THE TROOPS LEAVE KANSAS CITY--WE ARE NOT IN A
CONDITION TO MARCH SOUTH--RUMORED REMOVAL OF THE
REGIMENT TO QUINCY--PROCEED BY STEAMBOAT AND RAILROAD
TO QUINCY--OUR ARRIVAL AND SITUATION THERE--WE
ARE PAID AND PREPARE TO LEAVE--THE CITIZENS GIVE
A BALL IN OUR HONOR--INCIDENTS OF THAT NIGHT--WE
PROCEED TO BENTON BARRACKS--DESCRIPTION OF BENTON
BARRACKS--COLONEL WILLIAMS, HIS RELEASE, CONDUCT AND
RE-ARREST--CHANGES--OUR SANITARY CONDITION--WE ARE
ORDERED TO THE NORTH MISSOURI RAILROAD--DISGRACEFUL
CONDUCT OF CERTAIN CAPTAINS.
Lane and Sturgis moved to join the main army under Fremont in the
pursuit of Price. We expected to accompany them; but our supplies
were not at hand, and we were not in a condition to go. It was
without disappointment, but with feelings of regret that we saw
successively Lane's and Sturgis' brigades move out of Kansas City for
the south, and Jennison's cavalry to Fort Leavenworth to prepare for
a winter campaign on the frontier, and we alone remaining, waiting
for transportation to--where? To the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad,
whence it was rumored the regiment had been ordered to Quincy,
Illinois--for what purpose? To recruit and drill. It seems that some
of our prominent officers had obtained this order by representing
that we had suffered greatly through exposure during the summer and
losses in the recent battle, and that we had not had that period of
drill requisite to secure a reasonable degree of efficiency. Whatever
might have been thought of this then, there can be but one opinion
now. It was humoring us; it was making children of us. Soldiers
acquire most rapidly those qualities which the enemy most dreads,
endurance of hardships and steadiness in danger, in the field and
under his fire. This begging off for us, as it really was, from a
work which others would have to do in our stead, is a matter of which
we certainly have no reason to be proud.
About two o'clock in the morning of October 18th, we were aroused by
the arrival of the boat which was to take us away. We went aboard at
daylight, and soon after were moving up the Missouri. About dark, we
arrived at Iatan and went aboard a train of freight cars. Crowded
together, and jostled about by the motion, we went to sleep and awoke
toward morning in St. Joseph. Soon after sunrise the train moved
over the railroad towards the east. We passed Platte river bridge,
the scene of the rebel massacre of innocent citizens; then Cameron,
where we had left the railroad for Blue Mills; next Utica, the site
of our first camp in Missouri; and then successively, Grand river,
Chillicothe, Locust creek, Brush creek, Chariton river, Brookfield,
Callao, Hudson, Clarence, Shelbina, Monroe,--places around which
clustered many recollections. When night came, we jammed ourselves
together and went to sleep, and awakening at eleven o'clock, a sky
full of stars revealed to us the broad and placid surface of the
Mississippi, and beyond it the glittering lights of Quincy. We
crossed on a steam ferry. There was no noise in the city but our
voices, and the clatter of our unequal steps,--no visible life but
our own and the lighted lamps. After marching three-quarters of a
mile, we reached our camp on the north side of the city. Joyfully
did we greet the comrades we had parted with at Hudson; and before
morning many a social chat was had, and many a thrilling tale was
told around our cheerful camp fires.
Our camp at Quincy was delightfully situated. We had no pickets or
patrols, only a small camp guard. The usual time consumed in the
daily drills was three hours. Colonel Williams was yet under arrest;
Colonel Scott had obtained a leave of absence; and Major Stone was
left in command. Immediately after our arrival we drew supplies of
clothing and blankets, and appeared for the first time in the Federal
uniform. The citizens of Quincy, with a patriotism which knew no
distinction of State or place, seemed to take pride in doing us
honor. They strove to make our stay among them pleasant; and so well
did they succeed that we shall ever look to their beautiful city as
the greenest spot in our whole soldier-life.
A number of furloughs were granted to the enlisted men, and most of
the officers obtained leave of absence ostensibly to recruit for the
regiment. I need not say that very few recruits were obtained in this
way.
Thus we spent three weeks at Quincy; and the monotony of camp life
began to be more irksome than tiresome marches; and we justly feared
that by remaining here, we would become an example of effeminacy,
and fall behind our comrades in glory.
Our regiment having received five months' pay, and, in the opinion
of some one in authority being sufficiently "recruited," we received
orders to repair to Benton Barracks, Missouri. This was on the 7th of
November. That night the citizens gave a grand ball in honor of the
Third Iowa. It was an immense attraction. It attracted sentinels from
their posts; and at 10 P. M., there were not twenty men in our whole
camp including the guard. Those who were not attracted to the ball,
were attracted elsewhere; and a number of little incidents occurred
in Quincy that night which are not reportable. The author of this
book has a vivid recollection of being a member of a patrol guard,
commanded by good old Captain McCall, which saw that night one or
two strange adventures. A castle on an island was besieged and then
carried by storm. The prisoners were treated with a magnanimity which
would have done honor to Fabricius. Does any one recollect it? It was
a night of "riot most uncouth." Money flew, wine ran, and spirits
rose. The temperate men were happy, the "bibbers" were jolly, and
all of us thought we were having the best time in the world. Amid
all this joy, bad as matters were with some, I claim that under the
circumstances we behaved remarkably well. There are few regiments of
our numbers that would not have behaved worse.
The following day, we took down our tents and prepared to leave; but
something was not "ready," and the movement was deferred another day.
Early the morning of the 9th, we got our baggage aboard the _White
Cloud_, and the battalion was formed. We were marched into the city
and halted to hear Colonel Scott make a speech. In the name of his
men he thanked the citizens of Quincy for their hospitality, and
then he thanked his men; all of which suited us exactly, as we well
attested with our cheers. We then shouldered arms and marched to the
levee, where we underwent the interesting ceremony of drumming a
fellow out of the service for robbing a comrade. This likewise met
our approbation. We then went aboard the boat, and the next morning
were in St. Louis. A march of four miles in which we suffered under
our heavy knapsacks (for we had not yet learned the nice art of
"cutting down" our baggage); brought us to Benton Barracks, where we
were assigned quarters, each company occupying a separate apartment.
Benton Barracks, erected as a camp of instruction by General Fremont,
and named after his venerable deceased father-in-law, Colonel Benton,
is an institution which, from its direct association with the war in
the West, will become historical. At some future day, the student
may wonder what sort of a place it was where so many battalions were
quartered and drilled.
Benton Barracks are built on what is known as the Fair Grounds in the
suburbs of the city, and about four miles from the levee. They are
so unconspicuous as scarcely to be seen until you get within a short
distance of them. They are composed of long rows of white-washed
buildings, inclosing a rectangular piece of ground, about three
hundred yards in width by one thousand in length. This ground,
smooth as a floor and almost as level, is used for drills and parade.
Toward the west end of it, the open space is interrupted by an
interior row of barracks, and toward the east end, are the commanding
general's headquarters, a two story building, painted white and over
which floated a large garrison flag. On either flank of this was a
smaller building, occupied by his staff, the whole being surrounded
by a neat paling.
Before the door of one of these offices, a large crowd was seen each
morning between the hours of seven and nine. They were soldiers
waiting for their passes. Only four men a day of each company
were allowed passes. Their names were sent by the 1st sergeant of
companies to the sergeant major of the regiment, and through him to
the Assistant Adjutant General, whose clerk at this hour made out and
issued the passes to the men in person.
The barracks in which the soldiers were quartered were low,
windowless, and ill-ventilated. On either side and at the ends of
each apartment were three rows of berths on which the soldiers slept
on straw, generally in ticks. To the rear of this row of buildings
were hydrants fed by the reservoir which supplies the city. In the
rear of the barracks proper, were sheds, the first row of which
served as dining rooms, the second as kitchens. Here for the first
time we cooked and ate by the company. Our cooking was done upon
brick furnaces with an iron cover. Our simple camp utensils, sheet
iron kettles and mess pans served as cooking vessels here as in camp.
With such utensils, with inexperienced cooks, and with gangs of cold
soldiers crowding continually over the furnaces, it may be supposed
that our food was not always prepared in the most desirable manner.
From _reveille_ till _retreat_ there was a constant hubbub
pervading this little city, and the interior square presented a
scene of splendid confusion. The noises of bugles, drums, and
voices commanding; infantry, cavalry and artillery, drilling by the
multitude, and going through their various evolutions as they could
best divide the ground among themselves. When our regiment marched
into the barracks for the first time, the whole force, infantry,
cavalry and artillery, was marching in review before Generals Curtis
and Strong. It was a splendid sight, so many men, all in the same
uniform, and so neatly aligned, moving with such unity and precision.
In the programme of duties, inspection and review were the order for
Sundays.
The most exciting feature of the exercises was the occasional mimic
battles, fought generally by one regiment against another; sometimes
infantry against infantry and sometimes against cavalry. In one of
these in which our regiment was engaged, Private McMannus of Company
A, was shot dead. The cause of the accident could never be found out.
It was probably done by some one using a ball cartridge instead of a
blank. I believe that after this accident no more mimic battles were
allowed.
Such was Benton Barracks. Without, the pomp of marching battalions,
and galloping squadrons and batteries; within, the discomfort of men,
poorly fed, poorly lodged, and jostled against each other continually
in darkness and foul air. Pomp without and misery within; such is
the world everywhere.
While we were at Benton Barracks, Colonel Williams was released
from arrest. The charges which had been preferred against him had
been mislaid, and when his case came up for trial, he was released,
because nothing appeared against him. Immediately on assuming
command, he arrested a number of officers, his personal enemies,
without the knowledge of the commandant of the post. As soon as these
facts became known to General Strong, the officers were released, and
Colonel Williams was ordered to report in person to General Halleck.
The General informed him that he was under arrest. When this news
reached the regiment, the exultation was very great.
General Sherman succeeded General Strong in the command of the
post. The regulations made by General Curtis, the first commander,
were continued. Besides the usual fatigue and police duty, we were
compelled to drill seven hours a day. As the season advanced,
while our duties grew no less, the inconveniences of the situation
increased. Troops continued to arrive. Two companies were compelled
to occupy a barracks built for one. Among the arrivals was the
gallant Seventh Iowa, or what remained of it after its glorious day
of Belmont. Cheer upon cheer greeted them as they marched in, and the
shout was caught up and borne to the farthest end of the grounds. The
Second Iowa was also here recruiting from the effects of its sojourn
in the sickly swamps of Bird's Point. They were the best drilled
troops in the camp.
It is doubtful whether their change from Bird's Point to Benton
Barracks had been for the better. I do not think our own regiment
would have suffered more in small detachments on the Hannibal & St.
Joseph Railroad, or moving constantly with good tents during the same
season.
Very few were free from colds and coughs, and diseases of the throat
and lungs took down a great many. When our regiment left Benton
Barracks it was as much reduced by disease as it had been at any
previous time since leaving Chillicothe. Company F, more fortunate
than the rest, had been most of the time at the St. Louis Arsenal,
where they had excellent quarters, liberal rations, and as much
liberty as they wanted.
It was now Christmas. We had had three months of drill, discipline,
and rest from the fatigues of the active campaign. Although we were
loth to acknowledge it, many other regiments had been far less
favored in this respect than we. We were heartily tired of this kind
of life, and rejoiced at the opportunity of getting away.
Irregular bands of rebels, acting under the orders of General Price,
had torn up the North Missouri Railroad and rendered necessary the
presence of troops in that vicinity. The Third Iowa was ordered
there. A number of captains of companies without the knowledge of
Colonel Scott, united in a statement to General Sherman of the
bad health of the command, and other circumstances which rendered
it unfit to go. Such a statement, even if it had been forwarded
through the proper channels would have been reprehensible. To plead
disability, to shrink from duty, to ask to be kept in a bandbox
and nursed, argued on the part of these officers a great lack of
soldierly qualities. It had a tendency to disgrace our regiment in
the eyes of the commanding General, and received from him the prompt
rebuke it deserved. He reported the shameful proceeding to Colonel
Scott, who gave the captains a severe reprimand privately at his
headquarters.