The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-01-12

| v,
where we remained near Crab Apple CT
chard, and IL the reorganization of Gen.
5ntPs army were assigned to General
! Dumunts division. When General Buel
commenced his march after Bragg We
were on the LETT Of the army, going first to
Frankfort, KY, where We remained until
vile, and Oh how we suffered on those
| hard old pixies from Sheibyville TO Bowl
! ing Green, Glasgow, Thom pKinsvllle; and
on the LIST Of December We reached Harris
vile, Tenn, on the Cumberland river. The
brigade was then commanded by Colonel
Scott of the 1911 Illinois Infantry,
When We reached Huntsville Colonel A
b. Moore, of the 1914 Illinois Infantry, WAS
ass. gGed 10 the command, Lieutenant Col.
| iapemGn commanding the regiment We
! pitched our tents on the bank # the Cum
! ber!and river some distance from Nash
Vile aud M0rfreesboro. Nashville and
| Murfreesburo were the dividing line be-
tween the two great armies Of Roseclans
and Bragg,
The troops at Huntsville consisted Of the
lOl,n Illinois, the lOGrh aud Josh OHIO,
two companies of Cavalry, and two pieces
Of artillery, about one thousand elf, ctive
men. Three companies Of the lOl,h III.
were detached, two being in Galletin and
one on duty in tie village of nartsvlie.
We had Sibley tents then. All the boys
had drawn fun supply of clothing, al
though many had their home made boots,
which we preferred 20 the army shoe. All
had stuffed knapsacks and fun haversacks,
with good supply Of water in the Cum.
beiiand river plenty of wood for fuel, and
were AS content with our army life as d
Blue Jay in corn field
Many companies had secured negro
cooks. We had one by the name of Moses
u kind hearted old slave, then about fifty
years old. Our duty was, squad, company
aud regimental drill, with guard and picket
duty.
into our camp who claimed to be spies for
the Union army, and in fact had passes
signed by General Rosecrans. They told |
Col. Moore that they had laid their hands
on Rebel battery in Murfreesboro the
day before they came to our camp, and |
were then enroute TO report to General |
Rosecrans at Nashville. Col. Hapeman
and Maj, Widmer told Col Moore that
they believed them to be rebel spies, but
Col. Moore would not believe but that
they were Union men. Colonel Hapeman
and Major Widmer then urged the Colonel
to retain the men until information could |
he obtained from General Rosecrans, but
Colonel Mooie was not intended for mill
tary HE. Had Colonel Hapeman or Major
Widmer been in command of the brigade, |
the disaster at Huntsville would never have
occurred.
But must return to the battle, or the |
camp where, on the night of December
9th, when the sun went down, and we
gathered In our tents to write to the dear
ones at home, or to spend few moments
in friendly game Of cards, and tell of our
army life, spin yarns, or wish John Morgan
would come, so we could write to the dear
ones in Gods country and tell what daring
deeds we had performed while in action
and so the hours Of the evening of Dec
9th, 1862, passed swiftly by until taps came,
when we were ordered to have lights out
spread our rubber blankets on the ground,
some to say a favorite prayer, but little
that tomorrow would end his
army life. And so We slum bered on, with
pleasant dreams of home and friends
TO be continued. A SOLDIER.