THE END OF THE WAR
Christmas—I Lose All My Belongings—The “Owl Train”—A
Wedding—Furloughed—Start for Texas—Hospitality—A Night in the
Swamp—The Flooded Country—Swimming the Rivers—In Texas—Home
Again—Surrender of Lee, Johnston, and Kirby Smith—Copy of Leave of
Absence—Recapitulation—Valuation of Horses in 1864—Finis.
ALTHOUGH we moved in a very leisurely manner in order to give General
Hood a chance to put a pontoon bridge across Tennessee River and cross
his infantry, artillery, and wagon trains, the enemy never came in
sight of us again.
Our Christmas was spent on this march. The weather was quite cold and
many of our poor soldiers had to march over frozen ground barefooted.
Between the 25th day of December, 1864, and the 1st day of January,
1865, everything had crossed to the south side of the river, during
a little more than a month having seen much hard service, severe
fighting, and demoralizing disaster. We continued to move leisurely
southward. The main army moved to Tupelo, Miss., while our command
moved to Egypt Station on the Mobile & Ohio Railroad. After crossing
the river General Ross detailed Captain H. W. Wade, of the Sixth Texas,
Lieutenant Thompson Morris, of the Legion, and myself as a permanent
brigade court-martial.
Egypt Station is situated in one of the richest of the black land
districts. Corn was abundant, and we remained there several days,
during which time it rained almost incessantly, but the court-martial
procured quarters in a house and was able to keep out of the black
mud, which was very trying on the men in camp. Being scarce of
transportation for baggage when we started to Georgia, the officers’
trunks and valises, containing all their best clothes, were left in
Mississippi in charge of a detail of two men, afterwards reduced to
one. While we were moving out of Tennessee the baggage was run up to a
small station on the Mobile & Ohio Railroad, and just before we reached
it a small scouting party of the enemy’s cavalry swooped down, fired
the station, and all our good clothes went up in smoke. In fact, this
and Kilpatrick’s raid left me with almost “nothing to wear.”
Leaving Egypt, we moved slowly back to our old stamping-ground in the
Yazoo country. We camped one night some seventy-five miles north of
Kosciusko, and in the morning, before the command was ready to move,
about 180 men from the brigade, including several from Company C, Third
Texas, mounted their horses and moved out, without leave, and started
for the west side of the Mississippi River. They had organized what
they were pleased to call an “owl train,” a term of no significance
worth explaining. It meant that they had become demoralized and
impatient for the promised furlough, and had determined to go home
without leave. It was a source of great regret to see numbers of men
who had been good soldiers for fully three and a half years thus
defiantly quit the command with which they had so faithfully served,
but not a harsh word was said to them, nor was effort made to stop
them. Whether they would have returned or not, I do not know; perhaps
many of them would, but circumstances were such that they never did. To
this day many of them, perhaps all, live in constant regret that they
were induced to take this one false step when we were so near the end.
On the same morning Lieutenant William H. Carr and myself obtained
permission to go ahead of the command, to have some boots made, and
started for Mr. Richburg’s shop. A little after night the second day
we reached the house of Mr. Savage, and obtained permission to spend
the night. Soon after we were seated by a splendid blazing fire, his
daughter, Miss Hattie, whom I had met at Mr. Blunt’s about eighteen
months before, came into the room. She recognized me very readily, and
was apparently glad to meet me again. As there was to be a wedding
at their house in about three days, she very cordially invited us to
attend, which we agreed to do, provided we remained in the neighborhood
that long. We hurried on to Richburg’s shop, ordered our boots, which
he promised to make right away—that is, in about three days. We then
went to the home of my friends, the Ayres family, and made that our
home for the time being. The wedding was attended by us, in company
with Miss Andrews, the step-daughter, and our boots were finished just
in time to enable us to join the wedding party at the dinner given
the next day in Kosciusko, ten miles on our way. Here we dined, after
which, bidding farewell to our friends and acquaintances, we hastened
on to overtake our command.
Unexpectedly, a little later, we were favored with an order to furlough
one-half of the command, officers and men, it being my fortune to be
of the “one-half.” Selecting and sending up the names of those to
be furloughed, writing up and returning the papers, consumed time,
so that it was February before we were ready to start to Texas.
Lieutenant-Colonel Jiles S. Boggess, of the Third Texas, being the
ranking field officer to go, was to be nominally in charge of the
furloughed men, and as he lived in Henderson, my expectation was to
go home with him; but it turned out otherwise. The day for starting
was agreed on, leaving Colonel Boggess to bring my papers and meet
me at Murdock’s ferry on Yazoo River. I left camp the day before and
went up to the home of John F. Williams and spent the night. John
F. Williams had been sheriff of Cherokee County, Texas, in an early
day, but had moved back to Mississippi. His two sons had joined our
company, but Wyatt, the older one, being physically disqualified, had
been discharged. He was anxious to come to his grandfather in Marshall,
Texas, and I loaned him a horse on which to make the trip; and,
declining to bring my boy Jake on so long a ride, to return so soon (as
I then believed), I gave him a horse and saddle and told him to take
care of himself.
Starting next morning with Wyatt Williams, I came on to Lexington and
spent the night at the residence of our “Aunt Emma Hays.” Mrs. Hays
was one of the noblest women we met in Mississippi, a great friend to
Ross’s brigade collectively, and a special friend to a good many of us
individually. Her good old mother, Mrs. West, was there. She had lived
in Marion, Ala., and was strongly attached to persons of my name there,
and would always insist that I favored them, and was related to them;
and the good, kind-hearted creature would do all she could for me and
seemed to regret that she could not do more. These two kindly ladies
furnished me luncheon enough to have lasted me, individually, almost to
Rusk.
The next day we rode in the rain all day to Murdock’s ferry, where, as
we arrived after dark, it required a good deal of yelling and waiting
to get a boat to cross in. Finally we stopped at Colonel Murdock’s
gate and, although his house appeared to be full of soldiers, we were
welcome. Murdock was the big-hearted man who, when the brigade camped
on his premises for a day and night, refused to sell the man sweet
potatoes, but said: “Go back and tell the boys to come up to the house
and get as many as they want.” I had made the acquaintance of Mrs.
Murdock and her sister, Miss Ford, of Louisiana, who was visiting her,
at Lexington some months previous. I found Captain Sid Johnson, of
Tyler, was at Mrs. Murdock’s home. Mrs. Murdock whispered to me and
said: “Supper will soon be ready for the company, but I wish you and
Captain Johnson to wait and eat with the family.” This we did, and
afterwards were invited into the parlor, and pleasantly entertained by
the ladies, Mrs. Murdock the while urging me to remain and spend my
leave of absence with them instead of going to Texas.
In the meantime the rain continued to pour down, and increased in
violence, continuing all next day and the next night. While the others
all pushed on except Williams and myself, I remained there until
afternoon. About noon Colonel Boggess reined up at the gate long enough
to say “Come ahead,” and rode off in a torrent of rain, and the next
time I saw him he was in Henderson, his home. Finally Williams and I
started, intending to cross Sunflower Swamp and Sunflower River that
evening, but soon found the whole country was overflowed, and losing
much valuable time in trying to cross a creek without swimming it we
had to lay out in the swamp that night. We cut a lot of cane for our
horses to stand on, and piled a lot up by an old tree, and on that we
sat down all night in the rain.
Next morning by swimming a large creek we reached Sunflower River,
found it bank full, the ferryboat on the west side, and the ferryman
gone. By going down the river three or four miles we found a farm and
a private ferry, but it was afternoon when we crossed. Reaching the
Mississippi we found a number of the men waiting to get over, but
Colonel Boggess had crossed and gone on. The crossing was tedious in
the extreme, as the only means of doing so was to swim the horses by
the side of a skiff, and this had to be done in the daytime, when you
had to look out for gunboats. When over, it was very uncertain with
whom you were going to travel, as every fellow, when he got his horse
up the bank and over the levee on the west side, at once struck out for
Texas. I lost Williams and never saw him afterwards.
The country between the Mississippi and Red River was practically
afloat. We crossed a great many streams, how many I do not remember,
and we found but one stream, Little River, where the bridge was not
washed away. We traveled along near the Arkansas and Louisiana line,
sometimes in one State and sometimes in the other. The first stream
encountered after crossing the Mississippi was a large bayou in the
bottom, which we crossed on a raft constructed of logs tied together.
We ferried Ouachita River, two miles, crossed Little River on a bridge,
and had to swim every other stream, averaging something like three a
day. We struck Red River at Carolina Bluff, some twenty miles above
Shreveport, and had to swim the overflow in several places to get down
to Shreveport, where we found dry ground. We came through it all with
but one serious accident, and that was the drowning of a negro boy. I
traveled mostly with Dr. Blocker, of Harrison County, and three or four
of the Third Texas from Smith County.
One morning I found my horse badly foundered, so that I could not keep
up with my crowd. Coming to Magnolia, Ark., about noon, I had to sell
one of my pistols in order to trade for a horse that was able to bring
me on.
Upon reaching Henderson, about eleven o’clock one day, the first man I
recognized on the street was Lieutenant-Colonel Jiles S. Boggess, of
the Third Texas Cavalry. He abused me roundly for being behind, and
threatened that I should never leave the town with whole bones unless
I went down to his house and took a rest and dinner with him, and I
yielded. Here I learned that the “owl train” gang had not yet reached
Texas, that they crossed the river, had been arrested at Alexandria,
perhaps, and were detained under guard at Shreveport. Through the
influence of Colonel Boggess, however, they were soon afterwards
released by General Smith and allowed to come home.
I reached Rusk a little before noon the next day.
The following is a true copy of the paper on which I came to Texas:
HD. QTS. ROSS BRIG. CAV.,
Deasonville, Miss., Feb. 20, 1865.
Special orders
No. 2. Ext.
By authority from Lieutenant-General Taylor Leaves of absence are
granted to the following named officers for Sixty (60) days.
* * * * *
XXVII Lieutenant S. B. Barron, Company “C” Third Texas.
L. S. ROSS,
_Brig. Gen’l._
At the proper time I presented myself to Colonel Boggess at Henderson,
and reported to him that I was ready to start back. He told me he had
no idea that we could cross the river, as it was reported to be from
five to twenty-five miles wide; that he had sent a man to ascertain
whether it was possible for us to cross it, and if so he would let
me know, and directed me to return to Rusk and remain until I heard
from him. Thus matters stood until the startling news reached us
that General R. E. Lee had surrendered his army in Virginia. This
was followed in quick succession by the surrender of General Joseph
E. Johnston in North Carolina, the other commanding officer, and
finally by General E. Kirby Smith’s surrender of the trans-Mississippi
department.
And then—then the four years’ war, with all its fun and frolic, all
its hardships and privations, its advances and retreats, its victories
and defeats, its killing and maiming, was at an end.
I am unable to give the losses of Ross’ brigade sustained in the
Atlanta campaign. If it was ever given out officially I never saw
it. But our ranks were very much depleted as the result of this
long campaign. Some went to the hospitals badly wounded, some were
furloughed with wounds not considered dangerous, some were rolled in
their blankets and buried where they fell, and others were carried to
Northern prisons, there to die or remain until the close of the war.
Nor can I now give the loss we sustained in the Nashville campaign. It
was carefully made up in detail, but I do not remember it. I remember
that John B. Long, of Company C, was shot through both thighs, and
I remember two gallant members of Company B, Bud McClure and Joe
Robinson, were killed near Pulaski on the retreat.
* * * * *
The regulation that our horses should be listed and valued now and
then, to show the estimation placed upon horseflesh in the currency of
our Government, I give the following valuations made in the early part
of the year 1864, of the officers and men then present for duty, viz.:
Captain John Germany, one bay horse, $2000; Lieutenant W. H. Carr, one
sorrel horse, $1200; Lieutenant R. L. Hood, one sorrel horse, $1600;
Lieutenant S. B. Barron, one black horse, $1400; one bay mule, $1000;
First Sergeant John B. Long, one bay horse, $900; Second Sergeant R.
L. Barnett, one sorrel mare, $1500; First Corporal D. H. Allen, one
sorrel horse, $1600; S. D. Box, one bay horse, $1500; Stock Ewin, one
sorrel horse, $2500; J. J. Felps, one brown mule, $900; Luther Grimes,
one sorrel horse, $1400; J. B. Hardgraves, one sorrel horse, $1500;
J. R. Halbert, one sorrel mare, $1200; J. T. Halbert, one gray horse,
$1500; W. H. Higginbotham, one gray horse, $1200; J. H. Jones, one bay
mare, $1000; W. H. Kellum, one brown mule, $900; S. N. Keahey, one
gray horse, $1100; G. A. McKee, one sorrel mule, $1400; Jno. Meyers,
one dark roan horse, $800; Tom Petree, one sorrel horse, $1100; J. B.
Reagan, one black mule, $900; C. M. Roark, one sorrel horse, $1200;
A. B. Summers, one black horse, $1500; J. W. Smith, one brown horse,
$1600; E. S. Wallace, one bay horse, $1600; J. R. Watkins, one sorrel
horse, $2000; C. Watkins, one cream horse, $1200; T. F. Woodall, one
sorrel horse, $1000; R. F. Woodall, one sorrel horse, $1600; J. W.
Wade, one gray horse, $1800; T. H. Willson, one gray mule, $1000; E. W.
Williams, one sorrel horse, $1400; N. J. Yates, one black mule, $1000.
THE END
FOOTNOTES:
[1] HEADQUARTERS WEST’N DEP’T. BALDWIN, June 4, 1862.
General Order No. 62:
The General commanding takes great pleasure in calling the attention
of the army to the brave, skillful and gallant conduct of Lieut. Col.
Lane, of the Third Regt. Texas Dismounted Cavalry, who with two hundred
and forty-six men, on the 29th ult., charged a largely superior force
of the enemy, drove him from his position, and forced him to leave a
number of his dead and wounded on the field. The conduct of this brave
regiment is worthy of all honor and imitation. In this affair, Private
J. N. Smith was particularly distinguished for brave and gallant
conduct in the discharge of his duty, and was severely wounded. To him,
on some future occasion, will be awarded a suitable “Badge of Honor.”
By command of Gen’l Beauregard.
(Signed): GEORGE W. BRENT, Acting Chief of Staff.
Private J. N. Smith, Third Texas Dismounted Cavalry.
Official copy. M. M. Kimmell, Maj. & A. A. G.
[2] Of this last I am not positive, but believe I am correct.
[3] Since the above was written Major-General William Rufus Shafter had
been placed upon the retired list. In the fall of 1906 he was stricken
with pneumonia, near Bakersfield, Cal., where he died November 12,
after a short illness.
[4] If the Third Texas colors were captured by them, they were found in
an ambulance, as we did not have the flag unfurled on this expedition.
[5] It will be noted here that the aggregate loss of 206 men is only
the loss of one division, not including Kilpatrick’s Division and the
two batteries.
[6] Since the above was written, this Southern heroine has passed to
that bourne from which no traveler returns.
* * * * * *
Transcriber’s note:
—Obvious errors were corrected.