The National tribune., 1890-11-27
FIGHTING THEM OYER
Whatour Veterans Have TO Say About
Their 0ll Campaigns
SMITHS RAID.


EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE; On the 9th
Say OF December, -83, thO Sd Tenn. Cav. broke
camp ai Nashville, and was Joined with the I'd
and Itd Tenn. Cav, the whole under the COM
nand of Col. ID NJ Ray. They were also Joined
by the 5.h Ky. Cav and The I'D H. Mounted
Infantry. ON The Slst the command bivouaclcl
at Columbia. The day was damp dri1zy and
rather warm for The season, until in the alter
noon. WHOM il very suddenly turned SO cold
that everything was frozen in am hour Ihat
night The mon suffered greatly from the cold
and R consequence, fences and other COM
bustible material were taken and used 1or iueL
It was apparently a question of life or death
On She succeeding day-Ncw Years, loji-ihe
cold was SO intense that the mon did not STIR
out of their "shcbaUgs' as thcy were COM
monty called, save TO gather fuel or feed the
horses On the pa of january, the 81 was SENT
regardless of the freezing weather through Co
lumba, and some five miles ont on the Mount
Pleasant pike. This was painful and exceed
ingly dangerous ride. Painful, because OF the
cold and dangerous, because Of a heavy sheet
OF iCe covering the pike, on which the horses OF
the front company were constantly Slipping
and failing. But the shoes Of he horses IA the
foremost company cut the surface Of the ice,
until there was less danger FOR those that FOL
lowed.
Hating. some OF ms made shebangs" Of rails
facing each Other covered them heavily with
hay, then built fires of heavy logs between, by
which means we shut out the cold and Sc
cured q com portable nights sleep.
Col. k1y accompanied as no farther than Co
lumbia, and Col. Duff G. IhOruburgh took COM
mand OF the brigade while Maj. John j. Minis
assumed command Of the 81 Tenn. Cav
On the Ath the weather continued cold, and
the command marched while suffering severely.
Night came 81 last, hut what a might IL was!
The country was nearly barren, aud IL was with
the create est difficulty that anything was found
with which TO feed the horses. No boards, no
rails, n0 grass or leaves that could be gathered
70 keep oar bodies of the cold, frozen ground.
There WAS not even a shrub 10 hitch the horses
70.
II was at this place, just before going into
camp i0r the night, when everything was Stlll
as death The boys faces blue with the cold, that
the stiffness was broken by the clear musical
and boyish voice Of lac Rule, 10 the tune OF
Lilly Dale,
"Oh, soldier poor soldier, hungry and cold,
Therefore l'li return 10 my home iar away,
So farewell 10 thc brave and ihe bold"
Next morning the march was resumed and
continued, as did also the cold weather We
crossed she Tennessee River NJ Savannah on
Jan. z; then passed over the old battle-ground
OF Shiloh, and on 60 Corinta, Miss, where we
TcmGined over night; thence by rail TO Mid
dlet0n. Tenn On the 18th Slight thaw be-
gan. A singular thing was that 1T Corinth
and Middleton the soldiers had dug wells, and
il was only necessary TO 90 from six TO ten feet
TO get water anywhere. We got water from
these wells by going down into them and break
ing the ice which was not ibick; but then
fhe water WAS frequently alive with wgge-
tails. We went on 10 IBIilersvllie, arriving
on Jan. -. Here the brigade was recognized;
Col. j.. q. ThOmburgb left Us returning to
Nashville. The Cd, "a and 4th Tenn, 18th Ky,
aud 81 Iil. Cav regiments and the 72d Ind.
Mounted Infantry composed our brigade, which
was commanded by Col. Ia Fsyette McCriiis
of The 81 li. The 4th u. S. Cav. was now with
ms bnt not in our brigade.
C0liersyille was the IallyinF point for con-
CcntTatinga large cavalry force, under the i'm
mediate command OF Brig.-Gen. William SOoy
Smith We were Joined al this place By the
ID n. j. I'd No., and some other regiments,
composing brigade, under the command Of
Col. MEF.ng. There was also another brigade,
composed mostly of Illinois cayalrymen, COM
manded by Gen. Grierson.
Many O. the men who passed through this
cold march never recovered from their injuries.
Feet, fingers noses, and ears were frost-btten
and frozen, until there are sufferers thcreirom
even to-day among the survivors.
The object of this concentration was TO pass
down from L0lliersville through northern and
into central Mississippi aud join Gen. Sher-
man with @ tronginlantry force az West Point,
and then march 10 the sea IN something Of the
came manner that was afterwards done so com
command was delayed, however, az Golfers
willie in waiting for Warnings Brigade until sew
oral days after the time va were 10 take mp our
march, which delay fooled Gen. Sherman plans
and hrouglt disaster and Illuminating defeat
upon rs
Another preparatory incident may be Of IN
feresi. Before leaving Col icrsville Gen. Smith
gave orders that We should 81 grind our ssbers
and nal. them sharp. This created consider
able alarm among many OF the men, for they
han the impression, from some unknown
source, thai ii was contrary 10 the rules Of war
a. carry sharp sabclE; bEi the order was obey
&C, lnd many bcr were made sharp enough 10
trim the hHFcrHails. Orders were then given
that WHOM NG mel the enemy TO charge and II
the enemy should charge upon US 10 meet
charge Wifl charge.
On the 10Th OF February camps wcre broken
M and tic command moved s0uthward Tie
different srgaGcs moving on parallel roads. On
that might Gun pcluis were badly posted, and
the enemy came close up0n them and killed
and wounded . Number Of them. Some Of or
men who were shot and zen upon the spot.
were muiilatcd and badly used. This enragcd
the boss So that they were hard 30 control and
the ue1. day houses and barns were burned in
every direction. When night came ] was sill
ting on long porch in tie rear II the house
used by Oh. NcCrillis as headquarters. There
was house within q few iCct ~ the place
where was. The upper part Of which was used
1oT storing cotton, and Hu Icc-h0use was under
A. Suddenly The Games shot up their forlcd
tongues several leei above the roof Col Nc
Crllis came out IN a furious rage EwcaIng
that De would have the mau or men shot WHO
lad placed FIRE 10 that house The 72d Ind
war ucar and o number 81 their men came IN
speaking out boldly, Fall back on spencer
IeuucEsecans." Tie lndiauiaps were armed
with Spencer rifles aud lhe wounded men WHO
hao bes-u mutiiuted were mainly IenncssceanE
j ncvcr learned tiil long Gftorward how the
hfe was put % that house on who did az bot
after h WIS OH over aud we were away from
hc1rlllit, Kentucky soldier told mo that hc
EAE it cone and that a Sergeant Of the 30 did
it, hut f De knew bis mime &c would not Tell g.
On thG l4th Of February our nd vance uot
the enemy and three men az the 9th Tenn
Cav. were billed and another wounded That
night we campcd in Tupeio swamp ga rise Of
land that afforded place 10 rest without mir
ing, Bot II wac d deieiul place. u was near 10
o'clock ihc next day before We cot out Of that
miserable swamp. Passing on we crossed The
IallehatcI.e River on Che lsfh and through
New ALBANY. a squad Oh Confederate soldiers
appeared lu front 81 tie advance inst after pass.
ing Though New Albany, when an Illinois sol
der Erred ai them and killed d very old man.
who was said 10 be- minister, who chanccd 20
D. with tha soldiers
Tie brigade stopped on plantation belong.
1nr % q man named DuUCHH and remained
ono day i1r some cause Nllr here the ever
restless SD Wilson 81 o. ~ went UUt f0raginr.
JIG WHs not aware % The order % march ~ hc
manner %. campaigninL, AND. veuturing some
distance away from camp be saw some sold .rrs