Historical Romance of the American Negro Part 10

But the success of the troops already raised in Kansas fired the hearts of other devoted men to lend a hand in the battle for the Union and liberty. In June, 1863, another regiment was organized at Fort Scott, and the regimental organization of the same was completed at Fort Smith, Arkansas. The regiment went into camp on the Poteau river, about two miles south of Fort Smith. The work of drill and discipline was here carried on till the regiment was in splendid condition for the field.

On the 24th of March, 1864, the regiment left Fort Smith, and set out on the Camden expedition, forming a part of Col. Williams' brigade of General Thayer's division. This division united with that under Major-General Steele on the Little Missouri river, after which they all moved on together against the rebels in the direction of the Red river.

The rebels under Generals Price, Smith and Taylor having defeated Union General Banks at the Red river, Major-General Steele retreated eastward to Camden, a distance of about sixty miles. During the retreat the regiment had several skirmishes with the enemy, and quite distinguished themselves.

On the 29th of April, 1864, the rebel cavalry came up with the rear of the Union forces at the Saline river, and skirmishing continued until night came on. A pontoon bridge had been flung over the river, and all the Union soldiers had already crossed except some artillery and two brigades of infantry, which included the Second Kansas Colored Regiment.

We had six regiments in all on our side. The rebels came close up to our forces, and waited for the dawn of day to begin the battle. Union General Rice, of Iowa, formed his brigade in the centre; the Twelfth Kansas Infantry, under General Hayes, was on the left, and the Second Kansas Colored Regiment, under Colonel Crawford, was on the right. There were also two pieces of artillery on the Union side.

As soon as it was light enough, the opposing forces drew nearer one another, and the battle commenced in dead earnest. The crash of musketry was terrific. The rebels strove again and again to break through our thin lines, but the Union forces stood their ground with firmness, repelling every onset of the rebels till re-enforcements came back over the pontoon bridge to our aid. The rebels, who had in vain attempted for three long hours to break down the colored men of Kansas, next brought a battery of artillery to bear upon them, and opened fire. When Col.

Crawford saw this, he ordered the brave young men to charge upon the guns with the bayonet, and led the charge himself. All the gun-carriage horses were killed but two; the gunners were killed, wounded or had fled; the intrepid and heroic Kansas colored boys took possession of the rebel battery, and brought them over to our side! Truly, this was a brave deed! (Zabulun and Naphtali were a people who jeopardized their lives unto the death upon the high places of the field). When the Second Kansas returned with the rebel guns, the officers and men, in the midst of the battle, gave them a glorious salute, waving their swords in the air, and tossing up their caps on the points of their bayonets, whilst our devoted braves smiled with pleasure. After this successful capture of the guns, the Second Kansas was moved into the centre of the line; a charge by the entire Union forces was made along the whole line, and now the rebels everywhere gave away, and the victory was complete. The Second Kansas was the first to begin the battle, and they were the last to leave the field.

Thus the war went along the Western frontier. There were no great battles, as was the case in the East. But here was plenty to do for all that, and it was done well. There were at times great hardships to endure-long, weary marches, cold, and the want of all things; but such is the life of the soldier, and such is war. We must take the rough with the smooth. Upon the whole, the Western men fought bravely and successfully, and mightily helped to pull down the rebellion.

The present generation have very little idea of the excitement that prevailed all over the country during the long war. Where all our regiments did so well-indeed, covered themselves with honor-it would be ridiculous to make any distinction, and place one before another. But I may at least make a selection at random, and single out the 54th Regiment of Ma.s.sachusetts, in March, 1863, who fought with unsurpa.s.sed valor until the close of the war-yea, after the close of the war! I followed the career of that devoted regiment as if I had been one of the brave fellows! Well, how they did fight, to be sure! They fought at James Island, at Fort Wagner, at Ol.u.s.tee, at Honey Hill, and at Boykin's Mill, after the war was over, because they had not heard that Lee had surrendered!

This Boykin's Mill was a few miles from Camden, South Carolina. The Fifty-fourth Regiment had fought every step of the way from Georgetown to Camden, and the rebels made a last desperate, but unsuccessful stand at Boykin's Mill. It was a splendid place for the defense, as there was no other way of approaching it except by a narrow embankment about two hundred yards long, where only one man could walk at a time. The rebels had torn up the planks of the bridge over the mill-race, thus compelling the men of the Fifty-fourth to cross over on the timbers and cross-ties, and all this under a fatal fire of musketry, which swept the embankment and the bridge, and made it little better than a "forlorn hope" to pa.s.s over. But the Fifty-fourth did not falter. They had fought at Ol.u.s.tee and Fort Wagner, so they charged over the dreadful way in single file.

The first men to advance were all shot down, but the rest of their comrades advanced over their prostrate bodies, till the enemy became so panic-stricken at the sight that they gave up the fight, abandoned their position at the mill, and fled. There seems to have been a poet in the regiment-Mr. Henry A. Monroe, of New Bedford, Ma.s.sachusetts, who was the drummer-boy of Company C, of the Fifty-Fourth. He thus describes the fight at Boykin's Mill:

One wailing bugle note-then at the break of day, With martial step and gay the army takes the way From Camden Town.

There lay along the path, defending native land, A daring, desperate band entrenched on either hand In ambuscade.

A low and dark ravine beneath a rugged hill, Where stood the Boykin Mill spanning the creek, whose rill Flows dark and deep.

Only a narrow bank where one can scarcely tread; Thick branches meet o'erhead; across the mill-pond's bed A bridge up-torn.

One single sharp report:-A hundred muskets peal,- A wild triumphant yell, as back the army fell Stunned, bleeding, faint.

As when some mighty rock, obstructs the torrent's course; After the moment's pause, 'twill rush with greater force, Resistless on.

A moment's pause, and then our leader from his post, Viewing the stricken host, cried, "Comrades!-all is lost If now we fail!"

Forming in single file, they gaze with bated breath; Around,-before,-beneath,-on every hand, stern death His visage showed.

"Forward!"-They quickly spring with leveled bayonet; Each eye is firmly set upon that pathway, wet With crimson gore.

That Balaklava dash!-Right through the leaden hail, O'er d.y.k.e and timbers frail, with heart that never fail They boldly charge.

Facing the scathing fire without a halt or break, Save when with moan or shriek in the blood-mingled creek The wounded fall.

What could resist that charge?-Above the battle's roar There swells a deafening cheer, telling to far and near, The Mill is won!

Anecdotes of deeds of bravery and devotion kept cropping up all through the war. During the early part of the war on the Lower Mississippi, a former slave a.s.sisted in bringing in a lot of prisoners, and he himself actually drove his former owner before him into the Union camp! "Old Master" a.s.sumed bullying airs to induce him to let him escape, but the soldier pointed his gun at him repeatedly, saying, "Go on, sir, or I'll shoot!" So he brought him into the camp, all radiant with smiles, and who can blame him for smiling at such a time as this?

At Marion, Tennessee, there were many incidents of personal bravery, of which this was one. A colored soldier had got a tree stump close to the rebel line, and in spite of all efforts to dislodge him, he still stuck to his post, and picked off their men. The rebels charged on the stump, but when the Union line saw the movement they concentrated their fire on the advancing men, and drove them back. Then there followed long and loud cheering for that brave and lonely soldier, who still stuck to his stump and kept firing away with a regularity that was truly wonderful.

The stump was riddled with bullets, but he still stuck to it, although at times he was nearer to the rebel lines than to the Union ones.

A great many war incidents were recorded in the annals of the fighting in Mississippi between Union General Sturgis and the rebels there under General Forrest. Here are a few of them. A corporal in one of the colored regiments was ordered to surrender. He allowed his would-be captor to come up close to him, when he struck him down with the b.u.t.t end of his gun. Whilst the regiment was fighting in a ditch, and the order came to retreat, the color-bearer threw out the flag, intending to jump out and get it, but the rebels made a rush for it, and in the struggle one of our men knocked down with his gun the rebel who had the flag, and caught it and ran. A rebel, with an oath, ordered one of our men to surrender. He thought the rebel's gun was loaded, and dropped his own gun; but when he saw his enemy commence loading, our colored soldier made a sudden spring for his own gun, and struck the rebel dead. One of our captains was surrounded by about a dozen of the enemy, when he was seen by one of our own men, who called several of his companions to his side, when they rushed forward together and fired, killed several of the rebels, and rescued their captain at once. A rebel came up to one of our men, and said, "Come, my good fellow; go with me, and wait on me." In a second our Union soldier shot his would-be master dead. Once when our men made a charge on the enemy they rushed forward with the cry, "Remember Fort Pillow!" when the rebels called back to them and said, "Lee's men killed no prisoners!" One of our men in a charge threw his antagonist to the ground, and pinned him fast there, but when he tried to withdraw his bayonet it came off the gun, and as he was very busy just at that time, he left it behind him, still transfixed to the ground. Another soldier killed a rebel by striking him with the b.u.t.t end of his gun; the gun broke, and as he was unwilling to stop his work just then, he kept on loading, and fired three times before he could get a better gun. The first time, as he was not very cautious, the rebound of his gun cut his lip badly. When the troops were in the ditch, three rebels came upon one man and ordered him to surrender. But as his gun was loaded he shot one of them and bayoneted the other; but forgetting in his haste that he could bayonet the third he turned the b.u.t.t end of his gun and knocked him down. (The above are a few incidents culled from the annals of the fighting done by our men in Northern Mississippi.)

A great many good stories have been related in connection with the Army of the c.u.mberland. Here is one that refers to an incident when that army was in Tennessee. Early one morning, as a company of white soldiers were about to resume their march, a Kentucky lieutenant rode up to the commanding officer, saluted, and said he had some runaway slaves under his charge, whom he had arrested for the purpose of sending them back to their masters; but as he had been ordered away from there just then, he turned them over to this officer in command. (At that time rewards could be claimed for returning fugitive slaves to their masters). So the officer took charge of them, and purposely a.s.suming a stern air and manner, which he did not feel at all, he said:

"Where are you going?"

"Going to the Yankee army."

"What for?"

"We want to be free."

"All right; you are free now; go where you wish!"

And their warm thanks gave great joy to the officer.

The same officer relates another incident for the purpose of showing the humor of the colored soldier. A spent ball had struck one of our men on the side of the head, pa.s.sed under the scalp, and making nearly a circuit of the skull, came out on the other side. His comrades merrily declared, when the ball struck him it sang out, "Too thick!" and then merrily pa.s.sed on.

Here is another incident that happened, which I think is very diverting, even amidst the horrors of war. An officer was riding at the head of his column, and the men were swinging along "arms at will," when they spied General George H. Thomas and his staff approaching. Without orders, at once they brought their arms to "right shoulder shift," took the step, and striking up their favorite tune of "John Brown," whistled it with most admirable effect while they were pa.s.sing the general, who was greatly amused and pleased at the incident.

There was a private soldier who during an engagement had taken his position up a tree as a sharpshooter, when he had his right arm broken by a ball. The captain called out to him, "You had better come down from there, go to the rear, and find the surgeon."

"Oh, no, Captain," he replied; "I can fire with my left arm!"

And so he did.

When General Thomas rode over the field, after the battle of Nashville, and saw the bodies of colored men side by side with the foremost of white men, and upon the very ramparts and works of the Confederates, he turned to his staff and said:

"Gentlemen, the question is settled; Negroes will fight!"

And thus I might go on, adding incident to incident, and that without end. Where a war was being carried on all the way from the Potomac to the Rio Grande, it must needs have been that thousands of such incidents were taking place every day.

CHAPTER X.

_Mrs. Beulah Lincoln and the Girls Leave Buffalo for New Orleans-The Journey to Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Ohio-Voyage Down the Ohio to the Mississippi-Arrival at New Orleans-Met by Old Friends at the Landing-Meeting With Tom at the Hospital-The Newspaper Reports._

Weeks and months had pa.s.sed away, during which my gallant Tom had written incessantly from the hospital at New Orleans, and the two girls and myself had answered him. It was now the winter of 1864, and Tom was not yet well enough to get his discharge from the hospital, much less to take the field. I was beginning to tire of writing letters, and things called for a change of scene and fresh air. Besides, another stern winter was setting in, and I thought I might get along better in another climate. So I got the girls ready, and we boarded the train for Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio. It was wonderful to see and feel how warmer the weather became as we got further South. The icy fetters of winter relaxed their hold as we advanced, and we were quite delighted with the hills and forests of the beautiful State of Ohio all the way to Cincinnati. Here we travelled over a great part of the city, and called at the parsonage of the A. M. E. Church, and visited the A.

M. E. Church itself, where Tom and I were so happily married upon the evening the self-same day when we took our departure from Riverside Hall, near Louisville, Kentucky.

Having seen a few of our dear friends here-friends whose acquaintance we had made at the time of our marriage-the girls and I, escorted by some of those beloved acquaintances, moved down to the "Public Landing,"

where we boarded the "Natchez" for New Orleans. We took a fond leave of those dear souls, and got on board, and soon felt quite happy in our nice and cosy stateroom, which the girls thought the most delightful little home they had ever been in. At 4 P. M., whilst the bright and dazzling sun was still some distance above the horizon, and after all the loud racket and wild confusion of the embarkation were over, the last whistle was blown, they drew in the gang-planks, and we pushed out into the river Ohio.

Our hearts felt as light as feathers as the "Natchez" ploughed out into mid-stream, a thousand branches up above, swollen with the recent rains, having filled up the mighty and splendid Ohio from bank to bank, so that we seemed to be floating down a grand, heaving, fresh-water sea! Now, indeed, did we enjoy new life with a vim. I told the girls how the first French owners and explorers named the Ohio "La Belle Riviere," that is, "The Beautiful River," and it is the beautiful river, still. Our eyes were quite enchanted with the endless hills on both sides, all clothed with primeval forests up to their summits, and coming down to the water's edge. The girls were quite transported with the beautiful, endless turns and windings, and seemed to get no rest for the thousands of boats and barges, and floating things of every shape and size, rushing up and down the river day and night, whistling and screaming, and that without end. It was a perfect delight for me to be once more on this river, for nature is always fresh, fair and enchanting, but for my two daughters the whole scene was nothing but a succession of unending delights. Their feet and eyes had no rest, and their tongues were never still. It was more than I could do to answer all their questions. I was quite delighted to see how the girls and several other nice children on the boat became acquainted, and learned to love one another. And this acquaintanceship and love seemed to grow upon them all from day to day as we advanced farther south. Indeed, children are great people, and they will have ways of their own. And on, on, still flew "The Natchez,"

whilst our glorious river increased with innumerable branches from the right and left, till we reached the lower end of Kentucky, where the lands were more flat and uninteresting. We made a call here or there, and rushed down the stream again, until at last our glorious Ohio was swallowed up in the Mississippi, "The Father of Waters."

[Ill.u.s.tration: _MR. JACKSON._]