The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1866-01-06
The Last Days Of The COnfederaoy
AN ACCOUNT BIZ PARTICIPAToR IN THE CLOS
ING SCENE.


From the Cincinnati Enquirerl
In your issue of November %, I see an
aceOut Of the last days Of the Confederacy.
l contribute this as my mite to a full his
tory of that eventful month l was a full
member Of Dibrels division of Wheeler's
cavalry, and had some opportunities for
knowing much Of what was transporting
Our division had been selected to escort
Mr.. Davis from Greensboro to Charlotte
and leaving Battle Bridge, over the Neuse
river, we reached Greensboro about mid
night Of April II, after two days and a half
rapid marching For the first time we
were fully informed of the extent of our
disasters-of the retreat, defeat, surrender,
annihilation of Gen. Lees great army-and
were told that we were relied upon to guard
Mr. Davis his cabinet and archives to Char
lotte, and keep off Sherman, who was how
ering upon our right flank Next evening
as MIR. Davis and General Breckenridge
rode through the division, at the head of
the Government cOrtege, they were well
coined with the most enthusiastic cheers
We continued our march toward Char
lotte. General Breckenridge-th will and
brains of the government in its last few
days-left US upon the third morning re-
turning to the army to hold those consul
tations with Generals Johnston and Sher-
haps the country may yet believe that Sher
man, Johnston and Breckenridge were bet
ter statesmen and truer patriots than Sew
ard and Stanton. Mr.. Davis rode near or
at the head of column all the time; was al
ways polite, afIable and accessible; seemed
cheerful and resOlute; talked pleasantly,
kindly and sociably to all who approached.
Mr.. Benjamin and General Cooper rode in
an ambulance, Mr.. Trenholm and family in
another, Judge Reagan, COlOnels Lubbock,
of Texas Taylor, Wood, and Preston John
stOn always rode near the President
General Lawton, Quartermaster General
General Gilmer, Chief Engineer, and Gen
eral St Johns, with their attaches Mr.
Mallory, Mr.. George Davis, and others of
less note, accompanied the Presidential par
ty Besides General DibrelIs division Gen
eral Geary, Of South Carolina had a small
body of mounted men, some seTemty-five or
one Kindred, c0iIected at Greensboro from
she G@@Vr5s of the Virginia cavalry At
/ Salisbury we met General Echols and staff,
of South Western Virginia, and various
staff, post and furloughed officers, who had
run from Richmond, Lynchburg, Abingdon,
| Western North Carolina and various parts
/ of South Carolina; men driven to a common
! center by Grant, Sherman, Stoneman, Will
/ son and Foster; members of Congress, civil
! functiOnaries and refugees. You may be
/ be sure, we dizzy soldiers who had borne
! the heat and burden, and danger of the war,
! made great sport of the post officer, the
! ''hiled" shirt and black-coated gentry, who,
/ without horses and unused to campHfe, were
begging for mules, (hOrses were not attaina-
bic, 50 that they might accompany US
Gladly would kingdom have been given
for horse. Alas our kingdom was in as
desperate condition as poor Richards was,
and was not worth horse. For the first
time during the war we soldiers had revenge
upon the gentlemen who had been seeking
and filling the soft places.
| After moving across Yadkin river, Gen.
Dibrell received word from Gen Ferguson,
who, with small cavalry brigade, was at
Charlotte, that Stoneman was approaching
Charlotte, and begging him to move on i'm
mediately, which he did, marching all night,
and reaching Charlotte about sunrise, to
find that Stoneman was not near the place,
but had deceived our officers there, and
burned all the bridges over the Catawba.
i Gen. FurgusOn moved out of Charlotte as
soon as we reached there, to Nation Ford
over the Catawba, the point where the rail
road from Charlotte to Columbia crossed
that river About midday General Basil
Duke with the remnant Of Morgan's cele
brated cavalry Of about five hundred reach
ed Charlotte from Christianburg. WheI
General Echols disbanded his infantry anC
abandoned his wagons and artillery at Christ
ianburg. he ordered his cavalry to follow
him across the mountains to General Johns
ton. General Dukes Brigade was dis
mounted, their horses being In North Caro-
/" lima, but they seized the artillery and wagOI
mules and rode bareback to Charlotte.
few of Dukes men refused to accompan7
C him, and came to Kentucky with SOM
Kentucky cavalry, who surrendered q
- Mount Sterling; but over one hundred unde
Lieutenant-C Colonel Diamond, Of this cayalr,
reported to and accompanied Duke Gen
eral Vaughn, also, with about three hun
dred of his brigade, marched with Gen
Echols to Charlotte. So that we had at o
near Charlotte, DibrelIs Division, consisting
of his own brigade, under Col McLemore
and Williams Kentucky brigade, unde
rs Col Breckinridge about 800 fighting men
:, Gen Dukes brigade Of Kentuckiang, bad
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