The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1911-01-19
FIGHTING CHAMP FERGUSON.
The Lively Little Scrap With the Guer-
riIIa and Others at Dug Hill, Tenn.

Editor National Tribune: l have new
er read an account of what is known
as the Calf Killer or Dug Hill battle"
in White County, Tenn / don't recol-
lect the date of the battle, but it was
some time in 1864. Seventy-two of us
followed Champ Ferguson, the noted
guerrilla, all day until about 4 o'clock
in the evening, and they set trap for
us, and We didn't do a thing but ride
into it. l and two more comrades
We're advance guards, and we were
some 400 yards in advance As we
were riding along at ease I noticed
fresh horse tracks in the road. looked
up the road about 100 yards, and saw
two Johnnies sitting on their horses,
with guns lying across their saddles,
and I said: Boys, yonder stand two
rebels. Suppose we get them" I raised
my old navy. took good aim and opened
on them. The Johnnies broke, as we
thought, for life.
1 was bugler. / sounded the double
quick charge signal, and lit out after
them, and about the time the company
caught up we spied two lines of battle
formed. One line was up to our right,
on high ground about 900 feet above
US. We were in the Dug Hill road,
which ranged around the mountain
about 500 yards from where we en-
tered il. At the loose end of this hill
was another line of battle. BY this time
another line had formed behind u.s. and
the Johnnies were cross-firing oss us
three ways. We had a close call. AS 1
recollect it, 20 out of the ~ got out.
John NJ. Hughes, Colonel command
ing the 10th Tenn, was back in the
mountains, picking up deserters and
conscripting that country. He had
gathered about 700, including old
Champ Fcrguson's band of robbers and
murdere-s. and they were the ones we
G<,l,% NTn ,frta lra,a
the way we came in. We fired every
round Of ammunition in. the company
and then used our sabers. This little
fight lasted from 4 o'clock until about
6. The smoke was So .iarse that you
could not tell one man rom another.
Lieut.. EmicIl Stone. of the old 9TH
Tenn. Cav, was in command. About 6
o'clock one Johnny ball passed so close
TO r:y head th1. il left a blister all the
way across my forehead just above my
eyes. just after that another cut my
bride reins in two between my hand
and my horses neck.
We Were III! pretty ci,ss together
and We s.arted-i.l,nost straight UP the
mountain, / ~ the rear by this time
A rebel caught my horse by the TAIL
and ordered me to surrender j didn't
have Lad in either of my navies and
as L WIS bngicr i wasn't SUPPOSE to
carry gun. ] drew my sword and
gave right hand back GU, and WAS
free .ro him.
think we lost - mon. Al least
one-half that number surrendered to
Col. Husa. as he vas a Regular solder
and pro n sci 10 protect theia. IIr did
so by ra s5i them back tn the rear Ia
Old Cha M who shot them III cold
blood we go. This information fr..ni =
couple of old negros. and they said that
we killed more of them than they did
of u.s.
We were IL miles from Sparta, Tenn,
and arrived there about 2 o'clock
About o'clock Pickett came in. He
reported that he was taken prisoner,
and took the oath to never take up
arms again against the South, so he
resigned his Office and went home and
] think Of all the nervous men / ever
saw during the war he was the worst
The next day we went back thru
that country with 800 picked men
that is. men who volunteered to go
and not rebel could we find in arms.
John w. Clark. Bugler. LIST Tenn. NJ.
T. D., Dawson Springs. KY.