Recollections with the Third Iowa Regiment

by Seymour D. Thompson

At this time Colonel Williams was seriously ill. Capt. M. M. Trumbull, of Company I., had been recommended by the commissioned officers of the regiment to Governor Kirkwood as their choice to fill the vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Col. Scott, and having received since official notice of his appointment, Colonel Williams had ordered him to assume command. He accordingly put on the uniform of Lt. Colonel, and we began to address him by his new title, rejoiced that, at a time when an encounter with the enemy seemed probable, we were to be led by an officer of such gallantry and merit.

The sick, who in the opinion of the surgeons were not able to march, were provided for in the hospitals at Memphis. We replenished our stock of rations so as to have a ten days' supply on hand, and busied ourselves in preparations for the morrow's march till late in the night, when we retired to rest, awaiting the expected reveille at one o'clock.

The drums, however, did not beat till half past five, and we awoke to learn that the march had been deferred till 11 A. M. At half past eleven the regiment moved, leading the column; the other regiments and the batteries following in their appropriate order. As we passed the Head Quarters of General Sherman, that officer sat on his charger watching us with all the scrutiny of an inspection. As we took a last look at him, we felt a feeling of regret that he was to command us no longer; but this was in a measure relieved by the thought that our old division commander, whom in times past we had been so happy and proud to follow, still led us. But we had still another source of regret; for, as we looked back upon the spires of Memphis, we could not but think that for a season, at least, such days of pleasant soldiering were over.

The road was free from dust on account of a heavy rain which had fallen the previous day, but the heat was oppressive in the extreme. Notwithstanding, in the commencement of the march, strict orders had been issued against straggling, we had scarcely got beyond the suburbs of the city when men began to give out and leave the ranks, and several were sun-struck and had to be put in the ambulances. Although the General took the precaution to halt and rest the column fifteen minutes each hour, before night the way was lined with men who were unable to keep up. We halted for the night about eight miles to the northeast of Memphis, on a deeply wooded bottom of Wolf River. Owing to some obstruction which the wagons had met, a part of our train was still some time after dark in getting up, and it was not till late in the night that all the stragglers rejoined their commands.

September 7. It was General Hurlbut's plan to reverse each day the order of march so as to give no preference of place in the column to any regiment or battery. The 2d Brigade took the lead to-day, and the 3d Iowa marched in the rear of the 1st Brigade, and hence formed the rear guard of the column. Gen. Hurlbut was an early riser, and he announced each night the time of commencing the following day's march, which was seldom later than four o'clock in the morning.

This morning the troops began to move at an early hour, and about eight o'clock the 3d Iowa joined in with its train and was in motion. Owing to the light showers of yesterday evening which had succeeded the intense heat of the day, the air this morning was cool with occasional breezes, and consequently the march was less arduous, and the men kept the ranks without much difficulty. We made no halt for dinner.

About 3 P. M. we saw a dense smoke rising in advance, and on approaching discovered that it was a house on fire, and that several soldiers were applying the torch to other buildings near by. All that we could learn of the cause of this operation was that a Confederate flag, an Enfield rifle and a set of accoutrements marked "O. V. M." had been found secreted in it. This had suggested to those who made the discovery that its inmates were traitors, and that it was a matter of duty with them to commit the house and the surrounding buildings to flames, which they were now doing with the utmost sang froid. General Hurlbut the next day issued an order censuring this act in severe terms, and warning his troops against similar conduct in future.

About this time a shower of rain commenced falling, cooling the atmosphere and rendering the roads quite favorable to marching. As it began to grow dark, it became evident from the frequent and annoying halts of the train ahead of us, that the regiments and batteries in the advance of the column were taking their positions for the night. Indeed so slow was our march on account of these halts, that our regiment did not reach its camping ground before eleven o'clock, having accomplished not more than two miles in the last four hours. This was by far the most fatiguing part of the day's march. Notwithstanding we had halted at sundown, dressed our files, loaded our pieces and received the strictest orders against straggling, it was impossible for the officers to keep the men in ranks. Many straggled far ahead and threw themselves down upon the green sward and went to sleep, to be awakened by their comrades or the rear guard. Reaching our position for the night, we ate a hasty supper from our haversacks, and threw ourselves down to sleep. Happy the lot of most of us compared with that of the few, who, exhausted and foot-sore, were yet compelled to watch on picket while we slept.

September 8. We rested in camp to-day. The wind was damp with a drizzling rain, which was most welcome to us, as we expected to renew the march at an early hour. The enemy's cavalry was said to be prowling around us, and apprehensions were felt that a large body of his troops were in the vicinity. We received orders that there was to be no straggling from our stacks of arms, and, to prevent this, to have roll call every two hours. During the day we put up tents, and with the aid of the fresh meat and vegetables we had procured on the yesterday's march, we made ourselves quite comfortable. Towards night we had a careful inspection of arms and ammunition, and received the usual marching orders for the morning.

September 9. The column moved at daylight and continued the march all day without interruption or seeing any indications of an enemy. We camped for the night on a creek bottom, rank with growing timber and abounding in grapes, muscadines, lizards, copperheads, and the like.