The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-03-01
WAR "REMINISCENCES.

| A True Story OF Army Life-Camp IN
eide ,ts-Forced Marches-Skir.
mishes And Hard Fought Bat
ties in Missouri And Ar
| kansas.
In 1851 the 59th Illinois regiment
went into winter:quarters on the Lee
moin river near Otterville, mo-. with
other regiments Of Gen. Curtis army
and remained there until January %
1852.
Orders were received by the regi-
ment on the 23rd to lie ready to march
at 5 o'clock on the morning of the 25th
with three days' rations in our haver.
sacks. The morning of the 25th of
January. 1862 made its appearance
clear and cold and found the regiment
in good marching trim. AT eight
o'clock the bugle sounded to "Fall In"
and the teoops moved out. The direc.
ton taken was down the railroad to-
wards Syracuse; but before night Sy-
racuse was left in the rear. and Upton,
a small town six miles further east was
approached. Here the reg iment went
into camp for the night. EARLY the
next morning we crossed the
railroad and moved in a southerly d.
rection.
While on this days. march an anus
ing incident occurred, showing conclus-
lively in which direction the feeling OF
the soldier inclined. One, Moore, a
citizen of Syracuse, with his overseer,
came riding along by the regiment in
search of one of his slaves. The negro
had disappeared from Syracuse the
day before, and Old Moore had rightly
suspected that he had Joined the army
The 59th Illinois happened to be the
regiment he was with. On discover.
ing the boy Old Moore rode up to him
and ordered him to get behind the ov.
erseer and ride back to town. The
soldiers soon crowded around the ne.
gro and the master and ordered the lat.
ter to leave. The old gentleman did
not like to leave without his negro
but the threats and threatening atti
tude Of some of the boys gave him tc
understand that it was not safe fol
him to remain. and he concluded thai
discretion was the better part of val.
or" and begun an inglofious retreat,
which at first was slow and reluctant
but as missiles of different kinds began
to increase in number, his speed begar
to increase accordingly until he and
his "man Friday" disappeared. Moth
ing more was ever heard of the maste
but the colored boy continued good
servant in the regiment for more thar
a year.
The march was now continued
through very wild aud broken re
gion of country with bad roads ant
stormy weather until Feb. 2, when WI
came to the Usage river. The regi.
ment went into camp on the left bank
of the Usage on the afternoon of the e
during heavy snow storm. The
weather had been stormy ever since
leaving Syracuse and here it culmlna
ted in a cold, driving snow storm. NJ
one who has not experienced the trial
can imagine how disagreeable it is to
go into camp under such Circumstance
es as then surrounded the army.
One evening the regiment went into
camp on a low piece. of meadow land
near Our Gravel Creek after marching
in the rain all day. We were wet,
muddy and hungry. Orders had been
issued to burn no rails on this march
But there was no other wood couven-
lent and the question with the boys
was "How are We going to. make cot.
fee?" Twilight was spent in trying to
start fire. AS soon as 1t became dark
the rails began to move from the fence
enclosing the meadow and in half al
hour thereafter mos. genial and glow
ing fires were burning in all directions
and owing TO the bad roads the camp
equippage did not come up till morn
ing, and consequently there were no
tents to pitch end the entire night wa:
spent in dancing and whooping around
the fires in seemingly the most perfect
enjoyment although it rained in tor
rents. The next morning disclosed
the fact that the meadow was all ou
doors.
The question now arose "How is thu
river to be crossed" "Look youder,"
says a boy pointing down the river
''yonder is a steamboat"
| Ito be conffnuedl
L