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 
 
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SECOND IOWA CAVALKY. 
 
 173 
 
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174 
 
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SECOXD IOWA CAVALRY 
 
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SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 
 
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178 
 
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SECOND IOWA CAVALRY 179 
 
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SECOND IOWA OAVALKY. 
 
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SECOND IOWA CAVALKY. 185 
 
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SECOND IOWA OAVALIIV. 185 
 
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SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 
 
 187 
 
 
HISTORY OP T1IK 
 
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SECOND IOWA AY ALKY. 
 
 189 
 
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190 
 
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SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 
 
 191 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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192 
 
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SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 
 
 L98 
 
 
 
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SECOND IOWA CAVALRY, 
 
 195 
 
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196 
 
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SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 
 
 107 
 
 
 
 
 
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198 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
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SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 
 
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200 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 
 
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SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 
 
 201 
 
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SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 
 
 203 
 
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204 
 
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SECOND IOWA CAVALKY. 
 
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1IISTOEY OF THE 
 
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SECOND IOWA CAVALRY, 
 
 207 
 
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208 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
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 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 
 
 
 
 
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 HISTOKY OF THE 
 
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SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 
 
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212 
 
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SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 
 
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 HISTORY OF THE 
 
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HISTOKY OF THE 
 
 
 
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HISTORY OF THE 
 
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HISTORY OF THE 
 
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SECOND IOWA CAVALRY 
 
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HISTORY OF TIIK 
 
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SECOND IOWA CAY ALKY. 
 
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 HISTOEY OF THE 
 
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SECOND IOWA CAVALRY. 
 
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236 
 
 HISTOKY OF THE 
 
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SECOND IOWA CAVALKY. 
 
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 =* 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