The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-08-30
AT CUMBERLAND GAP.
The Experiences of the Sixteenth Ohio in that
Trying Campaign.

AT Gu CUMBERLAND GAP.
The Experiences of the Sixteenth Ohio in that
Trying Campaign.
| To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
/ Comrade J. T. Brewer, of company X, Sew
/ enth Kentucky v l., in your issue of the 10th
I inst, invites some one who was under General
1 George w. Morgan at Cumberland Gap in The
/ fall of 1902, to write up description, and give
some of the incidents OF the operations of that
command. To be explicit and go into details
after the lapse of twenty-one years, especially
when the mind is filed with the subsequent
mere stirring and hazardous scenes and trials
/ OF the war, can hardly be expected. viii re.
/ cord nay recollections of that campaign, and
what my memory fails TO recall may he sup
! piled by some other cemrade who served under
/ General Morgan at Cumberland Gap. My
/ regiment the Sixteenth o. Y. J. left Camp
Dennison, near Cincinnati, late in the fall or
early in the winter of 1851, and proceeded by
railroad 10 Lexington. KY, when it went into
! camp al Camp Clay. We remained there until
] q few days before the battle OF Mill Springs,
when We marched under Colonel J. T. de Courcy
! (who was colonel of the Sixteenth regiment)
! via Nicholasyille and Camp Dick Robinson to
! join the forces under General Thomas at or near
Mil Springs for the purpose Of participating
I in the battle about to be fought there. After
leaving the macadamized turnpike, the roads
were so muddy and difficult Of passage that cur
! progress was necessarily slow, and we did not
arrive on the field of battle until some time in
! the night of the day on which the battle was
/ fought 1t was, however, q complete victory for
/ the Union arms and General Zollicoffer. who
| commanded the rehs, then laid down his life in
a futile effort to foist upon the brave Kentuck-
/ iaas an alien government. The fighting was of
| the most desperate character, the Ninth Ohio
meeting Mississippi regiment ia hand-tc-
| hand encounter, and putting the Mississippians
/ to utter rout
OCCUPYING THE GAP.
After this engagement portion of the
troops marched via London to Cumberland
| Ford, where they arrived in March, 1862, and
| fortified the position. During the spring sew
eral reconnaissance and demonstrations were
| made IN force against Cumberland Gap, but
| the natural barriers, strengthened by rebel
engineering. made the place impregnable, and
no serious effort was made to carry it By storm,
although in feeling the encmy's position and
strength we lost a number of our men in killed
and wounded. General Morgan, becoming
convinced that the position could not be
wrenched from the enemy by direct assault,
marched his command by the enemy's left
flank through one of the gaps or passes TO the
west of Cumberland Gap, descending into the
| valley on the other side of the mountains thus
threatening the enemy 'ssrear and base of sup
plies. This had the effect of compelling him TO
7 ANb 70 ol MS POSITION ana retreat on hnOXFll4e.
/ Oar forces then occupied the position without
blow, and continued to occupy it until
August Of that year. 4 few days before evac-
nating the gap, Colonel De Courcy took two or
three regiments and battery of artillery on
what was said 10 be foraging expedition as
far as TaZwell, in East Tennessee, where he
ran up against the enemy in force It proved
TO be General Kirby Smiths army on its
raid into Kentucky. Our troops occupied
q range Of hills on the east and south
Of Tazwell about mile, where they were at
| tackled by al entire division of the enemy.
Our command held its ground until the middle
OF the afternoon, when the enemy charged our
position from the woods, in which they lay
masked, and drove rs back TO q range of hills
on the vest and north Of Tazwell The bat
terry with US was very nearly captured in that
charge.
oUTFLANKED.
VIII some comrade tell US what battery that
was? Colonel DE Courcy depl0yed his com
Inand in single rank in the skirts of the
woods in plain view OF the enemy, and moved
them back and forth for the purpose of deceiv-
ing him Is 10 our strength. The artillery on
both sides then opened and kept up the fire
until night, when we beat hasty retreat for
the gap, telling trees across and throwing rails
, and logs into the road to impede the enemy's
pursuit. We got safely into camp the next day,
but hungry and tired enough | assure you.
The engagement on the hills east and south OF
TaZwell cost Us the life Of Captain Edgar, of the
Sixteenth regiment, besides several others.
Captain Edgar was one of the best officers in
, the regiment, and his loss was greatly incurred
by Us all. he was cool, brave aud thorough
soldier, and with all perfect gentleman The
Confederate general did not try to drive us
out of the gap, but, following General Morgan's
example, crossed the mountains west of the
gap through some pass, and, without paying
any attention to US whatever, marched direci
on Louisville and Cincinnati. This move, oil
course, cut us of from our base of supplies
and, being short Of rations owing to the lons
r distance we were obliged to cart them over
: very bad roads, we Were in turn fanked out Of
G our position, impregnable as it was. Before
! abandoning the gap, we spiked and otherwise
e rendered useless all of the heavy siege gun!
4 and destroyed all surplus baggage and wagon:
and such ammunition as the troops could moi
carry in their cartridge boxes and caissons. We
had long and dreary march before US, and
: 1 one that seemed full of peril It was ovel
: two hundred miles in length, through
mountainous and scantily supplied country
Q with but a few days rations in our haversackl
. and wagons. We were put ON quarter rations
HARRAssED BY MoRGAN's RAIDERS.
c We had retreated but few days before Gen
5 eral John Morgan, with his cavalry, began {,
e annoy and delay US by tearing up and burnin,
f the bridges On our route and telling tree
, across our way. He would occasionally max,
t dash at our train or some exposed de
1 tachment Of our troops We were soon forced
S TO lock 10 the country through which we wer,
4 passing for rations. 1t was sparsely settled
i and anything but promising. Occasionally w.
{ would come TO a field OF corn which was be
8 tween ro2sting-ears aud its ripened condition
r The ears were gathered and converted int
o meal by the boys, by driving nail through
: their tin platters until the surface became {
t perfect crater. They then grated the corn int
{ meal, and baked it into iohnny-cake on fiat
0 stones. OF course, all Chickens geese. ducks