...Though William had no more than six months of formal education, he wrote a 57 page manuscript of his Civil War experiences in his latter years.  The family information is incidental in his writing, and known to be inaccurate in some instances.  One example of his inaccuracy is that he says his grandfather died in 1820 on way to visit his father in Indiana, then later, says his father did not move to Indiana until 1842.  His early memories are of his difficult life on his father's farm in Indiana.  He enlisted for the Civil War when he was eighteen on 5 Aug, 1862, and tells of his three years of arduous battles and illnesses...

This diary was written by Florence Kring's(14) Great Grandfather William Harrison Bowlby(11)  and his brother was Samuel Bowlby(11). Samuel Bowlby(11)  was my Dad's Grandfather who was married to Mary Putman, and they are my Great Grandparents on my Dad's Father's side. This diary was retyped by me, Mildred (Bowlby), (Hemmingsen), (Hatcher), Nadeau. I have put in bold type, or italic the parts that refer to my Great Grandfather Samuel Bowlby(11) , or his parents, to explain how we are related, or which may be of interest.

William Harrison Bowlby(11)  married Mary Burnheimer. Florence Kring's(14)  Grandparents are Minda Ann (Bowlby) Johnson(12) and Charles Henry Johnson. Her parents are Charles Linord Johnson(13) and Doris Rose (Britton) Johnson. Charles Linord Johnson(13) met his wife, Doris Rose, at his cousin Ella (Bowlby) Starke both Charles and Ella are Leo Bowlby's cousins . Florence's mother was teaching school around Taylor, Nebraska, and she was boarding with Jack and Ella (Bowlby) Starke. Florence Lenor (Johnson) Kring married Glenn Allen Kring, and they live south of Overton, Nebraska. Florence Kring taught school on Prairie Island, that is north of Hordville, Nebraska, where she had Gordon (my brother-in-law) and Irene Nielsen in school. Gordon Nielsen is the father of Roseanna (Nielsen) Schreiner, Christine (Nielsen) Lamprecth, and Jeff Nielsen.

William Harrison Bowlby, said my family is American and has been for generations. My Great Grandfather came from England in June 1680, and settled in New Jersey, close to where New Brunswick now stands. His (Great Grandfather's) family consisted of 2 boys and 1 daughter.

Samuel Bowlby was my Grandfather and my brother Samuel was named for him, and my father was Robert Bowlby. He was married after his father came to America. He married Miss In Secre and they lived in New Jersey for many years. He had two sons, Samuel and Robert and one daughter. Then his wife died in 1799.

He had several sons by his second wife. Then she died. Then he sold all of his possessions, and started to come to Indiana where my father lived. My grandfather (Samuel Bowlby) was afflicted with that dreaded disease called consumption, and he fell a victim to it on his way to my father's (Robert Bowlby's) place in Indiana. He died at Philadelphia in 1820.

Generation of Samuel Bowlby and his sons were Robert Bowlby and Samuel Bowlby and daughter. Robert Bowlby had two sons William Harrison Bowlby and Samuel Bowlby and a daughter Susan Bowlby. Samuel Bowlby had a son Joseph Robert Bowlby. Joseph Robert Bowlby's children were Arthur Claude Bowlby, Marie Bowlby Parker, Leo Elmer Bowlby, Glen Hiram Bowlby, Erma F. Bowlby Grieninger, Eldon W. Bowlby and Ivan Bowlby and possibly a set of twins that died at birth.

His brother Thomas (remember that this was written by William Harrison Bowlby, a brother to our Great Grandfather) spent his days in New Jersey. He (Thomas) has several sons that settled in Ohio. I never saw any of them except James Bowlby. James Bowlby use to come to my father's home in Indiana. He had several sons that lived in Indiana.

Still, my Great Grandfather lived to 110 years old and Great Grandmother till she was 105.

My father (Robert Bowlby) was born in New Jersey, January 21, 1799, died July 18, 1875 in Noble County Indiana.

My father (Robert Bowlby) left home at age 22 years. Meanwhile he learned the shoemaker trade. He landed in Pennsylvania and there he married Miss Decker. She only lived 2 years, then died. My father had no children by his first wife. He stayed in that part of Pennsylvania for several years and worked at his trade.

He came to Ohio, and married my mother sometime in 1843. My mother was born in 1813. She had a hard time in this world to get along. I (William Harrison Bowlby) was born December 10, 1843. My brother Samuel was born August 1, 1846. My father and mother left Ohio in 1848, and settled in Noble County Indiana where he and my Mother raised 3 sons and 3 daughters. (That didn't make sense, because all we know about are William, Samuel, and Susan, but another place list a Matilda Bowlby and Sarah Bowlby).

My mothers folks were from Germany and Ireland. My Grandmother on my mothers side was from Germany, and her folks settled in Pennsylvania in the colonies of Will Penn. My Grandfather on my mother's side was born in Ireland After my grandfather married my grandmother, they settled in Ohio at the mouth of the Kentucky river not far from Cincinnati where he lived and died. I never knew much of my mother's folks. She had several sisters and three brothers (These would all be our relatives).

One of my Mother's brother came to Indiana before my father came. He started to California with my father's brother Samuel and cousin. My Uncle Samuel Bowlby never came back from California. I know of my cousin Samuel Gibson who stayed 2 years. Then returned. He almost lost his life crossing the Isthmus of Darrian in Panama. He is now dead. He was 8 years older than I. He moved from Indiana to Kentucky and died with typhoid fever in 187?. My Uncle Henry Seamer drowned in the Platte River near Columbus, Nebraska in July 1849.

I only saw one of my father's brothers, (that was James Bowlby), and one of my mother's brother. My mother's folks all lived in Ohio. Not that I know anything of. My father has some half brothers on Fox River in Illinois. There are some Bowlby's living in this state. I know nothing of them only my own family.

The Bowlby's had a great fortune coming from old England of $100 million. They never have proved it up yet. It may be some day.(Another story is that they claimed hundreds of acres of land in New Jersey, but because it was never surveyed and recorded, it was not proven that it belonged to the Bowlbys, this information came from another source).

Now at this writing there ain't any of my brothers and sister living, only myself and one sister. They all died of consumption. Whether I am afflicted with that dreaded disease.

My sister lives in Nebraska. (His sister was Susan Bowlby that married Jasper N. Connett. She had two daughter's Bessie Connett and Della Connett Lyons. Neither Bessie or Della had any children). (Bessie Connett lived in Central City, Nebraska) (My Dad (Leo Bowlby) inherited money from her, and the way that the County Attorney located my Dad was that she had newspaper clippings of my sister Beth Bowlby Nielsen Andreasen and I, Mildred Nadeau) She (Susan Bowlby) came here with her brother Samuel, (which is the Grandfather of my Dad Leo Bowlby) who died several years ago with consumption. We will finally all succumb to that dreaded disease. I sometimes think; it would have been better if I had never been borne.

My father died at the age 76 years and my mother was 14 years younger than my father. My mother died sometime after my father died in 1875. This is all that is necessary of the generation before me, as I don't know much about my father's folks.

My father wasn't worth nothing to manage business. He bailed everybody out. My Ma use to tell him, that he would lose everything sometime. At last he bailed out Picer for $1,500 and a man called More for $700. That finished him. He had to sell his farm, and pay the bail $2,200 in 184?. Was the last of money he had, any money after, and any land of any amount. He had about 40 acres after he had to sell his farm to pay the bail. That left him with little money or land.

My mother, as I said before had a hard time to raise her children. She use to work almost day and night. I never got to go to school much. I probably went 6 months in all told. My mother had to keep me at home to make bobbins for her, so she could weave as much as possible.

My brother Samuel (this would be our Great Grandfather) was 18 months younger than myself. We use to have lots of trouble about the quilling as we ______ I hated making bobbins. My mother would just have them made right. She was terrible strict on us children, and my father wasn't, so he didn't care how things went just so they rolled.

My brother (Samuel) and myself were always in some mischief, ready to play a trick on man or beast. I remember one time of playing a trick on an old feller called Sam Medcalf. He was a bachelor. All bachelors is bad, feel ill as a bull dog. I never like bachelors since that old one stayed at my father's house. This much that I was going to tell, there was the path that went from the house to the road with good high high grass along it. We tied the grass over the path, it was awful dark that night, and we fixed the rotten eggs in the path, right about where his hands would strike when he fell. We put something else there, that the reader can guess what it was that we put there. Wanted to see the fun, so we stayed up late that night waiting for "Sam bull calf" as we use to call him. Sure enough he came along, as he always walked fast. Down he goes; he fixed himself. He got up and cursed the D-- boys for fixing that place. Next morning, my father made us hop for it. We took it all right, but laid for him. We got some neighbor boys to help us. We paid him richly for complaining on us, and us getting whipping, too.

As I have already said, my father was a shoemaker and my mother was a weaver. They worked their way through this world. My father use to farm some, but he didn't know much about farming. He used me and my brother Samuel to do the farming. My father couldn't tell whether we had done much or not, for he seldom went out to see what we had done. Some days we would work hard, and other days we wouldn't do but a little, for there wasn't nobody to go ahead with the work. We didn't raise much corn and wheat in those days. It never cost much to run a little farm. My father always had some sheep and 3 or 4 hogs to feed. When fall would come, my father would take a few bushels of wheat and a hog or 2, and go to Fort Wayne or to Michigan City to market. He would purchase some leather, salt, and coffee. Sugar, we always made that ourselves from sugar trees, and sometimes a bunch of cotton twist so mother could make us children clothes. After my father came back from market, and the next thing was to have all of us children shoes made before winter. Mother worked spinning the yarn to make cloth for the family. Sometimes my mother would sell the yarn, and buy herself a calico dress.

My father (Robert) hired me out when I was only 12 years old to a Mr. Smawly. I worked for him 2- (possibly 3 years) years all together. As I have said heretofore, that my father hired me out when I was only 12 years old to Mr. Smawly. He had nothing, only oxen to farm with. Had to plow the corn with oxen. He lived on the bank of the Tippicanoe Lake. The old oxen when they would get tired and hot, they would start for the river or a swamp and fling right in the _____. Then I was done for that day, unless the old man was around to get them out.

One day I remember well that the oxen ran away with me and got in the swamp. I was trying to get them out by stoning them. Mr. Smawly came home; he had been to town, and he came out that afternoon. He says "I'll show you that them cattle can't run off for me." We went over after dinner, and he set me to sprouting some stumps, that had sprouted up. After while, I heard the old man hollering. I looked up the hill and saw the oxen going for the swamp. He undertook to stop them by hooking the plow around a small stump that was at the edge of the swamp. Away went his plow, and broke close off by the beam. Well, he says, "You have spoiled them cattle." I told him, they were spoiled before I ever seen them. I was always determined if I ever farmed, that I would never have a thing to do with oxen.

He next hired me out to Mr. Adair that was in 1858. How come I remember the date is that Mr. Adair built the barn and had the date on the gable end. Farming in those days in Indiana was difficult. We had nothing of anything for farming implements in 1848, 49, 50, But, when I farmed for Mr. Adair in 1858, 1859, and 1860; he had only asingle shovel plow called ruffin ready to loosen the ground with. The ground generally was full of roots and stones, that made it difficult for a boy to hold a plow.

He had one span of horses and a yoke of cattle that the old nick couldn't hardly drive. They would run away and kick and tear everything up. Generally his harrow was all made of wood teeth. I used to think, if I was ever lucky enough to own a farm of my own I would have better teams and plow to work with, or I wouldn't farm. His ground was all new, full of roots that would break and fly back and strike me on the shin or leg. I would howl like a wild boy.

Mr. Adair wouldn't do much himself. We generally had 15 acres of corn in, and that was a big crop in those days for one farmer to have. He generally had 15 or 10 acres in wheat, which had to be cut with a cradle. Most boys now days don't know what a cradle is. I used it to have it to cut or help take it up. It was an everlasting job to get anything done. Get out early in the morning and when the bell rang for dinner, I was generally tired and hungry.

In the summer of 1860 while I was working for Mr. Adair, there was considerable excitement about who would be President. There were a good many rallies - democrat and republican at our different Counties. There would be long delegations having a log on the wagon splitting rails, the rail splitter Abraham Lincoln was all the go.

I was a Douglas boy and hollered for him. Mr. Adair was of the old Whig Party that went with the Republicans. It got so hot, that he told me, that he'd just as soon have a Negro to marry one of his daughters as a poor white boy. I told him one day in September, 1860, that I would quit if that's all he thought of me, and that I didn't want to work for a D______ abolitionist. He was only giving me $100 a year, and I couldn't keep myself in clothes at them figures, so the night of October 1st, I got up and quit for good.

My father was a democrat, and had always voted that ticket. The reason my father was a democrat, I could never tell; unless it was because my grandfather ran a stillhouse and mill. I came to know afterwards, that the republican party always called the democrat boshen party.

My grandfather on my father's side had been a slave holder in new Jersey. But that state had set their slaves free long before, when my father was only 15 years old. I heard my father say many a time, how bad it was to hold human beings in bondage. I heard him tell once about an old wench that his father owned. She was always fond of riding down the hill on a sled. One day his brother Samuel and himself fixed a plan to give the old colored slave a trick. Their favorite place of sledding was right above the milldam. There was a slight rise in the ground, just before going into the pond. They got the wench on the sled and told her to put on the brake, or she would go into the water. The old colored lady forgot to put on the brake the right way, and in the millpond she went. They stood and looked on. Their father was watching all the performance and came to the rescue of the colored slave, or she would have drowned. Then a thousand dollars would have been gone.

After I left Mr. Adair in October 1860, I went to work for Mr. Piper in October 1860. He came to our house and was talking about having a war. I thought that was great, as I had heard my father say, that he was in the War of 1812. Only a mere boy, I was determined if there was a war, I'd go. As I have said heretofore, that I went to Mr. Pipers to work for $10.00 a month. I told him I wouldn't grub. He said that he didn't want no grubbing done, but I hadn't been there very long before I was set to grubbing. I had that for an excuse for quitting. So I only worked 3 weeks. Then I came home and stayed that fall and part of the winter.

I left home about January 1, 1961, and went down to the Legonier (north of Tippecanoe lake) to cut cord wood. That didn't last more than a month. I took a partner along. Horace (Nuckels) or Nichols. We got 50 cents a cord for cutting wood. The wood was sugar and birch, and we could only cut only about 1 cord a day and was away from home.

We stopped at a place called Crumville to buy some tobacco. All democrat boys chewed tobacco. We hadn't gone very far from the town before we saw 3 men coming by horseback, and they rode right strait by us. And, as soon as they were by about 10 rods, they dismounted and commanded both of us to hold up our hands. I didn't know what that meant, but soon found out. They were robbers and came for that purpose. They got all our hard earned money. When they got all our money, they told us to start a running. I did as commanded and didn't look back for some time. When I looked back my partner could not be seen anywhere. I began to think they had shot him , as they all had revolvers. I didn't know what to do. I ran the fastest I had. I had about 15 miles to go home. As soon as I got home, I told my father what had happened. It was about 12 o'clock at night, and as soon as it was daylight, my father started to Crumville to find out about the robbery of me. I told my father that the robbers had killed (Nuckels) or Nichols, I guess, for I hadn't seen him since we started running. (Nuckels) or Nichols had stopped on the road and stayed all night, he wasn't scared half as bad as I was. After I had missed (Nuckols) or Nichols, I took to the woods and fields and corn lots never coming into the road any more until I got home.

My father couldn't find anything about the robbers. The store keeper had noticed some men in the store where we were buying the tobacco, but didn't know them. And so, the robbers got away without any harm done to them. After the war, I found one of them. I told him, I had a notion to kill him yet. For I had been in the war for 3 years, but didn't care to kill a man.

In the spring of 1861, I went to work for Mr. John Sawyer at a little village called Cold Spring. He built a sawmill that Spring, and I helped some on digging the rest and putting in the foundation. The rest of the time I was there, I split rails and built fence until June 20, 1861. I was cutting cord wood at a small station on the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, and Chicago line.

That was before the rebels had fired on Fort Summter. Going to war was all the go. Then in the Fall of 1861, and the Winter of 1862, I was determined to go to the war and see how Dixie looked. I went to a little place on the railroad to enlist, but the government had all the infantry they wanted. I could have enlisted in the Silmore battery of big gun battery, but I didn't want to go in a battery. So, I worked around in different places until July 1862, there was a call for troops for 3,000 or more.

On the 5th of August 1862, I enlisted in Captain Sergeant Company of the 74 Indiana and started for Dixie as it was called. We went in camp at Fort Wayne, Indiana. On the 18th of August, we moved by railroad to Indianapolis, and on the 21st we drew our arms. They was a hard piece. They was old Austin rifle with beach stick.

The regiment moved to Louisville, Kentucky the 4th of September 1862. We went in camp on a high ridge and drill was the order of the day. That was as far as I had ever been from home. We soon moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky; where we stayed several weeks. There at the later place, we were called out on double quick.

Some one had seen General Bragg's advance guard, but it turned out that it was General Hulls Army returning to Summerville, Kentucky to head off Bragg. We got out the next night and started for Summerville, Kentucky. There both armies started to have a little fight. The rebels got two of our company and the Lt. Colonel.

I and K was captured, all them that played (off) sick at Bowling Green got captured and paroled in a few days. These two companies never came up until we went in camp at Lawrence, Tennessee on 1st of October 1862. The campaign commenced against Bragg.

It was a very dry Fall; water was hard to get. In fort, there wasn't any water. In Kentucky, our regiment belonged to the 23 brigade and 4th division in Hull's Army. Our commander followed Bragg to Danville, Kentucky. There, some 3 or 4 divisions had a fight with Braggs' army. The rebels held all the water that was within 15 miles of our army. I saw water sell for $5.00 a canteen full. I went with a detail to get some water. We started in the evening and traveled all night. In the morning that the battle commenced, our command was half on this side of the ridge. The battle was raging on the other side of the ridge along a dry creek. The rebels held the big spring where they got water.

I was anxious to see a battle. I asked the Captain if myself and another comrade couldn't go and see the 84th Indiana, as I knew some of the boys in that regiment. We found it without any trouble, and the Company that we wanted to see was on the skirmish line.

Captain Bayards commanded the company, and I was acquainted with him before he went in the war. They were all into the command right away after we got to the well. The Captain said, "you have come to see the fight?" We promptly said that we had. "All right, you will get all you want

In a few minutes, it was probably about 5 minutes until the rebels made a charge on that part of the army. When the bullets commenced to whistle, there was a couple of fellers getting for the rear awful fast, as the balls flew fast and thick, the faster we went, until we came to an old house where the doctors was cutting legs and arms. Such a sickening site I ever saw. There must have been a wagonbox full of legs and arms all ready cut off. I waited to see one poor feller loose his arm. Doctor Sheldon, our family doctor, was there helping. He looked up after the arm was off. "What are you doing here Bowlby?" he said. I told him promptly that we had permission to be out. "Get out of here and go to work.

I left off sudden, went down along a side hill where there had been some fighting the evening before. I saw plenty of dead soldiers of our side and dead rebels. I now said to my company, "How do you like that, I wished I had stayed at home." I was only 19 years old that December 1862. The fighting was soon over, and we marched on the next morning. I thought of three years as a dozen, the war, when won't that time to come.

When we marched through Perryville, Henry Omans and William B. Whiteside fell out and was looking around to see what we could find in the way of eatables. We soon found an old hen and a beehive. We lifted it off, and Bill Whiteside broke some honey out, and we went on until night.

We didn't overtake our command that night, so we camped by the roadside and roasted that old hen and had chicken and honey added to our sourbelly and hardtack. In the night sometime, the old hen and the honey got to fighting. Then dear, what a time we had until morning, but we lived all through it. I never tried any more hen and honey while I was in the service.

We took up our line of march in the morning about sunup, and overtook our regiment camped in a cornfield. The boys were parching corn, so as to have a good supply of corn. We stayed in camp in the cornfield until after 4 or 5 o'clock.

Our command followed Bragg through Danville and Crab Orchard. Then it returned to Bowling Green and on to Nashville, Tennessee, and at the later place went in until the campaign was made against Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Now I was taken sick with typhoid fever, and was sent to Indianapolis, Indiana to the City Hospital in November, 1862. I stayed in the hospital at Indianapolis until in 1863. There wasn't nothing of any importance transacted at Indianapolis while I was there.

In August, 1863, I was sent to the front. One night just before we got to Green River, Kentucky the train stopped. The word was sent back along the train that John Morgan had torn up the railroad track. We all formed a line in the dark, and went tearing through the brush to find Morgan. No John could be found anywhere. There had been some rails torn up, but it had been gorillas that had done it.

The next morning we arrived at Nashville, and was transferred to another train and we rode with our army to the front. We left the train at Savannah, Alabama, and marched the rest of the way. There were about 4,000 of all kinds of fellers). Some from every state (General of the Union army, General William Stark Rosencrants.)

We overtook Rosencrants' army before the battle of Chickamauga. The battle of Chickamauga was fought on the 19th - 20th of September, 1863. Our brigade was the first to open the battle on Saturday the 19th of September 1863.

Colonel Esty of the 14th Ohio commanded the brigade. We had orders to move while we were eating breakfast. We fell in, and went down across the Chickamauga Creek, and found Bragg.

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to rot and the Corporal. He said it was awful all Saturday night. We could hear the wounded call for friends and water and praying for someone to kill them. No one that never saw a battle could tell what an awful thing it was. On Sunday evening, we retreated and left all our dead and wounded on the field. What horrors that was! Boys that we had been with all our lifetime were left, and to see them no more forever. And, Monday morning found us that were left at (Chattanooga) surrounded by Bragg's army.

Now, it was getting cold in the country, and we had lost everything that we had gained Sunday. We had filled knapsacks on Sunday; the rebels got them all. We had no way of getting any more blankets, until we could get out of Chattanooga or have reinforcements to come and help us drive Braggs from Mission Ridge and Lookout Mountain. All that we had to eat; we had to haul over the mountains from Lodgepole or Steven's, Alabama.

I went over the mountains once with a mule team to Steven's, Alabama. We had a bad time of it. The rebel cavalry was all the time working in our rear.

Old Wheeler captured one of our trains that went after ammunition and burnt all the train. Some 400 wagons and all the guards. When we got back to Chattanooga; I was to cut wood close to the rebel picket line. The wagon train that hauled wood, and the detail used to get fired on most every day. Then Johnny came out one day, when I was chopping wood, and made it lively for some time.

Such a getting to our line. It was fun to see the mule whacker cutting and stowing to see who would get ahead. I followed cutting wood all winter of 1863 and 1864. On November 23 and 24th, 1863, we, Grant's army, drove the rebel Bragg off of Lookout Mountain and Mission Ridge. Then we had plenty of rations to eat.

In February of 1864, our Corps moved out to Ringold, Georgia. It snowed in that month until it was knee deep. When on picket, we had to rake bags together to have a fire.

The rebel army was in camp at Dalton, Georgia. While we were camped at Ringold, General Sherman took command of all the army camped in the precinct. The 14th army and 15, 16, 17, 20 and 4th Corps made his army. On the 10th day of May,1864, in the morning, we started when the campaign opened on Atlanta, Georgia.

Sherman soon raised 110,000. We moved out in May 1864 and found the rebels at Sacking, Georgia. They were attacked by General Hooker, who commanded the 20th Army Corps. I then was taken sick with some kind of fever, and was sent to the rear of Chattanooga where I stayed along the railroad all night and all day. Then was ordered to get up and move myself down the track about a half mile where the head boss had his headquarters.

There, we were driven into a stockade or a corral like cattle. Each man walked up to a chute like the railroad company has to load cattle on a car. Then, we were asked to run out our tongue and hold out our right hand while a quack doctor felt our pulse. Then, we were handed a card with N on it or C on it. Then, you were driven by the point of bayonet into stock cars and shipped to the place where the card said. N was for Nashville, Tennessee and C was for convalescent -- to lay on the ground. I got N and was sent to Nashville. There, I stayed for about 2 weeks; then I was shipped to Louisville, Kentucky.

There, they expected that I would die, but as good luck happened, I didn't. About June 1, 1864, the old German Doctor that had charge of the hospital vowed that I was able to pump water and help. I tried it for one day and plainly gave him to understand, that if I was well enough to pump water for the hospital I could go to the front.

Sherman's army now lay at Bigshany, Georgia. We started with about 500 of us, and kept a quitting all along the road. We were sent to Nashville, then to Chattanooga. We went in camp for a few weeks, then moved to Dalton, Georgia where we stayed for about 10 days.

We left Dalton on the cars and were stopped at Kingston, Georgia to help drive beef cattle up to the front. On our way to Bigshanty, we were attacked by Wheeler Corps and the cattle all stampeded. They were the longhorn Texas cattle, and they run like the devil over everything. They came too. I was sleeping under an apple tree, way in the night, I heard an awful roaring and shouting. The first thing I did was to climb the apple tree for safety. I had just got up in the tree when the cattle came thundering by. Then old Wheeler's Cavalry came next, but it was dark. They couldn't see me or didn't anyway. They picked up all they could find handy in camp. Then went on after the cattle, and I was glad when the last one left. I listened for some time, then came down and found a blanket, gun, haversack, and canteen, and started for the woods, and waited for daylight to come. All that I could think of was Andersonville, that awful place called hell and earth. But as good fortune, the rebels didn't want Yankees that time, and they got them wild devils, and I wasn't sorry either. We all went on the next morning and found Sherman's headquarters and reported for duty.

The Army was at whole force waiting for us. The Cavalry made a dash at our Brigade, and we repulsed them in a hurry. The next thing I saw was a long line of gray coming out of a little strip of woods close to a cornfield. We opened fire on them with artillery and muskets, but they came right on, all the same, until within 4 or 5 hundred yards. Such yelling, I never heard since or before. I never saw men stand to the work of death any better. The first boy to get killed was Frank Martin of our Company. The poor fellow was shot though the head and killed dead. He fell forwards, never groaned. We lost, in all, 14 killed and wounded.

The battle raged all day Saturday until dark. I thought now the battle was over, but on Sunday morning early, it commenced again with the same fury. The destruction of life was awful. I thought, I would never get to see mother any more. The thought of getting killed and being left in them pine woods and the Chattahoochee river.

We were all divided up. Each Corps went to its own Corps. When we reached Thomas headquarters; we were divided again, and there was 14 of all that went to our Corps. When I got to my brigade and reported; it was Colonel Esty's who was to command the brigade of the 14 Ohio Division. There weren't very many of us left.

He came to the tent door and said, "Go down the path about 200 yards, then turn to the left, and I would find the 74th Regiments all right". The boys of the camp were glad to see me come back. Not many were sent back any more on account of sickness. The next morning was the 19th day of July, 1864.

On the 20th, we made a fight with Hardee's Corps of the Rebel Army. It was called the battle of Peach Tree Creek. It was a hand to hand fight. One division of the 20th Army Corps and one division of the 14th Army Corps. The dead was lying thick all over the ground.

One old Johnny got me by the throat, and would have cut off my head if one of the boys hadn't prevented him doing it. I expect, that the old feller could feel that blow now if he was permitted to feel. I got a small gash in the neck, but it was soon well. On the 22nd of July 1864, our company was on skirmish line until about 3 o'clock in the morning. On the 21st and 22nd the whole army was in commotion. The rebels had a plan to trap Thomas's whole command, but it failed. The old man was too sharp for them. The whole Corps stopped in an open field. Pop Thomas came riding up from the rear and ordered the 10th Indiana out on the skirmish line. It wasn't long until the 10th found the rebels laying in ambush for us. Then the battle opened. The rebels came for us, but were repulsed and driven back. They didn't come out there any more that day.

On the 22nd, the Army of the Tennessee commanded by General McPherson was fighting hard on our left. We could hear the canon and musket roaring and men cheering. General McPherson was killed. General Hood had taken command of the Rebel Army, and he was determined to drive Sherman's Army out of Georgia, but it was a failure on his part to do it.

On the 28th of July, the Army of the Tennessee moved to our right, and we had a fight again with General Hood. They slaughtered the Rebels. I never saw dead men any thicker. There were whole companies laying dead in line. I passed over the ground after Atlanta fell in our hands. There had been lots of rain and the bones of the dead were washed up in piles. It was frightful to pass over a battle field a month or so after a battle had been fought to see the ghostly heads of the dead laying around.

On the 30th of August 1864, Sherman's Army left. They were all around Atlanta, Georgia. Some were back to the Chattahoochie River, and our Corps and the 4th Army Corps went around Atlanta, and had a fight with Hardee's Corps of the Rebel Army. Sherman was getting ready for his march to the sea, already by the 20th of November. Everything I knew of 1864.

Now the 14th Army Corps started to march to the sea. We found many new things in the South, that we had never seen before. There were lots of black people. I saw some Negroes that were spotted black and white. Some girls that were sold in slavery were as white as any of our northern girls. When we were marching along through Georgia the darkies would sing "That The Lord Was Coming and Where Did All of War Come From".

The boys used to have lots of fun with the colored people. The Southern people had given up, that they couldn't gain these "liberties" as they called it. When we reached Milledgeville, Georgia our regiment camped in the State House or yard.

Governor Brown and staff had left for tall timber where it was safer for them. I went to the State Treasury and got a tin box, that had half million dollars of confederate money --all in $5.00 bills. These boxes were all around and brand new, ready to pay out to the Georgia militia and other debts that the State used to have. I filled my knapsack with them. We used to play chuckluck with the confederate money. The rebels had left the Confederate Soldiers in the penitentiaries and there were Union Soldiers in with them. We broke the door down and let everything out. The Confederates gave Georgia a lot of trouble.

We stayed in Milledgeville, Georgia until all the rest of the army had left, When we left Milledgeville, Georgia, we blew up and destroyed everything we could that was of any value to the Confederate Army. They had a very large knives. I carried one of them to Savannah, then threw it away. There has been lots of dispute about the Southern army using lances, but thousand lances at Milledgeville, Georgia.

After we left Milledgeville, some of the confederate money that I had on hand, I was out foraging or stealing as the Rebels called it. I came to a planters house and all the men had gone, all the chickens were gone, but one old rooster. The old lady had him under the bed. She was bound to hold fast to the rooster. I told her that I would take him, but I would buy him, and pay a good price for him. She wanted greenbacks for the rooster, but I told her that I didn't have any greenbacks, but I had plenty of Confederate money, and that I would give $1,000 for the rooster. She said that wasn't enough. I then offered her $15,000 in Confederate money. She finally took it.

That rooster was one that Noah had on the ark. We boiled him all night, then next morning, when we started on the march, we put him in our knapsack and boiled him another night. He wouldn't get tender then, but it was dark into camp. We went out in search of water and found some in a hole where a tree had turned out. Then we commenced to have that $15,000 chicken to be ready for breakfast.

In the morning, we went to get water at the same place and to may astonishment there was a dead jackass in the hole where I had gotten the water to finish cooking that chicken. I came back and told the boys, that the water was plaid out and I didn't believe, that I wanted any chicken this morning. In a few minutes we were on the march, we went right by that hole where that dead jackass was. No wonder you don't like chicken and jackass and chicken.

Now, we were stationed at the big bridge. Everything was made ready early in the morning to blow up the arsenal. The wad and were piled on the bridge. Then a man was sent back (who) was to touch the match to everything. Then flee. We set the bridge on fire; then resumed our march through Georgia.

When we reached Savannah, Georgia; we found the Rebels all fortified. Well, we were out of rations and nothing to eat. Only rice that wasn't hulled, and it gave out in a few days. Then we had to thrash out rice, then hull it, and clean it, and cook it with some poor beef, that we had driven along with us (little yellow cows that Georgia had for stock).

All at once, we saw the union soldiers at a fort that blocked the river. Then we got plenty of crackers and sourbelly or sow breast as the boys used to call it.

In a few days, General Johnson, the Confederate Commander, left Savannah and crossed to Southeastern side. We stayed at Savannah some time, and had review by Sherman. Then, we moved up the Savannah River for about 40 miles. There we crossed the river into South Carolina.

Then our march through South Carolina commencedwith swamps and pine forests. It rained every day until we reached Fayetteville. There we stayed for some days. Then went on. Our regiment was the first to enter Fayetteville, North Carolina. We went to Columbia, South Carolina, and there we found lots of tobacco and whiskey. At Fayetteville, North Carolina, there was lots of peanuts. I got all the peanuts that I wanted,and I haven't ever cared for peanuts since. At Fayetteville, the government had an arsenal; we heaved it up with all of its shot guns. I saw more shot guns there, than I ever saw in 29 years up north.

We left and crossed the river at that place, that the darkies took passengers on the steamer for Wilmington, North Carolina. We found Rebels in force at Bentonville (on North Carolinas map southwest of Greensboro). We drove them away after a hard fight. The loss on the Confederate side was awful. The Mullard Guard from Charleston was annihilated. They thought, they would slip upon the Yankee and cut his throat while he was asleep, but they slipped up on that. We had been in the service to long to have a green cut our throats while we were asleep. After the battle, we resumed our march to Goldsboro, North Carolina. We stayed at Goldsboro, North Carolina about two week to rest and draw clothing, as we were out of everything. I was barefoot.

We went down to Wilmington to guard a train of supplies. We found some ham and chickens that stuck fast to us. One whole mule load. We lived fine for two weeks, then started to Raleigh, North Carolina. to stop very long. We found some Rebels on the road.

When we reached Raleigh, we found some union people. The day before we got there, in the afternoon, the Governor came out and surrendered the City, and there wasn't nothing harmed at Raleigh. We camped outside of the city, while Johnson and Sherman was fixing the terms of surrender.

In a day or two after we reached Raleigh, the news reached us that the President had been assassinated. If anybody had said anything or the people of Raleigh, we would have torn the town down in spite of the guards. And, General Sherman was afraid that someone would say something, but they all kept still. If they thought anything, they kept it to themselves.

We stayed there until the surrender of Johnson's Army. The Rebel soldiers were tired of war and wanted to quit. They had sure seen pain long enough. When all the Confederate Soldiers had gone, we started for Washington. While we were marching through Georgia, we had a good time until we got to Richmond.

We went across the James river and old Halleck put about 1,000 of the boys in the guard house. He wanted Sherman to march his men on review, but old Billy wouldn't do it. He told Halleck, that he would not stand good for any rash act that any of his men might do. We marched past Libbie Prison and Castle.

So many Union Soldiers had been confined during the war. We all wanted to do something to the Capital of the Confederacy. The whole left bank side, as we crossed the James river, was burned down. Richmond was a hard place. There wasn't a union person in Richmond. We ought to have burnt the city all down. Then dug up the ground. It is a dirty secession hole to this day. After we marched through Richmond, we camped outside the city. From Richmond to Washington, and while we were at Richmond we went for the settlers. We got canned fruit, and cheese, and beef, and most everything that anybody would want.

Then resumed our march to Washington. They used to sing "We are Going Home, Die no More." It was a sad march to Washington. To think, how many poor fellows that we were leaving behind, that never would see the girl that they had left behind when they went to war. We use to sing "Old John Brown" and "The Girl that We Left Behind," and "Good Some South." We passed over most of the battle fields of the Army of the Potomac and the Army of the South. Most all the dead had been left in the field without being buried. The battle of the Wilderness where McClellan and General Grant had fought 12 days was an awful sight -- hundreds of men lay where they had fallen in 1861, and in 1862, and 1863.

On the Wellington Road, I saw a whole train load that was dead and left with union soldiers. The Rebs had blockaded them. The people of the United States don't know how much it cost us to maintain the flag of this Country. The blood that was shed, and the torments we had to endure from 1861 to 1865.

It's a wonder any of us ever got back out of them swamps. When old Uncle Abraham comes with 3,000 more, then the darkies will be free to go up north where the white folks live. White and wheat bread was a dollar a day. When we reached Message Gap and Bull Run, we could see plainly where Beauregard had his Army in 1861. We could find dead men, that had been killed in 1861. One of my Company picked up $5.00 in greenbacks, that had been lost during the great battle of Bull Run.

When we were at Goldsborough, North Carolina, we had a new Commander of our Brigade, General Green. He wanted to make us, before we reached Alexandria, Virginia, to march in 4's across a little stream that was swollen by the recent rains. We wouldn't do it. That night, he wouldn't let us have any rations, and was going to make us go without any supper. I was standing outside of my tent, and I heard a sort of yell, as I though a charge was going to be. I saw the boys going for General Green's headquarters and the Old Man getting for the brush. So one shot hit him in the thigh, and that was the last of General Green.

When we reached Alexander, we went into camp until 23rd of May 1865. On the 24th of May, the grand review came of everything that was in order. In Washington, water was all along Pennsylvania Avenue in barrels, so the soldiers could get a drink. The City was full of curious people to see Sherman. Rumors that they had read so much about up north.

General Grant said in his memoirs, that Sherman had the finest body of 65,00 men as ever trod on Army soil in any Country, and that had marched through the South and fought many of the Western Battles of the war.

We had most everything along with us, to show the people how the scene was, while we marched through Georgia and the Carolinas to Washington.

In Washington, when we came to the grandstand where President Johnson was, every company left wheeled for one block, then 4 ranks filed left, then we marched out on the Baltimore railroad and went into camp, and there we were discharged from the army.

The next march was for Indianapolis, Indiana. and then to our homes, but there was many a feller that never came marching home. Mother and wives started out to see their beloved ones, but they were gone to their long home never to return. Little boys when they had left home, now had grown up, and little girls, so we didn't hardly know them, for we had been gone so long. It seemed to me, that the war had lasted 20 years. Now the war is over and peace once more prevailed. I arrived home on August 5, 1865.

While I was in Washington; I visited all public buildings. I went all through the Capital. There were many curious things there. Out on the steps there lay the statue of Pocohantus and many other statues. In one hall, there were all the portraits of all the Presidents of the United States. The park around the Capital was very fine, and stocked with wild deer, reindeer, and elk, and fountains filled with fish. The Patent Office was a mystery to me. There were all of General Washington's fixtures and General Jackson's coat and sword, and everything that a general would have in camp or in time of war.. The Navy Yards was a wonder to me then, for I was only a boy of 22 (He says 18). The United States Post office was a large place. There was everything in order. I visited the White House where President Lincoln lived and all the rest of the Presidents

Sherman's Army was allowed to go wherever they wanted. But, one day there was a larger crowd than any other day, and the boys thought they could clean out anything that they wanted too. They had been use to cleaning up salons, and they tried it on one of them, and all at once we come to grief. The Provost Officer sent a Guard around and gobbled up about a thousand of old boys. My, they was so anxious to see some of Old Billy.

We wanted to show Washington people how to clean out a settler and a beer shop. After the boys were let out, Old Billy came riding by. Says "Boys, now the war is over and we are at home, we mustn't do like you did when you were in Dixie." "I want you to go home and make good citizens as you did good soldiers:" We couldn't go any more to the City without a pass.

In 1864, when Sherman was heading Hood off toward Nashville, our command was down in Alabama, there was a detail to do, and I was one of them fellows. We started for the Alabama River or the Bottom. We asked an old planter how far it was over the mountain to the river. "Why, Sir, I have never been over there, Sir, I was bred and born in this valley." "The colored folks can tell you," This man must have been 60 years old, and had never been away from home. It is know wonder, they went to war with their own Country.

Rooster fighting, horse racing, and hunting Negroes were all that they knew about anything. The darkies was proud when he was sold for $1,000 or $1,500. The old plantation Negro didn't know any more than a northern horse.

Do people always wonder if soldiers ever see the General that commands them? I saw General Grant only twice--once at Chattanooga and at Washington. I saw General Halleck once. Sherman, I saw him many a time. He was a fine looking Officer always in his place. If he saw a soldier in the road and wanted to know anything, he always asked a Private as quick as a General Officer, for he always knew if a Private had come from the front, he certainly ought to know a little. General Sherman and Thomas always asked the Private how it was at the front, when they were coming up to the front. I don't know whether, they asked these questions for information or not, or just to see what the men knew about what was going on or not.

General Sherman said once since the war, that he was surprised at the Private Soldiers--how much they knew. One time Sherman said, he was on the picket line before Atlanta, and before his grand movement to capture the city. He was surprised to find that the Private Soldier knew as much about his movements to capture the city as he did. Sherman couldn't tell, he said, how he got his information, for he had never told anybody nor had he put it in writing yet.

General Thomas was always looking out for his men. He knew that success depended on his men. When he ordered a charge, he meant it. One time on the Chattanooga campaign, orders were not to forage anything. We seen some fine hogs running loose, and one of them tried to bite me, and I plunged the bayonet through him. We were skinning the hog when General Thomas came riding along. "Well, boys, you have got him." Yes, General, this fellow tried to bite us, and we charged him, and the result is that the hog is dead. "Well," continued the general, "don't ya see how that it is against orders." So as we can't help it, General in this war. "You must drag him away from the road or my Agent General will be along soon, and he will gobble you fellers up" Now, there was some hustling around to get that hog out in the brush. The old General didn't care how many hogs we got (just) so he didn't see them or let his Provost Guard get us. We were more careful after this in how we got a pig.

Now, I was determined after I had come home that I would farm in 1865. I had saved all my wages in the army, which amounted to 650 dollars. I never drew any of my pay until I was discharged. Most all of the soldiers drew there pay, and spent it in the army chuckluck or some other places like settlers shabangs, but I wanted to save my money and get a start in this world.

I always gambled for all the money that I wanted, or stole it. Some may think this was a bad way to get money. I might just as well have it, as anybody else. They were bound to spend it before another payday came.

I never stole anything or took any from our regiment or company--always watched some feller that had been given settler poor whiskey. When he got full and had any money left or poor whiskey left, I always appropriated it for my own use as it wouldn't do him any good.

I never regretted but one thing, and that was a new recruit that was coming to the front in the latter part of the war. I had been back on account of being sick and wounded at Nashville. I fell in with new recruits that were going to the front. He had gotten $1,500 for going as a substitute. The first night we stayed at Nashville in the Zole Copper House. Everybody that had been at Nashville knew all about Zole Copper House. Zole Copper was killed at the battle of Willspring, Kentucky. But that night, I took $200 off that recruit, and the next night he stayed with someone else, and they took the balance. He came to me the next morning and said, that someone had got all of his money. I says, "That's too bad." Well, can't you let me have some money?" So I gave him some of the money that I had gotten the night before. He went away happy, and I didn't see him for six months again, as he belonged to another command. "Well, I owe you that money I got off of you at Nashville. I'll pay you now, and that is the last I ever saw of him. That's what I was sorry for, that I didn't take it all, for it never did him any good--only what I loaned him for six months without interest.

In fall of 1865 and the spring of 1866, I had 70 acres of wheat and it all froze out and I got only 30 bushels. The corn that I planted in 1866 did well, and I got about 500 bushels of my share.

In July of 1866, I was married to Mary Burnheimer. Her folks were German and had moved to Indiana during the war, from Ohio. I never knew them before 1865.

We first commenced to keep house on a rented farm that I had rented that year. We had 6 children by this union. (John Bowlby who married Lavada Belle Hedges. She was a half sister to Joseph Robert Bowlby. The girls were Minda Ann Bowlby married Charles Henry Johnson; Mary (Molly) Bowlby married Richard Spears; Jessie Bowlby married ___ Honess; Edith Bowlby married Bryant Greathouse (He was a brother of Maude (Greathouse) Bowlby who married Joseph Robert Bowlby which is the nephew of William Harrison Bowlby); Effie Bowlby married and a Cook and a Smith)

Now I had spent $300.00 of my army money, and had not made any in farming. Wheat was $2.50 a bushel, but I didn't have any to sell. I had one cow, that I had bought before the war, and my father had kept her for me. I had bought one mare and colt and had paid $150.00 for this animal. I had 11 hogs.

We went to Columbus City and got things to go for housekeeping. I didn't know what I needed to keep house. I had raised 100 bushels of potatoes that year, and 500 bushels of corn and 11 hogs. We had a fresh cow now. My money was nearly all gone. I spent it fast for the Copperheads said it wouldn't be worth nothing in a year. I have lived long enough to know that it was a lie, that the Copperheads had told.

In the Spring of 1877, the 13th of May the first son and only one was born to us. The rest, all were girls. Now I had moved on another place. I had taken a lease on a piece of ground from William Lyons. No relation to General Lyons, that was killed at Willspring Creek. For this Lyons, that I had taken the lease of, was a Copperhead. He didn't believe in fighting for a pledge that would free Negroes, and wanted to hang Jeff Davies to a sour apple tree.