As most of us have guessed, the lists have all been down. I'm going to try this post one more time in the hopes that the gremlins have been removed! Sandi During the winter the famalies, and friends of the company visited us qite often, and brought with them much good food. During Christmas we were bountifully remembered. Most of the friends and family could reach us in a days journey, with a good horse or team. My wife came many times, and on one occassion went out into the country, and visitied with her uncles, and cousins, on her mother's side, but I could not accompany her, as the country was over run with gorrillas, in a small way, and of course they would not have neglected an opertunity to even up with us for having imprisoned some of their number. With the opning of spring, there was evidence of much military activity on the part of the western army, which was demonstrated to us by vast flotilas of soldiers down the Ohio river. These men were to compose Grant's army, with which he captured forts Henry and Donalson, and about this time roomers were afloat as to what part we were to play in the great military dramma, in process of formation. We were finaly advised, officially that we were to be mounted, not as cavalry, but mounted infantry, but would be assigned to a cavalvery brigade. This order was received with much satisfaction. A large majority of our regiment was composed of farmer boys who had almost grown up on horseback. "Creter back" as the southerners put it. The captain sent me to draw a horse for each of us, with orders to select bay mares, and to be particular to select square trotters. The officers of the companies were to have first choice, and there was little difficulty in selecting just about what he wanted. The captain was well pleased with my selection, but of course was to get the choice of the two, and got the best of me in the matter of gate, in that his horse was a very mild trotter, while mine would make the most radical couboy wince. Suffice it to say that we were soon mounted, and required to acquire some military stunts in marching formation. A soldier can never make any permanent calculation on what he may not do. I think that it was on sunday in the latter part of March. The Capt had ordered company inspection of our horses and equipments, and we were busy preparing for it, when an order came to us to be ready to march in an hour, but it was about two oclock befoe we were ready to mount. We were then informed that we were to make a forced march to Madisonville, forty four miles distant, and reinforce a company of our regiment stationed there, and that we must cover that distance by 8:30 PM. The horses being rested, as well as the men we left camp on the jump, but after the first ten miles had been passed we sobered down to a trot, and when we had put twenty miles behind us, we would have been better satisfied with a fast walk, but the capt with his easy trotter kept us moving somewhat faster. When we had measured off thirty miles the starch was all taken out of us, and we sat on our horses like stuffed toads, with our feet rattling in our stireps, and our horses were about as limp as we were. Still on, on we had to go. Occasionaly we would strike a rough piece of road, that compeled us to slow down to a walk, but when we had passed it to better roads, the capt would strike a trot again on his easygoing "criter". We could tell when the trot was coming long befoer it struck us and it was not onley painful but somewhat amusing to see the men prepare for the shock, by humping themselves in their saddles. To relieve themselves, many of the boys would spread their blankets in their saddles, which onley made the matter worse, after a time. It is needless to say that they never did that again on the march. We learned that a smothe surface, for long riding, is much the best. Well, we got there, not exactly on time, but within a half hour of it, and found the garrison profoundly sleeping, and then we were mad over the fact that we had been needlessly punished. Some of the men had to be helped from their horses, and the best of us were hardly able to crawl to a place where we could lie down. It would have been a very lame fight that we would have put up if there has been a necesity for it. It required about three days for us to recuperate, and get ready for efficient duty. The scare all grew out of a few gorrillas passing through the country, which had the effect to scare the capt of the company out of the little wits that he had. The company (H) was ordered back to Henderson, and I do not think that it was ever intrusted with any important position. Our company (E) remained and did post duty, and scouting untill about the middle of August. We were able to secure an abandoned house for our quarter, and stables for our horses, and on the whole were very comfortably situated for soldiers. The captain made me forage master, which with scouting kept me in the saddle nearley all of the time. We had a few small skirmishes, without casualties to our forces, but some damage to the enimy, with killed and wounded. The inhabitance were largely union, and we became quite intimate with them, Gen Shacklford's family resided here, whom we long remembered, and the family manifested a very warm feeling for us. I did much scouting and was favored by the capt with many important forras. Sometime in June I was promoted to the position of orderly sergt., to take the place of the old one, who was reduced to the ranks. I had been recomended for the position of 2d lieutenant early in the spring, which the col of the regiment overuled in favor of another seargent. The new position was mine by right of my influence over the men, by reason of my constant care of their intrest. The real facts are that the capt always took me into confidence in regard to the management of the company, in making promotions he would consult me about the capabilities of aspirants. About the time of my promotion, I was granted a furlogh to visit my home, in consiquence of the furlogh of my brother, who enlisted in the 1st Ind Cav in 1861, but I was admonished by the Col to return as soon as possible, as there would be movements of importance in a short time, and that my company would need me in preparing for them. Nothing of material importance occured until the latter part of June, when John Morgan made his celebrated rade into KY, which was finaly extended into Ind. and Ohio. The papers kept us advised as to his movements, and we expected that if he was not checked and turned back, we would be called on to joine our opposing forces. Military orders always come on the spur of the moment as ours did in this case, which occured about the 29{th} day of June. While we were expecting that we might be called on to march, we supposed that we would be given time to make some preparation, in the way of rations, and some equipment. Emagin our disappointment, when in the afternoon we received orders to mount our horses, and march immediately to a town called Charlston on Greenriver, some forty miles distant -- fifty miles more properly -- we were not allowed time to prepare ration, more than we could pick up and put into our pockets --a few hardtac at most--nothing but our guns, horses and amunition were to go. In less than two hours we were off, and there was nothing slow about our going. We were advised that we would meet the Col, and the ballance of our regiment at Charlston. All night we marched, we had to cross a small river, which occassioned considerable delay. It was ten oclock before we reached our destination. Neither our horses had anything to eat since noon the day before, and there is not strength enough in the english language to tell how hungry and tired we were. We finaly got a bite to eat in some way. After a short rest I was ordered to report to the Col, who ordered me to take half dozzen men, and proceed to Bowles ferry, but to divide my men at a certain point, by sending two of them across the river and have them meet me at the ferry, and after ferrying them across, destroy the boat, but to destroy any kind of water craft that I might find upon the river. I think that it was 12 oclock when we reached our destination. Some twelve years before, as a boy, I had crossed here at this place, and possibly in the same boat. My men on the other side of the river had not yet arrived. The men that were with me fell asleep at once, and I had not the heart to insist that they rather than myself, keep watch, and I had hard work to arrouse them when our comrads hailed us from t he opposite shore. When we had gotten them over our orders were to destroy the boat, but we had nothing to do it with, we failed to find even an ax at a house nearby, but the next morning we succeeded in scuttiling the boat, and turned it loose which we considered a very foolish thing to do, as the boat was too small to ferry an army across, and a small detachment would not hesitate to swim their horses, as the river is very narrow, but deep. Military orders sometimes appear to be very foolish and I pressume are in many cases under the light of subsiquent developments. For instance, the Col ordered me, that in the event that Morgan should appear at my point of observation, to fight him, and send a courier at once to him. The idea of eight men fighting Morgan semed very absurd to me. The more sensible order would be to fire and skedadle to the rear. Two days after we had destroyd our boat, we received oders to cross the river at once and meet the command at Hartford, but how, our boat was gone. The captain had struck the river some eight miles above us where there was a small ferry boat, but instead of destroying it as we had done, bored holes in the bottom, and submerged it in a slough, which was easily raised and caulked, and made servicable, and he ordered me, if I had destroyed my boat to march up the river and cross it in his boat. When we arrived we found that the captasin's command had long since departed for Hartford, whom we followed as quickly as possible. When we arrived in Hartford we found that the entire command had gone onto Owensboro on the Ohio river, after having partaken of a sumptuous dinner, provided by the citizens who were nearly all union, of course. We had ridden all day without anything to eat, and of course were ravenously hungry, but found little to eat, the troups ahead of us having devowerd evrything but as few scraps, which we devowrd with becoming avidity, and systamatic relish. After giving our horses food, we mounted and followed the command which we overtook sometime after nightfall, in camp for the night. The entire command, like us, had broke camp so sudently, that no provission, was made for rations, and we had to depend on the people for food, which they gladly furnished. We celebrated the 4{th} of July in the saddle, and while on the march we witnessed a very curious phenomony in the elements. The entire country was covered with a blue haze, that shut out the natural light of the sun. That orbe appearing like a ball of fire. My recolection is that there was not sufficient to make a shaddow. This condition causing much comment by the people all over the country, and many regarded it with much superstition. There were great military events transpiring, but we did not know it at that time. We did not know that the battle of Gettysburge was being fought, and that Vicksburg had surrenderd. When we did get the news we were greatly rejoyced, and believed that the war could not last much longer. We were ordered to march at 4 oclock, the next morning so that we could reach Owensboro for breckfast, where we were assured that we would find rations. We were not permitted to remain long at Owensboro. Boats were at the landing ready to take us up the river to Cincinnati, and on up the river if needed to intercept Morgan who was now well up in Ohio, but we did not get further than Louisville. News met us here that Morgan had been corraled, and we were not needed, and our boat turned about, and steamed for Henderson. When we got to Rockport Ind we were allowed to disembark, with our horses and march overland throgh Warrick county, and disband for a few days, so that the boys could visit their homes. It was known by our officers that we would soon be attached to Burnsids East Tenn campaighn, and it would be a long time, if ever that we see home again. When I arrived at home I found that my brother-in-law, Frank Brown was a corpse in the old home, he having died on a transport near Vicksburgh. I think that we were permitted to stay home three or four days. At any rate the time was all too short to make us feel good. Two days march landed us at our old camp at Madisonville, where we had left our camp equippage, in care of the sick and infirme who were greatly chagrined when they learned that we had been home. We were now in a fever of expectation, and dread, as I before said it was generally understood that we were sure to march. By this time we had learned to pay little attention to camp rumors, we had to be shown before we would believe, anything as to marching, but the fact that our horses were being shoed, and other small preperations going on all of the time, indicated to us that there would be something doing. Members of the company that had been on detached duty in hospitals, and clerical work reported to the company for duty, but could give no reason for their sudent coming. Of course the officers were not telling it around that there was going to be a great movement in the direction of the enimies country. SCKY Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=south-central-kentucky Barren Co Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=kybarren GGP: http://ggpublishing.tripod.com/