The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-11-17
Col. Dahlgren,s Death.

It was now beginning to get dark, and
We wanted some rest and something to
eat, and crossing creek we halted In
On old field, where Col. Dahlgren took
short nap. We were soon moving again,
and had not marched above half q mile,
when the advance was stopped by
an obstruction In the road. Lieut..
Merritt rode back and met the Colonel
and asked for more men. The Colonel,
Mai. Cook, myself and ten or twenty
men rode rapidly to the front, and upon
arriving at the trees that were across the
road we were met by an order to surren-
der, both parties demanding a surrender
at the same time. Col. Dahlgren then
leveled his revolver at the person who
seemed to be the officer in command of
the Contederates, but his pistol missed
fire. In an instant volley was poured
into cur left flank the whole length of
our line, and so close that the flashes
almost reached our horses. This caused
stampede, as every horse in our com
mand turned and broke down the
road. After going a few yards we
checked up and crossed q fence on
our right, and formed on the top of
ridge few rods from the road. We
now began to look who was missing, and
found the Colonel was not on hand.
| This number of us were aware of be-
fore, having seen him fall off his horse
by the light of the flash of the guns.
Mai. Cooke was not ON horseback, for
when we reached the ridge his horse fell
at the same fire that killed the Colonel.
In fact, there was only one vOlley not
shot fired afterward nor a man to be
seen. We were allowed to form in the
! field in peace, sndhad we q guide we
might still have reached Gloucester
Point, on Gen. Buffers lines; but we
were now entirely without any knowl-
| edge Of the surroundings; the men al
most dead for sleep and out of ammunl-
| ton the horses about played out and
every one more or less demoralized.
| And was it strange? We had been in
| the saddle for seYepty-six hours with
| out halt long enough to get any sleep.
| A council was now held to determine
what should be done, for we did not in
tend to give up. 1t was finally agreed
upon to fasten the horses in a hollow
square by fastening the sabers into the
| ground, and then every one try to make
his escape, The commissioned officers
| Mai. Cooke, Lieut.. Merritt and my
self-together with four scouts and
guides, were to go in party. We IN
| tended to cross the country, going north,
and strike the Rappahannock river be-
low Fredericksburg and get one of our
picket boats.
We left the men and horses and crept
| like cats to the woods (the same we had
ambushed from) and through the bushet
about a mile, when it began to break
day, March 3. We hid in a pine thicket
all day, and at dark set out. had with
me a compass and a good Typographical
map of that part of Virginia, which en-
abled us to select our route We trav-
| eled this night about two miles, when
we were getting weak for lack OfsOmething
to eat, and, coming to log cabin near
/ the woods, we made reconnaissance OF
! the premises, and found the occupants
| to be a white man and woman. We went
! In and asked for something to eat, and,
while we were sitting In the house wait
/ ing for it to be got ready, the door was
| opened, and we were politely told to
| surrender, which Maj. Cooke, being the
ranking officer, very politely did. And
! thus ended one of the most eXtraOrdi-
nary expeditions of the war, when we
| consider the number of men and the
distance travelled, the number captured
and the amount of damage done the
enemy, and the fact that we were closer
! to the city of Richmond than any other
Union troops had been or were until the
city fell into our hands in 1865. We
we're taken the next day, March 4, to
Stevensville, and from there started to
Libby in charge of Capt. Magruder's
| company of cavalry. These troops were
| gentlemen, and treated us as well rs
circumstances would permit.
! Ehia Times.