O! the wild excitement of a fight! How completely carried away men become by enthusiasm! They know no danger; they see none-are oblivious to every thing but hope of victory! Men behold their boon companions fall, yet onward they dash with closed ranks, themselves the next victims.
There are few in the Army of the c.u.mberland who have not heard of the 35th Indiana, commanded by Colonel Mullen, of Madison, and as fine an Irish regiment as ever trod the poetic sod of the Emerald Isle. On their march up from Huntsville, Alabama, toward Louisville, Kentucky, on the renowned parallel run between Buell and Bragg, the command were short of provisions. Half-rations were considered a rarity. Father Cony, who is at all times a.s.siduous in his duties to his flock, had called his regiment together, and was instilling into their minds the necessity of their trusting in Providence. He spoke of Jesus feeding the mult.i.tude upon three barley loaves and five small fishes. Just at this juncture an excitable, stalwart son of Erin arose and shouted: "Bully for him! He"s the man we want for the quarter-master of this regiment!"
Early in January General Rosecrans issued his orders that all the men that could possibly be spared from detail duty should be immediately placed into the ranks, and that negroes should be "conscripted" or captured to take their places as teamsters, blacksmiths, cooks, etc. By this means the Third Division of the Army of the c.u.mberland, then under General James B. Steadman, was increased eight hundred men-men acclimated-men who could shoulder a musket. This was all done in less than three weeks. The negroes were all taken from rebel plantations.
One morning Colonel Vandeveer, of the 35th Ohio, commanding the Third Brigade, sent an orderly to my tent to inquire if I would not like to accompany an excursion into the enemy"s country. As items were scarce, I at once a.s.sented; and, although scarce daybreak, off we went. The Colonel informed me that, as I was a good judge of darkeys, General Steadman had advised my going with the party.
We called first at Mrs. Carmichael"s, and got two boys, aged, respectively, fifteen and seventeen. Mrs. Carmichael begged, and, finally, wept quite bitterly at the prospect of losing her boys-said those were all she had left-(she had sent the others South). She plead with us not to take "them boys"-said "they wern"t no account-couldn"t do nothing nohow." But the mother of these boys told our men a different story, and begged us to take the boys, "For," said she, "dey does all de plantin" corn and tendin" in de feel. Dey"s my chill"n, and if I never sees "em agin, I want de satisfaction of knowin" dey is free!"
Mrs. Carmichael"s supplications for the negroes not to be taken from her were quite pitiful. She said they had been allers raised jest like as they were her own flesh and blood, and she just keered for "em the same. But, as Mrs. Carmichael had two sons in the rebel army, the boys were taken. Upon the first order to come with us they seemed delighted, which caused the mistress to become very wrathy. I told the boys to go to their cabin and get their blankets, as they would need them. Judge my surprise when this kind-hearted woman, who had just informed me that she had "allers treated them boys as if they were her own flesh and blood"-this woman seized the blankets from the half-naked boys, and fairly shrieked at them: "You nasty, dirty little n.i.g.g.e.r thieves! if them Yankees want to steal you, let "em find you in blankets; I"m not a-going to do it!" I merely inquired if that was the way in which she treated her other children-those in the rebel army?
From thence we went to Mrs. Kidd"s, who had a husband and two sons in the rebel service. On our approach she endeavored to secrete some of the blacks, but they wouldn"t "stay hid." The cause of the visit was explained. The rebels had been driving most of the likely negroes South. They were using them against the Government; and it was thought, by some, that they might as well work for as against the Union. They were raising their crops, running their mills, manufacturing their army-wagons, etc., besides supporting the families of the rebels, thus placing every able-bodied white man of the South in the hands of the government. The Federal service needed teamsters and hospital nurses and cooks.
Mrs. Kidd seemed quite a reasonable woman-said she thought she understood the policy of the North, and that the South knew that slavery was their strength. I made the remark, that, probably, if her husband knew she would be left without help, perhaps he would be induced to return and respect the old flag that had at all times, while he was loyal to it, defended him.
This little speech on my part elicited a rejoinder from a young miss, a daughter of Mrs. Kidd, sixteen or seventeen years of age, who flirted around, and with a nose that reached the alt.i.tude of at least "eighty-seven" degrees, exclaimed-
"I don"t want my par nor my brothers to come home not till every one of you Yankees is driven from our sile!"
Some of the boys were busy hunting for a secreted negro, one whom this young lady had stored away for safety. A soldier opened a smoke-house door, at which the young Secesh fairly yelled-
"There aint no n.i.g.g.e.r there! You Yankees haint a bit o" sense! You don"t know a smoke-house from a hut, nohow!"
Supposing the negro, who we felt almost sure was there, might possibly have escaped, we were about retiring with those already collected, when I suggested, loud enough for any one to hear about the building, that the whole squad should pour a volley through that rickety old dormer-window that projected from the room, when, much to our astonishment, and amid roars of laughter, appeared a woolly head, white eye-b.a.l.l.s distended, the darkey yelling loud and fast-
"Don"t shoot, ma.s.sa! don"t shoot! here I is! I"s a comin"! De missus made me clime on dis roof. I wants to go wid you folks anyhow!"
Mr. Crossman"s plantation was then visited; but, as the rebels had driven him away because of his Unionism, and taken his horses, his property was undisturbed by us.
From thence we visited Nolinsville-met a gang of twenty "likely-looking boys," stout, healthy fellows, who had clubbed together to come to the Union camp. They told us the rebs were only four miles off, "scriptin" all the n.i.g.g.e.rs dar was in de fields, and a-runnin" "em South." These were added to our stock in trade.
On our way back, a couple of old, sour-looking WOMEN were standing on the steps that were built for them to climb a fence, who, seeing so many blacks, inquired what we were taking them for. "To work," was the reply. "The rebels were about to run them South, and we wanted them to work for us."
"Now who told you that?" they inquired.
"The negroes themselves, madam. Many of them came voluntarily, to escape being sent South."
"O, yes! you Federals git your information from the n.i.g.g.e.rs altogether."
"Yes, madam!" facetiously replied Captain d.i.c.kerson, of the 2d Minnesota Regiment, "that"s a fact. All the reliable information does come from them."
On our homeward trip we called at what is known as "Kidd"s Mills," between Concord Church and Nolinsville. There were there quite a number employed upon the lumber and grist. A selection was made from the lot. They all wanted to come, but some were too young, and others too old.
Old man Kidd said he had a "safeguard from the Gineral. The Gineral had been up to see his darters, Delilah and Susan, and give him a safeguard." Upon examination it was found to be a mere request. Requests don"t stand in military (not arbitrary enough). Then the old man declared he had always been a Union man-"allers said this war wern"t no good-that the South had better stand by the old flag."
I at once told him if such was the case he was all right-to just get his horse and come with me, and if he had "allers" been a "Union man" or a non-combatant, why, they would all be returned to him.
The negroes were grouped around with anxious faces, and with rather astonished looks; and, as Mr. Kidd went to the stable, a venerable, white-haired old darkey, who had been told to stand back-he was too old to join the Union teamsters-came forward, and begged to be taken. "Why, I does heap o" work. I tends dis mill; I drives a team fustrate. Please take de ole man, and let him die free!"
Another negro, too old to take, spoke up and said: "What was dat de old man Kidd told you?"
"Why," I replied, "he said he had always been a Union man."
"De Lor" bress my soul! Did he say dat he was a Union man?"
"Yes!"
"Well! well! well! Dat he was a Union man! Well! well! well! And he"s gwine to de Gineral for to tell him dat; and dat ole man is a member ob de Church! Well! well! well! Why, look heah, my Men", when de rebs was here only a few weeks ago-when dey was here, dat ole man got on his white hoss, and took de seceshum flag, and rode, and rode, and waved dat rebel flag and shouted, and more dan hollered for Jeff Davis, and now he Union man! He wants de Gineral to gib up dese here colored people-dat"s what"s de matter wid him!"
In an hour after we arrived in camp, sure enough, the old Kidd and other parties were there, expecting or hoping to get their darkeys back; but General Steadman told them if the negroes wished to return, they could do so, but, if they chose rather to work for "Uncle Sam," why, his orders were to use them.
"Well, Gineral, you just tell my n.i.g.g.e.rs that they can go home with me," said Kidd.
"O! they can if they want to." So, out goes Kidd, smiling as a "basket of chips."
"Boys, the Gineral says you can all go home with me."
"If you want to," was my addition to his sentence.
Not a negro stirred from the line. After a brief consultation, in an under tone, at which Kidd, I noticed, was becoming very impatient, Kidd broke the quietude by saying:
"Come on, boys-come, Jim."
Jim looked over to Bob and said: "Bob, what are you going to do?"
"Me! Ise gwine to stay for de Union!"
Old man Kidd looked beaten. "Well, Jim, what will you do?"
"O! I does what Bob does!"
This same old Kidd had been in the habit of going over the country enlisting recruits for the rebel service-telling them that he was an old man, or he would go himself; that the old folks expected to be taxed to take care of the soldiers" families; that if they wanted corn or any thing from his mill, while they were in the army, to come and get it. By such language he induced several men, who had only small families, to enlist. One of them was indebted to Kidd about thirteen dollars, and after he had been in the army a month or two, Kidd dunned him for the old bill, remarking:
"Well, John, you"re in the army now, gittin" your regular pay now-guess you can pay that little bill now, can"t you?"[]
CHAPTER V.
Cutting Down a Rebel"s Reserved Timber - Home Again - Loomis and his Coldwater Battery - Secession Poetry - Heavy Joke on an "Egyptian" Regiment.
Just after General Schofield took command of the Third Division, Roddy Patterson, aided by a division of infantry, made his appearance near our camp, and, as we were weak in numbers, fortifications were erected in every direction, trenches dug, and efforts made to place the troops in the best trim to give the rebs a "fine reception."
There was one splendid piece of timber-land that might possibly come in possession of the rebels and do us much mischief. General Schofield ordered it cleared, and soon twelve hundred axes were resounding through the vast forest, and Abe"s rail-splitters were at work forming "abatis" from the fallen trees, while earthworks commanding the position were soon erected.
Captain Stinchcomb was the provost-marshal of the division, and old man Jordan was in the habit of going to him with all his grievances. The soldiers had made an awful gap in his reserved timber before he found it out; but, as soon as he did so, he made for head-quarters, and found the Captain at dinner.
Scene I-Act 1-Enter Old Man.
"Look a-heah, Gineral Stinchcomb, them boys of yourn is cuttin" all my timber down!"