Big Black Creek Historical Association

Civil War

Bill,

These letters are from a soldier in Co A, 30th IL Inf, Lt. David W. Poak. He was acting adjutant most of the time. In his first letter he mentions the 20th and 30th Il, two pieces of artillery and cavalry. I included the two other letters hoping they might be of use to you.

After Poak's letters I've included an excerpt from the regimental history that may be the unamed artillery and cavalry units that Poak mentioned. I haven't heard of Swartz's Battery but there is an IL battery that went to MO to form, Schwartz's Artillery

Hope this helps,

Matt Anderson

Camp near Estanaula Tenn. Aug. 17th / 62   

Dear Sister, 

In consequence of our Regt. being on the move for the last three or four days I have not had an opportunity to answer your welcome favor of the 3rd inst. which I recd' almost a week ago but now as we have again made a halt and I am not on duty today, which by the way is rather a rare occurrence, I will spend a few moments penning a few lines for your perusal. It appears to me that the melancholy days have come the saddest of the year and if you were here to see our present encampment I think you would heartily concur in my opinion. Our camp is situated in Hatchee bottom and about 1 mile east of a river of the same name. The ground for miles around us is flat and swampy, part of the time entirely covered with water and in consequence of the thickness of the timber you cannot see more than the length of one company. To add to the pleasures of the place something less than a thousand musical Bull Frogs keep up an almost incessant croaking. It is very lonesome for us here as there are but three or four families live within 3 miles of us and what is harder on us than anything else first is not near so plenty as it was about Jackson but I guess we will manage to get plenty to do us. I am afraid that if we remain here long that we will have a great many sick in our Regt. as this place cannot help but be unhealthy. Our march to this place was rather hot but we took all the advantage we could by marching at night. Water was very scarce all along our march. The first day we marched about ten miles without getting enough of water to make a good drink. When we got to where there was some water we stopped for dinner and stayed there till about 5 oclk in the evening .While we were resting a large plantation belonging to a rabid secessionist was stripped of everything on it useful to a soldier except peaches and they were so abundant that all we took could not be noticed. Night before last ourCo.was called out at 12 oclk to go down to a ford about 4 miles below this. News having come into camp that 50 rebel cavalry were going to cross over the river there that night. We had a most doleful time of it getting to the river as our way lay through the swamps and it had rained the night before. Sometimes we would be falling over logs, the next moment running into a mudhole  about knee deep or perhaps find yourself lying in some hole with a half dozen more of the boys on top of you. In this way we traveled on until we reached the long looked for place. We remained there until the next morning about 9 oclk when we were relieved. I expect we will remain here for sometime as this is a very important point to guard to keep the rebels from outflanking our forces at Bolivar. The road we are on is the only road through this swamp for a good many miles either up or down on which the rebels can bring infantry or artillery and on this road there is only a ferry, so as long as we can keep them from throwing a bridge across the stream we can hold them in check. We have two Regts. of Infantry , the 20th and 30th Ills., two pieces of Artillery and 3 companies of cavalry, so that we can make quite a little fight if we are attacked. Water that is good water is very scarce .What we use for cooking we get from a mill race close by. But what we drink we have to go a mile for. We have got one of the best negro cooks I ever saw. He is an excellent cook and besides that he carries all the water we want and goes out three miles into the country and brings in fruit. Several of the other messes have negroes but I think ours is the best in the Regt. Before I leftJacksonI gave a man there 220 to express to you to New Castle Forty of this belonged to Geo. Hill and you can give it to one of his brothers the first time you see them. The other $180 you can do as you think best with. If you need any of it take it and use it. You wanted me to go back to Mercer  Co. to recruit for our company and you would come there and see me .You were to late speaking as Lieut. David had recd the orders to go. I could have gone out but I did not care about it. I do not want to leave the Regt. until I can go to Penna although if you had mentioned the matter sooner I might have done it.  Lieut. David and Sergt. McCreight have gone back to recruit for our company .That is they have gone toSpringfieldto report to the state Superintendent of recruiting and he sends them wherever he chooses. If he sees fit they will go to Mercer Co., if not they will go some place else. I believe I have nothing more at present. I suppose we will get mail very irregularly while we stay here .Give my respects to Polly Ann and to Emmaline and the children. 

Your brother,

 David W. Poak

Camp Near Estanaula Aug. 24th/62

Sister Sadie,

I again this pleasant Sabbath evening take my pen for the purpose of conversing with you for a short time through the silent medium of the pen. Yours of the 10th inst. came to hand yesterday evening .Since I last wrote to you we have had another march or rather another wagon ride. Last Wednesday morning we recd' orders for our regt. to go to Brownsville a town about 17 miles distant from this place .The Col. thinking that it would be easier for us to go in wagons than to walk and the wagons being at his disposal ordered out 24 six mule teams and at nine oclk we started for the above named place. We had as pleasant a trip as could be expected under the circumstances, nothing worthy of note occurring on the way. We arrived there about 2 oclk in the afternoon and took up our quarters in the Court house yard which by the way was not a very enviable situation as our Cavalry had been using it for a yard to feed their horses in, in consequence of which it was full of corn husks and dust. I took up my quarters in a very nice room in the court house so that I have no reason to grumble. We found quite a number of good Union men in the town and the citizens all treated us with marked respect. I met with some of the kindest men there that I have seen since I came into the service .They took many of the officers and men to their houses and gave them the best meals they could raise without charging a cent When we told them we were not going to stay but a few days they expressed great regret and told us if we could to come back again and stay. The Citizens there feel keenly the effects of this war. Our troops occupy the place for a few days and they flock in by scores to take the oath .Our troops are then ordered away and they are left to the by no means tender mercies of bands of guerillas and cotton burners which infest this country. I really pity them and hope that some step may be taken which will afford them some better protection. We left there yesterday morning and got back to our old camp ground about 3  oclk P.M. covered with dust and heartily sick of our rough ride . This morning hearing that there was to be preaching in a church about a mile from camp .In connexion with 3 others thought we would attend divine worship once more  but on arriving at the place we found that the minister had failed to fill his appointment and that there was going to be no  preaching. So we went to a house nearby where we spent an hour or two in rather pleasant conversation and then returned to camp.

The weather is very warm and one would suppose very sickly, but our boys still continue in excellent health. Capt Burnett has handed in his resignation but we do not know whether it will be accepted. The boys are commencing to talk about who they will have for Capt. and as far as I can learn a great many of them want me but here is the tug of war. Our 1st Lt. is a first rate man, is much my senior, has always done his duty, has treated me with the utmost kindness, and I think would make a good captain. So that I do not feel like taking command over him even if I was elected. So taking everything into consideration I believe if it comes to an election I will not allow them to use my name. Don’t you think I am right? That receipt you spoke about in your letter I don’t know anything about. I wrote to Duff about it as soon as I heard it was lost but never have recd any answer from him concerning it. I expressed some money to you before we leftJacksonand have written to you about it in several letters .Please write as soon as you receive it. No mail came in this evening consequently no letter for me.

Write soon and often .Give my respects to any enquiring friend. Say nothing about what I told you concerning our Capt. resigning. 

 Your brother,

 D.W. Poak

Camp Near Estanula, Thursday Aug 28^th/62*

Sister Sadie

Yours of the 17^th came to hand yesterday evening and I now take my seat to reply. I must acknowledge that I was somewhat astonished at the serious manner in which you were disposed to treat (what you were pleased to call my flirtations with Mrs Reba) I don’t remember now what I wrote about it but I certainly did not intend you to understand that I was either flirting with her or loitering about the house. As far as being entrapped by their seeming kindness is concerned I expect to keep on the lookout for anything of that kind. But enough of this. Nothing of much importance has occurred since I last wrote to you. The weather still continues very warm and very dry. The health of our Regt is excellent not more than a dozen being in the hospital from the whole Regt. I still continue in good health and am getting fatter every day. A portion of our co was sent out after fruit yesterday and they brought in about 25 bushels of very nice peaches which were divided out among the several companies of the Regt. Besides the peaches each of the Boys had at least one and some of them as high as four geese which they declared would not take the oath and they were compelled to arrest them and bring them into camp. Although I did not get to go along I fared pretty well. I got all the peaches I could eat and one of the Boys was kind enough to make me a present of a very nice young goose which I expect to have for supper this evening. Sweet potatoes are now large enough to use and we are having them in abundance. Beans irish potatoes cabbage etc are very plenty and you know any of those served up with nice fresh beef is not very hard to take. Our cook is proving much better than I expected at first so that taking everything into consideration I believe we are getting along better than we have at any previous time since we have been in the service. The negroes in camp are used when there is any fatigue duty to be performed so that our soldiers are spared from a great deal of labor that they were formally compelled to do. I do not like the negroes by any means but if there is anything they can do that will leave a soldier in the ranks I am in favor of using them. But if the rebellion can never be crushed without arming them, if we cannot raise enough of white men in the north to fight our battles for us. I say let the south secede and joy go with them.

We are to be mustered for pay next Sabbath day it being the last day of the month. In your last letter before this one you spoke about John Fait getting married. I was not aware of anything of the kind until I rec’d your letter. We have not heard anything from our recruiting officer yet. The last news we had from Mercer Co she had raised 7 full companies since the last call of the President.  They are going to organize a Regt in the county if they can. Whatever number they lack they are to raise inRock Islandor Henry county. The Hon J. S. Thompson of Aledo I expect will be the Col. Nearly every man back there that could come atall has come this time. There is a rumor afloat in camp since yesterday evening that there had been another battle inVirginiaand that the rebels got whipped. This would be very cheery news if we only knew that it was correct but I would much rather not hear anything about it—until we can get the straightway of it—than to be kept in such suspense.

If our men should succeed in whipping them or even in holding them in check at the present time. I don’t know what they may look for when all the new troops get into the field. I believe in one of your other letters you requested me to tell you the names of our Regt Officer. Our Cols name is Elias S Dennis Lt Col Geo A Bacon, Maj Warren Shedd. Fouke our former Col has I understand rec’d the appointment of Brig Genl of some of the new troops. We are looking for some mail this evening when the trains come in but I don’t know if we will get any or not.

Give my respects to any enquiring from your Brother DW Poak

Write soon

That journal you spoke about Lib Mc giving for me I believe you forgot to tell me that she sent until now but it is an old saying better late than never so please give her my thanks.

Regtl History

Sept. 1^st, 1862 marched toward Medan Station, on the Miss. Central R.R., and about four miles from that place, met the enemies cavalry, 6000 strong, under Gen. Armstrong, and after four hours fighting, drove the enemy from the field, gaining a brilliant victory. The 30^th was commanded by Major Warren Shedd, Col. Dennis commanding brigade of 20^th and 30^th Ill. Infantry, one section Swartz's Ill. Battery, Capt. Foster's company of independent, Ohio cavalry, and 34 men of the 4^th Ill. Cavalry.