The Ottawa free trader., 1889-10-19
A TIGHT FIX.

A Hash, puff Of smoke, followed the next
SnGtant by roar and the simultaneous crash
e q cannon half through train OF moving
oars, was the unexpected salute that greeted
. small body Of soldiers on the railroad lead
hg from Chattanooga to Nashville Inc
time was II o'clock on the morning ot Dec.
3. 1854, and the occasion was the concentra'
ton Of tho army Of Gen. Thomas TO give
battle to the adventurous southerner who had
followed all the way across the state OF Ten
nossee in effort to bring him to the trial OF
arms, The train thus rudely saluted was a
short train Of only four box cars. the last IN
n succession Of ten trains loaded with troops
and material which had come up from Chat
>anooga. This train had a miscellaneous
cargo OF detached soldiers and officers, but
it's 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, who occupied the in
terror Of the forward car, and were breaking
their parole in obedience to an order from
Headquarters, the force numbered 300 men.
The train at the moment Of receiving the
si,ot was crossing single track bridge over
Mill Creek, six miles from Nashville, and was
moving slowly, because the engineer had
been forced to stop few hundred feet IN The
rear to remove some obstructlons that mad
been piled upon the track. The missile came
from hill about half mile further up the
road, but little to the left of the tracks, and
it was quickly followed by another and an
other, the smoke from the rapid discharges
seeming to rise in q continuous cloud from
the muzzles of the guns. Almost imEnedi-
ately the engineer, without reflection, brought
the train to a standstill in the very middle Of
the bridge.
Here was q 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 denfer il was q task
of really startling magnitude To add to the
embarrassments of the situation, another
section Of the enemy's battery opened fire
from a hill about half mile to the left, and
a detachment of cavalry could he seen riding
across the railroad within easy rifle range in
the rear.
Probably very few of the survivors Of that
party of 800, who had thus ridden into the
Jaws OF death, Il asked today how they sue
ceeded in sxtricating 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 tho railway
embankment that led to the bridge, while the
officers wero looking about to find either some
point for attack or some opening for retreat.
, On hill about fifty feet high, and within
easy distance, stood block house. 1t was
built TO protect the trestle, and 1t was pre-
sumably garrisoned by detachment Of
troops. Would il afford shelter for the he
ieaguered travelersf Moved by common
instinct, they determined to know and
thronged up the side of the slope swept by the
artillery. But 10 was closed, and, to all out
ward appearances, hermetically sealed
Friendly eyes were indeed looking through
the narrow loopholes, but the inclosure was
too small 10 admit the reinforcement 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.
\ short council of war among the officers
followed. The Murfreeshorcdgn turnpike
wa. known 70 90 near on the side from
which no attack had as yet come, and to
mike for this road, where detachments OF
the cavalry of Gen. Thomas might be met,
seemed to be the part Of good policy. But
there was no time to he lost. The cahnons
still thundered 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 possible. A portion OF the command
was consequently at once doployed AS skir
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 "
the enemy coming in, and iierce conflict
followed. Slowly, step by STEP the now
completely 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
the block house. and behind the logs and
s,umps each man found his cover ms best he
could At about the same time the booming
of another cannon from new direction told
the story of artillery apon every side, and
the situation.
All eyes were now turned toward the block
house. The cannon balls Numbered against
the oaken sides and sent the shingles fiying
from its roof in every direction. Could the lit
tie fort resist such a rain Of metal, or would
the white flag soon be run up in token Of sur
render! Little tongues Of flame were con
tinually leapng from the loopholes, and il
was evident that the garrison were as busy
a. bees Were the enemy getting as good as
they sent. 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 I've
sieged, and the fire vt the enemy, though
still heavy, slackened. 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 nigbtfall, drizzling rain
set 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 hurling
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 he heard
except the dropping skirnish fire always
continued far into the night on indccisive
battle fields. Now came the moment for re-