Civil War Record of T. G. Adams
Submitted by Scott Adams

We publish this week a story of the war record of T. G. Adams of 211 North Twenty-Fourth street, who will be 82 years old in December.  He was born in Pennsylvania, coming to Colorado in 1888, settling in the eastern part of the state.  He has lived in this county for 25 years and seven years on the West Side.

I was enrolled in the Army, the 13th day of August, 1862, in the county of Mitchell, in Mitchell, Iowa.

We were moved to Dubuque, Iowa, and were camped there several weeks, with our summer units.  Shortly after this we received our uniforms, which were very warm. We then got a ten day furlough and went home.  We had to walk from Cedar Falls, as that was the end of the railroad at that time.  By pressing a farmer to take us to Osage, we reached there the next day about noon.  I arrived home that afternoon.  It was a happy meeting, but a sad parting when the time came for me to leave.

When we returned to Dubuque we were ordered to Fort Snelling, Minnesota, where we remained for about six weeks.  During that time there was a detail made to go west and quiet the Indians.  They took the artillery and fired a few shots to give the Indians an idea of what they had.  They didn't like the Pale Faces shoot at them, so remained quiet.  I was not in that detail.

Shortly after the detail returned to Ft. Snelling, we were ordered down the Mississippi River.  On our way down the river we stopped at Dubuque, the captain having to take on some freight at that place.  We soldiers rode in what was called a barge, a flat boat open all around, except for about three feet, which made some protection in case of a storm.  Under this cover we stored our war outfit.  While the boat was stopped we went up town, and after we had been there sometime, the bell rang so we had to double back quick.

While we were up town the captain of the boat took on a lot of spuds and packed them in the barge, so everything we had was covered with sacks of spuds.  We made inquiry about our guns, but no one seemed to know anything about them.  By this time we were getting desperate and commenced throwing the sacks of spuds into the river.  Two working together put the sacks on the deck around the barge and pushed them overboard.  Major Howard of our regiment tried to stop us, and we came so very near pushing him into the river that he took passage on some other boat.  Our captain then came out and told us, if we would be quiet, the captain of the boat would have them moved out.  We told him that would do, but they must get busy right away, and they did.  The deck hands went on the run, both going and coming, and soon had them out, after which we found our guns and all of our equipment and experienced no further trouble.

On our way to Memphis we had plenty of potatoes and butter in the center of the barge, so we had potatoes fried in butter.

We reached Memphis, and we were there in winter quarters about two months.  Being there at Christmas time, Jim Butler and myself celebrated.  We had one quart of eggnog, which was fine.  We enjoyed ourselves very much.

We made one forage trip, called the "Meridian", in which we got many geese and chickens.  It was so wet and muddy at that time that our shoe heels stuck in the mud, but that didn't stop us from going to where we had started for.  Turning quite a lot of railroad over, we piled the ties up and put the rails across the top, after which we set fire to to the ties.  When the rails got hot the ends dropped down and so rendered them useless.

This completed, we started on our return trip to Memphis.  It rained hard every day, so took several days to make the trip.  My company, "K", did most of the foraging.  Company "G" wouldn't let their men forage, and they felt so bad about it they cried.  We had more than we could use, so let them have some of our plunder.

This done we had our guns to clean, our clothes to wash, and then clean our camp, called "fatigue duty", which was done while we were resting.  The teamster had to do the same.  One had his harness spread out to dry when the wagon master came along and ask him why he didn't turn over, meaning to get one from the commissary, but answered by saying, "I intend to when this gets dry."

While on picket duty on the Pigeon Roast Road a man came to the picket post with a dead mule, loaded with gun caps, hauled by the mule.  The boys had to investigate by prodding the dead mule with their bayonets, and found that it contained gun caps, and other ammunition.  When they were relieved he was taken to headquarters and turned over to the colonel of the regiment.

We left Memphis, Tennessee in the spring of 1863, for Little Rock, Arkansas.  The rebel cavalry was there, waiting for the Yankees.  On arriving, our men laid a pontoon bridge across the river on which our cavalry crossed.  Following this there was a cavalry battle which lasted about three hours.  By this time a good force of our army was across, which caused the rebels to retreat, with our cavalry after them.  No lives were lost.  My regiment was left to guard some artillery and wagons, so didn't cross the river.  The scene of the fight, although dangerous, was just like a picture. We stayed at Little Rock, Arkansas about two months and from there went to Holly Springs, Mississippi but didn't stay there long.  We were there on the Fourth of July, 1863, Vicksburg surrendering on that day.

From Holly Springs we went across the country through hills and hollows to Vicksburg.  The roads were muddy from frequent rains, so we had a hard time getting through, and as our supplies were exhausted we became very hungry.  Fortunately we came to a horse-power feed mill, where we remained about two days and ground corn from which we made corn pone of meal, water, and salt.  We parched corn and ate it from the cob, which was rather rich, but we survived, and finally reached Black River, East Vicksburg, where we got plenty to eat.  We saw General Grants headquarters, his trenches, telegraph system and other equipment.

I don't remember how long we stayed there, but I was stationed on a big hill called Fort Hill, on which there were many lead bullets laying around.  We had been there sometime when ordered to join the fleet and go up Red River.

 (to be continued)

My Civil War Life
(Continued from last week)

Taking a boat we went down the Mississippi to the mouth of the Red River.  The water was deep, but owing to the narrowness of the stream, with trees on both sides hanging over the river, we could hardly get along in places, but finally reached Fort De Russie, where we had a fight with the rebels.  We captured the fort, some guns and ammunition.  We took what guns we wanted, spiking the others.  They had some large guns that cut down trees sixteen inches through.

General A. J. Smith in command of our division loaned to General Blank for the trip.  The hillside along the street that went to the city of Vicksburg was full of caves made by hand for women and children to live in where they could be safe from stray bullets.

This was the latter part of April, and the first part of May, 1864.  The weather was very warm, the roads dry and dusty, with thick hedge on both sides, which held the dust so that we couldn't see the third man in front of us when we were marching along, but we continued to follow the rebels.  Water was very scarce, being so far from the river that we couldn't get it there.  After a hard days march the only water that we found was a pool in the road about four rods across, which the rains had filled.  In the center of this was a dead mule, pretty well decayed.  As we were not able to get any better water, the officers placed a guard around this to keep the men from washing their hands and feet in it.  It was a little thick, but helped tide us over until we could get good water.

Next morning we continued our chase after the rebels.  They gave us a military salute by throwing shells at us, which bounded along just outside the road.  Fortunately no one was hurt.

The next day we reached Alexandria, Louisiana, which was near the river, so we had plenty of clean water.  General Blank had his siege guns which were about 10 feet in length, in position and ready for action.  We stayed there only a few days, but while there General Bank was interested in foraging sugar and cotton, which he shipped to New Orleans.  When we left there for Shreveport, General Bank put his heavy artillery and commissary wagons in advance, with a light advance guard.  It looked as though he did it for a purpose (perhaps not), anyway, the rebels took advantage of this and had a large force ready for us when we reached Pleasant Hill.  We had a hot engagement about 3:00 P.M. until dark.  This was in May, 1864.  I had made a bucket of coffee which was ready to take off  the fire when we were ordered to fall in double-quick.  I left my coffee and did not return to it.

Four battalions of rebel cavalry brought on the attack.  We let them get pretty close before we opened fire.  Only one man was seen to try to get back, he stopped by a large stump.  Every horse was with rider.  The infantry advanced.  We had four lines of battle, my regiment being in the front line.  As the rebels approached us we exchanged a few shots, then our line fell back of the other three lines, and reformed.  In making our fall back I got tangled in some grape vines and lost my hat.  The rebels flanked both right and left, so that we had to go straight back, and they got so close I could hear them say "halt", "you yankee", but we did not stop  The next line of battle stopped them.  There was a continual roar of musketry and cannon until dark.  General Bank thought he had had plenty and ordered a retreat at 3:00 A.M. but Smith said he was not going to retreat until he had taken care of his dead and wounded.

We started on our retreat about 10:00 A.M. the next day.  When the rebels learned that Bank had retreated they disguised themselves in our uniforms and followed us back to Yellow Bayou, where we had another battle in which I was wounded and Robert Childs was shot through the head and instantly killed.   This retreat caused General Steels army, which was coming from Little Rock, Arkansas to be cut to pieces, suffering a heavy loss.  After being wounded, I was carried back and placed by a large cottonwood tree, from which I could look four canon in the face, which were throwing grapeshot past me.  During the battle a shell struck an ammunition wagon.  The fuse blew out, so there was no explosion, but a man in the wagon was burned all over.  When the rebels fell back I was put in the ambulance and taken to the hospital boat and taken to St. Louis, where we were placed in Jefferson Barracks.  At this place I saw the man that was burned on the ammunition wagon.  Every vein in his body could bee seen.  We were nineteen days under fire.  We had good care and were comfortable at Jefferson Barracks.  From here I was transferred to Keokuk, Iowa, where I stayed all winter.

In February, 1865, I was taken sick with smallpox, while I was cooking in the guard house, and was removed to the pest house just outside of the city.  I was there about two months and was very sick, part of the time being blank to me, as I did not realize anything.  Did not have my hands in water for six weeks, and was a solid scab all over.  When I began to get better my hair all came out and my finger and toe nails all came off.  After about eight weeks, I thought that I was able to go down town, but the steward said I could not  go, and he refused to let me have any clothing to wear, but I looked around, took what I could find and started.  It was on a Sunday.  I was pretty weak, the wind blew quite hard and came very near blowing me off  the sidewalk, but I made it to the guard house,  The other cooks that I had been working with did not know me and I did not wonder at it, as I was very thin with no hair on my head, neither finger or toe nails, but when they found out who I was they were all glad to see me.  On Sunday we had what we called a three-story pie, which was made with three crusts, giving me a piece about four inches square, but I did not eat all of it. 

When I got back to the pest house I learned that I had been transferred to the convalescent house.  There was not much said to me only that I went without permission, so I got by very well.  The steward said he would put me to nursing, but I told him I came here to be nursed, not to nurse others, so that passed over.

In about two weeks I was discharged from the small-pox quarters.  I then went back to the old guard house, where I stayed a short time.  I got a furlough and went home for a ten-day visit.  I was away a little longer than ten days, so received a notice from the officers to report by a certain date or I would be considered a deserter.  I lost no time in getting back and reporting at headquarters.  The officers talked to me a short time and all was right.  I then stayed there until the close of the war when we were all sent to Davenport, Iowa, to be mustered out of the service.

After getting my discharge I went to Dubuque, took the train to Cedar Falls, from there to Osage by stage and from there ten miles north to home, reaching there in May, 1865.

                                                                                                                                         --T. G. Adams