is a relic of the old days. The old order makes the as-
sassination on the 11th instead of the 14th, the teleg^ram
to General Sherman making the mistake, as General
Sherman afterwards explained.
The march to Washington is thus reported by Gen-
eral W. B. Hazen, commander of the Second division:
Maj^ 1, 1865, Broke camp in accordance with orders at 5:30
a. m., and went into camp near Louisburg- at 1 p. m. , distance nine-
teen miles.
May 2d. Left at 8:30 a. m., went into camp at Shady Grove at
4:30 p. m.; distance twenty miles.
May 3d. Marched to Warranton, nine miles, thence to Robin-
son's ferry on the Roanoke, fourteen miles, making- twenty-three
miles in all.
May 4th. Marched at noon, crossed the Roanoke and camped at
Pendleton's bridge on the Meherrin river; distance seventeen miles.
May Sth. Marched at 5 a. m. through Laurenceville to a point
three miles beyond the Nottoway river; distance twenty-seven miles.
May 6th Marched on Boydton plank to Picter's run within six
miles of Petersburg; distance eighteen miles.
Here we have a march of 124 miles in six days, an
average of twenty-one miles a day, and taking into con-
sideration that a whole army corps was moving together
on the same road, it is a remarkable march. The next
report of General Hazen is:
May 9th. On the 7th moved the camp from Picter's run to
within a mile of Petersburg; on the Sth lay in camp; on the 9th
marched to Proctor's creek, a distance of eleven miles Were re-
viewed by General Howard while passing through Petersburg.
May 13th. Lay in camp near Manchester, Virginia, the 11th
and 12th; on the 13th moved across the James and through the city
of Richmond and went into camp, a mile beyond the Chickahominy
river; distance twelve miles.
May 14th. Moved to Hanover court house, a distance of nine
miles.
May 15th. Marched twenty-two miles, crossing the Pamunkey
and also the Mattapony at Reedy Mills bridge.
May 16th. Marched twenty-two miles, going into camp five miles
from Fredericksburg.
May 17th. Marched to Fredericksburg, crossed the Rappahan-
nock river and went into camp on Aqua creek; distance twenty miles.
Froia Washington to IiidiancvpoUs. 155
May 18th. Marched seventeen miles, g-oing- into camp two miles
from the Occoquan river.
May 19th. Marched fourteen miles; crossed the Occoquan and
went into camp four miles from Alexandria.
The regiment remained here and in vicinity until May
23d, when they moved to the vicinity of the Long bridg'e
to take part in the grand review of May 24th.
On the 21st Captains Farrar and Powell received
their commissions as colonel and lieutenant-colonel, but
were only mustered as lieutenant-colonel and major.
They had filled the positions of colonel and lieutenant-
colonel from the 8th of January, more than four months.
Lieutenant John T. Ramey, of Company F, died at
City Point May 13, 1865, having only received his com-
mission on April 20th before. He was a faithful soldier,
went through all the service and died when the war was
over.
The grand review has been so often described that I
ueed not repeat it here, only to say that the 99th did not
get their new flags and so carried the old flags, if flags
they might be called, that had only a few tattered
stripes on broken and splintered staffs. The men of the
99th did not care much for the opportunity of displaying
themselves, but regarded it as a sort of necessary exhi-
bition to close in a formal way their period of service.
CHAPTER XXII.
FROM WASHINGTON TO INDIANAPOLIS.
On June 5, 1895, the regiment was mustered out of
the service of the United States by Captain John C.
Nelson, of the 70th Ohio, A. C. M. Leaving Washing-
ton they came by rail to Parkersburg and down the Ohio
river on the steamer Nashville to Lawrenceburg, and
156 Neiu History of the Ninety-Ninth Indiana Infantry.
from there to Indianapolis by rail, arriving- Sunday-
morning, June 11th. Final payment was made on the
15th, when all departed for their homes.
On Monday, June 12, 1865, the regiment with others
received a welcome from Governor Morton and the state
authorities on the grounds of the old state house. The
words of the governor as we read them now call back
very vividly the feelings of the people at that period.
He said:
"It is a deep feeling of joy with w^hich Indiana wel-
comes her returning soldiers home— a joy prevading
every breast in this vast audience. You went forth on a
mission you have performed with fidelity and success,
and now return to claim the gratitude of your fellow-
citizens. If our arms had been covered with defeat in-
stead of victory, how different the circumstances under
which you would have returned, 'if you returned at all.
You come now when all is peace from the northern
frontier to the Rio Grande. The dark cloud of war has
given place to the sunshine of peace. The Confedracy
has died suddenly of disease of the heart; died almost in
a single night, like the gourd of Jonah. Jeff Davis has
removed his seat of government from Richmond to Fort-
ress Monroe, and instead of being accoutred in the
paraphernalia of war, has put on the garments of peace
and good will to all. The incendiaries who kindled the
fires of the rebellion have been burned in their own
houses, and the heat of the conflagration has melted the
manacles off their slaves.
"Soldiers, when you went forth to battle for your
country, all was gloom and darkness. Our country was
full of infidels — men who did not believe in the future of
the nation. You had faith; you went forth; you per
sisted; you conquered; and now return as the conquering
hero returns, and the people are rushing out with open
arms to receive you. What were you fighting for? Not
for glory, though you have gained enough of that, but
for your country. Never before was a war so com-
From Washington to Indianapolis. ISr
pletely successful. The job has been so well done that
even the rebels are beginning- to be proud of it. You
have done your work so well that you have destroyed
the means of renewing the contest for all time to come.
"The American soldier is to-day the highest type of
manhood. The French soldier is distinguished for his
activity, vivacity and enthusiasm, the Russian for his
obstinacy. The English soldier is slow in his move-
ments, but possessed of a valorous stupidity, which
sometimes renders him incapable of knowing when he is
defeated. The German is noted for his calm, patient
and intellectual courage. As the blood of all these en-
ters into the composition of the American people, so are-
their respective virtues blended in the American soldier.
It has been demonstrated in this war that our soldiers
have the elan of the French, the obstinacy of the Rus-
sian, the dogged persistence of the English, and the ed-
ucated courage of the German.
' 'The past four years have been productive of immense
results in the field. The rebellion was not to be put down
by words and resolutions. Some affect to undervalue
the bravery of our soldiers by saying that we outnum-
bered the rebels in population. It is true we outnum-
bered them but they had their advantages. They did
not come to us, we had to go to them. We were unfamiliar
with their country, while they knew it well. In making
war we had long lines of communication to maintain
which they could dispense with. We fought them un-
der great disadvantages but our cause was just and we
triumphed. You had faith in the justice of your cause,
or you could not have stood up under the hardships you
were called upon to endure.
"But now we can rejoice in the bright prospects of
the nation. The great disturbing element of our politics
gone, and gone forever, under the free labor system the
South will prosper as it never has prospered before —
even as the North has prospered.
"But you are home again and you will not fail of a
true welcome. You have doubtless, on the march, in
158 New History of the Ninety-Ninth Indiana Infantry.
camp, or on the lonely picket station, pictured to your-
selves the anticipated meeting- with the lov^ed ones at
home. Your anticipations will be more than realized,
and you young fellows, who cannot, as yet, call any
woman wife, will not be disappointed. They don't take
much to these 'stay-at-homes.' They say they are well
enough for escorts to picnics and ice cream saloons and
to pay carriage-hire, but when it comes to the substan-
tial business of matrimony they beg to be excused. In
that case they will take the soldiers, for they know you
will make good husbands, for the man that loves his
country will love his wife."
The cheering with which this address was received
was the best testimonial of its appreciation. When we
remember that it was wholly extemporaneous and that
the governor was making a speech of welcome every da}^
to some returning regiment, it shows the ability of a
master of plain speech. His unceasing care and untiring
labors in behalf of the soldiers had given him a warm
place in their hearts, and praise from one who knew
what they had endured was as an oasis in the desert
through which they had passed. As an old veteran of
Company B said at its close, with a voice half joy and
half sadness, "We are once more in God's country, thank
God!" That was his amen and it was enough.
CHAPTER XXIII.
INTERVIEW WITH COLONEL FOWLER.
On the 20th day of December, 1899, I spent the day
with Colonel Alexander Fowler at his home' near
Bronson, Kansas, and took down from his lij^s the fol-
lowing statements of his recollections of the days of the
war. I Avouid sometimes put in a question, and so I give
Interview With Colonel Foivler. 159
the conversation in substance in some cases, in others
his exact words.
"Do you remember the officers of the reg-iment?'"
"Yes. I find this to be true, there are many men
that I remember, privates as well as officers, from some
peculiar circumstances under which I met them at times,
some incident on the march, or in camp, or in battle,
brings up the name and appearance of the one engag-ed
in it. Of course my connection was more directly with
the officers, and my acquaintance was better on account
of the official relations. In the army as in civil life
there are men of more congenial tastes than others, and
these will form their associations so that they will be-
come better acquainted. Adjutant McGlashon, Ser-
g"eant-Major Brewer and j^ourself were in my mess, and
I have always thought of you when I have thought of
the old regiment. McGlashon and Brewer were both
young men, not of age, but splendid officers, competent
and faithful. Two men may be equal as soldiers, as
gentlemen, and yet you will become more attached by
association to one than the other. Now, the business of
the commander is to not allow this friendship to sway
him in official action. That was one thing I tried to
avoid, but I can look back now and see in some cases
where my friendshijD for a man led me to favor him, but
I feel sure I never did a man an injustice because he was
not particularly friendly with me. If I ever did so I do
not believe there is an officer of the old regiment but
had sense enongh to know that I did him no wrong in-
tentionally. The private soldiers of the 99th were many
of them the equals of their officers in education and
intelligence."
I told him that many of the officers and men of the
regiment had succeeded in life and were doing well,
honored and respected by the communities in which the}"
lived, when he said: "I know that must be true for they
were many of them j^oung, but of extremely good sense.
If any class of men ever deserved to attain success, it is
the men of the 99th for they were good soldiers. One
160 New History of the Ninety -Ninth Indiana Infantry.
of the strarge things is the fact that there are some good
men in the world who cannot stand up under fire. Of
course these men are called cowardly, but a man who has
never been under the fire of an enemy has no right to
criticise them for he cannot judge, does not know what
he would do under like circumstances himself, and a man
who has been under fire will have a measure of sympa-
thy for them. Two officers of the regiment came to me
after a battle and told me they could not stand up under
fire and I permitted them to resign, and I have always
been glad that I did, for they were good men and were
willing to try, which many a man was unwilling to do.
It is a fact also, that some men under the excitement of
battle become what I call reckless. A brave man is wil-
ling to risk his life in doing his duty, but he must also-
not forfeit it unnecessarily. For instance, at the battle
of Atlanta on July 22d, while the fight was going on I
was riding my old white horse, which all the members-
of the regiment will remember, and I found, by the way
the bullets were coming, that I was becoming a conspicuous,
target and so I dismounted for a time and went up and
down the line on foot, leaving my horse in charge of an
orderly. In the midst of the engagement I was near
Colonel Greathouse, of the 48th Illinois Infantry, and as-
the enemy began to fallback after a repulse, he mounted
the works brandishing his sword and calling on the en-
emy to "come on, come on," in a challenging way, and
in about a minute he was shot and killed. He made him-
self a target and took more risk than was necessary.
He was a brave man and a splendid soldier, but his act
was an impulse and not one of deliberate judgment— at
least it seemed so to me at the time and seems so yet, as>
I look back upon it."
"It is the preparation, or waiting for battle, that is
the hardest is it not?" I asked.
"Yes," he replied, "a man sometimes suffers as much
from anxiety as anything else. For instance, at the
battJe of Mission Ridge where we were holding the side
of the hill, now called Sherman Heights, it was one of
Interview With Colonel Fowler.
161
^'-^n
if.
SERGEANT HENRY W. WISE, COMPANY C.
1900
(See page 163.)
the most exciting" and anxious times to me I ever passed.
We had a skirmish line in front and two men had been
brought in dang^erously wounded, and the wounded of
General Corse's brigade on our left were brought by our
regiment, among them the General himself. General
Sherman's headquarters were just above us and a little
to our left and I was there a good deal waiting orders.
I could see the failure of Colonel Loomis' brigade on our
right and Corse on the left, to reach the ridge, as well
as the apparently hopeless task of attempting the ridge
in our front, when he told me to hold my regiment in
readiness to make the attempt, by moving out to the
right. I went back and in a short time the order came
162 Neic History of the Ninety -Ninth Indiana Infantry.
to fall in and get ready. We did so and waited in sus-
pense for some time; I do not know how long- for time
seems very slow on such an occasion, I knew what it
meant to move — it meant a loss of one-third of the brave
fellows of my command at least. Just as we were or-
dered to move, the 90th Illinois, the reg^iment on our
right, the left of the First brigade swung into the place
in the valley below us and the o^der for us to charge was
countermanded. The 90th Illinois made a brave but un-
successful charge and the commander, the gallant
Colonel Omeara, was killed and the regiment lost heavily
in killed and wounded. When the sun went down that
night it closed the longest day of my life, and yet I had
been in no great danger, except from the shells which
3'ou remember generally went over our heads. It was
the anxiety, the waiting that made it."
Here I ventured to ask, "Colonel, were you ever
scared in a fight?" to which he responded:
"Yes, I was onoe. It was in Dallas when the enemy
made a night attack. We were under orders to with-
draw quietly when the attack commenced. It was very
dark, and you could not see anything. Every cannon
and musket in the whole confederate line was in use and
the noise was terrific. I could not tell what was coming,
or from where, and for a few minutes I was somewhat
frightened. It seemed to me that what I couldn't see
was more terrible than what I could see. I felt a good
deal like what General Sherman once said about General
Grant and himself. He said: 'Grant is the great general,
he makes his plans and goes ahead, cares nothing for
what he cannot see, while some things I cannot see at
times scare me like h — 1.' I was a good deal that way
the night at Dallas."
"I would like to have you give me your impressions
of the officers of the regiment now, after so many years,"
was the next request. He took them up one by one and
said:
"Colonel DeHart was with us not quite a j^ear, when
he went home to take command of the 128th Indiana.
Interview ivifh Colonel loivlet
163
SERGEANT HENRY W. WISE, COMPANY C.
1862,
Born November 19, 1839, in Crawford county, Ohio; came to
Lake county, Indiana, in 1849, and it has been his home ever since.
Enlisted in Company C in August, 1862, and served through the war.
From 1884 to 1887 belonged to Third Regt. Indiana Legion. Mar-
ried Eliza C. Alyea December 25, 1867, and they have two sons and
two daughters, the youngest being 22 years of age. His ancestry
were Pennsylvania Dutch; his great grandfather, born in 1751,
served in the Maryland cavalry during the Revolutionary war.
His grandfather; born near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1786,
served in the war of 1812. Comrade Wise taught eight terms of
school in his younger days, but his principal occupation has been
that of brick and tile making. His regard for his old comrades and
interest in their welfare is manifest at all times, and he attends all
the reunions he can. The picture above shows him as he was in the
army, while the one on page 161 shows him as he is now.
164 Xeiv History of the Ninety-Ninth Indiana Infantry.
He was a good commander, but his ideas and methods of
discipline were so different from mine that we did not
always harmonize thoroughly, but I have a kindly re-
membrance of him yet.
"Colonel John M. Berke}^ who I always think of as
Major, the position he held so long, was with me until I
left the service, and I always got along well with him.
We were together a great deal, and I liked him and often
favored him when I could. Speaking of the Major re-
minds me of an incident that I laughed at him a great
deal about. The 70th Ohio was a kind of brother regi-
ment with ours, and they being from Ohio and the 99th
from Indiana, there was quite a good-natured rivalry
between them. Our bass drum had given out and I
authorized the major to get a new bass drum, as he was
the treasurer of the regimental fund. When he returned
to camp with it, I was astonished to see an immense
great drum, and said: 'Major, why in the world did you
get such a large drum, no one man can handle it and we
cannot afford to detail two men to carry it.' In a sort of
apologetic waj' he said, 'Well, I went over and measured
the bass drum of the 70th Ohio and we cannot afford to
have a smaller drum than they have, so I bought this
big one.' The hearty laugh at the major's expense by a
number who heard his apology was such that he began
to explain again, but they would not hear him."
"Captain Farrar, who was so long the captain of
Company D, and colonel at the time of muster out of
the regiment, was a man of good mind, a good officer
and soldier, but not always a pleasant man to get along
with. I always admired his pluck and determination
and steady straightforward methods, and had confidence
in him, even if I did not always agree with him. I
heard that he once expressed his opinion of General
Ewing (Hugh) to that officer's face in a very strong way,
and I have always remembered him kindly for that. I
am glad to know he yet lives.
"Captain Powell, of Company I, who became lieuten-
ant-colonel on the muster out of the regiment, was a
Interview with Colonel Fowler.
165
CORPORAL RODNEY JEGER, COMPANY C.
1900.
Born March 21, 1844, in Pennsylvania, parents moving the same
year to near Brownsburg-, Hendricks countj', Indiana. Enlisted
in August, 1862, and served in all the campaigns, being slightU'
wounded May 28, 1864, at . Dallas, but continued until the regiment
reached East Point after the surrender of Atlanta, when he was
taken sick and was sent back to the hospital at Nashville, and from
there was furloughed home. Recovering, he was sent to Chatta-
nooga and was on guard duty until toward spring, when he joined
the regiment near Goldsboro, North Carolina, and was mustered out
with the regiment. Married April 28, 1867, at Lizton. Indiana, and
engaged in farming and merchandizing. In 1881 was elected treas-
urer of Hendricks count}', and filled the office with credit and satis-
faction to the people. In 1889 he moved to Kokomo and engaged in
the sale of buggies and farming implements. The same year he met
with a serious accident, having his thigh crushed by the kick of a
horse which caused him to go on crutches for four years and lamed
him for life. Is now engaged in the farming implement trade at
Elwood, Indiana.
166 New History of the Ninety-Ninth Indiana Infantry.
g'ood man, one of the older men, who went through to the
end of the service. He was always rather quiet, as I re-
call him, disposed to do his duty without any flourish.
I am pleased to hear that he is still alive.
"Major Homan, the young captain of Company H, I
remember very well. He got in a tight place at Atlanta
and with a few others was compelled to surrender. He
was fortunate in getting exchanged in a short time, how-
ever. I think he is one of the men who will make his
way anywhere."
"By the way, Chaplain," he said, "Is Captain Gwin
alive yet?" I told him of a visit I made to him at the
time of the regimental reunion at Brookston, his home,
two years ago, when he said, "I would like to see the
old captain to see if he has my 'animiles' yet. When
we were getting ready to leave Atlanta on the 'march to
the sea,' I received an order to carefully inspect my reg-
iment and send back to Chattanooga all men who were
not fitted for a long march, and if any of them were offi-
cers to permit them to resign. The captain was one of
the oflicers-worn down by the long season's campaign,
and I knew he was not fit for a long march in the winter.
He felt that way himself and I had a fine jack and jen-
ney that I had picked up, and so, I proposed in a joking
way, that I would send him home if he would take these
animals home with him and keep them until I came home.
He was delighted with the idea and said, 'Colonel, I'll
take them 'animiles' home sure.' I knew he could not do
it, but he was in such dead earnest I concluded to let him
try it. He got them as far as the Chattahoochie river
where he left them, and so if I can see him I will ask
him what he did with my 'animiles,' as he called them in
his emphatic way.
"I was sorry when I heard of the death of Surgeon
Butterworth and Quartermaster Catbcart. I knew the
doctor and was acquainted with Cathcart's father before
the war. The doctor was an even tempered, steady sort
of a man, with a set way of doing things that sometimes
Interview ivitli Colonel Fowler. 167
amused me, thoug^h he was very good at detecting-
whether a man was really sick, or whether he was pre-
tending to be in order to avoid some disagreeable duty,
a thing soldiers would sometimes do. His first question
was, 'What is the matter with you?' and when the sol-
dier had given his idea of his case, the next was, 'Let me
see your tongue.' He would then give them a remedy
and turn to the next. I am indebted to the doctor for
one favor, the first, and as I recall it, the only pair of
silk stockings I ever wore. You know how they rushed
us off, after the retreat of Bragg from Mission Ridge, to
relieve Burnside at Knoxville. We had been for two
months on the march from Memphis to Chattanooga, and
I was entirely without socks except one pair, and they
needed a good deal of darning to make them wearable,
and I was not an expert at darning even if I had the
materials. The doctor somehow got hold of a fine pair
of silk stockings which he gave to me. I put them on
and felt more comfortable, if not more proud.
"I remember well the hospital steward, Martin I.
Whitman, in fact, all the field and staff non-commis-
sioned officers, Sergeant-Major Brewer, Quartermaster-
Sergeant Severance, Commissary-Sergeant Parks, and
Drum-Major Spaulding. They were all good and faith-
ful officers. I have learned since the war that a wrong