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Continuation from TeBATTLE OF BULL GAP.lt;Continued from Tenth Page.)ade. and especially my own regiment. First Tennessee cavalry. VTe had approached in less than H» yards of their moving columns without them having any knowledge of our presence. The night was cold and clear, a now moon was spanningihe western heavens, beautifying the face of nature with Its silver ravs, and the stars seemed to shine out with unusual brightness. The hoys in blue were riding gayly on. joking, laughing and having quite a merry time, little dreaming that the boys in gray would molest their peaceful retreat. Tire pop of their artillerymen and wagon drivers* whips rang out on the solemn night air as they pushed their teams rapidly on toward Knoxville. The first intimation they had of our presence was a few random shots from our skirmishers, from which they hastily fell back a few hundred yards and formed In line of battle. Then we moved our column square across their path.forming a line of battle facing them. Ttwas east Tennesseeans facing east Tennesseeans.“Ah.” said Colonel Tngerton. the Federal officer who was in command of their advance, “nothing but bushwhackers. Wo will brush them out of the way and continue our march to Knoxville. Too eold for an army to be on the alert tonight.*’Fatal mistake. Though some of bis mensuggested caution—that It might be old Vaughn.Captured Many Federls.The earth had been well beaten down by the moving army and frozen, and as the Federal horsemen came thundering over it with wild yells and a mad rush, it was. evident that they would make a desperate attempt to overwhelm our line, and it seemed that it would be impossible to check their Imperious onslaught, but the First Tennessee cavalry had been tried in many previous engagements and they felt themselves equal to the emergency.They gripped their guns, stood firm and eagerly awaited the terrific clash, and when the head of their column catne against ours .1 flash of fin* like forked lightning leaped forth from our line, and such a scrambling of men and horses! The Federal* turned and beat a hasty retreat hack the way they came, and being pressed in their rear by Puke's Kentucky brigade (Morgan's old brigade), about 300 threw down their arms and surrendered. A comrade and 1 advanced a few pace* to look at the wreck In which horse and rider had gone, down together.Oh. how cruel is war! The first man I came to was groaning as if In the last agonies of death. I dismounted and asked if I could render him any assistance. I raised him up and found that he was only stunned from the fall of his horse. frs»m which he soon revived, and 1 turned him over to the guards. It was Major Denkins, of the Tennessee cavalry. He and Colonel Ingecton. of the 13th. were leading the charge.Olllem's brigade, consisting of the Sth, 9th, 10th and 13th Tennessee cavalry and 10th Michigan cavalry, sent Vaughn’s men word by an old lady, whom they passed inside our lines a short time before, that they were grinding t’heir sabers for us, but they were doomed to suffer a crushing and inglorious defeat with heavy losses on this occasion.Foster's brigade once sent us a similar message, hut along In '63, when the leaves began to turn yellow, we stole a night's march on that brigade and swooped down on them early one morning at Rig creek, ne.ir Rogersville. and most all of them took a free rble down south to Andersonville.Except a moonlight promenade ;around a fort at Winchester. Va.. this was4 the only night fight in which I participated, and V ust confess t never was anxious to repeat for two reasons: First, it Was a verydangerous business, then it was very un-courteous and impolite to punch a fellow in the short ribs with the muzzle of your gun to make him tell whether he was Federal or Confederate before 3-011 assumed the respon-stbi ity of shooting him or Inviting him to surrender. Several times in the night our troops were intermixed with the Federals. and we could not tell one from the other. I captured »wo Federal officers—the yellow stripe or. their arms shining against the pale light of the moon gave them away—one a sergeant cf the Sth Tennessee cavalry, a Mr. .\iiller, who gave me three pictures of ladfes to send to him where he went to prison.Captured Last Federal Gun.All niglu long We hung upon the rear of their retreating columns capturing prisoners, artillery and wagons till next morning. Abyut an hour by sun the enemy raMied their scattering forces on a ridge near the village o:* Panther Springs and made a gallant, but unsuccessful attempt to chock our advance. General Vaughn locked through his glasses and said. “Roys, they have one more piece of artillery. If you will take that from them we will let our horses rest.They had placed it in position and were working it for all it was worth, when our cavalry raised an enthusiastic yell and rushed over it. capturing the gun with a number of prisoners, and sent the balance whirling down the valley.General Morgan's death was avenged and upper Fast Tennessee was relieved of Federal troops for a while. I never lamented the number killed and wounded on either side. We raptured six or seven hundred prisoners, seven pieces of artillery with caissons, over one hundred ovagons and ambulances and several battle flags.Resp ?ct fully,H. I,. HEDGCOTH.Go. A. 1st Tennessee favaJry.could lant * tinels carrier the co workBut the fllt;away the hf a5. the by’s h a cone Upcamewind, corn 1shoreA flap a 120-j and bi was a fire b(going that c For Y bravesters. guns, all he of he t hree fightwithfoughcladsFedThe that v badly fieet r shell 1Gem and laand arepuls evenir Shelb] rrakir era! C to get was r do foiRodBLITHEECONIGreattlNort arounr Vete ed urn togethparadlt;The years versed who h years Chica*gave tcogniz of For The vlt;publicthe da memoi goring drewn irg a dead iNow hack i the mlt; the st soldier worn or» the d ra w : unite demon hero a the lof who gi leadentomb (anothcgan.The 1
Newspaper Details
Atlanta Sunny South
Atlanta, Georgia, US
Sat, Jul 24, 1897
Page 11
Full Page
Clipped by
Anne M.
IL, USA 21 Jun 2018
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