Chapter 15: Enlistment
“You did what?” fumed Margaret, her eyes flashing angrily.
“I enlisted,” was Reuben’s meek reply.
“Damn you Reuben DeLay! Did you not think of us?”
“I did. This is about protecting you and the kids. If we hit the Secessionists hard from the git-go, they’ll fold like they did in Kansas.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Well, two weeks ago, they tried to take Keokuk. They had 2000 men and made it to the Des Moines River at Athens. They bombarded the Iowa side of the river. Had it not been for Colonel Bussey and his new cavalry regiment, they would have taken Keokuk and stopped traffic on the Mississippi. That’s the regiment I joined. Our Mounted Riflemen are now Company I, Third Iowa Cavalry.”
“Who else is in on this nonsense?”
“Willis joined up with me.”
“Willis! You let your little brother sign up for war?”
“He’s 18 now, old enough to volunteer.”
“Hrmph. Why didn’t you let one of your cousins go instead?”
“John and Will had already signed up. Nearly everyone in the county enlisted. Both baseball teams, everyone.”
“And who is supposed to defend us?”
“Your Pa joined the Home Guard. I gave him my Sharps. The cavalry only uses pistols and sabers. My Pa signed up. Uncle Jacob, too.”
“Good Lord, we’ve got hay to cut, corn to shuck, and wood to chop. How am I supposed to manage?”
“Don’t worry, the Home Guard is organizing a labor co-op of those who are staying behind.”
“Old men and boys? How is that supposed to work?”
“it will be hard, but if they all work together, it will all work out.”
“So, when are you leaving?”
“We march out from Centerville on the 29th. The town is throwing a shindig for us. There’ll be speeches and vittles. We’ll pass in review at the courthouse. It’s history in the making. The kids will love it.”
“What if it’s the last time they ever see their father?”
“Now, Dear. You know I’m going to be careful. Ain’t no Rebel ball with my name on it.”
“God, I hope not.”
The departure ceremony for the recruits took place as scheduled on Thursday, August 29, 1861. By then, there was increased urgency. Union troops under General Lyon had clashed with a Confederate force under General Price at Wilson’s Creek in Southwest Missouri. Outnumbered, Lyon had staged a bold two-prong early morning attack. Although the Confederate camp was surprised, they managed to rally, defeating the Union force and killing General Lyon. The victorious General Price was presumed to be heading for St Louis. If he captured the city, it might turn the tide of the war and make Missouri a part of the Confederacy. The newly minted cavalrymen of the Third Iowa would be part of the effort to stop him.
On the day of their departure, the men of the company didn’t look much like soldiers. They lacked uniforms, mounts, and the traditional weapons of cavalrymen. They were not lacking in spirit or bravado though.
“We’re gonna lick the Secesh in no time,” one proclaimed.
“Them Rebs better watch out. After we win we’ll try the lot of ‘em for treason.”
Patriotic bunting decorated the streets of Centerville. Speeches were made. Little boys staged mock battles. Mothers, wives, and girlfriends tried to put on a brave face. Fathers were proud of their sons. Old men, veterans of past wars, stood silently with sad faces. Uncle Jacob and the Catholic Priest offered prayers.
Families ate together under the shade of trees and porches. It was hot. Sweat ran down people’s faces. Or was it tears? There were last hugs and handshakes. Lovers slipped off for a final secret kiss. No one wanted the lunch to end. All knew it must.
At last, Captain Taylor called, “ATTENTION!”
Reuben got up and pulled Margaret and baby Boen close.
“Don’t you worry. I’ll come home. I promise.”
The two older children grabbed their father by his legs. For a long moment, the DeLays clutched each other.
“Be careful. I don’t know what I would do without you,” said Margaret, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief.
Reuben released his hold on her and gently patted the children on their heads. Then he touched Margaret’s growing tummy.
“This child will not grow up without a father.”
As he slowly backed away, a bugle called.
“ATTENTION! Column of twos!”
The men formed up. The community band played patriotic songs. As the men began to march east, the band struck up a march to the tune of The Girl I Left Behind. The men would not see their loved ones again until 1864. Some never would.
As the music faded behind them, Captain Taylor commanded, “Route Step!”
Several citizens and some children followed along for a mile or two. Then Company I disappeared.
The company stopped for the night at Bloomfield. There, they were put up and fed with the best the tiny community had to offer. Before bedding down, the men gathered in small groups to talk and smoke. They were still too excited to be homesick.
The next day’s march took them to Keosauqua. There, they waited for a special train from the Keokuk, Des Moines, and Minnesota Railroad. There was great excitement in the air as the train approached. Half the men had never ridden on a train before. Some had never seen one. One man laid his head on the rail to see if he could hear the rumble of the far-off train.
“It’s coming! You’ll get run over,” another recruit joked.
Eventually, they heard the WOO-Whooo of the whistle. Far down the tracks, they could see the black smoke belching from the stack. Then they heard the rumble of the engine as it clicked along the track. As it pulled into the station they heard the hissing of the steam and the groaning as the Brakeman turned the wheel to apply the brakes. Then the monster came to a stop in front of the awed men.
The men waited patiently as the cars were uncoupled. Then the engine pulled onto a “Y” sidetrack to get turned around. Minutes later, it backed toward the cars. There was a huge metallic clunk that rippled through the cars as the engine and tender hit the coupler. Then all was quiet, except for the gentle hissing of the steam. The engineer climbed down from the cab and waved at the men. Several men came forward to see the iron behemoth. The Conductor put a step down for the men to use in boarding.
Reuben and his companions had been lounging by the station when Captain Taylor called, “ATTENTION!”
Taylor arranged the men into column of twos for boarding. The Conductor hollered, “All aboard,” and they began filing into the first car. When it was full, the remaining men were directed to the next coach. The men took their seats and waited as the Conductor picked up the step.
WhOO-whooo screamed the train’s whistle. There was a loud hiss of steam and a clunk as the engine began to move forward. Each car made aclunk as the slack was taken up in the couplers. A couple of men who had remained standing in Reuben’s car nearly fell over as it lurched forward. They grabbed whatever support they could find as they made their way to their seats. Those uninitiated in railway travel watched in awe as the station began to slip by.
Leaving the edge of town, the train picked up speed. The pistons whooshed faster and faster as it accelerated. Reuben speculated that they must be moving at least 20 miles an hour. The cars rocked as the iron wheels clicked over the end gaps in the rail. The clicks, the clacks, the huffs, and the chuffs merged in a cacophony of noise. Men had to raise their voices to talk. Most sat in silent awe as the houses, farms, and fields sped by their windows.
Two hours later, the train pulled into Keokuk and squealed to a stop in front of the station. The engine made a loud hiss as one last spurt of steam blew out. Captain Taylor followed the Conductor to the platform.
An officer greeted Taylor as a band struck up The Star-Spangled Banner. The officer’s blue uniform and gold braid stood in stark contrast to the motley collection of civilian clothes worn by the men. Taylor once again formed the men in column of twos.
“RIGHT FACE!”
“Forward…. MARCH!”
The men marched up the bluff to Camp Rankin. Their civilian lives were over.
Contents- Unbowed: The Saga of a Civil War Cavalryman- Unbowed: The Saga of a Civil War Cavalryman-Index – Outlaws, Outrages and Outright Lies
Outlaws, Outrages and Outright Lies 