Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-03-17


yellow fever at New Orleans. The
brigade, composed of the Forty second
Illinois, the Twenty-first Kentucky.
and two others regiments, was ut
Nashville in June, 1863, expecting dis
charge. On the 18th, the Forty see
ond went by rail from Nashville TO
Johnsonville, on the Tennessee River,
where II was Joined by the other regi-
ments of the brigade. All were placed
on large steamer and started down
the Tennessee under orders TO report
TO sheridan in New Orleans for duty
II, Texas
When the order was promulgated
there was CONSERVATION in the ranks.
The boys regarded the wa" as over.
| Most of the Illinois and Kentucky
regiments had been mustered out ana
had gone home. 1t was reported that
the yellow fever was raging In New
Orleans and that the climate of Texas
was hard on Northerners Therefore
the men of the four veteran regiments
We're very sore over being retained in
and indignant over the thought that
| they were Ia he sent to a peStlenCe
ridden city To do garrison duty there
| a.ld in Texas.
They held Indignation meetings on
the boat and declared they would not
| submit to such an outrage They
knew that The boat must pass Mound
City. ILL.,, aud they made n formal de
mand on General Conrad that he stop
the boat at that place While they
| waited for an answer they Interview
Ell The captain of the boat and intiin-
| dated the pilot by assuring him that
| If he didn't land them az Mound city.
orders or no orders, they would shoot
| him as he stood al the wheel ANA take
charge of the boat
The captain and pilot both believed
i the angry soldiers would carry ont
their threat ana they hcsought the
| General in command TO make at least
a pretense of landing at Mound City.
General Conrad called council or
| war and asked for opinions, Mos; of
!
t'ity as the best means Of quoting the
threatened mutiny The General,
however. was in favor of compromise.
He admitted that mutiny was mutiny,
hnt commended that circumstances al
tered eases. Most Of the men on board
the steamer We're veterans, some of
| them having served four years and All
| having served crcditably.
Now they were unduly excited over
| the reports of yellow fever in New
Orleans and over the report that they
were to he retained in the service in
definitely. He believed that bloody
riot would he prccpitated 10y haSty
| action and he proposed to avoid an is
| sue by stopping the boat ut Mound
| City, STIMULATING. however. that every
man who went ashore without leave
| should he reported dcScrtcr. In a
| LITTLE address To- the nleH he said the
| boat could only remain short time
! and while these would bc no ohicc-
| ti0n to The men going ashore for bread
| or water or ice. there must be obcdi-
ence to orders aui no attempt TO take
| French leave OF the boat would be
countemanced
The boat stopped ut Mound City.
| The expected happened. The Illinois
| men made a rush for the shore and the
| whole brigade seemed ready for a
stampede when the voice OF the Ken
| lucky Colonel rang uut like Il hugle
| call He ordered his men into lin"
with their rifles. When tine regiment
had been formed he ordered the mon
to stack arms and sii down Every
order was cXccutcd with precision and
as the men sat down they barred the
way To the landing for all on chat side
Of the steamer The other regiments
were ordered into line for roll call
and the ma ioritY ur those uu shore lulr-
ried on board and the nutiny was at
IN end"
There were over fifty ah>cHtccS mt
roll call in the Illinois regiment, aud
these were marked desrrtcrs. Many
of them never returned ana they stand
recorded rs dcSerters on the company
rolls. \ dozen Of these were veterans
and over thirty substitute and drafted
recruits. The steamer went on its
journey down the Mississippi and in
due time arrived at New Orleans.
where there was no yellow fever. and
where we found General sheridan,
with whom we had served 1T Chirka-
manga and Missionary Ridge.
Among the men who loft the
steamer at Momd city was a Young
fellow in whom | had taken great in
terest As he was preparing to jump
ashore ! urged him not TO 20. He
was excited however. and SAID he was
going for ice and bread ! asked him