The National tribune., 1900-05-24

was fighting his own men, Tor ne had no
escort with him. Our loss in this contre,
temps was three men severely wounded and
several others slightly.
Col. Harnden told me that when he
learned the true inwardness of the affair
he was mad enough to turn in and clean
out Pritchard's men and take Jeff away
from them, but knowing that his skirts were
entirely clean in the matter. decided to
wash his hands of the affair and let the
future right it, and returned to Macon,
where he arrived with his command May
13.
was told by one Of the Michigan boys
OF the dismounted men sent In rear of the
train that their Colonel told them he ex-
pected party of Daviss body-guard to
come in on the road Col. Harnden indicated
in the interview our boys would take; that
they were dressed in our uniform, armed
with Spencers, and must be held at all
hazards; that a Captain of their regiment
was killed and several men severely wound
ed by our boys. and the regiment was so
bitter against him for that unnecessary
killing and manning of good soldiers that
he slipped away to Washington with the
archives captured in the train, and never
came back TO his regiment
Col. HarndenS report went up through
the prescribed military channels, and saw
many of the Endorsements thereon. They
were all strongly condemnatory of the
course of Col. Pritchard, and that of Col.
LaGrange was particularly scathIng.
Every stroke of his pen would have left
livid mark and raised the hair in strips from
the head of man who was innocent, and
every word would have called for duel to
the death. That paper must now be in
cased in iron in the archives at Washington,
or there would be a "hot time in the old
| town" if it We're not.
Shortly after the close Of the war this
matter was evened up by dividing the
500, 900 reward for the capture of the Presi-
dent of the defllnct Confederacy among
those of the two regiments participating
therein. Lieut.-Col. Harnden was made
Brigadier- General. Gen. Wilson. in letter
| to the Department regarding the matter,
says: Lieut. Col. Harnden is entitled to an
| equal share of the credit for the capture OF
| jeff Davis, and is in way responsible for
| the unfortunate collision which occurred"
The story of jeff Davis being in hoop
skirts when captured is all a myth. He
| had on long dreSSing-gown belted about
| the waist. He did have lot Of money
| with him, though, in uncut sheets. and un-
| signed. Some Of it was on Georgia banks
that We're solvent at that time. These
| bills were freely scattered among the corps,
| and many of us signed where the officers
| of the bank should, and exchanged and
! kept them for souvenir autographs. Over
| a million dollars in bills OF defunct Column
| bus bank was captured when that city was
| taken, and in many poker games, while
| lying in Macon during the armistice. 1t
| was not an unusual thing to see several
thousand dollars of this money put UP and
bet by the players. | kept some of 1t
long time because it was issued the year
was born, 1Si1.
A SNAKE INCIDENT.
May 24.-We left Macon to-day for
Nashville, marched 35 miles and camped
near Forsyth. AS the war is practically
full. We camped at Griffin, Fairchild and
Atlanta.
Sunday, May 2S.-Are now resting at
Marietta, and camped near the foot of
Kenesaw. This afternoon. while out
grazing our horses, witnessed an exciting
incident. Quite group of us were stretch
ed out on the luXurlant grass, with elbows
on the ground and heads supported on our
hands, watching our horses feeding. 1t
was one Of those languid, droWsy days. and
most Of us were half asleep. :
Not far from US were a lot Of battery
horses grazing. Suddenly off to our
right there was a Shrek, and we saw an
artilleryman jump from the grass and
clutch wildly at his throat. We were now
enough awake to see black object around
his neck. Running to his assistance,
we saw the thing at his throat was huge
blacksnake, tightly coiled about it. 1t
was sometime before the horrid thing was
taken from him, and then only by cutting
the folds Of his snakeship from the mans
throat.
He was grim gunner, and had served
his piece in many hotly-conteSted battle,
but he said this was the first time he was
ever really scared He told us he had been
asleep and was awakened by such a pres
sure on his throat that he could scarcely
breathe, and when he found out what it was
he was so weakened by fright he could
do nothing to rid himself Of his terrible
chOker.
We reached Chattanooga June 2. Here
trainload Of dismounted and sick men of
our regiment was made up and sent to
Nashville by rail. 1t was a warm night,
and they fixed themselves for a good sleep
on top of the boX-cars, with heads on the
footboard, in the center, and feet at the
sides of the cars.
Out through the Raccoon range the rocks
in many places rose several hundred feet
above the track and close to it. There
had been a short thunderstorm in the
mountains just before the train started.
In one place a water course mad been worn
in the top of high, projecting rock, which
poured a stream OF water, after rain, in the
center of the track. The boys We're all
asleep when the train reached this place,
and the column of water, from hundreds of
feet above, struck the center board squarely.
This was a rude awakening for the men
and a volume Of emphatic language that
WOulu HOI IoDh wen pIlHb
the train as car after car in rapid success
sion passed the mountain waterfall.
June 15.-Reached Edgefeld, across the
Cumberland from Nashville, to-day, and
went into camp TO await muster-out.
June 19.-Packed up the regimental
desk to-day, with all books and papers
pertaining to the organization during the
war, for shipment to Washington. Was
mustered out in accordance with Special
Order No. II from Headquarters of the
Department of the Tennessee, by Capt.
z. III. Bishop, of the 4th KY, A. G. M,
First Div. Cav.
SUMMARY OF THE RAID.
The Wilson Raid, considering the
number of miles travelled celerity of move
ment, destruction of public property,
prisoners taken and small roster Of caSu
aities i'll its prosecution, was the most
successful raid of the war, and brought
about the greater results. For the first
time in the history of cavalry movements,
on this raid mounted charges on intrench- |
mentS considered impregnable were made, |
and the astonished rebels fled incontinently
from the trenches as the horses and riders
poured over the works upon them. A
gunboat was also captured by the corps
at Columbus. Everything in the way of
fighting done by infantry, with the possi- |
BILE exception of bayoneting, was dupli- |
Gated by the cavalry on this raid.
| have copy OF Special Field Order No.
lG, printed on blue tint foreign paper
captured from the enemy. and promul-
II.