Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1888-10-25
SOLDIERS DEPARTMENT.
WAR "REMINISCENCES.
Adventures OF Lieutenant Willis, Ore OF
Colonel streIght's Raiders.


Colonel Streight's Raiders.
The story of Colonel Strengths raid and
of his subsequent escape from Libbypr
on has always held its place as one of the
most exciting and interesting incidents OF
the war, but there has been little written
with regard to the individual experiences
of the men who were with him, and for
that reason we reproduce the story OF
Lieutenant VIM. Willis, of the Fifty-hr
Indiana.
1t was when General Rosecrans was
commanding the army Of the Cumberland,
and, with headquarters at Murfreesboro,
that the raid was conceived and carried
into effect. The idea was TO Illustrate the
heart of the Confederacy and cripple its
efforts by a system OF wholesale destruc-
lion. The party left Rosecrans' army on
April 3 1868, with Rome, Ca, as the OBJ
jective point, where they were TO destroy
the railroads in Bragg's rear, and make
things generally uncomfortably for him
and his army. The raiding party con-
sisted of four regiments, the Fifty first
Indiana, the Seventy third Indiana, the
Eightieth Ohio and the Third Ohio, and
the whole was commanded by Colonel A.
d. Streight, OF the Fifty-irst Indiana.
Lieutenant Willis saws:
We were pursued by Forests men, and
had 10 eobt ther, continuous running
ba,,le ~ 900 storned ~ food our horses
F,rras,,s ,,,or, 49,, =, ne and we had to
cot ;,,, l;,,a aod hola ,ban a, bav while
onr animals ,,ere ~ ,bei, meals. We were
~ o,,r h,,-sa, aa,,ana nish+ and the
weary eicht as u MIGHT almo.t lie called.
wore ont hoth MN ana baasts. But still
,ho ,,n,,t,,rad ,.,,,,,,,a,d yas.
soni on, F;obt and a,,avw
Thsre ,yas M time for rest or nitv for
an ~ taast i, ~, vorv hoart n the
c,o,.h.,.,, ,a,.,.it,,.,, ,,,- a,,nnnition gave
o,t ,.i,hont nm. ~, resi-, sn,n v We
s,,ara ~, -. a,,.ay IN our v,rtualiv dis
ar,,o,, 80, ,,i,i,,n - ~, % ret hart To the
Trnio,, l.rss IL sirbt ~ R,me Ga. on
~, .,,,,,,,f,,,, 30 NJ, a ;sea ra g.va mn
"a s,,,.ra,.sIo ,a.l -, f,o,o,, ~ For,ast
,.,,i,.a, ~, ~ :, ! ,hh,, rrisop
Ma, ne ma son,d ,bara ohont t,yo bun-
draa o,har ,o,,,,,;ssio,,,.d officers II Is
LII ,r,,,,,, ~, h,,s,,,, ~, var Titbx was
= erraa, ,o,,aceo rsbense singIe Street
80, !, ~, d. Ia,,os- river canal
III ,,,..,.h irtar,,oned ba'
+,,aa,, ~ o.,,,I a,a ,be ri,,er In addi-
t,o,, 81 ~ ealt..r ~ Inildino ,,as three
s,,'.iss ,,t,.h s,a t,,Sl. !. hrior Tha cal.
Ia ,,,,,,.a7, 49,. an 80 stro., old boxas
and rnI,hisb ana Tho nrisoners had free
$500 =. +, ,,,,.,i .,ll ,,to,. r,arts N
do h,,iidis,
Tho ,hird s,or,, t,,rbicb was ASSIGNED.
,,.as 4, 4bro. ,'o,,,,s calial tie east
,,,i,I,ia a,,,I 80. ra',,,,s Tbe latter room
had ,io,,.s a. clos. i,,te,,-sls in the brick
van an tbe ,,ay around atFording plenty
~ ligbt II vas mont forty nv one hum
graa and sft,, feat sn5 4 was there. with
al,,,os, 80 l,,,n.,...l .,,l sst,, othars that
/ had ,a,, onsrters which consisted If inst
go, ',.,,,,,,, ~ a., ~ which 81 liz
down secnred n snot near window ON
49,, ,,or,b -. 49,, ,,,esa,,sio,, AGAINST the
hot NIGHTS ~ the eomino summer. we Law
.io,.., n, an, b,,ds ~ ina well all around
,be roon, ana , t,ng ROW ~ sleeners occn-
,,iad ~ contor ~ tbe room having an
aisle ~ escb SIDE az dion. next 10 the
-slee,,ars for ,b,,sa ,vh, ,,,ierht wish 10
,,,T,,a ol,,,t oftor ,ba others bod lain
down
~ ,,o,, ~ r,,io,s ,yo mad hard dry corn
,,,.asd ,pcooi-oa blart b.ans aud coffee.
W. hsd t,,.o .t,,,os II, ,i,, ,o5,u, "a which
., - an. - a,,,i b.,,ns AZ roll call
- -, .l,,-o,, ~, 49, nom Tbera
+,,,,. ,r,,..as ,,ora st,tionad AZ the door
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- tt.-c,,-,h a., - ~ t1l ~. "a ,,-s,a
e,,,,,t,J
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t,,,,,lr,5 o,,d ,l,trt,- ma nan osc..,,,5
thro,,,rb the tunnel bs,eath The strest ana
tho or,,ogits l,,t {, I,ad ,,onic,f,,lI,-
h,o,.,,t a,fa,t n,,o,, chose M us IA hel,ind
II 80 ns sor,stbir,, ro,, 70 tbirt ol,d
taIt abont Tho tnrncl onened 10 ne
,,rs.,. free world outside near oas-lamp
a. street CORNER an tho pisbt 81 ~
esca,,, al an .,,s,,, ,tle,. ni,,bt sbis ion,r
- if,,bt,d Inst h..c,ro ne ,tfo,,,,,t ,,.a.,
,,,o,,,, e.. er,,l,,, 4, po,,,,s,-i,,ai., r,lo,,al
-. -, ,,an,o No. fo,,-,,ten ,,assod ~,
,,,,,,o,b tbo FUNNEL ~ rocon,gitar ~
si,,,o,s,n Ia r.ir,l,d nv, ,bat Is,o,,.,,ost
a,,5 oii, t,,r,,l, ~, ~, ,,as tl,o,, ,il-.d
~, or,,,,,a IN, ,,,,.,,,, ~, I,.l. ,,d
,,ortod .,aIl ,leai.p
NJ, ,.oa,,,, y ,,,o,tor - hi.,,r,- "a
~ ,,.i ~ -. ,,,i., ,,,'t ,,,,,,,; ~.
80, li,-e1,- ava i,',s,.ssti,,., tn n
,,,'aoas,,aa q ,,-,',,l II, a. - ~, ~
4, tb.,,, ,,.o,., ~, ,,,,,rr
= -. -. -. -. ,...,.l..., NJ