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iexvVVtis 'Ssttm 'BWVe• ■N’ot long since the Arkansas Gazette j transferred and General Forney tookcopied an article written by me for Reporter. Since this time 1 have beenhis place. To further discuss theJenkins Ferry battle^ I though* itreceiving letters of inquiry from men » had military tactics to bring on a gen-in Arkansas asking information about eial engagement with no chance to many things which hapi»ened in that follow up a victory, provided we gainstate during the Civil War. I have ed it, and I am willing for any his-just received a letter from Mr. J. M. torlan to criticise it if he so desires Lafferty. of Gordon, Ark., requesting • have often wondered why so littli facts about the battle of Jenkins Fer- if anything has been said about Jen-rv in Aikansas. kins Ferry, a historic place, perhaps1 will have to giv♦the particulars t not lnfpr,or to a’ battle ground In from memory only as I have seen no Arkansas- Are there no veteransofficial report of h, if the Federal* reported it I prtsumc it did not shrinkany in bulk. So certain as a lawyer las to follow tiis plea witli iiis proof.there has ever been a silent mysteryafloat in the historicalcnne»rnifi.» tiat«nosphero ’ |n detention and on short rations!n e, ot lather the peihajts they need waking up aurt' ° 1 ?inlt;* 11 !UlS lMM 14 00,1 : informed that they are not now under« ! ;,n‘l ~IH*rl.lly I the iron heel of military discipline.».r * IU**i 11 arin** *r is no could write a small volume of rieltb i T ,ln.l,a ,U n,orlt;*! and amusing things that occurred inthan the outlines or the many and all Arkansas absorbing facts that led up to the con- 1sit mat ion of the bloody conflict. It 1 lt;,0*P by ,Hrnt|onln« a *»was bv a mountain of military strategy and a tower of restrictive actiondecided by the sword and the victorywas held in doubt.While the Federal* were in view, but we teamed that cut their p*n|oon bridge and threw many of their big ~uns into the Saline river and retreat*ed in this order to Little Rock Now for thein your country who can shove a pen cil? Do your presses refuse to inrorrj tin' young generation what their sires and grand sires did? Are the old grayheaded veterans relegated to the reai and placed in the awkward squad,heldprecedented conspiracy and nun tier at Camden. 1 will stir in a little gp|c. and ginger in what I say about two of the fair sex. but I will not say that they were the “Fairest daughters ofmuttering thunder and look with con-tempt upon the tornado while it is de stroving its native forest. I assure you that it can never soar so high*i i ’thaf -vou can not pluek the glossyproofs, as the lawyer . .. , .. ,woiitd say a leunda feathers from its tail, and wreath yourIt In Hit admitted rao, that General S1“' ** “ eul,urf''1 a,‘Steel and lllnnt of the Federal Army ' fl' °f her Wa* alrin,le ,rm“ were depredatlns on the border ol The next in.lam I wa»Arkansa. and General Faaan and nth “‘f adanee ofthe the .....-, _ , , maud. I heard an old lady in greatMs ° u °n ‘‘‘hiHte forces were in agony and when she saw me she saidArkansas. Karly in 1N62 General' they will shoot my boy; lie lay out inHenry k. Met ullough. of the division the woods, and they caught him withof 1 exas ol which I was a mourner, the dogs. No said i, the* will drill himwas sent to Arkansas and we remained and make u good soldier. Thank thethere tlio remainder of the year and j l^ord, said the old lady. He camethe next spring if l am correct down the tree and volunteered like a(«on* ial \Niill.or was placed in com-: man; among the dogs and men. Nowmand and we went to (atulsiana and, as to the cnospiracy and murder; spent the winter in Markesville. Af- Capt. Givines commanded Co. F. 22 ter i lie battle of Mansfii Id and Plea*-1 Texas Infantry and had fought brave-ant Hill we were tben put on a foicejly in all the battles we bad and was march to Arkansas, flushed with vie- i a good man and nearly sixty years lory. We were then soldiers made out [ old. and two of his men re|»orted that of Hie whole cloth, except our clothes, he had suggested that they desert and Well drilled, thoroughly disciplined, j he would meet them at home, all ofto hardships andimmuned to hardships and hunger, and hard inarching did not make sore feet. We had cleaned up General Hanks in laouisiana. and would soon relieve Arkansas of Generals Bluntwhich he denied,but charges were preferred against him hut he marcnedwith his company, but without hissword, in the meantime General Matt ruder came to Camden and order* dand Steel. The excitement of men [ him to be shot, assigning as a reason and officers seemed to be at fever j for It that an example must be made heat. In due time we arrived at Cam- and that there was no reason why it den and not a blue cost was to be should not be Captain Givines as well seen. 1 lie small breast works thmwn i as any other officer, and put him inup indicated the fact that they neverintended to fight at that point camp.rumor said it was only a small majority of the officers commanding that favored following the Federal* presume they held a council of war.jail and planted a battery trained onthe jail, or he would have been rescued that night. When shot he refused to be blindfolded, asserted his inno-eense and was ready to die. He said lie was not blindfolded when he foughtand the command advanced to the bat-1 in battle, and requested the detailedtie ground, of which I can give quite shooters to do their duty while hea correct description as I had frequently camped there with smallIlooked them in the face.The only excuse for the shooting ofsquads of soldiers when out foraging, i ( apt. Givines alleged was that a Col. 1 he stream, the Saline river, is rather of an Arkansas Regiment had desertsmall. There was a pontoon bridge across the river and on the side theConfederates fought, below and aboveed with half of his regiment and gone to.the Federals, and that others mast hae warning Now in conclusion IP ^ f f l U|*1 i univFii msmall creeks ran Into the stream, with j desire to say to my old comrades who a space of about two miles between participated in the Jenkins Ferry bat-t*u?ln- tie,I have never seen i| mentioned Inprinter's ink. I hope you will rally and come to the front, and ventilate It to the present generation and that all future generations may know Its loca tion and boundary, until if isisainle the current of the Saline River may have so changed as to wash it away.J. W. THOMAS Co. D. 22 Texas infantry, C, 8 A. Abilene, TexasThe ground which the Conf*derates occupied in front of the bridge wasoverflowed from one to several feet deep The Federate on the other side had their guns at the mouths or the creeks on the opposite side above and below the bridge enabling them to cross-fire on tin* Confederates. Themore the Confederates advanced thlt;*better the range the cross fire gunshad, and the Confederates fell like grain before a reaper. Most of them fought in water from one to severalfeet deep.The above were the agreed facta of the Confederates, stated by the army at the time. All who reuJ thfa maydecide whether or not the Federalsoutgeneraled us. and whether or not Ithe zeal of our officers destroyed their belter judgment. jTwo of our Brigadier General* were* killed, it was in General Walkeis quarters when the final report of the battle was made, and when the ti»n-eral read it the only words he uttered: “Nine hundred killed.” Those were the laat words i ever heard that brave and good man speak He was soon
Newspaper Details
Abilene Semi Weekly Farm Reporter
Abilene, Texas, US
Tue, Apr 05, 1910
Page 8
Full Page
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Anonymous
MO, USA 03 May 2022
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