USA > Indiana > History of the Third Indiana cavalry > Part 5
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16
"New Albany, Ind., July 12, 1863. "General Boyle:
"General-My scouts just returned. Forty-seven rebels at- tacked last night near Providence by Third Indiana Cavalry ; wounded three, took nineteen prisoners. Still in pursuit.
"THOMAS W. FRY, Surgeon U. S. Army."
56
HISTORY OF THE THIRD INDIANA CAVALRY.
The next account we have of the Third Indiana Cavalry is found in the report of Col. Robert G. Minty from the headquarters of the First Brigade, Second Division of Cavalry, dated McMinnville, Tenn., August 11, 1863 (Vol. XXIII, Part 1, page 846), which reads :
"Sir-On the 8th instant, having received information that General Dibrell with 800 or 900 men was camped two miles south of Sparta, I marched at 3 p. m. with 774 men, hoping to surprise him. I took two days' rations and one day's forage; no wagons or ambulances. At 11:30 p. m. I arrived at Spencer and re- mained long enough for the men to make coffee and feed horses. I crossed Caney Fork at the mouth of Cane creek; and, at day- break, struck the rebel pickets about four miles south of Sparta and followed them at a gallop, but arrived at the town without seeing anything of their camp. In town I learned that they had changed camp the evening before, and were then between three and four miles north of Sparta, on the east bank of the Calfkiller. I pushed forward rapidly, but the pickets, whoses horses were fresh, had given notice of our approach, and the rebels were ready to receive us. The Fourth Michigan Cavalry formed the advance guard, and pushing at a gallop dislodged and drove the enemy before the column got up. General Dibrell fell back across the creek and took up a strong position on a hill covering a narrow rickety bridge, which was the only means of crossing the creek at that point.
"Finding a bad, rough ford about a quarter of a mile lower down, I directed Captain McIntyre to cross with the Fourth Regulars and sharply attack the enemy's right flank. I then moved to the front with the Fourth Michigan and a battalion of the Third Indiana, but the rebels, although outnumbering us and holding a strong position, difficult of access, would not wait for the attack, but scattered in every direction. The Fourth Regulars, Seventh Pennsylvania and Third Indiana scoured the country for about
MAJOR WILLIAM PATTON.
57
HISTORY OF THE THIRD INDIANA CAVALRY.
three miles, but their horses were too tired to overtake the freshly mounted rebels. Our loss, I regret to say, was heavy, but it was confined exclusively to the Fourth Michigan, the only regiment engaged, and which had only 115 men out. We killed one lieu- tenant and thirteen men, and took one lieutenant and nine men prisoners. I remained at Sparta until 1 p. m. and then returned to camp, where I arrived at 12:30 on the 10th instant. Inclosed I hand you return of casualties.
"I am, respectfully, your obedient servant,
"ROBERT H. G. MINTY, Colonel Commanding. "CAPT. R. P. KENNEDY,
"Assistant Adjutant-General Second Cavalry Division."
On the 17th of August, 1863, Colonel Minty with his brigade, to which the battalion of the Third Indiana Cavalry was attached, left MeMinnville, Tenn., for Pikeville, by way of Sparta, arriving at the latter point at 2 p. m., where, with 1,400 men, he met and fought General Dibrell's brigade of rebel cavalry, numbering 1,600 men, until after dark, driving them steadily. In the morn- ing the rebels had disappeared. From here Colonel Minty moved on to Pikeville with the main command, and Colonel Klein with the Third Indiana Cavalry was sent to Rock Island. Of this affair Colonel Minty makes the following report (Vol. XXX, page 920) :
"Smiths Cross Roads, Tennessee Valley, August 26, 1863.
"Sir-At 2 a. m. on the 17th, in accordance with orders from Major-General Rosecrans, through Brigadier-General VanCleve, I marched for Pikeville by way of Sparta. I sent my artillery and wagons direct with the infantry train. At 2 p. m. my advance struck General Dibrell's pickets two miles from Sparta. I sent the Seventh Pennsylvania and Fourth Michigan up the east side of Calfkiller creek to Sperrys Mill, where they found Dibrell's brigade and quickly drove it across the creek. With the Third Indiana and Fourth Regulars I moved up the west side of the
58
HISTORY OF THE THIRD INDIANA CAVALRY.
creek, with the intention of cutting off their retreat, but the nature of the ground was so much in the enemy's favor that they had no difficulty in escaping. I followed them to within a short distance of Yankeetown, and then moved back to Sparta for the purpose of going into camp for the night.
"About four miles above Sparta the road runs close to the creek, with a high bluff (thickly wooded) on the opposite side. Here about 200 men lay in ambush, and as the head of the column was passing they poured in a volley, wounding Lieutenant Vale, the brigade inspector, and two of my orderlies. Part of the Fourth Michigan and one squadron of the Fourth Regulars were quickly dismounted and engaged the enemy across the creek. In an at- tempt to cross the creek a little higher up, the Fourth Regulars lost eight men drowned and a few wounded. The Seventh Pennsyl- vania and Third Indiana crossed lower down and, with slight loss, succeeded in dislodging the rebels. It being now after 8 o'clock and quite dark, I bivouacked for the night. In the morning I could find no trace of the enemy except a couple of them dead, which the citizens were ordered to inter.
"The enemy's force was estimated by citizens at 1,500. I placed it at 1,200. Every foot of ground which we fought over was familiar to them. It was wooded, hilly, broken, and inter- sected by half a dozen branches of creeks, with plenty of good positions, all of which they were able to take advantage of. My force numbered about 1,400, and the country was to us terra incognita, notwithstanding which we drove them at a gallop. I had one man drowned and fifteen wounded, including three com- missioned officers. I took twenty-three prisoners, including one lieutenant, and representing four regiments.
"I am, respectfully, your obedient servant,
"ROBERT H. G. MINTY, Colonel Commanding."
According to the official record of the Army of the Cumberland (Vol. XXX, page 179), Colonel Minty's first brigade was part of
59
HISTORY OF THE THIRD INDIANA CAVALRY.
the Second Cavalry Division, commanded by Brig .- Gen. George Crook. This was its assignment during the Chickamauga cam- paign, and during this great battle the cavalry was employed in protecting the supply train of the army, which General Wheeler with 10,000 rebel cavalry was endeavoring to destroy.
The federal cavalry succeeded partially in saving the trains, when Wheeler with his entire force started on his great raid in the rear of our armies entering the Sequatchie Valley. He burned 500 wagons, going thence to McMinnville and Murfreesborough, pursued by the federal cavalry, which pursued and fought him at all points, until Wheeler was compelled to abandon his raid and fall back on Bragg's main army at Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain.
On the 17th of September, 1863 (Vol. XXX, page 715), an order was issued from the headquarters of the Department of the Cumberland as follows :
"The general commanding directs that Company I, Third In- diana Cavalry be detached, until further orders, for scouting on our flanks under your instruction. As soon as it can be spared from that duty you will order it to report to these headquarters.
"Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
"W. MICHAEL, Major and Assistant Adjutant-General."
Company I of the Third Indiana Cavalry has a history that is its own and peculiarly unique. The company was raised at Knightstown, Ind., by Will C. Moreau, a practicing attorney of that place, who became its captain, with Tighlman Fish as first lieutenant and Oliver Childs as second lieutenant. It was raised with the intention of becoming the bodyguard of Gen. A. Mac- Dowell McCook, commanding a division of Buell's army in Ten- nessee and Kentucky. The company was sworn in at Indianapolis and ordered to report to General Buell at Louisville, and in obedi- ence to this order proceeded to Louisville. But instead of report- ing to General Buell, at once proceeded to Elizabethtown, Ky.,
60
HISTORY OF THE THIRD INDIANA CAVALRY.
where General McCook was stationed, and reported to him. Gen. McCook at once sent the company on a scout to Buckley's farm on Green river, where a large amount of rebel stores were kept in the barns of that farm. These the company burned, and after a day or two returned to General McCook's headquarters at Eliza- bethtown. There the commander of the company found an order commanding him to report at once to General Buell at Louisville, which order was complied with. The company was held there in camp until the army went to Nashville, Tenn., where it was de- tailed on provost duty in the city, and was not relieved from this duty until Bragg invaded Tennessee and Kentucky, when it fell back with the army to Louisville.
In September, 1862, the company first came under the com- mand of Major Klein, who had been in command of Companies G, H and K. All of the commissioned officers of the company had resigned at Louisville on the 25th of January, 1862, and in Febru- ary, 1862, T. B. Wilkinson was made first lieutenant of the com- pany and Charles Hedrick second lieutenant, and A. D. Vanarsdol became captain of the company on the 27th of February, 1862.
"When the army of Buell moved out from Louisville in Septem- ber, 1862, in pursuit of Bragg, who had begun his retreat south- ward, Company I under Captain Vanarsdol went with Major Klein to Nashville, where the company was again detailed for provost duty in that city, and held there until December 25, 1862. Major Klein complained of his command being broken up, and Company I was relieved from provost duty in Nashville and joined him at Triune, and was a part of his battalion in all the service he per- formed until the latter part of August, 1863, at which time Capt. Vanarsdol had resigned the command of the company and Capt. W. C. Moreau had returned to the company recommissioned as its captain.
At this time, by an order from General Thomas' headquarters, the company was detailed as independent scouts or couriers and
61
HISTORY OF THE THIRD INDIANA CAVALRY.
detached from Major Klein's command, and began scouting the country in the vicinity of Chattanooga, accompanied by a young man in citizens' clothes, who seemed to act as their guide, and who was known to the men as Wilson. The company at this time only numbered thirty men for duty. About the middle of September, 1863, this company in its rambles with Wilson stopped at Cotton Ford, near Washington on the Tennessee river, for about a week, from which point Wilson was daily making excursions in various directions either alone or accompanied by two or three men of Company I. At this point Captain Moreau received an order to return with his command to Chattanooga. He crossed the Ten- nessee river at Cotton Ford and, after journeying half a day, learned for the first time that the battle of Chickamauga had been fought, and that the rebel army was between him and Chattanooga. And here the shrewdness and tact of the man Wilson made itself particularly manifest. He was a citizen of Tennessee and had been raised in that part of the country, and was acting under the directions of General Thomas. He was a very bright young man.
He informed the men that he was entirely familiar with the country and would conduct them safely to the Union lines if they would follow his directions. To this there was unanimous assent, and the command continued its journey right on up the river in the direction of Chattanooga. About sundown they came on to two cavalry pickets of the rebel General Wheeler's command, whom they easily made prisoners, as they had no suspicion there were any Union troops on the Tennessee river below them. The Company I men rode by twos and the two prisoners were placed between the men comprising the second and third files from the rear, while Captain Moreau and Wilson rode at the head of the command. All knew when they had captured rebel outpost pickets in the rear of the rebel army that they were within the rebel lines and on very dangerous ground. But they proceeded, and coming in sight of a rebel battery with some infantry stationed at a small
62
HISTORY OF THE THIRD INDIANA CAVALRY.
railroad bridge directly along the road they were traveling, the command was halted. Wilson rode to a house on the hillside over- looking the rebel camp, and requested a small boy standing in the yard to go down and notify the rebel officers in charge of the troops they had to pass, not to disturb a body of cavalry that was coming up, as they were going to the front to charge and drive in the "Yankee pickets." The ruse worked like a charm, and they passed the rebel artillery and infantry undisturbed, and came on to the main body of the rebel army, where the men were cooking supper and roll call was going on, and everything incident to the camp life of a great army full of fight.
Under ordinary circumstances there was danger of the prisoners riding between their guards crying out at any time and giving the alarm, and thus subjecting the entire command to capture; but Jonathan Keller, who with Joseph Higgins had charge of the forward prisoner, says he carried his pistol in his hand, and had warned the man that the moment he gave the alarm he would kill him. The presumption is that the same warning had been given to the prisoner in the rear by his guards, John H. Kennedy and Lewis Micha. At any rate they made no outcry, and as the com- mand passed on rebel soldiers frequently inquired, "Where are you going, boys ?" and the answer was invariably, "To the front to charge and drive in the Yankee pickets," and the response would come back, "That's right; give them h-1."
The command went on until General Wheeler's headquarters were reached, when Wilson, who was conducting the expedition, seemed to be uncertain among so many roads leading in every direction which one he should take to reach the front of the rebel lines. Standing in front of General Wheeler's tent was his big colored hostler, whom Wilson ordered to mount a horse one of the men was leading and direct them up the road on which the rebels were hauling their ammunition, as he seemed to realize that that road would lead to a point on the front of the rebel lines that it
63
HISTORY OF THE THIRD INDIANA CAVALRY.
was desirable, under the circumstances, for his men to reach. The colored hostler mounted the horse as directed, and taking his place beside Wilson, proceeded to escort it as directed until the rebel front was reached. Its supposed mission was made known to the officers in command at that point, and their permission granted for it to go forward, and when outside the main rebel line, where a number of rebel sharpshooters were stationed at various points, Captain Moreau gave the order, "Third Cavalry, charge," and away they went in the immediate direction of the Union lines, fol- lowed by a shower of bullets from the rebel sharpshooters, who seemed to have discovered what they were. They were also greeted by a similar shower from their own men as they were approaching the Union lines, until Sergt. Edgar Henry dashed up to a squad of federal soldiers and informed them that they were firing at their own men, when the firing ceased, and Captain Moreau came up and was known to some of the infantry officers on picket.
The only mishap that had occurred to the command in its ride through the entire rebel army happened between Wheeler's head- quarters and the front of the rebel line, when the prisoner in the rear, guarded by John H. Kennedy and Lewis Micha, requested permission of his guards to get down and fix his saddle blanket, which was granted. For this operation the two guards and the two men in their rear, James Harney and Robert Poor, were halted, and when the saddle blanket was adjusted the four men found themselves some distance in the rear and separated from the main command in the dark, and uncertain as to the direction in which they had gone. Their prisoner told them he knew the road, and piloted them direct to General Bragg's headquarters, where they were promptly taken in as prisoners.
Captain Moreau passed into the Union lines with the other twenty-six men, one prisoner and General Wheeler's colored hostler, who, although scared almost to death, remained with Lieutenant Hedrick, who became captain of Company I, until the
64
HISTORY OF THE THIRD INDIANA CAVALRY.
close of his service in October, 1864. Captain Moreau reported to General Thomas, was relieved of his command and was no more with the company, its twenty-six men being placed under the com- mand of Lieutenant Hedrick. Jonathan Keller says his prisoner also made the request that he be allowed to stop and fix his saddle blanket, which request was declined with the announcement that there would be plenty of blankets left if the prisoner lost his.
While on this detail and after its perilous ride through Bragg's army on the battlefield of Chickamauga, Company I with its twenty-six men under Lieutenant Hedrick was dispatched by Gen. Thomas to establish a courier line between Chattanooga and Bridgeport. When they reached Bridgeport General Wheeler with all his cavalry force had crossed the Tennessee at Cotton Ford below Chickamauga, moved up into the Sequatchie Valley, at- tacked and captured 500 wagons of the supply train of the Union army, recrossed the Tennessee at Bridgeport and was creating havoc among the supply trains and the troops guarding them around Bridgeport. Between that point and Chattanooga Lieut. Hedrick and all of his men but twelve were captured by the rebels but escaped, and after this joined the remainder of the Western battalion of the Third Indiana under Lieutenant-Colonel Klein, and went with it to East Tennessee, where Burnsides was engaged with Longstreet at Knoxville.
The record shows that Lewis Micha and James Harney, two of the men captured on the night Company I rode through Bragg's army, died at Andersonville, the former on the 15th of February, 1864, and the latter July 18, 1864, and James Higgins died at Danville, Va., February 15, 1864.
The official record (Vol. XXX, Part 3, page 836, dated Sep- tember 24, 1863) shows Lieutenant-Colonel Klein at Pikeville, Tenn., with his detachment of the Third Indiana Cavalry, and on the 31st of October, 1863 (Vol. XXXI, page 809), the detach- ment is still shown to be with the brigade commanded by Colonel
65
HISTORY OF THE THIRD INDIANA CAVALRY.
Minty. The next mention we have is that the detachment is with Brig .- Gen. James G. Spears' forces at Loundon, Tenn., on the 3d of December, 1863, where it had gone from Kingston. On this march General Spears' command encountered 2,000 of Wheeler's cavalry under Colonel Hart, and there was some fighting but not serious, as the enemy fell back, leaving six pieces of artillery in General Spears' hands.
CHAPTER III.
After the battle of Fredricksburg in December, 1862, and a second attempt by the Army of the Potomac to move on the enemy later in the winter, and which simply resulted in its sticking in the mud, the conclusion was irresistible that an army encamped on either side of the Rappahannock river during the months of De- cember, January, February, March and April was so thoroughly encased in mud that any important movement was practically im- possible, and both armies settled down to the simple task of watch- ing each other.
Cavalry could get about after a fashion, and the Eastern bat- talion of the Third Indiana Cavalry took its turn with the Eighth Illinois and Eighth New York in picketing the right flank of the army in the vicinity of Dumfries and Quantico creek until about the middle of April. At this time the brigade to which it be- longed, under command of Colonel Davis, of the Eighth New York, moved up the Rappahannock to the vicinity of Warrentown, where it confronted the confederate cavalry watching the ap- proaches to the left flank of Lee's army. Every move of either resulted in some kind of an encounter with the other.
Colonel Davis' brigade crossed the Rappahannock on April 15 at Beverly Ford for the purpose of making a reconnoissance, and on the return the rear guard, consisting of Companies E and F of the Third Indiana, was charged by a much superior force of the enemy, and twenty men, including Lieutenant Shannon, of Company E, were captured with their horses.
In the record we find no report by any federal officer of this affair save the mention of the loss in men, horses and arms. But at page 88, Vol. XXV, Part 1, we find a rather accurate account
66
67
HISTORY OF THE THIRD INDIANA CAVALRY.
(as far as it goes) by R. L. T. Beale, colonel commanding Ninth Virginia (confederate) Cavalry.
"April 21, 1863.
"I submit report of the part taken by this command in the skirmishing on the Rappahannock on the 14th and 15th instant, together with casualties and captures. On the 14th one company, under command of Capt. Stith Bolling, held the ford at Kelleys Mills, and repulsed, with some loss to the enemy, an attempt to cross with a force of two or more regiments. Another company (under the immediate command of Capt. John W. Hungerford), under Lieut .- Col. M. Lewis, held the ford at Beverly Mills. The balance were engaged in watching the enemy at Rappahannock Bridge and re-establishing the pickets driven out in the morning.
"On the 15th the enemy, having crossed in large force at the ford above, flanked that portion of the command under Lieut .- Col. Lewis and came down upon them by surprise. The coolness and admirable maneuvering of Lieutenant-Colonel Lewis and Lieut. G. W. Beale in command of the sharpshooters (dismounted), alone saved the little band. By boldly charging the advance, the dis- mounted men were successfully extricated from a position of great danger. The whole command in the evening supported Col. J. R. Chambliss, Jr., in a charge upon the retreating foe, captured one first lieutenant of the Third Indiana Cavalry, also ten pri- vates, ten horses, ten carbines and seven pistols. Our casualties were one private Company A killed, one private Company K missing (supposed to be captured), two horses killed, one wounded and twelve horses captured. The conduct of the officers and men merits the highest commendation.
"R. L. T. BEALE, Colonel Commanding.
"Brig .- Gen. W. H. F. LEE."
Notwithstanding the statement of Colonel Beale in regard to this affair, nineteen men of Companies E and F, Third Indiana Cavalry, were captured and taken to Richmond. When they were
68
HISTORY OF THE THIRD INDIANA CAVALRY.
conducted to General Fitzhugh Lee's headquarters that officer re- marked to Lieut. A. L. Shannon, one of the unfortunates: "Lieu- tenant, it is on to Richmond now sure enough." But a part of the history of the affair is that by the middle of the following summer the men were all exchanged and back with their companies doing duty as usual.
The following is the list of men who made that trip to Rich- mond, viz. : Company E, Lieut. A. L. Shannon, Sergt. John P. Mathews, James McClain, David Cochran, William H. Stapp, John R. B. Glasscock, George W. Lewis, John Naughton, George W. Pearson, Mathew Glauber, James Graham; Company F, W. B. Downey, Daniel Ely, Daniel Ecklor, Fred Erle, Stephen Good- pasture, Monroe Payton, Jonas Sugden and John O. Martin.
As a member of Company F the writer has a very distinct recol- lection of this affair. The squadron was the rear guard of Colonel Davis' brigade, and had rendezvoused at an old blacksmith shop, which had been a rebel picket post, waiting for the outpost vidette to come in. It had been raining hard since early morning and a ravine that passed this old blacksmith shop was flowing full with a raging torrent of water. The command formed on the side of this ravine next to the Rappahannock, and about one-half mile from the ford of that stream where the brigade had crossed.
The Ninth Virginia, several times as strong as we were, came down over a hill from the west with drawn sabers, yelling like Commanche Indians, calling us ugly names and demanding our surrender. At the command of Major McClure, commanding the squadron, we gave them a volley from our carbines, but they plunged through the stream, which we had supposed, with our volley, would check them. Then began a race of rebels and Yankees mingled in indescribable confusion, all heading for that ford on the Rappahannock half a mile away. It was in that race most of the captures were made.
69
HISTORY OF THE THIRD INDIANA CAVALRY.
In the old blacksmith shop Jonas Sugden, of Company F, had captured and confiscated a rebel haversack containing a very fine hunk of boiled corn beef, and was gloating over his good luck, but in less than five minutes later he was a prisoner on his way to Richmond. History does not record who ate the corn beef.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.