was reached and crossed on the 18th and the St. Francis on the 19th, at the town of Greenville, through which the army marched by platoons, with flying banners, the rattle of drums and the shrill blast of bugles.

The two succeeding days it rained incessantly, but through the mud and storm the column plunged at the rate of from twenty to thirty miles a day, notwithstanding the country was broken, the roads rough and badly washed by storms, being in many places nearly impassible.

After crossing the White-Water river at Dallas, the road to Cape Girardeau was in fine condition, and no delays by exhausted teams or broken wagons interrupted the march. Though worn with fatigue and foot sore, the men were in good spirits, for another day would end their ceaseless tramp, tramp, tramp, and give them a chance for much needed rest. At two o'clock P. M. of the 22nd of May the city of Cape Girardeau was reached, proceeding to the banks of the Mississippi, and gazing across its turbid waters to their own loved prairie State, some gave vent to their exuberance of spirits by giving three hearty cheers, while from the fortifications loud peeled the cannon in a joyful salute in honor of the arrival of the heroes of Pea Ridge and of a march of one thousand miles.

Physically, aside from fatigue which would soon wear off, the men were robust, sunburnt and healthy, but their clothing was in a complete state of demoralization-their whole appearance like a crowd of vagabonds chased from the borders of civilization. The 36th was made up of men of education and refinement, but rags, dirt and fatigue had taken much of their manly pride away, and in the dilapidated condition which they entered Cape Girardeau it is doubtful if they would have led an assault or charged a battery with the spirit and confidence of well dressed

END OF THE SOUTHWEST CAMPAIGN.

201

soldiers, knowing that in doing so, if they were killed they were too ragged and dirty to be thought worthy of a decent burial. Thus terminated this campaign in the South-west. Henceforth the regiment was destined to gather rich garlands of glory in other fields east of the "Father of Waters," which it crossed as an organized body for the last time.

CHAPTER XVI.

CAPE GIRARDEAU TO RIENZI.

EN. JEFF. C. DAVIS' Division preceded that of Gen. Asboth's some days, and on the arrival of the latter at Cape Girardeau, Davis' troops were just embarking for Tennessee. Food, raiment and rest

were absolutely required before Asboth's command would be in condition to follow. The soles of the shoes supplied at Batesville were largely composed of oak-wood, chips, and fragments of felt colored on the outside, or covered with thin pieces of leather. The furnishing of these shoes was one of the many gigantic frauds perpetrated by contractors upon the Quarter-Master's Department, the common soldiers, in almost every instance, being the victims. A few days' marching served to use up these shoes, and on entering Cape Girardeau many men were barefooted, their feet so lacerated and swollen as scarcely to be able

to hobble along. Had the contractor who perpetrated the swindle at that time been so unfortunate as to have fallen into the hands of his enraged victims, a halter and limb would have been resorted to as a most efficient means of cancelling his shoe contracts for

ever.

The next morning a supply of clothing was obtained, and the persons and wardrobe of the men were thoroughly renovated. One night's sleep and two "straight meals" rested and restored them to their average fighting calibre. In twenty-four hours the aches and fatigues which days of hard marching through heat and dust, the want of food and rest had produced, were in a measure forgotten. Those who by sickness were incapacitated from active service, were removed to the city hospitals, and subsequently when restored to health, rejoined the command at Rienzi.

The camps were thronged with peddling "lazaroni" from the city, composed of slovenly, dirty-faced girls, ugly old women, dilapidated men and thieving boys, with their ceaseless importunities to buy their peanuts, fruit, jack-knives and gingerbread. The soldiers were liberal patrons of the pie and cake venders, whose stock in trade disappeared like frost before the warm sunshine. Rank smelling haversacks, that for months had been the receptacles of only foul-looking slices of the flesh of that long snouted incarnation of uncleanliness, known as the hog, suddenly When the grew plethoric with gingerbread and turnovers.

order was given to cook four days' rations, but few fires were kindled and few camp kettles simmered with their usual contents of bacon and beans.

At four P. M. of the 23rd the infantry portion of the regiment embarked upon the steamer Planet, and within an hour the boat was headed down the Mississippi, plowing its way through the

ON THE MARCH FOR CORINTII.

203

turbid waters, arriving at Cairo at ten o'clock in the evening. While laying at Cairo, a member of Company G accidentally fell into the river. He was fished out with difficulty, and barely saved from drowning. The rain poured down in torrents, but the men had become too well accustomed to aquatic habits of life to mind an ordinary rain-storm. By spreading tarpauling over the bulwarks and decks they were in a measure shielded from the aqueous drippings from the clouds,

The trip up the river to Paducah was almost a continuous ovation. Steamers thickly crowded the Ohio in passing to and fro, and from each, cheer upon cheer went up when it became known that the troops thronging the Planet, from pilot-house to deck, were the heroes of Pea Ridge. At Paducah the boat was detained several hours for coal. Numbers of contraband Africans, fleeing from the plantations, had congregated there ready to do any and all odd jobs necessary in helping along the good They readily found employment, and worked like beavers in the dust and hot sunshine, soon accomplishing the task of coaling, and the Planet was enabled to proceed up the Tennessee. Major Kenney came on board at Paducah and made the men happy by the payment of three months' wages. Otherwise the trip to Hamburg was accomplished without incident worthy of notice.

cause.

Companies A and B Cavalry left Cape Girardeau on the 24th in the steamer Minnehaha, reaching Hamburg and joining the regiment on the 27th of May. The long marches, numerous scouts, and vast amount of extra duty required of them in Missouri and Arkansas, had used up many of their horses, but these were replaced with fresh ones before proceeding to the front.

The 36th encamped a half mile from the river, remaining there until the afternoon of the 28th, when Asboth's Division took up

its line of march to join the large army under Gen. Hallock, then investing Corinth. The afternoon was oppressively warm, and wearily the column plodded on, over roads that were mere forest trails, through a thickly wooded and brushy country with few evidences of cultivation, and winding over low rocky ridges, succeeded by swamps through which the roads were corduroyed, now pitching into hollows washed by recent rains, and then up a short but steep ascent to the level of the surrounding country. At every bad place (and Southern highways were full of them) accidents to artillery or wagons caused uncertain halts and wearisome delays. Such was the character of this, which, like all marches, over rough roads in new and sparsely settled countries, was anything but pleasant.

Passing over a portion of the battle-field of Shiloh, every tree, field and building attested the severity of the conflict. Trees were pierced by shot and shattered by shell; fields were plowed by cannon balls, and the ground everywhere littered with broken muskets, fragments of knapsacks, cartridge boxes and articles of clothing, while the stench arising from the festering carcasses of horses poisoned the air and sickened the passing soldiers. Now and then the sound of distant cannonading in the direction of Corinth was borne to the ears of the soldiers, awakening conjecture and brief comments; but this music had become too common, and the day was too intensely hot to arouse the dormant energies of the troops or quicken their march. It was painful to see many poor fellows sink down by the wayside, overcome by the heat. Three or four being nearly exhausted and too sick to proceed, were left behind.

The declining sun was followed by the evening twilight, and twilight deepened into darkness; still the column pushed on until eleven o'clock at night before a halt was ordered, and the