The National tribune., 1906-12-13
SABINE CROSSROADS.
From the Battlefield to Prison In Camp
Tyler, Tex.


Tyler, Tex.
=, As the Petersburg Express" has been
assigned to nearly all the big guns
around Petersburg, and Gen. Polk kill
ed by all the batteries in Sherman $
army, perhaps the comrades would as
soon read about Sabine Crossroads as
anything else.
Now, all l want to tell is what ! know
and saw. We arrived at Pleasant Hills
April Z, and l think the whole of our
army was together that night; that is,
the Nineteenth and Thirteenth Corps
About the time we went into camp Il
report was in circulation that the 18th
Ind. Mtd Inf. had run onto the rebs,
and had lost quite number of men,
About o'clock in the morning We Were
routed out, and l went and drew two
days rations of hardtack and distrib-
-Uted them, and at o'clock we started
north, stopping about daylight for our
breakfast of hardtack and water. Soon
: after this we struck the rebs at the old
sawmill. My regiment unslung KNAPP
sacks, and were deployed in line of bat
. tie and skirmished with the rebs for
some miles. when the 18th III. took our
l'laces, and we followed in their rear.
1t was only short distance in front of
where l was that Lieut.-Col. Webb, of
the 18th ILL.,, was killed. Then / under
stood that the 18th Ky. took the lead,
and about o'clock in the afternoon
we arrived at the open field where the
fight was. My regiment deployed 20
the left of the road, and went across
the field to the top of the hill. We lay
there till about 4 o'clock, when my
company was ordered out on the skir-
mish line, and we had only just got our
position when the rebs charged us.
Fighting had been going or for some
time on our right. 1 managed to get
back to the regiment and fire three
rounds when we got orders to retreat
] started with the rest, but / had bean
sick and was weak, and could not keep
up, so the regiment left me in the rear
and the rebs picked me up. Our posi-
ton before retreating was this: The
23d Wis. on the left of the road, Minis
I'd Mass. Battery in the road and the 9th
Ind. to the right of the road. There
was company of cavalry in our rear,
and when we retreated we passed thru
their ranks. AS the rebs came to the
top of the hill the cavalry fired their
carbines at them and then followed us.
Two of them overlook me and ran over
me. That one company was all the
cavalry / saw that day. Just before !
went on the skirmish line ! was in the
road, and Gen. Ransom rode up from
the front, and as he came near me Gen.
Banks met him. Gen. Ransom said to
Banks: They are massing a heavy
force in our front. Where are the re-
inforcements?" Banks replied: Hold
your ground; the reinforcements are
coming" Just as / got back to the top
of the hill, after being taken prisoner,
Gen. Dick Taylor rode up with some of
his staff. and one of them said to Tay-
1or: They are massing a heavy force
on our left" That was the time the
Third Division arrived on the field.
nr Ia m he fal in INC
us forward, but in placing the baggage
train in our rear. If the train had been
kept back, and the whole army sent
forward and well closed up, there would
have been time enough for all to get
thru the woods and form line before
the attack was made, and if our army
had been kept together the rebs would
have had their hands full. I think
Taylor made as big a blunder as Banks
did in not taking possession of that
ridge and fortifying 1t. Had we been
forced to charge them from the woods
across that open field We would have
been in a hot spot sure. This was the
only battle / was in supported with a
wagon train. When my regiment start
ed to retreat there was a rebel regi-
-ment on each end and one in front.
After / was captured I was taken
back to Mansfield, and, with others as
unfortunate as myself corralled in the
Court House yard. While there several
young ladies came and asked if there
was anything they could do for us, and
Home of us gave them our canteens,
which they. took and filed with good.
rool water. A short time before night
we were taken out about a mile and
corralled in a field, and kept there all
night. In the morning along came an
other lot of our boys, taken later than
we. and We were turned in with them,
End all started for Camp Ford, Texas.
r'he guards that went with us were a