The National tribune., 1902-03-13
-ould, have been taken with promiscuous

would, have been taken with promiscuous
impartiality.
.Of Tinker Dave there were not re-
lated so many stories illustrative of his
personal strength and courage as were
told of Champ Ferguson. l have heard
of Ferguson's having gone into room
where two of his bitter enemies lay be-
fore the fire, both strong men and armed,
and, after a desperate struggle, killed both
with his knife. Tinker Dave however,
possessed a cunning and subtlety that Fer
guson, in a great measure, lacked. Both
men were known to have spared life on
some rare occasions, and perhaps none
were so much astonished thereat as them
selves. -,7---s---',
ION one occasion Champ Ferguson was
called upon to express an opinion regard
ing the character of a man whe had been
arrested near a place where bushwhack
ers had just fired upon Champs party,
and from several suspicious indications the
prisoner was thought to have been one of
them. By way of giving him chance it
was decided that Champ, who knew every
man in that country, should declare his
doom, influenced by his previous knowl-
edge of him. Champ, somewhat to the
astonishment of the tribunal, requested
that he should be released, saying that he
knew the captive was a Union man, but
he did not believe he was q buShwhacker.
The man was released. Subsequently Fer
guson said: L have a great notion to
90 back and kill that man. / am afraid
| have done wrong in having him set free,
for he is the best shot in this country,
and if he does go to bushwhacking he
will kill man every time he looks
| through the sights of his gum Such ex
tTeme nicely of conscience was not attrib
uted to Tinker Dave nor was he said to
be as faithful to his friends d: was
| Champ Ferguson"
"A line from Sir Walter Scott, slightly
paraphrased, aptly describes the proml-
nent characteristics of Ferguson and
Beattie.
| They were fierce as brave, and pitiless
as strong"
BACK TO TENNESSEE.
| While Gen. Dukes brigade was at
| Wytheville, Va, Gen. Vaughn had suf-
| fered disastrous defeat down in Tennes-
see. At Russelville, six miles below
Bulls Gap, he had been attacked and
routed, losing FIVE or six pieces of artil-
lery. Gen Breckenridge determined to
retrieve the disaster. The soldiery, and
the citizens as well, had confidence in
Breckinridge His great energy and in
| domitable resolution had been fairly tried
and repeatedly proven. Personally, he
could endure much exertion and exposure
| and when the eXigencleS OF his campaign
! demanded it he worked officers and men
TO the extreme limit of their endurance
| He was now in a new field-in Il depart
ment that had been exceedingly unfortu-
nate, fatal to nearly all Generals who had
commanded it. 1t was henceforth des-
tined to be handled by the enemy more
roughly than ever before, but, notwith-
standing that fact, Breckenridge came out
of the ordeal with enhanced reputation.
lrtly 1aff Nrfh IL
Oct. 10, in the face Of a binding snow
storm, marching to Marion, q miles dis
tant; thence through Abingdon, then to
Bristol and on to Carter's Station. where
Vaughn was encamped, arriving there on
the 22d. On the same day 800 or 400 dis
mounted men arrived by railway. The
dismounted men belonged to Dukes, Cos
by's and Giltner's Brigades, the two lat
ter brigades being mainly in the Shenan-
doah Valley, under Gen. Early. Two
companies of engineers and six pieces of
artillery, the latter commanded by Mai
Page, also arrived 0y train The dis
mounted men were commanded by Lieut..
Col. Robert Alston, assisted by Mai Tom
| Chenoweth, Capt. Bart w. jenkins and
other notably gallant and efficient officers.
On the 23d the entire force moved to
Jonesboro, whence two roads run yearly
tparaIlel to within three miles of Green
vile, where they join. At no point are
the two roads more than three miles
apart, the railroad running between them.
| Leaving Jonesboro, Duke marched by the
way of Rheatown, on the right-hand road,
/ and Vaughn took the left-hand road, the
dismounted men moving along the rail
ithad.