The National tribune., 1902-03-13


Mt Duvault's Ford and Carter's Station,
Vaughn, Duke and Cosby were ordered TO
SaltyiIle to assist in repelling Burbridge,
who, in fine panoply of war and expecting
the cooperation of the forces under Gil
len and Ammon, was confidently marching
uDon the Saltworks. Dukes admirable
strategy and gallant fight at Duvaults S
Ford in which he was assisted, of course,
by Vaughn and Cosby, prevented Glllem
and AmmOn from cooperating with Bur-
bridge when he assaulted the salt WORKS.
However, had not Gen. Williams oppor-
tunely arrived, Burbridge would have add
ed jewel to his crown in battle fought
by his own force, unaided by the column
expected from Tennessee.
The energy and administrative skill of
Gen. Echols had placed the Department
in excellent condition for defense, but, on
the eve of the battle of Saltville Gen. John
c. Breckenridge arrived and assumed COM
mand.
When Vaughn, Duke and Cosby, after
hard marching, reached Saltville, at night
fall. they learned that they We're too late
for the battle-that BurbTidge, having
made Il series of desperate assaults, had
been signally repulsed, his loss being
heavy.
On the next morning Duke, Cosby,
Vaughn and Williams, marching In the
order named, endeavored to intercept Bur
bridges retreating column. However, they
were too late. only succeeding in overtak-
Ing and pressing his rear.
THE ''NEw STATE"
Deserters. from both Federal and Con-
federate armies, bushwhackers and other
sbad men, became very troublesome in
the mountains and valleys of Southwest
Virginia and East Tennessee. Many of
them congregated in Floyd and Franklin
Counties, Va. In Floyd County, they had
organized what they called the New
State" and had elected Estate officers.
Some time after the battle of SaltvIlle,
in October, 1864, Gen. Duke, temporarily
stationed at Wytheville, was given carte
blanche to march into the New State"
and ''bust up the Government. With
200 of his Regulars he made the raid,
which, of course, was to him and his
rough riders familiar and cOngenial bust
ness. Dukes surprisingly quick move
ments and "heroic doses" of discipline
promptly reduced the New State to
condition of '.innOcuous desuetude." He
captured the so-called Lieutenant-Gov-
ernor, an apparently nice man, who, with
Chesterfeldian grace, presented the prl-
vate soldier to whom he surrendered with
a fine horse. Thereafter nothing more
was heard of the New State"
BUsHwHACKERs.
After disposing of the New State"
Gen. Duke sent Capt. Cantrill with 40
men to Grayson County, where the BUSH
whackers and other depraved men, who
were devoid of any religious or political
PRINCIPLES, had been committing terrible
outrages. When CantriII appeared the
outlaws probably $50 strong, retreated to
the mountains of North Carolina just
across the line and dehantly bantered him
TO follow. Unintimidated, Cantrill unhes-
itatingly attacked them in their stronghold
on the mountain side. Finding that 1T was
Practicable to ascend the mountain 9th
erwise than on foot, he turned his horses
loose and pushed his men forward. The
enemy, like Indians, were concealed be-
hind rocks and trees. When the horses
galloped back to the narrow valley the
bad men," thinking their assa1ants were
ratreating, emerged from their hiding
places, and, with whoops and yells,
charged down the mountain. Cantrilfs
mems, unperceived by the outlaws, had
stopped for a moments rest close to a
belt of brush. Permitting the bad men
of the mountains" TO come within close
range, the Morgan men, fired an unerr-
ing yOlley that settled the business, kill
ing the leader of the gang and p of his
followers. The others took to the
woods" and gave no further trouble. This
organization of Appalachian banditti car
Iied piratical black flag. which Cantrill
captured and afterward exhibited at Gen.
Breckinridge's headquarters as a trophy
of his little raid into the country of the
bad men of the mountains.
There were Union bushwhackers' and
Southern bushwhackers," both classes be-
ing notably numerous and active in the
mountain regions of Eastern Kentucky,
Southwestern Virginia, East Tennessee
and North Carolina.
Living in wild, mountainous country,
the bushwhacker is usually gentleman
Of leisure" so far as manual labor is con-
Cerned. In time Of peace he is a hunts
man and hsherman-Oftener a hunter,
more skillful with a rife than with the
rod of an angler. Sometimes he is a
''moonshiner'-a distiIler of mountain
dew"
Away up somewhere in the mountains
high
He mingles the juice with dew from the
sky.
In war time he joins no army, but
shoots from sequestered places at those
who are so unfortunate as TO have polit-
zeal principles, he generally having none
He expresses his opinions by shooting
His style of fighting is somewhat similar
TO that of outlying scouts of partisan cav
airy, except that he esteems it a weak
ness and an unnecessary Inconvenience to
take prisoners, but if he does become a
captOr he kills his captive. In a measure
he Is an Ishmaelite.
Sometimes, especially toward the end
of the war, the bushwhackers would band
together in formidable numbers, making
certain portions of the country impass-
able except to strong detachments of SOL
diers, and occasionally they made forays
into neighboring sections Col. Clarence.
Prentice, with his battalion, the 9TH Con-
1edeTacy, once encountered Il band of
rowing 'whackers and in his official re-
port he used the following language: 1T
Is a gratifying reflection that many of
them will 'whack' no more"
Another writer has well said: ITO call
q guerrilla bushwhacker is an egregious
error in classification. 1t is probable that
the bushwhacSer of this country yyould
answer exactly to the guerilla of Euro
pean warfare, but the guerilla of North
America is, or rather was for hanDiiy
he is almost, if not quite, extinct an ami
NAL quite distinct from either A guerilla
was, properly speaking, a man who had
belonged to some army and had deserted
and gone to making war on his private ac-
count. He was necessarily marauder
sometimes sparing his former friend, and
was much admired by weak young women
who were afflicted with tendency to
ward shoddy romance"
Down in the hills and mountains of
Tennessee the war developed two notable
characters who were ''betwixt and be-
tween the bushwhacker and the guerilla
-tfhlmIa (foDfadarata ,,.l