Reminiscences of Pvt. William F. Nichols, Co. A, 11th Ks. Vol. Cav. Regt.

Battlefield Dispatches is a column featuring original documents from the era of "Bleeding Kansas" (1854 --1861) and the "Civil War" (1861--1865).

[Sharpshooter Delirious with Fever]

"Next morning we started to Fort Smith for supplies, but as to how I got there, I never knew as the fever had the best of me; the first I knew, I was in Camp on the north side of the river near Fort Smith laying on a saddle blanket with a cavalry saddle for a pillow and hearing pistol shots and someone to say if "Nix was able to Pull a gun he could hit it." I turned my head and saw they were shooting at a goose's head as it walked by about 40 yards away. I drew my favorite revolver (a Colt 36 caliber octagon barrel Navy) and at the first shot cut the goose's head off and remembered nothing more for several days."

[Unpopular Surgeon]

"During that time Regimental Surgeon Underwood heard of me and sent word by Lieut. Joe L. Thornton for me to report next morning at Headquarters. When sick call was blown. I told the Lieut. to tell him to go to the place the Bible says is never very cold and that if he came near me with his blue pills I would shoot him so full of lead that some prospector would be likely to locate a Lead Claim on him. Lieut. Told him I was crazy with fever and would do just what I said and that I was the best revolver shot in the Regiment. I heard no more from Dr. Underwood."

[Hitching a Ride and Jayhawking Rations]

"After leaving Camp what seemed an age to me, we were ordered back to Kansas. I had barely got strong enough to stand alone when we started north. We were furnished a few old worn out mules & wagons to haul our rations. One of Co. A. (Uriah Ackley) was detailed to drive [the] team and into his wagon I crept for a ride and could have rode to Fort Scott only my propensity for foraging. On the 2nd day out from Fort Smith some of the boys asked what was in the wagon. I told them Hard Tack and Bacon. I was Brevetted Commissary Sergeant by them and they began handing in their Haversacks and I filling and handing them out. It was several days before the wagonmaster found us out, but when he did, it was not long until I found myself out "With very emphatic Orders to Stay Out." After that I walked (when the Boss was about)!"

[A fate worse than Death]

"I remember I walked the day we reached Cabin Creek and that I saw the skeletons of our two lead scouts who were a day ahead of the Command and had been killed by Bushwhackers and EATEN by WOLVES. A detail was sent back to bury their Bones."

[Rations on the Wing]

"We had been in Camp, but a short time when a Prairie Chicken dropped down within 30 yards of our Camp. It had hardly struck the ground until I had my Revolver leveled. I shot its head off and in a few minutes an Orderly rode up and he said Colonel Moonlight would be pleased to see the soldier who fired the shot at Headquarters. I told him I was on sick report and was not able to walk that distance. In a few minutes the Col. made me a short call. I told him I had heard the order read that evening that there should be no shooting, but when the chicken dropped so close and that my mess was out of rations, I forgot orders. He let me off after giving me to understand it was because I was sick and out of grub."

[Home Cooked Rations]

"When we arrived at Fort Scott, Ks., we were entirely out of rations. We went into camp a short distance south of town and of course we nearly all went to town to try for a square meal. The citizens done their best for us and we went to Camp with our belts let out from one to 4 holes."

[Pig Stealing]

"While on my way to camp I saw a trick played on a farmer who had brought a dressed hog to town for sale. It was after dark and the man was standing holding his team in front of a store waiting for the dealer to come and see the pork when two soldiers came up and asked his price. One of them took hold of the hogs head as if to see how it was dressed and before the man realized what was going on they jerked the pig weighing about 100 lbs. out of his wagon and was gone with it. The night was rather dark at the time, but in a very few minutes it turned a deep indigo Blue for at least 2 blocks around, but as he could not leave his team all he could do was to stand there and Curse the soldiers."

Editor's note: Subheads and any text enclosed in brackets were not part of the original document. Arnold W. Schofield is superintendent of the Mine Creek Battlefield State Historic Site near Pleasanton, Kan.