The National tribune., 1894-05-03
CARRYING THE NEWS.
What the Sd Ohio Cav. Did i'm the Relief o

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EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Our prison
ers began to get very saucy. They said the
tide would soon be turned The boys told
them before we would surrender them We
would saber every one of them. That dried
them up.
When we came to where we could see the
level country the first we caught sight Of
was Sherman's camps right before u.s. Sher-
mans men told us that swarms of rebel
cavalry had come flying down in there and
run into them before they were aware whom
they were, and were sent flying back again
as fast as they came.
We laid over one day, and were then sent
with dispatch from Sherman to Burnside
to hold out; that he was coming to his
relief.
We started the next morning Northeast
of Charleston several miles we captured
several hundred fat hogs, on the way to
Longstreets army. We shot them and left
them. The next rebels we met were short
distance south of Sweetwater. A force of
about 300 made stand for fight The
Sd Ohio Cav. was in the advance. The road
ran northeast. The rebels were formed to
the west of the road, on the side of hill,
near the top, facing south. The 1st battalion
the hill to meet them, while the I'd bat
talon started up the road on the jump to
cut the rebs off. But they had the advan-
tage; they were on THE high ground, and
their left was at the road, so they left-faced
and started along that road, as the boys used
to say, like the devil beating tanbark,n
The men with the best horses of the I'd bat
talon were at their heels when their rear
reached the road and we kept them well closed
up clear to London. Look at map and see
the distance. Their horses were fresh, while
ours had been doing hard work on short
feed for over a week, and it was only our
best horses which could keep up with them.
We Overhauled quite a number of them.
When they reached Loudon there were only
four of US in sight.
AS we slowed up one of them pulled
out Of ranks and rode off a couple
of hundred yards and took aim at the
writer for at least minute and fired, but
never touched me-" sat still and let him
have his shot, as | knew he could not touch
me. My horse was pumping wind as hard
as he could work, and l knew his must be
as badly blown.
As soon as the Johnny fired jumped off
my horse and dropped on one knee to get
steady shot, but l was nervous from the
effect of the long and rapid ride, and as he
wheeled and was soon out of sight l didn't
fire.
In about an hour Col Long came up with
the command, dismounted and started to
attack the town. But after moving up into
the town and finding that the rebs had
heavier force than we had and were in
trenched on high ground with artillery, he
gave it up and fell back about mile, and
N Tn ha pinht no cd
to Gen. Sherman, and got orders to make
circuit of Loudon and spare neither horses
nor men to reach Knoxville the next day.
Daylight the next morning found us on the
march. We moved to the east and made a
march of about rs miles that day, and until
about o'clock the next morning, when we
reached Knoxville.
A force on high hill or peak to the south |
or a little southwest of Knoxville told us
next day that they had their guns double
shotted with grape and canister and trained
ON us as we came in on the road at the foot
of the hill, for they could hear us but could |
not see us, and thought we must be rebs. |
They didn't know of any force of our men |
in that direction. The next afternoon we |
could see Longstreet's wagon-trains to the |
northwest of Knoxville moving north, and |
that night Sherman's advance reached Knox |
Vile. We were the force that Gen. Sher- |
mans officer accompanied with the dis |
patch.
G. E. BOLTON, in the issue of Dec. %, |
speaks of being grateful to anyone for proof
Of this force making charge to get into
Knoxville. There was no charge made.
ALI the force we saw was a picket of IL or
Is men, as near as / can remember, either
infantry or dismounted cavalry. We
,amped close to the hill or peak spoke Of
Col. Longs force consisted of the 1st, Sd
md 4th Ohio Cav, and part of Wilder's
Brigade of Mounted Infantry. We started
rom Chattanooga on the morning of Nov.
10, and reached Knoxville the fourth day
,ut, not the 4th of December, but the Cd
JOHNSON TAYLOR, Co. E, Sd Ohio Cav,
aalion, o.