Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-04-12
"reminiscences Of the Third Tennes-
see Cavalry.
BY ADJUFANT WILL A. M'TEER.
No. VII.
ON THE RETREAT.

the inner man on the wearisome way
the country sffordipg little save
brandy, which was in abundance
The first day was spent on the road
from Cumberland Gap to Cumberland
! Ford, camping at the latter place al
night. In this connection it might be
we'll to mention that which, to the
mind not versed in hydrology,is a Curl
osity and hard to understand. There
are an abundance of springs at Cum
berIand Gap. Those on the Tennessee
and Virginia side are excellent, cold
water, while on the Kentucky side
they are not good at all. This added
to the suffering of that memorable re-
treat. The third night we csmped on
Goose Greek, about the Goose Greek
Salt Works. There had been no rain
for a long time, and the creek was so
low it did not afford running water,
but stood in ponds here and there.
Hungry and tired, we stopped and
hastily cooked our rice, using the
water from the creek but, to our as
tonish ment, the sharp gnawing of
hunger did dot whet our appetites suf-
ficieatly for us to eat what had been
cooked. The water was salt T! Not
the pleasant taste given by the salt
used on the table, but q nauseous,
filthy, stagnant taste that could not be
endured, so the the rice had to be
thrown away, while we slept on VeTy
empty stomachs.
Corn was now getting too hard to
roast, so the next means of using it
was by what was known in the army
as the Armstrong mill" This was
made by melting the solder from a
canteen, thus giving two pieces Of
tin shaped like q turtles shell
They were then made into CRATES, by
punching small holes In them with a
nail or point of a bayOnet, SO one can
teen made two excellent Armstrong
Mills" These were carried in the
and, on the march, each
soldier kept shalp eye on the corn
fields, and gathered all that could be
found or easily carried, so when night |
came, and the command would biv-
ouac, the sounds of the mills" could |
be heard at all times through the |
night, one using his mill" until
he ground his corn, then another
taking his turn, and so on.
through Manchester. Col. DeCour-
sey's brigade had been sent out to this
place some days previous, and had
gathered some flour, and on the 22nd
we got divide, and at night cooked !
some bread, being the first bread, ex-
cept that made from bran, straw, we
vii, etc, at the Gap, that we had had |
for three weeks. We were told, how |
ever, that there was quantity of flour |
ground for US at Proctor, a village |
some distance ahead. This was cheer
ing to US; because, when one lives
three weeks in health without the
staff of life, he is ready to give audi
Die smiles when the most remote
promise of its return is made. Push
ng forward eagerly, we came in the
neigh bOThoOd of Proctor about noon,
23rd, when our hopes were
blasted, upon receiving the informa-
ion that the mill, fl Iur and all had
1een burned, and the place was held
Dy a strong force of rebels. The last
part turned out to be untrue, and it
vas well for them that it was. Twelve
thousand men as hungry as Gen.
command, TO meet with this
Kind of disappointment at sHch time,
naturally euTaged them to such pitch
hat fight would really be q matter
f enjoyment to them. / know that
Vas the way l felt, and our boys all
alked that way, while the men OfOther 9
egimenls looked Sc. Several very
Important military eVOlutiOns were !
erfOrmed, the place surrounded, bat
cries run up, guns unlimEered and y
so that they were bearing on y
ne little Town, ready for the bloody z
-ay. The mill had been burned, that I
ouId be seen, and now hungry and
nraged army stood ready to avenge
be wrong by stOrming the enemy. n
the lines were closed and P
rought nearer the fatal place, At 2
eDgIh the advance ventured into the
own, and learned that eleven rebels 8
sd been there long enough to burn !
he mill and left just before we got q
here. That morning l had one small 2
AXE of bread, and it was all got for
he next twenty -four hours. On this Z
etTeat my feet got in the same condi-
en- they were when going to the al
ny. The sOies were bruised and swol- c
IN, and to add severity to pain, my
noes bursted, and when coming to S
reams we had to wade, then, with z
ct feet, walking in the sand, the p
lOisture pathered the sand and work. s
il into the sore parts, so that the z
eight OF the body, at each step, forced
oody matter from the feet, and, gen.
ally on the hard road, leaving my n
acks in bruised blood. In this con-
Ition Major l.. NJ. Black burn, then
sting Quarter aster did me q kind z
ess 1 shall never forget. He was a
ranger to me, i never having met
i'm until st Cumberland Gap, but I
resume he had noticed my condition.
had enlisted for the war and would
OF complain, and kept my place in A
ne ranks, notwithstanding the pain A
Aused by marching, I never want TO
70 Major Black burn in the condition r
wa, but il he ever is, 1 want to be B
ole to place him in q palace car the
,mainder of his journey. AS we
larched along he gathered all the
orsts and mules he could, so one D
lght, just after we had halted for the r.
tx hit, he came to me and told me to G,
'me around next morning and he G!
ould furnish me a horse. The next "
orning came. / was very thankful q
r his kindness, and didn't want to Q;
ouble him at all, so went to where III
me horses and mules were hitched,
1t others who could get around more -.
pidly had all the horses and mules, NJ
,cept one little ill, stubborn mule. I
led to catch 1t, but it would pull e
Vay from me and cut capers as 81
ng as possible, then finding that 1 N'
as about to take hold of the
Il 4