The National tribune., 1901-01-31

1t will be remembered that in the lat
ter part of March, 1862, a greater por-
ton of the Western army moved toward
Shiloh, Tenn, where the storm-centef
seemed to be gathering, and at the same
time Gen. O. Nj Mitchell. our division
commander. was sent with our division
Third Division, Army of the Ohio, to
cut communication at Shiloh from the east
by way of the Memphis X Charleston
Railroad: that we reached and captured
Huntsville, Ala. about the same time that
the battle of Shiloh was fought. Here
we remained guarding the railroad and
performing various duties along the Mem
phis x Charleston Railroad.
While thus located at Huntsville. Ala,
on OF about April 20, 1862, detail of 70
men was made from our regiment and
placed under command of Sergt William
Nelson, Co. l. with orders to proceed east
ward on this railroad about % miles TO
Paint Rock River Bridge, to guard and
protect the same from destruction by the
enemy.
From Co. G on this detail were sent
Andrew j. Anjier, Alexander II. Fran
cisco and the writer. We were provided
with three days rations and 40 rounds OF
ammunition. During the forenoon We
boarded freight train and moved to
Paint Rock River Bridge, reaching there,
as / remember, some time before noon.
LIS DEIuSS WIS d NOOutu Sil uSlult Oh
the railroad across Paint Rock River, two
spans in length, with a center pier built
of stonework on bottom and upper part
of cobble work built of timber, 1t being
about six feet from the stOnework to the
bridge proper.
A spur of the mountains reached out to-
ward the east end of this bridge, so that
about 20 or % rods from the east end
there was a cut about 10 or 20 feet deep,
through which the railroad passed. The
east span of the bridge covered nearly the
whole of the main channel of the river
in low water; the west span covered the
western portion of the main channel of
the river and also part of the low bot
tom along the west side of the river until
it reached the high grading which extend
ed back to the west bank proper This
grading, about 10 rods west from the west
ern end of the bridge, curved around to
the right, following the vicinity of the
river bank until it reached Paint Rock
Station, about two and half miles dis
tant westward from the bridge.
As before stated, the bridge was wood
en- structure; the outside sills, reaching the
entire length of the bridge, were made of
heavy timbers, bOlted together and con-
nected with the upper portions of the
bridge with heavy iron rods and wooden
braces; crosswise of these sills were placed
at short intervals wooden stringers, the
Ties DelnS placed on sui 0tnef IlmDeiS
running lengthwise of the cross stringers.
On the north side of the rails and on
the cross stringers were placed single
planks the length of the bridge, for walk
ing purposes, making a walk about 10
inches in width. The bridge was what
was then called a covered bridge, being
sided with half-inch boards or siding.
About four rods north from the railroad
grading and eight or 10 rods east of the
bridge stood a small shanty built of red
cedar logs.
j should judge that the river at this
point was about $50 feet in width, with an
2 average depth of five or six feet, and
current running four or five miles an hour.
Down the river on the east side, at the
east end of the bridge, the bottom was
from four to six rods wide, increasing in
width as you went down the stream, while
above the bridge, on account of the noun
tain spur, there was no river bottom to
speak of for some distance. From the
west bank of these bottom lands extended
point of land toward and near the north
end of the middle pier and a road also ran
along this west bottom toward the north