Four Years With the Iron Brigade

by Lance Herdegen

  June 24, 1865

  And fine day. We lay in camp & do nothing. But there is a pretty heavy detail from the Regt for guards. We have a camp guard & a Patrol to patrol the road to & in the town for the, or some of the, Boys don’t behave well, but on the contrary, verry bad & molest the folks so they call for protection. The Col said he would not have a guard if they behaved themselves well. But as they wouldnt, why he wasnt to blame for having a guard around camp. I went up to the Doctors call this morning & got excused for time to come or rather till further orders. I am not able to do much this warm weather, the sun hurts my head so.

  June 25, 1865

  And fine day, once & awhile there a shower passes around us but no rain for us, weather warm. There is camp guard still but it is lighter than usual. There has been considerable excitement up today in the Regt about going to Arkansas. There is 4 Regts to go out of [Henry] Morrows Command & our, or most of our, officers want to go. But the rank & file don’t & there was some loud & harsh talk about it. Two thirds of our co says they wont go if they pay them first & if they don’t pay them till they [are] down there, then they will leave & most of the noncoms in our Co as well as the other Co say they wont stay. Some of the officers was around talking but the Boys just told them right to their face that they wouldnt go. I never said I would not go. But I don’t want to go & don’t know as I will. I put in for a furlough today to go home & am going if I can get my pay. I want to be there by the 4th of July.

  June 27, 1865

  And fine morning. The Col called us out last evening & told us that he had exhausted the last effort to get us out of the service & now he was going to resign & go home but would have rather gone with us, if we could have gone. He talked to us verry feelingly.

  June 28, 1865

  And fine Day. My furlough came last night approved for 25 days & I started with 3 others of the Co for the city of Louisville to get our Pay if we could & if we couldnt we were not going. But one of them did go. He borrowed some money. But we couldnt get our pay as our Payrolls had not come to this department yet & were not likely to so as we could get pay. For we are not to be paid off till we are mustered out so the paymaster Gen said. So that is some assurance that they calculate to send us soon to our homes. God grant it may be so. So when I found that out, I turned my steps homeward which I reached about 1 P.M. verry much fatigued from the effect of the heat on my head. We hold furloughs & cant use them which is a rough joke on us. I studied on it whether to go out in the country a few miles & hire out for a few days or not but concluded not as I cant stand the heat. The farmers are paying from 1 ½ to 3.00 a day for hands, the latter for Binders & the first price for hoeing. Good wages but cant go the work. So to draw rations, I must report for duty, which I did with reluctance for I calculated on seeing home & friends on the 4th of July.

  June 29, 1865

  And fine day with a shower in the evening. The order that there has been so much talk about for the last few days came at last about 1 P.M. The order came to muster the 7th Wis out of service & report to the state & there be paid off & receive our Discharges. & the Col, after reading the order, made a few timely remarks. & amongst the rest said he wanted none of this drunkenness, he wanted to go home better than they came down here from their Veteran furlough. He would tie up the man that got disorderly, let him be private or officer to which the Boys say bully. He advised them to brush up & get shaved & hair cut &c &c. Go home like men. At the end of his speech we gave three cheers & the Boys kept yelling & playing for an hour or two. I gave three rousing cheers. The Boys all feel well. The Col said he would make an effort to get to the state by the 4th of July. We are waiting on the muster out rolls now & I suppose we will work night & day.

  June 30, 1865

  And fine day. & we are hard at work making out the Musterer out Rolls & I worked most of last night on them. The Col says we can be in Milwaukee by the 4th of July if we get in the Rolls by tomorrow night & we are doing our best at them. But some of the Officers don’t care much about going so soon & our Captain is one of them. I do believe he would keep us in the service as long as he wanted to stay if it were in his power to do so, even to the end of the term of enlistment. & he is about half drunk now & he well knows that he cant earn his living as easy at home & don’t seem to care much about us anymore. Such men get their reward in due season.

  Myself, Corp Alexander & Private Morse, Best Pensmen in the Co, are putting the thing through about as fast as can be done. But Cap seems to try to delay us with his mistakes & other trifling matters.

  July 1, 1865

  And arose early & ready to work on Rolls but Cap is still sluggish. Wait on him. Get to work at last & do a hard days work but with some mistakes being made. We have to do some over and I am quite unwell today so upon the whole don’t feel in the best of humor. & just at dark when getting my supper, just about to give up working at it for this day, Cap comes and wishes me to make out the discharges for the Co. & he has set a lot of men fixing up a place in a roomy tent for me to write on & is going to furnish candles & I am to have Corpl Hayden to help me by reading of the Discription of the men from the Discriptive Book. Well, we go at it & have 49 of those papers to make out tonight. Fix for a nights work & all are ready to help me & all I asked them to do was to bring a canteen of cold water & then for all to leave the tent. That was all the help I wanted of them which they done. But some were verry anxious about having theirs made out first.

  July 2, 1865

  And fine morning But didnt awake till sun an hour high. Worked at Discharges till Break of Day & got them finished & then went to bed tired most to death. Didnt have a good nights rest as you may imagine. All is to be ready by 9 A.M. to muster out & was ready. Mustered out & all the things belonging to U.S. turned in by Noon. We are to start at 2 P.M. for home. That hour there is a great shaking of hands with acquaintences in the 6 Regt [Sixth Wisconsin] who have come over to see us. We fall in, form line & the Col makes us a speech & telling to be good soldiers &c and reiterating what he said the other day about Drunkenness. Says he will enforce it. We start with light hearts saying we are citizens which we are in reality, although we don’t get our Discharge till we get to the state and are paid of. Get on to the main road leading to town. There we find the Division drawn up on each side of the road to give us our last farewell honors & which they done in good style cheering us lustily as we passed. We reach town & depot & take the cars, box cars but have seats in. This being Sunday, there is no trains running except Soldiers so we don’t stop much. Reach Indianapolis about midnight. Run pretty fast & over a rough road. I have been quite unwell today. Have the Dierhea quite bad & nothing but hard tack & pork to eat & water for drink & poor quality. Cars not stopping, we couldnt get fresh water.

  July 3, 1865

  A fine day. We reach Chicago about 11 P.M. & after marching around some on one street & another we find the Soldiers rest. But can get no coffee & we lay down outside for the night - bivauck along the walk between the two buildings. The walk would hold our Regt. We are to go out on the 9 A.M. train for Milwaukee.

  July 4, 1865

  And we are up early but have to wait till 8 A.M. before we get Breakfast when we march down & get on the train & we go to Milwaukee at a good speed. But it was 11 A.M. ere we got off. We reach Milwaukee about 3 P.M. when we are marched down to near the Fair Building & stacked arms in the street & rested for an hour or so. When we were marched into the dining hall of the Fair Building & partook of a excellent dinner, having the ladies to wait upon us & they were verry nice, young ladies too, exceedingly sociable. & after dinner a number of welcoming speeches from different prominent men of the place, also one from Gen Catter[Cutler] & another from [Charles] Hamilton (formerly our Lieut Colonel but resigned some time since). After which our Major thanked the People of Milwaukee for their generosity in giving us so good a dinner. After which we were invited to step into the fair where we could go free into every department. & here I wandered & looked & wondered &c til
l I got tired & went out on to the street to walk around town some. & when I returned, the most of the Regt had taken Arms & gone down to the depot where we were to stop for the night. We had freedom same as a citizen, to go & come as we pleased. The citizens show us evry respect in their power. I feeling quite unwell today, I stoped in the depot & went to bed early. I was abused this evening by the Orderly (Bruce Bryan). He detailed me to go on guard & I told him I were not able to do duty & says he, God damn you, what ails you, to which I never made an answer & he went & detailed some one else, one of the Corpls to act as sergt on that occasion. This is the first time was ever abused by any orderly, sergt or anyone else for not doing duty & he had no provocation to do so. The Soldiers Fair is certainly a grand affair & it is for a grand purpose. Tis for raising money to build & endow a home for the lame soldiers of the State. I hope it may prove a complete success.

  Oh, but I must tell you about what transpired after we come down to the depot. Col Hamilton treated the Regt to 2 kegs of Beer & now at this time (dark) there is quite a number drunk. What a pity to see some of those otherwise fine young men make a Beast of themselves. Not a drop would I taste.

  July 5, 1865

  And fine day. We reached Madison about 4 P.M. & here I found 3 of my Nieces & one Nephew on the train that was ready to start to the west. They had been up here on an excursion & are just ready to return. & I find them well & hear from them that the folks at home are well. They live only 25 miles west from here at a town called Mazomania.

  We get supper about 6 P.M. after which we march up to the Capital Park, going around 3 sides of it ere we enter & all the while we are marching, there is a Brass piece being fired as rapidly as possible. Over the Gate [by] which we enter the Park is stretched a wide piece of cloth & the inscription (Boys, we welcome you home) painted on it in large letters. We formed in column in close order & the Govenor & Executive Department made its appearance on the stand, which after Col [Hollon] Richardson introduced, we welcomed with clapping of hands &c. & the Govenor proceed to speak & welcomes to our State &c, and all the Executive Dept followed with the exception of (Gen) (now) Secretary [Lucius] Fairchilds, he not being present. & the Mayor of the city not being able to attend on account of Illness, sent a Representative & a verry good one too. Made us a good speech & last of all, Col Richardson rises & makes a good & humorous speech. I think the best speaker on the stand. He thanked them for giving us such a welcome & and upon the whole made a right good speech. Says he, all welcome us Boys, the Loyal & the Copperhead welcome us. But why do the latter welcome us. Because we have quit fighting their friends (Loud Laughter & hurrahs) & they frequently cheer him.

  I felt real Bad when we left the Depot but by the time the reception was over, I was well pleased. For evry dept of the state was represented & each one in his speech gave some interesting statistics & especially the Treasurers was, for it is him that knows about our Pay. Truly I feel as though I had done a great work in going to war. Surely we, the Army, has saved the nation & the citizens say so & they seem to feel so. They act nobly by us, Soldiers are first-class.

  Well, all over & we march out of the Park & take the shortest route for Camp Randall, which I find considerably improved & a great deal larger, good Barrack up. Before assigning us to our quarters he (the Col) told us we must behave ourselves & he would put no restricktions upon us & that we had liberty to go where we pleased. But not to home & on the morrow he would give those passes that lived near here if the Paymaster didnt pay us for a few days. We will know tomorrow when we do just get pay. Hope soon for we want to go to our homes. Well Co K & our Co take a Barrack & we find them roomy & well finished but too warm. I soon go to bed quite fatigued for tis dark. Many set up discussing about going home tomorrow &c what has transpired since they was last here &c.

  July 6, 1865

  And fine day & we draw rations of evrything allowed by Regulations. About noon our Co Rolls come in to be rectified. Cap leaves us again, he being about half drunk now. Says he will be back by 3 P.M. & wants evry man here to sign the Pay rolls. He came at the time & we had the rolls ready & signed them. At same time, said we could not get Pay till next Thursday & the Col said we could all go home that choose too. So after signing the Rolls, there was a bustle to get ready for the 4 P.M. train. That is the Boys of our Co. But I having no money was not in a hurry. But was studying some way to get some money to pay my fare.

  So I start up to town & the thought struck me that I might leave my watch to get repaired at Jewelers & let him have it as security for a few dollars. & I found all of it. I come across, I believe, a Gentleman watchmaker this time for he was verry respectful. I got 3 dollars of him & now I start for camp & give up going till the morning freight train & feeling faint & wanting something tasty for supper, I bought 10 cents worth of herring & found they just suited my taste & perhaps will cure my diherea. Reach camp, find half of the Co gone home. I made some coffee & ate a hearty supper and feel first rate, better than for several days.

  July 7, 1865

  And fine day. And I arose early this morning, got Breakfast & got ready to go to depot. & start, find nothing but freight trains going out this morning at 8 A.M. Wait till near 8 and go and get aboard of the conductors caboose. Train is off & the train reaches Mazomanie about 10 A.M. I had to pay 50 cents for riding. Well after putting my knapsack in the warehouse till I find some of the folks, I start out. Come to a Barbershop, go in, get shaved & inquire of him [where] Miss Ray the Milliner lives. He didnt know, unless lives the next block. & put for it & walked right in, supposing it was Lus shop. But Behold I see no face I know & the ladies are as much surprised till I inquire of them & they said Oh, you are Miss Rays brother. To which I answered in the affirmative. They extended hands to shake which I had no alternative but accept & so they proffered to go with me to Lus. But a gentleman came along & he took it up, directed me to the place which I soon found. Only Minney there, Lu having gone out. But soon returned & glad to see me. As I was here, I got dinner here & then went up to Thurza’s & found all well but her & she was rather unwell. I get supper here & then come back to Lus & Lu comes up to Henry with me. & I find Henrys folks well & happy to see me as I am them. But I forgot to say that Clark hitched the horse & buggy & brought me up. I brought my knapsack up here too for I allow to make this my home till I return to Madison. I am happy to see the folks, indeed I am, but Mother is not here & I cant go & see her verry will till I get discharged. I have made several new acquaintences today. The young ladies are verry numerous in this town & good looking ones too.

  July 8, 1865

  Made many new acquaintances. I have a splendid chance here, I believe to get a partner for life or in other words, Enlist for life. Great many young people in this town.

  July 12, 1865

  And fine day. On the train. We soon glided to Madison. I went down to camp & I got some dinner or rather finished it. & I find out that I can draw the money that is due Mother from the State Volunteers Aid. & so I and another man of our Co go up to the State Treasurers Office & draw what is coming to us. I drew $19 for Mother. That paid all up to the 13th inst., the day we are to be discharged. I came back to Barracks to stay all night. Not a thing to make a bed & go in with one of the Co. that had a rubber only & tis verry cold night. Indeed, we are to get our pay tomorrow.

  July 13, 1865

  And fine day, but verry verry cold. Indeed, last night I suffered with the cold. We get breakfast & the Boys begin to collect in & by 9 A.M. they all got in & the Officers come & we formed line for the last time. The Col made us a Speech, his farewell Speech & twas a good one. He said all that was good to say, gave us good advice &c and to always remember we belonged to the old 7th. He made a verry feeling speech & he felt it too as also did the Boys. I could not refrain from sheding a tear (& I was not alone). He cautioned them against intemperance, Idleness & Bad women. Those either seperately or altogather would spoil any Man. Make him unfit for any society. Well he talked like a father to a wayward child. I
wish I could Pen evry word of it down in this Book for a guide to myself. After the Col, the Major Hagt [Hoyt?] & after him, Doctor Ayers & after him our good Chaplain spoke a few well timed remark as also verry feeling ones.

  When he was through, we marched up to North of the Capital & halted & are to be paid of soon. But an order soon comes that they will not commence to pay till 1 P.M. and we can go where we please till then, which we did. I took one of my particular friends (A.H. Conner) [Andrew H. Connor]248 and went to a eating saloon & stood the treat to a good dinner as twould [be] the last one we could eat togather. Well, they begin to pay off & so on. It comes F Co turn. We march up into the building & one by one as his name is called, goes up to the counter and gets his pay & discharge & becomes a citizen once more. I felt a thrill of joy run through my heart & veins when I grasped the Discharge & some $334 & some cents. I steped out of the room & went to settling up which was soon done. & I did not owe much & I had good success in getting what was owing to me so I am straight with the world except I want $3 of a man in our Co. & he is good as old wheat.

  Now 5 P.M. & too late to go out on the train so I will wait till morning & go down on the freight train as far as Mazamanie. I go to the Boarding house where a number of our Boys stop & put up for the night & I set up till 12M to see the Boys of Co. that were going off on that train. What a time they had playing cards & drinking & carousing. I got sick of it but 12M come & they off & I go to Bed, verry tired.249