During the summer of 1863, I think Father had received several letters from Brother Joe who was in the Federal Army and stationed near our home in Webster County, Missouri, and also from my sister who still lived with Mrs. Hollis, in which Joe gave it as his opinion that the war would not continue much longer and that everything was peaceable throughout that section of the state and expressed his belief that it would be perfectly safe for us to return and live at our home there again. Sister also agreed with Joe in the matter. From newspaper reports, too, Father learned that the whole state of Missouri was in the possession of the Federal Army, there being no Confederates in the state, except small bodies of guerrillas in some remote and poorly guarded localities and these were constantly being driven out of the state and the federal forces in such unguarded sections largely increased. Father at that time was doing a good lucrative practice and had acquired sufficient means to purchase a comfortable home, but although he was doing well financially he had never intended to locate permanently in Indiana. He and Mother both desired to return to Missouri as soon as conditions of the country there was favorable, and in any event, when the war ended. Believing we could do so with safety after mature deliberation, they decided to return in the fall to Webster County, Missouri. As Dolph was in the Federal Army and would probably be in the service until the close of the war, Irene made preparations for her and her children to accompany us to Missouri.

While we were getting ready to make this trip, Father was attending to the horses in the barn one day and "Mose" our large claybank colored horse, stepped on his right foot mashing it very badly and breaking one of his toes, and he was very lame for a week or more and was still lame when we were prepared to make our homeward journey. Our relatives in Indiana, whom we saw before leaving there, expressed their regret at our departure. Dr. Jack SIavens was very loath for Father to go. They had become greatly attached during the time they had been associated in their professional labor, and their parting was with mutual regret. Finally Father, Mother, Irene and her children and I, bidding goodbye to our relatives and many good friends in Portland Mills, departed overland in our covered wagon for our old home in Webster County, Missouri. Our first stop was at Rockville, the county seat of Parke County, where we visited Father’s cousins Reuben Slavens and Mrs. George Inge, whose husband was the sheriff to the county. The county jail was near their residence, in which there were confined in one ward, some criminals who were insane, and we could hear their dreadful yells far into the night. That night I went out on the town with cousin Reuben’s boy, Will Henry, a lad about my age, and soon after we started the full moon rose directly in the north, it seemed to me. I was, so the expression is on such occasions, "turned around" which was something I had never experienced before. Leaving Rockville the next morning, the next town we passed through of any size was Terre Haute, a large city an the Wabash River which we crossed on a wire suspension bridge. I remember it shook dreadfully as we crossed over the river on it and I was fearful it would fall. We learned later, that the bridge, overburdened by a large drove of cattle fell, and many of the cattle entangled in wire of the structure of the bridge were drowned. I do not remember whether any human lives were lost in the terrible disaster or not. From Terre Haute we traveled through Illinois on the old corduroy road, which evidently had been in use many years and in many places was in very bad repair and some of the wooden bridges on which we crossed several creeks and small rivers were so old and dilapidated that we were fearful they would break down but fortunately we crossed them all safely. We passed through Danville, I think afterward; famous as the home of former Congressman Uncle Joe Cannon, for years Speaker of the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. Another town through which we passed was Vandalia, at one time the Capital of the State of Illinois. When we were about ten miles from St. Louis, Missouri, we stopped at the home of Father's half-sister, Aunt Euphemia Ogle, who with her husband Mr. Benj Ogle, lived on a farm, part of which was in the American bottom, one of the largest bodies of bottom land on the middle section of the Mississippi River. Their dwelling house and other buildings were on higher upland. It was a very fine farm and the bottom land, as far as I noticed, was in corn of the best quality I had ever seen. Many of the stalks having two and three large ears some of which were almost as long as my arm. My dear aunt welcomed us gladly and we had a good visit with her and her friendly husband. She had no children as far as I know. She and Father had not seen one another for a long time and enjoyed being with each other again very much and parted with much regret.

The next day after leaving Aunt Euphemia’s home, we crossed the Mississippi River on a large steamboat, landing on the wharf of the city of St. Louis, the largest I had ever seen. After passing through this big metropolis and viewing its very wonderful sights, its splendid public edifices and its magnificent churches and tabernacles with their towering spires, the immensely high business structures, the miles upon miles of paved streets and the swiftly drawn street cars, and seeing the policemen garbed in their beautiful uniforms and several bodies of federal soldiers, all of which was wonderfully attractive to me.

We finally passed from the city to a well improved country section and traveled that day on a fine graded road for about 20 miles, stopping late in the afternoon at Ballwin, a small village in St. Louis County. We stayed that night at an old one story inn, the proprietor of which was Mr. Ball, a very courteous old gentleman.

Sometime during that night we were awakened by a great noise, at the barn near the inn, which sounded like some animal in great distress. Father at once got up, dressed hastily, went to the barn where our horses had been stabled and fed on our arrival the previous afternoon and found our faithful old horse, Alec, down in his stall and groaning as if in great pain. Father got him up on his feet and led him out of the barn to the adjacent lot and after examination of his physical condition, at once decided that the horse had a very severe attack of a disease known as "botts." He procured assistance and such remedies as could be obtained at the general store in the village, and did everything he could to give the suffering animal relief, whose piteous moans were distressing. His treatment was without avail and sometime near morning the poor striken creature died. We had owned "Alec" for several years and we were all greatly attached to him and his loss was greatly lamented. His death left us among strangers, with many miles of our journey ahead of us and with only half a team. We were surely in trouble. Our dilemma at the time was what to do and where to purchase an animal to take the place of our dead horse.

Father had observed that Mr. Ball had a nice bay mare which seemed like a gentle animal and if trusty, might make a good mate to "Mose." He asked Mr. Ball if he would sell the mare. He did not seem disposed to do so at first, said she had been their family horse for some time and they all prized her very much and had no desire to part with her, but finally yielded to Father’s importunities and Father bought the animal paying for it $100. 00, a big price at that time. We left Ballwin soon after the purchase of the mare and after only a few miles travel found that she was a very gentle, well broken animal and made an excellent mate for good old "Mose." Here we reached the end of our journey Father was well pleased with the enforced purchase.

Chapter eight continued...

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