The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1893-04-13

|
check OF conscience, foI most of the grain and
provisions which the rebels of Johnson County
then had IN their possession had been taken
from the Union people, and they left TO starve.
While we were in this section of country q
| portion If Stoncmau's men marched through
The mountains Of Carter and Johnson Counties
on their way 10 North Carolina. This was the
first Federal force that had ever passed through
the mountains OF these two Counties, and Que
of my mon facc;:ousy remarked that they
| could not havo passed through Oh this occa-
sion, had il not been for our company, who
had run Tire rebels away before them. ! re.
marked 10 The men that if that were the case
We had better 20 down the country to Eliza
| hcihton aEd j"hrsomS Depot. i'll order TO pro.
tect the dispatch-licagcrs and stragglers, for
Thought the rebels might be
WATCHING THE ROADS
10 capture them We started and travelled on
/ down the country until we got within three
miles or EiIZabeihtOn, where we went into
camp ~ pine thicket, for we had been in
/ formed that the rebels were very numerous in
! the country, and | therefore doomed it advis-
/ able 10 observe all necessary caution to avoid
! the danger Of bong surprised. We kept up
| good fires all night, and the men passed of the
/ time in telling long tales about their adven-
! t0F,s in the army.
i now received information that party of
rebels were at Elzabcthton in hot pursu it
! after Us. They had been hunting for us all
/ the day before. but had failed to hunt in the
right direction. They had captured little
! boy who of course, was the sou Of Union
man. had taken him some distance away from
| his home and had treated him most shamefuly
| by beating him, TO make him tell where we
4 were; but this the little boy was entirely um-
| able 10 do, for lie altogether ignorant in
regard to our movements These scoundrels
! had hung him up with a halter rein until he
was nearly dead, and then let him down and
! rode of and left him.
| ] at once determined that on the next morn
! ing We would find them, although they had
! been unable 10 liud Us, and told my men to
! prepare for another encounter with the rebels
! This intelligence stopped their fun, and they
began 10 inquire how many of the rebels were
| in pursuit of us; hut this | was unable to tell
! them. ! told them that ali had been able to
/ learn ia regard TO the rebels that they
! were in Elizabethton, aud that we must give
! them fight at ali hazards. The men now
! lay down to rest, so that they might feel vigor
Gus and active when they were called on to ell
gage in the anticipated conflict. They
marked 10 one another that they ought to be
particular to engage in prayer, for they did not
know how much longer they had 10 live.
We started just at daylight on our road to
EiiZabe;htop, which is situated between the
Watauga and Doe Rivers. We left the Watauga
and Travelled along the Doe River road, as
thought that the rebel pickets would be most
likely 10 he on the Watauga River | divided
my company into three squads as there were
three streets leading into town in the direction
we were going. j placed two of the squads
under competent leaders, aud | led the other
one myself and after | designated a point for
us all TO meet. started Oh up the main street.
Not a single rebel knew that we were any
where near the town until WAS seen with
small body OF men coming up the main street,
when citizen Suddenly called out 10 some of
the rebel soldiers,
THE YANKEES ARE COMING"
and the rebels looking down the street saw us
for the first time. They made no attempt to
fight, but some of them run into the Court
house, while others mounted their horses and
started towards Doe River. We pursued them
very closely ami before they crossed the river
we got so near to them that one of my men
shot one of the rebels from his horse while he
was in the water. My horse was uncommonly
swift, aud ] plunged through the river after
the iugitives, and very soon got a considerable
distance away from my men. | now halted for
a moment, ana by this time saw the company
of men which had placed under Treadaway
crossing higher up the river. The rebels, who
had gone OF some distance ahead, were row
seen waving their hats and telling us to come
on, thinking that we could not again oyertake
them. We started in pursuit Of them, and. as
before, my horse soon carried me far ahead of
the balance of my men, and found myself in
the presence OF the rebels entirely alone, with
out single load in my pistols, for had shot
them out in the early part Of the chase, and
consequently had no time 10 spare to reload
them. / captured two OF the rebels with
empty pistol, while both of them had loaded
guns. which they threw down and got down off
their horses and surrendered.
Some of the men now came up and took
charge of them. while ] started on after the
others; one Of them turned his horse aud ran
by himself ] followed him some distance.
when, seeing his horse fall, / directed two of
my men TO go forward and capture him. and
started on after three others who were going
in a different direction. Ebert Treadaway
was with me, but his horse choked and fell to
the earth, leaving me alone again. for the men
had not yet come up, and my swift-footed ami
NAL continually left them far behind.
had not yet taken time to load my pistols,
but this the rebels did not know, and when
overlook them / ordered them TO surrender.
But they rushed onward and continued shoot
ing at me whenever they had chance, and
also declaring
THEY NEVER WOULD SURRENDER TO ONE
MAN.
They were still on their horses, and the ground
was very wet and slippery. We were ascend
ing a steep HILL and their horses firing down
.
his gun and burst cap at me, saying:
/" / will kill you, you id scoundrel."
thought ! could see halfway down the
barrel of his gun, for we were not more than
five steps apart. And one of my men, getting
the gun a minute or so afterward, found the
ball smoking in it. i spTang of my horse aud
knock ed him down with the butt Of my pistol,
striking him on his face and cutting ii very
badly. / now turned toward the other two
and caught one Of them by the collar and told
him to surrender The third one threw down
his gun. hat and coat, and away he went
/ looked after the man had knocked down. and
saw he was up and busily engaged in fitting a
/ cap on his gun, and when j saw this imme-
! diately let the Que 20 that | was holding and
! knocked him down again, and then graspcd
hold of the other man a second time. / tried
! 10 beat him down to the place where the other
| man was lying, but | could not do it,
Just at this juncture Treadaway and another
/ one Of my men, by the name Of VIM. Williams,
came up and shot the man whom had knocked
down, and we retained the one whom had
caught as prisoner. The one who threw down
| his gun succeeded in getting away.
| We started back and met with the balance Of
| the company. In this engagement we killed
| three of the rebels and captured IL prisoners;
/ Oiord Smith, their leader, and one other being
/ all who made their escape out of the whole
! company.
We now set out with our prisoners toward
/ the hills where we could rest in security, for
/ knew we were not strong enough 10 stay where
there was much danger of being surprised. We