The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-12-23
.KANSANA
Peter Underwood, Veteran of
Mexican and Civil Wars,
Whipped First Time He Fought
as Soldier.
eH ELPS WHIP PRICE
But Not Until He Had Tried
Tt Thrice.
Through War With Mexico as
Army TeamSter.
sLPS WHIP PRICE

1eaNeEWOrt1. kan. Dec. LAST
i Saturday an old gentleman at Atchi-
son celebrated his S3rd birthday who
| enlisted in the United States service
at Fort Leavenworth So years ago and
who was discharged from the service
at the fort after the Mexican war and
who. about a dozen years later. again
enlisted at the same place and served
around this neIghborhood during the
latter part OF the civil war He is
Peter Underwood. who was born in
Kentucky in 1928, came to Missouri in
1886. crossed into Kansas in 1854 and
took up a claim and settled in this
state after the civil war
The Underwood family settled near
DeKalb, Mo, when they came vest
When the Mexican war broke out,
Peter Underwood came 70 Fort Leav-
enworth and enlisted as teamster
and drove a team through TO the City
Of Mexico. The salary of a teamster
was $40 month, while that of a regu-
lar soldier was but si3- The extra sal
AIRY looked good to Peter Underwood
because he never drea med of the ad-
vantages a regular soldier had when it
came to drawing a pension Although
he took the same oath the regular sol
der did. carried a musI1et on his wag-
on and would have been obliged to use
It had il been necessary he could never
receive a soldiers pension for his SER
vices in the Mexican war He has the
honor, without the pension. of being
one of the few survivors OF the Mexi-
can war
Back to Missouri.
When he got back from Mexico and
was discharged at Fort Leavenworth
he returned to DeKaIb and led peace
ful life until Kansas began TO attract |
attention because of the fight to make /
it q free or slave state
Peter Underwood was one of the I
very first persons TO cross the river in /
the spring of 1854. when Kansas was
thrown open for settlement. After t
wandering over the country north Of /
here he took up a claim on Deer Creek
but soon sold it and returned to Mis-
souri,
When the civil war broke out Mr..
Underwood was 80 years af age He
had a hard time deciding which army
TO enlist IN. 4 majority of the neigh
Dor men and boys were Joining the
Confederate army, and he says It was
MS mothers influence which decided
him. Never take up arms against the
government was her advice
Trade Clothes With Recruits.
He first enlisted in the Thirteenth
regiment Of Missouri volunteers They
met Pap Price at Lexington. No.
and ne didn't do a thing b41f ,sa-44z~sa
them. This was on Friday ana they
We're paroIed on Sunday. Thav Starred
back home afoot- A few miles out of |
the Price camp they were met by a
company Of recruits going 70 Ioi7 /
Price Peter and his COMPANIONS we're
pretty comfortably clothed at govern
mont expense When they continued
their journey the other fellows were
wearing the government clothes and !
they had on the t1eavings,s That was
IN the fall Of 1861. Next spring they /
received notice that they had been ex-
changed and were ordered 10 report f0-
duty and we're assigned to the TWENTY /
fifth Missouri This regiment saw very
hard service and was about shot to
pieces at Shiloh. So few of them we're
eft they were formed into a miners
and choE pers'' company whose business
vas TO precede the army and fix I'D
roads and bridges
Back to LeavenwortIl.
When his term OF enlistment expired
Z I1erH God was discharged q St Louis
and sent home War feeling ran pretty
nigh ali over Missouri and il xasn-r
he safest place in the word TO live
md keep your health around DeKaIb.
t you were Union soldier. Things
got so warm that, according TO his
1wn statement, Peter Underwood got
scared out and came over 10 Fort Leav-
snworth and Joined the Fifteenth regi-
nent Of cavalry He preferred taking
chances in the army 10 living in the
snemy's country as private citizen.
The most Of his service in the Kan
sas regiment was chasing buShwack-
srs in Missouri. In the winter of 1864
IS the regiment was camped along the
liver bank near Fort Leavenvorth
.here some Of the soldiers dug caves
n the bank TO live in There was not
much left of the regiment IN facI.
when il. with the Sixteenth Kansas.
which was mostly Indians. and the
First and Second Colorado regiments
Il cavalry. were combined and sent out
sfIer Pap Price, it wasn't mich Of
/ fighting force
Finally Rout Price.
They caught 10 with Price again at
lexington and had 10 fall back A few