SEARCHING FOR REBELS

Having landed during the night at the mouth of Bayou Sara on the Mississippi River in Louisiana, along with 5,000 Union troops, the 16th Ohio started a march toward St. Francisville and the interior of Louisiana, searching for Confederate troops. Cpl. Theodore Wolbach provides a description of the day:

The force struck out from the river toward St. Francisville, the 16th in advance deployed as skirmishers. They passed through the town on a run finding but one person on the street, an old man in the act of hitching up in a buggy. He was taken charge of by a guard. A little beyond town our advance ran into some cavalry pickets, three I believe. One was sound asleep and was captured; the other two got away just in time to escape a like fate. The captured man was very communicative. He said he had fought under Zollicoffer at Mill Springs. A little further beyond we passed the residence of ex-Governor Harris. The old gent was at home and was very friendly to us, bringing milk out to the boys. A squad of rebel cavalry, that was cut off on a by-road by our main advance, galloped out on the main road and escaped with bullets singing after them. Not finding anything more of the enemy after going fifteen miles we returned. ... This expedition to bayou Sara was the last in which the 16th marched out to offer battle to the common enemy.

Available records do not mention when the regiment returned to their camp at Morganza Bend. Without this information, we will assume the 16th Ohio arrived back in camp at Morganza Bend late in the evening, having been transported to and from Bayou Sara on the steamer Choteau.

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This period map shows the route of the 16th Ohio and the Union force which went on a scouting expedition from their camp at Morganza Bend, Louisiana, to Bayou Sara and beyond, on October 1 and 2, 1864.

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Modern day map showing the estimated route and location of the 16th Ohio from their primary camp at Morganza Bend, Louisiana, to Bayou Sara on the Mississippi River. The route after (east of) St. Francisville is notional as information on which direction the mission took has not been found.

A - Approximate location of the 16th Ohio's primary camp at Morganza Bend, Louisiana. The regiment camped in the spot from July 4 to October 6, 1864.
B - Approximate location where the 16th Ohio and large Union force landed around midnight on October 1, 1864.
C - Notional point where the 16th Ohio and large Union force may have reached (15 miles) October 2, 1864, before returning back to camp at Morganza Bend. The force could have gone in any direction after reaching St. Francisville.