Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-05-13
"reminiscences of the Second Tonnes
see Cavalry.
BY LIEUT.. JNo. W. ANDES.
NO. XVII.

On the Dight of the 18th of March,
1864, after we passed Fort Donelsop,
quite a number of the boys who had
not Joined the Murphy movement,
took q notion that they wanted some
| whisky. About high twelve they
slipped ont of camps and proceeded to
saddle their horses. Sergeant GA
baugh came to the tent of the writer,
and informed him what was up. L
| went out and demonstrated. They
agreed to abandon their trip, took the
| saddles off their horses, and
went to their quarters-quietly
and in apparently good faith.
But they were not. They afterwards
slipped away, and were off into the
surrounding country. where they
rambIed around all night. Next
morning, just as the regiment was
about to move, they came
in with plenty If whisky and
bOisterous enough. One OF my
mess-mates was in the crowd
and he became wholly unma nageable.
to the disgust of his comrades. He
made his bed that night in the leaves
near log fire. During the night fire
got into the leaves, and he barely
made his escape, with his clothes aud
blanket burned, also suffering severe
bodily injuries. 1t made a sober nan
of him afterwards, and he was never
known to get drunk. The boys carried
him pretty high, but the lesson was a
valuable one. On the 18th we reach ed
within eight miles of Nashville. On
the 18th, we marched into Nash willie,
where we found brigade of new Ten
nessee troops, composed OF the Eighth,
Ninth and Thirteenth Cavalry, all of
whom appeared anxious to gee the old
Tennessee brigade, composed of the
Second, Third aud Fourth. Here we
met great many relatives and friends,
and as we marched along the pike we
were greeted with cheer after cheer |
from the troops, and enthusiasm ran |
high.
There was q marked contrast |
between the troops. The new |
ones had on their bright, new |
uniforms and looked clean and neat.
The old ones, just off of a long and |
hard campaign, were ragged, dirty
and filthy. The reader will remember
that we left Nashville on the 9th day
of December, aud now return on the
18Th of March, during which time we
had been Constantly on active du'y, |
and had endured the storms of winter, |
seldom having time even to put up |
our tents for shelter while we slept. |
We really were q pretty hard looking |
lO', and the new men, with their rev |
uniforms, INDUCED in occasional I'm
complimentary remarks about cur
appearance. These criticisms were not |
we'll received, aud called forth rotor 9 l
such as only soldiers know how to
use, and produced feelings OF not
very favorable character.
We went into camps not far from
the penitentiary. We met a great
many friends who had felt apprehen-
sive of our safety. O lite a number of |
rumOrs had reyaileu to the effect that
we had been all killed or captured,
but in the eighty days raid into the
very heart of the enemy's country, |
cOntending with superior numbers,
led by one OF the most daring and
skillful cavalry commanders of the
Confederate army, our Brigade had
lost only about dozen men.
We remained at Nashville about
three weeks during which time we
Jared we'll and had good rest. Old
John Robinson" was there with his
" big show" aud was the centre of at
traction for two or three weeks. He
gObbied up pretty much all the green
backs held by our men. Large bodies
Of Tennessee troops were stationed in
a q around Nashville at that time and
the men put ia a good deal of their .
lime in making social calls upon each
Ither. Almost every kind of amuse- ,
nent vas INDUCED in. Groups of
men would ride QUO tOge her for pleas
4 a Raiaa1 . ka1AE "a IF he
Rock City wore a lively appearance,
and not cafe at all times for pedestri-
ms. The smallpox broke out among
he citizens aud the troops, and q great
many died. Maj a. &. Catiett, OF the
Third Cavalry, was one of the victims.
He died on the 23d day of March,
1854. He was as gallant a young
officer as ever drew a sabre. He was a
Baptist minister, and preached his &
first sermon in HendeTson's chapel, at
Springs, Sewer county,
Tennessee. He was a school and class
nate of the writer. He was a live,
man, loved and respected
~ all who knew hun. He was mar i
led only short time before the war I
o a Blount county lady, who, with {
me child, was left TO mourn his un-
timely death,
On the 9Th day of April we moved
ur camps to the elegant farm OF Gen.
and named the place Camp
Iatlett, in honor of Msj. CatIett. 1t
vas on the Nashville and North
Western Railroad, about six or seven
niles from Nashville. We remained
lere for some time grazing our stock
IN the pasture fields and blue grass
or which that part of the country is
loted Ga the 9th Of April we were
paid off and had plenty of money
gain.