Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1861-08-02
IoUR ARMY CORRESPONDENCE
CAMP SE1sE1, GREEN County,, Mo-,
Ten MILES N. w. OF SPRINGFIELD,
T,,1,x 1OC1

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have to say, but that such of your readers as
feel interested in the doings and misdoings OF
the first Iowa regiment may take map in hand
and follow us through our long and somewhat
tedious march; and perhaps some of them
may wish to preserve it. l can vouch for its
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS of style of course you
cannot expect, when you consider that l am
sitting tailor fashion, with the tail-board of
a wagon across my knees for writing desk,
in noisy camp of six thousand men, and
over two thousand horses and mules drums
beating, flies squealing, mules braying, horses
neighing, men swearing, singing, and doing
everything but praying.
We are now encamped near the summit Of
the Ozark mountains in beautiful region,
and what is still better, surrounded by a warm
hearted, Union-loving people, who are ready
and willing to make any sacrifice for our be-
loved country. The soil is rich but full of
e-stones, which show themselves on the sur
face of Ale ground about as thick as onions
in Scott county, to the great annoyance of
plowmcn, and the especial annoyance of us
poor devils who have to sleep on them every
night. However l must not get in advance
Of my story.
We left Keokuk June 18th, thence to Han
nbal by boat, next moving by rail to Macon
City, thence to Renick by rail, 80 miles, where
we remained one night, and commenced our
march to Boonville. This is the point at
which some unfriendly correspondent Of the
Gate City says we took to the woods and got
cut off, statement no less injudicious than
erroneous, as have no doubt it caused many
tear to be shed about our hearth-stones at
home. We made the march to Boonville, SO
miles, in two days and three hours, on three
meals, and that it was good one we need no
better evidence than Gen. Lyons expression
to Col. Bates, that he knew of no better march
even by old regular soldiers. We staid in
Camp Cameron at Boonville till the morning
of the Sd of July, when, as part of Gen.
LYONS command, we started on our march
for Southwestern Missouri, to any point where
we could lay our hands on the traitor Jack
son. We made what is usually denominated
forced marches, twenty-four miles day, ex-
cept one day, when it poured down drench-
ing rain on us, we marched 10 miles-the Iowa
boys at the head of the column, with mud and
water running off them in the shape of a
mixture of rain and sweat-company A in
the van singing national airs, under the lead
of that little nightingale from your Office, EN-
erson Upham, who, by the way, has shown
himself to be one Of the toughest and bes
soldiers in the regiment. When we hat
marched eighteen miles and left the two Mis-
souri, regiments forty-tive minutes behind, ant
their men dropping by the roadside by tn
score, the surgeon of Col. Boernstein's regi
ment rode in gallop to the head of the col
umn, and told the General that unless he halt
ed the column he would kill all the Missouri
men. We halted right in the rain; the rain hell
up in an hour or two; we built fire, drie
our clothes OH us, (the best way always t
save taking cold,) got our supper of som
healthy crackers and good coffee, run roun
like antelopes, and in the evening to the SUI
prise of every one, and to the terror of the 81
Louis boys, we had skirmish drill I be
lieve it was at this point that Gen. Lyon, VIII
first called us Gipsies because of our ragge
and dirty appearance, christenedu us the Glow
Grey Hounds"
At Grand River, in Henry county, we cam
up with Col Sturgis' command, consisting Q
two volunteer regiments from Kansas, fiv
hundred regulars and four pieces of artillery
which, joined to our force of twenty-fv
hundred troops, put Gen. Lyon at the head c
artillery. Crossing Grand river with such
force of men, wagons and horses on ricket
old ferry boat, was, as you can perceive, tie
dious process. 1t was prosecuted night ant
day, and the whole column taken over with
out single accident to man or beast W
marched from there to the Usage river, at
point ten miles Southwest of Osceola. Her
again we had to go through the disagreeabl
process of crossing the troops on about tn
| meanest thing in the shape of ferry boa
that ever saw. But Gen. Lyon was Their
and the thing had to 60 ahead. Just befor
starting over the river in the evening SOM
Union men came into camp and gave informa
ton to the General Of about eight hundred Sc
cessionists being encamped at point abou
twelve miles off. Col. Bates was ordered t.
detail from his regiment sufficient force t.
take them or break them up. Five com
panies-A, C, d, F and K-were accordingly
detailed for that purpose, and got all ready te
start under command of Major Porter, silent
ly, as soon as it was dark, when suddenly, and
to the great disappointment of the boys, the
order was countermanded, 1t appeared that
messenger had Just arrived from Springfield
with the intelligence that Col. Seigers COM
mand of about fifteen hundred, were in
Springfield surrounded byabout light thousand
secessonists under the lead of Claib jackson
nominally, but Ben. Mcculloch really, for
Jackson is not fit to lead blind horse to wa
ter. He is coward as well as traitor. This
news Of course stirred up the old General,
who seemed to feel sure of his game this time,
having missed jackson at Boonville We
went on with the crossing and got our regi-
ment over by four o'clock in the morning
no sleep-wlth orders to march at five; made
fires, hurried up our breakfast, swallowed it
and started atquarter past five. This was our
great march, kept up through hot sun until
three o'clock. We camped, got supper, and
at half past 5, when we were thinking of fixing
our beds, the Generals bugle sounded for
ward march. Off we started, and after meas
uring off forty-five miles in twenty-five hours
recollect with the loss Of two nights sleep, and
only three hours rest-we fetched upin corn