Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-02-14
"reminiscences Of the Third Tonnes
see Cavalry.
'Ft p wGT&-v
BY ADJUTAET WILL. A. M'TEER.
END OF A LONG C4MPAIGN-REoR-
GANIzATIoN-BACx TO NASH
VILE AND REJ0IN THE

maTCntu through JoueSDOTO anu
CORTLAND, Alabama. stopping at night
within three miles of the latter place.
On the eth, we returned TO Decatur.
This was an extremely disagreeable
day-raining, muddy and cold-while
we were as hungry as wolves, IL was
hard to find firm ground enough
about Decatur for camping purposes.
1t always was disa ,reeable place,
but extremely SO now. We had a
large number Of prisoners. Colonel
Prosser and / sought quarters at the
hotel. The rooms were crowded, so
we and Colonel Warren, of the Tenth
Alabama Cavalry, whom We had cap
tured on our raid, and who was on
street parole, took a room together.
He was polished gentleman, and
we soon became warm personal
friends. Notwithstanding each fire.
quently proposed to fight for bis con.
victions until every nerve in the arm
should perish. On the morning OF
the .7th, Col. Prosser went 10 Hunts
Vile, looking up our wounded and
remnants of the command we had
left there after the battle at Indian
Greek, in charge of Surgeon John A.
Souers and Maj G. w. Hutsell.. This
left Col. Warren aud the writer to-
gether, aud 1t being too muddy to get
out on the streets, we had nothing to
do but talk over the war. We had
frequently met in battle, and 1t was
something of pleasure to thus quiet
ly talk over them and learn one
another's plumbers as well as sue
cessful stratagems and the dashing
prowess of the respective commands.
Thus ended one of the longest con.
tinuous campaigns perhaps made by
any command during the war. We
evacuated Decatur on the 18th OF No
vember,, 1854. We were in our saddles
every day and sometimes day and
night. / have given the principal en-
gageneDts but during this period We
were under fire almost every day.
Sometimes we had something to eat
but frequently had nothing. On .heir
way to the great battle at Nashville,
the enemy struck US the first blow on
the 26tn of October, when We con.
tended with him holly for four days
Major General George FL. Thomae, in
his off cial report, speaking OF this
raid, after giving the account of the
fight with Russell, said: 1.-The COM
mand zen proceeded to Decatur with.
out medication and reach ed that place
on the 9Th of January, after a march
of over Two hundred and fifty miles
One hundred and fifty prisoners were
captured, and nearly one thousand
stand of arms destroyed. - Conduct
of the War, part ], General Thomas
Report, p SSl.]
Again he SAID in the same report
(page 3S9: s'To Colonel Palmer and
his com ID and is accorded the credit
of giving Hoods army the last Blow
of the campaign, at a distance OF over
two hundred miles from where we
first struck the enemy on the 18th of
December, near Nashville"
Coming into Decatur, we found the
whole army had been recognized.
Lieutenant Colonel Cook, of the Sec.
ond Tennessee Cavalry, who was
thought to have been killed at Oko-
Iona, Mississippi, turned up alive,
and had been exchanged. We knew
mott ing of where Maj. Ben Cunning
ham, with the little remnant OF the
Third, had been assigned. The In
dianians were taken from us and or.
dered to their commands SO, on the
7th of January, / was relieved from
duty rs Acting Assistant Adjutant
General. Colonel Prosser was ordered
to join the rem ainder OF his regiment
ia their new brigade at Gravelly
Springs. Thus L was left in charge of
about twenty men of the Third, and
did not know where to go. The
Third and Fourth having 30
long been brigaded together, we very
naturally expected The Third was
some W here with them. So on the 9th |
of January, Col. Prosser started tor his
new brigade, and I started with him |
In search of the remnant of the Third. |
On leaving Decatur, Col. Warren babe
me good bye with considerable feel
ing, thanking both Col. Prosser and |
myself for. the kindness he had re,
ceived at our hands, and just as L was
with him, he said that he |
W az under lasting obligations to me,
and hoped the time might soon come |
when he could repay the act of kind
0 ess for which he was indebted to me, |
III tnc Sh"c way udu cAbChdSu thChh
10 him. L thanked him for his ex-
pressions OF good feeling, and told him
he need feel under no obligations
whatever, and that / would endeavor
10 avoid giving him an opportunity Of
repsying what he considered debt Of |
gratitude in that way. SO we parted. |
AT night we stopped at farm
house, aud the hardest rain Of the sea
ION fell. On the 10Th of January we
went to Athens, and here. 1 learned |
that Msjor Cunningham was at Edge
field, Surgeon Souers, with some of
our men, was at Huntsville, and the |
Nashville and Decatur Railroad was
torn up. So, with our little squad, we
found q place on the train which had
lust arrived at Athens loaded with |
com trlissary stores for General Will
sons command. 1t was sent by miss
take, some way, so all they had to do
was to take their load back to HUNTS
willie. With difficulty, we found room
for our horses, while the men were
to ride on top of the cars.
II was q cold, dssgreeable day so we
agreed TO help wood" if the conductor |
would make the time short In going to |
Huntsville. And he did. Sometimes |
II seemed that the wheels were running |
In the air alaar ahnva tho traoh Ar |