The National tribune., 1895-07-11
DRIVING FORREST.
The Long Trip the 9th Ind. Cav. Took
September, 1864.

September, 1854.
| EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: I wish to
speak of the part the 9th Ind Cav. took in
driving Forests cavalry back across the
| Tennessee River, September, 1864. The 9th
| Ind. Cav. had just been RENOVATED when
| the bugle sounded Boots and Saddles"
| One Sunday evening we mounted and rode
| down through Nashville TO the depot.
| There we loaded our horses on the train.
We all had to ride on the top of the box
| cars that night to Pulaski, Tenn, rs miles.
We landed there about p. m. next day,
Sept. &c, 1864. We went across Richland
Creek about two miles southwest, stayed
there till about shutdown, when we got or
ders to 90 back to Pulaski. There we were
ordered out on the pike three miles south of
town.
Mai. W. W. Carter being in command of
the regiment, deployed US in q heavy skir-
mish-line between the pike aud the rail-
road. We lay there all night so close to
Forests cavalry that we could eco their
campfires. At daylight the whole line was
ordered to move south. We we're halted in
! a branch bottom, and by looking east OF
our regiment could see the 9Th Ind. Cav.
Joined us on the left.
Col. Harrison, of the sth, commanded the
UTlRtut. n 1Ittlt dtttI tHO tCSOio
came at us in three lines. The rebel color
bearer carried flag with the print of
large snake on it. Down the hill they came,
and that flag fell three times to the ground
before it got TO us. Within hundred
yards of us the first line wavered and the sec
ond line pressed forward with that South
ern rebel yell.
When they got within 20 PAGES of MS
we were ordered to fall back. Co. M
had So men; Samuel A. Fillinger was
killed, and 10 horses.
We went back to the edge Of the town
and formed little east and south of it in a
low valley. The rebels followed, and ran
the 9th Ga. battery up on some hills halt
mile south. The 9th Ind was in first line,
Sth Ind. in the second and some other cav
aliy in the third The third shot from the
Johnnies went through our regiment, and
we lost several good men. Col. Harrison
ordered us TO fall back north of the town,
and the battery shelled us until we got out
of range.
About shutdown we got orders to 60 Is
miles east to some factories. Gen. CToxtOn
took command of our brigade. We got
there and formed in e-Oi-battle in time TO
meet the enemy. Some of us were ordered
TO go in a cornfield to get corn fer our horses.
We gathered corn on one side Of that field
and the rebels on the other. AS soon as our
horses could eat we started east AZ the rebels
had sent Chalmers's rebel cavalry to Tulla-
homa, on the Nashville & Chattanooga Rail
road, to tear that road up.
1t is S4 miles from Pulaski 10 Tullahoma,
and when we got there the rebels were just
two hours ahead of MS. They did not attack
the post, but started south to Winchester, "a
miles, and we after them. At Winchester
they started southwest, then northwest for
Forests command. We followed them TO
Shelbyville, and from there 10 Columbia,
Tenn, on tine Nashville & Huntsville Rail-
road. They turned south toward Alabama,
and we followed them to Florence, where
we came up with the rest of Rousseau's
army.
The next morning at daylight we were
ordered TO charge. The rebels had barri-
cades across the road, and the regiment on
our right charged right over them.
We killed about 80 rebels here and cap
tured 100 from there right down the river
to Waterloo, about 20 miles. Wehad run
ming fight all the way We charged right
over fences and everything else in our way.
Just before we got to Waterloo the rebel
army broke up in squads.
We soon went back to Nashville. On
this raid we had had two battles and several
skirmishes and ridden several hundred
miles,. K. p. STEPHENS, Co. NJ, 9th Ind
Cav, Lewis, Ind.