The Chattanooga Daily Rebel. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1862-1864, 1863-07-03
The Raid on Dsehsrd.
RYAN oy Bnloo's ARlT, June 20, 1893,


Special Correspondence Of the Rebel.
Stuart. Forrest and Morgan have lsaEnod tho
yankees bad habits, but tho attempt at imita-
ton ia sometimes ridiculous. The raid to
Decherd last night was one of tho incidents Of
the war, and your readers no doubt would like
to hear about II. II is not known who com.
mandod on tho abolition side, but The historian
will no doubt Gnd out With about fifteen
hundred men, we'll mounted on stolen horses,
and four pieces Of artillery, this gallant com.
mander penetrated the barens near Manches.
tor yesterday morning, and made the entire
circuit Of Elk river, burning one blacksmith's
shop, besides stealing all tho bacon on the
way-reaohing Decherd, which is in the rear
of Bragg's army aud twelve miles by railroad
from Tullahoma, about ten o'clock last night
The most interesting incident Of the raid was
the warm reception given tho raiders at DOCh.
erd by the Confederate forces at that place.
And were it not for q slight disparity in mum
bers, the battle would doubtless have been
one Of the boodiest of the war
Captain House, of the second Tennessee
regiment, was in command at Decherd with
tDentysir men as good as ever auttered, and
was reinforced during the fight by Mr. Lee
gree, tho operator at D., who being driven
from his office without notice, borrowed gun
and pitched in, swearing that he did not know
much about tho writ Of habeds corpus, but
that he was familiar with the writ of .forciJle
entry and detainer, and that il could only be a
lawful writ after FIVE days notice, which had
not been given, and that he was going to fight
for his lawful rights Captain House was also
reinforced by Bill Hardin, an engineer on the
Winchester and Alabama railroad, who pitched
in also, simply because he had nothing else to
do. These renforcements sweed Captain
Houses command up to twenty-eght men, not
yet equal to tho enemy in numbers, for the
enemy was at least fifteen hundred strong,
claiming much larger force even than that /;
but nothing daunted by the disparity in mum
bers, Captain House took position between
the two railroads, and for about one hour the
battle ragged furiously. Captain House proved
to be something Of strategist as well as a
good fighter and although at times completely
Gaukod on both sides, after firing upon the
front he would movo rapidly to the right aud
FIRE volley over the railroad embankment,
which was a good forti6cation, and then he
would move as rapidly to the left, protected
to some extent by a high treste.work, (Which
it was his special business to deiend,) and then
his whole command would turn loose upon
tho enemy, and thus, by rapid and strategic
change of base, he managed to make the
enemy believe his antagonist was giving it to
him in regular army stylo-hghting his cen
tre and right and left wings all at the same
time.
Captain House thus held his ground for
about one hour, and until the enemy got his
battery in position only about one hundred
yards from him, and commenced playing on
him, and then he retreated in "good order
losing only one man, who was captured after
the fighting was principally ended, by a Brig.
uflb lubb lhu DoSu hOlu III ASoOl we NV SA'SihJ
burnt the depot house and cake shop close
by it, but utterly failed TO destroy the trestle
work on the railroad, and in fact was so occu.
pied by Captain House, that the only damNgo
done to the railroad, was fully repaired in three
hours, and to day the trains are running over
tho road, and that noble soldier Genl - and
a large portion of his command passed down to
ioin Gen. Bragg in the great battle about to be
fought at Tullahoma The wires are up and
Leegree is in possession of another house and
has new instrument, the abolitionists having
stolen his, and is sending kilograms along the
wires both ways.
forgot to mention that the abolitiOnsts
burnt water tank, but upon the whole, the
damage amounts to nothing, and it is certain
that the enemy lost several men killed and
wounded. The success shows what q few
brave determined men may do, when standing
upon their own soil fighting for their own
homes. Certainly in all seriousness, more
gallant defence was never made, and though |
have no acquaintance with these men, feel
that it would only be just tribute to merit,
that the commanding General by an order,
should make known the facts to the whole
army. Such spirit among our people will
whip all yankeedoom in short order.
This large force had doubtless started to
make the circuit of Bragg s army, but such was
the resistance by this handful of men, and
such the delay, that the whole force turned
back the same road they came, without destroy.
ang single troste or bridge and id fact with.
out doing anything to interfere with the reg
ular running of the trains.
ONE WHO HAS INVESTIGATED THE PAeTs.