War Diary of Luman Harris Tenney.

16th. Rain obliged us to arise at five. Stayed under the wagon a while. Then went to the creek to wash. Reveille blew just before I got back. Lt. Hubbard arrested Brooks and me because somebody had wanted us and could not find us. Released us as soon as we came into camp. Rode partly on the wagons and walked some. Seemed good to get back to Fort Scott again. Found two letters from home.

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15th. Thursday. Archie and I cooked a respectable meal. Took our ease until five P. M. Then we marched again. Reached East Drywood at midnight. Capt. Stanhope and Lt. Rush were ahead and were chased by thirty jay hawkers. Column halted. I went on with the advance two or three miles, no sign of any men.

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14th. Wednesday. Left Carthage at 8. Most of the boys footed it. My horse was well enough but I thought I would fare as the rest did. Stopped to graze our horses at ten miles. I was very tired. Got my haversack and gave my horse into Tom’s care. I went to a little bush and ate a lunch in sight of my horse. Soon fell asleep and when I awoke, could not find my horse. Baggage wagons were going on. One of the boys said he saw the horse go ahead. Hurried on to see. Tom rode all about the field and prairie vainly. I got a horse and another man and went back and searched thoroughly and vainly. Reached Lamar in the evening.

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13th. Issued four days’ rations. Most all the horses were condemned for sore backs. Sent to mill for one day’s ration of flour. Companies fell out several times from false alarms. I accidentally fired a gun while drilling with Reeve and Archie.

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May 12th. Monday. Major Miner arrived at three A. M. Major Purington left early to report under arrest at Fort Scott. Miner commenced a rigid discipline and introduced a new system. Quite an alarm from shooting at an ox. Companies turned out.

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11th. Sunday. Issued rations, slept and read Independent. Wrote to Fannie Andrews.

10th. Saturday. Boys broke into P. O. and a store. Major was very angry and arrested Lt. Lockwood there and made three boys walk to Carthage. Boys were mad. This morning I was sick of service or rather longed to get into some other department. Spencer, Archie and I went ahead and got a good dinner at Mr. Hammond’s—old secesh. Found an old gun, which we carried through. Reached Carthage before dusk. Letter and papers from home. Learned that the day before, Co. “I” while out foraging met a squad of rebel soldiers. One was killed, two wounded and three taken prisoners. Next day Sergt. Smith was released on parole to get an exchange of three of Jockman’s men for them.

9th. Friday. During the night we expected an attack every hour. Pickets fired two or three times. Companies were called out into line for a fight early in the morning—at four. Mounted at eight and went six or eight miles and fed oats and corn. Traveled through a fine valley, hills on both sides. Reached Neosho at dusk. Went for corn to a widow’s a mile from town. Slept on the porch at a hotel. Ate there. Good joke on Lt. Nettleton. The next morning when he presented the lady a five dollar bill, she quietly doubled it up and gave no change. Hear cannonading east.

8th. Thursday. Marched on towards Cowskin Prairie. A little skirmish on the road. Our course lay mostly among the Ozark Hills. A rich country and beautiful scenery. Reminded me of Vermont scenes. Enjoyed the ride much. As we struck Cowskin Prairie, a little beyond Elk Mill, we saw a band of thirty armed and mounted men. When we learned they were rebels, we followed, Co. “G” pursuing on their track, and Co. “A” going around a piece of timber. They had too much of a start and escaped. Exciting time. Scouts and spies of the enemy out in every direction. The Major said after we had rallied, that our squad, who had gone three miles farther than most of them, had been within a mile of a camp of 400 men. We were fourteen miles from Marysville where Coffee with 1,000 men was reported. We were in the Cherokee nation. Fine country. Enjoyed it well.