LIBERTY AT LAST.
On the second day out from the stockade, and before reaching Marshall,
we came to a house where a farmer was offering to trade for blankets.
Mine was on a horse at the head of the procession, but I had a ten-cent
"shinplaster," with which I bought some biscuits of the man. He had two
loads of blankets piled up close by, which he had already secured by
trading, and he had some wine in bottles for further use.
I was very anxious to possess some of that wine, and I hustled around
among the prisoners and borrowed a blanket from a young fellow who was
willing to take my word that I would return it or give him mine when we
caught up with the leaders of our band. I secured three bottles of wine
for the blanket, and we had some refreshments, eating the biscuits and
drinking the wine until there was no more left.
As we hurried on to catch up I saw a pile of blankets near the fence,
and I at once returned the boy's blanket to him in the shape of a better
one, taken from this pile.
The next morning I gave myself permission to leave the rest of the
outfit and forage on ahead, which I kept up till we reached Four Mile
Springs, where I arrived thirty-six hours ahead of the main body.
Here I found a lot of Smith's men who had deserted, and who were red hot
for Sherman to call for troops to go to Mexico for the purpose of
clearing out Maximilian, who was just then usurping authority. These men
were not nursing resentment against their opponents in our war, but
would have hailed with joy any enterprise in which Federals and
Confederates could stand shoulder to shoulder, for, as they expressed
it, "the combination would sweep the earth."
Going on to Shreveport, I found everything in a chaotic condition. There
were batteries without horses, officers without men, and most of the
stores had been looted by the departing troops.
We were two days about town, awaiting transportation, and saw that every
horse that came within range was confiscated by soldiers, even to
stopping wood wagons in the road and taking the animals away from them,
the soldiers then leaving for home.
There was much expectation of seeing some of the Union fleet come up the
river as transports, but they did not put in an appearance, and the
citizens of the town were nearly frantic in consequence, on account of
the plundering that was being done. During a conversation with several
gentlemen, who were eager to ascertain what was known of the possible
coming of the fleet, they told me that only the coming of the Federal
army could save them from total financial ruin. The actions of these men
were in accordance with their words, and, apparently, they voiced the
sentiments of the entire business community.
The Confederate soldiers, realizing that the war was practically over,
and being in need of nearly everything, made no apologies for the
liberties taken, but, on the principle that "might makes right,"
appropriated everything in sight that was likely to be of use to them in
solving the problem of how to live after peace had been declared. The
situation, while full of excitement for all, had its amusing aspect, and
I thought of it as another illustration of the fact that "those who
dance must pay the fiddler."
Early in our march from the stockade I had had my sympathy greatly
excited by the increasing illness of one of the sick men. His birthplace
and residence had been in Pennsylvania, but he had gone over the State
line and enlisted in the 3d Maryland. He had been sick for some time
previous to our departure from the stockade, and had grown rapidly worse
while on the road, despite the stimulation of being on his way to home
and friends. He had been so brave and cheerful, notwithstanding his
youthful age of only eighteen years, that I had become much interested
in him. While prostrated on his bed of cotton, he had talked to me of
his home and mother, and had spoken bravely of his chances of dying.
With a bright look on his face, he had said:
"I may pull through, Captain, and I may not; but I won't give up till I
have to, for mother needs me; only I want you to let her know if
anything happens."
I had done what I could for the boy, and on several occasion had gotten
him milk and other things. He had given me his mother's name and
address, but the absence of writing material at the time had prevented
the making of other than a mental memorandum, and the necessity for a
better record had been overlooked in the confusion and excitement of the
trip. When the main body of our command caught up with me at Shreveport
I was shocked to learn that he was dead. I had had doubts as to his
living to get home, but so early a death was a surprise and shock, which
latter was turned to self-reproach and sorrow when I found that I could
not recollect the name and address given to me.
Fifteen years afterward, during which time I frequently tried in vain to
recollect the data necessary to identify him, the name, address and
other knowledge suddenly came to me one day when I was not thinking
about it. At once I sat down and wrote to the mother, and in due time
received a beautiful letter in reply. My letter was the first word she
had received of the boy since he had last written to her in good health
and spirits, except that the books of his company bore his name, with an
"absent without leave" score against it. I recollected that he had told
me of his having slipped off to forage a little on his own account at
the time of his capture. Making an affidavit of the facts as I knew
them, I sent it to her, and the pension which she could not get upon the
records as they stood was promptly allowed her on the affidavit
furnished.
After waiting for the Federal transports until tired, our guards placed
us on a couple of rebel boats, and we started down the river for the
Yankee fleet.
I was on the boat with Colonel Samansky, a Pole. He had been an officer
in his own country, had enlisted in the Confederate army, and had gained
the rank of Colonel. He lived in Texas and expected to remain there.
When he asked me how I had been treated, the only complaint that I could
consistently make against those having me in charge was that I had not
been exchanged with my regiment. I claimed to him that I had been of
more service to the Union as a prisoner than I could have been if I had
remained in the service, as I had kept, on an average, two men busy
watching me ever since I had been captured. I showed him some samples of
my work as exchange commissioner, and purposely magnified the matter. He
only laughed and complimented me upon my enterprise, he being the rebel
exchange commissioner.
At the mouth of the Red River we met some Federal boats coming up with
prisoners. While exchanging boats, all who desired it had a chance to
take a swim, and a number of us enjoyed the luxury. Possibly 500 men
were in the water at one time.
One notable feature of this occasion was the fact remarked by everyone
that you could tell a Yankee from a rebel as far as you could see him,
even without his clothes. The reason for this was that our confinement
in the open air had caused us to be burned brown by the sun, even
through our clothing, while the rebels were white from confinement
within walls.
We were taken down to New Orleans and housed there ten days in a cotton
press, arriving on Sunday afternoon in our prison garb. We were a rather
hard-looking crowd, but never was there a happier one.
The boys in New Orleans knew that we were coming, and Capt. S. H.
Harper, formerly a sergeant in my company, hunted me up and took me home
with him. He was there on a detail, and was delighted to see me. I was
fed on the best he had, and arrayed in a spare uniform of his. When I
went back to the cotton press the boys did not know me.
From the time of my capture to that of my arrival in New Orleans I had
only once been able to get word through to my wife, and I wrote to her
as soon as I had a chance to do so after reaching that place. My first
knowledge of her, after my capture, was acquired through Captain Harper,
who told me that she was well when he had heard from home the last time,
and also told me that she had heard of me through an escaped prisoner.
All the officers crowded about the paymaster's office in New Orleans,
trying to get some money, and he had quite a time with them, as, while
he believed what they told him of themselves, he could pay out no money
until some person known to him would vouch for the recipient.
Captain Harper satisfactorily identified me to the paymaster, and I drew
two months' pay. A proper voucher was now easily secured by as many of
the officers as were personally known to me, and all such received a
like amount.
While in New Orleans I met Honeycut on the street. I had left him in the
Washington guardhouse, confined as a spy. We spent the day together, and
I learned his later story, as follows:
"Two days after you left they started me off south alone, giving me
orders to report to Kirby Smith, but it didn't take me long to discover
that they had a spy on my track. When I reached Smith's headquarters and
told my story they allowed me to go on to Matamoras, but somebody would
overtake me every day and try to pump me. I bluffed 'em all off, and
kept on my way in a natural manner, getting through all right, but I
didn't lose any time, after I once got clear, in getting here by water
to report.
"Had a funny little experience on the way; worth telling. A woman I
know, up in Ohio, gave me the address of her brother in Texas before I
left, in case I got down that way. I hunted him up on my way down, and
told him a fairy story about my being the woman's husband and her being
in Matamoras, bringing in what I told you in Washington and spinning him
a long yarn about my treatment while trying to join my wife. Guess he
believed me--looked like it, anyhow, for he treated me royally and let
me have two hundred and fifty in gold."
When we left New Orleans we were put on a boat and started up the river
for Benton Barracks, St. Louis. When we landed at the mouth of White
river we were allowed to go on shore for an hour or two, and I then
learned that my regiment was up the river at Duval's Bluffs. I did not
go on board again, and the boat left without me.
After spending two days among the mosquitoes of that region I at last
secured transportation and started up the river to join my regiment. We
had to be convoyed by a gunboat.
When I reached Duval's Bluffs my company was doing guard duty. I found
all hands and had a great reception, learning all the home news. This
was the first positive information of a recent date, about home
matters, received by me since my capture.
After spending three or four days with the boys, I went home, and my
wife and myself renewed our acquaintance.
She had heard of me through an escaped prisoner, who had reported me as
being in the stockade, but she had received no other information
concerning me until the boys had gotten home after the exchange. My
letter from New Orleans had been a very welcome missive.
My friends at home flocked to see me, and I was kept busy telling my
story.
Having gone through it all, I was disposed to drop the hardships from
the story, except when questioned, and to treat the thing as a huge
picnic. My natural disposition being to see the bright side only, the
hardships of which I had to tell were made to have another aspect than
the usual one presented of prison life. As a consequence of this fact,
my story differed considerably from that of a number who had been
prisoners with me.
Friends would come to me and hear my story, frequently saying:
"My! Swiggett, you do not seem to have had such a bad time of it. The
others tell such horrible stories that it is a relief to hear yours; and
yet you were in the same prison. How is it?"
I replied in such cases that most of my time as a prisoner had been
spent outside of the stockade, in one way or another, and that, aside
from the monotony and the separation from family, we did not see much
more hardship than comes in the every-day life of lots of people out of
prison, and that there was a bright side to it all.
"But you don't damn the rebels, Swiggett, like the others," they would
say, to which I would reply that the rebels had treated me as well as
they could under the circumstances, and that when people did the best
they could they should not be damned for what they failed to do,
especially as prison life was necessarily a hardship at its best.
There were cases of personal ill-treatment which came under my notice,
but they were the great exceptions, and, as a rule, the rebels of my
acquaintance did for their prisoners all that was possible with the
means in their power, and treated them as well as prisoners could expect
to be treated.
It may be of interest to the reader to learn that all the men who were
my companions in escape are still living, except Capt. J. B. Gedney and
Adjt. Stephen K. Mahon.
The rebels did not treat us as well as we might have been treated, as it
was possible for Jeff Davis to have invited us to Richmond, arrayed us
in his Sunday clothes, fed us at his own table and confined us in his
front parlor. It may have been only an oversight that he did not do so,
but it was not expected, and we harbored no ill-feelings because of the
neglect. On the other hand, we were not treated as badly as we might
have been, inasmuch as we were not deprived of companionship, and, as a
rule, were allowed to sleep when we pleased, to rest as much as we
desired, to be late for dinner if we wished, and to eat in our shirt
sleeves without protest. Many a man is deprived of these privileges in
his own home, and I have eaten food of a less nourishing character than
that given us by the rebels, even at the table of a newly-married
couple, where perfect bliss should reign supreme.
The war is over. Our foes had neither our resources nor our advantages
in its prosecution, and many things that were easy for us were
impossible for them. Abuse of authority is not a trait of man, but of
men, and those who are indirectly responsible should not be too harshly
censured for what they cannot altogether control. Incidents by the
thousand of heroic, heart-touching actions performed for humanity's sake
during our war by those on one side for those on the other reflect as
much credit upon rebels as upon Yankees, and I have always felt that, on
the whole, our antagonists did the best they could for their prisoners.
THE END.
APPENDIX.
Brief Sketches of my Companions.
FRANCIS MARION DRAKE, GOVERNOR OF IOWA.
The parents of Governor Drake were John Adams Drake and Mrs. Harriet
O'Neil Drake. They were natives of the Old North State; removed to
Rushville, Ill., where the son, Francis Marion, was born December 30,
1830. From Rushville they removed to Fort Madison, Iowa, in the fall of
1837. The father was a merchant in Illinois, but served as judge of
probate of Lee county, Iowa, when a resident of Fort Madison, until the
spring of 1846. He then removed to Davis county, Iowa, and founded the
village of Drakeville. Francis Marion received his early education in
the common schools, and also acquired a knowledge of law.
When the gold excitement in California was at its height he crossed the
plains in 1852 with ox-teams, and again in 1854 with a drove of cattle.
On the first trip across, his company of sixteen men had a severe
engagement with the Pawnees at Shell Creek, Neb., in which they
encountered about 300 Indians, who were defeated with heavy loss and
driven across the Platte river. On his return from California, October
1, 1854, he was a passenger on the ill-fated steamer "Yankee Blade,"
which was wrecked and totally lost, and he was picked up five days later
on a barren coast which he had succeeded in reaching.
He had been successful in his California ventures, and on the 1st of
January, 1855, entered the mercantile business with his father, and
brother, J. H. Drake, under the firm name of Drake & Sons, at
Drakeville. In June, 1861, he enlisted as a private in the volunteer
service of the United States and served until the close of the war,
being promoted to captain, major, lieutenant-colonel and from
lieutenant-colonel to the rank of brigadier-general by brevet. He was in
many severe engagements, in one of which he was seriously, at first
thought mortally, wounded, and from which wound he has never entirely
recovered. His record for bravery and efficiency was universally
commended by his superior officers, and his military career is one of
which he may well be proud.
On resuming civil life, General Drake engaged in the practice of law, in
which he was eminently successful, for a period of three years, when he
entered the railroad business, organizing and building what is now known
as the Keokuk & Western Railroad. He resumed his law practice for
another period of three years, associated with Gen. A. J. Baker, who
became attorney-general of the State, when he again entered upon the
railroad business, and has organized and built by his own efforts over
400 miles of railroad, a large part of which he still controls, being
president of the Indiana, Illinois & Iowa, Albia & Centerville and
director in the Iowa Central and Keokuk & Western railroads. He has also
been successful as a banker, and is president of the Centerville
National Bank.
His material interests have not prevented him from taking an active
interest in educational matters and missionary work. He is president of
the board of trustees of Drake University, at Des Moines, named after
him, on account of his great liberality to that institution in its
building and endowment. He has also been a contributor to many other
educational institutions.
In 1895 he accepted the nomination of the republican party for Governor
of the State of Iowa, and was elected by a large majority, having
received the largest vote ever given for a candidate for Governor of the
State.
On the 24th of December, 1855, he was married to Mary Jane Lord, who
died on the 22d day of June, 1883. He has six children, four daughters
and two sons. The daughters are Amelia, Jennie, Eva, and Mary Lord; the
sons, Frank Ellsworth and John Adams.
Amelia is the wife of T. P. Shonts, of Chicago, general manager of the
Indiana, Illinois & Iowa Railroad; Jennie is the wife of Dr. J. L.
Sawyers, of Centerville, Iowa; Eva is the wife of Henry Goss, wholesale
and retail boot and shoe merchant, of Centerville, Iowa; Mary Lord is
the wife of George W. Sturdivant, banker, at Moravia, Iowa. Frank
Ellsworth is president of the Centerville Block Coal Co., of
Centerville, Iowa; John Adams is secretary and treasurer of the Indiana,
Illinois & Iowa Railroad Co., of Chicago.
Governor Drake's photograph is inserted opposite page 18.
CAPTAIN THOMAS M. FEE.
Thomas Milton Fee was born at Feesburg, Brown county, Ohio, on April 18,
1839. His father was Thomas J. Fee, who was of English ancestry and a
native of Virginia, and his mother's maiden name was Sarah Hastings, she
being of Irish descent and born in Pennsylvania. His father laid out the
town of Feesburg.
The son began an independent career at the age of nineteen, by finding
occupation as a school-teacher. In a short time he went to Ottumwa,
Iowa, and began to read law. Early in 1862 he was admitted to the bar,
and the following spring he located in Centerville, Iowa, and began the
practice of his profession. For two years, while reading law, he was
principal of city schools at Ottumwa.
In August, 1862, he enlisted as a private in Company G of the 36th Iowa
Infantry, and in October was the choice of his company for captain,
receiving his commission from Governor Stone. He served with his command
until captured at Marks' Mills with the writer and the rest of the
brigade, and was a prisoner at Tyler, Texas, for ten months, except
while absent without leave. After his exchange he was on detached
service; first as Assistant Inspector-General of the Trans-Mississippi
Department, and afterwards as Inspector of the Seventh Army Corps. When
discharged at the close of the war he returned to Centerville, Iowa, and
permanently entered upon the practice of law. In 1874 he was elected
District Attorney of the Second Judicial District of Iowa for the term
of four years, and Judge of the same district. He is a married man, and
has five living children, three sons and two daughters. His photograph
is inserted opposite page 89.
CAPTAIN B. F. MILLER.
B. F. Miller was born in Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland county,
Pennsylvania, on October 2, 1832, of native parents, but of English and
Scotch descent, his father being Benjamin Miller, and his mother's
maiden name being Martha Hemphill. His business was farming until four
years before the war, when he went west, spending two years of the four
in the Rocky Mountains.
Coming east again, he enlisted at Wooster, Ohio, in Company D of the
120th Ohio Infantry, and served as private, sergeant, first lieutenant
and captain. He was captured on May 3, 1864, at Shaggy Point, on the Red
River, in Louisiana, and was imprisoned at Camp Ford, Texas, except
during the attempt to escape, until exchanged on June 1, 1865. He was
mustered out at Columbus, Ohio, on June 30, 1865.
On September 26, 1865, he married Julia A., sister of L. S. Baumgardner,
of Toledo, Ohio, and farmed in that State until about three years ago,
when rheumatic afflictions caused his cessation of active work. He then
moved to Wooster, Ohio, where he now lives with his family, having but
one child, a daughter. It is unnecessary to say more of Captain Miller,
as he is mentioned frequently elsewhere. His photograph is inserted
opposite page 167.
CAPTAIN J. P. RUMMEL.
J. P. Rummel was born in Worthington township, Richfield county, Ohio,
on February 7, 1840, and worked in the blacksmith shop of his father
until he was eighteen years of age. He was the son of Peter and Susanna
Rummel. Qualifying as a teacher, he began work as such in a district
school, and was so engaged when the first call was made for troops to
put down the rebellion.
He enlisted as a private in Company I of the 16th Ohio Infantry, was in
the first two engagements in Western Virginia, and was regularly
discharged on August 18 of the same year. He re-enlisted on August 4,
1862, in Company B of the 120th Ohio Infantry, and became a second
lieutenant before leaving camp. After the engagements at Chickasaw Bayou
and Arkansas Post he was promoted to a captaincy on March 14, 1863, and
was with his regiment in the campaign of Vicksburg and in part of the
Red River campaign, being captured in December, 1864, while en route up
the river with an expedition to reinforce General Banks at Alexandria.
He was sent to Camp Ford, Texas, for imprisonment, escaped with the
writer, as described elsewhere, was taken sick at Shreveport, La., after
being recaptured, and remained there until the close of the war, being
finally discharged from the army on June 29, 1865.
On his return home he became a clerk in a hardware store, and continued
at this occupation for about a year and a half, during which time he
married Miss Eva R. Redrup, of Mansfield, Ohio. In 1867 he engaged in
business for himself in Mansfield, and is now the principal proprietor
of a manufacturing establishment there. He has four living children. His
photograph is inserted opposite page 115.
ADJUTANT S. K. MAHON.
Stephen Keith Mahon was born in Ireland on June 30, 1838. He was the son
of John and Sarah Mahon, and his father was a gentleman farmer and
merchant in the old country. The family came to the United States in
1849, living in Green County, Ohio, for five years, and then moving to
Ottumwa, Iowa. At the outbreak of the war Stephen was employed in a
general store at Blakesburg, Iowa.
He enlisted when the 36th Iowa Infantry was organized, was appointed
sergeant-major at the staff organization, and was commissioned adjutant
in August, 1863, in which capacity he served until mustered out at the
close of the war. He participated in all the skirmishes and battles of
his regiment up to the time of his capture with the writer at Marks'
Mills, having been breveted captain for gallantry in the battle of
Helena, Ark. His unsuccessful attempt to escape with the writer is
elsewhere recorded, and he remained a prisoner at Camp Ford until
regularly exchanged about the close of the war.
In February, 1866, he received a second lieutenant's commission in the
regular army, and was assigned to the 11th U. S. Infantry. In July, 1866,
he was promoted, and again in July, 1882, becoming a captain in the 16th
Infantry at the latter date. His services in Virginia, Mississippi and
Louisiana during the reconstruction period were highly creditable, and
he was at one time ordered by President Grant to Washington for personal
interview on reconstruction matters in Mississippi.
The hardships of prison life sowed the seeds of the disease which caused
his death, and in August, 1879, he was compelled to go home from Fort
Sill, Indian Territory, on a sick leave, which was extended until he was
placed as captain on the retired list of the army in 1883. He was a
great sufferer from the time of his sick leave until his death, which
occurred at his home on January 11, 1885. Even at the last he loved to
hear again and talk of the old stories of the camp.
Our adjutant never married. He was a brother of Maj. Samuel Mahon, of
Ottumwa, Iowa; Capt. William Mahon, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Mrs. Col.
C. W. Kittredge, of Trinidad, Col. Another sister lives in Ottumwa.
Adjutant Mahon was a high-minded, honorable gentleman and a true friend.
His picture is inserted opposite page 69.
CAPTAIN CHARLES BURNBAUM.
Charles Burnbaum was born in Lockport, Ohio, on February 16, 1834, of
German parentage, his father having emigrated in 1824 and later married
a German lady in Ohio. Young Burnbaum started out for himself at the age
of sixteen, and learned the trade of harness-making at New Philadelphia,
Ohio. Later he moved to Eddyville, Iowa, where he engaged in
merchandising until the time of his enlistment in the army.
In 1862 he became a member of Company D of the 36th Iowa Infantry, and
was elected lieutenant. He participated in all the marches and
engagements of his company and his regiment until the time of his
capture with the writer at Marks' Mills, Arkansas, in 1864, and was a
prisoner at Camp Ford, Texas, except during the attempt to escape, until
regularly exchanged about the close of the war. He was made captain on
his return to his company.
After being mustered out in 1865 he located in Marshalltown, Iowa, and a
few years later moved to Chicago, becoming a commercial traveler. He
afterwards engaged in the hardware business at Milan, Mo., and in 1878
he married Miss Kate Gilmore. His present residence is Hot Springs,
Ark., where he is successfully engaged in the wholesale grocery
business. His photograph is inserted opposite page 94.
CAPTAIN JAMES B. GEDNEY.
James B. Gedney was born in Dearborn county, Indiana, on December 10,
1825. In 1838 he removed to Lee county, Iowa, and there, in 1848, he
married Miss Sarah Linch. Five years later he removed to Appanoose
county, Iowa, and became one of its foremost citizens in every
enterprise for the good of the community, being one of the first
settlers in that section. In 1859, during the gold excitement, he made a
brief trip across the plains to what was then known as "the Pike's Peak
country."
In 1862 he enlisted as a private, was elected captain, and he and his
comrades were assigned as Company I of the 36th Iowa Infantry. He
participated with his command in all its campaigns and engagements until
captured with the writer at Marks' Mills, and remained a prisoner at
Tyler, Texas, except during the attempt to escape, until regularly
exchanged about the close of the war.
On his return home after the war he again took up farming in Appanoose
county, keeping at this until 1890, when he bought property in
Centerville, the county-seat, and became a resident of that town.
Captain Gedney held many positions of honor and trust, serving five
years on the board of county supervisors and six years as president of
his county's agricultural association, besides having the confidence of
his neighbors in other ways.
The disease which caused his death was contracted in the army, and on
July 27, 1893, he died at the age of sixty-eight years, honored and
loved by all who knew him. His memory will live long in the hearts of
his comrades, because of the soldierly and manly qualities that endeared
him to all his associates. His photograph is inserted opposite page 79.
LIEUTENANT WALTER S. JOHNSON.
Walter S. Johnson was born in Union county, Indiana, near Liberty, on
May 24, 1835. His ancestors were orthodox Quakers, and were early
settlers near Lynchburg, Va., about 1690. About 1826 his grandparents
moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, and a few years later to Liberty, Indiana.
When Walter was about fourteen the family located in Appanoose county,
Iowa, and at the age of eighteen he built the first store in the new
town of Cincinnati, Iowa, and began merchandising. In 1855 he married
Sarah B., daughter of James X. Gibson, and is now the father of five
living children.
On July 8, 1801, he enlisted in Company D of the 6th Iowa Infantry,
under the Hon. M. M. Walden, and was assigned to General Fremont's
command in Missouri. In July, 1862, he was discharged for disability
caused by hard marching and exposure while recovering from an attack of
the measles. The spirit of patriotism was too strong to permit
inactivity after his recovery, and he again enlisted on August 11, 1862,
reporting in person to Adjutant-General Baker with 100 men for duty, and
being assigned as Company I of the 36th Iowa Infantry. He served with
his command until captured with the writer, as elsewhere described.
While the regiment was at Camden, Ark., four days previous to the
capture, George W. Gibson, a brother of Lieutenant Johnson's wife, came
to Company I as a recruit, and was killed in the fight at Marks' Mills.
The lieutenant remained a prisoner, except as narrated elsewhere, until
regularly exchanged about the close of the war. After being mustered out
he returned home and resided on a farm of his until the fall of 1870,
when he was elected Clerk of the District Court of Appanoose county,
which position he filled for three terms. He was then elected Mayor of
Centerville, Iowa, after which he again engaged in merchandising until
the spring of 1890, when he moved to his present home in Lincoln, Neb.,
to be nearer his children. His photograph is inserted opposite page 39.
SERGEANT E. B. ROCKET.
E. B. Rocket was born on July 14, 1841, in Jefferson county, Alabama,
and moved with his parents to Arkansas in 1852. In 1859 he married
Amanda, daughter of Absalom Holcombe.
In 1863 he enlisted in the Confederate army, and served until the close
of the war, gaining the rank of sergeant. He was a member of Company B,
Munson's regiment, Cobbles's brigade, Fagan's division, and was with his
company in all its marches and engagements.
His wife died in 1881, leaving five girls and one boy to the care of the
father. In 1885 he married Martha J. Davis, a widow, and four girls have
blessed this union. At the age of seventeen Rocket became a convert to
the tenets of the Missionary Baptist Church, to which he still adheres,
his present occupation being that of preacher in this church, with his
home in Center Point, Arkansas.
The writer's first meeting with Sergeant Rocket is fully described in
the body of this book, and, while the acquaintance was unsought, it
resulted in a lasting friendship, our captor proving to be a good
soldier and a Christian gentleman. His photograph is inserted opposite
page 189.
The following is a list of casualties among the officers and enlisted
men of the Thirty-sixth Iowa Infantry at Marks' Mills, Arkansas, April
25, 1864:
Colonel F. M. Drake, wounded and captured.
Major A. H. Hamilton, captured.
Surgeon Colin G. Strong, captured.
Assistant Surgeon Patrick A. Smyth, captured.
Adjutant Stephen K. Mahon, captured.
Chaplain Michael H. Hare, captured.
NON-COMMISSIONED STAFF.
Quartermaster Sergeant Barton A. Ogle, captured.
Commissary Sergeant David A. Stanton, captured.
Pr. Mus. Joseph Peach, captured.
COMPANY A.
Captain John M. Porter, captured.
First Sergeant Davison P. Bay, captured.
Sergeant Asa S. Baird, captured.
Sergeant Thomas G. Robb, mortally wounded and captured.
Corporal Charles S. Deyo, captured.
Corporal James Nickol, wounded and captured.
Corporal John Lucas, captured.
Private Benjamin Bennett, killed.
Private Peter Boyer, mortally wounded and captured.
Private Isaac Belles, killed.
Private Hezekiah M. Chidester, captured.
Private Thomas L. Castle, captured.
Private George O. Catron, wounded and captured.
Private William Castle, captured.
Private John M. Connett, captured.
Private John Dempsey, captured.
Private William H. Dean, captured.
Private Robert A. Dunn, captured.
Private Alexander Elder, wounded and captured.
Private John Foreman, captured.
Private Albert Grimes, wounded and captured.
Private George W. Grass, captured.
Private Jacob Hendrix, captured.
Private John Kritzer, captured.
Private Francis G. Livingston, captured.
Private George Lindsay, captured.
Private Robert Martin, mortally wounded and captured.
Private Sylvester Mefford, killed.
Private Joseph Madow, wounded and captured.
Private James McKissick, wounded and captured.
Private William E. McKissick, captured.
Private Almond McNeil, captured.
Private William Martin, captured.
Private Samuel F. Noel, captured.
Private David Parks, captured.
Private Daniel Shepherd, killed.
Private Darius Stacey, captured.
Private Grandison F. Stephenson, captured.
Private William F. Sperry, mortally wounded and captured.
Private John C. Taylor, captured.
Private Leander Tyrrel, captured.
Private Robert B. Thompson, wounded and captured.
Private Laurel H. Tyrrel, captured.
Private William W. Wills, captured.
COMPANY B.
Captain S. A. Swiggett, captured.
Lieutenant Josiah H. McVay, captured.
Sergeant John W. Woods, captured.
Sergeant James Gandy, captured.
Sergeant Thomas R. Cole, captured.
Corporal Benjamin F. Chisman, captured.
Private William I. Barker, killed.
Private Lucius Bond, wounded and captured.
Private John Barnes, captured.
Private Henry C. Brown, wounded and captured.
Private John N. Belles, captured.
Private Isaac N. Belles, killed.
Private Benjamin Carter, killed.
Private Lorenzo H. Case, captured.
Private Noyes Chisman, wounded and captured.
Private John W. Clark, captured.
Private Banion O. Custer, killed.
Private Thomas W. Crandall, captured.
Private Nelson Derby, captured.
Private Jesse Dutton, captured.
Private William C. Derby, captured.
Private Samuel W. Fail, captured.
Private James R. Fent, wounded and captured.
Private James H. Finley, wounded and captured.
Private Levi Gates, wounded and captured.
Private Daniel Good, captured.
Private Peter Good, wounded and captured.
Private John Harsbarger, killed.
Private Amos W. Kent, killed.
Private Daniel W. Kirkpatrick, killed.
Private Henry R. Kirkpatrick, captured.
Private Thomas McCormick, wounded and captured.
Private Josiah D. McVay, captured.
Private James S. Major, captured.
Private Richard W. Moore, captured.
Private George W. Olney, captured.
Private Hiram A. Pratt, captured.
Private John Pence, wounded and captured.
Private Israel H. Pollock, captured.
Private William P. Riley, captured.
Private John M. Rose, captured.
Private John W. Rubel, wounded and captured.
Private Charles W. Reece, captured.
Private Madison E. S. Rubel, captured.
Private Annon L. Silvey, captured.
Private Mordecai Scaggs, captured.
Private Albert Stevenson, captured.
Private William H. H. Scott, captured.
Private Eli A. Spain, captured.
Private Calvin H. Smith, wounded and captured.
Private Jacob West, captured.
Private Sanford C. West, captured.
Private Daniel W. Williams, wounded and captured.
Private David E. Williams, wounded and captured.
Private William West, captured.
COMPANY C.
Captain Allen W. Miller, captured.
Lieutenant W. F. Vermilyea, captured.
Sergeant Marion H. Skinner, captured.
Sergeant George W. Dean, wounded and captured.
Sergeant Benjamin S. Vierling, wounded and captured.
Corporal Jesse G. Dean, captured.
Corporal William F. Patterson, wounded and captured.
Corporal James H. Bovell, wounded and captured.
Fifer Christopher D. Conrad, wounded and captured.
Private Wilson Burris, captured.
Private Nathan I. Bray, captured.
Private Jesse Clark, wounded and captured.
Private Eli Cummings, mortally wounded and captured.
Private John P. Goodvin, wounded and captured.
Private Jacob A. Grubb, killed.
Private Cyrus S. Hedgecock, captured.
Private Lucien B. Hudgins, captured.
Private Samuel A. Hayes, wounded and captured.
Private Joshua Jones, captured.
Private Alexander Kennedy, wounded and captured.
Private Uriah Link, wounded and captured.
Private James Lamar, captured.
Private James A. Miller, killed.
Private William H. H. McKim, captured.
Private Elias Mitchell, captured.
Private Mathias McCoy, killed.
Private George Matherly, captured.
Private Jehu McCoy, wounded and captured.
Private John W. Needham, killed.
Private Thomas B. Porter, killed.
Private Robert R. Polk, captured.
Private Alexander P. Primm, captured.
Private Thomas I. Robinson, captured.
Private William H. Riggle, captured.
Private Hugh G. W. Scott, captured.
Private Daniel H. Sumner, captured.
Private Isaac Smith, captured.
Private Andrew J. Stansberry, captured.
Private John A. Stansbury, mortally wounded and captured.
Private James R. Sumner, captured.
Private Cyrenias Thomas, mortally wounded and captured.
Private Michael K. Tedrow, captured.
Private Epraim Vandoon, captured.
COMPANY D.
Captain Thomas B. Hale, captured.
Lieutenant Charles Burnbaum, captured.
Sergeant Francis M. Eperson, captured.
Sergeant Hiram Underwood, captured.
Corporal Joseph Griffis, captured.
Corporal William L. Palmer, captured.
Corporal George W. Nicely, killed.
Corporal Peter Stuber, mortally wounded and captured.
Corporal Thomas West, captured.
Corporal Francis M. Dofflemyer, captured.
Fifer Joseph Peach, captured.
Private William Amos, captured.
Private James Anthony, captured.
Private Howard R. Allen, captured.
Private George W. Blair, captured.
Private Moses R. Butler, captured.
Private Watson W. Coder, wounded and captured.
Private Jacob F. Coder, captured.
Private Francis M. Crane, captured.
Private Lafayette Campbell, captured.
Private Andrew Crook, captured.
Private John D. Dofflemeyer, captured.
Private John S. Foster, captured.
Private Benjamin F. Gordon, captured.
Private John S. Gray, captured.
Private David Gushwa, captured.
Private William B. Griffis, captured.
Private Sylvester Hendrix, captured.
Private Anthony Jones, captured.
Private Mervin T. Keran, captured.
Private Leonard Knox, captured.
Private James Kavanaugh, captured.
Private Horace M. Lyman, killed.
Private Charles L. Ladd, mortally wounded and captured.
Private Charles E. Little, captured.
Private Abner W. Lyman, captured.
Private Franze Marquardt, captured.
Private William W. Mardis, captured.
Private John H. Miller, captured.
Private Hugh H. Miller, captured.
Private Daniel Myers, captured.
Private George Myers, captured.
Private Curtis Moffat, captured.
Private David F. Newsom, captured.
Private Lucian L. Parker, captured.
Private Henry Parish, captured.
Private John W. Robinson, captured.
Private David H. Robinson, captured.
Private Philip Sinclair, captured.
Private Christopher Sharon, captured.
Private Henry G. True, captured.
Private Abram Umbenhower, captured.
Private Harmon Varner, captured.
Private Andrew I. Willsey, captured.
Private Joseph G. Williams, wounded and captured.
Private Asberry Way, captured.
Private Peter Warner, wounded and captured.
COMPANY E.
No officer.
First Sergeant Henry Slagle, captured.
Sergeant Lewis Myers, Jr., mortally wounded and captured.
Corporal Elias Parke, wounded and captured.
Corporal Michael E. Jackson, wounded and captured.
Corporal George W. Dennis, captured.
Corporal Frederick Campbell, captured.
Corporal Peter Shearer, captured.
Corporal Edward C. Soper, captured.
Fifer Thomas Skinner, captured.
Private Henry Adcock, wounded and captured.
Private James G. D. Aumack, captured.
Private Joseph Bivin, captured.
Private John I. Chance, captured.
Private Carey N. Carson, captured.
Private Samuel D. Cooper, captured.
Private Samuel W. Campbell, captured.
Private John H. Decker, captured.
Private John Duffee, captured.
Private Thomas W. Fenton, wounded and captured.
Private Alonzo Garrison, captured.
Private John Harness, wounded and captured.
Private John Henderson, captured.
Private Greenville Hale, captured.
Private Hiram Hale, captured.
Private Henry C. Hale, captured.
Private Richard Jackson, captured.
Private William W. Jackson, captured.
Private Joseph Kigar, mortally wounded and captured.
Private Peter H. Loy, wounded and captured.
Private Joseph Leslie, captured.
Private William H. Leslie, captured.
Private George L. McMahon, captured.
Private Isaac Mathews, captured.
Private Jonathan Nelson, captured.
Private Joseph Peden, wounded and captured.
Private George W. Phillips, wounded and captured.
Private Frederick Rachke, captured.
Private Benjamin F. Randall, captured.
Private John C. Scully, captured.
Private Andrew J. Stanton, captured.
Private Elias Sheffer, captured.
Private Jesse B. Skinner, captured.
Private Charles A. Stadler, captured.
Private John W. Stadler, captured.
Private Jesse H. Thompson; captured.
Private John A. Vermeulen, wounded.
Private Francis M. Watkins, captured.
Private George E. H. Ward, killed.
Private David M. Wallace, mortally wounded and captured.
Private Thomas H. Wallace, wounded and captured.
Private Woodson Wallace, captured.
COMPANY F.
Captain William F. Vermillion, captured.
Lieutenant John W. May, captured.
Lieutenant John N. Wright, captured.
First Sergeant Wm. R. Davenport, wounded and captured.
Sergeant William R. Kemper, captured.
Corporal Reuben D. Fouts, captured.
Corporal William H. Shuterly, captured.
Corporal John T. Sheeks, captured.
Private David H. Barnhart, captured.
Private William Bartlett, captured.
Private John Clark, captured.
Private George C. Carpenter, wounded and captured.
Private John L. Clowser, captured.
Private Joel Curtis, killed.
Private John Davis, wounded and captured.
Private Andrew J. Day, captured.
Private Simon Ely, captured.
Private John M. Elgin, wounded and captured.
Private John Free, captured.
Private Joseph Y. Funkhouser, captured.
Private William H. Fuller, captured.
Private Stephen A. D. Fenton, captured.
Private Manoah Graham, wounded and captured.
Private Thomas Galbraith, wounded and captured.
Private Albert Gillman, mortally wounded and captured.
Private Henry Hontz, captured.
Private David Howell, wounded and captured.
Private James R. Huiatt, captured.
Private Bial D. Kines, captured.
Private Perry G. Luzader, wounded and captured.
Private Charles B. Main, killed.
Private Lewis Main, captured.
Private Levi McHenry, captured.
Private Ephraim Nicholson, wounded and captured.
Private William K. Neel, captured.
Private Greenberry Owen, wounded and captured.
Private Thomas W. Patrick, captured.
Private Wesley Perigo, mortally wounded and captured.
Private Daniel Peppers, captured.
Private Charles W. Ryckman, captured.
Private James H. Ryckman, mortally wounded and captured.
Private Samuel H. Smith, captured.
Private Henry H. Swift, captured.
Private David A. Stewart, wounded and captured.
Private John Standley, wounded and captured.
Private Barney S. Sullivan, wounded, and captured.
Private John Whitset, captured.
Private John Wafford, captured.
Private Levi H. Zentz, captured.
COMPANY G.
Captain Thomas M. Fee, captured.
Lieutenant B. F. Pearson, captured.
First Sergeant Andrew J. Boston, captured.
Sergeant Nicholas Snedeker, captured.
Sergeant Silas A. Snider, captured.
Sergeant James S. Thompson, captured.
Sergeant James Thompson, captured.
Sergeant James A. Lowry, captured.
Corporal Francis M. Snider, captured.
Corporal Ezra Wade, killed.
Corporal James Lowrey, captured.
Corporal Willis Higgenbotham, captured.
Private Martin Benge, wounded and captured.
Private William I. Buck, captured.
Private Smith Bowen, mortally wounded and captured.
Private Eli Bryant, wounded and captured.
Private Isaac Beaman, captured.
Private James Bridgeman, captured.
Private Thomas Crage, captured.
Private George T. Cavanah, captured.
Private Michael Cridlebaugh, captured.
Private Isaac Cross, captured.
Private James G. Davison, captured.
Private James A. Douglass, captured.
Private William R. Fisk, wounded and captured.
Private John Gilbert, wounded and captured.
Private John R. Hodge, captured.
Private Francis Hall, captured.
Private Amos Hays, captured.
Private John Herring, wounded and captured.
Private M. W. Harney, wounded.
Private Newton Kirby, captured.
Private Simon Launtz, captured.
Private Amos Moiril, captured.
Private Enoch F. Mapes, captured.
Private John J. Morrison, captured.
Private William Morril, wounded and captured.
Private Arloff Maring, captured.
Private Harrison B. Masters, captured.
Private Wesley Mansfield, captured.
Private Robert B. Smith, captured.
Private Charles A. Smith, captured.
Private Samuel R. Shaw, captured.
Private William Thomas, captured.
Private William I. Zimmer, captured.
COMPANY H.
Lieutenant James M. Thompson, captured.
Corporal Darius T. Anderson, captured.
Corporal David H. Conger, captured.
Corporal Jacob Breon, captured.
Corporal John Archibald, captured.
Corporal Thomas Dyson, captured.
Corporal Isaac W. Powell, wounded and captured.
Corporal Levi Overman, wounded and captured.
Private John E. Atwell, wounded and captured.
Private William H. Atwell, wounded and captured.
Private George Anderson, captured.
Private John Breon, captured.
Private Theodore S. Burns, wounded and captured.
Private James M. Cooper, captured.
Private Sylvester M. Carr, captured.
Private John N. Davis, captured.
Private Archibald S. Ervin, killed.
Private John W. Fuller, captured.
Private Solomon T. Holsey, captured.
Private Enos Hockett, mortally wounded and captured.
Private John T. Hobbs, captured.
Private William Hamilton, wounded and captured.
Private William H. Hudson, wounded and captured.
Private Daniel King, captured.
Private Francis M. Kitterman, captured.
Private George W. Kitterman, wounded and captured.
Private George Lowe, captured.
Private James M. Lamb, captured.
Private David Lowe, captured.
Private John Marrow, captured.
Private Thomas W. Moffatt, captured.
Private James Moore, captured.
Private James H. McCune, captured.
Private James Morrison, captured.
Private Samuel T. McFall, wounded and captured.
Private Henry McKowan, captured.
Private Horace O. Owen, captured.
Private Jeremiah Padget, killed.
Private William J. Powell, captured.
Private John E. Richards, captured.
Private Francis M. Scott, captured.
Private Ferdinand Southard, captured.
Private Marcus L. Spurlock, mortally wounded and captured.
Private William Stinson, mortally wounded and captured.
Private John P. Thomas, captured.
Private James Wright, captured.
Private Daniel C. Wolfe, wounded and captured.
COMPANY I.
Captain Joseph B. Gedney, captured.
Lieutenant George R. Houston, captured.
Lieutenant Walter S. Johnson, captured.
First Sergeant Henry Jaquiss, captured.
Sergeant Henry Dodge, killed.
Sergeant Oliver H. Perry, captured.
Corporal James C. Hartly, wounded and captured.
Corporal George Athey, captured.
Corporal Truman E. Gilbert, wounded and captured.
Corporal John B. Adamson, captured.
Corporal James L. Stone, captured.
Fifer James N. Hodges, captured.
Wagoner George Holbrook, captured.
Private Jacob A. Bower, captured.
Private John C. Baggs, captured.
Private Josephus Brown, wounded and captured.
Private Andrew I. Braymen, killed.
Private Simeon Baker, captured.
Private James Baker, wounded and captured.
Private Levi Copple, wounded and captured.
Private David Conger, wounded and captured.
Private Henry W. Davis, wounded and captured.
Private James F. Denvon, captured.
Private Reuben Faloner, captured.
Private Isaac Frost, captured.
Private Benjamin F. Guy, captured.
Private Cyrus W. Gibson, wounded.
Private George W. Gibson, killed.
Private William M. Harvey, wounded and captured.
Private Dillman Hutchison, wounded and captured.
Private John H. Harris, killed.
Private David John, captured.
Private William Jarvis, captured.
Private John Kingsberry, wounded and captured.
Private Rozzel Lewis, captured.
Private John W. Morgan, captured.
Private William F. Marshall, captured.
Private Isaac O. Medis, captured.
Private James M. Odell, captured.
Private Orin Parks, captured.
Private Samuel E. Pugh, mortally wounded.
Private Horace E. Park, wounded and captured.
Private Edward Streepy, captured.
Private Isaac Streepy, captured.
Private Henry W. Stephenson, captured.
Private George Sutton, captured.
Private William H. Thompson, wounded and captured.
COMPANY K.
Captain John Lambert, captured.
Lieutenant John A. Hurlburt, captured.
Sergeant Josiah T. Young, wounded and captured.
Sergeant Eli Moak, captured.
Corporal Benjamin Kimbrell, captured.
Corporal James W. Taylor, captured.
Corporal Edward Eads, captured.
Corporal James Moneyhan, captured.
Corporal Luther C. Bailey, wounded and captured.
Fifer William B. A. Carter, captured.
Private Henry H. Andrew, captured.
Private Allen M. Bailey, captured.
Private Wesley Banister, killed.
Private Levi Banister, captured.
Private George W. Brott, mortally wounded and captured.
Private Thomas Barker, captured.
Private Samuel T. Boales, captured.
Private Aaron A. Campbell, captured.
Private Thomas H. Case, captured.
Private Joseph Chambers, captured.
Private Henry W. Cline, killed.
Private William S. Collins, wounded.
Private Nathan Hummel, killed.
Private Jacob Hager, captured.
Private William G. Jackson, captured.
Private James D. Johnston, captured.
Private William W. Keeling, captured.
Private Elisha Kenworthy, captured.
Private Conrad Kirkendall, wounded and captured.
Private Joseph Morford, captured.
Private Jackson Maxwell, wounded and captured.
Private James A. Murphy, captured.
Private Daniel Oneil, captured.
Private Jacob G. Potts, captured.
Private Jordan Pike, killed.
Private Edwin Robins, captured.
Private Byron Richmond, mortally wounded and captured.
Private Charles B. Reed, captured.
Private William Stephens, captured.
Private Charles B. Smith, captured.
Private Robert Turner, captured.
Private James T. Thair, captured.
Private Reuben M. Tharpe, captured.
Private John Thomas, captured.
Private George Wiggins, captured.
Private Smith V. Walker, killed.
Private Abraham P. Waugh, mortally wounded and captured.
Private William J. Young, captured.
Transcriber's Notes:
Passages in italics are indicated by _italics_.
The following misprints have been corrected:
"distinguishng" corrected to "distinguishing" (page 25)
"cooly" corrected to "coolly" (page 118)
"expresssions" corrected to "expressions" (page 121)
"ganted" corrected to "granted" (page 141)
"consistenly" corrected to "consistently" (page 223)
"meeing" corrected to "meeting" (page 242)
Other than the corrections listed above, the original printing has been
retained.