The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-07-11
From the 9Th Iowa.

Ting, 1.-The Sixth Iowa. has seen 1.-The Ele-
phant'' number of times. We have help
ed to chase the rebels in north Mississippi,
frequently; and have been chased by them
quite as often-have been in one little
'scrimmage" and within hearing of an
other, not quite as little in the eyes of the
rebels, as it appeared to us, perhaps, since
they lost from twenty to twenty-five killed
and wounded, and 'aoay man hu1't' on our
side. All this was done while mounted,
and under command of Col. Hatch, of the
I'd Iowa Cavalry. But since our perform
ances on "mule back have been recount
ed by ADLER pens than mine, l need not stop
to tell how the boys fell off, and rolled off,
and got thrown off; nor how some Of them
threw their mules, but unfortunately fell
underneath themselves, and consequently,
there were some pretty severe hurts, but
few permanent injuries, resulting there
from. l may say, however, that during
the time we were mounted, we rode not less
than six hundred miles, perhaps eight hum
dred, principally in the counties of De Soto,
Tippah and Pontotac, Miss. Besides hav-
ing turned over to the Government consid-
erably over one horse or mule apiece, dur
ing the time we were mounted, and when
ordered to turn over our mules before leav-
ing La Grange, every man in the regiment
had horse or mule worth one hundred to
one hundred and fifty dollars. The stock
received by us at first consisted of worn
out wagon mules, some of which had been
abandoned wherever they gave out on the
roads that we travelled, but most of them
had been returned to the different trains
from which they were taken. Considera-
bic complaint has been made by the citi-
zens Of the rebel States, of the conduct of
our troops, when on such raids as we have
been engaged in. l am sorry to say that
those complaints are not without cause
There are, in our army, a fen men, who
are prone to all kinds of l0W-IiUed mean
ness, "as the sparks are to fly upward
Nothing is too shameful, nothing too brutal,
for them to engage into rob defence
less negro of his little savings-to 60 into
his humble cabin and steal every thing
they can lay hold of, even to his wife 5
Sunday Shoes the fruits, perhaps, of a
years strict economy,-or, to go into a
mansion where there are only women to
fear, on the pretence of hunting arms, and
then break into ladies' private trunks and
drawers, and steal money, jewelry. fine
dresses, and even such mementoes as like
nesses, lockets, with locks of hair, &C.. are
the nobleSt aspirations of their hearts. Our
business on these expeditions, being to
gather up property that fell to the Govern
ment under the Contiscation act, and to nut
into operation, as far as possible, the
Emancipation act, these vampires had a
hhiV ShuhSc W tAclClSt their UnleNl0p pro-
pensities, and of course they availed them
selves Of the opportunity. / have good
reason to suppose, that there are persons
living less than hundred miles from your
city, who wear fine clothing and ieweIry
stolen by men (?) in the - regiment OF
Iowa volunteers. BY nine-tenths of our
soldiers, such proceedings are considered
shameful; butsince the other tenth neither
tear God nor regard man, that does not pre-
Il Al.
their regiment, their State, the army. their
country and humanity.
Though pleased with the mounted SER
wee. we were well satisfied when we re-
celVed orders to prepare for removal to
this place, already the scene of so MANY
bloody conflicts. We expected that we
would again meet the foe, face to face, soon
after reaching here-and that is always the
desire OF the true soldier. Wewere ordered
70 get ready to move on the third of June.
On the sixth, we took the cars for Mem
phls, the regiment train, escorted by COM
Pany "F,'' Capt. Mintun, having started
the day before. We regretted to leave our
gallant comrades, of the Second Iowa Cav
AIRY, since many OF our old-time friends
ana school-mates We're there, and since
!neir Colonel, who commanded the brigade,
a. man AFTER our own hearts, i. e. strict in
and common toward his
men, ana last, though not least, a fighting
man. The short time we have been con-
nected with the Second Cavalry" will be
remembered as the pleasantest era of our
soldier lives. We all agree in saving that
they are brave soldiers and noble men.
we arrived at Memphis on the evening
OF the 9th, and on the afternoon of the 7th'
we went aboard of the good steamer Won
Phul. AS the division was not ready to
leave TIL the 9th, the beastly part of our
regiment had an opportunity to spend the
Stedtings they had got in Mfssissipni on a
Dig drank, which they did, to the disgust of
all decent men. e' '' -
A little episode of our stay at Mamnb;s
1t appears that company of A fricans wore
quartered in building somewhere in the
city; and one of our boys happening 70 mass
that way, requested the sentinel i'm front Of
the building, to show him his side arms =.
The sentinel was showing them as ranues-
ted, which the sergeant of the guard "a fri
cam happened to notice, and being a better
soldier thant the "white man. who had heen
in the service two years, he ordered the
sentinel to put up his arms, and not to be
showing them while on duty. Whereupon
9th Iowa flew into passion and "cussed,
sergeant Africus. Sergeant Africus then
called out guard of Africans to arrest 9th
Iowa. When Oh shades of blackness /;
9Th Iowa, who had bet high that "Niggers