The National tribune., 1900-07-19

|
open. showing the rebel Col. Warren in the
| act of drawing his revolver from his side
pocket. If ever the devil was put in a yell,
that Yank put it when he thrust the muzzle
of his uncapped carbine into the Colonel s
face and demanded his surrender. He
surrendered, and dropped his hands in
stantly, and the Yank had, alone, under
rather embarrassing circumstances, two
| prisoners on his hands, and he felt very
much relieved when after few minutes
| some of his comrades joined him. Whilst
he would have been much easier in his mind
if his carbine had been capped, it would
not have been any benefit, as the cartridge
was so water-Soaked that it would not
explode and later in the day he exchanged
his carbine for captured one.
TAKING HOODS TRAINS.
Not finding the pontoon train at La
Grange, Col. Palmer pushed on after it.
Our presence was complete surprise to the
enemy. and we picked up rebel soldiers at
every house, who were spending the holi-
days with their friends.
The advance struck one house early In
the morning where Il party of four or five
| of them We're just sitting down to very
| tempting breakfast. They heard us COM
| ing and took to the woods. We soon
captured them. and as we had not had any
breakfast, entered the house and emptied
the contents of the table, fried chicken,
honey, warm cakes. etc, indiscriminately
| into our haversackS. much to the disgust
of several good-looking young ladies, and
| had a very satisfactory meal as we rode
along.
We stopped to feed at noon, and the ad-
vance was stationed at crossroads, where
a rebel cavalry regiment had been ordered
to rendezvous A party Of them joined
some of us as we were getting forage at q
farmhouse, and only discovered we were
Yanks when we presented our revolvers and
demanded their surrender.
| Whilst feeding. our videt reported large
party approaching, which reached us just
as we mounted. We instantly charged,
capturing most OF them and killing one
We then pushed on rapidly and captured
the pontoon train at dusk. 1t was strung
along the road for five or six miles, and
details were busy all night destroying the
wagons and burning the pontoons. They
we're new. and the finest had ever seen, and
most of them had the names Of prominent
| Southern ladies painted upon them; such
as Lady Davis, Lady Bragg, eto.
The next night we crossed into Missis-
sippi, marching in sight Of a rebel cavalry
for Hoods army. Our raid thus far had
been highly successful, but we were far
within the enemy's lines, and he had posted
troops on the roads leading north to capture
US, and it was very serious question
whether we could avoid them or cut our
way through.
| On the second days return march we
found the enemy posted in some force on
! the road in our front Col. Palmer dis
posed his troops as if he intended to attack,
| and at dusk withdrew and Travelled rapidly
south for some distance, and then taking
| trail through the woods, marched all
night, and early in the morning reached
| the main road about 10 miles north of the
rebel force.
After resting few hours, weary, worn
and sleepy, we were again moving, and the
advance soon struck a regiment marching
to join the rebel force, now in our rear. We
charged at once and dispersed them, captur-
ing number and killing some.
On this days march the enemy followed
us, but whenever the rear guard formed to
charge them they retired We went into
camp about 10 o'clock at night and soon
had our horses and selves fed, and blankets
spread out, and were congratulating our
selves that we would have good nights
rest, when orders were quietly given to
saddle instantly, as large force of the
enemy were preparing to make night
attack on our camp.
We left very quietly, leaving our fires
burning, and it was reported thatduring the
night they surrounded the abandoned
camp and charged into it. We continued
our march all that night and the next day,
when we safely arrived inside Of our lines
In this raid we were on the march almost
continually for six or seven days and
nights, did most of our sleeping in the
saddle, and as the nights were very cold
suffered considerably.
The results were the capture Of two
pieces of artillery and 200 prisoners, which
were safely brought into our lines, the COM
plete dispersion of Roddy's rebel cavalry,
the destruction of Hoods pontoon train, and
train loaded with supplies for his army.
We killed and wounded a number of the
enemy, and lost but one killed and two
wounded.
Col. Palmer showed by his admirable
management of this and other raids that he
was born cavalry leader. He had a re-
markable talent for acquiring information
about the roads and by-pathS of the coun-
try, and usually had a half dozen citizens
marching with him, under guard from
whom he obtained information; and rs they
We're never released until it was verified by
actual observation, and knew the conse-
quences to themselves if it was not accurate,
he was never deceived.
CAPTURE OF LYONS COMMAND.
While Hoods army was lying in front Of
Nashville Gen. Lyon. with a brigade of
cavalry, made a raid into Kentucky. where
he was roughly handled by our troops
He finally escaped and crossed TO the south
bank Of the Tennessee, where he amused
himself by peppering our tincIad gun
W..
Col. Palmer, with $50 Of our regiment.
started from Huntsville, Ala, in the pursuit
OF Lyon on the 18th Of January, 1858.
Crossing the Tennessee, and having OBJ
tained information as to his camp, we
cautiously moved at night by the enemy's
flank to his rear, which was unguarded, and
at daybreak rode into their camp, completely
surprising them. They were, in the usual
soldier fashion, lying in groups around
their camp fires, sleeping soundly. Our
boys surrounded these groups, and the as
tonishmcnt of the Johnnies when they were
awakened by demands to surrender, and
pceping from under their blankets saw the
bluecoatS, was exceedingly great
On their raid into Kentucky many of
them had appropriated from the farmers
large, old-fashioned saddle bags, which
they had filled with laces, silks and all
kinds Of finery taken from Stores As
these articles were rather scarce in the Con-
federacy, they no doubt looked forward
with much satisfaction to the pleasure
the gift Of them would occasion to their
Southern sweethearts. Our boys, however,
appropriated both the saddle-bags and
their contents, and being far away from
their sweethearts, disposed Of them for
sordid lucre.
Gen. Lyon was luartered at a house a
short distance from the camp, and the ad-
vance guard, which was led as usual by
Serg't Pat Lyon, as brave young Irish
man as ever drew saber, was ordered to
pass through the camp, surround the
house and capture the General.