The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1907-03-21
SOME "REMINISCENCES.
The 18th Wis.'s Experiences in Memphis
The Forrest Raid.

The 45th Wis.'s Experiences in Memphis
The Forrest Raid.
o. !. Lyon, NJ. D., Sabetha, Kan:
Dear old comrade of the 45th: Yours
is the first name 1 have seen in print
that used to answer to roll call in and
about Memphis in those scorching
Summer days of '64. How the sun be-
gan to actually burn as soon as it got
half way above the horizon, and got
worse and worse until its smallest disc
had disappeared below the western
horizon, How the red dust floated up
in thick clouds and spread over our
camp beside the big road" just out OF
the city, as the cavalry and artillery
horses were taken twice day to the
river to drink, How blessed it was to
be sick in that camp and afterward in
the convalescent camp left there whan
the rest of the regiment moved out on
Wolf River to live on peaches. And
later on, when the writer had brought
on a relapse by going down to the de-
pot of supplies and helping to load the
wagons with bareback for the regi-
ment, what comfort there was Qf man
doesn't care what he says) in being
taken in an ambulance to Webster
Hospital, and lying from Sunday after
noon until Tuesday afternoon with suit
medical attendance in agony, which
might have been relieved at once upon
arrival at the hospital! What a story
one could write of the hospital expert
ence of even week or two in
that place with the the old Spanish
Surgeon in charge, who cared far more
for q case from a scientific standpoint
than for the alienation of suffering by
simple means. And so, because l re-
belled at being kept upon bread and
water, I was turned out before 1 was
strong enough to walk more than a
block at a time. But a good friend,
Capt. c. P. Searles, of company in the
9Th Iowa, on provost duty, took me in
and kept me till / was strong enough
to go to my regiment, meanwhile writ
ing to Capt Crowder about me and my
condition. Meanwhile had the expert
ence that YOU missed. that of seeing
Forests cavalry come yelling into
Memphis in three detachments in the
gray dawn of a foggy August morning.
Capt. Searles was boarding in the house
where was stopping, and his wife was
with him, while his men were in the
barracks diagonally across the street
When the second detachment had
passed, supposing that to be the last.
he gave his purse and his watch to his
wife and made his way to the street,
Just in time to be captured by the third
of a dragon, he took chances, when
the soldiers head was turned for mo-
ment, to make q break for the fence.
He got over the first one all right, but
in trying to scale high board fence in
the rear, the dragon got him with
saber cut that split open his right ear
and landed him On a log below. nearly
breaking his back. He was taken out
several miles with other prisoners, but
was exchanged that night, and so es-
capped term in Southern prison pen,
which was the fate of some of his own
relatives in his company. Nearly all
the privates OF his company were cap
tured I'm their barracks. I shall never
forget the terror of the loyal citizens
OF Memphis on that and several sue
ceeding days. They would start at the
sound Of wagon rafting over bridge.
sure that it was the enemy's cannon.
And how quickly one could tell friend
from foe that morning, big with fate!
Rebel flags that had been very care
fully kept in hiding floated fauntingly
upon the breeze, and food was plenty
for Forests men, brought out and
urged upon them by fair women-men
were very scarce. Soon after I went
to the regiment on Wolf River, in time
TO help dispose of the peaches that
came In by the wagon load. But II was
almost time for US to go home, and /
was very glad, for 1t had been Sum-
mer with little in 1t for me but suffer-
ing of the keenest kind, with nothing
of glory and little Of pleasure to Off
set It.
/ enlisted from Denmark, Iowa, with
several others. We had all expected to
go together into the same company,
but, a difference of opinion arising at
the last moment, we divided and the
others, together with my youngest
brother, who came over from Illinois,
went into Co. F. There are many in
cidents of that Summer campaign that
come back to me as 1 think over again
the days so long past. One of our Den
mark boys fell off the lower deck Of
the steamer on the way to st. Louis.
and had II not been for the Quickness
and strength of one Of his mates, he
would not have answered to another
earthly roll call. His rescuer was P.
H. Bristow. now of Washington, D. c.,
who has been for many years in the
Post Office Department there. Do you
remember the lower Mississippi boat,
the Won Phul, that got stuck on a sand
bar and stayed there for some days
while the regiment was landed on Du-
walls Island? It was while there that ]
was stationed as guard over some pro-
visions on a transport. OF course I
was obliged to test the quality of the
goods ana I can still recall how good
the picked cabbage and sugar and
crackers (not bareback, but real crack
ers) tasted. And then again on the
levee at Memphis after we had turned
over our accouterments and were wait
ing for a boat to take US up the river,
and the commissary arrangements did
not seem to arrange, and we had no
supper and no breakfast until / 1 o'clock
ln the forenoon. What feast 1 had
m inst one ,one hardtack and a large
cucumber pickle, ] think that, even
to-day, that stands out in memory as
the most completely satisfactory meal
of my life.--Henry A. Field. GrinneIl.
Iowa.