The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1889-04-11
WAS IT'S PURPOSE ?
A Mysterious Expedition Into Louisiana.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Among the
many moves made on the chessboard of war
there is one that has never been explained, or,
If So have failed to notice the explanation.
1t was started from Vicksburg on the goth Of
August, 1863, and consisted of one small division
of infantry and a small cavalry force. / have
been of the impression that Gen. Davidson was
the commander, but rs history places him with
Gen. Fred Steele at Little Rock, Ark, at this
date my memory must be at fault; neither
can l give the regiments that composed this
force except that the Iowa Brigade, or at least
three regiments of it, commanded by Brevet
Brig.-Ge Chambers, Colonel of the 18th Iowa,
was a part of the expedition.
We took boats at Vicksburg and proceeded
up the river to Milliken's Bend, where we de-
barked, and started westward through the
Mississippi bottom, that had been inundated
by the cutting of the layee at Lake Providence
in the Spring. We followed blind roads that
had not been used during the Summer, where
the weeds were so tall as to entirely conceal
cavalryman, and the mud and driftwood on
the trees showed where the water had reached
in the overflow. The heat was almost intoler-
able in the daytime, and at night we lay with
our feet in the ashes, shivering under our rub
Der blankets-not having taken our wooden
ones along, as we were told the expedition
would be a short one. In the evening we would
go to the nearest bayou, and after removing
the green scum, would fill our canteens with
water, the temperature of which was about the
same as freshly-drawn milk. but would be like
ice-water in the morning, so cold are the nights
in those bottoms. Foraging was strictly for
hidden, and as there were no inhabitants and
no forage to be obtained, the orders were
obeyed.
We reached Monroe, town on the Vicks-
burg & Shreveport Railroad, and near the
Wichita River, distant from the Mississippi
about so miles; here was high land and good
water. We remained at Monroe one day, and
then retraced our steps to the Mississippi.
What was the object of this movements Was
it intended to create diversion in favor of
Steele2 1t would seem to have been made too
late for this purpose. Was it simply recon-
noissance, or was it a scheme to provide malarial
patients for the hospitals? If the latter it was
a success. for about every third man returned
to Vicksburg with the ague.
Previous to this our brigade had been doing
duty at Black River and guarding trains to
Sherman at Jackson, and we only reached
Vicksburg about the last of July. After camp
ing at Vicksburg some of the boys got the in
sane idea into their heads that q ration of soft
bread would be an agreeable change, 90 we
could draw our rations in -four instead of hard
tack; but we had no facilities for baking.
Finally one of the boys found an abandoned
oven, one of the sheetiron variety common in
the camps in the early days of the war; and by
virtue of his discovery he was detailed to act
as company baker. Flour was drawn from the
commissary, and as we were then under march
ing orders, he was ordered TO bake two days
rations.
On the morning we started each man re-
ceived two loaves of bread. They looked sus-
piciously small, but seemed to weigh all right
and we placed them in our haversacks without
comment. When we reached the landing we
were given one days rations of bakers bread
from a division bakery that had just been
started in the city. This bread was good and
fresh. We ate one-half for dinner while on the
boat and after landing and marching out SIX
or seven miles went into camp and ate the re-
mainder for supper. Then we lay down tC
shiver through the night and absorb malaria
In the morning, after the usual noisy contest
! between the fife and drum, in which neither
seemed TO gain the supremacy, we stood in an
| irregular line and made the fitting responses tC
| the Orderly-Sergeant's morning prisons, per
! formed our additions at the nearest bayou, cut
| of slice of sow-excuse me, mean a piece
| of pork, broiled it in the usual manner made
our coffee, and, without petitioning give US
! this day our daily bread, for had we not tive
! days rations in our haversacks ?-We drew ou
/ our bread and began our breakfast Then re
marks were made: John, lend me your
knife" who has the hatchet2" Lets
| take bayonet, and see if we can't make {
| start" etc.
Personally I had already begun to feel thu
effects of malaria, having enjoyed spell of agut
at Black River; so concluded that was no
hungry, and, stepping out to the road where
battery was passing, l offered the Lieutenan
in command my loaves for artillery ammuni
| ton. He took one, examined it, and handed
it back, saying that his guns were brass Ma
poleons, and he didn't want them scratched.
then wendell my way to the bayou aud cas-
my bread upon the waters" 1t sank like
deep-sea lead. which probably accounts for i
not having returned to me after many days
Mr.. Editor, | shall not undertake to describt
this bread as bread it needs no description
But if in the distant future some spectace'
geologist should stumble upon a small collec
tion of boulders in the lowlands west of tn
Mississippi, he will no doubt give an ingeniou
theory as to their origin; such, for instance, q
their having been hurled from the crater 0
Popocatepetl during an eruption, and volcani
in origin, or as having fallen from a clear sky
and meteoric But members of Co. a, lot
Iowa, if any are living will know when the
read the description that the leaves of brea
they threw away on the morning of Aug. q
1868, have been discoyered.-L G. STANLEY
Co. A, 10th Iowa, Eldridge, Iowa.