Well, we were in the field at last, and when we were not drilling or on
duty, we were either writing to our friends, or climbing the mountains
to see what there was to be seen. Up on Pilot Knob mountain there runs
two tracks for the purpose of running the iron ore from the top of the
mountain to the bottom where it was melted. The full cars coming down,
drew up the empty ones. The mountain is very steep, fully a mile high.
Some of the boys of our company would get in the car at the top of the
mountain, and get one or two of them in at the bottom, and then take off
the brakes; away they came, while the others that got in at the bottom
would shoot up like a sky-rocket. We were doing this one day when the
ropes broke. If we had been shot out of a cannon we could hardly have
gone much faster. Some went one way and some another. I looked down the
mountain, where there was a large pond and as soon as I got the mud and
dirt out of my eyes so I could see, the first thing my eyes rested on
was two fellows fishing themselves out of the pond. They got off the
easiest of any of us, for they simply got a ducking, while the rest of
us were all bruised up. The car that we were in did not go over one
hundred feet before it busted into ten thousand pieces. We hobbled back
to camp to mend our clothes, and came to the conclusion that if any of
the rest of them wanted to ride they were welcome to it, for we had all
we wanted.
By this time we had grown somewhat used to camp life; every soldier
found out what was required of him. We soon got orders to march south.
We reached Black river after going over lofty mountains and through many
small towns. It being about the 15th of March when we struck the river,
it was bank full and the ice was running at a very rapid rate. As we
came up to the river we stopped for a few moments to arrange our
blankets to keep them from getting wet and then we plunged in, with Col.
Brackett taking the lead. "Come on, boys," was his command. We all
arrived safely, but somewhat wet; our horses had to swim for about two
hundred yards. The stream was about three hundred yards wide at this
point. There was a Dutchman by the name of Sands. He saw a large cake of
ice coming straight to him, and, knowing if his horse was struck it
would drown, he slid off behind and grabbed the horse by the tail and
came out all right. We came very near losing a number of our horses;
they were completely chilled, but by perseverance we finally got them
safe to land.
As soon as we were all over three of our companies were ordered to
mount. The wind blew cold from the north and of course our clothes were
wet clear through, but we were young and did not mind this.
About twenty miles from the place where we crossed was a mill where they
ground grain and made flour for the surrounding inhabitants. Now at this
mill the rebels were stationed; there were about eight hundred, all
armed with double-barreled shotguns. Away we went and when we got within
two miles of the Johnnies' camp we stopped to give our horses a rest,
and then on we went like the wind. We soon came in sight of the mill;
close to it was a bridge where a rebel guard was walking back and forth,
with an old double-barreled shotgun on his shoulder. He was a good
specimen of the southern soldier. He was nearly six feet high. On his
head he wore a slouch hat, was dressed in his butternut suit and did not
look as if he had been shaved for six weeks. The tobacco juice was
running down each side of his cheeks, and as we rode up to him he looked
up, shifted his tobacco from one check to the other and said, "Who is
you'ns?" Our captain replied, "We are Yanks. Give up your gun; you are a
prisoner now." "I'll be darned! If that don't beat all." He gave up his
gun and was taken back to the rear and placed under guard--the first
prisoner the Ninth Illinois Cavalry had captured.
About half a mile from the bridge was an open place in the timber, close
to the river, and here the Johnnies were camped. They were just
organizing and, of course, did not understand about discipline,
consequently did not have any camp guard out. We formed a line of battle
and charged right into their camp; some started for the timber, some
jumped into the river and undertook to swim, and some few got away, but
the most of them were captured. They were just in the act of getting
supper; their camp kettles hung over the fires all along the camp. Well,
now, let me tell you we were hungry and that supper just came in time,
and of course we helped the Johnnies eat it. We captured six hundred
prisoners, all their camp equipments, about four hundred
double-barrelled shotguns and two hundred old muskets and rifles. We
sent word back to camp for wagons and teams to haul what we had
captured to camp; for the rebels only had two teams and they were as
poor specimens as I ever saw.
The "Ninth" came out victorious, and I tell you we were proud; more than
proud, for we had an idea that we could clean out the whole Confederacy,
but we soon found out that the Johnnies could fight. We put a heavy
guard around our prisoners that night and the next morning marched them
back to camp.
This being early in the spring of 1862, of course we had not learned
much discipline. We had not been in camp long before the camp-diarrhoea
broke out; there were twenty-five or thirty deaths, but no wonder, for
all we had to eat was hard tack, bacon and coffee. Most of the "ninth"
was made up of farmers, and they had been in the habit of having plenty
of everything good to eat, and of course coming down to hard tack was
pretty hard on us.
Our business while camping at this place was to forage for our horses,
but to forage for ourselves was strictly forbidden. If our boys came in
with chickens they had to give an account of how they got them and if
they could make the officers believe they had bought them and paid good
hard money, it was all right, but if they found out that the boys had
stolen them, they would be severely punished. I remember one man who
came in with a few potatoes, and as he could not give a straight account
as to how he got them, he was forced to carry a rail that weighed 50
pounds for twenty-four hours; but this was in '62. They were not quite
so strict in '63, '64 and '65; but you may depend that while the
officers were watching us, we were always on the lookout for them.
One bright morning three companies of our regiment got orders to go on a
foraging expedition, and I was one to go and I was very glad of it, for
mounting guard and drilling began to grow old and anything new was
hailed with delight. "Boots and saddles," was the call that rang out in
silver notes from our bugles. Every man was in the saddle in an instant.
Finally the Major gave the command, "March," and we were in motion. The
largest part of the command went in advance of the teams. I being a
sergeant in my company, was ordered to take ten men to act as rear
guards, and, of course, we were in the rear of the wagons, so we had a
good opportunity to do a little foraging on our own hook. We wound
around hills, forded creeks and finally came to a halt, about five miles
from camp. The teams were still on the side hill and the main body of
the men were in the valley below. Up to our right a short distance from
the road was a small log cabin with a number of smaller buildings around
it. Said I: "Boys, do you think there is any chance for getting anything
to eat up there? Now, if someone will stay here and let me know when the
command starts, we will go and see what's up there." The understanding
between the soldier and teamster was that if the soldier got anything,
and the teamster hid it for him in the wagons and took it to camp, they
were to divide equally.
I took two men and up the side hill we went; rode up to the fences that
surrounded the buildings and dismounted; one man held the horses while
my comrade and I jumped over the fence and went up to the house. We
rapped on the door, no answer; rapped again, no answer; pulled on the
latch string and the door opened. There was no one there; everything lay
in all sorts of confusion; chairs, pots and kettles all over the floor,
just as if the people had been frightened away. We found nothing to eat
there so we went out to the small buildings; opened one after another,
but found them all empty except one, and that one had a large fat calf
in it. Comrade Carlyle grabbed him by the neck, I got him by the tail
and down the hill we went. We finally got him to the wagon, tied his
feet together, and got him in just as the bugle sounded "boots and
saddles." On we went, over hills and through valleys; for about five
miles; nothing happened within this time only an occasional blat from
our calf. We finally came to a large swamp through which our way led,
and we forced one of the natives to pilot us through. Now, dear reader,
understand that we were in Arkansas and it was not very thickly settled,
so you see we had to go some distance from camp to forage.
Arkansas is almost an unbroken forest; hills and swamps, with no bridges
to cross on. Understand that I am speaking of war times. After we got
through the swamp we came to a beautiful island and here were two large
plantations on which was plenty of corn. It was getting late so we went
into camp for the night close to one of the farms. Now there were lots
of hogs running around, and let me tell you everybody had fresh pork for
supper. Some had chicken, and some turkeys; some had potatoes, and I saw
one man that had a piece of corn bread with butter to put on it; let me
tell you he was getting too high-toned for a soldier. The Major put out
a strong guard that night but we were not disturbed. The next morning
we loaded our wagons and after doing so, we started for camp. Every
little while our calf would give an unearthly blat, and the Major would
run back to look under the wagon and on both sides; finally he got back
to the rear guard, and said he, "Sergeant, I have heard several times
something like a calf bawling." "Well, Major, I'll be darned if I
haven't heard it, too." The Major gave me one look and went back again.
Now for the benefit of the reader that does not understand our army
wagons, I will explain them. They were all covered and we had
partitioned the back part of the wagon off to make room for our calf, so
when the Major came back examining the wagon, all he could see was the
front part of it and of course that was all full of corn. To say that he
was mystified does not describe it, but when he got back to the front he
told the Captain that some blasted fool of a soldier could blat like a
calf. We got back to camp all right and as we had no place to put our
corn we left it in the wagon and when it got dark we moved our hams to
our mess tent and butchered our calf the next morning. Everybody had a
good breakfast and the Major ate some of that calf and asked no
questions.