The following war recollection was found in the Iowa Digital Library at the University of Iowa. It does not appear to have ever been transcribed. It was attributed to Rufus Nathan Merriam (1837-1905) of Co. B, 4th Iowa Infantry.

In this six-page, handwritten document, Rufus recalls the movements of his company from late January until mid-February, 1862. The regimental history records that during this time, their service included: March from Rolla to Lebanon January 22-31, 1862. Advance on Springfield, Mo., February 10-13. Near Springfield February 12. Pursuit of Price to Cassville February 13-17. 

Transcription

I was a private in Co. B, 4th Iowa Infantry. In January 1862 we were in camp at Rolla, Missouri. Having been there nearly five months, orders came to march on Springfield, Mo., as Gen. Price, Van Dorn, and McCulloch were reported there with 40,000 confederate soldiers. About the 25th of January, we broke camp and started on the march but as most of us were convalescent at this time, we only went 5 to 8 miles a day. We came to Lebanon which I think is within about 40 miles of Springfield. Here we camped ten days and by that time the boys health had improved so fast that we were now alright except I know that a good many of the boys like myself had bought a pair of boots at Rolla thinking thy would be just what we would need to march in, but they were the first pair and the last pair I bought in the army.

We left Lebanon about February 10th and on the 12th the Johnnies had come out to meet us from Springfield. The cavalry had a skirmish with them for a few minutes being a few killed and wounded. It now being dark and in timber, we were deployed as skirmishers on each side of the road for some distance back but as we did not find any of the Johnnies and being within three miles of Springfield, we spent the night on picket duty, all expecting a big battle on the morrow.

The morrow came but the Johnnies had skipped out. We now found out that it was the rear guard of the whole army that came out to meet us the evening before. We were now in Springfield and much elated to think with about 10 or 12 thousand of Yanks, Gen. Price was on the run with his army. It looked like he did not intend to fight if he could help it. We camped here till the next morning which was February 14th (Valentine Day) as I well recollect, and a bitter cold morning it was too. My boots I had taken off the night before and they were frozen still and I had to throw them out by the fire for an half hour to get them on.

The sun came up very bright that morning and the weather moderated very fast. The advance moved out about sunrise and soon we were on the same road that Gen. Price had left on two days before. We were now in good spirits and could march to the quick step. We passed over the battlefield of Wilson Creek that was fought on 10 August 1861 where Gen. Lyon, the Union general in command, was killed. We had been marching all day and were getting tired and asking every cavalryman we saw how far it was to camp Just before sunset we heard those mounted howitzers booming about two miles ahead of us. This put new life into the boys so we made camp about dark. We could now see the camp fires of the Johnnies ahead of us. We made fires and cooked mush for supper as cornmeal was the main thing that was issued from the Quartermaster Commissary.

That night, after supper we laid down on the ground to sleep and got rested as we were told by the officers that we were to be ready to march at sunrise in the morning. We were up early and got breakfast and were in good spirits for the days march as the train had arrived during the night with hardtack and now we were alright. We had stacked our guns the night before in front of where we slept as that was orders, except when we were ordered to lay on our arms, then each man slept with his gun beside him. Just before the company was ordered to fall in, John Reed, a comrade of our company, went to take his gun out of the stack and in doing so, one gun was discharged and shot him through the hand. He was sent back to Springfield and report came back afterwards that he died from the wound.

We got started on the march soon after sunup and the boys struck up to singing the familiar songs of those times. We were a jolly set and by the time we had gone five or six miles, we passed several wagons on the side of the road that the Johnnies had abandoned so it looked like they were doing their best to get out of our way. The advance came up to them just before sunset and we heard those Howitzers booming (we called them bulldogs). We had now marched nearly all day and still the Johnnies were ahead of us so we went into camp for the night. We found a good supply of rails at this place to build our fires. As I had been cook for the mess that I was in which consisted of about twenty of us, it devolved upon me to make the bread for our rations the next day. So I took a rubber blanket, put the flour in it, and poured water on and soon had mixed up to a good stiff dough. The next thing was how to bake it. I concluded there was a poor show in the ashes so I laid fence rails around the big fire and put the dough on them to bake. I got it baked but it was after midnight before I went to bed. But I don’t recollect losing any sleep after that until called up in the morning as we had to be ready to march at sunrise.

The bread was divided among the mess, each one getting his share, as I now recollect that bread was about all the rations we had to depend on for that day’s march, and as I had nothing to put in it to make it rise, you can imagine it made good solid food, as we were able to overtake the Johnnies at an earlier hour in the day than we had done before.

This day we had passed two small towns—Cassville and Keithsville in the southwest corner of Missouri. It was now about 4 o’clock in the afternoon when we crossed the line into Arkansas. The booming of cannon ahead made us think there was a chance to double quick and the road being on the downgrade, we went for about [line cut off]…in line of battle on the ridge beyond Sugar Creek, and as we came up the order was given by companies into line. And by the time the regiment was in line of battle, the Johnnies had lit out so we were disappointed again in having a fight. Then we came back to Sugar Creek and camped for the night. Some of the boys about this time had found a smoke house filled with hams a short distance away. Our mess was well supplied before the guards arrived at the smokehouse which was done as soon as they could be detailed. The hams were salted just right and not smoked but very little and I thought that they were the finest I had ever eaten. I know they tasted the best and better than anything that I have eaten since.

Gen. Curtis in command of the Union forces decided to give up the chase and give the troops a short rest, so the next day we marched only ten miles to Cross Hollow where we went into camp and foraged off of the country and done some target shooting and trying to make ourselves as comfortable as possible under the circumstances as the weather was cold and blustering for we had no tents as they had been left at Rolla or Springfield.

I was detailed to go on a foraging expedition while we were here. We went about four miles mostly through the timber and forded a small creek. The water just come up to the wagon bed so we did [line cut off]…a water mill on the creek for grinding corn. We found no one at home so we took possession and helped ourselves. We found a nice lot of apple butter which was appropriated to our use. and then camped for the night. I picket guard was detailed and I was one of that number. We took shelter in the mill except one that was to stand out two hours at a time about 40 rods from the mill to give the alarm in case of danger. I was out on that picket post twice that night, 2 hours each time, which I shall never forget as I stood there alone facing a blinding snowstorm which continued all night—four inches of snow on the ground in the morning. The weather now cleared up, teams were loaded up, and we got back before night all safe to camp.