They were repulsed, tried the second charge, and were driven off in disorder.
Colonel Fitch’s command was two miles in our rear but they did not get up in time for the fight. Late in the evening we returned to the boats and Colonel Fitch treated us to the beer. On the morning of the 7th all the troops marched to Grand Prairie again. There was some skirmishing with the rebel pickets but they made no stand. We had battalion drill at 10 o’clock that night.
CHAPTER VII.
July 7th, we marched as far as Clarenden, a distance of ten miles. We crossed the river and went into camp in the town. We remained here until the evening of the 9th. We got a dispatch that Curtis’ army had made its way through to Helena.
We embarked on boats and at night ran back down the river. Our boat ran on to a snag and almost sank, but we got it off and repaired after quite a lot of work. On the 14th we landed at Helena again. We found General Curtis’ command here. They had had a hard time marching from Missouri down through Arkansas.
We stayed here drilling and doing camp duty until August 9th. We then marched to Clarenden on White River, sixty miles distant, but found no enemy. The weather was hot and the roads dusty, making a fearful march. But nevertheless, we found plenty to eat on the way, such as pork, chicken, honey and other good things. On the 19th we got back to Helena, covered with sweat and dust. We looked more like the black brigade than white folks.
August 27th, we got on board a boat and went thirty miles up the St. Francis river, on a scout. We landed the boat, got off, and marched through the canebrake seven miles. We found no enemy and returned to our boat the “Hamilton Belle.” When we got on board we found her loaded to the guard with cattle, cotton, sugar, pork, and all kinds of forage picked up by the boys.
We started back to Helena, and landed a short distance from our camp at 2 o’clock in the morning of the 28th. We had quite a time getting our private forage ashore as the general, E. O. C. Ord, put a guard at the staging and would not let the boys take anything with them off of the boat. What they didn’t get off they rolled into the river.