The National tribune., 1894-12-20
BURNING OF THE MILL.
A Daring Deed That Saved Much Hard
Eichting and Many Lives.

Fighting and Many Lives.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In your
issue of Sept 81, 1894 IL. G. Connolly, Major,
18th ILL., Cav, had an article on Personal
Experiences IN East Tennessee, Cumberland
Gap, etc, under command of Gen. Burnside.
In speaking Of Cumberland Gap he passes
over the burning OF the mill by simple
mention OF il. j fully believe that the burn
ing of the mill had more TO do with the sur
render of the Gap by the rebels on that
particular day than anything else. i have
no doubt we should have taken the Gap, but
/ think there would have been some sharp
fighting had il not been that their supply Of
provisions was cut off very largely, and all
:hance of their getting any more grain
xround, which was indeed a serious matter
them.
They did not surrender on the day Burn
side got there. Gen. Burnside sent flag of
truce by Mai. Carpenter, of the ID Tenn.
Cav. demanding surrender. Gen. Frazer
sent word back that he had six months pro-
visions and men enough to hold The Gap, and
if Burnside wanted it he would have TO fight
for il.
After delivering his message to Gen. Burn
side Mai. Carpenter told Burnside that he
Mai. Carpenter) had been qusrtered in the
Gap for months, and knew every inch of the
ground; that there was a mill in the Gap,
run by q spring which came out of the side
of the mountain, the water turning an over
shot wheel which mill was used 10 grind
corn: and be had no doubt that the rebels
had large portion of their -four stored In
that mill, and perhaps a larger portion Of
their grain, and if the mill was burned they
would have no way of grinding any more
Mai. Carpenter then proposed to Gen.
Burnside that bold as it might seem, If he
would give HIM 30 men he would 60 up into
the Gap that night and burn the mill, and
he thought then they would surrender the
next day. Burnside told the Major TO pick
his men and 20 and burn the mill.
Mai. Carpenter took half of the men from
his own regiment, so as to have men that
knew all about the place who could attend
10 setting FIRE TO the mill, etc, and the other
half from the 9Th Mich. Cav. The writer Of
this was one of the latter. speak of this to
show you that was right there and know
what j am saying. We were armed with
Spencer seyen-shootipg rifles and suppose
he wanted us to do the shooting. Wecould
do il, too pretty lively, as the rebels will
bear testimony.
suppose the boys of The I'd Tenn. knew
what they were going 10 do, but We knew
nothing about it, and simply obeyed orders.
We did not know but we were expected to
take the Gap with our little squad; or possi-
bly, we were the advance. and the whole army
were going in for midnight attack. What
ever il Was, il made but little difference to
u.s. as we expected right earnest work with
plenty Of hard fighting, and good chance
that some of us would never get back alive
The night was exceedingly dark-we
pnuid SparQpiV Gqp urfhipU ~ a1l-apd no
one could have done the work except those
who were perfectly at home on the ground
and knew everything about il. We went on
foot, leaving all luggage behind, going as
quietly as possible so much that
we got very close to the picket before
be fired his gum being so close that he had
no difficulty in inf'chDg a mortal wound on
one OF our advance, who died that night; and
the whole picket force 1etreated so rapidly
that we saw nothing OF Them notwithstand-
ing we went past several lines of rife-pits
before we stopped.
The road from the south, where we were
winds up along the side of the mountain to
the highest point in the Gap. Our forces
On the north side Of the Gap had made quite
demonstration by some sharp fighting
during the previous afternoon, and thus had
drawn almost all of the rebel force inside to
the north side OF the Gap, and that is pos
siby why the pickets ran 50 far before OPEN
Ing hre on us again.