Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1890-08-22
A PIONEER.
An Autobiographical Sketch of DR.. II. F
Slaughter.

DEB +. Slaughter who has consented to
be photographed for the TR1BUNE's por-
trait gallery of old settlers, was born in
Kentucky and is the grandson of one Of the
early governors Of that state. His Ken.
lucky ancestors immigrated from Virginia,
and the doctor is a lined defendant of Rev.
Philip Slaughter who bore so distinguis h.
ed a part as captain and commissary in
the revolutionary war, and who married a
lady of the famous Lee family. This gen.
tleman who was an Ep%iscopalian clergyman
was the chaplain and friend of General
Washington, and several autograph letters
from the great commander. in-chief written
to him at his parish, are still carefully
treasured In the family.
The doctor furnishes the TRIBUNE the
following photographed sketch:
l was born. on my fathers estate in Mel.
son county, Kentucky, April 10, 1912. My
father owned some ninety slaves and up.
wards and my childhood wa passed in
ease and happiness.
Beach FOrk-a considerable stream
that united not far away with Rolling
"oAhs " AN SoAV AASCA VI pOiAVItuA AC-
nown, skirted my fathers plantation, and
it wa his custom to have fiat boats built
every fall, load them with corn, pork and
other plantation produce, and in the spring
float them out to Salt river, to the Ohio
and down to New Orleans, his overseer
going along in charge of the slaves who
formed the crew.
My father took considerable pride in the
cultivation of his estate, but his especial
pride was centered in the blooded cattle
and thoroughbred horses for which his
plantation was famous throughout the
state.
I was early sent to st. Joseph's college
at Bardstown, KY, and graduated at the
Episcopal military college at Sheibyville,
KY, in 1859, and began the study of medi'
cine at the Kentucky school of medicine
at Louisville, XIV. l was appointed a medi-
cal cadet, US. A, in January, 1861. This
was a corps created by act Of congress,
and was designed to prepare young STU
dents for the army service. We were as
signed to duty in large general hospitals
under control of regular u. S. A. surgeons.
The corps originally consisted of sixty,
but the number was afterwards raised to
seventy. They were selected in competi-
tive examination from hundreds of appli-
cants. A board of u. S. examining sur
geons was established in Philadelphia and
western applicants. AS may be supposed
my securing the prize was the cause of
considerable citation OF the part OF my
friends and myself. My service as medi-
cal cadet was chiefly in the Brown general
hospital at Louisville, and adjacent field
1852 and in 1868 was commissioned as as
sistant surgeon U. :. A., and ordered to
the front during the battle of Stone river.
Together with 100 other surgeons | was
one night hurried aboard the train at the
Nashville depot. At l o'clock that night
we were halted forty miles out by the
burning of the trestle at Muldrough's
by General John Morgan, who had there
captured an Indiana regiment. We
tramped it across the break, about six
miles and reached EliZabethtown at day
light, and there found a regiment OF Hill
nois troops that Morgan had furloughed
the day before, We we'll knew what this
meant. The next day we We're on one of the
bloodiest battle fields of the war, It was
there that the "Fed'' and "Confed" Ken
tnckians met more numerously than on
any other field. 1t was truly brother
against brother. and sad work it was for
me, when among the sorely wounded on
both sides VINO were brought to my ampu-
Eating table l wonld recognize old friends
and schoolmates. Colonel Roger Hanson
Colonel Jim Furman Of the seventh fedora,
ties here gave up the ghost. l was here
commissioned assistant surgeon of the
fifty-fifth Kentucky mounted Infantry, and
ordered to join Burbridge's command in
eastern Kentucky. In December, 1864, he
was ordered to report to General Stoneman
in eastern Tennessee and together raid
and destroy the salt works of West Vir-
ginia. For about a month we were foun-
dering through the snow in the Cumber-
land mountains and tOrding the river with
Il packmules and headquarters wagons.
or course when we reached Saltville, Gen
eral Lee, who had full information of that
months imbecile work, had everything pre-
pared for our discomfort. We were to
make the attack at daylight one morning.
Two hours before that time we were at
tackled by troops that were a hundred
miles away when we re~tired-having been
r%ailroaded up from Richmond. They
hurried for our camp. 1t was not much OF
a fight. A short horse is soon currled. Our
retreat was very like that OF Napoleon's
from Moscow, and when we got back to
Lexington, KY, [ found 200 men Of my
regiment more or less disabled from frost
bite.
l was promoted to full surgeon with the
rank of major Of staff, receiving my COM
mission on my twenty-fourth birthday;
and we were ordered to Covington, KY, to
recruit our men and horses. After a rest
of man and beast, the regiment was di-
vided into detachments OF one and two
companies for a kind of state police duty,
and now began for me the most labori-
GUS and desperately hazardous duty of my
service. 1t was ceaseless Var and danger,
with guerillas, organized and u~norganiZed,
robbers and horse thieves, regardless of
political proclivities or religious rearing;
social disorganization, and the wheels OF
civil government feebly turning; treason
sporting in blue, and loyalty in gray. In
Mount Sterling, KY, a sergeant Of my reg
iment walked into the provost marshals
Office and, drawing his revolver, shot two
prisoners dead. What for? They were
neighbors, engaged on opposite sides.
They had gone to Sergeant Watkins house
and insulted his wife m daughter. Ken
lucky sentiment would have upheld him in
the act in time Of peace and the provost
dared not modest him. The emancipation
of the slaves had led to
social complications, and the
bitter feeling of the confederate Kentuck.
ians against all who were serving with the
federalS was greatly intensified,