The National tribune., 1888-09-27
CHAPTER Ky.
IN CAMP AT RoLLA-A PRIVATE EXPEDI-
TIoN INTO THE ENE8fY's COUNTRY.

IN CAMP AT RoLLA-A PRIVATE EXPEDI-
TIoN INTO THE ENEafY's COUNTRY.
The three-months troops whose terms had
expired, or were about to expire, were sent
home, and the post at Rolla left in charge of
the three-years regiments that remained, to-
gether with portion of the Regular forces
of the late Army of the Southwest. The 1st
Iowa. as already stated, had been enlisted
for three months, and soon after the arrival
at Rolla it returned to its own State and
was disbanded.
True to their determination to see more
of the war, Jack and Harry remained at
Rolla when the regiment departed. At
the same time they wrote to their parents
and sent messages by their comrades, ex-
planning why they wished to stay III Mis-
souri,, and their reasons for not going home.
" We are not enlistsd," Jack wrote TO his
father, and so we don't have to get into
danger like the soldiers do We've nothing
to do but drive wagons and stay around the
camp, where everything is safe The boys will
tell you how it is when they get home, and
you may be sure we won't take any risks
we can keep out Of"
There was a good deal of special pleading
in Jacks letter, as the reader plainly per-
ceives. It was certainly a greater risk for
the youths to remain at frontier post than
to 90 home, where they would be out of all
danger. Furthermore, ybody knows that
while the position of teamster is safer
than that of the soldier who goes into battle,
| it is by no means a situation of unallOyed
security. Wason-trains are liable to attack
and capture in the enemy's country and one
| of the favorite enterprises of cavalry COM
mander is to strike his epemy's wagon train
on frequent occasions. IF the wagons can
be taken away they become the enemy's
| property; if they cannot be secured they
are destroyed, and in either case the un-
| fortunate drivers fall into the enemys hands
and become prisoners of war.
The history of war is full of stories Of attacks
| upon wagon trains; one of the perplexing
problems for the military commander TO solve
is how to keep open his line of communica-
| tions when advancing into the region of war
| and protect the trains that bring forward the
supplies for his troops. II an army could be
| maintained without food and ammunition, save
what it could collect in the enemy's country,
| many leader would be greatly relieved.
Through the recommendation of the officers
of the 1st Iowa Jack aad Harry obtained en-
ployment with the Post Quartermaster at
| Rolla. With the approval of the commander
| of the troops stationed there he issued new
clothing and blankets to the youths, and they
felt, to use an old phrase cas- proud as pea
cocks"
A rumor came that a rebel army was assem-
bling somewhere to the southwark for the pur-
pose of attacking Rolla and securing the valu-
able property stored there. The garrison was
put at work to throw up defenses, cannon were
sent from st. Louis the hills around the village
were cleared of brushWood, and everything
about the place assumed the appearance of war.
One day Jack suggested to Harry that they
| would make an excursion into the neighboring
country, just 10 see for themselves aud have a
little fun.
Harry agreed to the proposal, but said there
was a difficulty in the way on account Of their
clothing. They didn't want to be known as
belonging to the garrison of Rolia, for the
double reason that the people would not talk
freely with them, and, besides, they might be
seized and carried off as prisoners and futher-
more, their suits were new and they didn't
want to spoil them IS long as spelling could be
avoided.
Fortune favored them. That very day a
scouting party brought in a wagon load oil
clothing which had been collected in village
few miles away to be sent to a company from
that village, and tken serving under Gen.
Price From this load of clothing the Quarter
master allowed Jack and Harry to help them
selves and they managed to pick out two suits
which fitted them about as we'll as one is ordi-
narily fitted in a ready made clothing store.
Sloueh hats added to these butternut gar
ments completed their costume, and thus ac
coutered they set out on a tramp whose dura-
tion was an uncertainty. Their plan was tC
walk from R0lla to Ir0ntOn and back again
The distance between the two points was about
hundred miles, and they intended to take &
, different road OH their return from the one fol
lowed on the outward journey.
Ironton was then the terminus of the Iron
: Mountain Railway, and was held BY garrison
of Union troops Col. Wyman, who commanded
the 18th ILL.,, then stationed at Rolla, promised
TO write TO the commander of the post at Iron
ton and inform him of the proposed journey o
the youths, so that their story would not b.
discredited on their arrival there. 1t wa
thought best that they should carry no letter
or papers of any kind which might cempromis
them in case of capture. So they took nothin:
except sufficient money to pay their expense
: on the way, and this was supplied by the com
: mander of the post. The paper money of tn
3 State of Missouri was preferred to anything
{ else by the Inhabitants of the region through
0 which they were to pass, and therefore the,
4 carried nothing which bore the stamp Of tn
: United States Government with the exception
S of n few small pieces of silver coin and some O
a the local "shinplasters" that were then in cir
: culati0n.
Q The story that they were to tell in case the
9 were questioned was that they had come froI
the northern part of Missouri and were o.
\ their way to visit friends near IroDtOn. The,
a would freely admit that they had come throug
Rolla, and Col. Wyman gave them permission
c to tell all they knew about the garrison there
d except to give a guess as to the number c
!. troops at the post. TO all questions to th
:. number of soldiers at Rolla, they were to repl
that they didn't know, but thought ther
were five or six thousand"
The fact was reinforcement was expecte
If in few days but this was unknown to th
a youths, and therefore the Colonel was quit
Il willing the boys should give whatever inform;
IS tion they could. aud in saying that they didn
know the number of soldiers at the post the
d would be strictly within the lines of truth.
e their part they were to learn all they coul
n about what the Secessionists were doing in til
d region between Rolla and IrOnton, and to VIII;
g extent it was sending recruits to the reb
e. forces in the field.
h The only baggage either of them carried WI
e an overcoat if an overcoat can be called bai
gage. Jack wanted to add a toothbrush and
y cake of soap to his outfit, but the proposal WI
e vetoed by Harry.
= Don't you see," said Harry, YOU'D be gil
o. ing yourself away at once? These fellows hel
,r don't use SOAP or so rarely that it is an exec
,r tion; and as for tooth-brushes don't belieV
- quarter of the people have ever heard of 'eI
i Suppose they search us or see us using soap an
IS tooth brushes; they'd know right off that Y
were not of their kind
Of "And didn't you hear about how sosp-box
~ " caused lot of ammunition to be seized 2