MIDDLE TENNESSEE AND KENTUCKY.
On reflection, I find that I omitted about a year’s service in Tennessee
and Kentucky, before my capture near Bowling Green and will insert this
now.
After destroying trestles and bridges between La Vergne and Nashville,
under General Forrest, and capturing a railroad train at La Vergne, on
which Colonel Fordyce was captured, we were ordered back across the
mountain to Chattanooga, where we commenced scouting and picketing on
the Tennessee River. We frequently extended our scouts almost to
Guntersville, with the Federal Army massing and camping just across the
river. General Mitchell commanded at Huntsville. He gave out that he was
building a gunboat, with which to capture Chattanooga, and had the
people of Chattanooga badly alarmed about it, but when finally he got
his gunboat ready to move up the river, a scout of about twenty Texas
Rangers were sent down to meet it with shotguns, taking a position on
top of a high bank, opposite the mouth of Battle Creek, which was in
plain view of this high bank. The gunboat approached and proved to be an
ordinary small river boat, lined with cotton bales on the edge of the
decks with the troops aboard, lying around carelessly on the side of
this barricade of cotton bales, some of them playing cards. When the
boat came very close to our bluff, we turned loose our shotguns on them
and drove the boat into the mouth of Battle Creek, where it remained and
was utilized by the Federal Army as a bridge for crossing the creek.
This proved the end of General Mitchell’s famous gunboat, with which he
threatened to capture Chattanooga. It was driven out of commission by
Terry’s Rangers’ shotguns and relieved the people of Chattanooga of
their anxiety.
While picketing down on the river road with a companion, we stopped at a
blacksmith’s shop near Nicajack Cave and had our horses shod; just
across the river was a camp of Federal infantry and artillery. The river
at this point we judged to be about three-quarters of a mile wide,
perhaps more; the railroad continued to run on the banks of the river,
after passing the Narrows with the first depot out of Chattanooga, Shell
Mound. After having our horses shod we rode down to the railroad on the
banks of the river, the grade of which was high enough to protect us and
our horses. We discovered a soldier at the river, filling some canteens
and to see him run, we fired our pistols across, which of course made
him run to his camp. Soon after, we heard the artillery bugle and
immediately a gun opened on us with shell, which always struck the
Nicajack Cave, some three-quarters of a mile in our rear, the country
between us and Nicajack Cave being flat and open. We soon moved down to
the little brick depot at Shell Mound and opened on them from there,
when they perforated it with their shells; we then moved down to a box
bridge across the mouth of the creek running into the river and had them
make that a target. It is hardly necessary to say that we enjoyed this,
somewhat, having a duel with our pistols against their piece of
artillery. We were entirely protected and didn’t consider that we were
under any danger whatever of being hit.
While picketing on this main road, General Morgan ran down on a
locomotive as far as Shell Mound, just before our escapade with this
artillery and came very near having his engine struck by a shell, but he
succeeded in getting back to Chattanooga with his locomotive.
We were soon ordered back to Middle Tennessee, under General Forrest,
where we operated around McMinnville, Manchester and along the railroad.
After an attack on the outskirts of Manchester one morning, which
Colonel Forrest decided was too strong for us, we withdrew further down
the railroad, where we charged a block-house, the first we ever
attempted to capture and the first we had ever seen. But, although some
of our men got right up to the house, we were unable to force them to
surrender, and were forced to give it up as a bad job. While engaged in
this venture, a large force of infantry, cavalry and artillery had moved
out on the road from McMinnville and were about to cut off our line of
retreat. When we got in sight of this force, hurrying to get out of this
corner, they raised a shout, which I must say made me feel very
uncomfortable, knowing that they outnumbered us perhaps five to one, but
we succeeded in dashing across the main road, where we wheeled and
charged their advance column, bringing them to a halt, permitting others
of the command to cross, that were virtually cut off, but they did
capture a large fine looking negro man, who was the servant of General
Forrest. His name was Napoleon, and he was devotedly attached to General
Forrest. In connection with his capture they also captured two fine
horses belonging to the general. They carried this negro to Louisville
prison and did their best to persuade him to take the oath of allegiance
and join them, but he steadfastly refused, as he was devotedly attached
to General Forrest and was finally, through some special arrangement,
exchanged and returned to the general. The last I knew of him I heard of
him in Louisville prison, when he was sent around for exchange.
After operating a while longer in Middle Tennessee without any important
captures, we got information that General Bragg had crossed the
Tennessee River at Chattanooga and was moving across Cumberland
Mountain, driving the Federal Army before him and we were instructed to
harass the enemy as much as possible. In accordance therewith we would
attack their infantry (moving with their artillery, ordnance and wagon
trains by divisions on several of the main roads). We would dash into
their rear, forcing them to stop and draw up in line of battle, when
they would commence shelling us and we would move out of the range of
their artillery rapidly, further up the road, striking another column
perhaps in flank, leaving the first mentioned column shelling the woods
for an hour or more after we had left. In this manner we kept them
harassed and impeded their rapid movements, while General Bragg, with
the main army, was moving as rapidly as possible on their flank,
crossing the Cumberland River higher up on his way to Glasgow, Kentucky.
The Federal Army made a short stop at Nashville, collecting all their
forces, and then moved from there towards Mumfordsville, Kentucky, on
Green River.
While in pursuit of one of these Federal columns on top of a mountain
not far from Woodbury, we struck a point on the pike where it was built
across a deep ravine; the crossing protected on the side by a rail
fence. Just as we entered the narrow point in this lane, General
Forrest, who was riding in advance of our regiment, discovered a vidette
of the enemy in the woods on the far banks of the ravine, and he
immediately had some men dismounted on both flanks, to drive them in,
satisfied that the enemy were going to make a stand on the other side of
the ravine. He determined to charge them, horseback, for which purpose
we formed fours and prepared for the charge by tightening our saddle
girths. Just as we were ready to move on them, a masked battery of four
pieces opened on us and drove us back, as we stood no chance of reaching
it in massed formation of fours through this narrow lane on the Pike.
The first shell cut off a leg below the knee of D. Rugeley, one of the
finest looking young men we had in the company, and one of the best. He
was held on his horse by his companions, on our retreat, when the
enemy’s cavalry charged us and, for the moment, created a little
confusion. When Colonel Wharton discovered Rugeley’s plight, holding the
lower part of his leg by the foot and being assisted by a comrade on
each side, holding him on his horse, he was completely overcome with the
sight, rode up and fell over on D., with both arms around his neck,
crying, when D. said to him, “Colonel Wharton, this is no place to take
on in this manner. Leave me and save yourself.” This aroused Wharton and
wheeling his horse, called on the Rangers to rally and drive back that
cavalry and save D. Rugeley, which it is hardly necessary to say, was
done in short order. This is perhaps the only instance where Colonel
Wharton was seen to lose control of himself and can only be explained by
the fact that D. Rugeley’s father and he were most intimate friends, and
on parting with Rugeley’s father had been enjoined to take special care
of his boy.
An instance of appreciation of our services was illustrated near
Murfreesboro, Tennessee, through which place we had just passed in
pursuit of a large Federal column. In passing through a lane a few miles
north of town, where a number of ladies had congregated to see us pass,
an old lady among them was cheering us and clapping her hands, when she
was heard to remark, “Oh, daughter; just look at our soldiers, grand men
as they are, all covered with dust so they can hardly be recognized; God
bless them! I wish they could stay long enough so I could wash their
clothes.” This old lady perhaps had never seen a washtub in her life, as
judging from the magnificent house which appeared through the woods, and
its surroundings, she was no doubt raised in wealth and affluence. It
was such expressions as this, on the part of the ladies, that made us
good soldiers.
After our army reached Glasgow the enemy had concentrated a strong force
at Mumfordsville, which was strongly fortified and which they determined
to hold at all hazards. Nashville was not evacuated by them, but a force
of ten thousand men, strongly fortified, with Andrew Johnson, demanding
of General Nelson to hold this place at all hazards, which was done.
While our army was at Glasgow, which was only about twenty-five miles
from Bell Station, McDonald, a member of our company, proposed to me to
go by and see the Smith family, at whose house he had been sick and to
which I agreed, and for this purpose called on Colonel Wharton to give
us a pass, which he refused, saying that no one could be permitted to
pass our lines unless they had a pass from General Bragg, countersigned
by General Polk. We told him, “Colonel Wharton, we feel in duty bound to
visit these people,” and gave him the reason, telling him that we would
make the attempt without a pass. He said, “Graber, if you do and you are
caught, Bragg will have both of you shot.” I told him, “All right;
catching before hanging.” We started out at night, telling him “If you
miss us you’ll know where we are.” We started out the main road towards
Bell Station; when about a mile we struck an Alabama picket and asked
the lieutenant commanding to allow us to pass through, telling him the
circumstances that prompted our determination to visit our friends. He
said, “Rangers, you know we would do anything we can for you, but our
orders are very strict and we cannot disobey them.” We then moved back
out of sight, struck out into the woods on their flank, passing around
them and made our way to the Smith home, about four miles from Bell
Station. It is hardly necessary to say the old lady and her daughters,
the only ones left at home, were delighted to see us, and especially to
hear from the army. They had not heard from their boys, who were in
Breckenridge’s Brigade, nor their father, who was with them. It will be
remembered he left his home with McDonald in a wagon and carried him to
Bowling Green, when he was convalescent from his spell of pneumonia. We
remained at the house nearly a half day, when we heard heavy firing at
Mumfordsville and immediately mounted our horses and started for there.
Arriving at Mumfordsville about night I was unable to get any
information of our brigade and we decided to go into the battle with the
infantry the next morning, but during the night the Federals
surrendered. About daylight we mounted our horses and entered the fort
through an embrasure and soon struck the hospital tents, where McDonald
dismounted to try to find some liquor. While I never indulged in strong
drink, it was hard to keep McDonald from it. While holding his horse,
waiting for him to come back, Colonel Wharton rode in, at the head of
our regiment, from the opposite side of the fort from where we had
entered and on seeing me, simply said, “Hello, Graber; you beat us in,”
and smiled. I expect we were the first Confederates inside of the fort.
It seems that General Chalmers, the evening before, had made a
determined attack on the works and was repulsed with heavy loss. The
colonel commanding the fort, learning that General Bragg had arrived
with the whole army, completely surrounding him during the night,
decided it was better to surrender than to risk another engagement the
next day, as he had only about four or five thousand men.
After leaving Mumfordsville, our cavalry and Forrest continued on the
main road through Elizabethtown and on to Bardstown, Kentucky, out of
which place we drove the Federal cavalry. They retreated to Louisville.
We were camped at Bardstown several days, awaiting the arrival of the
infantry and while there, formed the acquaintance of a number of good
people, which means friends of the South. At Bardstown we found the home
of Judge Newman, whose daughter, the wife of my old friend, Cannon, then
lived at Courtney. Before they had removed from Hempstead, a year or
more before the breaking out of hostilities, her sister, Miss Josie
Newman, made a visit to Hempstead, where she formed the acquaintance of
quite a number of young men that were in the army with us. On our second
day’s sojourn a Mr. Tom Clay, belonging to Company K of our regiment,
whose home was in Washington County, and who had been intimately
acquainted with Miss Josie during her stay at Hempstead, proposed to me
to call on Miss Josie, to which I agreed. Alighting in front of their
house, Miss Josie happened to be standing in the door and recognizing
us, rushed to the gate and invited us in. Just then a little boy came
along and asked me to give him a little silk Confederate flag some young
ladies had presented me with the day before and I had sticking in the
browband of my horse’s bridle. Fearing the little boy would take the
flag while we were in the house, I suggested that I had better take this
in with me. Miss Josie then said, “That flag can’t come into our house.”
Up to this time we were unaware that they were Union people. My friend,
bowing to her, said, “We will certainly not go into a house where our
flag is not welcome,” and we declined to go in. By this time her mother
had come to the gate, when Miss Josie introduced us. Mrs. Newman having
heard my name, through the Cannon family, quite often, she insisted on
our coming in, when we told her Miss Josie’s objections. She chided her
for her discourtesy and told us to come in and bring the flag, when my
friend said to Miss Josie, “We will compromise the matter with you and
go in, if you will sing Dixie and Bonnie Blue Flag for us,” which of
course she had to agree to do and, while singing these songs, I sat at
the end of the piano with my little Confederate flag in my hand and when
she sang the chorus I would wave the flag.
After two days’ sojourn we moved on up towards Louisville, part of our
force dividing and occupying the town of Taylorsville on our right; the
balance of the command camping near Mount Washington on the Bardstown
Pike. Here General Forrest received an order from the War Department to
personally report to Richmond and turn the command of the brigade over
to Colonel Wharton. In about a week the Federal forces advanced out of
Louisville. They were said to be a hundred thousand strong, while
another force moved out of Cincinnati, about sixty thousand strong, with
a view of cutting us off from retreat to Cumberland Gap.