Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-07-15

Our last left US at Decatur junction,
Ala, on the oath. day. of September
1864. We were atrest, in line OF bat
tie, listening to the fighting at 5ul.
phur Trestle, where twelve hundred
Federal so!diers and officers were cap
tured. We remained in line OF oaItie
at the Junction until II O'CLOCK ana
,,ont from, there to Decatur, and re-
m aimed st the latter place until Gen.
F,rrest cleaned up everything on the
line of railroad leading from Athens
to Nashville. The road was torn up,
bridoes were burned, com misary stores
taken. and all the small squads of
troops captured as far moth as Frank
lin, Tenn. Gen. Forrest then re,
turned to Dixie at his leisurs. On The
26 b our regiment took a trip out sew
eral miles on the Moulton road
and returned. On the 2Sth We were
ordered out Il miles in the direction
of Moullon with a regiment Of In
fantry. Everything was III confusion.
The force then at Decatur numbered
the 2ud cavalry and about 500 in
fantry. All ou- supplies were cut off.
telegraph lines were destroyed and
we had no communication with the
outside world. We returned to camps
about 10 O'clock at night. About the
time we got in sight of our camp fires
our boys thought@it, a good time to
have little fun. They raised whoop
and firearms were discharged. The
rain was pouring down in torrents.
The conVaIescent fellows in camps,
some of whom were suspected OF
8 playing off, " when they heard US
coming became panic stricken. aud
started to save themselves by flight.
They started without thinking
of boots, pants, hats or
coats. Some took shelter for the night
under the river banks, some insold
while others discovered their
and returned, swearing they
would whip somebody if they were
fooled any more. r1-a grsE
On the 29tb, M8j. VIII r. McBath,
with his battalion, was ordered 10
Athens, 20 miles from Decatur, to
guard battery which was to reoecu-
py the fort at that place. We arrived
ass
possession. On the 30th the battalion
went out to Sulphur lrestle with ann
balances and get 25 wounded men,
some of the Third Tennessee Cavalry
Most of them were Infantry who had
been stationed there TO guard the Tres
ue.-They had been suffering for want
of food and attention since The "a b..
They had been permitted, however, TO
taig hEJ nH Il 40.
left surgeon W il Ei them W TO had done
what he could for hean but he mad no
medicine and nothing 10 feed them
The citizsns had been kind, and din
what they could for their relief. The
uOGr felIO vs. said the blessed Womemin
the neighborhood had saved their
lives. When they saw our flag there
was great rejoicing. when n ehFrived
| at the top OF the hlil where the gallant
Third Cavalry had so molly done their
| duty, The boys discovered us; they set
| up a shout from their W. airy b d9, and
! saying "deiiVerence has come at last ~
Many q poor fellow was Ompletely
overcome by his feelings and his joy
found expression in tears. The camps
were full of good women aud children
with baskets full of good things to
feed the wounded and dying, and
when We tUok the soldiers INCUR am
balances they, with tears 2 their eye s,
returned thanks. ~ -
Among the wounded were a mum Der
of Con federates, who were also placed
in the ambuIances and taken to
Athens, where they were cared for the
same az our own men. We fpuH-. one
man in an unoccupied house outside
the town. The house had been desert
ed by. the family occupying itJand the
soldier lad either been murdered OF
wounded by Forrest med and left tn
die. 1t seems that none of the CT iZens
knew anything a50utit ana be was
lying upon his blankets ard had been
dead, apparently for, several days.
On the 1st- of October We were or
dered to Huntsville, at which place We
were TO rejoin our regiment. We went
within ten miles of that place aud
met fhe Confederate General Buf0rd
with brigade of his caNa!ry-toO
much for a single battalion, and we
fell back to Athens, where six hundred
of US and the battery of artillery de-
termined TO 9 hold the fort" We got
back about an hour before III, lit aud
had some heavy skirmishine, the par
ticulars Of which will appear III our