Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1908-06-05
Civil War Stories

UP ~ " N'AAll''AAp IhiN'l IL
Earlville, La Sale County. H., wlir.
was ready for the first call. but lnl
Knowing how to Secure attention VIC
We're too late in getting Il place. OGI
disappointment was great. for at thai
time patriotism was most ntCnsp. TIL
company selected Captain S. \. 81. -
son and myself to conc to Chicago IN
the hope that We could find n vacancy.
We had the good fortune to get an in
terview with Colonel james 4. Muiii-
gan the very day he received word
from Washington that he WIS author
lied to raise a regiment. Colonel Nul-
!igan listened to us, and then said
"Gentlemen, are you sure you have L
company of men?' l showed hin the
company roll. THAT won't do" he said.
Too often the names are on the rnlI
for show only. 1 must be certain. If
you can give a definite assurance viii
give you a positlon.'
We told him we knew every man in
the company and were confident that
there would be no disappointment. We
pleaded hard for h honor and finally
he said: Gentlemen, l am inclined to
| give you a 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
II in barracks Monday; spread the
news quick" The company reached
i Chio1Vn on tino onI wa u-.fr,,a1 +,
Company d quarters.
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
bluf-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 Gid
not think hat Lexington was Il STRAIT
egic point because it Was impossible to
fortify 1t successfully. We were at JEFF
ferson City, Mo-, when orders came to
make q forced march to relieve LeXing-
ton. We left Sept. 10, 1861, early in
the morning, each soldier carrying five
days r%ations, and reached Lexington in
the dusk Of the lex 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.
TI~ ~, ,-,-4el e ..-.
ment of Missouri Home Guards" SEQ
strong; n battery of six-inch guns
and n 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
proved Springfield muskets, but not
much ammunition, as it was a forced
march n provisions, ammunition and
re-enforcements were quickly to follow
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 Lexins-
ton, making a veritable death trap for
our men. as nearly all the trees in good
range were used by the rebels sharp
to pick off our men at every
exposure, with no harm to the rebels.
General Price al in command, and
our scouts said he had fully 80, OOC men
and more coming every hour. On Sept. |
16 we took one of the college buildings
for a 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
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. p 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 X. 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
twenty-five feet of our works.
If a hat was exposed a volley Of bull
lets was fred into 1t. All we could do
was to sit still and watch the enemy
/ went forward and asked Captain
Simpson to a conference. at is folly"
l told him, ito prolong the misery. Col
onel M%ulligan ought to be told that our
case is hopeless"
who will tell the colonel thls9' he
'Will your
"If you ask me to call on him I will
co." 1 replied, and he said: go, lieu
tenant"
l started toward headquarters, real
izing that l had a delicate as well as
a f3ifinr1f toSE hafnro ~ o,l ,u.t