Private William O. Gulick to His Sisters, October 27, 1861

Camp Benton, St. Louis, Mo.        

Co. M. 1st Ia Cav. Oct. 27/61

Dear Sisters

I received your long looked for letter last night and I set my self about answering it as soon as I had read it, but had hardly commenced when the word came (to arms) or rather to go and get our new Sabers. I had to go. I have a very good one indeed. There was so much nois and clamor that I could not think of writing more last night. This Sunday morning we had to pack up evrything that is caried on horse back and appear on grand review or inspection after forming in line of Battle we marched around Brig. Gen. Curtis'²⁷ quarters, He (with his Body Guard close by) was to inspect our Battalion as we marched by. I had a fine opportunity of seeing him he is a fine looking old man, and quite gray hair, all the soldiers had to salute him with the Saber. It was dinner time when I came in quarters, and as soon as I could take care of my horse and put away my things it was two oclock, and now as I want to write this letter (not knowing when I may have another opportunity) I will have to give up going to meeting, which is at four oclock We have orders to leave here between this and Wednesday. I know not where, but unless the order is countermanded we will go. I expect we will have to be put through drilling while we stay here, we drill mostly on a trot and a gallop, and when chargeing, on a dead run. I am geting used to riding, I beleive I shall make a good horseman a number of the boys have been thrown from their horses and some been run away with I believe that not any of them have been hurt. I am proud of my horse he is such a steady good one, When I get my accouterments all on and drilling I tell you I feel animated and like fighting. I beleive I shall do good exicution when I get a chance at those Missouri Ruffians. I think my chance is good for one stroke at least soon too, Day before yesterday our Lt. Crissy²⁸ came back from Lyons with recruits among them were Blacksmith-Clark J. Kilmer, Thoms. Else,²⁹ Although they are nearly strangers to me, they seem like old friends. It came my turn to stand on stable guard that night from twelve untill six in the morning. I had so many long stories to exchange with the Camanche boys that I did not go to bed to get any sleep that night. Aaron Reccord & Lucian Beely³⁰ also came down at the same time in pesuit of their Regt. I suppose you knew that they had been in the Hospital at Camp McClellan, and home on a furlough They are here yet and as Aaron is quite lame (from the affects of over walking when too week) I think he will stay here untill he is better, while Beely will start tomorrow morning, to over take his Co. that I think is near Warsaw.³¹ I got a pass to go to the Hospital but they would not admit me I enquired for John Dam and was told that he was not There, I suppose that he went with his Co, The last I heard of Isaac and Co R. they were at Jeferson City. Tell Aunt Rebecca³² Isaacs letters will be forwarded from Head Quarters and I will not see them You said you was glad to hear of any delay of our Co. for my personal safety I do not want you to feel so, I came to fight, and the sooner we get at it the sooner it it [sic] will be ended I can not give you any information concerning the war I do not get the news regular and there is so many rumors in camp that a person can not beleive any of them, and a soldier never knows where he is going or what he is going to do I beleive our Regt is as good as any them is, or at least Col. says so, & Brig. Gen. Cortis [Curtis] says it has cost as much as any two Regt. organized.

We have another suit of evry day clothes in the Col.['s] charge so we shall not get out this winter Besides we have a dress suit for a fancy rig but the Col. will not give it us yet I do not want it to mus now since I wrote you last we have received fatigue caps and partly enough overalls, expect the rest soon they are a good institution If I have time before I go from this place I will send you my likeness with my arms I shall expect to receive yours soon (I mean all the folks) Emma wondered if I was standing on guard the night she wrote I beleive I was or the night before I am not positive which You told me about Parkes how hard he had to work I am sorry he has to work so hard I believe it is easier to soldier, but since we have been at Benton Barracks my whole time has been occupied though it is not hard work, We have so much cleaning to do by the way I will tell you something I have to do We have to keep our Buttons Bright (we use chalk and a brush) all our clothes brushed clean, our Boots Blacked There is a great deal of Brass about our saddles, spurs Bridles and all have to be kept Bright and clean We have Brass shoulder Plates or Appauletts our Arms &c all have to be kept Bright. We also have to keep our Quarters clean and take care of horse. We Drill five hours evry day and have Dress Parade at five oclock it takes about half or three fourth hours I have to cook every ten days and stand on guard once in from three to six days, we all have to get up at six oclock or Reveille, (The sound of the Bugle) and cannot go to bed untill after Roll call or Tattoo (sound of the Bugle) which is at nine oclock P. M. If we do not answer at Roll Call we get a black mark, and about three markes makes extra guard duty (I never got a black mark yet) I was sorry to learn that Father and mother did not go to Wis. I think they would have enjoyed the visit by the way there is some boys here from McGregor, Iowa. Some are acquainted in Grant Co, Wis. they say they are acquainted with some Kaslers but not our friends relatives as I can learn. There is some here from Adair Co. Mo. They Have been at Shibleys Point³³ but not acquainted there I have not written to Uncle Jacobs yet. I will the first spare time I have, for I know they would be glad to hear from me, But I want to write a good & a long letter when I write. I hope I may have an opportunity to visit them, though I think the prospects of geting a furlough is rather dubious, several have applied but to no effect I almost forgot to tell you of my visit to the Arsinal Yesterday I got a pass to go down town I went on horse back and rode nearly all day through the city The Arsinal is about three miles below the city and on the river Bank It is surounded by a high stone wall and includes about ten acres There is many large stone and Brick buildings where all kinds of arms are manufactured I see 1.25 large cannon about half were six and eight inch bore and Riffled Cannon the rest were light and ten inch and one did weigh 12,051 lbs I see a number of morters and Bom shells a number of Brass cannon In one building they were makeing cartridges and five hundred boys would make two hundred Thousand a day it would seam enough to shoot all the rebbles in existence It was interesting to see the process of cartriges makeing and others makeing impliments of war, I have no time for explanations.

I also went to the City Reservoir, I see many interesting senes, but I beleive they are not worth your attention and my time. I forgot to say that I see the Clinton Herald and a list of the Premiums awarded at the Fair. I was glad to find you had taken the premium on carpet Doc Ankeny Capt['s] Brother³⁴ is down here he says he see father in Clinton a day or two before he started with Lt. Crissy for St. Louis, and told him he was going, from him I learned that folks were all well How is fathers arm I thought he must be lame, or had more work than he could do for Clark said he done some work for Schuyler just before he came down. Clark has enlisted as teamster he says he has had Blacksmithing enough at home. Our B. Smiths have to work very hard shoeing our horses. I have heard the hammer ringing on the Arsenal to day (Sunday) I have not seen Mrs. Lee I might stay here six months and not see her. There is many Hospitals, I was sorry to hear of Riches falling, but that goes to show that that [sic] people are exposed to danger at home, and in time of peace. Is there much carpenter work, and is times changeing for the better or for worse have all the folks Riches Peters Henries Uncle Abes³⁵ and all the rest write to me for I like to get letters and I dont get any I understand that I cannot take my carppet sack with me any more so I will send it home I was just thinking that I would like to get my pay so that I could send you all a present with the money I have I could not send a present worth while I see I will have to close or get another sheet I might write more but I will leave it for some other time tell Woody and Parkes I want them to write and let me know all that is going on at home Tell Mary to write me in answer to my letter. You must give my love to all the folks let me know how the Lodge is doing I have some other things to write but will wait untill next time You must excuse all errors I see the necesity of having a dictionary Direct as before I will write as soon as I get to any place from here Write soon from your Affectionate Bro.

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²⁷ Samuel R. Curtis was at this time a brigadier general; shortly afterwards he was promoted to major general, and in March, 1862, was in chief command of the Union army at the decisive victory of Pea Ridge, which gave an opening wedge for later Union invasions of Arkansas. On September 24, 1862, he was assigned to command of the Department of Missouri and Kansas. He kept the Confederates in this field on a defensive and guerrilla basis of warfare throughout his period of command; but his policy of maintaining as many troops as possible in Missouri to dragoon southern sympathizers into submission instead of furnishing contingents to other fields when asked for them set him at odds with the authorities at Washington. On March 10, 1863, President Lincoln ordered Gen. E. V. Sumner to relieve him. Sumner died on the way to St. Louis, so the President on May 13th ordered General Schofield to relieve Curtis. Curtis afterwards commanded the Department of Kansas and Indian Territory. - Battles and Leaders of the Civil War (New York. The Century Co., 1888), Vol. III, pp. 446, 454, Vol. IV, pp. 376, 377.

²⁸ James Crissy, 1st lieutenant in Company M.

²⁹ "Blacksmith-Clark" was James Clark; "J. Kilmer", Jeremiah Kilmer; "Thoms. Else", Thomas C. Elce. All three were evidently from Lyons and all enlisted after muster. They re-enlisted in 1864 and apparently served out the war.—Lothrop's A History of the First Regiment Iowa Cavalry Veteran Volunteers, pp. 396, 403.

³⁰ Reccord and Beely were evidently friends and neighbors at home. Nothing further is known about them.

³¹ Warsaw is the county seat of Benton County, Missouri; it lies about 60 miles southwest of Jefferson City.

³² William's Aunt Rebecca Gulick, wife of Abraham Gulick, a brother of William's father.

³³ Shibley's Point is a small inland town about 15 miles northwest of Kirksville, in Adair County, Missouri.

³⁴ Dr. Ankeny was a brother of Captain William H. Ankeny who was in command of Company M at this time.

³⁵ "Uncle Abe" was Abraham Gulick, William's father's brother.

SOURCE: Benjamin F. Shambaugh, The Iowa Journal of History and Politics, vol. 28 (1930), pp. 213-20.