The National tribune., 1907-09-19
GARFIELD'S SUCCESSFUL CAM
pNIGN

SSSSESSF SIJ S-N.h-
PAIGN
Driving Gen. Humphrey Marshall Out Of
The Big Sandy Valley and Eastern
Kentucky.
The contest for the supremacy Of the
Coy ernment had ended in '61 with the
disaster of Ball Run, Balls Bluff and
the invasion OF Kentucky by the rebel
army under Gen. Polk, and the seizure
of Columbus, Ky. The Army of the
Ohio, embracing the States OF Ohio,
Michigan Indiana, Tennessee and that
portion of Kentucky east of the Cum
berland River, had been created, with
Gen. Don Carlos Buell. in command
with headquarters at Louisville. Ky.
A concerted action on the part OF
the rebels was ordered. Gen. Humphrey
Marshall was to conduct campaign
down the Big Sandy Valley and Gems
Crittender and Zollicoffer by the way
of Mill Springs and Somerset, TO unite
at Lexington and establish a Provi-
sional Government at the State Capital
thus destroying neutrality and forcing
kentucky into secession. To defeat TINS
project Gen. Buell. ordered Col. James
A. Garfield to assume the command OF
an army TO confront Gen. Marshall and
Gen. George H. Thomas to meet the
forces of Crittenden and Zollicoifer
The AID Ohio had been encamped AT
Camp Chase, perfecting itself in disci-
pline and military drill for three
months. With its gallant Colonel We
felt it a pleasure to be relieved from
the monotony of daily routine camp
drill to the more active field service
The order, read on dress parade, on
I. gl,+ lxf n n
ing (Sunday) to break camp, was joy
fully greeted. BY daybreak the regl-
ment, nearly 1000 strong, were ready
to fall in to move from our first camp.
The music of the band and marching
thru the streets of Columbus attracted
a large crowd. Near the depot the
regiment formed a hollow square. and
was presented with regimental colors
by Gov Dennison, and in response Col.
Garfield in an earnest, patriotic address,
received the trust, pledging the fidelity
of the regiment that they should never
trail in the dust or be dishonored by
surrender to a foe-pledges, comrades,
we held sacred and preserved on many
bloody battlefields and in our marches
of more than 5000 miles during our
service.
OF to the Front.
The regiment took train for Cincin-
natl, where we arrived late in the even
ing short march landed us on the
river front at the foot of Broadway,
where we found the Lady Jackson and
Izetta, two small Ohio River steamers,
awaiting US. About $50 mules were first
loaded, then army rations. ammunition
and other army supplies. and it was
after midnight when the regiment was
allowed to embark. The braying of the
mules, to which we had not then be-
come familiar, the humping of load
ing freight and the clanking of boat
machinery, together with our beds on
the uncarpeted decks or on the guards.
was not compatible to induce peaceful
s,umber.
Early on the morning of the 18th
the lines were cast off, the gangplank
drawn aboard, the two steamers backed
out heading upstream, and the 42d
Ohio was en- route on its first CAM
paign. Our destination to us was un-
known. We were yet to learn the les
son of "to labor and to wait" All that
day and night and until afternoon next
day did our boats stem the current Of
the beautiful Ohio, when they put
ashore at the mouth of a small stream
at the village of Catlettsburg, Ky. The
river, We afterwards learned, was the
Big Sandy, forming the dividing line
between Kentucky and Virginia. A few
soldiers of the 14th Ky. came to greet
us. From them we learned of the vast
rebel army of Gen. Marshall that was
invading the country, and began 10
Iealize the duties we were to face.
Our first duty was to unload the
boats. A large detail was made and
the work begun. The mules had never
go ashore. After coaxing and pulling
had demonstrated the obstinacy of the
'critter," Uncle John Hewitt, afterward
our veteran teamster, found an old
horse on shore that he led up to the
gangplank AMI to the surprise of all
every last mule followed him ashore.
We were now in a country infested
with rebels, and a picket guard was ere
of the essentials. A large detail for
this purpose was made and posted. A
strong detail Of Cos 4 and + was made
and mounted on horses to make a re-
connoisance as far as Louisa 30 miles
UP the river under command of Maj.
Pardee. Another detail of 100 men
was TO go aboard the small steamer
Sandy Valley and make the journey by
water. The mounted men, finding no
enemy, took possession of Louisa. Tho
boat became stranded, and after a
march of a dozen or more miles the
balance of the detail reached the town
and took quarters in the hotel. They
were here reinforced by two companies
Of cavalry under command of Mai. Nc
Laughlin.
The balance of the 42d took boats
and after spending IL hours on the
river, being grounded a number o.
times, finally landed about four milei
below, and marched the remainder o
the way, reaching Louisa in n drench
ing rain. The rain continued for twt
days necessarily, ending up with snoy
and freezing.
While quartered in the hotel a
Louisa an incident occurred that W
still remember. Beef had been issue'
by our Quartermaster. and comrado
to provide dressing for his footwear
had rendered some taIlow that whe
warm allied a pint flask. Our genia
Color Sergeant, who liked to perpetrat
a joke, took the flask and waved
toward Co. +. Visions of apple-jac
delighted the unwary. a numbe
scrambled for the first drink. a note
Corporal being the lucky party. took
deep draught. and then with "Of
-" dashed the bottle into the stree
We remained at Louisa two or .iIre
days, resuming the march to Paints
vile, 33 miles distant, where Gen. Mar
shall was at that time encamped wifi
q force estimated by scouts at 400
Our first days march covered onl
about nine miles in cold, freeain
rain, and ended in camping in mudd
cornfield. During the march we ha