Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1908-06-12
Civil War Stories

How Col. MulliSan Lost Lexington.
L belonged to company raised in
Earlville, La Sale County, H.. which
was ready for the first call, but not
| knowing how to secure attention we
were too late in getting a place Our
| disappointment was great, for at that
| time patriotism was most intense. The
company selected Captain S. A Simp-
son and myself to come to Chicago in
the hope that we could find a vacancy.
| We had the good fortune to get an in
| terview with Colonel James A. Multi
! gan the very day he received word
| from Washington that he was author
| lied to raise a regiment. Colonel Null
| ligan listened to us, and then said
Gentlemen, are you sure you have
| company Of menu" / showed him the
company roll. THAT won't do" he said.
! 'TOo often the names are on the roll
for show only. l must be certain. If
you can give definite assurance l will
| give you a position"
| We told him we knew every man in
| the company and were confident that
there would be no disappointment. We
pleaded hard for the honor and finally
he said: "Gentlemen, l am inclined to
| give you chance, and If you will have
| your company here in the barracks, the
old Polk street brewery, Monday morn
| ing you may have the position" This
was Friday afternoon At once we
sent a telegram: Company accepted
| if in barracks Monday; spread the
news quick" The company reached
| Chicago on time and was assigned to
Company D quarters.
! l am anxious to tell your readers
| about the siege of Lexington, Mo. Lex
| ington is situated in a bend on the
| south side of the Missouri River, and
on a bluff 125 feet high. There was
| at that time no town at the base of the
| bluff-just a ferry across the river to
| a junction with the railroad to St.
| Louis twenty-five miles west Is Kan
sas City, with extensive railroad con-
nections reaching far and wide. I did
not think that Lexington was STRAIT
egic point because it was impossible to
fortify it successfully. We were at JEFF
ferson City, Mo-, when orders came to
make a forced march to relieve Lexing-
ton. We left Sept 10, 1861, early in
the morning, each soldier carrying five
| days rations, and reached Lexington In
| the dusk of the next evening, getting
| into the earth Notifications to the rat
! tie of the rebel infantry guns. We
posted our guards and at once got to
work strengthening the breastworks,
working in reliefs all the night.
The garrison consisted Of one regi-
ment of Missouri Home Guards" 800
strong; one battery of six-inch guns
and one battalion of the First Illinois
| Cavalry, 400 horses and men. These
/ men had no sabers and were armed
| with only the old-fashioned horse pis-
| tolls used in the Mexican war. The
| Home Guards had the old Springfield
muskets. Our regiment had the i'm
proved Springfield muskets, but not
| much ammunition, as it was a forced
march and provisions, ammunition and
| re-enforcen1ents were quickly to follow
us.
Sept. II, 1861, reports indicated five
| days ratiOns for the men. There was
one we'll on College Hill, and for water
we had to depend upon the river, but
we expected relief would come soon.
| Dense, heavy timber inclosed LeXing-
ton, making a veritable death trap for
our men, as nearly all the trees in good
range were used by the rebels sharp
| shooters to pick off our men at every
exposure, with no harm to the rebels.
General Price was in command, and
our scouts said he had fully $4,000 men
and more coming every hour. On Sept
| 16 we took one of the college buildings
| for hospital, and had the hospital flag
| hoisted over it. There was yet no word
| from General Fremont. On Sept II
the rebels charged our hospital and
| captured it, although the hospital flag
was plainly in sight. Captain Mont
| gomery of Company B was ordered to
retake the hospital. He captured it,
| but could not hold it. The enemy came
upon him in such great numbers that
he gave the order to retreat. Com
pany B lost forty-two men in that
| charge.
On Sept. 20 we were still without
| help from General Fremont, and had
no food for the men and no water.
| The rebels made movable breastworks
out of hemp bales and were gradually
getting nearer to us. Sept. q we were
again without food and water 1t be-
gan to look as if we were forgotten and
forsaken Sept. % Company D was or
dered out to the point to relieve Com
pany K. There had been no burial of
the dead in the ten days we had been
there; the corpses were swollen like
monsters and the dead horses looked
like elephants. The hemp bales were
within twenty-five feet of our works.
If a hat was exposed a volley of bull
lets was fired into it. All we could do
was to sit still and watch the enemy
sharply