Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-04-17
MEMORIES OF MARTIAL EVENTS.
Veteran E. B. Hyde of Retreat. Recalls
Interesting War Incidents.


and several other people having mani
Tested an interest in war incidents as
published. venture to mention some,
of which this date April Sth-is the
anniversary.
The sh Of April ct
Old Banks skedadilel to Grand Ecore.''
This couplet was the 6rst part of a
poem written by soldier to commem-
crate in ludicrous style the inglorious
defeat of General Bank s great Red
River campaign planned for the capture
of Shreveport, town whose principal
industries We're casting cannon and
making other munitions of war On
that date we lost 800 loaded wagons,
43 cannon and considerable number
of men were killed, and many captured.
and General Banks seemed to be
thoroughly frightened. There had been
good deal of skirmshing for several
days, and that day it was more thar a
skirmish line resisting our advance:
however we were moving most of the
time and made about Is miles. Our
train had about 800 loaded wagons which
with the few thousand cavalry, 80 to
40 ii fouland infantry and numerous
batterIes, made long string on the
road, End as arranged, gave the enemy
a fir chance to make side attacks and
cIt out a section occasionally and run
it off on cross road before sufficient
force could be brought together to pre-
vent it. The fighting at the front in
creased through the day, and at several
times was furious. Several bTigades,
one at time, were sent to the front
The boys calledit fighting by detail and
did not approve that way Of doing We
believed division or two deyisions of
several brigades each, instead of
single brigade, would have given us
the victory. Just after dark we were
ordered to 'about face" and return.
The night was dark and we could not
see the ground we walked on Much.
of the way was timber lands ard the
road was wet and bad Many ii, = we
were obliged to help loaded wagons
through mud holes. That was one OF
the hard days of war. The retreat
continued about 200 miles day and night
with no stated time to rest, only one
whole night and one from two in the
morning till daylight Most Of the
time the enemy was harassing US on all
sides, but not in very heavy force. their
main army being needed to protect
Shreveport from Steele's expedition
from Little Rock.
The 8th of April, 1865, was also
noted day with US. Spanish Fort was
bombarded, stormed and captured with
so cannons and 1900 men, after several
weeks of close siege work. Soon after
the siege began, shell from the fort
burst high in the air over our firing
line; the smoke from ii formed circular
wreath, and as it tioated away it slowly
twisted into the form OF the figure s,
which form itamaintained as long as any
smoke remained in sight Several who
saw it said that is am omen, that we
are to take this fort the Sth Of April.
the anniversary of the only defeat our
regiment ever suffered. Whether we
were superstitious or not it was a
wonderful sight and it seemed to as
sure US of success on that date. On
the 9th Blakely, another fort, was
stormed and taken On the Y we took
possession of the city, the 29th Wis
being the second regiment to enter
The prisoners captured at the fort gave
us the first news of the fall of Rich
mond. We remained the city doing
guard duty till the lat battle OF the
war was fought; and large quantities
of captured military supplies were
being stored in the arsenal. A box of
percussion shells was carelessly dropped,
causing an immence explosion. 1t was
said there were 80 tons of gunpowder
and 140 tons OF fixed ammunition.
About 40 acres of buildings mostly
storage blocks were thrown dowl, and
report said about 300 people killed,
many of whom were soldiers quartered
in these buildings
f. Il. HYDE, CO * . ii Wis.