At the age of 45 he enlisted in Captain Graham’s Company, Indiana Mounted Volunteers on September 5, 1861. A resident of Johnson County Indiana, he furnished his own horse for the unit. This unit later became Company G 3rd Indiana Cavalry. On December 31, 1862 he was captured at Stone’s River. His journey as a prisoner and parolee took him to Richmond, Virginia, Camp Parole in Annapolis Maryland, Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio and ended at Camp Carrington in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dashiell returned to his unit in June 1863. He served with the 3rd Indiana Cavalry until mustering out on September 27, 1864. After his service with the 3rd Indiana Cavalry, Dashiell enlisted in Company E 16th Indiana Infantry on December 21, 1864 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He mustered in with the regiment the next day and served with that unit until mustering out on June 25, 1865 at New Orleans. According to the book Indiana Civil War Veterans, Dashiell was a member of GAR Post No. 209 George H. Chapman located in Indianapolis, Indiana. He died on May 17, 1903 in Indianapolis, Indiana and is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery there.
This letter appeared in the Indianapolis Daily Journal on October 13, 1862 on page 2 column 5. The spelling and punctuation are unchanged from original publication.
Cavalry Skirmishing in Kentucky.
Shelbyville, Ky., Oct. 3d, 1862,
Third Indiana Cavalry.
ED. Journal :—Since we left Alabama our path has been too crooked and our communication for us to make calculations with certainty wether or not our letters would reach their destination.
On the 20th of August we emerged from the low bottoms of the Tennessee and scaled the Cumberland Mountains of East Tennessee ; encountering hardships and privations, with less than half rations, and plenty of bushwhackers.
We have seen some bushwhackers and heard the whistling of hundreds of their bullets upon the exceedingly high mountains in the county of Grundy.
At the town of Altamont we made a cavalry charge and extinguished every rebel in it that wore pantaloons. In the evening of the same day our company, which is Company G, Capt. Herriott, was ordered out under command of Lieut. Colcham to ascertain the whereabouts of Forrest’s cavalry. After a five miles’ ride we found their advance guard. We attacked them, taking one prisoner and put the rest to flight with crippled horses and broken arms. We received a flag of truce and met the rebel regiment, proposed horse swaps, and got off from them and into camp again safe.
From there we passed over mountains, through vallies, through different country towns, and finally called a halt Murfreesborough ; from thence to Nashville, Bowling Green, Green River, West Point, and finally Louisville.
At Bowling Green I visited the 70th Indiana regiment [sic] and saw over one hundred of my acquaintances from Indianapolis ; among others Capt. Meredith, formerly of the Journal office.
While there I also had the dissatisfaction of seeing some of our new regiments, who were compelled to surrender to a superior force at Green River. It was a pity. The men looked clean and hearty, only a few weeks in the service, while we old thirteen month men were rough and dirty. We had long since passed over the fields of Shiloh and Corinth, and now with our faces toward home, we felt jubilant at the sight of the hills upon old Indiana shore.
At Louisville we were promised rest from our thirty-seven days’ and nights’ marches. Many of us were promised furloughs home, our pay rolls were made out for our full pay, which is now six months, but unexpectedly our cause demanded our labor.
On the morning of October 1st, at 4 o’clock, we received orders to march. Away went all fond anticipations a of short visit home, and money to pay our way and relieve the wants of families, some of whom are sick, and suffering for a few dollars which they should have had months ago. Some of our friends come and tell us how well our families are provided for ; but our letters from kind ones tell us differently, and we know well which to believe. The new volunteers are well provided for, I suppose, but it appears the families of the old soldiers are forgotten ; yet the old soldiers are now called to the front ranks. They can go, they are willing, too-only feed, clothe and pay them.
We all left Louisville in an ill humor. The 3d Indiana cavalry [sic] in advance 14 miles, met the rebel advance, Scott’s cavalry 500 strong. We pitched into the impudent devils, careless as to where or how we shot them. They ran, we after them with a sabre [sic] charge for three miles. Dark came on, and they scattered off in woods and fields. Eleven Butternuts are reported dead, and some wounded. One of our men is wounded in the left hand. We camped near where we last saw the rebels, and woke up in the morning in no better humor. We made this town yesterday, four hours after the rebels left it. It is a Union town and county, rich in improvement and soil. I cannot tell where we go from here, and I care less.
We as a company, and all the rest of the Third here, are as willing and brave to do duty as any soldiers that over graced God’s earth, and have been treated full as bad. McCook’s Division have had a hard time, and things look no better. Three companies now of the 3d Indiana form a battalion advance guard of the 2d division.
As I have been a soldier so long, I make no calculations on being shot.
I promise you something better soon.
I remain yours, in haste,
Masten Dashiel.