The Washington herald., 1915-01-10
FEDERAL CAVALRY RETURNS
TO DECATUR.
January S.


Fifty years ago. today a force Of 900
Federal cavalry. under Col William J.
Palmer. of the Fifteenth Pennsylvania
Ala. after an expedition against the
wagon trains of Gen. Hoods Confederate
army retreating from Tennessee after
its defeat before Nashville on Decem-
ber l6.
The Confede ,ates had crossed TO the
December 26 and q, by two pontoon
bridges at cambridge. five miles up
stream from Florence, Ala. The bulk
of the Federal cavalry from Nashville.
under Gen. James II. Wilson. hung close
+ upon Gen. Hoods rear, while detached
commands were sent by Circuitous routs
to attempt to cut off his retreat.
! Col. Palmer, with his regiment. which
had been a part of the garrison of Chat
tanooga. had received orders on Decem-
Der l9 to move Immediately to Decatur.
thirty-five miles upstream from where
and from that point to move against Gen.
Hoods flank, doing whatever damage
! possible.
| BY dark of December IS the regiment
was at Decatur, and having received or
ders to combine with a command under
Lieut.. Col William F. Prosser, Of the
Second Tennessee cavalry-detachments
of the Second Tennessee and Fifth,
Twelfth and Thirteenth Indiana regi-
ments-all to be under command of Col.
Palmer. preparations were made for i'm
mediate forward movement At o'clock
the cavalrymen. now numbering about
6CO advanced down the south bank Of
the Tennessee River toward Bainbridge.
When two miles out the campfres of
the enemy were seen far in the distance.
Hating the main command, Col. Pal
mer took a battalion OF $50 men of the
FifteenlL Pennsylvania, moved up to the
Confederate encampment, and boldly
charged down the road. The enemy, who
proved to be part of Gen. Philip D. Rod
dey's command. had no time to form, and
were pursued for more than a mile be-
fore attempting TO make a stand. At that
point a vigorous charge broke the line
and drove of the Confederates in con-
fusion. Two siE-pOunder guns with
horses standing hItChed to the caissons
fell into Federal hands. At 10 o'clock the
command bivouacked for 4 few hours
rest.
Burn Hoods Wagon Train.
on the morning Of December 3 Palmer
sent Lieut. Col. Prosser with his COM
mand on the main road toward Court
land, twenty miles west of Decatur,
while Palmer himself, with the Fifteenth
Pennsylvania. moved on a parallel road,
intending to gain the rear of the enemy.
Before Col. Palmer could accomplish
his object Lieut.. Col. Prosser had met
and routed tho Confederates, driving
them through Courtland to Town Creek,
eight miles beyond, "on the banks OF
which" wrote Col. Palmer, Gen. Rod
dey succeeded in reforming such portion
OF his command as had not taken ad-
vantage of their two successive defeats
to go home and spend Christmas with
their families.
~ol Prosser took forty-five prisoners
with loss to himself of one man wounded.
All the next day the FederaIs pushed
on cautiously toward the scene of Gen.
Hoods crossing. The Confederate cav
airy now were gathered in their front
in force. Col Palmer learned that Hoods
entire pontOon train of 200 wagons, un-
der a comparatively small guard. was
scarcely a days march ahead OF him.
Sending back word 10 Maj. Gen. James
3. Steedman at Decatur. the command
took horse early in the morning of De-
cember 81, moved from the town of Leigh
ton, thirteen miles beyond Courtland and,
passing through La Grange, five miles
southeast. where Col. Warren, of the
Fifth Alabama Confederate cavalry was
captured, came upon the rear of the pom
toon train at dark ten miles beyond Rus
sellville.
We me no resistance" wrote Col
Palmer in his official report, ''and our
advance guard rode through to the front
of the train, which extended for FIVE
miles and consisted of seventy-eight pom
toons boats and about 200 wagons with
all the necessary accouterments and ma
terials engineering Instruments, etc; all
the mules and oxen, except what the
pontooners and teamsters were able to
cut loose and ride OF. were standing
hitched to the wagons"
The FederaIs went into camp near the
mIudl> Of the train, from where, after
feeding the horses and resting a few
hours, they started out to burn the
morning before the work was completed.
when all that remained OF the wagons
and pontoons was a chsrred and smok-
ing mass OF ruins.
Ride Into Mississippi.
From a negro servant of Capt. Cobb, of
the Confederate engineers who had COM
manded the wagon train, it was learned
that a large supply train bound south
for Tuscaloosa, Ala, was somewhere on
the road ahead. So, after a brief rest.
the command pushed on and at 10 o'clock
that night came upon the Confederate
encampment just over the State line in
Itawamba County, Miss. The train was
found to consist Of 1lO wagons and more
than 500 mules.
We burned the wagons, shot or sa-
bered all the mules We could not lead
of or use to mount prisoners, and start !
ed back" wrote Col. Palmer. In one of
the wagons was Col. McCrosl1v, of Hoods
infantry, who had been badly wounded
at Franklin. / left a tent with him,
some stores, and one of the prisoners to |
take care of him. About twenty Of the
teanlsters were colored United States |
soldiers of the garrison captured by Gen.
Hood at Dalton, Tenn; these came back |
with us"
-he return journey was almost with |
out incident until the Federals reached !