CASUALTY LISTS.
Before closing this short narrative I have concluded to make a final
effort to obtain a list of the casualties of the Regiment during the
war. To get this now, forty-seven years after, I have been limited
to very narrow resources; for but few men of the companies are living
to-day, and they are old and feeble--many of them in mind as well as
body. I have, however, seen a few personally and addressed letters
to others asking information under the following heads: First, the
names of such of their company as were killed in battle; second, the
names of those that were wounded in battle; and, third, the names of
those who had died of disease during the war. I thought I could and
ought to present this much, if it could be obtained, that it might
be preserved in form. I have succeeded partially in some instances.
In one instance I cannot find or hear of a single soldier of the
company who is living; in others very meager information is to be
had. The companies composing the Regiment were from different and
sometimes distant sections of the State. Those who have responded
to the request have done fairly well in reporting the names of their
company killed in battle, but the number of wounded and such as died
of disease during the war it will be possible to give only in part.
It is well known that every wound received in battle counts in making
up a true casualty report. It is likely and probable that many of the
wounded reported back in a short time, or maybe, as it was in many
instances, that the men remained in camp till they had recuperated
sufficiently for duty. In this way no general impression of their
being wounded is made so long afterwards. But it is a universal and
long-established rule in all armies that where one man is killed you
can count with certainty that five have been wounded. Many of the men
of the Regiment have been wounded more than once, some as many as
four or five times, and in different engagements. In the conclusion
I give I count only one wound.
I am selfish enough to say, and would not in any sense be
extravagant, that the Fourth Tennessee Cavalry Regiment was one of
the best in our army; that it had the fullest confidence of every
general officer under whom it served, and was frequently called upon
to do special and particularly important service. If the officers
were alive, I feel that they would so testify if called upon. I
would add that the Confederate cavalry were nothing more than mounted
infantry; for in many of the hardest battles they were dismounted and
fought as infantry, leaving their horses in the hands of the fourth
man, which, of course, reduced their strength in battle one-fourth.
The dismounted men were left in charge of one or two commissioned
officers, and were expected to stand at a safe and close-up position.
To be a horse holder was not always safe, for to destroy or stampede
the horse holders was a special object of the enemy. Shells were
thrown among them when observed, and sometimes the enemy would
quietly and secretly move to a position and attack them. I know that
at times the dismounted men would have to go to the assistance of
the horse holders. But the great damage was when their position was
revealed and they were made a special target for artillerymen. Our
cavalry was armed with the best of infantry rifles. Besides this,
they carried in their belts navy or army pistols, which they used
most dexterously and efficiently in mounted contests with the enemy.
They ignored the regulation saber and threw them away when given to
them, saying that they could whip any number of sabers with their
six-shooters.
A partial list of the casualties in the Fourth Tennessee Cavalry
Regiment is as follows:
FIELD OFFICERS.
Col. Baxter Smith, saber wound at Woodbury, Term., 1863;
Lieut. Col. Paul F. Anderson, wounded at Fort Donelson,
Tenn., 1863; Maj. Scott Bledsoe, wounded at Fort Donelson,
Tenn., 1863; Capt. Marcellus Grissim, quartermaster, killed
in Wheeler’s raid, 1864.
COMPANY A.
_Killed._--J. C. Bell, in Bragg’s Kentucky campaign, 1862;
James Reed, at Perryville, Ky.; W. J. Curren, at Morrison
Station, Tenn.; Frank Crockett, at Morrison Station, Tenn.;
W. J. Neil, at Morrison Station, Tenn.; Henry Allison, at
Morrison Station, Tenn.; Sam Farrow, at Morrison Station,
Tenn.; Z. Spencer, at Fort Donelson, Tenn., 1863; James
Dark, at Chickamauga, Ga.; James M. Turner, at Newnan, Ga.,
1864; Jessie Marlin, in Wheeler’s Middle Tennessee raid,
1864; John Hopkins, at Perryville, Ky.; William Sandifer,
at Resaca, Ga.; W. F. Lunn, at Perryville, Ky. 14.
_Wounded_ (partial list).--Capt. D. W. Alexander, at
Murfreesboro, Tenn.; First Lieut. A. R. McLean, at Tunnel
Hill and Chickamauga, Ga.; Lon Fagan, at Fort Donelson,
Tenn., 1863; Polk Hutton, at Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Jo
Yarbrough, at Franklin, Tenn., 1862; Charlie Ransom, at
Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Sam Waller, at Murfreesboro, Tenn.;
W. R. Wynn, at Murfreesboro, Tenn.; George Slaughter, at
Perryville, Ky.; John R. Mallard, at Buckhead Church, Ga.,
1864; James Arnold, at Resaca, Ga., 1864; Billy Wilson,
at Tunnel Hill, Ga.; Tom Fagan, at Fort Donelson, Tenn.,
1863; Ben Nevels, at Fort Donelson, Tenn.; P. A. Lyons, at
Griswoldville, Ga., 1864.
_Died of Disease During War_ (partial list).--James Davis,
James Gentry, David Watts, Tim Hare, Nick Oglesby, James
Thompson, Newt Hargrove.
I hereby acknowledge the assistance I have had from Comrade Capt.
R. O. McLean for a report of casualties of his old company. He made
a visit to Marshall County to confer with the few surviving comrades
before submitting the list. He was a citizen of Marshall County
when his company was first organized, in 1861. He was then elected a
lieutenant, when the company was sent to West Virginia, and he served
through the campaign Gen. R. E. Lee made in that section. The company
returned to Tennessee in 1862. When the company was reorganized, he
did not offer himself as a candidate; and when it was attached to
and formed part of the Fourth Tennessee Cavalry Regiment, in 1862,
he was made assistant to the quartermaster, Capt. Marcellus Grissim.
When Grissim was killed, McLean supplied his place as quartermaster,
surrendering as such at Greensboro, N. C., in 1865. He is now a
well-known and active business man in Nashville, where he resides.
COMPANY B.
_Killed._--James Lindamond, at Murfreesboro, Tenn.; William
Morrell, at Murfreesboro, Tenn.; A. A. Anderson, at
Chickamauga, Ga.; William Wood, at Jonesboro, Ga.; James
Cox, at Aiken, S. C.; Phillip O’Dell, at Waynesboro, S. C.;
Second Lieut. Joe Massengale, at Fayetteville, N. C.; M. T.
King, at Knoxville, Tenn.;--Hull, mortally wounded and died
at Newnan, Ga. 9.
_Wounded_ (partial list).--David Bushong, Henderson Avants,
Nathan Avants, Jerry Luttrell, W. J. Godsey, Thomas Lester,
J. Y. Snodgrass, C. C. Woods, A. L. Roder, J. T. Murrell,
William Caline, H. H. Delaney (at Tracy City, Tenn., 1864),
J. Sharp Ryburn, Third Lieut. Gideon Carmack, D. C. Carmack,
J. A. Henlen, Abe McClelland (arm amputated at Bentonville,
N. C.), William Sams, Henry Mattern, First Lieut. Joe
Massengale (at Durham Station, N. C., 1865).
Dr. W. T. Delaney, the surgeon of the Regiment, assisted me in making
out this list. He is now living at Bristol, Tenn., a man of wealth
and high standing in his community. He was active and faithful in
his duties, and is affectionately remembered by every member of
the Regiment. Capt. C. H. Ingle, of Company B, was a brave and most
excellent officer, and died in Virginia many years ago. He had been
a member of the Virginia Legislature.
COMPANY C.
_Killed._--William Trousdale, at Woodbury, Tenn.; Benjamin
Burford, at Woodbury, Tenn.; Arch Modly, at Perryville,
Ky.; Capt. Marcellus Grissim, in Wheeler’s raid, 1864;
Arch Roland, at Fayetteville, N. C.; Mack Paty, at
Bentonville, N. C.; Joe Edwards, in Wheeler’s raid, 1864;
John Dillard, at Griswoldville, Ga.; James Green, at
Morrison Station, Tenn.; John Bell, at Morrison Station,
Tenn.; Tandy Sullivan, in Wheeler’s raid, 1864; Esiah
Gilliham, in Wheeler’s raid, 1864; Dock Young, in Wheeler’s
raid, 1864;--Deadman, at Aiken, S. C.; George Curren, at
Bentonville, N. C.; two men, names not remembered, killed
at Perryville, Ky. 17.
_Wounded_ (partial list).--Capt. George C. Moore; Lieut.
James Hogan; Lieut. Robert Scruggs; J. A. Stewart, arm
amputated at Newnan, Ga.; Joe Cato, arm amputated at
Fayetteville, N. C.; Handly Gann, at Woodbury, Tenn.;
H. L. Flippin, in Wheeler’s raid, 1864; Elijah Tomlinson,
at Woodbury, Tenn.
_Died_ (partial list).--R. O. Donnell, George M. McGee, Jack
Minton, J. N. Baker.
Lieut. R. L. Scruggs furnishes the foregoing list of casualties of
the company. Lieutenant Scruggs is at present a well-to-do farmer
in Smith County, Tenn. He is an intelligent gentleman and a devout
member of the Church. He was wounded five times in battle, twice
most seriously. We had no braver or more competent officer, and he
was always at his post when not absent on account of wounds. He is
as good a citizen now as he was a true soldier when the war was on.
He says that his company surrendered at Greensboro, N. C., numbering
thirty-three, rank and file, and that all but three had been wounded
in action, some of them more than once.
Capt. George C. Moore was well known in the Regiment as the “Old
Reliable,” and was always at his post. He died a few years ago at New
Middleton, Tenn.
COMPANY D.
_Killed._--Mart Robinson, at Fort Donelson, Tenn., 1862;
Thomas Allen, at Duck River, Tenn. (Bragg’s retreat),
1863; Clark Weaver, at Chickamauga, Ga.; Frank Mullinax,
at Murfreesboro, Tenn.; John Gann, at Dake’s Cross Roads,
Tenn.; Mart Pemberton, at Fort Donelson, Tenn., 1863. 6.
_Wounded_ (partial list).--Lieut. Bob Bone; Lieut. J. T.
Barbee, three times seriously; Lieut. J. A. Arnold; Ord
Richerson; Turner Johnson; Spencer Dillon; Newt Powell;
Capt. J. M. Phillips, at Chickamauga, Ga.; Tom Floridy,
at Chickamauga, Ga.; Tom Mont, at Chickamauga, Ga.; Hugh
Jarman, at Chickamauga, Ga.; William Allen, at Readyville,
Tenn.
_Died_ (partial list).--Dick Odum, at Camp Morton (Ind.)
Prison; Bill Knox, at Fort Delaware Prison.
Rev. J. T. Barbee, of Sturgis, Ky., has furnished the names of the
few killed accredited to Company D. He has been for a number of
years a minister of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and has held
many high positions. There was no braver soldier in the army. He was
faithful and true in every walk of life. He was wounded seriously
two or three times in battle, and surrendered with his company at
Greensboro, N. C., in 1865, with the rank of lieutenant. Lieut. J. A.
Arnold has since furnished a few additional names. He is a resident
of Wilson County, a well-known and most worthy citizen. He was in
command of Company D at the surrender. First Lieutenant Barbee was
acting commissary of the Regiment.
Capt. J. M. Phillips died at Nashville, Tenn., in 1910. He was a
minister of one of the Baptist Churches of that city at the time. He
was not with the Regiment after the raid into Tennessee, in October,
1863.
COMPANY E.
_Killed._--John R. Rushing, at Aiken, S. C., 1864; Jack
Nealy, at Aiken, S. C.; Legran Walkup, at Aiken, S. C.;
Dan Porterfield, at Fort Donelson, Tenn., 1863; Tilman
Tittle, at Fort Donelson, Tenn.; Joe Hare, at Aiken, S. C.;
Tom Vance, at Perryville, Ky.; John Armstrong, in battle
of Nashville, 1864; Tom Meely, in Middle Tennessee raid,
1864; Charles Milton, in Middle Tennessee raid, 1864; John
Mitchell, in Middle Tennessee raid, 1863; E. J. Hawkins,
in Middle Tennessee raid, 1863. 12.
_Wounded._--Lieut. Hugh L. Preston, four times, last wound
at Durham Station, N. C.; Tom Doak, at Atlanta, Ga.; Boney
Preston, at Murfreesboro, Tenn.; A. W. Kennedy, at Fort
Donelson, Tenn.; Nile Mitchell, at Chickamauga, Ga.; Lieut.
John Fathera, at Chickamauga, Ga.
_Died._--Burr Reid, in a Northern prison.
I am indebted to Lieut. Hugh L. Preston for the casualty report of
Company E. He is now a worthy citizen of Woodbury, Tenn., and has
represented his constituency both in the Upper and Lower Houses
of the Tennessee Legislature. He was young, active, and brave as a
soldier, and was in every engagement of his company during the war.
Perhaps he was absent for a short time, but only when suffering
from wounds received in battle. He has the distinction to have been
in command of those soldiers who fired the last guns before the
surrender of the Army of Tennessee at Greensboro, N. C., April 26,
1865, which occurred but a few days afterwards. He is as worthy and
honorable as a citizen as he was brave and true as a soldier.
Capt. H. A. Wyly, who commanded Company E, was as gallant in battle
as he was intelligent and courteous as a gentleman. He died many
years ago at his home, at Woodbury, Tenn. He was one of Woodbury’s
most worthy and public-spirited citizens.
COMPANY F.
_Killed._--James Burke, at Chickamauga, Ga.; Jack Carder, at
Saltville, Va.; John Dillard. 3.
_Wounded_ (partial list).--Capt. James R. Lester, at
Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Lieut. W. H. Phillips, at Tracy City,
Tenn.; Lieutenant Burgess, at Murfreesboro, Tenn.; William
Lester, leg amputated at Kennesaw Mountain, Ga.; Zack
Thompson, at Lebanon, Tenn.; Kirk B. and P. Sherrill Harvey.
Capt. James R. Lester, of Company F, was a most gallant, dashing
officer, handsome in person, and always rode the finest horse in the
Regiment. He served from the beginning of the war, and was wounded
several times in battle. He died some years ago at Lebanon, Tenn.
He was a prominent and much-beloved physician. It is said that the
wound received in the battle of Murfreesboro contributed materially
to his death. When he surrendered at Greensboro, N. C., he was Acting
Inspector General on the staff of Col. Baxter Smith, commander of the
brigade.
COMPANY G.
_Killed._--D. C. Witherspoon, at Perryville, Ky.; C. M.
Webber, Triune, Tenn.; James Doughtry, in the Atlanta
campaign, 1864; James A. Brandon, in Wheeler’s raid, 1863;
Joe A. Rushing, in South Carolina, 1864; D. W. Tolbert, in
South Carolina, 1864; James Hughes, at Bradyville, Tenn. 7.
_Wounded_ (partial list).--Capt. J. W. Nichol, three times,
last at Bentonville, S. C.; J. E. Neely, J. C. Coleman,
J. F. Dunn, W. P. Gaither, John Gordon, John Harris, H. J.
Ivie, Houston Miller, W. M. Spain, W. W. Grey, Lieut. John
A. Sagely, Lieut. F. A. McKnight, Sergt. W. R. Fowler, A. W.
Robinson, W. H. Youree, Walker Todd, A. R. Patrick, C. M.
Roberts, L. M. Roberts, Sam Witherspoon, Isaiah Cooper, J.
E. James, Lieut. Dave Youree.
_Wounded and Died in Prison_ (partial list).--Lieut. J. A.
Sagely, Calep Todd, Alfred Todd, Preston Carnahan, W. M.
Bynum, D. C. Jones, Gid Martin, Arch Robinson, Jesse
Robinson, John E. Jones, Frank Youree.
Capt. J. W. Nichol, of Company G, is the last surviving captain
of the Regiment. Three were killed in battle, and the others have
died since the surrender. He was dangerously wounded four times
in battle, the last wound being received at Bentonville, N. C.,
the last general engagement of the Army of Tennessee, a few weeks
before the surrender. It was thought at the time that his wound
was mortal; but, to the surprise of every one, he was back with
the company in a short time and surrendered with them. He had the
distinction of having had a full company during the whole war. He was
a thorough disciplinarian, obedient to every order, and was kind and
attentive to the necessities of his men, who held him in high regard
and respect. He is to-day an active business man at his home in
Murfreesboro, engaged in commercial pursuits, an honorable and most
worthy citizen. I am indebted to him for the casualty report of his
company.
COMPANY H.
_Killed._--Lieut. Allen B. Green, at Murfreesboro, Tenn.;
Lieut. William Gaut, at Cedartown, Ga.; James Bennett,
at Cedartown, Ga.; Moses Bennett, at Chickamauga, Ga.;
James Carpenter, at Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Walter Magill,
at Murfreesboro, Tenn.; James M. Pickett, at Cumberland
Mountain, Tenn., 1863; Jack Smith, at Franklin, Tenn.;
William Shell, at Mill Springs, Ky.; James Williams, at
Perryville, Ky.; William Massengale, in Wheeler’s raid,
1864; John Pickett, in Wheeler’s raid, 1864. 12.
_Wounded_ (partial list).--H. H. Harron, at Chickamauga,
Ga.; Hickman Crouch, at Newnan, Ga.; Capt. Sam Glover, at
Morrison Station, Tenn.; W. W. Warren, at Winchester, Tenn.;
Thomas Godsey, at Morrison Station, Tenn.; Dan Jackson, at
Chickamauga, Ga.; John McCall, at Morrison Station, Tenn.;
James McDonough, arm amputated at Bentonville, N. C.;
Richard Martin, saber wound, 1864; William Stone, at Fishing
Creek, Ky.; Isaac Whitecotten, wounded four times in battle;
O. K. Mitchell, at Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Robert Shumate, at
Perryville, Ky.; Martin M. White, four times during the war.
_Died_ (partial list).--William Cupp, at Chattanooga, Tenn.,
1862; Pleasant Bell, at Knoxville, Tenn.; Levi Austin, at
Knoxville, Tenn.; John A. Aiken, in prison, 1864; Jonathan
Bailey, at Camp Chase, Ohio, 1864; Doc Cupp, at Chattanooga,
Tenn., 1866; Charles M. Douglass, at Chattanooga, Tenn.;
Arch D. Durham, in Georgia, 1864; William Goad, in prison,
1863; Rufus Godges, at Jasper, Tenn., 1862; John B. Hilton,
in prison, 1864; Lieut. William Light, in Rock Island
Prison, 1864; James M. Morris, in prison at Chickamauga,
Ga., 1863; William Smith, in a hospital in Georgia, 1864;
Houston Sutton, at Carthage, Tenn., 1862; Alex Tacket, in
prison, 1864; David Thompson, 1862; Thomas Watkins, October,
1862; James B. Winder, at Gainesboro, Tenn., 1862; Alonzo
Williams, in Kentucky campaign, 1862.
I am indebted to Comrade J. C. Ivey, of Company H, for the report
from his company. He is living at Clear Lake, Tex., and is a
prosperous farmer in that vicinity and a well-known and most
respectable citizen. He is the only one who presents one of the
last pay rolls of his company, which verifies fully the report he
makes--facts that stand recorded at the time they occurred. He
enlisted in his company at the beginning, and served continuously
till the surrender, making an excellent soldier through his four
years of service. I thank him for his response to my letter and his
convincing report.
COMPANY I.
_Killed._--Fentress Atkins, at McMinnville, Tenn., 1862;
Cullom Jowett, at McMinnville, Tenn.; James Padgett, at Fort
Donelson, Tenn., 1863; Elias Owens, at New Hope Church, Ga.,
1864; Capt. Robert Bledsoe, at Sparta, Tenn., in Wheeler’s
raid, 1863; A. Bledsoe, at Sparta, Tenn., in Wheeler’s raid,
1863; Lieut. Foster Bowman, at Sparta, Tenn., in Wheeler’s
raid, 1863; Acting Adjt. E. Crozier, 1865; William Deason,
Pleasant Poor, John Smith, Mike Hill, Lafayette Hill, and
Robert Brown, in Wheeler’s raid. 14.
_Wounded_ (partial list).--Lieut. J. W. Storey, at
McMinnville and New Hope Church, Ga., 1864; B. Porter
Harrison, at Fayetteville, N. C., in 1865; James Singleton,
at New Hope Church, arm amputated.
John W. Storey, now a prominent member of the bar at Harrison, Ark.,
furnishes the casualty list of Company I. He was the sergeant of his
company for some time during the war, and was one of the best we had.
As adjutant of the Regiment I never had trouble with his reports or
the many orders made upon his company for information; they were
always clear, concise, and exactly what was called for. He was made a
lieutenant on the field of Bentonville for his bravery and efficiency
in every duty as a soldier. He was in every engagement, and was
wounded twice in battle, on both occasions seriously. I am also
indebted to him for several valuable papers which he had preserved,
and which he furnished to me.
COMPANY K.
_Killed._--T. J. Allen, at Elk River, Tenn., 1863; Ed
Hancock, at Munfordville. Ky.; Joe Barnes, at Murfreesboro,
Tenn.; Jesse Horton, at Murfreesboro, Tenn.; John Bowman,
at Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Robert Hearn, at Lebanon, Tenn.;
James Hearn, at Tracy City, Tenn.; Joe Newsom, at Morrison
Station, Tenn.; Jack McDonell, at Morrison Station, Tenn.;
Ed Smith, at Kennesaw Mountain, Ga.; Andrew Van Trease, at
Calhoun, Ga.; Joe Cammeron, at Grassy Cove, Tenn.; William
Neal, at Marietta, Ga.; R. A. Davis, at Bentonville, N. C.;
John Raine, at Manchester, Tenn.; Tobe Wharton, in Rock
Island Prison. 16.
_Wounded_ (partial list).--Lieut. William Corbett, at
Chickamauga, Ga.; Lieut. DeWitt Anderson, at Rocky Face
Mountain, Ga., 1864; Jack Barton; John Corbett, at Resaca,
Ga.; George Farnsworth, at Tracy City, Tenn.; Jim Hearn, at
Tracy City, Tenn.; William Stonewall, at Big Shanty, Ga.,
1864; Frank Anderson, at Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Henry Nelson,
at Crow Valley, Tenn.
Frank Anderson was under seventeen years of age when he enlisted
in a cavalry company in 1861. He surrendered April 26, 1865, at
Greensboro, N. C. So he saw and participated in all, from beginning
to close. Company K was at first the escort of General Wharton, and
afterwards of different commanding generals of the Army of Tennessee.
Anderson was a great favorite, and was frequently called upon by
officers to carry their orders to parts of the field where the battle
raged hottest and fiercest. His character was that of a brave and
reliable soldier. He has been an active and well-known merchant of
Nashville, Tenn., since the war, and is still actively engaged in
business. We are indebted to him for a full report of his company’s
killed in battle.
COMPANY L.
_Killed._--Capt. J. J. Parton, at Chickamauga, Ga.; Newt
Cashius, at Chickamauga, Ga., 1863;--Bell, at Lookout
Mountain, 1864. 3.
_Wounded._--Lieut. William Henry.
Recapitulation: 112 killed multiplied by 5 equals 560 wounded, plus
112 killed equals 672 killed and wounded.
The Regiment never had a battle line of over seven hundred and fifty
rifles, which diminished as the war progressed. Of the two hundred
and fifty who surrendered at Greensboro, N. C., more than half of
them had been wounded in battle, some of them more than once and in
different engagements.
As stated before, I have taken extra pains to see and write to men
of all the companies to obtain a list of the killed and wounded and
those that died of disease during the war. I have been able to get
a fair list of the killed in most of the companies; but I find it
impossible, as they have said, to give the names of all the wounded
and those that have died during the war. Imperfect as it is, I have
thought best to publish such as have been given to me. I have delayed
and kept open the list till the last minute, so anxious have I been
to do justice to all. When we compare this list of wounded with
the list of killed in battle, it is apparent upon its face that the
greater number of the wounded have not been reported, so I am forced
to apply the long and well-established rule in all armies of five
wounded to one killed in battle, which is approximately correct.
Aside from this, it will be seen from said reports that some comrades
have been able to make but insignificant reports of their killed in
battle. Every surviving member of the Regiment knows that they were
as valiant in battle as their comrades of the other companies. It is
their misfortune that none are left to testify for them.
The greater part of the companies in the Fourth Tennessee Cavalry
Regiment had on their rolls as soldiers from 125 to 130 names. None
of them at any one time had so many, but enlisted that many during
the service. The nature of the service of a cavalryman carries
him to different and distant parts of the country, giving him the
opportunity to collect and bring to the company not only absentees,
but recruits. The body of the Regiment was composed of active young
men, born, as the saying is, upon horseback, which well fitted them
for that arm of the service. More than that, they were lovers of the
horse and rode only the best that could be had. In the Confederate
cavalry the cavalryman had to furnish his own horse. It was not so
in the Federal army. The government provided them with horses, and
it could not be expected that he would give the attention to his
horse that the Confederate would. This leaves us to say that the
Confederate cavalryman did more effective and better service than the
Federal cavalryman. There was no comparison to be made between the
cavalry horses of the two armies. Generally speaking, the Confederate
horse was of the best blood and make-up that could be found--in other
words, he was purely bred from the best sires--while the Federal
horse was pretty much of the rough order, large, inactive, and
easily broken down and worn out. A good Confederate cavalryman would
go hungry himself before he would permit his mount to suffer for
necessary food. I have seen him time and again carry in a sack behind
his saddle rations of corn hundreds of miles to meet an emergency
rather than let his horse go hungry. I have seen him give a hundred
dollars for six horseshoe nails and tack on the shoe himself rather
than permit his horse to go lame. He and his horse consequently were
always ready for active service, and it was this that made him more
effective as a soldier than his enemy.
The greatest loss that the Regiment sustained was when the men
were dismounted to fight as infantry; they were armed like the
infantry and usually fought as infantry. I have said that upon the
organization of the Regiment it numbered about one thousand, rank
and file. It is also well to know that when a cavalry regiment is
dismounted it loses one-fourth of its effective strength by its horse
holders. The largest force the Regiment ever had in line on foot
was about seven hundred and fifty. This was at Chickamauga, which
occurred just after a two months’ rest at Rome, Ga., when we took
time to gather up all absentees and many recruits. Never after that
did we have so many on foot as infantrymen.
It must also be taken into account that after the organization it was
necessary to make many noncombatant details. Many were discharged
for disability, from wounds received in action, sickness, etc.
Others were discharged from being over and under the age limit. Many
prisoners were taken by the enemy. The exchange of prisoners at all
times was slow; but for two years or more before the war closed no
exchange of prisoners was made, and I suppose that the Regiment had
a hundred men who were not released from prison until after the war
closed. And I am pretty sure that we had our share of those who got
tired and “just quit fighting.” All of these causes greatly reduced
the line of battle; and of the two hundred and fifty that surrendered
at Greensboro, N. C., April 26, 1865, at least three-fourths of them
had been wounded in battle, and many of them more than twice in
different engagements.
I have finished what I have to say forty-seven years afterwards.
It is necessarily incomplete, for many things have faded from my
memory, and I speak altogether from personal recollection. I have
thought it proper to give a cursory history of the Army of Tennessee
from the fact that the Fourth Tennessee Cavalry Regiment was a part
of it, participating in all of its campaigns, marches, and battles
from October, 1862, to the surrender, except Hood’s campaign against
Nashville. When General Hood left Atlanta, he ordered Wheeler to
remain there and to march in whatever direction Sherman moved; hence
we went to the sea, circumscribing as much as possible the burning
and pillaging of Sherman’s large army of seventy thousand. We met the
Army of Tennessee again in North Carolina, and served with it till
the surrender at Greensboro, N. C., April 26, 1865. I would have been
pleased to mention the name of every gallant soldier of the Regiment,
but it is now impossible to get it; and to name some and leave out
others equally as meritorious would not be proper. I have had to
speak of some who have given me valuable assistance in compiling the
casualty list of their company. I trust that this may be a sufficient
apology, and that no one will be in the slightest degree offended by
the action.