Reminiscences of the Civil War, William and Adelia Lyon

Colonel Lyon’s Letters.

Nov. 13, 1864.—I have been to Stevenson, changing troops on the railroad. Was out all Tuesday night and came back last night very tired. A ten-hours’ sleep straightened me up, however, and today I am as good as new.

I think things are sufficiently settled now for you to come here, and I have just forwarded an application to General Thomas for leave. If granted, I can get it to you soon after the first of December, and if we have any trouble at all this winter it will likely come before that time; but I fear that we shall fail to obtain the permission. An application of the same kind made by the pilot of a gunboat to General Sherman has come back refused, with a statement that the General has prohibited women from coming south of Nashville. Yet the Chaplain got permission for his wife to come and she arrived at the regiment yesterday. This permission came from General Thomas. I think I shall move into another house where there are furnished rooms and where we can have better kitchen accommodations.

I will tell you now what I have kept still about. I expected that Hood would cross the river and move in this direction, and I had orders from General Thomas what to do in case his army came here. I was ordered to fall back towards Stevenson, resist him at the streams, obstruct roads and retard his movements as much as possible. I think that danger is pretty much passed, at least it will be by the time you get here. With such orders in my pocket, and while there was any prospect of an occasion arising for executing them, I knew that it would be folly to ask General Thomas to let you come.

I have taken the female college, a treasonable Methodist concern here, for a general hospital; and have had several interesting sessions with the lady proprietors about it. Dr. Evans will move here in a few days to take charge of it.

I have had some nice presents lately. My chief scout gave me a gold watch, which he took from the dead body of a rebel Colonel killed by him in some fight before Atlanta. An artist here, Mr. Fry, gave me a beautiful picture of General McPherson, worth $30, and the chief clerk of our post Q. M. gave me a gold pen.

Colonel Lyon’s Letters.

Nov. 9, 1864.—I went up to the regiment yesterday and voted for Old Abe. I went as far as Larkinsville.

It looks less and less like leaving Huntsville, unless we are driven out, which we do not expect at present. I expect the Major down tomorrow to take command of the regiment. I have to work almost every minute of my time.

Dr. Evans is here. He has been appointed Medical Director of this district and ordered to establish a general hospital here. I have taken a female seminary for that purpose, and the ‘females’ are very sweet on me, hoping to induce me to rescind the order and take some other building. It can not be done, though.

Colonel Lyon’s Letters.

Nov. 6, 1864.—Since Hood has left our vicinity I do not have as much work on hand. We are having quiet times, just enough bushwhacking around us to make us remember that war is our business.

The health of our men is improving rapidly. Yesterday morning we had a heavy frost, the first of the season. The weather is mild. There are about 160 nonveterans. They go north this week.

We do not know where Hood has gone, but there is a large force concentrated at Pulaski, ready to strike him if he demonstrates this side of the river.

Many of the best citizens profess to be anxious to have me remain here in command at Huntsville. My opinion now is that I shall spend the winter in this vicinity, perhaps at Larkinsville. It is a mud hole, but a woman that has wintered at Fort Henry ought not to be afraid of a little mud.

I go up on Tuesday to vote with the regiment. Old Abe will be elected, but that will not end the war. We have to whip them and disperse their armies to do that . Our people North are deceiving themselves if they expect the war to close on the strength of Lincoln’s election. It will have its influence, no doubt, in that it satisfies the people South that we are in earnest, but it will not rout and destroy armies. The hope of the country is the army and ballot box combined. Politics are good in their place, but 24-pounder howitzers are better to bring traitors and rebels to their allegiance.

Colonel Lyon’s Letters.

Nov. 3, 1864.—To give you an idea of the way business runs with me, I will give you my experiences after tea Sunday evening. I sat down in my room thinking that everything was quiet and promising myself a comfortable night’s sleep, when a messenger galloped up with a dispatch saying that the rebels had opened with a battery on our troops at Whitesburg, which you know is in my command. I immediately went down to post headquarters, sent couriers to Whitesburg with orders, and was making other dispositions to prevent the enemy from crossing the Tennessee river there, when a man rushed into the office pale and almost breathless, announcing that the rebels were near the city on the New Market road in heavy force, and that they were burning every combustible thing as they advanced. Looking in that direction, sure enough the flames of several burning buildings corroborated the story.

I immediately strengthened my picket lines and sent out scouts to ascertain what was there, gave directions for the disposition of public property, assigned their positions to what few troops I had, went to the fort and made the necessary arrangements there, and returned to headquarters to await further developments.

In due time the scouts returned with the information that the force was only a raiding party of guerillas and citizens, who had burned some houses occupied by colored people connected with the contraband camp here—and the excitement was over. But all of this took from one until two o’clock in the morning. In the meantime I received information that two gunboats had arrived at Whitesburg, so I went to bed feeling easy. There were no further demonstrations there.

The next evening (Monday) I felt sure that all was quiet; when just as I was leaving the office to go to bed, a dispatch from the commanding officer at Larkinsville came, saying that he was attacked. It turned out to be nothing serious, but to find out that, and to make preparations to meet it should it prove serious, took half the night.

Tuesday night we were moving some troops and had to wait for trains, so the Adjutant remained up all night and I got a good, undisturbed night’s rest. Last night for the first time since the rebel army approached us we both slept all night. Yet, for all this, I keep perfectly well. How long our quiet will last I can not even guess. Hood moved down the river from Decatur, but I have no idea where he is. We have had reports that he crossed the Tennessee river to the north side of Florence, but these reports are not reliable.

Large numbers of troops have gone forward to Decatur and Athens within the last three days, and I feel quite confident that the tide of war has rolled by us once more without striking us. The General has given me more troops here on the river and on the railroad, and I am feeling quite stout. The non-veterans will leave in about a week for Nashville to be mustered out.

Colonel Lyon’s Letters.

Oct. 27, 1864.—Hood’s army passed us within fifteen miles of Whitesburg, and yesterday they attacked Decatur. They fought all the afternoon, and our troops drove them off. I have no particulars, although I get dispatches from there every hour. We heard the artillery plainly here. There are 150 of the 13th there, commanded by Captain Blake. I think our losses are light, as our forces had fortifications to shelter them. I do not think they are fighting much today. The probability is that the rebel army has moved down the river on the south side towards Tuscumbia.

We just got information from a scout that our army is in hot pursuit and can not be far behind. It was said to have been at Gadsden on the Coosa river last Monday night. I have a number of first-class scouts and spies that I have kept at work on the other side of the river, mostly tracking Hood’s movements. I think I have furnished General Thomas with the earliest and most authentic information he has had of the operations of the rebel army for the past week.

General Granger was here when the attack commenced at Decatur, but left for that place immediately.[1] He has drawn away nearly all the force from here to Decatur and Whitesburg. All of these operations keep me up nights and make me lots of work. Adjutant Scott is invaluable to me in this crowd of business, and I have another good Adjutant at post headquarters, so you see I have good help.

I have had no apprehension of an immediate attack here, yet I am very thankful that you are snug in Racine instead of being here. Hood has to be settled before we shall have much quiet.

[1] They thought Hood’s army was moving on the south side of the river, ten or fifteen miles away, and I had some splendid scouts there. After the head of his column had passed south of Huntsville and kept on west, we expected that they would try to cross the river at Whitesburg; but one night at midnight a courier came in with the word that the head of the army had passed the Whiteburg road and was poined toward Decatur, less than a day’s march from where they were. I got the artillery on the cars and had everything ready, because I knew that General Granger would be attacked. I called in all the pickets that I could spare, leaving the necessary pickets around Huntsvllle, but having the rest ready to march. After dinner General Granger came into headquarters and said, “Colonel, I can not find out anything and I have come up here to find what is going on.” I said, “General, you will find out before night what is going on. Hood is advancing on Decatur and will get there before night.” He said, “I do not believe it,” but as we sat there talking we heard the distant boom of artillery and the General pricked up his ears and said, “What is that?” I said, “It is Hood at Decatur.” He said, “It is impossible!” but he realized what it meant. I told him everything was ready and could be started right away and asked him if he wanted me to go with them. By the time he got to the depot everything was ready, and he got to Decatur in an hour. They drove Hood off and he went on down the river, destroying a pontoon bridge. —W.P.L

Colonel Lyon’s Letters.

Huntsville Landing, Ala., Sunday, Oct. 23, 1864.— I go on a tour of inspection up the railroad tomorrow and expect to be gone two days. Lieut.-Colonel Horner, 18th Michigan Provost Marshal here, will command in my absence. We expect some more troops here soon, and if we remain here I shall probably retain my railroad defense command and move headquarters to Larkinsville. That arrangement will suit me very well. I hope matters will settle down before a great while so that I can form some idea where I shall be the coming winter.

Lieutenant Bowerman’s resignation has been accepted and I hear that he has gone home. A new order from the War Department holds in the service all those officers who had a veteran furlough with their regiments. It affects several of our officers who were intending to leave.

Fifty or sixty recruits came to the regiment the other day, and we sent up to find a clerk amongst them. They sent us one, and it was George Larson. I was taken completely by surprise.

Colonel Chapman has gone to Nashville to see about mustering out the non-veterans. The health of the regiment is improving.

Colonel Lyon’s Letters.

Huntsville, Ala., Oct. 19, 1864.—I took command of this post on Monday morning and I do not have any more leisure. I write this while I am waiting for dinner. Hood has, or has had, a large force up towards Chattanooga. We hear that he is backing out, but know nothing about it. There are plenty of troops up that way to take care of him. We know nothing of Forrest’s movements since he crossed the river. I do not think he will try another raid till we get the railroad which he destroyed repaired. If he comes here we usually have troops enough to make a pretty good fight.

Colonel Lyon’s Letters.

Huntsville, Ala., Oct. 16, 1864.—Everything is mixed and in confusion with us. The reason is that the rebels are making desperate efforts to break up our communications, and troops are being constantly moved to threatened points. Today I am sending off parts of two cavalry regiments in my command to Nashville to be mounted. Colonel Johnson, the commander of this post, goes with them; and tomorrow morning, in addition to my other duties, I assume command of the post. This will give me about all the work that I can do, but I hope that it will not last long.

General Granger came up from Decatur and called on us last night. He is very salubrious. His family are here and are quite popular. General Granger’s treatment of the regiment and of myself is very kind and considerate, as much so as I could ask and more so than I could expect.

The campaign now opening will be fought out between Louisville and Atlanta, and we are as much exposed as any other part of the line north of the Tennessee river, or more so. The tide of battle as it surges from point to point along the line may strike us any time, and it is hardly possible that we should escape it entirely, and I do not know that I care to escape it.

I am weighed down with care and responsibility, and that responsibility is terrific, for it has to do with human life. Then I am torn away and kept year after year from home and family, and they seem dearer to me every day; and further, I lead a life of constant peril and uncertainty. All these things, added to the fact that the best years of my life are passing away and we are getting poorer every year financially, do sometimes press on my feelings pretty snug. When I last wrote I was not very well. I am better now, but everybody else is sick. I have a fine command; my reputation as an officer and gentleman is first-rate, and my military standing, position and character are all I could desire.

Colonel Lyon’s Letters.

Huntsville, Ala., Thurs., Oct. 13, 1864.—I went to Stevenson and back on Monday on an inspecting tour. The regiment is still very sickly.

Things are very unsettled here, and we are liable to be struck by heavy forces of the rebels almost any day.