo 53 . Si 1 -f S -g S -rS ||32 -i CQ 02Cui SECOND IOWA CAVALRY, 195 Kairte * Ig tf g* jf o <s o . <! M J^ o*^ g +i ^ ^2 ^ ^ r3 ^ C 4* ^a Ml cu 0^1-3^30 Tj cJOC) o -5 g s g ^2 s-ti s QQQH P II -2-2 00 3 ill o> o o ~ ^-2 -2 . - -M <M OJ CO CO --0 ^Illlllll 196 HISTOKY OF THE S 2 a w &H <1 PH s o o fe o P^ w H cc PH I I CO d,^ ^ pi > a,-g - ad: M ^fcjjaO M ^ SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 107 . - j - , .s g g? l | 5 ^ |ij| ye _ <M o ^ | 1 1 ^H ~" ""*"* Pd: j <! co -^ PH O CO ^ ^ CX O-it r^-s; s l 198 HISTORY OF THE O Q O Q ja^siiH JO "S "S f> .g ^RRRftRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR;;;; 1-1 O<X)COOO SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. <N~<M~ rj ~3 j (u O~ <N cM eO C^ PoH " O | - o CO . <> T* " Q- ~ CO tn " - ~ ^O , t J ~CN| ""^ CO . rh <N ^ 3 2 .2-0" CT .2 (Msoso. 3 ^^ c H Jd 5 _T cop -^^ - - ^. CO ~ " ^ O r-J r^J CUl5 3 "^tb ;3 ^^ ^ t7 * T ~ |r ~ l o "i-5 ^ O d C!^ I ~ l ^j s *" r C3co O. *^3 OC g c: 1 T3 r !3 oo ^fcC tJD O C ^ T3 ^T tC o, <y fcC 3^ bO Sll;;** 11 Illl ^llllsl ^5 ^ oooo^g OO oitnojg ciaJS^ Sco ^.O two; OT QQQCPQ P^^ QQQQ CO, (CO i (COr^r i CO P cc 200 HISTORY OF THE o O o o H OQ O JBAY JO OSOIO } UI.I8J, d d a - 020 Cu ____ ^^ ____ - CCOPn I ^ j^oa e R R a a R a T-H CO -^COOr-H ,~ z z z - d cs fi. 088 HS Q 1-3 03 - - *- - 3 -I s g3*J,flsg* 1 rfg-ia^-f.^Jg | ^ 1 1 ^||s | ^_ $ I | |=1 1 If | a - SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 201 1 NC * r* 1 r , j *- r /3 ** . -5 -o _ *"* - ^ 3 O "^ C ? .g DH ^ r^; ~r^L 5 o c -; -M rf ^<j^^^g^^ ,-, 3:1 8-S ^ ^ 5 Q Q Q Q S 11 QQ a a 3 o III _ 5 r S S O o o a, -^ o -^ ^ ^ 5 : a ^ 2 ce ci s !=,?; = oua "-300^^0 i 4 m in S Q M 202 HISTORY OF THE QQQ^ Q > {>QQQt> o E o P OPnODa O O co i i co CO rH CO .-I * I-H QC O jo o H g SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 203 a? .11 PH w d* POM 204 IIISTOKY OF THE O O O H cc O jo a I , S ,2 -2 % s ^ to J^ :11 111 | i o ^, V S? c S c s I* 2 f 2 r?S I PH r/2 o ^ o SH O2 DH O P-i CQ 02 s s * 3 s e-s g-^3 S a; S 020^5 SECOND IOWA CAVALKY. SOfi 5 1 *s ( iO *n "ft rt CJ |a" t- 3 tc T3 |A u - X O wT OS T3 6 *3 C OH O Q ,2 C O rt o rfi 6t ,W cT ~CG c C ^, C C C G C C C S "S 13 g ej g g 2 2 ~O r 13 2*2 - 2 .2 o c; m as P4 S S t>O >t> >!>>{>>. .*... o E C C C PH OPMO PM <^ O to CD ^O o CO 4D 1IISTOEY OF THE O O Q I13AVJ09SOI3 Ma^siiK jo 4 i, g W d .sl w a O 43 - 01 S o C .5 *s 02 OH 02 dn CQ Pm c cu j* -.,$% PQ |S i-l CO CO CO CO CO CO = = - s SECOND IOWA CAVALRY, 207 w n .22 o> S QJ O> " w 02 O b>. -" <& P. I d o O v ^.f! Ill CC o ^^l o . o C ..- IH i-r^ TH * <0 SO SO SO O ^1 r-H CC TH ^ SO SO ~-O CC so CO -^ -M rH CO I SO O SO vO SO SO CC CO ^ -H o so so so rH JO ^ SO O SO 1411 JI4I4 O m Q M S - o" :: >" ci fe p\2 o * o J7 o- J7 G S ^J 02 <l X! illr I4l r . . . : . . ^ : . . . . >-. . . <S . . . . . t- . M X . . tt> . . C -^ ^ rr. rn . fcC^J-i-H 0> ,C *3 2 s i; ^ w a = ^ Z ** > I-H * ^ * " l^lllll :J : 1 U : : :<i ^: ^ S i.-S^"^ II -III a! o ^< ^_- 5 ^.T S.2^ 208 HISTORY OF THE O O o o H u O REMARKS. Veteran. Killed in action near Prairie Station, Miss. Died at U. S. Gen. Hosp., Corinth, Miss. Veteran. Wounded near Prairie Station, Miss. Discharged. Veteran. Discharged at St. Louis, Mo. Died at Corinth, Miss. Wounded at Prairie Station, Miss T,:r Private 5? ^ c: ^ ^ o f- Q} ^ "S R R - - R - TJ ,~ w fC j PH uuaj tn cS 11 CO T-I CO usnsnK JO ssssis S%3 SS rt S ~ ~ tf r - r >r r r r^- a^a IUsJ f" sSl 1 " alt" ~ " Q NAMES. ^ c5 4, fJJll sg ? -<"{ g S S -| -1. g||q|K ag^^s" S T3 g g "^ t^^oH " ^ -SH&l J-^T -s^--^r S ^ i S .1 SECOND IOWA CAVALRY, "3 tt ^ O c ."SP -. -2 62 orjex uajsriK JO CO 50 <C -**" d,^2 ^ - o.^ d xJ G.J2 ci,^ c .a ci,: 210 HISTOKY OF THE O Q g L S -^ H cc O :SS- . I 1 Q . .2 II II * ~ * CH o c_- f^a -_..,.--..;.;>..- O ^~ rU.- pq SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 211 ^5 = r3 T3 CD CD S 02 r *fl \^ ~ G C 2 "" TJ S g S PH .- .2 o ^ ^--j ri a o 3 o O CO 03 X .J5 &^^ c J? 13 t3 S <U - llil ~ 2 ^ O p_ <-, BS 1 ? &5 c a ^ - -2 w "a c J: S a g 13 3 S <i t,. -2 o HPJ^Qtf Q Q 2 Ir OQ - = II C PH IO T-l >O ^H rH OCO co^pCO - , S o o o OP i-s ft, O to fe icius, Nicholas : .SSOQ If! ill 3r, Frederic F p, John ch, Columbus P ;z, Jacob . . . . . . - :" . 3 H ~ :-2 : g S.S Sea S e - S S i O 2 H o ^ J2 ^1 1 S ^ * 5b^ Sjj^^S o o ,-r MQ 3 HZ g o S II oj - cm, Asa K rcy, Thos. 3V1. D man, Marshall h, Azariah er, Matthews. -ic, Nathaniel C <J T. B 5 - -i s i | 3 1 c ^ 00 Alexander James S .^r *? -"o B -* Cfi S3 X ^ /-s ^ "C L-" O 7Z* t-fc-coojcSCSrocscacacscaty^q^y^u; .^-. -^ i-^ S3 " V ^N ^^^^^^pHOOOOWKWWWWteWWaWBWWWWWKW^iWW 212 HISTORY OF THE d 3> o O KH hH o rv^ ye 5 uuai . -if i-l JO (N i s ^ s i (CO r-iCO = : = i = & g g pg|e < CQaut-BOQOcQ-^HsSCQ SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 3 p,^ 3 3 3 2lS .1 .1 .2 * I Pw o 02 6 > Q *^ O p P, O ^ oj O cc c/^ c o a> Q CO :^ 1* 2- S 11" = ^w sg 5^0 g g g ^ M fi tc^= fr- GO I! Alvin s, Wash Q fc t> S JSd O . : . . >-* . o . t ; 02 I rn "a a :|||^|j| i^llllflflfs^lllll 2 C-2 ^sA-3 s ,v-c c -o ^ -s ^ Of -73 t, <u X fl QQ CQ CQ CQ OQ flQ OQ OQ OB OQ OD OQ H 1> 214 HISTORY OF THE o O PM a o EH W O UU8J, jo 2.2 P-Q ^ w Q mui ;Q ; , o si IS fO bOI-5 .. SECOND TOW A CAVAL1IY. "-a ~ .^. c . s ^a a) o e -- O oro o o - fc;2s3a5w.2 Cu EH O D3 > l> Q 03 J5. QQ>af Q _ c>w *a ~P ! ffl.2 O fi s o C o 0*0., pq t p-( pq p- o PH SO. H D- o O"0ui J81SHTC JO o| wj.^ sfrs* -ill= p II Its 11 1 Mil poHjw^OoS^ewHKSo^^Q IIISTOKY OF THE CD O o H QC O S. 1 iii * -8-8 11 -s SQQ jeyrajs JO 02 1-7, *-j ^ SECOND I(.)\V r A CAVALRY . *J 1 7 3 o-o s .2 . .2 ~ t- 13 ^ .Zi o c 5 ^0 o 3 i o 1^ 2 S v <y E I i O) OJ QQ | n 5 O) t* t- i- 0) 0) ** m 4) >Q --- o----,yo---.----^--^ o CO -I CO I < O <J O CD O c r : d^ 3 c5 ^5 !-5 Ctt <1 O * : a j : Ir|^ ifei s : .2 ^^5 ^.c SlJao ! fc - 3 ^2^if^l-22|i ii^^Wiis *** J2|**l^*^*|: a IMSTORY OF TUP: r o & o O ^ fc <J P^ g O o fr o w H e^ CC O P^ .10 ex "^ o" H r-t CO CC O HiWK^|jsM3llilsHiS f-^ ^ | "^S | 1 1 1*-*! s ^ 1 1 1 f J 1 * |s 3*1 SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 211) o .3 t> Q I ef a d sss i j 3 2 2 220 HISTORY OF THE O O O O O j BA\ JO asoio c5 rf Il 5^1? *| t D"C CQCu uajsnK JO ^ t a ^ -- SECOND IOWA CAVALKY. o ^ . ~~ 1 1" P o OS I . . .5, S S 8SS QSC-CL, S cSPca-S C eS 53 CB <3 c M ini-r o ? 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J r. 4 r . l ". ^ - 1 : t4ftAI NAMES. ^ *-N"" ^ ^ t^ ^ J - - J3 ~ ^ (3 -+^ *.** - CC K^ J^ ***^ Q 1 ! 1 1 1 1tf f i 1 1111 i f III| s>;r<m> TO\VA CAVALKY. s- -2 t. t- t* . c> o * "*oc^c>^ *c3c3 - "*c5c> ^ to- ^^ * -iJ * O o o O Q HISTORY OF THE D ^J I O w PH <J PH a o o c^ w H w O tt JAiJ09SOIO| ^ JO f II4I4 - SHOOTS D IOWA CAVALRY. CO gf o QO +i -H d. -CD 3" S S=& * ! il j < a & ft 1 Si es .S .a O H Q Q 1 3 c- o ,S "S c > o Q w J 05 e HISTORY OF THE A PL, us > o o ?= 25 U 31: fee a 2 2 ~ K bC - " c ^ u" ^c H ------- GO ^ 2 o 2 ; jo ^ " * 5 ^ 2 " os^c/*****" - 3 t;c-r7 =: c; "*^ ij "^ "~t Q yj *C c/2 *-i OQ "^ Q ^-5 SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. c ft G Is 2 - t ._- Q > s c S S c c .S . fcfc ^H CO "^ C GCi JO >C i i CO >O ^^ co ; c ;c t Q "-r HISTOKV OF TJiE 1 - M c r; cr o 02 ^ ^ rv-1 ^P < ? & co" 2 s ^_r ^ J ; w ^ N ^ > ^~ a SP 2 H C3 ^ ^ ^^. O5P ^ -<N"~ P ^ o rj - o C 5P o" M CO - t> -3 -" T3 C: ~ ^_ <M <j| !3 ~ r i-- -, - r-i (^ >-H ^ l ~ ^S" 2 ^ 151 B 1 f ^t 11 | 1^ 51 s * * s < ? ^ s c"S cT; g US &P riff S. 3 "* t! 5 S ^ ^ ? 3 S^ c C -^ S ? * C H T3 "^ .Si 2 .s 2 .1 |f l I Ullll P P P t> E-l ir H H H 4 T;T rt ^0 ^S^^-H > ^ PjJ - - ~ K . -s - 3 -s R - - - % -n ^o -s 5 ) *H O rt H s P-t P a 4 traai 2 s r i | 1 = r s s s r g | s - . 5 CO 00 CO i MajsnjoO ^o o o o o ^ e^a fcC jx-j fcO ji,-; tC- o r ^" c r dc[r ^ M- g^*f d^ - - - - ,) <! 0! <J 02 <l 44^ ^ fic ^^^ 4 5! : . : : :^ : : :o :^ :- : ft :.:::: ^ ^ : ^ : : : : : <! "o o to - o ^ ^ " "* " r-< ^ ""** * O n^ ^ * |Zi ^^iz~l g g5 ^ 2S^ 3 OQ ,.= -CM ^ .- cT S cc T _r t fe cs ^ o Tr; h" <D ^ g r/T.S ^OOgfcDo "^"2 fc G O O o >. v ; ,Q ^ 5<*E ff "S 5 CT P <y o> o o- o c .^, a o o <j o. 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"-> S |afi$. ) lJ| | .fi23B-Sa f !5 M c^ S-S^ = > > o 5 pS^o III ^e SECOND IOWA CAY ALKY. 238 o _j M <P o" c c c a c a c ctf cS g * os 03 g O O O Q^ <D O to ^ K. 03 .WH t> W Q3 J3 3 S 3 """HI""" a> Tfl PQ > d c d,i ^ KQ 2 " "rt * O . . c S S^ gJ SJJ g B 4lll.Sl4Selgliai4Sfl^ig45giSllS 234 HISTOEY OF THE o Q O Q 0119,1, JO "~ S T3 "S .2 .2 .2 .2 : 03 CO OOCO O -H Tii-t ^- CO O CO O j= <) O ^ <l Q r n SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 2 a 5 II ^u w O II 5 Oj CO O S3 S c p Q Q Q Q Q H P , ;, 1 <M rf ^-i <M r-i O <] QQ PE< OQ 236 HISTOKY OF THE O O PM S O Q H OQ O re AY jo 9SOIO JO Jp (X - J g CQ en en oo m rn QfiOQQ ^ QH ^-i CO i.Q M y> SECOND IOWA CAVALKY. 237 OJ 85 I I Q t> ^ f-H <M o Cl V <O CO O CO CO ^O lltlll l 1 1.15 O T2 ^ I =* 6 " GENERAL LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED This book is due on the last date stamped below, or on the date to which renewed. Renewed books are subject to immediate recall. 13Aug 54Ck cn co u. Q- O S. ^ u V 2003 21-100m-l, 54(1887sl6)476 F THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFflfl THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORI THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORI THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA QJ/^\D LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORI