History of the 33d Iowa Infantry Volunteer Regiment, 1863-6

Front matter

HISTORY

33P. IOWA INFANTRY

VOLUNTEER REGIMETsT

Chapter II

Fkosi St. Lours to Helena 8

CHAPTER IIL Clearing out the Yazoo Pass 10

CILVPTER IV.

The Yazoo Pass Expedition 16

CHAPTER V.

At Helbna 23

CH.VPTER VI.

The Battle of Helena 27

CHAPTER VII.

The Little Rock Expedition 35

CHAPTER VIIL

CHAPTER IX. '' Winter in Arkansas 52

CHAPTER X.

The Camden Expedition 60

CHAPTER XL The Retreat from Camden 80

CHAPTER XII.

The Battle of Jenkins' Ferry 90

CHAPTER XIIL Little Rock Again 91

CH(1PTER XIV.

Camp and Garrison 100

CHAPTER XV.

To Fort Smith and Back 103

CHAPTER XVI.

Rest a Little and Off Again 116

yii.

CHAPTER XVII.

Down South 120

CHAPTER XVIII.

To Spanish Fort _ 128

CHAPTER XIX.

Siege of Spanish Fokt 134

CHAPTER XX.

Hither and Thither 148

CHAPTER XXI.

Up the Tombigbee 138

CHAPTER XXII.

Delay and Disappointmeht 167

CHAPTER XXIII.

Darkness to Light 174

CHAPTER XXIV.

Home Again 18^1

Appendix

Field and Staff Officers 197

Roster of the Regiment 205

Promotions 219

VUl.

CHAPTER I.

FROM HOME TO ST. LOUIS.

The 33d Iowa Infantry Hegiment was organized under the Presidential call of June, 1S62, for additional volunteers to aid in putting down the Great Rebellion. The number and place of rendezvous of the regiment were designated, with those of other regiments from the State under the same call, by proclamation of Governor Kirkwood; and after some uncertainty, Samuel A. Rice, of Oskaloosa, then Attorney General of the State, was appointed its colonel.

The mean date of the filling up and organization of the companies was about the 20th of August. The companies which, some time after reaching rendezvous, were lettered as A, I and G, were from Marion County; B, F and H from Keokuk County, and C, D, E and K from Mahaska County. The roll of the regiment in full, will be found in the Appendix.

The manner of organizing the companies was much like that

used for other regiments. Persons more than ordinarily

patriotic or ambitious, obtiiined recruiting commissions from

the Governor, and by personal solicitation among their o

2 FROM HOME TO ST. LOUIS.

acquaintances and others, obtained the requisite number of enlistments. Public meetings were held ; and the already deep and intense patriotic excitement was fanned and strengthened by speeches, songs, martial music, and all other available and proper means. But a brief effort was required. In most cases, those who had recruited the companies received, by common consent, the first positions, and the remaining company-officers were tilled by election.

The Fair Grounds just north-west of the city of Oskaloosa, were selected as the place of rendezvous, and named Camp Tuttle, in honor of Brigadier-General J. M. Tuttle, of Iowa. "Within the first week of September all the companies arrived there ; and in a few days each of them had erected its own barracks, from lumber furnished by the Government. The barracks were of uniform style: — square, or nearly so; of rough boards, unpainted, without floors, windows or chimnies, and lined around the inside with tiers of bunks. Each barrack contained one company.

The first duty of the regiment was to learn the drill. With no previous military experience. Colonel Rice applied himself to the study of the regulations and tactics with such intense and unremitting attention that he soon made himself an excellent drill-master ; and he always gave his personal care and effort to the instruction of the regiment. From four to eight hours a day were devoted to this ; and it was not long till the result was apparent in the discipline and proficiency of the command.

Meanwhile, there were frequent parties of visitors to camp — the relatives and friends of the regiment ; and the good cheer and delicacies that so abounded then were remembered many a time afterward, when the perils and privations of a soldier's life were no more prospective, but present realties. There was

FROM HOME TO ST. LOUIS. 6

vcrj'' naturally, much grumbling at the fare and circumstances ill Camp Tuttle; but after the regiment had seen a year or two of active service, and knew what hardships really were, it was a common remark among us that if we were only back at Camp Tuttle, we would make ourselves comfortable as clams at high tide.

Late in the afternoon of the 4th day of October, our regiment was mustered into the United States service, by Lieutenant Chas. J. Ball, of the Ilegular Army. It was an impressive scene. The day was clear and beautiful; and as the mellow rays of the sun approached more nearly to the horizon, the men were drawn up in long double lines in camp, and the necessary examinations followed. Several who were now rejected, were nevertheless determined to go with us ; and did go with us, and made as good and efficient soldiers as any of the rest. The examination over, the clear and ringing voice of Lieutenant Ball pronounced the oath of enlistment, the upraised hands fell to the position of "attention;" and the 33d Iowa Infantry, was part of the great United States Army.

As speedily as possible the regiment was supplied with clothing, arms and equipments. The guns first furnished were the smooth-bore muskets, which some months afterward were exchanged for Enfield rifles. A brass band, under the leadership of acting Drum-Major A. L. Ellis, was organized and put on drill; and it continued to play, upon occasion, until the commencement of the Yazoo Pass Expedition, when it failed entirely ; and from that time all attempts to revive it, or to organize another, proved utterly unsuccessful — or rather, tlicre was never much earnest efibrt made in that direction. Our dress-parades in Camp Tuttle were frequently attended by crowds of spectators ; and often the line of the battalion itself would be so long there was not room for it inside the camp-

4 FROM HOME TO 8T. LOUIS.

ground. Greatly in contrast with tliis was the thinned and shortened line which remained to us after three years of service.

On Thursday morning, the 20th of November, we left Camp Tuttle, under orders "for active service in the field." A large concourse of relatives and friends had gathered to say good-bye. Such partings come but once in a life-time,

"Who could guess If evermore should meet those mutual ryes?"

But cheerfully, buoyantly, the regiment marched away, strong in the consciousness of a great and noble cause. If they should return, this day would yet be re-called with pride and pleasure; if they should fall— but that they left to Ilim who guides the destinies of nations and of men.

The march to Eddyville, ten miles, over a muddy road, under knapsacks which bore down heavily on unaccustomed shoulders, was one of the hardest we ever had. Taking the cars at Eddyville we reached Keokuk that evening; and at about ten p. m., to the music of our brass band playing on the deck of the steamer Northerner, we bade adieu to Iowa. Now came our first experience of that stowing away of soldiers like freight in a boat, which afterward became so familiar that nothing better was expected. Yet that very stowing and packing away of human beings in this manner, even leaving entirely out of view the greatly increased risk of accident, has caused more suffering and death than many a hard-fought battle.

Passing down the river without any very remarkable incidents, we reached St. Louis in the night of the 21st. Colonel Rice reported to Major-General Curtis, then in command there ; and next morning we marched through town up to Schofield Barracks, near Fremont's residence, on Chateau

FROM HOME TO ST. LOUIS. 5

Avenue. Accustomed to the manifestations of Interest at Oskaloosa, we were somewhat vexed that there was almost no appearance of welcome for us in St. Louis. But General Curtis, as we marched past him in cadenced step of regular rythmic fall, complimented the appearance of the regiment very highly.

For want of room, Companies G and B were separated from the rest, and assigned to quarters two or three squares distant. Company H was detailed on provost-duty ; and the remainder of the regiment was put on guard at the Gratiot Street and ^Myrtle Street Military Prisons, under the general supervision of Colonel Rice. The duty was rather hard for raw soldiers ; and soon there was much sickness in the regiment. The condition of the barracks — which, heated up at night, grew cold and chilly before morning — was undoubtedly one of the causes of disease.

Drills came once in a while, and parade occasionally; but guard-mounting was by fiir the most important ceremony of the day. The pass system was somewhat strict ; but most of us found means, nevertheless, to circulate about town quite freely. There were but few excesses committed, however; and tlie regiment was much praised, as the most quiet and orderly one that had been in the city. So passed our brief period of "fine soldiering." There was hard duty hero, in some respects, but there was "style" and convenience; and the days of really " active service " were yet to come.

CHAPTER II.

FROM ST. LOUIS TO HELENA.

Saturday night, the 20th of December, we lay down in our bunks to sleep, as usual. Thoughts of the pleasant soldiering in the city, yet in store for us, were common in many minds, as it seemed to be the general opinion that we would remain in St. Louis, for some time. But about mid-night a "change came o'er the spirit of our dreams." There was a general waking-up in the barracks; and the cause of it was an orderly going the rounds to notify the regiment to "be ready to leave, to-morrow morning at 8 o'clock, for down the river." Active service was coming now. Well, no regiment was more ready or able for it than we.

Next morning hurried letters were written home, ere we left what seemed to us our last hold on civilization ; and at 8 a. m. we embarked on board the steamer Ilowena. In the morning of the 24th, we landed at Columbus, Kentucky. An attack was expected here, and we were to help repel it. Piling overcoats and knapsacks on the levee, we marched out on the "bottom" below town, and formed line of battle. Remaining in line till about the middle of the afternoon, we were ordered to throw up breast-works. At this, our first attempt toward fortification, we worked faithfully till some

ST. LOUIS TO HELENA. 7

time in the night, and then tumbled down to sleep, without shelter, as we were.

Things now began to seem, to us green hands, very much like soldiering. To make the ease more agreeable, a heavy rain fell during the night; and next morning the ground we slept on was several inches under water. The hydrostatic bed may be a great luxury, but doubtless much depends on the manner in which the principle is applied.

Next day was Christmas. We passed it in waiting for the attack, but no attack came. Mr. Forest seemed to have changed his mind. In a few days our new wedge tents were erected, and we were therefore better fixed. But on New Year's morning, the regiment was ordered out to Union City Tennessee, to meet an attack expected there. After our arrival there, in the evening, the alarm was sounded, all rushed to arms, and battle seemed imminent, but nothing really happened. Some tiring by our own men was the cause.

Union City was a nice little place, and our men remembered it with pleasure. Perhaps, one reason of their liking, was the fact that it abounded with meat, chickens, bread, potatoes and other eatables; and we there took our first lessons in foraging — lessons well learned and fully remembered, to the sorrow of many a sneaking old rebel who was "just as good a Union man as any body."

While there, one of our men accidently shot off the end of his finger; and Doctor Scott, our assistant surgeon, was called on to amputate it. Having none of the customary instruments at hand, the doctor immediately seized a chisel and mallet, and performed the operation at a single blow. Much fun was made of it afterward; but the actual results were apparently as satisAictory as though the amputation had been done in the regular professional way.

8 ST. LOUIS TO HELENA.

Companies A, F and I, were stationed out about a mile from Union City, to guard a bridge, until tlie 3d of January, 1863, when the whole regiment returned to Columbus. On the 7th we were ordered to leave, and struck tents and got ready. After waiting for some hours, contrary orders were received, the tents were put up again, and we staid till morning.

Then, being stowed away on the steamer John D. Perry, we started to follow the general progress of the war, down the river. About noon of Sunday, the 13th, we reached Helena, Arkansas, which place some of the boys profanely denominated " Hell-in-Arkansas " — a name more intimate acquaintance, inclined to justify; and leaving the boat as soon as we could, in mud and discomfort, we pitched our tents on a devastated garden in the center of the town.

Next morning a more suitable place having been found, our camp was moved to the bank of the river, some half-a-mile south of town. Ordered from Columbus to form part of the expedition then organized to move against Arkansas Post, our regiment had arrived at Helena behind time; and as the Post was then too nearly stripped of defense. Colonel Bussey, the commandant, detained us there.

Mud and misery were now the order of the day, with rain, snow, cold and discomfort for variations. We wondered if it always stormed at Helena. On the 24th, orders came for us to prepare five day's cooked rations, and hold ourselves in immediate readiness to start for Vicksburg. The next day, Sunday, saw us busily occupied all the time in cooking meat, baking up the flour already issued, and generally getting ready. The boats were there, the order was positive, and we were sure the wishes of many of us to "get into an actual battle and see how it seemed" were likely to be realized. But we

ST. LOUIS TO HELENA. 9

never started, some thing or other changed the state of the case, and there we remained.

These were not the most pleasant days in the world, oven for soldiers. Though it seemed to rain most of the time, yet the cold was frequently severe ; and for want of any better accommodation, we had to go to the woods and gather brick-bats, pieces of wood, &c., and make chimneys to our tents. Teams were scarce — for us, at any rate — and we were compelled to go into the cypress swamps, some half-a-mile from camp, and bring up the wet wood on our backs, to burn. The mud was excessive; and as we were not yet provided with rubber blankets, and had not learned, by three years of soldiering, how to do without almost every thing, and "fix up " in any circumstances, we were of course decidedly uncomfortable.

But this state of things was not to last forever. While we were here, General Grant passed down the river to Vicksburg, with a portion of his army. The sight of the fleet loaded with troops, with colors flying, bands playing, and men shouting and cheering, was a new and grand one to us ; and to the great displeasure of Colonel Rice, the regiment all broke camp and scattered up and down the levee, to get a better view. Full many a hour of extra duty was the penalty. Some thought this was paying too dearly for the first view of the "pomp and circumstance" of war, when we soon found ourselves on a fleet, and part of an army, and helping too, though distantly, in the reduction of Vicksburg.

Chapter III. Clearing Out The Pass

By inspection of the map one will see that the Coldwater River of Mississippi, empties into the Tallahatchie, and this into the Yazoo River, which enters the Mississippi, a few miles above Vicksburg. Seven miles below Helena, on the eastern side of the river, there opens from the Mississippi to the Coldwater, a narrow channel, called the Yazoo Pass. Two miles inland it enters a beautiful sheet of water, which from its crescent shape, is named Moon Lake; and apparently passing through the lake, it continues to the river.

The Pass, though very deep, is but about 60 feet wide on an average. Formerly, it is said, very small craft occasionally were run on it, transporting cotton and plantation supplies; but later, the State of Mississippi had cut it off from the Mississippi River by a levee, to prevent its overflowing the low and level country through which it passes. General Grant, finding it necessary to use all means for the reduction of Vicksburg, had determined to attempt to open a communication to the Yazoo River, through this Pass; and for this purpose an expedition was organized.

On the 1st of February, 1863, a small detail from the different regiments at Helena, went down and cut the levee at the

I hoad of the Pass. The Mississippi was tlien very liigh ; and the swift waters rushed through the narrow opening so fiercely as to flood the adjacent swanaps. On the 9th of the month, our regiment went down to Moon Lake, on a "mosquito boat" and small transports, to join other troops in clearing out the Pass, that it might be more nearly fit for navigation. The rebels below us had felled trees across and into the channel, to obstruct the expedition as much as possible; and these had all to be taken out. Raftsmen and lumbermen were in demand, and Colonel Rice's previous experience on the river, came in excellent play. Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson, afterward major-general, was the engineer-in-chief, and performed his duties faithfully.

This was now peculiar soldiering. Heavy fatigue-details were made each day, or twice a day. The men had to get at the logs in the channel, cut them in two, or get them apart in some way, and then fasten ropes to them, by which to draw them out. Brigadier-General Washburne, in uniform distinguished from the others, only by the star on his shoulder, gave his general attention to the work, and would at times lay hold on the ropes, and pull with all the power of a two-hundredpounder.

To counteract the effects of so much hardship and exposure, rations of whisky were occasionally issued. Those of the men who did not drink, gave up their ration to those who did, and thus some of the latter got "gloriously fuddled." This was before the day of rubber blankets with us; and we had to sleep on the ground, or on such flooring of weeds, cornstocks, boards, &c., as we could gather, with only our woolen blankets for shelter. Rain was abundant. But once in two weeks were there twenty-four consecutive hours of dry weather. Under foot was mud and water, and that continually.

Small boats accompanied us, bearing the rations, head-quarters, &c. Of these boats, the Hamiltoyi Belle, an old Keokuk ferry-boat, seemed most undaunted and serviceable. Her draught was so light, and her power so great, we used to say she could run in a furrow on a heavy dew.

As the work of clearing progressed, we marched further down the Pass, through the woods and swamps. A part of the regiment one night started to move further down, and darkness overtook them in the midst of a swamp. No place could be found, out of water, where a man could lie down ; and they had to turn back in the night, tired, wet, and grumbling, and hunt a place to sleep. But even out of discomforts they made fun. Their camp was chosen close to the brink of the Pass. During the night, one of the longest and slimmest men among them, the flag-staff of the regiment in fact, got up, in the dark and before he was well awake walked off into the deep water of the channel. Fortunately a good wetting was all the consequence; and great was the merriment at Jack's unlucky attempt to sound the river.

But the most cheering event that happened was the arrival of the mail. None but those who have been in similar circumstances can imagine how anxiously each one waited to hear his name called when the letters were distributed, or how great was his disappointment at learning there was nothing for him. Words of love and fond remembrance may seem but little to their writers, but to him who is far away from all he loves, and surrounded only by discomfort and dangers, they are doubly dear.

Companies G and B were left behind the regiment for nearly a week, to clear out a particular drift. During this time a detail from these companies went out a short distance after forage, and several of company B were taken prisoners by a small body of rebels hovering near; but all or nearly all of them, were returned to the regiment before the expiration of our term of service.

This jiart of the country, swampy as most of it is, has some of the richest plantations in the State. We foraged a great deal. Beef was so abundant that sometimes cows were killed for the sake of the liver; for none of us were particularly desirious to be very saving of rebel property. The forwardness of the season seemed odd to us, wheii we thought of the time of the year. In one of our camps there was a peacli tree in full bloom on the 14th of February. Letters we wrote in the midst of budding Spring would reach home a month later, in the snows of mid- Winter.

On the afternoon of the 18th, Companies G and B were ordered a few mil&s further down the Pass, to Alcorn's plantation, to re-join the regiment, as there was supposed to be some danger of a rebel attack. Reaching Pettit's plantation about dark, they made arrangements to camp for the night, and went to work to cook their suppers; but just as they were about to commence eating, a renewed and more urgent order came, and they had to start off supperless. That was a queer march, in utter darkness, in single file along the narrow top of the k'veo which was the most practicable road just then ; but it ended at last, in General Alcorn's cotton-press, where the rest of the regiment was camped.

Next day we took formal possession of the general's negro-quarters, one company to a hut. Now came a general cleaningup-time, our first for two weeks; and most of us experienced what is generally considered one of the last stages of poverty — washing our only shirt, and going to bed while it dries.

" Hard-tack" had now entirely lost its novelty, and almost any thing else was welcomed instead. An old negress on the plantation had a quantity of meal ; and the regiment kept her overwhelmingly busy, baking corn bread, at 25 cents a pone. Frequently the door of her cabin would be crowded three deep by hungry soldiers waiting for their chances to buy.

The old general had a small corn-mill in his cotton-press, rigged to be worked by mule-power. At first, for some cause or other, the mules were not to be found ; so the men laid their shoulders to the wheel by turns, and trotted merrily round the track, to grind their corn. It was a hard way of serving the country, however; and when at last the mules were found, they were put at work with little rest or mercy.

The Pass being now cleared out, there was other work before us. After some delay which seemed to us unnecessary, we went on board the Hamilton Belle and another small boat, on the morning of the 23d ; and before night reach Helena, and entered our old camp there, glad enough to get back to it. But our rest was not long.

Chapter IV. The Yazoo Pass Expedition

On the 24th of February, we received two month's pay— the first installment since we were mustered in; and on the evening of the same day we embarked on the fleet that was to convey us down the Pass. Part of the regiment went on the steamer Citizen, and the remainder, with head-quarters, on the Lebanon No. 2. Brigadier-General Clinton B. Fisk, was in command of the brigade. The fleet consisted of two iron-clad gun-boats, a mortar-boat, and a number of small transports.

As the boats were to be our camp for some time, and we were going through the enemy's country, preparations were made accordingly. Each company was assigned to some definite portion of a boat. One would have the guard of one side of the cabin deck, from the wheel-house to the bow, another the corresponding place on the other side, a third the bow of the boiler deck, and so on, the room being calculated roughly to give the men place merely to lie down. On the hurricanedecks, breast-works of thick plank, were erected, and sharpshooters daily stationed behind them.

Of course, there was little or no chance for cooking; there almost never is any, for soldiers on a transport. Collee was miide, "cold-pressed," as it was called, by turning on hot water from the engines; and when the boat stopped, or the engineer wanted to show his importance, even that could not be obtained. The meat-ration was cooked by thrusting frying pans full of it, in at the boiler-fires. About meal-times, dozens or more of men stood waiting their turns for this. Some cooked their pork by holding it on sticks over the escape-pipes of the boats. At times, however, the fleet would stop, when the men went ashore to do as much cooking as might be done at once. The officers in the cabin fared at the boat's table, of course; but the men were not permitted to buy their meals there. After a while the amazing ration of " hard-tack and sow-belly" became almost unendurable. From so long confinement to the boats, without exercise, the digestion became impaired. Men would sit by a box of hard tack and gnaw away at it all day, and lie down tired and hungry at night. Often some poor fellow might be seen looking in at the cabin door, at dinner-time, and wishing he had been born an officer, or even a cabin-negro on a steam-boat.

The country through which we passed was mostly swampy, and at that time overflowed with water; but there were frequent plantations, with negro-quarters, that looked like little villages. Rebel guerrillas were all around us, though not daring to show themselves much. On some of the boats men were wounded and killed by shots from the shore, but our regiment fortunately escaped injury from them.

The Pass and the Cold water and Tallahatchie rivers are all very narrow, but deep, like most Southern streams. Our fleet was compelled to go very slowly, on account of the abrupt bends, swift current, and over-arching trees. The average speed made was about three miles an hour. Perhaps the best pilots in the world could not have saved the boats from injury;

THE YAZOO PASS EXrEDITION. 17

but wc thought the pilot of the Citizen was a rebel and wanted to smash the boat up. Often there were murmurs about the propriety of shooting him, when, at some sudden bend, or other danger, we would hear his old, familiar, careless cry — "Give her a turn back, Dan." The Citizen was a stern-wheeler, and somewhat unwieldy ; and before the expedition returned, she had lost most of her " gingerbread- work," and was otherwise mueli injui-ed. In fact, nearly or quite all the boats suffered more or less from the " rakes," as they were called, when they would swing into the current and hit the over-hanging limbs of the trees on the bank. There were many such " rakes " on tlie Citizen. One of them tore off a good part of the guard where Company B was stationed ; and soon afterward another one come near "cleaning out" Company G, on the other side. Hats, knapsacks, guns and accouterments were left hanging in the tree as we passed. It seems almost miraculous that no injury was done to life or limb by these tremendous collisions ; but the men soon learned to jump and dodge quite nimbly.

The Tallahatchie is perhaps the crookedest river in creation. It is so unearthly crooked that, standing on one boat of our fleet and looking at the others, one could not possibly tell whether they were ahead of him or behind him. In one place there was but just one foot width of ground between the Tallahatchie river on one side and the same river on the other, and yet it was perhaps a mile around the bend. Dense canebrakes occasionally lined the banks, and sometimes the boats would run into them a little, as if bent on crossing. There was occasional wet weather, of course; when those who slept on the hurricane decks had the disadvantage. They could shelter themselves very well, with their new rubber blankets, from the rain itself as it fell; but when enough

water had collected on the decks it would run off in streams, 3 and "wash them out." It is not the pleasantest thing in the world to be waked in the middle of a pitch-bhick night by a stream of cold water running down one's back, and thus to waken from the sweet dreams of home and comfort to find one's self out of doors and in the rain. But they would be young in the army who were not used to much worse things than that.