Up the River to Hamburg Landing and Thence by Land to Corinth and
Jacinto, Miss., Tuscumbia and Cortland, Ala.
Gen. Pope’s army, of which we (the 7th) were a part, on April 18
embarked on steamers and moved down the river toward Memphis, Tenn.,
but after going in that direction some distance our fleet of steamers
faced about and steamed up the Mississippi River to Cairo. From
thence up the Ohio to the mouth of the Tennessee and up the Tennessee
to Hamburg Landing, Tenn., where we landed April 22. We were sent
there for the purpose of assisting the armies of Buell and Grant
(then under Gen. Halleck) who had fought the battle of Shiloh and
were now preparing to follow the Confederate army, which was
concentrating at Corinth, Miss.
While here considerable skirmishing was done. One day during the
latter part of April, 1862, Co. C was ordered out, with Capt.
Bartlett in command, to make a reconnaissance in the direction of
Corinth. We moved out through a timbered country interspersed with
considerable underbrush. When out a number of miles from the river,
in looking across a small field to the opposite side, some horsemen
were discovered through the open spaces in the brush, which on close
investigation proved to be a line of Confederate cavalry. They had
seemingly discovered us and were in line of battle and ready. Some of
the boys did not wait for orders, but left the ranks and started
toward the enemy, when the captain called out, “Keep in line,” “Get
back in line,” but before they would get back some others would start
out. The object of the Captain was to get all in line and then make a
charge. While we were fooling in this manner the Confederates gave us
a volley, mortally wounding one of our number named Dick Springer, of
Sublette, Ill., who died a few days later. Just then the Confederates
started to retreat and we charged on them as fast as horses could
carry us. The excitement was intense, for it was a race between us
and the enemy with the advantage on our side. We occasionally gave
them a shot when opportunity afforded. In the pursuit several of the
enemy were killed, a number wounded and a few taken prisoners. Some
of their horses and saddles were also captured, and those of the
enemy who remained ahead of us were chased into a swamp and there the
pursuit was given up, it not being prudent to venture any farther.
When the swamp was reached I looked about and counted and to my
surprise there were only seven of Co. C together at the end of the
chase. The remainder were strung out behind for a distance of nearly
a half mile. A laughable and yet dangerous incident happened to one
of our men in this chase. A large oak tree had fallen to the ground,
and one of its branches projected out over the road unobserved by the
rider who was going at full speed and came in contact with it. The
horse ran under the branch, which caught the saddle, pulling it from
the horse which passed on; the saddle stopped and the rider tumbled
over the limb upon the ground. At the time of this reconnaissance a
young attorney from Mendota, named William E. Beck, was visiting the
company. He insisted on going out with us and the Captain furnished
him a horse and some firearms. Although he was not an enlisted man he
did as good service as any of us. This man became a leading lawyer
and died a member of the Supreme Court of Colorado. We came out of
this skirmish with the loss of one man, while the enemy’s loss was
five or six killed and wounded and quite a number of prisoners.
Soon after this a part of the regiment went out on another skirmish,
in which I did not participate on account of being on other duty.
This proved to be quite an affair, as there were some infantry troops
engaged and the enemy used artillery. Sergeant Porter (later captain)
of our company had his horse killed under him by a cannon shot, but
he was uninjured. The country between Hamburg Landing and Corinth was
mostly timbered, having a great deal of underbrush. I noticed some of
this brushy land had been farmed at some time in years past.
The whole army now slowly moved southwest toward Corinth, skirmishing
along the way. Our regiment occupied a part of the line of battle,
remaining in this position four days and nights, standing by our
horses’ heads except while trying to sleep, or feed and water our
horses. At night we endeavored to get some sleep and rest in the
following manner: Alternately one man would hold two horses by the
bridles while the other attempted to get some sleep by lying down in
front of his horse, but this generally failed on account of
occasional firing in close proximity, which would cause some of the
horses to jump and thereby disturb us. When we were relieved at the
end of the four days we were “played out,” as the illustration shows.
[Illustration: Played Out.]
When the army arrived in front of Corinth, and was preparing to
capture the place, we were surprised on the morning of May 29 to find
that it had been vacated during the night, the Confederates having
gone southward. Our regiment went to Booneville, where it remained
several weeks. Then it was sent to Jacinto, Miss., a small town where
we camped about a month, doing the ordinary military duties. While
there everything seemed to be quiet, with no enemies to disturb us
except millions of woodticks and swifts. This tick is a small
gray-colored insect. They stuck on our horses in such a manner that
we were obliged to scrape them off, or they would probably have
tormented them nearly to death. The swift is a small four-footed
animal formed like a lizard and the color of a frog. At night when we
retired they would hop about us by the hundred. They are a noisy
creature. One night after we had about all fallen asleep a swift
jumped into one of our boy’s open shirt bosom, and scrambled about
over his bare body, and he thinking it was a snake jumped up, yelling
like a demon, arousing nearly the whole camp.
On July 20, 1862, the 7th broke camp and moved eastward into northern
Alabama, to a place by the name of Tuscumbia, where we found one of
the largest springs of water that I ever saw. It poured forth from a
cavity in the rocks with such volume that as it flowed down over a
bed of gravel a stream was formed almost knee deep to the horses, and
twenty-five or thirty feet wide. The water was very clear, and so
cold that the horses sometimes refused to drink it. We camped there a
few days, and then part of the regiment moved on eastward to
Cortland, Ala., where we found a most beautiful camping place, on the
banks of a fine stream, along which were many springs of good water.
The country in the immediate vicinity was quite fertile, and foraging
was good, as not many of the enemy had passed through here previous
to this. Peaches and small fruits were quite plentiful. One day some
of the boys brought in a nice lot of fine peaches. The sight of these
put me in the notion of making some peach pies. The commissary had
previously issued some flour. My shortening for the pie-crust I
procured by frying some bacon. (The bacon-flavored shortening was
substituted for nutmegs and other flavorings.) I proceeded to mix the
material for the crust which was a new experience for me. After the
dough was made I looked about for a rolling pin, with which to
prepare the crusts. I found one of those long champagne bottles,
which answered the purpose very well. I placed the lower crust on one
of our tin plates, and on this the prepared peaches, with plenty of
sugar, and then put the covering on and placed it in a cast iron
bake-oven. We built a fire around it, and occasionally took the lid
off to inspect the process. The baking was soon completed, the pie
taken out, and pronounced well done. After eating it we called it
good, and I was congratulated on my success. Of course, you know, a
soldier in our position would call anything good that could be eaten.
But some of the boys declared that I had put the shortening in
lengthwise. I thought if I was spared to get home I would try and get
a position in a first-class hotel as baker.
Nothing of an exciting nature occurred during our stay at Cortland,
except that we received a report one morning that the Confederates in
small force were encamped in a village a few miles away. A squadron
of our cavalry, in command of Capt. Bartlett, was immediately sent
out in the direction of the village, to take the Johnnies in out of
the wet, as we supposed. We moved along cautiously until arriving in
the vicinity of the village, when we halted and formed to make a
charge into the town. When all was ready the Captain gave the command
“Forward, charge,” and away we flew into and through the town with
drawn sabres, and found nothing to run against. Not a solitary
“Johnny” was to be seen. It was like kicking against nothing. We were
somewhat disappointed, but as I thought the matter over I concluded
to be willing to be thus deluded.