The National tribune., 1885-06-18
FIGHTING THEM OVER,
What Our Veterans Have to Say About
Their Old Campaigns.
UP RED RIVER.
A Graphic Narrative by Illinois Cavalry Ser |


Graphlc Narrao'e ny an ilihois SafahS Sc''
geant.
To THE EDITOR: / will not attempt to ex-
press an old campaiguer's interest in the cur
rent stream of valuable historical literature
being published in the columns of THE Ma
TIoNAL TRIBUNE. We are taken back to the
DAYS when we rode the "Old Virginia Low
lands" through and through with the knight1y
Stoneman, Pleasonton, the cool and intrepid
Buford, Arerell, Fitzpatrick, Gregg and others,
all as brave, true and loyal soldiers as ever
wore belts and spurs. The lot of the writer
was cast with the grand old Army OF the Po-
tomac until after the hosts of Lee were rolled
back from the mountains of Pennsylvania to
the south of the Rappahannock. The next
year we were assigned TO duty in the South
west and in that department our services have
been sketched by your interesting contributors,
Comrades Mason and Fry, where they touched
upon the bloody end of Bankss expedition.
Early in the Spring of 1864 the 10Th Ill. Cav,
the regiment TO which / then belonged,
stretched its first picket-line in the southwest
on the village green Of Carrollton beautiful
suburb of New Orleans. As we had Just
dropped down from the North. having spent
part of that memorable cold Winter at home
on veteran furlough, that green and fiowery
spot with its rich foliaged orange groves. its
profusion of roses, and with magnolia buds just
opening. seemed almost a paradise. But we
were not to enjoy our pleasant locality long
hardly long enough to cultivate acquaintance
with
OUR DARK-EYED CREOLE NEIGHBoRs.
Troops were being shipped TO the Red River.
Our regiment, now recruited to its maximum
of zoo started April IS in detachments to par
tiCipate in that i'll starred campaign. During
the week seven full companies and squad of
90 of Co. got off. l happened to be one of the
90. Serg't Watkins was the ranking officer,
and Serg't c. second in command. As our
steamer the Madison, swung from the levee
about p. m. on Friday, the I'D, the rest of the
command were all packed, ready TO step on
board the next boat, and expected to follow Us
the next day. But we saw no more of them
until our return
After an almost continuous run, only touch
ing at Baton Rouge and at Port Hudson. we
reached the mouth of Red River after dark
Saturday night. Near the entrance were
moored three of those huge, black, grim, mon
ster gunboats on guard duty. We were halted,
and had to give account of ourselves before
being permitted TO pass But il was very
brief delay and we passed in and up the river
shrouded in an impenetrable darkness and
gloom. Alas, how many who had entered that
watery gateway might truly have read leave
hope behind" We made slow headway, till
soon after midnight another monster on guard
at the mouth of the Wachita River growled
challenge nor would that one let us pass until
one of its kind should come up to keep us
company.
With daylight of Sunday morning gunboat
No. came along, and together we started up
the devious channel. small force Of colored
soldiers was also On the Madison, and at the
suggestion of the boat Captain they fortified one
deck and we another with boxes of hard-tack,
kept our carbines in readiness for action, and a
sharp lookout upon the wooded banks. few
gray-coated horSemen were seen at a distance,
but we were not molested. That day we had
our first view of live alligators in their native
a1 Tha rlv yynuid on
the river bank or on logs and look at us know
ingly until two or three carbine balls would
rattle and, suppose, fiatten upon their scaly
armor, when they would roll, drop or slide into
the water so quietly as to canse hardly ripple
upon its surface; then poke up their great,
warty-looking heads and
WINK AT US AS WE PASSED.
The officers had some trouble in enforcing orders
to " cease firing after it had been INDUCED in
by everybody on board for some hours. If
should meet any of those officers now l would
tell them who ii was that fired the last shot.
and whom they threatened with dire punish
ment when they got him. / wonder what has
become of that dark skinned brother soldier
who so assisted the pursued as to enable him to
Join the ranks of the pursuers and never to be
suspected.
As we neared the DID, dismantled Fort De
Russey, near the remnants of the old river bar
ricade, considerable drift-wood was met and
amid the logs, bloated and disgusting in the
extreme to look upon. was the corpse of mus
tered-out Confederate soldier. Buzzards-the
scavengers of the South-were feasting upon
the body as it slowly drifted towards the Gulf
] do not know why but our boat tied up few
miles below Alexandria about dark. Monday
forenoon we landed, and our voyage was ended.
We found our regiment camped on bluff just
above the city, overlooking the rapids and the
gunboat feet. We were now in the midst of
military activity and the "larums of war"
Gen. Banks and staff passed our camp that
afternoon, returning TO the city, not from
field of glory. The Nineteenth Corps also
passed, but not with a triumphant march.
Cannon were booming in the west. The at
mosphere heavy with gloomy discomfort
over an uDdeserved defeat.
Soon after dark, our first night in camp, we
were saiuted with a fusiade of rife shots from
the wooded bank of the opposite side of the
river reminding the old Virginia campaigners
of the compliments sent across the James River
one dark night of July, 1862. As in the former
instance, a few shells from the gunboats silenced
our serenaders. All was quiet again on the
Red River, and we were lulled to sleep by the
marines, who were
PACING THE DECKS
Just below our bluff and calling in just the
coarsest voice they could affect "Ho, by the
starboard watch!" and "Ho, by the larboard
watch" During the next two days we were
listening TO the booming of cannon up the
river and wondering why the remainder of
our regiment did not come up Our squad of
20 was particularly interested, AS our rations
were getting low and we wanted that great
necessity, a company officer" TO draw for u.s.
On Thursday 2Sth, part of the regiment
accompanied a force OF infantry and artillery
on an expedition across the river The rest of
the command able TO mount went to the front
on our side, where the enemy was getting to
be altogether too close a neighbor. They were
90 close that we could plainly hear the reports
Of our carbines during the engagement of the
day. Being unable to wear boot on account
Of q wound from wild locust thorn, got no
farther from camp that day than to large
pile of commissary stores, under protection Of
. tarpaulin cover and guard of soldiers. AS
the guard consisted Of old soldiers, who could
sympathize with hungry companions, | was
successful in drawing rations on private ac-
count and Jared sumptuously." The COM
mand returned about p. IN. and reported a
lively little engagement, in which our regiment
lost two men killed and had IL wounded-one
Of the wounded being Col Davis-and several
horses were lost; but the enemy were repulsed.
general uneasiness seemed to pervade the
whole army. 1t may be said the soldiers
considered there was a scare at headquar-
ters, and there was assuredly lack of con-
fdence among the men. Great columns of
smoke darkened the sky in different directions,
but we had not sufficient knowledge of the
country and of the position of forces to know
which side was destroying property to keep it
from the pocsacSion nf fhe other 0uartar-