Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1888-05-25
SOLDIERS DEPARTMENT.
MILITARY MAIL SERVICE.
An Historical Sketch by tho Agent of the
Army OF tho Tennessee.

Tennessee may be interesting to your
readers, take pleasure in giving you
n brief sketch of its early inception and
subsequent history up to the capture of
Vicksburg, so far rs IL camo under my
personal knowledge. Tho J.. following
copy of an order from Brigadicr-Gen-
cral U. S. Grant gives the beginning of
that service:
HEADQ'Rs DEPT OF s. L. MISSOURI,
CAIRO, Sept H. 1861.
o. IL. Ross Is hereby appointed mail agent
between Cairo and Paducah, until such time rs
the Government may establish n regular mail
route, or during tho continuance of the service
being performed by Government boats, under
military authority, unless removed by proper
authority U. s. GRANT,
Brgadicr. General Commanding.
at once assumed the duties assign
cd mo. and in October following A. Ii.
Markland, special agent of the Post
office Department, was assigned by the
Postmastcr-Gcneral to this district
received instructions and suggestions
from Colonel MARYLAND from time to
time regarding the mail service that
were valuable. He continued with the
Army of the Tennessee in his capacity
rs the Post-oilico Department agent,
under the orders Of General Grant,
and remained under military orders.
As tho army progressed the service
was extended on tho Cumberland and
Tennessee rivers, and from the rivers
into the interior as the movement of
troops required.
For want of proper facilities to ham
die the immense mail going to the
army, the floor and tables on steam
boats were used in asserting and dis
tributing. Wagons and ambulances
were likewise used in the field. 1t
must, however, be borne in mind that
the greater portion of making up the
mails for ills grand old army was per-
formed at the Cairo post-otlice until
the movement on Fort Henry in Jnnu-
airy, 1862, which, so far as practicable,
was made up in pouches and sacks for
brigades, divisions, etc. The entire
mail for General Grants army operat-
ing against Fort Donclson was distrib-
uted on the steamboat New Uncle
Sam, on route from Fort Henry to Fort
Donclson, in charge of Colonel Mark
land. personally delivered the mails
before any considerable number of
General Grants troops had moved into
the fort That was the first distribu-
ii n of large mail within the lines of
the army while in transit.
Upon the occupation of Savannah,
Tenn, l was appointed Special Mill
tary Agent, and directed to take
charge of forwarding and receiving all
mails OH the Tennessee river; also, to
appoint place where the mails for the
North could lie received. Up to the
time of the battle of Pittsburgh Land
ing Cor Shiloh) the mails were received
on some designated steamboat and for
wardcd to Cairo, Ill. They were
brought in from regiments, brigades
and divisions by detailed soldiers. Be-
fore the battle the old log house, a
noted point on that famous battle field,
was first occupied as post-oflice, w.
o. Ludlow, detailed soldier from the
Second Iowa, being placed in charge
Mail was received and forwarded from
there until Corinth was occupied, when
the office was transferred to the latter
place.
No one who was at Pittsburgh Land
ing Immediately before, at the time or
after the battle of Shiloh can fail to re-
member that log house. 1t was the
only house on the bank, and was the
point from which the front was reached
and the general rendezvous for those
a
When the battle began on the bright
morning of the 9th of April that house
was nearly three miles to the rear;
when the battle closed in the afternoon
on that day it was at the front. Its
gable was severely peppcred by the
musketry firing of the enemy. The
head of General Grants scout (Carson)
was taken off by solid shot or shell in
front of that house on the afternoon of
the 9th while he was in the act of de-
livering n verbal message from General
Buell. to General Grant. The night of
the 9th the post-oliice was moved out of
the house into hospital tent between
it and the river and the house was
used for an amputating hospital until
the arrival of General Halleck, when it
was again occupied by Colonel Mark
land and the private soldiers who had
been detailed for post-office duty rs n
post-oflice for the army. 1t twas in that
log house that General Grant sought
rest after the days battle, but the
agonizing cries of the wounded drove
him to the foot of tree near by,
where, with no other shelter from the
heavy rain than the foliage of the tree,
he spent Il few hours of the night.
The railroad from Corinth, Miss, to
Columbus, KY, was at once put in run
ming order, the towns along the line
garrisoned, and the road made the
channel of mail communication with
troops moving or stationed away from
the railroad. Communication was
kept open by wagons, ambulances and
special mounted couriers. The rail-
road from jackson, Tenn, to Oxford,
Miss, and from Corinth, Miss, to
Memphis, Tenn, was put in condition
and operated by the United States
Government while needed for its pur-
poses.
The mail for that portion of the army
in front OF Vicksburg were sent by
steamboat to Young's Point and Milli-
ken's Bend. La, and delivered by de-
tailed men to the brigades and divi-
sions to which it belonged. After the
occupation of Vicksburg, the river
being opened from st. Louis to New
Orleans for general traffic, the mail
service was under the entire charge of
Colonel A. II. Markland, and was Or
derod to confine my duties to the mail
and dispatches from headquarters only.
Thus it will be seen that the military