SANTA ( 
 
 EX L I B R I S 
 
 Robert W, Brokaw 
 
FOUR YEARS WITH FIVE ARMIES 
 
ISAAC GAUSE 
 
 Serg-eant, Co. E, Second Ohio Volunteer Cavalry 
 
 FRONT1SP1ECK 
 
Four Years with 
 Five Armies 
 
 Army of the Frontier, Army of the Potomac, 
 
 Army of the Missouri, Army of the 
 
 Ohio, Army of the Shenandoah 
 
 BY 
 ISAAC CAUSE 
 
 Late of Co. E, Second Ohio Cav. 
 
 NEW YORK AND WASHINGTON 
 
 THE NEALE PUBLISHING COMPANY 
 
 1908 
 
COPYRIGHT, 1908, BY 
 THE NEALE PUBLISHING COMPANY 
 
PREFACE 
 
 It is not the object of the author in this little 
 book to give a history of his life, or of the 
 company, or of the regiment in which he 
 served. But it is his purpose to relate some 
 of the causes that led him to enlist; and what 
 he observed during four years' service. 
 
 Being only seventeen years of age at the 
 time of the war, reared in a rural district, with 
 little knowledge of men and their ways, and 
 no knowledge whatever of military organiza- 
 tion; with no ambition but to do his part in 
 coercing the seceded States to return to the 
 Union ; and with nothing to indicate the length 
 of time required to accomplish the task; with 
 no thought of ever being able to write any- 
 thing that would interest people, he now finds 
 himself poorly prepared to do justice to the 
 task. 
 
 Having seen many claims made for official 
 recognition for deeds done in the ordinary 
 line of duty, it now appears to be his duty to 
 his comrades to rehearse these extraordinary 
 experiences. 
 
 It was his custom to keep a diary when start- 
 ing on a campaign, but owing to the toilsome 
 march, together with the task of procuring 
 
4 Preface 
 
 something for his horse and himself to sub- 
 sist on, the diary was either abandoned or 
 lost. So* guided almost entirely by memory, 
 he can write only a short history of the long 
 campaigns, privations, and engagements. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. OBSERVATIONS IN A RURAL DISTRICT . 9 
 
 II. CAMP LIFE AT CLEVELAND . . . . 17 
 
 III. WINTER QUARTERS AT CAMP DENNISON 31 
 
 IV. MY FIRST PICKET DUTY .... 48 
 V. MY FIRST SKIRMISH 56 
 
 VI. THE INDIAN EXPEDITION . . 75 
 
 VII. PROVOST DUTY AT FORT SCOTT . . 102 
 
 VIII. IN QUARTERS AT CAMP CHASE . .113 
 
 IX. IN KENTUCKY 122 
 
 X. ON MORGAN'S TRAIL 148 
 
 XL THE CAPTURE OF MORGAN . . .160 
 XII. EVENTS SUCCEEDING A FURLOUGH . .176 
 
 XIII. CAMPAIGNING IN EAST TENNESSEE . 183 
 
 XIV. MORE TENNESSEE SERVICE . . . .199 
 XV. THE END OF THE CAMPAIGNS OF '63 .213 
 
 XVI. IN THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC . .217 
 
 XVII. SERVICE IN VIRGINIA 232 
 
 XVIII. ROUGH TIMES IN THE OLD DOMINION 247 
 XIX. THE FORTUNES AND MISFORTUNES OF 
 
 WAR 267 
 
 XX. THE WILSON RAID 275 
 
 XXL GENERAL KAUTZ IN His ELEMENT . 286 
 XXII. REORGANIZING AND HUSTLING . . 298 
 
6 Contents 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 XXIII. CAPTURE OF THE EIGHTH SOUTH CARO- 
 
 LINA INFANTRY 306 
 
 XXIV. BATTLE OF CEDAR CREEK .... 330 
 XXV. CUSTER'S RAID 343 
 
 XXVI. WINTER QUARTERS 348 
 
 XXVII. JAMES RIVER CANAL RAID . . . .352 
 
 XXVIII. THE LAST BATTLES 366 
 
 XXIX. MUSTERED OUT ....... 375 
 
 XXX. POLITICAL AND MILITARY EFFECT OF 
 
 MORGAN'S RAID 381 
 
 XXXI. THE ARMY HORSE 383 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 ISAAC CAUSE . Frontispiece 
 
 MEDAL OF HONOR Facing page 9 
 
 FRANKLIN ACKLEY 22 
 
 CHARLES GRANDISON FAIRCHILD . 54 
 
 G. W. BYARD " " 86 
 
 A. V. KAUTZ 108 
 
 MATHIAS M. SPRINGER ... 140 
 
 WILLIAM W. WURTS .... " " 172 
 
 E. P. SMITH 204 
 
 GEORGE A. WILKINS .... 242 
 
 F. F. REXFORD " " 272 
 
 WARNER NEWTON ..... " " 302 
 
Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 I 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 OBSERVATIONS IN A RURAL DISTRICT 
 
 WAS born in Trumbull County, Ohio, 
 December 9, 1843, and began going to 
 school when I was five. When in my 
 seventh year I moved with my parents 
 to Mahoning County, and at the age of four- 
 teen I went to live with my uncle Elijah 
 Shinn, on a farm in Goshen Township. 
 About that time my attention was called to the 
 political condition of the country, because of 
 the radical change that had recently taken 
 place in the old parties. 
 
 The people in that locality were of many 
 religious faiths and political opinions, among 
 whom were many Abolitionists, who refused 
 to vote because there was a clause in the Con- 
 stitution which permitted chattel slavery. 
 
 When an effort was made to admit the Ter- 
 ritory of Kansas into the Union the contro- 
 versy was so bitter that the Abolitionists 
 showed a disposition to vote provided they 
 could get some concession from the Whigs, 
 then under the able leadership of the Hon. 
 Joshua R. Giddings, who conceived the plan 
 to form a new party that would admit them, 
 
IO Four Years 'with Five Armies 
 
 and also suit the liberal or free-State Demo- 
 crats. 
 
 In 1860 Abraham Lincoln was nominated 
 Presidential candidate by the new party. The 
 demonstrations in towns and villages fired the 
 children in the rural districts with a spirit of 
 patriotism, a spirit to which I was able to con- 
 tribute by driving to town and purchasing a 
 flag that we were able to raise on a fifty-foot 
 pole in front of the schoolhouse. After the 
 election of Lincoln, secession being threatened, 
 the probability of war in the near futu ( re was 
 much discussed, but there were only a few 
 who thought such a calamity would befall the 
 country. A small per cent, however, thought 
 that a division of States was assured from the 
 fact that the Southern men were accustomed 
 to the use of firearms, and that they were 
 trained to the code and followed the chase. 
 
 During the winter of 1860 I was much of 
 the time in company with two brothers, who 
 took an interest in the pending question from 
 the fact that their former schoolmates, the 
 Copic brothers, were members of John 
 Brown's company, and were with him on 
 the noted raid on Harper's Ferry, Virginia, 
 when they took possession of the United States 
 Arsenal at that place. One of my com- 
 panions had also been in Kansas during the 
 border troubles, or '56 war. Consequently I 
 listened to many stories of encounters that had 
 taken place between the free-State men of 
 Kansas and the pro-slavery party in Missouri, 
 
MKDAI, OF HONOR 
 
 This medal contains the following words : 
 
 " The Congress to Corporal Isaac Gause, Co. E, 2d Ohio Cav. Vols.. 
 for Gallantry near Berryville, Va., September 13, 1864." It was 
 given to Corporal Gause on the recommendations of Generals Wilson 
 and Mclntosh. 
 
 In " Medals of Honor," a publication issued by the War Depart- 
 ment, September 19, 1864, will be found the following in relation to 
 Mr. Gause : " Corporal, Co. E, 2d Ohio Cavalry ; Action, near Berry- 
 ville, Va. ; Date, September 13. 1864. Capture of the colors of the 8th 
 S. C. Infantry while engaged in a reconnoissance along the Berry- 
 ville and Winchester pike." 
 
 PACING 9 
 
Observations in a Rural District 1 1 
 
 the details of which gave me some informa- 
 tion concerning the strategy that profitably 
 can be practiced in the enemy's country. 
 
 I will relate a story that will serve to show 
 how one may be compelled to pay the penalty 
 of another's crime. This I give as near as 
 possible in my friend's language. He said: 
 " When I made up my mind to come back 
 to Ohio," said he, " I was in Wyandotte, Kan. 
 In order to get to the railroad I must travel 
 thirty miles in Missouri. It was fatal for a 
 free-State or Kansas man to be caught in that 
 part of the country, so I prepared myself ac- 
 cordingly, and if suspected, I would claim to 
 be a pro-slavery man. I had a full beard and 
 long hair, and I put on a white shirt for the 
 first time in a long while, then buckled on a 
 belt with revolver and dirk. I crossed the 
 Missouri in an unfrequented place at night, 
 and hurried along so as to arrive at Weston 
 to take the train at nine o'clock in the morn- 
 ing. About three o'clock, when passing a 
 plantation, a large dog, of which every planter 
 kept one or more, jumped out of the gate and 
 sprang at my throat, but by catching him by 
 the paw and giving it a sudden wrench I pre- 
 vented him from getting hold. To prevent 
 making a noise I drew the knife, and after 
 a desperate struggle I killed him. I imme- 
 diately left the road in order to cover my trail, 
 for if the planter should follow and overtake 
 me I would meet the fate of my victim. When 
 I came to a creek about daylight I washed 
 
12 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 the blood off, leaving a stain on one cuff of 
 my shirt. It was about sunrise when I ar- 
 rived at Weston and sat down in the waiting- 
 room. Soon after, on looking out, I saw a 
 party ride toward the depot. It was evident 
 they were in haste, and thinking they were in 
 search of a runaway slave I gave the incident 
 little attention until they dismounted, came on 
 the platform, and began looking about the 
 depot. Finally, one of them walked up, 
 reached out his arm, saying at the same 
 time, * Ain't this our man?' Thinking he 
 wanted to shake hands, I reached out mine, 
 and so uncovered the stained cuff. Before 
 there was time to think, they covered me with 
 two revolvers and dragged me out and ad- 
 justed the rope for my neck. There was no 
 time allowed for explanation, as they were 
 wild with excitement. One of them, however, 
 more cool than the others, insisted that they 
 had the wrong man. But the others said, 
 ' Here is the stain on his cuff, and the rascal 
 has tried to wash it off.' ' No,' he said, i I 
 know the man that killed Bill.' The last re- 
 mark explained matters sufficient for me to 
 catch my breath, inasmuch as I thought they 
 were going to hang me for killing the dog 
 during the night. When an explanation about 
 the stain was given, they apologized for the 
 rough treatment and rode away." 
 
 The many stories, combined with the in- 
 creasing animosity constantly agitated by the 
 press, convinced me that nothing short of war 
 
Observations In a Rural District 13 
 
 would settle the political differences between 
 the North and South. At that time it would 
 have been considered presumptuous to inti- 
 mate that I could engage in any way in the 
 struggle, although my mind was made up 
 from the time Brooks of South Carolina 
 struck Sumner of Massachusetts in the United 
 States Senate, that should war be declared I 
 would bear my part in one capacity or an- 
 other. It was my secret, however, until the 
 war was in full progress and the President 
 had made the second call for troops. As no 
 opportunity presented itself for me to enlist 
 in the cavalry, I formed a plan to go away 
 with a neighbor boy and enlist in the infantry. 
 But we were both under the care of guardians, 
 and our plan by some chance became known 
 and was thwarted by them. 
 
 My uncle, having been raised a Quaker and 
 being of a very mild disposition, had seldom 
 spoken in a positive manner. I had lived with 
 him four years, and that was the first time 
 he had refused to let me have my own way, 
 although the previous requests had not been 
 of an important nature. 
 
 One evening in August my aunt read an 
 article from the Mahonlng County Register, 
 stating that Professor Hall was recruiting a 
 company in Canfield, to join what was to be 
 known as Wade and Hutchins's cavalry. The 
 names of the enlisted men were attached to 
 the article. There were four with whom I 
 was slightly acquainted, one a former school- 
 
14 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 mate, of whom mention will be made in the 
 future. My mind was made up at once. I 
 would go, let come what would. I had al- 
 ways had one or more horses at my command 
 from the time I could mount one from a 
 stump or fence corner, for I was fond of a 
 good horse, and delighted to run races with 
 my associates whenever meeting them, whether 
 going or coming from fairs, camp-meetings, 
 and so on, and I had had many adventures 
 and some narrow escapes. The next Saturday 
 there was another article in the paper that my 
 aunt also read to me. It stated that Captain 
 Hall's company had nearly its complement of 
 men and would depart from Canfield to join 
 their regiment at Camp Wade, Cleveland, 
 Ohio, on the following Tuesday. That was 
 short notice for one who had made no arrange- 
 ments. But, being fully determined, I set 
 about formulating my plans. There were 
 many things to be taken into consideration, 
 many of which had been crudely revolved in 
 my mind, but with no definite conclusion as 
 to the result of any of them. My uncle and 
 aunt were my guardians, and were the same 
 as father and mother to me. I could not have 
 loved them better had they been such in fact. 
 My home was equal to the best of my asso- 
 ciates', and to break my family ties was no 
 small concern to me. Besides, I was bound 
 by a contract between my mother and uncle 
 to remain with them until I was eighteen, and 
 I would not be eighteen till the 9th of the 
 
Observations in a Rural District 15 
 
 next December. Moreover, by breaking the 
 contract I would forfeit all the financial bene- 
 fit that had accrued to me by the last four 
 years' labor. At the expiration of my time 
 my uncle was to pay me one hundred dollars, 
 give me a horse, saddle and bridle, and a new 
 suit of clothes. As at that time the aggregate 
 of this was equal to two hundred and twenty- 
 five dollars, it was considered a very fair start 
 in life for one at my age. It did not occur 
 to me there would be another chance to go 
 into the cavalry, and therefore I thought to 
 myself, now is the time to go. 
 
 The worst of all was to leave without the 
 consent of uncle and aunt. Weary with my 
 
 fonderings, sleep overtook me, and next day 
 went to church. As soon as the service was 
 ended I collected my associates, and we went 
 to the woods for a council. I told them all 
 about the cavalry company, and that we 
 should all go together and enlist, but there 
 was no response from them. After describing 
 the difference between the cavalryman and 
 the infantry, those that must plod through 
 mud and snow, I gave up the task and started 
 home. On the way I met some young men 
 that consented to go with me. The next thing 
 to do was to notify my uncle. After sitting 
 down to dinner I told them what my mind 
 was made up to do. To my surprise and 
 gratification my uncle said, " If he thinks he 
 must go I will take him to Canfield to-morrow 
 and let him enlist." Much gratified to think 
 
1 6 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 there was no opposition from this source my 
 arrangements were made accordingly. 
 
 On Monday morning, when the work had 
 been done as usual, I made preparation to go, 
 but it began to rain and my uncle did not want 
 to take his carriage out. But rain was no ob- 
 stacle in my way, and I walked over to the 
 home of my neighbor, who was presumably 
 to be my future companion, and found him 
 putting the saddle on his horse. When he saw 
 the way I was situated, he hitched the horse 
 to a buggy and drove over to get our other 
 man. He had made no arrangements to go, 
 so we drove to Canfield, put the horse in the 
 stable at the Bostwick House, and here we 
 met those with whom we were acquainted, 
 among them George A. Wilkins. With a cor- 
 dial greeting, he shook hands and asked, 
 "Well, are you going with us?" " I surely 
 am," I replied, " if there is room for one 
 more on the rolls." " Come right in here," he 
 said, and then addressing the sergeant, he con- 
 tinued, " Here is another one to add to the 
 list." " How old are you?" asked the ser- 
 geant. " Eighteen, of course," Wilkins re- 
 plied, and down went my name. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 CAMP LIFE AT CLEVELAND 
 
 WE went to the Meeker House, where 
 the men were selecting the horses 
 they were to ride in the service. 
 Those horses that had been in- 
 spected and accepted by the government in- 
 spector stood in stalls in the long stables, and 
 the many horse-dealers that had horses to sell 
 occupied the open sheds on an adjoining lot, 
 each with a bunch that he was anxious to dis- 
 pose of. After inspecting three or four lots 
 without finding one to suit me, I passed on to 
 another, and there found one. The owner 
 said, " You know a good horse when you see 
 it, but that one does not come up to the stand- 
 ard height; it has been inspected and re- 
 jected on that account. She is the best animal 
 in the stable and can outrun anything in the 
 county, but she is nervous and unreliable in 
 harness. If you can get her accepted, you 
 will be the best mounted man in the com- 
 pany." He put the saddle on the mare and 
 brought her out. She was anxious to go, and 
 every motion was as quick as a cat, and when 
 I lit in the saddle she shot out of the stable like 
 an arrow. After galloping up and down the 
 street and turning short on the slippery plank 
 
 17 
 
1 8 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 pavement to the delight of the bystanders and 
 to my own satisfaction, I rode to the stable. 
 " Now," he said, " you tell the inspector that 
 if he does not accept this mare you will not 
 go with the company." I carried out his in- 
 structions, and after much quibbling and hesi- 
 tation, and by the earnest request of the by- 
 standers who had witnessed my horsemanship, 
 the animal was accepted and " U. S." branded 
 upon her. 
 
 After dinner we returned home and made 
 hasty preparation for my departure. The 
 next morning I mounted a horse at daybreak 
 and rode to Damascus, a distance of three 
 miles, my cousin having gone there to stay all 
 night with friends, and driven the horse and 
 carriage that was wanted to take me to Can- 
 field. As soon as we had breakfast we went 
 home and found that my uncle had changed 
 his mind. He wanted to sell a horse and con- 
 cluded to go on horseback. It was fourteen 
 miles to Canfield and the company would 
 leave at ten o'clock, so we hurried away as 
 soon as possible after taking leave of those I 
 might not see soon again. When we had rid- 
 den about three miles we were overtaken by 
 a horse-buyer who wanted artillery horses. I 
 galloped the one I was riding up and down 
 the road to show him off to the best advantage. 
 The trade was soon made by the dealer ad- 
 vancing my uncle five dollars with instruc- 
 tions to deliver the horse at Salem the follow- 
 ing Monday. 
 
Camp Life at Cleveland 19 
 
 When within a mile of Canfield my uncle 
 said he was tired, as he was not used to riding, 
 and would like to return if I was satisfied to 
 walk. We dismounted, and after an affec- 
 tionate leave-taking, I walked toward town, 
 while he rode in the opposite direction. We 
 were scarcely out of sight of each other when 
 the cannon began to boom the farewell salute 
 to the company as it departed for Youngs- 
 town, where they were to embark by rail. I 
 soon met one of my neighbor boys who had 
 ridden over to see the company start. When 
 I explained to him my dilemma, he rode into 
 town to make some arrangement by which I 
 could get to Youngstown. The streets were 
 deserted and the houses closed, with but a few 
 people to represent the place. Every avail- 
 able horse and harness had been put into use 
 to take the company and its friends to Youngs- 
 town. But it so happened that one doctor had 
 one more buggy than horse, which his wife 
 graciously loaned us. We found an old 
 breast-strap, and by using ropes for traces, 
 were enabled to hitch my friend's horse; but 
 as there were no holdback straps, we had to 
 get out and hold the buggy back going down 
 hill. We arrived at our destination just in 
 time for dinner. The scene was to me a new 
 and novel one. A vast crowd had gathered 
 around the hotel where the dinner had been 
 prepared and placed on a long table for the 
 company. It was so closely packed that it 
 was almost impossible to gain an entrance. 
 
2O Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 My friend interceded for me, and told them 
 that here was a member of the company who 
 had been left behind and wanted dinner be- 
 fore train-time. That was all that was nec- 
 essary, as everyone was anxious to show 
 gratitude to the soldier. As word passed 
 along, " Here is one, let him in," we finally 
 managed to reach the table. After the dinner 
 was concluded, the people gathered around 
 the empty cars by the already overcrowded 
 platform. These cars were destined to take 
 us away, and it was announced that it was time 
 to board the train. I walked around to the 
 opposite side, where I could gain the step to 
 the car without coming in contact with the 
 crowd, and there, with a hearty handshake, 
 and many thanks for the assistance he had 
 rendered me, I took leave of my friend, to 
 meet him again more than a year afterward 
 on his deathbed. 
 
 When I entered the car the scene that met 
 my eye was heartrending indeed. There were 
 fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and wives 
 with tears and sobs, taking, for aught they 
 knew, their last leave of their dear ones who 
 were going to combat in what was destined 
 to be a long and bloody struggle. My atten- 
 tion was called to one group in particular, 
 owing to its peculiar variance from the others. 
 A middle-aged couple, whose attire would 
 indicate that they were poor people, stood at 
 one end of the car, and as the woman handed 
 her husband some small token, she said: 
 
Camp Life at Cleveland 21 
 
 " Remember me, when this you see, 
 Though many miles apart we be." 
 
 Then, with a fond embrace, and tears rolling 
 down her face, she boo-hooed, and left the car. 
 
 When the train pulled out, its occupants 
 consisted of the company, and a few of the 
 most influential men from Canfield and 
 Youngstown who wanted to see their friends 
 safely in camp. Now that we were away from 
 the women, the flask became a frequent visi- 
 tor. I was in a car whose occupants were 
 entire strangers to me, but it was not long until 
 my friends, who had not time to think of me 
 before, came in search of me, and with hard 
 persuasion succeeded in getting me to take 
 the first drink of liquor that ever passed my 
 lips. The most of them became jolly as the 
 train moved along, and it was a great contrast 
 from the hours before. I thought, how easily 
 and soon they forget! 
 
 We arrived at Cleveland about sundown, 
 and when we were out of the cars the captain 
 ordered us to fall in line. I had never been 
 in line, and had seen but one company of 
 recruits march. We crossed the Cuyahoga 
 River and marched up a long hill. It was 
 awkward work for me, but I managed to step 
 on the heels of the man in front as often as 
 the man behind me trod on mine. We ar- 
 rived at the top of the hill, where we found 
 preparations going on for our reception. By 
 details from companies the eleven tents had 
 been stretched, and there was a colored cook 
 
22 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 for each mess. Supper was almost ready. 
 Our tables consisted of forked sticks about 
 four feet long set in the ground for legs, with 
 short poles from fork to fork, on which rested 
 two boards twelve inches wide and about 
 twelve feet long. Each cook had a tent called 
 " the cook-tent " for him to sleep in, and to 
 store away the rations. After supper the as- 
 signment to the different messes began, but 
 most of these had been done by mutual con- 
 sent before leaving Canfield. There were 
 four or five of us, however, that were on the 
 stray list, we either having no acquaintance 
 with the others or not having had time to 
 make arrangements. The different messes 
 went by the name of the town in which the 
 men lived; as, the Salem mess; Canfield mess; 
 Youngstown mess, Girard, Nilestown, Board- 
 man, Jackson. All of my acquaintances were 
 in the Salem mess, and as they had only ten 
 men I was invited to join them. They soon 
 found another young man, Frank Ackley, 
 about my age and size, to be my " bunky," 
 and to complete the required number for the 
 mess. We each then drew a single blanket, 
 and I lay down in a tent for the first time in 
 my life. My bunky, like myself, was igno- 
 rant of camp life, and had come without any 
 bedding, therefore we were not so comfort- 
 ably fixed as some of our comrades who 
 brought quilts and blankets with them. The 
 ground seemed very hard, and we turned over 
 often during that first night. In the morning 
 
FRANKLIN ACKLEY 
 
 Corporal, Co. E. Second Ohio Volunteer Cavalry 
 
Camp Life at Cleveland 23 
 
 we began to look about to learn something of 
 our surroundings. We learned that our com- 
 pany was the last of twelve to arrive in camp, 
 but that some of them did not have their full 
 quota and therefore could not muster, al- 
 though they occupied their place in camp. 
 
 Professor Hall had opened the rolls for en- 
 listment on August loth, and recruited the 
 first man for the regiment. We considered 
 him captain and accordingly elected him as 
 such, with Bales Fawcet for first lieutenant, 
 and Peter L. Rush for second lieutenant. 
 There was a great deal of fault found with 
 Captain Hall's conduct and management of 
 the company, but his selection of non-com- 
 missioned officers showed his judgment was 
 good in that respect. It saved a great deal of 
 trouble in the future, with Warner Newton 
 for first sergeant, a man with executive ability 
 to command a brigade; Dan Arnold for 
 quartermaster sergeant, who had some experi- 
 ence in that line, having been with Walker's 
 expedition across the plains some years before. 
 The other non-commissioned officers were the 
 best men in the company, though none had 
 any military knowledge except Corporal 
 William H. Arnold, and he had been in the 
 three months' service and was at the battle of 
 Manassas Junction. 
 
 Two days after we arrived in camp our 
 horses, which had been brought on foot, were 
 tied to a picket rope on the flats between 
 Camp Wade and the Cuyahoga River, where 
 
24 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 they were taken care of by a detail termed 
 " horse guards " until late in the fall. At 
 Camp Wade there was also camped a battery 
 of artillery and a small detachment of Ohio 
 boys enlisted for the noted Jim Lane's com- 
 mand in Kansas. It was in that detachment 
 that the first fatality occurred at Camp Wade. 
 The boys had been furnished with guns and 
 used them when on camp duty. There were 
 two brothers who slept together. One of 
 them, when on camp guard just behind the 
 tent where his brother then lay, saw a cat cross 
 the beat on which he was walking. He at- 
 tempted to kill it, and at the noise of the gun 
 everyone was awakened in the vicinity. His 
 brother cried out, " I am shot!" His com- 
 rade told him to go to sleep, and said, " You 
 have been dreaming of battle, and when you 
 heard that shot it awoke you." At first he 
 thought they were right, and he tried to go 
 to sleep. As he attempted to turn over, how- 
 ever, he put his hand into a pool of blood. He 
 told his companion, a light was brought, and 
 it was found that the ball had passed through 
 his body. He died at seven the next morning. 
 
 The first week passed away without any 
 unusual event in the Second Ohio; the time 
 of the trooper was fully occupied, and, since 
 I had left home on short notice, I was anxious 
 to return for a visit to assure my friends that 
 I did not regret what I had done. 
 
 The location of Camp Wade was on Uni- 
 versity Heights, a high plateau situated south 
 
Camp Life at Cleveland 2$ 
 
 of the Cuyahoga River. The Heights con- 
 sisted of several hundred acres of land cov- 
 ered with grass, sloping to the southeast, and 
 bounded on the south by the University. Our 
 camp was located on the north side of the 
 plateau overlooking the city, the suburbs of 
 which extended out to the University on the 
 west side of the plateau. The open ground 
 for a distance of nearly a mile was used for 
 drill and parade ground, and was a popular 
 resort for pleasure seekers. 
 
 There was a continual stream of visitors, 
 excursions, and picnics from the counties and 
 towns where the companies were recruited. 
 Soon after the uniforms were issued we had a 
 review and a dress parade, and a flag was pre- 
 sented by the ladies of Cleveland to the Sec- 
 ond Cavalry. The ceremony took place in 
 front of the University, where the regiment 
 formed in hollow square. The presentation 
 was made by one of Cleveland's fair daugh- 
 ters. To the presentation address a fitting 
 response was offered. The regiment was 
 pledged not only to defend that banner of 
 silk and gold, but to carry it on wings of vic- 
 tory into the heart of the enemy's country. 
 Then three cheers were given, patriotic songs 
 were sung, the band gave its choicest selection, 
 and the companies were marched to quarters 
 and disbanded. 
 
 Everything went along lovely until Novem- 
 ber, when the cold north winds swept down 
 across Lake Erie and struck Camp Wade a 
 
26 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 broadsider that made the tents totter and the 
 teeth of the trooper chatter. The elevated spot 
 that had been so pleasant during the autumn 
 months had now to be abandoned for a better 
 protected one. By the recent rains the flats 
 had become soft and the horses were standing 
 in mud up to their knees, and many sickened 
 and died. The regiment was ordered to move 
 to the old fair ground, known by the name of 
 " Camp Taylor." 
 
 With no horse equipments but rope halters 
 we mounted bareback and marched through 
 the streets of Cleveland to the new camp. 
 The horses, glad to be liberated from their 
 muddy prison, pranced and jumped about, 
 and it was impossible to keep them in any- 
 thing like a column. 
 
 The change in some respects was good for 
 man and beast, or at least it was until the rains 
 set in again, and then it was worse than Camp 
 Wade, for there the horses were kept away 
 from camp, so that we were not constantly 
 kept in mind of their suffering. But in the 
 new camp they were tied in front of the tents, 
 and they tramped and lashed the mud until 
 everything for rods around was covered 
 with it. It was discouraging indeed to the 
 trooper on duty to go on guard and walk back 
 and forth by a string of horses for two hours, 
 then go into the tent and lie down in wet 
 clothes for four hours, alternately during the 
 whole day. 
 
 To do justice to the regiment, it is necessary 
 
Camp Life at Cleveland 27 
 
 to give a better explanation of the mount and 
 its treatment. Our horses were the best that 
 could be selected from the stables of northern 
 Ohio. Each man was permitted to choose 
 his own horse, sell it to the Government, and 
 retain it for his mount. This brought out the 
 choice horses from each neighborhood. Many 
 of them were worth more than the established 
 Government price, the difference being at the 
 trooper's expense, and he was willing to sac- 
 rifice the money in order to have his favorite 
 animal. The treatment the horses received 
 was, for some unaccountable reason, without 
 doubt cruel, and for which cruelty those who 
 were responsible have need to be forgiven. 
 A man had to depend on his faithful animal 
 and companion to carry his burden on the 
 long, weary march, and in the brilliant charge 
 they were destined to carry the Second Ohio 
 Cavalry. While we were at Camp Wade the 
 horses were picketed on the flats in open 
 ground with no care but feed and water twice 
 a day. The rations of forage were scant, and 
 were strewn on the ground for the poor ani- 
 mals to scatter and waste, while they would 
 kick and strike and bite at each other, crip- 
 pling, and spreading disease from which 
 many died. After we moved to Camp Tay- 
 lor it was a daily occurrence to see one or 
 more carcasses drawn out of the hospital, 
 where they were under the care of veterinary 
 surgeons, after having been reported unserv- 
 iceable. Fresh horses were daily bought by 
 
28 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 the quartermaster to take their place, so that 
 when the order came, about the ist of Decem- 
 ber, for the regiment to report at Camp Den- 
 nison, there were enough horses to give each 
 trooper his mount. During the month of No- 
 vember we had been furnished with a com- 
 plete set of horse equipments. When the 
 weather would admit we went to the commons 
 north of the camp and went through with the 
 mounted drill, and this furnished recreation 
 from the now dreary and loathsome camp. 
 
 We received our first pay, all in coin, and 
 this was a red letter day indeed. Many had 
 been entirely without money for three months, 
 and could not even write a letter without bor- 
 rowing the material. 
 
 About December ist an order was received 
 for the regiment to report to Camp Dennison 
 forthwith ; but " forthwith " is about nine 
 days with a raw cavalry regiment that has 
 been accumulating all kinds of articles too nu- 
 merous to mention. Now there were great and 
 new events in store for the Second Ohio Cav- 
 alry, that caused the monotonous and grew- 
 some scenes of Camp Taylor to slip from 
 memory. 
 
 On the night of the ist of December I was 
 on camp guard, and my beat was between the 
 string of miscellaneous horses and the high 
 fence that closed the fair ground. It was a 
 cold and rainy night, and I was drenched to 
 the skin, my boots were full of water, and my 
 new cavalry overcoat was covered with mud 
 
Camp Life at Cleveland 29 
 
 splashed there by the horses as they plunged 
 about. The boards that had been thrown down 
 for us to walk on were all afloat. The close 
 proximity of the horses to the fence made 
 this a favorite place for the boys that were 
 in the habit of running the guard to make their 
 exit to the street. For that purpose there had 
 been one board knocked off from the fence, 
 and just as day was breaking a man made his 
 appearance at the opening. Our instructions 
 were to converse with no one while on duty, 
 but as there was no danger of being seen by 
 anyone, I ventured into a conversation with 
 him. He produced a pint flask and offered 
 it to me. I declined, saying, " I do not drink." 
 But he urged me. " You are wet and cold 
 and it will do you good." So I took a pretty 
 good draught. Having informed him that 
 we were ordered away, he appeared much 
 grieved, for he had become much attached to 
 some of the boys that frequented his house. 
 Producing the flask frequently, he took a large 
 drink each time, and it did not appear to have 
 any effect on him. Although drinking but 
 little, I began to feel quite jolly, and before 
 the relief came I had forgotten the misery of 
 the poor animals and was endeavoring to 
 keep them quiet by slapping them with the 
 dummy gun furnished to arm the guard with. 
 Preparation for moving began from the 
 moment the notice was given until the morn- 
 ing of our departure, there being some 
 changes to make, such as shipping surplus 
 
30 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 baggage, writing letters, and so on. Notice 
 was served that transportation would be fur- 
 nished for but one man, who would be known 
 as " company cook." In Company E each 
 mess wanted to retain its man to occupy the 
 position, but the seniority rule prevailed, and 
 the old man, Munson, having done the hon- 
 ors for mess No. i, was retained, and was 
 proud of his position. He superintended the 
 packing and caring for the private property 
 of his old mess as long as he remained with 
 the company, not leaving until after the In- 
 dian expedition returned to Fort Scott. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 WINTER QUARTERS AT CAMP DENNISON 
 
 ON the morning of the pth of December, 
 1861, we left our snow-covered tents, 
 packed our blankets, saddled up, and 
 at ten o'clock took up the line of 
 march for the depot. It was the first time the 
 regiment had been on the move, mounted, 
 equipped, and in uniform. Twelve hundred 
 and forty men with blue overcoats on chafing 
 steeds passed down the snow-covered streets 
 of Cleveland; the band, mounted on gray 
 horses, led the way, playing " The Star 
 Spangled Banner." Then came Colonel 
 Doubleday, as fine a figure as ever sat in a 
 saddle, with his staff officers, in their dress 
 uniforms, and with finely equipped steeds. 
 Following in regular order came the com- 
 panies. When the shades of night came over 
 Cleveland, we were speeding our way south 
 about as fast as steam could carry us. Every- 
 one rejoiced to know that we would escape the 
 severe winter of the North, which had now 
 fairly set in, and as the train glided along 
 through towns, villages, and country, we fell 
 asleep in our seats. About four o'clock the 
 next day we arrived at Camp Dennison, which 
 is situated on the Little Miami River, six- 
 si 
 
32 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 teen miles from Cincinnati, and a few miles 
 above the mouth of the river, and is sur- 
 rounded by hills. The camp was situated on 
 a level valley about one and a half miles wide 
 and two miles long. 
 
 It had been raining, and when we arrived 
 at the depot the valley looked like a lake ; but 
 we plunged through it, and were soon quar- 
 tered in barracks with kitchen and dining- 
 room large enough to seat one-half of the 
 company at one time. And then we were 
 given our first lesson in cooking, being de- 
 tailed in turn to assist the company cook. 
 There were fifteen thousand troops there, 
 drilling and equipping for active service, and 
 among them the Sixth Ohio Cavalry. The 
 companies having been recruited in the same 
 counties from which the Second had come, 
 most every trooper met a relative or school- 
 mate, and the two regiments were sometimes 
 called the half-brothers. 
 
 It was in these old barracks that I became 
 involved in a controversy with one of my 
 mess-mates. My bunkv and I both having 
 learned to smoke, one cold, rainy day when he 
 was on guard, the stem in my pipe being 
 broken, I took his and sat smoking, when he 
 came in wet and cold. That put him out of 
 humor and he said some bad things about the 
 man who had stolen his pipe. Good- 
 naturedly, I asked him to take back what he 
 had said. But he went further, and without 
 a second thought we got together. I gave him 
 
Winter Quarters at Camp Dennison 33 
 
 such a thrashing that he called enough, and 
 we got up, shook hands, and never mentioned 
 the affair again. 
 
 We were quartered in the old barracks but 
 a few days when the carpenters finished large 
 and commodious barracks, with room enough 
 to house one company in each, and they com- 
 pleted comfortable stables for the horses a 
 few days later. The mud had dried up by 
 this time, and we were put through the 
 mounted drill every day. Our company had 
 two men that took " French leave," and it was 
 here the first man of our regiment was killed 
 by gunshot. One day, while drilling, a com- 
 pany was making a left wheel at a gallop, and 
 swung around in front of a battery at the in- 
 stant the gunner received orders to fire. The 
 battery was at target practice, and the gun was 
 loaded with solid shot that carried one of the 
 troopers out of the saddle and killed him 
 instantly. 
 
 At Camp Dennison our mess lost one mem- 
 ber, which made the third. At an election 
 Bales R. Fawcet was chosen lieutenant. J. C. 
 Sheets was transferred to headquarters, Kin. 
 Miller, trumpeter, exchanged places with C. 
 C. McCane, Miller going to the Sixth Ohio 
 Volunteer Cavalry, and McCane coming to 
 the Second Ohio Volunteer Cavalry. 
 
 Patrols and scouting parties were sent out 
 daily to accustom the officers and men for the 
 duty they were soon to do in the field, and 
 they were taught to pick up the men that ran 
 
34 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 the guard and bring them into camp. Up to 
 this time we had no arms of any kind. When 
 the orders came for the Second Ohio to send 
 a scouting party to Warsaw, Kentucky, to dis- 
 perse a band of bushwhackers that were depre- 
 dating in that locality, Captain Welch, who 
 was detailed to command the detachment, had 
 to borrow guns and revolvers from the post 
 ordnance officer. Boxing gloves were pur- 
 chased and sparring indulged in, and we had 
 some sailors who were well up in the art, and 
 we witnessed some very fine trapeze and 
 dumbbell exercises. We were taught, also, 
 the art of evading sentinels, and the advan- 
 tages a mounted man can take over the dis- 
 mounted man, and many other of the arts of 
 war. It was at this camp I saw the first soldier 
 buried with military honors. 
 
 There was another incident that occurred 
 here that cast a gloom over the whole regi- 
 ment. One morning the musicians had taken 
 their horses from the stable and tied them to 
 a rail fence. The ground was frozen, but the 
 morning was bright and clear, and the horses 
 felt the effects of the warm sun, and in caper- 
 ing about, pulled the fence down. This 
 frightened them, and one of them ran with 
 such force that a heavy rail to which he was 
 tied struck his rider on the head, crushing his 
 skull. He lived but a few hours afterward, 
 never having regained consciousness. 
 
 It was about the zoth of December the ord- 
 nance officer issued sabers, revolvers, and 
 
Winter Quarters at Camp Dennison 35 
 
 belts. We had been in service so long without 
 arms that now that we were partially armed, 
 we felt proud that the authorities had recog- 
 nized the fact that we could be trusted with 
 the most harmless instrument in modern war- 
 fare. For my part, I was so proud of my 
 saber that I borrowed a long knife, strung it 
 on my belt also, stalked over to the picture 
 gallery, and had my picture taken, and placed 
 it in the nicest case that could be found and 
 sent it home. The picture is in existence yet, 
 and well preserved, but to an experienced eye 
 it looks like anything but a soldier. 
 
 On the 24th of December I went to Cin- 
 cinnati to spend Christmas with my uncle, 
 John Woodruff, who was editing a paper and 
 lived with his family on Vine Street. After 
 a merry Christmas and a royal time, I re- 
 turned to camp, and there were all kinds of 
 rumors afloat. We were to be mustered out 
 of service immediately. All sorts of reasons 
 were assigned for this sudden change. Some 
 had it from good authority that there was too 
 much cavalry; that it was a too expensive 
 branch of the service for the little good it did. 
 Many other things were circulated until the 
 3d of January, 1862, when Colonel Double- 
 day announced that he had orders from the 
 War Department to report with the Second 
 Ohio Cavalry to the commanding officer at 
 Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Preparations 
 now began for a more extended journey and 
 adventures than we had in our wildest imagi- 
 
36 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 nations anticipated. Old ways had to be de- 
 parted from. The convenience of wagons to 
 carry surplus bedding and baggage must be 
 abandoned, as we were ordered to carry our 
 personal effects on the saddle. There was lit- 
 tle going on in camp but the routine duty and 
 preparing to move until the I5th of January, 
 when, about seven in the morning, we were 
 led into line. After mounting and dismount- 
 ing about seven times, we finally moved out 
 in the direction of Cincinnati, while our horses 
 were loaded down with blankets, quilts, bed- 
 ticks, and the thousand unnecessary articles 
 that had accumulated in camp. Some of these 
 were abandoned on nearly every mile from 
 Camp Dennison to Fort Gibson. However, 
 we arrived in Cincinnati in fairly good shape 
 after a march of sixteen miles. We put in 
 the night loading horses and equipments, and 
 as soon as the train was loaded, it pulled out 
 for St. Louis, Missouri, taking with it a small 
 detail of men to take care of the horses. 
 
 After the long and weary night's task, we 
 fell into line and marched to a long train of 
 coaches, and followed our horses westward, 
 passing the stock trains one by one. Fatigued 
 by the march of the day and the night's work, 
 we took to our seats in quite a different way 
 from that of our journey to Camp Wade and 
 Camp Dennison, and most of us soon fell 
 asleep. For want of experience there had 
 been but little proper preparation for the long 
 journey before us, although we had been mak- 
 
Winter Quarters at Camp Dennison 37 
 
 ing ready for several days; yet our prepara- 
 tion had been loss of time, as it did not apply 
 to the required wants of the occasion. The 
 company equipments had been packed and 
 loaded in cars at Camp Dennison, and shipped 
 direct to Fort Leavenworth, and the haver- 
 sacks had been filled with light bread and 
 boiled beef, which had been nearly consumed 
 during the first twenty-four hours. The 
 troopers were mostly young and hardy and 
 soon became hungry. There was a stampede 
 at every station by those who had money, for 
 whatever eatables there were in sight. Ar- 
 rangements had been made by the commissary 
 officers to have meals prepared at two differ- 
 ent places, but that was very tedious for 
 hungry men. The dining-rooms did not af- 
 ford room enough to seat more than two com- 
 panies at a time, and all kinds of trading was 
 resorted to to satisfy the gnawing appetites. 
 There was a great deal of grumbling, but the 
 officers were not blamed for the inconven- 
 ience. Each man took blame to himself for 
 not having provided properly for his own 
 needs, as each man considered he knew just 
 as much as the officer, who, in this case, was 
 often his old schoolmate and neighbor. But 
 with all the privations there were many 
 amusing incidents on the journey. In our 
 company there was a man who had served in 
 the French army, and on such occasions he 
 would always fill up with " Oh, be joyful," 
 and would explain, very emphatically, how 
 
38 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 he could pierce his enemy with his saber. 
 With the drawn weapon in hand he would 
 demonstrate how they used it in the French 
 army, and then he would sing the Marseil- 
 laise. He had a grudge against Captain Hall, 
 and kept showing us just how he would thrust 
 him. The performance, in course of time, 
 became uninteresting, and Brandyburg was 
 relieved of his saber, and settled down to a 
 profound sleep. 
 
 It was a long and tedious journey, for the 
 trains did not glide over the rails as they do 
 nowadays. The track was rough and the ends 
 of the rails were not bound together with iron 
 straps. Every joint was down, and in many 
 places the ties would rise and sink in mud 
 and water as the train passed over them. 
 There was one place where an Illinois regi- 
 ment had been thrown from the track and 
 nearly all killed or injured, while making 
 special time a few days before. 
 
 On the morning of the I9th we arrived at 
 East St. Louis, then known as " Bloody 
 Island." The Mississippi was frozen over, 
 and teams pulling heavy loads were crossing 
 in the same order that they pass on the road 
 or street, but the mayor of the city notified 
 the Colonel that the ice was in a dangerous 
 condition, and anyone venturing upon it did 
 it at his own risk. The river was gradually 
 swelling from melting snow and the rain that 
 was falling. The owners of the ferryboats 
 were aware of the condition and had steam 
 
Winter Quarters at Camp Dennison 39 
 
 ready for work as soon as the ice gave way. 
 It was almost impossible to keep the regiment 
 at Bloody Island, for there was no shelter, no 
 cooking outfit, and the ground was covered 
 with ice and slush. The rain poured down at 
 intervals and wet our blankets and clothes, 
 and there was little wood to build fires. Col- 
 onel Doubleday was not the man to sit down 
 and wait for nature to do its work when his 
 men were in such a horrible plight. He 
 ordered lumber to be purchased and laid on 
 the ice to strengthen it until we could cross. 
 The lumber began to arrive that very day, 
 and on the morning of the 2Oth, after stand- 
 ing around all night, a detail was sent to lay 
 stringers across the river with planks on them 
 bridge fashion. We stood and walked about 
 the banks watching the work progress until 
 about four o'clock, when it was complete. 
 While the men were still on the bridge Col- 
 onel Doubleday, with his staff, came out to 
 inspect it. When they were about half-way 
 across, the ice, with a terrific heave, gave way. 
 Huge blocks, between two and three feet 
 thick, and all lengths and widths from ten to 
 one hundred feet, shot up, and then settled or 
 sank down to take their places with the great 
 mass that crashed and ground together as it 
 floated down in the seething water to disap- 
 pear in the Gulf at the mouth of the Missis- 
 sippi. There was now a rush for life; the 
 officers mounted, and the detail dismounted, 
 rushing for shore. The bridge served a good 
 
4O Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 purpose, for in many places it enabled the 
 men to cross the gaps between the floats. Some 
 of the men farthest from the shore were un- 
 able to escape until after the bridge had en- 
 tirely gone to pieces; some of them, floating 
 down a distance, watched their chances and 
 jumped from one drift to another, until at last 
 all were safe. The shore on both sides of the 
 river was crowded with soldiers and citizens, 
 and the wildest excitement prevailed. Men 
 rushed hither and thither, shouting and 
 screaming all kinds of words of precaution 
 to those in danger; but the roar and creaking 
 of the ice made the din unintelligible, and the 
 men paid no attention to it. Each looked out 
 for himself and secured his own safety, and 
 there was no loss of life or limb. The hos- 
 pital record in the days following told the 
 woeful tale of the devastation of health 
 caused by the working and tramping about 
 and lying around in mud and rain, with little 
 to eat, and many times with nothing. 
 
 During the day we had been treated to all 
 kinds of stories concerning our future, pur- 
 porting to come from officers who knew all 
 about it. Good barracks, good stables for 
 horses, and, above all things, carbines, awaited 
 us in the beautiful beyond. Fortunately, the 
 break up of ice extended only about a mile, 
 and in an hour we were crossing the river in 
 ferryboats that had steamed across it at the 
 first opportunity. We marched through the 
 streets of St. Louis to Benton Barracks, where 
 
Winter Quarters at Camp Dennlson 41 
 
 we arrived in the night and in a drenching 
 rain. Instead of being quartered in com- 
 fortable barracks, after an hour or two of 
 parleying around we were compelled to go in 
 the arena of the fair ground, with no wood 
 for fires to dry our clothes, and no shelter or 
 feed for the horses. We were compelled to 
 lie down on the seats of the arena in wet 
 blankets until morning, when we got some 
 wood. We then proceeded to dry our clothes 
 and blankets, and wait for rations and forage 
 that came later in the day. Our privations 
 and our intense hunger convinced every man 
 that he should know how to cook and care for 
 his own rations. It was very apparent that a 
 company mess arrangement could not be ef- 
 fectually used while on the move, and the 
 service of the regiment must necessarily be 
 very much impaired with cook and rations in 
 one place and hungry men in another. All 
 agreed that a mess of four troopers could carry 
 the necessary cooking utensils and rations for 
 that number, but we were not called on to put 
 this new method into use for many months. 
 
 The Second Illinois and the Second Iowa 
 Cavalry were also camped at Benton Bar- 
 racks. Among them we met many old school- 
 mates and neighbors formerly from Ohio, but 
 now living in Illinois and Iowa. After a de- 
 lay of two days at Benton Barracks, we took 
 up the line of march to St. Charles, a distance 
 of twenty-five miles on the north bank of the 
 Missouri River. The ice was still intact at 
 
42 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 this place, and we marched across in column 
 of fours by deploying to widen the space be- 
 tween the sets so as not to have too much 
 weight on the ice at one time. A large part 
 of the regiment took quarters in the female 
 seminary and the remainder in unoccupied 
 houses wherever they were to be found. 
 Company E occupied a warehouse in the 
 center of the city, with a large lot adjoining, 
 with sheds for the horses. At this place ad- 
 ditional arms were issued, one battalion being 
 provided with revolving rifles and the others 
 with what was called the Australian carbine, 
 which was nothing more than a musket sawed 
 off, making a short muzzle-loading gun with 
 the old-fashioned paper cartridge and the 
 regulation army cap. St. Charles was a lively 
 little city at that time, and seemed to be the 
 rendezvous of all kinds of people. Spies for 
 both armies, desperadoes, gamblers, and spec- 
 ulators collected and made headquarters 
 there. It was useless for one to ask another 
 where he was from, or what he was doing, or 
 if he sympathized with the North or the 
 South. If your question was answered at all, 
 it would be with a shot or a look that would 
 tell you at once it was none of your business. 
 Now that we were armed and equipped, 
 we began to think we had been organized for 
 some purpose, and could venture into the 
 enemy's country. After resting at St. Charles 
 two or three days, observing the ways of the 
 people, which were very different from any- 
 
Winter Quarters at Camp Dennison 43 
 
 thing we had witnessed before, we reloaded 
 our horses and boarded the train for another 
 long journey by rail. It was the custom for 
 the field officers, and such line officers as they 
 saw fit to invite, to occupy the rear coach, 
 which was done on this occasion. About day- 
 light it was noticed that the coach had been 
 detached and left behind. At the first stop- 
 ping-place the train was side-tracked and the 
 engine went back to pick up the lost officers. 
 It found them twenty miles back, in the mid- 
 dle of a large snow-covered prairie, sur- 
 rounded by horsemen at a long range, who 
 had intended an attack, but for some reason 
 had delayed until too late. It was presumed 
 to be some roving band of guerrillas, of which 
 there were many at that time, and one of their 
 spies, who had been in St. Charles, had 
 boarded the train in uniform, and when they 
 had come into the neighborhood of their 
 band, he had pulled the coupling-pin and 
 made his escape while the officers were sleep- 
 ing. Most all of those bands had confed- 
 erates in St. Charles and St. Louis. In fact, 
 Quantrill, a most desperate leader of one of 
 the bands, was at that very moment on our 
 train, enlisted as a member of a company. 
 We will speak of him hereafter. 
 
 The weather was bitter cold, and it was im- 
 possible to have any comfort in the moving 
 train, as it was tickety-tick and bumpety-bump 
 as the wheels passed from one rail to another. 
 At Hudson, now Macon City, we fed and re- 
 
44 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 loaded on the Hannibal & St. Jo road. We 
 found some Missouri troops stationed there, 
 and they extended us a hearty welcome and 
 rendered all assistance they could, and gave 
 us much information of the kind of enemy we 
 had to meet, their methods of warfare, and 
 so on. After a delay of forty hours we again 
 moved westward. After leaving Hudson our 
 journey was marked by ruins of bridges and 
 smoking embers of houses, for the bush- 
 whackers and guerrillas had been busy every- 
 where, waging war and devastating every- 
 thing they came in reach of. Neighbor 
 against neighbor, with knife and gun, they cut 
 and shot each other to pieces. At every bridge 
 or crossing there was a blockhouse occupied 
 by a guard of soldiers to save the bridge from 
 destruction. At the crossing of the Platte 
 River a full regiment was stationed, and a 
 strong stockade and blockhouses had been 
 erected for its defense. A few days previous 
 this bridge, while unguarded, had been partly 
 burned, and a train loaded with soldiers had 
 run into the river, causing great loss of life. 
 Our train arrived at Weston, Missouri, on 
 January 30, where we caught up with our 
 culinary department, and then we were served 
 with the first hot meal for seven days. 
 
 Weston is at the extreme end of the Hanni- 
 bal & St. Jo R. R., and was, at that time, many 
 miles beyond any other railroad. After tak- 
 ing a little rest, we marched to Platte City, a 
 distance of six or seven miles. There were 
 
JV inter Quarters at Camp Denmson 45 
 
 still a few patches of snow and the road was 
 covered with ice. Before we reached our 
 destination we were treated to one of those 
 freaks of weather peculiar to that section of the 
 country a heavy thunderstorm, that made 
 day as dark as night. It continued about 
 thirty minutes, and then with a sudden change 
 of the wind it began to snow, and by the time 
 we were all quartered there were three inches 
 of snow on the ground. At Platte City the 
 regiment began to make history. We were 
 ordered by a dispatch from the commanding 
 officer at Leavenworth to quell a factional 
 fight which had resulted in the killing of sev- 
 eral men and the burning of some houses. 
 
 Platte City was one of the oldest towns in 
 Missouri, and had been for many years a fit- 
 ting-out and resting-place for freighters and 
 emigrants crossing the plains. In the palmy 
 days, with the aid of slave labor and slave 
 trade, the inhabitants had accumulated much 
 wealth. The buildings, both business and 
 residence, were well built and handsome, and 
 the people lived in luxury and ease. After 
 the time of the border troubles of '56 between 
 the free-State and pro-slavery parties, there 
 was a division of sentiment, and after the war 
 of '61 had been declared, factional fights were 
 of common occurrence. They caused a great 
 exodus, and when we took possession of the 
 place there was scarcely a man or a horse to 
 be seen. Large livery barns, of which there 
 were several, were empty, and made com- 
 
46 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 modious and comfortable places for our 
 horses. There were plenty of empty houses 
 to quarter two or three regiments, but they 
 were not very suitable for soldiers' quarters. 
 Many rooms had no place for fire, and others 
 had but a small fireplace, not suitable to cook 
 for so many men. A fierce snowstorm raged 
 for twenty-four hours. It was impossible to 
 build a fire and cook outdoors. The men were 
 compelled to gather around the few and small 
 fires we were able to make in the fireplaces. 
 It soon became known that provisions were 
 scarce in the town, and the women remaining 
 at home, whose husbands had gone to the 
 army, were glad of the opportunity to cook, 
 and take the surplus rations. The surplus 
 would maintain them, as it was large in such 
 things as beans, rice, hominy, and bacon, all 
 of which had accumulated, as we had had no 
 chance to cook for several days. This ar- 
 rangement proved very convenient for both 
 soldiers and citizens. We were all pleased 
 with our stay in Platte City. 
 
 Notwithstanding the severe cold weather, 
 our experience was novel and varied. It was 
 new and interesting to the boys from the rural 
 districts of Ohio, and taught us to be vigilant 
 soldiers. The first real eye-opener was the 
 disappearance, while on the road from Weston 
 to Platte City, of a man who had made his 
 appearance at headquarters in St. Charles and 
 asked to be enlisted in the regiment. He con- 
 clusively proved to Colonel Doubleday that 
 
Winter Quarters at Camp Dennison 47 
 
 he was well acquainted with the western part 
 of Missouri and eastern Kansas, and had been 
 compelled to leave home on account of his 
 Union principles. The Colonel, thinking he 
 would be of valuable service and wishing to 
 do something to gratify a Union man, enlisted 
 him and assigned him to a company. It has 
 since been learned that the man was no other 
 than the noted Quantrill. The first move on 
 entering the town, the Colonel put guards in 
 all parts and notified all parties that private 
 rights would be protected. A favorable senti- 
 ment was thereby cultivated in a very short 
 time. Many Union flags appeared. Some of 
 the flags were painted in water colors so that 
 they could be washed in case it was necessary. 
 This enlightened us on another point. It 
 proved that people were compelled to guide 
 their actions in accordance with the surround- 
 ing conditions, and it was necessary to have 
 two flags in one family. As this had to be 
 practiced by both parties it was not often that 
 one would publicly make known the actions 
 of the other. If this were done the informer 
 would surely meet a tragic fate. Company 
 D and Company G were sent to guard im- 
 portant and strategic points some distance 
 away. Scouting parties and patrolling guards 
 were constantly patrolling the town and the 
 country to protect the Union people. Pick- 
 ets were stationed on all the roads to prevent 
 the command from being surprised by the 
 marauders. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 MY FIRST PICKET DUTY 
 
 MY first picket duty was performed 
 here during the first week of our 
 sojourn. Our company was called 
 on every day for a detail to scout or 
 do picket duty. When it came my turn, a full 
 detail, with Corporal Arnold in charge, sad- 
 dled horses, and with instructions from the 
 adjutant, moved out on a public road and re- 
 lieved the guards there. It was a bitter cold 
 day, and during the night the ice would rise up 
 and pop open in the road where it had been 
 tramped down by the horses. The instruc- 
 tions required that one man must be constantly 
 in the saddle and at a short distance in ad- 
 vance of the dismounted men. We relied a 
 great deal on our corporal. He had seen 
 active service in Virginia during the first 
 three months' campaign. Our surroundings 
 were very different here in Missouri. There 
 were no large armies in close proximity, but 
 the country was infested with bands of guer- 
 rillas, whose deeds of daring and miraculous 
 adventure could not be surpassed by the 
 knights or gladiators of old. Those parties 
 were not confined to the army alone; some 
 were secessionists, and others Union, while 
 
 48 
 
My First Picket Duty 49 
 
 others were, strictly speaking, seeking revenge 
 for actual or supposed wrongs perpetrated on 
 themselves or families, and still others were 
 depredating for the spoils. They were con- 
 stantly making raids, driving off stock, and 
 carrying off provisions of every kind, robbing 
 and burning houses, and it was no uncommon 
 thing for one or two to ride along the road 
 like innocent people, get into conversation 
 with the sentinel, and at the first opportunity 
 get the drop on and capture him. The whole 
 party would then make their appearance from 
 the woods or some place where they had been 
 secreted, and charge into the camp, yelling 
 and shooting, killing men and driving off the 
 stock, and burning nouses. 
 
 We had been attentive listeners to these 
 stories from the time we crossed the Missis- 
 sippi, and, therefore, knew the necessity of 
 constant alertness. We took turns on mounted 
 guard during the day, and one at a time would 
 go to town for his meals, but at night no one 
 was allowed to dismount but the corporal. 
 The trying ordeal was terrible during the long 
 winter nights, but our safety depended upon 
 our vigilance. After hearing of so many dar- 
 ing adventures and hairbreadth escapes, to 
 verify which there were plenty of facts in evi- 
 dence, we had about come to the conclusion 
 that nothing was impossible, and we deter- 
 mined that no such accident should happen 
 to us from neglect of duty. We can now re- 
 fer with pride to the fact that we were not 
 
50 Four Years 'with Five Armies 
 
 surprised and that we lost no stock during 
 the campaign in the West. How we kept 
 from freezing is a wonder. We bundled up 
 our feet and patted them on the bottom of the 
 stirrups, and swung our arms, but the suffer- 
 ing was almost unbearable. 
 
 I was not very anxious to engage in a skir- 
 mish, but sometimes I would try to make my- 
 self believe that I would rather see the enemy 
 charging up the road than to remain there for 
 the remainder of the night. I think the light 
 of day has never been so welcome to me as it 
 was on those clear frosty mornings. The sun 
 rose and shone brightly, and at nine o'clock 
 we were relieved, and went to our quarters 
 with the satisfaction of having been fully in- 
 itiated to picket duty in the enemy's country. 
 
 As our regiment was destined to be a part 
 of an expedition to move farther to the south 
 and west, and as we were now at the extreme 
 end of the railroad, other kind of transporta- 
 tion for supplies and baggage had to be pro- 
 vided. Mules and wagons were brought over 
 from Fort Leavenworth. D. H. Arnold, 
 quartermaster-sergeant of Company E, was 
 promoted to be regimental trainmaster. He 
 began at once to fit out a regimental train. 
 He was, perhaps, the only man in the com- 
 mand who could throw a lasso on a wild mule, 
 or, as the modern cowboy would say, put " the 
 tug" on a broncho. He proved a valuable 
 man in that capacity, and performed his duty 
 long and well. The fitting out of the train 
 
My First Picket Duty 51 
 
 interested me very much. I would go to the 
 corral every day to see them handle the wild 
 mules. Arnold offered me a team to drive, 
 but, as it did not compare very favorably with 
 my notion of a cavalryman, I promptly de- 
 clined. 
 
 The company mess was yet in vogue, and as 
 the cooking-vessels were large and could not 
 be carried by the detachments that went on 
 long trips, many men suffered for want of 
 food. But with all the privations there were 
 many fond ties connected with the sojourn 
 here. Many of the boys kept up a corre- 
 spondence with people there, and some later 
 went back and married young ladies with 
 whom they became acquainted at Platte City. 
 On the 1 8th of February we left Platte City 
 and marched to Fort Leavenworth, where we 
 arrived six weeks from the time the orders 
 were received at Camp Dennison to report 
 forthwith to the commander at that fort. 
 
 We were quartered in the regulation bar- 
 racks, and the horses were sheltered in good 
 stables. Here we learned something about 
 regular army life, as there were some regular 
 troops doing post duty. Leavenworth was the 
 fitting-out place for all Government expedi- 
 tions for the South and West. Large quanti- 
 ties of clothing, rations, and forage were con- 
 stantly being shipped up the river and stored 
 there until they could be loaded on wagons 
 drawn by six mules, and sent to their destina- 
 tions. These trains were numerous, and usu- 
 
52 Four Years 'with Five Armies 
 
 ally consisted of sixty wagons, some of which 
 made long journeys to Salt Lake and other 
 points. It was not uncommon for the trains 
 to be gone a year before reporting back for 
 another load. They were frequently at- 
 tacked by Indians, who would drive off or 
 kill some, and, at times, all of their mules. 
 
 During our stay at Leavenworth we saw an 
 old soldier drummed out of camp. One side 
 of his head was shaved and a big D branded 
 on his skin, denoting that he was a deserter. 
 This brought a new problem before us, and 
 some of us discussed the question whether it 
 was or was not our duty to defend a govern- 
 ment that treated men in that manner. I be- 
 lieve we did not reach any definite conclusion. 
 I know it is not fully settled in my mind yet; 
 but the stirring events allowed no time for 
 much thought and it was soon forgotten. 
 
 The ordnance officer at the fort had six 
 field-pieces with caissons and harness, but no 
 horses or men to handle them. When the 
 officer in charge saw the fine horses of the 
 Second Ohio, he proposed to Colonel Double- 
 day that he let him have enough to fit him out. 
 The proposition was made to the men, and 
 there was a call for volunteers. Enough men 
 responded at once. To my surprise and regret 
 one of our messmen volunteered, Theodore 
 Campbell. He was one of the most reliable 
 men in the company, of a quiet disposition, 
 and one from whom we had never heard a 
 word of discontent or complaint. He said 
 
My First Picket Duty 53 
 
 afterward that when he saw that battery stand- 
 ing there the day we came, he thought how he 
 would like to be one of the men to go with it. 
 This appeared strange to me, for money could 
 not have hired me to leave my fleet-footed 
 animal and go with those lumbering wagons 
 with a big log of iron on them. 
 
 We were not destined to stay at Leaven- 
 worth long. The post quartermaster was fit- 
 ting out a train of more than a hundred wag- 
 ons, the destination of which was Fort Scott, 
 Kansas, and the Second Ohio was to be its 
 escort. 
 
 When everything was ready the roads were 
 very bad. The frost had come out of the 
 ground, but, as the supplies were needed at 
 Fort Scott, it was necessary to put them on 
 the road. On the i9th of February we moved 
 out. The horses looked well, having had good 
 stables and plenty of feed, and having been 
 well groomed every day, both at Platte City 
 and Fort Leavenworth. We had every rea- 
 son to be proud of our mounts. We were in 
 a country where the people were used to see- 
 ing cavalry, and they all agreed that we were 
 the best-mounted troops they had ever seen. 
 Our route lay along the east line of Kansas. 
 With the bands of bushwhackers and marau- 
 ders infesting the country it was essential to 
 have troops to protect the trains from being 
 plundered. The train moved slowly, and 
 there was plenty of time for scouting parties 
 to patrol the roads. 
 
54 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 A few miles from the fort, when we left the 
 pike, the roads were very soft, and the wagons 
 sank to the axles in many places. The train 
 strung out for miles, and did not all meet at 
 the same camp. This necessitated a division 
 of the regiment. One battalion was in ad- 
 vance, one in the center, and one in the rear. 
 The battalion to which Company E belonged 
 happened to be in advance. On the evening 
 of the second day we camped at Wyandotte, 
 twenty-eight miles from Fort Leavenworth, 
 on the west side of the Kaw River, and di- 
 rectly opposite Kansas City, Missouri. The 
 officers and men soon made their appearance 
 on the streets and in the hotels of Kansas City, 
 and at that time there were many refugees 
 there. Some were business men of Inde- 
 pendence and other towns who had been com- 
 pelled to leave their homes because of their 
 Union sentiments. 
 
 A delegation of them waited on Colonel 
 Doubleday, and explained to him that Quan- 
 trill with a band of about a hundred men was 
 camped a few miles from Independence, 
 twelve miles from Kansas City, and that he 
 was in the habit of riding into town every 
 night and running it to suit his own notions. 
 They had, with the aid of companies of local 
 troops, tried to dislodge him, but in the many 
 engagements he had always come out victo- 
 rious. They said they would go and act as 
 guides and scouts, and fight as well as the 
 troops, if the Colonel would give them the 
 
CHARLES GRANDISON FAIRCHI^D 
 
 Second Ohio Volunteer Cavalry 
 
 PACING 54 
 
My First Picket Duty 55 
 
 opportunity. But he said a move of that kind 
 had to be made with the utmost caution and 
 secrecy. If a hint should be dropped to any- 
 one in sympathy with the South, notice would 
 reach the band before a detail could start. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 MY FIRST SKIRMISH 
 
 AFTER we had answered to our names 
 at retreat the next day, the captain 
 said there was to be a scouting party 
 to make a night raid, and the major 
 wanted ten men from Company E. He 
 wanted to know if that number would step to 
 the front as volunteers. I was standing in the 
 front rank, and I stepped to the front as quick 
 as possible, but was not there any too soon, 
 for twenty were there as soon as I, with more 
 coming. The captain ordered all but ten to 
 break ranks. As no one disputed my right, I 
 was permitted to go as one of the detail. A 
 sergeant was put in command, with instruc- 
 tions to put us in light marching order and re- 
 port to Lieutenant Nettleton. It was neces- 
 sary to have in charge of that detail an officer 
 who had seen some active service, and Lieu- 
 tenant Nettleton was the only one in our bat- 
 talion who had been on a scout of any 
 importance. He had been with Captain 
 Welch on a few days' scout in Kentucky, but 
 as they did not engage the enemy his experi- 
 ence was of little or no value to him on this 
 occasion. It was nine o'clock when we 
 marched down the street of Kansas City, 
 
 56 
 
My First Skirmish 57 
 
 where we were joined by a party of citizens 
 of Independence. They were well mounted 
 and armed, dressed in hunting-suits, and 
 looked every inch the men they afterward 
 proved themselves to be. They took the ad- 
 vance and did the scouting. The road from 
 Kansas City to Independence is a limestone 
 pike, and the hillsides and shady places were 
 covered with ice. Our horses were sharp- 
 shod, but the ice was thin and gave way in 
 many places. 
 
 A drizzling rain fell all night, but we ar- 
 rived at our destination about three o'clock 
 in the morning. It was as dark as Egypt. 
 Our guides were well acquainted with their 
 position, and we at once surrounded a livery 
 stable in which it was the custom of Quantrill 
 and his men to stable their horses while they 
 stayed in town; and they usually, it seemed, 
 came there to sleep in the loft. It was the plan 
 of our guides to catch them in that position, 
 as it was a bad night to be out, but to our dis- 
 appointment the stable was vacant. Some of 
 the scouts visited their homes, and returned 
 with the information that Quantrill had not 
 been in that night, but he was expected for 
 breakfast. We sat on our horses in anxious 
 expectation until daylight, which was at a 
 late hour owing to the heavy fog that had set- 
 tled down after the rain. Meantime, Lieu- 
 tenant Nettleton had stationed some of the de- 
 tail in different parts of the town unknown to 
 the rest of us. He then marched the remain- 
 
5 8 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 der of the detail out into the country about a 
 half-mile and turned into a meadow. Two 
 large stack-pens were in the center of the 
 meadow, and we were ordered to tie up to 
 the fence, loosen the girths, and feed corn from 
 an adjoining field. After the horses were fed 
 we ate our hardtack and bacon. The Lieu- 
 tenant had ridden away to a farmhouse some 
 distance from the stack-pen to feed his horse 
 and get his breakfast. As we had been in the 
 saddle all night, some of us had stretched our- 
 selves out on the hay to take a nap. I had been 
 lying down but a few moments when the sharp 
 report of a rifle and a revolver told us that 
 Quantrill had come to town for breakfast. We 
 sprang to our horses, put on the bridles, tight- 
 ened the saddles, mounted, and were off for 
 town, pell-mell, every man for himself, try- 
 ing to see who could get there first. 
 
 I was not the first in the saddle, but I was 
 first to gain the road. As I turned into it I 
 met Shorty Armstrong coming at full speed, 
 shouting at the top of his voice, " Quantrill 
 is in town!" As we passed some residences 
 on the street I saw one of our guides entering 
 his door with his revolver in his right hand 
 and a stream of blood running down the fin- 
 gers of his left hand. 
 
 "All right, Mr. Quantrill; the Second 
 Ohio will settle with you for that!" The 
 thought had scarcely passed my mind, when 
 I saw Quantrill's men pouring out of a cross- 
 street and down the very one we were entering. 
 
My First Skirmish 59 
 
 The fog was rising a little, and as the distance 
 was only about three blocks, we could see 
 them very distinctly. They were going as 
 fast as we were, down hill into the creek where 
 the fog still hung on the low ground, and for 
 a minute or two they were lost to view. The 
 street terminated at the creek, and the road 
 turned down and followed the bed about one 
 hundred yards, and then turned at right 
 angles on a little flat at that time covered with 
 water. They were quick to take advantage of 
 this spot, and turned to make a stand. The 
 creek was swollen and deep enough to come 
 half-way up to the horses' sides. I saw this, 
 and was going too fast to dash into it, for 
 that would surely have thrown my mare from 
 her feet. I reined her to the left on a vacant 
 lot that terminated abruptly at the creek about 
 twelve feet above the water and about one 
 hundred yards from the enemy. We began 
 to exchange shots without any further cere- 
 mony, and the rapid firing to my left told the 
 effectual work our scouts were doing, who had 
 taken a short cut and were at the creek below 
 us. I was now surrounded by our detail, and 
 we were all emptying our guns as rapidly as 
 possible, when I saw the men that had come 
 down the hill last were entering the creek. 
 When QuantriU's men turned and began to 
 run, I dashed into the creek, and my animal, 
 true to her instinct as a racer, was bound to do 
 her best to be in the lead. As we came out in 
 shallow water with fearful bounds, she leaped 
 
60 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 over the body of one of the enemy that had 
 fallen on his back and was nearly covered with 
 water. It was the first dead Johnny I ever 
 saw. They had made another stand at the 
 foot of the hill, and I heard the words, " Halt, 
 halt, surrender!" I came to a halt, and on 
 looking back I saw our men, some already 
 dismounted, with their guns through the 
 fence, taking prisoners. It was the enemy's 
 intention to win a victory by making a stand 
 in that place. Some had dismounted and 
 crouched behind the fence, but we had made 
 such an effectual dash on them that when 
 their mounted men gave way the riderless 
 horses went with them, and left their riders to 
 their fate. Four or five dead men lay there, 
 to say nothing of the wounded who had made 
 their escape. The result showed the effect of 
 the firing from raw troops. 
 
 When the prisoners had been gathered to- 
 gether, we began to look around to see where 
 we were, and after pinching ourselves to see 
 if we were alive or dead, we concluded we 
 were somewhere. Just at that moment our 
 noble commander appeared and wanted to 
 know what was the matter with us, but when 
 he saw a half-dozen prisoners and as many 
 dead lying about, he concluded not to lecture 
 us on military discipline. After hearing all 
 the particulars, he ordered a forward move- 
 ment, and taking the advance at a very moder- 
 ate gait we went in the direction the enemy 
 had gone. The men appeared to chafe under 
 
My First Skirmish 61 
 
 this unnecessary delay. If he had not come 
 we would have started some minutes earlier 
 and at a more rapid gait, and we would doubt- 
 less have engaged and defeated Quantrill. 
 My animal, having had one heat, was eager 
 for another; she was champing the bit, scat- 
 tering froth at every toss of the head, dancing 
 and prancing until the white foam was drop- 
 ping to the ground. All this was so annoying 
 to the Lieutenant that he looked at me with 
 a scowl on his face, and ordered me to keep 
 my horse back where it belonged. After 
 traveling about half a mile we came upon the 
 dead body of one of our boys. He had been 
 shot in the back and pitched forward, the 
 cape of his coat falling over his head. I did 
 not know how he had come there, but some- 
 one suggested that his horse had run away 
 and carried him into the lines of the enemy. 
 Taking this to be true, we dismissed it from 
 our minds. Two men took his body back to 
 town, and the column moved on. 
 
 I, for one, and I believe also the others, 
 expected to hear the order to gallop, that we 
 might dash into the retreating foe and avenge 
 the death of our fallen companion. But it 
 was apparent that there was no such order 
 ready-made. We traveled on another half- 
 mile, it seemed to me at a snail's pace. At 
 that point there was heavy timber on both 
 sides of the road, with a heavy rail fence on 
 the right side but no fence on the left. A few 
 hundred yards ahead and to the left a point 
 
62 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 of the mountain terminated with a steep bluff, 
 known as Bald Knob. The thought must have 
 entered every man's mind at the same time, 
 for it was easy to distinguish many suppressed 
 voices saying, " Look out! they will ambush us 
 here." The next thought was to throw down 
 the fence and go around and attack in the 
 rear, but this was an idle thought. The Lieu- 
 tenant suddenly ordered us to halt. We came 
 to a standstill. An ashy paleness spread over 
 the commander's face as he gazed at the death- 
 dealing hill, and he remarked that the enemy 
 had a good start of us and it was no use to 
 follow them now. It is doubtful if one man 
 agreed with him on that point, as no one be- 
 lieved that Quantrill had taken any start of us 
 with the intention of making an escape. We 
 afterward learned that this was no mere con- 
 jecture, for the enemy had left their horses 
 a half mile beyond the hill, and had made 
 their way back through a cornfield, and were 
 waiting at the hill for a foe that never came. 
 It was, however, a victory for us and the 
 people of that locality. Quantrill disap- 
 peared and never afterward harassed the 
 people of Independence. 
 
 After returning to town the dead and 
 wounded were to be cared for, and as 
 we had no ambulance, light wagons were 
 procured, and when the preparation was 
 being made details in small squads went back 
 to pick up the camp equipments we had so 
 unceremoniously left at the stack-pen. 
 
My First Skirmish 63 
 
 About three o'clock we said good-by to 
 Independence, with the loss of one soldier 
 killed and three or four scouts killed and 
 wounded. As we were riding back to Kan- 
 sas City someone told me about the detail 
 being stationed in town to do guard duty; the 
 man we met at the bars and the one killed on 
 the road being a part of that one going to 
 warn us, and the other having been captured 
 and taken away by Quantrill's men. 
 
 By forced march we arrived in camp about 
 dark. The wagon-train not having all ar- 
 rived, and as it was raining more or less, the 
 command was compelled to remain until the 
 mud had settled. It turned cold, however, 
 and froze hard enough to bear the horses on 
 top of the crust. It was my misfortune to be 
 detailed on picket duty one of the cold nights, 
 and it was not much improvement on the first 
 night of picket duty at Platte City. We con- 
 tinually heard reports of intended night at- 
 tacks, and we were required to remain in the 
 saddle and keep quiet all night. It was not 
 considered necessary to keep pickets out dur- 
 ing the day, as there was no large force near 
 and a small force would not venture to attack 
 so large a force in open day. 
 
 We were now duly initiated and accepted, 
 and we were considered competent to take 
 part in frontier warfare. We came in daily 
 contact with ways and customs new and odd 
 to us, and with a conglomeration of peo- 
 ple, such as the ex-slave, Indians of vari- 
 
64 Four Years 'with Five Armies 
 
 ous tribes, Mexicans and other foreigners that 
 hailed from every corner of the globe people 
 who had come to the New World seeking 
 fortune or adventure. We soon became fa- 
 miliar with their ways, and were treated to 
 many exhibitions of skilled horsemanship, 
 marksmanship with gun and revolver, throw- 
 ing the lasso and such things. Among the 
 most noted of these reckless, all-around per- 
 formers was a Texan whose raven black hair 
 covered his shoulders. While riding at full 
 speed he would gracefully drop down, hook 
 the rowel of his spur in the cantle of the sad- 
 dle, and drag his hair on the ground. For 
 hours at a time we sat and watched the per- 
 formances of these men and listened to the 
 stories of the daring deeds accomplished along 
 the Kansas and Missouri line between 1856 
 and 1862. We also learned the names of many 
 things about the equipment in daily use by the 
 Western people. 
 
 When the mud had settled we moved out, 
 keeping the route that had been followed by 
 Colonel Denison the year before. It lies on 
 the Missouri side of the line. All that was 
 left to remind one that the country had pre- 
 viously been inhabited were a few fence rails, 
 orchards, and the old-fashioned chimneys that 
 stood to mark the places where the planters' 
 houses had been. 
 
 When we arrived at the State line we were 
 greeted by the troops stationed there, amongst 
 them the Tenth Kansas Infantry, many of its 
 
My First Skirmish 65 
 
 members being from Ohio, our old neighbors 
 and schoolmates. Some of them had settled 
 in Kansas, and others had enlisted in Ohio 
 with the express purpose of joining and cam- 
 paigning with the noted Jim Lane in the 
 year 1861. They had been in the West a long 
 distance from home and far from railroads for 
 many months, and were greatly rejoiced at see- 
 ing so many from their old homes. It had 
 been some months since we had been at home, 
 but the news we brought was new to them. 
 The scenes of boyhood days returned fresh to 
 our memory as we sat by the camp fire and 
 talked of home and friends we had not seen 
 for so long, many of whom we were destined 
 never to meet again. It would be impossible 
 to give an adequate idea of the feelings the 
 rehearsal of the tales of the schoolboy days 
 awakened in the bosoms of those strong men 
 who had entered upon a life of the most in- 
 tense hardship, privation, and almost certain 
 death. It is not likely that a similar oppor- 
 tunity will ever be offered to the coming gen- 
 erations. The country is now settled with 
 many improvements, interspersed with cities, 
 towns, and villages, with a network of rail- 
 roads and telegraph lines. At that time west 
 of the Missouri line was a vast plain, the most 
 of which was prairie covered with buffalo, 
 deer, antelope, myriads of small game, and 
 the favorite haunt of the red man. Travel 
 was by the use of private conveyances, and 
 was tedious and uncertain. The distances 
 
66 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 from place to place were frequently very long. 
 The teams employed, often oxen, became tired, 
 and had to be rested, or long delays were oc- 
 casioned by swollen streams. The utmost cau- 
 tion and watchfulness were necessary to keep 
 the stock from straying away or being driven 
 off by the Indians or border ruffians who in- 
 fested the country. It is hard to realize the 
 difference between thirty-five years ago and 
 to-day. Where you now count your traveling 
 by hours as you glide over the rails, you then 
 counted it by weeks and often months. Hun- 
 dreds started, never to reach their destination, 
 leaving their bones to decay on the bleaching 
 plains. 
 
 The only public conveyance used on the 
 military roads between the forts was the lum- 
 bering stage-coach drawn by four or six ani- 
 mals. The stages carried the mail and the 
 Government officers from post to post. As 
 they had to contend with some of the difficul- 
 ties that beset the private conveyances, they 
 were often delayed, sometimes plundered of 
 everything of any value, and left to make their 
 way as best they could. 
 
 The troops at the State line were compelled 
 to depend upon their own efforts in great 
 measure for their supplies, which were se- 
 cured and brought from Missouri, and these 
 supplies were often confiscated from slave 
 owners and Southern sympathizers, and had 
 to be brought a distance of fifty or sixty miles. 
 Small parties of ten or twelve went on foot, 
 
My First Skirmish 67 
 
 marching by night, and secreting themselves 
 by day, until they came to the plantation 
 where was an abundance of such things as 
 they wanted. They would then make their 
 presence known to the slaves, and enlist them 
 as confederates. The slaves were always ready 
 and willing accomplices, for it meant freedom 
 for them to gain the Kansas line. Two or 
 three days of preparation were often required. 
 The soldiers were always secreted in some 
 secure place until the time arrived to move. 
 When everything was ready, as soon as it was 
 dark, the men would enter the planter's house, 
 take possession of all the firearms, turn them 
 over to the blacks, and everything on the 
 plantation that was movable was set in mo- 
 tion. The blacks would hitch up the teams, 
 and load the wagons with flour, meat, beans, 
 potatoes in fact, everything that was of any 
 value. By morning they would be many 
 miles on their road. Sometimes the planters 
 would collect a crowd, follow, and attack 
 them in an effort to regain the lost property; 
 but it usually proved a failure, and the attack- 
 ing party suffered heavy loss. The men who 
 went on such expeditions were brave and de- 
 termined, and armed with the Sharp rifle, the 
 best that was in use at that time; while the 
 Missourians were chiefly armed with revol- 
 vers, shotguns, and an occasional Kentucky 
 rifle. It happened now and then that a force 
 superior in number was able to accomplish 
 its object. 
 
68 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 I listened to the story of one man who was 
 with a party, and, while on the road with their 
 booty, were surrounded by superior numbers, 
 of which a part was a band of bushwhackers. 
 After a hard-fought battle that lasted several 
 hours, they made their escape under the cover 
 of night by separating to meet at a ford known 
 to all of them on the Osage River. They 
 crawled through the lines, leaving half their 
 number and many of the blacks dead on the 
 field. When they met at the appointed place, 
 fatigued and reduced to the small number of 
 five, they were in a deplorable plight; but as 
 the only object of their expedition was sup- 
 plies, to return to camp empty handed was not 
 to be thought of. They at once set off on a 
 return trip to the settlements, and made an- 
 other effort which proved more successful. 
 
 We remained at the State line several days 
 to rest the teams, which were very much fa- 
 tigued from dragging the heavily loaded 
 wagons over the heavy roads. This country 
 was destined to make a great record in his- 
 tory. It was here John Brown commenced 
 and fought the border war of 1856, which had 
 then lasted for nearly six years. 
 
 When the teams had rested we moved to- 
 ward the south until we reached our destina- 
 tion. Our principal labor was camp guard, 
 with a few scouting parties daily sent out for 
 one purpose or another. 
 
 We finally arrived at Fort Scott, situated 
 on the west side of the Marmiton River. 
 
My First Skirmish 69 
 
 Camp was pitched on Bourbon Creek, south 
 of the fort. Our horses were in good condi- 
 tion, and everything went pretty well until 
 the rainy season set in during the latter part 
 of March. The supply of grain we had 
 brought with us gave out, and we had to de- 
 pend on foraging in Missouri for a supply. 
 We had to go fifty or sixty miles, and with 
 the heavy roads and swollen streams there was 
 no dependence to be put on the time we 
 would return. The horses were put on short 
 allowance, often not having more than four 
 ears of corn a day. These were given at two 
 feeds, with no fodder of any kind. Stand- 
 ing in the mud, they began to fail in flesh and 
 strength, and were soon reduced to a very bad 
 condition. The company wagons were used 
 to haul the supply of wood from the bottom 
 of the Marmiton River. Each company 
 would send six men to cut and load the wagon 
 with logs and poles fourteen or fifteen feet 
 long. The team would return to camp and 
 come for another load after dinner. This 
 work fell to the men who did not get up in 
 time to answer to their names at roll call, and 
 was a great benefit to the horses, for they got 
 the opportunity to be released from the muddy 
 camp, and could browse the now spreading 
 buds and tender limbs. Wishing to keep my 
 mare in the best possible condition, I would 
 lie in bed every morning in order to be de- 
 tailed with the wood-train. The plan worked 
 all right until it was noticed that three or four 
 
70 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 were going every day, and then regular de- 
 tails were made that all might have an equal 
 opportunity. There was some joke about this 
 change of front, as it was usually considered 
 a penalty for being tardy. 
 
 When working with the wood-train we 
 learned a new trick that was of some benefit 
 and much satisfaction to us, if it was not 
 profitable to the few settlers who had cows 
 that ranged on the river. Having practiced 
 more or less with the lasso, we were able to 
 catch the cows, fill our canteens with milk, 
 and so enjoyed nourishment and luxury com- 
 bined. 
 
 When the rainy season was over the camp 
 was moved to a flat near the river. The grass 
 sprang up rapidly, and half of the men would 
 go each day and picket the horses, and remain 
 with them all day. An iron spike fourteen 
 inches long with a link on one end to which 
 a rope was attached and tied to the halter, was 
 driven into the ground, and ordinarily was 
 sufficient to hold them. But one day Com- 
 pany E's horses stampeded and broke the 
 ropes or pulled the pins and ran away, and it 
 was some hours before they were rounded up. 
 This was termed picketing the horses. Many 
 pranks and various kinds of sport were in- 
 dulged in. Some of the boys formed ac- 
 quaintance with the settlers, and went to dine 
 with them. One evening when our company 
 came in it was short two men. Instead of 
 picketing their horses they had obtained leave 
 
My First Skirmish Ji 
 
 of the officers in charge to visit some friends 
 living on the Leavenworth road, some dis- 
 tance from the river. We were not held to 
 very strict discipline, so no one thought it 
 strange when the men did not answer to their 
 names at retreat; but as they were not there 
 at tattoo, they were reported absent without 
 leave. Next morning there was an order to 
 send after them, as it was believed by some 
 they had taken that plan to get away, and were 
 now on their way to Ohio with twenty-four 
 hours' start. Lieutenant Rush, Sergeant 
 Harris, Private Nesbit, and myself were de- 
 tailed to go in pursuit. 
 
 Our horses had picked up a little on the 
 fresh grass, and mine, as usual, was prancing, 
 tossing her head, trying to get some advantage 
 in order to run. Lieutenant Rush, who was 
 fond of racing, owned a good horse and in- 
 dulged in the sport with the other officers 
 every Saturday on a track that had been pre- 
 pared and kept by the regular officers at the 
 post. After we had got out of camp and on 
 the way he said that an officer in the regiment 
 had a horse that had beat his and he wanted to 
 get one that could outrun his contestant's. He 
 asked me if I thought my mare was fast. I 
 assured him that in my judgment she was; 
 that she could beat anything in the command. 
 He said with my consent he would place a 
 wager on her when we returned. I gave my 
 consent, and then the conversation turned to 
 the mission we were on. 
 
72 Four Years 'with Five Armies 
 
 We laid plans to leave our horses at Leaven- 
 worth and take the cars for Ohio, each going 
 home to search the locality and to have a good 
 time. I did not take any stock in the opinion 
 that the two men had gone, but did not say 
 as much. I joined in with the plan and hoped 
 we would miss them, and, while they would 
 be back in camp, we would make the trip. 
 We were exultingly planning, but we were 
 doomed to disappointment. When we had 
 traveled four miles we met the two men walk- 
 ing quietly and unsuspectingly, leading their 
 horses, talking and laughing about the good 
 time they had had with the young ladies they 
 had been visiting. It was a sore disappoint- 
 ment to us, but had to be endured, and we re- 
 turned to camp with our prisoners. The next 
 Saturday night I had the satisfaction of know- 
 ing that my animal had outrun the fastest 
 horse owned by the officers of the regiment. 
 
 The weather was now fine, the prairies 
 were covered with green grass and beautiful 
 flowers, which made camp life as pleasant as 
 it is possible to be. Papworthe would blow 
 the horn for reveille, and then treat us to the 
 tune of " Annie Laurie," or some other melody 
 which he could render to the queen's taste. 
 
 Our revolvers and guns still contained the 
 old loads that had been placed in them some 
 weeks before, and for fear the wet weather had 
 damaged them, there was an order to shoot 
 them out and clean and reload them. Some 
 of the companies went out and fired at targets 
 
My First Skirmish 73 
 
 set up for the purpose; others stood in line 
 and fired in the air. Our captain ordered us 
 to shoot ours at will. With this opportunity 
 I went to the river bottom in order to see how 
 good a marksman I was. After tacking a 
 piece of white paper on a tree and stepping 
 off fifty paces, I began to fire. After two or 
 three shots, and, as I raised the hammer to 
 take another shot, a man with a book or paper 
 sat down by a tree on the other side of the 
 river, directly in line with my target. I con- 
 cluded to change my position, and as I walked 
 away I accidentally touched the trigger and 
 discharged my revolver. The ball just grazed 
 the heel of my boot. Fortunately no damage 
 was done. It taught me a lesson never again 
 to carry a revolver with the hammer set. 
 After emptying all the chambers I walked 
 along the river, the banks of which are very 
 steep and eighteen or twenty feet high. At 
 length I came to a narrow path that by tramp- 
 ing of stock and rains had cut deep into the 
 loose soil. I saw a man riding down the op- 
 posite bank, and watched him as he sat in the 
 saddle and let his horse drink. As he came 
 by me he said, " Young man, you are standing 
 on a very noted spot. Every man, woman, 
 and child in Bourbon County has seen or 
 heard of that ground." On inquiry as to why 
 it had become so noted he said, " Two brothers 
 died there. Their father, who had lived at 
 Fort Scott, had left them a large amount of 
 property, and they had disagreed about the 
 
74 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 division of it, and become mortal enemies. 
 One day one was coming and the other was 
 going across the river. They met in that nar- 
 row path, and, like the brave McPherson and 
 Grant, neither would give the road to the 
 other. They dismounted, drew their knives, 
 went together, and died on the spot." 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 THE INDIAN EXPEDITION 
 
 THE troops then gathering at Fort 
 Scott, preparatory to a movement 
 into the Indian Territory, required 
 the use of every available wagon to 
 transport their supplies, and the cavalry was 
 ordered to Missouri, where forage could be 
 more easily procured. They were separated 
 by battalions, ours going to Lamar. 
 
 Picket duty had to be resumed at this place, 
 there being numerous bands of bushwhackers 
 in the locality. We were compelled to be 
 vigilant, for reports were brought into camp 
 that they were determined to have the horses 
 from the Second Ohio Cavalry. At this time 
 we did not do that duty in the usual way be- 
 cause of their peculiar method of attack. Al- 
 though there were no pickets in daytime, the 
 night trick meant twelve hours in the saddle 
 for the vidette. 
 
 It was considered a great protection to re- 
 main in one position and stay quiet all night, 
 and it was the custom to place the vidette on 
 high ground as a proper position for day duty. 
 The first night it was my turn to go out on 
 mounted duty the officer of the guard with 
 corporal went with two of us out on the Car- 
 
 75 
 
76 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 thage road. After traveling for a mile and 
 a half through woods with underbrush on each 
 side, we came to open prairie on the left of 
 the road. A lone tree stood out on the prairie 
 about two hundred yards from the woods. 
 It was just twilight when the officer and cor- 
 poral left us with every precaution to remain 
 quiet that we might not attract the attention 
 of the bushwhackers. It was believed that 
 they would not attack the camp without first 
 disposing of the picket. The officer and the 
 corporal were no more than out of hearing 
 than we remarked to each other that we did 
 not like our position. It was about the full 
 of the moon and the open ground was almost 
 as light as day, the shade of the tree helping, 
 if anything, to make our presence more con- 
 spicuous to anyone that might happen at the 
 edge of the timber. If we had our choice 
 we would have taken our position in the edge 
 of the brush with the open ground in front 
 of us. This would give us a superior advan- 
 tage over anyone that approached from either 
 direction; but situated as we were we were 
 easy prey if the bushwhackers had happened 
 that way. 
 
 We had not been there more than an hour 
 when we heard a noise in the brush across the 
 road directly opposite us. In our mind it was 
 the bushwhackers, of course. The noise con- 
 tinued at intervals, and we expected to be 
 picked off from our saddles as soon as they 
 could get a position to make sure of their 
 
The Indian Expedition 77 
 
 game. We talked it all over in a low voice 
 not much above a whisper. The suspense 
 was terrible to bear. Just imagine sitting 
 and waiting a death sentence. Hours seemed 
 like days. The cold chills crept over us and 
 our hair seemed to rise up every time the 
 brush rattled. When the moon was straight 
 over us two animals not larger than jack rab- 
 bits jumped out of the brush, one apparently 
 chasing the other. Then they ran back again, 
 making, to our relief, the same noise we had 
 been hearing. We continued to hear the 
 racket until morning, but we felt no more 
 uneasiness, and at daylight went to camp. 
 We talked about our peculiar position on the 
 night before, and learned that others had 
 found themselves in the same unpleasant 
 predicament. All agreed that the sentinel 
 should be on the low ground at night. 
 
 A good chance presented itself in a few 
 days to get a full expression on the subject. 
 The officer of the guard placed a vidette on 
 a hill looking over a ravine, but he moved 
 some hundred yards in advance of where he 
 had been left. The officer returned during 
 the night, and was halted by the sentinel when 
 he arrived at the top of the hill. He rebuked 
 the man for leaving his post without orders, 
 had him take his place at the top of the hill 
 again, returned to the reserve, ordered the 
 corporal to arrest the sentinel, and put another 
 one in his place. 
 
 The next day the case was investigated by 
 
78 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 the major commanding the battalion. The 
 man was released. A general order was is- 
 sued to take more care in the selection of out- 
 posts, and, if there was any advantage in lo- 
 cation, it should be in our favor. After that 
 the vidette usually chose his own position. 
 The duty was heavy while in camp at Lamar. 
 It was an everyday occurrence for foraging 
 and scouting parties to be fired on from am- 
 bush. The next time my name was called for 
 picket duty there was also an extra detail for 
 horse guard. Before breaking ranks the cap- 
 tain told the men on duty that they were 
 expected to use extraordinary precaution. 
 There was a large body of bushwhackers as- 
 sembling on the other side of the river and it 
 was reported that an attack would be made on 
 the camp that or the next night. For that 
 reason the guard had been doubled through- 
 out, and they would be expected to carry their 
 arms at all times. He concluded by saying 
 that they were not apt to attempt to cross the 
 river at the ford, where there was a strong 
 guard, but would try some other place, which 
 would be done in skiffs or on foot-logs, that 
 would necessarily put them into the swamp 
 that lay between the river and camp and af- 
 ford them an excellent opportunity to come 
 into the camp unknown to us, take the horses, 
 and get away before we could do anything to 
 prevent it. 
 
 After breaking ranks the sergeant told me 
 to make no preparation except to have my 
 
The Indian Expedition 79 
 
 gun in good order, with plenty of ammuni- 
 tion, as I would stand dismounted at a place 
 he would show me when the proper time 
 came. As soon as it was dark the sergeant 
 took me and we wound our way through the 
 woods for a distance of half a mile. He 
 said, " This is the place." He then gave me 
 instructions to remain there during the night. 
 He continued the instructions by saying if 
 anyone should appear in the swamp I was to 
 fire the alarm and return to camp as quickly 
 as possible, or if there should be firing at any 
 other place that would indicate an attack of 
 any importance. Under no other condition 
 was I to move or make a noise that would 
 assist anyone to locate my position. He said 
 there need be no one to visit me during the 
 night, for no one but the major and himself 
 knew anything about my location. 
 
 And there he left me in solitude dreary 
 enough; on low ground, in a dense forest, a 
 swamp in front with myriads of croaking 
 frogs, swarms of musquitoes, and thousands 
 of screeching whippoorwills and crickets to 
 make night hideous. It was a calm moon- 
 light night, with not a breath of air to stir 
 the leaves. The long specter-like shadows 
 that reached out across the brush that grew 
 in the swamp only lent a loneliness to the 
 dreary scene. There was a hostile and deter- 
 mined enemy, so far as my information and 
 imagination went, beyond the swamp. Being, 
 as I was, at the logical point of attack, of 
 
80 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 course there was little possibility that I would 
 be permitted to remain until morning. I sat 
 by a large tree, wrapped in thought of my 
 dreary surroundings, and reflecting upon the 
 possibility of escape should my conjectures 
 prove to be reality. I pictured the enemy 
 stealthily felling trees across the river and 
 crossing over to the swamp, which they would 
 consider a sure protection and cover for their 
 movement until they were in our camp. Of 
 course I would be sure to thwart them in their 
 adventure, for they would come blundering 
 through the swamp, jumping from tussock to 
 tussock. I would discover them, fire on them, 
 and alarm the camp, which would be in arms 
 ready to receive them. My ruminations even 
 went so far as to plan how cautiously I would 
 approach the camp, calling out who I was to 
 prevent them from firing, as that would di- 
 vulge their presence to the enemy, who would 
 then take the best aim and get a man with 
 every shot. 
 
 I was getting along nicely, when splash 
 went something in the water some distance 
 from me, and my whole plan went to smither- 
 eens. My flesh began to crawl, my hair rose 
 up, and my mind was so completely muddled 
 that it was impossible to form anything like 
 two links of thought. If I had seen an enemy 
 it is doubtful if I could have moved a muscle 
 until a reaction set in. After a few seconds 
 my thoughts began to return. I thought what 
 a pity to turn a splendid victory into defeat 
 
The Indian Expedition 8 1 
 
 without a plausible excuse. I still believed 
 the splash was caused by the blundering of 
 some of the advancing bushwhackers, who 
 had now had plenty of time to cross the swamp 
 since the felling of the trees. It kept me in 
 a continual strain until minutes appeared as 
 hours, and hours as days. At last, when 
 morning came, I felt twenty years older, 
 wearily strolled to camp, dropped down on 
 the blankets, and went to sleep without any 
 breakfast, to dream of the spirit of him that 
 had a peculiar ear that induced him to write 
 the lines about the low, sweet voice of the 
 whippoorwill. 
 
 The regular detail already mentioned in- 
 cluded but a small part of the duty we had 
 to perform. There were horse guards, dis- 
 mounted camp guards, scouting and foraging 
 parties, upon each of which we had to take 
 our regular turn. It was not an uncommon 
 thing to be relieved from guard at nine o'clock, 
 and before night to be called to the saddle 
 to make a forced ride. I remember two dis- 
 tinct times this happened to me while in the 
 camp near Lamar. One of these was the very 
 day after my long night by the swamp. At 
 one o'clock Quartermaster-Sergeant Mason, 
 with a prisoner, rode into camp on a jaded 
 horse, from which the foam was dropping to 
 the ground, and wanted reinforcements with 
 an ambulance to bring in his dead and 
 wounded comrades. 
 
 A foraging party that had left the camp in 
 
82 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 the morning had, been attacked at a creek 
 about twenty miles away. We saddled up, 
 and by dark arrived near the scene, but as we 
 had no one with us who knew the country 
 we were unable to find the unfortunate party 
 until the next morning. This trip was made 
 by trotting, and often galloping our horses. 
 My animal was a very rough trotter, which 
 brought on a pain in my left side that con- 
 tinued to bother me during the rest of the time 
 I served in the army. I was often compelled 
 to hang my side-arms on the saddle instead of 
 wearing them. 
 
 At another time we were ordered to saddle 
 up at dark. Someone had come to camp for 
 a party to go forty miles to capture the chief 
 of a noted band of guerrillas that was at his 
 home on a visit to his family. The party was 
 led by Captain, afterward Colonel, Brooks, 
 the noted scout and guide. The forty miles 
 was covered and the house surrounded before 
 daybreak, and a charge made. We could 
 hear shots about the house, the result of which 
 we were never able to learn, as we marched 
 away before it was fairly light. At the first 
 plantation we came to we took a rest, and by 
 the next morning reached our camp. 
 
 The place where we rested was a typical 
 frontier ranch with double log-house, with 
 log stables, and corn-cribs well filled with 
 corn and fodder, to which we helped our- 
 selves. This was the common custom and 
 had become a matter of course with us. The 
 
The Indian Expedition 83 
 
 owner, if a Union man, could get his pay, 
 and if he was " Secesh " he was not likely to 
 make any complaint. These excursions were 
 of so common occurrence that I seldom re- 
 membered one from another, often not know- 
 ing the name of the officer in command, and 
 much less the man that handled the minor de- 
 tails. 
 
 The method then in use for this work 
 was a cumbersome one, and it took from one 
 hour to two hours to get ready and move out. 
 When a corporal called for a detail to do 
 duty and did not know his men, he often had 
 much trouble to find them. This caused 
 much annoyance, not only to the corporal but 
 to everyone in the party, for he would go 
 about pulling the blankets from the sleeping 
 men, and often the man he wanted was the last 
 to be found. I have known a corporal to take 
 the names of his relief, and, by misunder- 
 standing, misspell the names, and when he 
 called third relief the men fell in line, and in 
 calling the names as he had written them the 
 men did not know their own names. This 
 method was soon abandoned and a much more 
 convenient one adopted. Instead of an hour 
 and a half being; wasted, the detail would be 
 out of camp and on the march in fifteen min- 
 utes. This was done by the companies taking 
 turn instead of details from different com- 
 panies. While the men saddled up, the cap- 
 tain would get his instructions from head- 
 quarters. Officers and men being acquainted 
 
84 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 with each other, the officer would know where 
 to find his men. 
 
 We returned to Fort Scott to join the ex- 
 pedition, but they were not ready to move, 
 and one battalion of the Second Ohio under 
 Major Seward returned to Missouri, and 
 some time in June the expedition rendez- 
 voused at Fort Scott, consisting of two bri- 
 gades of white troops and 1000 Indians, moved 
 out. Their destination was Fort Gibson, situ- 
 ated on the Arkansas River in the Cherokee 
 nation. The cavalry, going by the route that 
 led through Humboldt, left all settlements, 
 touching two or three abandoned Indian mis- 
 sions and an occasional stock ranch occupied 
 by half-breeds. These ranches were always 
 situated on a river or creek where there were 
 both timber and prairie. 
 
 One part of the troops on this expedition 
 consisted of 1000 Osage Indians. They were 
 regularly enlisted, armed with the Kentucky 
 rifle, and organized with white officers. They 
 were accompanied by their squaws and pa- 
 pooses, and they had their ponies and all their 
 equipments. They danced the war dance all 
 night at the Verdigris River, the night before 
 the battle of Round Prairie, and also at Flat 
 Rock Creek. 
 
 The command lay over on the Fourth of 
 July, and the battery in firing a salute threw 
 a few shells over the Indian camp, as a test 
 to see how they would stand the fire of big 
 guns. The result was that they stampeded, 
 
The Indian Expedition 85 
 
 and some of the runaways did not return for 
 fifteen days. 
 
 After crossing the Verdigris River we met 
 and engaged Stanwaity at Round Prairie. 
 After a short skirmish he retreated, and the 
 Second Ohio captured their beef herd, with 
 ponies and pack-mules, twelve hundred in 
 number. Lieutenant Rush of Company E 
 was a professional stock man. He was de- 
 tailed to take what men he wanted from our 
 company and deliver the cattle to the beef con- 
 tractor at Fort Scott, Kansas, a distance of 
 sixty miles. We moved at noon, and when the 
 herd strung out on the road the strong cattle 
 as usual took the lead. Lieutenant Rush, 
 being an expert in his business, with plenty 
 of help, divided his men into small squads, 
 each under the command of a sergeant. He 
 cut the herd into small bunches and pushed 
 them along. We had in that way covered a 
 distance of many miles at ten o'clock, when 
 we camped for supper. The cattle were 
 turned on the prairies to graze. Many of 
 the boys from Ohio had no experience with 
 cattle, and the cavalry horse was also awk- 
 ward. The cattle, used to being handled in 
 the Texas style, discovered this very quickly, 
 and when we rounded them on the bed 
 ground, they gave so much trouble that cattle 
 and men got no rest. At this juncture an am- 
 bulance came up, carrying Colonel Double- 
 day on his way home. He had resigned his 
 commission, and was now a citizen. He 
 
86 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 brought orders to Lieutenant Rush to push on 
 as fast as possible, for Stanwaity's cavalry 
 were on a scout, and were expecting to over- 
 take and recapture the herd. 
 
 The cattle were put on the road at once, 
 and at sunrise we camped at Dry Creek, twelve 
 miles from Fort Scott. While making some 
 coffee, the beef contractors, whom Colonel 
 Doubleday had notified of our approach, rode 
 up with a spring wagon. This was a big 
 plum for them, and when they got the news 
 that we were on the road they supplied them- 
 selves with six demijohns of old Bourbon. 
 When they met us it flowed freely. Every- 
 one must drink as often as he wanted. Some 
 men took the first drink they had ever tasted, 
 and became very hilarious. It was decided 
 to drive in without breakfast. The mess kit 
 was tossed into the wagon, and the men met 
 us at Bourbon Creek and took charge of the 
 herd. 
 
 In order that the reader may form a cor- 
 rect conception of the enthusiasm aroused on 
 that occasion, it is necessary to give a little 
 better description of that drive. I have 
 been engaged in cow hunting on the fron- 
 tiers of Texas, made three trips across the 
 plains, and had some lively drives many years 
 afterward. Some of the movements were 
 accelerated by the sudden appearance of hos- 
 tile Indians in the neighborhood of the herd, 
 but none compared with this one for speed, 
 efficiency, and hilarity. Although we had 
 
G. W. BYAKD 
 
 Second Ohio Volunteer Cavalry 
 
 FACING 86 
 
The Indian Expedition 87 
 
 made more than double the distance of an 
 ordinary day's drive before camping, the 
 news that Stanwaity's cavalry was no doubt 
 then in the saddle and in pursuit prompted 
 us to an extraordinary effort to keep out of 
 their way. Our party was not strong enough 
 to defend the cattle against an attack if 
 one should be made, and the cattle would 
 have to be abandoned in order to protect 
 ourselves. The mess-kit was thrown hastily 
 and recklessly into the wagon, and the cat- 
 tle strung out. All were in good spirits, 
 laughed, sang, and shouted. The last twelve 
 miles was a wild ride. It was most ridicu- 
 lous after taking the drink with the beef 
 contractor. The rapidity of the move and the 
 rough manner of loading the kit into the mess- 
 wagons cannot be compared with anything I 
 have seen or heard of before or since. The 
 cattle appeared to catch the spirit of their 
 drivers. The first squad pushed their bunch 
 on to the road at full run, men shouting, and 
 charging their horses at full speed, and a 
 cloud of dust rose that soon put them out of 
 sight; and so on until the last of the five 
 bunches was on the full run. 
 
 At Fort Scott the army was being paid off 
 by the paymaster, who had arrived before 
 us. When the troops had all been paid they 
 moved south, and would usually camp as 
 near the water as possible, which was gen- 
 erally in holes of what had been a river or 
 creek, and on the valleys of which the grass 
 
88 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 had grown tall and coarse. The horses were 
 taken out to the high ground for grazing, 
 with one-fourth of the men to herd them. 
 
 One morning they came in with my picket 
 rope, but no mare. After searching the camp 
 without success my horse equipments were put 
 in the mess-wagon, and I walked, and helped 
 the cook to get wood and water. Four days 
 after I went to the creek, at least three-fourths 
 of a mile away, carrying two large camp- 
 kettles. The Second Kansas cavalry horses 
 were passing. I saw my mare so completely 
 jaded that she stumbled as she walked, and 
 the points of her ears were hanging down. I 
 was so excited I dropped the kettles, ran up, 
 and untied her from the other horse that was 
 being led with her. The man leading her 
 said she did not belong to him. I told him 
 he had better not claim her. I forgot every- 
 thing else, and led her to camp without water. 
 When I arrived at the wagon and explained 
 how I had got her, I thought of the camp- 
 kettles, and went back, to find them gone. I 
 had to return to camp for other kettles and to 
 make another trip for the water. This nat- 
 urally delayed dinner, and I was completely 
 exhausted after making so many long trips 
 in the hot sun. 
 
 I lay down on the hot ground under the 
 wagon. When I looked at my poor animal, 
 in which I had taken so much pride, and 
 saw her standing with her head down, too 
 tired to eat, with the crust of dry sweat and 
 
The Indian Expedition 89 
 
 dust that showed the hard usage and the little 
 care she had had for the last four days, I 
 would cry and blame myself in turns for not 
 following the company of horses, and finding 
 the man that had ridden her. She must have 
 been on a long trip, for the horses she was 
 with did not look so bad. 
 
 In the morning I saddled up, but my poor 
 mare was destined to be more of a burden 
 than benefit. We had no grain to feed, and 
 had had none since we left Missouri. All the 
 horses in our regiment began to show it more 
 than the others, from the fact that it was their 
 first year, and they had not become accli- 
 mated to western prairies. 
 
 From that time on the horses were giving 
 out all the time, and were shot or abandoned. 
 
 When we arrived at Flat Rock Creek the 
 army went into camp, where it remained for 
 several weeks. After a few days' rest a cav- 
 alry raid in light marching order was moved 
 out to make a feint on Price's left by driving 
 Stanwaity out of Fort Gibson. It was light 
 marching order sure enough, with no grain 
 for the stock and no rations but sugar, coffee, 
 fresh beef with no salt, and half rations of 
 hard tack. My mare had recruited, or at 
 least had rested a little, and I went with them. 
 
 The column moved out after dark one night, 
 with Colonel Ware, who was then in com- 
 mand of the expedition. I do not know what 
 he had to eat, but I know he had a ten-gallon 
 keg strapped on a mule, and of course that 
 
90 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 means he did not lack for drink. And there 
 was plenty of evidence of it before morning, 
 in the bungling moves made on the prairie in 
 the dark, and in the morning we were hardly 
 out of sight of the camp. 
 
 Late in the afternoon the Second Ohio was 
 thrown out as skirmishers, and, as we ad- 
 vanced, Stanwaity's men fell back with but 
 little resistance. We followed them, keeping 
 the best line we could through the thick un- 
 derbrush that skirts the Arkansas River. 
 
 When I arrived at the road the left of our 
 line had crossed, but the right had not come to 
 it. I could see a small squad of calvary on 
 the other side of the river. They were firing 
 a few shots that appeared to be intended for 
 somebody farther up the road, as they went 
 far above my head. Just in front of me was 
 a trooper in blue uniform. He rode out and 
 saluted, and said he belonged to the Second 
 Kansas Cavalry, and had been down in Ar- 
 kansas on scout. He rode off in the rear of 
 our skirmish line. 
 
 We halted there until a regiment of Kan- 
 sas cavalry came down in column, crossed the 
 river, and, to judge from the sound we heard, 
 they had a skirmish, driving Stanwaity out 
 of the post. We then moved back a few 
 miles and halted for a rest, and resumed the 
 march, following the belt of timber that 
 skirts Flat Rock Creek. 
 
 My mare was now very weak and I had 
 to walk, and later in the night she refused to 
 
The Indian Expedition 91 
 
 move at all. I was some distance behind the 
 column, but one of the company had stayed 
 with me, and he rode up and reported my 
 condition to the captain, who sent me word to 
 leave her, and carry the saddle, or pay for it 
 from my next pay. It was a bitter pill just 
 at that time, when everyone expected the 
 enemy to overtake or intercept us at any mo- 
 ment. Wakefield, who had come with the 
 message, told me to pull the saddle off quick, 
 and he would help me along. " No," was 
 my emphatic reply. " Go to the company as 
 quickly as you can, and I will get there with- 
 
 out assistance." 
 
 By the time the sound of his horse's 
 hoofs had died out, the sound of which was a 
 dull thud on my ear, I had learned something 
 new in the makeup of human nature. It 
 caused a peculiar congested sensation that I 
 cannot describe, how I felt when I was or- 
 dered to carry the saddle or pay for it. When 
 those words fell on my ear, my heart was 
 seared against all fear of danger. I replied to 
 my companion, who cautioned me about fall- 
 ing into the hands of the enemy, that it would 
 not be possible to fall in with a more bitter 
 enemy than the one who had issued that order. 
 I said that I would bring in the saddle or die 
 on the trail. 
 
 The column had left the timber a short dis- 
 tance from where I left the mare, and it was 
 easy to follow the trail on the soft prairie. 
 My load was heavy, and it had to be let down 
 
92 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 very often for rest. My cavalry boots, now 
 well worn out, began to give way so as to let 
 in the dirt. I was obliged to empty them 
 frequently, because it was galling my feet. 
 The more I tried to stop the holes with rags, 
 the larger they stretched. 
 
 About three o'clock in the morning, com- 
 pletely exhausted, I lay down in my blanket 
 and fell asleep. When I awoke the sun 
 was up, and it was evident that I was within 
 two or three miles of camp, which was to my 
 right. The column had gone farther out on 
 the prairie. There was a round knoll near 
 by. I hid the saddle near it, left the trail, 
 and was in camp as soon as the column. 
 
 One of the boys volunteered to go for the 
 saddle, for I was worn out and foot sore. I 
 had been without water for several hours, 
 my lips were parched, and my tongue swollen. 
 But although I had firmly resolved to bring 
 the saddle in myself, I finally accepted the 
 offer. After giving him directions how to 
 find it, I lay down to take a rest. 
 
 From this time on there was a great change 
 going on in the camp. There was a growing 
 discontent throughout. We had no prospect 
 of anything better than flour, and no way to 
 bake it except in frying-pans, without salt or 
 soda. We had fresh beef in abundance, but 
 without seasoning it brought on dysentery to 
 all who ventured to eat it. 
 
 It had been many months since we had a 
 chance to draw clothing. There was none 
 
The Indian Expedition 93 
 
 at the front, and our old clothes were fast 
 giving out. Some of the ragged shirts, 
 blouses, and pants were discarded every day. 
 The men on duty with the horses, a duty at 
 which we took turns, who were out on the 
 high open ground, had no shade except what 
 they made by stacking the guns and spreading 
 blankets over them. 
 
 From this kind of treatment men were 
 dying every day with fevers, dysentery, and 
 other diseases. The best of men became sul- 
 len and disagreeable to one another. The 
 condition was growing worse every day, un- 
 til at retreat we were notified to make ready 
 to march on a forward movement. 
 
 The dissatisfaction that existed on account 
 of the maladministration of the expedition 
 was soon expressed by the many maledictions 
 pronounced as soon as we broke ranks. The 
 men rushed hither and thither. Some even 
 went to the horse herd, a mile and half 
 away, to express their dissatisfaction to their 
 friends on duty. It was soon learned that the 
 dissatisfaction extended throughout the bri- 
 gade among officers and men alike, and it was 
 very evident that something decisive would 
 be done to prevent a move until the arrival 
 of a train with supplies. 
 
 Colonel Solomon's regiment, the Ninth 
 Wisconsin, felt the want of rations. They 
 had always had not only the common fare 
 such as we got, but had everything allowed in 
 the line of army rations, including butter, 
 
94 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 kraut, pickles, etc., furnished from Wisconsin 
 and paid for by a mess fund. The Colonel 
 felt the sting of seeing his men falling victims 
 to the ravages of disease that was daily carry- 
 ing them off to answer the last roll call. 
 Colonel Solomon was in command of the Sec- 
 ond Brigade, consisting of the Ninth Wiscon- 
 sin Infantry, Rab's Indiana Battery, and Sec- 
 ond Ohio Cavalry. Colonel Ware was in 
 command of the First Brigade, and also the 
 entire expedition, so Colonel Solomon went 
 to him and made a plea for delay until 
 the arrival of supplies; but as there was 
 not a satisfactory response he returned to 
 his tent to study the situation over. After 
 reporting his brigade at tattoo he repeated his 
 entreaties, and asked Colonel Ware what the 
 men were to live on. 
 
 "Jerked beef, damn you! If you have any 
 more communications, send them to me in 
 writing," was the prompt reply. " Go to 
 your quarters and remain until sent for." 
 He returned as ordered, but on his arrival 
 he called the officer of the guard, gave him 
 orders to have the guard fall in line, march 
 to Colonel Ware's quarters, arrest him and 
 bring him to Colonel Solomon's quarters. 
 By the time they reached Colonel Ware's 
 quarters he had retired for the night. 
 
 " You are my prisoner! " shouted the officer 
 of the guard, in broken English. The Ninth 
 were all Germans, and used the German lan- 
 guage altogether among themselves. Colonel 
 
The Indian Expedition 95 
 
 Ware refused to obey, and ordered the guard 
 away, but the officer, in German, ordered his 
 men to take him dead or alive. No sooner 
 said than done. He was dragged out of his 
 tent, and, bayonets behind him, he double- 
 quicked in his bare feet and nightshirt to Col- 
 onel Solomon's quarters. 
 
 " You are under arrest," was Colonel Solo- 
 mon's order. " Go to your tent and remain 
 there till further orders." Colonel Ware was 
 frightened, but replied that he was the supe- 
 rior officer, and that he refused to take orders 
 from him. 
 
 Colonel Solomon ordered the officer of the 
 guard to keep Colonel Ware under guard, and 
 if he made any trouble to put him in irons. 
 This order was also put into execution at 
 once. 
 
 By this time everything in camp was in mo- 
 tion. Some were getting their arms, and some 
 running for the horses. The infantry fell in 
 with fixed bayonets ; the batteries loaded with 
 grape and canister, and muzzles turned to- 
 ward the first brigade. 
 
 By three o'clock the army was on the move 
 toward Fort Scott, and Colonel Ware was 
 placed in an ambulance with shackles on. 
 
 The Second Ohio was the last to move, 
 and it was daylight before we strung out. 
 There were many dismounted men, of whom 
 ten or twelve were in our company. As the 
 march progressed the number was augmented 
 every day. Five of us were barefooted, two 
 
96 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 of whom had one old boot each. They were 
 Math Park and Bissell. One wore the boots 
 one day and the other the next. On the third 
 their feet were so swollen that neither of them 
 could get the boots on. 
 
 The wagon-train, that was six miles long 
 when we left Fort Scott, had dwindled down 
 to consist of the regimental headquarters and 
 company wagons, with the exception of three 
 or four sections of twelve wagons each. Our 
 company outfits were bulky and encumbered 
 the movements very much. The arms, bed- 
 ding, and horse equipments of the sick and 
 dismounted had to be loaded. The wagons 
 were full up to the bows, with many things 
 hanging on the outside. 
 
 The ground was as loose as an ash pile, and 
 there had been no rain for two months. The 
 clouds of dust would rise up from under the 
 feet of the thousands of animals so that the air 
 was often stifling and blinding. 
 
 In some places the grass had been burned, 
 and in crossing these places, although the 
 barefooted men followed the wagon track as 
 closely as possible, the splinters would stick 
 in their feet like so many needles. The ashes 
 of the burned grass, mixed with alkali, 
 caused our feet to swell and crack open until 
 they bled profusely. As I hung to the feed 
 box of a government wagon, I thought every 
 step must be my last. 
 
 The water had dried up so that we had to 
 change the route, which necessitated our go- 
 
The Indian Expedition 97 
 
 ing many miles farther. Much of the way 
 there was no road, and a new one had to be 
 broken. The distance between the water holes 
 was great. In one instance it was forty miles, 
 which required about forty-eight hours' time, 
 including stops, to feed and rest. 
 
 When we arrived at the water, Indians, 
 Mexicans, negroes, whites, with mules and 
 horses, plunged into it, stirring the green scum 
 which was two or three inches thick on top 
 of what little water there was, with the sedi- 
 ment from the bottom. All was soon a thin 
 mortar. Both animals and men were so dis- 
 tracted for the want of something to slake their 
 thirst that they crowded in so thick that many 
 could not get their heads down, and others 
 that had shoved their heads under were brac- 
 ing forward for fear they would be crowded 
 out. 
 
 They quaffed the mud down as if it was 
 good. I noticed one man slip his feet down 
 between a horse and the bank. With his left 
 shoulder against the horse's leg he pushed it 
 forward, and with his right hand he dipped a 
 cupful from where the horse's foot had been, 
 and without changing his position, except to 
 throw his head back, he drank as if it had 
 been of the finest nectar. A second one fol- 
 lowed the first, and a third cupful he brought 
 away with him. 
 
 When we arrived at Baxter Springs, Kan- 
 sas, there was an abundance of good water, 
 and the command halted for rest and to 
 
98 Four Years 'with Five Armies 
 
 await a train of supplies that was expected 
 at any time. 
 
 One section of an empty train was dis- 
 patched and the drivers of another section 
 went on a vacation. They were allowed leave 
 to go with the empty train, leaving the mules 
 and wagons with the trainmaster and two men 
 to herd. The next day a courier arrived and 
 reported there was no train on the road. 
 Camp was at once notified to get ready to 
 move. The train that had no drivers was as- 
 signed to the Second Ohio, and we had to 
 furnish them with drivers, I being detailed 
 for one. We went to the train and the mules 
 were soon brought in. 
 
 The trainmaster told us to tie up the mules 
 and then come down to the end of the train. 
 We did as we were directed and collected 
 around him. We then marched behind the 
 train, and he assigned us to our teams. I was 
 by the side of his mule, and was expecting to 
 be the next man assigned, but it was not so. 
 He would order one man to take one team, 
 another man to take another team, and so on 
 until there were only two men left. He hesi- 
 tated for some reason and then said to me, " I 
 will give you this team." His words and ac- 
 tions were emphasized in a way that led us 
 to think there was something special about 
 that team and that I had been selected for 
 some other particular reason. We did not 
 understand it, but asked no questions. 
 
 He told us to harness and hitch up, and as 
 
The Indian Expedition 99 
 
 he rode away the next man to me said, 
 " Cause, that team must be a darling." 
 
 I remarked that I thought as much. Our 
 supposition was that it was a bad team, that he 
 had mistaken me for a good driver. When 
 we had hitched the mules he sent some men to 
 take a few boxes of cartridges that were in my 
 wagon to make out a load in the wagon of one 
 of the old drivers. He then said to me that 
 I had the best team in the train when I got to 
 know them, but they were tricky, and that I 
 being a stranger might have some trouble with 
 them. He said their driver was fond of them 
 and very proud of the way they could handle 
 a load, and he dreaded having to entrust them 
 to others. I was sitting in the front of the 
 wagon, and wondering how I should make 
 out mule " skinning," as it was termed there. 
 I had never driven more than two horses at 
 a time, and had not used a jerk line. But I 
 would rather have undertaken anything than 
 to walk to Fort Scott barefooted. 
 
 There was a funeral squad burying a sol- 
 dier a few yards in front of the train, and, as 
 they were about to fire the volley to denote the 
 last of the ceremony, the trainmaster told us 
 to look out for our teams, as they would be 
 apt to start when they heard the report. I 
 jumped on the wagon tongue and into the sad- 
 dle, but none too soon. When the volley was 
 fired all the mules started. I was the only 
 driver in the saddle. I jerked viciously at the 
 line, which served to guide them far enough 
 
ioo Four Years <wlth Five Armies 
 
 to the right so as not to interfere with the 
 others except to catch some harness on the 
 wagon wheel. Once clear, away they went, 
 and I began pulling, which served to turn 
 them to the left, and by cutting a large circle 
 brought them up in the rear of the train with 
 no damage but the breaking of a stay chain. 
 The other teams were all piled up together. 
 They had all swung to the left in an attempt 
 to turn short around. Many mules were down 
 with others on top of them, wagons joined to- 
 gether, and such a mix-up I never did see in 
 times of peace. 
 
 When everything was straightened out the 
 empty wagons were distributed among the 
 companies of the Second Ohio. My wagon 
 was loaded to the top of the bows, and when 
 they were tying on the loose articles the train- 
 master came by, and said nothing, but rode 
 away with a look of disgust on his face. 
 
 Everything went on all right that day. 
 The next morning I pulled out with the same 
 load. We crossed a dry branch. There was 
 a short turn in a narrow cut, and, as I had not 
 learned how to control the wagon by the 
 wheelers, I was trying to do all the guiding 
 by the leaders, the front wheel struck the bank 
 and turned the wagon over. 
 
 The train came to a standstill, as the wreck 
 completely blocked the road. A detail soon 
 straightened things up. The trainmaster 
 came along while they were loading, and said 
 he wished I would turn that load over every 
 
The Indian Expedition lOi 
 
 mile. I did pretty well at it, for I turned it 
 over twice more before we arrived at the four- 
 mile house, where we camped for the third 
 night's rest. 
 
 It was my turn to herd the mules. I went 
 out and did my duty. When we had tied them 
 up and fed them I went to our company to get 
 a square meal. A train load of rations had 
 met us there. The next day I walked to Fort 
 Scott. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 PROVOST DUTY AT FORT SCOTT 
 
 WE arrived at Fort Scott in the month 
 of August. The plans that fol- 
 lowed were a verification of the old 
 adage, " Lock the door after the 
 horse is stolen." Already impregnated with 
 fevers, and all kinds of diseases that follow 
 starvation and hardship, everyone was looking 
 for sanitary conditions to prevent sickness. 
 To this end a high plateau, a mile from the 
 Marmiton River, was selected for a camp 
 ground. The water could only be procured 
 from the river. Barrels were provided, 
 placed in army wagons, and each company 
 had only one barrel to store drinking and 
 cooking water. 
 
 At all times during the day men could be 
 seen plodding the long paths with clothes to 
 wash or with two large camp-kettles full of 
 water. In addition to this was the old usual 
 camp guard to walk back and forth in the hot 
 sun. Without a shade tree near, the camp be- 
 came a hot-bed of dust, and every day men 
 were carried to the hospital. All looked as 
 if life was a burden to them. 
 
 New clothes were furnished to us, and sub- 
 sequently the Second Ohio was called on to 
 
 102 
 
Provost Duty at Fort Scott 103 
 
 furnish provost guard in the post, to guard 
 hospital headquarters 7 supply stores, to do 
 patrol and other duties. The dismounted men 
 were accordingly detailed, and I was thus 
 separated from my bunky, and it so happened 
 that we never bunked together again. 
 
 We were established in camp in close prox- 
 imity and east of the old fort on a high bluff 
 that stands over Bourbon Creek. 
 
 One-half of our detachment mounted guard 
 the next morning and marched to the jail and 
 relieved the infantry doing duty there, who 
 were then under marching orders to leave the 
 fort. 
 
 The jail was an old stone structure that had 
 been previously used for the post guard-house. 
 The dimensions were about thirty by forty 
 feet, with one partition running through it, 
 and one opening or doorway. The only door 
 to the outside wall of the building was a grat- 
 ing made of iron bars which hung on its heavy 
 hinges, set deep in the stone wall. There were 
 five window openings, also obstructed with 
 iron gratings, and no glass in them, but board 
 shutters which were removed for comfort dur- 
 ing the hot weather. 
 
 The jail was filled to its utmost capacity 
 with prisoners of various classes, some, no 
 doubt, having been falsely accused; but the 
 majority were of a desperate class and had 
 participated in some more or less desperate 
 deeds. They were accused of bushwhacking 
 Union troops, or acting the spy, or conspiring 
 
104 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 against the United States Government. Most 
 of them came from Missouri, but that does not 
 imply that they were natives or citizens of that 
 State. They had been picked up by the scout- 
 ing parties sent out for that purpose during 
 the previous year. 
 
 Many of the prisoners had friends who fre- 
 quently visited them, bringing clothes, pro- 
 visions, and fruit to afford them some little 
 comfort. There were others who had been 
 there one year, and had not seen a friendly 
 face, received a letter, nor one word of en- 
 couragement during their long confinement. 
 They could not even conjecture their future 
 fate. There were four or five of another class, 
 called local prisoners, who belonged to some 
 of the military organizations at the fort, and 
 these were accused of desertion and minor 
 offenses. 
 
 Among them was one whose exploits and 
 deeds of daring were well known from Fort 
 Leavenworth to the Indian Territory. He 
 was employed as a government scout, for 
 which service he received the usual salary of 
 $5 per day. He enjoyed many privileges not 
 allowed his fellow-prisoners. The guard was 
 divided into three reliefs with a large super- 
 numerary force to attend the wants of the 
 prisoners, and be ready for any emergency, 
 such as patrol, and other things. 
 
 It so happened that my name was on the 
 supernumerary list, and the first time I was 
 called for duty the sergeant told me to guard 
 
Provost Duty at Fort Scott 105 
 
 the scout on a visit to his wife, then living 
 with her mother three doors from the jail. 
 He instructed me to keep my eyes on him at 
 all times, not let him get anything to make his 
 escape with, and to watch his wife, who might 
 hand him a revolver, as she was a very smart 
 woman, and would do anything he wanted her 
 to do. It occurred to me that this was a pecu- 
 liar position to be placed in, and it might be 
 a case like that of Willie Brinnen. When 
 Brinnen was in the street his wife handed him 
 a blunderbuss from underneath her cloak, 
 and the sheriff was immediately made to de- 
 liver back what he had taken from Brinnen 
 by law. 
 
 I took my position by the door, and when 
 the heavy grating swung on its hinges the 
 scout stepped out. He was rather an impos- 
 ing personage, about five feet ten inches tall, 
 with black eyes, and black hair that had not 
 been cut for several years, the curls clustering 
 around his shoulders. He had small hands and 
 feet, and well-developed muscles. He was 
 scrupulously dressed with broad-rimmed 
 planter's hat, ruffled shirt, and vest with buck- 
 skin jacket, and leggings tied with ribbons 
 and trimmed with fringe around the border. 
 
 As he moved out in front he said he wanted 
 a private interview with his wife in order that 
 she might dispose of some property at his 
 ranch. To comply with his request was to 
 disobey my orders, and, as the distance trav- 
 eled was short, there was but a minute in 
 
106 Pour Years with Five Armies 
 
 which to make up my mind. I at once con- 
 cluded to give him full liberty, and to take my 
 chances, for if he was determined to escape it 
 would only be an accident, anyway, if the 
 guard would be able to prevent it. The 
 instant he stepped in the door he could pick 
 up a revolver, and an ordinary man would be 
 at his mercy. As he stepped in the door I told 
 him I would remain at the end of the house, 
 and when he was ready to go he could let me 
 know. After watching closely for an hour, I 
 stepped into the house and found him talking 
 to his wife, a handsome girl about eighteen 
 years of age, a most devoted wife, who at- 
 tended to all the wants of the scout and kept 
 him supplied with clean clothes, and cooked 
 for and brought him three meals a day to the 
 jail. She said they would like a little more 
 time, which was granted. 
 
 When we were walking to the jail he said 
 he liked to be out as much as possible, but as 
 I had treated him so well he did not want to 
 keep me waiting too long. He wanted me to 
 take him to see an attorney, as he was anxious 
 for a trial. He also remarked that some of the 
 boys were afraid he would get away, and did 
 not allow him one minute to talk to his wife. 
 I replied that I knew if he wanted to escape 
 the guard would have but little chance to pre- 
 vent him. 
 
 This little sally inspired his confidence, and 
 I was enabled to get much of his history with- 
 out soliciting it. He was born in Illinois, and 
 
Provost Duty at Port Scott 107 
 
 in his early 'teens, while engaged in a con- 
 troversy at some public corner, he chanced to 
 strike a fatal blow with a knife or something 
 he had in his hands. To avoid arrest he 
 crossed Missouri, and entered Kansas on foot, 
 a distance of three hundred miles through a 
 sparsely settled country. There he was taken 
 into employment by some freighters. He 
 grew up amid the wild scenes of border trou- 
 bles, Indian raids, and massacres. His only 
 education was to ride and shoot. Thus the 
 first law of nature, self-preservation, became 
 his principal guide. He was often challenged 
 to meet and fight to the death with a desperate 
 foe. 
 
 When war was declared, he entered the 
 service which he had since been following. 
 One of his favorite escapades was to approach 
 the picket of some of the bands that infested 
 the border. He would halt when challenged, 
 and pretend to be a planter or a friend. When 
 called up for close inspection, he would grasp 
 the bridle-rein in his teeth, dash the spurs into 
 the horse, and, with revolver in each hand, 
 would shoot the guard and dash through the 
 camp and out at some other point. A feat of 
 this kind is only possible from the fact that 
 the report of the revolver is accepted as an 
 alarm shot to warn the camp of the approach 
 of an enemy. In the hurry to saddle up they 
 do not recognize the approaching horseman 
 until he is out of reach. 
 
 He told me that he had shot some of his 
 
io8 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 victims through misunderstandings on his 
 part. They were strangers, he said, and he 
 had misunderstood them, and thought they in- 
 tended him some harm. The most of them 
 were a desperate class of criminals who had 
 been released from Southern prisons to engage 
 in the border war of '56. When he heard of 
 any of them at any of the little towns or stores 
 making threats of what they would do, he 
 would mount his horse and go in search of 
 them. A desperate encounter would follow, 
 from which he had always come out un- 
 scathed. 
 
 His last exploit, and the one for which he 
 was then confined, was for going on a tear, as 
 he termed it, and resisting arrest. Like most 
 all frontiersmen, he would indulge in too 
 much liquor at times, and proceed to paint 
 the town red. On the last occasion a battalion 
 of regular cavalry surrounded the place where 
 he was drinking, for the purpose of arresting 
 him. He mounted his horse, and with the 
 rein in his teeth, revolver in each hand, made 
 them give way, while he rode through the 
 line at full speed. He went to his ranch and 
 remained until duly sober. Then he came 
 into the fort and surrendered to the provost 
 marshal, turning over a pair of revolvers, the 
 hilts of which were covered with notches, cut 
 there to denote the number of victims that had 
 fallen from the unerring aim of the owner. 
 
 A few days later the Second Ohio was 
 treated to a surprise. When the stage rolled 
 
Coi,. A. V. KAUTZ 
 
 Second Ohio Volunteer Cavalry 
 
 FACING I08 
 
Provost Duty at Fort Scott 109 
 
 up to the Bourbon House among its passen- 
 gers was an unpretentious-looking officer, 
 who, with others, walked in and registered as 
 a guest. There were many officers and men 
 of the Second about as usual, but no one 
 noticed the newcomer as he mingled with the 
 other guests. He wore the cavalry uniform 
 with captain's bar. Next day he walked leis- 
 urely up the hill to the camp of the Second. 
 The first one that took any notice of him was 
 the camp guard, who saluted him and was 
 saluted in return. 
 
 " What are you doing here? " was the ques- 
 tion of the officer. 
 
 " On guard," was the prompt reply. 
 
 " I see nothing here to guard," said the of- 
 ficer. " You can go to your quarters." 
 
 " But I am on camp guard, and can't go 
 until released by the corporal." 
 
 " Go to your quarters," said the officer, 
 " and if anyone says anything to you, tell him 
 Colonel Kautz relieved you." 
 
 It was soon known that the Second Ohio 
 had a new colonel. The camp was then 
 moved to a shady place by the river, and many 
 other noticeable changes took place for the 
 better. 
 
 Up to that time I knew nothing about the 
 aspirations of men, and thought they accepted 
 office in the ordinary line of duty. But many 
 things leaked out soon after this change, and 
 the scales began to fall from my eyes. Several 
 resignations followed. Early in September, 
 
no Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 while on duty pacing a beat in front of the old 
 stone jail, I was suddenly taken with conges- 
 tion followed by nausea and high fever. My 
 companions took me to the hospital, where I 
 lay at the point of death for several days. My 
 complaint was pronounced by the doctor to be 
 typhus fever. He had no hopes of me, but 
 directed the nurse to give me special care. 
 While lying there I saw many a poor fellow 
 carried out to the morgue, sometimes at the 
 rate of from five to eight a day. After three 
 weeks had elapsed, being able to mope about, 
 I made application to the doctor for permis- 
 sion to go to camp. He replied that, as he 
 was in need of every bed, I could go, if I 
 would report to him at sick call every morn- 
 ing. I promised to do this and I fulfilled the 
 promise the next morning, but neglected it in 
 the future, something that has caused me some 
 regret, as I have never regained my normal 
 weight or strength since. 
 
 In the provost guard we knew but little that 
 was going on in the regiment, only making 
 note of the most conspicuous changes that we 
 heard of from day to day. One sergeant was 
 detached from each company to recruit men 
 to fill them up to the full complement. The 
 best horses were selected to mount the bat- 
 talion that was armed with revolving rifles; 
 the others being turned over to the post quar- 
 termaster. 
 
 When General Price made his second raid 
 into Missouri, the regiment went in pursuit. 
 
Provost Duty at Fort Scott in 
 
 The dismounted men were transported in 
 army wagons, making a forced march on short 
 rations. The Salem mess lost one more of its 
 members, Lewis Campbell accidentally crip- 
 pling himself by discharging his revolver, the 
 contents taking effect in his foot. Time had 
 now begun to drag heavily on our hands. 
 The regiment was unfit for service in its pres- 
 ent condition, and no one appeared to guess 
 our future fate or destination. Finally, one 
 day in December, an order came for the de- 
 tachment to make ready to march. The next 
 morning a train of wagons pulled in for us, 
 and after loading, we moved out, riding or 
 walking at will. That day at our first camp 
 we all reported to our companies. The march 
 north faced the cold December winds, and 
 continued for several days. At last we 
 reached the east side of the Missouri River, 
 at Weston, where nearly .a year before we had 
 unloaded as fine a lot of horses as had ever 
 entered Kansas. 
 
 We were now divested of all government 
 property, and so we had nothing to look after 
 but our personal effects. A train of box-cars 
 was backed up to the station, the railroad 
 companies having long since quit furnishing 
 coaches to transport soldiers. But even this 
 was much better than we were now used to, 
 and without a word of complaint we took our 
 blankets and boarded the train. 
 
 We moved along through Missouri, Illi- 
 nois, Indiana, and Ohio, until we arrived at 
 
112 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 Columbus, and went into quarters at Camp 
 Chase. Here we met the men called the '62 
 recruits. Many of them were our cousins, 
 brothers, and neighbor boys, boys that were 
 not old enough to enlist the year before. In 
 fact, some were yet under the acceptable age. 
 There were not yet enough to fill up the 
 regiment, and one battalion was divided and 
 enough put into each company to fill out two 
 battalions. One battalion that had been or- 
 ganized for the Eighth Ohio Cavalry was 
 added to ours, making a full regiment. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 IN QUARTERS AT CAMP CHASE 
 
 WHILE the reorganization was going 
 on, we took furloughs to go home 
 for thirty days. Meantime, the 
 battalion we left in Kansas arrived, 
 and they brought their revolving rifles and re- 
 tained them through the next campaign. 
 
 When I arrived at home I heard that my 
 friend William Engle, who so kindly assisted 
 me to join the company on our departure for 
 Camp Wade, had since enlisted in the One 
 Hundred and Fifth Ohio, had been to the 
 front, and was then lying at his home mortally 
 wounded. I called to see him the day after 
 I got home. One week later I was called on 
 to perform the last mark of respect to our de- 
 parted comrade. 
 
 The thirty days' leave having expired, I 
 returned to Camp Chase, and was treated to 
 a surprise when Sergeant Harris informed me 
 that a raid had been recently planned to 
 clean out the Crisis office, and invited me to 
 join the party. The Crisis was a sheet pub- 
 lished in Columbus, the sentiments of which 
 were antagonistic to the Union, and it pub- 
 lished the writings and speeches of C. L. 
 Vallandigham. When the regiment was in 
 
H4 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 Kansas, the Crisis published one of his 
 speeches, in which he expressed the wish that 
 no soldier that crossed Mason and Dixon's line 
 would live to return. That speech, coupled 
 with many others of like nature, raised our 
 ire, and some threats were made at the time, 
 and it appears that some took it to heart so 
 much as to put it into execution at the first 
 opportunity. Although I could see no reason 
 why anything Vallandigham might have 
 said would affect us in any way, there were 
 others that should know more about such mat- 
 ters, and they belonged to the Second Ohio, 
 and I was willing to help them get revenge. 
 It was snowing at the time, and I observed, 
 " It's a bad night." " It is," was the reply, 
 " but the leaders have been waiting for the 
 boys to return from leave, and everything is 
 now ready and it will be carried out to-night. 
 The principal reason being that we are ex- 
 cused from tattoo and can pass the sentinel 
 and enter the city under the guise of a church 
 party on Sunday, whereas a pass would be re- 
 quired on any other night." 
 
 After retreat the usual call for volunteers 
 to form the church party was made, to which 
 none would respond on such a bad night but 
 those understanding the significance of the 
 movement. We arrived at the appointed 
 rendezvous, where more than one hundred 
 had preceded us. They were armed with 
 clubs, hatchets, and axes. There was no time 
 lost, but we were put in line and were on the 
 
In Quarters at Camp Chase 115 
 
 move at once, Sergeant Harris being selected 
 to take command of the advanced guard. We 
 moved out at a double-quick to gain the usual 
 space between the advance and the head of 
 the column without causing any delay. Ser- 
 geant Harris and I had no arms, so we pulled 
 pickets from a farmyard fence. 
 
 The bridge across the river was a long 
 covered structure, and a guard was always 
 stationed at the end next to the city. When 
 we were near enough, he called, " Halt, who 
 comes there? " " A party to church," was the 
 reply. The man personating the commander 
 stepped to the front and was granted permis- 
 sion to pass his men. 
 
 On, our arrival at the street in which the 
 office was located, we turned to the right. 
 When we came to the corner someone said, 
 " This is the place," and turned and went up- 
 stairs. Sergeant Harris directed the move- 
 ments of the advance guard. He sent two 
 men to each of the three corners with orders 
 to prevent any interference from any guard 
 or police. He then took me, and we crossed 
 the street to the other corner. 
 
 We had no sooner taken our positions than 
 a column of men poured into the building. 
 The smashing of windows and a stream of 
 furniture, books, paper, maps, and charts 
 poured out of every opening into the street. 
 The noise attracted the police, who sounded 
 the alarm. The first one that arrived came 
 directly to us. We were standing with the 
 
Ii6 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 pickets behind us. He did not know that we 
 were concerned. He asked us what was going 
 on over there. We promptly replied that 
 some soldiers were wrecking the Crisis office. 
 He started to go over, but we told him that 
 resistance would be useless, and that we were 
 there to prevent any interference. 
 
 By that time he was joined by another of- 
 ficer, and many citizens were coming from 
 every direction. The new arrival insisted on 
 making an effort to stop the destruction of 
 property, but we told him that to attempt such 
 a thing would be fatal to him. The two of- 
 ficers walked off a short distance, and while 
 talking were joined by another officer, but 
 they walked quietly away, as was to be ex- 
 pected. They were no doubt in sympathy 
 with the soldiers. 
 
 The work was of but a few moments' dura- 
 tion, and the order was given to fall in for 
 camp. We moved off quickly, as we did not 
 expect to escape the provost guard as easily 
 as we had escaped the police. 
 
 When about halfway to the river, Sergeant 
 Harris was informed that they had not found 
 the type. He said that was a very important 
 point, and that it must be found and de- 
 molished. He thought it was at the steam 
 printing press, five or six blocks farther in the 
 city, and we would go there and see. 
 
 At this time I made my first suggestion in 
 the way of directing the movement of a body 
 of men. I told them it was necessary to send 
 
In Quarters at Camp Chase 117 
 
 men enough to the bridge to hold it, as it was 
 our only means of escape. They all recog- 
 nized the wisdom of the proposition and acted 
 accordingly. Thirty men went with Sergeant 
 Harris, and the others went to the bridge. 
 
 The sergeant called on the foreman at the 
 steam press, but he said the Crisis type was not 
 there and he did not know where the paper 
 was printed. 
 
 With no information, there was nothing to 
 do but return to the camp. We went to the 
 street that leads directly to the bridge, and 
 while passing opposite the State House we 
 could see patrol, guards, police, and many 
 others, on the double-quick, crossing the street, 
 going in the direction of the Crisis office. 
 Some stopped to look at us, but as we were 
 marching in perfect order they passed without 
 any questions. 
 
 When we neared the bridge, a squad with 
 an officer in front double-quicked down the 
 other side of the street. As we were passing 
 the guard at the end of the bridge, they called 
 out to him, " Have you seen anything unusual 
 here?" 
 
 " No," was the reply. 
 
 " Who are those men?" 
 
 " A church party, sir." 
 
 We had now joined our party, who had 
 secreted themselves inside of the bridge, only 
 a few feet from the guard. As we passed 
 along they fell in, and we marched unmo- 
 lested to camp. When we arrived at the bar- 
 
n8 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 racks the boys produced many things, such as 
 books, maps, manuscripts, pens, and other 
 relics, which they had concealed under their 
 coats. I protested, and advised them to burn 
 those things, as the raid was not intended for 
 plunder. They did not heed my advice, how- 
 ever. 
 
 The next day at 9 A. M. there was a ru- 
 mor that the authorities were making strenu- 
 ous efforts to find the perpetrators, and that 
 we were under suspicion. 
 
 Many articles were then thrown into the 
 fire and burned. The more valuable articles 
 were concealed under the floor of the bar- 
 racks, and at ii A. M., regular officers' call, 
 the officers were ordered to search their com- 
 panies and report the result. 
 
 When we fell in line a sergeant and two men 
 were ordered to search for property belonging 
 to the Crisis office. Nothing was found, and 
 the result reported accordingly. 
 
 A special call was then made for the offi- 
 cers. Colonel Kautz gave them some instruc- 
 tions that we were unable to learn until after 
 retreat. 
 
 After the roll had been called, the Captain 
 said that Colonel Kautz was anxious to have 
 a fine pipe that had been taken from the Crisis 
 office the night before. If he could get it 
 there would be no more effort to implicate 
 the regiment. Someone asked what Colonel 
 Kautz's pipe was doing in a Copperhead place. 
 The captain said that they asked him the same 
 
In Quarters at Camp Chase 119 
 
 question, and the Colonel had answered that 
 he had purchased the pipe as a present for an 
 old and respected classmate who was then 
 serving in the Navy. A person who had kept 
 in continued communication with him, 
 worked in the Crisis office, and the pipe had 
 been left with this person by Colonel Kautz 
 to forward to its destination. When the com- 
 pany broke ranks there was a consultation 
 among the members, and some denounced our 
 Colonel as a Copperhead and in sympathy 
 with the Crisis people, and no one appeared to 
 know anything about the pipe. Gold pens, 
 fine inkstands, and other trophies were 
 plentiful. 
 
 I took an active part in the discussion, and 
 defended the Colonel, as did the majority. 
 He had inaugurated many reforms, and had, 
 in fact, been our benefactor. We decided that 
 he was loyal, and that the connection of the 
 pipe with the Crisis office, as he had said, was 
 only a coincidence. 
 
 We then dispersed, and a man six foot three, 
 who belonged to our company, stepped up to 
 me and drew from a side pocket a morocco 
 case, with the gilt letters A. V. K. on one side. 
 At the same time he said to me that he had the 
 pipe. He opened the case and displayed a 
 fine meerschaum. 
 
 " I think like you do, and want to return it, 
 but not to let them know where it comes from. 
 Only three men know that I have it." 
 
 He named them. They were called into 
 
lao Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 consultation. As a result the pipe was 
 wrapped up and addressed to Colonel A. V. 
 Kautz, and intrusted to me. I strolled leis- 
 urely up to the officers' quarters, and when 
 there was no one to see me, slipped the pipe 
 through the slot into the mail box at head- 
 quarters. 
 
 During the winter, being fitted out with a 
 complete new outfit, with the exception of one 
 battalion retaining their revolving rifles, the 
 other two battalions were furnished with the 
 Burnside carbine, a breech-loading gun with 
 metallic cartridge, the best in use at that time. 
 
 Being on duty when the horses were issued, 
 of course I got Hobson's choice, having only 
 one to choose from. She was rather nice-look- 
 ing, but frail built, not calculated to carry 
 heavy loads or endure long marches. Com- 
 pany E was now controlled by an entire set 
 of new officers, the captain and first lieutenant 
 being transferred from the now defunct bat- 
 talion, with Warner Newton promoted to sec- 
 ond lieutenant. 
 
 As soon as spring opened we were on the 
 move. We traveled by rail to Cincinnati 
 and ferried over to Covington, where we re- 
 mained a few days, and then embarked on 
 transports and landed at Maysville, Ken- 
 tucky. From there we took up the line of 
 march southward, through the noted blue- 
 grass country. 
 
 Many changes were now made that were 
 noticeable to the old members of the regiment. 
 
In Quarters at Camp Chase 121 
 
 Instead of long wagon-trains to block the road 
 there was but the one wagon to each company, 
 which traveled with the quartermaster's train, 
 and in place of the large Sibley tent each 
 trooper was furnished with one-half of what 
 was termed a dog-tent, that he strapped on the 
 saddle. In place of the cumbersome mess- 
 kit, the cooking utensils and rations were car- 
 ried on the saddle. Three days' rations were 
 usually issued. The company marched in ad- 
 vance, divided into squads, and went on the 
 different roads and did picket duty until the 
 next morning, when they were relieved. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 IN KENTUCKY 
 
 Awe marched along through towns and 
 villages, we saw troops in every place, 
 but nothing of importance occurred 
 until we arrived at Somerset, Ken- 
 tucky. A large body of troops was there, 
 among whom was the noted Colonel Wool- 
 ford's First Kentucky Cavalry, a terror to the 
 Johnnies, and whom the noted John Morgan 
 held in awe. They were a set of men peculiar 
 in their own way, never doing anything like 
 anybody else. They were scattered every- 
 where, and they were always on the alert. By 
 some means known to themselves they always 
 got together when there was a chance for an 
 engagement with the enemy, and then they 
 scored one for the First Kentucky. 
 
 It was impossible for the enemy to surprise 
 a camp in that part of the country, for the 
 First Kentucky knew every Union man and 
 every ford and bridle path in southern Ken- 
 tucky. As soon as the enemy moved some- 
 one knew it, and soon they all knew it. They 
 usually rode the thoroughbred Kentucky 
 horse, and, if occasion required, the man 
 would light into the saddle with his foot 
 through the stirrup to the heel of his boot, 
 
 122 
 
In Kentucky 123 
 
 and, with his trusty carbine across the saddle, 
 he would glide over forty, fifty, or one hun- 
 dred miles, as the case might be, with a rapid- 
 ity that always brought him to the right place 
 at the right time. 
 
 When in a skirmish Colonel Woolford 
 would say: " Huddle up and scatter out, boys ; 
 you know as well how to do it as I do." 
 
 Somerset is situated on the north of the 
 Cumberland River and three or four miles 
 from it. There was an old-fashioned rope 
 ferry with two boats at the river crossing on 
 the road leading south to the town of Monti- 
 cello, at that time the headquarters of the 
 rebel General Pegram. The north side of the 
 river was guarded by Union troops and the 
 south side by the Southern troops. There 
 were also fords above and below the ferry, a 
 few miles apart, that required a small outpost 
 or picket guard, and we took our turns at that 
 duty. 
 
 Trading coffee for tobacco and exchanging 
 papers was an everyday occurrence. This was 
 done by meeting in the middle of the river in 
 skiffs. 
 
 The general in command at Somerset ap- 
 peared to get some satisfaction out of tantaliz- 
 ing Pegram. Every week he would send a 
 small cavalry force to drive in his pickets to 
 the main force, and then fall back. I remem- 
 ber going three different times, and it was 
 done the same each time. The way was a very 
 peculiar one. 
 
124 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 The crossing was effected at what was 
 known as the upper ford, several miles from 
 Somerset. On the north side of the river is 
 a line of rough foothills through which the 
 road passes and enters the water directly op- 
 posite a bluff, several hundred feet high, that 
 rises perpendicular from the water. The top 
 of the bluff is flat and covered with timber, 
 and on this Pegram's pickets were posted. 
 They could see us some time before we were in 
 range of their guns, and had all the time they 
 wanted to assemble at the brink or edge of 
 the bluff. When we entered the water they 
 would begin to fire. At this point the bed of 
 the river was full of boulders from the size of 
 your hat to the size of an army wagon. The 
 water was very swift, tumbling against the 
 boulders and the horses' legs, and this, with the 
 spatting of the leaden hail, made a deafening 
 roar. 
 
 We had to pass the bluff to the landing on 
 the opposite side, and that necessitated at least 
 a half-mile's travel in the water, under the 
 fire of the enemy, and in a perfectly helpless 
 condition so far as defending ourselves was 
 concerned. 
 
 The landing was at the mouth of a canyon, 
 and the road skirted the edge of the canyon by 
 a steep grade, winding about until it reached 
 the flat top of the mountain, a mile from the 
 river. At this point the Johnnies who had 
 fired from the bluff would give us a parting 
 volley and disappear to form on the next open 
 
In Kentucky 125 
 
 ground; but, as their number was compara- 
 tively small, after a few shots they would fall 
 back until reinforced, when a heavy skirmish 
 would continue until night put a stop to 
 active operations. 
 
 In the morning we would find ourselves 
 confronted by Pegram's command, and a hot 
 little engagement would follow. 
 
 One time the Second Ohio made a charge 
 and dislodged the enemy. In front of them 
 there were many dead and wounded lying 
 about. Those that had been killed but a short 
 time had turned black as charcoal. The pris- 
 oners said it was caused by drinking rye tea in 
 camp, as a substitute for coffee and whisky, 
 mixed with powder, before going into an en- 
 gagement. 
 
 The fourth time we crossed the Cumber- 
 land, all the effective men moved in light 
 marching order, consisting of cavalry, artil- 
 lery, and infantry. Pegram having retreated, 
 we met no opposition. There was only a small 
 squad of cavalry in Monticello, but they with- 
 drew at the approach of our advance guard, 
 and left the town undisputed to our possession. 
 The infantry halted there and the cavalry pur- 
 sued Pegram into Tennessee. Heavy rains set 
 in while on our return. The roads became 
 heavy and the cavalry frequently had to drag 
 the artillery and wagons out of the mire. 
 Many of the horses gave out. 
 
 We passed through Monticello. Every- 
 thing was moving back to Somerset. In a 
 
126 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 heavy rain we went into camp in a strip of 
 timber on the ridge where most of our 
 skirmishes had taken place on our former 
 raids. 
 
 That evening orderly call sounded im- 
 mediately after stable call. The orderly re- 
 turned and said it was Colonel Kautz's 
 orders not to groom the horses while they were 
 wet. I made the remark that in some things 
 it was good to have a regular officer, for he 
 knew at least how to take care of the horses. 
 Some officer who felt sore because he had 
 been superseded by a regular, overheard the 
 remark. 
 
 I was on camp guard that night, and did not 
 get out to the stable call as soon as I might 
 have done, but had my bunky feed my 
 mare, a common custom in our company. 
 When assembly sounded, and I was packing 
 up, my bunky said he had orders to lead my 
 mare and to make me walk. I thought he was 
 joking. Someone spoke up and said, " It is 
 a fact. I heard the order." 
 
 It was the first sentence or reproof that had 
 been passed on me except at Fort Scott, where 
 I was tardy, with the view of getting my horse 
 out of the mud while I chopped wood. I felt 
 it keenly, and threw down the articles in my 
 hand and said, " I don't care a - if I never 
 see the mare again! " 
 
 The order was to punish me for what I had 
 said the evening before. I packed up my car- 
 bine and started. They said, " You had bet- 
 
In Kentucky 127 
 
 ter saddle up and pack your things," to which 
 I replied, " A man on foot needs no saddle, 
 and if the captain wants it worse than I, he 
 had better see that he gets it." 
 
 I trudged away through the mud, already 
 well mixed by passing troops, and in many 
 places sank in ankle deep. 
 
 The bottom land was covered with water 
 and the river was up to the top of its bank. 
 With the steep grade as it leaves the moun- 
 tains the water tumbles and roars as it lashes 
 into foam along the bank and among the large 
 boulders in its bottom. The troops were 
 crossing as rapidly as possible with the facili- 
 ties at command. 
 
 The river is very wide at that point and 
 there were two cables stretched across, both of 
 which were fastened to the same tree on the 
 north side; the other end to two different trees 
 on the south side, about fifty yards apart. 
 There were two boats, called the little and 
 the big boat. The artillery were using the 
 big boat and the infantry the little one. The 
 one used by the artillery was just large enough 
 to carry one gun with caissons, men, and har- 
 ness, while the horses were made to swim by 
 the side. One company of infantry was 
 marched to the other boat with all their ac- 
 couterments. 
 
 On my arrival at the river it was my inten- 
 tion to cross and keep on going. I did not 
 care much where, but intended to go to any 
 place other than the company. They would 
 
128 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 not let me on the boat, as they had the right 
 of way, and were as anxious to cross as I. 
 
 I made myself as comfortable as possible 
 on some baggage that was piled near the ferry, 
 and watched the troops crossing. There was 
 one New England regiment whose time of 
 service had expired, under orders to proceed 
 to their State to be mustered out. When this 
 regiment was crossing, about the middle of 
 the afternoon, one company of ninety men 
 were lost, all being drowned but one man. 
 When a company marched on the boat it was 
 pushed off shore and permitted to swing 
 around lengthwise with the stream, and four 
 men on the upper end of the boat would pull 
 the cable hand-over-hand. On this unfortu- 
 nate occasion the man let go of the cable and 
 the boat glided down to the lower one. The 
 men on the lower end of the boat caught hold 
 of it, which movement checked the boat and 
 caused it to swing rapidly around until it was 
 crosswise with the current. With the order 
 to let go they stooped down until past the 
 cable, then they all reached for it, and many 
 caught hold, throwing the weight all on the 
 upper side, with the weight of the current 
 against the flat side of the boat. The lower 
 side now being light, it turned over on top of 
 the men. But few ever came up again, and 
 they only to sink, with one exception, an ex- 
 pert swimmer that had presence of mind to 
 extricate himself and swim ashore. 
 
 Remaining there with wet feet and with 
 
In Kentucky 129 
 
 nothing to eat until it was late in the evening, 
 I was about to make a move in some other 
 direction, when Hopkins, then on duty at 
 brigade headquarters, arrived with a dispatch 
 for some officer at the ferry. When he saw 
 me there he advised me to go back to the com- 
 pany, then in line on the opposite side of the 
 valley, where they would remain all night to 
 protect the ferry against attack from a small 
 party of the enemy's cavalry then annoying 
 the rear-guard. 
 
 I had studied the matter over during the 
 day, and as his advice did not conform to my 
 previous decision, the only reply I could give 
 him was that if they wanted me to have the 
 mare they must send her to me; for I should 
 not go back one step. He galloped away, and 
 in about thirty minutes my bunky came with 
 the mare, whereupon I mounted and joined 
 the company. 
 
 As there was now only one boat, it was kept 
 busy, and by daylight the troops had all 
 crossed but the one brigade of cavalry, and 
 by twelve o'clock we were in our old camp at 
 Somerset. 
 
 The recent engagements had taught us that 
 it was policy to husband our ammunition, for 
 with the convenient carbine the ordinary 
 trooper would shoot away one hundred rounds 
 so quickly he would declare he had lost or 
 someone had stolen part of it. 
 
 The next day a board of survey condemned 
 and turned in all the unserviceable property. 
 
130 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 They said my mare looked pretty well, but 
 being of slender build and a mare they would 
 condemn her. That made five horses from 
 Company E that were condemned. After 
 turning them over to the quartermaster, D. H. 
 Arnold, the regimental trainmaster, a good 
 judge of stock, was directed to take them to 
 Lexington, turn them in, and draw serviceable 
 stock to take their places. The captain took 
 leave from the company about that time and 
 we never saw him again. 
 
 Information being received at headquarters 
 that the noted cavalry leader, General John 
 H. Morgan, was preparing to make a raid 
 north, the cavalry division, under command 
 of General Shackleford, was ordered out in 
 light marching order to intercept him. 
 
 Light marching order at that time consisted 
 of one blanket, one poncho, one change of 
 underclothes, one hundred rounds of ammu- 
 nition, one pair of horseshoes with nails to 
 fasten them on, three days' rations, and three 
 days' forage for the horses. We moved out 
 about June a^th, taking the effective men and 
 leaving the dismounted men to take care of 
 the camp. 
 
 On July i the detail arrived from Lexing- 
 ton with the fresh mounts. When issued to 
 the companies five were led over and tied to 
 the picket line near the sergeant's tent. Being 
 the last to arrive on the spot I heard someone 
 say, " Here is a mare, Cause can have that." 
 A little surprised at the joke, I inquired, 
 
In Kentucky 131 
 
 " Who has a right to select my mount for 
 me? " But after inspecting them I remarked, 
 " They are a good lot and the mare is the best 
 one amongst them." My observation brought 
 out the laugh and I said, " I told you so." As 
 so much prejudice had recently developed 
 against that kind of mount, and they had re- 
 cently condemned one for me, I thought it 
 would not be wise to select another right away. 
 The others all declared they would not have 
 her, and each selected his choice and led it 
 away. The sergeant, seeing the difficulty 
 ahead, ordered them to let the horses be and 
 he would issue them by lot. 
 
 At this time Arnold came galloping up, 
 and said, " Cause, I selected a fine mare for 
 you." " They have just condemned one for 
 me," I said. " I know they did, but this was 
 the best animal in the corral ; and I wanted to 
 bring her, and as you have had no other kind 
 of mount and made no objection when the last 
 one was issued to you, I thought you would 
 accept her. She was turned in with the 
 captured stock after the battle of Stone River, 
 has been well cared for, and if you will ac- 
 cept her you will never regret it; but if you 
 do not they will blame me for bringing 
 her." "You will not be disappointed," I 
 replied. 
 
 I led her to my tent, and trimmed off her 
 tail, for it was dragging on the ground. The 
 mare was as handsome as a picture, with every 
 point that makes a horse perfect. She was a 
 
132 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 dark bay with black tail and mane, and lacked 
 one-half inch of fifteen hands high ; of gentle 
 disposition, never worried by useless moving 
 or chaffing, and she could be trusted to stand 
 in the same place in which you left her until 
 wanted again. 
 
 Well pleased with my mount, I began to 
 pack up. Someone inquired, " Where are you 
 going? " " To the company," I replied. 
 
 The sergeant was soon notified of my in- 
 tention, and he said I could not go. That set- 
 tled the matter for the time, but I made ap- 
 plication to higher authority, and on the 
 morning of the 3d of July they sent for me to 
 take the regimental mail to Jim Town. 
 
 I lost no time, but reported at once to head- 
 quarters. The adjutant gave me a pass and 
 an order for the mail. I went to town, pre- 
 sented my order and got the mail, which I 
 assure you was no small load for a horse, for 
 when it was packed it was with difficulty that 
 I gained the saddle. 
 
 The postmaster followed me to the street 
 and cautioned me about the mail. " You have 
 a hazardous route to go and the mail is a 
 great inducement. I want to warn you in 
 time," he said. But there was no time to con- 
 sider the question then, and I went on. As I 
 rode through camp many called out, " Good- 
 by, look out for bushwhackers ! " 
 
 The mare moved along quite briskly. I 
 was familiar with the first ten miles of the 
 road, having been on picket at the lower ford 
 
In Kentucky 133 
 
 and having grazed the horses at different 
 times in widow Campbell's pasture. 
 
 The widow, who lived ten miles from Som- 
 erset, had induced Colonel Zollicoffer to 
 attack the Union troops at Mill Springs in 
 1862, an attack which resulted in his death 
 and the defeat of his forces. It was believed 
 that spies and bushwhackers frequented her 
 place, and this fact gave me some reason to 
 be more cautious, as word sent out from there 
 to the numerous bands that the mail had 
 passed would soon bring out at least enough 
 of them to make an effort to capture it. 
 
 There was a fine spring of cool water near 
 the house, so I dismounted, and refreshed my- 
 self and horse. After a little breathing spell 
 I walked up the long slope to the top of the 
 ridge where the road enters the mountains. 
 With deep gorges and covered timber, this 
 range of small mountains or hills skirts the 
 north side of the Cumberland River. 
 
 There were no more settlements for several 
 miles, and with nothing to do but make the 
 best time I could under the circumstances, 
 and keep watch that I did not run into am- 
 bush, I mounted and moved on down the long 
 slope through ravines, following the creek 
 bed and through brush, walking now and then 
 up and down the steep hills to give my mare 
 all the rest I could. 
 
 Of course I thought of all the reckless and 
 daring deeds I had seen and heard of, and of 
 what the postmaster had told me, that some of 
 
134 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 them would see me and try to get the mail. 
 But my mind said, " Take care of yourself 
 and you will come out all right. They must 
 get you at the first shot, or you will make it 
 cost them more than it is worth." 
 
 After traveling about ten miles without 
 meeting anyone, I came to a farm. There was 
 a lane cleared out leading to a house which 
 set back of the cornfield. It was about noon 
 and I turned in. It occurred to me that a 
 halt might prove fatal; but with no danger 
 in sight I would prove to my new animal that 
 I was not a hard master. The place was not 
 an uncommon one for that part of the coun- 
 try. There was a one-story log-house with a 
 porch in front, and only a few feet from the 
 cornfield. One end opened on the lane. A 
 fence was around the house with one gate at 
 the lane and another gate to the cornfield. 
 There were a few fruit trees, and a dense 
 growth of lilacs and rose bushes, all in bloom, 
 which almost hid the house from view. No 
 one could see me as I approached until I ar- 
 rived at the gate. There were two women, 
 apparently mother and daughter, sitting on 
 the porch. I asked if I could feed my horse 
 and get some dinner. They said, " Yes, go 
 into the field and get corn, and then come in 
 and we will give you dinner." 
 
 They laid down their work and went into 
 the house. I unsaddled, and placed the mail 
 on the porch, where I could see it from both 
 outside and inside the house. 
 
In Kentucky 135 
 
 After feeding my mare I took a seat on the 
 porch in front of the door, that I could ob- 
 serve who went and came. The front room 
 w r as large, with a door and a window in the 
 rear which opened into the kitchen. There 
 was a door at the end of the kitchen next to 
 the lane. By looking through the window I 
 could see out of that door. The women had 
 some trouble starting a fire, but finally they 
 got dinner going. I could not see them, but 
 could hear all they said. 
 
 They had set the table, and were about ready 
 to bring dinner in, when a sudden exclama- 
 tion from the women attracted my attention. 
 I saw a man in the act of stepping into the 
 kitchen door. His right hand was raised, and 
 he shook his head as if to say, " Be quiet." 
 
 He had not seen me, but had evidently seen 
 the mare feeding at the gate, and knew there 
 was a Union soldier near. 
 
 The women said in concert: " What brings 
 you here at this time? " 
 
 " Nothing uncommon about it, I am here 
 every day," he replied. 
 
 This was only a sally to mislead me, for he 
 saw me at once. His words were lost to them, 
 for they grasped and embraced him at the 
 same time. If I had not had a good look at 
 him I would have thought that the postmas- 
 ter's surmise had proved true, and that a sig- 
 nal from him would have brought half a dozen 
 desperate men from the woods. My first im- 
 pression was that he was not that type of man. 
 
136 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 They all passed out of sight, and I saw no 
 more of them for some time. I heard every- 
 thing they said, and as I thought of the differ- 
 ent desperate gangs that have been led by gen- 
 tlemanly appearing men, I did not let myself 
 be thrown off my guard. They asked him 
 many questions, which he evaded by talking 
 of something else, and in doing this he dis- 
 played much tact. If he had answered all 
 the questions the women put to him I could 
 have got a history of who he was, where he 
 had been, and what his business was; but he 
 chatted freely, and they were all pleased and 
 happy. 
 
 At last the dinner began to arrive, one plate 
 at a time. The chat would continue for a 
 while, then another plate would be set on the 
 table. Finally dinner was announced. The 
 young woman entered with the coffee-pot, and 
 told me to take my seat at the table. I chose 
 a seat facing the doors so as not to have any 
 disadvantage in case of a skirmish. I had the 
 mail sacks to my right, the mare in front of 
 the window, and the kitchen door to the left 
 front, with a solid wall to my back. I was 
 master of the situation, as I could see anyone 
 approach from any direction before they 
 could see me. 
 
 I sat down to the table with the butt of the 
 carbine on the floor and the muzzle to the left 
 of my left elbow, and hitched my revolvers 
 so that my hand was at the hilt without a lost 
 motion. I awaited the entrance of the family. 
 
In Kentucky 137 
 
 The women entered first, then the stranger 
 walked up and spoke to me with some passing 
 remark about the weather, gracefully took his 
 seat opposite, then went on chatting pleas- 
 antly with the ladies. 
 
 I now felt perfectly at ease. Whoever he 
 was and what his intentions were made little 
 difference. I had my eye on him, and if any- 
 one had approached from the outside I could 
 take the drop on him and use him in my own 
 defense. But I soon dispelled all his thought, 
 having made up my mind that the gentleman 
 for no doubt such he was would defend 
 and not plunder me. 
 
 Dinner was of minor importance to them, 
 and still dragged as it had ever since the new 
 arrival. But I finished, handed the lady a 
 greenback dollar, excused myself, walked out 
 and picked up two sacks and returned for the 
 others. I endeavored to show no anxiety to 
 get away, but at the same time made every 
 move count for something to that end. 
 
 Once more in the saddle, my mare appeared 
 to show her appreciation for good treatment, 
 for she tripped off gaily, and my thoughts 
 turned to the family I had left at the dinner- 
 table. That there were women at the house 
 and no men was to be expected, for this was 
 the case all over the country. The men were 
 in the army, or had to leave home on account 
 of their political opinions, and were either 
 bushwhacking or were refugees in a foreign 
 land. 
 
138 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 The man in question was now undoubtedly 
 at home, but where he had been and what he 
 had been doing could only be conjectured by 
 his appearance. He was over six feet tall, 
 dressed in a new black suit, with frock coat 
 which fitted neatly. His graceful movements, 
 easy manners, and conversation showed him 
 to be a man of education and culture. He had 
 black hair and mustache, the ends of which 
 were sunburnt. His face was brown, the neck 
 and lower jaw a shade lighter than the rest, 
 which would indicate that a full beard and 
 long hair had just been removed. This led 
 me to believe that he had returned from the 
 Southern army or from a long exile in the 
 mountains. 
 
 While indulging in these thoughts I met 
 three men, two of whom belonged to our com- 
 pany. They were leading their horses leis- 
 urely along, but appeared much surprised at 
 seeing me alone with the mail, and said, 
 " You will never get to Jim Town with it, for 
 the woods are full of bushwhackers " ; but I 
 replied that they seemed to be taking it very 
 easy themselves. They said it was very dif- 
 ferent with them. Eighteen or twenty were 
 strung along with disabled horses and they 
 had no mail. I then inquired more about the 
 woods being full of bushwhackers. They said 
 reports had been coming in all day yesterday 
 and to-day of men being seen, and they had 
 seen some themselves. I wanted to doubt this 
 report, but there was no ground for doubt. 
 
In Kentucky 139 
 
 They expected to be fired on at any mo- 
 ment. 
 
 With all their warning, I felt much safer 
 on the last part of my journey, for I was pretty 
 sure if anyone desired to intercept me he 
 would have done so before now. 
 
 At eight o'clock I was halted by the vidette, 
 who demanded the countersign. I showed 
 him the mail pouches, and he said, " That is 
 sufficient to pass anyone/' and the officer of 
 the guard sent a man to show me to Colonel 
 Kautz's headquarters. It was a mile beyond 
 the dark woods in which the troops were 
 camped. Headquarters was at a double log- 
 house enclosed by a rail fence. There were 
 officers, guards, and horses, the customary 
 scene that usually surrounds such a place. 
 They were all glad to see the mail arrive, and 
 the guards carried the sacks in as I took them 
 from the saddle. An orderly appeared and 
 said the General wanted to see me. I en- 
 tered the room. He greeted me cordially, 
 gave me a chair, and the first question he 
 asked me was about the men out on the road, 
 and he appeared a little uneasy that they 
 would not get through all right. 
 
 By that time some mail was handed him, 
 and he told me to wait a few moments. I now 
 began to look about me. It was the first time 
 I had been in a brigade commander's quarters, 
 and I did not feel so much at home as at the 
 dinner-table watching the mail which I 
 thought was in jeopardy. 
 
140 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 The General soon laid down his mail, and 
 asked many questions about the camp at Som- 
 erset, to which questions I gave satisfactory 
 answers. He said they were expecting Mor- 
 gan to cross and were ready to move at any 
 moment. He was much pleased to get the 
 mail, as there were no troops passing and he 
 had not expected it to be brought by one man. 
 He told me to report to my company for duty. 
 I took my leave, and was soon among the 
 boys. 
 
 They were camped in a thick woods as dark 
 as Egypt, and when my arrival was announced 
 their shouts could be heard all over camp. 
 They were always glad to get the mail that 
 brought news from home, and especially in- 
 terested, as I had a new horse which I assured 
 them was a good one. It had to be led up to 
 the camp-fire for inspection. To the surprise 
 of all it was a mare, and an explanation of 
 how it all came about had to be given. 
 
 The company had already been detailed to 
 go on picket in the morning, and when the 
 sun rose we were packing our saddles, and 
 soon moved out through Jim Town and re- 
 lieved a company about two miles below town 
 on the river road. 
 
 It was the fourth day of July, and a celebra- 
 tion had been arranged to take place in town, 
 with Colonel Woolford as speaker and 
 Kautz's artillery to fire the salutes. 
 
 There was a heavy thunderstorm late in the 
 afternoon, and it was still raining when a 
 
MATHIAS M. SPRINGER 
 
 Second Ohio Volunteer Cavalry 
 
 FACING 140 
 
In Kentucky 141 
 
 courier arrived from Colonel Kautz's head- 
 quarters with orders to draw in the pickets. 
 When we arrived at camp we learned that 
 Morgan had crossed the river, and a part of 
 Company B had engaged him at Columbus 
 on July 3.* Among the wounded was one of 
 my boyhood acquaintance, Henry Palmer. 
 
 At two o'clock on the morning of the 5th 
 we moved out. I began this march with no 
 rations or forage, one talma, one change of 
 underclothes, and no blanket. I was not able 
 to carry anything from Somerset, and three 
 days' rations and forage had been issued to the 
 company on the 3d. There had, of course, 
 been no provision made for me. and I was 
 compelled to depend on my friends for what 
 I ate and fed. At daylight we arrived at the 
 main road on which Morgan had passed, and 
 at 9 A. M. we were well started on his trail, 
 and saw the relic of the first depredation. A 
 
 * Basil W. Duke, in speaking of that affair in his " History of 
 Morgan's Cavalry," said that on the morning of the 3d the divis- 
 ion resumed its march, pushing on to Columbus. Colonel Mor- 
 gan's regiment, although included among those of the First 
 Brigade, returned to the field, was detached and used as the 
 advanceguard of the column. In the afternoon, as we neared 
 Columbus, this regiment came upon the enemy moving out of 
 town. In the skirmish which ensued, Colonel Morgan lost a 
 few wounded, and among the number Capt. J. S. Cassell, who 
 was shot in the thigh as he was charging with his accustomed 
 gallantry. 
 
 After hearing Sergeant Polhemus's version of this engagement, 
 and from what I can remember, it is probable that both accounts 
 are correct. Woolford's brigade was camped near Columbus, 
 and had a detachment in the town. They were driven out by 
 Colonel Morgan, who halted near by town. The detachment of 
 Company B, Second Ohio, came into town by a side road, and 
 in the rear of Colonel Morgan, and did not know of the previous 
 engagement which Duke mentions. 
 
142 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 wagon was standing in the road, the team hav- 
 ing been taken from the owner by Morgan's 
 men. Complaints were coming in from all 
 quarters of the loss of all kinds of valuables, 
 but the chief complaint was about the horses 
 that were stolen or captured. 
 
 After taking an hour's rest to feed and make 
 coffee, we moved out at a brisk pace. Forage 
 was plenty, with fields of green corn and 
 shocks of wheat in abundance, but for men to 
 procure something to eat was altogether 
 different. 
 
 After the three days' rations had been ex- 
 hausted we were compelled to live entirely off 
 the country, and to take second choice, for 
 Morgan, passing before us, was doing the 
 same thing. More or less troops were sta- 
 tioned at every town, and it was expected that 
 they would be able to cripple the raiders and 
 to force them to change their course, or to 
 check them until we could attack them from 
 the rear. But all efforts of these guards proved 
 fruitless, for, after a short engagement, they 
 would surrender or retreat and leave the road 
 unobstructed. There were some hot little bat- 
 tles; one at Green River bridge, another at 
 Lebanon, and others at places now out of my 
 memory. 
 
 There were no more regular halts made, as 
 it would be impossible for all to get some- 
 thing to eat at one place. The men would fall 
 out, refresh themselves as best they could, and 
 then gallop up until they overtook the column, 
 
In Kentucky 143 
 
 which was diminished to about one-half its 
 number by these constant departures. 
 
 Some of the men would go to every house 
 in the town. Large crowds were always gath- 
 ered about the farm-houses, and often they 
 would carry away everything in sight. When 
 the women were cooking for one party, some 
 new arrivals would enter the kitchen and carry 
 away everything, and leave the party waiting 
 until something more could be prepared, or 
 they had to go away hungry. 
 
 I was waiting for a meal one day, when a 
 man rushed into the kitchen, pulled the pan 
 of half-baked biscuits from the oven, turned 
 them into his haversack, and walked out with 
 his prize as unconcerned as if they had been 
 his own. This was only one of a thousand 
 such cases. 
 
 The scenes and incidents along the line of 
 march were varied, and marked with destruc- 
 tion, disaster, and death. Houses were 
 burned, men were killed in every town, rail- 
 road trains were ditched, bridges and boats 
 were destroyed, the contents of stores and pri- 
 vate houses were scattered and torn, postoffices 
 were looted of everything, and the mail was 
 scattered along the road for hundreds of miles. 
 Many letters were opened and read by the 
 captors and thrown down to be read by their 
 pursuers. 
 
 The day before we arrived at the Ohio 
 River I was very hungry. About ten o'clock 
 I began to look for something to eat, and for 
 
144 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 two hours I rode to many different houses, and 
 had fallen behind everything but the rear- 
 guard. About twelve o'clock I saw a large 
 plantation house a half mile from the road 
 to the right, and there was no one going or 
 coming from it. It appeared to be the best 
 chance I would get, and so I rode over. A 
 servant came to the door. I told her I would 
 like something to eat. She told me to sit 
 down and wait, that dinner would be ready 
 soon. I sat down in the front door. It 
 opened into the hall, and a door stood open 
 to the left of the hall. I could see in, and at 
 once discovered it to be a very large dining- 
 room. 
 
 A table was spread from one end to the 
 other, and there were several servants with 
 white aprons and caps carrying in the smok- 
 ing dinner. My first impression was that I 
 had come to a party of officers who had 
 stopped for dinner, but a second thought dis- 
 pelled the first, as there were no horses or 
 orderlies about the place. That caused me 
 to wonder what all the preparation was for, 
 although it made but little difference to me, 
 as I was hungry, tired, sleepy, and covered 
 with dust. That there was plenty to eat was 
 evident. I sat there for perhaps thirty min- 
 utes, the rear-guard had passed on the road op- 
 posite, and no one was coming from the com- 
 mand to eat that dinner. 
 
 A door opened at the other end of the din- 
 ing-room, and a procession of gentlemen 
 
In Kentucky 145 
 
 marched in, each with a lady on his arm, from 
 whom he disengaged himself at the end of 
 the table. The gentlemen marched down one 
 side and the ladies the opposite side of the 
 table. The servant spoke to the middle-aged 
 lady and said there was a soldier who wanted 
 dinner. She very pleasantly directed the ser- 
 vant to bring me in and to place me at the 
 table. Some of the young ladies said I could 
 wait, and one said I should not eat with them, 
 but the gentleman they called Colonel told 
 me to come in, that there was plenty of room. 
 The lady directed me to a seat and told the 
 servant to wait on me and see that I got what 
 I wanted. Some of the ladies feigned dis- 
 gust at the turn things had taken. They were 
 very glib when they entered, but some of them 
 had but little to say while I was there, except 
 an occasional slur about the Yankees. The 
 gentlemen paid no attention to this irony, but 
 kept on talking. 
 
 The whole proceeding mortified me enough 
 to occupy my thoughts until I was in the sad- 
 dle and was riding away. I did not annoy 
 them long. As I never expected to see them 
 again, I rilled the aching void, thanked them, 
 and took my leave. 
 
 I was some distance behind, and it was no 
 easy task to overtake the rapidly moving 
 column. As the mare galloped along I won- 
 dered where so many men had come from, 
 and that so many looked like our guest at 
 dinner on the 3d; but as they all wore the 
 
146 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 same style clothes, that looked as if they had 
 been cut and made in the same shop, and were 
 in the fashion of the times, and as they were 
 all Kentuckians, I accounted for the coinci- 
 dence, and concluded that I had only chanced 
 to meet a church or wedding party, and I dis- 
 missed the matter from my mind. After 
 many years I learned that Morgan's dis- 
 mounted men had traveled through Kentucky 
 on foot, in wagons, and by rail, and in new 
 clothes, for the purpose of getting what re- 
 cruits they could in Kentucky. They were to 
 mount themselves on Northern horses in Indi- 
 ana and Ohio and there take charge of 
 the three thousand new troops they had been 
 promised when they crossed the Ohio line, 
 and these were the men that had been seen 
 and mistaken for bushwhackers as they passed 
 singly through the woods near Jim Town. 
 The gentlemen at the dinner were one con- 
 tingent, and the man I met at dinner on July 
 3d had no doubt come from the same camp. 
 They had discarded their uniforms, put on 
 citizen's clothes, cut their long hair, and with 
 a clean shave, leaving the moustache, with 
 sun-burnt faces, gave them the semblance of 
 citizens. Any move they would have made 
 to antagonize the Union soldiers would have 
 exposed and interrupted their plans, and 
 therefore I was not molested by them. 
 
 We arrived at the Ohio River some time 
 in the night, and rested for some hours at 
 Brandensburg. Morgan had captured two 
 
In Kentucky 147 
 
 boats at this place, and after crossing on them 
 to the Indiana side had set fire to them. All 
 boats below had retreated to Cairo and those 
 above to Louisville. We had to wait until 
 they came from the latter place to ferry us 
 across. 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 ON MORGAN'S TRAIL 
 
 ON the march many horses had cast 
 their shoes, and mine had lost one. 
 One farrier was busy and the other 
 unable to work. I borrowed his 
 shoeing tools, and made my first effort at 
 horseshoeing, and when the shoe was on I 
 passed the tools to someone else, and this 
 practice became common in our company for 
 the future. 
 
 On the northern side of the Ohio River the 
 trail of Morgan was more marked. In the 
 first town he captured and paroled eight thou- 
 sand troops, consisting of militia, volun- 
 teers, and other organizations equipped for 
 the occasion. He burnt mills, factories, and 
 private property when the owner refused to 
 pay ransom. 
 
 Our march continued night and day, and 
 the only halt was when the bridges or ferries 
 were destroyed by the raiders and we had 
 to wait until a way was procured for us to 
 cross. When there was a halt a sheaf of 
 wheat or some corn from the nearest field was 
 thrown to the horse, and his rider would drop 
 on the ground and be sound asleep before he 
 was fairly stretched out. 
 
 148 
 
On Morgan's Trail 149 
 
 The last day's travel in Indiana was Sun- 
 day, and we arrived at the White Water 
 River, the line between Ohio and Indiana, in 
 the night, to find the bridge destroyed, and it 
 was four or five hours before a ford could be 
 found ; but we crossed, and tied up in the small 
 town of Harrison before daylight. Here I 
 procured some writing materials, went to a 
 private house, and after making arrangements 
 for breakfast, wrote a letter home, in which 
 I told the folks that we were on Morgan's 
 trail, that he was now in Ohio and was going 
 in the direction of their home, but that I 
 thought he would not get so far north. 
 
 From the time we crossed the Ohio until 
 the last few days of the raid the citizens would 
 fall in and march in the rear of the column, 
 declaring they were going to see us catch 
 Morgan. At daybreak this miscellaneous 
 crowd would begin to gather, and in the 
 thickly settled places would amount to as high 
 as four hundred, mostly mounted, but on 
 horses not used to the saddle, and many with- 
 out shoes. The men were armed usually with 
 squirrel rifles or shotguns, and some with 
 pocket pistols. We became used to the cry, 
 " You will catch them before night; they are 
 only four hours ahead." Or it might be one 
 hour or two hours. However, it seemed we 
 were close to them all the time. That crowd 
 would gather and march with a great deal 
 of vim at first, but a few hours cooled them 
 off, and they would begin to fall out, and by 
 
150 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 midnight there would be but a few left. In 
 the morning new ones would begin to recruit 
 again. Some stayed a week, and four or five 
 followed to the last. 
 
 There was a delay of an hour at Harrison. 
 Colonel Kautz wired General Burnside that 
 the command was too cumbersome, and that 
 a smaller command could make better time. 
 He received a reply to take his brigade and 
 move on, and let his judgment be his guide. 
 
 Woolford was sent to the other side of the 
 Ohio River to intercept Morgan should he 
 cross. At 7 A. M. we moved out. 
 
 Colonel Kautz's brigade consisted of the 
 Seventh Ohio Cavalry, Ninth Michigan 
 Cavalry, Second Ohio Cavalry, and Second 
 Tennessee Mounted Infantry. 
 
 As this day's march was a record breaker, 
 I will endeavor to give a more accurate de- 
 scription of it. It was near the middle of 
 July, and the sun shone down intensely hot. 
 Most of those that had tenaciously held to 
 their blankets and cooking utensils discarded 
 them during the day. We passed through a 
 fertile and thickly settled part of the country, 
 and the towns and villages were occupied by 
 wealthy people. The most noted was Glen- 
 dale, a residence town, seventeen miles from 
 Cincinnati, the residence of business and pro- 
 fessional people who received their supplies 
 from that city. Here it was not necessary to 
 leave the ranks for something to refresh our- 
 selves. The streets were crowded with ladies 
 
On Morgan's Trail 151 
 
 carrying buckets of water and lemonade, 
 pies, cake, bread and butter, ham sandwiches, 
 and in fact everything that one could wish for. 
 Many of the ladies were extravagantly 
 dressed, but they worked hard and paid no 
 attention to the dripping water or flying dust 
 that covered them from head to foot. They 
 felt jubilant to know that they were permitted 
 to help us on our journey, which they thought 
 would result in the capture of the raiders be- 
 fore night, as they had passed but three hours 
 before us. 
 
 The bridge was destroyed over the Ohio 
 Canal, and boats had to be brought from a 
 distance on which a temporary bridge was 
 built. This delay gave us one and a half 
 hours' rest. We passed by Camp Dennison, 
 and here the road crossed the railroad track. 
 Close to the bridge that spans the Little 
 Miami River to our left, we saw a train of 
 cars and an engine that Morgan's men had 
 derailed. They lay on their sides at the foot 
 of the bank. To our right we could see the 
 barracks where we had quarters in Decem- 
 ber, 1 86 1, in which the troops were now 
 camped who kept Morgan from burning the 
 bridge. This he had made repeated efforts 
 to do. 
 
 During the twenty-four hours we covered 
 a distance of seventy-five miles, and at 7 
 A. M. the next day went into camp for a little 
 rest. I took a bath in a running brook, put 
 on the clean underclothes, and threw away 
 
I 2 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 those I had worn from Somerset. It was 
 the first time I had taken off my boots since 
 leaving Jim Town. 
 
 When we resumed the march it was evident 
 that the pursuit was a desperate effort. 
 Troops had been shipped by river and rail in 
 and from all directions. They had failed to 
 intercept Morgan to any advantage, and the 
 trail showed the ruthless hand of a defiant 
 enemy, taking horses, wagons, and stores of 
 all descriptions, and capturing and paroling 
 troops. The country was thoroughly aroused 
 and indignant at the invasion. We pushed 
 along with about the same routine every day, 
 until Friday evening the advance was enabled 
 to engage the enemy's guard at Cheshire, or 
 Manhattan Island. 
 
 On the next Saturday it happened to be the 
 Second Ohio's turn to take the lead, with 
 Company E in advance of the regiment. Ser- 
 geant Harris had charge of the extreme 
 advance that consisted of himself, James 
 Camp, and myself. We continued during the 
 day and until night when we entered the 
 heavy sycamore timber. The trees stood far 
 apart, and the dense foliage made it so dark 
 we could not distinguish the road. It was 
 impossible to remain awake long at a time, 
 and we made application for a guide. We 
 were now in the country where the members 
 of the Seventh Ohio Cavalry lived, and they 
 soon gave us a man who had carried the mail 
 over the road for ten years. We now had four 
 
On Morgan's Trail 153 
 
 men, and, relieved from the responsibility of 
 keeping the road, we could sit and nod as 
 much as we chose. 
 
 During all this time our ranks had been 
 dwindling down, and they had dwindled very 
 rapidly for the last week. Men gave out by 
 falling sick, by having disabled horses, and 
 from various other causes. There was a 
 standing order for men unable to keep up 
 with the column to report to the nearest pro- 
 vost marshal for supplies and transportation. 
 
 Our force now consisted of only such men 
 as were fully determined to do their best to 
 be present at the termination of the now des- 
 perate pursuit. At daybreak on Sunday 
 morning the guide said we did not need him 
 any longer, reined his horse to one side, and 
 dismounted. 
 
 The road was dry under the large trees, 
 and we could not tell about how much time 
 had elapsed since the last troops passed. 
 About three hundred yards from where the 
 guide left us there was only brush at the road- 
 side, and the dust having been laid by the dew, 
 it was easy to see that a small squad of cavalry 
 had very recently passed, turning the dry dust 
 on top of the wet. The road wound around 
 on a low brushy ridge with a field on one side 
 and a cabin on the other. There was a 
 woman in the cabin, and on making inquiries 
 of her, she said that some of Morgan's men 
 had just left since day. 
 
 A half mile beyond, as we moved along, 
 
154 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 a man stepped out of the brush in front of 
 us and started to run, but we halted him 
 and demanded to know who he was. He said 
 he had been pressed by Morgan for a guide, 
 and they had shot at him when making his 
 escape. As there was nothing unusual about 
 this, it having occurred several times during 
 the raid, we accepted his story, and after an- 
 swering a few questions moved on and left 
 him. 
 
 A few yards beyond the road makes a short 
 turn down a steep grade to the valley that runs 
 parallel with the road we were then traveling. 
 As we were about to turn, the sergeant cried, 
 " Look out, there they are!" A horse, with 
 equipments and a pair of large saddle pockets 
 on, was standing in the brush, no doubt where 
 the man we met had just left him. We led 
 the horse out and examined the contents of 
 the pockets, which consisted of dress-patterns, 
 women's shoes, boxes with pocket knives, sil- 
 ver spoons, needles and thread, with many 
 other things too numerous to mention. 
 
 As we were making our examination the 
 company arrived. The lieutenant said, 
 " Cause, take the horse to Colonel Kautz. He 
 asked me to get one for him, and this is the 
 first opportunity I have had." It occurred 
 to me that it was a good opportunity to get 
 breakfast, and some of the goods would be a 
 reward for the favor. So I threw a dress- 
 pattern and a pair of shoes on the saddle, 
 mounted, and road away. 
 
On Morgan's Trail 155 
 
 The column had halted for a rest. On ar- 
 riving at the head of it I inquired for Colonel 
 Kautz. On hearing his name pronounced, he 
 raised up and answered " Here." After the 
 customary salute I said, " Lieutenant Newton 
 sends his compliments, with a fresh horse." 
 He apparently paid no attention to what was 
 said, but inquired: 
 
 " How far is it to the river? " 
 
 " About three miles." 
 
 "Where did you get your information?" 
 
 " From a woman at the cabin and a man 
 we met on the road." 
 
 " How long since Morgan passed? " 
 
 " The rear-guard left that cabin since day- 
 light." 
 
 He sprang to his feet and exclaimed, 
 "We've got them, we've got them! Saddle 
 my horse, sound assembly!" 
 
 The orderly took the halter from my hand 
 and I galloped away to the cabin. After dis- 
 mounting, I walked in and inquired for break- 
 fast. The woman said there was not a mouth- 
 ful to eat in the house. Morgan's men were 
 there all night and ate them out. I walked 
 out and brought in the goods and threw them 
 on the table, whereupon she gave me a re- 
 volver she had found in the yard where some 
 of the men had dropped it during the night. 
 
 The column was now passing, and as no 
 breakfast was to be had, I mounted and gal- 
 loped on to the company, where they were all 
 soundly sleeping. Being pretty well ac- 
 
156 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 quainted with our hazardous situation, I 
 shouted, " Get up or Morgan will get you!" 
 They were up in a moment, and the trumpet 
 sounded forward at the head of the column. 
 Sergeant Harris moved out with his squad 
 to gain the proper distance. Before we 
 reached the foot of the hill Morgan's videttes 
 fired on us. We put spurs to the horses and 
 they fled into camp, leaving a large quantity 
 of goods, and one dropped his gun, which I 
 picked up on my return after assembly call. 
 Morgan's camp was situated in a field, a part 
 of which was green corn, and the other part 
 wheat, cut and standing in shock. 
 
 The fields are situated on a level plateau 
 (apparently a valley), surrounded with hills, 
 and is about one mile long and three-quarters 
 of a mile wide. At the lower end of the 
 plateau there is a high hill, around which 
 the river makes a short bend. At that point 
 the gunboats were lying and guarding the 
 ferry. The upper end of the plateau is cut 
 off by a deep ravine, the mouth of which is 
 the landing for the ferry. The ravine runs 
 back into the hills and is intercepted by a 
 ravine that runs to the left parallel with the 
 plateau, at the upper end of which the road 
 crosses at the point where we entered it. By 
 the time the sergeant's squad had returned to 
 take our places on the right of the company 
 the men had dismounted, and with the Second 
 Ohio in advance were moving down the ra- 
 vine at a double-quick pace. Being number 
 
On Morgan's Trail 157 
 
 one, I was required to hold the horses for 
 the first set of fours, and with nothing to do 
 but sit on the horse and observe the move- 
 ments, I was able to witness a grand 
 panorama. 
 
 Morgan's men were saddling and hitching 
 to the vehicles, while Kautz's men were pour- 
 ing through, dismounting without forming in 
 line, and running to catch the rear of the 
 column as they went into the ravine. The 
 Colonel sat on his horse as if there was nothing 
 unusual going on, and when the men were 
 all dismounted, said to the men holding the 
 horses, " If I send a messenger for you, come 
 quickly. Tie the horses to trees, turn them 
 loose, or anything to get there quick." He 
 then rode away, following the column. He 
 was scarcely out of our sight when the firing 
 began at the head of the dismounted column, 
 simultaneously with the gunboats that had, 
 unknown to us, taken warning of our ap- 
 proach at the first alarm shots, their guns hav- 
 ing to be set at an elevation that would carry 
 the shells over Morgan's camp and explode 
 about halfway between the opposing forces. 
 
 At that time the excitement was intense. 
 Everything in Morgan's camp broke; many 
 of the teams were hitched and others partly 
 hitched. So many of the horses having been 
 recently taken from farms were fresh and 
 strong, and not used to the sound of artillery, 
 so they tore away, breaking the lines, one end 
 of which would fly up in the air and then 
 
158 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 recoil. Others had the swingle-tree to one 
 trace that would lash from one side to the 
 other. Wagons were turned over, scattering 
 the goods they had taken from stores on the 
 route. The ground being loose, the air was 
 soon full of smoke, dust, corn-stalks, sheaves 
 of wheat, silk, cloth, muslin and calico, one 
 bolt of which was more attractive than the 
 others, for one end caught to a horse and un- 
 wrapped as he ran and the other end flew in 
 the air for a moment like a streamer from a 
 mast. 
 
 The road runs diagonally across the valley 
 and enters the ravine by a steep narrow grade 
 to the ferry. The artillery and teams that 
 were hitched went to that point, and as it 
 was soon blocked they pitched over the steep 
 embankment and the artillery lay at the bot- 
 tom in a heap with the mutilated hodies of 
 the men and horses that went down with it. 
 The cavalary that made their escape plowed 
 deep furrows as they slid from top to bottom. 
 
 The firing at the head of the column served 
 to cut the fleeing raiders in two parts. Those 
 having passed the junction of the ravines made 
 good their escape, but all the others were com- 
 pelled to surrender, about two thousand in 
 number, with every wheel they had in pos- 
 session. When an order came for the horses 
 we delivered them in close proximity to Mor- 
 gan's deserted camp, in less than one and a 
 half hours after the first shot was fired. 
 There were plenty of valuable spoils to be 
 
On Morgan's Trail 159 
 
 gathered there, of every description, from 
 needles to fine guns, sabers, bolts of cloth, silk, 
 silverware, gold and silver coins, greenbacks, 
 etc. 
 
 The treasure I stood most in need of was 
 something to eat and a good sleep, and I at 
 once prepared for it. Some of the men went 
 to the neighboring valley to dinner, but Mor- 
 gan's deserted camp furnished the most of 
 us. We found sacks of green coffee, flour, 
 etc., with frying-pans and coffee-pots. We 
 soon satisfied our appetite, and went to sleep. 
 When we awoke the valley was full of men, 
 women, and children picking up the scattered 
 goods. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 THE CAPTURE OF MORGAN 
 
 A four o'clock we took up the trail 
 through the woods, but before night 
 overtook us we had turned into a 
 by-road. During the night it rained 
 and owing to the darkness and the crossing 
 of other roads it was impossible to tell which 
 route Morgan had traveled, and we were com- 
 pelled to halt until morning. We were wet 
 and chilled. At daylight we moved on. 
 
 As I had only had one meal since some 
 time on Saturday, a period of at least forty 
 hours, I began to skirmish for breakfast, 
 which I obtained at a farm-house about eight 
 o'clock. 
 
 Morgan's march was accelerated from the 
 fact that he had no train or artillery. After 
 traveling north a short distance he turned his 
 course and headed for Cheshire. The march 
 for seven days was uneventful. The next 
 Sunday we came upon Morgan's rear-guard 
 prepared for an attack. They would hold 
 the advance in check until our column was 
 brought up in line prepared for an engage- 
 ment, and then they would fall back to an- 
 other position. This was continued and re- 
 peated until 9 P. M., when they sent in a 
 
 160 
 
The Capture of Morgan 161 
 
 flag of truce and surrendered. They said 
 Morgan was camped over the hill, and would 
 come in in the morning, as they were too tired 
 to do so that night. It was late before we 
 got into camp, and before day it was learned 
 that Morgan with a few men had escaped 
 and gone north. We were allowed to sleep 
 until sunrise, when the trumpet sounded as- 
 sembly. We were then notified that volun- 
 teers were wanted to continue the pursuit. 
 Colonel Kautz pronounced the command 
 unserviceable, but under the circumstances the 
 men with the best horses, that were willing to 
 go, would start at once, as he would like to 
 get one thousand men that would remain in 
 the saddle until Morgan surrendered. 
 
 Six men from Company E volunteered. 
 We reported to headquarters, where we joined 
 the squads from the other companies, and 
 about one thousand men from the brigade. 
 Without delay we moved out, and as we left 
 the valley we met two of Morgan's men. 
 They reported that Morgan had issued an 
 order for all who could not stand a march of 
 forty-eight hours without food for the horse 
 or man had better return and surrender. 
 Only two men had returned. Our com- 
 mander issued the same order and two men 
 went back with the prisoners. The road over 
 which we had to travel was through the yellow 
 clay hills of Jackson County and the country 
 was very thinly settled. I was able to get only 
 one piece of corn-bread about three inches 
 
1 62 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 wide and four inches long, split in two, to di- 
 vide with a comrade during the forty-eight 
 hours, and then I was fortunate enough to put 
 my feet under a farmer's table and eat a hearty 
 meal. 
 
 On the next Friday the Second Ohio was 
 in advance with Jim Camp, Polly Hopkins, 
 and me in the extreme advance-guard. We 
 learned that Shackleford had shipped his 
 troops on transports up the river, and that he 
 was marching a few miles to our right at the 
 present time. 
 
 It was evident we were crowding the raiders 
 pretty hard, for the people that had left their 
 houses while the raiders passed had not re- 
 turned yet. When we entered the town of 
 Washington, Guernsey County, Ohio, the 
 houses were all closed, and not a person was 
 seen until they knew that we were Union 
 troops. Then some came out and said that 
 Morgan was in a field over the hill. We 
 moved on, and when we came to the end of 
 the street that terminated abruptly at a 
 meadow fence, we threw off the top rail and 
 went over. This brought us in full view of 
 Morgan's whole command. We opened fire, 
 which they returned. 
 
 We advanced down the slope, until within 
 two hundred yards of them. Camp and I 
 dismounted. Camp went to the fence that 
 ran in front of us, and I turned my mare 
 broadside to them, and fired by taking rest 
 across her shoulders. Their fire was so brisk 
 
The Capture of Morgan 163 
 
 that they were soon obscured by the cloud of 
 smoke. Only the heads and front legs of the 
 horses in the front rank were visible. The 
 range was so short that the bullets sounded 
 like yellow jackets. 
 
 The grass was soon all cut away from 
 around our feet by the shower of bullets 
 that fell like so much hail. When the Second 
 Tennessee dismounted and came over the hill 
 in line, Morgan's men broke and ran. A 
 volley that passed over us was sent after them, 
 but fell short of its mark. 
 
 We held our ground during the skirmish 
 without a tremor until the last few moments, 
 when a few shots were fired at me from the 
 road which ran some distance to the left of 
 our position, and came from the enemy's 
 picket. The balls passed directly behind me, 
 and made me a little squeamish, as a cross-fire 
 is sure to do. Miraculous as it may appear, 
 three men and three horses stood in front of 
 that command and shower of lead for fully 
 ten minutes, and not a hide or a hair was 
 touched, while the enemy left some men on 
 the field that never returned to the sunny 
 South. 
 
 I mounted and loped to the road, and tried 
 to capture some of the stragglers who were 
 foraging, but my animal was tired, and they 
 all outran me. That little run finished my 
 mare. Her ears dropped down, and she 
 moped about, a sure sign of collapse. We 
 stopped at the first cornfield for a short rest, 
 
164 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 When we moved out with some other detach- 
 ment in the advance, it was about five o'clock, 
 and I soon discovered that I would have to 
 change my mount or abandon the pursuit. I 
 continually lost ground from that time until 
 morning, walking or staggering along much 
 of the time. 
 
 No horse was to be had during the night 
 or soon in the morning, for Morgan had 
 stripped the stables and pasture fields near 
 the road, and no one had made an appearance 
 from a distance. At sunrise I was some dis- 
 tance behind, but I was not alone. There 
 were always plenty of stragglers with worn- 
 out horses, and some of them had worn out 
 the second one and were looking for the third. 
 
 I was on the alert, and about eight o'clock 
 a party of farmers came in from a cross-road, 
 and we proceeded to dismount them. We 
 told them to pull off their saddles. They 
 fervently protested, but we had orders to take 
 horses wherever we found them. 
 
 I had now a dreadful task to perform. I 
 had to part with the most noble animal it 
 was ever my fortune to mount. Her limbs 
 were trembling, and every muscle quivered as 
 the saddle was removed from where it had 
 been since the last Sunday morning. When 
 the decayed saddle-blanket, which had been 
 wet with rain and sweat for weeks, was re- 
 moved, the skin came with it, leaving the ribs 
 bare. The underfolds fell to pieces, and I 
 was able to save only enough to keep the sad- 
 
The Capture of Morgan 165 
 
 die from the back of my new mare. My con- 
 science hurt me for the treatment I had given 
 my faithful animal, and I dared not look at 
 the poor thing. The tears rolled down my 
 cheeks as I rode away, telling the farmer to 
 take good care of her. I assured him he 
 would not regret his labor. 
 
 The new mount was a dark iron gray, more 
 than seventeen hands high, and I had to get 
 on a bank to reach the stirrup ; but once in 
 the saddle I decided to have some breakfast, 
 as I had had nothing for twenty-four hours. 
 I left the main road and ate some breakfast 
 at a farm-house, and then proceeded to see 
 what I was riding. I found her to be too 
 heavy and too awkward to strike a lope, but 
 with a long sweeping trot she was able to 
 make fair time, and I kept her at it until I 
 overtook the column, and I was in the ranks 
 of the Second Ohio by twelve o'clock. 
 
 Only twenty of them were left, and one 
 half of these were either exhausted or dis- 
 mounted. That evening we received word 
 that Shackelford was still moving on our right 
 a few miles away. His command consisted 
 of Woolford's brigade and a part of Kautz's. 
 
 We took a short rest that night. Our de- 
 tachment happened to stop in front of a coun- 
 try church, and I lay down on the stone steps 
 with my head on the door-sill and covered 
 with the talma, holding the bridle-rein in my 
 hand. When we moved off I heard someone 
 who had a watch and a lighted match in his 
 
 
 
1 66 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 hand say that we had been there one hour and 
 a half. We then proceeded without a halt 
 until we entered the village of Salinesville 
 -on the P. &. C. R. R., and then we learned 
 that Morgan had been attacked in town by 
 the Ninth Michigan Cavalry that had been 
 sent out on a scout from Shackelford's com- 
 mand, and they had just missed getting Mor- 
 gan by his jumping from his buggy, leaving 
 his driver to be taken prisoner. 
 
 We delayed a while in town, and I got 
 some dinner and rode over to the depot. A 
 man challenged me for a trade. He said he 
 had a good saddle horse, but it was breechy 
 and balky. He gave me five dollars and we 
 made the exchange. I was glad to ged rid 
 of the one I had, for it would not be safe to 
 undertake a fast gait on her. By the time I 
 was ready to go the troops had been moving 
 for some time, but were going back the way 
 they came. The people pointed across the 
 hill, and said that Morgan had gone that 
 way. 
 
 There was no road, the one going up the 
 hill in the way they pointed being separated 
 by a farm from the one on which Morgan had 
 traveled. Thinking that two miles or more 
 could be saved by crossing the farm, I went 
 that way and turned in to the first lane. The 
 short cut enabled me to join the advance, 
 the troops being at once noticeable as new 
 arrivals from the fact that their horses were 
 fresh, uniforms and equipments bright and 
 
The Capture of Morgan 167 
 
 clean. They told me they were West Vir- 
 ginia scouts, having recently reported to Gen- 
 eral Shackelford, and as scouts were assigned 
 the position in advance. I gave them some 
 detailed account of the raid. 
 
 After traveling about one mile, when near- 
 ing a cross-road, to our right we saw men 
 both on foot and mounted coming at full run 
 down that road and trying to cross the one 
 we were on. The mounted men were suc- 
 cessful, but the dismounted men turned back 
 and ran into the woods. I rode toward them, 
 halted one that was in the field at least three 
 hundred yards from us, and ordered him to 
 come to us. After some parley he ran into 
 the woods near by him. These men were 
 dressed in citizens' clothes with clean white 
 shirts, and we could not know whether they 
 were Morgan's men or farmers who were 
 frightened, and fleeing from what they sup- 
 posed to be Morgan's men. 
 
 The scouts continued in the same direction 
 we had been moving on the Lisbon road. I 
 returned to them, and said that I would shoot 
 the next man that refused to come to me when 
 I called him. They were surprised that such 
 were the orders, and this reveal'ed to me that 
 they had had no experience as scouts. I asked 
 how long they had been in the service, and 
 they replied two months. We had now 
 traveled a half mile beyond the cross-road, 
 and I began to make observations for myself, 
 and discovered that no cavalry had passsed 
 
1 68 Four Years 'with Five Armies 
 
 that road, and told them that we were on the 
 wrong road and that the men we had met 
 must be Morgan's. At the same time we saw 
 three men at a house that set back from 
 the road to the right of us. We called 
 to them to know who they were. They 
 mounted and rode away at a gallop, and 
 all leaped from the saddle at the same 
 time to throw down a fence in front of 
 them. I said they were Morgan's men and 
 did not intend to be taken. We opened fire 
 on them, and at my first shot one of the scouts 
 said that I had knocked the splinters from 
 the fence by the side of the man that was then 
 passing over. We gave chase and crossed the 
 fence where they did. At the next fence they 
 left their horses and took to the woods. 
 
 This was the opposite end of the same 
 woods that the first man ran into, and the 
 scouts wanted to know what we would do 
 with the horses. I said they might do what 
 they liked with them, but I wanted one, a 
 fine filly, that had not been under the saddle 
 more than* a few hours. 
 
 Just then a man from Morgan's command 
 rode to the edge of the woods and called to 
 us not to shoot any more, that Morgan was 
 going to surrender, and had already sent in a 
 flag of truce. 
 
 We returned to the road, and in a few 
 moments a courier arrived with orders for us 
 to return to the cross-roads, where we waited 
 to see the prisoners pass. 
 
The Capture of Morgan 169 
 
 If I had followed the first man I halted 
 I would have run into Morgan's camp, from 
 which they were now filing out to lay down 
 their arms. General Shackelford took them 
 in charge. I dropped down in the grass by 
 the roadside, and watched the last remnant 
 of Morgan's men file by. 
 
 The great strain was over, my nerves re- 
 laxed, and I was as weak as a child. The 
 only thing that stimulated me enough to keep 
 me awake was the knowledge that I was only 
 twenty-four miles from home, though there 
 was a standing order against furloughs. I 
 had been in the saddle twenty-seven days and 
 nights almost continuously, had traveled an 
 average of twenty hours, covering a distance 
 of fifty-five miles each day, over hundreds of 
 miles of hot, dusty roads, and ate and slept 
 but little except in the saddle, and now that 
 the most noted cavalry raid known to man 
 had collapsed, I wanted to go home and rest. 
 But the order to report to the provost mar- 
 shal would be revoked, and therefore I must 
 not report to anyone, and thus escape the 
 responsibility of disobeying orders. I wanted 
 to see my friend, Sergeant Harris, that we 
 might go together. This had to be done 
 quickly. I mounted, and instead of trying 
 to find the Second Ohio detachment, I was 
 trying to evade it. I soon found my friend. 
 He was stretched on the grass, and said that 
 the sergeant who had command of the detach- 
 ment, of which there were now only eighteen 
 
170 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 men, had gone to see Colonel Woolford, who 
 had temporary command. He soon returned 
 with orders for the Second Ohio to scout ten 
 days to pick up stragglers. It was only a 
 pretext to evade the general orders. 
 
 We marched straight for Lisbon, four miles 
 on our road. My friend was mounted on an 
 old sway-backed horse, and did not want to 
 ride it home. He turned it loose and saddled 
 the one I had captured from what appeared 
 to be Morgan's picket guard. 
 
 Of the eighteen men, six belonged to Com- 
 pany E, and could reach home before the next 
 morning. The other twelve lived about 
 Cleveland, sixty miles farther west, and that 
 distance would require one more day's march. 
 They went into camp near Lisbon, while we 
 went to the hotel for supper. It was sun- 
 down when we went to the stable for the 
 horses. To my surprise and disgust the relic- 
 hunters had rifled my saddle pockets and taken 
 every cartridge I had, not leaving me one to 
 show the people at home what they looked 
 like. 
 
 We moved at a lively gait to Franklin 
 Square. Some of the boys were acquainted 
 with the landlord, and we watered the horses 
 and took a little stimulant. We moved on, 
 and about nine o'clock a farmer came in from 
 a side road and joined us. He had the same 
 old story to tell that we had listened to for 
 many days. He had ridden all day notifying 
 the people of the approach of Morgan. He 
 
The Capture of Morgan i/l 
 
 was so tired, and his animal was so foot sore, 
 etc. We told him about the surrender of 
 Morgan, and it was news to him. 
 
 At length we loped out, but he called to 
 us to wait, and said we had better go with 
 him, as there would be pickets out at Salem. 
 He thought we had better let him go ahead. 
 We told him we had been in the service long 
 enough to know how to approach a picket. 
 
 It appeared now we had an opportunity for 
 some fun. We concluded to take all risk, 
 and when the picket halted us, the pickets 
 we knew would be the home guards, with 
 squirrel rifles, instead of halting, we would 
 put spurs to our horses, fire a few shots into 
 the air from our revolvers, and go by them. 
 But the news had come by wire and the pickets 
 had been withdrawn. So we lost the oppor- 
 tunity. 
 
 We entered Salem on Lisbon street. I 
 stopped at my uncle's, who lived on that street, 
 and after an hour's rest I went to Main street 
 to the residence of my friend, got my filly, 
 and moved out for North Benton, a distance 
 of ten miles. 
 
 I was well acquainted with the road, and 
 knew everyone living between the towns. I 
 thought I would lope over it all right in an 
 hour, but as soon as the horse checked his 
 speed to breathe a little, I fell asleep. When 
 I nodded a little too far, it waked me. The 
 first thing that struck my mind was that I 
 had lost my prize; but she was walking along, 
 
172 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 dragging the halter. After this had occurred 
 three times, I tied the halter to the saddle. 
 
 Between twelve and one o'clock I arrived 
 at my uncle's gate, and I called, but received 
 no answer. I found it impossible to stand 
 still without falling asleep. I led the horses 
 around to the stable. The door was fastened 
 inside, and I had to climb the fence. I man- 
 aged to get the horses in and the saddles off, 
 but it was all done in a half-conscious con- 
 dition. 
 
 As I staggered about, half asleep, I was 
 determined to get into the house before 
 tumbling over. I went to the house and 
 called again. My uncle wanted to know who 
 was there. I replied, and they soon opened 
 the door. My uncle said he had been after 
 Morgan. As soon as I got in I pulled the 
 cushion from a lounge, laid my head on it and 
 was asleep before my aunt could lay a cover 
 over me. 
 
 The next day the twelve men we had left 
 at Lisbon passed by, and that was the last I 
 saw of them until we met in Cincinnati two 
 weeks later. 
 
 For the first three days I slept almost con- 
 tinuously. Many people came from the sur- 
 rounding country to see the arms and horse 
 equipments of a trooper, and often I would 
 be talking to them and would cut the conver- 
 sation short by falling asleep in the chair. 
 On Wednesday afternoon an old schoolmate 
 drove up to see me, and persuaded me to get 
 
\VII,UAM W. \VURTS 
 
 vSecond Ohio Volunteer Cavalry 
 
 FACING 172 
 
The Capture of Morgan 173 
 
 in the buggy. We drove to Salem. When 
 we arrived at Mead's mill, three miles from 
 Salem, we began to meet buggies, carriages, 
 and wagons, driving as hard as they could go. 
 Many of the people knew me, and would call 
 out, "Have you got your gun? Morgan is 
 in Lisbon with five hundred men." 
 
 We stopped at a farmhouse to water the 
 horses, and the farmer's wife came out with 
 tears running down her cheeks, and begged us 
 to go back and get our guns. I was dressed 
 in citizen's clothes, but I tried to convince her 
 that there was nothing in the report, that I 
 was a soldier, and had seen Morgan a pris- 
 oner. As we drove on she said, " You are 
 afraid, or you would go and get your gun." 
 This was a little trying, but nothing to what 
 we had to contend with when we walked the 
 streets of Salem. 
 
 The country people had all left town, and 
 the home guards were mustering, and 
 marched about. A small battery was on the 
 commons. The ladies were moulding bullets, 
 and cutting patches, on the sidewalk. All 
 the excitement about nothing awaked no en- 
 thusiasm with me, as I was scarcely able then 
 to put one foot before the other. My partner 
 tried to be very serene because I pronounced 
 it all humbug. I told him Morgan's ad- 
 vance-guard of twenty men would have cap- 
 tured the whole town without losing a single 
 man. 
 
 The women did not like to see us moping 
 
174 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 about without our guns, and would call us 
 Copperheads, or Butternuts, and declare we 
 did not care if Morgan did come. 
 
 These tantrums were not only occasional, 
 but continued from one end of the street to 
 the other. It was pretty hard on me, but they 
 were ladies and I could not talk back. How- 
 ever, I kept thinking what I would like to say. 
 
 We called to see my friend Sergeant Harris, 
 and found his mother, whom I had met 
 the Sunday night before, very uneasy. She 
 gave me the first straight account of what it 
 all meant. She said that the report had come 
 in that Morgan had surrendered only a part 
 of his men, and that the others with him were 
 near Lisbon. The Sergeant, and a few more 
 soldiers who were at home on leave, had gone 
 on a scout to see if it was so. I pacified her 
 by telling her that perhaps some few strag- 
 glers had slept in the woods and were now 
 making their escape. She said the Sergeant 
 had told her the same thing, but she was 
 afraid we were mistaken. Finally the news 
 came that there was nothing in the report, 
 and Salem was herself again. When we 
 drove out we met wagon-loads of farmers with 
 guns coming back into town. 
 
 The provost marshal relieved me of the 
 captured animal before the week was out, and 
 Deacon Hartzell, who wanted a relic from 
 the raid, gave me a fine saddle-horse and five 
 dollars for the one I rode home. Of course 
 I was responsible to the Government for one 
 
The Capture of Morgan 175 
 
 horse, and I expected to ride the one I got 
 from the deacon. 
 
 When the ten days expired the Company E 
 boys met at Alliance, and reported to the mar- 
 shal for transportation. He had no authority 
 to send our horses and their equipments, but 
 he gave us a receipt for them and sent us to 
 Cincinnati. 
 
 The horse I turned in would have sold for 
 twice the money the Government was paying 
 for horses. But there was no help for me 
 and it had to go that way. We did not grieve 
 about small things anyway in those times. 
 
 The following are the names of the men 
 of Company E who were in the squad: Ser- 
 geant J. B. Wilcox, Sergeant A. H. Harris, 
 Privates James Camp, Charles R. Truesdale, 
 John W. Reed, and Isaac Cause. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 EVENTS SUCCEEDING A FURLOUGH 
 
 A^TER turning in the horses and equip- 
 ments, with transportation furnished 
 by the provost marshal, we boarded 
 the first train west to Crestline, where 
 we changed cars for Cincinnati. We arrived 
 in due course of time and reported to the pro- 
 vost marshal of that place. We asked for 
 transportation to our regiment, but we did not 
 know where it was. For some reason un- 
 known to us he regarded us rather sus- 
 piciously; but, as we thought, without a just 
 cause. We explained to him that we had left 
 the camp at Somerset, Kentucky, and the 
 regiment at Cheshire, Ohio. He would do 
 nothing for us unless we furnished evidence 
 from an officer that we belonged to a regiment 
 and that the commanding officer wanted us 
 to report to it. 
 
 He finally agreed to make an effort to learn 
 the whereabouts of the regiment. We left the 
 office, and returned two or three times, only 
 to learn that he could not find the whereabouts 
 of our regiment. As we had now spent our 
 money, we applied for rations. And he gave 
 us an order on what was termed Camp Distri- 
 bution. We presented the order to the officer 
 
 176 
 
Events Succeeding a Furlough 177 
 
 in charge. He said they were so crowded 
 that we would have to be there one hour be- 
 fore each meal. 
 
 This camp was the second and third stories 
 of a large block situated in the business part 
 of the city, and, if my memory serves me, it 
 was on Second street. The entrance to the 
 camp was by way of stairs from the back yard. 
 
 We were on hand promptly at eleven 
 o'clock for dinner, and found a horrible con- 
 dition of affairs. The entrance to the dining- 
 room was by a narrow hall from the steps. 
 The soldiers would fall in line, beginning at 
 the dining-room door, make a solid packed 
 line that extended down into the lot, and 
 in the line were enough men to fill the dining- 
 room three times. In this crowd there were 
 but few men that were actually soldiers. The 
 most of them had their names on the rolls 
 of some organization, and of course eventually 
 got pay, and no doubt a pension. They were 
 the raggedest, filthiest, lousiest set I ever saw 
 in the center of a civilized community. They 
 did not know where their command was, and 
 did not want to know. For that reason they 
 had neither money nor clothes. They would 
 fall into that line and crowd up tight together 
 like a pack of hungry wolves, and wait from 
 one half to one hour and a half three times 
 a day, rather than go to the front to do duty. 
 Some of them had been there four months, 
 and to all appearances would be there till 
 their time expired. No doubt they are now 
 
178 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 holding office or standing in some conspicuous 
 place with a G. A. R. badge pinned on the 
 breast of their coats. 
 
 The table was set with a tin plate, knife, 
 fork, and spoon for each one, and a cup for 
 coffee. At dinner there would be a few pans 
 of boiled beef or beans, with plenty of bread. 
 At breakfast the pans were full of potatoes 
 boiled with the skin on. Supper consisted of 
 coffee and bread. At night we were shown 
 the sleeping-apartment. It was a large room 
 with three tiers of bunks. Each tier was 
 three bunks high, and each bunk had 
 a sack of straw and one single blanket 
 in it. All had been used. The room 
 was poorly lighted, and the floor was 
 covered with filth. To lie on the ground 
 was a luxury in comparison. We could do 
 no better for the present, and looked hourly 
 for some of the Second Ohio officers to help 
 us out. 
 
 The Burnett House was the popular resort 
 for officers, and we would call frequently to 
 hear the news and see if anyone came we were 
 acquainted with. We also called frequently at 
 the office of the camp to inquire if they had 
 received any word from the regiment. 
 
 Finally the clerk told us that we might stay 
 there as long as we wanted to, that no one 
 would hurry us away, and that the supply 
 contract was worth more to them than men 
 at the front. This was equivalent to saying 
 that they did not care what became of the 
 
Events Succeeding a Furlough 179 
 
 army. They made money from the miserable 
 rations that they were daily dealing out to 
 the half-starved men, which were too good 
 for those who were willing to stay there and 
 eat them. 
 
 However, it was revolting to intelligent 
 men whose object was to prosecute the war to 
 a speedy termination, and to shrink from noth- 
 ing to help to bring it about in order that 
 they might enjoy something better in the fu- 
 ture. Yet we must be insulted by the offer 
 of a miserable existence like that! We felt 
 as if all we had done was lost. 
 
 We managed to get a letter through to 
 Lexington, Kentucky, and received an order 
 to the provost marshal to forward all Second 
 Ohio boys to that place. This was the ter- 
 minus of the railroad and the supply camp 
 for the troops operating in southern Kentucky. 
 
 We lost no time in leaving, and we landed 
 in Lexington in a few hours. The army was 
 then fitting out for a campaign in East Ten- 
 nessee, and we reported to the commanding 
 officer. He told us there was an officer fitting 
 out a train-load of supplies, and he would be 
 glad to have us go to assist in guarding the 
 train. He said he had just sent out a squad 
 with some Second Ohio boys in it, and he 
 thought they had taken all the horse equip- 
 ments. He did not know how soon he could 
 fit us out, but he would do what he could. 
 We explained to him that we had nothing, 
 not even a blanket to sleep on. He gave us 
 
180 Four Years <with Five Armies 
 
 an order to the officer mentioned, and told 
 us to do the best we could until the next day. 
 He would see what could be done then. 
 
 We soon learned that the officer was 
 camped with the train some place out of town, 
 but no one knew exactly in what direction. 
 We wandered about in search of information, 
 and when night came on we were scattered 
 about town. Some had been fortunate 
 enough to find something to eat and others 
 had done without. My friend Harris and I 
 wandered about until late at night, and for 
 the want of better accommodations lay down 
 on a board in a large camp building that had 
 neither floor nor doors. 
 
 The night was cold, and we would get up 
 and walk about now and then to warm our- 
 selves, then we would lie down again for a 
 short nap. In the morning we all met at the 
 corral. Some had fared pretty well, but the 
 most of them were no better fixed than we 
 had been. 
 
 At an early hour the officer referred to 
 reported to the quartermaster. He was 
 hustling about as the average officer is when 
 in charge of that kind of business. He had 
 heard of us at headquarters, and had inter- 
 ested himself in our behalf. Everything we 
 needed was at hand except horse equipments. 
 We drew rations for the first time since the 
 3d of July. Fortunately, a load of con- 
 demned horse equipments arrived and was 
 turned in to the quartermaster that day. He 
 
Events Succeeding a Furlough 181 
 
 gave us the privilege to take anything we 
 could use. 
 
 We set to work at once, and picked out the 
 best we could find in the lot. We replaced 
 the broken and missing part of one article 
 with the good part of another article. If a 
 bridle-bit was broken we would take the head- 
 stall and replace the bit from one that had a 
 broken head-stall. In this way we were able 
 to fit ourselves out fairly well, and before 
 night we were in the saddle again. I am 
 unable to describe from memory my new 
 horse. I know that I exchanged it in a few 
 days for another one that I will describe later 
 on. 
 
 We reported to the officer at his camp 
 where he had collected his train loaded with 
 supplies. He had a miscellaneous squad of 
 men belonging to different regiments, includ- 
 ing ourselves, who numbered thirty. Some 
 of the men belonged to infantry and artillery 
 and were dismounted. 
 
 We marched out next morning, and after 
 a few days we arrived at Crab Orchard, Ken- 
 tucky, where the army was camped, and re- 
 ported to our regiment. We were greeted 
 with cheers and shouts of welcome, and we 
 felt as if we were home again. We arrived 
 too late to get any clothes, and I was unable 
 to get any trace of what I had left at Somer- 
 set, which included an overcoat. 
 
 It was not long until the army took up its 
 march south. Owing to the cumbersome 
 
182 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 trains and artillery the march was necessarily 
 slow and easy on our horses, but very tedious 
 to the trooper who, being used to more active 
 service, wanted vent for his restless spirit. 
 Finally the order came for the cavalry to 
 pull out and cross the Cumberland Moun- 
 tains at Winter's Gap. 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 CAMPAIGNING IN EAST TENNESSEE 
 
 THE main army was traveling on the 
 road that leads from Crab Orchard 
 to Knoxville by way of Cumberland 
 Gap. The division to which we be- 
 longed moved along the base of the mountain 
 to Big Creek Gap, and there we met the 
 enemy. A small force of cavalry had been 
 stationed there to prevent invasion of East 
 Tennessee. 
 
 As soon as the long column of cavalry made 
 its appearance the outposts withdrew, and 
 gave us an open road to Loudon, a small manu- 
 facturing town situated on the Richmond and 
 Nashville railroad. 
 
 We were now thoroughly installed in the 
 enemy's country, and the old routine of skir- 
 mishing, picket, and patrol duty, with tear- 
 ing up railroads, destroying supply cars and 
 bridges, etc., began in earnest. But there 
 was one feature new to us and worthy of note. 
 The men who were compelled to remain in 
 the mountains to escape military duty, who 
 were commonly called bushwhackers from 
 the fact that they never missed an opportunity 
 to fire on their enemies, were Union men in 
 that locality, and instead of harassing us, acted 
 
 183 
 
184 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 as a protection by furnishing us with informa- 
 tion about the movements of the enemy. 
 
 The Union men were compelled to live in 
 the mountains to evade the conscript officers, 
 who had been scouring the country for two 
 years, pressing every man they could find into 
 the ranks of the Southern army. Our 
 previous campaigns had been in the Border 
 States, where the bushwhackers belonged to 
 the other side, and watched every opportunity 
 to pick off the videttes, or pick up a single 
 trooper if he chanced to get behind the com- 
 mand. 
 
 After effectually destroying everything that 
 could be of any use to the enemy, we marched 
 to Knoxville. Every inch of this road was 
 bitterly contested, but the enemy's efforts 
 proved fruitless, for we marched into Knox- 
 ville by a series of flank movements modeled 
 after the Morgan method, which proved very 
 disastrous to the enemy, with little or no loss 
 to us. 
 
 General Burnside commanded this raid in 
 person, and on his arrival at Knoxville found 
 himself not only in possession of that place, 
 but in possession of the only road that would 
 afford an escape for Pemberton's forces at 
 Cumberland Gap. We moved up to the base 
 of the mountain from the south side. 
 
 The Second and Seventh Ohio cavalry 
 were detached, and under command of 
 Colonel Kautz, moved to the west of the road 
 to go to the top of the range and attack the 
 
Campaigning in East Tennessee 185 
 
 fort on the flank. This was a very hazardous 
 march, and from a military point of view im- 
 practicable. We climbed for fourteen hours 
 up the steep mountains, along the sides, and 
 around the head of apparently bottomless 
 ravines or gorges. Some of these places 
 terminated abruptly at perpendicular bluffs, 
 and to cross we rolled trees across them, 
 covered the trees with brush and dirt, and 
 passed over in single file, leading our horses. 
 
 About ten o'clock on the second day we 
 passed the summit and came to an open glade 
 that descended on the north side of the range 
 with easy traveling. 
 
 We mounted, and after marching a mile or 
 more the head of the column turned to the 
 right, crossed a ravine, and passed a point 
 that extended a little below us on the opposite 
 ridge. To the surprise of everyone, we found 
 ourselves right in the midst of Pemberton's 
 wagon-train. The teamsters were eating din- 
 ner and were as much surprised as we were. 
 They said that they had an early dinner be- 
 cause their commander was then negotiating 
 terms of surrender with General Burnside. 
 They also said that there had never been a 
 guard on that side of camp, as it was believed 
 by everyone that a footman could not ap- 
 proach from that direction. We could see the 
 flag that floated over Pemberton's headquar- 
 ters at the fort on top of the mountain. 
 
 The column halted, and Colonel Kautz sat 
 on his horse asking questions of the teamsters. 
 
1 86 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 There was a little stir among Pemberton's 
 troops that lay in the breastworks for a few 
 moments, and then the flag descended, and the 
 surrender was complete. White flags could 
 now be seen at various points, and we marched 
 up the main road, along the line of breast- 
 works, full of men that had stacked their arms. 
 We met General Burnside at the top of the 
 mountain, and stopped to rest and get dinner. 
 The troops from the north side of the moun- 
 tain the Ninth Corps marched up and took 
 possession of everything. We joined our bri- 
 gade and marched toward Knoxville, and the 
 cavalry took up the trail of Buckner as he re- 
 treated up the Jonesboro pike toward Vir- 
 ginia, destroying the railroad and salt works, 
 and then withdrew to Tennessee, followed by 
 a large force of cavalry that had been con- 
 centrated to oppose us. Engagements with 
 them became of daily occurrence. At one 
 time we did not miss a single day in the week. 
 Sometimes they gained an advantage, and at 
 other times the advantage was in our favor. 
 In this way the road between Massey Creek 
 and Jonesboro was traveled over several times 
 before winter set in. During that campaign 
 we subsisted from the supplies gathered from 
 the country, with the exception of sugar and 
 coffee. Forage was plenty the first time we 
 passed, but it soon began to be scarce near the 
 main roads. We would press the mills and 
 grind flour, and by using corn-cob ashes in the 
 place of soda made slap-jacks, the only kind 
 
Campaigning in East Tennessee 187 
 
 of bread we had for four months. With ham 
 gravy and honey, of which there was an 
 abundance, we did well for a time, but this 
 soon gave out, and we were often fortunate to 
 have parched corn. Supplies being scarce on 
 the main roads, foraging parties were sent into 
 the unfrequented neighborhoods to bring in 
 what they could carry. I was with one of 
 these parties one time when we left camp at 
 Jonesboro and went out twelve miles. 
 
 I concluded to have some honey, as there 
 were several hives on a bench by the house. 
 The hives were hollow trees cut off about 
 thirty inches long, with a board nailed over 
 one end for a top, the other end resting on the 
 bench, with small holes cut for the bees to 
 pass through. When the hive is lifted from 
 the bench the bottom end is open. A hive of 
 honey full of bees is not a very nice thing to 
 handle, unless one understands the insect per- 
 fectly, but the ordinary trooper had learned 
 to subject the bee to discipline on some oc- 
 casions. To carry a hive twelve miles on 
 horseback was not to be undertaken for the 
 mere pleasure of it. However, my partner 
 and I thought that we were equal to the task, 
 and proved that we were. 
 
 Each trooper collected from a half-dozen 
 to a dozen chickens, a sack of corn, and two 
 bundles of fodder, which he placed on either 
 side of his horse. This had come to be a com- 
 mon thing with us. Often we had to ford the 
 Halsten River with our loads, when the water 
 
1 88 Four Years 'with Five Armies 
 
 would carry the fodder or hay, as the case 
 might be, above the horses' backs, and only the 
 straps prevented it from floating away. 
 
 The reader will want to know how we 
 gathered the honey. It takes three good men 
 to capture a well-protected hive. It is best 
 accomplished in this way: Two men take a 
 talma, and a third man picks up the hive very 
 carefully. The talma is slipped under it and 
 gathered up very quickly around the hive. A 
 saddle strap is buckled around it, and then it 
 can be managed with safety. Sometimes this 
 was not done properly, and then there was 
 trouble in camp. We succeeded admirably this 
 time. The hive was about as much as one 
 wanted to lift. My partner and I each had 
 a full sack of corn on the pommel of the sad- 
 dle, and this made a very steady resting-place 
 for the hive. We would shift it from one sad- 
 dle to the other about every mile. It was late 
 in the night when we passed through the 
 streets of Jonesboro. The inhabitants had all 
 retired, and the boys thought they would have 
 a little fun. They shook the chickens, made 
 them squall, and raised such a din that the peo- 
 ple got out of bed and looked out the windows 
 to see what was going on. This was very un- 
 usual, for many times we marched through 
 towns and seldom saw anyone after bedtime. 
 We arrived in camp, and it is needless to say 
 we had honey on our slap-jacks before going 
 to sleep. 
 
 While I am in the honey business I may as 
 
Campaigning in East Tennessee 189 
 
 well mention another honey expedition in 
 which we did not fare so well. It also was 
 near Jonesboro. When foraging, someone 
 saw some honey about a mile from camp and 
 as soon as it was dark we went on a raid. The 
 house was situated in the edge of the woods 
 and was the usual type of farmhouse made of 
 hewed logs, with chimney on the outside. The 
 bee shed extended from the corner of the 
 house to the chimney, with a bench under it. 
 On the bench the hives were arranged. The 
 chinking was knocked out, which left a hole 
 by the side of the chimney about large enough 
 to throw a cat through. 
 
 We could see the family standing in front 
 of a blazing fire, and talking to some soldiers. 
 We approached cautiously, and took the hives 
 without the knowledge of anyone inside the 
 house. Grant Reed picked it up, after the 
 talma had been strapped around, and walked 
 away with it on his shoulder. It was about 
 all one wanted to carry. When we had 
 crossed the first field he said, " Take it, it is 
 heavy." 
 
 I was next to him, and I quickly shifted it 
 to my shoulder. It was heavy, it is true ; but 
 it was evident that there was another reason 
 for sudden transfer. The bees covered my 
 neck and head at once. I ran along a few 
 steps, and called to Truesdale, who was just 
 ahead of me, " Charlie, take it quick; it is too 
 heavy for me." 
 
 He ran up and took it on his shoulders, but 
 
190 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 he did not go any distance, and down went the 
 hive. He did not like the joke very well when 
 he saw us fighting the bees away. I had 
 stripped off my shirt to get them from the in- 
 side. As we were all stung but one, Trues- 
 dale said he had made a mistake by not shift- 
 ing the hive to the fourth man, and joined in 
 with the fun. 
 
 In folding the talma in a hurry we had 
 not been careful and had left a wrinkle 
 in the talma that made a hole for the 
 escape of the bees, and the more time the more 
 bees, and Charlie had the full benefit. 
 
 The hive now lay on the ground split in two 
 pieces. A new plan had to be adopted. We 
 took two rails from the fence, and put the 
 pieces on the rails just as they lay on the 
 ground. Each man took the end of a rail. 
 This could not have been done in daylight, 
 but the bee is not much of a night campaigner, 
 and we got to camp a little worsted, but con- 
 sidered the spoils repaid us for our wounds, 
 which were all healed inside of two or three 
 days. 
 
 We were finally compelled to fall back on 
 the main army by a superior force of the 
 enemy under the command of General Long- 
 street, whose object was to drive General 
 Burnside out of Tennessee. When we arrived 
 at Strawberry Plains there was no forage at 
 Knoxville, and the cavalry was ordered to 
 withdraw to the base of the Cumberland 
 Mountains. There had been many troopers in 
 
Campaigning in East Tennessee 191 
 
 that section, and they had consumed every- 
 thing but the corn in the fields. As there 
 was no mill in the neighborhood, we lived on 
 parched corn for a few days. 
 
 The siege of Knoxville was now at its worst 
 stage. The troops in the besieged town were 
 in a starving condition, while trains loaded 
 with supplies could not approach nearer than 
 Cumberland Gap. Our position protected 
 them from being taken by the enemy's cav- 
 alry. When Longs tree t concluded to evac- 
 uate, a part of his forces moved under his per- 
 sonal command toward the base of the moun- 
 tain, and it was thought to be his intention to 
 take possession of the Gap, which would com- 
 pel Burnside to evacuate Knoxville through 
 Middle Tennessee. As soon as it was learned, 
 we moved out to intercept him, taking a posi- 
 tion at the fords of the river. The force was 
 divided to guard two fords five miles apart. 
 
 Our regiment was stationed at what was 
 called the upper ford. The crossing was only 
 a country road, but the ford was an excellent 
 one. When the advance of Longstreet's army 
 arrived at the main ford they found it well 
 guarded by three regiments of our brigade, 
 who gave them a lively reception which lasted 
 until night. There was no more effort made 
 to cross, but troops continued to arrive all the 
 next day, and they made a formidable ap- 
 pearance. 
 
 The next day it was evident that the enemy 
 was making a move of some kind, and an order 
 
192 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 came to the Second Ohio to reconnoiter. 
 Company E was detailed to cross the river 
 and to march to the first road that turned 
 down the river. Sergeant Wilkins took com- 
 mand of the advance-guard, of which I was 
 one. We traveled about two miles, and came 
 to the cross-road and turned to the right, which 
 we followed about two miles, then stopped at 
 a house. At first sight it was evident that there 
 had been much tramping about the yard and 
 road very recently, but no one appeared to be 
 there then. By close inspection, however, we 
 found a man who had had a hard tussle with 
 old man corn juice, and after rubbing his eyes 
 open and attempting to straighten up his but- 
 ternut suit, he said the Johnnies had been there 
 drinking and carousing all night, and he had 
 had a hard time to get rid of them. 
 
 The column came up and halted, but the 
 conversation was uninteresting to me. I rode 
 on to see what was over the hill beyond, went 
 down the first hill, crossed a bridge, and up 
 another steep hill. As I started up at the bot- 
 tom two men started down, coming from the 
 opposite direction. Of course, they belonged 
 to Longstreet's command. 
 
 There was nothing left for me, according 
 to my way of thinking, but to make the best 
 of the situation. We met on the side of the 
 hill. I had shown no surprise at seeing them, 
 and that threw them off their guard. I hailed 
 them: 
 
 " Hello, boys! How far to the command? " 
 
Campaigning in East Tennessee 193 
 
 " Just over the hill. Don't you hear the 
 wagons moving? " they said. 
 
 At the same time I laid my left hand on the 
 neck of the horse next to me, and with my 
 right hand placed my revolver in the face of 
 the rider, and said, " You are my prisoner." 
 
 " I told you he was a damned Yank," one 
 of them said. 
 
 I told them to unbuckle their belts and to 
 let their arms fall to the ground. They said 
 they had no arms. I told them to ride on 
 down the hill, and I turned to follow them, 
 when Sergeant Wilkins made his appearance 
 on the other hill and met us at the bridge. I 
 turned the men over to him and rode back to 
 the top of the hill, and I could see the enemy's 
 train passing so near I could hear the whips 
 crack as the drivers hurried their teams along. 
 
 Our mission was now performed, and we 
 returned to camp as fast as possible to give the 
 news. The next day we moved out. 
 
 Burnside's army was in hot pursuit. Col- 
 onel Woolford, who had been stationed some 
 place on the opposite side of Knoxville, had 
 flanked them, and the Ninth Corps fell on 
 their rear-guard and almost annihilated it. 
 We came into the Jonesboro pike and kept up 
 the pursuit until near the Virginia line. The 
 enemy's cavalry had now been reinforced, and 
 they instituted a new method of assault, of 
 which we were informed before they at- 
 tempted it. 
 
 By this time the nights were getting cold, 
 
194 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 and we were almost naked, not having drawn 
 clothing since we left Crab Orchard. I, for 
 one, had but one shirt, that had not been 
 washed except in a cold stream for a long 
 time. This compelled us to build large fires, 
 which revealed our position to the enemy. 
 They intended to surround us in the night, 
 but our information enabled us to prevent any 
 disaster. 
 
 The proposition to employ a little strategy 
 came from the Second Ohio, and General 
 Carter detailed us to carry it out. While the 
 enemy was sleeping in order to be ready for 
 the night work, our command built big fires, 
 and all moved out but our regiment, which 
 kept pickets out until about ten o'clock, when 
 we moved also, and by daylight the enemy 
 charged in to find nothing but the fires. This 
 was repeated three or four times, until we fell 
 back to Greenville, and we were preparing 
 for the same thing the following night. 
 
 After breakfast a part of Company E was 
 detailed for picket duty. The company was 
 short in commissioned officers, and a lieu- 
 tenant was detailed from Company M to take 
 command of the guard. We went out through 
 the town of Greenville to the female seminary 
 that stood on a hill near the Jonesboro pike. 
 A small reserve was left there, with instruc- 
 tions to keep a vidette out beyond the semi- 
 nary. We then returned, and another reserve 
 was sent out on the road that intercepted the 
 pike between the town and the seminary.- We 
 
Campaigning in East Tennessee 195 
 
 then went to the town and out on the road run- 
 ning north, where the officer established the 
 main reserve. A corporal was instructed to 
 post two videttes in advance of this reserve. 
 He called Hopkins and me out to take the first 
 relief. As we went out, Hopkins said he was 
 well acquainted with the road, having been 
 out to a doctor's house several times while we 
 were up the country. The first time, he said, 
 he had remained at Greenville with the 
 wagon-train for several days. 
 
 About three-fourths of a mile out we passed 
 over a hill at the foot of which the road 
 forked. One road wound around to the left 
 and followed the creek which flowed through 
 a narrow ravine, and the corporal left us on 
 the side of this hill, where we could watch 
 both roads. There had been a cold rain fall- 
 ing all the morning. It was now about eleven 
 o'clock, and Hopkins said if I would hold 
 the posts he would go to the doctor's to get his 
 dinner, and have some prepared for me. 
 
 I was not much of a hand for that kind of 
 expedition, but told him to go, and if every- 
 thing turned out all right I might go when 
 we were relieved. The doctor lived out on 
 the main road, and Hopkins was scarcely out 
 of sight when a woman with a small boy and 
 a sack of apples on a horse made their ap- 
 pearance on the same road. I supposed that 
 he had met them. I halted her and she said 
 she was going to town to dispose of the apples. 
 I told her I was sorry to put her to so much 
 
196 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 trouble, but she would have to obtain a pass 
 from Lieutenant-Colonel Purrington, who 
 was in command at camp three miles from 
 town, if she wanted to return. She made no 
 reply but rode on. 
 
 Having had occasion to remove my belt 
 that held my revolver, I had hung it on the 
 fence and forgotten to replace it. I had some 
 fresh pork in my saddle pockets, and as we 
 had killed the hog since breakfast, we had not 
 eaten any of it. I built a fire by the side of a 
 log, with some difficulty, however, as the rain 
 was still falling, and began cooking the meat. 
 While I was at work at the fire I thought 
 there was some kind of dead sound mingling 
 with the falling rain, but I could make noth- 
 ing out of it. 
 
 The mare that I have promised to describe 
 had a coat as soft and blue as a mole. She was 
 about fifteen hands high, strongly built, quick 
 and active, always ready to go, but not very 
 fast. She was standing on the bank about four 
 feet above the road, with the bridle-rein 
 thrown over the end of the rails. My back 
 was to the road, and just as the meat began to 
 broil, I was startled by a voice behind me. I 
 turned quickly, and, to my surprise, there was 
 the woman. I ran down the bank, and she 
 said: 
 
 " I did not get a pass." 
 
 " Why didn't you?" I asked. 
 
 " The rebels are in town." 
 
 "In Greenville?" 
 
Campaigning in East Tennessee 197 
 
 "Yes," she said; "did you not hear the 
 shooting? " 
 
 " No; but where are our men? " 
 
 " They are all killed and captured." 
 
 I ran up the bank, threw the rein over my 
 mare's head, put my foot in the stirrup, and 
 before I could straighten up in the saddle, she 
 was in the middle of the road. I heard horses 
 coming as hard as they could run just over 
 the hill. I took up the rein and brought up 
 my gun, which had the stock broken off, and 
 thought I would give them one shot and then 
 take leg bail. I intended to take the left-hand 
 road, when two men dashed to the top of the 
 hill, almost obscured by rain, fog, and the 
 flying mud the horses were throwing. 
 
 I called, " Halt! " but they did not halt, but 
 shouted out, " Don't shoot! " 
 
 I recognized the officer and sergeant of the 
 guard. The woman had already disappeared, 
 and they said, " Which way can we get to the 
 camp? " 
 
 " Take the left-hand road. But we must 
 get Policy, he has gone foraging." 
 
 " To hell with Policy! " was the reply, and 
 they were already dashing down the byroad. 
 My mare was nagging the bit, and I let her 
 go, and the way we splashed the water when 
 we struck Stony Creek crossing was a cau- 
 tion. A sheet of water would fly up in front 
 of me that I could not see through. In some 
 places the road followed the creek a hun- 
 dred yards or more. I now realized the dis- 
 
198 Four Years <with Five Armies 
 
 advantage I had from the mare I rode. Her 
 hoofs were soft and would not hold the nails. 
 I had not gone five miles until she was bare- 
 footed all around. I heard every shoe whiz 
 through the air, and one went straight up by 
 my head. The last shoe was gone, and the 
 hoof was liable to break next, and then I 
 would be on foot. I could not bring them to 
 a halt, although the horses had all begun to 
 show signs of fatigue, and had to be urged to 
 keep from slacking their gait. After travel- 
 ing the main road about six miles we arrived 
 at Maloney's store. 
 
 There was a cross-road from the pike, and 
 we met the farmers that lived near it driving 
 their stock to the mountains. They said a 
 courier had notified them that the Second 
 would fall back to Bull's Gap. We discussed 
 the situation, and argued as to what was best 
 to do. I contended that we should travel the 
 cross-road to the pike and meet the regiment, 
 but they said we would fall into the hands of 
 the enemy. 
 
 I said that the Second would not stampede. 
 Unless they did, we would have plenty of time 
 to reach the pike before they passed. I argued 
 that it was policy to get to the regiment at the 
 earliest possible moment to save ourselves 
 from censure. As they were in the majority 
 by rank and numbers, we continued our jour- 
 ney, and arrived at Bull's Gap a little after 
 dark. We reported to General Carter, in 
 command there at that time. 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 MORE TENNESSEE SERVICE 
 
 MAN and beast were covered with 
 mud. Blankets and clothes were 
 wet, and our boots were full of 
 water. I held the horses while the 
 others went in and told the lamentable tale, 
 that was bad enough at best. They pictured 
 it in its worst colors, and told of the capture 
 of the guard which they had been in command 
 of, which I feared was too true. They were 
 sure the regiment had been captured. I con- 
 sidered this erroneous, and not calculated to 
 help us in any way. 
 
 General Carter heard their story, and from 
 the tone of his voice I knew he gave it but 
 little credence. He told them to go to his 
 boarding-house and put up for the night and 
 report to him for orders in the morning. The 
 General and his headquarters people slept in 
 their tents, but took their meals and stabled 
 their stock at the hotel. The buildings were 
 of hewed logs and had been erected to accom- 
 modate many people. Each stable had five 
 or six cribs and was surrounded by a shed. 
 
 Our first care was our horses. We went to 
 the stable, where the horses were already in 
 great numbers, and with no light it was some 
 
 199 
 
2OO Four Years 'with Five Armies 
 
 time before room could be made for us. We 
 succeeded at last in getting them comfortably 
 cared for, and went to the house, a large 
 double one, two stories high, with huge fire- 
 places. They had blazing fires and the rooms 
 were well lighted. It looked nice and com- 
 fortable. One of the large rooms was used for 
 a dining-room and the other for a sitting- 
 room. The kitchen was built by itself, as 
 was the usual custom in the South. 
 
 The house was crowded with officers, wait- 
 ing supper. We took seats near the fire, and 
 the steam soon began to rise from our wet 
 clothing. 
 
 The table had been cleared after one supper, 
 and we had to wait until it was prepared 
 again. Supper was announced and we sat 
 down. 
 
 The fate of my comrades being uncertain, 
 my thoughts were very sad. Every once in a 
 while my thoughts were interrupted by the 
 declaration from my companions, who were 
 talking to each other, that the regiment were 
 prisoners. The more they talked it, the more, 
 firmly they became convinced of it, and the 
 more ridiculous it appeared to me. 
 
 After we had finished supper we took seats 
 by the fire, until another table full of officers 
 took their seats. Then we went to the stable, 
 with our clothes still wet and smoking from 
 the effect of the fire. We became suddenly 
 cold, for the air felt like ice as soon as we got 
 outside. Our teeth began to chatter as if we 
 
More Tennessee Service 2OI 
 
 had chills, and we made all haste to get under 
 cover. We went into the hay loft, and each of 
 us dug a hole in the hay, spread the muddy 
 blankets, pulled off our boots, and crawled in 
 with our coats on. Then we reached out with 
 one hand and pulled the loose hay over us, 
 and were soon warm and went to sleep. 
 
 In the morning we crawled out, fed the 
 horses, and prepared for breakfast. We were 
 a motley looking set, to be sure, to sit down 
 with officers in their polished uniforms. It 
 made but little difference to me, as there 
 would be no attention paid to a private's uni- 
 form, clean or dirty. With the others it was 
 different. They brushed and scraped to re- 
 move the mud and wrinkles that had dried in 
 their clothes. It was of no use. The cloth 
 showed the hard usage it had received. 
 
 General Carter took breakfast at the first 
 table, and most of the meal was eaten in si- 
 lence. At last one of the staff officers ventured 
 to ask the General about the man who had 
 come in the night before and reported the 
 Second Ohio had been captured by the enemy. 
 The General gave the staff officer to under- 
 stand that he discredited the report and he 
 finished the conversation by saying, " Lieu- 
 tenant, you can report to your regiment this 
 morning." Then the staff knew that they 
 were sitting at the table with the man in 
 question. 
 
 Breakfast finished, we saddled up, and they 
 led out on the back track. I followed close 
 
2O2 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 behind, and had I been a stranger and listened 
 to what they said I would have believed 
 that the boys on picket were all lost except 
 us. 
 
 This doleful tale made me feel bad, and I 
 was comforted by saying to myself : " You 
 know those boys too well to believe any such 
 thing. You, too, escaped from the place, why 
 might not some of them have done likewise. 
 They are as full of resources as you ever dared 
 to be. As for moral courage, they can dis- 
 count either of you. Your trip to Bull's Gap 
 is proof of this." 
 
 While I was thinking about it, we came to 
 a camp of those men from the regiment who 
 had had disabled horses and had been ordered 
 out in advance. Among them was Jim New- 
 ton, who had been in our detail. He was 
 mounted on a mule, and had made his escape 
 after a desperate run. 
 
 From them we learned the true state of the 
 case and of the capture of some of our boys, 
 and of the hard run for liberty made by the 
 others. 
 
 There was a pond of water by the side of 
 the pike between Greenville and our camp, 
 where we used to water in passing that way. 
 While those who had escaped were passing 
 it, Newton's mule dashed into the pond to 
 drink: It was then the rider used the ex- 
 pression that afterward became famous: 
 " Damn a mule! He hain't got no more sense 
 than to try to drink in a scare like this." At 
 
More Tennessee Service 203 
 
 the same time he dashed the spurs into its al- 
 ready bleeding side. 
 
 We learned from them that as soon as the 
 news reached camp, which was as soon as the 
 fleetest horse could get there, a battalion was 
 ordered out to reestablish the picket posts. 
 They followed about the same tactics we had 
 followed, the enemy having disappeared be- 
 fore they arrived in town. 
 
 When they came to the post I had aban- 
 doned, they found Hopkins, often called Pol- 
 ley, sitting calmly by the fire I had built, with 
 a stomach full of the doctor's best, and think- 
 ing about the doctor's girls. He knew 
 nothing about what had happened, and was 
 loath to tell them anything about me. He was 
 finally compelled to tell them that he had been 
 away, and when he came back I was gone, 
 and he expected me at any moment. When 
 he was informed of the facts he took my re- 
 volver and went to camp. That night they 
 drew in their pickets, and made the customary 
 night march, which brought them several 
 miles nearer to Bull's Gap. 
 
 When we arrived we went to headquarters. 
 I held the horses and they went in to report. 
 It was Lieutenant-Colonel Purrington that 
 did the talking. It was evident there was 
 trouble ahead for my unfortunate companions. 
 
 The lieutenant resigned and the sergeant 
 had to take his place in the ranks. We rode 
 to the company, and were greeted with shouts 
 and jeers, such as, " Can't stand a scare better 
 
204 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 than that," and everything else that would 
 make a fellow feel unpleasant. As I felt in 
 no way responsible, I did not take it to heart 
 very much. 
 
 Our company lost Corporal Arnold and six 
 men in the skirmish. 
 
 I looked for Hopkins, and he said he had 
 my revolver, and he told me all about the 
 doctor and his girls. The girls had no doubt 
 waited all the afternoon for me to come to 
 dinner. The curious part about it was, he had 
 not seen a woman and a boy on a horse. The 
 only conclusion we could reach was that she 
 had come into and left the road just around 
 the first bend, which was but a few hundred 
 yards away, although he said there was no 
 road or lane. 
 
 We heard the stories of the boys who had 
 made their escape by strategy and downright 
 hard riding. Charlie Truesdale, for one in 
 particular, who was hard pushed, and riding 
 at full speed through the streets of Greenville, 
 was saved by a woman who opened a gate and 
 beckoned him to turn in. He entered, for his 
 horse was near given out. She told him to 
 go into an outbuilding that stood near by and 
 she pulled off the saddle and went into the 
 house with it. His pursuers saw the horse, 
 but did not know it was a cavalry horse, and 
 kept right on. After the enemy had left town 
 he saddled up and went to camp. He is now 
 a prominent attorney in Youngstown, Ohio. 
 
 We moved again that night. The Johnnies 
 
EDWARD P. SMITH 
 
 Second Ohio Volunteer Cavalry 
 
 FACING 204 
 
More Tennessee Service 205 
 
 still kept up the night attacks on the fine fires 
 we had built for them. 
 
 The next day all the force withdrew from 
 Bull's Gap, and our brigade tried to make a 
 permanent stand. The enemy pushed us to 
 the utmost with a superior number and flank 
 movements, and drove us back to Massey 
 Creek. 
 
 What is known as the battle of Massey 
 Creek was on a cold December day, and the 
 rain and battle continued until late in the 
 night. There was nothing to indicate the posi- 
 tion of the troops but the flash of the rifles as 
 they spit forth their blaze of fire like a line 
 of lightning bugs. 
 
 The enemy advanced, dismounted, and we 
 held our fire after the skirmish line had been 
 driven in, until they were close to us. A 
 charge was ordered, and as we poured out a 
 blaze that was plainly visible for a mile in 
 length, we rushed forward, and the troops be- 
 came badly mixed from one end of the line 
 to the other. The two lines were now one. 
 
 The troops engaged were all men of ex- 
 perience, and they at once recognized the fact 
 that a shot was as liable to take effect on friend 
 as foe. 
 
 In the effort to extricate ourselves a pecu- 
 liar incident occurred. Each man in calling- 
 out the name of his regiment gave the enemy 
 the tip, and they too would take up the call, 
 which decoyed the unsuspecting into their 
 lines. They would then be told to lay down 
 
206 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 their arms. Both sides lost many men by this 
 clever trick. 
 
 The night was employed in getting into 
 some kind of shape, and there were only a 
 few that got any rest at all. 
 
 The Second Louisiana Tigers had fought in 
 front of us, and we had made several of them 
 prisoners. When day broke and before the 
 fog rose we discovered a cavalry force at our 
 left and rear. The situation was now consid- 
 ered a grave one. It was well known that 
 General Carter had crossed the Holsten 
 River, leaving his trains behind to be pro- 
 tected by the cavalry, and that the last of it 
 had left Massey Creek only the day before. 
 They were notified that it was uncertain 
 whether or not we could hold our position, 
 and to move back farther was not only to lose 
 the train, but to expose the front of General 
 Burnside's half-naked soldiers who were daily 
 dying from starvation. It would also cut us 
 off from any further supplies, the country be- 
 hind us having been stripped long since. 
 Many a poor infantryman had lain down on 
 the roads to die of weakness. There was de- 
 termination written on every man's counte- 
 nance. It was evident that there would be a 
 desperate struggle before we would yield. 
 The eyes of all this suffering mass were on us, 
 and to give way was to flee to some place where 
 supplies could be obtained, and to let the 
 enemy prey upon the starving infantry. 
 
 The fog soon gathered around, and all was 
 
More Tennessee Service 207 
 
 obscure except in our immediate vicinity. 
 After a few minutes we were in line. Coffee 
 was cooked. We were ready for action. The 
 trumpets sounded officers' call, and the pallor 
 that spread over the countenances of the men 
 showed their anxiety, fearing the worst, but 
 hoping that the order would be to advance 
 and intercept the flanking party. This could 
 be done with safety under cover of the fog. 
 Our lieutenant returned with a large envelope 
 in his hand. He spoke a few words to the 
 first sergeant, who rode out in front and said, 
 " Gause, ride to the front." 
 
 I promptly obeyed. He told me to report 
 to the lieutenant at once, who handed me the 
 envelope, and told me to deliver it to the 
 officer in command of the dismounted men 
 of our brigade* at Strawberry Plains. As I 
 passed through the line the boys all looked 
 after me, as much as to say, " We will not see 
 you again soon." 
 
 The sergeant rode some distance with me, 
 and cautioned me to be on my guard, as I was 
 in danger of meeting the enemy at any time. 
 I felt the weight of my responsibility, and, 
 half in jest and half in earnest, I said, " I be- 
 lieve you are determined to get me killed or 
 captured, any way." 
 
 His look and reply showed my remark 
 to be a cruel stab, and I was sorry I had 
 said it. 
 
 " That is not it," he said. " They wanted a 
 man that would go and get back, and we 
 
208 Four Years 'with Five Armies 
 
 thought if there was one in the regiment that 
 could do it, you could." 
 
 " If that is it, I would attempt it if I knew 
 I would not get two hundred yards," I re- 
 plied. 
 
 With no other ceremony I rode away. The 
 roads were badly cut up, and I kept in the 
 woods and fields until I arrived at Newmar- 
 ket, where I overtook the rear end of the 
 wagon-train. They had pulled through the 
 mud all night, and had gone into camp. They 
 said they had but little hopes of ever getting 
 any farther. Within a mile of the river, the 
 road was narrow, and was hemmed in by a 
 ravine on one side and an embankment on the 
 other. It was blocked up by the artillery and 
 wagons waiting their turn to cross. Had it 
 not been for the large envelope tucked under 
 my belt I would have had to await my turn, 
 but that gave me the right of way, and, after 
 an hour's delay, crowding and jamming, I 
 reached the pontoon, crossed, and delivered 
 the dispatch. 
 
 Then I went to find our company boys, with 
 whom I stayed all night. We soon learned 
 that the dispatch was an order for all men that 
 were able, to return to the command with me. 
 Only one man reported he was not well, but 
 said he would rather be at the front than 
 starve to death there. To go to the pontoon 
 to cross might detain us all day, so we con- 
 cluded to go to the ford, which was high and 
 considered dangerous. 
 
More Tennessee Service 209 
 
 We got information from a farmer who 
 lived near by. He regarded it as dangerous 
 to anyone that did not know the ford, and ad- 
 vised us not to attempt it. The river was wide 
 and the landing narrow on the opposite side. 
 Nothing daunted, we bolted in, and about half 
 way across the water took the horses off their 
 feet, and there was nothing to do but hold our 
 breath and stick to them. The landing was 
 in the mouth of a deep canyon. The moun- 
 tain terminated abruptly at the river on each 
 side of it. The road was along the side of the 
 ravine by a steep, narrow grade that brought 
 us out on level spot with a farmhouse on it. 
 
 It was raining, and before we reached the 
 road we were enveloped in a dense fog. Our 
 horses took advantage of that and circled 
 around to the house again. When we took a 
 fresh start they repeated and brought us to 
 the house. It was now noon, and the fog hav- 
 ing lifted a little we were able to pursue our 
 journey. 
 
 At Newmarket we stopped at a hotel. After 
 supper we went to the stable to take a sleep. 
 People were coming and going all night. As 
 fast as the women could cook there were 
 plenty of men waiting to eat. In the morn- 
 ing we fed the horses, made some coffee, and 
 pursued our journey. 
 
 To our surprise, we found the command 
 farther up the valley. The enemy had been 
 badly used up in the night engagement, and, 
 instead of resuming the attack, had gathered 
 
2io Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 up their dead and wounded and withdrawn. 
 We continued to follow them, but not aggres- 
 sively, for the command was pretty well used 
 up from the long and hotly-contested cam- 
 paign. 
 
 One instance is worthy of note. When we 
 came to where the enemy appeared to have 
 made a permanent stand the troops were dis- 
 mounted and advanced in line. When the 
 order sounded to charge, John Z. Johnson of 
 our company fell, and to all appearances was 
 dead and was left for such. The line gained 
 the position they wanted and held it. In 
 about one hour John Z. got up and walked 
 away. He was yet dazed, and did not appear 
 to know that he had been hurt. The surgeon 
 with his knife extracted a ball that had struck 
 fairly on the point of the skull at the back of 
 his head, and had flattened out between the 
 skin and skull. After Johnson was shot in the 
 head he was always known as " Hard-head," 
 and he appeared to enjoy the distinction. 
 
 Of the numerous engagements that we took 
 part in my memory fails to serve me as to the 
 details. I remember the names of some of 
 the places, which were Jonesboro, Blue 
 Springs, Bluntville, Rheatown, Bristol, Wau- 
 tago Station, Elaine Cross-Roads, and Dand- 
 ridge. 
 
 By the 2 $th of December winter had set in 
 severely. The snow fell continually for two 
 or three days, and attained a depth of at least 
 twenty inches. We camped in the woods near 
 
More Tennessee Service 21 1 
 
 Massey Creek, and only kept from freezing 
 by felling large trees, cutting them into logs, 
 and making fires around which we stood 
 night and day. By clearing the snow away 
 and piling brush on the bare ground and 
 spreading the blankets on it we were able to 
 get a short nap. But the frost drawing from 
 the ground by the heat from the fire would 
 soon drive us out. 
 
 Daily reports came in of the number of men 
 that had frozen to death in the infantry camps, 
 where they were poorly clad, not having 
 drawn clothing since August. The cavalry 
 were in the same condition, and the squad re- 
 turning last from the Morgan raid had drawn 
 none since June. My shirt, the only one I had 
 had for the last three months, was hanging in 
 strips. 
 
 The year's campaign having ended with no 
 prospect of a termination of hostilities, many 
 of the strongest Union supporters were dis- 
 couraged and disheartened. To strengthen 
 their position the authorities concluded to 
 prove that the men in the field were deter- 
 mined to have victory or die in the struggle. 
 To that end they gave the three years' men 
 an opportunity to enlist for a continued term. 
 The rolls were opened, and we made short 
 work of the severe privations by availing our- 
 selves of the opportunity. 
 
 There were some little inducements how- 
 ever, offered for those who reenlisted. We 
 were to be known as veterans, a kind of bre- 
 
212 Four Years 'with Five Armies 
 
 vet rank, and the unexpired time of the first 
 enlistment was to be canceled and the full 
 bounty paid. The new term was to commence 
 immediately, with four hundred dollars' 
 bounty and immediate transportation to the 
 original place of enlistment, with a thirty-day 
 leave of absence. 
 
 To my surprise and astonishment, my friend 
 Harris did not respond to this call. I went in 
 search of him and asked him his reason. He 
 said he thought when his time expired he 
 would have had enough of it. I was sorry, 
 but did not blame him. He was a man of 
 honor and integrity. The pay was small and 
 we had no thanks, and our visit to Cincinnati 
 had indicated that there was no reward for 
 the perils and privations we had to endure. 
 
 With me it was different. I had left home 
 to see the Union preserved, and anything short 
 of that was no reward for me. 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 THE END OF THE CAMPAIGNS OF '63 
 
 A the expiration of one week we had 
 turned in all the government property 
 and were on our way home. Thus 
 ended the noted campaigns of 1863. 
 The movements of the Second Ohio had been 
 full of toil, hardships, and perils. We had as- 
 saulted the enemy and had been assaulted in so 
 many different places and in so many different 
 ways that memory can now scarcely compre- 
 hend, much less retain it. 
 
 We boarded a train at Knoxville and went 
 to the Tennessee River. The bridge had been 
 destroyed and the railroad was out of repair 
 to Chattanooga. We camped by the river 
 near Sheridan's division, then stationed there 
 to protect the workmen, while they repaired 
 the bridge. 
 
 Our officers called on General Sheridan, 
 and he told them that he had watched the 
 campaign in East Tennessee with great satis- 
 faction. It had confirmed him in his opinion 
 as to what cavalry could do as an independent 
 command, but in advancing his theory he had 
 met with much opposition from his brother 
 officers, who had gone so far as to call him a 
 fanatic on the subject. 
 
 213 
 
214 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 The next morning we began to cross the 
 river. There was but one small boat, and we 
 went into camp on the opposite side to stay 
 all night. When crossing, the wind took what 
 was left of my hat, the top and part of the 
 brim having disappeared previously, and I 
 had to continue the march bareheaded. Some 
 of the boys, thinking it easier to ride than to 
 walk, fixed up a raft to float down the river. 
 We were compelled to lie at Chattanooga two 
 or three days for them, owing to fog and other 
 obstacles. 
 
 I met an old neighbor, Peter Venable, of 
 the One Hundred and Fifth Ohio, who had 
 two hats, and he divided. We finally boarded 
 cars, and moved out, and in crossing the 
 canyon near the foot of Lookout Mountain 
 the temporary bridge, commonly called the 
 military trestle work, gave way, and settled 
 about four inches on one side. The drive- 
 wheels of the engine, with the exception of 
 one, had passed on to the rail that rested on 
 the ground. That one came up against the 
 end and stopped. The train was jerked back 
 and forth a few times, and when we found out 
 the trouble, there was a panic in those box- 
 cars. Talk about a battle, it is no comparison ! 
 We looked out of the side doors of the cars 
 to see the bottom where we expected to be 
 dashed at any second, and it was no less than 
 two hundred feet below. I seized my blanket 
 with the intention of fastening one end to the 
 slide bar of the door, and by swinging down 
 
The End of the Campaigns of '63 215 
 
 to the trestle try to make my escape that way. 
 But before I could accomplish my design the 
 train pulled out with a terrible jerk, as 
 each set of trucks came to the break in the 
 track. 
 
 After a short stay in Bridgeport, Nashville, 
 and Louisville, we finally arrived at Camp 
 Chase, near Columbus, Ohio. After being 
 paid, we were furloughed, with orders to 
 rendezvous at Cleveland, Ohio, March 22, 
 where we remained until March 24. Then 
 we went to Cincinnati, and the ladies of the 
 city furnished us with meals in the market- 
 house. As there were plenty of open houses, 
 and we had blankets with us, we found little 
 trouble in finding a place to lie down. 
 
 We had now many new men who had joined 
 us to take the place of those lost during the 
 year of 1863. 
 
 Grant had taken command of the army, and 
 was concentrating his forces to make a vig- 
 orous campaign in the East. He had ordered 
 General Burnside to Annapolis, Maryland, 
 with his Ninth Corps, to fit out a secret ex- 
 pedition. The General had become very 
 much attached to the Second Ohio. He had 
 requested and received orders from the Sec- 
 retary of War for us to remain in his corps. 
 The boys hailed the news with enthusiasm. 
 
 We had served in many different armies. 
 That we were now to enter a new field met the 
 wishes of all, and we were particularly glad 
 that we were to go East, where the daily pa- 
 
216 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 pers continued to say, " It is all quiet on the 
 Potomac." 
 
 We disembarked from the train at Camp 
 Parole near Annapolis, Maryland. There 
 we met the boys we had lost at Greenville, 
 Tennessee, having recently been exchanged, 
 and 'found them in a pitiable condition. We 
 marched to camp, and were well pleased with 
 our situation by the Ninth Corps, to which 
 we had become attached during the former 
 campaign, although our hopes were some- 
 what blighted on our arrival at Annapolis; 
 for we learned that there was no certainty 
 as to the destination of Burnside's expedition, 
 and that we were the only cavalry regiment to 
 accompany it. 
 
 We had prepared ourselves with cooking 
 utensils, large enough for four men, at our 
 own expense, and divided accordingly. Col- 
 onel Kautz had made an effort to have this 
 mess-kit furnished, but the Government had 
 no such proviso, and it would require an order 
 from the War Department, and would there- 
 fore apply to the cavalry forces throughout 
 the army. It met with strong opposition and 
 had to be abandoned. The Second had found 
 it too convenient to abolish it, and so we drew 
 a few large kettles for boilers in which to heat 
 water, etc., which kettles were turned in when 
 we moved camp. 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 IN THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC 
 
 ON our way to Annapolis there was 
 another of those miraculous acci- 
 dents. While traveling over the B. 
 & O. road in box-cars, it was discov- 
 ered that Logan Moore, who had been sleep- 
 ing in front of the car door, was missing. Dur- 
 ing the day a dispatch was received that he 
 had been picked up unconscious under a 
 bridge by the section hands. He had rolled 
 against the door, which was not fastened at 
 the bottom, and had fallen through the 
 bridge, a distance of twenty feet. 
 
 It was while in this camp that I had my 
 second disagreement in the company. It was 
 all about nothing, and I would not mention it, 
 only that the next and last one proved of a 
 serious nature. I want to illustrate how a 
 simple matter may involve one who has not 
 the slightest thought or intention of doing 
 another an injury. I was engaged in a game 
 of hop scotch in front of the tent, and Good- 
 man, who had procured some tangle-foot, 
 came by and pushed me over. When I re- 
 proved him he was in for combat. Although 
 there was no blow struck, it resulted in his 
 arrest and confinement for several days. 
 
 217 
 
218 Four Years 'with Five Armies 
 
 We remained in that camp until April 21, 
 1864, and marched to Camp Parole, and on 
 the aad embarked on a train for Washington, 
 D. C. Here we were quartered in barracks 
 for the night. That was our first view of the 
 Capital, and we strolled about the city at 
 will. 
 
 We met many of our old schoolmates and 
 relations of the Sixth Ohio Cavalry. On the 
 23d we moved to Camp Stoneman, located on 
 the Potomac River, nearly opposite Alexan- 
 dria. The ground was covered with large 
 trees, but otherwise was as bare as a floor. It 
 had been used for a camp for a long time, and 
 the ground was worn low in places, which 
 held the water from the rain then falling. A 
 more desolate place could not have been found 
 on the Staked Plains. When we set our dog- 
 tents, we felt very solitary, although we were 
 surrounded by hundreds of men and in sight 
 of two large cities. 
 
 There is something peculiarly sad about 
 being placed on a bare spot of ground without 
 a blade of grass to be seen. It is an unnatural 
 condition, and there is nothing to occupy one's 
 time and to make one's self comfortable. 
 This condition did not last long. The horses 
 began to arrive by company installments, and 
 on the 26th our company drew theirs. 
 
 They were tied in line, and the men fell in 
 single file and marched in front of them. 
 Each man had to accept the horse directly op- 
 posite him. It was my lot to get a farm horse, 
 
In the Army of the Potomac 219 
 
 pretty fair for everything, and not much 
 good for anything in particular. 
 
 On the 29th the horse equipments were dis- 
 tributed, and I mounted my new horse and 
 rode to Washington City. On the 3Oth we 
 drew arms, and got a different and better car- 
 bine than we had at any previous time. It 
 was the Spencer breech-loading, with maga- 
 zine that held seven fifty-calibre ready- 
 primed metallic cartridges. 
 
 On Sunday, May i, we took up the line of 
 march through the City of Washington, 
 marched up Pennsylvania Avenue, and thence 
 to the Long Bridge, and over it into Virginia, 
 to join in the memorable campaign with the 
 Army of the Potomac, already on the move 
 toward Richmond. 
 
 The secret expedition had been abandoned, 
 or had only been a ruse to cover the actual 
 object for moving the Ninth Corps to the 
 East. We joined and acted rear-guard for 
 them. That night we camped at Bailey's 
 Cross-Roads. 
 
 The next day we moved to within seven 
 miles of Warrenton Junction, and the next we 
 moved to the Junction, and camped near 
 General Burnside's headquarters. We were 
 joined by three other cavalry regiments, which 
 formed a brigade. 
 
 A brief description of these regiments will 
 not be out of place, as my story is more or less 
 connected with them for several months. The 
 Fifth New York Cavalry had seen much serv- 
 
22O Pour Years with Five Armies 
 
 vice, but, like all the cavalry in the East, 
 could boast of no decided victories. The 
 Twenty-Second New York Cavalry was a new 
 regiment, and had not yet been under fire. 
 The Third New Jersey was an old regi- 
 ment but had not seen active service. 
 They had been on duty in the City of Wash- 
 ington, and were known as the Hussars. They 
 were all Germans, and uniformed in blue 
 cloth, cut after the German cavalry uniform. 
 
 When Grant moved he had no need for 
 ornaments of this kind, and ordered them to 
 the front. As Jersey was short in its quota of 
 men, they were credited to that State, and 
 were known as the Third New Jersey Cav- 
 alry. 
 
 The army had all crossed the Rappahan- 
 nock, except the Ninth Corps. The infantry 
 and artillery made a night march, and in the 
 morning our brigade, the rear-guard, crossed. 
 We were now thoroughly started, and in the 
 enemy's country. 
 
 The effect of the almost constant roar of 
 cannon and musketry in front, that had been 
 going on three days, was now in evidence on 
 all sides, and the old soldiers of the Second 
 Ohio Cavalry speculated on and discussed our 
 peculiar situation. We were no longer in 
 company with the " Old Reliable Brigade," 
 but with two regiments that had not been 
 under fire and had done no picket duty. Al- 
 though the Fifth New York had met the 
 enemy many times, so far as we could learn 
 
In the Army of the Potomac 221 
 
 they did not know what a complete victory 
 was. But the Fifth had the right stuff in 
 them, as they afterward proved to the satis- 
 faction of all that knew them. 
 
 We were confronted by the enemy's cavalry 
 guarding Lee's left flank. They were contin- 
 ually reconnoitering for information, trying 
 to keep track of Grant's movements, and look- 
 ing for any gap that would afford them any 
 advantage. 
 
 We felt almost like strangers in a strange 
 land. Everything was so different from what 
 we had been used to. There were many young 
 staff officers that appeared to want to do some- 
 thing, but they did not appear to know what 
 to do but to make some fuss. They would gal- 
 lop about with an orderly behind them, giv- 
 ing orders about anything and everything, and 
 creating confusion among the raw troops. 
 They rode a little flat saddle we called the 
 terrapin shell. 
 
 We were busy holding our part of the line 
 with a heavy skirmish line, and carrying in 
 the wounded who had been left by the troops 
 in advance of us. They consisted of men from 
 both sides, and we assisted the hospital corps 
 all we could. 
 
 As Grant moved right along, leaving the 
 rear open for the enemy, many of the wounded 
 were left to be taken in by Lee's army, which 
 took advantage of the gap between the Ninth 
 Corps and the Rappahannock. This was of 
 no particular advantage to them, but threw 
 
222 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 the burden on the rear-guard to hold them in 
 check for the time being. 
 
 On the morning of the 6th, before daylight, 
 there were orders to move on rapidly, and a 
 regular stampede was created by the rush 
 orders. 
 
 An effort was made to move the cavalry 
 through the forest, as flankers for the infan- 
 try, which must necessarily prove a failure. 
 Officers were charging back and forth, shout- 
 ing, " Hurry up ; there is nothing in front of 
 you; you will be cut off; the line is broken! " 
 and all such nonsense, which caused the poor 
 soldiers to abandon everything they had, and 
 run for life. 
 
 They would duck their heads, throw up 
 their shoulders, and away would go their 
 knapsacks, blankets, and, in fact, everything 
 they had except gun and ammunition. The 
 ground was literally covered with everything 
 which could be used in camp by soldiers. The 
 hospital corps had hatchets, and they cut holes 
 in these things so as to render them useless to 
 the enemy. Thousands had abandoned their 
 fine toilets they had enjoyed in camp during 
 the winter months. The jam was complete. 
 
 The cavalry had to stop and look on, as 
 there was no way to pass without riding over 
 the sick or wounded, of whom there were 
 many hundreds to be left to the mercy of the 
 enemy. When the officers came about the Sec- 
 ond Ohio Cavalry, cursing with their " whoop- 
 em-up " orders, they were received with re- 
 
In the Army of the Potomac 223 
 
 marks and looks of contempt. They soon 
 became scarce in that locality, and we could 
 now see why the cavalry of the Army of the 
 Potomac had fallen into bad repute. They 
 had no chance to show what they could do. 
 They had been trammeled with incompetent 
 officers, or, in other words, by infantry officers 
 trying to handle the two distinct arms of the 
 service together, to the disadvantage of all. 
 The consequence was we were hooted and 
 jeered at, and called all kinds of names at 
 every turn. The worst feature that we had to 
 contend with was a provost guard from 
 Meade's headquarters, that kept in the rear 
 of everything but the skirmish line. With 
 drawn sabers they would drive the helpless 
 sick and wounded in front of them, often 
 striking them with their weapons, but the 
 Second Ohio put a stop to that work in short 
 order. 
 
 Some threats were made by their officers 
 as to what they would do with us for inter- 
 fering with their orders, but it was not a good 
 day for enforcing discipline, and they had to 
 yield, and soon left us in complete control of 
 that duty. 
 
 On the yth we came out on an open place, 
 perhaps one mile square. The road ran 
 across the center of it. The Fifth New York 
 and the Second Ohio formed in line, and re- 
 mained there for an hour, after all the other 
 troops were out of sight. There was a heavy 
 row of fallen trees along the west edge of the 
 
224 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 open field, with the exception of a few rods 
 at one corner, where the enemy's artillery was 
 stationed, and trained on the open ground. 
 
 The enemy's line lay behind the row of 
 fallen trees, and remained quiet, with the 
 usual taking of observations, and appeared 
 surprised at the sudden disappearance of 
 troops from in front of them. 
 
 When the order came for us to move on we 
 entered the woods, following the road south- 
 ward, and saw the infantry of the Ninth 
 Corps massed, lying down in the heavy timber 
 to our left, with their right flank exposed, and 
 not even a light skirmish line to protect them. 
 
 We did not understand the move, and were 
 as much mystified as the enemy appeared to 
 be, but when we moved a little farther on the 
 position revealed the facts to us. We were 
 formed in close ranks, or, in fact, massed in a 
 little open field, where the Third New Jersey 
 and the Twenty-Second New York had pre- 
 ceded us in front of General Meade's line, 
 who had used his left for a pivot, and by left 
 wheel had changed front. His line now ex- 
 tended across the road, instead of parallel with 
 it. The Ninth Corps was placed in front with 
 line parallel with the road to receive the at- 
 tack of the enemy, and to fall back to the east, 
 in order to draw the enemy down in front of 
 Meade's line. The cavalry was to move out 
 and cut them off. The first sight of this posi- 
 tion showed an experienced soldier that this 
 was another of those plans that must prove 
 
In the Army of the Potomac 22$ 
 
 fatal to the cavalry, and also destroy the 
 effective use of the infantry in their rear. 
 
 It also explained the cause of the stampede, 
 by changing front with General Meade's line, 
 which was some three to four miles long, and 
 left a gap of that distance between his line and 
 the left flank of the Ninth Corps. The hurry 
 orders sent out had been delivered in such a 
 way as to cause a panic, and thousands had 
 lost their blankets and clothing. 
 
 The wily enemy did not see any advantage 
 in advancing on the abandoned ground, and 
 after waiting for an hour the Twenty-Second 
 New York was ordered to move out to the 
 open ground to decoy them. They had barely 
 got into the open place when the front of the 
 column began to form into line. Then the 
 enemy opened fire with a six-gun battery, and 
 the Twenty-Second broke and ran in con- 
 fusion, throwing together all the strength and 
 energy that could be gained by one thousand 
 men and horses. 
 
 The tumult was awful to hear. The shouts 
 and yells and flying dust that rose above the 
 trees enabled the enemy to keep the range, 
 and the shells came screeching and crashing 
 through the trees. Some of the shells burst 
 in their ranks, or rather in the mass of men 
 and horses, and this howling mass was hurled 
 on to Meade's line, which gave way to let 
 them pass. It so happened that General 
 Meade's tents and hospital were on the road, 
 and they were torn down by the fleeing 
 
226 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 cavalry. About three acres of ground about 
 Meade's headquarters were covered with 
 wounded, and these wounded were run over 
 the most horrible feature of the stampede. 
 
 The Ninth Corps then moved, and went 
 into camp in the rear of Meade's line. As 
 soon as the road was clear, Meade's corps 
 began a forward movement. Troops passed 
 until 4 P. M v when the Ninth Corps began 
 to move out. It was late in the night when 
 our brigade moved. From then until day- 
 light we were passing troops brigades, divi- 
 sions, and corps standing in line in every 
 open strip of ground, waiting for a clear road 
 in order to move on. It looked to us as if 
 they were afraid to sit down and take a little 
 rest while they had the opportunity. 
 
 They were all General McClellan's old 
 army, and they now firmly believed they were 
 whipped and on the retreat. Little Mac was 
 the watchword, and thousands of times we 
 heard the shout, and, indeed, we needed Little 
 Mac to pull us out of this scrape! 
 
 " You Western men don't know how to re- 
 treat." 
 
 To this we would retort, " You are right; 
 stay with Grant and he will take you to 
 Richmond." 
 
 The Second Ohio were the only men to 
 raise their voice for Grant, and then they 
 would ask what regiment, and to answer was 
 to bring a shower of maledictions on Grant 
 and Western men in general, with shouts 
 
In the Army of the Potomac 227 
 
 from all quarters, " Five dollars for a dead 
 cavalryman! " 
 
 We told them we would show them yet that 
 there was one cavalry regiment that knew as 
 much about fighting as they did, and if they 
 had the nerve to stick to Grant he would 
 prove to them he had not studied the art of 
 retreat. This war of words was kept up all 
 night. By daylight we had passed every- 
 thing that was able to move, but we were sur- 
 rounded by the dead and wounded that had 
 been left by the corps in front that had moved 
 and left the field to its fate. There had been 
 charges and countercharges, as the uniforms 
 of the dead indicated, blue and gray being in- 
 terspersed. 
 
 We carried the wounded to the main road, 
 where we halted. In one place was an old 
 log-house, with a cleared field near it, that 
 was covered with victims of the fierce strug- 
 gle that had been going on there for the two 
 previous days. 
 
 In carrying the wounded we took them as 
 we came to them, and carried them to the 
 house that they might be protected from the 
 sun. When they carried one Johnnie in he 
 recognized his brother who had been brought 
 in before him. They had fallen within a few 
 yards of each other, but neither one knew that 
 the other had been wounded. 
 
 The ambulance corps was busy conveying 
 away the wounded, but was altogether inade- 
 quate for the occasion. Meade's corps flanked 
 
228 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 this part of the road altogether, and in an en- 
 gagement to our left the woods took fire, and 
 the fire was consuming everything before it. 
 The hot black smoke drove us out, and it was 
 impossible to save the hundreds that were 
 doomed to perish in its ravages. But the bul- 
 let and fire were not the only messengers that 
 called for men. I saw one man lying on his 
 back, waving a piece of paper, and when I 
 approached him he could not speak, but he 
 smiled when he handed the paper to show that 
 he had leave from his surgeon to be absent on 
 account of sickness. 
 
 At another place a boy not more than seven- 
 teen had sat down on the log step of an empty 
 cabin. He leaned back with his knapsack 
 resting on the floor of the porch with his 
 shoulders on it, and his hands folded across 
 his breast with a peaceful look on his face, as 
 if asleep, but he was cold and stiff. There was 
 nothing to indicate the cause of death. 
 
 We camped on the field of Chancellorsville, 
 and during the afternoon a soldier in some of 
 the infantry camps cut his throat with a razor. 
 
 We lay on our arms that night on the 
 ground where the first battle of Chancellors- 
 ville had been fought. The ground was cov- 
 ered with the bones of those that had fallen 
 the year before, and the corpses of those that 
 had just fallen. We threw out a skirmish 
 line in the woods where Stonewall Jackson's 
 brigade had massed, a spot designated by hun- 
 dreds of graves marked " Stonewall's Bri- 
 
In the Army of the Potomac 229 
 
 gade " on a rough board at the head of each 
 grave. 
 
 It was in a pine wood, and most all the 
 trees were shattered or trimmed by shot, shell, 
 and minies. The trunks of some of the large 
 ones had been pierced, and the tops hung 
 down. In passing through these woods to 
 and from the vidette line in the dark and on 
 rainy nights, horses would plunge into the 
 half-filled graves, then full of a yellow look- 
 ing water that would splash all over the rider. 
 There were ten or twelve in every detail, 
 some of whom staggered about from the time 
 we entered the woods until we got out of it. 
 The trooper would frequently be pulled from 
 the saddle, or would lose his cap, blankets, or 
 something else, by running under the hang- 
 ing limbs. 
 
 The cavalry was camped in front of the in- 
 fantry, another one of those awkward posi- 
 tions, and the Second Ohio had the weight of 
 this responsibility. It was expected that the 
 enemy would attempt to regain that strategic 
 point, and in that case we also expected the 
 cavalry would repeat the ridiculous perform- 
 ance of two days before, for they could not 
 remain between two lines of opposing in- 
 fantry. It could be heard from all quarters 
 that we must hold this ground or break 
 through the enemy's line, and not have it said 
 we had run through our own infantry. 
 
 On the 1 3th the Ninth Corps moved out to 
 Todd's Tavern and swung into the main line 
 
230 Four Years 'with Five Armies 
 
 on the right center, with Eraser's division of 
 colored troops on the right flank of the Ninth 
 Corps. We were placed in front of them, 
 forming the front line of battle, and in close 
 proximity to the enemy, so near that we could 
 hear the challenge as they relieved their 
 guards every two hours. We were under the 
 immediate command of General Fraser, and 
 he required us to report to him every two 
 hours. This duty fell upon me. The colored 
 division was camped in heavy timber, and, of 
 course, it was very dark. No fires were al- 
 lowed, and the guards were posted around the 
 camp. When riding in to report, the guard 
 would call " Halt!" and fire before I could 
 answer him, and the whole line would repeat 
 it. I reported to the General, and explained 
 the situation to him. He said they were all 
 raw troops, and it was hard for them to under- 
 stand how to halt anyone without firing, and 
 he would instruct the officer of the day, and 
 see if it could not be done better. The Gen- 
 eral was always up and dressed and ready for 
 action, and I do not know whether he stayed 
 up all the time, or arose when the guard fired 
 the alarm. I told him I would just as soon 
 report to the rebel general, and that I did not 
 think I would be in any more danger. I 
 thought it was all nonsense to report to him, 
 for there was no chance to be surprised. He 
 would not hear of an abandonment of the 
 plan, and I had to continue until morning. 
 The boys would ask me when I returned if I 
 
In the Army of the Potomac 231 
 
 had repulsed the colored troops yet. When 
 I would start out they would say, " Cause is 
 going to charge the colored troops again." 
 
 Fortunately, the Ninth Corps changed po- 
 sition the next morning, and left a space of 
 some miles between the cavalry and infantry. 
 The enemy made an assault all along the line 
 during the day. The cavalry on either flank 
 fell back so far in trying to get favorable 
 ground that our regiment was completely cut 
 off for a short time, but with our Spencer car- 
 bines we were able to hold our ground with 
 but little loss until reinforcements came to 
 our rescue. 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 SERVICE IN VIRGINIA 
 
 THE enemy being compelled to retire 
 toward Richmond, owing to the 
 movements on some other part of the 
 line, we made a change in our posi- 
 tion. After the engagement I was detailed, 
 with others, to bring forage to the front, and 
 we each brought a sack of oats a distance of 
 seven miles. It was now sundown. When 
 eating supper Lieutenant Newton said, 
 " Cause, you go with those men. You need 
 not take anything but your gun and ammu- 
 nition, and take one of the men with you to 
 bring the horse back, as you will not need 
 it, and I will send it to you in the morn- 
 ing." 
 
 Wakefield volunteered. After finishing 
 supper we mounted, and reported to the men 
 in question, two strangers to us, one being an 
 officer and the other dressed in citizen's 
 clothes. After galloping for two miles or 
 more, they came to a halt, and told Wakefield 
 to return to camp with the horses. After dis- 
 mounting we handed the reins to Wakefield, 
 who turned and galloped away. 
 
 The man in citizen's dress apparently a 
 232 
 
Service in Virginia 233 
 
 secret service employee said, " You have 
 been selected to watch this path. Spies are 
 constantly coming into our lines and this is 
 one of the paths used by them. We will de- 
 pend on you to do your duty, as you are well 
 recommended. And in case the line is driven 
 in you must depend on yourself to make your 
 escape. This end of the path will lead to a 
 safe place, but it will be necessary to ap- 
 proach the vidette line very cautiously. It is 
 dangerous, as they are liable to think you one 
 of the enemy. I warn you in time you are 
 liable to have a hand-to-hand conflict, for the 
 men that travel this path are not the kind that 
 surrender, and it would be well to go far 
 enough from the road that anyone passing 
 will not disturb you." 
 
 After bidding me good-night they galloped 
 away, and as the sound of the horses' hoofs 
 died away, I began to look around. 
 
 " Well," I thought, " we passed this place 
 to-day. It did not look dangerous, dreary, and 
 lonely as it does now. A fellow that can't 
 hide in this thicket, so that a rebel spy can- 
 not find him, is no good." However, there 
 was no good reason to evade my duty. I was 
 there first, and, with the squatter's right and 
 a good gun to back it, a newcomer would not 
 be apt successfully to contest my claim to 
 possession. 
 
 A dense thicket was on the lower side of the 
 road, that wound around a low ridge, and as- 
 cended to the top of the slope at the place 
 
234 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 where I then stood. The path in question 
 was an ordinary hog-path that had grown over 
 with briers and vines, and could only be trav- 
 eled at that place by crawling on hands and 
 knees, no doubt as many spies had done. I 
 proceeded to do the same, and after going 
 about one hundred yards, and choosing a po- 
 sition about five feet from the path, I lay down 
 flat on the ground with gun at hand. There 
 was nothing to do but indulge in thought, and 
 what passed through my mind would be hard 
 to recall now. I only know that I was look- 
 ing for a red-eyed, bow-necked spy to appear 
 at any moment, and pounce right down on 
 me. Rabbits and vermin of different kinds 
 were playing hide and seek about me, but 
 they were easy to distinguish from the mon- 
 ster pictured in my mind. The gun lay at 
 rest with the hammer set, so that it would 
 make no noise to alarm the approaching spy, 
 and on the slightest notice, could be used. 
 Now and then I would go through the mo- 
 tion of using it, to keep in practice. It ap- 
 peared easy enough, and the long night wore 
 slowly until about two o'clock, then, sud- 
 denly, it appeared as if the fullest expectations 
 were to be realized. There was something 
 approaching from the front. It was evidently 
 moving toward me, and my eyes had become 
 so thoroughly used to the darkness that it was 
 easy to see that the outline was the proper 
 size of a man on all fours. I was looking for 
 spies, and of course I could see nothing but 
 
Service in Virginia 235 
 
 spies. A man was surely crawling on his 
 hands and knees stealthily toward me. Hav- 
 ing chosen a position so close to the path that 
 he could not pass me, an encounter must there- 
 fore take place, and the night appeared to 
 have turned suddenly cold. In fact, it was 
 cold to the freezing point, and I could feel 
 the blood freeze in my veins when I attempted 
 to pick up the gun. 
 
 It was now close to me, the creeping thing, 
 coming very slowly but surely. I could al- 
 most reach it with the gun, and it looked as 
 big as a house. A reaction was necessary, for 
 with a moment more of this suspense I would 
 not be able to move at all. Besides, I must 
 know the result of my first shot in time to 
 have equal chance in the struggle that must 
 surely take place if the shot did not prove 
 fatal. I was able to cast off the spell. 
 Slowly I raised the gun, only raising my 
 hands, letting my elbows rest on the ground. 
 I was just placing my finger on the trigger 
 when the object in question gave a low grunt 
 that revealed its identity, and turned around 
 and ran away. It no doubt retreated to the 
 deep hidden forest which had so long pro- 
 tected it from slaughter by the hungry soldier. 
 My relief was inexpressible, and lying there 
 in quiet and ease I enjoyed the satisfaction 
 of feeling that I had at least stood the test, 
 and, had it been really a spy, the victory 
 must have resulted in my favor. 
 
 In my soliloquy I argued the circumstances 
 
236 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 and position from all sides. I had heard and 
 read of the adventures of men who had dis- 
 guised themselves with bear and wolf skins, 
 and I admitted, for the sake of argument, 
 that it was possible to do the same with a hog 
 skin, but it was not likely that a spy in such 
 disguise would have discovered me and dis- 
 appeared in so short a time. 
 
 I was satisfied that all danger was now at 
 an end from the fact that, if it were a spy, 
 he would not return again, and, if it were 
 what it appeared to be, a hog, any spy coming 
 there would meet it and turn it back, and 
 that would warn me in time. In that peace- 
 ful mood my mind turned to a different chan- 
 nel. After thinking over the daring ad- 
 ventures of Daniel Boone, and many other 
 adventures, and all the novel and ghost stories, 
 I passed to my own ghost experience. The 
 first one was in my schoolboy days, while on 
 my way from some night gathering at the 
 schoolhouse. It so happened that there was 
 no one going that way. The distance was two 
 miles, and it was a very dark night. The 
 road was familiar to me, as I had passed it 
 twice each day for several months in succes- 
 sion, and had not seen anything that looked 
 frightful or out of place. When I stepped 
 on a bridge that was located at the junction of 
 two roads a horrible object appeared a few 
 yards from the bridge, and near the place 
 where the path left the road. I advanced 
 cautiously, as there was no other place to cross 
 
Service In Virginia 237 
 
 the creek, and the nearer I approached it the 
 more horrible it became. It looked as though 
 it was a giant with outstretched arms, stand- 
 ing ready to crush me. When I got to the 
 end of the bridge, with a desperate lunge I 
 took the right-hand road, until I was some 
 distance from the monster, and then I cir- 
 cled around through the woods at a safe dis- 
 tance, until I reached the path, was out of 
 breath and compelled to walk. 
 
 The next time I came that way in daylight, 
 and to my surprise there was nothing but brush 
 and fence, but when it was shrouded in dark- 
 ness it presented the horrible appearance, as 
 I observed the next time we passed the place 
 at night. 
 
 I thought on and on, recounting one after 
 another the apparitions down to within a 
 few nights before, and not very far from 
 the place where we were now on duty. 
 
 I was on the vidette line in the edge of 
 heavy timber skirting an old field, now 
 grown up with smajl pines, and a creek with 
 heavy brush ran a few yards in front of us, 
 and behind it was the enemy's line. We could 
 hear them change guards every two hours. A 
 light breeze was blowing, and all at once I 
 discovered what looked like a man with a 
 musket at right-shoulder shift. I raised 
 my gun to be ready, for it was absolutely 
 necessary that the alarm should be given as 
 soon as the enemy made his appearance. 
 They were liable to advance at any moment, 
 
238 Four Years 'with Five Armies 
 
 as the constant roar of cannon and musketry to 
 our left indicated. The second look con- 
 firmed my first convictions. The man ap- 
 peared to be standing still, and I thought he 
 was waiting orders to advance, or was waiting 
 a chance to catch me off my guard and slip 
 past me. The more I looked at it, the more 
 convinced I became that I was right. I had 
 not been on post long when this apparition ap- 
 peared, and my suspense became unbearable. 
 I gently let my gun slip down by the horse, 
 until the full weight hung on the sling, and 
 drawing my revolver I dashed the spurs into 
 the horse, which lunged forward, and then 
 drew rein by the side of a small pine with 
 my revolver in the limbs of the tree instead 
 of in the face of a bold enemy. 
 
 " Cause, what is the matter? " the sentinel 
 to my left called out in a low tone. 
 
 " This d horse thought he saw some- 
 thing," I said, and returned to my post. I 
 have not seen a ghost from that night to this. 
 After pursuing these thoughts so long, my 
 mind had become so detached from my actual 
 mission that it was wrapped in perfect secur- 
 ity, and I came near going to sleep ; but for- 
 tunately light was breaking, and on hearing 
 the sound of horses' feet as they approached, 
 I crawled out to the road and met Wakefield, 
 who had come with my horse. We rode into 
 camp and found them preparing to move. It 
 had been rumored some days before that Gen- 
 eral Sheridan had been given command of 
 
Service in Virginia 239 
 
 the cavalry, and had now defeated J. E. B. 
 Stuart's cavalry. 
 
 We moved out, and the brigade all went 
 into camp except our battalion. We were 
 ordered to picket the right wing of Fraser's 
 division, and on the i6th our company stood 
 picket, the rest of the battalion being held 
 in reserve. On the iyth we were relieved 
 at noon, and before dismounting a staff offi- 
 cer came out, talked with Lieutenant Newton 
 a few moments, and rode away. 
 
 " Cause," said the Lieutenant, " you take 
 what men you want, follow this road, and 
 learn what is going on in front of the Ninth 
 Corps. The enemy is doing something down 
 there, and they cannot make it out at head- 
 quarters. Return as soon as possible and re- 
 port your observations." 
 
 I rode out and called for volunteers. Of 
 course, plenty of men wanted to go, but I 
 thought four of us were enough. From the 
 little knowledge we had of the enemy's posi- 
 tion it was pretty sure we would have a tight 
 run to make it. The enemy was in evidence, 
 and had kept up a desultory firing all the time. 
 The picket line ran diagonally across the road 
 that entered the ravine a short distance be- 
 low. The Ninth Corps occupied the ridge 
 on one side, and the enemy the other. It was 
 impossible to know anything about their num- 
 ber, for we could only catch a glimpse of 
 them as they passed back and forth through 
 the open places. We passed the picket line, 
 
240 Four Years 'with Five Armies 
 
 and down the hill into the ravine. This at- 
 tracted the attention of the enemy, who would 
 ride out on the ridge to see if we were making 
 an advance. Our number would indicate the 
 advance-guard of a column of cavalry, and 
 appeared to puzzle them, as they loped about 
 on the ridge. We thought sure they would 
 attempt to cut us off as soon as they discovered 
 that we were not to be reinforced. We were 
 now in easy range of the enemy, and of the 
 colored division of the Ninth Corps. In fact, 
 we were within easy speaking distance of the 
 advance line of either side. My experience 
 of a few nights before caused me to be cau- 
 tious in front of them, and I instructed the 
 boys, as we rode along, if the enemy closed 
 in on us, we must make a run for life, and 
 the safest way would be to keep straight on 
 the road, until we had passed Eraser's division, 
 then wheel to the left, raise a white flag, 
 and enter our lines in front of the white 
 troops. 
 
 We found the place designated in our in- 
 structions, but there was only one man there 
 and he was wounded. He had crawled out 
 of his blanket and down to the spring for a 
 drink. He said there had been a hospital 
 there, and they were falling back, and had 
 been moving the wounded all day. We asked 
 him if he would like to go into our lines. 
 He said no, they would come after him, and 
 that would suit him better. 
 
 On our return we rode quietly along to all 
 
Service in Virginia 241 
 
 appearances as if there were no one else in 
 the neighborhood, but we realized the fact 
 that the slightest thing would precipitate a 
 shower of lead. We returned and reported 
 without any accident, and I lay down to take 
 a good rest. 
 
 The enemy withdrew that night. The 
 Ninth Corps moved near White House Land- 
 ing, and we joined our regiment, where they 
 were camped, guarding the Ninth Corps 
 train, and taking a few days' rest prior to 
 our transfer to the cavalry corps. We drew 
 ammunition, as the hundred rounds issued in 
 Camp Stoneman were now exhausted. None 
 of the ammunition had been wasted, but had 
 all been used in engagements. 
 
 The Second Ohio had long since learned 
 to husband their cartridges, and very few 
 were lost or thrown away, as it was of as 
 much importance to have cartridges as it was 
 to have rations and forage. If a trooper 
 went to the hospital he did not carry his cart- 
 ridges, but distributed them in the company, 
 and we frequently picked up those left by 
 other troops. 
 
 On the 1 9th I was sent out on the main 
 road with a small squad to reconnoiter the 
 position of the enemy's cavalry, but learned 
 they had withdrawn toward Richmond, and 
 on the aoth I was sent out to patrol the Na- 
 tional road for several miles, and returned 
 without any discoveries. During the after- 
 noon I paid a visit to my friends in the Sixth 
 
242 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 Ohio Volunteer Cavalry. On the morning 
 of the 2ist our company was detailed to take 
 a position at the junction of the by-road on 
 which the brigade was camped and the main 
 road. 
 
 On our arrival at the place where the main 
 reserve was to remain, a sergeant with ten 
 men went to the National road to remain un- 
 til the next night. The videttes were sta- 
 tioned around the main reserve. The object 
 of these outposts was to give an early alarm 
 in case the enemy's cavalry should swing 
 around the right flank. 
 
 The duty at first sight did not appear 
 hazardous or arduous under the existing con- 
 ditions, but it proved to be both. In the 
 evening of the 22d, Sergt. George A. Wil- 
 kins left the main reserve with Corporal 
 Wise and ten men to relieve the detachment 
 on post at the National road. I was favored 
 by not being in that detachment, being in 
 charge of a relief already on duty at the main 
 reserve; but the three men of the mess to 
 which I belonged went with the detachment. 
 They left about sundown. There was noth- 
 ing unusual about it, and their departure 
 would never have recurred to my mind if 
 something unusual hadn't happened after- 
 ward. I had my supper with the mess before 
 they started, and kept rations enough to last 
 while they were gone. My relief was off duty, 
 and I lay down to get some sleep before my 
 turn came again. I had barely got to sleep, 
 
GEORGE A. WII^KTNS 
 
 Sergeant, Co. E, Second Ohio Volunteer Cavalry 
 
 PACING 241 
 
Service in Virginia 243 
 
 when someone said, " Here come the boys; 
 there is something wrong!" 
 
 The clatter of horses' hoofs, and equip- 
 ments, was heard, and everyone was running 
 to his horse. I was on my feet in an instant, 
 and heard someone say, " I don't know how 
 many are killed." I ran to the road to see 
 if it was my bunky, and there stood his and 
 Foley's horses with empty saddles. 
 
 Hoffmeier and Corporal Wise came in 
 mounted and Thatcher dismounted. They 
 said Dick Baird, my bunky, fell from his 
 horse while trying to jump the fence, but they 
 did not know whether he was shot or not. 
 Corporal Wise, who was riding in advance 
 by the sergeant, said when the volley was 
 fired, which was a surprise to all, the horses 
 jumped in all directions. Some attempted to 
 go over the fence. He turned and fired one 
 shot, as the most of them did, including Wil- 
 kins, who then disappeared, and he ran 
 for camp. Kelly and Platt kept the main 
 road, and joined the detachment on picket at 
 the junction of the National road, who aban- 
 doned the post and came in by a circuitous 
 route. Before morning all but four had re- 
 ported. 
 
 At daylight next morning Lieutenant New- 
 ton took half of the company and went to 
 investigate. About one and a half miles from 
 camp, Lute's and Thatcher's horses were 
 found dead, with equipments stripped off and 
 carried away. Sergeant Wilkins's revolver 
 
244 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 lay in the road with one empty chamber. His 
 horse stood in the brush, fifty yards beyond 
 the place where the ambuscade was located. 
 The saddle was covered with blood, which 
 was evidence that he had been wounded, but 
 search failed to show the direction he had 
 gone. He was not in that vicinity. The 
 party had captured Lute and crossed an open 
 field, scattering the leaves of his diary as 
 they went. 
 
 After the situation had been thoroughly 
 gone over, the lieutenant told me to take ten 
 men, to patrol the National road, and to re- 
 establish the post at the junction, while he 
 would make further search. 
 
 We moved out, and after traveling the Na- 
 tional road some four or five miles, we 
 returned, passing the junction, and went in 
 the direction of White House Landing, until 
 we were halted by the pickets in front of 
 Eraser's division of the Ninth Corps. After 
 explaining our mission to the officer of the 
 guard, and asking him to keep a lookout for 
 Sergeant Wilkins and to render him any as- 
 sistance they could, we returned and dis- 
 mounted at the junction. 
 
 We were all feeling very blue after the 
 cowardly assault that had deprived us of our 
 most esteemed comrades, and were discussing 
 the question of making a farther search in 
 the thicket for Wilkins, when a courier ar- 
 rived with orders to abandon the post and 
 report to the regiment. 
 
Service in Virginia 245 
 
 When we reported to the regiment it was 
 late in the evening, and they were all ready 
 and moved out, and Lieutenant Newton got 
 leave to remain with a part of the company 
 to make further search for Sergeant Wilkins, 
 as he had detected no evidence that he had 
 been taken with the others, who were without 
 doubt prisoners. The regiment moved to 
 Bowling Green, and lay in line until two 
 o'clock the next morning. 
 
 The next day Lieutenant Newton joined us 
 near Hamilton's Station, but had gained no 
 intelligence concerning the missing boys. 
 The first news we received from them was 
 that Wilkins was in the hospital at White 
 House Landing, having been taken in at the 
 picket post of the Ninth Corps about five hun- 
 dred yards from where we had talked to them 
 on the 23d. 
 
 We had actually passed within fifty yards 
 of where he lay in the woods, both going 
 to and coming from the post. The next 
 time I saw him he told me that he saw us 
 but did not know whether we were friends or 
 foes, and was so faint he did not care, but 
 revived afterward and crawled to the road 
 and hailed the picket, who came for him after 
 he had been lying there for three nights with- 
 out food or water. During the first night 
 he had gone so far from his horse that search 
 failed to find him. He was wounded in the 
 left shoulder. The ball lodged in his breast 
 and made a wound from which he was al- 
 
246 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 ways a sufferer, and which at last was the 
 cause of his death. 
 
 We learned afterward that the act was per- 
 petrated by some of the enemy's dismounted 
 cavalry, who had adopted that plan to re- 
 mount themselves. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 ROUGH TIMES IN THE OLD DOMINION 
 
 THE brigade, now detached from the 
 infantry, was on the march to re- 
 port to General Wilson, command- 
 ing the Third Division of the Cav- 
 alry Corps. For the first time we were 
 out of hearing of the roar of cannon and the 
 rattle of musketry since crossing the Rappa- 
 hannock, excepting at short intervals of four 
 and five hours when the troops were chang- 
 ing position. 
 
 Camp was pitched in an orchard. The ad- 
 joining plantation was well supplied with 
 forage, which was a treat to the horses, as they 
 had had no fodder since leaving Washing- 
 ton. Smokehouses full of meat, and poultry 
 yards with quantities of fowls were other 
 rarities after marching through an army- 
 ridden country. Of this branch the Second 
 Ohio made a specialty, owing to former edu- 
 cation, and the other troops having had but 
 little experience, being under orders not to 
 forage, we had a monopoly. 
 
 On May 27 the brigade camped at Newton, 
 leaving Company E to do picket duty on the 
 north side of town. After the first relief re- 
 ported to the reserve, O. D. Bannon, who had 
 
 247 
 
248 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 occupied the post on the main road, informed 
 the lieutenant that he had, by questioning a 
 young man, learned of the whereabouts of a 
 supply train that had been cut off by our en- 
 tering the town. The lieutenant reported the 
 fact at headquarters and received orders to 
 take his company and capture it. After 
 traveling a short distance we turned in to a 
 side road, and soon came onto the trail of 
 the train and followed it to a farm gate, down 
 behind a strip of woods, where we discovered 
 the wagons, and charged them from the word 
 go. It proved to be a bloodless charge, as 
 there was not a living thing there but the 
 mules, which were tied in their places, eating 
 corn. The harness was thrown onto them, 
 and the train of six wagons moved out to 
 town. They were loaded with salt pork, 
 hams, fish, sugar, and beans. 
 
 On the morning of the 28th, being detailed 
 to take charge of a squad to capture some 
 horses that were being recruited on a farm 
 near by for the use of the army, we moved 
 out, and after traveling some miles arrived 
 at the place to find them gone, those in charge 
 of them having taken warning before our ar- 
 rival. 
 
 In the evening of the 29th Company E was 
 on picket, with the exception of a small squad 
 left to guard the captured train. We drove 
 them to camp, and kept them until morning, 
 when Lieutenant Newton received orders to 
 let his company plunder and set fire to them. 
 
Rough Times in the Old Dominion 249 
 
 Our company made a protest against the 
 destruction of good provisions, when there 
 were hundreds of men who did not get enough 
 to eat from one week's end to the other. 
 While it is to be admitted that plundering 
 may be detrimental and cause demoralization 
 when there are spoils of vast quantity and 
 duty has to be abandoned to carry them away, 
 yet to destroy provisions before the eyes of 
 half-fed men is still worse. Especially so, 
 when there is not enough to go around. For 
 my individual use I was allowed to take a 
 saddle horse that had been taken from a farm- 
 yard near the train and was supposed to be- 
 long to the trainmaster. Our mess took one 
 mule and loaded it with hams, beans, fish, 
 and sugar. There were many refugees, as 
 usual, and we engaged a yellow boy about 
 fourteen years old to take care of the pack 
 and my extra horse. 
 
 On the 29th the brigade camped on the 
 Pamunkey River, and on the ^oth officially 
 joined the division, although the two bodies 
 of troops did not meet until the 2d of June. 
 
 The Third Brigade of the Third Division 
 of the cavalry corps of the Army of the Poto- 
 mac moved out to make a feint on the forces 
 at Hanover Court House. It was said that 
 it was to attract the attention of the enemy 
 until General Wilson would burn the bridge 
 on the South Anna. 
 
 We soon met the enemy in force. We dis- 
 mounted, and advanced in line through the 
 
250 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 woods, with thick underbrush to contend with. 
 The artillery followed the road to the left of 
 the line until, having arrived at a suitable po- 
 sition in an open field, that chanced to be 
 beyond the enemy's right flank far enough 
 away to have room to load and fire, they 
 opened the ball before we were able to pene- 
 trate the brush. 
 
 Being on the advance line I was one of the 
 first to climb the fence that brought us within 
 a few rods and in plain view of the enemy's 
 advance line, who were changing their posi- 
 tion rapidly as they squatted about in the 
 long grass, taking deliberate aim at the gun- 
 ners. They were unaware of our approach, 
 and the Indian yell almost in their ears caused 
 them to change their position in another di- 
 rection, as we were advancing in double- 
 quick time. The trumpet sounded halt, with 
 orders to lie down and wait for the main line 
 to get out of the brush and form on open 
 ground. The grass was several inches high 
 and, being on the ground that sloped toward 
 them, we appeared to make a pretty good 
 showing, judging from the shower of lead that 
 was continually passing over us. Unfortu- 
 nately I was wearing a straw hat at the 
 time, and as it showed pretty plain it was es- 
 sential that it be pressed very close to the 
 ground, regardless of the disfigurement of 
 the hat. A Johnnie dropped down just ahead 
 of me, and calling to the lieutenant to know 
 if I should go after him, and receiving no 
 
Rough Times in the Old Dominion 251 
 
 answer, I concluded to make an effort any- 
 way. On rising to my knees I found it was too 
 much like attacking a nest of hornets. With 
 the shower of lead falling about, I experienced 
 a sudden change of mind, and concluded that 
 we did not want any Johnnies. 
 
 It was not long until the Indian yell behind 
 us told that the Second was in line and on the 
 charge. We were soon on our feet, and se- 
 cured the Johnnie in less time than it takes 
 to tell it. We picked up several more before 
 arriving at the woods, where a strong line was 
 lying behind the fallen trees. They poured 
 out a continual volley, and made it appear as 
 if we would not be able to dislodge them. 
 But they finally gave way before the galling 
 fire from the Spencer carbines and the battery, 
 which had a fine range on them. 
 
 We crossed the road and were in the tim- 
 ber before they were all out of it. On the 
 opposite side of the strip of woods we could 
 see them filing into the timber to the right 
 and in the ravine to the left. In front there 
 "was a level field that broke into a ravine on 
 the other side of which stands Hanover Sta- 
 tion and Court House. There were a bat- 
 tery and troops enough to support it near the 
 station and in full view. 
 
 Our appearance created a stir among them 
 and they opened on us. We thought we 
 would intercept some of them who were filing 
 into the ravine to our left, and so we kept on, 
 and I was so near those in the rear that the 
 
252 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 fire from both sides was directed at me. I 
 stopped and waved my hat to some of our 
 men, who ceased firing, and then I ran to the 
 edge of the ravine and headed off two John- 
 nies and made them throw down their guns. 
 I then took refuge behind the bank, though 
 it did not protect me, for the firing was di- 
 rected by those that were also behind the bank, 
 and as I did not want to be shot by my friends, 
 I stood up behind the telegraph pole on the 
 enemy's side. Presuming that I was one of 
 their men, they ceased firing. 
 
 The trumpets sounded assembly, and we 
 returned to the strip of woods, reformed, and 
 marched back near the battery, where we met 
 our horses. Here our mess was inconven- 
 ienced by finding that the pack mule had not 
 come to the front. After making coffee, we 
 mounted and moved forward to the road, then 
 into the woods to the right, and dismounted. 
 
 This move was supposed to be on the quiet 
 under cover of the timber, but the enemy 
 caught on and shelled the woods to a finish. 
 The horses were sent back and the line moved 
 forward through the open woods, until we 
 came to a ravine, about one fourth of a mile 
 wide, with a few small bunches of brush on 
 the border of a ditch that ran through the 
 center of it. 
 
 It was about sundown, and the brigade had 
 maintained a very good line. The Second 
 Ohio was on the left with the extreme left 
 opposite to the railroad depot, with our com- 
 
Rough Times in the Old Dominion 253 
 
 pany on the right center of the regiment. 
 When we came to the ravine, with the enemy 
 in full view on the opposite side, they opened 
 fire on us. The Second Ohio raised the yell, 
 ran down the bank, and across the ravine, 
 firing as they ran. The enemy gave way in 
 front of us. I had already crossed the ditch 
 when the trumpet sounded retreat. I turned 
 back, and to my surprise saw the line in con- 
 fusion, a confusion which had been caused 
 by the misconstruction of the object of the 
 General. 
 
 He saw the mistake, and the trumpet 
 sounded forward. We were now under fire 
 from right to left. This confusion was all 
 caused by the different methods of the dif- 
 ferent troops. It was the custom of our regi- 
 ment, being the only one in the brigade that 
 had much experience, to dash forward as soon 
 as we got under fire, and dislodge the enemy 
 or retreat to a safe distance. 
 
 When General Mclntosh saw us strung out 
 all over the valley he thought to rally us by 
 sounding retreat. Many of the officers in 
 the other regiments thought it applied to the 
 whole line and ordered retreat, which left the 
 line with gaps in it, some going back and 
 some advancing. 
 
 I had recrossed the ditch when the trumpet 
 sounded forward, and waited a moment to 
 see what was going to be done. All this 
 would have given the enemy a big advantage 
 had not the first line already given way except 
 
254 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 a few who were still lying in small pits with 
 hand grenades. When I saw our line was 
 coming on all right, and someone was getting 
 close range on me, I crossed the ditch and 
 ran for the opposite bank of the ravine, then 
 an old stock-field. When going up the bank 
 some fellow tossed a hand grenade up in front 
 of me, and there were several more all along 
 the bank; but they were ineffectual, as those 
 who threw them did not have the strength 
 to cast them far enough. 
 
 When we came to the top of the bank, we 
 were met with a fresh volley reserved for our 
 reception, but fired too soon to do any dam- 
 age. Only two of us were at the top of the 
 bank, neither of whom was hit. The others 
 were on low ground. The shower went over 
 them like a swarm of bees, but it brought out 
 the order to lie down. We dropped flat be- 
 tween the rows of dead corn-stalks, and they 
 had a woeful sound when struck by bullets. 
 It was now dark, and Hays, who lay near me, 
 said, " I am going to get back under the 
 bank." 
 
 " Lie still," I said, " we are safer here." 
 But he went, and I was left, the only rep- 
 resentative on the high ground, and the boys 
 were now calling to me to come back. But 
 I hugged the ground the tighter, and was 
 covered with dirt kicked up by the spatter of 
 bullets. It appeared to me as if every corn- 
 stalk in that field was hit. The fight was now 
 general from one end of the line to the other. 
 
Rough Times in the Old Dominion 255 
 
 and to the left the roar and shouts and yells 
 of every description rilled the air and indi- 
 cated that something decisive must soon take 
 place. In a few moments the din of battle 
 ceased, and everything was as quiet as a May 
 morning for a moment, then a cheer arose 
 from the left of the line and passed to the 
 right, telling us that the victory was ours. 
 
 The enemy had abandoned the field, leav- 
 ing dead and wounded behind them. A des- 
 perate hand-to-hand conflict took place be- 
 tween the enemy's right, in possession of the 
 railroad depot, and one battalion of the Sec- 
 ond Ohio, who had closed in so close that 
 shooting was abandoned, and guns were used 
 as clubs on both sides. Our men gained a 
 position that compelled their whole line to 
 retire. We moved on to the ground they 
 abandoned. Many dead and wounded were 
 lying about, uncared for. 
 
 About eleven o'clock our horses came up. 
 Our mess had to borrow some rations to get 
 a little supper. A detail was sent to the pack- 
 train, and brought some rations, which were 
 issued about two o'clock with orders to get 
 breakfast. 
 
 I did not have much rest that night. A 
 wounded Johnnie lay in front of us who kept 
 calling for water, and I made three different 
 trips to supply him. 
 
 "Where did you Yanks come from?" he 
 said. " We never heard anybody yell like 
 that, and thought it was an infantry charge." 
 
256 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 " We learned it from the Indians," I said. 
 
 The first charge we made in the morning 
 deceived our own brigade, who could not see 
 us, and the yell caused them to think they 
 were flanked by the rebel infantry. It was 
 said that some of them broke and ran. 
 
 We moved out a few minutes after two 
 o'clock in the direction of the enemy. Our 
 mess ate hard tack and bacon without coffee. 
 The column moved very slowly, and the ad- 
 vance had to feel their way through the pine 
 woods. The Second occupied the position of 
 left center, and were followed by one regi- 
 ment and the pack-train. 
 
 When the advance arrived at Ashland Sta- 
 tion an order was sent back to patrol the by- 
 road that led out into the timber on either 
 side of the main road, and I was sent out on 
 one of those roads with three men. 
 
 We had traveled but a few hundred yards 
 when two men stepped from behind trees and 
 fired at us. They were some distance away, 
 and we ran toward them; but the forest was 
 heavy and swampy, and it was our duty to 
 return and report as soon as possible. I 
 told the lieutenant we had run against two 
 bushwhackers, who were in reality the 
 videttes of a heavy force that had withdrawn 
 from the road in order to let the column pass 
 into their lines. Another party had been sent 
 out on the other side on a similar road, and 
 Ed. Kelley, one of the party, had captured 
 one of the videttes, and brought him in. 
 
Rough Times in the Old Dominion 257 
 
 When Kelley found himself encumbered 
 with a prisoner he asked the lieutenant what 
 to do with the man. The answer was : " Keep 
 watch over him, or take him to the rear- 
 guard." Kelley did not want to watch him, 
 and started back to the rear. 
 
 The boys who were taken prisoners that 
 day tell a good joke about him, but he denies 
 it in part. As they started, Kelley said, 
 " Now, Johnnie, I see you have a watch there. 
 The other fellows will take it, so you might 
 as well give it to me." When he had the 
 watch, he said, " Now, Johnnie, I don't want 
 to impose on you, just because you are a pris- 
 oner; but necessity requires that we make 
 pretty good time." The prisoner double- 
 quicked along by the First Connecticut for a 
 short distance, then took a by-road, and met 
 the head of the enemy's column as they closed 
 in on our column. There was a platoon of 
 twenty with drawn revolvers and they de- 
 manded the surrender of Kelley. The guard 
 became the prisoner, and the Johnnie then 
 said, "Yank, I see you have some valuables 
 there. These other fellows will take them 
 from you, so you might as well give them 
 to me." He relieved Kelley of two watches, 
 revolver, carbine, money, horse and equip- 
 ments, with blankets and clothing, and was 
 better fitted out than he had ever been be- 
 fore. 
 
 The First Connecticut rushed past us on 
 both sides, carrying everything that came in 
 
258 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 their way, until they landed in town. This 
 was the proper thing to do, for they could 
 do nothing, attacked on both flanks. They 
 could not protect themselves, and to ride 
 slowly would have blocked the way so that 
 the Second could do nothing. 
 
 As soon as the First was out of our way, 
 the Second turned into the woods on the left 
 of the road, and wheeled about into line. 
 The Third New Jersey and the Fifth New 
 York did the same on the right of the road, 
 and the battle began in earnest. Our com- 
 pany was deployed as advance line in front 
 of our battalion and D company to our left 
 in front of their battalion. The artillery had 
 faced about in town to command the road. 
 The enemy was now coming down on us in 
 solid column of platoons that filled the road 
 from one side to the other. The battery was 
 pouring shell into them at a rapid rate, but 
 it did not check them. We were confronted 
 by dismounted cavalry, while a heavy line of 
 infantry fell against the Third New Jersey 
 and Fifth New York, and they were com- 
 pelled to break. 
 
 Things looked bad for us, and the trumpet 
 sounded the charge. Great gaps were torn 
 through the enemy. The battery was now 
 throwing grape into the solid column and it 
 was almost annihilated. The air was now 
 thick with smoke, flying leaves, limbs, bark, 
 and other missiles. By the time I had passed 
 the enemy's advance line the trumpet sounded 
 
Rough Times in the Old Dominion 259 
 
 retreat, and I said to a foe in front of me, 
 " If I get out of this mess I will want some- 
 thing to show that I have been here." Then 
 I turned my horse around him, making a com- 
 plete about face, placed the muzzle of the 
 gun at his right shoulder and demanded his 
 revolver; but I was compelled to repeat the 
 demand the third time, when he drew it from 
 the scabbard and handed it to me, hilt first. 
 As he handed it up I noticed that it was of 
 a different pattern from any I had ever seen, 
 and shoving it under my belt I gave the order 
 forward. As we passed through his line, 
 two of his men rose up from behind the bush 
 and fired, leaving powder buried in my 
 face. 
 
 When we had advanced a little farther, 
 Dixie met us, and called out, " You got one, 
 did you, Cause?" 
 
 " Yes, take him to the rear, will you? " 
 
 "All right," he replied; "but the Fifth 
 New York has gone to h -! " 
 
 On turning I noticed Company D go en 
 masse up the road toward the front, which 
 proved there was a desperate struggle on. 
 When Dixie left me, thinking I would give 
 the enemy another shot, I rode behind a 
 large pine tree for protection and to rest the 
 gun, and when about to pull the trigger, down 
 went my horse. The collapse was so sudden 
 that there was not time to get my balance, and 
 he rolled over on my leg. With a desperate 
 effort, I was able to get out by leaving my 
 
260 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 boot. My only thought when we went down 
 was to save the gun and ammunition, and 
 without changing my mind I went ske- 
 daddling on all fours. 
 
 After putting a little brush between the 
 enemy and me, I rose up, and with a few 7 
 bounds I was with the company. They were 
 startled to see me, for when I went down, 
 Keiper, who had been looking through an 
 open place, supposed I was killed, and had 
 made the remark, " Cause is gone." The 
 word had been repeated and they took it for 
 granted. They said some of the boys had 
 been wounded and I could go and get one of 
 their horses. There was no time to be lost, and 
 I was off with a bound, and as I arrived on 
 the open ground an officer with drawn saber 
 shouted, " Go back into the brush! " " I am 
 going for a horse," I replied, and paid no 
 more attention to him. At the same time I 
 noticed they were sending the men from the 
 broken ranks to the thicket I had just emerged 
 from. The staff officers were riding about 
 shouting, " Colonel Purrington is in com- 
 mand, and you are ordered to rally on the 
 Second Ohio." 
 
 On reaching the hospital where they were 
 carrying the wounded, the first man I met 
 was Tommy Rees. His clothes were all 
 stripped off except the shirt, and he was hold- 
 ing that up to keep it from rubbing a wound 
 on his left hip. When he saw me coming 
 the tears came to his eyes, and he said, " Give 
 
Rough Times in the Old Dominion 261 
 
 me a chew of tobacco and I can live as long 
 as anybody." 
 
 I divided my tobacco with him, and left 
 him, and went on with my search for a horse. 
 Poor Tommie was left, and remained a pris- 
 oner, but after many months he escaped and 
 succeeded in reaching some of our vessels on 
 the North Carolina coast. 
 
 While searching for a horse I came to a 
 group of prisoners, and among them I found 
 the man that surrendered to me. He said he 
 was Lieutenant William McGalley of the 
 Ninth Virginia Cavalry, and had command 
 of a battalion that was engaged from where 
 he surrendered to the road. Dixie was one 
 of the guards. 
 
 The firing had now ceased, so I perched 
 myself on the fence and entered into conversa- 
 tion with Lieutenant McGalley. He said 
 that he did not intend to surrender at first, 
 but he noticed the third time I challenged I 
 brought the gun a little closer to my face, and 
 he thought it time to act. 
 
 It was not long until the brush began to 
 snap behind us in the dense thicket, and the 
 prisoners' looks indicated that they knew what 
 it meant, for they appeared very much 
 pleased, and evidently thought we would all 
 have to surrender in a short time. But they 
 had yet to learn the ways of the wily Western 
 cavalry. I was either too much engaged, or 
 too stupid to take the hint, although I looked 
 over my shoulder two or three times. It was 
 
262 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 not long until a musket exploded behind me, 
 and something that sounded like a yellow 
 jacket on the wing went by my ear. It was 
 followed by several more, but we had taken 
 the hint and were on the run. 
 
 Dozens of wounded horses were near by 
 with saddles lying about. I threw a saddle 
 on the best-looking one and mounted, but he 
 could not go. The missiles were flying pretty 
 thick. The prisoners had disappeared from 
 sight, and alone, in my shirt sleeves, with no 
 hat and only one boot, I struck out in the 
 same direction they had gone. I passed by 
 the village and up the railroad track, when 
 a man came dashing by with a led-horse. I 
 reached out and caught the halter and said, 
 "You have too many horses for one man 
 when others are walking." He let go with- 
 out a word, and by the time I was mounted 
 he was out of sight. 
 
 The ambulance and the caissons had al- 
 ready begun to move down the railroad track, 
 and it was evident that someone had been 
 doing something while the Johnnies were clos- 
 ing in on us from all sides. The time had 
 been improved by Colonel Purrington in 
 making preparations for a lively retreat, and 
 leaving the Johnnies to hold the bag with 
 a few wounded in it. 
 
 The story goes in this way: When General 
 Mclntosh ordered D company to charge, 
 it was a last ditch move, as it had to 
 charge against a solid column of infantry un- 
 
Rough Times in the Old Dominion 263 
 
 der the fire of our own grape and canister. 
 It nearly annihilated the company, but 
 hoping to check their advance in this way, 
 he called a council with the field officers, and 
 Colonel Purrington was the last to respond. 
 
 As he approached the assembled officers, 
 some staff officer said, " General, hadn't we 
 better make some terms? " 
 
 " You need make no terms for me. I be- 
 long to the cavalry," replied Colonel Pur- 
 rington. 
 
 On hearing this remark, General Mclntosh 
 said: " Colonel Purrington, take command of 
 the brigade. Here is my staff. The ad- 
 jutant-general will see that your orders are 
 carried into effect." 
 
 The staff officers assembled about Colonel 
 Purrington, and he told them to send all 
 the disorganized men into that thicket. They 
 asked what they would do there. 
 
 " There are plenty of generals there to tell 
 you what to do," was the reply. 
 
 They rushed about frantically to carry the 
 order into effect. The Colonel then sent 
 word to the officers of the Second Ohio to 
 put in line all the men that came into the 
 brush, and to dismount and send the horses 
 to the rear. The most of the Fifth New York 
 had returned and reformed their line as soon 
 as they saw that the Second Ohio had not 
 broken. 
 
 The horses were moved back by the rail- 
 road, and formed in an open field. It was 
 
264 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 there the man was going from whom I got 
 the horse. I was quietly riding along, hop- 
 ing not to meet the man again, and I came 
 to the led-horses, and a sergeant from the 
 Fifth New York rode out and inquired where 
 I had gotten the horse. I related the facts 
 to him, and he replied that it belonged to 
 his brother who was missing; for all he knew, 
 killed. He said if I would wait there until 
 the regiment came, and his brother did not ap- 
 pear with them, I might keep the horse. 
 The offer was a generous one, but after con- 
 sidering my position, we thought it better to 
 be advance-guard than rear in case we should 
 be deprived of the horse. I slipped down 
 and gave him the halter and hobbled away 
 by the side of the railroad track. 
 
 The ambulances were bouncing along on 
 the ties, tossing the wounded men, who 
 screamed and called for mercy. There was 
 no ballast between the ties, and it was a won- 
 der the ambulances did not all turn over. 
 
 We finally came to a road that crossed the 
 track, and turned on to it. The column had 
 mounted, and were now passing those on foot, 
 but the ambulance corps kept out of their 
 way. Our regiment came last. When our 
 company passed me they said they had ad- 
 vanced, dismounted, to where my horse lay, 
 and had gotten my coat and blankets, but did 
 not get the boot, hat, and rations that were 
 under the horse. 
 
 When Captain Nettleton's company was 
 
Rough Times in the Old Dominion 265 
 
 passing there was one pack-horse, and I said 
 to the boy, " You have too many horses for 
 one, when there are some that have none." 
 
 " How am I to lead the horse, and you rid- 
 ing it? " he whined. 
 
 " I am a pretty good rider," I said, "and 
 can get along without a leader." 
 
 I mounted without taking the halter from 
 him and without halting the horse, and I sat 
 upon the pack like a toad on a harrow all 
 night, and took a doze now and then. 
 
 When we arrived at the railroad bridge, 
 the one it was said General Wilson should 
 have burned, it served us a good purpose. 
 There was some lumber near by, and the men 
 set to work and laid a floor as far as the lum- 
 ber would reach, and then built fires all the 
 way across on each side to make it light, and 
 led the horses across, and they stepped from 
 tie to tie with nearly as much precision as 
 the men. Only one now and then missed his 
 footing and plunged about for a moment. 
 
 As soon as we were all across, the loose 
 lumber was piled on the fires and. the bridge 
 was soon in flames. 
 
 Every time a trooper of the Fifth New 
 York passed us, he would apologize by say- 
 ing, " We ran and left you once, but we will 
 never do it again as long as there is a man of 
 us left to represent the Fifth." 
 
 We wound our way through a hot-bed that 
 night. We were in the rear of the right wing 
 of General Lee's army, and scouting parties 
 
266 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 rode into our column at different times, and, 
 when they found out who we were they would 
 run away. This could easily be done from 
 the fact that they would inquire what regi- 
 ment, which was a common question in the 
 dark, and the reply would set them right at 
 once, and they would turn and disappear in 
 the darkness. 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 THE FORTUNES AND MISFORTUNES OF WAR 
 
 A) we moved along I soliloquized on the 
 fortunes and misfortunes of war. 
 Twenty-four hours before I had been 
 pretty well fixed, with almost new 
 high top-boots, two horses and saddles, a pack- 
 mule, rations enough for four men and a cook 
 for fifteen days, and now I was not only a de- 
 pendent, but a usurper, sitting on top of a 
 pack that was so high that my feet could not 
 reach the stirrups. At daybreak we halted 
 until we could investigate our position. 
 
 Our mess was invited out to breakfast, 
 which we accepted graciously under the cir- 
 cumstances. We had had no coffee since the 
 night of the 3ist at Hanover Court House, 
 and but little hard tack and bacon. 
 
 Early in the morning patrols were dis- 
 patched to scour the country, and they re- 
 turned with the information that Wilson had 
 not passed that way. With the Second Ohio 
 in advance, we marched to the wagon-train 
 near Hanover Court House, where we ar- 
 rived about 1 1 A. M. 
 
 I was soon fitted out as good as new. One 
 had an extra hat, another a pair of boots, and 
 
 267 
 
268 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 Billy Pigeon was sick and had to go to the 
 hospital. That left a horse for me; and as 
 for rations, we always got something when 
 the others cooked, until regular ration day 
 arrived. 
 
 A very significant question was asked all 
 over the camp. They wanted to know the 
 whereabouts of General Wilson, a man whom 
 we had never heard of until the 3oth of May, 
 and whom we had not yet seen. It was the 
 all-absorbing question with the Second Ohio, 
 for he was now our commander. 
 
 Scouting parties were sent out, and on their 
 return reported one brigade camped about 
 five miles from us. At four o'clock there 
 were orders to be ready to march at five 
 o'clock, and at the appointed hour the two 
 brigades with General Wilson made their ap- 
 pearance, and we moved out. 
 
 By inquiring we learned that they had been 
 camped not far apart, and about five miles 
 from the wagon-train, doing nothing but 
 patrolling the roads for their own security, 
 and had sent out the new or Third Brigade 
 to do what the whole division should have 
 done, to drive in General Lee's right. They 
 did not expect us to do any more than fire 
 a volley and run like Turks, and General Wil- 
 son would then have two brigades to cover 
 him when he skedaddled. 
 
 General Sheridan says in his " Memoirs," 
 in relating the account of the distribution of 
 the cavalry corps after his first raid: 
 
Fortunes and Misfortunes of War 269 
 
 After the 26th to the 3<pth, these duties kept Wilson constantly 
 occupied, and also necessitated a considerable disposition of his 
 force; but by the sist he was enabled to get all his division 
 together, and crossing to the south side of the Pamunkey, at 
 Newcastle Ferry, he advanced toward Hanover Court House, 
 near Dr. Price's house. He encountered a division of the 
 enemy's cavalry under W. H. F. Lee, and drove it back across 
 Mechanics Creek, there opening communication with the right 
 of our infantry resting at Phillip's Mills. Just as this had been 
 done, a little before dark, Wilson received an order from Gen- 
 eral Meade, directing him to push on toward Richmond, until he 
 encountered the Confederates in such strength that he could no 
 longer successfully contend against them. In compliance with 
 this order he occupied Hanover Court House that same day, 
 resuming his march at daylight. On June i he went ahead on 
 the Ashland road, while sending Chapman's brigade up the 
 South Anna to destroy the bridge on that stream. Chapman suc- 
 ceeded in this work. Wilson reunited his whole force, and en- 
 deavored to hold Ashland, but finding the Confederate cavalry 
 and infantry here in strong force, he was obliged to withdraw to 
 Dr. Pierce's house. 
 
 While there can be no misrepresentation 
 on the part of General Sheridan, for his mem- 
 ory serves him from the report he received 
 from the Third Division (he not being pres- 
 ent), yet the only conclusion an eyewitness 
 can come to is that General Wilson attempted 
 to hold Ashland at long range, say twelve or 
 fourteen miles; but this usually fails where 
 there is an active and determined enemy oc- 
 cupying the place. 
 
 If any troops of the Third Division of cav- 
 alry except the Third Brigade fired a shot 
 or did any marching on the ^ist of May or 
 the ist of June, the most diligent inquiry 
 failed to bring out the facts. Had it not been 
 for the timely arrival of Colonel Purrington, 
 the Third Brigade would have been a total 
 loss to the Union Army, and would not have 
 
270 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 had much to do with the future operations 
 of the cavalry in the Army of the Potomac. 
 
 We were not even allowed one night's rest 
 after the desperate struggle at Ashland. By 
 marching with the knowledge already gained, 
 and reinforced by two brigades, Colonel Pur- 
 rington, had he been in command, could have 
 taken Ashland and completely cut off General 
 Lee's railroad communication from Rich- 
 mond. As it was, the Second was proud of 
 the record it had made; and although it cost 
 us dearly, nothing less would have illustrated 
 the difference between the methods of the 
 Eastern and Western cavalry. It proved 
 to them that they did not have to withdraw 
 or surrender when they confronted the enemy. 
 
 We moved out to Howe's shop on the morn- 
 ing of the 3d of June. The Second Brigade 
 confronted the enemy, and the Second Ohio 
 was detached to support them. It was 
 claimed that this was done to give us sufficient 
 recognition for gallantry. This was accepted 
 as a jest with the Second, for the boys 
 said they did not see any honor in being recog- 
 nized by a man who was willing to sacrifice 
 them to save his own scalp. 
 
 The fact is, however, there was a new order 
 of things in the Army of the Potomac, and 
 all their efforts to sacrifice the Western men 
 had failed. 
 
 Grant had not proved his wonderful tactics 
 in conducting glorious retreat. Sheridan had 
 proved himself a cavalry officer of no mean 
 
Fortunes and Misfortunes of War 271 
 
 ability, and the Second Ohio, the only repre- 
 sentative of that branch of the service from 
 the West, had introduced new methods, and 
 the Eastern officers saw that they must take 
 advantage of the new order of things or be 
 lost in the shuffle. 
 
 In the Army of the Potomac the men that 
 had been spoken of with contempt were now 
 emerging from their lurking obscurity to be 
 the heroes of victory, and were now striking 
 terror to the hearts of their foes. 
 
 Our reward for gallantry was lying in line 
 all day and night with Company A deployed 
 as videttes. The enemy advanced, and Com- 
 pany E was ordered out to support the videttes, 
 and gave Wilson and his troops a fine exhibi- 
 tion, with genuine skirmish firing and falling 
 back in front of superior numbers. The enemy 
 soon withdrew, however, there being only a 
 small brigade that had followed Wilson from 
 Dr. Price's house. 
 
 On the ad the First Division of the cavalry 
 corps relieved the Third, and with all the 
 troops under his command General Wilson 
 did not relieve the Second Ohio from duty 
 to get even twelve hours' rest. 
 
 On June 6 the division moved behind the 
 main line to take a few days' rest preparatory 
 to going on a raid into southern Virginia. 
 We had staked the horses out to graze, and 
 were getting nicely fixed to rest, when the 
 pickets were fired on and the trumpet 
 sounded. After saddling we moved out, 
 
272 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 apparently going to some other locality; but 
 after traveling a few miles, we turned back, 
 and at 9 P. M. camped at the same place. 
 
 The next day Company E went on picket, 
 and on June 8 went to Darrow Creek to do 
 picket duty with the Third New Jersey, 
 where we remained until the loth. At dark 
 the picket was fired on. We turned out and 
 lay in line all night, and on the nth the Sec- 
 ond Ohio made a reconnaissance, assaulting a 
 heavy force, apparently General Lee's right 
 wing, then confronting General Grant's left. 
 
 After returning to camp we rested until 
 9 P. M. on the i2th, and then moved to- 
 ward Harrison's Landing. It was a dark 
 night, and it was not long until the experi- 
 enced soldier pronounced the commander in- 
 capable of moving a division. There were 
 strict orders that no one should fall out of 
 the ranks, not even to swing to one side to 
 tighten up the girth. When the column was 
 standing still the Second Ohio boys said they 
 did not wonder the cavalry in that army was 
 no good. " We will soon be no good, either, 
 if we are to be domineered over in this way," 
 they said. 
 
 Staff officers were riding back and forth, 
 busying themselves with small details, pre- 
 venting the very things that must be done to 
 make the trooper efficient and ready for any 
 emergency. 
 
 On the 1 3th the division crossed the Chick- 
 ahominy, lay in line all night, then marched 
 
F. F. RKXFORD 
 
 Second Ohio Volunteer Cavalry 
 
 FACING 272 
 
Fortunes and Misfortunes of War 273 
 
 until 2 P. M v and went into camp. On the 
 i4th we marched at 6 A. M. to Charles City 
 Court House, and camped for dinner, after 
 which we took the back track, met a scouting 
 party, and a short skirmish ensued at St. 
 Mary's Church. 
 
 On the next morning the division marched 
 at seven o'clock, traveled a short distance, 
 when the advance met the enemy, the Second 
 Ohio being ordered to the front, and by orders 
 from headquarters held at long range and in 
 the woods and brush, with the exception of 
 our battalion, which chanced to form in an 
 open field. The enemy, being behind a row 
 of fallen timber, had a superior advantage, 
 and had we not kept up a continual firing that 
 kept them down and obscured us in a cloud 
 of smoke we would have been a splendid tar- 
 get for them. Our loss was comparatively 
 few. Company E lost one man and three or 
 four horses. 
 
 We finally withdrew, and built a temporary 
 works, and named it for the officer in charge 
 of construction, Captain Pike. It was com- 
 pleted on the 1 6th, and as soon as it was dark 
 in the evening we moved out, and at two 
 o'clock on the morning of the lyth struck 
 camp for a short rest, then resumed the march 
 later in the day and camped four miles from 
 Petersburg. We resumed the march in the 
 morning and camped at Prince George Court 
 House, where we remained for a short rest 
 preparatory to the raid into southern Virginia. 
 
274 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 The division moved behind General 
 Grant's line on June 6 for a rest in order to 
 be in good condition for the raid, but the want 
 of a little experience and courage at head- 
 quarters, and the firing on the pickets by a few 
 irregulars that were attempting to get sup- 
 plies and mount themselves, kept us in the 
 saddle or on the aimless march until the i6th. 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 THE WILSON RAID 
 
 BEFORE daylight on the morning of 
 June azd, the command, under Major- 
 General J. H. Wilson, moved out on 
 the memorable raid that proved so dis- 
 astrous to friend and foe, and no conclusion 
 has yet been reached as to who suffered the 
 greater loss. 
 
 The troops consisted of three brigades with 
 four regiments and one battery of artillery 
 each, comprising the Third Division and one 
 brigade of the Second Division of four regi- 
 ments, and one battery under the command of 
 General A. V. Kautz. 
 
 Kautz's brigade moved out in advance, 
 struck the left flank of Lee's army at Ream's 
 Station, and went through in column. There 
 was more or less firing that appeared to cause 
 consternation at division headquarters. The 
 staff, of which there appeared to be a super- 
 abundance, were charging back and forth 
 shouting unessential orders, with raving 
 enough to create a panic in the coolest and 
 bravest ranks. When the column moved they 
 would shout, "Close up, close up!" thus 
 keeping the column in a cramped position 
 until General Kautz was several miles beyond 
 
 275 
 
276 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 the enemy's line. The want of experience 
 amongst the staff also caused a breach of dis- 
 cipline. The Second did not care to be sub- 
 jected to foolish orders from officers who did 
 not know their business, and began hooting at 
 them as they rode back and forth. 
 
 The commissary stores at Ream's Station 
 were set on fire, and some of the men under- 
 took to carry a ham with them, but they were 
 ordered to leave it, and the adjutant-general, 
 a near-sighted man who wore glasses, took a 
 position by a gate-post to detect those who at- 
 tempted to carry anything with them. When 
 the Second was passing, someone who saw 
 him make a soldier throw down a ham called 
 out, " Here's the man that's got the ham; it is 
 on the other side of the saddle." This cry was 
 kept up until he rode away, and complaint 
 was made to the officers of the Second about 
 the want of respect to superiors; but they 
 were given to understand that they were not 
 even equals, and if the officers would mind 
 their own business and not interfere with the 
 Second they need have no trouble with them. 
 
 By the time these officers learned that 
 Kautz was out of sight they were frightened, 
 and rush orders were flying, and they would 
 gallop up with a jam that would necessarily 
 cripple man and horse, and it was evident that 
 incompetency would necessarily defeat the 
 command even if it had no greater enemy to 
 confront. 
 
 Little of this work was done by us, and we 
 
The Wilson Raid 277 
 
 paid no more attention to the orders. We took 
 a steady gait, and the men would shout to the 
 staff as they galloped by, " You had better 
 save your horse; you will need him before 
 you get back." 
 
 Before June 30 they realized the truth of 
 this advice. When we reached Lynchburg 
 railroad, the Third Brigade was assigned to 
 the duty of protecting the rear, and the de- 
 struction of the road was assigned to other 
 troops, but their progress was slow. As no 
 enemy had appeared, we were brought up to 
 assist. 
 
 We received positive orders from the staff 
 as to how the work should be done, but it was 
 evident that they had no experience in that 
 line. They had adopted the same way that all 
 new beginners do, and in which we had taken 
 our first lessons in Kentucky and Tennessee. 
 We carried out orders for a short time, but it 
 was too tedious, and was soon abandoned for a 
 more expeditious method. We made such fine 
 headway that our method was adopted by 
 the other troops, and the work of destruction 
 was soon completed. 
 
 While the work was going on a few shots 
 were fired between the pickets and the enemy, 
 which caused some commotion. I was or- 
 dered to go to the horses and have them moved 
 near the regiment at work. After delivering 
 the order, on my return, as I was passing the 
 horses of another brigade, an officer who 
 charged up also for the purpose of having 
 
278 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 them moved near the men, gave the order, 
 "Fours right!" The first set of fours was 
 being held by a boy, and the led-horses 
 swung around in front of him, and the officer 
 drew a saber and began striking the boy. It 
 was nothing more than might have happened 
 to anyone, but, more than likely, if the officer 
 had given the order in a cool manner, it would 
 not have occurred in that particular case. 
 When he was raising his saber to strike the 
 third time, I called, " Haiti " and put my gun 
 in a threatening position. 
 
 " Who are you? " he said. 
 
 " If you strike that boy again, you will find 
 out," was the reply. 
 
 He galloped toward headquarters, mutter- 
 ing something about finding out who I was. 
 After helping the boy to get started I went 
 back to work. 
 
 On the 24th our company received orders 
 to report to General Kautz. He told Lieu- 
 tenant Newton that he had sent one regiment 
 on a mission, and they were to meet the col- 
 umn at a specified place, but, owing to the 
 change of General Wilson's plan, the column 
 would not go to that place, and the regiment 
 must be notified of the change. General 
 Kautz had selected Lieutenant Newton to 
 carry out the plan, and had borrowed us from 
 General Wilson. 
 
 After giving the Lieutenant the orders and 
 directions, we moved out to put them in oper- 
 ation. We saw a few home guards and a small 
 
The Wilson Raid 279 
 
 squad of Confederate cavalry, but they gave 
 us the road and no trouble. 
 
 Without accident we reached the desig- 
 nated point, but the regiment had not arrived. 
 By inquiry we learned that they were within 
 a mile of us, and we soon found them. Our 
 mission performed, we went into camp, fed, 
 and cooked coffee, fell in column with the 
 regiment, and joined the command. 
 
 We marched, or at least were on the road 
 in column, all night of the 24th, and at 
 daylight we saw a country store-keeper, with 
 the assistance of some blacks, moving his 
 goods into the woods to hide them. Some of 
 the boys relieved them of what firearms they 
 possessed. We camped about 7 A. M. to 
 get rest and breakfast. After breakfast I was 
 ordered to take two men, leave the main road, 
 take all the horses we could find to replace 
 the artillery horses that had given out, and 
 join the column at Clover, about twenty-five 
 miles in advance. 
 
 Math Park and John Will Reed volun- 
 teered to go with me. We left the main road 
 at once, and were soon in close proximity to 
 the advance of the enemy's cavalry. 
 
 We passed ourselves for W. H. F. Lee's 
 scouts, and by that means were enabled to get 
 information freely. The people had hidden 
 their valuables, and run their stock several 
 miles from the main road, as they were all 
 advised of the approach of the Yanks. It is 
 useless to say we got the best there was to eat 
 
280 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 and drink. We learned where the stock was 
 and it was freely offered, but as we were sail- 
 ing under a false flag we knew we would be 
 detected before we could get them, as the 
 home guards were near by. We concluded 
 to go to another place about ten miles away, 
 where our chance would be better. 
 
 After traveling five or six miles we met a 
 man from Roanoke, and we inquired if there 
 had been any Yanks there. He said no, but 
 he had heard that there had been some near. 
 It was apparent that there was something 
 wrong, for the original plan was not being 
 carried out. 
 
 We had left the column only six miles from 
 Roanoke, on the direct road to Clover. 
 After making inquiry we learned that we were 
 now only two miles from Roanoke and five 
 miles off the main road. By the route we 
 would have to travel it was evident that we 
 must either go to Clover or return to the 
 Roanoke road. We kept on asking questions, 
 and learned that there were many home 
 guards and a regiment of regular troops at 
 Clover, and some at Roanoke, and several 
 horses hid out near the village of Bonsacks. 
 
 After getting the news, we rode away, tak- 
 ing the Bonsacks road. We decided to aban- 
 don the horse hunt, and when within a mile of 
 the village of Giffraff we saw a schoolhouse or 
 country church with an open yard full of 
 tents, and we could not tell whether there 
 were any troops there or not. We de- 
 
The Wilson Raid 281 
 
 cided to put our horses at full speed and dash 
 by, but before we had checked their speed a 
 guard posted over a low hill in front of us 
 fired and fled toward the village, and we after 
 him. He had a start of us and he kept it. He 
 was leaving town when we entered it, and the 
 rest of his companions were following his ex- 
 ample. Some went across fields and orchards, 
 and some horses broke loose and ran away 
 riderless. 
 
 Once in full possession of the town, we 
 began to inquire about the Yankees, but no 
 one knew anything except that they had been 
 expecting them all day, and that the home 
 guards had been there, but had just left a few 
 moments before we arrived. We did not con- 
 sider it worth while to dismount, for the home 
 guards might come back for their hats, and 
 there would be an unpleasant meeting. We 
 started out to hunt the command, and at the 
 edge of the village one of the boys said, " This 
 is the place where the horses are." ' . 
 
 We turned in, and found a servant, but he 
 could not show us the horses. One of the boys 
 produced the customary argument used on 
 such occasions, and he went into the stables 
 for the halters. The horses were a mile or 
 more back in the woods, and, as it was now 
 late in the afternoon, it was time to be look- 
 ing for the command. We left at once, aban- 
 doning the horse hunt, and traveled about a 
 mile, and met the advance-guard of the Fifth 
 New York. We turned back with them. 
 
282 Four Years 'with Five Armies 
 
 After reporting, we received no more 
 orders. We went to a house and got our sup- 
 pers. By the time we returned to the street 
 the command was looting the storehouses of 
 the Confederacy. 
 
 A part of the column was on the move down 
 the river. We took the same road with the 
 column. We discussed the dilemma we 
 would have been in if we had followed our 
 instructions. 
 
 We soon came to the railroad crossing at 
 the end of the Roanoke bridge. Kautz's bri- 
 gade had formed in line, and the battery was 
 throwing shells into the village across the 
 river. The artillerymen wondered why they 
 did not turn the force loose to destroy the 
 bridge. 
 
 We turned off from the main road, and just 
 at sundown stopped at a house and inquired 
 for horses. They told us the horses had been 
 driven away, but there was a mule at the barn, 
 a half mile below. The boys did not think 
 it worth while to bother with a mule, and I 
 told them I would go down and see if it was 
 any good. 
 
 As I had no revolver then, I borrowed 
 Park's. I went to the barn and found nothing 
 there. I returned to the house to find my com- 
 panion gone. 
 
 It was getting dark, and I took the back 
 track to the main road, and was now in the 
 rear of the column. I did not catch up until 
 late in the night. We went into camp about 
 
The Wilson Raid 283 
 
 three o'clock in the morning and remained 
 until eight. 
 
 Park and Reed did not report, and I was 
 not well satisfied with the previous day's work. 
 The Lieutenant was in the same frame of 
 mind, for he said, " Cause, you will remain 
 with the company to-day." 
 
 At the same time he called for volunteers 
 to go in search of a vehicle to haul Sergeant 
 Weeks, who was not able to ride. The column 
 moved out, and the party that went to find a 
 vehicle were soon driven in by the enemy, and 
 the project was abandoned. 
 
 About ii A. M. I took some canteens 
 to fill with water at a spring about three hun- 
 dred yards from the road, a common custom, 
 and met Ralph Miller of our company. We 
 rode away together, and before we arrived at 
 the road we came up with Corporal Sherman, 
 who was taking care of Sergeant Weeks. We 
 told them of the failure to get a vehicle, and 
 Weeks thought he could not ride another day. 
 We rode on, and talked the situation over. 
 Miller said he did not want to see Weeks left 
 in the enemy's country. I told him I had been 
 ordered to stay with the company, but we 
 could remain behind, and if we got a vehicle 
 they would overlook everything, and if we 
 failed they would know nothing about it. 
 
 The first by-road we came to we turned out, 
 and learned that there were two carriages 
 standing in the woods about a mile from there. 
 We soon found what we were in search of, 
 
284 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 with harness all in good order. We stripped 
 off the saddles, threw them in the box, re- 
 placed the saddles with silver-mounted har- 
 ness, mounted the box, and drove out in fine 
 style. When we drove into the main road, 
 the rear-guard had passed and were out of 
 sight, and the enemy's advance was in sight 
 behind us. 
 
 We drove at full speed, and were soon in- 
 side our lines. We were halted by the provost 
 guard. They wanted us to haul a sick soldier 
 and a refugee. We insisted that we had the 
 carriage for a special purpose, and attempted 
 to drive on; but a guard was placed in front 
 of the team, and we were obliged to wait. 
 They brought the refugee and said the soldier 
 was dead. We drove rapidly with a guard 
 over us, and turned out to pass the train and 
 artillery that occupied the road. Driving 
 through the woods the hub struck the trees, 
 and limbs pulled the lamps off and tore the 
 top ; but we kept on over rail fences that had 
 been partly thrown down by the cavalry, not 
 checking until we were in the road in front 
 of the trains. A large number of sick men 
 appeared all at once. The train was full, and 
 the wagons were pressed wherever they could 
 be found. The first one we picked up was 
 Noble Thorn of our company, who was sitting 
 by the roadside. We had not driven far un- 
 til we found Lanterman, also of our company. 
 Miller took his horse, and left us to join the 
 company. 
 
The Wilson Raid 285 
 
 We had many applicants for the remaining 
 vacant seats. Some of the applicants were of- 
 ficers, but we had procured the carriage at our 
 own risk for the express purpose of conveying 
 Weeks to a safe place in our lines, and we 
 were determined to reserve room for him if 
 possible. It was dark when the command 
 went into camp. Miller had reported to the 
 company, and notified them that I was in the 
 train with a carriage. A search was instigated 
 for Weeks, whom they found and brought 
 along with another sick man to be cared for 
 and hauled. The seats were now all occupied 
 by sick from our company, and I told the 
 refugees to find another place to ride. 
 
 In the morning Lieutenant Newton came to 
 see us, and brought a man to get supplies for 
 the men and horses. With a pretty good 
 breakfast, and feed for the horses, we were in 
 good shape, with the exception of the lack 
 of confidence that prevailed throughout the 
 whole command. 
 
 We moved along until noon, and our attend- 
 ant had failed to get anything but water for 
 us. We were now in a locality where there 
 was nothing to get in the way of supplies, the 
 country having been stripped by Lee's army. 
 The column came to a halt. The advance had 
 confronted the enemy in force at Stony Creek, 
 and at three o'clock the sound of battle indi- 
 cated that the contest was no ordinary skir- 
 mish, but a battle in which victory or defeat 
 must be the verdict, with odds against us. 
 
CHAPTER XXI 
 
 GENERAL KAUTZ IN HIS ELEMENT 
 
 WITH the enemy in front and rear, a 
 challenge of this character could 
 scarcely result otherwise. We, as 
 intruders, and already encumbered 
 with such disabilities as sick, wounded, and 
 spoils, with three thousand black refugees, en- 
 cumbered with their baggage, could now only 
 hope to protect ourselves and make our escape. 
 The challenge was accepted after due delib- 
 eration. The commander had held a council 
 with the field officers, and it was said that 
 General Kautz advised that the enemy's line 
 could be successfully severed there by form- 
 ing one regiment of light cavalry in front to 
 charge in column to open a gap, and followed 
 by those armed with magazine guns to widen 
 it, and thus make room for the trains. But the 
 commander chose open battle, and arrayed his 
 force in line, leaving the non-combatants to 
 take care of themselves. The train was to 
 move in the rear of the line of battle in the 
 woods, exposed to the enemy's artillery, which 
 kept up a constant fire. 
 
 It was dark by the time we entered the 
 woods, and the progress was very slow, owing 
 to the jam from thousands of men and animals 
 
 286 
 
General Kautz in His Element 287 
 
 rushing to a safe retreat. The roadside was 
 lined with wounded men and officers, pleading 
 for a place to ride. Among them we heard a 
 familiar voice, and I inquired, " Is that you, 
 Captain Pike?" " Yes, I am wounded," he 
 said. We stopped and took him on the box 
 by me. This stopped the train behind us, for 
 the road was so narrow that teams could not 
 pass. Everyone in reach was furious at the 
 delay. The crash of timber, as the shells ex- 
 ploded, and the yells of distress were deafen- 
 ing. As soon as he was seated we hastened to 
 close up the gap caused by our halt, and just 
 as the horses were checking their speed the 
 pack-animals crowded them from the road. 
 One wheel struck a stump and broke a hame 
 and one horse went out of the harness. I 
 jumped down, and by guiding the pole, was 
 able to pull the carriage from the road with 
 one horse. I told some of them to bring my 
 belt that lay in the bottom of the carriage, to 
 fix the harness with, but Weeks said no one 
 was there but him and that Lanterman had 
 taken the belt and revolver that lay in the cab. 
 He also said he thought he could ride a horse 
 now, as he felt a little better. 
 
 Taking all things into consideration, we 
 concluded to abandon the vehicle, and I sad- 
 dled the horses. Weeks mounted Miller's 
 horse, and we set out to follow the crowd that 
 was still rushing frantically by, but we soon 
 pulled to one side, and Weeks lay down until 
 they passed. We then fell in the rear of them. 
 
288 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 General Kautz, in the meantime, had been 
 detached, and by a flank movement had en- 
 countered the enemy at Ream's Station. 
 
 It was in the rear of this small force that 
 the fleeing non-combatants were rendezvous- 
 ing. We went into a strip of open woods 
 where General Kautz had established the hos- 
 pital and they were already carrying the 
 wounded. It was perhaps 10 o'clock A. M. 
 when we dismounted. We had not tasted a 
 drop of coffee or eaten a mouthful since break- 
 fast the day before. Weeks being sick did not, 
 perhaps, feel the need of it as much as I, for 
 he said he could not eat if we had anything. 
 
 I began to cast about, and the first men I 
 approached upon the subject told me they 
 were all out of supplies long ago, and were 
 almost famished, from the fact that their of- 
 ficers did not allow them to forage. 
 
 General Kautz had his headquarters in open 
 ground with the artillery in position near by. 
 The battle line was in front of it, perhaps a 
 mile, and parallel with the railroad, in front 
 of Ream's Station. The enemy's line was also 
 visible, and there was a constant firing from 
 end to end of the line. The number of 
 wounded that were brought back told of its 
 effective work. 
 
 We knew there were plenty of provisions 
 with the Second Ohio, but we did not know 
 where they were, and we felt homesick, and 
 vowed we would never leave Company E 
 again as long as we were able to stick to a 
 
General Kautz in His Element 289 
 
 horse. Time dragged slowly, but at length the 
 train appeared in sight and filed into the 
 woods, and began to unload the sick and 
 wounded, a half mile in rear of Kautz's hos- 
 pital. 
 
 Weeks said they were preparing to abandon 
 them. My reply was that it looked like offer- 
 ing our brothers for sacrifice on the altar of 
 incompetency. The refugees also poured in, 
 and occupied the swampy ground opposite the 
 hospital, but no cavalry made their appear- 
 ance for some time. 
 
 General Kautz frequently rode into the 
 woods to look at the wounded. It was easy 
 to see how delay preyed on his mind, as it was 
 slowly but surely thinning his faithful ranks, 
 but he made no demonstration and spoke not a 
 word. The constant pacing back and forth, the 
 pallor that overspread his countenance, told 
 the experienced soldier of the pent-up feeling 
 that was imprisoned there. He knew that ev- 
 ery life laid down, every wound inflicted must 
 be placed at the door of incompetence, and 
 there was none to appreciate it more fully than 
 he. He kept close watch of the road where 
 the head of Wilson's column must appear. At 
 last they emerged and turned to the left, and 
 to our great joy it was the Second Ohio and 
 Fifth New York, and the direction they went 
 caused us to think they were going to strike 
 the enemy at Kautz's left and open up the 
 gap and go through. They formed in line on 
 a low ridge between the two strips of wood. 
 
290 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 Weeks was very weak, and I had to wait for 
 him, but we joined the company as soon as 
 possible, and learned that they were tied down 
 by a tyrannical order to remain there mounted, 
 until further orders from Wilson. 
 
 General Kautz communicated with Colonel 
 Purrington. There was but one conclusion to 
 be drawn from the surroundings, and the only 
 consolation was that those who were able to 
 run the gauntlet would escape capture. 
 
 I went to my bunky for something to eat. 
 He gave me some hard tack and a small piece 
 of raw ham. 
 
 The wagons were set on fire by order of 
 General Wilson, and the explosion of ammu- 
 nition, the smoke and fire caused a panic 
 among the non-combatants, and principally 
 the refugees. 
 
 Our anxiety began to increase, and every eye 
 was turned to the road where Wilson should 
 appear at any moment. 
 
 Time passed as slowly as if Joshua was on 
 the field of battle and had commanded the sun 
 to stand still, and his command had been 
 obeyed. It was late in the afternoon when the 
 enemy had completed their plans, and were 
 rapidly closing in on us from three different 
 directions. A line of infantry was advancing 
 on our right and one in the rear, and the cav- 
 alry that had followed us from Stony Creek 
 were charging in on the road where Wilson 
 should have come. They used their revolvers 
 freely on the refugees, and the infantry made 
 
General Kautz in His Element 291 
 
 short work of the hospital, completely an- 
 nihilating it. The fire was then all directed 
 on us, the leaden hail coming from three di- 
 rections. Kautz turned his battery on them 
 and did some excellent work, but it could not 
 check the advance, which was slow and steady. 
 
 We broke and fled, leaving dead and 
 wounded. The heavy line behind us com- 
 pelled us to seek shelter, which could only be 
 done by passing far enough in front of the 
 battery so that we could pass under the storm 
 of shell. We then turned to the left, dashed 
 into the swamp, and came out near Kautz's 
 battery. 
 
 We halted near General Kautz's headquar- 
 ters, and found him in his element. He was a 
 changed man from the last time we had seen 
 him. Instead of the marble pallor, a radiant 
 glow was on his face. He was active, and his 
 voice rang clear as he gave orders to the cap- 
 tain of the battery to use grape until the last 
 spoke was cut off, spike the guns, mount the 
 horses, and follow the column. There was 
 something in the last part of the order that 
 reassured every true soldier. There was still 
 hope. Apparently he had not noticed us un- 
 til now. A smile played over his face when 
 he turned to look at a mob of several hundred 
 men, among whom there were captains, 
 majors, and lieutenant-colonels. He shook 
 hands with some of the officers of the Second 
 Ohio, and when the last gun had been cut 
 down and spiked he said, " Lieutenant New- 
 
292 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 ton, take the advance and go that course," 
 pointing at the same time in the direction to 
 the right of his line, " and cross the railroad 
 about two miles from the station, and when 
 you get to the second road, turn to the left and 
 join my column on the main road. The Sec- 
 ond Ohio men and Fifth New York men 
 follow Lieutenant Newton, and ride down 
 everything you come in contact with." 
 
 He then gave some directions about mount- 
 ing his men, and we were on the move in an 
 unorganized condition. 
 
 A narrow neck of timber extended out in 
 front of us, and as we passed through it we 
 discovered the enemy in front, lined up by 
 a ditch. The Lieutenant ordered a charge, 
 and everyone went. It was a tumult that men 
 cannot successfully withstand on open ground. 
 When they gave way it gave us the advantage. 
 The men on the outside were keeping up a reg- 
 ular fire that held them at bay or running for 
 shelter. There was no halt in the speed for 
 ditches, fences, and thickets, all of which had 
 more or less of the enemy by them. At one 
 place we came to a road with high fence on the 
 side next to us, and a line of infantry standing 
 in the road facing us; but they were no ob- 
 stacle in our way. The fence went down as if 
 by magic, and the enemy ran to right and left. 
 
 It was the same thing at every ditch we 
 came to. The enemy suffered severely at 
 every turn. There is something about a charge 
 of this kind perhaps not easily understood by 
 
General Kautz in His Element 293 
 
 those that have not witnessed it. There was a 
 seething mass of men and horses rushing on 
 like an avalanche, with a constant fusillade 
 from its borders that must sweep everything in 
 front of it. The bravest men cannot withstand 
 it, for the advance cannot check it if they 
 wish to, and those who fall in front of it are 
 most surely doomed; yet it is possible for a 
 miraculous escape. We had one man who fell 
 with his horse into a ditch, and, after being 
 run over by the cavalcade, was able to walk 
 into our lines. Many others never rose again. 
 Few men can understand the demoralizing ef- 
 fects of such a charge, and had General Wil- 
 son understood it as well as Sheridan, Custer, 
 and Kautz, he would have passed the enemy 
 at Stony Creek, and would not have accepted 
 his doom at Ream's Station. 
 
 We encountered the enemy at least a half 
 dozen times after leaving General Kautz, and 
 before reaching the designated road. When 
 we did reach it Lieutenant Newton turned into 
 it, and he gave orders for the men to fall into 
 columns of fours, without regard to rank, regi- 
 ment, or company. Up to this time I had 
 managed to keep close to Lieutenant Newton, 
 as I had heard every word of General Kautz's 
 instructions, and made up my mind if the 
 Lieutenant fell I would not be at a loss to 
 know what to do. 
 
 Now I could do a little hustling for my- 
 self, as we thought we were out of the enemy's 
 line. When we joined the company a few 
 
294 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 hours before, my partner, who had plenty of 
 ham and hard tack, gave me one hard tack 
 and a little piece of ham with the promise to 
 give me more after a while. He said I had 
 better not eat much at first, and now I reined 
 to one side of the road and waited for him 
 to come along. Most of our company had 
 done like myself, and were now in the advance 
 of the column. We were near enough to the 
 station to see the top of the building. A 
 swamp was on the opposite side of the road 
 from where I had halted, and behind was a 
 pasture covered with small pines. 
 
 Suddenly the warning " Halt! " came from 
 hundreds of voices in the pasture. The Lieu- 
 tenant checked to see whom it came from, 
 when an officer in gray uniform rode in an 
 open spot and demanded surrender, but two 
 shots, one from Woodruffs and one from 
 Miller's gun, brought him from the horse. 
 With the cry, " They are rebs," as they rose 
 to fire, we went in a body into the swamp, 
 where we floundered about for a hundred 
 yards, now in water side deep to the horse, 
 again on tussocks, and down into the water 
 again, with bullets spatting against the trees, 
 making a horrible din. 
 
 The swamp did not extend far, and only 
 the advance was compelled to take to the 
 water. The others crossed the road, and were 
 fast disappearing through the woods when we 
 got on solid land, and what had been the ad- 
 vance was now in the rear. 
 
General Kautz in His Element 295 
 
 This was a magical change of front, and 
 with all the misery or danger it was laughable, 
 as I am bound to testify, not only from my own 
 feelings, but we noticed several others who 
 actually laughed outright as we wheeled into 
 the trail strewn with guns, revolvers, hams, 
 sacks of corn, coats, blankets, etc. I was going 
 to pick up a ham, but when I thought of the 
 poor horse that would have to carry it with 
 nothing for him to eat, I left it, and took a 
 sack with about thirty pounds of corn, and tied 
 it on the saddle. 
 
 The first road we came to ran around a farm 
 with a short curve at the point where we inter- 
 cepted it. At every cross-road we met picket 
 posts, but the few shots they fired made no 
 impression on our advance, and some of them 
 were shot down as we ran by. 
 
 After making several turns, and with the 
 speed checked a little, between sundown and 
 dark we spied a column to our left, on a road 
 running almost parallel with the one on which 
 we were traveling. This created a little panic 
 at first. They were moving at a rapid walk, 
 a gait that can be maintained by but few. The 
 Second boys recognized our former leader in 
 the gait, and said that we should not run, for 
 it was Kautz's column. This opinion was con- 
 firmed when we got close enough to see the 
 Stars and Stripes. How grand they looked as 
 their successive waves moved with every step 
 of the horse, with none in advance of it but 
 General Kautz! He moved majestically on, 
 
296 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 not appearing to notice us, while the air was 
 rent with shouts and hurrahs for the leader 
 and for his column that moved in as good 
 order as if on an ordinary march in a peaceful 
 country. It was indeed balm to the Second 
 Ohio, who for the first time had become a 
 disorganized mob. 
 
 We moved on until we arrived at the 
 Jerusalem Plank Road, and turned toward 
 Petersburg. On the morning of July i, about 
 two o'clock, we entered our lines. As soon 
 as we passed the vidette my bunky and I 
 reined to one side, tied our horses, unsaddled, 
 opened the sack of corn, and my horse got 
 the first mouthful he had had for forty-five 
 hours. We had had no sleep for the same 
 length of time, and stretched out, and were 
 awakened after sunrise by the guards who 
 came to see who we were. We saddled up and 
 went to the reserve picket. They cooked 
 breakfast, but my appetite having entirely left 
 me, I was unable to eat. After drinking some 
 coffee we mounted and went in search of the 
 regiment. 
 
 General Sheridan, having adopted the 
 method used in the army in Tennessee, the 
 wagon-train was left in a safe place near 
 Lighthouse Point, where we joined the com- 
 pany. The camp was located on a high piece 
 of tableland, with our company camped near 
 the bluff, at the foot of which there was a nice 
 grove. 
 
 We were resting on the Fourth of July 
 
General Kautz in His Element 297 
 
 when it was announced that Major-General 
 Wilson had just arrived at the head of his 
 cavalry from a raid in southern Virginia. The 
 victory was not of such a nature as to elicit 
 any response from me, but the most of the 
 boys turned out to see them march in. 
 
 Hundreds of refugees and stragglers who 
 had been left in the enemy's line from various 
 causes were arriving every hour for several 
 days. Among them were three from our com- 
 pany. One was W. L. Moore, whose horse 
 had fallen into a ditch after we had left Kautz 
 at the station. The horse was trampled to 
 death, but his rider by some means escaped, 
 and with the enemy's hurry to right and left 
 he escaped them all, and that night, while 
 traveling on the main road toward Petersburg, 
 the enemy crowded him so close that he took 
 to the swamp and curled up on a tussock, and 
 heard them sounding the horns they had 
 picked up, having a regular jubilee over their 
 victory. The two others were J. W. Reed and 
 Math Park. The squad that I had lost sev- 
 eral days previous was also mixed up with 
 that throng, and came into camp, unarmed, 
 afoot, and nearly barefooted, and otherwise 
 the worse from their rough treatment. They 
 had been compelled to abandon their horses, 
 owing to the close and persistent pursuit of 
 those that had discovered their identity, and 
 they had lost their arms in crossing a river in 
 sight of the enemy's pickets under the cover 
 of night. 
 
CHAPTER XXII 
 
 REORGANIZING AND HUSTLING 
 
 ON the 5th, the division camp being 
 laid out by the engineers, the com- 
 mand was moved to it. The first 
 thing to arrive in the way of sup- 
 plies was an order that all non-commissioned 
 officers must wear their chevrons, and to em- 
 phasize it, the yellow stripes were delivered 
 to the quartermaster-sergeant. When ranks 
 were broken, the dirty, ragged, and bare- 
 footed men walked out to the tent to look at 
 the beautiful things, and they remarked that 
 it would be better to buy shoes and under- 
 clothes for barefooted and naked men than 
 decorate them with those stripes. 
 
 The regiment being detailed for picket 
 duty moved out on the yth, taking the effec- 
 tive men, and at the expiration of three days 
 returned and remained for six days' rest. 
 During this stay in camp the order announc- 
 ing the promotions, amongst them that of your 
 humble servant, was announced the eighth 
 corporal. The order read for gallantry in ac- 
 tion, June i, 1864. There was no one more 
 surprised than the recipient of this distin- 
 guished honor, and I said, " And must I wear 
 
 298 
 
Reorganizing and Hustling 299 
 
 those beautiful yellow stripes? " As it did not 
 appear reasonable to me that they could afford 
 to deck a fellow out that way for riding into 
 the enemy's line and afterward sneaking away 
 hatless, no coat, and only one boot, I declined 
 the rich reward. My resignation was not ac- 
 cepted. Although performing the duty, I did 
 not wear the yellow stripes. 
 
 The regiment then took another three days' 
 turn on picket, and I occupied the same posi- 
 tion as before. The main reserve consisted 
 of the company camp, each company keeping 
 a line in its immediate front. E Company, 
 occupying the right, was situated in the woods 
 with an open field in front, with thick brush 
 to the right, through which a ziz-zag opening 
 had been cut to form a line of works that ran 
 for miles in front of General Lee's line, be- 
 hind which the enemy then was. 
 
 Post No. i was situated one-half mile to 
 the right of the reserve and within hailing dis- 
 tance of the left of the Fifth Corps, and fol- 
 lowed the line of works. Our vidette line was 
 about one and a half miles long, and consisted 
 of thirteen posts, eight of which were dis- 
 mounted when on duty. Six of the posts could 
 be reached by following paths that had 
 previously been cleared out through the brush 
 for that purpose. 
 
 The paths had been used a great deal and 
 were perfectly smooth. There were some 
 barefooted men that volunteered to do duty 
 from the fact that the company was much 
 
300 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 reduced and the duty very heavy. They chose 
 to stand dismounted for the reason that they 
 could follow the paths unobserved by the 
 enemy and not snag their feet. 
 
 When a relief was called out each one went 
 directly to his post. In that way no friction 
 would have occurred had the company been 
 numbered so as to be even with the number 
 of posts; but it happened otherwise, and 
 that brought trouble on my head. The cor- 
 poral in charge of the relief would go with 
 No. i and then follow the line to see that the 
 men had all been properly relieved, and re- 
 port the fact to the sergeant. The uneven 
 numbers made a slight change in the relief 
 by putting a fresh man on each one, who prop- 
 erly would be No. 13; but no attention was 
 given to it, and in the evening of the third 
 day, when making my round as usual, I ar- 
 rived at post No. 7, and found there were two 
 men J. W. Reed, having occupied the place 
 on my relief, and Lanterman, who had occu- 
 pied it on some other relief. Lanterman had 
 arrived first and claimed preference. I ex- 
 plained that Reed, being barefooted, did not 
 have to do duty unless he chose to do so, and 
 he having good boots could get to the reserve 
 in case of an attack as quickly as Reed, al- 
 though the route was not so good. When ar- 
 gument proved of no avail, I ordered him to 
 go. But he raised his gun in a threatening 
 manner and said he would stay there or no 
 place on the line. The conversation became 
 
Reorganizing and Hustling 301 
 
 unreserved, and no doubt the enemy heard 
 everything that was said. 
 
 I was now placed in a position that no one 
 in our company had ever been in. It was a 
 case in which by law I would be justified in 
 taking the life of one of my companions in 
 arms. Had there been nothing to consider but 
 the act it would have been easy enough to 
 throw him off guard and shoot him, but after 
 a little reflection I concluded to let it go for 
 the present. 
 
 When I arrived at No. 8, who had now 
 been standing twenty minutes over time, I 
 found him a little out of humor, and he wanted 
 to know what it all meant, as this was such an 
 unusual occurrence. When I was giving the 
 necessary explanation Reed came and offered 
 to take his place, to which I at first objected. 
 But as he insisted he was allowed to remain. 
 
 After finishing my round I returned to the 
 reserve. The news had preceded me by the 
 man from No. 9. Sergeant Wilcox listened 
 to what was said, and went to Captain New- 
 ton, who was sleeping, and waked him up. 
 He told the Sergeant to detail a man to fill out 
 the relief and to take Lanterman's arms away 
 from him. It was accordingly done, and this 
 afterward brought reproach on my head. 
 Lanterman was lying about camp with a fat 
 horse and no duty, under arrest. When the 
 duty was hard I listened to the boys say, 
 " Gause ought to do his duty for not shooting 
 him in his tracks." 
 
302 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 To this challenge there could be no reply. 
 The duty on this part of the line was very 
 important, and we were liable to be attacked 
 at any time. It was the point where if the 
 enemy should advance in force they would 
 flank the infantry, and our orders, which were 
 strictly adhered to with the one exception, 
 were to make no noise and to conceal our 
 movements and position as much as possible. 
 
 We were liable to be shot at any time we 
 rode the line, and the post Lanterman refused 
 to go to was the first point of attack, owing 
 to being on the road that led through the line 
 of works. The other boys said that was the 
 reason he would not go there. We had picked 
 him up on the Wilson raid and hauled him in 
 a carriage, and there was not a man in the 
 company who believed there was anything the 
 matter with him but fear. 
 
 The next time we went on picket we occu- 
 pied a different position in the same line 
 farther to the left. The reserve camped in the 
 woods with open pasture beside them about a 
 mile wide, and sloping gradually up to about 
 the center, with lanes running each way 
 through it. It was level from that place to 
 the timber along the edge, at which the 
 enemy's line was posted. Our advance line 
 was stationed along the fence that ran at the 
 terminus of the slope. The posts lay about two 
 hundred yards apart. I was in charge of one 
 relief, as usual, and our orders were to with- 
 draw at the first sign of an advance of the 
 
WARNER NEWTON 
 
 Captain Co. E, Second Ohio Volunteer Cavalry 
 
 FACING >O2 
 
Reorganizing and Hustling 303 
 
 enemy, and to reform in the edge of the tim- 
 ber. A thick brush was along the edge of the 
 timber in which the enemy was posted, and we 
 could not see them often, as they appeared to 
 try to conceal their whereabouts. 
 
 Everything went all right until the third 
 day. One of our men, Wakefield, caught sight 
 of one of them, and the following conversation 
 ensued: 
 
 " Ho, there, you Johnnie! What do you 
 belong to?" 
 
 " Kershaw's brigade. What command do 
 you'ns belong to?" 
 
 ' The Second Ohio Cavalry." 
 " I thought you'ns were in Tennessee." 
 " We were, but we are up here now." 
 " Are you'ns followin' we'ns 'round? " 
 " Yes, we are the only ones can hold you 
 down." 
 
 They recognized by this talk that trading 
 could be done, as had been done with us be- 
 fore. 
 
 Another one to the left of where I was stand- 
 ing spoke up and asked: 
 
 " Have you'ns got any coffee over there?" 
 " Plenty of it," I replied. " Have you any 
 tobacco over there? " 
 
 " Dead loads of it," was the reply. 
 I told him to meet me on half-way ground 
 with tobacco and a newspaper, and I would 
 bring coffee and one of our papers. He said 
 they were not allowed to let us have the paper, 
 and the trading could not be done there, but 
 
304 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 farther down in front of the tree. The tree 
 was near the right of our line, and near Wake- 
 field's post. 
 
 We told him to meet us there, and I rode 
 along and gathered the coffee. All the boys 
 wished to contribute some, and I took a news- 
 paper. While riding down the line, more 
 heads peeped out of the brush than we had 
 seen in the two days previous, all anxious to 
 know how much coffee they were going to get. 
 After strapping the arms to the saddle, and 
 leaving the horse with Wakefield, we could 
 see the man at the edge of the brush. We 
 knew he was disobeying orders in that negoti- 
 ation, and we wanted to give him all the 
 chance we could. I started first. He watched 
 me for a moment, and when he saw me coming 
 in good faith he started at a double-quick gait. 
 About a quart of coffee was tied up in a hand- 
 kerchief, and he scarcely looked at me, but 
 kept his eye on the prize. We shook hands 
 like two old friends, and made the exchange. 
 
 "What keeps you so quiet over there?" I 
 queried. 
 
 "You had better look out; we'ns are look- 
 ing for orders to advance." 
 
 A shrill whistle was heard from the point 
 where he started. He said, " Something is 
 up; look out now!" and started back at full 
 speed. I walked quickly to my horse, handed 
 the tobacco, of which there was at least five 
 pounds, to Wakefield, adjusted my arms, 
 mounted, and had hardly straightened in the 
 
Reorganizing and Hustling 305 
 
 saddle, when we heard the exclamation, 
 " Here they come! " The man with his coffee 
 was just entering the brush when a heavy skir- 
 mish line made its appearance and moved at 
 a quick pace across the pasture. 
 
 We dropped back to the edge of the timber 
 in compliance with our orders, and were rein- 
 forced by the reserve, making a heavy skir- 
 mish line. They advanced in two lines. The 
 advance only came near where our vidette line 
 had been, where they reconnoitered for about 
 an hour, and the position did not appear to 
 suit them. They withdrew to their original 
 position, and we reestablished our vidette line 
 without exchanging a shot. We were relieved 
 that evening, and after resting a few days we 
 were supplied with clothing, etc. We went 
 on picket in the same place, and were on duty 
 there at the time the mine was sprung in front 
 of Petersburg, July 30. We could see the de- 
 bris and human bodies high up in the air. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 CAPTURE OF THE EIGHTH SOUTH CAROLINA 
 INFANTRY 
 
 ON August ist General Sheridan was 
 assigned to command the Middle 
 Military Division, and moved the 
 cavalry corps on transports up the 
 Potomac River. The customary privations, 
 such as no wood to cook with, had to be en- 
 dured, the men living on raw bacon and hard 
 tack, with the exception of a few that were 
 able to intrude on the good-natured fireman 
 and make coffee in the boiler-room. 
 
 The weather was hot and the horses were 
 crowded into the hold with no fresh water 
 to drink. The perspiration poured out of 
 them, and when they were taken out on the 
 wharf at Washington, D. C., they were very 
 much drawn, and as wet as if they had been 
 in the river. They were saddled, however, 
 and we moved up Pennsylvania Avenue, 
 crossed the Long Bridge into Virginia, and 
 camped at Bailey's Cross-roads. 
 
 When the division had all arrived it 
 marched by the way of Manassas Gap to Win- 
 chester. The army there was falling back to 
 Opequon Creek, and the tired troops were 
 then holding General Early's forces in check 
 
 306 
 
Capture of Eighth S. C. Infantry 307 
 
 just south of town. It was late in the evening 
 when the Third Division moved out and 
 formed in their rear to relieve them. 
 
 When the enemy's line approached they 
 could only be detected through the darkness 
 by the flash of their guns, and as there were 
 but few missiles flying, we did not know but 
 there were yet some of our men in front of us. 
 But one of our company, John Will Reed, who 
 had closely observed all the movements, be- 
 gan firing. The Captain rode out in front and 
 called out, " Don't fire into our men! " " Our 
 men, hell and damnation!" was the reply. 
 "Look at the fire from those guns!" The 
 Captain then ordered fire, and the engagement 
 began in earnest all along the line. When 
 Reed had fired twenty-one shots a ball passed 
 through his lung and he was taken to the rear. 
 John R. Johnson fell a few moments later, 
 instantly killed. 
 
 We moved gradually, contesting every foot 
 of ground. The Second Ohio, being in the 
 center of the line, fell back through the streets 
 of Winchester. Our being new arrivals, the 
 people were anxious to know to what com- 
 mand we belonged. When they put their 
 heads out of the windows to inquire, they 
 would invariably get the following answer: 
 " Tell the Johnnies the Second Ohio passed 
 them in to town." 
 
 When we formed on a cross-street they 
 would mass on the next one, and when the sig- 
 nal was given to charge, we rallied on the ones 
 
308 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 running parallel with the line of retreat. 
 Then they would pour out a volley, the most 
 of which took effect in the houses, as the smash- 
 ing of glass indicated. 
 
 They halted at the north side of town and 
 we went into camp. As soon as the infantry 
 crossed Opequon Creek, the Third Division 
 was detached and went on a tour of observa- 
 tion into Maryland, General Early's cavalry 
 then being on that side of the Potomac. After 
 passing through Frederick City, we arrived at 
 Perry's Ford, and engaged the enemy on the 
 Maryland side until night, then went into 
 camp, Company E having lost two men. 
 
 The enemy withdrew during the night, and 
 we crossed over to Virginia unmolested in the 
 morning. But an engagement followed before 
 night, and continued daily until we passed 
 Charles Town. 
 
 One of these engagements is impressed on 
 my mind more than the others, from the fact 
 that it caused a change in my mount. The 
 horse I was then riding was a blue roan, twelve 
 and a half hands high, pony built, and as 
 tough as a pine knot, but very difficult to shoot 
 from. In that particular engagement, being on 
 mounted skirmish line, deployed in an open- 
 ing between two strips of woods, the firing con- 
 tinued for more than an hour, very much like 
 sharpshooting. Whenever the gun was raised 
 the horse would dodge, and often turn entirely 
 around. The enemy's line being dismounted 
 in the woods, they had the advantage, as there 
 
Capture of Eighth S. C. Infantry 309 
 
 was nothing in sight but the smoke from the 
 gun; but with all these difficulties I was en- 
 abled to stop the firing from one of them, who 
 had such close range on me that the air moved 
 briskly about my head every time his gun was 
 discharged. I then turned my attention to one 
 that was causing a great deal of annoyance to 
 Wakefield. We soon received orders to fall 
 back on the main line, and the column moved 
 out toward Charles Town. 
 
 After that day's work I concluded to accept 
 a proposal from Pidgeon, who had recently 
 returned to the company from the hospital. 
 He wanted the horse I was riding, in memory 
 of our esteemed comrade, Sergeant Wilkins, 
 who was wounded when riding him in the 
 Wilderness. The horse he turned over to me 
 was a sorrel with a star in the forehead, snip 
 on the nose, fifteen hands high, thin in flesh, 
 and, in fact, almost no horse at all. 
 
 On August 28 the Third Division moved 
 and camped near Berryville, and extended 
 General Sheridan's line, then occupying a 
 position on the east side of Opequon Creek. 
 
 On the 1 2th of September the Second Ohio 
 Cavalry went on picket duty for the second 
 time from that camp, and occupied the same 
 position each time. 
 
 The regiment was distributed in reserve 
 camps, making a line in front of it as usual. 
 Company E was on the right with Post No. i 
 in hailing distance from the left man on the 
 line of the Fifth Corps. I had charge of one 
 
310 Four Years 'with Five Armies 
 
 relief, and on the i3th Captain Newton or- 
 dered me to draw my men in on the Pike. 
 And when this order was complied with, the 
 regiment had concentrated and the First Bri- 
 gade in column was approaching. The trum- 
 pet sounded forward, and without further 
 orders or instructions we moved toward Ope- 
 quon Creek. We knew nothing about the posi- 
 tion of the enemy, except that their videttes 
 were on the summit of the hill on the east side 
 of the creek, and we moved on the walk until 
 the alarm shot was fired by the enemy, and 
 then we galloped after him. 
 
 I had eight men, all experienced soldiers, 
 equal to their number on any ground or in any 
 country, and dashing down the steep grade 
 that curves around the hill and terminates at 
 the creek crossing, we arrived at a log house, 
 where we rode into their cavalry reserve be- 
 fore they were able to mount, and, of course, 
 they surrendered. We had gained a long dis- 
 tance on the head of the column led by Captain 
 Newton, who was rapidly closing up on us, 
 so I ordered my men to let the prisoners go 
 and follow me. 
 
 At this point the road bears to the left up 
 a gradual grade that terminates at the top of 
 a ridge running parallel with the creek. On 
 the ridge the enemy's infantry line was de- 
 ployed, and we were within easy range, and 
 they were making good use of their oppor- 
 tunity. But our rapid movement put them to 
 a disadvantage and they broke, making easy 
 
Capture of Eighth S. C. Infantry 311 
 
 prey for my men, who deployed at will, and 
 picked them up. At this point there is a 
 small grove, rectangular in shape, between 
 the pike and a deep ravine. The eastern side 
 skirts the top of the main ridge and slopes 
 toward Winchester, and the western edge 
 skirts the first ravine. 
 
 Granville Reed and I followed the pike 
 and picked up two prisoners, who told us that 
 the Eighth South Carolina Infantry was in the 
 woods to our left. Reed went back with the 
 prisoners and I rode beyond the woods and 
 turned out on a low ridge beyond the ravine 
 for the purpose of making observations, pre- 
 suming that the column would follow; but 
 was surprised when they opened fire on the 
 south side of the ravine. At the same 
 time a volley from the woods caused me to 
 think a swarm of bees was passing my ears. 
 To protect myself I turned into the ravine and 
 kept close to the woods until I arrived at the 
 pike, just in time to see General Mclntosh 
 with staff and Third New Jersey escort halt 
 on the ridge recently occupied by the enemy. 
 I galloped directly to him and reported the 
 result of my observation, and remarked, " We 
 can capture them." He said, " Will you go? " 
 " Certainly," was my reply. He turned to 
 someone and ordered a squadron of the Third 
 New Jersey to follow me. 
 
 I galloped back over the route I had come, 
 and when on the low ridge a volley was fired 
 at me, and another in quick succession in a 
 
312 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 different direction. That caused me to look 
 around, and I discovered the Third New Jer- 
 sey squadron fleeing in confusion. 
 
 Company E, Second Ohio, had now ad- 
 vanced to a high point on the south side of 
 the ravine, and, thinking I was one of 
 the enemy, was directing their fire at me. I 
 waved my cap and motioned them to cease 
 firing. I then galloped after the broken 
 squadron, hoping to rally them; but most of 
 them had fled over the main ridge, and further 
 effort on my part to rally them was abandoned. 
 
 I had been wishing for one of the butterfly 
 capes worn by the Third, and rode up to a 
 wounded horse abandoned with full outfit on 
 him. I cut the saddle strap and threw the 
 cape across my saddle and galloped toward 
 headquarters. 
 
 The enemy, who had kept up a constant 
 fusillade at me, suddenly ceased firing. I 
 slackened the pace of the horse to a walk and 
 said to myself, " The dog is dead," meaning 
 that the enemy would now take advantage of 
 the opportunity to make their escape by going 
 down the ravine, the banks being suffi- 
 ciently high to hide them from view until 
 they were under cover of the next line, consist- 
 ing of a cavalry brigade about three-fourths of 
 a mile in the rear. 
 
 I arrived at headquarters at the same time 
 General Wilson did, he having come from the 
 opposite direction. The same old air of excite- 
 ment and timorousness that always prevailed 
 
Capture of Eighth S. C. Infantry 313 
 
 at his headquarters came with him, and he 
 said : " General Mclntosh, you had better get 
 your men out of here as quick as possible." In 
 reply General Mclntosh said: "There is a 
 regiment in the woods; we want to capture 
 them. Captain Houghton, send a squadron 
 from the Second Ohio to follow this man." 
 
 Major Nettleton chanced to be near with 
 part of two companies, about thirty men, and 
 Captain Houghton delivered the order to him, 
 and I placed myself in advance and urged 
 them to a gallop, and also to keep farther down 
 toward the enemy's cavalry in order to follow 
 the second shallow ravine. We arrived at the 
 creek just in time to intercept them, and plac- 
 ing my carbine in position to shoot, I de- 
 manded surrender. They turned by fours 
 left about, and were soon under cover, the 
 bank being high at that point. 
 
 Our men wheeled fours into line and 
 charged toward the woods, and when we ar- 
 rived at the summit of the ridge we were met 
 by a volley that sent the line back into the 
 ravine. With my eye on the foe, I did not 
 notice the men falling back until a ball struck 
 my carbine, knocking it from my left hand. 
 When I looked around I discovered but one 
 man near me. It was Miller, of Company G, 
 and I said to him, " Miller, I guess we are 
 alone." He replied by saying, " They will 
 come again ; they are reforming." We turned 
 and went toward them, and as we approached 
 someone said, " We will never get them," in a 
 
314 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 tone that would indicate no desire to make 
 further effort in that direction. On hearing 
 this I shouted, " For God's sake, men, do not 
 let them get away, now we have them sur- 
 rounded and they must surrender!" A firm 
 voice shouted, " Cause, we will follow you ! " 
 I answered, " Come on, then! " and we went, 
 only to meet another volley on the same ridge. 
 But the line did not falter, and before they 
 could reload we were in the ravine, shouting, 
 " Stack your arms! Surrender! " I then dis- 
 mounted, ran into the woods, took the flag, 
 and marched the prisoners out. 
 
 The prisoners were marched up the ra- 
 vine, and when they turned over the ridge I 
 reined to one side and passed them. The Col- 
 onel saluted his flag and the men said, " We 
 have followed it many times." " Under very 
 different circumstances," was my reply. 
 
 Soon after passing the prisoners, one of 
 General Wilson's staff officers met me and 
 ordered me to follow him, then he turned and 
 rode away at full speed. My horse, being 
 jaded, was not able to travel at such a gait, but 
 jogged along in that direction, until the officer 
 returned, twitted me for disobedience of 
 orders, and told me to turn the flag over to his 
 orderly. I then went to my company, who had 
 witnessed the whole transaction, and all ap- 
 peared to agree that I should have refused to 
 part with my captured trophy. 
 
 We then moved rapidly across Opequon 
 Creek and passed General Wilson's headquar- 
 
Capture of Eighth S. C. Infantry 315 
 
 ters, then taking observations of the enemy's 
 movements. We also got a glimpse of it, a 
 beautiful panorama General Early's army 
 on the move, coming out to meet what they 
 supposed to be a general attack from Sheridan. 
 
 We also saw the flag at headquarters, and 
 some of the boys proposed that I should ride 
 up and demand it, and if refused they would 
 assist and take it by force; but I considered 
 that preposterous, telling them it amounted to 
 nothing, and that it would come out all right 
 in the course of time. 
 
 As a reward for that audacious act we were 
 relieved from picket duty, and I was further 
 rewarded by being allowed to turn in the jaded 
 horse and take Lanterman's, a fine fellow that 
 had had nothing to do but eat forage since the 
 arrest at Petersburg. 
 
 An hour had passed, with everything as 
 usual, and I was attending to the camp duties, 
 such as cooking, feeding, and so on, without 
 the slightest suspicion that my chance for the 
 credit was in the slightest danger, when Lieu- 
 tenant-Colonel Purrington called on me, and I 
 soon learned that there was a regular clamor 
 at headquarters as to who should have the 
 credit. Though there had been thousands of 
 witnesses, none appeared to know anything 
 about it. One man from the Fifth New York 
 claimed that I had taken the flag from him. 
 That all appeared strange to me at the time, 
 but I soon learned that it was a profession, and 
 oftentimes is more profitable than stealing 
 
316 Four Years 'with Five Armies 
 
 real property. I treated the whole matter as 
 a joke, and told the Colonel that I did not 
 know the Fifth wore gray uniforms, and as 
 the man that surrendered the flag was dressed 
 in gray I thought him a Johnnie. 
 
 Even some of the staff officers that had been 
 charging about, so rattled they did not know 
 whether they were going or coming, were now 
 making some pretensions. I have often won- 
 dered that the commander of the Third New 
 Jersey allowed favorable mention of his regi- 
 ment by the General. 
 
 The Second Ohio was not allowed to enjoy 
 their respite very long, for we were sent out 
 to do picket duty on the extreme left of the 
 line, about ten miles from camp. After post- 
 ing my relief on the evening of the lyth, I rode 
 to the reserve, and Captain Newton informed 
 me that he had received orders for me to re- 
 port to General Mclntosh at once. 
 
 Immediately after eating supper I mounted, 
 and arrived at headquarters about eight 
 o'clock. General Mclntosh told me to report 
 at five o'clock in the morning to Captain Beau- 
 mont of General Wilson's staff. Not having 
 had an opportunity to draw clothing for a 
 long time, I looked very shabby, and the Gen- 
 eral gave me an order on the quartermaster at 
 Harper's Ferry for a new suit, and also offered 
 to give me an order on the paymaster for 
 money. I had ten dollars and my bunky had 
 ten more that I could get by asking for it, so 
 that offer was declined. He said that I should 
 
Capture of Eighth S. C. Infantry 317 
 
 be prompt in the morning, as there were many 
 officers going to Harper's Ferry with an es- 
 cort, and they would start on time. He told 
 me to turn my horse and arms over at Harper's 
 Ferry. 
 
 I went to the company and made my ar- 
 rangements to be gone some time. My bunky 
 gave me the ten dollars with instructions to 
 bring him two dollars' worth of fine-cut to- 
 bacco. Bidding them good-by, I rode to bri- 
 gade camp, pulled the saddle from the horse, 
 and put it on the jaded one, thinking he was 
 good enough to turn in, and the other one 
 better for the company. After taking a little 
 rest, I cooked breakfast and reported on time 
 at General Wilson's headquarters. Captain 
 Beaumont was still in bed, but proceeded to 
 give some crusty orders to a servant about 
 blackening boots, breakfast, saddling up, etc. 
 At length the horse was brought out by an 
 orderly, who held the stirrup in position to put 
 his foot in. He mounted, and without saying 
 a word dashed out of sight. I inquired how 
 long he would be gone. They said he was go- 
 ing to Washington and would not be back for 
 several days. I mounted and followed the 
 road in the woods, not knowing whether it was 
 right or wrong. Soon he came dashing back 
 and said, " If you are going with me, you had 
 better come on." 
 
 " And if you are going with me, you had bet- 
 ter slacken your pace," was the reply. 
 
 He was gone again, and after galloping 
 
318 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 along for half a mile I came up to him wait- 
 ing for me to hold his horse. I took the rein, 
 and he went to General Sheridan's tent, 
 brought out the flag, and handed it to me. I 
 handed him the rein, and could see that he 
 was disgusted because I did not act as orderly 
 and hold the stirrup for him. I paid no at- 
 tention, but mounted, thinking if that was his 
 notion, he was off for once anyway. 
 
 When we arrived at the appointed place the 
 party was assembled, and moved out to Har- 
 per's Ferry, where we arrived at two o'clock 
 and waited for the train. After disposing of 
 the horses and equipments I showed the 
 Captain the order for my clothing, but he said 
 that he had no time for that. We went to the 
 depot, where he left me, he going to dine with 
 the other officers, and I remaining there, an 
 object of curiosity for the crowd for two hours. 
 Many officers and soldiers told me that they 
 had seen the Eighth South Carolina when they 
 went through Harper's Ferry on their way to 
 a Northern prison. 
 
 Captain Beaumont arrived in time for the 
 train, and it was evident he did not want to be 
 recognized as one of my crowd; but he 
 changed his mind when he saw that the flag 
 drew the attention of so many people. There 
 was a crowd about me all the time until we 
 arrived at the Relay House, and they did not 
 appear to notice my worn and dusty clothes. 
 While waiting for a train at Relay I bought 
 a pair of boots to help out my appearance, 
 
Capture of Eighth S. C. Infantry 319 
 
 and when the train arrived the Captain con- 
 descended to take a seat by me. The Captain 
 registered at the Ebbitt House, where we left 
 the flag until nine o'clock the next morning, 
 when we were to go to the War Department. 
 
 When almost there he asked for a statement 
 of the particulars of its capture that he might 
 properly state it to the Secretary of War. I 
 supposed he had written a statement, and I 
 was so disconcerted that I could not explain it 
 to him. We were met by a crowd on the steps 
 at the War Department, and it was with diffi- 
 culty that we were able to pass through the 
 corridors. The people asked all kinds of odd 
 questions. We were finally ushered into the 
 public reception-room, and left to ourselves 
 for a few minutes until Edwin M. Stanton, 
 Secretary of War, entered the room. He 
 threw the door open and the crowd filled the 
 room. He went behind the desk and told me 
 to unfurl the flag, which was accordingly 
 done. He then asked me to explain how I 
 had captured it. Hardly having thought of 
 the affair, and not being used to making ex- 
 planations, I just said, " I went up and took 
 it." 
 
 " Where did you go for it? " he said. 
 
 " In the woods, down in Virginia." 
 
 He made a nice little speech, and said he 
 thanked me and the country thanked me, but 
 he could do nothing for me in the Second 
 Ohio, as promotions were all made by the Gov- 
 ernor of the State. He told me if I under- 
 
320 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 stood army tactics and how to make out army 
 papers, he would put me in the Regular Army. 
 I told him I could not do it. He said that my 
 branch of the service had been cavalry, and 
 he had issued an order to enlist a regiment to 
 be called the First Kentucky Colored Cavalry. 
 Then he asked : 
 
 " What position would you like in that? " 
 
 " None," I said. 
 
 " What excuse have you to offer? " he re- 
 plied, his face becoming scarlet. 
 
 " We have been with the Ninth Corps, and 
 my observation is that the officers are on duty 
 all the time, while the soldiers have relief." 
 
 " Other men have made the same excuse, 
 but official report states they make good sol- 
 diers," he said, " and as I can do nothing for 
 you I will look for your officers to do what 
 they can, and you will report to the Adjutant- 
 General, who will give you a furlough to stay 
 in Washington as long as you wish. You will 
 also be awarded a medal of honor, which he 
 will give you." 
 
 He then left the room, and we were con- 
 ducted to the Adjutant-General's office and 
 introduced. Captain Beaumont signed the 
 register and left, and that was the last I saw of 
 him. After receiving a furlough for four 
 days, with orders to report the next day for 
 the medal, which, in the meantime, would 
 have to be engraved, I left the office. 
 
 The demand made upon me for the flag and 
 its delivery to one of General Wilson's staff 
 
Capture of Eighth S. C. Infantry 321 
 
 had much significance. It was an infraction 
 of General Sheridan's notions of propriety in 
 the treatment of men who performed com- 
 mendable deeds. The discussion revealed to 
 him the strained relations that existed be- 
 tween General Wilson and the members of 
 the Second Ohio Cavalry, who always hooted 
 as the General passed near them, from the 22d 
 of June until he left the command. 
 
 On the march or in camp, when Wilson ap- 
 peared in sight, the shout was set up, " Here 
 is the man with the ham; here he goes; catch 
 him!" and many other things that were un- 
 pleasant for him to hear. It was done with a 
 sense of shame and pity, but of contempt for 
 a man who persisted in holding a position over 
 thousands, of whom hundreds were his superi- 
 ors in ability and courage. The act of hold- 
 ing the office itself made him superior to none, 
 nnd the temptation was such that they could 
 not resist joining in the tumult. 
 
 On learning this, General Wilson was as- 
 signed to the Western Department, where, it 
 is said, he gained fame. 
 
 When my furlough expired, I reported at 
 Sandy Hook, Maryland, to the commander 
 of the camp for remount. In the course of 
 four or five days a party was sent to the front. 
 
 The horse assigned to me at this time was 
 a freak. He was about sixteen hands high, 
 bay with black mane and tail, and of an un- 
 gainly proportion, wind broken and with a 
 mouth so hard one man could not hold him, 
 
322 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 In fact, the harder one pulled on the rein, the 
 faster he would try to go. 
 
 We were escort or guard for a supply-train 
 from the depot to the front. We traveled the 
 mountain road up the Valley, and nothing of 
 importance occurred except the burning of a 
 barn that contained thousands of guns and 
 cartridges. A fusillade was kept up from the 
 explosion of the cartridges for an hour or 
 more. 
 
 On the afternoon of the i6th of October we 
 arrived at the camp of the Third Division, 
 now commanded by Major-General G. A. 
 Custer. A great change had taken place in 
 the division during my absence. General Mc- 
 Intosh had lost a leg, and Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Purrington was in command of the brigade 
 by special request of General Mclntosh. 
 Major Nettleton was in command of the Sec- 
 ond Ohio, being the ranking officer now with 
 the regiment. My bunky, William Wiggins, 
 was a prisoner in the hands of the enemy, and 
 as I did not chew tobacco, I distributed the 
 fine cut brought for him among the other boys. 
 
 It was about three o'clock when we reported 
 to the company for duty. After eating some 
 dinner Captain Newton told me that Major 
 Nettleton wanted to see me, and I reported to 
 him immediately. After relating to him briefly 
 the incidents of the ceremony at the War De- 
 partment, he asked, " What did the Secretary 
 say about me?" The question was such 
 a surprise to me that it completely upset me, 
 
Capture of Eighth S. C. Infantry 323 
 
 for it had not been mentioned at all, and I re- 
 plied that the Secretary had given him all the 
 credit due him. He said they were under 
 orders to move. I reported to the company, 
 the trumpet sounded, we led into line, and 
 soon moved out. The Fifth New York and 
 the Second Ohio relieved the line in front of 
 General Early's line of battle at Waynesboro, 
 and the balance of the division began the 
 march to what was known as the back road 
 on the opposite side of the Shenandoah Valley. 
 The order from General Custer was to fall 
 back in case of an advance of the enemy, and 
 as soon as the enemy saw the cavalry moving 
 out, they began a flank movement. Just at 
 dark the main line advanced in front of us. 
 We fell back gradually until the information 
 reached us that retreat was cut off by the 
 enemy's flanking party. The shout could be 
 heard from every quarter, " Go through 
 them!" and with shouts and yells the whole 
 crowd went. We had to pass a line that lay 
 behind the fence parallel with the line of re- 
 treat. It was now dark and the blaze from 
 the muskets made a red glare that put the 
 horses to their utmost speed, and we passed in 
 two columns. A horse went down in front of 
 me. I was then pulling the reins with all my 
 strength to steady the horse on the hard pike 
 and down the hill. The rider of the horse 
 that had fallen cried out, "Let me ride!" 
 caught the reins, and with a whirl he went 
 headlong. His weight added to mine made 
 
324 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 no impression on the speed of the hard- 
 mouthed animal, for, with mouth wide open 
 and the sound, " Ha, ha, ha! " at every jump, 
 that could be heard for a long distance, he 
 dashed ahead. 
 
 As soon as the two regiments overtook the 
 rear of the column, they came to a halt, and 
 we lay down in a fence corner and went to 
 sleep. At last we moved out, and after march- 
 ing about a mile John Z. Johnson reported to 
 the captain that his bunky, Logan Moore, 
 was missing, and that he knew Moore was with 
 the company when it halted. The Captain 
 said, " Cause, you take two men and go back 
 and find Logan." 
 
 Two of the boys volunteered, and we went 
 back. We passed the rear-guard after explain- 
 ing our mission. Soon we heard voices of men 
 coming in on a side road. We recognized one 
 of them and called out, " Is that you, Pol- 
 hemus? " 
 
 At the challenge my horse turned and 
 started to run. It was impossible to hold him, 
 so I turned him into the fence. He hit it 
 pretty hard, and by holding the spurs to his 
 side I was enabled to remain there until the 
 squad had passed. It was Sergeant Polhemus, 
 who had been dispatched on patrol to guard 
 against a flank attack. We had not gone far 
 before we heard horses' hoofs as they pounded 
 the hard pike. When we challenged my horse 
 went through the same performance as at the 
 last challenge. The lone horseman came to 
 
Capture of Eighth S. C. Infantry 325 
 
 a halt, and we called to him, " Logan, is that 
 you?" He answered, "Yes," with a voice 
 that indicated an uncertainty of his position. 
 We told him to come on, and he approached 
 and said he was sure he was going into the 
 enemy's line and had tried to force the horse 
 to go in the opposite direction. But his horse, 
 he said, would back up and endeavor to turn 
 around, and he finally gave up and let him go 
 the way he chose. 
 
 We camped at the back road for a rest, and 
 at twelve o'clock moved out. The enemy's 
 cavalry was now up with the rear-guard and 
 thought to surprise us. They ran two batter- 
 ies, twelve guns in all, out in an open field and 
 opened fire. Our artillery, already in posi- 
 tion, answered the challenge, and the sound 
 of their guns was recognized by Sergeant 
 Polhemus as the ones abandoned by General 
 Wilson on the raid, June 3Oth. He shouted, 
 " Battery B and M, charge! " dashed the spurs 
 to his horse, and went straight to the artillery. 
 Men and officers followed him, drove away 
 the gunners, and brought back every piece but 
 one that was crippled by a shell from Custer's 
 battery. A New York regiment, coming out 
 to support the Second Ohio, saw the gun 
 standing on the field, and five of them went for 
 it. About the same number of the enemy's 
 cavalry met them at the gun, and they fought 
 as handsome a duel as was ever fought with 
 sabers. The victory was in favor of the New 
 York boys, who started with the crippled gun, 
 
326 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 but finally abandoned it owing to its useless 
 condition. 
 
 We then withdrew, as it was our orders to 
 move farther up the Valley, to take all the 
 stock, and to destroy all the supplies on the 
 back road. The next day the Second Ohio 
 was sent back to support the rear-guard, con- 
 sisting of a regiment from some other brigade 
 that was hard pushed by Rosser's cavalry. My 
 new horse displayed his peculiarities to the 
 queen's taste. The engagement was one of 
 those genuine skirmishes in which the reced- 
 ing line fires until hard pressed, and then falls 
 back. The country was rough and inter- 
 spersed with woods and fields. We deployed 
 in an open field and the enemy appeared at 
 the edge of the woods. The horse stood, not 
 appearing to mind the noise or motion of the 
 gun as it was leisurely fired; but when the 
 trumpet sounded retreat and the rein was 
 moved, he turned and ran with all the strength 
 he could muster. When we stopped we were 
 three hundred yards in the rear of the re- 
 formed line. The boys gave me the laugh as 
 we returned to our place. This was repeated 
 three times. The last time was down a steep 
 hill with a rail fence running along the side 
 and about forty feet from the creek that ran 
 at the foot of the hill. By great effort we 
 steered to a place where the trumpeter had 
 thrown the rider from the fence, and he and 
 the Captain were just going over. 
 
 My horse jumped and hit the ground about 
 
Capture of Eighth S. C. Infantry 327 
 
 half-way between the fence and the creek, and 
 at the next leap he landed in it. As the Cap- 
 tain was going up the steep bank on the op- 
 posite side a ball, presumably, aimed at me, 
 went over my head and hit the Captain's horse 
 in the hip. I saw the ball hit the horse and 
 saw the smoke fly, and his horse gave a shriek 
 that sent a shiver all through me. My horse 
 did not wait for them to get out of the path, 
 but jumped up the bank, which was about 
 three feet high, and after repeated efforts we 
 got to our place in the line. The Captain told 
 me to go to the rear, and the next day he gave 
 me a new horse. 
 
 The march was continued down the Valley 
 for several days, and the smoke from the burn- 
 ing stacks and barns could be seen all the way 
 across the Valley. The troops on the other two 
 roads kept about even, forming a continuous 
 line from the Blue Ridge road to the back 
 road. 
 
 There were some exhibitions of what men 
 will do to save their property. One man stood 
 on a hay stack and fired into a marching col- 
 umn, and it is needless to say he fell riddled 
 with bullets. Another man stood in his barn 
 door and shot the soldier that was ordered to 
 set the barn on fire. He was tried by court 
 martial. Rosser's cavalry pressed our rear- 
 guard until we arrived at Rapid Rushing 
 Creek, where the command halted. The next 
 morning Custer turned on them, and sent them 
 out of the country in a demoralized condition. 
 
328 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 We then moved back to the neighborhood 
 of Cedar Creek, and went into camp for re- 
 organization. 
 
 The Captain told me one day he felt as if 
 he owed me a favor, and asked me what he 
 could do for me. I replied that I would like 
 to go home for forty days. He wrote out a 
 furlough with a recommendation setting forth 
 the capture of the flag as a sufficient reason to 
 grant it. When the paper reached headquar- 
 ters Major Nettleton signed it, and recom- 
 mended one for himself and forwarded them 
 to brigade headquarters. About this time 
 Major Seward arrived and took command of 
 the regiment. 
 
 A court was organized to try the offenders 
 of the past few months. One day the Captain 
 said that Major Seward wanted to see me, and 
 I went up to headquarters where the court was 
 convened. The Major met me outside, and 
 asked me what I wanted to do with Lanter- 
 man's case. He said charges had been pre- 
 ferred against him for mutiny in front of the 
 enemy and that the lightest sentence was Dry 
 Tortugas for life. He said I was the main 
 witness and if it suited me he would withdraw 
 the charges. I said that I did not want to in- 
 flict punishment on anyone, and as Lanter- 
 man was a recruit, and as he was prompted to 
 do what he did by thinking he was imposed 
 upon, we had better let him off this time. I 
 went to my tent, and in about an hour Lanter- 
 man came in with tears streaming down his 
 
Capture of Eighth S. C. Infantry 329 
 
 cheeks. He grasped my hands in both of his, 
 and he was so overcome with emotion that he 
 could not speak. I told him I understood 
 him, and he went to his tent. That night he 
 went on duty. He left camp in a few days and 
 was taken prisoner by the enemy. 
 
 The following, copied from the Official 
 Records of the Rebellion, is of interest to close 
 this chapter: 
 
 HEADQUARTERS, MIDDLE MILITARY DIVISION. 
 
 September 13, 1864. 
 
 This morning I sent General Getty, division of the Sixth 
 Corps, with two brigades of cavalry to the crossing of the sum- 
 mit point and Winchester road over Opequon Creek, to develop 
 the force of the enemy in that vicinity. Rhodes, Ramsure, Gor- 
 don, and Wharton's divisions were found on the west bank. At 
 the same time General Wilson, with General Mclntosh's brigade 
 of cavalry, dashed up the Winchester pike, drove the rebel 
 cavalry at a run, came in contact with Kershaw's division, 
 charged them, and captured the Eighth South Carolina Regi- 
 ment, sixteen officers, one hundred and forty-five men, its battle 
 flag, and Colonel Henigan, commanding brigade, with a loss of 
 four men. (Two killed and two wounded.) Great credit is due 
 General Wilson, General Mclntosh, the Third New Jersey and 
 Second Ohio. The charge was a gallant one. A portion of the 
 Second Massachusetts reserve brigade made a charge on the 
 right of our line, and captured one officer and eleven men of 
 Gordon's division of infantry. Our loss in the reconnaissance 
 was very light. 
 
 (Signed) MAJ. GEN. SHERIDAN. 
 
 In his general report of the maneuvers of 
 the troops in the Valley, General Sheridan 
 refers to that charge in the following lan- 
 guage : 
 
 Although the main force remained without change of position 
 from September 3d until the igth, still the cavalry was employed 
 every day in harassing the enemy. Its opponents being princi- 
 pally infantry. In these skirmishes the cavalry was being 
 educated to attack infantry lines. On the i3th one of these 
 handsome dashes was made by General Mclntosh, of Wilson's 
 division, capturing the Eighth South Carolina infantry. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 BATTLE OF CEDAR CREEK 
 
 ON October i6th we were in the saddle 
 at daylight, and moved across the Val- 
 ley to the Shenandoah River on the 
 pike leading to Washington by the 
 way of Snicker's Gap. The command com- 
 prising the cavalry corps rendezvoused there 
 in light marching order, ostensibly for the 
 purpose of making a raid to some other lo- 
 cality. General Sheridan, with headquarters 
 in the saddle on the north bank of the river, 
 remained for two hours. The Second Ohio 
 Cavalry, by order from General Sheridan, 
 moved out in column and halted with the ad- 
 vance near the ford of the river. 
 
 After some deliberation Captain Newton 
 was ordered to report to Colonel Forsythe, 
 adjutant-general at that time on Sheridan's 
 staff. He subsequently ordered the Captain 
 to move his company across the river. When 
 we moved out the General and his staff fell in 
 the rear of the company. Advance- and rear- 
 guard were accordingly detached and moved 
 at proper intervals. We marched up the long 
 winding slope to the gap that leads through 
 the Blue Ridge. We had not moved far when 
 
 330 
 
Battle of Cedar Creek 331 
 
 it was evident that no other troops were on the 
 march. In discussing the situation we con- 
 cluded the movement of the corps was a feint 
 to deceive the enemy. I did not know the 
 facts until I read Sheridan's " Memoirs." He 
 makes the statement that he sent all the cav- 
 alry back but one regiment. The fact is it was 
 all sent back but one company, and it is doubt- 
 ful if the company numbered more than sixty 
 men, all told. The General is excusable for 
 not retaining such small affairs in his mind, 
 for he was then dealing with a department 
 and armies consisting of divisions and corps. 
 With me it is different. I dealt with squads 
 and minor details, the limit of which did not 
 go beyond my sight. I can now see the party 
 marching up the slope and the General giving 
 instructions to Captain Newton on the plat- 
 form at the depot as plainly as if the pic- 
 ture were before me, and, therefore, venture 
 the assertion and an apology for my state- 
 ment. 
 
 While going up the slope my pipe fell to 
 the ground. After slipping from the saddle 
 and waiting for the last set of fours to pass, it 
 lay directly in front of the General's horse, 
 which he checked until I picked it up. I had 
 the medal in my pocket, and when running to 
 catch the horse, thought of showing it to him, 
 but changed my mind. 
 
 After going through the pass we halted for 
 a short rest, then resumed the march to the 
 terminus of the railroad. We went into camp 
 
332 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 with orders to remain there until the General 
 returned from Washington. 
 
 About five o'clock he was on the platform 
 at the depot, where he met Captain Newton 
 and gave him a dispatch with orders to return 
 and deliver the dispatch the next day. He 
 said he had received important information 
 and did not consider it safe to send less than 
 a full company. 
 
 Nothing of importance occurred until one 
 o'clock in the morning of October i9th. The 
 Second Ohio was on picket. The booming of 
 cannon as they appeared to be leisurely fired 
 in the distance did not disturb the Third Di- 
 vision where they lay in camp, and we con- 
 tinued to change reliefs as usual until about 
 four, when the roar from a heavy volley of 
 musketry, accompanied by shouts and yells, 
 told the sad tale of a surprise by the enemy. 
 The attack was on the right flank of the in- 
 fantry line and to our left. We got into the 
 saddle and in line as soon as possible. On 
 making observations, General Custer learned 
 that the infantry line had been completely 
 swept away, and that his left flank was ex- 
 posed. He proceeded to close up the gap at 
 once. The enemy after making the first as- 
 sault, withdrew from the point of attack. We 
 moved across the ground that the night before 
 had been the camp of the living but was now 
 the camp of the dead. Many tents were still 
 standing, and the ground was so thickly strewn 
 with bodies that the column was compelled to 
 
Battle of Cedar Creek 333 
 
 deploy and march at will. The dead men 
 were all in their underclothes, having been 
 shot before they had time to dress. 
 
 We moved to the pike and passed through 
 a neck of woods. Nearly every tree was the 
 support of a wounded soldier or the rest for 
 the guns of those who did not intend to re- 
 treat farther without showing stubborn resist- 
 ance. 
 
 They were unorganized, but they said they 
 were willing to fight it out on that line. We 
 crossed the pike and formed by regiments, 
 with the Second Ohio in' the front. The loca- 
 tion was a valley bordered by a gentle ridge, 
 with our battalion on the right and the first 
 squadron in front. 
 
 We threw a light dismounted line to lie 
 near the top of the ridge to observe the move- 
 ment of the enemy, and the boys crawled near 
 enough to the top of the ridge to observe the 
 enemy concentrating in front of them. 
 
 We dismounted and lay down in open ranks. 
 General Custer with two brigades formed be- 
 hind another ridge. Officers were continually 
 riding from our brigade to headquarters, and 
 brought the news of the situation. 
 
 Many of the demoralized corps had taken 
 refuge behind a stone wall about three-fourths 
 of a mile in the rear and on the opposite side 
 of the pike. The corps that had occupied the 
 line in front of where we now were lay in line 
 to our left and rear, in as good order as they 
 ever were, with the exception that they had 
 
334 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 abandoned their camp and supplies, and with 
 the support of the cavalry were in good shape 
 for a conflict. 
 
 The first and second divisions of cavalry 
 were getting into position on the opposite 
 flank of the infantry. 
 
 The sun was well up, and the enemy, on the 
 alert, detected our position by the passing of 
 officers across the ridge, and opened on us with 
 a section of artillery. It so happened that they 
 got the range on our battalion, and we were 
 ordered to mount and move to the right. 
 
 When I placed my foot in the stirrup I 
 noticed that Billy Pidgeon was on the right 
 side of his horse. Just as my weight was 
 thrown on the stirrup, Pidgeon came down on 
 my back and set me on the ground again. A 
 shell had passed through his horse, cutting 
 the left stirrup and the saddle girth. The shell 
 exploded in Company I and wounded two 
 men. Had he been in his proper position the 
 shell would have taken his left foot off at the 
 ankle. We moved, and left a gap the length 
 of the squadron, on which the enemy wasted 
 many shells. 
 
 We had dismounted when we heard faint 
 cheering a long way to the rear. It was no 
 doubt the stragglers from the broken corps 
 who were cheering, but we could not under- 
 stand what caused them to cheer. Had they 
 changed their minds and were they coming 
 back? Some said they were reinforcements, 
 but that could not be, for no troops were in 
 
Battle of Cedar Creek 335 
 
 the Valley except those at the front, which 
 dispelled that suggestion. It was evident that 
 the cheering was rapidly nearing us, and that 
 the enemy had discovered our ruse and were 
 fast getting ranee on us. 
 
 The cheering increased and was now very 
 audible. Men's voices could separately be 
 distinguished from one another. In a moment 
 more, with a sudden burst, a cheer arose from 
 the stone wall which apparently made the air 
 tremble. It was as if the very trees had been 
 given voices to join in the tumult. 
 
 As we lay flat on the ground we were 
 ordered to mount, and when we rose up we 
 saw a cloud of dust at the end of the stone wall. 
 By the time we were in the saddle someone 
 said that it was Sheridan. He was now com- 
 ing down the slope about five hundred yards 
 from us. The most skeptical could not fail to 
 believe it now. I, for one, was loath to ac- 
 knowledge it, knowing he had gone to Wash- 
 ington by the other route and presumed he 
 would return the same way. There was only 
 one thing that gave an excuse for a difference 
 of opinion and that was that Sheridan had not 
 been seen riding a white horse before; but the 
 white proved to be only foam from his black 
 horse. 
 
 Sheridan had not noticed the cavalry, and 
 was speeding bv when we called out not to go 
 any farther, that the enemy was over the hill. 
 He wheeled to the left and exclaimed, " What 
 is this cavalry doing here? Move right out of 
 
336 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 this! Send General Custer to me! " Then he 
 struck the spurs to the horse, and with a des- 
 perate leap that threw the dirt across the pike 
 he dashed away. 
 
 The enemy must also have been moved by 
 the cheering, for the guns ceased firing at that 
 time. 
 
 We moved out over the same ground we 
 had come in the morning, and crossed the 
 creek near where we had been on picket. We 
 kept to the right of the ridge. General Custer 
 was hurrying the artillery, and they passed us 
 on the gallop. When he arrived at the top of 
 the ridge in full view of the enemy's cavalry 
 he came back and had the guns turned just 
 far enough from the top of the hill that the 
 enemy could not see them. They were un- 
 limbered, loaded, and a company of cavalry 
 dismounted to help to run them up. The cav- 
 alry was ordered to charge as soon as the guns 
 were discharged. The order was carried out, 
 and before they could reload we were on the 
 low ground on the other side of the ridge, 
 driving the first line in. The shelling was 
 done over our heads. This was a surprise to 
 our adversaries. We were moving forward to 
 flank the army and they fled. We reformed 
 the line and charged again. This process was 
 kept up until we had made seven charges. An 
 hour passed at one time between charges, 
 when it was said that Custer had gone to see 
 Sheridan and report in person the advantage 
 he had gained over the enemy. 
 
Battle of Cedar Creek 337 
 
 During that time the battle was raging at 
 its highest pitch. We were in a position to 
 see the infantry line from the creek to the neck 
 of woods previously spoken of, and they were 
 moving at a quickstep across the field where 
 the troops had been surprised in the morning. 
 The enemy's artillery was plowing gaps 
 through them with grape. To judge from the 
 number that were dropping the musketry 
 must have been as disastrous as the artillery 
 fire. 
 
 We were to the right of them, with a wide 
 gap between their right and the cavalry's left. 
 The ground was controlled by us from the 
 fact that we had long-range guns and could 
 move quickly. By the time that line passed 
 out of sight behind the woods that skirted the 
 creek, Custer made his appearance, and the 
 trumpet sounded. We advanced until we 
 crossed the pike in front of Early's wagon- 
 train. When the teamsters saw us coming up 
 the slope they began to turn around. Some 
 of them upset their wagons, but we were right 
 on them, and the panic was there also. 
 
 Early's right wing had been hurled back on 
 the pike by the cavalry of the other division, 
 and when they saw Ouster's long column com- 
 ing up the slope, they hoisted the white flag. 
 General Custer led that charge, and when he 
 crossed the pike, he turned down the line of 
 wagons and appeared to forget his position. 
 He was giving orders to the teamsters to get 
 off their mules. 
 
338 Four Years 'with Five Armies 
 
 I saw the enemy, and when he turned 
 around I told him they had surrendered, and 
 pointed to the white flag. It was now sun- 
 down and the smoke made things look dark. 
 I could see the enemy leaving their ranks with 
 their guns and running toward the creek. I 
 turned to the left and cut them off. The lead- 
 ers were scattering, but grew numerous as 
 they extended back to the ranks. They were 
 leaving by dozens, but when they saw the 
 leaders throw down their guns they did like- 
 wise, returned to their ranks, and were 
 counted with the prisoners. The interception 
 of so many brave men by one man would ap- 
 pear not only dangerous but fatal under ordi- 
 nary conditions, but in this case there was not 
 much risk. The fleeing men were under truce, 
 and to fire one shot, as they were aware, would 
 be a violation of the truce. Although it might 
 kill the lone man, it would also be fatal to 
 them and their comrades, as it would be re- 
 opening hostilities. 
 
 When Custer saw the white flag he ordered 
 one regiment to file in rear of the prisoners, 
 and the first brigade, which was ours, to go 
 into camp and unsaddle. With one regiment 
 he rode down the pike, taking possession of 
 the captured train as far back as the bridge at 
 the foot of Fisher's Hill. 
 
 There was no wood to be had to make coffee. 
 It is quoted in the " History of Ohio in the 
 War " that the Second Ohio Cavalry went into 
 camp that night without their supper. This 
 
Battle of Cedar Creek 339 
 
 narrative will tell you that the whole division 
 went into camp without breakfast, dinner, or 
 supper. Had the Third Division been com- 
 manded by a man of less prowess than Custer 
 the troops that surrendered, with all night be- 
 fore them, would have joined Early at Fish- 
 er's Hill, and escaped. 
 
 The division moved to wood and water 
 early next morning, and after breakfast en- 
 gaged the enemy's cavalry, driving them a few 
 miles up the Valley, and then returned to the 
 old camp. 
 
 On the aist the Second Ohio went on picket 
 on the same ground we occupied on the morn- 
 ing of the iQth. On the morning of the 2ad, 
 after my relief had come into the reserve from 
 the vidette line, at four o'clock, I lay down, 
 and had just gone to sleep, when someone 
 called me and told me to get up, that my fur- 
 lough had come. No time was lost in report- 
 ing to the Captain, who told me to get ready 
 and report to Major Nettleton, and go with 
 him to Martinsburg, where we would take 
 the train for home. 
 
 One of the boys had a revolver he wanted 
 to send home. Another had a carbine he had 
 picked up on the battlefield, which he gave 
 me, and I turned mine over to the quarter- 
 master-sergeant, and reported to the Major as 
 soon as possible. 
 
 He was at his quarters in the brigade camp, 
 busy preparing for the journey. While wait- 
 ing, I examined my furlough, which was 
 
34-O Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 signed by Major Nettleton, Lieutenant-Col- 
 onel Purrington, General Custer, General 
 Talbot, and General Sheridan, who had cut it 
 down to thirty days. A few days later a gen- 
 eral order, issued by the Secretary of War, was 
 read to the army, that anyone capturing a flag 
 would be awarded a medal and given thirty 
 days' furlough. 
 
 When the Major left his tent he had several 
 men to see, but he did not have to go to the 
 picket line, for the men he talked to were con- 
 spicuous for their absence from the front. I 
 was too thick-headed to note the significance 
 of these calls, only that it was a peculiar coin- 
 cidence that the Major who had recently been 
 in command of the regiment was so intimate 
 and had special business with so many men 
 that could neither acquire nor hold up the 
 standing or reputation of the regiment. 
 
 We stopped for the night at Winchester, 
 and called on another of his friends, who was 
 quartered there with a double-walled tent, by 
 what privilege or authority I am unable to 
 say, but to our way of thinking it was not in 
 accordance with the true soldier at the front. 
 The Major and his friend occupied one room 
 and I the other. The orderly slept in the 
 stable. 
 
 The next night, we stopped at a hotel in 
 Martinsburg. The travel at that time was 
 enormous and a bed was not to be had in town. 
 The clerk said they had one lounge unoc- 
 cupied, and the Major engaged that. I lay 
 
Battle of Cedar Creek 341 
 
 on the floor with a half-dozen more late ar- 
 rivals. 
 
 Our train departed at two o'clock. We 
 boarded it and went on our way homeward. 
 As I sat in the easy seat I said to myself : " You 
 are very fortunate in getting a furlough. That 
 is the third one since the order has been issued 
 from the War Department that no furloughs 
 be given. Thousands of men have not had 
 even one leave to see their home and friends." 
 Then my mind reverted to the toils and priva- 
 tions we had undergone. I thought of the day 
 on which I applied for that leave, and follow- 
 ing the time along I counted six skirmishes 
 and one heavy, decisive battle in which I had 
 participated, before the furlough was prop- 
 erly granted that would permit one humble 
 soldier to leave his post of duty at the front. 
 Then the conversation of the night before 
 passed like a vision before me, and I was sound 
 asleep. 
 
 After staying at home thirty days I returned 
 to Martinsburg. The snow was boot-top deep. 
 I attempted to find the commanding officer, 
 and was directed from one place to another, 
 but I failed to overtake him. I tramped about 
 until I was tired, and then I fell in with a com- 
 pany of soldiers on their way to Harper's 
 Ferry. With no blankets I lay down in the box 
 car during the bitter cold night. In the morn- 
 ing I climbed over snow banks to Sandy Hook, 
 and reported to the commanding officer of 
 Camp Remount. 
 
342 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 He directed me to the line of tents occupied 
 by the dismounted men of the Third Division, 
 where some of our company boys were. I 
 bunked with them. Tramping through the 
 snow with wet feet, and lying in the cold had 
 brought on a severe toothache, and by the ad- 
 vice of my bunky I took my first chew of 
 tobacco to relieve it, and became an inveterate 
 chewer from that time on. 
 
 After remaining there a few days we were 
 mounted, equipped, marched to the front, and 
 reported to the regiment on December 191)1. 
 We learned to our surprise and disgust that the 
 former Major Nettleton was now lieutenant- 
 colonel, and all the men he had called on the 
 day we left the front had been promoted to 
 commissioned officers. There was much dis- 
 satisfaction throughout the regiment on ac- 
 count of such methods. 
 
 Men and officers from all parts of the regi- 
 ment called on me to express their opinions. 
 They all told me they had expected to see me 
 return with a commission. This frank expres- 
 sion appeared odd to me, as the matter had 
 never occurred to me in that light. The men 
 and officers were unreserved, and many were 
 bitter in their denunciation of Nettleton, and 
 one captain who was noted for faithful duty 
 and gallantry in action, advised me to go into 
 no more actions with the regiment, declaring 
 he had performed his last duty unless some 
 unexpected change took place. As I was a 
 
Battle of Cedar Creek 343 
 
 soldier from a sense of duty rather than 
 choice, I considered the proposition as un- 
 worthy the notice of the citizen-soldier, al- 
 though I regarded with contempt those who 
 sought and gained undue advantage over their 
 comrades in arms. 
 
CHAPTER XXV 
 
 CUSTER'S RAID 
 
 THE division was then under march- 
 ing orders, and on the morning of the 
 20th moved out up the Valley, and 
 on the 22d camped at Lacy's Springs. 
 Our brigade passed the house, a wayside inn, 
 where General Custer had established his 
 headquarters. Two brigades, the artillery, 
 and wagon-train, camped without passing the 
 house, but our brigade passed and turned into 
 an open field. It was a beautiful evening, but 
 turned cold during the night and snowed about 
 eight inches, on top of which a crust froze 
 strong enough to bear a horse's weight. 
 
 The trumpets sounded at three o'clock. We 
 broke the crust from over our heads, and 
 turned the saddles over on top of the crust, 
 which gave room to crawl out without break- 
 ing it over the bed, leaving the bed in pretty 
 good condition to crawl into after putting the 
 saddles on the horses. 
 
 A number of rails were near by, and some 
 of the men built fires, and stood around them ; 
 but the wind was blowing a gale and the snow 
 was melting around the fires, so they could not 
 get much benefit from them. We had 
 
 344 
 
Ouster's Raid 345 
 
 crawled into bed and were asleep when the 
 sound of musketry startled the camp. 
 
 We came out in a hurry, threw our blankets 
 loose across the saddle, put on the bridle, and 
 were ready in a few minutes, but not before 
 General Custer was up at full speed on a bare- 
 backed steed, calling for the Second Ohio. 
 He was answered by hundreds of voices, 
 "Here, here!" 
 
 " Charge to the pike! They're coming that 
 way," he ordered. 
 
 We were in line by battalions. The right of 
 each rested at the top of the sloping ground. 
 We wheeled by fours, each of the three 
 columns facing the pike and going at full 
 speed. 
 
 The movement was made in great haste, for 
 we could now hear the clatter of horses com- 
 ing down the icy pike at full speed. There 
 was slipping and sliding, but the horses kept 
 their balance all right until we neared the 
 fence that separated the pike and field. There 
 some attempted to check the speed of the 
 horses, and then there was tumbling in all 
 directions. On seeing the danger some con- 
 cluded to take their chances for all or nothing, 
 and go over the fence without checking their 
 speed. 
 
 The enemy was now passing, and when we lit 
 in the pike we cut them into two parts. Those 
 on our right turned back and the advance kept 
 on. My horse cleared the fence, and when he 
 hit the ice he slid across the pike into the other 
 
346 Four Years 'with Five Armies 
 
 fence with force enough to wreck it. It 
 doubled him in a heap, but soon he scrambled 
 to his feet. The clatter that was sounding in 
 the battalion to our right told the tale of saber 
 strokes. When my horse had straightened out 
 the enemy had gone out of sight. 
 
 But few shots had been fired in this last en- 
 counter and there had been but few casualties. 
 We went into camp and picked up the scat- 
 tered things, then cooked coffee, and after 
 breakfast, with our brigade in advance, we 
 marched out on the back track, leaving one 
 brigade to bury the dead and move out later 
 in the day. 
 
 The attack had been made on the wagon- 
 train. The enemy had evaded the pickets dur- 
 ing the snow storm, crossed the woods and 
 fields, and the first alarm was the volley fired 
 into the train, killing some teamsters. Their 
 command divided, part driving away some 
 stock, and the others went to capture General 
 Custer. He was not napping, and when they 
 captured his sentinel he heard the demand, 
 ran out the back way, mounted his horse, and 
 by going out the back gate evaded them and 
 was able to join his command. Having failed 
 in their purpose they were endeavoring to es- 
 cape up the pike. 
 
 It turned bitter cold during the day, and 
 as we passed over Fisher's Hill it appeared as 
 if the wind was not checked by our clothing 
 but passed right through. It was impossible 
 to hold one's head up and face the gale. We 
 
Ouster's Raid 347 
 
 walked and led, keeping close to the horses 
 to break the wind from our faces. 
 
 Forty men were disabled in our regiment by 
 freezing. It was said that a greater number 
 was frozen in every other regiment in the 
 division. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 WINTER QUARTERS 
 
 WE arrived near Winchester on De- 
 cember 24th, with orders to build 
 winter quarters. Among the squads 
 from Camp Remount and hospitals 
 were several men, most of whom had been 
 with the wagon-train during the last raid, and 
 joined the company during the day, and who, 
 as old partners, now came together and broke 
 up the temporary messes. 
 
 I had no partner, but had been sleeping with 
 Woodburn while on the raid. He now joined 
 his regular partner, Sergeant Sawyer, who 
 had bunked temporarily with Pidgeon, both 
 having just joined the company. That put 
 Pidgeon and me without regular partners, and 
 we joined together. A full mess was made, 
 but we were without any cooking utensils or 
 tools to work with. We borrowed a coffee-pot 
 and frying-pan after the others were through, 
 and did likewise for breakfast in the morning. 
 We sat down on our saddles to eat our Christ- 
 mas breakfast, which was disposed of without 
 a word spoken. Each was wrapped in his own 
 thoughts. When Pidgeon picked up the cof- 
 fee-pot to return it to the owner the silence was 
 broken by Woodburn, who said that the pros- 
 pect was rather blue, as everyone would be 
 
 348 
 
Winter Quarters 349 
 
 using his ax and hatchet, and there would 
 be no chance to borrow. I replied that it was 
 so much the better, as it would throw us on our 
 own resources and we would have to hustle 
 to get tools of our own. Commissary-Sergeant 
 Sawyer being excused from all such duty, the 
 other three of us saddled up and started out in 
 search of something to work with. 
 
 We rode together for a mile, discussing our 
 odd situation, and then separated. When we 
 reported to camp, Woodburn had an ax, Pid- 
 geon had an iron kettle, and I had an iron 
 plate for the back of the fireplace, with a bar 
 for the arch and a chain to drag the logs with, 
 which I secured from an old chimney stand- 
 ing where there had once been a house. We 
 bought a coffee-pot and frying-pan, borrowed 
 a collar from a teamster, and we were now the 
 best fitted out of any mess in the company. 
 After dinner we began our task. Pidgeon 
 and Woodburn cut logs, while I rigged up a 
 harness on my new horse. The horse was a 
 light cream color, sixteen hands high, and he 
 had a rat tail, and a mane only an inch and a 
 half long. We called him Claybank. 
 
 We hauled logs before night, and on the 
 morning of January i, 1865, we moved into 
 our finished quarters, the first mess housed in 
 the camp. We then had an ax to lend to those 
 that had none. 
 
 The next day Sergeant Sawyer received a 
 Christmas box from home, containing turkey, 
 cake, jelly, and delicacies too numerous to 
 
350 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 mention. We lived high for a week, and 
 realized that with all the misfortunes there 
 was also some small good fortune in war. 
 
 Our winter quarters were laid off fronting 
 on a straight line, with cabins 8x12, and 
 walls six feet high, with chimney and door in 
 front gable and two bunks across the back end. 
 Our tents formed the roofs. A large oak tree 
 was on the line of the walls of our cabin. In 
 selecting lots this lot had been left on account 
 of the tree. Our mess was unorganized at 
 the time of the assignment, and had to take 
 Hobson's choice, but this proved an advantage 
 rather than a detriment. We cut a notch in 
 the tree for the top log or plate, and hung 
 the door on the tree, which gave us a side 
 entrance with full width of the gable for a 
 fireplace by pinning the end of the other logs 
 to the other side of the tree. 
 
 Our duty during our stay in winter quarters 
 was light. General Sheridan was fitting out 
 the cavalry corps as but few knew how. The 
 horses were kept well shod, with plenty of 
 forage, and had good care. 
 
 The pickets were stationed from six to ten 
 miles out, in details of fifty men, on the main 
 road, where they remained three days. I was 
 entrusted with this duty twice during the 
 eighty days. On one of these turns I committed 
 a blunder. We were on the Valley pike with 
 one reserve in the woods, a half mile away, 
 with a vidette line half a mile in front, out of 
 sight from the reserve, and also hid from any- 
 
Winter Quarters 351 
 
 one passing along the pike by a strip of woods 
 that skirted the points of hills divided by 
 small ravines. A vidette was stationed on 
 each point. It was my custom to inspect the 
 line twice a day. On going out in the evening 
 I missed Wakefield, who had been stationed 
 on the point nearest the pike. This point hid 
 the pike from view directly opposite. I heard 
 loud talk and the rumbling of wheels. At 
 first thought my mind was made up that he 
 had been captured and the enemy was making 
 off with him. This mistake arose from the 
 fact that I was not informed about the position 
 of the enemy in the Valley. 
 
 I wheeled about without second thought, got 
 the men in line, sent a message into headquar- 
 ters, and sent a corporal with a squad to in- 
 vestigate. When they went to the point they 
 found Wakefield on duty. He explained that 
 he saw the wagons coming from Winchester 
 with women and children in them, and he left 
 the post and went to talk with them. It was 
 ration dav and they had been to town to draw 
 rations. The Government was then feeding 
 the inhabitants of the Valley. 
 
 His absence was a breach of orders, for we 
 had no order to demand passes from anyone. 
 But nothing was said about it, for Wakefield 
 was never known to shirk a duty and was 
 always in the front line; but he could not re- 
 sist the temptation of a conversation whenever 
 he saw a sunbonnet. It was a lesson, and we 
 guarded against similar trouble in future. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 JAMES RIVER CANAL RAID 
 
 AT retreat the Captain notified the com- 
 pany that all men unable to march 
 on a long raid should report their dis- 
 ability at once, and that all those with 
 disabled horses would change with the dis- 
 abled men, who would turn the horses in and 
 go to division hospital. Those able for duty 
 were to be ready to march at seven o'clock in 
 the morning. 
 
 That notice was all sufficient, for we would 
 now move better with an hour's notice than 
 we could have moved with ten days' notice 
 in 1861. We knew just what we could carry, 
 and how to pack it to carry it well. Every- 
 thing was ready, and at the appointed time we 
 marched out of the woods and left the cabins 
 that had sheltered us for the winter. 
 
 We formed with the brigade on an open 
 field near Winchester, where the Third Di- 
 vision rendezvoused. The snow was yet on 
 the ground in sheltered spots, but had disap- 
 peared with the frost on the open ground. 
 The horses sank half-way to their knees in 
 mud. The unserviceable and surplus equi- 
 page and trains were left to be taken care of 
 by officers assigned to that duty. 
 
 352 
 
James River Canal Raid 353 
 
 With General Custer as advance, our delay 
 was short, and we moved out on the Valley 
 pike, where the traveling was good. 
 
 When the column arrived at the Shenan- 
 doah River we found it very much swollen 
 and very swift. It was difficult to cross. Pon- 
 toons had to be laid to cross the artillery 
 and train. Owing to the width and one 
 sloping bank, it was necessary to lay it some 
 distance from the ford, which made it neces- 
 sary to leave the pike with the train. In many 
 places the wagons went down to the axles in 
 the soft ground, and the wheels went very 
 deep at all places. The column was delayed 
 very much and would move up a few rods 
 and halt. This was repeated time after time, 
 which was evidence that some obstacles had 
 to be overcome. 
 
 At last our brigade, which had been march- 
 ing in the rear, formed by regiments on a hill 
 overlooking the ford, and witnessed men and 
 horses floating down the river and struggling 
 for life. Few were able to extricate them- 
 selves. We detected at once that they were 
 endeavoring to do something they had no ex- 
 perience in. Not more than a dozen had ef- 
 fected a landing, and as manv men and horses 
 had found a watery grave. The army in the 
 East had no experience in this line. Our boys 
 said when they had seen them turn around and 
 come back two or three times, that they would 
 have to get the Second Ohio to show them 
 how to swim. 
 
354 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 The staff officers told General Pennington, 
 the brigade commander, that the Second Ohio 
 could cross. He replied that if the Second 
 Ohio could cross any other regiment could 
 cross. After several unsuccessful attempts he 
 gave it up and said he would wait for the 
 pontoons, and reported his decision to General 
 Custer, who took exception to this delay, and 
 ordered him to cross his brigade at the ford. 
 He was now compelled to call on the Second 
 Ohio. 
 
 Captain Newton was ordered to advance 
 with his company. There was not a company 
 in the regiment that would not have been 
 proud to have the distinction, but they all 
 knew the ability of our captain, and had no 
 fear or doubts as to our success. The banks 
 of the river were crowded with officers and 
 men on the side where we entered, and the 
 few that had landed on the other side, a part 
 of whom were trying to rescue a struggling 
 man that was floating down near the bank. 
 
 We were acquainted with the ford, having 
 crossed it at low-water mark. A bar or riffle 
 ran in a circuitous course from above the ford 
 on the side we entered, and was cut off on the 
 other side by the current below the landing. 
 The riffle was now covered with swimming 
 water most of the way. The current was deep 
 and running against a perpendicular bank, ex- 
 cept a space wide enough for a wagon. This 
 space had been graded up the bank. To miss 
 that narrow landing was to drift down to take 
 
James River Canal Raid 355 
 
 desperate chances for one's self and sure death 
 to the horse, for there was no place for his 
 escape. 
 
 Our captain uttered but one sentence: 
 " Keep closed up, boys; and support me." 
 
 The landing being high up the river, it was 
 necessary to gain not only that distance but 
 what we would lose in drifting with the cur- 
 rent after reaching swimming water. The 
 Captain turned up stream, as soon as the horse 
 entered the water, and with spurs at the horses' 
 sides we closed on each side with shoulder to 
 his horse to support him. He forced his way 
 against water so rapid that it threw white 
 caps as it whirled about the horses' necks and 
 shoulders. 
 
 At this move the crowd went wild. They 
 thought they saw our fatal mistake. Thou- 
 sands of voices broke forth with shouts, wav- 
 ing hands and hats : " Turn down, turn 
 down!" 
 
 Such a tumult would have turned the head 
 of a less considerate man than Captain New- 
 ton. He did not take his eye from his course. 
 They were almost in reach of us. We pushed 
 on. There was not a break as we crowded 
 against the almost irresistible force of the cur- 
 rent, but experience had taught us that to 
 break that current was the secret to success. 
 It was easy for those to travel on the lower 
 side if those on the upper side were able to 
 advance; and, gradually turning into the 
 stream, we were soon afloat. Every man 
 
356 Four Years 'with Five Armies 
 
 turned his horse's head up stream as soon as 
 the water took him from his feet. This was 
 no experiment with the old members of the 
 regiment, of whom there were enough to con- 
 trol the movements of the new ones. As soon 
 as the horse is lifted from his feet he begins 
 to swim and is safe to tie to; but as soon as 
 he touches bottom, in his efforts to walk, he 
 plunges and rears up. This is the critical 
 time for his rider. 
 
 We gained enough by fording against the 
 current to land safely, and the regiment 
 crossed in an unbroken column, with but one 
 accident caused by an unruly horse. The 
 horse was determined not to take the water, 
 left the column, and by plunging about suc- 
 ceeded in dismounting the trooper in shallow 
 water. 
 
 The division crossed and the march con- 
 tinued. Nothing of importance occurred un- 
 til we approached Waynesboro. 
 
 We were marching near the rear of the 
 column, and heard the cannonading some dis- 
 tance in front that told us the advance had 
 encountered something more than a crib of 
 corn or a haystack. We moved up and formed 
 in rear of the troops already engaged, and 
 judged from what little we could see that the 
 opposing forces were in close proximity to 
 each other. 
 
 General Custer's headquarters were on the 
 same ground on which the Fifth New York 
 and Second Ohio had been surrounded in Oc- 
 
James River Canal Raid 357 
 
 tobef, 1864. Three regiments, the Second 
 Ohio, First Connecticut, and Fifth New York, 
 were detached from the main command and 
 moved off to the right. After traveling or 
 rather plunging through the soft mud a mile 
 and a half, we dismounted and the horses were 
 sent back to the brigade. We were then in a 
 wide ravine that extended to South River. It 
 was bordered with timber except in one place, 
 the mouth of another swale that entered from 
 our left and skirted by a low ridge on which 
 the enemy's line was deployed. 
 
 When we came in front of that open place, 
 the enemy, secreted in the timber, who had 
 not yet been discovered by us, opened fire. 
 With the customary yell we went directly for 
 the point or junction of the two open places. 
 Where the enemy was the ridge was covered 
 with trees and large boulders. We fired as we 
 ran, until half-way up the side of the ridge, 
 which was so steep we were compelled to halt 
 and rest after our run through the mud. The 
 enemy was loath to leave that position, pro- 
 tected by boulders and trees. They kept up 
 a desultory firing, which was answered by our 
 carbines. 
 
 When the order was given to advance we 
 sprang to our feet, and their line gave way in 
 front of us. The firing and calls from us to 
 surrender compelled most of them to take 
 shelter behind trees and to throw down their 
 guns. When we were out of the timber in the 
 open ground to our left we could see the smoke 
 
358 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 of the guns as they fired from the left of 
 Early's earthworks. 
 
 We realized that we were now in the rear 
 of Early's army. Had we been mounted not 
 one would have been able to make his escape. 
 An open field was in front of us, about five 
 hundred yards wide, with a fence the end 
 which terminated near Early's line and ran 
 toward the river and parallel with the street 
 of Waynesboro, and about three hundred 
 yards in the rear of the village. 
 
 A man was running down by the fence to 
 my left. I called halt several times, but he 
 would not halt. I fired and he dropped down. 
 As I came near him he said, " My God, you 
 have shot me ! " 
 
 There was no assurance that he was 
 wounded, and as I did not intend he should 
 wound me, I replied, " I know it, and don't 
 raise your hand or you will get another." 
 
 I asked him why he had not halted in time, 
 and picked up his gun and raised it up to 
 break it. He told me not to do that. I asked 
 him why, and he said, " Take it and use it, 
 we do." With a crash it came to the ground, 
 breaking the stock. I tossed it over the fence. 
 Patting my gun, I said we had something bet- 
 ter, and started to intercept some men that 
 were now running from the village toward 
 the river. He begged me not to leave him, 
 saying they would kill him. I told him they 
 would send an ambulance and take care of 
 him. " You seem a clever sort of fellow," 
 
James River Canal Raid 359 
 
 he said. After assuring him that they were all 
 like me, I left him. A few rods from that 
 place was a jog in the fence, with a pair of bars 
 that opened into a lane. When I arrived at the 
 bars, two men that had hid in the fence corner 
 rose up and stepped to the middle of the lane. 
 Their looks showed that they had no intention 
 of giving up ; but I had the drop on them with 
 my gun over the bars. I demanded their sur- 
 render, but they repeatedly made motions to 
 bring their guns into position. They were 
 greeted each time with an injunction not to 
 do it. I also told them to throw down their 
 guns and step ten paces in front of them, 
 They made a move to run, but I insisted that 
 they obey orders, which they finally did. 
 Here I concluded to do something that I had 
 never done before and which I had always dis- 
 couraged in others whenever talked about. I 
 had recently heard of some depredations of 
 the kind perpetrated by the enemy, and I felt 
 like retaliating. 
 
 I told them to disgorge, and got one pocket- 
 knife, a leather pocket-book with two twenty- 
 dollar Confederate bills, some Southern 
 poetry, and a ring which they said was made 
 of a Yankee's bone. 
 
 By that time one of the boys had come up. 
 We told the prisoners to go to where the 
 wounded man was. A crowd was then gath- 
 ered about him. We started on, and my com- 
 panion said he had seen two men enter a black- 
 smith shop that stood by the lane. We went 
 
360 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 in and pulled two men from under the bel- 
 lows. One was an Irishman, the first Irish 
 Johnnie we had ever seen. After breaking the 
 guns we kept down the lane on the run. The 
 crowd came on behind us. The fence on the 
 left did not extend to the river, but the one on 
 the right did. A cabin stood near the end of 
 the lane. The ground to the left was open, 
 and men scattered all over it, running and en- 
 tering the brush that skirted the river. 
 
 We were calling halt to them, and opposite 
 me was one with a fine flag. I called out to 
 drop that flag, and the flag went to the ground, 
 but the man kept running. We did not shoot, 
 for we thought they must ultimately sur- 
 render. To shoot would slacken our pace, and 
 to hit them would be the wanton taking of life. 
 
 When I arrived at the bank some were 
 jumping into the river and some were climb- 
 ing out on the other side. 
 
 In front of us was a boy about seventeen 
 years old, on an island not much larger than 
 an army wagon, situated in the middle of the 
 river. He was dressed in a new uniform of 
 fine gray cloth and nicely trimmed with black 
 silk braid. When I appeared on the river 
 bank he threw his musket into the water and 
 was about to follow it. A demand not to go 
 caused him to halt, but he continued to assume 
 the posture of one about to plunge, with his 
 weight thrown on his left foot, which was in 
 advance of the right, with arms stretched up- 
 wards. Leaning over the water I requested 
 
James River Canal Raid 361 
 
 him to return. I made repeated entreaties, 
 and was compelled to threaten to shoot him 
 every time he moved. A half dozen of his 
 comrades stood on the opposite bank watching 
 every motion. He said he had nearly 
 drowned in his effort to get away and would 
 not take the same chance to surrender, but if 
 compelled to take any chances it would be to 
 escape. 
 
 While I had no intention of shooting, I was 
 compelled to keep up appearances. Several 
 of the boys had now assembled on the bank, 
 and among them was one mounted man. I 
 asked him if he would come back if we sent 
 him a horse. He said yes. 
 
 The trooper heard this, and before anyone 
 could speak he plunged into the water, swim- 
 ming out to him, and the boy got on behind 
 the trooper. 
 
 We then returned, picking up the prisoners 
 that had hid in the brush. When we were 
 even with the place where the flag lay I told 
 them there was a flag over there and I would 
 go and get it while they took the prisoners 
 with them. As I turned I saw a mounted 
 man riding at a gallop across the field, and 
 after taking about fifty steps saw him dis- 
 mount, pick up the flag, and return to the rear 
 with it. I then returned, being tired with the 
 long chase. At the cabin near the end of the 
 lane I exchanged one of the twenty-dollar 
 bills for a dozen biscuits and the other for a 
 quart coffee-pot. 
 
362 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 We soon arrived at the place where we had 
 left the wounded man. Our regiment with 
 many prisoners had assembled there, where 
 we remained until the horses arrived. 
 
 It is a pity that while I relate my own ex- 
 perience I am not able to tell of others or what 
 they were doing at the same time. My at- 
 tention at such times was riveted on what I 
 was doing, and there is no time to record even 
 those acts of others which I remember. 
 
 About the time we entered the timber by 
 the river there were many exploits that would 
 be interesting to relate. 
 
 We had a glimpse of one occurrence 
 and afterward learned the result. Between 
 Waynesboro and the river there is a bank 
 about ten feet high, built up for the railroad 
 track, and opposite where the man threw 
 down the flag. Soon afterward a train was 
 pulling out on the bank, and a trooper gal- 
 loped by the side of the engine and drove the 
 engineer from the lever by firing his revolver 
 into the cab. He caught hold, swung into the 
 cab, stopped the engine, and captured a train- 
 load of rebel supplies. 
 
 When we mounted, and crossed the railroad 
 track near the village, we followed on the trail 
 of General Early. The few mounted men 
 who had escaped had taken time by the fore- 
 lock. They left by the time we charged 
 through the timber early in the engagement. 
 
 After crossing the river we wound along the 
 steep grade that led us to the top of the Blue 
 
James River Canal Raid 363 
 
 Ridge. We passed empty wagons from which 
 the teams had been taken by Early's party, 
 who were then fleeing toward Charlottesville. 
 
 When we approached Charlottesville the 
 advance was frequently checked by the 
 enemy's cavalry, which had concentrated to 
 prevent our entering the town. Flanking 
 columns moved out right and left, and we 
 marched in, and the destruction of Confeder- 
 ate stores began at once. 
 
 We camped one night in the suburbs of the 
 town. The next morning the Second Ohio 
 was detached with orders to destroy railroad 
 tracks. When we counted off, my number 
 happened to be odd, and I had to stay with the 
 horses. 
 
 My feet had not been dry since leaving 
 Winchester, except for a few minutes at a time 
 when dried by the fire. Walking through the 
 thick mud had worn out my boots, and I was 
 now wearing a pair of plantation shoes with 
 wooden soles, manufactured, at that place for 
 the field-hands. 
 
 After dinner we moved below the town, 
 and lay in line until three o'clock, when we 
 were again detached to destroy the iron bridge 
 across the Ravenna River. We learned that 
 two different regiments had worked on it dur- 
 ing the day and had given it up. Custer was 
 determined it should be finished, and had 
 been waiting since noon for the purpose. 
 
 We gathered all the telegraph wire, includ- 
 ing coils found at the depot and what there 
 
364 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 was strung on the poles, twisted it into cables, 
 and ran rails through with two men at each 
 end of the rail. When the word heave was 
 given, everyone pulled, and in one hour and 
 a half we had pulled five spans from the piers, 
 and tumbled them into the river about twenty- 
 five feet below. 
 
 There was a light skirmish line on the op- 
 posite side of the river that kept firing a shot 
 now and then. Our horses were massed on a 
 hill near by. I went to get some matches from 
 the saddle pockets. While there, General 
 Custer, who had started everything except our 
 brigade on the road, came up to see how the 
 work was progressing. 
 
 His staff and escort, with all the flags cap- 
 tured at Waynesboro, and his headquarters 
 flags, were quite a gorgeous array, and at- 
 tracted the enemy's fire. The balls passed 
 over our horses, and they sounded rather sharp 
 in the evening air. 
 
 One staff officer who was blustering about 
 called out, " We had better move from here, 
 had we not, General?" There was no reply 
 to the sally, but a withering look from the 
 General sent the officer to the rear in short 
 order. 
 
 It was dark when we moved out, and we 
 marched all night. We soon came into the 
 richest valley of Virginia, where the Confed- 
 erates drew a large amount of supplies for 
 their army. The destruction of these supplies 
 was almost complete along the route we 
 
James River Canal Raid 365 
 
 traveled, and with plenty of forage most of 
 the stock did well on the latter end of the raid. 
 
 The James River Canal was cut, and locks, 
 boats, and cargoes were destroyed when we 
 got through with the raid. 
 
 There had been some skirmishing with 
 some part of the command at almost every 
 hour of daylight since we met them near 
 Charlottesville, but no engagement worthy of 
 note until we arrived at Ashland, about eleven 
 miles from Richmond. 
 
 We were marching into the center, and the 
 advance brigade was driving the stubborn 
 enemy in front of them. As we passed near 
 where my horse had fallen under me on June 
 i, and over the ground where Company D 
 had charged the sound of the guns in the 
 distance, the cold chills ran up my back 
 as I thought of the brave boys who fell there 
 in what might be properly called the White 
 Horse charge, Company D all being mounted 
 on white horses. 
 
 At dark we had completely flanked the 
 enemy, and moved to White House Landing, 
 where Custer's division joined Sheridan, who 
 had come on the raid, but by a different route. 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 THE LAST BATTLES 
 
 A REORGANIZATION was now or- 
 dered by General Sheridan. The un- 
 serviceable horses and property were 
 condemned and turned in. My horse 
 had a saddle bruise and I was compelled to 
 part with him. Claybank was otherwise in 
 fine condition. 
 
 The plans were changed, and we moved to 
 the Army of the Potomac before the clothing 
 and the fresh horses arrived. The dismounted 
 men had to walk. There was no enemy to 
 contend with, and the march was slow and 
 easy. We proceeded to Hancock's Station on 
 the ayth of March. 
 
 On the 28th we drew horses. My mount 
 was a sorrel pony, less than fourteen hands 
 high. On the 29th we moved to the left of 
 Grant's line. The rain was falling constantly, 
 and the horses were plunging about in mud 
 and water. It was impossible to keep in the 
 column, and we had to help the supply-train 
 along, which was a discouraging task. The 
 logs that had been put in for corduroy road 
 were in many instances floating, and they were 
 an obstacle instead of a benefit. 
 
 The battle was raging within hearing dis- 
 366 
 
The Last Battles 367 
 
 tance, and the continual roar of cannon and 
 musketry added to the dreary situation. The 
 front line was lonesome without Custer, and 
 he was ordered up. We made the best time 
 possible, leaving the train to fall to any fate 
 that might overtake it. On the route we 
 passed hundreds of dead and wounded that 
 lay in the mud or sat braced up by trees. Some 
 had arms in slings and, with their clothes cut 
 open to bind up their wounds, and their faces 
 and hands besmeared with blood and powder 
 smoke, they made a pitiful-looking sight as 
 they hobbled or crawled toward the station at 
 the end of the military railroad. 
 
 After traveling two or three hours we came 
 to the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac, 
 among them the Sixth Ohio Cavalry. When 
 we passed I rode over and shook hands with 
 some of my old schoolmates. 
 
 Our journey was near an end, for the Sixth 
 was then drawing in its skirmish line in order 
 to be out of Ouster's way. We moved 
 on a half mile, and while the cavalry dis- 
 mounted, the artillery, which had been kept 
 well to the front, opened on Pickett's troops 
 at about eight hundred yards. 
 
 We charged in a mass as soon as we could 
 get together, in little or no order, driving all 
 light lines before us. Hayes, who was run- 
 ning by me, went down with the first volley 
 from the main line. I kept on firing at every 
 step until the magazine was empty, and re- 
 loaded while running. I jumped a ditch 
 
368 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 about five feet wide, when a minie ball struck 
 my left ankle. 
 
 General Custer, with his flag bearer, dashed 
 by just at that time. The horses sank to their 
 knees at every jump. After running thirty 
 steps or more I thought it best to see how bad 
 my wound was, and I went back to the ditch 
 and sat behind a stump and pulled off my 
 boot, which was full of blood. I concluded it 
 did not amount to much, and started on again. 
 I think at least one dozen balls struck the 
 stump while I was there. 
 
 When I arrived at the place from which I 
 had turned back I was well in the rear of our 
 men, who were lying flat on the brow of a 
 little rise of ground in front. A storm of lead 
 was flying, and the enemy charged and we 
 broke. The ground we had come over was 
 sloping and there was such a storm of lead I 
 thought it best to follow up the swale, for the 
 rise of ground would have a tendency to 
 carry the balls high over my head. My 
 clothes were cut in several places, however, 
 before I reached shelter. 
 
 When the enemy had arrived at the highest 
 point I was in the woods and in another bri- 
 gade, which was also falling back at will. A 
 high rail fence was in front of us, and I 
 shouted, " Here is a good place to make a 
 stand! Rally on this fence!" 
 
 A lieutenant-colonel was in front of me. 
 He drew his saber, halted, and ordered his 
 men to form there. The lead was spatting 
 
The Last Battles 369 
 
 on the trees, one of which I managed to keep 
 between the enemy and me until I could catch 
 my breath, for I was winded by my long 
 run. 
 
 When most of the men had dropped over 
 the fence I walked up, climbed over, walked 
 leisurely to the right, fell in with our regi- 
 ment, and nearly the first man I met was Cap- 
 tain Newton. He told me to tell Sergeant 
 Grist to rally the men on that ground. It 
 was now getting dark. I did not tell the Cap- 
 tain I was wounded, and when a little farther 
 back called for Sergeant Grist and was an- 
 swered, "Here!" Before I saw him I was 
 repeating the Captain's orders, and I received 
 the curt reply that he was then being carried 
 back by two men with a bullet through his 
 lung. I apologized, of course, although I had 
 committed no offence, not knowing he was 
 wounded. 
 
 The men were soon in order and they made 
 the second charge. My ankle began to feel 
 heavy, and pained me so I went with the 
 horses to the rear. During the first charge we 
 noticed something we had not seen before. 
 The work of the battery was fearful. The 
 ground in front of it sloped gently down to 
 the junction of two draws or swales, divided 
 by a point that sloped back to the right. The 
 second draw was partly hid by the point that 
 covered all of the enemy's line except the 
 right, which rested on the railroad. Every 
 time the guns were discharged the grape swept 
 
370 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 that part of the line completely away, and the 
 line would wheel into column and fill up the 
 gap just vacated, only to meet the same fate. 
 There was nothing to prevent the artillery 
 from recharging and firing, and therefore each 
 man knowingly stepped into a dead man's 
 shoes. It was an act of suicide, actuated by 
 a determined bravado to keep up an appear- 
 ance from the fact that they were experienced 
 officers, and that the men had engaged in all 
 the important battles of the war. At their 
 right there was a railroad embankment which 
 would have given them ample protection and 
 which would have enabled them to control the 
 same ground had they chosen to take refuge 
 behind it. A small detachment of sharp- 
 shooters could have compelled Ouster's artil- 
 lery to abandon its position. 
 
 When once more in the saddle I laid my 
 foot across the horse's neck, cut the top of the 
 boot away, and tied up the wound with a 
 handkerchief. In the morning, with a com- 
 panion to bring the horse back, I went to the 
 hospital at Dinwiddie Court House. So 
 many were there so much worse than I, and 
 who needed all the attention of the force of 
 surgeons and attendants, that I told them to 
 give me a pan and bandage and I could take 
 care of myself. 
 
 "That is the kind of talk we like to hear. 
 We are overrun with work," the doctor said. 
 
 By the time the wound was bandaged, they 
 brought in Captain Newton. He had been 
 
The Last Battles 371 
 
 wounded in the leg during the last charge and 
 had lain out all night between the lines. 
 
 The enemy abandoned their position during 
 the night. 
 
 About noon those able to walk to the am- 
 bulance were ordered to get in and go to 
 Hancock's Station. I had placed my overcoat 
 under Captain Newton to brace him up 
 against the wall of the court-house. My medal 
 was in the pocket, and I went away and left 
 it rather than disturb him. 
 
 My ankle was now swollen and somewhat 
 painful. I hobbled about, and we arrived at 
 the station a little before dark. The Women's 
 Relief Corps was here in force, administering 
 to the sick and wounded who were arriving 
 by thousands from all along the line, from 
 Petersburg to Dinwiddie Court House. 
 
 We were loaded into box- and flat-cars, 
 crowded to the utmost limit, and run over a 
 military railroad, a track laid on top of the 
 ground without grading, to City Point. The 
 method of braking at that time was crude, and 
 as we went up and down hill the train would 
 jerk and crash together with such force that 
 the men would slide together on the bottom 
 of the cars. 
 
 At daylight we arrived at our destination 
 and were placed in tents. The Captain was 
 brought in the next day, with his leg ampu- 
 tated, and in a dying condition. This was sad 
 news to me. He had been the central figure 
 of our company, always at his post, intelligent, 
 
372 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 reliable at all times and under all conditions, 
 patient with toil and privation, and now he 
 must die with victory in view. 
 
 The authorities were moving the men as fast 
 as they were able, and in a few days we were 
 loaded on transports and landed at Washing- 
 ton, D. C., where we were placed in Glenwood 
 Hospital. 
 
 Although I dressed my wound twice each 
 day, the doctor insisted on the amputation of 
 my foot, and only by appealing to the chief 
 surgeon was I able to save it. In a few days 
 we were shipped to Philadelphia and placed 
 in Chestnut Hill Hospital, where I remained 
 until the wound was healed. The sojourn at 
 Chestnut Hill was comfortable under the ex- 
 isting conditions. We read the daily news 
 about the closing events, and received letters 
 from men of our company who participated 
 for the remaining nine days that brought the 
 struggle to a close between the Army of the 
 Potomac and the Army of Northern Vir- 
 ginia. With letters from home with small 
 remittances, and calls from relatives and 
 friends from the city, the time passed off 
 pleasantly until after the grand review, in 
 which the Second Ohio marched with their 
 old division and went into camp near Alex- 
 andria, expecting to be mustered out of serv- 
 ice soon. That news made me anxious to go, 
 and in the month of June, 1865, I made appli- 
 cation to be released and was booked to go 
 with the first squad. When everything was 
 
The Last Battles 373 
 
 ready they placed an armed guard around us 
 with fixed bayonets, marched us into cars, 
 locked the doors, and stationed a guard on 
 each platform. 
 
 When we arrived in the city we were 
 marched to a large building with grated iron 
 doors and windows, and locked in. It being 
 the first time I was a real prisoner it made me 
 feel as if there should be some way to escape, 
 and I applied for leave to visit my friends in 
 the city, but was promptly refused, although 
 I promised to be on time for the train that 
 would depart in the evening. 
 
 The same treatment was continued, and on 
 our arrival at Washington, D. C., we were 
 turned into a large detention building with 
 iron gratings near the B. &. O. Depot. There 
 we were kept during the night without a 
 blanket, being compelled to lie down on the 
 filthy floor, which looked as if it had never 
 been cleaned and which was alive with ver- 
 min. We were without one mouthful to 
 eat, and only river water to drink, of which 
 there was an abundance to be procured at a 
 hydrant placed there for that purpose. 
 
 This treatment caused me to feel bitter 
 toward the perpetrators of such a crime. On 
 inquiry as to the cause of the treatment, some 
 officers would walk away without answering, 
 while others would reply, " To keep you 
 from getting away." The snobbishness of the 
 officers caused me to regret that I had ever 
 taken up arms to tear down one set of aristo- 
 
374 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 crats who domineered over the blacks, to 
 build another class to domineer over the 
 whites, which might be regarded as a forecast 
 of the political future of the Republic. The 
 same method of treatment was continued for 
 several hours after our arrival at Alexandria. 
 When we arrived in Alexandria we learned 
 that the regiment, having been dismounted, 
 was then in St. Louis, Missouri. 
 
 A small squad of the Second Ohio men 
 having reported at Alexandria from various 
 hospitals, we were released and permitted to 
 go to quarters with them, and forwarded to 
 the regiment. 
 
 On our arrival in St. Louis we learned that 
 an effort had been made to take the regiment 
 with Hunter's expedition up the Red River 
 for the purpose of seizing contraband cotton. 
 The war having terminated, the men consid- 
 ered their contract fulfilled, and raised a pro- 
 test, the result of which was a riot that drove 
 Colonel Nettleton from the regiment and 
 landed the men in Benton Barracks, Missouri, 
 where we joined them. 
 
CHAPTER XXIX 
 
 MUSTERED OUT 
 
 ON the first day of July the regiment 
 was marched to the depot and sent on 
 cars to Raleigh, the terminus of the 
 railroad then being built to Spring- 
 field, Missouri. After marching on foot for 
 two days, we went into camp and lay over the 
 4th. There was no demonstration to denote 
 that it was Independence Day except the halt 
 to rest. 
 
 On our arrival at Springfield we pitched 
 camp in a pleasant open grove. There was no 
 apparent reason for this movement, and when 
 those who should know were approached with 
 the question, they would reply that there was 
 an unsettled condition somewhere in the South 
 but that they did not know exactly where. 
 The reply only intensified the already exas- 
 perated questioner, who could reach no other 
 conclusion than that it was to raise the grade 
 of the officers, many of whom had filched what 
 they already had. The former worthy officers 
 having been killed, wounded, or having re- 
 signed on account of bad treatment, the record 
 of the regiment began to change after leaving 
 Washington, as the men considered their con- 
 
 375 
 
376 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 tract fulfilled and claimed the right to go 
 home. 
 
 The mud-and-water class of officers now be- 
 ing in control, and the arch conspirator hav- 
 ing gone to gloat over his ill-gotten gains, the 
 true soldier burned with indignation when 
 put off with evasive answers. So, taking into 
 consideration the reward given for faithful 
 duty, they threw off all responsibility and did 
 not pretend to do anything as it should be 
 done. 
 
 When horses and equipments were issued 
 the regiment separated by battalions, the one 
 to which Company E belonged remaining at 
 Springfield to do duty at that place. The last 
 horse assigned me, and the seventeenth one 
 ridden in the regular line of mount, was an 
 iron-gray, well built, and sixteen hands 
 high. 
 
 Before leaving this place, I was informed 
 of two things of importance to me. One day 
 G. A. Richardson of Company A came into 
 our quarters and told me that he had the re- 
 volver I had taken from the officer in the en- 
 gagement at Ashland. He was with the ad- 
 vance of the dismounted line that moved out 
 and took possession of our original line. He 
 was the first to the dead horse, and picked the 
 revolver up from in front of the saddle where 
 it fell when he went down. He asked me if 
 I would know it, and I replied that it was 
 different from any I had ever seen, the cylin- 
 der being fluted. He said it was, and pro- 
 
Mustered Out 377 
 
 duced it. He offered it to me, but, as he had 
 come into possession of it by fair means, his 
 offer was refused. At another time, a man 
 from Company B, whom I was not acquainted 
 with, said, " You thought you shot that man 
 at Waynesboro." I told him that I thought 
 so. He said, " You did not shoot him; you 
 fired and the man fell, but you missed him. 
 Polhemus was to the right and rear of you 
 and his shot brought the man down." 
 
 This news was thankfully received, for I 
 had no inclination to retain the thought of hav- 
 ing been directly the cause of any man's death 
 or misery. As this claim was made for the 
 man that had the reputation of being the best 
 long-range marksman in the regiment, I will- 
 ingly waived my judgment in the case. 
 
 Headquarters and quartermaster and com- 
 missary stores were in town. The guards were 
 detailed with a sergeant in command, who 
 marched to town and remained for three days. 
 This duty, as sergeant of the guard, fell to my 
 lot several times during our stay. The county 
 jail and the stockade for military prisoners 
 were entrusted to us and, under the conditions 
 and with the frame of mind the men were in, 
 the way we performed the duty would be no 
 credit to our record, so I will omit it. 
 
 Only two incidents occurred while we were 
 here that are worthy of note. One was the 
 killing of a man by the name of Tutt by Bill 
 Hickok, better known as Wild Bill. They 
 fell out over a game of cards and separated. 
 
378 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 The next time they met, both drew and fired 
 about the same time, and Tutt fell dead. 
 
 They were companion scouts, and were as- 
 signed to duty at Springfield, where Tutt's 
 mother lived. Bill was placed in jail and the 
 sheriff told me to take him out when he wanted 
 to go, as he had no authority to do so himself. 
 
 When on duty we walked about together, 
 and he told me the adventures of his life, 
 which were substantially the same as quoted 
 in the book entitled " The Life of Wild Bill." 
 
 He was acquitted by a jury, afterward, and 
 went to Kansas. 
 
 Time wore away slowly, and repeated ef- 
 forts failed to get the proper influence to bear 
 on the Governor of Ohio to order the regiment 
 home to be mustered out of service. Assured 
 by letters from the other battalions that they 
 would support us in any stringent measures we 
 might employ, we held a council and elected 
 delegates to wait on the Colonel. 
 
 The delegates elected at the meeting 
 previously spoken of chose a spokesman, 
 marched to headquarters, and talked with 
 Colonel Seward, who told them they were get- 
 ting themselves into trouble; but he was 
 promptly warned by the spokesman that we 
 would be in the saddle at sunrise the next 
 morning and would march to the railroad, and 
 that if he made a protest he would not follow 
 us but would remain to decorate a shade tree 
 in Springfield. He suddenly came to terms, 
 and offered to bring in the other battalions 
 
Mustered Out 379 
 
 and march one week from the next morn- 
 ing. 
 
 The delegation reported the result of their 
 mission, and we accepted the terms. One 
 week found us on our way to St. Louis, where 
 we went into quarters at Benton Barracks. We 
 turned in our horses, arms, and equipments, 
 and were mustered out of service September 
 n, 1865. 
 
 We went to Columbus, Ohio, where we 
 were paid off and disbanded. 
 
 At the completion of the Second Ohio's 
 regimental organization, October 10, 1861, it 
 mustered, according to its daily report, 1,177 
 men. This enrollment was subsequently 
 swollen to a total of 1,240 men. The official 
 roster, published at Columbus, shows that by 
 casualties, deaths, transfers, promotions, etc., 
 2,504 names were, during its time of service, 
 carried on its rolls, and that when finally mus- 
 tered out, September n, 1865, it numbered 
 757, almost 200 of whom were recruits of less 
 than six months' service; showing an actual 
 loss from all causes, during its term of service, 
 of 1,749 men j or 561 more than the whole 
 number enrolled within its ranks October 10, 
 1861. 
 
 It is stated in the " History of Ohio in the 
 War," that the Second Ohio fought under the 
 following general officers: Buell, Wright, 
 Hunter, Denver, Sturges, Blunt, Soloman, 
 Curtis, Schofield, Burnside, Custer, Gillmore, 
 Shackelford, Foster, Kautz, Sedgwick, Wil- 
 
380 Four Years 'with Five Armies 
 
 son, Mclntosh, Talbot, Carter, Sheridan, 
 Meade and Grant. 
 
 Its horses drank from, and the troopers have 
 bathed in, the waters of the Arkansas, Caw, 
 Osage, Cygene, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, 
 Scioto, Miami, Cumberland, Tennessee, Hols- 
 ton, Potomac, Shenandoah, Rappahannock, 
 Rapidan, Bull Run, Mattaponi, Pamunkey, 
 Chickahominy, James, Appomattox, Black 
 Water, Nottoway, and Chesapeake. 
 
 It has campaigned in thirteen States and one 
 Territory: Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Illi- 
 nois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, 
 Georgia, Alabama, West Virginia, Maryland, 
 Virginia, and Indian Territory. 
 
 It has traveled, as a regiment, on foot and on 
 horseback, by railroad and steamboat, on land, 
 by river, and on the ocean. It has marched an 
 aggregate of twenty-seven thousand miles. It 
 has fought in ninety-seven battles and engage- 
 ments. It has served in five different armies: 
 The Army of the Frontier, of the Missouri, 
 of the Potomac, of Ohio, and of the Shenan- 
 doah, forming a continuous line of armies 
 from the headwaters of the Arkansas to the 
 mouth of the James. 
 
 Its dead sleep where they fell from a vidette 
 line half across the continent, a chain of pros- 
 trate sentinels two thousand miles long. 
 
 Even in their graves may not their prostrate 
 dead still guard the glory and integrity of the 
 Republic for which they fell? 
 
CHAPTER XXX 
 
 POLITICAL AND MILITARY EFFECT OF 
 MORGAN'S RAID 
 
 THE advent of the Morgan raid in 
 July, 1863, although eclipsed by the 
 extensive military movements of the 
 armies of the Potomac and the Miss- 
 issippi, was very important as to its final 
 result. It silenced the clamor for the recog- 
 nition of State's rights by the pretender, 
 distributed the intelligence of the inferior 
 resources of the South, and compelled them 
 to abandon all hope of substantial assistance 
 from the North. 
 
 It was a complete destruction of the right 
 arm of Bragg's army, a succession of strategic 
 movements, an extreme test of the endurance 
 of man and beast. Its development enabled 
 the Army of the Ohio to cross the Cumberland 
 range, and to seize and maintain a stronghold 
 in the heart of the enemy's country. It re- 
 sulted in the assignment of competent officers 
 to the cavalry bureau, whose recommendations 
 placed that branch of the service in its proper 
 standing, which is sufficiently attested by of- 
 ficial records, and by the history of General 
 R. E. Lee, who frequently refers to the ef- 
 
 381 
 
382 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 ficiency of Sheridan's cavalry in the closing 
 days of the dying struggle. 
 
 Among the pioneers of this adventure was 
 Colonel, afterward General, A. V. Kautz, a 
 soldier by nature and education, a philoso- 
 pher, a man who solved a problem at a glance, 
 a man of indomitable courage, loyal to his 
 country, and proud of his profession. Lim- 
 ited to an unimportant command, a great mili- 
 tary genius was buried in obscurity for the 
 want of an opportunity. 
 
CHAPTER XXXI 
 THE ARMY HORSE 
 
 IT has been asserted that the horse has no 
 reasoning powers, and lacks discretion; 
 but my experience teaches me that he is 
 in possession of both, and in many cases 
 to a marked degree. There are some very 
 dull horses and an occasional desperado that 
 has to be subjugated ; a process which usually 
 breaks his constitution to an extent that ren- 
 ders him worthless. 
 
 Like men, the average and superior horse 
 soon learns the trumpet calls, is at home with 
 his associates, and adapts himself to the vicis- 
 situdes of army life. He apparently under- 
 stands if he is to make a long journey or a 
 short dash, and gauges his actions accordingly. 
 Stationed on the vidette line in a lonesome 
 place on a dark night, he feels his position 
 keenly, and will express his gratitude at relief 
 as much as his rider. He is a good sentinel; 
 and by watching his ears closely one will 
 never be deceived by an unexpected approach. 
 He never steps on a dead, wounded, or 
 sleeping trooper, although he may pass di- 
 rectly over him. When on a rapid retreat, 
 though hungry, thirsty, and tired, he will 
 exert every energy to keep up with the throng. 
 In battle he partakes of the hopes and fears 
 
 383 
 
384 Four Years with Five Armies 
 
 incidental to the occasion. On the skirmish 
 line he will mope back and forth, with his 
 head hanging down and ears lopped, is if very 
 tired. At the sound of the trumpet he will 
 move rapidly to the front or rear at the will 
 of the trooper. When heavy battles are rag- 
 ing, if standing in line, he becomes nervous 
 with the suspense, and will tremble and sweat 
 and grow apprehensive. At any sound that 
 indicates a move, the rider can feel him work- 
 ing the bit with his tongue. As he moves out 
 he seeks to go faster, and when restrained 
 shows his disapproval by feigning to bolt. 
 He will then grasp the bit afresh, and dash 
 ahead as if to brave the worst and have it over 
 as quickly as possible. 
 
 A horse's actions when wounded depend on 
 the nature of the wound. If shot through 
 the lungs, he will cough one hard choking 
 cough, the blood flowing out of his mouth and 
 nostrils. He will mope away for a short dis- 
 tance and stand with head down. If the 
 wound is a painful one, such as a broken leg, 
 he will utter one piercing shriek or hysterical 
 scream that resembles the cry of the wild 
 panther, and that causes a shudder to run 
 through the frame of the bravest soldier. If 
 a ball passes through his heart, he will make 
 ten or twelve leaps with even more vigor than 
 at any time during health, and then fall heav- 
 ily, being dead before falling. If shot through 
 the brain all support is gone, and he falls a 
 dead weight, and straightens out without 
 another move. 
 
THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ 
 
 This book is due on the last DATE stamped below. 
 
 ve- ' 
 
 6 ,76 
 AUG 1 7 1981 RECD 
 
 50m-6,'67(H2523s8)2373 
 
E601.G27 
 
 3 2106 00061 1548