Thursday, 16th. At five, P.M., we received marching orders, with
instructions to "pack knapsacks," and be ready to march immediately. At
six, P.M., we struck tents, and in half an hour were marching, in
company with the rest of the brigade, in the direction of Boonesboro';
and, after a short march of five miles, encamped for the night on the
heights which form the banks of the Kentucky River, at nine o'clock in
the evening.
Friday, 17th. We did not move from our camp until ten, A.M., owing to
the delay necessary in crossing the river. The cavalry accompanying us
commenced crossing early in the morning, and at ten, the Twelfth were
ordered to fall in. After a march of a mile, we came upon the edge of
the river, at the place of crossing, in time to see the last of the
cavalry pass over. The river at this place was, perhaps, fifty rods in
width, and the convenience for crossing were two scows, in each of which
forty men could be taken over at once, and so shaped that our teams
could drive on or off at either end. The river was not deep at this
place, and the mode of propelling was by pushing with poles.
Some very amusing incidents occurred in connection with our passing over
the Kentucky River. Some of the teams, consisting of a government wagon
and four mules each, were in readiness, and crossed at the same time
with our regiment. This was accomplished by ending the scow on shore,
and driving the team on and into the forward part of the boat. The
remaining space was filled with soldiers. The scow was pushed across,
and, landing end on, the team was driven off. The manner of driving a
mule team is this: The driver sits upon the near wheel mule, uses one
rein, and by dint of some little hallooing,--understood only by those
versed in muleology,--manages his team. The scows were barely wide
enough to admit the wheels of the carriages, and it required no little
degree of skill to drive on and off without accident. While driving one
of the teams off, the near wheel mule, being crowded, jumped off the
scow, throwing his rider head and ears under water. The man, upon
gaining the surface, was soon ashore; and the mule, after floundering
awhile, got a foothold on shore, and the wagon was drawn off. No harm
done as we could see to either the mule or his driver.
The next team that crossed, the rider, hoping to profit by the
misfortunes of the one in advance, dismounted and attempted to lead his
team off. This time, crowding again, over goes one of the mules into the
stream, back downwards, hanging in the harness, its head just out of
water. This looked like a desperate case of broken legs, and death by
drowning. After some little effort, however, the mule was loosed from
the harness, the carriage was drawn off by the remaining three, and the
unlucky one, through the combined efforts of half a dozen men, was
finally drawn from the river, thoroughly drenched, otherwise, to all
appearance, not damaged at all.
Ours was the third company across, and passing up the bank, we continued
on half a mile, and rested there until the rest of the regiment joined
us.
The Kentucky River at this place is bounded upon either side by a range
of hills, near akin to mountains. As we approached the river previous to
crossing, many novel and interesting scenes presented themselves to our
view, reminding us of our journey across the Alleghanies, our first
experience in such mountainous regions. From our camp, where we passed
the night, upon the heights, the road to the ferry wound along the sides
of the hills, and through ravines. In this way the river was gained by
gradual and easy descent. As we left camp, the beautiful fields, the
green hills, and grassy vales, disappeared; giving place to rough,
precipitous hills, whose rocky sides presented quite a contrast to the
scenes we left behind. As we neared the river, directly in front of us,
and to the left upon the opposite side, was a ledge of limestone, rising
from the surface of the water which washes its base, to a height of
three hundred feet, in a nearly perpendicular line, its surface, with
the exception of seams and _crevasses_, smooth and white as marble. This
was an approximation to the grand and sublime, and to us, inexperienced
in such scenes, a beautiful spectacle. The river rolling sluggishly
along at this place, deeply imbedded in the hills, could not be seen by
us until we were upon its very edge. At the place of crossing the road
terminates; and at the opposite side is the terminus of the road, which
approaches from the opposite direction. As we came upon the river, upon
the same side are two or three houses, with barely arable land enough
adjoining to make a garden spot for the occupants. Upon the other side,
we found more buildings, and in the immediate vicinity of the ferry
considerable land under cultivation.
While here, I learned we were in the immediate vicinity of where Daniel
Boone lived. And it was here the first settlement of Kentucky by the
whites commenced. I saw the spot where he built his fort, and where he
managed to resist the attacks of the Indians, who had determined to
eject him from his hermitage. I also filled my canteen from Boone's
Spring, so called in honor of the old hero. And as I took a draught from
its clear waters, I thought how often he had visited the spot for a
similar purpose, and wondered at the courage and perseverance of the
man, who could exist in this lonely place, surrounded by hostile
Indians; dependent alone upon his own resources, even for his own
existence, with no other earthly reliance than his own strong arm, and
felt I could do homage to the undaunted bravery and perseverance of the
Kentucky pioneer.
We stopped one hour for the rest of the regiment to join us, and then
began the slow and toilsome work of ascending the hills. It was a very
warm day, and though resting often, the march was a tedious one. Before
reaching the top, we halted for the rest of the brigade to come up. This
was about two, P.M. Starting again, we soon reached the summit of the
hills, and emerged once more into a country beautiful as the one we had
left behind us. At the junction of the river road with the Lexington and
Richmond pike, we rested two hours. At this place, Gen. Naglee and staff
passed in advance of us, and selected our camp ground for the night. The
spot selected was about three miles from this place, and four from
Richmond. We reached it at seven, P.M. At six, P.M., while on our way,
the Fourteenth Kentucky Cavalry passed us, begrimed with dust, and
looking like war-worn veterans, as they really are. Their experience has
been with the guerrillas that invest this State, and whom they fight
with a vengeance. They had a look of determination, and I have no doubt
rebels falling into their hands, find themselves in a tight place.
Saturday, the 18th, at seven in the morning, we started again, passing
through Richmond at ten, A.M., and at eleven were resting on our
camping ground, two miles beyond. Upon this ground, and in the vicinity,
the battle of Richmond was fought, August 30, 1862, in which the
Federals were defeated, losing 150 killed and 350 wounded. Gen. Munson
was taken prisoner, and Gen. Nelson was severely wounded in this
engagement. The trees about here bore marks of the struggle which
ensued. Many of the branches were torn off, and in the trunk of one
large cherry tree, I counted seven ball holes. It was a desperate
struggle against odds, the enemy outnumbering us four to one. One of the
boys, while we were here, brought a shell in, which he picked up in the
vicinity of our camp. It was quite a curiosity, suggestive of the time
when it was sent on its murderous errand, eight months before. We were
pleasantly situated here, and enjoyed ourselves.
Just after our arrival here, two sutlers commenced visiting us, and in
the absence of competition, charged exorbitant prices. One day seeing a
large crowd around one of the teams, I went up. Found the owner busy
selling oranges at ten cents a piece, and cider at ten cents a glass.
Apples in the same proportion. And while delivering from the front of
the wagon, the soldiers, unbeknown to him, at the same time had tapped a
barrel in the rear, and were doing a brisk business, filling canteens,
&c. Soon after I heard an uproar, and was just in time to see his wagon
tipped over, and his groceries distributed. Knowing the other sutler was
in camp with gingerbread, the price of which was twenty-five cents for
three pieces, about the size of my hand, I felt anxious to learn his
fate. I had not long to wait, as I soon saw one side of a wagon rise in
the air, the owner jump from it, and gingerbread flying in all
directions. This had a tendency to lower the prices, and since then no
outrages of the kind have been perpetrated, as it has not been necessary
to repeat the experiment.