The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-05-28


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civil strife even had wars clash and
clang not pierced mountain fastness and
echoed over village and plain, beckon-
ing hot tempered youth to the lists. Tt
goes without saying that the men of the
First Tennessee made haste to rattle the
powder horns and Turkish the shotguns
which old time daddies had slung over the
mantels against time Of need. And. by the
way, there was rush to capture the honor
of being No. l, and two regiments in Con.
federate service bore that title through
the war-Maney's First and Turney' First,
after their earliest colonies. Turney's was
also distinguished as First Confederate.
Maney's was raised in central Tennessee
Nashville, Franklin, Columbia, Murfrees-
boro and Pulaski-draining the best blood
of five counties.
Nashville had five companies-three
known as the Rock City Guards, one of Ger
mans, called Tennessee Rifiemen, and one
of Railroad boys. Maury county, around
Columbia, gave the Maury Grays and the
Brown Guards; Murfreesboro, Rutherford
county, the Rutherford Rifles; Pulaski,
Giles county, the Martin Guards, and
Franklin. Williamson county, the Viii.
hanson Guards. These titles alone show
that their bearers were among the pioneer
cohorts of Secessia. The men carried their
ideas of being among the "elect' SO far
that some of the rough and ready fellows
from the hills dubbed the First the ''Kid
Glove Regiment" This nickname had
force until the men who bore it got a
chance to charge battery or two and then
was played out.
The chance was long time coming, not
until Oct. s, 1862, at Perryville, KY, Ten
nessee fight in sense.
At Perryville Col George Nancy led a
brigade composed of five regiments
from Tennessee and one from Georgia. 1t
was in Cheatham's division. Cheatham's
men were halted while the front line Skin.
mished and got the bearings of the Union
forces, and then let loose. The Union ar.
tillery and infantry, warned and in wait
ing, received the assailants with showers
Of bullets and shells. Ahead of the Ten.
nesseeans, on an eminence with an open
field in front, stood Capt. G. c. Parsons
s-gun battery Of Napoleons. The assail.
ants advanced obliquely and Parsons turn.
Ell six pieces upon them, with canister at
ninety PAGES. A glazing sun almost blind.
ed the Confederates, but they advanced,
firing, and quickly shot down Gen. James
S. jackson, who was helping Parsons.
The infantry supporting Parsons coolly
awaited until the charging column came
within 100 yards, then opened, and the Ten
nesseeans began to fall. Parsons wheeled
his seventh gun into position, but before he
could get a shot the enemy was among his
pieces, and he was hauled away in person
by the main strength of some of his com
rades II couldn't help itp' he cried; ''it
was not my fault" And sure enough
that was Tennessee day.
But they hadn't finished it. There was
a second Union line behind the broken one,
and there Stones and Bushs Kentucky
and Indiana batteries, two in number, with
twelve guns, were by their generals com
mand lying low for close work; that is
grape at a few PAGES They were half
mile from Parsons battery and upon hill
sloping sharply toward the Confederate
line and commanding corn field, through
which the assailants had to march. The
Twenty first Wisconsin infantry took shell
ter in the corn and peppered the Tennes
seeans bitterly, gradually retiring toward
the batteries. Stones guns were crushing
the right Of Maney's brigade, and Col. II.
r. Field, of the First, asked the honor OF
taking care of them with his kid Gloyen
boys. It was granted, and the men de-
ployed in well closed ranks and advanced,
firing, shooting down thirty-five of Stones
horses and many Of the gunners. The gums
were abandoned and the Tennesseans took
charge, but the battery supports rallied
and drove them out.
Lieut.. Col. John Patterson, of the First
and about fifty others fell in that single
charge. Retiring down the steep before
superior forces Col. Field rallied his men
In the slope and turned and charged again.
Again they reached the guns and made
stand to hold them in face Of CALLING fire
until supports should come to their aid
tire. Only ninety-five muskets gathered
around him at the foot of the hill out of SEQ
that had entered the fight. The killed out
right were 40, the heaviest Confederate loss
on the field: the killed and wounded. 1F9.
Il Yves time for the kid Glove" slur tc
retire. Four Of Parsons Napoleon guns
were turned over to Maney's brigade and
the names of the dead Tennesseeans were
engraved upon them. Perryville nearly
used the regiment up. and as its recruiting
ground was walled in by Union bayoneSsit
went upon the field Of Murfreesboro-or
Stones Riyer-Tenn., three months later
with only a handful, and was consolidated
with the Twenty seventh Tennessee, retain
ing its own name. Again it was in the sec
ond line Of attack. After the first line had
made some progress and started the bolts,
as 1t were, along Phil Sheridan's front, and
got that impetuous warrior fighting mad,
Maney's brigade took issue with two of
Sheridan,s battegies-B1sh's Indiana and
HoughtaIins's Illinois. Bush occupied
hill and his guns swept the open ground in
front. Houghtaling was masked in the
edge of wood between Nancy and Bush.
The First and couple of other regi-
nents charged ON Bush, leaving Houghta-
ling on their flank for other hands totackle.
Bush retired when he saw what was COM
Ing and crossed turnpike in his rear. The
pike was inclosed by two high rail fences
and while the Tennesseeans werv
thinking how tickiish it was going to be
to climb them under fire, Houghtaling
opened on the First with canister and
shell at 200 yards His guns were so
,,Iacod that CcI Field thnroht III r,,usf hf