Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-11-27

Termination of the Cumbe erIand
Gap Expedition.
CRAB ORCHARD, Ky, Nov. Il
NY last letter was written from Camp
Coburn near Crab Orchard. The Wild
cat brigade, or sorrowiul fragments of it,
had but Just staggered into camp after
its disastrous retreat from London, and
its tattered remains were still Struggling
up the rugged road miles in the rear, an
mated by the hope of finally reaching
haven of rest. As that wretched struggle
with the elements, over eXecrable roads,
will be remembered by five thousand
abused volunteers as long as they retain
their faculty of memory, it deserves de-
scription.
You will remember that Wednesday
afternoon, Nov. 18th, Gen. Schoepf issued
an order requiring all the troops to be
ready to march at eight o'clock that eve
ming. Commanders of corps were di-
rected to carry with them all their sick,
leaving such baggage and stores as could
not be transported. Previously there
had been rumors of an advance, and
when the order to prepare to move was
issued to the troops, it was received with
exultation. The Tennesseeans were es-
pecially delighted, and prepared with
alacrity to return to their firesides. 1t
had been currently reported that letters
had been received by prominent Tennes-
seeans from friends at Louisville and
Washington, assuring them that the Cum
berland Gap expedition would. soon be
pushed to an issue. This order, there
| fore, confirmed the report, and | am told
that Hon. Andy Johnson, Gen. Carter,
Col Byrd, Col. Spears, and others, were
elated at the prospect of an immediate
| fruition of their hopes. They did not
| seem to comprehend that the order con-
cerning the sick implied retrograde
| movement But when informed of the
fact, they We're overwhelmed with sorrow
| and Indignation Mr.. johnson turned
from his informant, and entered his no
| tel without one word, in utter despair.
The information was withheld from the
| troops until they were moving, when the
| fact flashed upon them, and they denounced
| it with the vehemence of disappointed sol
| diers. Many of the Tennesseeans display
ed a strongly mutiuOus spirit. Some swore
| they woald not recede a foot of the ground
| which had been conquered: others express
! ell determination 70 desert and return &c
| Tennessee at all hazards, and many wept
| with vexayion and despair. Their officers
appealed earnestly 10 their patriotism, an
noupcinc TO thenf that Gen Thomas had or
dered them TO countermarch N order tC
meet the rebels, who were reported moving
toward Crab Orchard in strong force 10 Gu
| them of. and that q reJro@rade movemen
was necessary to save the expedition. /
was also stated by officers Of various regi
ments, that ZolEcoffer was reported march
ing up from Tennessee with q strong column
| x-;. R,,nl
trate the Blue Grass country. Such wer,
the facts and statements prior to the houl
of marching. The subsequent facts vii
appear in the following diary:
LONDON, KY, Nov. Is.
Long before o'clock, P. NJ, most of The
troops of the Wild Cat Brigade, with three
days rations in their haversscks, were pre-
pared to march. The sick who could be re
moved-and there were many too feeble tC
walk, yet able to ride-were transferred tt
those wretched instruments of torture to tht
i'll or the healtsy-two wheeled ambulance
and to common army wagons, some o
which were uncovered, thus exposing suf
fering men to the raw night air. But man,
poor bed ridden fellows who were necessa
rilly left remained confined to the hospitals
prey to narrowing apprehensions of cap
tivity. OF course surgeons and guards wer
|
tect them until they should be removed
But how many men were closely packed il
ambulances and wagons l could not learn
Col. Steedman would not leave any, and h
had over one hundred slowed away as com
fortably as possible. The surgeon of tn
SD Indiana, Mortified at the order, protest
! ed vehemently, but he was informed deci
sively, the order from Headquarters is tha
all the sick must be removed, and order
must be obeyed. He still protested that re
moval would result in the death of some o
his patients, and he was told to quarter then
with private families at London But tn
SD Indiana brought away one hundred an
eighty mine sick. L did not inquire hos
many were removed by other regiments, bu
the number was large. Besides many fee
bic fellows just discharged from the hospit
ais, but yet unfit for duty, shouldered thei
muskets and donned their heavy knapsack:
preferring the cTuelties of forced marcI
to the hazards of captivity
The 18th Ohio had the right of the column
Shortly before o'clock, it marched solemnl
, by the camp of the 18th Ohio, its BAN
mournfully playing the Dead March-thu
, expressing the emotions of the troops. |
was followed by Standards and Kenney
batteries, with the baggage trains Of each a
the foregoing corps. The 18th Ohio fell i
their rear, and its sarcastic lads, keeniy up
{ preciating the occasion, burst into q satiricn
para phrase of their favoTite regimenial -itsv
one strain OF which runs somewhat thas
''o.d Zollicoaer can't take Us,
Can I take can't take rs,
on lonS summers day"
Il was impromptu at the Wild Cat fight
! 50 was the song as they retreated:
4 seC-I y ne.