Civil War Letter, Benjamin B. Comstock, February 1862

 Oneonta Herald, Oneonta, NY, February 19, 1862

Civil War Letter, Benjamin B. Comstock, 12th Wisconsin Infantry

Weston, Mo., Feb. 6, 1862

Editor Herald:  The preparations for the Lane expedition are progressing slowly.  Difficulties and delay have thus far marked its progress and no doubt will continue to do so.  Among those difficulties are the lack of means of transportation, the unfavorable weather and those nameless hindrances which have been laid in the way of those who have went to war in earnest, from the first.

The 12th Wisconsin Regiment, to which I am attached, reached Weston, opposite Fort Leavenworth, on the 16th of January.  We were the advance guard of the "grand army" about to be raised.  Our little excursion from Camp Randall to the Missouri River was rather more marked than such trips usually are. We expected to cross the Missouri at Quincy Ill., and take the cars for St. Joseph, but when we reached Quincy, we learned that the railroad bridges, burned between that town and Palmyra had not been fully repaired and we were obliged to march to Hannibal, a distance to twenty-two miles. We made the distance in six hours, but when we reached the banks of the river opposite Hannibal, our hearts failed us when we saw the ferry boat frozen in on the opposite side and between us and the anchor, ice which was piled around it ran three currents and hundred rods in width. For twenty-four hours we remained there without shelter and almost without food, in the piercing wind, with the thermometer fifteen degrees below zero, and just before us lay Hannibal with food, warmth and shelter, and we looked up on it with more wishful eyes, than the poet on the stormy banks of Jordan ever cast to the happy fields beyond.

We passed over the Hannibal and St. Joseph railroad in cattle cars; the rolling stock of the road having been mostly destroyed by rebels.  The weather still continued intensely cold and the men suffered beyond description, and if it attempted to recall a day and night of pure misery, I would single out of my experience that passage across the State of Missouri, pent up in narrow, dark cages, every ray of light excluded, without fire and no food except half a dozen crackers per man.

Our journey was not without its incidents.  We would sometimes peep out and catch a glimpse of a beautiful country, enriched with everything that Heaven could bestow on it, but desolated by the madness of man.  Troops were quartered at all the stations along the road, who gave us accounts of their scouts and skirmishes and of the Battle of Silver Creek, in which some of them had just been engaged.  Almost every mile of the road had its story.  Here a train had been fired into, and there a bridge burned.  In one place a station house and rolling stock had been destroyed, in another the track torn up and in yet another, a train with its living freight had been precipitated through a broken bridge.  Once we saw a dozen men attempting to tear up the track, but they were too late.  We were close upon them and they fled.

When we reached this place, we found that no quarters had been provided for us at the Fort, so we were quartered in the various churches in the place. We found here the 18th Wisconsin, Col. Morgan.  Their sole business seems to be, nabbing jayhawkers and runaway negroes, and swearing in rebels.  The negroes are far from being loyal to their masters.  They accuse them of being rebels and run off by dozens and scores when an opportunity is offered.  I asked a squad of fine-looking fellows the other day why they did not run away?  and they answered, "We'd go dreffle quick, massa, if it was'nt for the women and children. We hate to leave em, though dey're not ours either."  Not ours either!  What a commentary on Southern rights!

Since we come, the 9th and 13th Wisconsin, 2d Ohio Cavalry and 1st Kansas regiments have followed.  Jim Lane too has been here and seemed in high spirits and said he would have work for us soon.  The next day we received General Hunter's orders saying he should take command in person, unless expressly ordered to do otherwise; that the expedition would start without tents or baggage; That he had applied for six brigades to accompany him, and that the troops must hold themselves in readiness at an hour's notice.  An expedition begun under such auspices could not fail to be more injurious to us than to the rebels.  It would be simply murderous. A soldier must submit to the powers that be, and if from fear that someone will be hurt or a negro turned loose, Hunter takes command, we have nothing to say, but to march forth at this season of the year without tents or transportation is another thing.

I have seen several of the Kansas 1st today. they have seen service that puts to shame all that I had yet seen or heard of soldiering.  The Kansas 5th and 6th are ordered to be ready to join our expedition at Fort Scott.  The 4th Iowa Cavalry are on their way here across the country.  Heavy Artillery and ordnance stores are soon arriving.  Something may be done yet and somebody may possibly get hurt.

Yours, B.D. Comstock