Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1892-05-19
THOs.J ADAMS, PROPRIETOR.

Forrest in person, breaking
through our lines of skirmishers
when the infantry, without caues
threw away their muskets an'
fled. The ground was admirably,
adapted to a defense of infantry
against cavalry, being miry ane
covered with fallen timber. Al
the regiment of infantry broke
Dickey's cavalry began to dis
charge their carbines, and fall
into disorder,
couple of months after tn
battle of Shiloh Forrest was sen
to command a cavalay brigade a
Chattanooga, and bidding goodby
to his old regiment, set out il
June, 1862, for this new sphere
of: action. Within q month O
entering upon this new command
he had taken Murfreesboro ii
Tennessee. 1t was one of the
most remarkable achievements Of
his life. His force consisted Of
not more than about two
Thousand badly armed men on
horseback. A five days march
brought him to that place at early
dawn--the enemy being in entire
ignorance of his presence. Sur.
prsed lntheir camp, and charged
in the streets of the town, the
place was soon taken. 1t was
Forests birthday, and the evening
before, when he told his man this.
he begged they wonld celebrate it
by their courage. His appeal was
not in vain, for they never fought
better or against greater odds.
After the town had fallen, there
remained two camps outside in
which the federals still showed
fight. Before setting out to attack
them many who did not know
Forrest regarded this enterprise as
rash and doomed to failure,
and now several Of his officers
urged the propriety of being con-
tent with what he had already
achieved, and begged him to fall
back at once with the stores and
prisoners he,had taken before, his
retreat could be interfered with.
They little realized the fiery
ssas 81 8, as . i ganinasof
their new COMMANDED, upon whom
they pressed this advice. This
was the first time his new force,
demoralized by previous failures,
had seen him in action. They
were not yet infected with the fire
which burned within him, and he.
had not yet had time or opportunity
to catch hold of their
imagination or their spirit. They
had no enthusiasm for this stranger
nor any great confidence in his
ability as general.
He was, however, determined
they should believe in him before
the day was out, as his own
regiment had long done. His fur
tier operations that dayishowed a
rare mixture of military skill and
of what is known by our American
cousins as s'b1uf." andEled to the
surrender of the camps attacked.
The general in command and
1,7OOinfantry were made prisoners,
a vast amount of stores were
burned, and four field guns. 600
horses, and many wagons, and a
large quantity of rams, am
muniticn, clothing, and food were
taken. 1t was a brilliant success,
and as it was his first great foray
it at once established his
reputation as a partisan and a
daring cavalry leader to be dreaded
by all the commanders of federal
posts and stations within his
sphere of action.
His raids upon the enemy's
lines of communications were
frequent and most successful. No
rivers stopped him, and any
detailed accounts of the railways
and valuable military stores he
he destroyed and the fortified
posts he captured would alone fill
q volume. His pursuits Of Colonel
Streight's cavalry column for four
days and nights in 1853 reads like
all exciting novel. 1t ended in
his saving the great arsenal and
workshops of Selma and in the cap
ture of streigkt and 1900 of bis
men by theGe0o troops he then had
with him.