Captain Samuel A.Craig's Memoirs of Civil War and Reconstruction PART IV. Experiences and Duties as Captain V. R. C. U. S, A. My commission as Captain V. R. C. is dated August 1st, 1863, signed by the President, Abraham Lincoln, and by E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War. We were at first called Invalid Corps, later Veteran Reserve Corps, U. S. A. It was composed of officers and privates, disabled for ser- vice in the front, by wounds or other disability. Iwas sent home to await orders and was soon ordered to report for duty to Louisville, Kentucky, where Iwas assigned to command of a company No. 20, then to No. 102, 1st Bat- talion I.C; then on October 15th, 1863, Iwas ordered to Indianapolis and assigned to the command of Co. A, 17th Regiment, Veteran Reserve Corps. Our duty was to com- mand the company, in camp at Camp Morton, Confederate prisoner camp, and furnish details of guards over the prisoners, and act in turn as Officer of the Guard, over that camp. It was one of several very large prisons in the North, one at Elmira, New York, where Capt. Thompson was on duty and one at Camp Douglas, Chicago. Ours was constructed as barracks or large sheds, about 100 feet by 20, with two-story bunks on each side and a passage way through the center, in which at intervals were large six plate horizontal stoves for the burning of wood as fuel. We also furnished details about the wood and other duties. A high fence of boards and heavy posts surrounded the camp, on the outside of which about 2 and one-half feet from the top, was a walk or platform, so that the guards could walk on it,—head, arms, and shoulders extending above the fence, giving them a good view of all prisoners and their movements inside, and could see that none es- caped. Here provisions were furnished to the prisoners, or a blanket when needed. The wood furnished was large, probably about cordwood size. A rather small stream of water flowed through, but wells were used largely. In the winter of 63-64, itwas extremely cold, and then, as Officer 191 192 Captain Craig's Memoirs of Civil War of the Guard, Isaw the prisoners on my rounds, sometimes hugging up close around or lying very close beside the stoves and when wood enough was wanting, they seemed at times very cold. The Officer of the Guard had, of course, supervision over them while on duty. The care of a com- pany of about 100 men, and other duties kept me pretty busy, but Imanaged while at this camp to attend (in citi- zen dress) the North Western University, a college about five squares distant and there recite in German and Chem- istry. And Iwould attend church and Sunday school and occasionally the Wednesday night prayer service. One at- tempt to tunnel out was made, by starting at a hidden point under barracks and concealment of the digging, but it was discovered and thwarted. Heard the prisoners sing quite well at times and saw them trying to pass the time at cards, making little things with penknives, etc. February 11th, 1864. Iwas only a few months in Camp Morton duty, when our Colonel, A. J. Warner (Gen. Warner of Marietta, Ohio) , Commander of the Post, order- ed me to take command of the Soldier's Home, down in the city. This was a large building, all in one large dining room (with large kitchen) on one of the side streets and had a few barracks for an office for the Clerk and Com- mander, and apartments for guards, cooks and helpers. During these days, regiments of soldiers having re-enlist- ed for the war were given transportation home on furlough ; very many were Indian soldiers and soldiers from all states, westward and northward, passed through Indian- apolis en-route, and were here fed a meal as they passed; so that we kept a big free government hotel; some of my mess mate officers, poking fun at me, called it "Craig's Hotel de cheap and nasty". Very many soldiers were con- stantly passing through, back and forth from the army and from the states to it, besides recruits. We fed them government rations at long tables, furnished with knives, forks, spoons and tin plates, supplying bread, butter and fresh meats, in addition to army rations. Iboarded at a hotel up in the city, or at a very good officer's mess or boarding house. All went smoothly under my superintend- ence except two troubles. One was in its origin unknown to me. Iknew my men were— not held in highest esteem by the soldiers of the front they didn't understand the Captain Craig's Memoirs of Civil War 193 corps was in the main really composed of wounded and dis- abled soldiers (perhaps some few feather-bed men from the front or hospitals, whom reports said were shirking, and were seeking easy berths, had got in this corps). At all events, rumors and disparaging remarks were some- times heard ;probably in some way foolishly bad blood had been stirred and suddenly one day a regiment had stacked their guns in the street in front and were at dinner; when out they came swearing, running for their muskets and a serious fight or riot seemed imminent. Irushed out among them, tried to quiet the row, when they seemed about to use their guns, so savage were they and so numerous, a regiment armed against a company or much less, for Ihad not called out even what Ihad; but just then, Colonel Warner, a tall, sharp-eyed, pocked-marked faced man, flourishing his crutch and cane, hobbled upon a box and forcibly and in vigorous and impressive manner, harangued the excited crowd, as to the disgrace they would bring upon their state and themselves, and so foolishly; asked any one of them who really had a grievance against the men who were feeding them free, to come up on the box and tell his complaint, or go quietly about their business. His manner and evidently crippled condition did the busi- ness and there was no response and all quieted down in peace, with the regiment again stacking their arms. The other trouble Igot into was more serious, personally. I found, after a while on this peculiar duty for a United States soldier, that Gov. Morton and his State Quarter Master General Stone, were practically running this Hotel. Itold my friend and Colonel that when the requisitions for the very large amount of supplies required for this Hotel (Soldiers' Home) came to me for my signature and affida- vit to the truth and correctness thereof, Icouldn't make the oath, nor sign what they wanted me to sign ;that Ihad never received the amounts, quality or anything even ap- proaching them ;that General Stone wasn't a U. S. soldier and couldn't draw rations from the Post Quarter Master and wanted me to do it in my name; and that he would then dispose of flour, pork, etc., in exchange for butter, fresh beef, bread, knives and forks, etc. Ididn't have the run of the exchanges and didn't oversee, or see into the in- side of the transaction; General Stone had sent for me, 194 Captain Craig's Memoirs of Civil War handed me the requisitions already made out for me to sign and swear to, and had explained that if knives were needed and butter, etc., it was all one to "Uncle Sam", if he took flour, pork that Iwould draw, ifIsigned, and no- body, "Uncle Sam" would be the loser. [Sic] Well, Gen- eral Warner saw through it and approved my conscientious stand. Itold him the consequences; that Gov. Morton or Senator Morton could easily have some one else take the position in my place, which he did, and Iwas soon relieved. Of course Iknew, in addition to the good done in this soldiers' home, ithelped Gov. Morton's political aspirations. Then soon after, Iwas appointed by Post Commander Col. Warner, Provost Marshall of the District of Indianapolis. This was a very different and difficult variety of duties. I had superintendence of the guards we needed in policing and in keeping the many soldiers always in the city; ar- rests of the disorderly. Ikept a number of our V. R. C. soldiers as a detective force, for use in ferreting out and arresting bounty jumpers; many of them came from other states and cities and from this state, and having enlisted and received bounties, or having been substitutes for boun- ty, made a practice of deserting and then going to other cities and playing the same game there. We arrested and imprisoned many, searched them in our prison or guard house, found large sums of money often concealed in their clothes, which we took and accounted for to the Govern- ment at Washington. These amounts would run from a few hundred to as high as $1500, sometimes found upon one man ! Mymen would take them before the Post Com- mander, Col. Warner, who, by cross questions into their account of how they came by the money and where, and then with such witnesses as our detectives could drum up from the communities, and the stories they told or gave them, we would court-martial them, that is, try them; usually under the charge of desertion after enlistment, with their money; or as professional bounty jumpers, if we could discover that they had played the game over and over again.