The following can be found on the Menard County, IL Genealogy Trails website.

"On August 5, 1862, Arphad enlisted in the 129th Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infanty, Co. G. At the age of twenty-one, he enlisted for three years. The battles he saw included Peach Tree Creek, Bentonville, and the Siege of Atlanta. Arphad received an honorable discharge on June 8, 1865 near Washington D.C. He later received a military pension of fifty dollars a month. His family were very proud of his military service. Youngest daughter Mollie wrote the following about her father's war experiences:

"Pa enlisted at harvest time in 1862 0r 1863. He was in the war 2 years, 8 months, 20 days. He fought at Peach Tree Creek.

He walked on foot during the war and very often had little or no food. They nearly starved. Once they run on to corn and sweet potatoes taking them back to camp. Once they found some big mussel shells which they ate and nearly died. Once they found some molasses and rye flour on a plantation. They washed out an old iron tea kettle and warmed up the molasses. They took the flour to camp and had pancakes.

Once they went to a plantation where a Negro slave boy was holding and carrying his pet chicken so that the soldiers wouldn't get it. Pa took hold of the boy by the ear and asked where the hams were. The frightened boy said, "In da pummies, sir, in the pummies!" (pummies is where the cane is ground). They had just butchered and had buried the hams in an old spring wagon in hopes of hiding them from the Yankee soldiers. The soldiers took all of them, needles to say!!! (Aunt Mollie always laughed as she related this story)

After winning a particular battle the soldiers went to a nearby plantation. The Negro slaves, after being told of their newly found freedom, wanted to go with the soldiers. A little Negro slave boy had a pet lamb which he carried with him. But the lamb got heavy and had to leave him along the way.

Once the soldiers found a plantation where there was a big piano on the second floor. They were having fun playing the piano when Southern soldiers came. The Northern soldiers had to jump from the second floor and run!

Pa told of being in three states within an hour down near Tennessee.

An old couple had two sheep behind their cabin. Two soldiers went to the door to trade for coffee while the others stole the sheep.

The soldiers stopped at a Southern home because they were hungry. At the house, a pretty girl fixed a meal for the soldiers. The other women in the house were making Rebel uniforms, so the Northern soldiers took the uniforms outside and chopped them up.

Once each soldier was rationed four hard tacks. They were to be soaked in water till they got big and then they were to be fried. They were told to make it last as long as possible for this was the last of the rations. One fella ate all four at one time. He said he wouldn't get hungry later. He ate all four, went down the hill and he was killed."

Arphad Snell