Reminiscences of the Civil War, William and Adelia Lyon

Extract from letter to the Racine Advocate.

“Pilot Knob, Mo., Nov. 21, 1861.—On the 5th inst., in company with the 21st Regiment of Illinois Volunteers, the 1st Indiana Cavalry, and Capt. Manter’s Battery of artillery, we left our camp on an expedition to disperse a body of armed rebels said to have collected in Bloomfield, in Stoddard county, about 100 miles southeast of this place.

“We marched through Greenville, Wayne county, to the Indian Ford across the St. Francis river, in the northeast part of Butler county, and about 25 miles west of Bloomfield, where we learned that the rebels had already been dispersed by a force from Cape Girardeau. We accordingly took our our line of march for this place, where we arrived on the 15th inst.

“The country through which we passed is very wild and mountainous, and but thinly settled. The majority of the people are very stupid, ignorant, dirty, and, of course, poor. They are probably a fair specimen of the ‘poor whites’ of the South. It was rarely that we found one outside of the villages who could read and write. Many of them had been made to believe that the Federal troops wherever they went indulged in indiscriminate rapine, violence and murder, and, of course, these deluded people were secessionists; but when they found themselves kindly treated by our troops, their property and all of their rights protected, they straightway became good Union people. With the exception of a few leaders, there is no inveterate hostility to the Government in the minds of the inhabitants here; and when they are disabused in relation to the objects .of this war and the purposes of the Government, they return readily and cheerfully to their allegiance.

“We see much discussion in the papers relative to the removal of Major-General Fremont, some of them predicting disaster and ruin to the Union cause as the result of it. It is proper for me to say that, so far as I can judge (and I have some opportunities to learn the feeling of the army in Missouri on that subject) the army acquiesces in the action of the Government without complaint. We believe here that the success of our cause does not depend upon the rise or fall of any man or set of men, but, under God, upon the justice of our cause and the courage and fortitude of the hundreds of thousands of men who are now in the field defending that cause. In those we trust, and not in the genius of any one man; and we are ready to do battle under such commanders as the Administration of our own choice may place over us.

“In closing this rather desultory communication, I will only add that the men are in excellent spirits and in good fighting trim, and their most earnest desire is that they be sent where they can do their part towards crushing out this rebellion. When the record of this war is made up, be assured that it will be found that the 8th Regiment has done its whole duty.

Respectfully yours,

Wm. P. Lyon.”

Letter from Captain Lyon to Mrs. Lyon.

“Pilot Knob, Nov. 15,1861.—We have just returned from our expedition, making a march of 135 miles in 11 days. We went south to Greenville, the county seat of Wayne county; and then 25 miles farther southeast to the St. James river, only 25 miles from the Arkansas line. We have been here just four weeks, and have marched 16 days, and over 200 miles, in the time.

“I assure you that I have an abiding faith that I shall return to you well and sound, our lives made all the happier by the consciousness that I have discharged my duty to my country in the hour of her peril.”

Captain Lyon to the Racine Advocate.

“Greenville, Wayne Co., Mo.

Tuesday, Nov. 12, 1861.

“Editor Advocate: By looking at the map you will see that this place is about 40 miles south of Pilot Knob, and nearly west of Cairo. In company with a detachment of some 300 of Col. Baker’s 1st Indiana Cavalry, a battery of artillery from Col. Blair’s 1st Missouri Regiment, under command of Capt. Manter, and the 21st Regiment of Illinois Volunteers, Col. Alexander, we left Pilot Knob on the 5th inst. for the purpose of paying our respects to a rebel force reported to have gathered at Bloomfield, the county seat of Stoddard county, distant from this place fifty miles in a southeast direction.

“We arrived here on the 7th, and on the 8th and 9th (Friday and Saturday) marched to the Indian Ford, 25 miles, in the northeast part of Butler county, on the St. Francis river. On Sunday morning we were ordered to turn back and retrace our steps, and we arrived at this place again at 10 o’clock this morning, having marched ninety miles in a week. It is understood that the commander of the expedition received reliable intelligence that the rebels had dispersed, which rendered it unnecessary to proceed to Bloomfield.

“On our arrival here we met the Illinois 38th, which had been ordered to follow us. We expect to remain here a few days and then return to Pilot Knob, from whence, it is generally believed, we shall soon go to Kentucky.

“Our first two days’ march was through a rugged, mountainous and sterile country; the last three was through a better country, yet we saw but few farms which a Wisconsin man would consider worth cultivating. The surface, except in a few narrow valleys, seems to be underlaid with rock and uncultivable. Timber of all kinds is plentiful.

“Everything is perfectly stagnant. The dwellings are the worst kind of log houses, except in the villages, and you see no barns, no carriages, no farming implements, even, of any account. I have seen but one barn worthy the name during the whole march. You may travel all day here, probably, without meeting a settler who can read or write.

“A resident here, a gentleman of intelligence, conversing on this subject, illustrated the ignorance of the masses by relating to me an anecdote of a member of the Legislature from this county who was asked to state the population of his county. He replied, ‘Coonskins and peltry.’ ‘I do not mean the products of your county,’ said his interrogator, ‘I want to know the census of it.’ ‘Oh, you mean the senses, do you?’ replied the Honorable Member, ‘why, they are mostly d—d fools!’

“Greenville is the county seat of Wayne county, and has been such for 35 years. It is very pleasantly situated on the St. Francis river, and contains buildings sufficient for a population of about 100. In common with all the villages in this county, however, it is nearly deserted. Hardee made it his headquarters for several weeks in the summer, when the Union men fled; and now that we occupy the place, ‘Secesh’ has to do the same thing.

“Most of the people, however, are passive. They are for the Union now, and doubtless when the rebels were here they were on the other side; and after seeing them we think it is of but little consequence which side they are on.

“Our troops respect the rights of property, taking comparatively little without compensation. The truth of history compels me to admit, however, that a process which the soldiers call ‘jerking’ has been indulged in to a trifling extent, when we were in the neighborhood of pigs and chickens, and rations were scarce.

“We are having the measles extensively in the 8th. We left three of our company at Pilot Knob just getting over this disease, and have several with us who were attacked after we left there. It is of a mild type, however. Those who have this disease, or have had it, are Mack, Olp, Lowe, Humphrey, McPherson, Dunham and Osterlough. Their relatives need not be uneasy about them, as they are well cared for and are not dangerously sick.

“The weather is very warm and dry. At Pilot Knob, which you know is amongst the mountains, the nights were invariably cold; but here in a lower region they are comfortably warm. Indeed, it seems more like September than November. We pitch our tents every night and sleep upon the ground, with nothing but our rubber cloth under us and our blankets over us, and our sleep is sound and refreshing. We eat our Pilot bread or hard tack and pork with a keen relish, and we give up the comforts and luxuries of our homes with much less of regret, and adapt ourselves to our new mode of life much more easily than we supposed possible.

“I neglected to mention that our camp at Pilot Knob and about 200 of our regiment are left under the command of Lieut. Bartlett during our absence.

“Dr. Murta takes this to Pilot Knob, where he goes to make arrangements for the accommodation of our sick men. The doctor labors day and night in the discharge of his duties, and his services are invaluable to the regiment.

Respectfully,

Wm. P. Lyon.”

Letter from Captain Lyon to Mrs. Lyon.

“Pilot Knob, Mo., Oct. 25, 1861.—Were ordered to Frederickstown (25 miles southeast of here). Marched all night through a mountainous country. We were after Jeff Thompson, who had a large force. Our force was nearly 5,000 strong. When we got there we found that Jeff had left the day before and gone south. We were joined here by 1,500 Illinois troops from Cape Girardeau. Our regiment was on the left flank, the second post of honor, so on the march would, of course, be in the rear. The head of the column met the rebels about three-quarters of a mile from town, and just as our regiment was starting. The rebels had gone on ten miles south, were reinforced and returned, and took a position at that point to fight us. They were 5,000 to 7,000 strong.

“The fight opened immediately at the head of the column and we started on a double quick for the battle field. When about half way to the scene of action we were ordered to act as a reserve. The firing continued about half an hour where the battle commenced, then gradually receded, showing that the rebels were retreating. The battle was fought mostly by artillery and cavalry, but one regiment of infantry being under fire, the 21st Illinois. Our forces pursued the rebels several miles. The grand result of the fight is that we killed at least 300 of them. Our forces found and buried 242, and large numbers were carried off by them. A great many were wounded and taken prisoners. Two pieces of artillery were also taken. Our loss is eight killed and thirty-three wounded. The defeat was total, breaking up their army and cleaning out this whole section of the state. One of their principal officers, Col. Lowe, was killed.

“We moved south 10 miles on Tuesday, but we ascertained that there was nobody in this section to fight us, so on Wednesday we returned to Frederickstown, and yesterday returned here. We have slept in tents but two nights since we left St. Louis, yet I never slept better in my life than I have some of these nights in the open air. The days are hot and the nights are cold, yet we do not take cold.

“Our regiment is No. 1. The men started for the battle with the utmost enthusiasm and were terribly disappointed when they found the rebels were retreating without giving us a chance at them. Our position was such that had the force first engaged met a reverse, we should have had the brunt of the fight. The rebels were poorly armed, which accounts for the great difference of loss on our side and theirs. We found a great many bodies on our march on Tuesday, one badly eaten by hogs. Another was shot just as he was getting over a fence, and his body was stiffened in that condition. We buried them.

“Our march was through a rugged country, hilly, rocky, and almost mountainous. We have returned here, but don’t know how long we shall stay. Our men are footsore, but otherwise well. Today received your first letter. Was overjoyed to get it.

“You ask me how I felt when going into battle. It is hard to analyze my feelings. I did not forget the danger to myself, but I was cool and self-possessed. The predominant thought was that probably many of the brave men who followed me would never return, and I wondered—if I came out alive—over which of them the scalding tears would fall ere the sun should set. The roar of artillery, the rattling of musketry, and the sight of wounded and dead men was very solemn. It was necessary, however, and I take my full share of responsibility; although, of course, none fell by my hand.”