Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-08-23

He had marched his. comman
twenty miles that day, when h
found a fresh trail where the enc
my's cavalry had passed. Puttinj
his command at gallop, he trav
eled ten miles further before h
struck the rear guard. His owl
command was badly scattered, no
half up with him; but withou
haulting, he rushed headlong a
them, leading the charge himself
When he had driven the rear guarC
on to the main body, and they
turned c:c him with superior force
he quickly dismounted his men
and held the enemy in check unit
his command came up, and ordered
them to attack flank and rear. This
movement was successful, and the
retreat of the FederaIs soon began
Quickly mounting his men, he com.
menced one of his terrible pursuits
fighting hand-to-hand with pistol
and sword-killing one and wound
ing two himself-continuin the
chase for many miles, and leaving
the road dotted with wounded and
dead.
His Major, celebrated preacher
and subsequently an equally cele-
brated Confederate Colonel, ID. G.
Kelly, saw him then for the first
time under fire, and thus vividly
describes the change that always
took place in his appearance in q
fight Ellis face flushed till it bore
a striking resemblance toa painted
Indian warriors, and his eyes, usu-
ally SO mild in their expression,
blazed with the intense glare of a
panther's about to spring on his
prey. In fact, he looked as little
like the Forrest of our mess table as
the storm Of December resembles
the quiet of June"
Those who saw him when his
brother jeffrey fell, who was born
after the death of his father, and
who was educated and almost idol
lied by his brother, say that the
blaze of his face and the glare of
his eyes were fearful to behold, and
/ that he rushed like a madman on
the foe, dealing out death with pis-
tol and sword to all around him
like Hector fighting over the body
of Patroclus /:
''Yet, fearless in his strength, now rushing
He dashed amid the prey; now shouting
loud,
Stood I firm; but backward not step re-
This first fight, as 1 have said, IL
lustrated the military characters
tics of the man, and justified the re-
mark of General Dick Taylor, that
che employed the tactics of Fred
erick at Leuthen and Zorndorf,
without even having heard these
names" First, his reckless courage
in making the attack-a rule which
he invariably followed and which
tended always to intimidate his adj
versarY. Second, his quick dis
mounting of his men 10 fight, show
ing that he regarded horses mainly
as rapid means of transportation
for his troops. Third, his intuitive
adoption OF the flank attack, so sue
cessfully used by Alexander, Han |
nibal and Tamerlane-sO demoraI- |
izing to an enemy even in an open |
field, and so much more so when |
made, as Forrest often did, under |
cover of woods which concealed the
weakness of the attacking party. |
Fourth, his fierce and untiring pur-
suit, which so often changes retreat |
into rout and makes victory COM
plete. If our Confederate leaders
had pursued their victory at Manas-
sas, Shiloh and Chickamauga as
Forrest pursued this his first Victo-
ry as he pursued Streight in the
mountains of Alabama as he pur-
sued Sturgis from Tishemingo creek;
as he pursued every advantage OBJ
tanned over an enemy-the cause
that we lost might perhaps have
been won, Fifth, following, with
out knowing it, Napier's precept of
the art of war, he was always in the
front, making personal observations
and sending back orders for moving
his troops, 'While his keen eye
watched the whole fight and guided
him to the weak spot" AS Scott
said of Wellington
Correcting the mandate which sent out
Their bravest and their best to dare
A fate their leader stunned to share.
He his country's sword and shield
Still in the battle front revealed,
And where danger fiercest swept the field,
TherH game ike beam Of light.H
This practice brought him into
many personal conflicts; and Gene
raj Dick Taylor has well said: 81
doubt if any commander, since the
days of iion-hearted Richard, has
killed as many enemies with his
own hand as Forest" This exposed
him also to constant danger, and he
had tWenty-seven horses killed and
wounded under him in battle, and :
was twice severely wounded him
self. This practice led to imitation
hyA general officers and at Hurts
the day before the battle
of Franklin, I witnessed what /
will venture to say was never seen
on any other battlefield during the
war, Forrest with two division and
three brigade commanders all on
the skirmish line In the fight.
FORT DoNELsON AND SHILOH.
At Fort Donelson his regiment
bore conspicuous part in the fight,
covered General Pillows flank in
the most important sortie that was
made on our side, captured bat
tepy Of six guns, and retreated in
safety, when the garrison surren-
dered. At Shiloh, without taking
any part in the main battle, he rem
dered signal and efficient service.
Our army had been withdrawn
early Sunday evening, and when
officers and men were sleeping, {
tondly dreaming that their victory
was complete, Forrest, without any
orders from any superior officer, had
pressed his scouts to the river and (
that reinfOrcements of
the enemy were arriving. | was
then in command of an infantry ;
brigade, which, by some oversight,
had not received the order to retire, I
and having the fight until
dark, slept on the ground where
Prentiss surrendered. About mid ]
night Forrest aWoke me, ipquiring :
for Generals Beauregard, Bragg and I
Hardee, and when l could not tell
him the headquarters of either, he |
said, In profane but prophetic lam
guage, "If the enemy come on us in
the morning, we will be whipped 1
like hell" With promptness he ]
carried the information to head {
quarters, and, with military genius,
a renewal at once Of our
attack; but the unlettered Colonel I
was ordered back to his regiment
ito keep up a vigilant and strong
picket line,n which he did, and
~ L. e .