The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-05-15
"A Rebel Account Of an Attack on a
Railroad Train.

We are indebted to Capt. E. A. OTIS,
of Gen. VAN CLEvEs Staff, RosEcRANs
Army, for batch of rebel letters captur-
ed short time since at McMinnville. Ten
nessee, by Gen. REYNOLDS. They were
written by rebel officers and soldiers and
are interesting, as they afford an inside
view OF the military operations of the re-
bells, as well as their morals The follow
ing is an extract of one dated Alexandria,
Tennessee, April 10Th, which gives an In
teresting account of recent attack on a
railroad train from Murfreesboro to Nash
vile, which does not differ materially from
our own accounts:
Lieutenant Colonel Terrill, who is command
ing our regiment now, accomplished very
daring feat few days ago, within seven miles
OF Nashville. His little party consisted of fifty
men from each reg ment of General Wharton's
brigade, which amounted to about four hun
dred men, with seventy Rangers. We started
from Lebanon at daylight on Friday morning:
rode forty miles by o'clock in the afternoon,
when we arrived at the railroad where he dis
mounted all of his men except the Rangers,
VINO were drawn up in line of battle immedi-
ately in the rear of the dismounted men and
there awaited q train of cars which were to
pass that evening at four o'clock. Sure enough.
we had not more than time to prepare our
selves, before the whistle was heard not more
than half mile Oft. Every man was at his
post in twinlzling-on came the train heed
less OF the danger that was lying in ambush for
her.
In the mean time Col Terrill had taken the
precautIon tear up the track so as to throw the
engine otf in case she tried to make her escape.
Inc dlsmOuEted men were lying behind fence
about thirty yards distant from the track. As
luck would have it, the train was an express
loaded with forty-three prisoners belonging to
our brigade, ana were captured the Tuesday
morning before, near Liberty, while on picket
duty There was some fifty or sixty guards on
Doafd, all OF whom were on top and ON plat
form case When they got within thirty yards
Col Ierrlll gave the signal to fire. and when
that signal, which was long keen whistle,
sounded out upon the clear evening air, a long
line OF blue smoke was seen to rise from along
the pine and cedars in which our boys were
lying, then came the crack of four hundred
rifles mingled with the means of the dying and
wounded. Terrible is the passions and ven
Seance OF man when once aroused, and here
otter uten goa hear any sag they can achip taco
or three Toskees tell them Iey can do no such thing.
for that ecenings arork prored to me tie COURAGE
Of lie Yankee mutton. ...
After the first vOlley all that were not killed
or wounded jumped out on the opposite side
or the cars and tried to form q line of battle,
but our boys shot them down so fast that they
were compelled to Retreat across the fields and
woods. l think there must have been one
hundred killed and wounded besides some sew
enty-five or q hundred prisoners, most of their
officers ranging from Colonel down. The
train was rich prize. 1t had great quantities
OF greenback money ON it, some men getting
as much as fifteen Thousand dollars of it; also
O large mail, and nearly every other letter had
more or less money that the soldiers were send
ing home to their families A Captain in the
Eleventh Texas captured very fine pistol that
had just been presented to General Rosecrans.