Sometime in the forenoon, after we had passed Caledonia, we found one of the M.
S. M. Cavalrymen, I think, belonging to the 3rd M. S. M. He was a nice looking young
man, and seemed to be at his father-in-law’s and newly married. He hastened to get
ready to go with us, and his nice young bride was determined to go too! She rode her
husband’s horse, while he walked by her side. I am not altogether sure, but I think she
made the trip to Rolla. I remember to have seen this young couple several times on our
weary march. Once I saw the young bride leaning forward in the saddle, seemingly
almost exhausted. Prudence pointed out that she had better have stayed with her father.
Some bit after sunset of that wearty Wednesday evening, Sept. 28th, 1864, Company H
came up from the rear to find that we were going into camp in Webster. Company H had
to furnish a large detail for picket duty, one of whon was old Comrade J. N. Gregory. He
said that Lieut. Col. Maupin loaned him his pistol, as he like the whole company, had a
musket, and all knows that a musket is not a proper cavalry weapon. Our supply train
had not yet arrived, and in fact, we learned the next day that it was in charge of
Marmaduke and Shelby, and that our rations consisted of lead slugs! When supplied with
such rations, we at once became insubordinate and would “talk back” at them. Hungry
soldiers are very liable to eat, if they can find meat and bread, so there were some feel
and pork killing in Webster before Company H came up. My rations consisted of a piece
of fresh pork, about the size of a pint tin cup and it had a bone in it also. I had not a grain
of salt or a crumb of bread. I roasted my pork in the hot ashes and coals in our camp fire
and when cooked a very short time, I raked it out and freed it of the ashes and some of
the burnt out-side and ate down to the raw meat. Altho’ I hadn’t had a square soldier’s
meal for about 54 hours, I was hardly down to Mark Twain’s “No. 15” in his bad appetite
cure diet, in his prescribed bill of fare,- “spring chicken, cooked in the egg. Six dozen,
hot and fragrant”! Yet, I confess that I was surely hungry. I will say that almost a fast of
54 hours will surely give the ordinary well man an appetite. We were soon down around
our camp fires, rolled in our blankets and in “dream land”. At about 11 o’clock, or
perhaps later, we were roused from our slumbers and ordered to fall in. It was sure dark!
Then at onve we resumed our weary, sleepy march, and as I then understood, we marched
about three miles. Most of the boys kept their blankets around their shoulders, as it was
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cool. Sosme said that it rained, but I don’t remember any rain as I slept in my saddle
most of the way. When we halted, we were ordered to lay down just as we were,- some
in the road and some on the road side. I got a nice soft (?) place in a corner of the fence
on our right. Comrade C. B. L. Rowland said when he woke next morning, he was near
“half side deep” in the branch!
While it seemed hard to be required to break our much needed rest, it was the
thoughtful foresight of our commander which saved that little band. I was told a few
years ago by a citizen who lived at Webster, at the time, we camped there, that before
daylight next morning, Shelby and Marmaduke’s men completely surrounded Webster
and crawled into our camp on their hands and knees. At about daylight, some Union
citizens came into Webster to go with us, not knowing that we had left in the night.
Twelve of these poor fellows were summarily shot down like dogs! If we had remained
there, many of us would no doubt have been shot with them. They were not men of
crime, only their loyalty to the Union. (See page 3)
At daylight, we were up and on the move, without breakfast of any kind, or forage
fro our hungry horses. We soon saw that it would have been better to have rested at
Webster a little longer, then marched without halting to rest any more. I think it was
about half past eight o’clock that Thursday morning, Sept. 29th, 1864, what we left the
creek lands and ascended to the crest of a ridge which seemed to be a dividing ridge,
which since, I have learned was the divide between Bourche Courtois and Huzzah forks
or tributaries of the Meramec River. One thing I well remember was that I noticed that
Comrade bill Jackson had lost his hat in our night ride and about the time we began the
ascent, I rode over a good hat that some one had lost just ahead of us. I said “Bill, there
is a good hat, I would get it if I were you”. He dismounted and got the hat,- just a fit.
Poor Bill! That was the last thing I ever said to him, as he didn’t live to quite get down
off that ridge. Again, I remember that Comrade Juan F. Stout had already dropped out to
visis a farm house a bit off our road to get something to eat. He said he noted the turn we
were making and he came on a nearer cut from the farm house, to overtake us, and
someone that he took to be our rear guard called “Halt!” He said he told then to “Go to
H—l!” and came to us in a gallop. (It was the “Johnnies” advance!) As he came up he
handed me his canteen full of sweet milk! I swallowed three times; (my share of the
milk,) – then he gave me some flour bread, or dread dough, as it was only partly done and
yet warm. He had a nice lump of butter also. It gave the boys a good taste anyhow. I
had three “bites” of bread dought with a little butter. Comrade Short said the woman
who gave him his breakfast and this to bring to his hungry comrades, was a good Union
woman. As soon as she heard that she had before her a Union soldier excaping from the
enemy, she as once began to fix as best she could. I shall say “God bless her!” The
sweet milk, butter and bread-dough seemed to rest and strengthen me and as some of
company H who had been set afoot the day before were trudging along close by, I had
one of the tired ones to mount my horse to ride a spell while I walked close by my place
in line. I think we had made nearly a half mile on the ridge, the 3rd M. S. M. in the rear,
Company H 47th next and about 25 men of the 14th Iowa just in advance of us. The rear
of the main column was just in advance of these 14th Iowa boys and the head of the
column was well advanced up the slope of a swag in the crest of the ridge, which swags
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are common in all of our dividing ridges. The 14th Iowa boys were in the bottom of the
swag with Company H, and the 3rd M. S. M. boys were coming down the slope behind us.
Then all of a sudden, there came a hatless rider from the extreme rear guard as fast as his
horse could run, shouting as tho’ we were all asleep; “The rebels are on us! The rebels
are on us!” Think he was one of company L, 3rd M. S. M. I felt like choking him for his
want of prudence and caution for behaving so wild and thoughtless. He was the very
picture of fright. This conduct threw the whole 3rd M. S. M. into temporary confusion.
They dashed up from the rear in a mass of confusion, and in among Company H,
throwing them into confusion also. Not so with the 14th Iowa boys though! Without a
word of command that I heard, they at once threw themselves into line across the road
and took their favorite fighting position,- dropped to their knees and at once began saying
as coolly as clock work. “Stand by us, boys! Stand by us!’ I think their immediate
commander was a Lieutenant, whom I had, that morning, doubled with on “Spotty rump”
to cross a good sized creek. As soon as I heard the alarm, I rold my comrade to dismount
and get to the column in the advance, as I must have my horse. I then dashed to the right
of the 14th Iowa boys and called “Company H, fall in right here, boys! Fall in right
here1” The 3rd M. S. M. boys under Capt. Milks were rapidly forming on the left rear of
the Iowa boys. In not over two minutes from the time the alarm came, we were all in line
ready, and the 14th Iowa boys were already at it. Only a few rebels then came into view,
but kept dodging behind the timber. They seemed like the burnt child that dreads the fire
as they had felt of our “fire” at Pilot Knob on Tuesday. Here was a fine opportunity for
the student of human nature to study some traits in human nature, if he had been bullet
proof or immune to fear. Our Captain seemed to have forgotten that he had a single man
with him then defending his command. He never once thought to try to put his men in
fighting order and to steady them in fire, buit he at once began to talk as tho’ he had just
waked up from one of his deep, forgetful reveries. He said, “What in the d---l’s the
reason they stopped us here on this slope? Why in the d---l didn’t they order us over this
slope? This is the very worst place here on this slope that they could possibly have
stopped us!” why, there was the reason right before his eyes. We must hold that slope
until the column could get beyond the crest so as to form, if necessary, then we fall
slowly back up the slope. Then there was that “stone wall” to be supported, that lay
across the road, poking lead at the rebels as they slitted from tree to tree at the crest of the
slope in our rear. There sat Capt. Milks, as cool as November, steadying his men with
Lieut. Erich Pape as his able assistant. Oh, was I scared? That is was! I then had enough
to frighten me. Our captain’s very imprudent remarks about our position kept the men
unsteady, and we, on untrained horses, to be guided by men untrained as cavalry, all
armed with muskets! The thing that frightened me most was,- Can we hold Company H
when we gegin to fall back? The 14th Iowa boys then at once rose and fell back up the
slope, then “Fours, left, ABOUT!” came from Lieut. Pape, and how relieved I was, as
that gave me something to do, ride the line and keep that fellow out of a trot, then this
one, then that one. I soon stormed my throat sore, saying “Steady, boys! Steady on the
right! Steady in the center!” At the west of the slope, I met Adjt. Murphy and he glanced
along our line to see the company become more steady, then he said “That’s right, Capt.
Powers! That’s right!” The 3rd M. S. M. were in line with us on the other side of the
road. Then “Halt! Fours right ABOUT!” Now we began to try our muskets and at once
checked the enemy. I then began to plead with the captain for permission to select 15 or
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20 men and let us dismount and let the other boys take our horses, but all to no purpose.
Then cropped out a bit of fun. Old Comrade Jake C. Belmar lookee up like he could see
the slugs as they went singing over our heads in enough keys to have played “Yankee
Doodle”, but were too high to hurt any one. He said “Goodness! Boys, listen to the
Jaybirds a singin’!” Then the whole company roared out in a hearty laugh! That little
joke about the rebel slugs singing up from ten to thirty feet over our heads among the tree
tops and branches did more to steady Company H than all of the commands or words of
encouragement that had yet been given. Belmar was tickled to see the boys dodging the
harmless bullets. As the column passed out of sight and we were in a good position,
Capt. Milks swung his men rather down into the head of a hollow, to permint the
“Johnnies” to come up close. Facing the enemy, he was to our left and out of our sight
on the other side of the road. Company H was then held as a reserve. Soon we heard his
(Capt Milk) voice sing out, “Forward CHARGE!” Then we could hear the roar of the
onrushing horses’ feet and the shots of revolvers and carbines, all mingled with angry
oaths and curses as the 3rd M. S.M. boys made a furious charge on the rebels’ advance.
Then soon the captain returned at the head of his men in the road, and as he passed by us,
he said to Capt. Powers, “Oh, there were only about a dozen of them, Captain. We drove
them back.” One of his men then fell in with Company H and he told us that they lost
two men and killed some three or four rebels. Then I saw a young fellow come up into
the road from down on the hill side whom I took to be one of the 14th Iowa boys, I told
him he had better hurry up, or he would be left behind. Sometimes I think he was a stray
rebel flanker.
Capt. Milks rode on with his to join the column, and left Capt. Powers in full
charge of the extreme rear. Then he turned to me and said, “Henry, you take three men
and drop back so you can just keep in sight of me.” My dear! It was then no time to turn
sick so I could be excused. Then besides, I couldn’t at all think of parting with my three
“bites” of dough-bread and butter and the three swallows of milk. So I said, “Boys, you
heard the order. I want volunteers, MEN who will stand by me!” It was plain to all that
we were going back there, right in the face of the enemy, how many, we knew not. The
3rd M. S. M. boy said as he rode out of line,”I’ll go with you.” Then Corp. J. P. Collins
rode our next saying, “By G-d, I’ll go with you.” Then old Uncle Wm. Stokely urged old
“Razor Back” out of line, saying “Orderly, will you take me?” I said, “Yes, Uncle Billy,
and as many more like you as I can get.” Now, the order of march was; First, main
column; Second, the same 25 men of the 14th Iowa with one of Capt. Montgomery’s
guns; Third, Capt. Powers and Company H; Fourth, Sergt. Wilkinson and three men; and
Fifth, The enemy. Each, except the last named, were to just barely keep in sight of each
other. (Our orders to the rebels were to stay back out of our sight) In this order we rode
quietly along, cautiously avoiding long straight stretches of the road, but watching
carefully for the head of the enemy’s column. It now seems to me that we rode thus
some 2 ½ miles yet on the ridge. Then the road turned down a point into the head of a
steep hollow, about a quarter of a mile long, or to where it empties into the Huzzah
Creek. As we turned down the hill, keeping out of the road to the left as we marched,
Collins cried “Yonder they come, boys!” As we wheeled to face them, I said “Let them
have it, boys!” We fired into them, but Collins’ gun failed to go. I then said, “Bear to the
left and trot down into line so as not to create another stampede.” Collins said “’Y G-d, I
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ain’t going ‘til I shoot.” I said, “Well hurry up, turn and prime, We’ll stay with you!” He
deliberately knocked powder into the gun tube by striking the butt of his musket against a
tree, barrel down, then re-primed and fired and we trotted down hill into line with
Company H, not yet quite down into the hollow. Lietu. Settle was yet in the road going
down the point with some five or six men, when we reached the road in the hollow.
Lieut. Settle and his wing came clashing to us. Comrade Jas. Beckett came up, saying
“Poor Bill Jackson was killed in the road, boys, as we came down the hill. I saw him fall
forward on his horse and hold to his horse’s neck as hell!” Yes! Thoughtlessness had
ended my friend and a good soldier! Had I been over there, I certainly should have
ordered the boys to keep under cover and watch the stretches of straight road, like that
down the point, and shoot at everything that came in view. We then began to fall back
down the hollow, but the rebels were very cautious about showing themselves. In 1868 I
learned of a young fellow by the name of Crabb who then lived where Corning now
stands, on the St. L., I. M. & S. Ry., who was in pursuit of us, that hardly a shot fired by
us that day, but what some one of them got hurt. He saw poor Bill Jackson fall from his
horse, and remembered to have seen “Spotty-rump” That I rode.
We held the hollow pretty well until we approached the creek at the mouth of the
hollow. Here we found on our left, as we faced the enemy in the rear, a house and yard,
fenced with rails and the steep hill turned abruptly down the creek to our left, with a steep
hole of water about armpit deep, at the foot of the bluff-hill, as I soon saw one of the 14th
Iowa boys measure it with his body. The house stood somewhat up on the side of the
point, or abrupt turn of the steep hill. I noticed that the drain of the hollow was some 25
yds. From the road to our right, and a steep hill on the other side. Then a fence came
down the hill and across the mouth of the hollow, leaving only room enough between it
and the year fence for the narrow road. Then the fence turned up the creek enclosing a
bottom field against the mouth of the hollow and just above the ford, I saw the creek bank
was about five feet high and for a good way up, it became the fence on that side of the
field. Then across the creek, at our backs as we faced the enemy, was awooded bottom. I
kept in the road here so I could see up the hollow. Capt. Powers had the men along down
the drain of the hollow in the timber and I at once saw that his purpose was to throw the
fence and enter the field,- then he was in a “pocket” as he could not get his men and
horses down the steep bank. Just as I had taken in the situation, I saw the rebels about a
hundred yards to the rear, already in line across the road, and their bullets were cutting
the ground under my horse and singing rather uncomfortably near me. I shouted,
“Captain, you can’t go through there!” then he forgot himself again, and with one
accord, he and the boys plunged headlong into the road where I sat on my horse, a
confused mass and before I could say “Steady, boys!” They were down the descent into
the ford of the creek, a mass of confusion and right onto Montgomery’s gun and not quite
all of the 14th Iowa boys yet across the creek! Then I saw one of the 14th plunge into the
hole of water and wade across into the timber. One of the 14th drew his gun and
threatened to shoot some of Company H for running. I told him that it was impossible to
re[-form Company H on that side of the creek. I felt rather chagrined at the Captain for
his want of control of the men, or any attempt to control them. I then galloped across the
creek and turned down so the hole of water was in our front and called “Company H,
Fall in right here!” They at once re-formed and we opened on the rebels as they began to
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show themselves in greater force than I had yet noticed. The gun and the 14th Iowa boys
at once moved up, but not until they had sent several bullets back at the rebels. We then
held the ground until the gun and the 14th boys were out of sight in the bottom timber.
Our unexpected approach and the firing there at once put a dead silence to the awful
squalls of that old wooden sorghum mill of the farm close by us. As the rebels began to
press, we slowly fell back through the timber. They were soon across the creek and their
shots were beginning to cut pretty close,- one shot struck a sapling or it would have
passed through Lieut. Settle’s body. As we emerged from the timber, we came to a field
and found every other panel of the fence had been laid down, so as to protect the infantry
boys, as they lay flat in the standing corners of the fence. We saw the men all in line to
our left as we fell back, all formed in short hollows coming out of a hill west of the field,
along the road at the base of the hill with the open field on their left as they faced the
advancing rebel line. We were at once assigned a position in the column now formed by
companies into column. As soon as we were out of the way, Capt. Montgomery opened
on the advancing rebels with canister and percussion shells, and they at once ceased
firing, but the captain gave the hollow out of which we had just come a good shelling,
which put them to silence. We stood, waiting to give them time to rally and come again,
but Luther Glaves, one of their gunners, afterwards told me that they depended too much
on his guns to come up, so when he got up, we were gone. From their first attack to this
time, I never knew their losses only what Mr. Crabb told us. I think, including poor Bill
Mackson, we lost in killed and wounded, about four men, Company H lost in missing,
four men,- “Skedadlers”, two on the ridge at the first onset and two at the mouth of the
hollow. I learned that the people found some two or three dead men in the house at the
mouth of the hollow. Our “Skedadlers” got safely home. We then broke column by
companies and resumed the march, and except an occasional shot back to the rear, we
were unmolested until towards sunset. Company H was relieved from the rear and the 3rd
M.S.M. took charge, being well equipped for that work. I think it was about 12 o’clock
that Adjt. Murphy ordered me to take two men and ride to the top of the low hill to our
right, as flankers, and to remain there until the column moved again, as we had then
halted for a short rest, then that I should ride parallel to the column, just keeping insight
of the moving column.
Our road now pointed to Leasburg, or Harrison Station on the S.W. branch of the
Pacific Ry., now called the “Frisco Road”, 25 miles northeast of Rolla, through a rather
rough, rugged country, though the hills were not very high, the timber and bushes were
those common to limestone soil. It was not a good flanking country. Along, late in the
evening, when we had arrived within about three miles of Leasburg, we came into a
country of low and more gentle sloping hills, indicating that we would soon ascend to an
elevated flatwoods. Soon we came to an old out field to our right as we marched in
retreat, with a dense thicket of red haw bushes, in the end of the field to which we first
came. This thicket was so dense that we flankers had to close in near the moving
column, then drop back to the east side of the field, after passing the thicket; thence north
and into the timber at the upper end of the field. We were then in a hollow with very
sloping low hills. We were ordered to halt for a short rest and we faced east with a low
hill before us. The road ascended the hill at our backs, something like a hundred and fifty
yards back to the south. Our rest was of short duration aor all at once, severe fighting
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began down near the lower end of the old field. I saw the steady old 14th Iowa boys
down on their knees with Companies A, E and G of the 47th Mo. Their line was soon
smoking like a long brush heap filled in with smoking leaves. We couldn’t see the
cavalry boys as they were mostly around the point which the road ascended, but we could
distinctly hear Major Emmerson and Lieut. Settle up in the road on the hill at our backs,
commanding, begging and persuading the stragglers to halt and form, but all to no
purpose. I yet hear Maj. Emmerson’s pleasant persuasive voice, as he said “Come boys,
this will never do in the world!” Adjt. Murphy and a few men had been dispatched to
Leasburg to halt the stragglers and arrange for us as to breast works, & co. Right in the
hottest of it, one of my men said, “Orderly, le’s git from here?” I said, “Howell, do you
see that line down yonder in that old field?” He said, “Yes sir.” Then I said, “We are
here to guard their flank, and when that line breaks we will the “git” but not before. Do
you hear?”: He said, “Yes sir.” And then he quieted down. That ground must be held at
all hazards until Capt. Montgomery could get his guns in position on the point of the hill,
which he very soon accomplished, and at once began to shell the rebel line for all that
was in his guns. One of either Company A or G of the 47th, a man by the name of
Owenby, or Owensby, left the ranks and started to run, heedless of the repeated orders of
Capt. Lonergan, to halt; but he soon fell dead by a ball from Capt. Lonergan’s smoking
revolver. Owensby fell on his face and expired. (This was told me by Orderly Sergt. C.
B. L. Rowland of Company A.) That we rough treatment, but necessary. While it was at
the hottest down in the old field I saw Lieut. John Schwab of Co. E, 47th Mo., the only
remaining commissioned officer, as Capt. Dinger was Captured at Pilot Knob, and Lieut.
Tetly badly wounded, coming from the road on the hill behind us, as tho’ he had
important orders for us from Gen. Ewing. As he came up I said, “Hallow, Lieutenant,
which way?” He had neither gun, revolver or sword. As I spoke, he rolled the collar of
this jacket back over his shoulder straps and muttered something about “That artillery
won’t support itself.” He made no halt, but kept his pace eastward, going immediately
away from the command. I still thought he was going outside of the flankers’ line to
inspect the ground, until he got some 30 or 40 yards outside of our line. Then from his
movements, I saw that he was deserting his men! I then said, “See here Lieutenant, you
are leaving your men! Ain’t you ashamed of yourself to leave your men that way? Now
you go along back to your men! But he only gave me a downcast look over his right
shoulder and muttered something that I didn’t understand and kept right on his way, still
hiding his shoulder straps with his jacket collar. I have always since the next moment
after he passed out of sight, wished I had driven him back to Gen. Ewing, or have shot
him if he further refused to go back. Company E went into the ranks of the 14th Iowa
until we arrived at Rolla.
Hah! Capt. Montgomery’s guns soon done ‘em up again! Yes! Look at the boys
down there in the old field with their hats in the air and here comes the wave of their
cheers! The fight is now over, as the enemy gave way; but our boys did not tarry lond
enough to swap pocket knives, but at once moved on for Leasburg. Then as the rear of
the column pushed on, Lieut. Erich Pape and his boys came along, taking in the flankers
to form the rear guard, commanded by Capt. Milks. As we swung into line with them,
one of the 3rd M.S.M. boys said, “Lieutenant, there are our men over the hill there.”
Pointing to the hill that we had been facing. We could hear horses coming towards us
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over the hill. Lieut. Pape said, “By G-d, we’ve got no men over there!” since the war I
learned that it was Col. White’s Confederate regt. So in five minutes longer and we were
flanked and ruined. We were soon up in the road, or rather across on our way to
Leasburg. It was now about sunset as we got well under way for Leasburg. I noticed that
we were now in a a nice, rolling flatwoods country. As we approached Leasburg, we
found the country was getting very bushy. Soon we were on elevated ground with
Leasburg and the railway before us on lower ground, and quite a field on our right, as we
marched. As we rode into Leasburg, we found the boys already in line, down on their
knees, guns unlimbered with muzzles pointing south. Then as we bore to their left to take
position, I could hear the same old cry that we had heard all that day, of “Stand by us,
boys! Stand by us!” Our line was some bit south of the Ry. And a dense thicket all in
from of them, so they could not see the open field which lay rather to our left obliquely.
We formed on the extreme left, facing the field. There I saw a sight that made me shiver
and wish for a good hole that I could crawl into and pull in after me! As the infantry
boys kept saying “Stand by us, boys! Stand by us!” I thought, “Poor boys! You don’t
see what we do!” As nearly as I could measure with my eyes, I saw the enemy rapidly
advancing towards us across the field, as infantry, and I thought I could safely say their
line was about a half mile long and they were curving their right so as to close in on our
left and in a very short time would completely wrap around our left to our rear. I think
they were about a quarter of a mile from us when I first saw them Capt. Milks then
swung around so as to face the advancing line with his left resting on the Ry. Cut, and at
right angle to our line of infantry and artillery. Then in a few moments, he ordered us to
dismount and lead our horses down into the Ry. Cut, which was about four feet deep at
that point. Dusk began to settle over us and in a short time, he ordered us to climb the
north bank of the cut and form behind a long double rick of cord wood and to so remain
dismounted. This rick of cordwood was close on the brink of the Ry. Cut and parallel to
it, east of the little burg. I just declare! I thought that rick of cordwood was the best
fiend I had met that dya, except Comrade Juan F. Short with his canteen full of sweet
milk and his haversack well filled with dough-bread and butter! Then God ever bless that
darkness that was closing down over us, as it surely saved that little weary, sleepy,
hungry band of patriots. I then began to reflect about our situation. I full well knew that
our little short line fo infantry and artillery could not hold the line we had just seen
closing in on us, over five minutes, and when all was lost, Capt. Milks would say,
“Mount boys, and follow me!” So we were just situated right for a safe retreat north.
Then I began to pine for Company H, as I had not seen one of them, except my two men,
since about noon. I knew that Company H was down to our right somewhere. As the
darkness grew, I concluded that I would take my men and pass around the left hand end
of the rick of cordwood, which was close by me, then pull our horses down into the cut
and then head down into town, to our tight. I said to Lieut. Pape, “Lieutenant, we are
going to our company”. He said, “I guess you wont!” Then said, “I’ll show you!” then I
said, “Come on boys! I slid down the bank into the cut first and was pulling my horse
after me, but I soon slackened the pull on the halter rein. He, the big “Hohnny” just over
opposite me on the south side of the cut, about 25 ft. from me, on the edge of the thick
bushes said, “HALT! G-d d—m you!” My dear, when will he hit me? I at once said,”O
yes! All right, Just wait until I get my horse down, I’m all right!” There was a shade
only of truth in that,- such as was common then under such circumstances. Yes, the real
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truth then flashed through me, that the line we saw closing in on us before dark, were
now up and then formed a seimcircle south, east and west of us, and their right then
rested on the south side of the Ry. Cut just opposite to our left, with only the cordwood
rick and friendly darkness between us. It was too dark for the rebel to make me out, so
he die not fire on me. I have oftern wondered how long my finger prints remained on the
top of that Ry. Cut as I clawed back up where my contrary(?) horse and my two men
stood. I then whispered, “Get back, boys! Get back quick! Not our men over there!’
We softly crept back behind our dear old friend, the wood rick, and sat down, the most
subordinate boys in the whole command. We were then perfectly willing to stay with
Lieut. Pate and the 3rd M.S.M. boys until the wood caught on fire. In a short time I heard
the familiar voice of Comrade Jas. P. Ellis down to our right, calling me by hane. I
answered and he came up and asked me “Are you all right?” I told him that I was. Then
he said, “Where are the boys?” I said, “They are here with me” He then asked, “Did any
of you get hurt?” And I told him “No.” I then asked him “Where is Company H?” He
said “Down yonder, working like moles!” I said, “Come, boys!” We then went along
down on the north side of the wood rick, till about opposite the hotel and crossed to the
southside of the Ry. Cut and found Company H, just finishing the breast works of Ry.
Ties and cord wood, which extended from the hotel westward to a new hewn log house
with only a floor and roof and some of the cracks chinked with short split sticks, ready
for the lime to “paint” or fill the cracks. Our breastworks faced the road which we had
traveled on coming into Leasburg and was long enough to protect two small companies.
We hitched our horses outside of our works, rather behind the hotel. About the first man
we met, was old Comrade Fred Patrick Sherry, our old “Haw Eater” boy,- my “distant
Rilative”. He was just then acting as Company H’s commissary sergeant. Our
commissary stores were all in his haversack, swung at his side! Two soda crackers
constituted my ration. Our open hearted Captain had found them there and bought the
haversack full for his boys. I soon “cracked” them, as I had not tasted a bit on anything
since I ate the three “bites” of dough-bread and butter and the three swallows of sweet
milk in the morning,- up to that time, from Monday noon, all that I had eaten would not
have made a soldier a square meal.
Soon after I rejoined Company H, we heard a freight train coming, rumbling in
from St. Louis. It halted and we soon found that it was loaded with all kinds of army
clothing, entrenching tools and, O glory! Hard tack enough to feed a brigade! But didn’t
we feast tho’! Then almost immediately after the train came in, we saw the lights of the
burning depots on either side of us, thus proving that we were then completely cut off
from either Rolla on the W. S. W. and St. Louis on the E.N.E. The engine cut loose and
ran down towards Rolla, but soon returned. I understood then that the rebels prevented
her from proceeding to Rolla. She then soon tried the St. Louis end of the Ry. And we
saw her no more. My understanding has always been that Lieut. Col. Maupin, Lieut.
Fletcher and some few others boarded the engine and tender to try to make St. Louis if
possible, and report our confition to Gen. Rosecrans. At Bourbon, or the next station on
the St. Louis side, they found the depot burned and the Ry. Track torn up, but not so
badly but that, by the directions of the engineer, they temporarily righted it, so he got his
engine and tender safely over. Then he opened the throttle and made for St. Louis as fast
as steam could carry him! Then at Moselle, the Meramec bridge was already on fire, by
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Price’s advance, but he dashed through the flames and on, on till he reachedSt. Louis in
safety, engine, men and all! Soon after the engine pulled out, we began to roll ourselves
in our blankets behind our defenses, and were soon in “dream land” once more. I don’t
know how long we had been asleep, when I was awakened by firing all around, and over
me! I could hear the “zip! Zip!’ of the rebel bullets as they struck our breastworks, and
the “te ssets” of others flying over ours. I looked over our breast works and saw the
blazes of the advancing muskets, not a bit over 35 yards in our immediate front. Not then
being at a camp meeting, I assure you there was some fearful cursing on both sides. I
thought of Daniel Boone and Simon Kenton fighting the Indians around Boonsborough in
Kentucky, after dark. They would direc their fire at the flash of the Indians guns. I acted
accordingly. Very soon they slackened fire and fell back. One poor fellow was wounded
in the new log house at our right and near where we lay. I think his would was mortal, as
it was through his lungs, or so near them that he could hardly speak so as to be
understood. As soon as I saw the Rebels give away, which we could only do by the
slackening of their fire, as it was so dark I could not see a man twenty feet away, I loaded
my gun and again rolled myself in my blanket, saying “Boys, if they charge us again,
they will find me right here!” I was almost sound asleep before I had fairly lain down.
As mearly as I have ever learned, this attack was premature and was provoked by a negro
on guard to our front in the edge of the thick bushes. Comrade Azariah Martin tokd me
that he was next to the negro soldier in our chain guard, and that to our front the line of
bushes bore to the south, thus making a bend outwards, and when 2nd relief came around,
they passed him and the negro as they went straight ahead. Then the negro said “Co’p’l
de gua’d! Heahs a pas’l yo’ missed!” The officer of the guard said “Somebody had
better relieve that negro!” Then Comrade Martin said the ground fairly blazed not twenty
feet from him on the outside of the chain guard. The angry rebels sprang to their feet,
some saying, “D—m you, we’ll give you ‘Co’p’l de gua’d!’’ Others said to the officer of
the guard, “D—n you, we’ll relieve you and the d—n nigger, too!” and here they came!
Martin said he ran a few steps when he saw our fire pouring over our breast works, thus
placing him immediately between the two fires! He said he at once fell flat on his face
and hugged the ground to shame a lizard! He said the rebels ran over him in their charge,
but soon he felt them in as much hast go back the other way. I learned that the negro did
the same and “wuz missed agin”! Comrade Martin then crawled inside of our breast
works, untouched; but that poor piggy got killed that was rooting up the potatoes in our
front of the log house, as we had taken the fence rails from around the patch to strengthen
the walls of the log house. There were some rebels killed and wounded in their furious
charge in the dense darkness, but I never learned how many. I never heard of any of our
boys getting hurt, except the one in the log house. Poor fellow, his groans are yet in my
ears. Martin said the rebels surely were there when he went on duty. Sometime about
midnight we were once more aroused and I began to look around to see what was going
on. I heard the artillerymen taking their guns off the carriages and loading them on the
train. The infantry were boarding the empty train, as the boxes of army clothing and hard
tack and other boxes were unloaded immediately after the train came in and were built so
as to extend out line of breastworks eastward from the hotel. Company H was ordered to
mount and form behind our breastworks. Then I noticed a dispute between an officer and
the brother of our wounded comrade; as he lay on the wide platform of the hotel, which
had been built for the accommodation of passengers and freight, as there was no depot at
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Leasburg. The private wanted to take his wounded brother on board the already overcrowded
train, and the officer was objecting. I remember the private spoke somewhat
loud and said “But he is my brother.” I then took them to be of the 3rd M.S.M. in the
darkness. It was then light enough to see men moving aound the ten or fifteen steeps.
The private then left his brother and went aboard the train, leaving the poor wounded man
all alone. I went to him and said “Comrade, can I do anything for you?” With great
difficulty he grunted, “I would like to have a drink of water!” I told one of my boys to
hold his canteen to the poor fellows mouth until he was satisfied. O, but that was the
darkest looking hour I had yet seen! I thought, “Well, how in this world will we ever get
away on that overcrowded train?” The cars were literally packed inside and on top!
Then I could hear no wheezing engine getting up steam to pull the train! I had see nor
heard nothing of the engine sice I saw her go in the direction of St. Louis. Well, there we
sat, about 25 or 30 of us on our horses, awaiting orders! Then Capt. Powers began to
complain of being very sick and said he didn’t believe that he could sit on his horse.
Then at once he dismounted and said he could stand it no longer! He handed the halter of
his horse to one of the boys to lead for him and he started for the train also! I said,
“Captain, what the d---l are we to do?” He said without halting “O, we wont leave you.”
By that time my “Irish was up” and boiling over. I said, “Like to know how in h—l you
expect horses to keep up with a moving train of cars?” I then turned to Lieut. Settle to
propose that as soon as the train moved out of our way, we would cross the Ry. Cut and
go north until clear of the rebels, then turn westward for Rolla but just then, I saw Gen.
Ewing coming in a great hurry out of the hotel and he came close to us and looked up to
see who we were, then he turned to the packed train to see how things looked and as he
stood near our horses heads, he shouted these very precious words “EVERY MAN TO
HIS POST!” He thern hurried along by the side of the train, saying “For God’s sake,
boys get back to your places behind the defenses, for we are all likely to be killed at any
moment!” I thought these were the very best words I had heard in all Leasburg up to that
hour, except when Comrade Sherry said to me when I first reahed Company H, “Orderly,
here are some soda crackers the Captain got for us”. Just look at the men and officers roll
off that train and hurry to their places! I don’t know that I ever obeyed Gen. Ewings’s
order to get to our places behind our defenses! I hitched “Spotty Rump” and in about
five minutes I was with Company H behind our breast works, sound asleep. Experience
of that week had thoroughly convinced me that sleep, something to eat and good water
are very necessary things for the living man. I, but I slept! I made no calculations, nor
took no worry about tomorrow, if they would only let me sleep until morning.
Yours truly,
H. C. Wilkinson,
Damon, Mo.