Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-06-05
Civil War Stories
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belonged 10 a 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. Slmp-
son and myself TO come 10 Chicago in
the hope that we could find a vacancy.
We had the go0d fortune to get an in
teryiew with Colonel James A. Multi
gan the very day he received word
from Washington that he was aathor-
lied TO raise a regiment. Colonel Null
lsgan listened To MS, and then said:
Gentlemen, are you sure you have a
company of menu" l showed him the
company roll "That won't do" he said.
Too often the names are on the roll
for show only / must be certain. If
you can give definite assurance will
give You a position"
We told him we knew every man In
the company and we're confident that
there would be no disappointment We
pleaded hard for the honor and finally
he said; Gentlemen, | am inclined to
give you chance, and If you will have
your company here in the barracks. the
cid 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.
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 l25 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 10 st.
Louis, Twenty-Five miles west is Kan
sas City, with extensive railroad con-
nections reaching far and wide. did
not think that Lexington was Il STRAIT
| egic point because 1t was impossible to
fortify 1t successfully. We We're at JEFF
ferson City, Mo. when orders came to
make 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 hreastworls,
working in reliefs all the night
The garrison consisted OF one regl-
| ment OF Missouri Home Guards" 500
| 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 hofse pis.
/ tolls used in the Mexican war The
muskets Our regiment had the i'm
proved Springfield muskets, but not
much ammunition, as it was forced
march and provisions ammunition and
re-enforeements were quickly TO follow
| us.
Sept. -, 1861, reports Indicated five
days rations for the men. There was
one well on College Hill, and for water
we had to depend upon the river but
we expected relief would come soon
Dense, heavy timber inclosed Lexlng,
ton. making veritabIe death trap fer
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 10000 men
and more coming every hour ON Sept
Us 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 aud
captured it, although the hospital flag
was plainly in sight Captain Mont
gomei5 OF Company u was ordered to
retake the hospital. He captured It,
bu. 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 u we were
again without food and water. II be-
gan to look as If we were forgotten and
forsaken Sept. - Company - was or
dered ont to the point to relieve Com
pany * 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 hat was exposed a yolley Of bul-
lots was fred into n All vva ra,,Id a.,