The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-12-22
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES
 AND HISTORY OF ALABAMA.
THOMAS M. OWEN, Director.
 


 talking. and, galloping back to the regi' ment, opened fire at twenty-five yards distance. Many .cf the enemy were killed and wounded by this volley and his col | nearly o'clock and the enemy were pressing forward in front and rear, they
 and the Eth firing at twenty .paces dis
 tance by the flashes of each others guns. Colonel Rucker had already been cap | tured and wounded. and hence no orders | to retire. With great difficulty the regiment was drawn off finally, and succeeded. by
 marching on foot through the woods in reaching Franklin about daybreak, to
 which place the horses had been with drawn. In this affair Lieutenant FiN- l patrick of Montgomery was killed, and
 Lieutenant Dickerson and Captain | Hughes captured. The killed. wounded.
 and prisoners of the line numbered more
 On the next day. December r. began | the retreat from Tennessee. which con
 tiuued until the 29th. when Hoods shat | tered army recrossed the river. On this | retreat the 7th Ala bama fought daily and | nightly with the enemy's advance, until l Christmas day, when he stopped pursuit | after severe punishment at Pulaski. | The regiment commenced oneratfons In | this campaign with about $50 men and
 officers. On reaching Corinth it number l ed for duty four officers and sixty men, 1 the rest being killed, wounded. prisoners
 or dismounted.
 Captain Storrs and Lieutenant Nabers
 were wounded at Columbia; Lieutenant
 Golson of Antauga and Lieutenant Calf
 fey of Montgomery. were wounded near | Columbia; Lieutenant Oshborn of Greene,
 dangerously wounded on the Eth; Lieu | tenant Goldthwaite of Montgomery, was
 wounded at Franklin,
 While the Tennessee regiments of cav- l airy. of which Forests command was i largely composed, were furloughed tenn
 porarily. the 7th Alabama was kept on NtDlFn 1tsNVr A 4, z-A
 the enemy at Tuscumbia and other points | of the river. It-was given no time to re- | cruit its strength, but upon being reliev-
 ed after month. was ordered to report | to General Buford at Montevallo. Ala.
 about March 1. 1865. where the Alabama
 cavalry were being organized into a di-
 vision. Within ten days after reaching
 that point, the regiment had over three | hundred mounted men for duty. so rap
 idly did it prepare for action after the
 disaster of Middle Tennessee.
 News having reached Montevallo of the
 repulse of General Clanton's command by ly, the 7th and 4th Alabama were dis
 patched in haste to Selma. and thence to Greenville. Reaching Greenville 1t wa'
 discovered that the enemy in front wal too strong to attack. and that a mor'
 formidable danger menaced from tn rear. General Wilson with his Fedora corps had reached Montevallo about fou ! days after the 7th had left General Bu
 ford. who had preceded the 7th to Green vile. immediately drew in the remnants of Clanton's brigade. and ordered l. } Montgomery his whole division of abou four hundred men. of whom the 7th Ala bama composed at least two thirds. On the 7th day of April, the 7th Ala , bama. with the cadet company in ad 9 vance. most of the members being resi- l dents of Montgomery. as indeed was 7 large proportional the regiment march ed into that city about sunset. Tn streets were crowded with excited citi hn hnA fstat rd nf faIt A . Selma. and who had looked upon the ar 3 rival of Forests men with the livelies ] joy. The ladies waived their handker l chiefs and the soldiers cheered hack wit 2 new life. Such a reception amply repai - the eXhausting labors of the winter.
 Being ordered immediately to Bentor in Lowndes County. the regiment await s ed the approach of the enemy from Sel 5 ma About noon, on the 10th of April s the scouts and pickets were driven in o and soon from the hill upon which ou , little. line of three hundred men wer f drawn out. 1t seemed as if not less thal e ten thousand of the enemy was advanc 9 ing upon us. The open fields, which wer e visible for miles, appeared to be neve r umns. The 7th and lth awaited the ad y vance brigade of the enemy and eX - changed shots with them until our lin 2 was broken, past power of reformation h by the charges of the enemy. We fel n back. fighting at every available point : and being forced to retire often as W [ made a stand. The enemy pressed tn y regiment very hard as it entered Bi
 Swamp, and had 1t not been for feN n resolute men and officers, whom Colone Q Hodgson succeeded in forming at the foo }. of the bridge, and by whom the head O e the enemy's dashing advance were sho e down, the entire command must hay 1 been captured while crossing the lon l. swamp.
 e That night the 7th camped at Pintlal n Bridge upon the Wire road, and the en t emy to the number of seventeen thou = sand. as General Wilson stated subse c quently in his report, kindled their cam S fires in the heart of Lowndes Count! 0 their advance having reached Lowndes O boro.
 ,. On the 11th day of March. the enem - reached Catoma Creek and got posses s sion of the bridges upon the Haynevill n road At night he kindled his camp fire l. within sight of the flames of the burnin .' warehouses of Montgomery, and our cav e airy, with heavy hearts, filed at mic I, night through the deserted streets. O l. the morning of the 12th. the enemy s advance again struck the little line c Creek upon the Mount Meigs road Fro Y that point for two days the march d General Wilson was obstructed, as far a - the feeble force of cavalry in his fror d would permit, at every available poln if The bridges and swamps were made skin 5. mish grounds and every mile of the roa 7, to Columbus. Ga. was marked wit = blood.
 e he bridges between Montgomery an q Columbus were burned long enough 1t permit a small force to be collected fc e the defence of the latter place
 T. Upon reaching Columbus, Ga the If I, was divided into attachments One dC