The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1900-11-29
FIGHTING THEM OVER.
What the Veterans Have TO Say
About Their Campaigns.
A WISCONSIN RAIDER.
w..h Wilson from Chickasaw Landing to
Montgomery.

WlSSUNSIN kAlUEk.
w..h Wilson from Chickasaw Landing to
Montgomery.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Co. G.,
1st Wis. Cav First Division, Second Bri-
gade, First Cavalry Corps, NJ. D. NJ, at
| Chickasaw Landing, March 81, 1855, re-
| ceived orders to be ready to march at 20
minutes notice, drew five days rations
and five days forage for our horses, 6O
days rations of sugar and coffee, and 120
rounds of ammunition for carbines and 80
rounds for revolvers, and grind our sabers
IA inches from the point.
On March % we saddled up at o'clock
and soon started on Wilson's Raid. We
marched 10 miles to 1uka and were met
by the Second and Fourth Divisions,
cago Board of Trade Battery, Next
day we took the road for Jasper, Ala,
| with the Second Division in the advance,
our pioneer corps having to cut the road
for us most all day; it was very muddy.
On March % we crossed Black Warrior
and had a good many horses drowned.
| Two of our scouts were wounded and one
was shot in the face, hand and side. We
went through Jasper about noon and took
IS prisoners.
On March % we marched 80 miles and
| burned all the Red Mountain Iron Works
| and Coal Works, struck the railroad at
| 8 q. m. and destroyed the bridges and
culverts
On March 81 we marched eight miles
and the Second Division had a great deal
of skirmishing to do.
On April l we started on the march at
4 a. M, marched eight miles, and my di,
vision was ordered to Centerville to de
stroy a bridge. My battalion, under Maj
| Shipman, was in the advance. We went
| 10 miles, then one man was sem back to
Col. Lagrange with dispatches; in 20 min.
| utes more | was sent back. The first two
went to Andersonvile, but / got through
and delivered the dispatches to the Colonel
| My battalion arrived at Centervile about
an hour ahead of me and took Is prison
| erS.
An old Vermont school teacher lived a
| short distance beyond our picket post, and
he came to the post early in the morning
| and wanted me, | being in charge of the
| post, to bring the boys to his house for
| breakfast; so | sent part of the boys,
| and when they returned l took the rest.
After breakfast he gave me a lot of Sab
bath-school books and papers to take back
| to camp, and shortly after | returned to
the post the relief came, and l took my
men to camp.
We took all the plank off the bridge
across the Caraba River, and at p. III.
the opposite side of the river, with one
battery. We had thrown up a rail-barri-
cade and we had quite d skirmish with
their advance and four men were killed
and wounded in my regiment. The I'd
Ind. suffered, as they We're in the thick
est of the skirmish. After destroying the
bridge we fell back six miles and went
into camp.
On April g. reveille at 2!30 a. M;
marched 30 miles, and arrived within u
miles of Selma and went into camp. We
had two men taken prisoners in the Skin
mishing of the day.
On April 4 we went back 80 miles to
guard the pOntoon-train and ambulance
and provision trains into Selma, for the
rebels with two divisions were. trying to
cut off our supply and 'pontoon- trains.
On April we started at 5 a. M,
marched six miles, halted and drew FIVE
days rationS of coffee and sugar, then
started on the march again and camped
at night ON our old campground within
y miles of Selma. The Second and
Fourth Divisions had taken Selma the day
before and lost 800 men, but taken 5000
prisoners and killed and wounded 800.
We arrived at Selma at noon April
and went into camp to the east of town.
In the evening | went to town to see the
arsenal burned, and all stores, foundries,
machine-shopS and Confederate buildings
and railroad depOts were burned and the
magazine blown UP. The rebels manu-
featured all kinds of arms, from a pistol
to a siege gun, and ammunition for the
same.
We filled the rebel stockade full of
Johnnies and liberated our men there held
as prisoners. Some of the boys had been
in the bull-pen since the battle of Ms
sionary Ridge and Chickamauga.
Our men tried to put pontoOn across
the river on the night of April Z, and the
rebs sent logs and trees down the river
and broke it three times.
| was in command of number of safe
guards in the city during this time. On
April 8 | was 90 years old. AT IL o'clock
that night / had orders to have my guards
ready to cross the river as soon as all the
rest of the troops had gotten across.
got the boys together and went to the
river, and the rebs had just broken the
pOntoOn again, so | took the boys back
and went to bed again.
On April 8 we crossed the river at 10
a. m, started after our regiment, caught
up with it at noon, and continued on for
Montgomery. We had two skirmishes
during the day and camped on a large
plantation. At 10 p. IN. | was detailed to
go with a squad and get Is mules that had
been hidden in the timber. | got the
mules and got back to camp at ~ m and
made my coffee and went to bed.
On April 10 we skirmished with the
rebs for 30 miles and had five men wound
ed, killed FIVE rebs. took a good many pris-
oners, and went into camp within six
miles of Montgomery.-F. A. ROGERS,
Corporal, Co. G, LIST Wis. Cav, Portland,
Ore.