Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-01-31
PANIC AT RIGHT.
ReminIseence of t8ragg's Retreat
from Chattanocga-The CRY
of" Yankee CavalryI"

y
1t was on the occasion Of Bragg's
retreat from Chattanooga. The
Eleventh Tennessee, commanded BY
Colonel Gordon, had been on duty
continuously for thirty six hours, and
the men were completely worn out By
forced marches and loss OF sleep. A
short while after nigh; precipitous
mill was reached, after descending
which stop was luade. occasioned by
a number of trains that were in front.
There being no prospect of advancing
for at least several hours. the ex-
hausted men threw themselves upon
the ground, and soon became obliv.
lous OF all that was passing.
The moon was Just raising, and her
rays were every few moments obscured
by passing clouds that scudded rapidly
across the sky, and were apparently
the advance guards of STERN. The
shifting, changing shadows came and
went as so many ghostly forms, and
the short intervals of unclouded light
rom the moon, but served TO render
the darkness that succeeded more
palpable and intense.
An hour after sleep had spread her
wing over the troops, the ambulance
train, together with a section of artil
lery, drew up and halted on the hill
overlooking the command.
In some unaccountable manner
several of the horses 10 the train be,
came frightened and unmanageable,
and dashed down the steep and
rocky declivity, pulling the wagons
aud artillery after them. The noise
that accompanied the descent of the
scared animals was terrific and as ear
splitting as the fire of musketry or
the bursting OF shells. The sleeping
soldiers, thus suddenly aroused from
their much needed slumbers by the
terrible racket, and not being able,
owing to great mental exhaustion.
to collect their wits about them,
were frightened out of their senses
or at least what little they possessed
at that time. The cry Of Yankee
cavalry" that some one raised was
all that was necessary to complete
the panic that had commenced
Yankee cavalry" Yankee cav
alryl" was echoed and resechoed
throughout the command, and at
least one half of the members
without one thought of defense
and without even casting about them
Tor their arms, Immediately took to
flight On one side OF the road was
pond covering about half an acre, into
which rushed, neck deep, several Of
the "bravest" men OF the command,
and who, with uplifted hands and
supple lting voices. yelled out, Don't
shoot. | surrender Don't shoet-for
Gods sake, don't shootl" Dick B..
we'll known as the champion liar OF
The regiment, rushed out into the
darkness as fast as hunted deer, and
10 few moments struck a group Of the
boys who, in the stampede, had been
separated from ths main body.
One of the party noticed that
Dicks head was bloody, and called
the attention OF the balance to the
lact. They oil gathered around
him, whereupon he proceeded
to narrate the details of a terrible
fight he had Just engaged 10 With .
Yankee cavalrymau, during which his
adversary had struck him over the
head with horse pistol hence the
wound Dick has lost his hat in the
alleged encounter, and the party vol
unteered to go back in search OF it,
Tie title" was soon found at the foot
of tree, but no dead Yankee lay near
it, whom the doughty Dick had slain,
as he had declared ia single handed
combat 1t soon leaked out that
Dick, in his hurry tO escape the i'm
aginary foe, had rushed pell nell
into clump of trees aud butted his
head against one OF them, with ter
rife force, peeling the skin and flesh
from his forehead and leaving a small
portion OF his skull bare. 1t was the
tree he had battled with and not a
Yankee cavalryman, A few moments
after the FIRST alarm, the true eondi.
zion of affairs daWied upon the star
tied men, and by little groups they
tell back into line, some Of them be.
smeared with mud. A number of them
had their jackets badly torn by the
brush though which they had rushed
at the top Of their speed. A single
company Of cavalry could have cap.
tured the entire command Of which |
was member. Luckily, however,
there was net Yankee within ave
miles of US. A more lqdicro4s scene
was never witnessed, and the recol-
lection Of it served to keep "a boy9
in good hgmGr foF weeks ia come.