The National tribune., 1904-05-12
HISTORIAN WANTED.
Phenomenal Marches Made by the Bi-state
Bi-Nominal Boys OF the 9th-59th.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Will some
! able bodied comrade who knows tell us
what has become of the 59th Ill. that was
the 9th Mo. for about nine months of its
earliest existence. the change having been
effected n little while before the Pea
Ridge affair occurred? We went into serv
ice in 1861, before the threemontbs men
returned from Wilson's Greek, and re-
manned till in 1866. We got our $13
month for that early service but l have
no means of knowing that the Govern
ment knew that we existed. l have not
seen any account in histories or newspa-
pers of our original service.
We served under Gen. Fremont. chased
around after Price all over Missouri: cap
tured hundreds of his men-that is. partic
ipated with the ODD Ind. and other good
regiments in doing so. Price was always
just leading us in those across-country
| foot-races, showing that he was the
speedier. Under Gen. Curtis and Gen.
Sigel We gave the Price rapid pacing pc
destrians a red-hot, restless race with our
backs against Lebanon. and he ran like 4
wild turkey, and with his champion long
distance sprinters got clear away from MS.
| from Springfield. Mo-, TO the Boston
Mountains in Arkansas. There he was
| inforced by Van Dorm and his great horde
of Texans and Tigers from Louisiana. and
he came back and actually jumped on us
at Pea Ridge-after blocking the outlets
by telling trees across all the roads, and
started in to throw us down and sit on us
and squelch us fiat and then walk all over
| us and wade in the pulp TO which they
| would trample us. After three rounds
March 6, Z and s, 1S62-they ran of
again!
| That was just after we had ceased to
be the 9th Mo. and had become that 59th
! iii. Why that change was made l do not
know, unless TO have foundation for an
| aiibi i'm case there should be any question
raised as to what regiment was RESPONSE
BILE for large quantity OF poultry. some
herds of swine and number of mutton
droves that had been eliminated from the
visible wealth of Missouri
| After Pea Ridge and rest We set off
| from Benton County. Ark. and marched
80 miles to Cape Girardeau on the Mis-
| sissippi River, in nine days. having ac-
| complished one of the greatest feats of
| infantry marching accomplished i'm the
| war. Then, by steamer to Hamburg Land
ing on Tennessee River; then through
Mississippi and Alabama and with Gen.
Buell. in foot-race with Bragg from
Southern Tennessee, through Kentucky to
Louisville; thence south again: into n
scrap at Perryville. Ky. Oct. 8. 1862
where we left great many good brave
men on the field. Then on tramp across
kentucky and Tennessee. to Stone River
where we did our stunt: on to Chicka-
| manga and on the fighting line TO Resaca
and Atlanta and back to Franklin. Tenn.
about 1913 days under fire and within
sound of musketry. Helped to give Hoods
| army the polishing touches at Nashville,
| and after assisting in regulating that part
of the rebelliOus South, in June. 1865. two
months after the war ended. Uncle Sam
decided that he needed us in his business,
and sent the Fourth Corps TO Texas to
serve along the Rio Grande. When we left
there and went home some mscreant. as
| soon as we were in Illinois. exploded
locomotive. probably to extirpate the little
remnant Of the regiment. and succeeded in
killing five of our number.
My object is, by this letter TO arouse
some competent cOmrade who is equipped
with diary to give us history-give the
miles we marched, the men we had and
the men we lost; the fights we had and
skirmishes. the races we ran. and all that
we did. Details, not generalization. is
what is demanded in regimentaI history.
No comrade of the old regiment will be
ashamed of the history of the 9th Mo. and
18th III. Particularly should there be
history OF our early service: it would in