Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-04-27
A TIGHT FIX.

OF cannon iillI through "a tTulu Oh moving
cars, was the unexpected salute that greeted
"A small body Of soldiers on the railroad lead
ing from Chattanooga to Nashville. The
time was II O'Clock on the morning of Dec.
2, 1864, and the occasion was the concentra-
ton Of the army of Gen. Thomas To give
battle to the adventurous southerner who had
followed all the way across the state of Ten
ncssee in effort 70 bring him to the trial Of
arms The train thus rudely saluted was a
short train of only four box cars, tho last in
IA succession Of ten trains loaded with troops
and material which had come up from Chat
tanooga. This train had miscellaneous
cargo Of detached soldiers and officers, but
its principal load was made up of the rem
nants OF a colored regiment that had been
mostly captured and confscated in Georgia
Counting the officers, VINO occupied the in
terror Of the forward car, and were breaking
their parole in obedience TO an order from
headquarters, the force numbered 800 men.
The train at the moment Of receiving the
shot was crossing a single track bridge over
Mill Creek six miles from Nashville, and was
moving slowly, because tho engineer had
been forced to stop few hundred feet in the
rear to remove some distractions that had
been piled upon the track The missile came
from hill about half mile further up the
road, but a little to the left Of the tracks, and
other, the smoke from the rapid discharges
seeming to rise in a continuous cloud from
the muzzles of the guns. Almost immedi-
atey the engineer, without reflection, brought
the train to a standstill in the very middle Of
the bridge.
Here was a perplexing situation enough.
The bridge was too narrow to permit pas
sageway upon either side Of the cars, and to
scramble over the tops Of the train of box
cars, including the locomotive, with arms
and equipments, would have been difficult
undertaking under any circumstances, But
in the face of this feu ii enfer it was a task
of really startling magr .tude, To add to the
embarrassments Of the situation, another
section of the enemy's battery opened fire
from a hill about half a mile to the left, and
n detachment of cavalry could be seen riding
across the railroad within easy rife range in
the rear.
Probably very few of the survivors Of that
party of 800, who had thus ridden into the
jaws of death, if asked today how they sue
ceeded in extricating themselves from the
cars, would be able to tell They could only
say that they finally found themselves stand
ing in very close order behind the railway
embankment that led to the bridge, while the
officers were looking about to find either some
point for attack or some opening for retreat
easy distance, stood block house. 1t was
built to protect the trestle, and it was pre-
sumably garrisoned by a detachment of
troops. Would it afford shelter for the be-
leaguered travellers! Moved by common
instinct, they determined to know and
thron ged up the side of the slope swept by the
artillery But it was closed, and, to all out
ward appearances, Theoretically sealed.
Friendly eyes were indeed looking through
the narrow loopholes, but the Enclosure was
too small to admit the re-enforcemsntH Be
yond the block house, however, the hill upon
which it stood sloped downward into ravine.
Here, at least, was temporary shelter from
the fierce shrapnel that came from the well
served guns of the enemy.
A short council of war among the officers
followed The Murfreesborough turnpike
was known to be near on the side from
which no attack had as yet come, and to
mako for this road, where detachments of
the cavalry of Gen Thomas might be met
seemed to be the part of good policy But
there wns no time to be lost. The cannons
still Numbered from two sides, the frag-
ments of bursting shells were raining over
the ravine, and the enemy had been seen
moving toward the only point where escape
seemed poss.ble A portion of the command
was consequently at once deployed as Skin
mshers, and, followed by the main body,
they advanced to the crest of the hill on the
side of the ravine opposite the block house.
But they had hardly emerged from their
fastness before they met the skirmishers of
the enemy coming in, and fierce conflict
Slowly step by step, the now
surrounded detachment was
forced backward into the ravine. The place
was fortunately filed with the PROSTATE
trees cut down to give range to the fire from |
1 L. u 4 Al
stumps each man found his cover as best he |
could At about the same time the booming |
of another cannon from a new direction told |
the story of artillery upon every side, and |
gave new hint of the desperate nature of |
the situation.
All eyes were now turned toward the block |
house. The cannon balls Numbered against |
the oaken sides and sent the shingles flying |
from its roof in every direction. Could the lit
tie fort resist such rain of metal, or would |
the white flag soon be run up in token of sur |
renderi Little tongues of flame were con- |
tinually leaping from the loopholes, and it |
was evident that the garrison were as busy |
as bees We're the enemy getting as good as |
they senti 1t hardly seemed possible; the
odds were too overwhelming. But hour
after hour rolled away and the walls of the
little castle still flashed and flashed in token
Of the indomitable determination of the be-
sieged, and the fire of the enemy, though |
still heavy, slaclened. Hope began to take
the place of the feeling of desperation which
had prevailed during the first of the conflict
Either night or Thomas must come.
At length, near nightfall, a drzzling rain
net in and dampened the ardor of the skir-
mishers, who from the earliest moments of
the fight had been exchanging compliments
from behind their shelter of stumps and
trees The eannons still continued hurting
their missiles lazily against the block house,
but it seemed evident that the attack was to
degenerate into siege. Finally the night
descended in utter darkness, the cannons
ceased to roar, and nothing was to be heard
Except the dropping skirmish fire always
continued far into the night on indecisive
,atte fields Now came the moment for re-
lection To lie still until morning was only
o invite renewal of the unequal conflict
o attempt to break through the lines of the
nemy in the darkness would be bold, but it
would probably end in the dispersal or cap
ure of the entire force. What then was to
No douef
In this emergency consultation was held
L the block house between the officer in
and the officers of the detachment
4 the ravine This was the conclusion !
cached. Half mile further up the rail
bad, near where the enemy had first opened
re, was another block house, the creek at
his point forming loop which the road
as forced twice to cross. This second block ,
ouse was well situated for taking observa- ,
ons on the position of the enemy, who were q
slieved to have been concentrating around i
ashville during the day, and it was thought }
Dssible that it might be reached by a detail
ON the beleaguered block house. An open