Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1912-11-29
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TALE or GEN. PEGRAM's RAID
interesting story Of How Eighty Pick
ed Men Charged Through lamp
of Enemy I'm Kentucky.

ed Men GIdi ~
of Enemy In Kentucky.
Early in the month OF March 1903
(between the LIST and l0tnp, General
papram made a raid into Kentucky
with force of $500 cavalry and three
nieces of artillery At the time the
1st Kentucky cavalry was guaruins
the south bank of the Cumberland
river in the vicinity of Somerset. On
peoram's approach we were ordered
by General Gilmore, whose heaoquar-
ters were at Lexington, to fall BACK
to Danville.
Affair reaching Danville General Car
tor who was killed at the siege or
KNOXVILLE made dispositions to dis
pute Pegram's further advance pu'
after a light skirmish at DanVlile'
General Carter was ordered to faif
hack and take position some ten miles
northeast from that point at camp
Dick Robinson!
Lieut.. Col. Silas Adams, Of the ISL
Kentucky cavalry, was captured ana
made a prisoner Of war In the sKir-
mish at Danville, but afterwards es-
caped from the enemy at Montlceilo,
XIV. When General Carter reacned
camp Dick" as it was called, he was
again ordered to fall back to the
north bank of the Kentucky river
Before the retreat from Danvllle-
General Carter ordered me to proceed
to Lancaster, KY, with 80 picked men
from the 1st Kentucky cavalry to
watch the movements OF the enemy III
that direction and to remain there un'
til ordered away, writes S. M. Boone
of the Ohio National Military Home In
the National Tribune. No such order
ever came from the general, as the
couriers sent or attempted to be sent
me were all captured,
At this juncture and somewhere
near midnight Col Ben p. Runkle,
commanding the 44th and 45th Ohio
infantry, came into Lancaster from
Richmond, KY, I think, and ordered
me to sadie up and proceed to Camp
Dick Robinson.
told him | could not leave the
post, as General Carter had command
ed me to remain until he ordered me
away.
Colonel Runkle replied: "Our forces
have been driven back from Danville,
and we must form a junction with
them as quick as may be at Camp
Dick Robinson. l rank you, and you
must obey my orders"
We were soon in the saddle and
given the advance, being well &C
quainted with the country. The night
was dark and a drizzling rain was
falling Near the old brick church
my little squad of 80 men ran upon
the pickets, not of our own forces, as
we expected, but of those of the
enemy
They were all asleep, and, they were
made prisoners before they knew 1t.
The question then presented itself:
What shall / do?" l made up my
mind in a flash and said: Boys, we
will go through or die. They are all
asleep and we have their pickets''
Gabe Greenleaf was by my side, and
1 dispatched Joe Blackeby to inform
Colonel Runkle that instead of meet
ing our own We were upon the enemy,
and l was going 20 charge through
their camp.
Whether Colonel Runkle ever re-
ceived'the message / may never know:
but this much I do know, he came
laundering down the pike right be-
hind me with the brave and gallant
44th and 45th Ohio.
After I had passed the barn that
stood in the forks of the two pixies
Colonel Runkle ordered Lieutenant
Lennon to take the advance, but the
gantlet had then been run, and we
got somewhat mixed up in the dark
ness, and so, capturing the pickets at
Bryantsville, we crossed the Kentucky
river about daylight.
No shot was fred, and the charge
was success The boys used to call
1t "Boone's dumb charge" and shall
always believe that had we halted and
not gone through we would have all
been captured the. next morning.
In two days after crossing the Ken
tucky river we were ordered to adj
vance upon the enemy, with whom wa
skirmished from Crab Orchard to Ont.
tons Hin, where Pegram made a
stdnu III strong position In order to
move the stock he had captured safe
ly over the Cumberland river.
The battle was a sharp cavalry en-.
gagement and Pegram was routed. bnt
succeeded In crossing the Cumberland
with what men he had left and max
Ing his escape to Virginia or Tennes-
see.
The only troops remember figuring
In this engagement were the LIST Ken.
lucky cavalry, 44th and 45th Ohio in
fantry-as brave and gallant men as
ever formed in battle line-one hat.
TALON of the 7th Ohio cavalry. dash
ing fine fellows, and battery or
mountain hcwitzers.