Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1861-11-29

1Tore f5rcible than elegant, and more e,

Cause were running away
More forcible than elegant, and more express
sive than poeticaL
And So each regiment followed by its baggage
train. and sad procession Of invalids, moved up
the road melancholy and mad. Most OF the
Taunesseans had fallen in behind the l4th Ohio,
and moved on sulleu and sorTOwful, bitterly ex-
pressing their disappointment and denouncing the
frsuds with which they had been deluded. Some
were imbued with the idea that they were to
march I'd the Somerset r0sd-about three miles
above L0ndou-tO meet the enemy, and agreed
70 20 that far, but not beyond. Upon reaching
that point the head Of the column failed TO halt.
A fary Teunesseans madly broke from the ranks
and moved back towards camp. Several threw
themselves sulienly on the ground and refused
90 march.
As we moved forward, they continued TO leave
the ranks IN pairs and squads Then squads
multiplied into sections, sections INTO platoons,
and platoOus almost into whole companies A
private came back from the front and appealed
10 an officer 20 stop the deSerteTs. He said the
regiment was disOrganized--the men were going
back 70 Tennessee: their officers could do moth
ing with them. The poor fellows, with despair
ing exceptions, continued to proclaim their 10y
atv, but could not stand the disappointment.
Occasionally a st0ut-bearted fellow would pro
claim Es discrimination 10 follow the flag where
ever orders carried him but II is hard on Ten
uasseeans, boys he would say to the Buckeyes.
In a Iasrch of four miles we must have passed
two hundred straggleTs. Some were lying prone
Oh the ground, s0bbing: some stood by the
highway swearing deiantly; others leaned
against the fence, sulleuly, undetermined wheth-
tr 70 move one way or another.
Here was the adiutant Of the regiment address
iDg squad, For Gods sake, boys, move on.
Look AZ the OhiOsns Don't let them beat YOU.
Won are fighting for the Union. Let's keep,
Tennesseeans, together. Come, boys" ''Well,
,Jatant~ said one, 1t viii do for you who ride
totalk. but we who do nothing but march up
and down this internal road, don't appreciate it. y
..Get Oh nv horse, and l II walk" said tue adju-
tarlt and. the transfer was made. And so fhe
column trudced ON heavily, and halted for jaded
teams b dislOdge from the mire, or pushed
ahead leaving vehicles to be eXtricated by
-,,bonzoever would do it. At midnight there
was long line of struggling Tennesseeans, ron
fhs head Of their column clean back TO thelr
,samp. II was marked 10y TIE lHTid hue oi the
a+rposphere. Ilumined by their blazing bivouac
fires I'M the forests, around which they huddled
in shivering groups. Hardly nucleus for the
regiment was left in column, though many stout
failovrs pushed on, determined to follow where
orders commanded. But there were pitiful
scenes. and heart-touching.
soon after midnight, the l4th Ohio and the
,rtiIIerv men. after scaling Wildcat nights flung
themselves headlong on the ground None were
covered that night-or mornlng-saVe oy blank
s.- and a veneering Of cold, white frost The
,ick too. in the open wagons, lay shuddeung
and shivering and moaning in the sharp, cutting