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

And so each regiment, followed by its bag
gage train and sad procession Of invallds,
moved up the road melancholy and mad
Most of the Tennesseeans had fallen in be-
hind the 14th Ohio, and moved on sullen and
sorroWful bitterly expressing their disap-
pointment, and denouncing the frauds with
which they had been deluded. Some were
imbued with the idea that they were to
march up the Somerset oad,-about three
miles above London-to meet the enemy, and
agreed to go that far but not beyond Upon
reaching that point, the head of the column
failed to halt. a few Tennesseeans madlY
broke from the ranks and moved back to-
wards camp. Several threw themselves
sullenly on the ground, and refused to march
As we moved forward they continued to
leave the ranks in pairs and squads. Then
squads multiplied into sections, sections in
TO platoons, and platoORs almost into whole
companies. A private came back from the
front and appealed to an officer TO stop the
deserters. He said the regiment was disor-
ganized-the men were going back to Ten
nessee; their officers could do nothing with
them. The poor fellows. with despairing~
exceptions, continued to proclaim their 10y
atty, but could not stand the disappointment.
Occasionally a stout-hcsrted fellow woubt
proclaim his Termination to follow the flag
wherever orders carried him-''bvt it's hard
on .Tennesseeans boys he would say to the
Buckeyes. In march of four miles wa
must have passed 200 stragglers. Some were
| lying prone on the ground, sobbing; some
stood by the highway swearing defsntlyS =
others leaned against the fence, sullenly.
| undetermined whether to move one way or
| the other. Here was the Adjutant of ths
regiment addressing a squad, "For Gods
| sake boys move on. Look at the Ohioans-
| Don't let them beat you. You are fighting
1 ha ITpiap Taffs Eaan TapnaScaaano
| together. Come boys" ''Well, Adjutant,'-
said one, ''It will do for you who ride to
| talk, but We who do nothing but march up
| and down this Internal road, don't appreei-
| ate it. ''Get on my horse and I'll walk, ~
| said the Adjutant, and the transfer was
made. And so the column trudged onward
heavily, aud halted for iaded teams to dis
! lodge wagon from the mire, or pushed
| ahead, leaving vehicles 10 be extricated by
| whomsoever would do it. At midnight there
| was long line of struggling Tennesseeans,
| from the head of their column clean back to
| their camp. 1t was marked by the lurid
hue of the atmosphere, illumined by their
| blazing bivouac fires in the forests, around
| which they huddled in shivering groups
Hardly a nucleus for the regiment was Len
in column, though many stout fellows push
ed on, determined TO follow where orders
commanded. But there were pitiftlI scenes.
and heart touching.
Soon after midnight, the l4th Ohio and
the artillery men, after scaling Wildcat
heights, flung themselves headlong on the
ground. None were covered that night-or
morning-save by blankets and a veneering-
Of cold white frost. The sick, too, in the
open wagons, lay shuddering and ShiveriBg
and moaning IL the sharp, cutting atmos-
phere Of November morning. The 18th
Ohio halted and bivOuacked at Two o'clock.
| ;,,y cI -
occupied the night before their reDuse.
have told you where the Tennesseeans were,
but | know not where was the remainder of
the brigade. The Kentucky Sd, (Garrard'sf
[ believe, did not move that night. l know
not why. The 3Sth Ohio and the esd Indi-
ana pushed forward TO the summit of Wild
cat and halted not long before day. The
teams were also moving all night long.
The necessity to carry the sick obliged US
to leave much stores and ammunition. L
am told we left ttcenty-taOo tons of ammuni-
tion at London And yet, readers, are scerc.
making a forced march to prevent the enemy
, from cutting us off, or to saUe Blue Grass.
F Strange that soldiers should leave their
ammunition and march to meet the enc
my. AT Pitman's we met thirteen wagons
loaded with commissary stores, en- route from
Camp Dick Robinson for London. These
were unloaded Immediately, and proceeded
, | to London for patients and stores. Some OF
: the regiments had necessarily left their
tents and camp equipage, so that even had
, fatigue permitted them to pitch tents they
could not have enjoyed the luxury.
E Nov. 14th-A heavy storm of rain reused
the bivouachers from sleep. Their blankets
e and clothing were saturated with water
: The morning was most dismal. Wildcat
Heights crowned with heavy coronal o.
t mist, frowned in dreary and discouragins
5 altitude before us. The roads were alreadJ
worked into tough muck, and the pathway
On the edges where the troops walked were
4 Shiny and slippery. Beyond was Rockcas-
2 | tie river, swift, and reported unfordable.-
/ But the word was en- GUant The lads par
v took of their cold rations and hot coffee,
t and took up the toilsome march. Every
step was laborious to the sturdy agonizing
to the feeble. knapsacks almost too heavy
r under fairest auspices, were now doubly
burdensome, and the pack horse load was
| increased by the aggravating weight
water which soaked blankets and heavy
army overcoats, and the nasty slime which
? splashed and plastered each man s breeches
/ as high as his knees in front andeTear, and
: filed his shoes until they overiowe1 with
{ | slush.
; During the first mile we passed one bag
/ gage wagon capsized in q creek. Its load
4 | fcOmmissary stores and baggage were lost.
= The desolate teamster and iaded horses, be
laubed with mud, gazed at il dismally and
| hopelessly as we moved forward. Farther
/ up the hill half dozen wagons was stuck,
and the poor animals could not move them
few hundred yards further. barrels OF