The National tribune., 1894-08-02
FIGHTING THEM OVER
What0Hr Veterans Have to Say About
Their Old Campaigns
WHEELER Gilt OUT.
a Kentucky Boy Tells of the Exciting Chase
After the Rebel General.

a Kentucky Boy Tells of the Exciting Chase
After the Rebel General.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: 1 was in
the army from Aug. II, 1862 to Aug. 4, 1868
] served most of the time in the front rank
of Co. C. ID Ky. Cav. l viii give my per-
sonal experience of fighting Wheeler.
We were at Pnhook Ferry, about four
miles above Washington, Tenn, on the Ten
nessee River, when Wheeler crossed at Cotton
port We received orders to saddle up and
fall back towards Chattanooga. A few miles
below Washington it began to rain. We
met citizen who said Wheeler had gone in
the direction of Dunlap, Tenn, so we turned
to the right and .camped at Moiganton (nOw
Davton). Tenn. The next day we crossed
Waldron's Ridge and the Sequatchee Valley,
and for two nights campe0 in the Cumber-
land Mountains. The third night we camped
on the mountain just above where Wllder's
Brigade and the rebels had their skirmish
in the valley over across creek.
Every soldier knows that each brigade
takes its turn in the advance of the column,
and each regiment its turn in advance of its
brigade. Everything went smoothly until
We got near McMinnville. So we were order
ed up for a saber charge-the first was IN.
We doubled them up until Col Longs horse
was S00b from uDu6T 0lID. we udu HISUlg
hard fight with them until night. We
camped on the ground we had gained. The
rebs strung along the road through Wood
bury. On the fifth day and night we camped
in the Notifications at Murfreesboro. The
next day and at night we lay near Shelby
VILE Tenn. Then we went through Shelby
VILE and about three miles beyond Duck
River Wilder's Brigade was found, dis
mounted and seemingly heavily engaged
with the enemy.
The I'd KY. Cav. was ordered up, and
made charge No. .. We closed them up
and the rebels came back on US, dismounted.
But few shots and shells sent them back
on their way across the country toward
Pennington.
WilGers Brigade came up and took its
place in the advance again. This was in
hilly, rough, stony ground and very thick
cedars. Wilder kept skirmishing until we
struck the other pike near Pennington.
They were dismOunted-that is, three
fourths of them-and were giving the John
MES what Paddy gave the drum.
My squadron was ordered up to support
the battery. / was next to the last man on
the pike. A shell exploded and broke his
horses leg, and that left me the last man in
the column, as we were to the right, in an OPEN
ing in the cedars. After while the Cap
tain of the Chicago Board of Trade Battery
ordered up one OF the other two pieces, for
we had the three-gun section with US. The
rebels fired solid shot at the piece and
killed two horses AS they came in front
of us they cut out the horses and pulled the
piece in our front. Capt. Stokes pulled out
his saber and ordered the gunners to fire
the piece standing on the pike. They all
jumped, up and fired. think, about three or
four shots. Then they limbered up and
went down the pike after the rebels into
Pennington. The ID Ky. made charge No.
8. As we went through Pennington we
passed brass gun minus its right wheel,
and TO our right stood one gun, a black
snake" 9th, with one horse and saddle and
three mules as full of holes as a pepper-box.
These are all the guns that / saw.
We crossed Rock Creek to the left, and
above the bridge. Our Lieutenant-C Colonel,
Collins, was the widest man L ever saw
He was striking men and horses, and shout
ing, go through, boys" We were in a
field to the left of the road. The rebels had
obstructed the road with fences. We charged
up to the top of hill and could see down
the pike half mile or more but there were
only few rebs TO our right, going into
very tall and thick growth of timber
We stopped at the last obstruction and
eamped where we stood.
As we had been on the front seat three
times right along, Gen. Crook gave my regi-
ment and my company the rear-guard. 1t
was the only day of leisure we had out of
eight. This last day the 5ih Iowa had the
lead, and every time the Johnnies made a
stand they left one dead to mark the place
About p m. we were ordered up to make
charge No. 4, but the order was counter
manded. as Wheeler had crossed the Ten
nessee River. We csmped at Paint Rock
for some time and then went mp and joined
Hooker and Howard near Chattanooga,
Tenn.
Lieut.. @. J. Hastings is personally known
to me, for he is the officer that brought sew
eral hundred out of the Newman scrape on
the McCook raid he time Stoneman sure n
dered, and / am the boy that Mai. Purdy
passed in the peach orchard as be rode up
10 the head Of the column TO take command
after Lieut.. Hastings had as safe from capt
ure.-WM. f. ANNIs, Co. c, I'd Ky. Cav,
Franklinton, KY.