The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-08-10
FIRST BATTLE ON ALABAMA SOIL. NOT
REPORTED BY THE CONTEMPORARIES

On June 30. 1864, Gen. w. T. Sherman
from Kennevaw Mountain, while engaged
in pressing General Johnston back upon
Atlanta, issued ain order to Gen. Lowell
II. Rousseau to select $500 good cavalry
men for a raid upon Decatur, Alabama,
having for an objective point the West
Point and Montgomery Railroad at ope-
lllka, but as far as possible TO avoid deois-
i've battles. He was to travel light, hav-
ing no wagons. and only two light Par
rot guns carrying stores on pack mules.
On July 8, 1864, Sherman ordered Rous-
seau to move at once, and Rousseau did
move with as fine a body of cavalry as
the Federal army could muster. To meet
this ineursion into the very heart of the
food-producing country of the confeder-
acy, endangering railroad communiea-
ton with the army defending Atlanta.
strange to say, very little provision had
been made. It seems not to have occur
red to the home authorities that to fight,
soldiers and horses must be fed. Gener-
al Clanton, with two cavalry regiments,
poorly equipped and poorly drilled, was
die, with a battalion of reserves (old mem
and Lockharts battalion afterwards the
Sixty-second Alabama Regiment, con-
sisting of eight companies of boys en-
rolled at seventeen years of age, who
had had about six months of drill and
post guard duty at Selma, Alabama, were
the anly available troops to meet the
raiders. This battalion of boys. not ex-
ceeding 800 in number, had for some rea-
son been sent to Pollard to meet foe
not nearer than the Gulf. Hastily sum
moned to Montgomery. without hating,
they were transferred to the West Point
and Montgomery Railroad, and forward
ed east on a freight train. A guard was
placed on the tender to protect the engi-
neer and to give warning of the pres
ence of the enemy. The nature of the
service was not made known further than
that the enemy was to be found and at
tackled. The battalion was poorly armed
with old muskets that had been rihed to
carry Chamber ounce balls, and which
would carry scarcely more than one hun
dred yards. This. too, when in the arse
nal at Selma, there were splendid En-
field rifles, capable of carrying eight hun
dred yards.
It was Sunday, July IS, a bright, beauti-
and a day almost without a breeze. The
train of cars carrying the boys at first
moved rapidly, but nearing the bridge
over Ufaupee creek, just beyond Chehaw
station, we crept slowly over the creek,
when the engine ran its nose into the
Yankees, concealed In the brushwood,
and behind a fenced graveyard. The at
tack Of the engine was sharply resented
by the hidden foe opening fire from
their concealed position, near Beasleys
tank, A shot rang out from the right of
the railroad track, the ball striking the
box car between the legs of Dave Scott,
who, with several comrades. was sitting
on top of the car. The boys were i'm
mediately unloaded and the companies
rapidly formed Capt. J. L. Walthall,
commanding the left company deployed
and advanced eastward along the rail-
road in skirmishing order. He had
scarcely uncovered the train of cars when
the enemy in ambus gave him their full
fire at close range, killing First Lieuten-
ant Bethea, of Montgomery He was
killed by a man concealed behind the iron
fence around a grave. This man paid
dearly for his successful shot. The boys
filled his body with lead. As fast as the
movement could be made. the several
companies were rapidly marched to the
right to gin house on a hill top In an
old field. Mai Thomas, of the staff of
General Withers afterwards a brigade
general, was directing the movement,
While Col. j. l.. Davidson was in imme-
date command. Arriving at the gin
house, Company B, Captain Yniestra, was
moved dawn a fence row, as 1t were,
hand over hand. firing at troop of cav
| airy in the open field about 400 yards In
| front. The shot falling short, our fire
made no impression on the Federals, who
in their saddles cody returned it, their
balls falling among, about and beyond
! the boys.
| To reach the enemy Company A, was
! permitted to move obliquely at double
! quick over the fence into the woods and
then facing the left to enter the cover of
corner of timber reaching into the field.
BY this time the enemy, without haste,
moved diagonally across the field and dis
| appeared into wood covered hill. FIR
| ing for the time ceased. East of the gin
house there was a substantial rail fence,
| at right angles to the railroad track, and
approaching within short distance to it.
East of the gin house, the field inclined
into deep valley, in part covered by the
old field persimmons. On the right
there was a well worn road extending
eastward. On the left, near the railroad
it was swampy, with a thick covering of
willows A line of skirmishers of the en-
tire battalion was formed with the right
Company A, resting on the public road