The National tribune., 1900-10-18
FIGHTING THEM OVER.
What the Veterans Have TO Say
About Their Campaigns.
WHEN FORREST WAS WHIPPED.
An Iowa Brigade Man Tells How the Gun
town Defeat Was Avenged.

sues ago | told the story of our first raid
against Forrest. In July, 1864, under A.
j. Smith, we started on our second. Our
force was made up from the defeated
army of Banks, of Red River fame, and
of Sturgis, of Guntown disaster fame. But
| the boys wanted to prove themselves good
soldiers, and they were anxious to go.
This army left Memphis, Tenn, about
July 10, 5000 strong. Our first few days
were easy, short daily marches, picket
duty, scouting and foraging enough to
make us glad to find the camp ut night.
| The only troubles we had were the dust
and scarcity of water, including hot
weather and fighting musketos.
We marched through Tennessee and
| Mississippi, over some of the same roads
we had passed in raid No. /. We met
very little opposition until Saturday morn
| ing. July IT, when our advance came upon
| Forests scouts, near PontotOc, Miss.
| Finding the enemy was in considerable
force, we were ordered into camp.
About > p. IN. the Sd Iowa was ordered
to make reconnaissance. Out about
two miles north of Pontotoc our advance
came upon and exchanged shots with the
rebel pickets. We were quickly formed
in line of battle, ordered to dismount and
| fight on foot.
We moved cautiously up the hill about
! 200 yards, when cur skirmish line was
hotly attacked, being driven back to The
| line of battle, when we advanced under
brisk fire until nearly up the hill. The
bugles sounded the charge. We went
through the brush in a rush, pumping lead
and yelling. The rebels quickly gave way.
| They seemed ready to git" and git
they did, forgetting TO take their camp
plumber. If they had been as numerous
and as brave to their size as the gray
backs they left our whole army couldn't
have licked them.
After taking what plunder we wanted
and burning the rest, we returned to camp
to find a detail for picket duty awaiting
our battalion.
| l was so fortunate as to get detailed to
guard the family and residence of Il
preacher by the name of Miller, who had
gone into the rebel army-one soft Snap
of my life. They gave ME Il good sup
per-hot biscuit, honey, ham and a god
clean bed i'll Il nicely furnished room 10
sleer in. Sunday morning they invited me
to family worship before breakfast. Oh,
how that old lady prayed for the life of
| her husband and the success of the rebel
army. | remember she said, if there must
be fighting she wanted the rebel army to
| have the powder and bullets to kill al
the Yanks excepting this young man who
has so safely guarded us and ours from
harm" At the breakfast table they want
ed TO know all about the North and the
people; wanted to know why yOu'ns ali
had come down to kill we'uns ali and take
OH all we ulS nlSSeGS.
told them the Lord had sent us down
there, away from our good and weil-pro-
vided homes, from our dear beloved fami-
lies and splendid associations, to project
women and children and take every ounce
of rebellion out OF theIr men or kill them.
Sunday all day | fully enjoyed the COM
pany of these three handsome Southern
girls. Their actions fully convinced me
they did not regret my company, especial
! ly the youngest one. She insisted OH my
| letting them know if was wounded or
captured. They would do all they cOu-d
| to help me out and care for me.
At daylight Monday morning, after
| good breakfast, | bade MY ewly-made
friends an aifectionate goOd-by, went back
to the company ut roli-call, broke camp
and marched away toward Tupelo. All
| day we skirmshed with the rebs, they
| falling back slowly, and went into camp
at sundown, tired out. / had just lam
down when the Sergeant came around and
called us out. We fell in line, were or
dered to saddle up our tired horses and
out we went to the front to patrol and
keep posted as to the whereabouts of the
rebS
About a. m. we came upon the 4th
| Iowa Cav, of our brigade. We thought
they were rebels; they thought we were,
and firing began. Alter d yolley or two
the mistake was discovered. No one was
killed.
We were then in line of battle. We
| dismOunted and were permitted to lie
down, with our horses tied to US, ready
| for a call to arms in u moment. We co Id
| hear the rebels coming in, going into
camp, changing pickets, etc. At daylight
we were withdrawn and marched back
about half mile to feed our horses and
eat.
From this location we could see the Tebs
getting ready for the bloody work that
came later. We could see our army lining
up for The battle, preparing their BARR
cade for protection; could see them mask
ing the artillery. At 8 O'Clock the rebels
began forming their lines of battle, which
was quickly accomplished. Now their ar
| tillery began throwing shell and shot, but
| they had the range too high. Now and
then one dropped close and did some dam
age.
They moved out of the woods in line of
battle four deep and over one mile lons.
They came like men on dress parade Ol
came that line, steady, confident and Su G.
They were halfway across the field when
they opened fire-four volleys. Now on
they came, on the double-quick. They
halted, fixed bayonets, the busles sounded
the charge, forward they bounded with
yell. 1t looked as if nothing could stop
that fast advancing wall of men.
Look, Our boys raised to their feet and
poured volley after yolley into their ranks.
1hey wayerc0 one moment; Ihen on they
came again, with that defiant yell. Our
artillery bclched forth fire of grape and
canister into that near approaching line.
They wayered, halted. They could not
stand such death-dealing fire. They
broke, and our men arose and pumped
lead into their retreating line. Their otli-
GERS could not rally them.
Soon we saw them reforming their lines
with fresh troops. Our brigade was now
moveS. forward in battle line to protect
our right flank. We We're halted at the
edge of the woods and ordered to lie down.
Again we saw them advancing with line
of battle heightened on our right to over
lap our former line and break our right
flank. They were not aware of change in
our line. Again their artillery opened on
us with shot and shell, as their lines
moved forward on the double-quick with
fixed bayonets, firing as they came.
Again they were close. Our line arose
and poured whitening fire into their
lines. Our batteries opened again with
grape and canister. Their center halted,
their left swung forward against our bri-
gade, expecting to break and turn our
right flank. We opened on them with
terrible storm of lead from our rapid-fire
Spencers. They were surprised and wav-
cred, and then our whole line poured vol
ley after volley into their faItering and
breaking ranks. Back they went in dis
order. Our lines charged and volleyed
them. Forests 1900 Southern fighting
mo hnI thai,. loft