El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-11-01
THE MASCOT.

1t was on the morning of Sept. z, 1868.
that the Confederate General Frazier was
asked by General Burnside to surrender
Cumberland gap. AS General Buckner
had retreated toward Chattanooga while
General Burnside's forces lay at the gap,
the garrison felt secure against attacks by
the Confederates Our army was in posses
sion of Knoxville, and General Burnside
had ordered to the gap IL regiments and
two trains of artillery. The Confederate
force, under General Frazier, was about
l, ZOO strong, stationed at Morristown,
where he could control the railroad with
supplies for General Buckner's army.
The former was ordered to meet the adj
vance OF our men, who We're marching to-
ward .Jonesville.
Information had been received by him
from General Jones at Abingdon that he
would not surrender without IL fight His
hope was, we afterward learned, that u
part of General II. T.. Lee'S Army of North
ern Virginia would re-enforce him before
our march of SO miles could be made. But
he had reckoned without the Union host.
We showed front so formidable that Gen
eral Frazier wisely laid down his arms.
and Generals Buckner and Jones fed
across the mountains of east Tennessee to
Sequatcilie, valley splitting the Cumber
land range parallel.
General Longstreet had evidently ex-
pected that General ID. II. Hills corps that
occupied IA secure position at Cattott'S
gap, in Pigeon mountain, which was
about 10 miles from Chattanooga, spur
of Lookout mountain, would come to his
relief but as Generals Hindman and Hill
still hoped for succor from Buckner the
opportunity to evacuate voluntarily was
lost
1t was at this juncture that General
Thomas moved upon Hills left wing and
closed the gateway to Buckner's force.
This was the turning point in the speedy
victory for the Union in Tennessee. 1t
was at Gortlon's Mills that we met Gen
eraI Pat Cleburn, that gallant Irishman
who gave lis so much trouble in eastern
Kentucky and west Tennessee in the
gloomy days of 1868 and 1864. He com
manded a division in General Hills corps.
His charge at Lookout Mountain was a
brilliant one. 1 am sure that every soldier
OF the Twentieth Illinois will remember
him. His dash at Gordon's Mills too. we
have cause to recall
A crash of musketry made US reel early
in the engagement and the fire was so ter
rifle that we We're Obliged to withdraw to
a better position on the hill. Then night
came on. Not a soldier of the Old Guard
that slept that night under the stars but
will remember the moonless hours when
we had no fire, and-the striking of a match
on a musket seemed to shock the darkness
where we lay.
General Cleburn's men We're just over
the brow of the bill SO close that we could
hear their voices as they called back and
forth to each other. Like ours, their camp
was unlighted. Every well regulated COM
pany, it is said, owns to a mascot. The
mascot of Company II was Teddy. If he
had any other name, we did not know it,
and 1 doubt if he did. He was harmless
sort of half wit who had followed the army
from the Ohio border. He was happy
go lucky wight, rarely understanding tho
simplest things said to him, but his un-
failing cheerfulness and good nature had
won for him the honor Illace of mascot of