The National tribune., 1888-11-29
THE 18th ILL. CAV.
4 Rriaf Histnrr al fhe Wnrk TheH Ia

a Brief History OF the Work They Performed.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: 1t has been
asserted in the columns Of your paper by Com
rades Perry ". Lewis and J. A. Taylor that the
IIth III. Cav. was not in the fight at Parker's
Crossroads on Dec. 81, 1862 They might lust
as well say that the 9th Ohio independent bat
talon of cavalry, 9TH Tenn. Cav. and 18th H.
Cav. were not in the fight at Lexington, Tenn
on the 18th Of December, 1862, The way they
put il is 10 the effect that the 11th H. Cav did
nothing but draw their pay and rations. If
any regiment IN the service did its whole duty,
ii was the 18th I'll. Cav. Now for little of
the history OF the regiment.
April 6 and Z, were in the battle of Pittsburg
Landing, or Shiloh. Lieut.. Burns was killed
and Lieut. A J. Davis wounded while the
regiment suffered severe loss in killed and
wounded. The regiment were on duty around
CoTinth until its capture; were in the raid in
the rear Of Corinth, and helped to tear up the
railroad track ut Purdie; were in the fight at
Bolivar. Tenn; met with severe loss in the
fight at Davis Bridge, on the Hatche River ;
were in the three days fight at Iuka and Cor
inth No. 2 Oct. 3 and 4, 1862
During the Winter Of 1862 and 1863, were
stationed at Jackson, Tenn. / was one of l3
men that met Forests advance of 600 men
four miles west of Clifton on Sunday before the
fight at Lexington. Lieut. Slater, of my COM
pany, was with Us, as was Capt Moffitt, of Co.
NJ Frederick Duckett and myself were de-
tailed to carry dispatches that night to % of
our men near Blue River Bridge We got
through safely; rode in an all-nights steady
rain; got TO Lexington at ? p. m. on Monday
and went on 10 Jackson that evening making
a distance Of 1l2 miles from Sunday morning
/ till Monday night, the greater part of the time
4 il a severe rain-storm.
On Dec. Is, 1862, the fight at Lexington came
of. Severe loss to our brigade. Col R. g. In
gersoll, then Chief of Cavalry, was captured ::
also Maj. Kerr, Capt. Sheppard, Lieut. Wag-
goner, Lieut.. Correll, Lieut.. w. ID. Slater, of
my company; and five others were cut off and
lay in the swamp. They afterward fell in with
the paroled men and went through to Columbus
without being detected. The regiments loss
/ in killed and wounded was severe. and 100 pris-
Oners were taken from our brigade. We also
/ lost the battery. December 10 were in the
/ fight at Jackson, Tenn; the goth at Hum
! boldt; the 3lst were at Parker's Crossroads
was on picket in charge of the guard, in sight
OF the fight at Jackson, Tenn; saw the whole
! fight and was one of the 40 men that headed
a brigade of infantry for Lexington on the
evening Of Dec. 3lst, and helped to run For
/ rests pickets In and through Lexington,
! the night after the battle of Parkers Cross
roads, aud saw our boys the next forenoon-New
! Years Day-come through Lexington with
/ the captured cannon and prisoners One man,
4 w. IL. kimer, Of my company, brought in II
I prisoners at Parker's Crossroads. The COM
! mand l was with was under Maj. Funk, vino
/ commanded a handful of cavalry followed
( Forrest to Clifton, Tenn, and drove him across
I the Tennessee River and were there shelled
( by the rebels with five guns; were in the
Sherman raid to Meridian, and did duty on
I the Big Black; were IN the fight at Woodville
Miss; captured six cannon and 100 prisoners.
F IN short, no regiment in the service did more
+ scouting and other duty than the 1Ith Ill. Cav;
/ and | hope some Of the gifted men of the
! regiment viii write up the history. l would
4 be glad TO hear from Lieut.. w. d. Slater. Lieut..
4 8. 4. Wollan, John n. Morris, Serg't John
1 Bordle, or any Of the old boys who went clear
/ through the service. Let us hear from you
I through our valuable paper, THE NATION AL
1 TRIBUNE. Hurrah for Harrison and the veto
/ we gave old Grover.-WM. L. BALL, Co. L,
1 llth Ill. Cav, Cherryvale, Kan.