Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1896-02-28

citizens in bands of militia or home
I guard. EARLY in the winter Of 1864-5 Gen
eral Stoneman set ont from Tennessee
to raid southwest Virginia. That region
had never been touched by the large ar
mics, but the Confederates maintained
show Of force there which varied with
the fortunes of their side in territory
adjoining. twas in southwest Virginia
that Morgan's escaping raiders reform
ed ranks after their wild ride through
Ohio. The Kentucky troopers, to the
number Of 500, chung together in so
called brigade. General Basil W.~Duke,
the noted Kentuckian, Morgan's right
hand man when the division was in it's
glory, commanded this remnant.
4 Three. other brigades belonged to the
forces occupying the region. twas call
ed the military department Of southwest
Virginia. Breckinridge, also Kentuck-
ian, commanded the department. The
troops under him numbered $500. The
men were all Tennesseeans or Kentuck-
ians, Injured to war in its hardest phases
by their campaigns in the mountains.
The brigadiers besides Duke were Gilt
ner, Vaughn and Cosby. Stoneman led
5000 men, and his first stroke was to
cut of Vaughn's brigade Of !, 400 men,
thus robbing Breckenridge Of more than
one-haf his soldiers. But the prize at
stake called for forlorn hope defense,
and the handful remaining included
fighters, from generals to privates, who
would stand and die with Spartan cour-
age in the last pass. The prize was the
famous Kings salt works and the lead
mines, which furnished the Confederacy
with two of it's Indispensable supplies.
Breckenridge held his troopers in
hand at Saltville, awaiting Stoneman's
first blow. On the 10th of December his
scouts brought word that the raiders
were striking out for Wytheville, where
the lead works were located. Duke inl-
mediately started with 100 picked men
to harass the enemy's column. With q
farmer for guide he rode of in the
night and speedily came upon Union
picket. At the first shot the guide
bounded from his horse and disappear
ed. In the enemy's camps there was
martial stir and sound Of bugles call
ing "boots and saddles. =" It was plain
that the $50 rash raiders had fallen up
ON Stoneman's main camp. TWAS very
dark, and after posting line of pickets
Duke bivouacked in cornfield with his
men. With cornstalks for couches, the
weary troopers slept soundly until
aroused, just before daybreak, by the
sentinels Looking across the field, they
beheld in the dim light q long line of
gigantic figures, enveloped in cavalry
overcoats. sitting on their horses like
grim warders before the palace Of me-
di@val king. There were 900 or more
in the column, and they might have cir
cled about the sleeping Confederates,
bagging the whole command, but evil
IDENTIFY had overlooked them because
they were so close. Duke couldn't haz-
ard a fight, and bis foes evidently be-
lieved that his force was too strong for
them to deal with. The troopers ban
died words across the "bloody ohasm"
for an hour. Then the Kentuokians rode
back to their comrades at Saltville.
Breckinridge was loath to grant
Stoneman an open road to the lead
works and threw his entire force across
his path at q point called Marion
heights. While waiting for the raiders
to appear q courier dashed into camp
with dispatches from the front. A self
constituted defender Of the sacred soil,
Colonel Wycher-colonel, Of course. al.
though he commanded but 80 mem
4 had let loose his battalion Of ''independ-
ens" upon the TANKS Of Stoneman's
y raiders Wycher's first message read,
I'VE are pushing them hard and giving
It 70 them at every jump" Soon fol-