Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-09-03
THE MEMPHIS APPEAL
NORTHERN HUMANITY TO PRISON


= Our small command mustered, OF
starting from Tunnel Hill, Geor
gia, on the 9th Of Deeem
: ber, 1868, about nine hundred men
I but by the 2SUh, when the attack Wa
. made on the yankee train, they hal
{ dwindled down IL about six hundred
I owing to heavy details being made 70
1 scouts, guards, etc. The first Kentuek.
/. was in reserve, while the detachment
= from the other regiments attacked th
enemy. One by one our lines were driver
: back, until at last only one noble regi
ment remained to stand the charge 0
the enemy's infantry. Like statues thOs
noble bows sat on their horses, awaiting
the orders ts fire, which were soon given
, to my company first, which was tina
day commanded by Lieut.. JO. Vincent
who had just been elected for his bravery
in SeqUatchie valley, to fill vacancy
, Under the excitement of the moment ht
ordered US TO FIRE before the officer com
msnding the regiment had ordered it
and ours was the company TO give then
first 2 greeting from old Kentucky.
Hardly had we fired three volleys ere
we were surrounded on three sides by
the enemy's infantry, and charged by
; their cavalry. Being ordered to fal
back by "columns of companies" we
we're executing the movement when the
cavalry dashed among us, ssbres and
pistols in hand, doing fearful execution
At this moment I was thrown suddenly
to the ground with my horse resting on
nv left leg, while the blood spurted from
my horses side and plainly told the
cause of my disaster. / managed to eX-
tricate myself from this predicament,
and on attempting TO regain my pistol,
which ! had let fall from the shock,
was met bv two "nlen in blue" who
I were fighting for the best government
the world ever saw" who in no very pO-
lite terms requested me to surrender,
which request, owing to the complicated
state of my military affairs, l complied
with, but with very poor grace though, ]
assure you.
I requested permission to get my sad
dle-pOckets off my wounded horse, but
was denied and was ordered to the rear
Of the yankee lines. Then commenced
nv trials and tribulatiOns. Soon was
thrown among Others Of my comrades
who had been captured, and on march
ing us 10 the jail in Charleston it was
/ found that one hundred and four prisoners
I had been captured.
When nut in one small room OF the
iaiI, the work Of rObbing the prisoners
/ commenced, and never did Italian
brigands more thoroughly strip a captive
1 than did those brutal men Of the first
and fourth Ohio cavalry. On the same
/ evening Of our capture We were taken
from the jail and started to LoudOn, on
| the Tennessee river, which place We
| reached fOoJ-sOre, weary and utterly
| miserable, come three days after our cap
ture. We were placed in an old hotel
near the river, which was shutteTless
and do0rless, to endure the stings of the
winter wind, which hOwled with fury
through the open windows of the dilapi-
dated concern. No fire wood, no rstiOns,
no blankets, what could We do but die
| ere morning, and when the rays of the
morning sun stole over the floor let them
fall on our stark faces frozen hard, but
still looking up to an svenging God who
would punish those who caused our suf-
| feTing.
None but soldiers Of the young COnfed-
eracy could have endured the horrors Of
that night. huddled as we were on the
floor for warmth, freezing, starving,
cursing, that such should be our fate. For
fot7r days We endured this place, during
WIN eh time we bad drawn two days ra-
tiOns. when on the rrst day or the new
wear of '64, noted all over the United
States or its extreme cold. we were
rlaoad ON board a boat for Chattanooga.
We were on the lower deck, and crowded
ike sheen in the pens by a regiment Of
Yankees. who used their bayOnets to
drive US away from those places which
afforded the least protection rom the
cold. On the MOI uinE OF the secono OF
January, il was found that one poor lei.
low was dead, frozen stiff by the side OF
his comrades, who Knew not OF ms
death till morning. came, and showed Ine
fatal seal of death upon MS Iace. Inc
boat stopped ten minutes to bury ms re-
mains. He was thrown into rlne PIT
on the bank and few elods Oi the frozen
dirt kicked over him, and the task
was finished. Poor Beane, 81 least
your body rests ia your own beloved
Tennessee, if not in the pleasant valley
where stood your happy home before the
invader came with torch and brand. Ii
was found that many had suffered from
the cold, among them your correspon-
dent, who had both feet severely frozen,
the effects of which still linger in winter.
We reached Chattanooga after a tedious
trip down the river, and were confined
in & guard room so small that we had
barely room to stand, and here drew our
rations for the first time in three days.
Thev consisted Of two hard tacks and
cup of what they called vegetable
SOUP but what any other human being
would characterize as "slOp ;" but IN our
famished condition anything to ease the
cravings Of hunger was more than &C
eeptahle, and we crowded around the
man who issued the decoctiOn, eager for
a few drcps more, whose only answer
was to strike or kick those who, half
famished, asked for more. We silently
drew back, for We were sOuthrOns, and
rather would we endure the pangs of
thousand deaths by starvation than sub
NIT to insult and degradation from any
IN Iman 90 earth.
After disp0sing Of our sc&nty allow
ane.s, we were told that ali the Kentucki-
ans were wanted in the room occupied
nv the provost marshal as h6 Office. On
entering the room we were pat in line
before iIim, when each OF us gave our
name. company GRd regiment; after
which We were told that we had the priv
Uege of "a king the oath and gOiGg home,
and that any one desirous Of doing so
could step forward three PAGES.
Ofthat gallant band Of forty-five Of
the sons of our brave old state, no one
moved a step, but proudly they held up
their heads and proclaimed by silence
more eloquent than words, their love OF
honor and their country. After brand
ing us as "rebels," We were reconducted
10 our comrades for another night of
horror.
1 shall endeavor in my next paper to
recount the incidents between Chatta-
pooga and Rock Island, and enter in full
on a recountal Of our prison existence.
Z. P. j. Ist Ky. Cavalry, c. 5. a.
pRTsoN MORTALITY - -ANDERsONYILLE
UeFa