The Aurora War Correspondent

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Hugh Simmons
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1 The Aurora War Correspondent Thursday, October 10 and 17, 1861 Among those warriors currently bivouacked at Benton Barracks outside St. Louis is a local Batavian from the 42 nd Illinois Volunteers under Captain Webb. Captain Webb, as we reported some weeks past, was called to Camp Hammond to muster the Fox River Regiment s men into service. Our neighbor from Batavia writes us that his regiment spends eight hours each day in intense drilling, and that the bread at the camp is very hard. We also are informed that this troop desperately longs to give [General] Price s men the length of their toothpicks as they term their bayonets. Some part of this unit is furnished with Colt 5-shot revolving rifles, and the remainder is armed with Harper s Ferry muskets. The officers of this regiment are very well regarded by their soldiers, and one, Lieutenant Colonel Dave Stewart, is likened to our own Ed. Joslyn. Of Stewart s persistence,, our correspondent writes, what he makes up his mind to have for his men, may as well come at once, for it surely must. We could not part with him. Major George W. Roberts is termed a true military man in every sense, a man who looks well for his men. Merrill s Cornet Band has joined the local fellows at camp with a contingent of 24 members. Aurora Beacons are a sensation when they appear with our local news. In further news from St. Louis, the 42 nd is the sole regiment of the many at Benton Barracks that is supplied with rubber blankets. Our Kane County Cavalry attached to the 42 nd is not so well supplied in certain other ways as their clean shirts and cooking utensils were inadvertently shipped ahead to Camp Rolla before the men have received orders to proceed there. Major George W. Roberts From the 36 th Regiment still based in St. Louis, we hear that several of the men are ill at camp, and morale is rather low at the moment. The soldiers there cannot help but meditate upon the homes which they have left, the friends who remain in them, and worst of all, the possibility that they may never return to them again. Any correspondence from home is greatly appreciated. Major Greusel and the other officers are pushing to get the cavalry unit fully armed so it can join the rest of the regiment at Rolla. Abner Field visited recently, and was a very popular man at camp thanks to the number of Aurora Beacons that were brought with him Assistant Surgeon Dr. Hawley has been at Benton Barracks, and there is a flurry of construction to accommodate all of the activity residing there. Two storehouses have

2 just been completed, one is 102 feet, and the other 200 feet long. Both are two-storied structures, and it is proposed to put a railroad line between to facilitate the delivery of essential supplies to our men in the field. In addition, four brick ovens 10 feet by 12 have been erected for baking all of the bread. Fifteen forts are in the process of construction around the city of St. Louis, thirteen of them are nearing completion. The Bloomingdale arm of Farnsworth s Cavalry is now at St. Charles, Missouri. One of their first missions was to take over all of the saloons in town, and the owners thereof were forced to take an oath of allegiance. One tavern-keeper refused to do so, and threatened the soldiers with a knife. Charges were made, his supplies were poured out, and part of one wall was leveled. The men of the regiment spent more time removing offending banners from the city, and despite some skirmishes, managed to retrieve four of them. From Camp Rolla, three or four of the men there are reported as ill. Sixty others are on guard duty under Lieutenant Campbell of the Aurora Guards. At the moment, Major Greusel was one of the senior officers at camp, and very high in command of its daily operations. There is a fort located approximately one-half mile away on a hill with four cannons that is not yet complete. One of the cavalry commanders, we are informed, formerly habited a rebel stronghold whose citizens planned to drive him away from the vicinity. The commander heard about this plot, and secretly gathered a handful of friends to thwart the scheme. When the disgruntled rebels arrived, they were invited indoors for refreshments. While they were being served, their horses and weapons were hidden, And the men were made prisoners until the commander had sufficient time to make a good escape. Once away from home, he raised a troop of five hundred men, and now does a good deal of scouting missions. He is described as the terror of the rebels in this section of the country. Closer to home, thirty our local men have been assiduously drilling at Dunning s Hall. Their exercises commence at five in the morning, and run for two hours. In the evening they resume their course at seven for another three hours of drilling. Captain Batcheldor (a former Ellsworth Zouave) leads daily. The Late Captain Ellsworth The Honorable I. G. Wilson and A. M. Harrington have scheduled a war meeting at Dunning s Hall. It is speculated that this session will attempt to enlist more troops for Wilson s Regiment currently at camp in Geneva. Other local war meetings have been called at Lodi, October 10; Squaw Grove, October 11; and Kaneville, October 12. Speakers at these meetings include General U. F. Linder, Colonel I. G. Wilson,

the Honorable A. M. Harrington, and Judge Miller. The musicians of the Lincoln Regiment are slated to appear, and other local music makers are invited to play with them to form one truly BIG band.

3 the Honorable A. M. Harrington, and Judge Miller. The musicians of the Lincoln Regiment are slated to appear, and other local music makers are invited to play with them to form one truly BIG band. October 17, 1861 Civil War Musicians As our troops settle into life at Camp Rolla, they are subject to the many rumors in circulation. Currently, it is believed that some of the commanders in St. Louis are attempting to hold onto the Fox River Regiment s cavalry arm as this company tends to make an imposing appearance about the city. Major Greusel is quick to debunk such tall tales. Part of his reasoning is that the regiment was accepted by the government to include 10 infantry and two cavalry companies. The stories persist, however, and one of our correspondents writes, Every man in the regiment would hate to lose our cavalry, even if some of the big boys do want them for a bodyguard. Shortly after our contributor was penning this news, dispatches from General Frémont were received in which the commander emphatically declared that the cavalry was to remain with its friends. A hearty cheer went about the camp at this most welcome news. There have been two deaths at camp recently. The first was a gentleman from Iowa who perished with a severe fever. The poor fellow who has thus yielded up his life as a martyr for his country s liberty, is, in my opinion, more of a hero than he who wears a crown. Closer to home, Christian Logan, aged 22 years, of the Aurora Dragoons passed away October 7 from a putrid sore throat. He had been ill for some few days, and was attended by Dr. Young. Private Logan appeared to be on the road to recovery before his condition worsened. Before he had an opportunity to raise his arm in the labors in which he had enlisted, that mighty severer of true and loyal hearts, that remorseless tyrant death, seized him with an iron grasp, and tore him from his friends and companions He was buried with full military honors the following day with Captain Miller s troops escorting the remains to their final resting place. C. L. Perry, Grundy County Company of the 36 th Regiment, sent a letter for publication to his home paper, the Grundy County Herald, in which he lavishly praised our local citizens for their care and attention while the young recruit was at Camp Hammond.. He wrote, We have been encamped among them for some time, and have received nothing at their hands but the most kind and generous treatment. Everything possible was done by them to render our life pleasant and agreeable caring for our sick as though friends, instead of being utter strangers visiting us daily and bringing those little delicacies which we, fresh from home, missed so much; and in many ways proving the deep interest they took in our welfare. They have our warmest thanks.

4 It is speculated that our soldiers will be based at Camp Rolla a further three or four weeks. From Benton Barracks in St, Louis, we hear that several regiments have departed for active duty including the 42 nd Illinois Volunteers. They and the 8 th and 9 th Iowa Regiments as well as several cavalry units have been sent to the Missouri state capital. Our writer tells us that Colonel Webb s Regiment is considered to be the best our correspondent has seen. The DeKalb Rifles are attached to this unit. Several of our local men have been assigned to guard duty, and recently were taking pot shots at an unknown person spotted crawling along the ground just outside the camp. This suspicious person was commanded to halt, but did not do so. A further twenty-one men are on picket duty at Camp Jackson at Lindell Grove, a park on the outskirts of St. Louis. Close by is a quiet cemetery in which Dred Scott has been laid to rest. There are now eleven new graves dug for some of the deceased volunteers. The chaplain for the 36 th Regiment, Reverend Lyon, recently arrived at Benton Barracks with his wife, and was shipped to Rolla October 11. Orders at the barracks state that no one is to leave the premises without a pass signed by the Adjutant General. Scouts are combing the countryside looking for violators who are confined to the guardhouse once detected. On the home front, at the Kane County Board of Supervisors October 8 meeting, it was decided to appropriate a further $5,000 for the war fund to help needy families whose menfolk have volunteered for the war. Each town in the county is to select three men to oversee any expenditures from this fund, and this Camp Jackson outside St. Louis committee will report all monies dispersed to the county auditor. A benefit of $2.00 per week was approved for each soldier s wife, with an additional twenty-five cents for each veteran s child. From all over the country, there are many severe complaints registered over the exceptionally poor quality of the horses that have been purchased by the government. As Colonel Farnsworth s troops passed through Chicago, the local papers reported of their mounts, They are as poor a lot of animals as could be well brought together. They are small, raw-boned, spavined and entirely unfit for the purpose for which they have been purchased. The United States has been paying $110 per horse. A recent shipment from Pittsburgh for Bracket s Regiment has been declared an even poorer lot than Farnsworth s steeds, and the price for these animals was $135 with another $5 charged for transportation fees. Some of our citizens have asked why the troops don t purchase their mounts locally to save conveyance costs. The current price for a

horse in the vicinity is $110, and our local stud farms can furnish a considerably better grade of animal than we have seen thus far. exclusive province of R. H.

They currently have six hundred recruits in camp at Cottage Grove in Chicago.

5 horse in the vicinity is $110, and our local stud farms can furnish a considerably better grade of animal than we have seen thus far. exclusive province of R. H. Flemming at the east end of the bridge. The brigade is forming under Colonel Lynch of Elgin, and Newlin serves as the squadron s major. They currently have six hundred recruits in camp at Cottage Grove in Chicago. Colonel Farnsworth s Regiment was delayed for a week in Chicago awaiting the delivery of saddles and other equipment which still has not arrived. Two of its detachments departed for Washington D.C., each consisting of 180 men and 600 horses. A third contingent of 840 men left more recently. Thousands of the loyal citizens of Chicago were present to see these gallant men off. Farnsworth s is the first Illinois regiment to be stationed at the nation s capitol. Our local drilling company has tendered a request for the loan of muskets to use during their daily exercises. Any persons wishing to help in this endeavor are encouraged to leave their weaponry at Hurd and Sherer s store. The company has announced plans to hold an exhibition drill in the coming weeks. We have two new recruiting officers for McClelland s Brigade. Thomas Newlin at Taylor, Butterworth and Company will take enlistments for either the infantry or cavalry arm of this unit. Cavalry recruits will be the Colonel William F. Lynch On October 14, 650 men from Colonel Cook s Regiment passed through our fair city. This troop was formerly attached to General Jackson s forces in Utah and the Indian Territory. In July, orders were received to proceed to Washington D.C. The men have marched 1,300 miles so far, and stopped here to get rations at the depot and were served coffee at the Aurora House. One local citizen declared, Were our whole army so well disciplined, and so hardy as these glorious fellows, our generals would make short work of rebellion.

Colonel Philip St. George Cook The United States Army has commissioned wagons to be manufactured here in Aurora, and we are informed that 63 of them are expected to be completed within the next week.

6 Colonel Philip St. George Cook The United States Army has commissioned wagons to be manufactured here in Aurora, and we are informed that 63 of them are expected to be completed within the next week. We extend our heartiest congratulations to our fine citizens for responding so quickly and readily to help out the federal government in this time of utmost need. Thaddeus J. Mandeville Information compiled from the October 10, 1861 and October 17 issues of the Aurora Beacon

The Aurora War Correspondent

The Aurora War Correspondent Thursday, August 22, 1861 Courtesy of our correspondent at Camp Rolla, we have received news that our gallant soldiers of the 13 th Regiment have experienced a taste of battle.