Civil War Soldier's Letter From 2nd Iowa Cavalry

 On May 8, 1863, The Muscatine Journal printed this letter from an unnamed member of the 2nd Iowa Cavalry.

2nd Iowa Cavalry setting off on a scouting expedition

April 17, we, the 2nd Cavalry, started out on a scout, in company with the Sixth and Seventh Illinois Cavalry, having five pieces of two pounders. We all went south together as far south as Houston, which is south and east of Grenada. Here our regiment was sent off on the Columbus Road. When within about 20 miles of Columbus (on the Ohio and Mobile railroad), we were attacked by parts of three rebel regiments, 900 strong. We had about 500 men, but soon made the rebels fly, with no loss whatever on our side. We wounded 12 of the rebels, that we know of.

About an hour before this fight, 27 of our men were sent out on a byroad, leading into a swamp, to get a lot of horses and mules, known to be secreted there. They got some 60 head, and mounting a lot of darkies on them, started to rejoin the regiment. Soon, however, they found out that they were cut off by the rebels and endeavored to reach us by another route. After riding on this tack eight or ten miles, they found themselves between a heavy rebel column and their advanced guard. They now took off through the woods, on no road at all, but in executing this maneuver four men who were in the rear were taken prisoner. The rest got back to the regiment about 11 o’clock at night. The four men taken were from Atalissa. Their names are: Chas. Cope, C. Eves, B. F. Barkalow, and Barclay J. Embree.

2nd Iowa Cavalry burning buildings and crops on a scouting raid

Two others of the same party, who had started up with horses before the main body, came to the end of a lane and found it full of rebels, who had just been driven back by us. They were forming for another charge on us, and our boys came close upon them before they knew them to be enemies. They were too close to think of retreating, so they charged the mass of  rebels, yelling as they dashed through them—“Rally, boys! Rally! the Yankees are coming in on our rear!.” The rebs fired three or four shots at them when they first started in, then seemed to conclude that they really were their own men and sung out: “Make way for that orderly!”

One of the boys succeeded in running the gauntlet; the other was taken prisoner. From that place, we went to Okalona, on the railroad, and burned the hospital, barracks; and a lot of cotton, etc., etc. Keeping on back toward camp, we then gathered up horses and mules as we went along. At Birmingham, a little town not far from Tupelo, we were again attacked and had quite a lively little fight. The rebels charged upon us three or four times, but were each time repulsed with severe loss. We didn’t even have a man wounded. The only man wounded on the whole trip was one of Co. L, who was shot by three guerrillas—he died just as we got to camp yesterday, April 27. The sixth and seventh Ill. regiments have not yet got in; I heard today that they had gone on to Atlanta, Georgia.

On this scout of ten days, we only carried with us five days’ rations, and of course had to live off the country five days. We got plenty of ham, but not much bread—some days we hadn’t any. We were 150 miles south of here, and in a country where they had never before seen Yankee soldiers. I will give you the price of three leading articles of consumption in that part of the country. Flour, $100 per barrel; whiskey, $80 per gallon; pork, 60 cents per pound.

All kinds of goods are very dear; a good hat is $30, a pair of boots $30, paper of pins, one dollar, and all other things in the same proportion. We brought in on this trip over 300 new horses and mules.