The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1915-05-19
ANOTHER
CONTRIBUTION
Second Interesting Article Written
For the Advocate by Mr.. James
Tom Highland.

VIC dIo loftunutc III Dcihb dUtS w
give our readers another article of
the days of long ago which we are
sure will be interesting to everyone.
The article follows:
Editors of Advocate:
You, with many others insisted /
give you some recollections Of 80
years ago. Fifty years is long
time and mans memory gets faulty
before that time. When you young
men look upon Confederate soldiers
you are looking in mirror so years
hence at yourself. Fifty years ago
those "Confeds" thought no more of
wasted strength, white hair or bent
form than you do now. The fires of
youthful enthusiasm and hope burn
ed within their breast. Some one
wanted to know if l thought Gen.
Robert E. Lee was the greatest man
living so years agO-yes, l will only
cite you to his last order-seven
words: "Go home take your horses
raise crops" Home after soldering
three or four years-sweetest place
on earth, and a soldier who has had
horse year or two, ran gauntlet
many times as you had too with Gen.
Morgan, loves his horse more than
1 can express. In the fight at
Cynthiana, KY, 20 or 80 of US be-
ing hard pressed took refuge be-
hind large brick house. We were
being fanked and there was nothing
to do but run. A Mr.. Nelson from
Montgomery county, was the first to
run. He was killed near the river
two hundred yards away; next to
break away was myself and friend.
I thought there were thousand
shots fired at us, but let us compro-
mise at fifty-it was enough as we
were only two or three hundred
yards distance. We got to the river
safe. There was Nelson shot, my
friends horse wounded. He plung-
ed into the river and / never saw
him any more. If he got safe over
and joined the command l never
heard of it. My horse plunged into
the river and landed me safe after
jumping a rock fence on the other
side. There l met three friends.
Gen. Morgan had gone towards
Flemingsburg with the command. We
four said We can't get to the com
mand, we will start for home. 1t
was then 8 or 10 o'clock in the morn
ing. We went to Stamping Ground
in Scott county, thence near Licking
ton, thence between Paris and Win
chester, thence to Sideview and to
my home 5 miles North of Mt. Ster-
ling, by 3 o'clock next morning.
had made only three steps on the
porch when my mother said as that
you Jim Tom?" James III. Henry,
then boy of ten years, was there
that night and is yet a living wit
ness. We must have ridden 100 miles
in the 20 hours. l don't believe
was out of my saddle that day. At
ter three days rest we started and
got to Virginia all o. X. and rode
my same horse. Now can a value in
dollars be put on horse like that
onef A soldier could scarcely be
induced to part with him.
"Raise crop" teaching his men in
dustry, and it was meat and bread
the people of the Southland needed.
What better admonition-"Go to
work"-and the South did and had
to work. No one but a great man
would give such advice to men three
to five hundred miles away from
home with not one cent of u. s.
money. Gen. Morgan went up the
Big Sandy river-we all went back
to Virginia, near Abington-an ex-
pensive raid in private's opinion.
We stopped and esmped few weeks
in Powelps valley. Every company