The National tribune., 1903-08-27
REcoLLEcrIoNs OF AN ORDERLY.
Marching Into vicksbuIg = Sabine Cross
roads.


roads.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: During
three years service 1 was, much of the
time. Orderly, or dispatch bearer. for the
following-named Generals: Halleck, Grant.
Oglesby. Logan. Stevenson. Macarthur,
Franklin, Ord, Dudley, Burbridge and Nc
Cook, my duties offering opportunities for
me to see much that could not be seen by
my comrades in the ranks Soldiers see
movements of troops and battles from diff
ferent points of view. We veterans, gen
orally, cannot be infallible as to what we
say of happenings 40 years, ago. l kept a
pocket diary, recording what / saw and
heard from day to day. and, yet l am often
in doubt as to some old war picture know
ing that some tints. lights and shadows
may have been unobserved by me. My
favorite service was to be on duty at Gen.
Logan's headquarters, or at Gen. Ord's.
When we marched into Vicksburg my
company CA, I'd Ill. Cav.) constituted Gen.
Logan's body guard. l can not say what
regiment was the first to enter the city.
July 4, 1868. l know, however, that some
of us occupied the place early in the fore
noon. My company, the Escort" was or
dered to take possession of large livery
stable, but our quarters there were rather
gruesOme. as we found therein the bodies
of six dead Confederates, in an advanced
stage of decomposition. As it would re-
quire some time to remove and bury the
bodies, and fumigate the stable, We en-
campcd in the street. Soon thereafter we
were detailed as provost guard. and in our
rounds found some Confederates robbing
the stores. Adopting heroic" measures,
we compelled them to ''evacuate" the town,
sending them out to their camps. 4 few
of the Confederate officers, full of whisky.
gave lis some trouble. Happening to be
near the office of the ''Vicksburg Citizen"
when the infantry boys were finishing up
the wallpaper edition." we secured Il few
copies as souvenirs of the Nicksburs cam
paign. | still retain my copy. At that
time EickSburg was Il hard-!oOking town
war-worn, disfgured, and "out of the
ring"
Accompanying the Red River Expedi-
ton. expecting to plant the flag in Tex
as l was at Sabine Crossroads. The
comrade who asserts that the advance of
the army was composed of infantry, is
certainly in error. Our cavalry met the
Confederate army several days before any
battle was fought. and we sent word to
Gen. Banks that the enemy in force was
in our front. He then sent only one bril-
yade of infantry. and the cavalry train,
to our support. The I'd ILL., Cav, then not
more than 300 strong. the remainder hav
ing gone home. from New Orleans. on vet
eran furlough. had seen enough of the sit
uaton in front to convince them that the
one brigade of infantry would not be able
TO withstand the eneny's advance. When
The infantry went to the front. the Cd III.
Cav. went into line in a cottonficld in the
edge of a woodland, expecting to charge
across the field. The infantry soon came
back in n hurry-out of ammunition. Their
movement was precisely what we had
expected. ] counted seven stands of colOrs
N that triumphantly advancing Confeder
tie column. The train was just behind us
some $50 or 200 6-mule wagons and 100
,r more new ambulaDces. My. what a
nix-up there was in that train when it
was ordered to retreat, The drivers I'M
hooked, and each mounted upon mule,
ode ingloriously away, leaving their wag
,ns standing in the woods.
When the demoralized infantry came
Jack. our cavalry was ordered to break by
and protect the rear-if we
.ould. While we were in line an artillery
officer, n German Ma jor came to us, and
while sitting on his horse, cannon ball
vent through the horse breaking both the
Majors legs. Putting him into an ambu-
ance. we ordered the driver to the rear
With him. When we had retreated mile
n more we found that same ambulance
standing by the roadside. the helpless Ma
or inside, the driver gone, / Fever heard
man swear as that Major did Poor fell |
ow. / never saw or heard of him after
ward. Myself and n comrade, being in
he rear while the regiment was slowly |
,assng the wagon train. falling back,
walled ourselves of the opportunities,
which were not Il few. to fire upon the |
vhooping and yelling Confcderatcs with |