The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1863-01-03

suoSk Win te1nasy psoceo0 WIN the fe4iQue
70 Nashville On fuesday, therefore, !
was busy all dsylin the stock yards, and
I lid net learn anything new about the
ing 1 started with 2f4 head of horses and
mules. for the capital 26 miles We
E.racbed Nashville, next naovnire about 9
O'Clock .: M ALI dsy "Wednesday was
kept busy ttirning over my stock to the
Post g. NJ, and procuring fdfsgs and sub.
sistance for the guard. Thursday fore
noon was busily esgaged arranging mat
tiers ia order 20 return to Gallatin, when
| fell In with Mr. Thos. Ryan, one of Co. AS
men. From him learned that the whole
brigade had been parolled and had arrived
at Nashville that mornisg. This news dis
peiled all idea of rsturniag to this place,
that day. Business was laid aside, and
away l hurried with Ryan to see my un-
| fortunate comrades found them quar-
tered in large, unfinished building in
| the centre Of the city. The weather was
quite cold and fuel scarce. But there
| were FIRE places in almost every room, and
piles of dressed flooring stood around in
different parts Of the building. This was
soon appropriated, and 6res started, and
the poor follows gathered around the
hearthstones in dense groups, each en-
deavoring 10 catch . few warming rays
from the glowing emberv.
They were truly foriorn looking set
They had just got through with Is mile
march through the land Of D,xey. which
delightful tour they performed in the
course of three DAYS, with empty stomachs
and sore feet. Their faces and hands had
the appearance of smoked bacon, and
their clothes had become entirely estrang-
ed to brushes and soap The rebels had
kindly relieved them Of their blankets
and Overcoats in orderrthat they might be
better able to come the double quick
while in the sunny South, and make them
| more anxious to get back North whore
they could get new ones. Generally
! speaking, they were mad, cold. hungry,
and dirty Full rations, however, were
soon issued to them, and after a vigorous
application of soap and Cumberland river
water, hot coffee, bacon, beans, and white
oak crackers, it was quite pleasing to see
an occasional smile gittering upon their
suddenly bleached countenances After
a most voracious repast, many sought re-
pose, and IL was an interesting scene to
witness with what degree of satisfaction
and comfort they slowed themselves away.
amid saw bucks nail kegs, and work
benches, to Ell Joy . few hours of sweet
sleep. ! remained with them all day and
up to o clock that night. noticed that
all the Illinois boys felt satisfied that they
| had done all that was in their power to
save them at Hartsville, while the Ohio
! troops skulked around. struck with shame
| and guils,-shunning tho gaze and scrutiny
! of the hundreds Of spectators who crowded
around them.
| 1t was generally admitted by those who
knew any y,hing of the affair, that. had the
Ohio regiments only done half their duty,
the rebels would have been held at bay
long enough to have enabled the re-en-
forcements which were sent from Cas:il-
lion Springs, to the relief of the Brigade
I TO have come up and saved them from
capture. But they acted the coward in
the most disgracefui way The lOGth
I Ohio Regiment never iormed intc line at
all, ard hundreds of them, both officers
and men, left their arms in their tents
| and rushed from the field in wild cOn.u-
sion, even before the fight began while
| others cast their arms aside during their
fight The l0Sth did but little better
They were ordered to support cur battery.
and were got into sort Of line, fred one
or two rounds and then scattered-entire.
! iy panic stricken. The 10th Ill, reduced
! by the absence of shout three companies,
was left alone, with two guns from Nick
| Inns battery and about 800 cavalry to
withstand the deadly fire Of over tive
! times their number. This they cid for
nearly an hour and half, notr ith.tand-
| ing the rebels had outfanked them on
both sides, and were pouring into them a
raking fire from both extremes, and
Calling fire of artillery and musketry from
the front and rear. As long as there
seemed to be shadow Of hope, they held
| out, ,-apd when they surrendered the two
l contenaing columns were within 2b feet
Of each other Lieut. Green, of the 4th
| Ky. cavalry, who witnessed the whole
affair, assured ME that he had never seen
men stand frmer than the Illinois troops
did, although he had seen number of
hard fought battles. The rebels them
selves admitted that had the Ohio men
| fought like the Illinois troops, their expe
dition would have been failure, as they
expected 10 capture the whole brigade
without firing gun.
iha: OAR troops wer. taken by surprise,
there eau be no doubt But it was not
the fault of Col. Moore. Pickets had been
extended ou. over a mile in almost every
direction from the camp, and every other
precaut!on had boen taken to prevent u
surprise or night attack. But the difficult
! ty is here. There is a large proportion OF
the rebel cavalry who wear L S over
coats-those they have captured from our
trains and troops heretolore.-The pickets,
therefore, csnnet distinguish in the night
! between our cavalry and rebels, until
| they approach so close as to place the
picket entirely in their power. Owing to
! this fact. the rebels were enabled 10 easily
capture our outpost pcketS, and after
! taking them without any alarm, the next
ones, of course, supposed that they were
our own cavalry, and allowed them to
come up near enough to recSlfe the coun-
tersign, which was given IN the shape of a
dozen revolvers and carbines presented at
their heads, with an imperative order 10
surrender. In this way all the pickets
were gobbled UP ON the west side ef the
camp aud the road left free FOR them to
| work their way through to within a few
| hundred yards of our lines, and when the
morning dawned they had entirely sur.
rounded tho camp. Prudence dictated a
| surrender without firing shot, but the
| determination Of our men to fight decided
| otherwise. Our killed and wounded will
number about 15O The enemy admit q
| loss of 900
By about 9 o'clock Wednesday evening
| | took leave OF the boys Gen Rosecrans
Gen. Rosecrans had ordered them to be
transported by rail to some camp of in
struction north, aud it was decided that
they should leave the next morning The
Ohio regiments were shipped that night
came back here in the same train with
them.
| When left Gallatin with my drove OF
horses and mules, was instructed to re-
port myself again at Dumonts headquar-
ters 90 my return; but when ! got back
here | found that he (DumonD had re-
signed, and his headquarters were empty
This left me without anything to do,
| Like Othello my occupation was gone.
The 18th division had been dissolved and