The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-09-09

soldiers-of Iowa regiments, too-were
Just out Of a rebel prison, with all its tor
lures fresh in their minds, and this was
their first march. They remembered
well, anil they probably knew something
about il. Our orders were all against
burning the houses. l suppose We could
have prevented their burning, II we had
made it q specially. Laughter.l But
we had another specially on hand just
then. Renewed laughter This is my
record as a house-burner.
THE STEALING WOOD CHARGE.
They charge me, too, with stealing
wood, and name the amount-twenty
cords. The amount is right. Great
Laughter. got the wood. Renewed
laughter.1 Phtlo, there, pointing to Mr..
Case, the drummer Of the martial band
present, sitting at one side, and who was
drummer OF Company D, Of the Second
Iowa. knows about that. Also Mr..
Moore, sitting there, pointing to Mr.. W.
s. Moore, Of the Second knows about II,
too, and was there. Both OF you helped
me load the wood-helped me steal it,
Mr.. Case-That's so, General. The Sec
ond Iowa can swear 70 that. The cir
cumstances were these: a
was ordered 10 take my regiment and
proceed 10 Paducah and join feet going
up the Tennessee river, 70 take Fort Hen.
~. At Cairo l learned that Fort Henry
was taken. Ny orders we're changed to
proceed to Smithland and Join the feet
going up the Cumberland river, to Fort
Doneison. The officers OF the steamboat
that I was on with my regiment were Bit
ter rebels, and sought every opportunity
10 delay Us, so that we could not reach
there in time. When We arrived at
Smithland the feet had been gone SIX
hours. The Captain Of the boat said he had
no Cumberland river pilot, and couldn'tgo
up that river. / forced him to go At the
point OF the bayonet, and placed u file OF
soldiers in front OF the pilot house, with
orders not TO allow the Captain and pilot
10 live minute II any accident happened
to the boat: Cheers.1 Capt. Mills, Of
Des Moines, afterward Colonel, was OH
Ger of the day, and had charge Of the
squad, and all that kuew that noble man
and heroic soldier know that he would
have performed his duty. But we had
NOT been going long till one Of my sold.
iers, who was an old steamboatman, told
me that the Captain.was "playing 1t on
me,n that there wasn't half q cord. Of
wood on the boat altogether, and that the
purpose was 10 run out OF wood atsome
point beyond the reach, OF fuel, and SO
prevent our getting 10 Fort Donelson.
Ibegan 10 watch for wood. [ Laughter.
Soon ! saw some-this same twenty cords.
y ordered the Captain 10 land the boatfor
wood. He protested that be didn't need
it-that he had plenty Of il, / told him
that he could pull ashore or pull hemp.
Laughter.l l landed the boat. [Cheers.l
A fussy old rebel was on the spot, the,
owner OF the wood. The Captain asked
him II he would sell it-with a rebel
wink. The owner, of confse, said 20. {
said We would take il Without making a
bargain. He said we couid't take it. l
replied perhaps we couldn't, but We
would try. Laughter.l We tried, and
every man in the regiment, officers and all,
were soon loading wood, and it was on
the boat speedily. Yes, every soldier. in
the lot helped me do that stealing.
[Laughter.l The owner wanted 10 know,
as we were leaving, who was going TO pay
him for the wood. told him that /
didn't know, and that all knew was
that we were bound for Fort DOnelson,
and no rebels were going TO stop us II We
could help it. That is the story Of the
wood. tCheers.1 1 didn't know exactly
how much stole. Idiln'task The price,
and didn't pay for Il. This is the robbef
/ was then. But We did get TO Fort Dom
elsOn, and some OF you have heard OF the
fun that the Second Iowa had there with
that lot OF Ben. Hills Constitution hug
gers"
THE SECOND IowAs YIRsr REBEL FLAG.
They say am murderer. Well, FIT
tell you about that. Some anonymous
coward has sent me m extract from u
paper in Missouri-name Of the paper
not given, but The piece cut out-charg.
ing me with having murdered man in
Stewart, Mo-, and with shooting men after
they had surrendered. As 70 the first,
that was an incident Of our trip as we
first went 10 the 'front.', The town was on
the Hannibal & St. joseph road. The
Second Iowa was the frst Union regiment
that made the trip along the whole length
Of that line. Others had gone part Of
the way, bot the Second made the whole
trip, and were the first Union troops that
the rebels down there had seen. As We
CAME up to this little town rebel flag
was streaming from a pole in door yard.
Il was the tirst rag Of the Contedefacy
my boys had seen, and they said 1t must