The National tribune., 1901-02-21
OVER THE MOUNTAINS.
Strawberry Plains and other Events of Cam
paigning.

| paigning.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: All of thu
boys must be dead who went with Gen
| Sanders over the Cumberland Mountain!
| III June, 1868, rs l wrote once before anC
none replied. l want to wake up som'
memories that l did not before. Aftel
we had charged the fort at Knoxville We
started for Strawberry Plains. When VT
got in sight of the place the orders were
to charge. and they were obeyed. As We
neared them the enemy ran, and left theil
artillery, broke some of their small-arms
over rocks, and destroyed them as best
| they could. We remained there unti
night, and set fire to the large railroad
bridge that spanned the Holston River
The night would have been very dark had
it not been for the light from the bridge
which lit up the whole country around
The enemy was after us with twice ouI
/ number. and we had to go day and night
They had all of the gaps in the noun
tains closed. We went up the railroad,
burning bridges, tearing up tracks, until
we came to Messy Greek Station. The
hotel had dinner ready for the trainmen
and the rebel Paymaster. About the
time we got the dinner eaten the train
NHlsiieu, anu IN Sne citiiie. bo!S, ulu you
get your pocket full of Confederate
money? The train was captured, and all
of the rebel soldiers paroled.
About this time our battery boys began
to spike their cannon. We had one of the
best guides that country ever knew,
Stud Runnels Qteynolds). He pileted
us through. but we had to climb Cumber-
land Mountain without any road, and as
we started up the mountain the sun was
setting. The enemy fired at us until
dark. j gave out before l got to the sum
nit of the ridge, and lay down and went
to sleep. We had been in our saddles IA
days and nights.
When L awoke the sun was shining and
l could hear the enemy coming up the
ridge. | hustled up with my horse, and
when / got TO the top of the ridge could
not find the road that our men had gone
over, and | began to wander about. / saw
some one coming toward me. As he came
closer l saw he had on the blue and was
Captain of infantry. He proved to be
44th Ohio man, and was looking for his
regiment.
By this time the enemy had almost
reached us. | said to the Captain:
What will we do? We have got to
pass along the ridge"
I'VE will charge them and see if we
can't turn them back
lie nallOOeu TO DflnE on the 44tn ONO,
9TH Ohio Cav, and other regiments. The
rebels paused and then fell back, and we
passed in somewhat of hurry. We went
about Il mile and came to a cabin. A
man was there, and the Captain hired
him TO pilot us to Boston, NY.
We went through one of the toughest
on earth. Sometimes we would
lead our horses, and then it was danger
Gus. The guide said:
AT y o'clock We will cat dinner with
a man who lives in this wilderness"
Sure enough we came at the time set TO
a cabin and called for dinner The inmates
Were people who seemed happy; they
hardly knew that there was a war. After
dinner we started for Boston, and got
there after nightfall.
We went from Boston to Lancaster.
KY, and the citizens gave us Il dinner on
July 4. G. X. Vars Voss) and were so
worn out when we got to Lancaster that
we almost fell off our horses, and could
not take the saddles off. We lay down
with no covering, and when we awakened
it had rained, and we were as wet as could
be.-H. DENNEY, Co. L, 18th Ohio Cav,
Einton, o.