The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-09-24
THURSDAY

were not suspecting any lurking danger.
there being much passing to and from the
headquarters of the various commanding
officers and the camps, and along the
roads there was constant stream of
couriers, escorts. guards, and straggers.
Morgan had not long to wait. Within two
hours he had picked up between so and no
prisoners. among them staff ofiicer-aii
without the sacrifice of life or the in
Fiction of serious wound. A number of
wagons were captured and burned, the
i teams being used to mount the prisoners.
Col. Wood went off with 2S of the prison
ers. and by some strange oversight. guard
ed by only 10 men. 60 of the prisoners
were sent toward Murfreesboro.
PLAYING A LONE HAND.
Having sent off all others. Morgan. with
one man. remained behind. determined
upon further adventure. There being no
more struggling Federals in sight. Nor
gan and his companion. wearing blue over
coats. rode down the road to n point where
was stationed n guard of 10 men under a
Sergeant. Morgan placed himself between
| the men and their guns, and. making his
companion present his pistol at the head of
! the Sergeant. proceeded to cenSure them
for neglect of duty. Representing himself
to be a Federal officer of high rank. he
sternly and reproachfully declared that
just such careless guard rs they were
keeping had been taken advantage of by
Morgan in playing his tricks. Knowing
that they had been careless. they were
overwhelmed with shame and mortifica-
ton by what they knew was just repri-
mand. Morgan finally ordered them all
under arrest, and taking the Sergeants
weapon from him and leaving the guns
stacked-he could not have carried them
off without entrusting them to the prison.
ers--he marched the whole party away
without the loss of a man. They were I'M
der the impression that they were to he
taken to Gen. Mitchell's headquarters, but
Morgan succeeded in getting them mount
ed and carrying them off in triumph to
MurfreesbOro. Meanwhile the smoke from
| the burning wagons. within Il half mile of
Gen. Mitchell's headquarters, attracted at
tentiOn and started inquiry. and. the facts
being aScertained troops were dispatched
to punish the daring transGressors.
AN NOTORIOUS FINALE.
The Fourth Ohio came on the field,
To run 'em away, or make 'em yield.
The 10 men guarding the GO prisoners
necessarily made slow progress going to
Murfreesboro. the result being that they
| We're speedily Overtaken by the enterpris-
ing 4th Ohio Cav. "auld acquaintance
ne'er forgot" Then there was fun. The
guard promptly released the prisoners and
"lit ont" for the base at MurfreesbOrO. the
4th Ohio Cavalrymen "whoopin' 'em up
lively" 1t was n famous race For Il
distance of 10 miles. friend and foe went
at headlOng speed, over fences and gulches,
through fields and thickets-One of Nor
gan's men being killed, two or three
wounded and as many captured. One Fed
eral, a prisoner who by some strange mis-
take had been permitted to retain n loaded
gun, was killed. One of the guard, who
was in the rear of the column of prison.
ers. was fired upon by the prisoner who
had the loaded gun. the shot grazing his
face. The fleeing guard turned in his sad
die. fired and shot his unexpected assailant
dead. Morgan, however. secured 80 pris-
Oners-2S brought off by Lieut. Col. Wood,
and 10 captured and escorted by himself
SURPRISING AN AMBUsCADE.
bordering deep that mornings scene,
The Chief rode north through woodland
screen"
On the evening Of the same day that
the preceding events occurred, Morgan dis
patched n party of 1S men from the camp
on. the Shelbyvlle road to push as close
to Nashville as possible and learn the
position of the Federal troops there. As
Dukewa in command of this party, |
shall let him tell the story:
Ildu all ACCURATE huoNltuSc VI
points at which guards and pickets had
been previously stationed. On arriving in
the vicinity of these pOints-arOund which,
without creating alarm, it was desirable
to pass, in order to get near the encamp-
ments and observe them closely-they were
found unOccupied. / moved some three
or four miles further down the road with
Oft coming upon an enemy, although day
or two before the picket posts had been
thick in this quarter.
I 1T was apparent that some plan for
our benefit had caused this change. and
unusual caution became necessary. | had
hoped to find some officers quartered at
the houses well in the rear of the reserve
pickets, where they would believe them
selves secure. and to capture them, but
1 now approached the houses, not with
the expectation of making prisoners but of
getting information. None of the citizens
in that neighborhoOd had ever seen any
man in my party, and they would tell
nothing, but their alarm at seeing us and
evident anxiety to get rid of US, showed
plainly that they knew the proximity of
danger. At length when in about $50
yards of the crossroads near Flat Rock
l think it is called, four miles from Nash
vile, and where it was confidently report
ed by our infOrmants that McCook's Divi-
sion was encamped, | halted and sccreted
men and horses in the thick bushes on the
right-hand side of the road, and with the
guide went forward on foot q bout quar-
ter of mile until l suddenly heard the
challenge of picket. l judged from the
words | caught that it was the Officer of
the Day making his rounds. Soon i negro
came down the road toward us, whom we
caught and questioned. He answered very
glibly, and evinced too little fear, not to
excite suspicion that he came out to be
captured with a made-up tale. He said
that there were 10 men on picket at the
crossroads. As large encampment was
only few hundred yards on the other side
of this point, his story did not seem cred
ible. However, we had at last found an
enemy.
in the thcket where they were already
concealed, l led the others through a wide
meadow on the right of the road which
we had Travelled, the Shelbyville and Nash
vile pike, to the road which crossed it at
Flat Rock striking tile latter about 200
yards from the point of intersection. l
was convinced that the withdrawal of the
pickets was part of a plan to entrap just
such scouting parties as ours, and that
strong force was in ambush at the cross
roads. There remained little hope of ac-
cOmplishing the object of the expedition,
but the trap at least could be sprung, and
there was u chance of surprising the am
buscade. My men were armed with shot
guns and pistols, the proper weapons for
such an affair. | ordered them to follow
me in single file in the direction of the
enemy, instructing them to hold their fire
until we were cha llenCed, and to discharge