The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1901-10-24

of the rebellion.
The Red River route seems TO have
been Gen. Halleck's favorite road for the
possession of Texas territory, and he re-
peatedly urged it upon Gen. Banks, the
commander of the Department, as the
proper and true line for acquiring foot
hold in that State.
1t was desired by Secretary of State
Seward as a State measure that some
point in Texas be permanently occupied
by our forces.
Banks preferred the seaboard route,
aud he had the year before secured pos
session of Brownsville, on the Rio Grande,
Corpus Christi and Pass CavallO. CARR
sons were established at some or all OF
these points on the Texan coast.
Gen. Halleck persisted in making sug-
gestions and urging the attention OF the
commander of the department to the Red
River as the true route, saying, All the
Western Generals favor ii" including, of
course, Grant, Sherman, Steele, McPher-
son, Granger and others. Finally Gen.
Banks was prevailed upon to undertake
the expedition, although no orders were
ever issued directing him to do so.
BANKs's HETEROGENEOUS COMMAND.
The makeup of the command was a
conglomeration.
Sherman loaned las he termed it about
10000 men from the Sixteenth and Seven
tenth Corps. then at and around Nlcks-
burg, Miss, under command of Gen. \.
J. Smith; these were mostly Western
troops.
Gen. T. E. G. Ransom had two small
divisions of the Thirteenth Corps, also
Western men, then in the Department of
the Gulf, and injured to the climate by
one or two years service therein.
The First and Second Divisions of the
Nineteenth Corps, under Gen. w. B.
Franklin, were composed of Eastern men,
mostly from New England and New York,
with one regiment each from New Jersey
and Pennsylvania, all new to that eli
mate.
The Division of Cavalry, under Gen. A.
L. Lee, was made up of regiments from
New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode
Island, Maryland, New York, Illinois, In
diana, Missouri, Louisiana and Texas.
A brigade of colored troops. under Col.
Dickey, came from Port Hudson, and Ell
let's Marine Brigade came from Vicks-
burg.
Admiral D. D. Porter's fotilla from
the Mississippi was probably the most
numerous and formidable concentration of
gunboats, ironclads and transports that
ever assembled in Western waters, there
being no less than 10 ironclads and gun
boats and more than 30 transports.
Gen. Frederick Steele was to cooper
nte with his troops of about 10000 men
from Little Rock, Ark. The contem-
Shreveport, on the western border of
Louisiana, then in the hands of the en-
envy.
Gen. Banks estimated mis- combined
force, after leaving a division under Gen.
Grover at Alexandria, La, as guard to
his base of supplies, and sending Ellets
Marine Brigade back to Ficksburg at the
of LID ut
1900 men of all arms. He expected
to have about double that number.
% The army was concentrated at Natchi-
toches, La, and its river landing. Grande
Ecore, three miles away, from the I'd to
the 4th of April, 1864. Truly, men from
the East and the West, North and the
South, met here to march and to fight
In one common cause.
mo FOR TEXAS"
The "Ho for Texas" cry was no new
thing in the Empire State; it had stirred
the patriotic ardor, and like many another
distant enchantment had been the means
of inducing numbers Of unsOphisticated
youths to join the ranks of the cavalry,
whose field of usefulness promised such
a favorable opportunity for travel and
observation.
When, therefore, our summons came
early in February at Camp Stoneman, on
the Potomac, countermanding orders just
received to report at Leesburg, Va, and
instead thereof ito turn our horses into
corral at Giesboro, take ship at Alexan-
dria, Va, and report to Gen. Banks at
New Orleans without delay" there were
those in the regiment who thought that
for once the recruiting officer had not
lied, and they were quite willing to leave
their boots sticking in the Virginia mud
and in the SUMMER South try their for
tunes in less worn pastures, where the
yam and sweet potato reach perfection;
where the magnolia blooms, and the
blackberry bears fruit in the early Spring;
where the alligator and turtle lie bask-
Ing in the sun on the same log, and the
moccasin, "cottonmOuth," or lizard, are
daily, yes, hourly, companions.
Reaching New Orleans in the latter
part of February, orders were soon re-
eeivcd to 60 TO the front at Franklin, La,
and thence the column under Gen. Lee
marched 175 miles to Alexandria. and
then so miles more to Natchitoches.
The army stretched from Grand Ecore
for Shreveport, our objective point, on
April g.; the cavalry Except the Fifth
Brigade, GoOding's) in the advance. This
brigade had just returned from a sue
eessful side march TO Campti, on the
north bank Of Red River, and was put
TO the important but unpleasant task OF
flank.
Imagine narrow wood road where there
was room but seldom for more than one
wagon 10 pass at a time. scrubby pine
woods with wild grape vines on either
side OF the road numerous enough 10 make
Il dangerous and unsatisfactory il one
attempted 10 gain time by making q side
cut out Of the road; wagon train from
three to seven miles long, with your par
ticulRr wagons, that contained your ra.
tons and feed, long way in the advance
or rear; settlements few and far between
water ditto; the first day out dreHch
ing rain, the rest of the time an almost
July sun with its accompanying dust, and
one has some idea Of the features pecu
liar TO this march.
BATTLE OF PLEASANT GROVE.
On April Gen. Lee, in advance, haG
passed Pleasant Hill, SO miles from Crane
Ecore. Three miles farther he came upoI
q strong force of the enemy, and he Skin
mished an hour and a half with thre,
brigades of cavalry, losing about 10 mel
10 killed and wounded. He drove tn,
enemy ard went on TO CAROLS Mills
seven miles farther, and went into camp
Diminishing was quite heavy the mex
morning, and infantry was called upon L
assist the advance.
After proceeding about seven miles, an
TO within three miles of Mansfield, su
perior force of the rebels, under Ger
Dick Taylor, was encountered. After a
unequal contest of two hours duratio
the head of our column, consisting of mos
of the cavalry and the small Thirteent
- fF,f,