Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1866-12-19
VOL. XXXIII.
GUERRILLAsAND BUsufwmAcKERs

AND BUsHfwHACKERs
The following isextracted from General
Basil Dukes forthcoming history Of Gen.
Morgans cavalry
In the vicinity Of This place we saw, in
the brief time we remained, more active
and bHsiness-like 0ushwhacking than ever
before in our entire service. The hills
along the road seemed alive with them, aud
from behind every fourth or fifth tree, APP
parentiy, they were blazing away at US.
! Every Southern reader will understand at
once whst sort Of individual is meant by a
'bushWhacker that be is gentleman OF
leisure, who lives in Wild and, generally,
! q mountainous country, does not Join the
army, but shoots, from the tops Of hills or
| from behind trees and rocks, at those who
are so unfortunate as 10 differ with him in
politics. II is his way of expressing his
opinions. ~ .
bis style Of fighting is very similar to
that Of the outlying scouts Of partisan ca
yairy, except that he esteenls Il weakness
and an unnecessary inconvenience 70 take
prisoners, and generally kills his captives.
Sometimes, and especially toward the lat
ter part Of the war, these fellows would
band together in considerable numbers
make certain portions Of the country i'm
passible, except TO strong deiachments, and
even undertake expeditions into neighbor-
ing sections. g..
There were Union bushWhackers and
Southern bushwkachers.a In Kentucky,
the former were more numerous. 1T is
gratifying reelection TO Use the language
Of one of Colonel Clarence Pnentice's Off
cisi reports, that many Of them viii 'Ehack'
no more In the Northern mind, bush
whackefs and guerrillns are confounded TO-
gether-an eggregious error in classi6ca-
ton. 1t is probable thai the bushwhaeker
Of this country would answer exactly to
the guerrilla Of European warfare; but the
guerrilla OF North America is, or rather
was, (for happily he is almost if not quite
entirely extinct, an animal entirely dis
tinct from either.
"Formerly, Che Northern press styled all
the Southern cavalry guerrillas, because
they travelled about the country freely, and
gave their enemies some trouble. This,
however, was when the Federal cavalry
used to still ride with pillows on their sad
dies, we're put TO bed carefully every night
by the General commanding, and ehcamped
on the march in the midst of infantry regi-
ments, who were instructed to see that their
horses did not hurt them, etc. When the
hardy, dashing regiments of the latter part
Of the War-after, indeed, the first eighteen
months-began to do real service, the North
ern writers found that they would be called
to record as cavalry operations the very
kind Of affairs which they had been accus-
toned to.chroniele as guerrilla irregulari-
ties. #Hf
A guerrilla was, properly speaking,
man who had belonged 10 some army, and
had deserted and gone TO making war on
his private account He was necessarily a
marauder, sometimes spared his former
friend, and was much admired by weak
young women who were afflicted with a
tendency toward shoddy romance.
"On this march through Casey county,
the bushWhackeTs were unusually OficiOus.
The advance guard, which for some reason
had gone on some distance in front reached
Liberty about two hours before the column,
and during that time were fairly besieged
in the place Colonel Morgan himself
made narrow escape. I'D.
Zone fellow, more daring than the
others, had come down from the hills, and
had approached within seventy yards Of
the road. He fired at Morgan, mis- log
him, but Wounding little negro boy, his
servant, who was riding by his side, re-
ceiving some order. The man who fred at
once ran back TO the. hill, followed by one
or two Of our fellows from the head of the
column He was killed by private, af-
terward Captain Thomas Franks, who made
an excellent shot, hitting the bushwhacker
in the head, while be was running at top
speed, and Franks himself was going at a
rapid gallop.P