The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-05-08
AT DUCK RIVER.
A Tennessee COmrade Corroborates Nal. Thorn
burEh

bHEHH.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: After reading
tho several conflicting statements made about
that gun on Duck River bridge, near Shelby
Vile, Tenn, June q, 1863, want to give you
my recollection about it, and especially about
that incident which came under the observa
ton of Mai. Rus. Thornburgh, aud which was
related by Comrudo Whitaker in The Ma
T1oNAL tribune of Jan. ..
The gun in question was brass piece ard q
prisoner told mo il belonged to an Alabama
battery. He said it was tho gun which occu-
pied IL position in the middle Of the read mt
Guys Gap. After we had driven il and tho
force supporting it from the gap into Shelby
Vile, distance OF seven miles, tho gun took
position near the courthouse, and siited a half
dozen rounds of canister at us who were on
slxrmsh-linc within $50 yards Of it. But
as we made il too hot for the gunners, and tho
rest of our brigade coming up made it warm
for tho rebel brigade which was with it, tho
gun limbered up and started poll mel for the
bridge, and the brigade supporting it lit out
and took TO water rs if they were Eatural-bor
prohibitionists They jumped into Duck River,
horses and all, and many of them were
drowned
Before this took place, or before we got to
Shelbyville, some of our forces, as we learned
aferward had already been there aud had
gone across the bridge and formed on the west
side of the river This force it is presumed,
was Minty's Brigade, which came up on tho
left in advance of Mitcholl's Division. BE tins
as it may know that when the gun referred
to left the courthouse We followed it, and when
it was umlimbcrcd on the bridge, about 10 feet
from the end, there may have been few
men got to it before we did, but when and u
few others of my company reached tho gun
there was no one there but rebel who sat
astraddle of the piece.
The gun had evidently been placed in po-
/ ii l.. a IL. l.
right at the bridge, as tho trail was run under
the railing in order TO get the proper angle,
and was abandoned IN that position without
| firing II shot; though am not positive about
| that, as we could not see the gun all the time
we were following IT, Comrade Stciuback 18th
L. 5. Cav, claims that he was OF the first men
| to reach the gum that his horse jumped over it,
aud that he did not see any rebel on or about
| IL. He therefore, must have been in the roar
of the column which had previously crossed the
! bridge, aud after his horse jumped the gun
/ (Which from the position OF the piece must
have required n right smart jump aud he bad
! passed across the bridge. the fool rebel must
/ have come out from hiding place, got on tho
/ gun, aud imagined nc was monarch of all he
surveyed or straddlcd. At any rate when
/ we came 10 tho gun he was there fat
aud sassy" a chunky man, with dark sandy,
! bushy whisker5 with saber in his fist. On
! ask ing him il lie had surrendered he said hc
had not aud did not intend TO- Maj Thorn
/ burg came up just then, and on being n-
/ formed of the status Of the rebel, said to him
You must surrender, sir: your command is
surrounded. and there is no escape for you
! Bat the rebel 1ourished his weapon and said
| he would not surrender To the whole Yank &c
army, Then ThOruburE, starting across the
! bridge, said to rs; Well, boys. you know how
to make him surrender" We hesitated TO kill
! the mailman that he was, but in minute on
two later Capt Smith, Of my regiment, came
up and hearing the rebel talk So dcGantly, ex-
claimed, Shoot lis --- brains OUT and in
obedience to orders three shots were fred at
him-two by Tom aud Matt Broglau and |
fred the third. lie was shot plumb center in
the forehead aud tuublcd off the gun. Matt
Broglan IS dead but Tom Is stumping with a
wooden leg somewhere in Tennessee, he having
lost meat" one in Gght within a few miles
of where / write. He can fully corrobOratc
this account so can Comrades Henry Ballcn-
ger, DuG aud Shirley. of my regiment, who
were there aud witnessed the affair. This is
all know about the Run.-PLEAsAST BATES
Co, +, LIST Tenn. Cav, New Market, Tenn.