The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-03-07


Dabney FL. Maury, department. com
mander. Z then proceeded to raise
! other companies to fora battalion Of
mounted cavalry. This l succeeded
| in perfectiug, with j. NJ. Tindal as
captain of Company a., S. a. d. Steel
as captain of Company b, NJ NJ.
Burke as captain of Company G, and
John Harrison as captain of Company
D.
In the outset this command was
gotten up with the expectation of
operating under orders of Gen. Har-
dee, as indicated above. But Gen
Hardee was transferred to the Eastern
division, which'changed the nature of
service and opened new territory for
future operations. The above named
companies were ordered to Tuscaloosa,
Ala, where, in September, 1863, the
command was duly organized, with S.
6. Spaun major. The muster rolls
were formally made out, copies of
which were forwarded to the Secretary
of War. Tuscaloosa was tho gateway
iuto Northwest Alabama.
! 1t was at Tuscaloosa that the Con-
federate States Military Academy was
established. The chief cotton, wool
and shoe and hat factories were loca-
ted there. The iron bridge across the
Black Warrior River connected the
western and eastern sections Of Ala
bama at this point. The euemy had
made frequent raids in that vicinity
and the city was on several occasions
! under imminsnt danger Of being cap
tured. Gen. N. B. Forrest was sta
toned at Okolona, Miss., Gen. G. J.
Pillow was stationed at Montgomery,
Ala, and was stationed at Tusca-
loosa. Ala, with instructions from
Gen. Maury to report ready for duty
to both Gen. Forrest and Gen. Pillow,
who we're about equally distant from
Tuscaloosa. This was promptly done.
My command up to this time was
known as "Spnnns Battalion of In
dependent Scouts" Gen. Pillow OBJ
jected to the style as calculated to
mislead and produce confusion. He
therefore advised that the command
should take some numerical designa-
tion. No objection being interposed,
the command was called the 18th Con :
federate cavalry, and forwarded W ~
Gen. Pillow recommendations to S.
Cooper, A. and I. General, Richmond,
that in future "Spann's Battalion of
Independent Scouts shouldbc known
as the 18th Confederate cavalry, and
it 80 appeared inomy subsequent re-
ports.
Now that the main forces Of Coz
| federate troops had been transferred
to Eastern fields of action, ell North
Alabama was subsequently, exposed to
Federal raids and depredations by de-
serters and Union sympathizers VIII o
had organized into bandits and high
way robbers generally.
This battalion had hardly gotten in
to fighting trim whcu squad Of re-
oonnoitering scouts dashed into camp
,. and reported two Federal raids head
ing towards Tuscaloosa, one under
command of Federal Col. Grierson,
| and the other under command Of Fed
eral Col. Strait. Gen. Forrest had re-
ceived simultapeous notice of their
approach and at once intercepted them
at Sand Mountain, North Alabama,
where he gained signal victory with
only slight casualties, himself receiv-
ing wound in. tho heel. The 18th
battalion, being skillfully deployed
along the Watermelon Road. leading
down to Tuscaloosa from the direction
Of the fight, rendered efficient service
against detached squads of the enemy.
The thanks Of the city officials, and
| professors Of the State cadets, and
the superintendent of the various
factories were cordially rendered this
battalion. Con. Forests command,
after this engagement, moved to the
front. but this battalion continued in
Tuscaloosa and 10 the immediate sup
port Of Gen. G. J. Pillows orders.
For the more effectual execution Of
the duties developed upon me I issued
several general orders, defining the re-
quirements Of the law of exemption
and CONSUMPTION, also an appeal to the
dcserters then in hiding and who
could not be reached by the ordinary
process. These orders aud appeals
were published in tho Tuscaloosa OBJ
server, andalso in hand bills for mere