This letter was written by Elihu “Alonzo” Crandall (1847-1918) of Baraboo, Sauk county, Wisconsin, who originally enlisted on 17 December 1863 in Co. F, 23rd Wisconsin Infantry. Alonzo wrote the letters to his cousin, Katherine (“Katie”) Mary Crandall (1842-Aft1900), whose brother, Robert Bruce Crandall (1839-1901) served in the same company. Alonzo later transferred to Co. I, 35th Wisconsin Infantry and mustered out of the service at Brownsville, Texas in March 1866. Elihu was the orphan of Samuel Mortimer Crandall (1815-1855) and Elizabeth East (1823-1857).
Robert and Katie were the children of David Phelps Crandall (1802-1877) and Priscilla East (b. 1815) who came to Sauk county, Wisconsin, from Montgomery, Mississippi. Robert enlisted on the 14 Aug 1862 as a 1st Sergeant in Co. F, 23rd Wisconsin Infantry. He was later promoted to 2nd lieutenant for meritorious conduct and mustered out at Mobile, Alabama the 4th July 1865.
The 23rd Wisconsin served in the western theater of the war, primarily along the Mississippi River Valley.
The first letter presented here was written in October 1864 while Alonzo still served in the 23rd Wisconsin Infantry. It describes the expedition to Bayou Sarah and Jackson, Louisiana, where they encountered Confederates led by Col. John Scott’s Cavalry Brigade and Col. Frank P. Power’s Regiment who drove them from Thompson’s Creek near Jackson to St. Francisville on Oct 5th.
The second letter was written in July 1865 from Clarksville, Texas, after Alonzo had been transferred to Co. I, 35th Wisconsin Infantry. In that letter he describes having been attacked by sand fleas (though he described them as mosquitoes so small they couldn’t be seen) with a bite so strong that it could cut “through a piece of solid cast iron two inches thick.”
See also—1864: Elihu Alonzo Crandall to Katherine Mary Crandall on Spared & Shared 21. See also—1862: Robert Bruce Crandall to Katherine Mary Crandall on Spared & Shared 17. See also—1863: Robert B. Crandall Diary at the Sauk County Historical Society.
Letter 1
Alonzo’s provides us with details of the expedition from their encampment at Morganza Bend to Bayou Sara by steamboat on October 3-6, 1864. Action action Bayou Sara and Thompson’s Creek, near Jackson on October 5th is described. Some 3 regiments of infantry, 500 cavalry, and 3 sections of artillery participated on the expedition, including the 16th Ohio Infantry. A member of the 16th OVI named Corporal Theodore Wolback wrote of the landing at Bayou Sarah: “The force struck out from the river toward St. Francisville, the 16th in advance deployed as skirmishers. They passed through the town on a run finding but one person on the street, an old man in the act of hitching up in a buggy. He was taken charge of by a guard. A little beyond town our advance ran into some cavalry pickets, three I believe. One was sound asleep and was captured; the other two got away just in time to escape a like fate. The captured man was very communicative. He said he had fought under Zollicoffer at Mill Springs. A little further beyond we passed the residence of ex-Governor Harris. The old gent was at home and was very friendly to us, bringing milk out to the boys. A squad of rebel cavalry, that was cut off on a by-road by our main advance, galloped out on the main road and escaped with bullets singing after them. Not finding anything more of the enemy after going fifteen miles we returned.“
Camp of 23rd Regt. Wisconsin Vols.
Morganza Bend, Louisiana
Thursday, October 6th 1864
Dear Cousin Kitty.
I now seat myself to pen you a few lines to let you know what we have been doing for the last 5 or 6 days. Last Sunday afternoon we got orders to move down the river the next morning as far as Bayou Sarah—distance of 15 miles. We marched to the landing and went on board the Ohio Belle about sunrise, landed at the bayou a little before noon and the first boat to land was the Laurel Hill [which] Col. [Joshua J.] Guppey and his] staff were on and Capt. [Jacob A.] Schlick [of Co. F, 23rd Wisconsin] was the first man to land. He took his horse with him and jumped on to him and put off up town and their pickets were in town. The captain captured some of them before he went a quarter of the way through the town, took him a mule & his arms. We took two more after the cavalry got ashore.
We moved up on the hill about a mile from the landing and formed a line of battle and laid that way all the rest of the day and all night. The next morning we was ordered up at 4 a.m., eat our breakfast, started at 5, went to Jackson, La., 13 miles by 11 o’clock. We eat dinner, stayed in town a little while, then fell in and fell back a mile from the town across a creek and went into camp for the night. We got our supper and sat down to eat it and Lt. Stanley told us the orders were to do all our cooking that night and not to build any fires in the morning.
But when a.m. came, he told us to build our fires and get breakfast and just after breakfast, we got up on the fence and saw them plant a battery or rather one piece and we got off of the fence. I had just got off and give Corp. Williams some sugar to sweeten his coffee and I had just put the sugar back into my haversack when a shell came from the rebel gun just over our heads and burst, killing a man in Co. C. It bruised his head and another struck him in the bowels, tearing him all to pieces. 1
They threw about six shells and then stopped. Then we fell back for Bayou Sarah and when we had got within about 2 miles of the town, their cavalry charged on our rear guard forcing us to stand. Our regiment filed off to the right in an open field where they could see us and we them. They planted a gun and opened on us. They killed some man in Co. G by the name of John Jones. 2 The shell struck right in front of where he was lying & glanced upwards and bursted in his head, throwing his brains all over [cousin] Robert and the other boys and wounded 3 others. They then fell back, Co. F being the lucky company. They left both the men on the field. Not a man in Co. F was hurt. They then fell back to the town on top of a high hill.
The rebels run 4 pieces and our guns disabling one gun and blowing up one caisson. They didn’t try it any more. We fell back to the boats, got on the boats, and got back to camp last night.
There was never a regiment in the U. S. Service that stood the fare [?]—or would of stood it, that is what the Colonel commanding the expedition gave us in praise. He (the Colonel) sat on his horse looking at the rebs telling the battery where to fire and the shell bursting all around and he sat there and never dodge nor stir. — Alonzo
I will close this letter now. I guess.
Is George and Jennie with you yet? If so, give them my love and and also Mr. Stanly’s folks. Tell them Lt. is well. Love to all, from your affectionate cousin, — Alonzo
1 Pvt. Martin Cook of Marcellon, Wisconsin, was the unlucky soldier. He was killed in action on 5 October 1864 at Jackson, Louisiana.
2 Corp. John G. Jones of Columbus, Wisconsin, was wounded in action at Vicksburg and killed in action on 5 October 1864 at Jackson, Louisiana.
Letter 2
Camp 35th Regt. Wisconsin Infantry
At Clarksville, Texas
July 14, 1865
Dearest Cousin,
Today finds me in Co. I, 35th Regt. Wisconsin Volunteers in Clarksville, Texas opposite of Bagdad, Mexico. In the first place, I must tell you how our company is situated. There is [Jeremish] Sullivan, [Lucius A.] Crosier, and myself belonging to Co. I and Sullivan belongs to Co. G, and the rest [Patrick] Conley, [Hiram L.] Edwards, [James] Green, [William] Hickok, [George] Morg. Jones, Billy Jones, O[rson] C. Knapp, [Israel] Perry, are all in Co. K. That is the way we are split up. I don’t like the idea a bit but we must put up with it I suppose for it can’t last forever. We will be just as good as any shoulder strap one of these days if Lord willing and nothing happens.
We left Mobile on the night of the 8th on board of the N. P. Banks and arrived at Galveston on the afternoon of the 11th, stayed in port all night, and left again on the next morning at 4 o’clock for Brazos Santiago. Arrived there on the night of the 13th, landed, found the regiment. Was nine miles ahead. We were ordered to march it so we waited until night and marched within about a mile of the regiment and went into camp for the night. We laid in the sand where it was about 4 feet deep and it made us a nice, soft bed—almost too soft. But the mosquitoes like to eat me up. They were so small that you could not see them and they would bite a man through a piece of solid cast iron two inches thick. They were awful—almost as bad as at Cedar Point. Ask [your brother] Robert how bad they were there and he will tell you.
There is about 10,000 troops here at this point and about 70,000 in all. We expect Old General U. S. Grant here now every day. He was expected in Mobile the same day we left and I believe just as sincerely as ever I did anything in my life, when he comes to see how things are working, he will have the rest of the white troops mustered out and station the negroes here—or rather leave the negroes here that are here now for there is nothing whatever a going on here. But on the other side, the French and the Mexicans are pretty busy. Maximilian evacuated Bagdad yesterday. He heard that [Col. Juan Nepomuceno] Cortina was close onto him.
They don’t let anymore of our men or officers either to go over [into Mexico] anymore for the officers of the 28th Wisconsin used to go over there and gamble and one day one of the officers won $50 from a Mexican and the Mexican told him to give him back his money or he would blow out his brains. The officer told him it was the first and best shot and at the same time shot the Mexican dead and others. Was about 20 of our boys over there and they commenced to fire and had quite a time over it and ever since they don’t allow any of our boys to cross.
Well, I must close. Give my love to all the folks and my regards to Mr. Stanley’s folks. With lots and lots of love to thee, I remain as ever your affectionate cousin, — Alonzo E. Crandall, Drummer, Co. I, 35th Regt. Wisconsin Vols.
Spared & Shared 23 