CHAPTER VI.
MARIONSVILLE - ITS CHARACTERISTICS - HARDSHIPS ENDURED BY A LOYAL FAMILY - A FORCED MARCH - BATTLE GROUND OF WILSON'S CREEK - CONTINUE THE MARCH - "VIOLATION OF ORDERS" - MEN FALL EXHAUSTED BY THE ROADSIDE - ARRIVE AT OZARK - WHY THE MARCH WAS MADE.
Marionsville is a village of' humble proportions, composed entirely of log houses, and situated on a hill near Honey Creek, about twenty-six miles from Springfield. Being almost entirely hid from view by a heavy growth of timber, the traveller, if unacquainted with the country, could not find it except on a close search. The rough, uncouth, irregular appearance of the whole village would almost make one think it had grown up with the forest and formed part of it. We only became aware of' its existence, although camped for two days within four hundred yards of it, by seeing women peddling corn bread and ginger-cakes in camp. On enquiring where they lived, they answered "in that town over Char," pointing to the forest beyond the creek, and I was amply compensated for my visit to the place the same evening, by a view, for the first time in my life, of an entire village built of unhewn logs. If any of our readers desire a quiet residence, perfectly secluded from all the cares or annoyances of civilized society, this place
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has greater claims on their consideration than any we have ever met. Women, children and dogs occupied the houses promiscuously, and their furniture, formed with an eye to utility and durability, had been manufactured alone by the axe and the maul. Honey was furnished us in abundance from carts made entirely of wood and drawn not unfrequently by teams consisting of a cow and mule yoked together!! The wheels of these carts were manufactured from a section of a tree sawed eight inches long, and being uneven in their thickness gave a peculiar motion to the vehicle not unlike that of a small boat in rough water, and an unmusical screeching most harrowing to the feelings. A brisk trade was carried on by the natives with our camp, giving it quite a market appearance. We have been thus particular in describing the manners, customs and appearance of this village as it may serve in a great measure for many other of the villages through which we passed.
While encamped here I became acquainted with a young man named Phillip Allen, a soldier belonging to the 6th Missouri Cavalry, who gave me the following account of the hardships suffered by his family since the breaking out of the war:
The family owned a well improved farm of three hundred acres three miles southeast from Cassville, and were living in very comfortable circumstances. His father, on the breaking out of the war, took an active part in opposition to the rebellion, and his less wealthy neighbors at once made this a pretext for robbing him. A
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company had been organized in the neighborhood for home service in the Confederate cause, and his horses were first seized by them on the plea that they were needed in the service, and the act justified by asserting that he "was a d__d Yankee sympathizer, and had no right to stay in the country, any how."On the following day his cattle were taken and sold to the Confederate quartermaster at Springfield, and his elder brothers notified that unless they enlisted in the Confederate army they should be hanged. They, however, declined doing so, and taking their rifles at night fled to the adjoining county, where they became connected with a small band of young men who like themselves had been driven from their homes, and were compelled in self-defence to adopt a "bushwhacking" life. As their numbers increased they were enabled sometimes to assume the offensive, and inflict summary vengeance on their oppressors.
The guerrillas now charged the father with aiding the Yankees, and ordered him to leave the country in three days, on penalty of' death. On the second day after serving this notice, they returned and shot him dead while sitting on the porch in front of his house. They then robbed the premises, and after setting the house on fire decamped. By the exertions of the mother and daughters some of the outbuildings were saved, and also a small portion of the household goods. On the next day these facts were communicated to the absent sons, who returned at once with a number of their comrades, and proceeded late at night to inflict summary vengeance on the villains
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who had perpetrated the outrage. They succeeded the the same night in capturing eighteen of the guilty party, who resided in the neighborhood, and hanged them. This prompt retaliation had the effect of frightening the remainder into leaving the county, but as they subsequently attempted to revisit their families, they were nearly all either hanged or shot by the brothers and their friends. But his mother had died from the effects of the shock experienced at the violent death of her husband, and the subsequent hardships and exposures endured by the family. The farm had been stripped of stock, fences and farming implements, and with the exception of one or two small log huts, formerly used as negro quarters, but now occupied by the family, was destitute of any indications of its former high state of cultivation and beauty.
This is only one instance among hundreds which might be enumerated showing the effects of the "reign of terror" in Missouri, when men seemed to delight in shedding their neighbors' blood on the slightest pretext, and robbery and murder was of such frequent occurrence as to create no surprise, or little comment.
We received marching orders on the morning of October 10th, and left Marionsville to its enterprising venders of "corn dodgers" and ginger-bread, at 7 o'clock A. M., taking the road leading to Springfield, which we followed as far as Wilson's Creek, over as fine prairie land as I had yet seen since leaving Iowa. As we neared Springfield high hopes were again excited that our
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destination was that place, and a degree of satisfaction was felt which rendered the march as far as Wilson's Creek not only easy but pleasant. We arrived on the battle ground of Wilson's Creek at noon, where we made a halt of about an hour. The time was improved by some in washing the dust from our faces and filling canteens at the creek, and by others in strolling over the ground made memorable by the death of the brave and gallant LYON, and where Iowa valor first became prominent in the war. The objects of particular interest relating to the battle were pointed out by Captains ALTMAN and COULTER, and Adjutant C. S. LAKE, who were members of the 1st Iowa, and present at the battle. The ground was much broken by hills, and covered with a heavy growth of timber, but on ascending a lofty barren ridge we obtained a good view of the whole ground. Below, on the level ground, was the site of the rebel camp previous to the battle, and beyond was the cornfield in which was placed the well served battery of Gen. TOTTEN, which hurled its death-dealing shot and shell into the rebel ranks; and a little further to the east the ground over which the 1st Iowa was led by Gen. LYON, and where that brave officer fell. All around was to be seen the evidences of a hard fought battle. The bleaching bones of horses, and fragments of shell, were scattered over the ground, and the scarred trunks of trees bore evidence to the efficient manner in which the battery was served.
At half past one o'clock we prepared to resume the
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march - the opinion that Springfield was our destination having now become so prevalent that a "disbeliever" would have been scouted for any expression of doubt on the subject. We had proceeded but a few hundred yards, however, when having entered upon the Springfield road, our course was suddenly altered to the south east, and with depressed spirits we saw the telegraph wires, which had called up recollections of home, disappear as we turned off into a more obscure thoroughfare. The gloom of disappointment was not only seen in the countenances of the men, but was visible in our motions - and instead of the former light buoyant step, our march now assumed a sort of funeral tramp. Every one was impatient and out of humor, and expression to the general discontent found vent in various ways. One of our men had died in an ambulance, and in order to accommodate others who were sick, the body was placed on one of the quartermaster's wagons. Orders had been given that the men should not be permitted to ride on the wagons, and in passing this one our quartermaster discovered the foot of the dead man hanging over the side of the wagon. Dashing up and seizing the foot, he demanded in an angry tone, "what he was doing there" - and ordered him, with an oath, to get down and walk or he would have him placed under arrest for "violation of orders." His chagrin on learning that the man was dead, and therefore no longer amenable to "orders" fully atoned for his rudeness - and during the remainder of this long march his forbearance was so remarkable
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that I noticed some of the wagons well filled by live men. We had now marched twenty-four miles since morning, and becoming exceedingly fatigued looked anxiously for indications of going into camp. Groups of men from the advance regiments could be seen sitting in the corners of fences or lying prostrate on the ground, unable to proceed. Mr. CLARK, our Drum Major, who had on no former march shown symptoms of fatigue, here fell exhausted by the wayside. He was sent to the hospital at Springfield where he received his discharge.
Cavalry had been detailed as a rear guard, with instructions to arrest any of the men who were found absent from their regiments, but their prisoners soon became so numerous that the position of the parties was reversed, and the stragglers placed the cavalry under arrest - taking possession of their horses. There were squads of men bivouacking that night at short intervals the whole distance from Wilson's Creek to Ozark - twelve miles.
After nightfall the whole command appeared as if disorganized. Regimental distinctions were lost sight of for the time being, and men marched where and in whatsoever manner was most convenient - cavalry, artillery and infantry - and all uniting in abuse of Gen. TOTTEN, who it was asserted had made a bet of five hundred dollars that his infantry would out-march his cavalry! This report becoming widely circulated and believed, the previous feeling of animosity toward the General was intensified, and men belonging to another regiment in our bri-
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gade made open threats of assassinating him - a few actually concealing themselves behind trees on the roadside to await an opportunity to do so as he rode past. Being at the head of the division, however, these would-be assassins were spared the commission of a crime so foul.
Marching through heavy timber, over an obscure road, but little advantage was derived from the feeble star-light, and our only guide at times was the rumbling of the artillery wheels in advance. We were therefore under the necessity of hurrying forward that this guide might not be lost, gaining a few moments of rest occasionally when a caisson became entangled among the timber. At one of these halts Lieut. C__r, commanding Company I, becoming impatient at the delay, declared his belief that the Army of the Frontier was "played out," and determined before proceeding further to take a nap. He accordingly with his company lay down in the road and was soon sleeping soundly. In the meantime the left wing moved forward, leaving all the companies in rear of "I" waiting as usual on the advance to move ; but the lieutenant was now resting calmly from all his fatigues, and perfectly oblivious to the angry impatience of Capt. H., who finally resolved to go forward and ascertain what was detaining the regiment. Finding Company "I" asleep in the road and the left wing of the regiment gone forward, his "wrath was kindled," and after administering to the delinquents a reproof in such good English invective as put further sleeping out of the question, he hurried past, and by "quick" and "double-quick" overtook us before we
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reached Ozark. On joining the regiment he preferred a request that Lt. Col. LEAKE would put the lieutenant and his company under arrest, but the colonel disregarded the suggestion and dismissed the affair with a reproof to the lieutenant.
We reached Ozark late at night, with less than one hundred men, and encamped near the town on the banks of Finley Creek. After halting Lieut. Col. LEAKE passed along in front of the regiment to ascertain if there were men enough present to fill a detail for division guard called for by Gen. TOTTEN; finding the whole number present too small for the purpose they were allowed to "break ranks" and go in search of fuel; our search resulted as usual in finding a rail fence which was appropriated, and fires were soon blazing, around which we soon fell asleep - forgetting in our excessive fatigue the gnawings of hunger. Our men who had been unable to reach camp with the regiment came up early on the following morning, as also our tents and camp equippage.
We had made a march of thirty-five miles in less than twelve hours - the powers of endurance of the division had been taxed to its utmost capacity to meet the requirements of the case - and now we naturally looked about us to ascertain the necessity for this most extraordinary movement. After some inquiry, I must confess considerable astonishment at learning it had originated in a simple rumor to the effect that the post at "Clark's Mills," on the road leading from Springfield to Forsythe,
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had been surrendered to a force of the enemy, who were reported to be advancing on Springfield! Notwithstanding the merited censure due the perpetrators of this outrage, no murmurs were heard from our men who had patiently endured it, but we felt that while subject to such useless service, the subjugation of the South, so far as our assistance went, lay very far in the future.
On our march to this place the attention of Gen. TOTTEN was attracted to the fact that many of our men were without shoes, and as he seldom "did things by halves," he now issued an order that every man in the division should be immediately supplied with two pairs of shoes! But as the quartermasters had none to issue the order was regarded by them as a "pretty good joke," and no further attention paid to it.