The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-09-11

to- try and get, fresh horse. At one
place | stopped | woke the party up. He
came to the window and asked me what
l wanted. | told him, and he said could
not get any of his horses So l rode on
to John Bakers, a distance of II miles.
Here, after some delay, I got fresh
horse from Mr.. Baker and pushed ON as
rapidly as possible North OF cave
Springs, while going down a long hill
in a sweeping gallop in the dark, and
over a rough road, Mr.. Bakers horse
fell down, throwing me full length into
the road ahead of him. 1 soon reeov-
cred, mounted the horse and proceeded
a distance of u miles, to within six miles
of Rome, after stopping several times to
try and get a fresh horse
He Reaches Rome
six miles out from Rome I changed
horses for the last time | got horse
here with but little delay from "a gen.
tleman whose name I do not now re-
member. The horse carried me safely
into Rome.
IT arrived at Rome a few minutes be-
fore u o'clock that night, making the
ride of about 81 miles in eight and a
half hours, including the stops for chang
ing horses and the time l was delayed
when the horse fell down with me. |
suppose the actual time | was delayed
in changing horses and in trying to get
fresh horses, and when the horse fell
down with me, consumed about one
hour and 30 or 40 minutes.
People Are Aroused
ION arriving at Rome 1 rode up to
the leading hotel, kept by Mr.. G. S,
Black, and told him the Yankees were
coming and all l knew about it. He
asked me to go up the street and wake
A. two a a trhi
l did Soon everybody in Rome was up
and the greatest excitement prevailed.
The people rushed in every direction, but
they soon got down to business, hauled
a. lot of cotton bales in across the river
and built up a breast-works out of the
cotton.
There were not very many men in
Rome at the time, for most of them
were off in the war. Those that were
left, however, and all the boys large
enough soon got UT all the old squirrel
rifles, shotguns and muskets that could
be found and divided them out and went
| to the front.
1.-THE little railroad from Rome to
| Kingston started up their trains and run
| them in and out of Rome every 30 min
utes carrying the news out into the
country and bringing people in with their
old shotguns and muskets to help engage
| the enemy.
ConyaIescents Take Lead
There were few convalescent Con-
| federate soldiers in town. They took
| charge of this home guard and lined them
up for battle behind the breast-works of
| cotton.
THE bridge across the river was a
| wooden bridge, and they covered it with
straw and saturated the straw with tur-
pentine, so in case they were not able to
| hold their position they could retreat
fback across the river to the Rome side
and fire the bridge.
| about sun rise the next morning, May
| g. six hours after my arrival, Streight' s
advance guard appeared on Shorter Hill,
| just one mife from Rome. Here they
saw the formidable breast-works of cot
ton and the apparently strong position of
the rebel soldiers as they thought them
| to be. t
Russell Is Alarmed
| 'They met an old negro woman on
| Shorter Hill and asked her If there were
any soldiers in Rome. The old negro
said, Yes, Massa, de town am full of
| sogers
They became frightened and went back
| toward their command without making
any effort to capture the bridge.
About or o'clock that evening, May
| 3. Forrest came into Rome with Streight's
entire command prisoners, and when the
| Yankees, as we called them, found out
| that there were no soldiers in Rome and
| realized the weakness of Forests forces
| and what a bluff had been played on
! them, they became very angry and II
was feared they would revolt and give