The National tribune., 1900-09-06

when he got there they found the hard
est-looking crowd they ever saw. The Cap
| tain laid his revolver on the table before
| him. and said he would shoot the first
person who attempted TO leave before he
got through without his permission.
1t was late in the night when we left
Lcesburg. riding very slowly. As we
nearcd Cuba we saw the long lines
of cordwood had been fred and were Il
mass of live Goals. Next day we reached
| st. James, where Gen. Ewing, Mcneil,
| Fletcher and others awaited us, many
guns drawn up in line near the railroad
track, pointing westward toward a heavy
column of the enemy, who had been
marching on 4 road running parallel with
| the one we were on. Our regiment
moved out in line of battle. but the reb-
els disappeared in the timber and fell
| back to Vienna. We moved on To R0iia,
| still in the rear; the rain falling, we were
soaked, but arriving there we lay down,
with no other protection but our blankets
and pOnchos. We were very tired, but we
| had performed Il feat we will never for
| get or regret, one no one could be ashamed
| of. Our regiment in part was oifccrcd
| by veterans of the 9Th and 18th Ill. Vol.
| Cav. some of whom won honorS on bat
| tlefieldS around Washington in the early
| part of the war. while with the great cav
airy General, Alfred Pleasanton. which
| gave us advantage over other regiments.
| Gen. PlcaSanton was sent West and
| finally commanded all the cavalry on this
| big raid | am now writing of.
Next morning we started for Jefferson
City. the same place Prices army was
| headed for-all the troops from ROlla,
| the 18th in the lead tall under Gen. Nc
NclllD. quite an army of us. 1t has been
said there was II race between us to get
into jefferson City Price could not have
| gotten into n worse place for him. the
rIN- of a,l- f,,itS in nn1 no
had no time to fortify. The rain came
down so steadily everything was wet 1t
was hard travelling for all, particularly
the artillery horses. which. in ascending
some of the claycy hills, would get stuck
i'll the mud: the men would lend II hand
and soon cannon and caissons would be
failing up the hill.
THE SILVER GRAYS.
We Illinois boys were favorites with
them, owing TO the Lecsburg affair. They
dubbed us the ''Silvcr GrayS." naming us
after the color of our Colonels hair. Our
little gunner was along, the visor of his
cap turned up. cheeks rosy as ever. As
we one day rode along by them he sang
out, Hello. you bully LccsbUrg fellows.
We're attached to ynu now. The I'd Mo.
Battery and the Silver Grays 20 to-
gether, and we calf-rope (take back moth
ing!' His comrades were laughing, while
it N'lS SHtullHts lllo 1T US.
With brief halts we arrived at .Icffer
son City, after Il march of a day and
night. Crossing the Usage River. the ar
tillcry was parked on the west bank The
mud was about II foot deep. Going up the
bank the horses would slide back in the
stream. Many hats We're brushed off by
low limbs Of trees and lost in that mud.
We had unsadded and We're getting
supper when the bugle. sounded Boots
and saddles" Hurry, hurry, men, The
rebs are on u.s. Every one jumped for
his life. Get into line here hurry The
artillery went cityward on the run. and
we were not slow to follow. The enemy
had us just where they wanted us, but we
got away into the city and behind breast
works and bitches protected by forts.
After driving in the militia and getting
good ready, the enemy planted their ar
tillcry i'll the Fair Grounds and opened
fire on the low forts and troops. about Il
mile TO the east of our regiment Many
shells went over us. some falling uncom-
fortably near. We lay, behind orr bitches
and watched the battle rage. Price would
send company after company to take n
fort. They would march up in ihe face
of TIE cannon only to be moved down like
hay before the scythe; hundreds Of brave
men thus lost their lives in our sight.
Gen. \. j. Smith was coming to aid us
with 1900 infantry which made Price
all the more anxious to capture us be-
fore Smith arrived. Finding us 100 for
midablc and well protected, he gave it up
and marched westward.
The night before Capt Kelly was or
dcrcd out on picket with Co. g. While
slowly and stealthily walking our horses
we came to fork in the road. along
which some more troops We're passing. 1t
was dark, and our boys asked, first, who
they were. The answer came, 18th Ar
kansas" This put the inquirer on his
guard, and when asked who he was, he
answered: I'VE are the 10Th Arkansas"
Then our boys taking the cue, kept it up
with the Johnnics as they We're march
ing along side by side, our boys edging
away from the Johnnics when they dis.
covered that we were Union troops and
two of our boys We're captured, Robert
Simmons and Tom Brown.
Lieut.. Charles Larrabee WAS out with
another squad that night, and he walked
some valuable information, and got away
all right. Owing to the nearncss of Gen.
\. J. Smith, Price hurried from .Ieffcr-
son City. going to California Station,
burning the depot, destroying the Govern
mcnt stores there and the railroad tracks.
We came upon his rear guard and Il
Sergeant of the militia was killed by the
windagc of a cannon ball. Prices army
left for Bonneville, after first cutting the
town and carrying away what they needed
to eat.
wild Bill" the Scout of the Prairies,
was with u.s. and ] will say that he was
born near Peoria, Ill. At the age of IL
he went West and became Il hunter and
Il trapper. At times he lived with friend
~ Indians; again alone, when his rifle fur
nished him food. When he attained his
ma iority he became very strong. lie never
picked Il quarrel, gave an insult or took
one. One Mckandlas boaStcd that he was
the bully of the Rocky Mountains. Bill
beat him at target practice and at wrcst- |
ling. The bully threatened vengeance
Bill offered to fight him with rifles, pistols |
or knives; yet the bully SwOre revenge, |
and wOuld not fight. Aftcrward Bill was
caught i'll Il house near Il small station by |
this gang. After the fight was over only |
Bill was alive, but he was severely wound |
ed.
When the war broke ont he became !
spy for the Union. He used four horses |
Black Nell" his favoritc, and the only |
one he used when acting as II spy, and |
three others.
Price was now in Bonneville. southeast |
Of which lay Marmaduke's Division;
southwest lay Cables Division making an |
inverted V. ."Will you walk into my par
or, says the spider topthe hy?" and we
walked in. After dark we moved eau
tiOusly and camped near n farmhouse.
Near by we could see the rebels putting
rails on fires whose flames scared noun
tain high. Maj. Fishcf moved slowly
A fn,,r 18th Js;.b,,, ,,,,,. -.