Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1880-04-15
CAPTuRED.
Sixty Nine Federals in Sight Of
Their Army Captured by Seven
Confadarafes. 80 -

accuracy. Ne shoulf be glad toreceis an.
publish many well authenticated incident
of the proves of our gall mt "boys in gray. :
During the retreat of the Con
Ffederate army from Kentucky
(Bragg's inEasien), in che fall
of 1862, Colonel Basil w. Dukes
regiment of Morgan's cavalry
was left, by order of Genera
Kirby, at Falmouth to guard the
Federals, then advancing in
large numbers from Cincinnati,
IOhio, into the. State, the COY
lington and Georgetown Turn
pike being their center line of
march. When they had reach
led point about one mile from
Walton, Boone county, and
camped for theInight, Dnke lett
Falmouth about midnight, and
By a hard ride reached the turn
fpike, about equidistant from
Waltonand the Federal encamp-
+mentnjust as day broke. The
advanced vidette here reported
a Federal picket post of ten
men in sight, These were capt
rured BY a small force, under
Lieutenant Messic, going round
and in their rear. Duke then
ordered Sergeant Will Hays, of
! Coyington, Kentucky, to select
six men from the famous "Ad-
vance. Guard" and proceed down
the pike and find the enemy,
and ascertain his position and
strength. Hays chose Ash
Welsh,of Cynthiana, Kentucky;
Joseph M. Jones, of Paris, Ken
tucky; Thomas Franks, Of Hol-
| ly Springs, Mississippi; Frank
Riggs, Hughes Coni.adt and
Chaplin Bartlett, of CoyiBgt5n,
Kentucky, and at once COM
menced the dangerous mission.
Each man felt the responsibility
resting upon him, and nerved
himself for the worst. The turn
pike here was remarkably crook
ed, andion one side was shelter
ed by a thick growth of small
trees, vines and weeds Reach
ing a point about a mile from
the starting place, and iii round
ing a turn in the road, our little
squad found themselves plump
into a bicket-stand of sixty-nine
infanirymen. In a moment ey-
cry man Of both parties had his
gun cooked and leveltd. Yhe
Seven Confederates were all
young and hot-blooded, and had,
under the lead of Morgan and
Duke, facedimany forms Of dam
ger but never before were the
odds so great against them as
how, and their mettle was 20 be
put TO the highest test. With
the eye ofia soldier. each one re-
allied the pcrilous position he
and his comrades occupied.
Hays, at once in j, ringing tone,
demanded an Immediate sur
fendei5 saying that a regiment
of John Morgan's cavalry was
near at hand Git was one-qdarter
Of a mile distant J, and that if a
shot was fired not a Federal
should escape alive, The officer
Ia Lieutenant seemed bewild-
cred to think that seven men
should lide boldly into sixty
iiine of his men and make such
"a demand, and especially when
not more than five hundred
yards away the entire Federal
army was drawn up as if ready
to march, guns and arms glist-
cning in the bright October sun,
then just rising over the,eastern
hills. But the manner in which
the demand was made, the bear
ING of each of the Confederates
each ready to "kill his man"
at the word fire-togcthcr with
the magical name Of Morgan,
combined to and did save them.
The officer at once surrendered
his sword to Jones-who hap
pened 10 be Immediately in his
front with bis gun drawn OH
him-and Hays al once placed
the prisoners in position and or
derrd a double-quick back to his
regiment. As the march began
a Federal infantry regiment was
rapidly advancing to the, rescue
of their picket comrades, but u
turn in the road hid them from
view, and they did not follow
further. The sight was a novel
one, even for war times-seyen
Confcderates driving sixty-ninc
armed Federals before, them as
prisoners. Duke, with a COM
pany was soon met, coming to
ascertain the situation OF bis lit
tie squad. lie was profusc in
his compliments TO his men for
their achievement. The Feder-
ais were Michiganders, and the
Lieutenant's name was Clarke.
In his history of "MorgaA and
His Men, ,nDuke briefly refers
to the affair, but does not give
Tie names Of the participants.
He u<es this language: This
ea7'toit tcdS, perhaps, nerer par