The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 77, July 1973 - April, 1974 Page: 483
568 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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mother's sight is becoming so poor that I do not feel justified in asking her
to write when you are at home, although a letter from her gives me the
greatest pleasure and I feel doubly grateful, knowing the disadvantage she
labors under. I will not write any particulars of our expedition up Red River
as probably you have seen accounts of it ere this."0 I will enclose a letter
written by the Lieut. Col."l and also one from Capt. Taylor12 of our regi-
ment. Capt. Taylor's account of the disaster is the nearest correct although
their are many things in his letter that is not entirely reliable. Instead of
being attacked by 500 men, there was nearly 4,ooo-as there was four full
regiments in command of Genl. Lanel3 and belonging to Genl. Majors Divi-
sion." I had a fine opportunity of seeing them. I must say one thing of the
Texians, and that is, should I ever be so unfortunate as to be taken a pris-
oner again, may I be taken by Texians. We were treated very kindly by
their officers and fared as well as they, while we were with them. The first
two nights and days after being captured we had very little to eat and no
medicine for the wounded. But I blame their Surgeons for this. The "Yanks"
rations were very short generally, and we would have suffered, only for the
things we purchased outside, and these we had to pay the most exorbitant
prices. At first the ladies of Cheneyville were very kind to us, visiting the
hospital every day and bringing delicacies for the sick and wounded. But
when the rebel army left Cheneyville they had a great many sick and were
put into the rebel hospital. These "rebs" did not like the idea of the ladies
showing us "yanks" these attentions and used every means to prevent it.
They threatened to burn their houses and everything else that was cowardly,
and of course they had to stop visiting us (much against their inclinations)
to save their property etc.-I formed the acquaintance of several ladies, and
had invitations nearly every day to call on them. I spent nearly every evening
visiting. They thought I was a splendid performer on the piano. I was only
kept a prisoner six weeks, then sent into our lines.'5 This is a miserable place
(Morganzia) very hot and dry. There is about 30,000 men here in com-
0OSee footnote 2.
"Lieutenant Colonel John F. McKinley. See Reid, Ohio in the War, 597.
12Captain James B. Taylor had been a first lieutenant in Company H, 20oth Ohio Vol-
unteer Infantry before that regiment merged with I I4th O.V.I. See Official Roster of
the Soldiers of Ohio, VIII, 263.
13General Walter P. Lane was a Confederate cavalry commander in J. A. Wharton's
division, Trans-Mississippi Department. See William Frayne Amann (ed.), Personnel of
the Civil War (2 vols.; New York, 1961), I, 298, and Stephen B. Oates, Confederate
Cavalry West of the River (Austin, I96I), 37.
14Confederate Brigadier General James Major. See Johnson, Red River Campaign, I33.
"The exchange of prisoners took place at the mouth of the Red River, on board the
steamer Iberville. Gill to Mary A. Corlett Gill, August 17, I864, Gill Letters.483
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 77, July 1973 - April, 1974, periodical, 1973/1974; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117148/m1/545/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.