The National tribune., 1894-03-22
C0L0RED TROOPS

loaded with military stores and suffers sup
plies. He there met train from the south
and learned that the army was retreating
from Duck River.
This is all wrong. The facts are as fol-
lows: About the time that Sherman's army
left Atlanta, Gal being at the officers hos
pital in Nashville, and not able to join my
regiment on account of wound received July
20 at Peach Tree Creek was detailed as
military conductor on the military railroads,
which position l continued to fill till about
the Doth of February, 1865.
On the morning OF Nov. %, 1854, 1t being
my day out, was ordered TO run my train
to Franklin, Tenn. and there report to Mr..
Clifford, Master of Transportation, for orders
/ was ordered by Mr.. Clifford 10 run down to
Thompson's Station, u miles south, and
leave carload of ammunition, and there
report to Lieut.-Col Mccoy, 175th Ohio, for
orders.
Mccoy ordered me 10 run to Duck River.
On my arrival there l found the army had
retreated, leaving only thin skirmsh-line.
A staff officer rode up and ordered me to
run back to Rutherford Creek, there leave
anything had to leave and take on the bag
gage of the 44th Mo. and 1881 Ohio. This /
did, and starred on the return trip to Nash
vile. On arriving at Spring Hill Station,
about o'clock, | there met the engineer
with the engine of the second section of my
train, and an Orderly from Gen. d. S. Stan
ley's Headquarters, with word for me to hold
my train till further ordered.
On going to Gen. Stanley's Headquarters
he informed me that the second section OF
Train No. (my train had been fired into
at Thompson's Station; that the engineer
had cut loose from his train and run down
as far as the station; that the rebels had
burnt the car Of ammunition l had left at
the station, and a small culvert just south
of Thompson's Station; and that he thought
/ would have to burn my train and destroy
the engines.
l asked him if he could not allow me
detail of 100 men, or even 80, to guard the
train while the railroad employees with the
train put in a temporary culvert. he re-
piled that he could not spare man, but
that Gen. Schofeld would be up early in
the evening and he would lay the matter
before him. He requested me to meet Gen.
Schofeld at his Headquarters, which did
about IL o'clock p. N. Gen. Schofield's
reply to my request was, that he could not
spare me man, and asked me how would
manage to destroy my train and the loco
motives if it became necessary to do 1t. l
told him could easily burn the train, and
had quite lot of musketry ammunition on
board. / thought couple of boxes of this
put into the fre-boxes would destroy the
engines. The engineers who were with me
spoke up and said they could disable the
engines without any danger by removing
some pieces of the machinery.
Schofeld said he was going to push for
ord %aS rapi6ly noaai hla and whe he
got to Thompson's Station would examine
the burnt culvert. If it were possible for
us to get over, he would order me to bring
the train and extra engine through; but if
he thought it impossible, he would order
the train burnt and the engines disabled.
Accordingly about o'clock a. M, Nov. 80,
his Orderly dashed up with an order for me
to burn the train, and an order for the engi-
neers to disable their engines. AS there was
a picket-post near the train, and large fire
burning, / gave my men the order and we
soon had the train on fire. The engineers
only screwed the safety valves of their en-
gines down as far as they could, and filled
the furnaces with wood, which did not dis
able them in the least, and the engines fell
into the rebels hands and were used by
them during the siege of Nashville.
Mr.. o. j. Hack was not there as conduc-
tor. He may have been one of the engi-
neers, but not conductor, as l was the only
conductor out ON the road at that time.
Neither was there but the one train and an
extra engine at Spring Hill Station Nov 90,
1864. As to Gen. Schofeld, he was per-
fectly cool and deliberate.
The comrade is referred to my report of
these events in the Alphabetically Office,
War Departmental. 2. CUTTING, First
Lieutenant, Co. K, ed Ohio, Lock Box 120,
Kenton, o.