USA > Mississippi > History of Company K, 27th Mississippi Infantry, and its first and last master rolls; > Part 4
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Excerpt, by: R. A. Jarman, from the Aberdeen Examiner, April 4, 1890
2005170 NO. 1-Page
I do not now recollect how long we stayed here, but our next move was when Gen. Hood started to the rear of Sherman at Atlanta. We went across to a little old town then deserted, or rather moved on the Atlanta & West Point railroad to Newman. While here two Monroe county men came to see us one morning, Ira G. Holloway and James Holloway, and when we asked them to stay to dinner with us, they consented if it did not deprive us of our rations, and when assured it would not, they cheerfully accepted the invitation. The day before Bob Mays, while scouting between the lines, had brought a bee gum and hell to kill a hog; but the Federal cavalry run them off the hog once, but they went back and got it again, and that morning my servant, Rafe, had come in with about a half bushel of biscuits ready baked and some butter, so you ought to ;have seen u trying to put on style to our guests. Mr. Ira Holloway said when he saw the sprea. that it was more than he had seen one mess have since he had been in the army, but he had just come to the army. Our next move from here, I think, was to near Marietta, Georgia, and while there two of Company K, who I will call Allen and Butler, as both are now living in Monroe county on the east side of the river, for fear of hurting their feelings, (but Allen and Butler are their true given names! came to me late one evening, as I was then acting Orderly Sargeant, and said if I would manage to excuse them a while from fatigue duty on breast works we Eding there, they would give me some mutton, and being a dear lover ", with some four or five others. Afterbeing
No fault of the Capaz Machine,
cine creaking back, muddy and wet and no wat tastead of sheep they had seen, it was where
Wren slaughtered and the paunches had been left, Take a flock of sheep lying down. I will not say I was told to have shot a paunch and then jumped on wy they had to stop at the branch and wash, and '" the rest of the war we would holler at them every : : 5 come up and draw their mutton; we missed After leaving the line formed near Marietta,
and went south of Rome, Georgia, and crossed the
. .. Sh river at a little place called Coosaville. On this march one evening we came to a large creek across the road and a lane on one side of the creek we were on, and the dividion was put in double column, one on each side of the road and the men all ordered to pull off shoes and pants to wade the creek, which at :że ford was about two and a half feet deep probably three feet, and just as the head of the column started to ford the creek, along came two ladies in a buggy and had to face a whole division of men in their shirt tails, and the whoop that went up along the lins as they passed through could have been heard fully one mile. We filed to our right as soon as we crossed the creek and camped on the banks; that night my mess had slap jacks and molasses for supper. Next day just before we got to the Coosa river we passed in the evening a little school house near the road, and as we passed there were two girls, or young ladies, and one boy sitting the door of the school house and singing 'I am a Rebel Soldier, " and I heard they were there at dark still singing as our bare-footed squad came by. That night
Excerpt, by: R. A. Jarman, from the Aberdeen, Examiner, April 4, 1890
NO. 1-Page 3
when camped at Coosaville, Bob Mays was detailed to guard a sweet potato patch, and when I carried supper to him he had near half a bushel ready for me, so that next day we had plenty of roasted potatoes. Next morning, I think it was, that the bare-footed squad were ordered to the slaughter pen, and there got fresh raw hide to make mocasins, out of, and to turn the hair side in; the boys said that they felt comfortable at first, but when they got hot and dry they hurt the feet, and as a matter of course were then thrown away, but renewed each morning.
Our objective point now was Resacca, Georgia, and when we arrived in front of the place the Federals held the position we had in May, and we occupied their position, but we did not charge the works as they had, we simply held them there while the other part of the army tore up the railroad to Dalton, and captured the stockades near Dalton, held by negro troops, that being done, we filled the gap in the mountain with timber to keep from being pursued too fast by cavalry and artillery, when we turned southwest for Gadsden, Alabama, for supplies. We stayed at Gadsden only a day or two, but left there hurriedly in the evening, with our three days rations only about half cooked. We carried our meat, of course, but the bread stuff was corn meal dough, and had to be thrown away. Next day at 12 o'clock my mess ate up the last of our three days rations, and as we were then on Sand Mountain, it looked gloomy, or as the boys expressed it, starvation stared us in the face as big as a ten acre field. But thanks again to Rafe, he got us a large turkey gobler and about thirty pounds of flour and a canteen of sorgum, and I with some other men on a scout for some- thing to eat, got the sholder of a fresh killed hog, skined as a matter of course. We cooked the pork and some biscuit that night, dressed the gobler and carried him all next day and roasted him that night at the foot of Sand Mountain, while Bob Mays again got more potatoes to eat with the turkey gravy that we caught while baking in our tin plates. We went on in the direction of Decatur, Alabama, but our command did not go through to Decatur, but were close enough to hear firing there. We struck the Memphis & Charleston railroad between Decatur and Courtland and followed the railroad to Leighton. Just before we got to Leighton, about four miles, I got leave of absence for six hours to visit an uncle there, and here I again got a good supply for my mess in bacon and biscuits. We camped for the night at Leighton, but early next morning we started in the direction of Florence, Alabama, and that evening we crossed the Tennessee river by Ferriago in some pontoon boats, above Florence where there is an island in the river. We ferried to the island, pulled our boats across the island and ferried the other prong of the river. Gen. Sharp's birgade with our division commander, Gen. Edward Johnson, preceded us. While the 27th Mississippi was in the boats the Federal cavalry began to fire on Gen. Sharp's brigade and a few stray shots at us, but Sharpe's birgade soon captured the detachment of cavalry sent against us, and that night we camped in Florence, but it was late when we got there, as it was dark before all of our birgade crossed over. We did picketand guard duty
Excerpt, by: R. A. Jarman, from the Aberdeen Examiner, April 4, 1890
NO. 1-Page 4
around Florence for some two weeks, and nearly every day or night for part of the time had skirmishing with the Federal Cavalry. Finally, when the drift and high water in the Tennessee river permitted the army to keep up its pontoon bridge, the main army crossed over and rations became more plentiful. Our division was sent out to where the Huntsville road crossed Shoal creek, and early one morning Sharpe's brigade waded over and got behind a brigade of Federal cavalry and routed them and capturing part of their commissary stores gave us for a few days good fat beef. We continped on picket along Shoal creek until the army commenced its advance into Tennessee. While here on Shoal creek the men frequently waded over under the cover of our rifles and gathered corn to bring back with them to a mill on our side of the creek and have it ground. The corn and mill belonged to the same man, but he said he had rather the Confederates had it than the Federals, and besides he got the toll out ot it, which if the Federals got it he lost. While out here, we had clothing issued to us at the following very cheap rates for jeans jackets and pants. Drawers, $3.00; pants, $12. 00; jackets, $14.00; shoes, $10.00; socks, $1. 00; blankets, $10.00; shirt, $3. 00; wool hat, $5.00; cap, $2.00. For the last six or eight weeks I had been acting Orderly Sergeant, as there was not a non-commissioned officer in our consolidated company. While on Shoal creek we got from the fields . near us plenty of peas, but they had to be got after dark. In my next I will take up our trip to Nashville and back.
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R.A. Jarman
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THE ABERDEEN EXAMINER
The Right: Nor Courting Favor, Nor Fearing Condemnation
Aberdeen, Mississippi, Friday, April 11, 1890
NO. 2
Excerpt, by: R. A. Jarman
The History of Company K, 27th Mississippi Infantry, continued
We left our position on Shoal creek, near Florence, Alabama, where we were doing picket duty, about the middle of November 1864, and marched up Shoal creek and joined the balance of our corps. The first town I now re- collect of passing thro' was Laurenceburg, Tennessee, and from there on to Columbia. About the second day's march we were joined by Forest's cavalry. They had a few days before taken some Federal transports on the Tennessee river, and many of them had two or three pairs of extra new shoes tied to their saddles, and at first they gave them away to the barefooted infantry until they had only those on their feet, then at night the barefooted infantry stole those they wore; for they said it was no harm for a cavalryman to be barefooted, as he had a horse to ride. When this expedition started, I think it was intended to forage on the country for supplies to feed the army; and at times bread was scarce, and the men to get bread would, as soon as camp was struck at night, fell a large tree and cut a square hole in the body of it as deep as it could be cut with a pole ' ' axe, and when the chips were cleaned out nicely, about a pint of shelled corn put in, and we began to pound it with a pestle, slowly at first, then harder after the grains were cracked, and then we sifted out the finest meal; put back the rest and pound again, sift out the meal and then use the coarsest for hominy. We called this going to Armstrong's mill; and it was surprising how soon we could get enough meal for supper, and while supper was cooking we generally prepared enough for breakfast. We also found plenty of Irish potatoes and pumpking, all of which we used. We would buy pork occasionally, and when we could not buy it somebody would go foraging and kill a hog and skin it; but that was dangerous work, for when caught generally a hog-sking cravat was gotten, by taking a piece of hog-skin, cutting a hole in it and sliping it over the offenders head and making him wear it all day with the Provost guard. Some times they would have to carry a fence rail all day in addition to their accountrements. None of Company K was ever caught or had a hog-skin cravat, or carried a rail, but we got our share of meat all the same.
Excerpt, by: R. A. Jarman, from the Aberdeen Examiner, April 11, 1890
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NO. 2-Page 2
When the army arrived at Columbia, Lee's corps, or at least Johnson's division, camped some three or four miles south of town, near the fine farms said to to be owned by the Polks at that time. For two or three days then we, that is Johnson's division; were part of the army sent to flank the Federals out of Columbia. We marched east, crossed Duck river on a pontoon bridge, and again struck the turn pike two or three miles south of Spring Hill; but that day our division was guard for wagon train and artillery, but I think we had only ordnance along with us. Our brigade did not get up until after day light next morning, although we could hear firing during the evening and night proceeding, and we had to push the wagons and artillery out of the mud, for we had left turn pikes and traveled across country roads, and they resembled our prairie roada in the winter time for mud. About 2 o'clock that night the brigade was halted and stacked arms to rest and wait for all the wagon train to get together, and we were allowed to lay down and go to sleep awhile. Boy Mays, Green Westbrook, Jim Thompson and myself lay down on a flat lime rock to keep out of the mud, but we did not sleep long, for it was the coldest bed I ever had; we got up and moved to the mud like the rest, and then slept very well while we lay there. We started next morning, November 30th, 1864, and joined our division about an hour by sun, where they had stayed most of the night before, and let all the Federal army pass out on the turn pike in four hundred yards, or less of them. Shortly after joining the division I saw two ladies come into our lines marching a Federal prisoner in front of them, with a musket at "shoulder arms, " and you could have heard the shout that went up as they passed down the lines with their prisoner, for miles, It was said by the men at the time, if a line of battle had been formed across the turn pike that night, the probabilities were that the entire Federal army and wagon train might have been captured; but of that I can only speak from hearsay, as we did not get there until after daylight next morning.
During the morning we were joined by the other two divisions of our corps, that came from Columbia along the turn pike with the remainder of the wagon train, when we pressed on to Franklin, Tennessee, and arrived in front of the place late that evening. Again Johnson's division was put in line of battle (and the other divisions of our corps held in reserve) and after dark we were ad- vanced through an old field on the extreme left of our line, next to the Harpeth river, and told to hold our fire until we reached the first line of breast works, as Bate's division were holding the first line of works and were out of amunition. We did not find Bates' division, but instead, when about forth steps from the works we re- ceived a volley of musketry that made a considerable thinning in our lines, but we raised a shout and went at them with loaded guns and carried the works by storm, except where Managault's brigade was; they ran, and left us exposed on our right to a terrible cross fire down our lines that told sadly next morning from the dead and wounded on the field. During the fight we ran short of amunition, but caught a Federal ordnance bearer from the opposite side of the works and pulled
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Excerpt, by: R. A. Jarman, from the Aberdeen Examiner, April Il, 1890
NO. 2-Page 3
him over to us with a box full of cartridges, about one thousand, when we were again in good shooting fix, and we used it well, to make a noise at least, from the looks of a locust thicket in our front next morning.
Here at Franklin Company K lost J. S. Gladney, captured ;. J. B. Mckinney and G. W. Westbrook, wounded. Here Lott, of Company F and myself had a shooting match with two Federals across the breast works, and at first it looked as if we were to lose, but they had too much tangle leg in them, and we came off winners; .... the distance was about eight feet. Next morning early, while reviewing the fight and making report to headquaters of killed, wounded and missing, Bob Mays, Company K and Ratlif, of Company B, came in from a scout through Franklin with a side of bacon and box of crackers, which were very acceptable to us, as for the last two days we had been on short rations, and while discussing the crackers and bacon Rafe came in with a supply of buscuits and meat for our mess. We stayed at Franklin all that day, December 1st, 1864 and early next started for Nashville. All along the turn pike we found evidence of the hasty retreat made by the Federals, in dead left along the road unburied, and the number of wagons abandoned wherever a team would give out, and frequently dead mules left to wagons.
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That evening we arrived in front of Nashville, and in due course took our. position in line of battle, investing Nashville, where we went to work building breast works as if we intended to make a regular siege. We prepared our mortars a! again begun to pound corn for bread and hominy, and occasionally made a raid on a nieghboring hog pen for meat. The men tired of that, so one night four men from the 27th Mississippi borrowed the mules from the tool wagon and visited the supply train, about two miles off, and got three sacks of flour and a side of meat, and the representative of Company K in this raid furnished us with biscuit for several days. Rafe rendered us valuable assistance by foraging for us, but McRea's ser- vant, Bob, deserted and went over to the Federals, while Rafe stayed in line of battle except when foraging.
Finally, on December 15th, the Federal commander at Nashville, being heavily reinforced, sallied forth and attacked our lines on the right, and our position being near the centre, our dividion was double quicked to support the line where it was attacked. In this battle, T. W. Carr, Company K, was captured, and if any were wounded or killed in Company K, do not now recollect it. That day I had to part company with my old and trusty rifle that I had carried and used so long, for the hammer was blown off; but I soon got another of the same caliber -- an imported "Tower" rifle -- that served me well; but it was longer and heavier than the one I had been using.
That night our lines were reformed, and we were this time near the right of the line, and as the battle progressed on December 16th, we were moved to support the extreme right of our lines, and while we lay here in reserve behind
Excerpt, by: R. A. Jarman, from the Aberdeen Examiner, April 11, 1890
NO. 2-Page 4
a hill, it seemed as if the Federals were shooting crooked cannons from the forts and batteries in Nashville, fro they could throw their shells right in our midst, and from killed and wounded men and horses, a small branch in our rear ran red with blood, that is bloody water. Finally, late in the evening, with but little fighting on our part of the line, our line broke, then stampeded to our left and to the left of the Franklin turn pike, and we were forced to retreat by marching east instead of south, and it finally became dark so we were not pressed hard; but they pressed hard on those that retreated by the turn pike. After dark Gen. Brantly pressed a guide and put him in charge of sic men, with orders to shoot him if he betrayed us to the enemy. He piloted us out safe, and we struck the turn pike five or six miles from Franklin, and inrear of where the Confederates had again formed line of battle. Up to this time we had no straggling from our brigade, as all feared capture, but when the men found out that a line of battle was between them and the enemy, they began to straggle and when stopped south of Franklin, after midnight, there were only four men in the consolidated company to stack arms, and when rations was brought to us we had a full supply, and when Rafe came to us from the cook wagon, we had four our mess as much as we cared to pack with us next day. Next morning the stragglers began to come in early, i before we got up, for they were hungry. That evening we were camped near Spring Hill as rear guard, and during the night a squad of Federal cavalry dashed . through our lines, but did no damage that I now remember. We were in the rear until we crossed the Duck river at Columbia. Here at Columbia we rested one day, and during the day it rained very hard. When we left Columbia for Pulaski, we were put with the pontoon train as guard, and ordered to push for the Tennessee river. When we got to Pulaski in the evening, it was sleeting, and next morning the ground was covered with snow several inches deep. We were camped that night on a high hill, with nothing to make fires of except green beach and gum; but we moved rails from a distance of near half a mile to make fires, and when we once got good fires burning we soon got comfortably warm. Some of the regiment that were noted foragers, that night, slept in hen houses in Pulaski with the in- tention of getting chickens next morning, but the chickens beat them up and they lost their game for that day. We did not go far next day; only passed Pulaski and crossed the Elk river, a short distance. Next morning we began the retreat in good earnest. The night before we got back to Shoal creek a colored driver in the supply train brought to our mess a side of meat and some flour, and wanted his supper. He said he could get supplies, but could not cook it; and it was very acceptable, for that night we had only Irish potatoes for supper; but it was a bad chance to cook flour with nothing to bake it in, so we boiled some meat and potatoes together until about done, when some one suggested that we have what they called at his home "drap dumplins, "which was to make the flour into a batter for flap jacks, and while potatoes and meat were boiling, to drop in a spoonful of batter at a time, and we eventually stirred the whole together, ate supper that night, and next morning for breakfast, in cutting it out of the camp kettle, we got
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- Excerpt, by: R. A. Jarman, from the Aberdeen Examiner, April 11, 1890 · NO. 2-Page 5
meat, bread and potatoes all in the same slice. We arrived at Shoal creek about the middle of the evening on December 24th, 1864, tnd about four inches of snow on the ground, and were ordered to wade the creek. Some roled up their pants but as soon as the icy waters touched their naked legs they came out of it and no persuasion or coaxing could get the brigade in until Gen. Brantley's horse stepped on a slick rock in the creek and fell with him, ducking him good, then the men took to the water like ducks, laughing as they went. The water very, very cold; but there was a row of fence fired for us to warm by on the south bank. After warming a short while we were told for every man to get a piece of fire, as were going into camp for the night, close by.
Next morning we were up by time and marching for the Tennessee river, where we began at once to put in a pontoon bridge, just below the shoals in the river where there used to be a little town called Bainbridge. The first thing done was to lach two or three pontoon boats together and use them as a ferry boat to cross over some artillery and horses to go towards Florence and protect our bridge from Federal gun boats until the army could cross. We had the. bridge completed by 3 o'clock that night, when at once the wagon train started over.
While here in the flat on Tennessee river and the whole army ; camped on the bluffs above, it looked like a hard place to forage at; but one of Company K, and three other men of the regiment went foraging; one of the men was barefooted too; that night from cavalry headquarters of Gen. Jackson's they got a pair of boots that fit the barefooted man, a sack of flour about 50 pounds, and camp kettle of beef off the fire. After the wagon train and most of the infantry had crossed over, our division was crossed over on Tuesday, Dec. 27th, and as soon as the division was over I got leave of absence for 24 hours to visit my paternal grand mother who lived about four miles off. I got to grand ma's just after dinner, but had a good dinner fixed for me and left next morning, rejoined my command at Cherokee, below Tuscumbia on the Memphis & Charleston railroad after dark that night, when I called for Company K. and Reid Company F. who had carried my gun and accoutrements for me, poured out the contents of my haver sack, and after supper pulled out several twists of home-made tobacco and then for a smoke by all hands. We continued down the M. & C. railroad to Burnsville, where we crossed over to Rienzi on the M. & O. railroad. While at Burnsville we were mustered, but I do not know what became of the muster rolls made here, in fact I don't recollect now of writing them. When we got to Rienz it was reported that we would go into winter quarters near there, and on the strength of it that morning we sent out scouts for supplies. Adjutant Crump and Capt. Pegg commanding the regiment furnished their horses for some of Capt. ·
Pegg's Company ; to ride. The men were gone all day and night and it looked as if
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Excerpt, by: R. A. Jarman, from the Aberdeen Examiner, April 11, 1890
NO. 2-Page 6
we were to have to report them as deserters, but next morning just as we were reporting after the first hours march, the four men came in, uch to our relief. The evening before several men were scouting or rather foraging and furnished us with plenty of pork. We continued our march south along the M. & O. railroad until we reached Tupelo, Mississippi, where several companies from North Mississippi in the brigade received a furlough for ten days. I also furloughed Rafe and sent him home to get clothing for Company K.
R.A. Jarman
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The Aberdeen Examiner, Friday, April 11, 1890
NO. 2
The surviving members of Company K, 27th Mississippi Regiment, are requested to meet at W. A. McMillan & Son's, Saturday, May 3, 1890, at 12 m. to take some steps to have a re-union of the Company in July.
R. A. J.
THE ABERDEEN EXAMINER
The Right: Nor Courting Favor, Nor Fearing Condemnation Aberdeen, Mississippi, Friday, April 25, 1890
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