Letter from Dr. Miller

Lake Providence, La.
Feb 17th, 1863

Mr. Editor:

I believe I promised to send you an account of the remainder of our foraging. It has been so long since, that I almost forget where I left off, but I think it was at Dr. Taylor’s. His wife is a Northern lady, and says that she detests slavery and would willingly yield all their negroes in order to be relieved of the very great care and anxiety consequent upon keeping slaves.

As an instance of the social and religious condition of the neighborhood in which they live, she told us that she had not attended church but once during the seven years they had resided in Louisiana, and that was while visiting New York or New Orleans; not because she did not wish to go, but because there was not a church sufficiently near. What a commentary on the institution of slavery! Neither church nor school house within the reach of the planter and his family, what then must be the condition of the poor slave?

Leaving the Doctor’s, we stared for home, or rather for camp, by a different rout from the one upon which we went out in order to avoid the three miles of muddy roads. Upon approaching the first house on our homeward trip, we discovered a white man leaving it rather unceremoniously, as though he was not desirous of cultivating a more intimate acquaintance just then. On reaching the house we were saluted by the voices of a dozen or more negroes with exclamations such as “gor Cap’n have him focht back.” “Take and hang him; he is mighty mean.” “He running away massa, gor how scara he look when he see you’ens comin.” &c.

Thinking that it might be quite as well to take charge of him until we were ready to leave a sent a couple of mounted men to detain him and turn him over to Captain White, who set him free as soon as we were fairly started for camp. We learned that he was the plantation overseer and was tyrannical and brutal and a perfect terror to the poor negroes.

From here we pursued our homeward course without any adventure worth recording, and arrived in camp at 8 o’clock. The fruits of the day’s foraging were four barrels of molasses, two barrels of pork, 500 pounds of fresh beef steak, 150 chickens, 20 dozen eggs, a barrel or more of honey, several bushels of sweet potatoes, 8 mules, three horses, 2 guns, 2 pistols and one wagon with five loads of corn and fodder. Thus ended the day’s foraging. – Hoping our friends with you are all well, I remain, Yours,

J. G. Miller

– Published in The Union Sentinel, Osceola, Iowa, Saturday, March 14, 1863

Dr. John G. Miller

Surgeon, 11th Iowa Infantry

He was born July 31, 1820 near Gettysburg, Adams County, Pennsylvania. He spent the early years of his life in Pennsylvania, residing in Adams, Bedford and Franklin counties until 1835 when he moved with his father, Jacob Miller, to Columbiana County, Ohio where in 1841 he attended Jesse Holms’ High School in New Lisbon. Mr. Miller began his college career in 1842 at Allegheny College, Meadville, Pennsylvania and in 1843 & 1844 continued his education attending college at Oberlin, Ohio, after which he taught school in Iowa, Missouri, and Ohio.

He studied medicine in the office of Dr. Abel Carey, of Salem, Columbiana County, Ohio, and attended a course of medical lectures at Cleveland, during the winter of 1848-'49. The following summer he moved west and practiced medicine in Miami County, Indiana, Red Rock (on the Des Moines River), Marion County, Iowa and Maysville, DeKalb County, Missouri.

In 1853 he attended lectures and graduated from the Castleton Medical College in Vermont. In 1854 he attended lectures and hospitals in New York city, and again graduated in medicine, this time at New York Medical College. After visiting Philadelphia, Pa., and attending medical lectures and hospitals there, he practiced his profession in North Georgetown, Columbiana Co., Ohio, Pella, Marion Co., and Osceola, Clarke County, Iowa, until 1857 when in the spring he went to California, traveled extensively over the state and spent some time in San Francisco.

Dr. Miller returned from California in 1858 & settled in Leavenworth, Kansas where he formed a professional partnership with Dr. Hathaway. In 1860 he moved to Woodson County, in the southeast corner of the Kansas, but on the account of the total failure of the crops in that portion of the State, he left in the same year and relocated himself in Knoxville, Marion Co., Iowa where he resided when Iowa Governor, Samuel J. Kirkwood, appointed him as an Assistant Surgeon of the 11th Iowa Infantry on June 4, 1862.

Dr. Miller was mustered in on July 5, 1862 and was promoted to Surgeon of the regiment on March 5, 1863. During the fighting around Atlanta, Georgia he had charge of the Seventeenth Army Corps, Field Hospital, at Marietta, Ga. On Sherman's march to the sea, and until the army reached Washington, he had charge of the Moving Hospital of the Sixth Division of the Seventeenth Army Corps. Dr. Miller was mustered out of the service with his regiment at Louisville, Kentucky on July 10, 1865.

After the close of the war he spent eighteen or twenty months in the Pennsylvania oil regions, practicing medicine and dealing in oil. In 1867 he located in Pleasant Hill, Cass Co., Mo., where he practiced his profession successfully until the fall of 1872, when he removed to Atchison, Kan. In the spring of 1873, the Ad Eundem degree of Doctor of Medicine was conferred upon him by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Kansas City, Mo.

He went to the Black Hills in the Dakota Territory in December, 1876, where he remained for four years, except one winter spent in Atchison, Kansas. While in the Black Hills, he was physician and surgeon for the Homestake Mining Company and had charge of the Hospital of the Holy Cross, controlled by the Sisters of Mercy.

Dr. Miller spent the summer of 1881 in Gunneson mining region, and in June, 1882, was once again practicing his profession from his office in Breman's Drug Store, at 421 Commercial street, Atchison, Kansas, where he also resided at 721 North Fifth Street.

John G. Miller was married at Brownsville, Fayette County, Pennyslvania., in 1854, to Annie Bennett, daughter of Capt. Isaac Bennet. They had two children, both daughters - Lillie, wife of W. W. Hetherington of Hetherington Exchange Bank, and Mary, who married J. Levin, Manager of the Western Union Telegraph office at Atchison.

Sources: Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System; Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers During the War of the Rebellion, Vol. 2, p. 285; Cutler, William G., History of the State of Kansas; 1880 Federal Census, Lead City, Lawrence Co., Dakota Territory.

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Letter from Dr. Miller

Letter From Dr. Miller

Camp At Lafayette, Tenn.

Jan 9th 1863

Mr. Editor: - thinking that anything connected with Iowa troops would be interesting to the people of Iowa, and having a little leisure, I will give you a few items in relation to the whereabouts and doings of the Iowa Brigade. But for fear that some of your readers may not be as well posted as they should be. I will first tell you of what regiments it is composed, who has the distinguished honor of commanding it, and what division of Grants army has the benefit of its bravery. First it is composed of the 11th commanded by Col. Hall, the 13th by Col. Crocker, the 15th by Col. Reed, and the 16th by Col. Chambers: the latter was severely wounded at the battle of Iuka, and is yet unable to take the field. Col. Crocker being senior Col. commands the brigade.

We are in McArther’s division: our commanders are all fighting men and will as well, as the men, give a good account of themselves whenever and wherever tried.

I take them to be such men as Scott represents Edward Bruce to be, when he says –

“Whose desperate valor oft’ made good Where prudence might have failed.”

Let me give you an instance or two of McArther’s desire to be “up and at them”. We were in front in our advance on the enemy’s fortifications on the Talahatchie. McArther, as I have been informed, asked permission of the general commanding, to storm their works, proposing to do the business up in half an hour. The general thinking “prudence – the better part of valor”, denied the request. That night the enemy evacuated and destroyed the Bridge. McArther was ordered to repair it so that the army could cross, but so eager was he to be after the rebels that he had if fixed merely so that his division could get across before it gave way, for which we had to remain behind and build the railroad bridge, which took us nearly two weeks. We then moved on through Oxford to Tycona, where we arrived on the 19th of Dec. and expected to soon take our place in the advance, but on the evening of the 20th we were ordered to be in readiness by 7 o’clock the next morning to retrace our steps. Various rumors were afloat as to the cause of our retrograde movement, but none were satisfactory. In the morning three days rations were issued with orders that it must last six; and at the appointed time, sullenly and in silence we commence our march northward; cursing the supposed or real incompetency of [the] planner of the expedition. We had [ho]ped to spend the holydays in Gra___a or Jackson, Miss., and when more than half way there, to be compelled [to] march back again, was to say the least, very annoying.

We arrived at holly springs on the evening of the 22nd, and found that Van Dorn with about 5,000 Cavalry, had made a dash on the town and captured about 1,000 of our forces; they were principally one regiment – 101 Illinois, and the sick in the hospitals. About $1,000,000 worth of cotton was burned, with the depot, a large amount of medical supplies, commissary and amunition [sic] stores, captured and either carried off or burned with the hospitals, and a large part of the business part of the town. We remained in Holly Springs until the 30th, and though only half rations were issued, no one suffered for eatables, as there was plenty in the adjoining country, of cattle, hogs and sheep, corn sugar and molasses, and the boys helped themselves.

On the 29th, the 6th Iowa camped by us, and I had the pleasure of meeting some of my old Clark[e] County friends, among them whom was Capt. Minton, George Gutchess, Barrows, Day, Clay Stewart and his Brother, David Sherer and Harrison Hess. They all look well and hearty.

On the 30th we started for this place, where we arrived on the next day, and spent New years day in fixing up our tents, having found and abundance of lumber close by.

Lafayette is a very small village on the Memphis and Charleston Rail Road, just 31 miles from the former place, the country around is very good, though rather flat. There is an abundance of forage of every kind, and nearly every day the boys come in loaded with chickens, turkeys, geese, sugar, molasses, honey, pork and beef; though when we first arrived here it was rather dangerous to go any distance from camp, as guerrillas abounded; several of our boys were taken prisoners by them, and two were reported killed. As we were in Tennessee, and it being considered a loyal State, we were ordered not to forage off of the country when we first came here, but since they have taken our boys prisoners, the General tells them to take anything they can make use of.

The health of the 11th is excellent, not having a patient in the regimental hospital. Wishing well to all friends, I remain,

J. G. Miller

- Published in The Union Sentinel, Osceola, Iowa, 31 JAN 1863