The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-19

Paper read by Miss Alma Rittenberry | at the last meeting of Pelham chapter, [. D. C.:
 Being a native of Tennessee, and my father being a captain in the Fifty-third Tennessee regiment. and in command of his regiment at the battle of Franklin, where he was shot through both legs, you will pardon me when say that, with one exception. l did not know until this subject was given me to write on, that there were any soldiers in the Confeder ate army but those from Tennessee and Virginia
 The exception Is Gen. Joe Wheeler.
 In the fall of 1863 General Wheeler made his raid from Chattanooga through mid- dle Tennessee to find out the position of that portion of General Rosecrans army that was not besleged in Chattanooga by General Bragg.
 You know, the army of the Cumber- land, in command of Generals Rosecrans and Thomas, occupied the north side of the Tennessee river.
 In clrcl'ng through the hills and valleys on his way to Muss Shoals, he and his men ran into squad of soldiers of Gen eral Rousseau's cavalry (Brownlows brigade) at Campbellsville' Giles county, Tennessee. There was with General Rousseau's cavalry company or two of infantry. A little shrmish was the result of meeting. General Rousseau was trying his best to keep General Wheeler from getting back into Alabama. A fed eral officer said of that raid that General Wheeler did not shoot or cut his way through the yankee lines-that he scooted through.
 CampoellsYille Is little village. A stranger once asked the way to that place and when told he had just passed through 1t, remarked that he saw a wide place in the big road with store on each side. but had no Idea that was CampbellsNlle.
 It lies In a beautiful fertile valley, bor- dered on each side by wooded hills, can opied OCT by the bluest of skies. It was named in honor of my grandfather, Ham ilton Crockett Campbell, who cut the cane off of the land and built two-story double log house: it was built in ISIS.
 l am happy to say the land has never changed hands. R. N. Campbell, my mothers youngest brother, owns the old homestead and lives there. The house figures In this sketch, inasmuch as a shell from cannon fired in that skrmish ploughed hole through the wall of one of the front rooms and fell to the floor. Fortunately it had spent it's force ere it fell to the floor.
 The day of the skirmlsh was an ideal one; an Indian summer haze hung low, outlining the horizon In a blulsh gray mist as 1t seemed to touch the wooded hills, tinted with the early autumn colors.
 On the morning of that day my mother and a neighbor met a Lieutenant Ken nedy, a brown-eyed, handsome young man, full of love for the southern cause, who discussed with them the coming fight and advised them to shut up their homes and seek a place of safety.
 The fighting commenced About the mid dle of the afternoon. For few minutes 1t was fast and furious; the firing did not cease until late in the afternoon.
 My mother did not want to leave her house, but the federals had planted their batteries on wooded rise about quar- ter of mile distant. and her house be- ing right in the range of the firing made it dangerous She stood 1t for awhile. then sought a place of safety In the cor ner of the chimney of her kitchen, E hewn log house with a rock chimney very strongly built. Two couriers run ming through the yard called to her to run. She did and went through a field with the bullets whistling all around her to the home of my grandmother's. and she continued, taking with her my grand mother, who had been widowed many years: two aunts. several neighbors and a number of children who had gathered there. and they ran about a mile up a hill and down it to a neighboring farm house, out of danger of the firing, but not beyond hearing.
 My grandfather and grandmother Rit- nn tvtn and their house. chinked ard daubed log one, was in the same range as my mothers. My grandfather was a strong unionist, my grandmother an ardent se- cessionlst Grandpa said he was not go- ing to run from the rebels: grandma said she would like to see the yankees make her run! She had four sons in the Con federate army. Neither would budge. The bullets knocked all of the chnking and daubing out of one side of the house, but they escaped without scratch.
 About sundown the runaways returned from over the hill to the scenes of blood and carnage.
 To hear the old settlers, who were not ia the war (there were a few, very few), tell of that skirmish between Wheeler and Rousseau's cavalry, In which about two thousand men were engaged, of the rapid firing, the roar of the cannon, the whis- ting of minnie balls thirteen of them went through the village church), the yell of the soldiers both sides, the cries of the wounded and the piteous, appeal ing noise made by the wounded, fright ened horses, you would think that terrible battle was fought at Campbells- vile on that day.
 The women and what few men were there visited the wounded and dying that night Next day they buried the dead. Among them lay stark and cold Lieuten- ant Kennedy. His brother and a comrade had taken his body and sat it up against tree in woodslot; he told my uncle where it was and asked him to bury him and to mark the grave, as he would send back for him, which was done. There was a boy who was mortally wounded, and