The National tribune., 1899-08-24
FIGHTING THEM OVER.
What the Veterans Have to Say
About Their Campaigns.
SOLDERING IN EARNEST.
Campaigning In 1864 Against Pap" Price and 0ther
Restless Rebel Leaders.

| AesuesS nSpSi LSaoetS.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In you
issue of Feb. Is j. H. Wyman, Co. +, 9tl
Iowa Cav, tells about being at Devall'.
Bluff, on the White River, Ark, and day!
that the command left Devall'S Bluff OF
Oct "a, 1864, and that after meeting tn,
enemy under Shelby and driving then
away, on the return they learned tina
Prices army, 10000 strong, was near
that eight miles from Bayou Meto they me
Gen. Joe Mower, with 1900 Union troop:
and several pieces of artillery, and that they
sheled the rebel army, which was in timber
Comrade Wyman writes facts, except as Il
dates
The 95th Ohio, in which I had a com
mand, WAS brigaded with the I'D Ohio. $50
Ind. 114th Ill. and 10th MINI. 1t was {
partof Maj.-Gen. Joe A Mowers command
The army left Memphis. Tenn, Sept 3
1864. and arrived at Devall's Bluff by steam
boat on the Sth. 1t drove Prices and othei
Brownsville, Ark, Sept. II, following
through Missouri, marching II days on II
days ratio1s through wild swamp and
hilly country. finally going to Cape Girar.
deau.
The rebel army had gone around St
toward Jefferson City. 4. J. Smith was ] at
Cape Girardeau with fleet of steamboats,,
waiting for Gen. Mowers command to take
them to Louisville. KY, and there join
Sherman's army. But Maj.-Gen. Rose
Grams, who hai command of the Depart
| ment of Missouri and the West, ordered the
fleet to proceed to Jefferson City, Mo. From
the latter place we marched through west
! ern Missouri, driving the enemy into Kan
SaS.
After they fought the Union cavalry COM
| manded by Gen. Pleasonton who was in
which had marched in from the plains and
intercepted them at Blue River, Westport,
seven miles from Kansas City, Mo-, Oct. %,
1864, the infantry, under command of Maj
Gen. A. j. Smith Gen. Joe A. Mower had
left the command at ST. Louis and gone to
Oct. 81 had marched 20 miles on the 23d, and
gone into camp within 10 miles of Independ-
ence, Mo.
AT IL p. m. we started again and passed
through Independence before daylight
We were then within six miles Of the enemy.
through the lines of the cavalry before we
came onto their lines. We arrived on the
battlefield about sunrise of Oct. "a, fully 800
miles away from Devall's Bluff, Ark.
Prices army, with JEFF Thompson's, QUAINT
rell's and other Missouri guerrilla COM
mands; were driven by Pleasonton's and
Blonnfs cavalry through Kansas and into
the Indian Territory. These dates are not
taken from memory, but from my diary,
kept daily, with an account of where we
were and the number of miles marched
each day, towns passed through, rivers and
swamps waded, and hills passed over.
Brig. Gen. John Macarthur joined and
took command of our division at ST. Louis,
Oct. 8. l will say to Lieut.. Frederick w.
Fout, 18th Ind. battery, st. Louis. Mo-, that
distinctly remember his battery, which
was moved up in support Of the batteries of
McArthur's !! !, Diyisions Mai Gen; A. J;
Shye's Hill, Nashville, Tenn, Dec. 16,
1864, and how their guns shelled the rebel
batteries, while our Gen. W. l.. McMillen's
Brigade charged on the enemy and routed
them on Shye's Hill, about $3.50 p. m. That
was a hot place, and many men fell. Color
Sergt James Price, of my company. was
killed by one of the last shots fired by the
Confederates there. The local Post, G. Ar.
at Westerville, o., bears his name
Gen. VIM. l.: McMillen is now residing at
Bell-View. N. J. Mrs. McMillen, the kind
while at Memphis, died in 1897. Only a
few of the survivors of our regiment meet at
the annual Reunions. / am heartily in
sympathy with Comrade Jas. Geissinger,
Co. A, 72d Ohio, who is endeavoring to have
the charge of desertion removed, as per
statement in your issue of Feb. 16. well
remember that night march on Oct 10,
1864. My diary shows this: "Wednesday,
Oct 19--Reveille at 2:3O a. M; breakfast
started at daylight; passed through Sedalia
Mo-, at noon; crossed Muddy Creek; passed
through Georgetown; went into camp at II
o'clock p. m; rained after dark very hard;
Marched 16 miles. 21st-Marched %
miles; went into camp near Lexington at
o .. m. 22d-Marched 20 miles south in
forenoon through a fine farming country,
then nearly west in afternoon. 23d-
Marched 20 miles, a. IN. until sunset"
We made some terrible marches during
that campaign, following the enemy in one
direction and then another. The rebs
would make long cavalry march to draw
us in one direction, and then by circuitous
route get back towards the Missouri River.
They seemed to desire to get into north
western Missouri.
1t seems that those charges of desertion
should be removed, without loss of pay or
bounty. There are men now receiving
large pensions who were deserters and went
TO Canada, but returned near the close of the
war and were reinstated. One man, who
resided near here, did So and told that while
in Canada in 1864 he went over to Buffalo, |
N Y, and enlisted under an assumed name
in a New York regiment, receiving 81 900
as substitute, besides the local bounty |
He then deserted that command and went |
back to Canada, afterwards reporting back |
to the 10th Ohio Cav. under the Presidents
proclamation, and was restored to duty.
In 1888 he made an application for pen |
sion. The charges of desertion We're re-
moved as to the 10th Ohio Cav, under his |
real name, and he was granted a pension of |
512 per month. Henever did much service |
but had assistance by the Major of the regi- |
ment to get his pension. Thus it goes
the Undeserving get high ratings some
times, while very many of the most deServ- |
ing rien get Sc and SS, or nothing. Many |
of my old regiment are pensioned |
at So and S8; others, nothing. What means |
it! 1t is a great injustice, after they have /
furnished an abundance of testimony as to
their disabilities contracted while in the
United States service; but our Surgeons,
DR.. H. II. Gill, of Pittsburg, Kan; DR.. F.
A. Wilbur, of Kalamazoo, Mich; DR.. E. p.
Hoover, of Xenia, o., and DR.. Wm. S.
Gaines, of London, Mo-, kept no records of
the treatment Of men sick in field or camp.
Yet should any one by any circumstances
remind them of any sickness. they will
make affidavits.
The deserving officers and men did their
duty WELL and should now be remembered
by our restored Union and Government,
but many undeserving officers and men
draw high-rated pensions.
Commissioner III. Clay Evans seems to
hold the same rulings as did Commissioner
Lochren. Perhaps some men of other COM
mands will remember me as the Lieutenant
who could not speak aloud for five months
in 1868. and who had severe hand-to- :
hand encounter with Captain while on the
Arkansas campaign in September, 1S64.-l,
H.WARREN PHELPS, First Lieutenant, Co.
Fl. 95th Ohio, Westerville, o.
l
AIJGHT.WEIGRT pATpIOT