Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-04-14
[copyright, 1903, by G. L. Kilmer.1

Richmond, few months later. Streight's raiding force numbered 1,700 men and was composed of his own reg iment, the Fifty first Indiana; the Sev- enty-third Indiana Third Ohio, Eight ieth Illinois and two companies of the First Tennessee cavalry. The infan- trymen were mounted on mules, for the
 most part young, unbroken and very
 wild.
 The orders to the raiding chief di- rected him to penetrate the enemy s lines to the interior of Alabama and | Georgia and destroy the railroads
 which carried supplies and munitions to the Confederate army under Gener- al Bragg, then operating in middle Tennessee. It was hoped by the plan
 ners that this raid would put an end to Bragg's campaign as effectually as the work of Forrest and Van Dorn had thwarted Grants overland campaign against Vicksburg in December, 1862
 Just at the time raids in the enemy rear were the Federal order of the day, Stoneman's cavalry was on similar errand in Virginia behind the army of Lee, then stationed at Fredericksburg, and Grierson was riding over the coun- try behind the defenders of Vicksburg.
 Tn order to mask Streight's move ment from the eagle eye of Forrest heavy column of Federals, marching from Iuka, Miss, eastward, made feint upon Tuscumbia. But Forrest was too clever to be thrown off the trail. He was raider himself, with reputation to sustain. Streight's first long halt was at Days Gap, in Sand mountain, and when his rear guard marched through the pass it was at tackled by Forrest
 Streight prepared to give Forrest a taste of his own favorite game. When the rear was attacked, the head of the column had reached the other side of the mountain. The line came to a halt and faced about, with one flank rest ing upon a ravine and the other upon a marshy creek. All the roads leading in from the right, left and front were strongly guarded and two twelve pounder mountain howitzers placed in the center oil the road. The Tennessee cavalry, acting as a rear guard, was instructed to fall back before the ene- my's advance and pass through the line of battle.
 Streight's arrangement was hardly completed when Forests brother, Captain w. H. Forrest, charged the Tennesseeans, who promptly gave way and were followed into the gap by their assailants. Then the whole Fed eral line arose from their hiding and poured rapid fire upon Forests ranks Two Confederate guns opened at once upon Streight's line, and Colo nel Roddy's regiment charged yigor- ously, but was quickly repulsed. For rests guns were within 300 yards of the Federal center, and Streight sent the Third Ohio and Eighteenth Hi nois forward to charge the routed ene- my and capture their artillery. The raiders shot down the horses at the Confederate guns, and these were abandoned, with their caissons, togeth- CT with forty wounded and nearly as many dead troopers.
 1t was nearly midday when the Con federates drew off from the fight. Streight surmised from the boldness of the attack that he had Forrest to cope with and expected the next blow upon his front. Posting strong guard ill the gap, he pushed on with the main body to a crossroad six miles from the bat tlefield. For once Forrest was misled. Two of his regiments were not up yet, and he waited for their help to dis lodge the enemy from the gap and con tented himself with long range skir- mish until 3 D. m. Massing his four regiments, with four guns, he dashed forward only to encounter thin skir- mish line of Federals, who galloped away without firing return shot.
 Stre1ght had rightly judged Forests tactics, for he was soon assailed on the flank by Forests advance guard. Rid ing rapidly on, he selected the next bat tleground at the crossing of Crooked creek, in another mountain pass. The captured guns, with the mountain how itzers, were stationed to cover the road. An hour before sundown Forrest came on at the head of three regiments and rode up to within a hundred yards of Streight's line. For three hours the combat ragged so close that at times the flashes of carbine and pistol illuminat- ed the features of the combaUants with a ghastly glare.
 Again Streight pulled out his main column, leaving the pass to be held by n handful. The captured guns, having become useless burden because the ammunition fitting them had all been fired back at its original owners, were spiked and left behind Twice during the night retreat Forests advance was ambushed, and next morning Streight lined up his column for battle at Bloutsville. Forrest failed to come up, and the raiders pushed on across the Black Warrior river, where the rear guard engaged the pursuers in lively skirmish.
 After crossing the stream Streight destroyed the bridge and posted sharp shooters along the bluff. Forrest rode up at the head of his command, and a young farm girl of the region offered to lead him to ford near by. The impetu- ous warrior took the fair guide up on his saddle and hurried toward the riv- CT, but coming under the fire of the
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