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came in sight, coming down the river under full head of steam. It is unnecessary to say that we crawled into our rifle pits in. a hurry. Company K occupied the pits immediately in front of the ' battery. The gunboats passed us, then turned, forming a circle. Each boat, as it came by, about half a mile from us, poured in a broadside of solid shot and shell. This they kept up for over two hours. After this had been going on for an hour, John Stallard and the writer, who occupied a pit immediately in front of one of our guns, had just-begun to enjoy the entertainment, when a shot from one of the boats struck in front of us and, plowing through, covered us completely with wet sand. Well, we dug out as soon as we could. Our pit was full of sand. During the remainder of the entertainment we had an unobstructed view of the show. Finding they could not drive our battery away, the enemy withdrew. In a short time Island No. 10 was abandoned, the enemy retreating to the mainland. Generals Palmer’s and Payne’s divisions, crossing over to Tiptonville, hemmed them in between Reel-foot lake and the river, captured the entire rebel force, about7,000 in number. So ended that campaign. General Pone’s army• ^went aboard transports and, accompanied by the fleet of ironclad gunboats, proceeded on down the river to Ft. Pillow, Tenn. Here General Pope was ordered to reinforce Halleek m front of Corinth, so taking all his army, except Palmer’s division, he steamed away and we saw him no more.• After being invested and bombarded by the gunboats, until the 4th of June, Ft. Pillow was evacuated. The gunboats, accompanied by transports carrying the 48d and 46th Indiana regiments, then proceeded on down the river to Memphis, where, on the 6th of June, in front of the city and in the presence of 10.,900 spectators gathered on the bluff*, occurred the great gunboat fightbetween the union and confederate fleets, resulting in the annihi-.lation of the confederate fleet, .every boat but one being sunk, burned or captured; the one escaping was a short time afterwardfound sunk iu White river, opposite St. Charles, Ark. Immediately on the close of the fight, the steamers carrying the land forces ran down and landed troops in the city. A detail from the 46th proceeded to the top of the bluff and cut down a tall flag- j staff, from which a rebel flag was flying. That flag, with others captured by the 46th, can be seen in a glass case in the public library at Logansport. If Senator Brady’s bill passes in the legislature, for returning the rebel flags captured by the Indiana soldiers, some persons will have a picnic getting those flags. .If the original owners want them they will have to come and get them as we did., After remaining at Memphis a short time, the regiment went as guard on two transports loaded with rations and commissary stores for Curtis’ army, which was coming down from northwestern Arkansas. The fleet, convoyed by two ironclad gunboats, running down the Mississippi river until they arrived at the mouth of White river, ran up that river about eighty miles. Arriving at St. Charles they found the bluff fortified, and the gunboat which had escaped from the fight at Memphis sunk across the channel of the stream. Tieing up to the bank, a couple of miles below the fort, until morning, Colonel Fitch landed his regiment, sending two companies directly up the river as skirmishers. He took the remainder of the regiment around through the woods to the rear of the works.The gunboats and skirmishers attacked the fort in front. A short time after the attack began, a plunging shot from a 32-pounder penetrated the steamchest of the gunboat Mound City, killing and scalding all but a few men of the entire crew of 180. At about this time, having gained a favorable position, Colonel Fitch ordered a bayonet charge and carried the works with a rush, wounding and capturing Colonel Fry, the rebel commander, a battery of field guns, two 32-pounders and the garrison flag.After running up and down White river for some time, trying to locate Curtis’ army, the expedition returned to the Mississippi and landed at Helena, Ark., about the middle of July, where Curtis had arrived with his half-starved troops, while^ we were hunting him on White river.The regiment remained at Helena, making it their headquarters, going on numerous scouts, raids and expeditions through the states of Arkansas and Mississippi, until the next fall.Uncle Sam, in providing for the welfare of his boys, not only provided for their temporal wants, but made provision for their spiritual welfare also.When we were mustered into the service, among the commissioned officers we had a good looking young man, wearing a fine blue uniform, with bright buttons and the shoulder straps of a captain. He was the chaplain of the regiment. He was a good young man, and remained so during his stay with us, but he only stayed with the regiment a few short months. Well, we had to worry along the best we could until December, ’62, when there came down to us from out of “Egypt,” a Hard-shell Baptist preacher, who was commissioned as chaplain of the 46th. He proved to be, to us, the Good Samaritan, on a mission of humanity; Kind and unobtrusive, always ready with a word of counsel or advice when called upon. Dear old Father Robb! In my mind’s eye I can see him yet. Tall and slender, thin white hair reaching down to his stooping shoulders, dressed in a suit of well worn, dingy black, on his head a battered plug hat. When we started on a march, and he was afoot, the boys considered their first duty to be to “draw” Father Robb a horse to ride. In time of battle he was always to be found close up to the firing line, caring for the wounded and ministering to the dying.At the’battle of Sabine Cross Roads he was captured and taken into Texas. There he was released and furnished a pass by General Kirby Smith, the confederate commander. He was left to make his way, as best he could, to our lines. After tramping four hundred miles, and being arrested several times as a spy, at last he came out safely at Dittle Rock, Ark. He rejoined the regiment in Kentucky, and remained with us until the close of the war, when he returned to his home in Illinois, where he died at a ripe old age, loved and respected by all who knew him.During the winter of ’62 and ’63, while we were at Helena, there was much sickness among the troops stationed there. Dr. Charles W. Brackett, of Rochester, surgeon of the 9th IllinoisCavalry, died there during the winter, of malaria and exposurer«incidental to the service.I notice that all persens writing pioneer sketches ring in deer stories somewhere along the line, so here goes. Along in the fall of ’62 we were camped near Helena, between the river and levee. One day the attention of the regiment was called to the baying of a pack of hounds up in the hills, back from the river. Pretty soon a big buck was seen coming down the levee, chased by the dogs in full cry. There being strict orders against firing arms in camp, Sergeant Dave Krisiier, Company I, seized his gun, put on the bayonet, and running out to the levee stabbed the deer through the heart as it passed him. For further particulars write D. T. Krisher, North Manchester, Ind. •In March, 1S63, the regiment formed part of an expedition that tried to reach the high ground above Vicksburg, via the Cold water, Tallahatchie and Yazoo rivers, but, being unsuccessful on account of high waters, returned to Helena.(CONTINUED NEXT WEEK.1
Newspaper Details
Rochester Republican
Rochester, Indiana, US
Thu, Jun 03, 1909
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Arthur M.
USA 12 Apr 2019
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