USA > Pennsylvania > History of the Fifteenth Pennsylvania volunteer cavalry which was recruited and known as the Anderson cavalry in the rebellion of 1861-1865; > Part 27
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At last we arrived where the bloody deed was to be done. The victims were startled at our approach and were grunting through the rails at us. One of our number proposed letting one out. That would not do, as they might all get out. After several plans had been discussed and as time was flying, it was decided that we should jump over into the inclosure and slash away with our sabers and axe and clubs until we had killed one. At last we were all in
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the pen slashing away. It did not work. The hogs became en- raged, and for a time it seemed as if a party of the Fifteenth would have to fly from a lot of swine. But there was one with us from Adams County, a farmer's son, and he took command of us and the axe. We were to center on one particular hog. It was very unlucky for that animal that he was born with two white spots on his hams, for that was the cause of his being killed and eaten. He was a black one, with the exception of the two white spots. The whole assault was directed on him, and the axe, the sabers and the clubs and stones were all directed to those two white spots. Blinded and confused, the poor animal became separated from his fellows, when a powerful blow from the axe brought him to his knees, and with a squeak he gave up the ghost. He was larger than we had thought him to be, weighing perhaps some 400 or 500 pounds, but we pulled him through the fence and down to the creek. We were all butchers in one sense of the word, but not in another.
We did not complete the job as clean and as fine as a regular butcher, but the creek was a big thing in cleaning up matters and making the meat salable and eatable. We left the head, as we could not make scrapple, and we also left the sausage meat and the things to put the sausages in. We skinned him, and then came one of the grand acts of my life. I made sure he was dead before beginning to skin him; and then we began to cut him up and divide. Being an invited guest, they gave me a ham. The pieces were all allotted around. The Adams County man who commanded us and the axe had the pick, the picket got one set of the spare ribs and the guard the other set, and all were satis- fied. Then we hurried. The moon which had given us light was now lighting the country of Li Hung Chang. In sneaking to my tent I was hailed by another guard, but he was a good friend of mine and I promised him a piece of the hog, and all was well.
Having arrived at the tent, the first thing to do was to wake up Lewis, who, loving me as a brother and fresh pork as a sister, was delighted to see us both. We quickly gathered up the blanket and scooped out a hole and buried the ham, the same as the dogs do, for some future time. Soldiers as a general thing do not carry watches, so we did not know what time it was. However, we knew it was near morning, and again we were stretched on our
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mother earth. I felt ashamed to repeat the little prayer, and instead promised Lewis to tell him all about it in the morning.
I hardly got into a good doze when Sergeant Burton poked his head in the tent, and, calling me by name, said, "You are to report to Colonel Palmer at once." It came so sudden as to almost stop circulation, and I believe I would have died of heart disease if it had not been for Lewis. He turned over, and said, "I told you so," which made me mad. Circulation came back with a rush, and I was soon on my way to the Colonel's tent, with my mind filled with strange forebodings of evil. Decision of character is a good thing to have, and I made up my mind to face the music like a man. The camp was all asleep, although the glorious day which follows the night was near at hand. The Colonel was up, but not fully dressed. I saluted very low, when 'he, without any ceremony, calling me by my first name, said: "I want you to saddle your horse and take the road leading over Walden's Ridge into the Tennessee Valley. After arriving at the foot of the mountain take the road leading to a small town called Wash- ington, on the Tennessee River." .
I shall not tire the reader with all the instructions. Suffice it to say Longstreet's Corps were encamped opposite Washington, on the other side of the river, and a courier line ran on our side from Chattanooga to Knoxville, through Washington, with which I had nothing to do. As we could see their camp fires and hear their drums beat, I took it for granted that I was to report any sudden move on the other side. The Colonel impressed upon my mind to be polite and courteous to the citizens, to protect their property, etc. I rather winced under that, and so would anybody whose hands were still red with blood. I was to take plenty of coffee and sugar and salt. While he was telling me all this I was so overjoyed that it was not what I expected that I said "Yes, sir ; I understand," to nearly every word he said, and felt like falling down and kissing his foot or toe, whichever the reader thinks would sound best. He closed by saying, "Be alert, go light and make Washington before night. Your messmate will bring you coffee and sugar at the proper time."
Three minutes after the last word Camelback was standing in front of our tent, saddled and bridled, and Lewis was running to the Commissary and filling my saddlebags with coffee and sugar.
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He was anxious to get me off. I was to be out of camp before the Fifteenth was astir and was to answer no questions. I found the road up the mountain and arrived at Washington in time to take my bearings. I took supper and spent the evening with Parson Early and his family, whose acquaintance I made in about five minutes. I told them I had been sent by our Colonel to pro- tect them in their homes and firesides, and to clinch the thing, gave them coffee, sugar and salt.
If a man wishes to find out if he has been consistent, let him sit down and let his mind play on his past life. Here was a man one night doing that of which the reader has been fully informed, and the next night hearing himself mentioned as one sent by Provi- dence to protect his hosts and cheer their hearts in this trying hour. While writing this I imagine that I can see Parson Early and his family sitting around the table with bowed heads. The reader will forgive the guest for his thoughts at that time, for they were in Sequatchie Valley. At this time he was a soldier, trained to adjust himself as a little slot in a little wheel in the big machine composed of many parts, to crush the rebellion.
My stay at Washington extended over several weeks. Lewis was sent over frequently with coffee, sugar and salt.
His first visit to Washington, on the Tennessee River, he told me he would never forget. He rode up and down, wondering how he could find me. I had taken possession of a lawyer's office and saw him wandering around as I was standing in the doorway. I had full possession, the attorney being on the other side of the river. Though overjoyed to see him, I wanted to see how he would manage. At last his eye caught me. He told me a few weeks ago he was never so glad to see anybody before or since. When he came we always had a good time.
It would not do, of course, to take him out to tea or dinner among my numerous friends in Rea County, so we would have a feast in my office. We would cook a big mess of fried pumpkin and other things which were in season and talk ourselves to sleep. His stay was limited to one night. I would feel very lonesome when he was gone, and would mount my horse and take tea with Judge Locke. Mrs. Kelly, "Squire" Darwin, Mr. Gillespie-the latter a relative of the Philadelphia Gillespies-Parson Early or some other of the first families of Rea County. The persons whom
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I have mentioned all had sons or relatives in the Confederate army, but they could not have treated their own sons better than they treated me.
Soldiers at the front are always hungry, so I was delighted when a colored girl-the last slave out of twenty-two that was left to the Gillespies-began setting the table and spreading the cloth, and Mrs. Gillespie said that I must take tea with them, although they had no tea, but would use the coffee which Lewis had brought me. I accepted the invitation with all the politeness at my command. Our leader had taught us to be polite even in taking a chicken, a pig, oats or a horse, and we had learned to do these things so politely that the owners were glad they had met gentlemen who could do these things so gracefully, that they did not feel the loss. With ringing of a little silver bell-a risky thing to have about in war times-Mr. Gillespie and a Fifteenth man were summoned to the dining room. At a glance I saw that these people had seen better days, but the smell of coffee and the bacon frying so occupied my thoughts that I took small account of the magnificent coffee urn, sugar bowl, cream pitcher and the other grand paraphernalia on the table. Knowing how glad society people are to read of teas given and the color of them, I will state that this was a "brown" tea. The coffee was brown, the bacon was brown, the corn bread was brown, the tallow candle gave a brown light and a "brownie" carried the corn bread and bacon from the kitchen. Mrs. Gillespie did the pouring and did it up brown. Mr. Gillespie and the writer did the talking and did it up brown.
I made one mistake in my talking, but discovered it at once, and soon fixed it up. Mr. Gillespie thought that it would be better for the North and South to have separate Governments, and went . on to explain, when I blurted out, with my mouth full of corn bread, that the South would be crushed like a rotten apple. I saw my mistake at once, and hastened to rectify it by saying, "That is, if the two sides do not come to some understanding." I am sorry to confess it, but I backed water badly. I feel ashamed to write all I said, but wound up by saying that together we could' whip the world. I thought that Mrs. Gillespie would fall on my neck and kiss me. I was glad she did not, for Mr. Gillespie looked like a man who would stand no nonsense.
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War's Varied Duties.
All things have an end, and so had our brown tea, and after a very happy evening we parted the best of friends, they to their beds to think of their sons and sons-in-law in the Confederate army, and the Fifteenth man to think where he would invite him- self to tea on the morrow. As the good people in this valley treated me so kindly, I take this opportunity to publicly thank them and mention their names as I remember them, that their posterity may feel proud that their parents so treated a stranger who still thinks of them after a lapse of over forty years. There were Parson Early and his good wife, "Squire" Darwin and Mrs. Darwin, Judge Locke and Mrs. Locke, Mr. Gillespie and Mrs. Gillespie, Mrs. Kelly and family, the Cunninghams and Mrs. Payne. I would include the latter's daughters, but these called us all a lot of Yankee thieves. But we will forgive them, for they were strong for the cause, and the cause is dead.
While sleeping on the roulette table in my little headquarters I was shaken by a heavy hand, and a strange voice said, "Is your name Buzby? Are you a Fifteenth man?" In the twink- ling of an eye I was on my feet confronting a soldier covered with mud, with every evidence of having had a hard ride. "That's my name and I am a Fifteenth man," and in the same breath asked him his regiment and what was the latest. He said, "This is the latest," pulling a dispatch out of his pocket and handing it to me, and while I was reading it telling me that he belonged to the Eleventh Tennessee. The dispatch read, as nearly as I can remember :
"To HOWARD BUZBY :
"MOSSY CREEK.
"You will report to the Regiment at once. Inquire at General Burnside's headquarters at Knoxville. .
"COL. WM. J. PALMER, "Commanding 15th P. V. C."
Soldiers at the front do not carry watches-in fact, have no use for them. They know when they are hungry, they know when it is daytime and when it is night, and that is all it is neccessary for them to know. It was pouring down rain and dark as Egypt, with no stars out to guide either the mariner or the cavalryman. My two visitors said it was near morning and the roads were full of
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washouts, and that we would make better time by waiting until morning, which we did. They made me very happy as they lay on the floor telling me about the Fifteenth. They called our leader a wizard.
With the Fifteenth he was pounding on Longstreet's rear, through Bull's Gap, crossed the French Broad River, had a hard fight at Sevierville, at Mossy Creek, and was on to them day and night, and if he had not been called off would have gone on into Richmond. But I was startled when they told me of the fight at Dandridge-how our advance guard made a charge on the whole of Longstreet's Corps and nearly all were gobbled, killed or wounded. The reason I was startled was that there were besides myself half a dozen Fifteenth men from Germantown, and they always cried to be on the advance guard, not because they were brave, but because they would have the first dip at the chicken roosts along the road. I was an exception. I never cried to be on the advance. Guess it was because I was honest. Sure enough, one of them was with the advance, and when I heard he was gone my grief knew no bounds. I will be honest, and as we are all getting old I will give my reasons. He had shaved me a hundred times without a "thank you," and I believe that through his keep- ing my face clean and my mustache a la Napoleon I was detailed as a mounted orderly. And now who would do it? The thought of losing this lofty position nearly broke my heart. With the rest he was sent to Andersonville, and learned to lick Indian meal like a cow. If the reader wishes to know the particulars he can call at a certain post office at Mt. Airy and inquire for the postmaster. Don't, however, be too sudden on him. First buy a thousand stamps and pay him for them; then ask him if he was a Fifteenth man; then sit down in an easy chair or on the doorstep, and if it is not his busy day he will tell you all about it.
Without bidding farewell to my friends in the Tennessee Valley I took the road to Knoxville. On arriving there I went at once tu General Burnside's headquarters. I first inquired of an orderly if he knew where the Fifteenth Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry was. He did not. Some orderlies don't know much and some know too much. However, I found out that the last that was heard of them at headquarters was that they were at Smoky Mountain and had been ordered back to Chattanooga. I finally
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found that they were on the south side of the Tennessee River, with their horses' heads turned toward Chattanooga. When I crossed the river and struck the road that they were on, an old colored man told me that I was a day and a half behind them. But Camelback smelled them afar off, and quickening his pace came up with them nearly opposite to the place we had started from, but on the south side of the Tennessee River.
My reception was a grand one, but there were no refreshments but a cracker. I will say no more about it, but was surprised at the quantity of "friends" they had brought with them from East Tennessee. The first night I slept in the camp close to my old comrades, and awoke with these "friends," who take a very active part in times of war, running races over legs and back and hold- ing a banquet on a new victim. But in the morning my friend Spang, the artist, told me of a new dodge, which was to shake my clothes over the camp fire, which would make them lose their grip.
I reported to our leader, who shook me by the hand, remarking, "Well, I declare, this seems as if you came out of the ground!" No wonder he was surprised to see me, for in obeying his order to join the regiment I had ridden over a hundred miles and found them within a half mile of the place from which I had started on the hunt.
COMPANY I AT MISSIONARY RIDGE.
FIRST LIEUT. JOHN F. CONAWAY, A. A. D. C., PHILADELPHIA.
O N November 18, 1863, Company I, under Capt. W. W. DeWitt, left the camp of the Regiment on Worthington's plantation, near Pikeville, Tenn., in the Sequatchie Valley, to escort a paymaster to Chattanooga.
The march over the mountains and down the Tennessee Valley was uneventful until we arrived on the banks of the river, opposite Tunnel Hill, about 10 P.M., on the 22d. Here we were suddenly brought in contact with the Army of the Tennessee, under General Sherman, which was then moving through the woods eastward, preparatory to crossing the river early the next morning to attack Bragg's right wing, on Missionary Ridge.
All this was a great surprise to us. Cut off practically, as we had been at Pikeville, very little news of army movements in and about Chattanooga had reached us, but now we suddenly found ourselves in the midst of this grand marching column-slowly but surely making its way to the place of crossing.
It seemed to us that every precaution possible was being taken to keep the movement from the knowledge of the enemy. There was no talking among the men and very little noise of any kind. The officers were holding their swords in their hands, and the wheels of the batteries and wagons were bound with straw. We could distinctly see the rebels, sitting and lying around their camp fires, on the opposite side of the river.
Sherman's army moved on as we were working our way toward Chattanooga, and at sunrise the next morning was seen by us marching up the slope of Missionary Ridge at its eastern extrem- ity, the glint of the sunlight on their muskets resembling very much what the reflection from an immense looking-glass would be, sending its flashes into Chattanooga in regular but quick succes- sion as the column moved and the motion of the men as they marched altered the angle of its face.
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Company I at Missionary Ridge.
It was nearly midnight of the 22d when we crossed the Ten- nessee and reached General Thomas' headquarters. At daylight the next morning our duties began. Having good fresh horses, we were ordered at once, singly and in small detachments, as couriers and orderlies, to all parts of the line, which on that day was formed across the valley in front of the town and facing Missionary Ridge. It seemed to us like a grand dress parade and review of the Army of the Cumberland.
This was the first formation of the army for the general move- ment forward, which resulted, on the 25th, in the capture of Missionary Ridge and the routing of Bragg's forces, with heavy loss, from the stronghold from which he had deemed it impossible to be dislodged. We were awakened in the night of the 23d by heavy firing, and watched the night attack on Lookout Mountain -a grand sight-difficult to describe.
On the 25th the grand and final assault was made. Nothing could resist the charge "onward and upward" until the heights of Missionary Ridge were reached and the enemy forced to retreat in great confusion, leaving their dead and wounded in the hands of our brave comrades.
Just before the final charge some of our boys who had been sent to Fort Wood with important dispatches witnessed the terrible execution of the guns of that fort, particularly on the rebel bat- teries along the top of the ridge. There were present at that time General Grant and his staff, with a number of general officers, watching the progress of the battle with the keenest interest. Suddenly, without any apparent reason, Grant and his staff mounted their horses, dashed down the rear slope of the fort, and we followed them with our eyes until they reached Orchard Knob -still further to the front.
The victory was complete. The members of Company I, whose fortune it was by accident to take part in this battle, performed the duty assigned to them faithfully and intelligently. The Companies of the escort at headquarters-B, H and K-had suffered severely during the siege for want of subsistence, and they were practically dismounted, most of their horses having died of starvation. Then our trouble began. By order of General Thomas all our horses were turned over to the escort, and we started back to camp on foot. What a weary march of seventy-
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five miles that was, only those who participated can fully com- prehend. We pressed into service an old wagon, on which we loaded our saddles and equipments, and drawn by a couple of played-out mules at first, and then by an old cow and ox picked up on the road, after about six days' march we again joined the Regiment at Pikeville. There were stirring times in front of Knoxville about that time, and on December 3d, a few days after our return to camp, Colonel Palmer at the head of the column moved out on what is known as our first East Tennessee cam- paign, leaving behind a small detail from each Company-except- ing Company I, which was ordered to remain in its entirety- unable to move for want of horses. And so we were not per- mitted to participate in the glories of Strawberry Plains, Sevier- ville, Mossy Creek, Dandridge and Gatlinburg.
PATRIOTIC UTTERANCES OF GEN. GEO. H. THOMAS.
CORP. JAMES W. OVER, COMPANY G, PITTSBURG, PA.
T HE couriers who delivered the dispatches at the different headquarters had opportunities of observing many inter- esting incidents. I recall one which was especially so to me. I had carried a dispatch to General Thomas' headquarters in front of Tullahoma, arriving at daybreak. The occupants of all the tents except one were sleeping soundly, and I entered it to deliver the dispatch, I found General Thomas there, so much absorbed in conversation with a native that he did not notice me, and I soon became interested to such an extent as to forget I was intruding. The General was a Virginian, and the Tennesseean had evidently been upbraiding him for his adherence to the Govern- ment. After I entered, the General demonstrated the fallacy of the State rights doctrine, eulogized our Government in the highest terms, showing its great superiority to the Confederacy and Euro- pean governments, and most eloquently portrayed the liberties and privileges of its citizens and the obligations they were under, and especially he, as an officer of the regular army, to support and defend it.
I do not know what effect the General's words had upon the Tennesseean, but I do know that to me they were as a revelation, and made a lasting impression.
Nearly all the officers in our old army who came from the South resigned and took service in the Confederacy, and the few who did not were under the suspicion of our Government that their sym- pathies were still with their own people. George H. Thomas was one of our ablest Generals, and his promotion had been held back from this cause ; but time evens up all things, and before the war ended the Northern people knew that no more loyal man lived than our grand old "Pap" Thomas.
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HENRI LE CARON-ONE OF OUR CHARACTERS.
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FRANK M. CRAWFORD, COMPANY C, PHILADELPHIA.
E VERY cavalry organization in the army is governed by its bugle calls, which, in their way, told us when to perform the various duties of camp life. First came the reveille, which broke up that last nap, which is so enjoyable. Then came roll call, stable call, the recall, breakfast call, guard mount and surgeon's call, to which last a large proportion of the men would always sing the refrain, "Come and get your quinine." These were all sounded before 8 A.M. The various other calls would be sounded through the day, until at last taps, at about 9 P.M., told us to put out our light and go to bed.
After those selected for buglers had mastered the intricacies of their instruments we certainly did have a most excellent corps, one of whom, Wm. M. Murdock, had the proud distinction of being known as "the best bugler in the Army of the Cumberland," and he must have been, for General Thomas made that remark. The subject of my sketch was a good bugler, too, and got the ap-' pointment of chief bugler. He gave out that he was a French- man, and in some vague way the rumor got abroad that he was in some way connected with and related to the Orleans princes. But his odd foreign ways, which we looked on as French, were belied by his habit of talking like an English cockney. He couldn't get his "haitches" in the right position.
I remember one of our night marches when a good many things happened to him. "Hi was asleep on my 'orse," he said, "when my 'at fell off, and when hi got hoff to get hit someone stole an 'am hi 'ad, and while hi looked for my 'am, my 'orse walked off, and so hi lost my 'at and 'am and 'orse, all in five minutes." He was a good-natured, jolly fellow, keen to appreciate a lively remark, which always brought a laugh to his face.
This characteristic of his was the basis of a very funny inci- dent one morning. After our East Tennessee campaign, in the winter of 1863, we encamped between Missionary Ridge and Chat-
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