Anton’s Story of Frederick’s Experiences as He Remembered Them

Frederick volunteered in the Civil War in Sept. 8, 1862, in the enlisted Kansas 11th Infantry, at Leavenworth, Kansas. From there they went to Fort Scott, then to Arkansas. He was in the battle of Prairie Grove. His colonel was Hirem Moonlight, the Captain Louis Joy. Major Plumb later became colonel and also became a senator after the war. General Blunt was in command. He was going to be reinforced by General Herron. They were camping in the Boston Mountains. General Heineman was the southern commander. He found out the location of the northern commander and surrounded Blunt, and went on to meet Herron. Some of Blunt’s pickets heard sounds of moving wagons (the wheels were wrapped with cloth) and suspected something. They told Blunt, but he said it couldn’t be. In the morning they found out Heineman’s trick. They were given five minutes to get ready. Heineman was ten miles ahead. When they got there, they Joined Herron on the side. The soldiers thought they were flanked by Heineman and were ready to give up. A chaplain rode down the lines and cried, “It is Blunt”. This encouraged them, but Heineman had more men and the north had to retreat and the boys were all glad.

He left 1000 dead piled up and put a fence around to keep the wild hogs away.

That night at roll call Frederick was missing. Hilty, his neighbor friend, was very worried about him........Here the story cannot be read any more because the paper has deteriated. What Uncle Anton was to finish is not known. The next sentence begins,” He saw a man.......

(In April of 1863 the Kansas 11th Infantry became the 11th Regiment Calvary)

Civil War Days

Frederick Reichart--private--age 25--5ft.7˝ inches tall--black hair-black eyes--dark complexion--married--farmer--born Darmstadt, Germany.
Home-Grasshopper Falls, (now Valley Falls,Ks.) Jefferson County.
Enlisted Sept.8, 1862 Mustered into service Sept.15, 1862, Leavenworth, by Lt. Watts.
Promoted to Corporal Nov. 21,1863.
Promoted to Sergeant Jan. 24, 1865, at Fort Riley.
Mustered out Sept. 21. 1865.

Members of Company:

The above names are from the area surrounding Valley Falls. When the call came for volunteers from Kansas, in the Coal Creek, Half Mound area, at least, the men decided by lot which would go and which would remain to care for the needs of the community. Frederick Reichart, Joseph Hilty, and William Ott were three who went. Kasper Abbuehl and Anton Reichart Jr. were two of the relatives who looked after the community.

Later on when General Price threatened Kansas, Anton Reichart Jr. also entered the war.

Word came one day that Quantrill would raid Atchison and men were needed to protect the town. Kasper Abbuehl walked at night to Atchison to help, but Quantrill and his men did not come to ambush.

Bushwhackers came into the Grasshopper Falls area. Mr. Hager (Father-in-law of Jacob Ott) and Mr. Schleppey (Father of Ben Schleppey) were shot down as they answered the knock at the door.

Grandmother Margaret Reichart was often afraid to sleep in the house. She would sleep in a corn shock in the field, taking a different one each time. Often she put her ear to the ground to see if she could hear the beat of horses’ hooves or the rumble of wagon wheels. With the prairie quietness sound traveled far in the night.

Mrs. Hilty lived just north of Grandmother Margaret. A certain time of the day Mrs. Hilty and Grandmother Margaret would meet half way between the two homes to see if either had heard anything from the men in the war.

Grandmother Margaret and Mrs. Hilty used to gather plums and wild grapes together east of the Reichart Homestead. Grandmother said that they had such fun together swinging on the vines, and talking and laughing together. Then all at once they would think of their husbands and wonder if they were perhaps dead. Then it seemed almost a sin that they for a moment had forgotten them in their fun.

One day Grandfather Frederick did not answer the roll call. Mr. Hilty asked his commanding officer if he might search for him, but the officer said “No”.

When it got dark, Mr. Hilty slipped out from the camp anyway. He didn’t find Grandfather, but Grandfather was back to roll call the next morning. He had gotten lost from the group and had to hide in the daytime and travel at night to get back to the company.

Once Grandfather got a horse shot out from under him and he had to take to his heels. Mr. Hilty yelled, “Run Fred, run!”. Grandfather said that he was already running just as fast as he could go.

When Grandfather Frederick entered the war, he left at home his wife of two years and his first child, Anton. In 1863 his second child, Frederick, was born. They wrote and told him about the arrival of the child. Grandfather got so homesick that he just had to come home. So he went AWOL. On the third day that he was home, the family got worried. And his younger brother, Anton, volunteered to go in his place.

During the Civil War, they had very poor methods of keeping track of their men. They would be gone sometimes for days and then show up again. They didn’t tell the officer what they had done until Grandfather was back again. Instead of the officer reprimanding him, the officer said that it was a very brave thing that his brother had done for him. So Anton was commended for the thing that he did.

Grandfather said that often they would fight all day and then run or ride all night.

A run-away slave came into the community. He was hidden by Kasper Abbuehl. No one knows the length of time, but one day Uncle Kasper said that it was time for him to go on. No doubt this was after he had rested and been given food for several days and they felt that he was now able to continue his escape journey.