able officers and men had been killed, wounded and taken prisoners, and the consequent demoralization was necessarily so great that the organization became for a time well nigh annihilated.

The battle of Guntown, and the defeat, rout and subsequent flight of the Federal army, will stand forth in the history of the rebellion as one of the most shameful exhibitions of generalship on record. Bravery on the part of our troops was not wanting, nor were they in any manner to blame for the failure. They were veterans who had participated in the memorable charges on the 19th and 22nd of May, 1862, at Vicksburg, in the long seige which ensued, and in the various battles fought during the Red River expedition. They had never before known defeat, under some of the most trying circumstances experienced during the whole war. The true cause of the great misfortune was plainly incompetency and lack of courage on the part of one who should have been the leading spirit of the occasion. When the important crisis of battle came, which demanded his counsel, presence and action, he was nowhere to be found near the front, where the fierce contest raged, and for a time fluctuated with doubtful signs of success to either side. Without orders, and without the means of prosecuting the fight, the valiant troops held out until the last

moment, and fell back only when impending ruin was about to overwhelm the Union army. They performed their whole duty, and could not accomplish impos sibilities.

After the return of the regiment to Memphis, the remains of Colonel Humphrey were taken North to his family, where appropriate funeral services were held, under the direction of the Masonic Order. A very large concourse of people assembled from the surrounding country, and attended the corpse to the burial place selected for its reception, near his prairie home. Beneath the green sod of his own beautiful homestead, under the cool shades of the tall walnut trees he so much admired, and near to the wife and children of his heart, they laid away in peaceful repose the remains of the gallant, noble and beloved colonel. Those who associated with him in camp, on the march, and in battle, and in all the various and arduous duties of soldier-life, are best acquainted with the military ability, the unremitting zeal, the integrity of character, the urbanity of manners, and the nobility of soul, which ever characterized the man. Yet his immediate associates are not the only ones who know this, for among the numerous officers, both of superior and inferior rank, belonging to the various commands with which his regiment was identified in the field, he

was held in the highest respect and estimation, his bravery universally acknowledged and lauded, and everywhere throughout the army, where he was known, he was mentioned as one of the most brave, industrious, persevering and promising military men which the country had afforded. By the survivors of that regiment which he so long, so faithfully, and so honorably commanded, his valor, his virtues, his overflowing kindness of heart, and his constant solicitude for their comfort and welfare, under some of the most disadvantageous circumstances, will always be deeply cherished in memory, and the prairie burial spot which contains his sacred ashes, will ever be approached with reverence, and regarded as the resting place of a brave soldier, a true patriot, and an estimable citizen.

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CHAPTER VII.

The Regiment relieved from duty for a time after the Guntown Battle, and allowed to recruit The Command soon regains a prosperous condition, and prepares for the Arkansas Expedition, under General Mower Arrival at St. Charles, Ark. - Company "K" " detached and left at the mouth of White River as Garrison - Regiment ascends White River to Duvall's Bluff, and goes by Railroad to Brownsville - The lengthy March through Arkansas to Missouri in search of Price - Arrival at Camp Girardeau "Colonel Pap," and why he was so named-Regiment embarks for St. Louis, and goes to Jefferson City - Ordered forward to Sedalia - Assigned to Garrison Duty-Remain there until the Campaign against Price closes - General A. J. Smith's troops sent to Benton Barracks, St. Louis.

ON the return of the regiment from Guntown to Memphis, its organization had been so much shattered by recent misfortunes that it was relieved for a time from the performance of other than light duties, and was allowed a few weeks to recover from the severe shock it had received, before taking part in an expedition which was soon to set out from Memphis for Arkansas, under command of General Mower.

On the 20th of July, Major William Avery, who had been absent on recruiting service in Illinois, and had been serving on court martial at Springfield, Ill., for a long time, returned to the regiment and assumed command, and on the 26th of the same month, Lieut. Colonel L. Blanden, who, soon after the Red River expedition, was ordered North on business, rejoined the regiment at Memphis. The regiment now underwent a thorough course of reparation and discipline. New arms and clothing replaced the old ones lost and destroyed during the Guntown expedition, and soon the command, by constant drilling and unremitting efforts on the part of the officers and men, regained its former condition of prosperity and efficiency, and was pronounced well prepared in every way to reënter upon active duties in the field.

Preparations were now being made for the movement of troops down the Mississippi and up the White river, for the purpose of operating in Arkansas. On the 3rd of August, 1864, the Ninety-fifth embarked on the steamer "White Cloud," at Memphis, and arrived at St. Charles, Arkansas, on the 5th. Company "K” was detached from the regiment at the mouth of White river, and assigned to garrison that post. The division of the 17th Army Corps commanded by Colonel J. B. Moore, to which the Ninety-fifth belonged, remained