The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1876-08-17

was. But the next morning it was
announced in the New York press
that it was the money of the Union
officers before Vicksburg, their bet
virtually, tina. they would take Nieks-
burg. In twenty-four hours gold
went down fifteen cents. Some of
the noble men who fell in the capture
of Vicksburg were in "lhe club" and
their families to-day are saved from
poverty by the profit of this soldiers
bet with Wall Street. You may call
it bet, and morally wrong, if you
choose. | am willing to accept the
responsibility of it as it as. So l did
speculate in gold, while ! was ac,u-
ally at the head Of my division, and
that one charge is true.
THE BURNING OF RICH REBELS HOUSES.
Another charge is that ! am
house burner. The news that have
left the Democratic party seems to
have got away down in the old rebel
country, and some one down on the
lower Mississippi writes to st. Louis
paper, wondering if | am 'ihe Gen.
Tuttle whose troops, on the march
from Millikcn's Bend to Grand Gulf,
burned so many fine houses on Lake
st. Joseph, among them the finest
residence in ali the Southern country,
| that of Col. Bowie, the inventor Of
the famous Bowie knife. | am the
man, the same Gen. Tutlle who with
his boys went along there: Nearly
all the houses were burned before my
command came up. The Bowie
mansion was not. was in it. 1t
was the grandest house | ever saw,
or read about. The house aud furni-
ture are said to have cost 100000.
The upholstcring was grand beyond
all description. | found number Of
Union soldiers in the house, belong
ing to Steele's division, which was
just ahead of mine. They were
lounging around in their muddy
boots, enjoying the luxuries. ! sent
them on to their command, and
passed on with the head of my d.
vision. My command was probably
five miles long, along the road. AT
ter about half of the division had
passed, and was about two or three
miles away, / looked back attracted
by an immense blaze, and the Bowie
house was gone.
suppose it was burned by some
of my boys. ! do not doubt it. Some
of my soldiers-of Iowa regiments,
too,-were just out Of rebel prison,
with all its torturcs fresh in their
minds-and this was their first march.
They remembered well, and they
probably know something about it.
Our orders were all against burning
the houses. | suppose we could
have prevented their burning, too, If
we had made it a speciality. But
we had another speciality on hand
just then. This is my record as
house burner.
TIE STEALING WOOD CHARGE.
They charge me, too, with steal.
ing wood, and name the amount
twenty cords. The amount is right.
got the wood. Philo, there, (po,n-
ting to Mr.. Case, the drummer of
the martial band, present, sitting at
one side, and who was drummer OF
Co. ID, Of the Second Iowa,) knows
about that. Also Mr.. Moore, sitting
there, pointiug to Mr.. S. w. Moore,
of the Second knows about it, too,
and was there. Both of you helped
load the wood, helped me steal it.
| Mr.. Case-"That's SO, General
The Second Iowa can swear to that
Tho circumstances were these:
Twas ordered to take my regiment
and proceed to Paducah and join
fleet going up the Tennessee River, to
take TT. Henry. AT Cairo | learned
that TT. Henry was taken. My or.
ders were changed to proceed to
Smith!and, and join the fleet going
up the Cumberland river, to TT. Don.
elson. The officers of the steamboat
that ! was on, with my regiment,
were bitter rebels, and sought every
opportunity to delay us, so that we
couldn't reach there in time. When
We arrived at Smithland, the fleet
had been gone six hours. The Cap
tain Of the boat said he had no Cum
berland River pilot, and couldn't 60
up that river. forced him to 60 at
the point of the bayonet, and placed
file of soldiers in front of the pilot
house with order not to allow the Cap
tain and pilot to live a minute if any
accident happened to the boat. Capt.
Mills, of Dcs Moines, afterwards Col
onel, was officer Of the day, and had
charge of the squad, and all who
knew that noble man and heroic sol.
dier know that he would have per-
formed his duty. But we had not
been going long till one of my sol,
diers, who was an old steamboatman,
told me that the Captain was "play-
ing it on me- that there wasn't half
cord of wood on the boat altogether,
and that the purpose was to run out of
wood at some point beyond reach of
fuel, and SO prevent our getting to
F't. Donelson.