Marching with the 1st Nebraska

Marching with the 1st Nebraska. Fort D. , At the beginning of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln requested states raise 75,000 volunteers for troops. In response, the 1st Nebraska Volunteer Infantry Regiment was organized during the early summer of 1862, partially, in order to replace army troops stationed in this territory. However, the entire regiment ended up being called to action and arrived in St. Louis in August 1861. After spending some months in action against Missouri irregulars, the 1st Nebraska was heavily engaged at battles at Fort Donelson and Shiloh, TN and the siege of Corinth, MS. Late in 1862, the regiment returned to Missouri where it participated in a winter expedition, traveling from Pilot Knob, MO to Batesville, AR and back. , In March 1863, the 1st Nebraska relocated to Cape Girardeau, which was a pleasant respite. The regiment was comprised of frontier men, and alcohol was frequently available. A German immigrant and member of the regiment, August Scherneckau, tells of getting paid at the St. Charles Hotel: "The paymaster was in a pool hall right under the headquarters. On the pool table, the greenbacks were thrown toward us... there were drunken men immediately, since there was money again, as well as beer and brandy." , Traveling downriver on an expedition, Scherneckau relates "farther around the peninsula... rests the Catholic seminary... high up and beautiful, an attractive building. On the other side, we caught a glimpse of our old camp until the bluffs and the walls of Fort D removed it from our view." , While in Cape Girardeau, the regiment was well fed. Scherneckau noted the food being unloaded at the wharf, including hard bread, flour, grits, smoked bacon and sugar-cured hams, rice, coffee, tea, dried mashed potatoes, sugar, vinegar and salt. , On April 26, 1863, the 1st Nebraska formed the main infantry force that repelled rebel forces during the Battle of Cape Girardeau. According to Scherneckau, "The troops... advanced so close to each other that they shouted out insults." , During the summer of 1863, the regiment was again stationed at Pilot Knob, working on what became known as Fort Davidson. Later, the regiment would be sent to Arkansas and remounted as cavalry. Recalled in June 1864, the regiment's steamboat stopped at Cape Girardeau. Appreciative townspeople greeted them, and "wild handshaking took place between citizens and soldiers." After burying a sergeant who died on the trip, Scherneckau relates that "the citizens handed out beer and whiskey to the soldiers." Upon departure, there were "several very drunk men and quite a few very tipsy ones." Several men fell into the water as the boat departed, and "brawls could not be avoided." , The 1st Nebraska ended its Civil War service in action against Native Americans near Fort Kearney, WY. Scherneckau married and moved west to Oregon, where he died in 1923. , [photo captions] , . St. Charles Hotel , . Fort Kearney , . Battle of Shiloh , . Battle of Fort Donelson , . Camp at Pilot Knob