The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-02-06
WIFI \ FORREST IN
WEST TENNESSEE
Winter Campaign of 80 Filled
With Adventures and
Incidents.
BY DAN w. BEARD.

About December IL, 1859, we broke
camp at Columbia and took the At
Pleasant Road and thence the road
to 1.awrenceburs. We there took the
road to Clifton. where we arrived on
the 18th. but our brigade turned 10
the right ana bivouacked in the bushes
without fires for fear OF attracting
the gunboats, which VIC had learned
We're patrollins the Tennessee River
During the night we were moved close
to the river bank, which was bluff.
The river had good boating tide, and
was very swift and appeared to be
rising. A little beyond the middle OF
the river was an island, or large sand
bar. on which were several men and
horses and two or three big bright
fires. On our side they were pushing
the horses off the bluff about ten
feet clear fall into the swift, icy cold
water. the horses going out of sight.
When they came up the poor brutes
would swim round in circle until
one would see the fire on the sand
bar and strike ont for II. Some would
never see the fire at all, but exhausted
themselves trying to climb the same
bluff they were pushed off. We lost
eight horses. My company had taken,
off their saddles and tied them to-
sether with their blankets, overcoats
compact bundles as possible. to be
carried to the island in canoes. We
stood there in a cold drizzling rain
until we We're wet to the skin all
over. and so numbed with cold we
could barely stand. After about two
hours in this condition. order came for
us to saddle up and move UP the rcer
and cross on flat boat. two of which
FORESTS vanguard had built and hid
~ ~ a s1r. =.
upon the opposite bank, where those
who had preceded us had formed a
temporary camp until the rest of the
command came up. Then we took the
Lexington Road,
Capturing IugersoIl.
The first indication we had of the
presence of the enemy came from a
battery concealed in the cane on the
bank of Beech Creek. 1t was moro
like slough or small bayou than a
creek. We got across the creek some
how and charged the battery. Tho
first command heard was: shoot the
did, and wounded some of the artillery
horses accidentally. We pushed on
to Lexington. where we took Colonel
Bob" Ingersoll and his command pris-
oners. Ingersoll made a good fight.
1t was enough to make a Christian
of him. but it did not His famous
lectures years after show that while
we did not convert him, he loTed
everybody during the rest of his life,
and II he really believed there is no
hell we convinced him that there was
something nightly like it..
We pushed on to jackson. but by
this time Forrest, by many crafty
methods, had spread the report far
and wido that he had large force
with him. and the private soldiers
aided in exaggerating our number to
the friendly citizens and the good wo-
men, who rushed to their front gates
with whatever of good things to eat
they happened to have. In answer to
a question by woman us to how
many soldiers Mr.. rorrest had, | heard
you If / could. DO you know how
many trees there are standing In West
/ Tennessee?" She said she didn't, and
Tom told her Forrest had men enough
!, "a put one behind each tree, and two
or three behind the biggest ones. OF
course, these exaggerated reports
reached General Grant through the
commanders OF the various block
houses and towns. and reinforcements
were being hurried from every avail
able point. Forrest was virtually sur
rounded while at Jackson Our at
tack on that place was feint.
When we got within mile or so
of trenton we heard four shots from
battery and hurried up to find that
the Federal garrison had surrendered
and the Contederates taking posses-
sion.
We captured an immense lot OF
stores. guns and ammunition and a
good lot Of wagons. got two new
army six-shooters, for which I turmoil
over to the ordnance sergeant my old
ones.
''BuyinE" Provisions,
We got q little sleep that night and