Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-06-21
FROM NASHVILLE TO WEST TENNEs-
SEE-MARCHING IN INTENSE
COLD WEATHER.
NO. XVI.

. Of the regiment knew where he cam
g from. His papers were placed in tn
writer's possession and safely KEEP
, until the close of the war, when
notice was published in the news
papers making inquiry for his people
but no trace Of him was ever found
whereUpon the papers were sent to th'
Adiuiaat Generals Office at Nash
willie.
Cap. Gid. II Griffith. of Company
&C" died at Nashville of fever july
! 10, 1888. he was an excellent man
of liberal education, but too kind
hearted 10 be a soldier. In Other
words, he was too good in his nature
for the rough and tumble of soldiers
habits and fare.
On the 9th day of December, 1868,
the q, Sd and An Tennessee Cavalry
| regiments moved out from Nashville
under Col. y. NJ. Ray. They
were afterwards joined by the 5th
/ Kentucky cavalry and 72nd Illinois
mounted Infantry. Passing through
| HillsborO' on the 2Sth, and on the 20 h
arrived at Duck River and bivOuaced
opposite Columbia, ,'and on the 31st we
moved across the river and bivOuaced
near COlumbi This was a damp.
dTi2z' Y day until the afternoon, while
the weather was rather warm for the
season. Ia the afternoon Hugh G.
Jeffries of Company A, and l went out
/ 10 the country TO get something to eat.
/ Finding some sweet potatoes We
/ bought bag full and starred back to
/ camps. We had gone without over
| cbats or blankets, and with thin
| bluuses on, being quite comfortable,
/ 50 far a. the tenn peTaJuTe was concern
\ ed Gu our way back to camps the
weather turned suddenly very cold, SO
| much so that when we got TO our place,
! throwing the bag of potatoes down, it
! fell like chunk of ice, frozen stiff as
a badger. We were almost in the
| same condition. The change was so
sudden and the cold so intense it
! seemed almost impossible to keep from
! freezing through the night. Fences,
| boards, | deed, everything that would
/ burn and give heat were rapidly con
! sumed, while the boys shiveriDg, how
/ cred around them. New Year, 1854,
was so cold there was no stirring ex-
| cept for fuel. Ga the 2nd of January,
! late in the afternoon, the Third was
sent through Column bia and some five
t.
The pixies were covered with a thick
layer Of ice, so that it was very dan
EeToGs for the fret company in march
ing on them. The horses were falling
aud tumb!ing in front almost all the
way. But the first company cut the
surface Of the ice uLtil it was not quite
SO bad for the others. January 3rd,
we, moved about five miles and
stopped again. The weather continued
extremely cold. On the 4th passed
through Henryvilie. This again
seemed TO be the coolest weather we
had ever marched in. Night came on
at last. But oh! what an uninviting |
night il was! Almost stiff with cold, |
the country nearly barren, but little |
to eat and nothing to feed our horses |
upon. At length we came near an
iron foundry. The country nearly |
bare of vegetaliOn-uOt even shrub |
to hitch the horses to. Men and horses |
seemed to be sunk in gloom until it !
became mpaTatively q noisless |
march. Not word was spOken-only |
the slow thuddIng of the horses feet |
against the frozen ground could be |
heard. A halt was made, and every |
man stood still in his place. Every
thing was quiet as death, when A. NJ. |
Rule, OF Company A, who was then |
just boy, began singing in. clear, |
yet solemn voice, to the tame of Lilly |
Dale
"Oh, soldier, poor soldier, hungry and |
Therefore I'll return to my home far away, |
So farewell to the brave and the bold"
Never did a thing come more APP |
propriately; never was it more telling. |
Il seems as if / can almost hear it |
yet. At length we stopped for the |
night. After so long time some |
corn was found for the horses, but |
iron pigs were the hitching posts. To |
sleep on the frozen ground would only |
thaW it into mud, so some time was
spent hunting for boards to sleep on.
We eristed through the night and re-
sumed the march next morning, pass
ing through Waynesh0rO' The |
weather continued cold.
On the IN, We stopped at Savannah,
on the Tennessee River. Alex. Kidd |
and the writer went out in search OF |
food, but found more, save at the house |
Of Federal soldier whose family had |
barely enough 10 supply their wants,
so as empty as ever We started for |
camrs, but missing the road, it was |
late W len we got iii, and so eold that |
the heat Of q burning log heap C uld |
scarcely be feitfor long time.
On the 7th we crossed the river in |
the "BiUe Bird" > little steamboat
plying the river there. Here we took |
up the river, and on the 8 b arrived at
CoTinih, Mississippi, stsid that night |
g bout four miles south of COrinth in
swamp, made beds Of grass Cd the ice
and slept on them. Lste in the after
noon Of Jane 10Th, we took the cars
and were moved to Middleton, Ten,
nessee. This was an unpleasant ride,
being on top of the cars in the ex-
remedy cold weather. On the 18th
there was little thaw. On the 18th
we moved again by the Mississippi
Junction TO La Grange, Tennessee, and
rested there the b. On the 14lh we
moved to La Fayette, and on the 18th
arrived at Colliersville, Tennessee.
Here the brigade was reorganized.
Col. D. NJ. Ray left us at Columb ia,
and Col. d. G. ThOTnburgh, of the
Third, being the next in rank, cons
mauded the brigade up to this time.
Here the Second. Third and Fourth
Fifth Kentucky and Third
Illinois Cavalry regiments, and tue
Seventy second Indiana Mounted In
fantry- composed the brigade which
was commanded by Colonel La Fay
cite McCrellio, of the Third Illinois.
Col. D. G.. Thornburgh left the COM
maud and returned to Nashville, which