The National tribune., 1899-06-01
FIGHTING THEM OVER.
What the Veterans Have to Say
About Their Campaigns.
SUFFERED HEAVY LOSS.
Wisconsin cavllrynaa Describes tee Fighting ArJurd
Lovejoy Station.

SUFFERED HEAVY LOSS.
Wisconsin, cavalrynaa Describes tee Fighting Ar,ur
Loyeioy Station.
| Editor National Tribune: Our regimen
being detached from the brigade, to make
a diversion, l suppose, crossed the Ch alta
hOochee six miles below Campbelltown
and passing through the town, our ad
vance-CoS. q and G, led by our lntreplC
Maj. Paine and Capt. Robinson-drove
the rebel advance some two or three miles
in three or four sharp saber charges, when
We came upon their main body-Gen.
Armstrong's cava!ry-2,0 600 strong
In this last charge Maj. Paine was
killed while gallantly waving his saber
that our brave, fun-loving bugler, Levi
Chase, with his good steed Sarah, was
made prisoner. Poor Levi, He served a
long term in rebel prison-pens, leaving
him mere wreck, mentally and phys
lcally, of his former happy self.
The regiment having been quite roughly
handled at this point, especially & and &,
volunteers were called for to carry a mes
| sage through to Col. TOrrey, commanding
our brigade, then evidently some 10 or Is
miles away, doing business at Palmetto
Station, on the Wes: Point Railroad, as
we could see by the reflection on the
evening sky from the burning of the depot
| buildings.
So, having been supplied with fresh
horse, my white mare, Caroline having
been disabled by a revOlver-shot through
her jaw, my companion, a brave young
that l have forgotten his name), got
started, after hearing part OF Capt.
Smiths speech about our names being
handed down to pOsterity, etc, Capt
Smith had come into command of the
regiment on the death Of Maj. Paine, he
Ix.... L.. H. u
merely Il verbal message as to the con-
ditiOn of the regiment-its falling back,
etc.
We naturally felt rather apprehensive
as we approached Palmetto, as we knew
it had been several hours since our troops
had passed through there, but to our re-
lief we found by careful inquiry that no
rebels had been seen after our command
had gone. SO, after a glance at the burn
ing railroad buildings, we pursued our
way, stopping occasionally at farm houses
to make inquiries.
Some told us that the rebel cavalry
were between us and the command;
others, that they had seen no soldiers
since the Yankees passed, and some that
they had seen no soldiers at all. So we
had to guess it out the best we could.
About dawn we stopped at large
plantation to make Inquiries, and to try to
get some thing to eat or drink. We found
out of provisions, but we did get a canteen
full of peach-brandy, so called, which we
afterward found SO raw and strong that
neither of us could swallow it. About
sunrise, or little after, we came upon
30 or 30 of our United States cavalry
horses with all their equipments, even to
the arms of some of the officers. l Sc
cured fine silver-mOunted revolver from
one of the officers holsters. We could
see no wounded ones among them; still
we thought there must have been a
scrap in that vicinity, in which case
there must have been live JOhnnleS some
where around.
Going on for a mile or so, keeping our
eyes well peeled for expected rebs U could
keep awake now, we came upon large |
number of the enemy's wagons burning, |
most of them very nearly consumed. This
made US feel quite sure that we must be
in close proximity to the scene of disturb
ance the night before. / think now we
were both a little scared, but neither
would tell the other, for fear of soaring
him.
Well, after riding few miles farther, we
came in sight OF few mounted men,
whom we approached very carefully.
They proved to be stragglers from our
Kentucky or Tennessee Lieu
tenant among them, who told us of cap
turing the rebel wagOn-train, together
with 300 or 400 prisoners and some 500
mules and horses, without fight, as
they had surprised the train guard. A
great number of the boys had gone to
sleep while the train was being fired,
mules shot, etc, and their horses had
strOlled away in the darkness, and were
left, the men getting remounts from the
mules and horses; thus account
ing for the horses that gave us SO much
worry earlier in the morning.
AS a sort Of recompenSe / generously
offered the Lieutenant drink out of my
canteen. He took a liberal swig, smacked
MS lips, and said, 81 allow that's no
ornery brandy" So told him to empty
i into his canteen, as Il had joined the
Good Templars since tasting the stuff. "
He looked at me as if he thought had
gone crazy, and took the brandy, thank
ng me very heartily. My companion and
rode on and left the little squad; hope
hat brandy didn't kill any of them nor
,ause them to be captured.
We arrived at Col. TOrrey's Headquar-
ers some time after noon. l delivered
ny message. He directed me to report to
Sergeant Martin, believe), who with a
mail squad of the regiment had carried a
lispatch through earlier in the day. ID
After taking short nap looked around
or awhile, but failing to find him, and
unning across several of our regiment
vhO had been leading our regimental ,
,ack-animals, and had kept with the
'rigade instead of with the regiment, we
concluded to form kind of independent
quad till l did find the Sergeant. We
at this pOint-LOvejOy, on the
atlanta & Macon MISUNDERSTANDING it
retty effectually for several miles, and
rating, as per agreement, for Gen. Stone Z
lan's command, which failed to get there, I
n account of having been defeated and '
portion of it captured with Gen. Stone {
ian. Then we commenced our return. I
bout dark, having been nearly sur
)unded by large force of cavalry and y
lfantry, we had to cut our way out with J
loss. |
Our retreat was continued through the J
ntire night, we losing heavily in killed, I
ounded, and especially in prisoners. n
early a whole regiment of the rear-guard o
as cut off and captured. OF course, my e
quad Of mule-whackerS, ETC., had aban- a
Dned some of their lead-mules, but not o
II, and had decided to be directed by me d
case of any special emergency, not p
nding Serg't Martin.
This kind of running fight was kept up s.
i night, and until next day, about 10 G.
clock a. M, we found ourselves con- j
Onted by a heavy force of infantry, that W
ad been going to reinforce the JOhnnies 1
Atlanta on the West Point Railroad d
nd had been stopped by the break made to
= our command two days previous. W
We were entirely surrounded, and things te
gan to look pretty blue. Still, under al
e direction of Gen. McCoOk, we stood W
lem off pretty well till toward night, ct
fferent regiments leading several U
NJ