The Saber and Scroll Journal Volume 1, Issue 1, April 2015 | Page 55

and his wife got separated. Fribley spent a lot of time searching for her and finally
found her in the train cars. Later that day, a conflict arose between Fribley and
Wagner: “Had unpleasant words with Col. Wagner.” 14 The band made their first
appearance at dress parade on January 8, 1864. That same day, Lieutenant Colonel
Louis Wagner charged Colonel Fribley with disobedience of orders “beating calls
for Church, Drill and Tattoo at unestablished hours” and conduct “unbecoming an
officer and a gentleman” for his response to the original charges: “tell Col. Wagner
to attend to his own business and he [Col. F.] would attend to his.” 15 The Acting
Judge Advocate did not feel the charges important enough to warrant a trial before
him.
On January 9, the regiment received marching orders. They left camp on
January 16 for New York, where they boarded two transports, the Prometheus and
the City of Bath. The City of Bath arrived at Hilton Head, South Carolina on
January 22. The Prometheus encountered stormy weather, causing many officers
including Fribley, to become seasick. The Prometheus, after a stop at Fort Monroe,
arrived at Hilton Head on January 24. The 8th USCT was assigned to Howell’s
Brigade, Seymour’s Division, Gillmore’s Department. Fribley continued to drill his
men with a dress parade on January 27, inspection on January 28, brigade drill on
January 29, and battalion drill on January 30. Kate accompanied her husband to
Hilton Head and stayed until the regiment left for Florida on February 6. Gillmore
planned to secure Florida: to gain supplies of cotton, turpentine, and timber; to cut
off enemy supplies; to obtain colored recruits; and to restore Florida to the Union.
The regiment arrived in Jacksonville on February 8. The next day at
Camp Finnegan, three companies of the 8th USCT captured one prisoner and many
Rebel stores. The regiment was placed on duty guarding and repairing railroad
bridges at Finnegan’s, Picket House, Baldwin, and Barbour’s. General Gillmore
met with Seymour at Jacksonville on February 14 and ordered the brigade to stay
at Baldwin and not to advance without his consent. After Gillmore’s departure,
Seymour sent word that he intended to destroy the railroad bridge at the Suwannee
River. Gillmore sent General John Turner to stop him, but thunderstorms delayed
Turner by two days. The battle of Olustee occurred before Turner arrived. On
February 16, Fribley expressed his disapproval of this trip to Florida in a letter to
his wife: “We don’t know how long we will remain here. We can’t tell much about
what will be done, when I am well satisfied that the head bosses are not certain as
to what they want to do themselves. I have but little confidence in the show they
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