“DeLay, I’m promoting you to Quartermaster Sergeant.”
“That’s fine, Sir. What is a Quartermaster Sergeant?”
“You’ll be responsible for all the company supplies and equipment.”
Reuben glanced down the barren street assigned to the company. Some of the men had made half-shelters out of the blankets they had been issued the evening before. The rest were lounging in the shade of the few available trees.
“Sir, I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but we don’t seem to have much in the way of supplies and equipment.”
“Don’t worry. Today, the regiment is issuing us our uniforms. You’ll ensure each man signs a receipt for their gear.. Later, we’ll get mess equipment, tents, and grub. You will be responsible for them as well.”
“Sir, we’re supposed to be cavalry. How do we carry all that stuff into battle?”
“You will be assigned one wagon and a Corporal to drive it.”
“Sounds like a lot of paperwork.”
“It is. The Army needs to keep track of everything: beans, bullets, and bandages. We can’t go into battle without them.”
“I guess I can do it. When do I start?”
“Head on up to regiment and tell them we need this,” said Captain Taylor, handing him a list. “Take enough men with you to carry it all.”
Reuben scanned the list. Each of the men would get a pair of blue pantaloons, a cavalry jacket, a cap, cavalry boots, wool socks, a gray shirt, and underwear. It sounded like a mountain of stuff.
Reuben borrowed a wagon from a nearby company and selected 4 men to help load the supplies. Lacking a uniform, it took some convincing that he was a real Sergeant. One of the men insisted on seeing his warrant from Captain Taylor. Satisfied, they reported to the Regimental Quartermaster.
Reuben saluted and gave the Quartermaster the list.
“We don’t have half of this, but I’ll issue you what I can. I expect more uniforms in a few days. We were lucky to have enough blankets on hand yesterday. Everyone needs 500,000 of everything. The units in the field get priority.”
Reuben counted and signed for the clothing. He realized that it would be a challenge to figure out who got what. He asked the Quartermaster for some paper and pencils to keep track of it all. He’d use one sheet per man and have them initial for each item.
The men were excited to get their uniforms, but some were disappointed in the fit and the missing pieces. There was a vigorous trade. Then, the men came back to Reuben asking to make changes to their receipts. It soon got out of hand.
“No more trades!” he exclaimed. “If you signed for something, it is up to you to keep track of it. You will not get a replacement.”
The men grumbled, but the trading slowed down. Within a week, all were issued their full uniforms along with knapsacks and canteens. The men who had sewing kits kept busy altering clothes for themselves and their friends.
The company got its allotment of Sibley tents by the end of the first week. These 18-foot conical structures were set up on the company street with up to 12 men berthed in each one. Captain Taylor got one for his headquarters.
The Regimental Surgeon examined each man individually. They demonstrated their fitness by standing on tiptoe with arms extended as the good Doctor conducted his examination. He rubbed his hands over their shoulders, back, and limbs before finishing with some taps on the chest. No man who could stand and breathe was rejected.
Camp Rankin was a temporary Camp of Instruction. It had no permanent facilities, only sheds and Sibley tents. A sturdy board fence surrounded it. The men were prohibited from leaving the compound unless they had a pass. As Quartermaster Sergeant, Reuben made frequent trips into Keokuk with requisitions for supplies for the company. A civilian Sutler set up a store inside the camp to sell personal items and snacks.
The men began drilling again. Their marching was more precise, and their new uniforms made them proud. The Army purchased horses for $100 per head. Reuben soon learned he was responsible for finding forage and reporting the health problems of the horses to the Veterinarian Officer. Some horses were unbroken. Good riders, like Reuben, sorted out the ranker mounts. They began their mounted drills without arms. Their sabers or revolvers were lost somewhere in the supply pipeline.
The time finally came when the company was ready for inspection by the regimental commander, Colonel Cyrus Bussey. Bussey was a former state Senator and aide to the Governor. As the regiment was forming up, he had become distressed over its lack of arms. He journeyed to St. Louis to plead his case before the Department Commander, General John C. Frémont. The former explorer and presidential candidate was able to supply 50,000 rounds of ammunition but no guns. Undaunted, Bussey returned to Keokuk and intercepted a shipment of 1,000 Springfield rifles bound for another regiment. Some of these were distributed to the various militia companies defending Southeast Iowa and Northeast Missouri.
Before I Company arrived, these weapons had been crucial in the Battle of Athens. Two thousand men of the Rebel Missouri State Guard were advancing toward Keokuk. To lose this vital transportation hub on the Mississippi River would have been a disaster for the Union. The Springfield rifles Bussey sent to the loyal Northeast Missouri Home Guard at Athens made the difference in the outcome. The badly outnumbered defenders made mincemeat out of the poorly armed attackers. They drove the Rebels off, killing several and capturing about 20 prisoners and over 400 horses. During the battle, a rebel cannon shell became the only shot fired into Iowa during the entire Civil War. With the threat over, Colonel Bussey retrieved all of the rifles and sent them on to their original destination.
The inspection went well. It was a proud moment when Bussey placed his stamp of approval on the newly minted company. The men worked even harder learning the cavalry tactics of the day. They learned to ride in columns and form battle lines. They learned to respond to verbal and bugle calls like Boots and Saddles, Right, Left, About, Wheel, Trot, Canter, Charge, Commence Firing, Cease Firing, Retreat, and Rally. Their mounts learned to respond to the touch of their riders.
Midway in the training, sickness began to strike. Measles raged through the camp. Almost everyone caught it. It produced complications like pneumonia. Several men died. Bad sanitation led to dysentery and diarrhea. The Surgeon began vaccinating the men against Smallpox. In all, 43 men of the 3rd died from sickness at Camp Rankin and Benton Barracks during that first winter of the war. Only one of them was from Reuben’s company. Disease would continue to plague the armies, North and South, for the entire war. About half of the total casualties were from illness.
Reuben grew more concerned in his role as Quartermaster Sergeant as the training continued. He didn’t like the detail work that was involved, along with the responsibility for so many expensive items of equipment. The last straw came when the company ventured into the countryside for a simulated skirmish. He had to follow the troopers in the wagon. The mounted charges did not include him. He was supposed to fight only to defend the vital supplies in the company wagon. Reuben chafed at not being able to join his fellow troopers in a fight. Besides, he had promised his parents to watch over his brother, Willis. Finally, he took his concerns to Captain Taylor.
“Sir, I don’t think I’m cut out to be a Quartermaster Sergeant.”
Taylor looked up from his field desk and thought a moment. He’d been in command long enough to have a good feel for the qualities of his men. DeLay was a fighter. He had other men with experience as storekeepers who could do the job of Quartermaster Sergeant well.
“OK, but you’ll have to return to the rank of Private.”
“That’s fine with me. I signed up to fight, not to count beans.”
“I do appreciate your hard work. As soon as I pick a replacement, I’ll have him contact you to sign for the company property. Then you will be relieved.”
“Thank you, Sir!” Reuben saluted and left the command tent.
In early November, the Third Iowa was ready to leave Camp Rankin. They were bound for Benton Barracks, near St. Louis. Though they looked dapper on the parade field, they were a long way from being ready for the battlefield. They still lacked sabers and guns and the training to use them.
Index- 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 