The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1901-08-29

uuA VI NNbs We MAJ tLNt INV II tl-t Nils
sissirpi to the mouth of the Missouri
River, and there took passage on steam
boats to jefferson City. the Capital o
Missouri. \ day later we moved toward
Lexington after Gen. Price, who had in
vaded Missouri.
THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST PRICE.
AT Lexington We caught Np with Gen
Prices command, which was retreating
and it was continuous fight clear acros,
Missouri into the southwestern corner OF
Kansas. Gen. Price had captured large
amount of Commissary supplies, and
many of his men were clothed in the
army blue, and many of the militia in
our command were dressed in citizens
clothes.
At the Little Usage Gen. Price made
stand on Il large, open prairie, to al
low his advance to cross the river. At
this juncture Gen. WinslOw's Brigade Uhe
9Th Ind. Cav. being in his briSadeD was
formed i'll line of battle and ordered TO
charge. At the command 5000 SahcTS
cleaned in the sunlight, and 5000 cava-
hcrS swept down on the Confederate host.
In that charge Gen. Prices army was
destroyed and large per cent. captured.
Among the captured was Gen. Marina
duke. who afterwards became Governor
VI hlSSbuIl.
Some of the rebels had on blue uni
forms, some gray, and still others citi-
Zens clothes, while the militia were large
ly clothed in citizens clothes. and there
were a few Federal soldiers who persist
ed i'll wearing citizens clothes. In the
charge all became mixed, and il was hard
to tell Il Union soldier from a rebel NV
Captain, David T. Skinner (who died a
few months ago at his home in Saamonia
Ind, had On a pair of citizens pants. He
became separated from his command, and
was captured by Federal soldier All
the Captain explanation and pleading
and urging that he belonged to the Union
army would not convince his captOr I'M
til he was marched to headquarters. Capt.
Skinner thereafter Wore the full uniform
We followed Gen. Price into Indian
Territory. His army was subsisting
largely on elm bark. There was an abund-
ance of red elm, and | remember that we
also were glad to eat elm bark. The
country was broken, and ut that time was
covered with a dense forest. If | re-
member right, it was called the Boston
Mountain Range. 1t was not uncom-
mon to see dead men and human skulls
along the trail, showing that many had
lost their lives in the forest before we
were there. 1t was then Nov. l. and we
suffered from hunger and cold. We turned
many good horse loose because he could
travel no farther.
After Gen. Price crossed the Arkansas
River we turned back toward the States.
A number of US Il do not now remember
who were along except Geo. W. HANDLE
ton, of Pennville. lnd.D struck out into the
mountains TO look for something to eat.
We at last found an Indian hut, occupied
by two Indian squaws. They were partly
civilized. We found little hominy,
few hickOry-nut kernels, and some per
simmons. The Indian women gave us TO
understand that this all TIpv had m
eat.
ELECTION DAY IN THE FIELD.
On the first Tuesday in November,
1854, we were in camp in the woods, near
the corner of Missouri, Kansas. and In
dian Territory. l do not know just which
State or Territory we were in. Illinois
soldiers, Iowa soldiers, and, l think, Kan
sas soldiers, voted for President in the
field Indiana soldiers We're not allowed
TO vote in the field.
The Indiana boys did not feel very
pleasant over the matter. However. !
there were but few of our regiment that
were old enough TO vote. The ground |
was covered with snow ON election day. |
We suffered greatly from the cold, as we |
had drawn no clothing since we left Mem !
phis. We had no blankets or Overcoats.
l remember one night as we were
marching toward Fort Scott, tired.
sleepy, and hungry, the column halted for
Some reason, and | Immediately Gismount-
ed, tied my horse TO my leg, and lay /
down. | soon fell asleep. How long |
slept l do not know. When / awoke |
seemed to be on the wrong side of the |
road, and the whole command had gone |
was on an open prairie, and | did not
know which way TO 20. After studying
little while, | took the end of the road
that appeared TO me TO be wrong. was
not long Oyertaking the command. We
soon reached Fort Scott, where we went
into camp. We then marched to Spring |
field, Mo-, where we went into camp on
an open prairie, about mile west of the |
city
We stayed at Springfield few days,
and turned over our horses. We then |
took the cars and went to Benton Bar
racks, st. Louis.
At Benton Barracks we Jared "sumpt- /
uously" every day, with nothing to de-. |
Here | attended church at the Christian |
Commission Building, and it was here
that | saw that beautiful light that Paul /
speaks of, which "shone above the
brightness of the sum-" and was filled with
that love that none know of but those |
that have been touched by the Divine. |
We drew horses at Benton Barracks and |
were ordered TO Nashville to help old |
Pap" Thomas whip Gen. Hood We |
embarked on steamboats, and went down
the Mississippi few miles, and tied up
for the night. / had the good luck to get |
room in the cabin, and slept soundIy all |
night.
The boat on which the 10th Mo. Cav. |
embarked caught fire in the night. and |
burned to the waters edge. The men all |
escaped. All their horses persisted, among .
them Col. Benteen's fine mare that he |
valued very highly. That night the river
froze over solid, so that our boats could
not run. Next morning we left the boats
and went hack TO St. Louis and crossed
the river on the ferry boat; the ferry be-
Ing kept open by continually breaking the
Ice. We then took the cars and went to
Cairo, Ill, where we again took passage
on steamboats,, and went up the Ohio,
that river being open. We disembarked |
at Louisville, Ky. We went into Winter
quarters south of the city and built huts.
The mess | belonged TO bought a little |
sheet-iron stove, so that we were we'll |
fixed.
My father visited me while we were at |
Louisville. ! was somewhat amused at |
him. He said he would sleep in our hut;
and, you know, there is always room for (
one more, although we were a little |
crowded. The wood we drew was princi- |
pally green pine. Along in the night my
father got tired, and got up and under
took TO build a fire. He would make a |
lot of shavings of the green pine, and |
then set them afire. As soon as the shay
ings were burned up, the fire was out / |
think he put in the greater part of the |
night trying to get a FIRE. Two nights of |
that kind of soldering seemed to satisfy |
him.
THE eRIERsoN EXPEDITION.
That portion of the 9Th Ind Cav which