The National tribune., 1892-08-11

Anything but Nice Commander.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
& veIT,a2 HE article of 1st Iowa cavalryman
bNsEsYB in your paper of April g. recalls to
SEkd3s mind recolections of hardships during
SS1kES my service, under that tyrannical
Go commander, Gen. George A. Custer
and l can indorse every word of 1st Iowa
cavalryman's article. The way our boys de-
feated the orders of Gen. Custer regarding the
carrying Of carbnes in sings, saber snapped on
belt, and jackets 1buttoned from top to bottom,
under the broiling sun of that Southern
country was funny. They made it very con-
venient to lose their jackets, sabers and
sings during the night, rather than submit to
such inconsistent and tyrannical orders.
Many of our boys were sunstruck while on
that march, and many more are still suffering
from its terrible effects.
While We were in camp Mt Alexandria, La,
in July. 1865, there were two comrades arrested,
one Of the 10Th Ill. Cav. and the other Of a
Michigan regiment, think and after court
martial were sentenced to be shot; but for
some reason unknown to me the condemned Of
the Michigan regiment was reprieved and
taken off the coffin on which he was kneelng
awaiting execution, and was sent to Dry Tor
tugas. Whether he is living, or what became
of him. / never knew. II he is living would
like to hear from him.
But his comrade of the 18th III. was shot,
the charges against him being desertion. After
we left Alexandria en- route for Hampstead,
Tex. our boys suffered greatly from tho scarcity
of food along with those obnoxious orders
We had nothing to eat but some sour pork
and maggoty bareback. One time in particular
do we'll remember while OH that march we
were for three days without even those luxu-
ries
One night after we had camped, being driven
by extreme hunger, struck out from camp in
search Of food. 10 Altar much travelling, and
leaving the camnfres several miles behind me.
saw single light away in the distance. l
approached it very carefully. and while recon-
noitering the premises came in contact with the
pig-pen. in which there were several little pigs
about six weeks ODD Il
managed to capture one of the little fell
lows, and drawing my knife across his throat l
dropped him in my gunnysack and started for
camp, which ! reached toward morning, after .
long, tedious tramp. sThen my comrade, L. A.
Way dressed and boiled tho little fellow, with
out pepper or SALT and~we had a breakfast that
morning that will be remembered as long
as memory lasts Yet, had I been caught
while out of camp, l would have cotton 25
lashes and my head shaved for trying to keep
body and soul togetbAf.
That little pis|1aaed us until we got to
Hampstead, where there was an abundance.
This suffering from hunger in time of peace was,
as the LIST Iowa cavalryfnan states, Through the
negligence of our commanding General" I
have personal knowledge Of number of our
comrades who to-day are ineapacitated to per-
form manual labor as direct result of the pri-
vations and hardships of that march. would
like to hear from some of the other comrades
who were on that march from Alexandria to
Hem JOSEPH YAcKEY, Co.'S E and G,
4th ILL., Cav, aud Co. K, 18th ILL., Cav.