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.
_______________
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.
