The National tribune., 1901-05-02
A MIDNIGHT ALARM.
Advance of Contrabands on the
Union Camp Causes the Sound
ing OF the "LOng Roll"
By j. A. PINE.

Our regiment, the 1st Ind. Cav, had
wintered at Ironton and Pennington, in
southeast Missouri, during the Winter OF
81 and 60, scouting the country for many
miles in every direction, when orders
came for our brigade-the list Ind. and
9th Kan. Cav.-to march to the Arkansas
River and there intercept the forces OF
Gems. Curtis and Sigel, and move with
them on down to Helena, on the Missis-
sippi River.
This was after the battle of Pea Ridge,
when the Union forces were ordered from
western Missouri to the Mississippi. so,
late in the Spring or early Summer, we
started, moving in a leisurely way, graz
ing and feeding our horses off the coun-
try as we moved along.
Nothing unusual occurred, no enemy
appeared, and the weather was generally
enjoyable. There was, however, about
two weeks of almost steady rain, which
struck us while crossing some red-clay
hill country, and our transportation ana
six-mule teams had a hard time pulling
through with their heayily-loaded wag-
ons. Some days we would scarcely make
two miles a day, and wagons and guards
would be covered with mud and clay.
Finally we struck the Arkansas River
a few miles above Batesville, and went
into camp to recuperate and try to get
news of Gen. Curtis and army.
Here we began to realize we were not
to have such picnic the rest of the way.
All the Confederate troops and home
guards for miles around were gathered to-
gether and were slowly retreating just
in front of Cmtis, haraSsing, fighting and
delaying his advance as much as possible
1t was now hot, dry and dusty, and
for miles each side of the line of march
every well and spring had been filled UP
and obliterated; provisions were also get
ting scarce, and fighting was going on
continually in front of us.
The first notification we had after
reaching the Arkansas River that easy
times had changed was a strong force OF
the enemy intrenched in q large hewed
log corncrib. A long lane ran by the
buildings, and across this, about foot
high, every 10 feet telegraph-wire had
been stretched.
Our advance guard. of a Sergeant and
four men, trOtting on ahead a mile or two,
all unconscious of danger, struck the
wires just opposite the corncrib. and in
minute horses and men were down In
heap, while volley after vOlley were be-
ing poured into them, killing all but one,
who had fallen behind his horse, which
protected him in part, and he got on
alive, though badly wounded. This oc-
CURED late in the day, and it took US all
next day TO diSlOdge the foe and clear
the road of wires. We then resumed the
march to Batesville, where We were to
make junction with Gen. Curtis, but ar
rived several days in advance of him.
THE GUERRILLAs' RICH PRIZE.
Along with our command were two
young men who had secured the sutler-
ship, and had five large wagons heavily
loaded with suffers goods. One they
kept open TO supply our regiment; the
other four were closely packed with thou
sands of dollars worth of valuable goods
which they did not expect to open until
some good town was struck, or until the
junction with Gen. Curtis was made. AS
the profit was several hundred per cent,
they expected to and no doubt would
have made a small fortune; but, alas, the
near approach to Batesville and previous
immunity from danger had made them
careless. and they loitered behind instead
of keeping up with the wagon train, and
suddenly band of men sprang out from
a side road, turned the suffers wagons of
In another direction, and il was hours be-
fore our command knew anything about
the occurrence.
The next day the suffers made their
appearance. the enemy having turned
them loose in consideration of the valuable
present they had made them. They said
a happier, jollier lot of men they never
gaw, as there were only about so of them.
other troops, giving each man what would
have cost him hundreds of dollars to
have bought in the Confederacy; but
worse plucked, more woebegOne-looking
men than the young suffers were never
seen, especially when they reflected that
Il was all on account of carelessness on
their part.
THE MULE TRAIN.
Now for the amusing part of our
march
is's recall trains Of six-mule wagon teams
had been sent out to him 500 at a time,
loaded with supplies. As he had no troops
TO spare to convoy these wagons to st.
Louis, he had to keep adding them TO his
transportation, until finally his Quarter
master had more than 6,0U0 wagons and
B6,000 mules under his control, most of
the wagons empty and with Dutch and
German drivers, and when the army
stretched out on its march to Helena one
can imagine the length OF this long train
in addition to the convoy guarding it; in
fact, the rear of train nearly always
camped at night where the front had
been that morning. These German driy-
ers seemed to have a great penchant to
pick up every cOlOred person they could
on the march, old and young, pickaninnies
and women, men and boys, all loaded
down with old blankets, bundles of what
they called clothing, frying-pans and
stewpots, thousands upon thousands of
them, happy -go-lucky lot, with no idea
OF where they were going or what they
were going TO do, but all wild with the
idea, ''Tse free now; Massar Linkum
come at last"
Every group started with some corn
meal and potatoes, and the green corn
fields along the route afforded good forag-
ing, SO they managed to subsist until
Helena was reached, and then the army
had TO detail a guard, force them into
a camp. compel them to police it, and is
sue rations, while the men were put to
work building Notifications.
On the march our regiment was given
the lead, much to our qualification. Pro
visions were getting very scarce, and this
gave US a chance to be first in fOrag ging;
true, II kept US also on the skirmish line
but that only added zest to our trip, and
We also picked out the camping grounds
and were first to 90 into camp, throwing
out night pickets in advance.
One afternoon we reached a good-sized
stream or creek, on each side of which
was wide margin of low, swampy land
thickly wooded, but mirey and utterly i'm
passable, even for a man, let alone an
army wagon. The road we were travel
Ing led straight across the stream, a mar
row causeway Of dirt being thrown up
across the swamp on each side of the
water. A wooden bridge Of primitive
construction had once spanned the stream.
but now was probably floating along some
miles below The enemy had nickats on