Year: 1876




| knew was that we were bound for
Fort Donelson, and no rebels were
going to stop US on the trip if we
could help it. That's the story Of
the wood. l don't know exactly,
how much stole. didn't ask the
price and didn't pay for it. This is
the robber that. was there. But
we did get to Ft. Donelson, and
some of you have heard the fun that
the Second Iowa had there with that
lot of Ben Hills Constitution hug
gers"


TUE SECOND IowA's FIRST REBEL
FLAG.


They say am murderer! Well,
I'll tell you about that. Some anony-
nous coward has sent me an extract
from paper in Missouri-name of
paper not given, but the piece cut
out-charging me with having mur-
dered man in Stewart, Mo-, and
with shooting men after they had
surrendered. AS to the first: That
was an inciden. of our trip as We
first went to the front The towu
was on the Hannibal & st. Joe Road.
The Second Iowa was the first Union
regiment that made the trip along
the whole length of that line. 9th
ers had gone part Of the way, but
the Second made the whole trip, and
were the first Union troops that the
rebels down there had seen. As We
came up to this little town, q rebel
flag was streaming from pole in
door yard. II was the first rag OF
the Confederacy my boys had ever
seen, and said it must come down. |
anticipated no trouble, but after the
boys went up there heard some
shots, and then went up. A young
rebel had heard OF our coming to the
the town, and had raised the flag, as
defiance and a menace, and said it
should float If he had to protect it
with his life. He got chance. He
said, with his revolver drawn, as the
boys came up, that the first man who
laid hands on that flag he would shoot
dead. The boys proceeded to take
the thing down-snd he got killed
How he got killed l don't know ex-
aotly. Philo, there (pointing to Mr..
Case again, sitting near by, holding
the same old drum that he drummed
through the war; can tell you more
about that than can.


Mr.. Case.-The fellow said he
would shoot the first man who dared
even to touch the flag or the staff, and
the boys went for it. He tried to
shoot, swapping his revolver twice.
He didn't get chance to snap it
again. His flag came down and SO
did he.


The General--Well, that's the
story Of it, ] didn't see that part of
it. saw the flag after it was down,
though, and saw the foolish young
rebel lying there dead. That's all l
know about it, and perhaps am re-
sponsible. Ii SO, have nothing to
take back. Our business down there
was to put down the rebel colors, and
of course we commenced as soon as
we saw where the work commenced.
The boys in taking down the rebels
flag had to shoot the rebel to do it,
and to save their own lives in doing
it, and so am charged with murder
ing him.


! SHOOTING REBEL BRIDGE BURNERS.


As to tho shooting Of men after
they had surrendered, these are the
facts: The rebels had been burning
the railroad bridges and tearing up
the track to keep the Union troops
from getting to the front. They
were trying to throw trains off the
track, and weaken bridges so as to
let whole regiments down into cuts,
chasms, and rivers, hoping thus to
kill them. Well, sent Lieut.. Nc
Kenncy (now Gen. Mckenney, who
was commanding Company A Of the
Second then, as gallant a soldier, and
as noble hearted man as ever lived,
but who always means business as
much as any man l ever knew,) to
stop these murderous depredations.
BY little strategy he managed to
catch lot Of them in the very act.
A lot Of them were tarring railroad
bridge ready to burn it just before
train coming with large number of
soldiers on board had reached it
Well, in catching the fellows at it
he hurt some of them.


The first reports l got of the affair,
were from some of the rebels. "Mac,"
after attending to this gang, had gone
to catching others. The rebels came
in whining, and complaining that my
detachment had murdered some of
their friends, or shot them after they
had surrendered. | told them to
wait awhile, and | would inquire into
it. Pretty soon, "Msc" and the boys
came in. | saw that "Mac" had
blood in his eye. ! Iasked him what
he had been doing. He said he had
caught some of the devils, and had
stopped 'em. He had caught them
tearing down and burning the bridge,
and they had got hurt. l asked if he
had killed them. He said he gues-
4 I u