Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1862-09-05
CAMP OF tho EIGHTEENTH Iowa.

| N'rDAhi-A, nAo, aug ~.
Dear Journal Thinking a few items from
the Eighteenth might not come amiss to the
many readers of the Journal who have friends
and relatives in this regiment, and promising
to be brief and not burden your columns with
a long dissertation on the war, have pre-.
sumed to say a few words in regard to the
gallant Eighteenth.
The regiment left Clinton Aug. 18th, and
arrived at st. Louis on the evening of the
l4th, without meeting with any accidents or
incidents worthy of note Thursday morning
we marched up to Benton Barrecks, which
now contains only about 1000 troops, 1000
of whom Sc paroled Union prisoners. The
remainder are Missouri troops.
Saturday we received orders to pack our
''plunder' and be ready to move on Sunday
morning.
We marched down to the depot of the Pa
cilic Railroad, and by noon were ON the cars
and rafting away westwardly. But as to our
destination we were totally ignorant. We
only knew that we were not going to Nash
vile, Tenn, as we had anticipated, but were
going out among the guerrillas. All Sunday
afternoon and night we went tearing on, and
finally pulled up Monday morning at Sedalia.
All along the route we were greeted with
cheers and the waving of flags aud handker-
chiefs; and judging from appearances, one
would think Missouri was ''true blue"
Sedalia is small town of about three hun
dred inhabitants 1t is two hundred miles
west Of st. Louis, and fifty-five east of Lex
ington. California, the place where the lev
enth Iowa served their apprenticeship, is thir
ty miles east of here. There are now about
five thousand troops encamped here, consist
ing of the First Iowa Cavalry, First, Sixth,
Seventh and Eighth Missouri Cavalry, and
the Eighteenth Iowa Infantry, all under the
command Of Brig. Gen. Totten.
Our regiment was originally armed with
Austrian rifles, but on inspection about three
hundred of these proved worthless, they hav
ing been made by contractors" Part of
these have been exchanged for muskets, and
the rest will be as soon as the new arms ar
rive. This leaves part of our regiment armed
with rifles and part with muskets. AS soon
as we are fully armed and equipped, we will
probably proceed to Lexington; at least that
is the talk now. If we do go in that direc-
ton, we will probably see a fight soon, as
there is large force Of rebels somewhere in
the neighborhood of Lexington. Although
the Eighteenth has only been organized about
three weeks, and has not the advantage of be-
ing thoroughly drilled, you may rest assured
that when we do get into fight, somebody
will be hurt"
We have about forty secesh prisoners con-
fined in town, some of whom are suspected
as guerrillas The policy pursued here is to
shoot all armed guerrillas, wherever caught.
This works to charm; and | think 1t will
not be long until guerrilla fighting will be en-
tirely ''played OUT in Missouri. Even now
they seem to be concentrating their small
bands into large forces, and are beginning te
| fight like civilized beings.
The regiment is tolerably healthy at present
A few of our company are little unwell, but
none seriously i'll.
| Yours, truly,
| ..t S. N STEWART,
Company E, 18th Iowa.