The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-08-22
THE EVENING STORY
The Ilost Cornnanv.


The orders were for Colonel Davis OF
the Twenty second Federal regiment.
stationed about four miles from Bulls
Gap, in the Tennessee mountains, to
move by night and capture a Confed
crate signal station which had post
upon a mountain crest ten miles away.
This station commanded the pass so far
as observation werr, and every move of
the Federal force there was at once re-
ported
The idea was to move soIwly and quiet
ly, and this was carried out. The regi-
ment had four hours and half to make
the ten miles, and the vicinity of the
signal station was reached at 4 o'clock
in the morning. Three companies were
sent to the left, three to the right, and
Company was to make a long detour
to get in the rear of the station and
hold mountain road against retreat
All movements were made so quietly
that no alarm was given.
Day had just begun to dawn when
up from the valley came white mist,
cold as shroud and thick enough to
cut out all objects twenty feet away.
me ConfederateS at the station could
be heard moving and talking. but there
could be no attack until the mist dis
appeared. 1t hung over the mountain
for two long hours before the rising
sun began to eat into it: and It was
near o'clock before the Federals DASH
ed forward. The surprise was complete
There We're only fifty Confederate SOL
dlefs there as guard, and seeing the
force opposed to them they prudently
surrendered. Not man was Killed on
either side, although there was. consider
able firing. The regiment sent out on
the TANKS were up in time, and Colonel
Davis supposed that the firing would
bring in Company e
When an hour had gone by and
nothing had been heard of it scouts
were sent forward with orders for 1t
to join the main force at once. At the
end of two hours the scouts returned
and reported that no trace of the COM
pany could be found beyond a certain
point.
The main column returned to camp,
and from hour to hour looked for the
missing company. When a day had
gone by without news from 1t two
scouts were sent out. There was fear
now that it had been gobbled up by
Confederate force. The scouts struck
the highway snd followed ii to the
bend, but they brought back no news.
A native had gone along witt 1T to
act as guide, and after three or four
days had passed it was concluded that
he II light have led the detachment far
err ough to bring about its capture by a
Co;lfed crate force. The matter re s+ed
there for week. Then two Confed-
crate prisoners were captured, but
they denied having heard the least
news of the missing com pany. Had II
been captured they mus have known
of the event
An advance by the ConfederateS in
force just at this time prevented any
further search by the Federals and for
six weeks the fate of the hundred men
was almost forgotten. Then there was
an investigation ordered from Wash
ington, and the result was the trial and
dismissal of Colonel Davis. The federals
had been driven out of that part of
Tennessee, and as matter of fact they
did not regain the ground again until
the close of the war. Flags of truce
were frequently resorted to to gain news
of the missing company, and all pris-
oners were closely questioned, but the
war came to an end at last and the
mystery had not been solved.
No move was made until a year Ia
ter, and then Colonel Davis himself took
up the case. He was wealthy man,
and he smarted under the disgrace put
upon him by the court martial. ~ a
Accompanied by two picked mem he
went over the route from Bulls Gap.
From the confederate signal station he
struck for the highway and reached it.
There was but one house on the road
between that point and the bend, and
the widow occupying it said that no
force had passed on that night; she
must have heard the company had 1t
marched that way. The scouts sent out
had never questioned this woman
Returning over the highway Davis
and his companions had covered half
the distance when they noticed the
mouth of a ravine to the right. 1t
started at the highway and descended
so gradually that it might have been
taken in the night for another road.
| 1t deepened as they followed it, and at
the end of a quarter of a mile. when
! it had become a rough and rugged ra-
vine it came to a sudden ending.
This did not look at all natural. and
| an investigation lasting half a day
brought to light the fact that there
| had been a Landslide there. Hundreds
| of thousands of tons aof earth and
rock accompanied by hundreds of
/ trees, had gone crashing down into the
ravine and filed it to depth of TWEEN
| ty feet The fill was from bank to
bank, and it's length was about 500
feet. Weeds and bushes and young
trees were already growing on the
made ground.
The men enlisted the help of ne
groes and set to work with pick and
shovel. and at the end of week they
came upon a rusty Federal musket.
They ceased there. They were salts
| fled that under that great mound were
! living the bones of the missing hum
| bred, and it was for the government
to uncover them or let them lie on
| forever.
| In that thick morning mist of long
ago the guide had led them off the
| road bewildered and uncertain, and
! they had been huddled together in the
| bottom of the ravine when there came
a landslip to overwhelm them to the
last man. NJ. QUAD.
copyright, 1905, by r. B. McClure.)
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