The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1914-12-09
During Dark Days Of the
Civil War.
DECLINED TO ACCEPT TERMS
Of Release. Although They
Were Suffering Much
Of Wars Misery.
A SAMPLE or HEROIC vALOR
lBy Col. Il. Polk Johnson.D

December 2S, 1868, Gen. Joseph
Wheeler with coo cavalry, including
a detachment from the First Ken
lucky regiment, attacked a Federal
force of $500 Federal infantry, a
regiment of cavalry and the usual
accompaniment of artillery at
Charleston, East Tennessee. An UNI
usual result followed in the prompt
defeat of the Confederate force,
number of whom were killed,
wounded or captured. 1t was the
misfortune OF the writer to appear
on both the wounded and captured
list. The following members of the
First Kentucky Cavalry were among
the prisoners of war, their names
being given for a reason which VIII
appear later in this article: 5. II.
Moberly, David Harrison and j. w.
Mosely, of Company A;E.Polk john
son. John Vincent and John p. Win
chester. of Company B;W H.Condor,
Samuel H. Herndon and Lyman Su-
ter. of Company G.: Lieut.. Barney
! Logsdon, c. II. Grafton, john K.
Barber and Il. ID. Merrifield. of Com
pany ID. and George T. Delaney, of
Company G.. -----.---.-.---.. --.-.--............
The succeeding report of their eX-
perienoe is from the History of the
Orphan Brigade" by Capt Ed Por-
ter Thompson, to which brigade the
First Kentucky Cavalry bears the
highly-prized relation of an adopted
child. The history says of the above
named prisoners and their fellow
sufferers from other commands:
They were marched to London,
on the Little Tennessee river, about
thirty miles distant,wher on the ev-
er-to-be-remembere 'ColdNewYear
January /, 1864. they were ordered
on board an open boat, without fire,
to make the trip to Chattanooga.
The intense cold was the more bit
terly felt from the circumstance
that a few previous days had been
warm and for part of the time
somewhat damp, so that there was a
degree of physical enervation and
unusual susceptibility.
Poorly clad, fireless. without ev-
en- a place where they could screen
themselves from the wind, their suf-
ferings were almost intolerable. To
add to the miseries of at least two OF
them. Polk Johnson had been badly
hurt when his horse was killed and
fell upon him, and Sam Moberly had
been wounded by shot. Tennes-
seean named Bean froze to death on
the night of the 1st and was rudely
buried in a deserted rifle pit on
shore the next morning. Some of
the Kentuckians were frostbitten,
but after slow passage the boat,
with its wretched passengers, reach
ed Chattanooga. They were march
ed to the provost prison, an old
warehouse, dirty, infested with YER
min, without means of being heated,
and occupied by lot of riff-raff of
the Federal army under arrest for
almost every conceivable violation
of lava set of wretches who did
what they could to add to the hor-
rors of the situation in which the
Confederates found themselves. Not
long after their arrival the Ken
tuckians We're mustered separately
in one of the lower rooms. After
forming and dressing line at the
command of a Federal officer, they
were told that they would be releas-
ed and furnished transportation to
their homes on taking the oath of
allegiance to the Federal Govern
ment Those willing to accept the
terms were to advance three PAGES
to the front. Not man stirred from
his place. The officer waited for a
sign of wavering, but the little line
was as steadfast as though an enc
my were before them upon which
they expected to spring at word.
when the Federal ofiicer-ap-
parently a gallant and soldierly man
found that this offer of release, OF
quick return to loved ones at home, |
OF escape from prison horrors. cold
hunger, heartsickedness, bodily dis
ease-was silently but sternly scorn-
ed, he expressed his admiration of
their honor and their courage.
ITO those who study the signifi- |
canoe of individual conduct, history |
has few better things to show than
this. These Kentuckians We're yet
but boys-most of them less than
twenty years old--too young to have
given much thought of forming |