The National tribune., 1892-12-29
CHAPTER XXIII.

| rived at Montgomery near the Tennessee Stat
| line. At this place we overlook the 10Th KY
and were arrested by them spies, but the.
| treated us very well, and after examining M.
| papers they filled our baverSacks with pr0vis
| ions and permitted US to go on after th
| Tennessee troops.
We now found it very difficult to procur
| anything TO eat. for the army had devoure,
| almost everything in the shape of provisions a
it had passed along, and had left the mountain
people in a deporable situation, and yer,
| many of them were compelled to move wher
they could obtain supplies from the Govern
ment
We went on to Kingston, and from there Il
| Lenoir's Station, which is "a miles west o
| Knoxville. From there we went to Knox
vile, where we arrived Sept. /, 1868. Here W.
| came up with the Cd Tenn. Mounted Inf, com
manded by Col. James p. T. Carter; and here
| also got into company with many of my ole
| friends. / remained two days at Knoxville
| and left on the second train with the 160tf
| Ohio for the upper portion Of East Tennessee
| At every depot along the railroad there wer,
large crowds of people gathered to welcome
| the Yankees" with we'll filled baskets of pro
visions containing bread, pies. ham, and fowls
| Old men and women were busily engaged il
making inquiries about their absent sons
| about whom they seemed to manifest the
greatest concern, while others were
WEEPING AND SHOUTING FOR JOY
at the very sight of the Yankees and at the
cherished idea of once more being free men
They had been so long crushed under the iron
heel Of despotism that did not at all wonder
at their joyful demonstrations. As the train
moved Oh slowly up the road / could see the
roadside and the fences crowded with the ad-
miring multitude who had assembled to well
come the Union soldiers to East Tennessee.
Many ladies were present in every assembly,
who. with delicate hands, waved their white
hsndkerchiefs afoft, with tears of Joy spark ling
in their eyes, while those of the humber class
of females having nothing better with which
to express their sentiments of qualification,
would wave their bonnets as tokens of their
admiration. Some of my friends declared to
me that they observed one women in the ex-
travagsnce of her Joy take her baby and whirl
it around, while the child, seeming to enjoy
the general happiness of the occasion, laughed
aloud. Aged men could be seen all along the
railroad leaning upon their stats, whose locks
had been whitened with the frosts of many
years, uttering blessings upon the starry BAN
ner which was once more waving over their
heads in all Its proud and glorious majesty;
with extreme reverence these old men seemed
to bow their heads beneath the folds of the
dear old flag of their country! And their silent
tears Of joy chased one another down their fur
rowed cheeks as they gazed with rapture upon
the emblem of their country. Never did they
know till that time how much priced and loved
was this cherished memento of American lib
eTty. They now loved il the more because
they were convinced that an effort had been
and was still being made to supplant it and
hoist in its stead striped thing of bunting to
indicate the existence of the so-called South.
ern Con nfederacy. But this WAS their old flag,
which had waved in triumph over their
fathers, and which they desired to wave on in
triumph over them and their posteriy.
The demonstrations all along the road were
of the most joyous character imaginable. The
years of dreadful oppression which they had
suffered seemed now to be forgotten in the
general jubilee. When the train arrived at
Greeneville the joy of the Union people knew
no bounds. Friends who had long been sepa-
rated met; husbands met with wives and
children who had not seen them for years.
And such a scene of rejoicing / never before
witnessed in all my life. This reunion of
friends who had been long separated by cir
cumstances growing out of the rebellion, will
doubtless long be remembered by those who
witnessed it, as we'll as by those who partici-
pated in it. All were happy, extremely happy,
but the rebels. The scene of general rejoicing
afforded no happiness to them. Their doors
aud windows were closed, and none of them
were to be seen, with the exception of their
half-concealed faces, which could be seen occa-
sionally peeping from behind a window. cur
tain. There was no welcome voice emanating
from them, and the soldiers seemed to know
every rebel house as they passed il.
The train came on up to Limestone Depot,
where il was compelled to stop, as the trestle-
work across the creek had been destroyed. It
was at that point that Gen. Alfred Jackson, IA
military known under the soubriquet of Mud
wall Jackson, met the advancing Union forces
with considerable force of rebels was sure
that the Yankees would be at once demolished
and captured, for the rebels outnumbered them
at least four to one. and if they had not behaved
so cowardly they certainly would have captured
the small force of Unionists. together with the
train; but the rebels would not risk general
engagement and contented themselves with
capturing small body of the Yankees who
had been left at q block house at Limestone.
The main force of the Union soldiers retu rned
with the train toward Knoxville.
Expecting, as did. that the Yankee soldiers
would all be captured. and not wishing TO be
found IN the
CROWD OF PRISONERS,
left them. and in the time of the prevailing ex-
citement which followed upon this threatened
conflict / made my way home without diff
Guilty, where / remained until Burnside came
up 10 Carter Station, which was only O few
days after the affair at Limestone Depot
j met the Union forces at johnson Station.
and remained with them during all the skir-
mishing which they had with the rebels from
that point TO Carter Station, giving them all
the information could in regard to the rebels
and the number Of their forces in this section
Of the country. think it was the 10Th Mich
that drove the rebels on before them to Carter
Station. Col. James Carter afterward camc ON
with the I'd Tenn. to the bridge across the
Watauga. just below Carter Depot, and being
in a good position was ready for the fight
which IL was generally believed would occur
the next morning.
But when the next morning came. to the
great surprise Of all. not single rebel was to
be seen. They bad retreated during the night,
aud by so doing saved themselves from good
thrashiBg.
Gen. Burnside was now ordered to return to
Knoxville, and John X. Miller, q citizen OF
Carter County, obtained permission from the
Federal authorities 10 raise q regiment of Ten
nessee volunteers, which regiment lie was to
command. This WAS very easily done for be-
fore the Yankees left Carter Station had one
company ready to 20 into the new regiment
myself This was Co. A, and it WAS the begin
ming Of the regiment which was afterward
called the 18th Tenn. Cav. Go. was there.
fore the substratum upon which was founded
the 18th Tenn. Cav, q regiment whose deeds
of noble daring will live and shine upon the
bright historic page to the last syllable Of re-
corded time.
j could have been the Captain Of Co. A, but
H.. Il. rsW.- n