The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-05-10
THE BATTLE OF RAYMOND.
The Mistakes of Pemberton and the BRAY
cry Of Cur Boys.

Wien I left the brigade vas %
the march TO the N. O. j q G. n.
r. r. to take the cars for Jackson.
We 1, Ok the train at Csvka, :
small village IN Southern Mssis-
sippi. But when we got to Brock
Haven we found that the track was
torn zip. Col. Grierson, the cele-
brated raider of the fedora army,
had m ade a raid going thro gh the
entire state of Mississippi and he
had torn up the railroads 10 many
places, Brook Haven being Of the
number. We marched north Of the
break and took the cars for Jack
son which we reached on tie 10th
of May. Grant had landed his
army on the east bank of the Mis-
sissippi and had defeated small
detachment of the confedel ates al
Port Gibson. Gen. Gregg was or
dered to take his brigade to Ray
monA 10 the western part Of Kinds
county. Jackson is in the same
county and is the capital of the
state, vet Raymond is the county
seat of Kinds county. 1t was then
q small unpretending town, inhab
tied exclusiyely by women and chill
dren and old men. All the able
bodiei men were in the army.
Mississippi men who were able did
their whole duty as soldiers, but the
stay-i,-bomes were the stingiest
and nlqst iIl-bred men in the Whole
soutf We arrived nSar Raymond
on tie 18th and awaited orders.
On the morning OF the 18th our
cavalry land here let me say they
were Of the regular buttermilk or
der no had their washing done at
home during the wary reported that
the enemy had only one brigade in
our front, which would have been
but a small undertaking to rout and
destroy it. For it is well known
fact that where forces were equal
the confederates always won.
Statements to the contrary are pub
lished in our school histories and
are being taught our youth which
should be corrected. The sur
yivors of the confederate army
have nothing to be ashamed OF If
the truth is written. In no battle
of the war were the confederates
superior to the federal IN numbers.
If such were so the fact. argues utter
imbecility on the part of the COM
manders of the federal army as the
records of the war show the federal
army had over
TWO AND ONE HALF MILLION
of enlisted men, while the largest
estimate of the confederates was sew
en- hundred and fifty thousand en-
listed men. BY statement recent
ly published, taken from the re-
cords of the war department, the
four states of New York, Pennsyl-
vania, Ohio and Illinois furnished
over one million of men for the fed
eral army, two hundred and fifty
thousand more than wasl in the
whole southern army, and it is not
unreasonable to suppose that The 9th
er ftteen northern states were
equally patriotic, and besides the
slave states themselves furnished
over two hundred thousand men for
the federal army. A writer in the
London Illustrated News last year
stated it as fact taken from statis-
tics that the number of men placed
Aors de combat during the war IN
the federal army was equal to the
whole of the enlisted men in thu
southern army. 1t will be seen
that it was utterly impossible fol
the confederates to have been in
the majority in number in any bat
tie unless the federal commando
was a fool / make this dlgressiv'
statement simply to give the truti
for | think the time is past 10
southern men to supinely sit dowi
and permit such glaring falsehood
to be taught their children. w
have no quarrel to make with on
former foes. We honor them 70
courage and devotion to the uniol
and would not pluck one leaf from
their wreath of victory honestl.
won. But the victories we won W
claim and ask that he who assume
the role of historian shall write tn
truth, let 1t hurt whom it may. A
before stated our cavalry reported
only one brigade in our front. Gen
Gregg ordered Col. cranberry OF tn
18th Texas to take two companies o
the 9th and deploy them as skisn
ishers and that gallant officer wa
soon ready to move forward. Ger
Gregg formed the brigade IN line i
the cemetery, and there among tn
dead the living were formed wit
high hopes and brave hearts who i
one short hour would be in eternit
with them. The yankees were i
the woods in our front and it wa
impossible to tell their real positio
or strength. Between US and tn
yankees was deep ravine or gully
more properly speaking which, "
ad TO cross before we struck th
enemy. Gen. Gregg ordered th
brigade forward and they prompt
obeyed. Col. Cranberry with hi
skirmishers soon uncovered thei
front and fell back and formed o
the right of the brigade. The com
mand was thensgiven
TO CHARGED
which was done in grand styl
We leaped Into the woods an
drove the first line of the enem
from the rayine back on the secon'
line, broke that line too and had eV
erything in our front in utter rou
and retreat, but as we passe
through the line in the charge tb
enemy formed and marched in OF
rear, and while we thought we ba
won the victory, we were BEN
surrounded. The charge had bee
terrific one, and we had 10
heavily by it, and now the altern'
tive was surrender or cut our wa
out. The latter was the resol'
and fright nobly was it execute
Our little but heroic brigade, iii
the light brigade at Balaklava, hs
"Cannon to the right of them,
Cannon TO the left of them,
Cannon to the front of them,
And cannon to the rear of them."
Which poured shell and cannist
in our already .thinned ranks, viii
the fire of twelve thousand rifles W
concentrated on that little brigad
vet they charged the line in OF