The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-02-06

/ effect About noon Colonel Wood
| warn rode up and asked me flow we
| were getting along I told him they
/ We're losing time, as the trestles were
as hard rs horn ana tho axes as dun
| as froes and had poor handles fur-
tnerinore told him If could get per-
| mission ! would divide my squad. put
mar The men TO splitting dry knJlIng
ana Tho other half to building fires on
TOD Of the trestie and build a fire at
every point where the stills CROSSED the
bents. He though, 1t 81 good idea, so
We began building the fires The col
onel stayed Until several fires were
burning briskly and went down tho
line giving orddrs to tho other gangs
10 burn Instead of cut tho trcstlcs.
We made auch good speed that by
dark we had destroyed at least n
mile of trestie. some Of 1t fully fifteen
feet high. The weather had turned
bitter cold aud the trestle was covered
with sleet and ice.
In west Tennessee.
Leaving a strong rear guard. the
command started north along tho rail-.
turing every bloclthouse as far ms
Union City. save the one at Forked
Deer River. There I saw o. force OF
Confedcrates trying TO capture the
blockiouse, and. thinking 1t MY rcsi-
tnent. stopped after passing tho
hlockhouse, hitchcd my horse and went
to Join them. when 1 found 1t was
Dibrelfs regiment, and also learned
that Starnosa regiment had pushed on
to CAPTURE Humboldt. Mounting, made
! the best speed my horse was capable
of. but | heard cannonading when
about four miles distant. From tho
increasing fire of artillery. I judged
my regiment had cut off more than
1t could rnasticate," but when I ar
rived on the scene found that Starnes
had captured the garrison. set fire to
the depot, bridge and house con-
tanning q large amount of ordnance
stores. and 1t was the shells exploding
that / had taken for heavy can
nonade.
1t was magnificent daylight fire.
works display The explosions were
incessant: pieces OF shells. OF the
warehouse. chunks OF fire and clouds
Of smoke and ashes were flying In all
A few days later we took the road
| to Dresden. which had been cut UP
| By wagons and horses and was now
| hard frozen. and offered the worst
| travel had ever experienced. Our
/ horses were half dead with starvation
| and exposure. but We arrived at
/ Dresden before dark. The enemy was
closing in on us from all directions.
( Our various commands, which had
! been very much scattered ware now
I concentrating in the direction OF Cliff
/ ton. which was the only possible route
! by which we could get out of West
| Tennessee
Fight Near Huntington.
Next morning we took road lead
ing south and halted at noon at
crossroad leading from Huntington to
McLemoresville. After feeding our
horses the men dropped down wher-
ever they could and soon were fast
asleep. hitched to bush close be-
side the road. kicked the snow off a
brush pile and went to sleep on it with
my shotgun in my arms. I don't know
whether / slept a minute or an hour.
! but / awoke amid a most Internal din
of firearms, gathering of horses feet
and wells 1t was @ minute or two
| before 1 could realize where was and
! what it all meant. saw detachment
| of Federal cavalry, about eighty In
! number. pass me in sweeping gallop
with drawn pistols, coming from the
direction of Huntington. Just past me
some Confederates had formed and
poured n volley into them which sent
them flying past me- and rlred poth
barrels at them at q distance of less
than twenty feet with no visible cf-
feet. loaded and capped my gun
with fingers so numb / could not feel
the caps. mounted and set Oft in a
gallop after the fleeing Yankees. On
the road we found one dead Yankee,
and met two of our men coming back
wounded. One j did not know He
was shot in the head or face and was
I VERY bloody. He said: Boys, we
whipped them. but they got mel"
| The other man was Anderson Hagar.
| of my company. shot through the
! lungs. and bleeding from his mouth
/ copiously. According to my theory Of
| the death pallor," l decided that
/ neither was mortally wounded. Nor
] did they die.