The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-01-27

Fifty years ago today an expeditionary
force from the Fifteenth Army Corps
was marching from the Tennessee hiver
into Northern Alabama for the purpose
of clearing the Sand Mountain district
of guerrillas-
II was also aimed to drive on parties
of Confederates who were impressins
men into their ranks, as well as to re-
ceive under the colors deserters from
the army under Gen. Joseph E. john
ston, then quartered at Dalton, Ga.
The scene of these operations was
about fifty miles south OF CnattanooSa'
in a section of the Raccoon Range yine
between the Tennessee and the CooS"
Rivers
1t was known that considerable ioyai
population was to be found in TINS sec
ton of Alabama, but the Federal omcers
in charge of this expedition were much
. surprised when they learned its extent
They found that almost the entire pop
ulstion of the section visited were IN
tensely loyal to the Union. me people
were poor and ignorant but they knew
of no other government but that OF
washington and no other nag than that
Of the Stars and Stripes
Savage Guerrilla Warfare.
In the beginning of the war many OF
the Sand Mountain farmers had taken
10 the BUSH rather than bear arms for
the Confederacy. These, now encour-
aged by the proximity of Federal troops.
were organizing Companies of their owh
TO rid their section Of guerrillas and Con-
federate recruiting officers.
For nearly three years life in the
mountains had been one of savage war
fare. Small bands of guerrillas rode
among the hills, burning houses, stealing
cattle. and plundering their defenseless
neighbors.
Today a band of alleged Unionists
would ravage a district, Kill their per-
sonaI enemies. and destroy their prop
erty. The next day other guerrillas
would burn Union mems houses and
shoot down anybody who claimed al
legiance to the United States No man
dared to till his lean fields for fear of
a hidden enemy. Only old men and
boys remained in the villages and on
the farms
= The men of fighting strength and age
were in the bush. The women remained
at home, with despair written on the
gaunt, yellow faces, and with rage in
their hearts. They had the names OF
every enemy of their families, and they
told them to their young sons, that
when the boys grew to be old enough
they might go out and slay the men
who robbed and killed their fathers.
1nrO1En IneSe trOuDlOus INC
Union men of this section had not all
been killed of, however.
The commander of the Federal expo
dition, Gen. Morgan J.. Smith, found one
mountaineer named McCurdy, who hac
made up a company of his own. enrolled
his mems names in pencil on a piece OF
brown paper, and with borrowed arms
had gone out and captured a company of
so-called Home Guards, which he brought
triumphantiy as prisoners into Gen.
Smiths camp.
Troops Caught in Storm.
The Federal movement had an Interior
military plot. that of threatening the rear
of the Confederate position at Dalton.
and the route prescribed to the column
lay over the Sand Mountains on the road
toward Rome, Ga Here the Confederates
had machine shops and depots Of sup
plies. For their protection a considerable
body of cavalry was kept in that part OF
the country.
1t had been the-purpose Of Gen. John