The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1889-04-25
GEN. McCooK,s RAID.
Eranhic Description by One wac Vas Ther


EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: The web
feet" as we used to call the old reliable infan-
try, will never know the genuine excitement
attending a cavalry raid. You must all re-
member that the history of the war was not
complete when we were going on these pleasure
trips, so everything in the future was very un-
certain. We always wanted to go along, like
the boy of oday would want to go fishing.
The great uncertainty in the future was some
thing much desired by the cavalryman, and in
this particular raid when the Colonel asked
the COmmissary how the regiment was pro-
vided he answered that all of the boys had the
requisite amount Of Tations, excepting the non
commissioned staff, which could not be pro-
vided, as the Tations had all been issued. l
being member of that august body, agreed
with the balance that we could find plenty to
eat in an enemy's country, so we started act
ually without morsel in our haversacks.
At the time of the raid the great battle of
Atlanta had been fought only five days pre-
vious, making the date of our exit July q,
1864. We were then on the right flank of
Sherman's army resting on the Chattahoochee
River at Turner's Ferry. The electric thrill
of 81 Boots aud Saddles sounded at a. M, and
by daylight we were safely across the pontoon
that was laid for us. Our first move was in
nOTthWesterly course as far as the Sweet Water,
which l suppose was to throw the enemy oil
the scent Then we marched IN q southwest
erly course, and camped about three miles from
the ChattahooChee, which at this point was
about II miles from Palmetto Station, which is
situated on the road running southwest of At
lanta. The pontoon laid, we crossed the Chat
tahoochee at 1 a. IN. of the 2Sth, and away we
went for the rear of the rebel army, which lay
securely in its stronghold at Atlanta.
We were not long in reaching Palmetto Sta
i i . IL
graph lines and station house; then we sped
away on the gallop to Fayetteville, which we
reached about daylight. Through the night
we continually ran into army trains belonging
to Hoods army, which were promptly de-
stroyed and the mules appropriated, for many
of our horses had given out and by the time
we arrived at Lovejoy Station, on the Macon
Road. the most OF our command were mounted
on mules
Here is where the trouble commenced. Up
to this time we had everything our own way,
and enjoyed the discomfort of the citizens and
rebel soldiers as only cOnguerors could At
LoYejoy Station we were to make a junction
with Gen. Stoneman's command, which had
started out on like expedition from the left
of Shermans army. After waiting about two
hours for information from Stonemau we were
informed by a darby that some Yanks had been
there before and gone south. That raid of Gen.
Stoneman is now a matter of history; how he
attempted to liberate the prisoners and failed,
and himself and command were taken prison
ers is well known.
About this time Gen. Wheeler's command
showed up. and we were holly pressed. We
had sharp little fight, and came out with sew
eral casualties. Col. Dorr, Serg t-Aaj. Christey
and many others were severely wounded, and
several killed, among whom were Leuts. Cobb
and Horton. We then started on the back
track, with Wheeler's cavalry at our heels, and
had running fight all the way to Newman,
Ga, where we (the Sth Iowa and three pieces
of the 18th Ind. battery were ordered to hold
the enemy in check while the balance of the
command found crossing at the Chattahoo-
chez River: for it must be remembered that the
pontoon train that had crossed US over on the
26th had returned, for it was not practicable
for a Wagontrain to travel at the rate we had
been going.
To add to our misfortune there were several
regiments of rebel infantry lying at Newman
which had been delayed from going to Atlanta
by our cutoff at Palmetto Station. OF course
at that time we were not aware of all these
facts. We fought all the afternoon, and when
we wanted to leave them they emphatically
said no. Charge after charge was made on
their lines, and no weak places could be found
Every move we made only increased our list Of
killed and wounded. In fact whether we were
charging the enemy or lying quiet, the keen
| zip " of the minie-ball was everywhere. The
awful truth was revealed to US that we were
surrounded on all sides, and that the space we
occupied was getting smaller as the time passed.
| One OF our men, already wounded and in the
ambulance, was wounded q second time.
| 1t must be remembered that we had now
| been on the raid some four days and three
nights, with only such sleep as a cavaryman
can get while his trusted animal is in motion ;
that nearly all of our horses had already given
out, and nearly all the command were mounted
ON the mules we had captured. council of
war was held an hour, perhaps, before the going
down Of the sun, and the unanimous verdict
was to give them one more charge, more des-
| perate than any before, if possible, and abide
by the consequences. Sabers were drawn, and
with as wild yell as a Johnny ever made we
dashed down to their lines.
The balance of my story is soon told. The
/ head of the column, with some 18 men, got
/ away; the balance of the command remained
/ to suffer all the horrors of Southern prison.
Let me here state that my main reason for
writing this article was to please an old COM
rade's daughter who, ON reading former arti-
| Gle of mine in THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE, wrote
me to know if | knew her father, who was
| captured OH this raid. Her story was that her
/ father was confined at AndersOnville Prison
| for nine months, and contracted disease from
which he died soon after coming home. Her
/ greatest wish was to correspond with some
comrade who knew her dear father and was
with him in hated Andersonville."
In the history of the war the McCook raid is
| figured up as one of our victories, which l sup
pose is all right as war measure, but we who
were captured would never have guessed it il
we had not lived to read the history.-H. T.
BIRD, 8th Iowa Cav.