The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-03-26

alert enemy there. Our situation was
peculiar. The rebels were not sufficiently
strong to give us battle. but bands of
guerrillas We're eternally annoying our
pickets and forasing parties. On one Oc-
casion when l was sent to the front as a
videt the Sergeant warned me that a man
who stood there the night before had been
shot. l kept wide awake. listening in
tently. 1t was midnight when l heard the
sound of horses feet in my immediate
front. l had shifted my position some
what from the main road. When they
came close enough 1 presented my gun
and cried: "Haltw Designating my
Again 1 cried: "Halt!' Then they
STONED.
"Who goes there?"
"Friends!"
advance and give the countersign."
One trooper rode slowly forward,
stretched his neck over the point of my
bayOnet and said in low tone: Gen.
Scott .
Friends, pass on into camp" said I.
Later l halted another party of blue
coats who did not have the countersign,
but they said they had some meat, pota-
toes and rum. l passed them in without
the cOuntersign, receiving my reward all
right when l was relieved from duty.
While the army remained in that local
ity / was on outpost duty one time more.
l was on the alert, watchful for bush
whackers. In the stiffness of the night /
heard noise to the right front of my post.
Nearer and nearer came the noise until l
made ready and cried "Halt!' On it came.
and again l cried ''Halt"' The noise not
ceasing. l then fired. A large hog
sQuealed and ran away. Immediately
thereafter I heard the long roll sounding
in the camps, calling the troops to arms.
AT MEMPHIS.
In February, 1868. we marched to
Memphis. 1t was raining when we ar
rived, but in tile night the rain changed
to snow, which fell to the depth of four
or five inches. We had very little to eat
and no chance to cook what we did have.
While encamped just outside the city We
received two months pay-$26. When we
had received our pay Col. Belknap gave
us permission to go into the city and have
a good time. We filled up all the hotels
and boarding houses and, incidentally,
filled our st0machs, too.
We had been in Memphis three or four
days when we were ordered aboard the
transports lying at the wharf. When this
order was issued it BECAME necessary TO
send patrol guard Throughout the city to
round up the boys wh0owere still having
a good time. The 1Jth,IoYa was assigned
to the Mlnnehaha, the same steamer that
had taken us from st. Loais to Pittsburg
Landing. Our regular IatiOns were hard
tack, salt meat, coffee and sugar, but the
boys would '.jayhawk's Inquiries from the
sutler stores at night when the deckhands
were loading the gOOdsIJ 81
~ ro r,,,,s,,rl,c
We were once more .op the Mississippi
River, this time bound Tor vicksburg.
However. the rebel sieae eGns admonished
mn TO stop before we got, there. we land
ed Mt Young's Point on-thc Louisiana
side of the river. i'm sight of Vicksburr.
Here we were putt On Fificue' duty. dig.
cling canal across n narrow Ioint of land
which divided the riyersiye miles west of
Wick sburp. Our labor was ma yailinp. as
the canal was a failure
Our brigade was then sent M the river
some IS miles to cut the leyee at Lake
Providence that the Mississippi might flow
info the lake. This enterprise was also n
failure, SO far as getting around Vicksburr
was concerned. The water flooded the
Louisiana IowIands. compelling the citf-
zens to seek higher ground and forced MS
to abandon our camp on tie lake shore.
THE WOMAN IN co. n.
When writing of tbe organization of Go
b / promised, to tell about tLe woman
when L got 10 NlcESburp.
AT Lake Providence tho smooth. fo cod
Dutcbmon. Spetbman Inv name was taken
sick. II was then surgeon Gibbon discoy-
cred that the alleged |Dutchmon was n
woman. No one had nreviousIv susnec.ed
the fact. SO far as I know. She was dis
charged. of course. and sent back to Iowa.
GRAND GULF.
When we started on the circuitous
march from Young's Point to Grand Gulf
our s,Itler had the temerity to accompany
the hazardous expedition. On the second
days march we halted for a few hours
rest. The suffer put up his tent and dis
played his goods. About 1000 hungry
soldiers charged his .'store" and "cap-
tured' his miscellaneous stock of merchan-
disc.
We were about three days going to Grand
Gulf, so called because at that point the
Mississippi is some three or four miles
broader than it is above and below. When
Gen. Grant was engaging the enemy at
Port Gibson, near the Gulf, the 18th Iowa
was put aboard transport and sent up
the river to within n few miles of Vicks-
burg to cooperate with Porter's fleet.
ABOUND VICKsBuRe.
DISSEMINATING. We marched across the
point where we had abandoned the canal
and reembarked on i boat above, continu-
mouth p Of the Yazoo. thence nm that river
to Haines's Bluff, north of yicksburc.
The design of this movement was TO in.
a.