The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1910-02-10

It may be we'll to mention here the hos
pitality Of the Richmond people, especially
the ladies'. While | was watching the
cooking Of the rations Mr.. Levy, who
lived near the depot on Eighteenth Street,
between Franklin and Broad, had picked
up DR.. Tignor and a Mr.. Burrows of our
crew, and came by to get me to go and
take supper with him. told him | was
afraid to leave, lest the train would move
off and leave me. He assured me that
there was no danger; that the train was
blowing its whistle to keep the men in
place and and he only lived short dis
lance from the depot and that supper would
be on the table by the time we reached his
house. went with him and oh, my what
a supper for hungry man! Pure coffee,
hot rolls, smothered chicken and every
thing that soldier could want. l ate a
hearty meal and excused myself to his good
wife-and good wife she was. She insisted
that wait until she could prepare lunch
for breakfast, but insisted that must 60,
and told DR.. Tignor he could wait, that
would hold the train for him if I could; if
| could not, he could come on the next
train. went to the depot and presently
Tignor came with lot of rolls and smoth-
cred chicken. We left Richmond about 8
O'Clock +. m. and ate the lunch at Tolersville,
now Mineral City, Louisa County, which
shows the slow time our cars made in those
days. At Gordonsville one of our men
got off the train and laid down on the plat
form, thought, to rest. The train started
without much notice, and we learned at
Orange Court House, by telegraph, that he
was dead.
We arrived at Manassas early next morn
ing. The first man l met was Col. Dick
Taylor, who said, "well, lieutenant, what
sort of time and trip did you have?"
"Well," said l, &c it was like purgatory to
paradise. hope hereafter such details
will pass around the commissioned officers
Of the regiment. If not, l will run away
like negro and lie out in the bushes in the
day time and prowl around at night"
1t was not long before the regiment was
moved to Camp Bfenville, east of Bull Run.
1t was here that the sickness was most Sc
vere-juandice and camp fever the prevail
ing diseases. Later we moved to camp
near Centerville, where the health of the
regiment was better, and it was here that
the First Louisiana Brigade was formed. It
was composed of the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh,
Eighth and Ninth Louisiana Regiments and
Wheat's Battalion. Gen. W. H. T. Walker,
Georgian and, l believe, West Pointer,
was the commander. Very soon the news
spread that Gen. Walker had consumption
and that his prayer to Heaven was that he
might be killed in battle. do not believe
the report, but the men were dissatisfied,
and no doubt the report reached President
Davis, who promoted Walker to be Major
General and assigned him to duty in the
West. He also promoted Col. Dick Taylor
to be Brigadier Generel and put him in
command of the First Louisiana Brigade,
which, for the most part gave satisfaction,
Taylor being Louisianian. This was in
1861, and Gen. Walker was killed in front
of Atlanta, Ca, in 1864.
Sad to say, at Camp Moore, Camp Bien-
vile and camp near Centerville, the Bos-
sier Volunteers lost by disease thirty five
of their best men without firing shot at
the enemy. Among them was Assistant
Surgeon Tignor.
Before the years service was out all of
the companies in the regiment were offered
a sixty days. furlough to 60 home and re-
cruit their companies. The Bossier Vol
unteers, as we'll as remember, all re-en-
listed for the war, except Lieut.. Frank Y.
Hughes, whose business interest called him
home, and who was too large and fleshy to
stand the marching on foot, and Rufus r..
Pope-ever true and ever faithful-had q
bad case of consumption. He was too sick
to do duty, and died early in the Spring Of
1862, and was buried in the Gordonsville
Cemetery. If there were any others who
failed to re-enlist have forgotten them,
and certainly Lieut.. Hughes and Pope
were perfectly justified, as neither could
have stood the hardships of soldiers life.
At the expiration of sixty days the Bos-
sier Volunteers returned to Virginia with
14O men, about thirty-five more than the
regulations allowed them to keep. These
men were transferred to the DeSoto Blues