At three o'clock of the 28th, the regiment again started on the march.
Rumor had it that the destination was Holly Springs, which is
thirty-five miles south of Memphis. The roads were now in good
condition. The dust was nicely settled by a previous rain, and the
weather was not so excessively hot as it had been a few days before.
The men were well rested, and in good health and spirits. The teams
were in good condition, and all seemed propitious for a successful
campaign.
Passing through Jacinto, towards Rienzi, the regiment made eight miles,
and went into camp. The next morning, starting early, it made fifteen
miles, and went into camp one-half mile east of the town of Ripley.
This is quite a pretty town, of, perhaps one thousand inhabitants. It
is the county town of Tippah County, Mississippi, and is prettily
situated in the best portion of the country the regiment had visited.
This was Sunday, and the citizens were all at church when our army made
its appearance. The minister was reading a hymn when our advance was
first descried, and some one at the church door sang out, the "Yankees
are coming!" It may be supposed that this created some alarm--perhaps
as much as the cry of fire would have done. The congregation rushed for
the door, and, as fast as they could get out of the house,
skedaddled--some for their homes, but most of them for the timber, on
double-quick. It can easily be believed that there was some tall
running about this time. They were taken entirely by surprise. The
rebel soldiers that had been there, a few days before, were all gone to
some other point, and their withdrawal had caused the citizens to
suppose that the town of Ripley was in perfect security; but now, of
course, they expected, if caught, to be roasted, and eaten by the
cannibal Yankees. Our army, however, marched through the town in
perfect good order, molesting no one, nor touching a thing belonging to
any one.
A few negroes, three or four old men, and some children, were all that
could be seen in the streets, as our soldiers passed.
"Yah, yah, yah; Massa said you 'uns would neber come dis here way--yah,
yah." Thus said an old darkey, as we passed him. "He was mistaken dat
time, for here you is, sure 'nough--yah, yah."
"Where is your master now?" asked one of our boys.
"He's done gone. Wen you 'uns was seen comin', he broke for de
brush--yah, yah."
Monday being muster day, the army lay in camp until Tuesday morning, to
allow time for making up the muster-rolls.
The women, and some of the male citizens, had returned to their homes,
as soon as they ascertained that the Yankees were not particularly fond
of roasted rebels, and many of the officers became domesticated at
their houses. At one of these houses an officer was talking with the
lady, in the parlor, when a private stepped to the door, to make some
inquiry. There was in the parlor at the time, quite a pretty,
smart-looking girl, ten or twelve years old, who was attentively
listening to the conversation. When the soldier came to the door, the
mother pointed towards him, and said to the girl:
"Look there, Eliza. There's a Yankee. You was just asking what kind of
an animal they were."
The girl looked at the soldier with astonishment, for a second, then,
turning to her mother, said:
"Why, mother, that's not a Yankee; that's a man."
This poor girl had expected to see a wild animal of some kind. She had
no idea that the Yankees were men. This is in kind with the ignorance
of a young woman, whose husband was in the rebel army. She was,
herself, a most rabid secesh. Some of our boys were telling her of the
victories they had gained over the rebels, particularly the one at Pea
Ridge, in Arkansas. "O, yes," said she, "you whipped us there; but you
never could have done it if it hadn't been for the gun-boats."
Gun-boats at Pea Ridge, more than ninety miles from water! What an
idea! Ignorance is not always bliss.
Tuesday morning, the army again moved out, passing back through Ripley,
and on towards Holly Springs. Here Colonel P. Sidney Post came very
near being captured. Many of the young "bloods" of the army were in the
habit of leaving their commands, and taking up their quarters at
citizens' houses whenever an opportunity of the kind offered, on the
march, or while in camp. Colonel Post had here formed the acquaintance
of some secesh ladies, and enjoyed himself hugely in their society.
When the regiment left town, he remained behind a short time to have a
parting word with the sweet charmers, and would, perhaps, have remained
some time longer had not an acquaintance rode to the door, and urged
him to go on with the command. The plot laid to capture him was just
completed as he rode away. These fair ladies had made arrangements with
some half-dozen rebels to come to the house, and lay in wait, until
notified of the opportune moment for their purpose. One of these ladies
left the presence of the Colonel for that object, just as the Colonel
was urged to go to his command. Five minutes later, and he would have
been a prisoner.
Soon after leaving town, two of our boys, who were some distance in the
rear of the regiment, on account of ill health, were unexpectedly
ordered to halt. On looking around, they discovered some half-dozen
guerrillas by the roadside, with guns pointing toward them, in
threatening attitude. "Halt! you damned Yankee sons-of-bitches, or
we'll blow your brains out," was the order of the rebs. The boys were
in a ravine, with hills in front and rear; and, just at this time,
there were none of our men in sight. There was no alternative but to
surrender. This they did, with as good grace as possible. They were
taken some distance from the road, and whatever of value they had was
taken from them. A consultation was then held among the captors, to
determine whether these two "Yanks" should be shot on the "spot," or
taken to General Price, who was then at Tupelo. One or two were for
shooting them at once, and thus save trouble; but the majority opposed
it, and they were marched off in a southerly direction. They marched
until nearly night, when they came to an encampment of rebels, near
some small town, the name of which they did not learn. Here they were
placed in an old deserted house, together with a number of other
prisoners.
The names of these two men were Joseph H. Sullivan and Jesse L.
McHatton. They were soon joined by Moses T. Anderson, captured about
the same time, and in the same manner. These three belonged to the
Fifty-Ninth Regiment. The other prisoners were from different
regiments. There was one prisoner there who had been captured at the
siege of Corinth. He was Chaplain to some regiment, and was now under
sentence of death, for being a spy. He was a Southern man, with Union
sentiments, and hence the supposition that he was a spy for the Union
army. He had just had his court-martial, and the sentence was to be put
in execution on the morrow. During the evening he told his story to the
boys of the Fifty-Ninth, and at once enlisted their sympathies in his
behalf. A plan was soon devised, and suggested by Joseph Sullivan, by
which he, perhaps, might make his escape. The night happened to be most
favorable, and the plan succeeded admirably. There were no lights about
the building, consequently all was in darkness as soon as the daylight
disappeared. Before that time, however, Joseph Sullivan had noticed a
comparatively loose board in the floor, and that the house was
considerably raised from the ground, by being set on blocks at the
corners.
The plan then was, that the Chaplain should hold prayer-meeting, about
nine or ten o'clock, and, while the praying and singing was attracting
the attention of the guards, the board in the floor should be taken up,
and the Chaplain pass through under the floor, and there remain until
he should hear a slight thumping on the floor above him, when he should
crawl out at the north-west corner, and make his escape. The Chaplain
gave out the hymn from memory, offered up a most excellent and fervent
prayer, asking forgiveness on his to-morrow's executioners, and pardon
for the whole rebel Confederacy, and praying that they might soon see
the error of their ways, and return to their allegiance, etc. He then
gave out another hymn, and, while it was being sung, slipped through
the opening to the ground beneath the floor. The board was carefully
replaced, and all soon became quiet. In about an hour Joseph Sullivan
and McHatton, leaving Anderson to give the signal on the floor, used
some strategy to attract the attention of the guard, so that the
Chaplain had an opportunity to pass out undiscovered. It is not known
that he was ever re-captured. The supposition is that he made good his
escape, and is now with his friends.
The next morning the prisoners were started on for Tupelo. Arriving at
Price's head-quarters, they were ordered to Mobile; from Mobile they
were sent to Macon, Georgia, where they were kept until the 8th of
October, when they were shipped to Richmond, Virginia, for exchange.
While at Macon, Joseph Sullivan was granted the privilege of the city,
that he might work at his trade. He was a shoemaker by trade, and made
shoes for the benefit of the sick in hospital. The money he received
for his work he expended for quinine, and other necessaries, for the
sick prisoners. In this way he accomplished a great amount of good, and
will ever be remembered by those thus benefitted with gratitude. These
three men were reasonably well treated while prisoners, and returned,
September 8, 1864, to their old regiment, in good health.
The march of the regiment was continued, in the direction of Holly
Springs, until late in the evening. Reveille at three, and march at
five o'clock, is the order for the following morning. True to orders,
at five o'clock the regiment is on the move. The march is continued all
day, and until one o'clock at night. The men are very tired, and take
no time to prepare coffee, but stretch themselves on the ground, and go
to sleep. At four o'clock orders came to fall in. Most of the men are
yet asleep, but the order must be obeyed, and slowly they fall into
ranks. No supper, no breakfast, and yet must march. 'Tis hard, but
"Forward, march!" The column moves out, and takes the back track. The
enemy is threatening the rear, and will cut us off from our supplies.
Hungry and weary, the men drag the march along all day, and go into
bivouac ready to pull out again at a moment's notice. We are now not
far from Rienzi, having made over sixty miles since the morning of the
1st. The men are on less than half rations, and the teams without
forage. Many of the horses were without feed for forty-eight hours, and
many of the men, for twenty-four hours, did not have a mouthful of
nourishment. This is the heaviest marching the regiment has ever done.
On the 4th the army went into camp at Jacinto, the Fifty-Ninth camping
about two miles from town. Although the three days' marching had been
very trying on the nerve and muscle of the men, the regiment came into
camp at Jacinto in good condition. The health of the regiment was never
better. There were very few who had failed to keep their places in the
ranks. One man had been severely wounded by the upsetting of a wagon.
He was riding on the wagon, asleep, when the driver, in going down a
hill, upset his wagon, throwing the sleeper from the comfortable
quarters he was enjoying to the earth. An axe being his companion on
the wagon, struck his foot as he fell, making a severe wound.