The National tribune., 1903-01-22
RAIDING HOODS REAR.
Minty's Division in the Rush on Jonesboro.
By BREvET MAJ.-dEN. R. Ii. G. MINTY.

| llOu anu iiohi 'hC Soh
rades of the Armies of the Tennessee,
the Ohio, and the Cumberland. The arti-
Gle in your issue of Dec. 4, telling of the
Kirkpatrick Raid" naturally commands
my attention.
Gen. Raum tells straightforward, SOL
dierly story, and the inaccuracies in his
telling of it are not his.
The quotations from Gen. Fitzpatrick s re-
port, Willie complimentary to me personal
| ly. do not do justice to the two brigades
from the Second Division, which had the
honor to command on that occasion. Sew
eral statements made by Fitzpatrick are
misleading, and tend to take from my
command the credit to which it is justly
| entitled.
| If you will grant me space I would like
patrick Raid" or rather of the part taken
therein by ''The Saher" and "Ohio" Brig
AIDES of the Second Division.
| On Aug. II, 1864. the Second Division
of Cavalry Garrard's) of the Army of the
Cumberland, was stationed ut Decatur, on
the railroad connecting Atlanta and Au-
gusta, covering the left of the army in
front of Atlanta. The Third Division
| 0kilpatrick'S) was at Sand.own, on the eX-
IRENE right. During the afternoon of that
date / was with Gen. Garrard. He told
me of the intended Fitzpatrick Raid"
that two brigades from his division would
take part in it, that he himself could not
so, because he Outranked kilpa trick, and
consequently the command would devove
upon, me as the ranking brigade com,
mander. Garrard said: 'Your force will
consist Of your own and Longs Brigades
and four guns from the battery. You will
| march at 10 O'Clock in the morning so as
to conceal your movements from the en-
| envy, pass in rear of orr army, and report
to Gen. Fitzpatrick AT SandtOwn."
/ marched from camp at Decatur ut 10
o'clock on the morning Of the 18th with
the following force:
First Brieade-4th U. s. Cav, 4th
Minyt-54 officers, 81 men; total, 925.
Second Brigade-1st Ohio Cav. Sd Ohio
Cav, 4th Ohio Cav.-Col. Eli Long-75
officers, 1,3OS men; total, 1855.
Chicago Board of Trade Battery
Lieut.. G. I. RObinson-Two officers, SO
men, and four guns: total effective, 1888
officers and men and four guns.
FIRST MEETING WITH FITZPATRICK.
At 6 o'clock halted on the banks of
Utoy Creek, behind n range of hills which
hid us from the enemy's lines and signal
stations, and, with my Acknowledgement
Capt. Burns) and couple of orderlies,
rode over to Gen. Kilpatrick's camp. The
not keep me waiting long. He greeted
me very cordially, sent fer his brigade
commanders, and on their arrival invited
us into his Office tent.
This was my first interview with Kill
patrick, and l was very fav0rably i'm
pressed with his prompt and energetic
manner.
When we were seated Gen. Fitzpatrick
said: Gentlemen, our organization will be
two divisions; Col. Minty commands the
Second, Col. Murray will command the
| Third; l command the corps. We will
march at 6 o'clock this evening. Murray's
division in the advance: we will move in
light marching order; all impedimenta in
| Guiding ambulances, will be left in camp.
ut or near Red Bank, at about 8 o'clock.
| certainly not later than 8 o'clock, and
should strike the Macon Railroad at
JOnesboro by daybreak. At JonesborO
Murray's Division will at once set to
work to destroy the railroad; Minty's di
vision will form line of battle facing At
lanta and take position to protect the
working party from any force advancing
| from that point. AS soon as the Third
Division has destroyed its own length of
| the railroad it will move south and repeat
the operation. Col. Minty will follow the
Third Division and continue to protect it
by showing a bold front toward Atlanta,
| the only point from which we may expect
opposition. These movements will be re-
peated indefinitely until further orders
Gentlemen, let me have an expression of
your opinions. Col. Minty, what do you
say"
AMEUL ANCEs.
replied: General, like your plan in
every particular but one"
Fitzpatrick, in his quick, impulsiye man.
ner, snapped out: what is that, siri"
Leaving our ambulances in camp. I
do not like the idea of having to abandon
my wounded men to the mercy of the en-
envy; and have always found, and have
no doubt, General, that your experience
is the same, that our men will fight with
better heart when they know that if
wounded they will be taken home with
their comrades and not left in the hands
of the enemy. Allow me to take my am
balances, and I pledge myself that you
will not find them an incumbrance. If
they are, l will destroy them"
After a moments consideration Gen.
Fitzpatrick said: ''Well, Col. Minty, you
| can take your ambulances: but if they i'm
pede our movements or delay us in the
| slightest degree you must burn them. Col.
Murray, you will leave your ambulances in
camp"
In those ambulances I took home 103
wounded men, including five from the
Third Division.
A NIGHT MARCH.
We left camp promptly at G o'clock.
The formation of my column was: Second
Brigade, artillery, ambulances, First Brig
ade.
The entire night was passed in that
most tiresome of all experiences to an
| active soldier-halt, dismount, wait,
mount. advance a few hundred yards,
halt, dismount, wait, and SO on.
About daybreak on the 10Th I received
orders to move to the front. / found Kill
patrick about one-fOurth of n mile beyond,
greater part of the Third Division massed
He was considerably out of temper. As
drew near l heard him say: Here are
men coming who will not be delayed by
| trifes."
If the plans as laid down by Gen. Kill
patrick on the morning of the 18th had
| been carried out we would have been at
JonesbOro at this time, and the raid
| would have been great and glorious sue
cess.
Fitzpatrick said: "Col. Minty, YOU will
take the advance; push forward to Jones'
boro as rapidly as possible; let nothing de-
lay you; We should be there now"
BARRICADED ROADS.
| I at once moved forward, and within
half mile encountered felled trees and
barric:des across the road, from behind
| which sharp fire was opened. l re-
quested Col. Long to dismount his leading
and advanced on the double-quick. The
enemy was dislOdged in shorter time than
| it has taken me to tell of it.
| The I'd remOunted and fhe cOlumu n ro r.,