The National tribune., 1910-04-21
FORESTS SPECTACULAR RAID
INTO MEMPHIS.

Many New Contributors to This SYM
postum Add Accounts of Their Own
Personal Experiences and Observa-
tions.
1.-THE Cavalry's Place." by Comrade
Elsey, published in The National Trib-
une of Dec 80, which started such wide
spread interest in the Memphis raid,
and followed by other contributors in
the issues of Feb. 10 and March 10, con-
tinues to arouse other comrades who
were there, resulting in this additional
array of facts and sidelights:
Was in the Thick of 1t.
S. W. Thornton, Second Sergeant, Co.
lC, Sth Iowa, Kearny, Neb., writes:
I'm the Summer of 1864 the Sth Iowa
was stationed at Memphis doing patrol
duty. Regimental headquarters were at
Court and Third streets. Co. c., to
which 1 belonged, was in barracks just
across the way. near the post office, at
Jefferson and Third streets. The other
companies were distributed thru the
city Our duty vas to patrol Adams
street, jefferson, Court and one street
south of Court from the river to the
east part of the city. On the morning
of Aug. 21 l went on duty at a. m.
with squad of four men.
About $40 o'clock we heard shots in
the south part of the city, while we
were at the corner of Court and Front
Row. We went south few blocks to
find out what the firing meant, and met
some of our men on the run. who told
us that the city was full of rebels. We
then about-faced and double-quicked to
our headquarters. We found them all
asleep, and gave the alarm. Then we
aroused a company of the 18th Ill.
quartered in the rear of our barracks
Our company tumbled out in quick
order. 1t was now just getting light
Our squad kept a sharp lookout for the
rebels, and one of them saw eight halt
on the corner, just one block west of
us. One of my squad took aim under
the awnings of the stores and fired, the
shot was effective, one Johnny fell, the
remaining seven came dashing down
upon us. At this time about Is of our
boys had joined us in the street.
They fired into us and we returned
the fire, which resulted in one of our
men .(Abe LincoIn) being wounded and
one of the rebels killed. The rebel fell
in front of the post office. Two more
rebels fell from their horses leaving
four of their number to get away Our
company was then formed in front of
the post office, and while we were form
ing great crowd of citizens began to
gather at the corner of Second and JEFF
fersOn streets, where there lay, a dead
horse and his dead rider.
Our company then followed the flee
ing rebels until we passed the seminary.
We saw many dead Union men, not
withstanding Comrade Ellis says there
were none. Near the two-story school
house the rebels gave us one of the
hardest little fights / ever saw Our
company lost six men wounded, includ-
ing Lieut.. j. A. Boyer, VIM. McCutch-
con. VIM. Carris, John Dawson, VIM
Trip and myself. Lieut.. Irwin, of Co. f.
was killed. Co. / and our brass band
were captured; also Capt. Stearns, of
Co. /, who was wounded, but before
they had gone far. they paroied him.
Co. / and the band were paroled later.
The band was sorry set when they re-
turned. The rebels had robbed them
Of their good clothes, and they were
bareheaded and barefoot l did not see
much that was going on after the fight,
for ] was taken to the Washington Hos
pital, and remained. there for over two
months.
Il don't think the rebels got farther
north than Jefferson street. Forests
men did ride into the Gayoso Hotel they
also tried to release the prisoners in the
Irving Block Prison; they did not fire
into the post office, as Comrade Ellis
said; that was our company firing on
the rebels when Stokes was killed.
"A few Gays after the fight a report
came that Forrest was coming back
again. The streets were barricaded with
bales of hay and cotton, and our COM
pany was drawn up in lire awaiting the
attack"
Forests Buried Guns.
J. T. BearsS, Co. G, i1st Wis. sends
us copy of the Memphis Bulletin CT
Aug. "a, 1864. containing an account of
Forests raid, which. however, is too
lengthy TO publish. He writes:
THE 13Tth III. was camped on the
Horn Lake road "a short distance from
headquarters, in command of Col. rut-
tericE, of the 39th Wis). and it cap
tured the flag of the I'd Tenn. of For
rests command.
Il quote from a letter to me from
John w. Morton, who was FORESTS
Chief of Artillery. relating an incident
that | never saw in print He says:
u served with Gen. Forrest as his
Chief Of Artillery, and two pieces OF my
old battery were in the engagement at
Memphis A singular incident occurred
when Forrest returned to Mississippi
Some of your command WAS reported as
having cut off the rear of his fare. :, il
Whlcn was the section OF my artillery.
The guns were buried III the center Of
the road, limbers and eaissons were
concealed in the dense creek bottom.
Your command passed over the guns,
ana, falling TO have any further engage
ment, returned to Memphis. Getach-
ment with horses was sent back. and
the guns rciurrected on the third day
after they had been buried. and with
The guns Joined my command at oxford,
Miss"
Lined Up in Their Night Clothes.
John r. Shaw, Co. C, Sth Iowa, Lenoy,
Iowa, writes:
Being one of the boys who were
there, / want to make few corrections
to Comrade Esley's account of Forests
raid into Memphis. I belonged to Co.
c, Sth Iowa. We were provost guards
In the city of Memphis from May, 1864,
to January, 1865. My company was
quartered on Third street, opposite the
new Memphis Theater and the post Of
nee. For week or so we had heard of
Forrest making his way toward Mem
phis, but 1t got to be an old story. On
the Sunday morning of his arrival we
formed in line in our night clothes. At
the hf9t Voiiey we cmpticd IL saddles.
one OF our boys was wounded. After
we got into our clothes we started after
the enemy with the headquarters guard
GIieut Stearns) and Co. c Uieut. Bow
err, leaving Mayor Stubbs and Adj't
Campbell to assemble the balance of
the regiment. On crossing Beale street
we were Joined by Co. f Gieut Irwin)
winch increased our force to about 70
men. We moved briskly out the Her.
hando road. Our skirmishers, under
Lieut.. Stearns, advanced in line of battle