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 44
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May 3d .- Started at 8 A.M .; crossed the Savannah River, and got into the State of Georgia. Continued marching until 2 A.M. The column was continually fired on by bushwhackers, but no one was hurt. We learned to-day that the greater part of the Confederates had reached the Savannah, near Petersburg, and had there disbanded, but a small force with Davis and his Cabinet were reported to be at Washington, Ga., about 18 miles away, and to find the correctness of the report General Palmer sent the Thirteenth Tennessee Cavalry there to investigate. The Colonel of that Regiment started, and when nearing the place was met by a flag of truce, under Colonel Breckenridge, who asked time to consider whether or not to surrender. Instead of forcing the issue, the Colonel stopped and sent back to General Palmer for instructions. Breckenridge having stopped the Tennesseeans, Davis and his party went again on their wanderings, and after much tribulation fell into the hands of the Fourth Michigan, of General Wilson's command. The rebel President had only nar- rowly escaped the clutches of the Thirteenth Tennessee, of General Palmer's command, through a lack of enterprise on the part of the Tennessee Colonel.
May 4th .- At daylight on the march again, going through Danielsville, and reaching Athens at noon. This is another beauti- ful town; the fine weather, roses in full bloom, and the air filled with their fragrance make a happy resting place. In this place 500 rebels were encamped, but not a shot was fired at us, which seemed strange. Plenty of rebel Generals were there, and all mingled with us with the greatest freedom. There is nothing exultant about our men. The people treat us kindly and appreciate the treatment we accord to them. Howell Cobb lives here, and is at home. We have opened communications with General Wilson,
Our Last Campaign and Pursuit of Jeff Davis. 513
whose forces are coming in from the West, and between us expect to bag Jeff Davis. The trains are running between Augusta and Atlanta-Federals and Confederates traveling together. In this town yesterday Confederate money had some value, but to-day it has none. In the town barber shop, which was well patronized, a Confederate officer offered a twenty-dollar Confederate bill for a shave, and the barber refused it, on which the officer twisted the note into shape, lit his pipe with it and stalked out of the shop.
May 5th and 6th .- Nominally the Regiment remained here, but small parties were out thirty miles in search of Jeff. Most all the rebels we mingle with are glad the war is over and that they are going home. A very few don't feel that way. John H. Metzler, of Company K, talking to one on this subject, was informed "that he (the rebel) would rather soldier all the days of his life than go behind the plough again."
The following Sunday Metzler was on picket, under Sergeant Izett, of Company K. Coming up the road through the pines was a colored girl, crying most distressingly. She was well dressed and bright looking. Following close behind was a young rebel officer, mounted, with his revolver drawn. The Sergeant halted him and demanded an explanation. The young rebel said he was driving his remaining slave girl back, and claimed he had a right to do so, as he was a paroled officer. Izett had no particular use for negroes. He was a war Democrat, an excellent citizen and a good church member, but he gave the rebel a scathing lecture, such as he never had before. He was sorely tempted to shoot the rebel, and the fear of the church did not prevent him from using the "cuss" words that the ungodly use, and "he set the captive free."
May 7th .- One of General Wilson's scouts reported Davis to have been twenty-five miles south at 3 A.M. He had been in Davis' company as a Confederate soldier, going home, but left as soon as he could and reported to us. Marched at 6 A.M., by way of Georgia Factory, to Watkinsville, where Major Garner was de- tached with his battalion to pursue General Bragg, who is re- ported in the vicinity of Fair Play. The balance of the command marched to Willis Ferry on the Appalachee river, on the way cap- turing seven wagons of the old Conestoga type, drawn by twenty- three large French Norman horses. In these wagons were four iron-bound kegs containing $188,500 in gold ; several large "W"
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dry-goods boxes in which was $4,265,500 in Confederate money. There was also $645,000 in bonds and securities of several South- ern States ; $480,000 in bonds and securities of the Central Rail- road and Banking Company of Georgia, and $460,500 in notes, bonds, etc., of the bank of Macon. In addition there was $68,- 000 in specie, and three boxes of silver plate and other valuables belonging to private parties. In all, there was, perhaps, about $2,000,000 worth of valuables, besides the large amount of Con- federate money. This property had been hastily loaded on wagons by the officers of the Bank of Macon and other citizens of Macon and vicinity, in order to secure it against capture by the cavalry forces of General Wilson, who was scouring the country to the south. In their efforts to avoid Wilson they fell into our hands and, as the future proved, they had no cause to regret their cap- ture by us. Colonel Betts at once placed Sergeant E. W. Wood and eight men on guard over the wagons, sending the whole train to the headquarters of General Palmer at Athens, who, after hav- ing a careful inventory taken of the valuables captured, sent them to Augusta, Ga., where they were turned over to General Upton in charge of the Union forces there. Captain McAllister, A.A.G., of General Palmer's staff, with a small guard, accompanied the treasure. As the country was filled with the enemy, most of whom were still in arms, it was deemed advisable to secure a pass to Augusta from the Confederate General Reynolds, who was a prisoner in our hands at the time, in addition to the proper author- ity from our commanding General. The party took a train which was crowded with Confederate officers and soldiers who regarded them with great interest, but did not in any way molest them.
After the war General Palmer was informed by John Edgar Thomson, who had been in charge of the Georgia Railroad before he became Chief Engineer of the Pennsylvania Railroad, that all the captured money and other property had been returned to the owners without the loss of a dollar.
Scouting parties were out in all directions, but nothing definite was learned until a dispatch was received from Major Garner saying that Davis and General Bragg had passed through Fair Play at 3 A.M. The command immediately started for that place at 3.30 P.M. and arrived at 10 P.M. We crossed the Appalachee River at Furlowe Bridge, from which place Captain Colton was
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sent to Madison to obtain information. After waiting at Fair Play for the return of this party we started again at I A.M., and marched until 6 A.M., when we halted near Covington to feed.
May 9th .- Major Garner's battalion was guarding the fords and ferries on Ocmulgee River. Scouting parties were out in all directions, and information from one of those, from the Twelfth Ohio, said they were chasing the Davis party, but it turned out to be General Wheeler and his staff, who were captured and brought to Colonel Betts, who had his headquarters at the house of a Mr. Strong.
When the news of his capture spread around our camp many of the boys strolled over to get a look at the man whose command we liad been fighting ever since we joined the Army of the Cumber- land, and who had on two occasions burned our wagons. But he and his party were treated with all the courtesy due to prisoners. No words of derision were uttered that could reach his ears. He was not communicative, but a sullen expression marked his coun- tenance ; dejection was in his looks ; fatigue and want of sleep and rest had nearly worn him out. He would like to have stayed that night with his friend, Mr. Strong, but Colonel Betts could not gratify that desire, as our orders were to move, and Betts was of that kind of a soldier who always obeyed orders, so he mounted and went. Wheeler rode a little spotted horse, apparently an Indian pony. Gradually we learned that it was one captured from General Kilpatrick, of Sherman's command, and later on it was sent to its rightful owner. General Wheeler was sent under guard to General Palmer at Athens.
May 10th .- Lieutenant Philips, commanding a party, captured General Bragg below Concord and west of Monticello, together with his wife, staff officer, three wagons and one ambulance. He stated that he was on his way to General Wilson's headquarters, to be paroled. Philips sent him with a Sergeant and ten men to report to General Wilson. At 9 P.M. orders came to push on, as all trace of Davis' trail had been lost, and the Regiment moved to Rock Bridge, where we arrived and fed at 6 A.M., having marched twenty-six miles.
General Bragg's wife was not altogether amiable. She scolded cur men and applied all sorts of epithets to them, but the principal burden of her song was the disgrace of having been captured by a
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Philadelphia fireman. We were close to Jeff Davis here. Ser- geant Levi Sheffler secured a note in a house, directing them to prepare supper for Jefferson Davis and party, and General Bragg and his party were simply the advance guard to see that the way was clear. In his book, since published, he speaks of being headed off at this place and having to go farther south.
May IIth .- Soon after starting we received orders to proceed to Decatur, and thence to cross the Chattahoochee, and guard all the fords between Sandtown and Suwanee and westward to At- lanta. Moved to the latter place, where we drew four days' rations for the men and two days' forage, the first supplies we have drawn from the Government since leaving East Tennessee. There was a bustle in camp when the ration wagons came out to give us a supply. The last of Uncle Sam's provisions we had was six weeks before, in East Tennessee, and since then we had been living off the country, and had the "fat of the land," but were tired of it. Three hearty cheers from the boys greeted the hard-tack, coffee, sugar and flitch, on which we regaled ourselves, and nothing ever tasted sweeter to us than these rations which we had once despised.
May 12th .- Started at daylight, but before we got our positions to guard the fords orders were received to move the Regiment to Asheville, west of the Coosa River, and from that point, in con- nection with the rest of our brigade, guard all the intersecting and Crossroads from Croxville and Wills Valley south to Wilson- ville, on the Talladega Railroad, and to intercept all parties bound for the trans-Mississippi department. The Regiment crossed the river at Campbellton by a small ferry, and encamped on the west bank.
May 13th .- Our march this day was through a very barren country, entirely stripped by our army in the Atlanta campaign. The citizens had to haul corn for a distance of 100 miles, in many instances. Marched thirty-six miles until 9 P.M., and then turned our horses into a large field to graze and rest, as it was impossible to find anything for them.
May 14th .- Moved forward at daylight, and by sending small parties to different farmhouses, over a distance of twelve miles, we got our horses fed. Marched twenty-eight miles through Possum Snout and across the. Tallapoosa River, and went into camp at 6 P.M. The ford was a deep one and the bottom rocky.
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From necessity some of the men were mounted on mules, which are not as safe as a horse to ride in such cases. Lieutenant Morton seeing E. H. Engel, of his company, so mounted, told him to ride by his side and he would protect him, as his horse was sure, but in the middle of the river Morton's horse stumbled and fell and took Engel's mule with him, so that both riders had to wade ashore in water nearly up to their necks. Little incidents like these gave great enjoyment to those whose horses got over safely, and the bath the two got was needed sadly by all in the Regiment. Our rapid and lengthy marches were very hard on our horses, but we captured sufficient from citizens to keep generally well mounted. In most cases this was only a forced trade of our wearied animals for fresh ones, and in many cases after ours had been rested up they proved better than the ones we had taken. Not a half dozen of the men returned with the same horses they started with, and some of the men used up twenty horses on the cam- paign.
May 15th .- Started at 6 A.M .; crossed Dugdown and Terrapin Mountains, through Shoal Creek P. O., White Plains to Jackson- ville, where we camped at 7.30 P.M. A courier from the Tenth Michigan, marching parallel and south of us, brought word that Jeff Davis had been captured at Irwinville by the Fourth Michi- gan Cavalry. This news caused great cheering by the men of each company as the word was passed down our line of march. It was mortifying to lose our prey after all our hard marches and sleep- less nights and our only consolation was that we made his capture easy for others to accomplish. It was as Gen. Geo. H. Thomas re- marked to his staff at that time "General Wilson held the bag and Palmer drove the game into it." At Jacksonville, Captain Scheide with his Company K was detailed to communicate with General Wilson's forces at Montgomery, Ala.
May 16th .- The Regiment started at 6.30 A.M., but Major Gar- ner and four men were left to parole some Confederates and to intercept any dispatches which might arrive. Some of the enemy entered the town, captured the Major, and would have killed him but for the protests of some citizens and the sudden appearance of the four men, who at once opened fire and drove the rebels off. About the same time two men, of Company L, riding in the rear of the column, were captured by some of Wheeler's men, who
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stripped them of their arms, horses and any personal property they wanted and then let them go. Colonel Betts, fearing for Major Garner and his party, sent a detail back for his protection, which arrived at Jacksonville just as the Major's own guard were driv- ing the rebels off. The command crossed the Coosa River at Ten Island Ford, from which place the first and third battalions were sent south to guard the roads above and below Broken Arrow. The second battalion moved to Greensport and encamped.
May 17th .- The Regiment was broken up into small detach- ments and stationed at different points, from Blairsville south for twenty-five miles, with orders to arrest all fugitive parties not paroled, and also those whose paroles were irregularly made out. A good many of these irregular paroles were those we had given to the returned Confederates in Lincolnton, N. C. At that place ยท one of the largest rooms in the court-house was used for this pur- pose, and one of the companies of the Fifteenth was detailed to make out the papers and administer the oath of allegiance. It ought to have been a solemn affair, but instead it was amusing and jolly. When told to "kiss the book" the smack was given with a gusto, and one enthusiastic rebel said "he was so glad that if necessary he would eat the book." Instead of attending to each one sepa- rately, which was slow, they paroled them in squads. The rebels said the politicians had fooled them into going to war, but would not acknowledge being whipped, only overwhelmed. Between jokes, handshaking, speeches and cheers many of the paroles were not made out correctly, and later on the process had to be gone over again. The headquarters of the Regiment were at Ashville, Ala.
May 19th .- Forage being scarce, the whole command moved west across to Murphrees Valley, twelve miles, and took up a new line, parallel to the former one. Colonel Betts' quarters were at Colonel Staton's plantation, who was known in this region as a Union man.
May 22d .- In obedience to the orders received to move to Guntersville, Wagner and Kramer marched with their battalions by way of Brooksville and Big Spring, and Major Garner's by way of Campbell's store, the whole command reaching Guntersville on the 23d, where the boys were made happy by receiving the first mail after a two months' absence.
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May 24th .- Crossed the Tennessee River and marched for Huntsville, forty-two miles distant, where we arrived the next day, and encamped in a beautiful grove, one mile from town, on the Meridianville road. Since we left this place on March 5th the Regiment has participated in the longest raid made by any of our forces during the war, having marched about 2000 miles.
June Ioth .- Major Wagner's battalion took the cars for Nash- ville, and the balance of the Regiment followed the next day, arriving on the morning of the 12th, and making camp about two miles from the city, on the Murfreesboro pike. By the 21st the muster-out rolls were completed, and the command was mustered out of service by Major Hough, excepting 162 recruits, who were retained for duty at Department Headquarters, under Capt. Jas. H. Lloyd, First Lieut. W. W. Borst and Second Lieut. Eben Allison. This company, known as A, was soon after mustered out of ser- vice by order of the War Department. In addition to the above the Regiment numbered 627 men when mustered out.
WITH GILLEM'S TENNESSEEANS ON THE YADKIN.
HOWARD A. BUZBY, COMPANY E, GERMANTOWN, PHILADELPHIA.
T HE order was to report "light," turning all else into the com- pany ; so I went hustling around, had new straps put on my Texan spurs, gave "Camelback" an extra rub, sleeked out his mane and tail and cleaned up my boots. My messmate Lewis had received a commission in another regiment and was gone, but the whole company helped to spruce me up, and I take this opportunity to thank Chalmers, our saddler, for his many acts of kindness. Among the rest he made a leather arrangement for me to carry my grub, which is now hanging up in my room over the head of my bed. Finally the fixing was over, and bidding the partners of my toil good-bye, I went on my way to report to General Palmer, humming the tune of "Oh, Dear, What Can the Matter Be?" I had often been away from the company on this same kind of duty, but this was to be permanent. Arriving at our leader's headquarters I soon found out all about it. Six men, from different companies, had been selected as an escort to the General, to be used as the reader will soon learn. Sergeant Agnew was our head, and as he was one of the handsomest men in the Regiment, as well as one of the bravest, we were satisfied.
We are now mounting for the start. The General is in the saddle. His command consists of our own Regiment, the Fif- teenth, the Tenth Michigan and the Twelfth Ohio. Our work begins at once. One goes to the Fifteenth with orders, another to the Tenth Michigan, another to the Twelfth Ohio and another to General Stoneman. So you can easily see we were beginning to know all about it. As we were not at liberty to tell what we knew then, I am going to take that liberty now. The Fifteenth, with General Palmer, takes the advance, followed by the Tenth Michigan and the Twelfth Ohio, Stoneman and Gillem with other troops bringing up the rear. We have, all told, some 1500 or 1800 men, and General Gillem about 4000 or 5000-Stoneman, a
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With Gillem's Tennesseeans on the Yadkin.
Major General, commanding the whole-and in this order we took the road over the Blue Ridge into North Carolina. General Pal- mer had sent back the wagons of the Fifteenth before this, and he now dropped the wagons of his entire brigade. We had a mule to each company to carry horseshoes, and that was all.
We are far up on the Ridge, and when darkness begins to cover the land one of our fellows is sent back with orders for the troops to build fires alongside the road, which is steep and narrow. Another one is sent back to see how General Stoneman is coming on, with our General's compliments, etc. The writer was this one. The job, however, was not an enviable one. The fires were light- ing everything around about, and the troopers looked like mounted specters, moving silently along. On the one side were the troopers, taking up nearly the whole road ; on the other was the dark ravine below, with the tree tops coming up nearly on a level with the road. On a steady hand and a sure-footed horse depended your safety. The whole scene was one never to be forgotten.
My get-up was the same as a Fifteenth man, and for some reason the Tennessee troops called us dragoons. I think it was because we wore the orange colors of the dragoons and had been drilled by the dragoons of the regular army before taking the field. Time and again a trooper would shout out, "Where are the dragoons?" and the answer would come back, "The dragoons are leading." Then they would pass the word along the line, "The dragoons are ahead," which seemed perfectly satisfactory, as they knew they would clear the road if possible, as they had done many times before.
But here come Generals Stoneman and Gillem with their troops. I turn and ride beside Stoneman. "General Palmer sends his compliments, etc." Stoneman has no orders, only "not to get too far ahead." I am now going with the tide, and making better time than on the down trip. "Camelback" and I are forging ahead, and arrive at the head of the column, which has gone into camp. I reported Stoneman's order not to get too far ahead, and was soon asleep on my blanket.
Time and tide wait for no man, and morning came before I was ready for it. But Agnew was a just one, and he used the others, leaving me to rest as long as possible. But we are all soon in the saddle and on the road, leaving the Blue Ridge behind us. The
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Tenth Michigan is ahead, the Fifteenth closely following and the Twelfth Ohio in the rear of our brigade. The rain begins to come down in torrents. I had ridden behind Palmer many hundred miles, and knew when his heel would go in toward his horse's side, but not touch it, that he was in deep thought, and wanted to hurry more than he could to make some point. Both heels were going now, and even my own were, but why I did not know. We are now passing through quite a village, and at last come to a wide river (the Yadkin), which is running wild, and which we soon find out we are about to cross, as those at the front are already entering.
I am ordered to remain on this side until all our troops have crossed, to note the place where they came out, and when General Stoneman comes up to show him where we entered and where we came out on the other side. The streams rise very suddenly in this section of the country-caused by the water from the moun- tains, in times of heavy rains, and it was doing its best in that way now. I had nothing to do but to sit on my horse and look into the faces of the troopers and watch the horses as they went down into the river. Some never reached the other side. One out of our Regiment, and how many more I do not know, was drowned. It was a fearful sight. Almost any horse can swim, but you must let him have his head, ease up off the saddle and swim a little yourself.
A large house, with a piazza in front, was on the right of where we came out, and as I could see men moving about on it, I took it for granted that General Palmer had taken that house for his headquarters, and with his field glasses was looking for the head of Stoneman's command. As the rain was coming down in tor- rents and my horse was very restless, and not wishing to be left, I rode back to the village we had passed through. A blacksmith shop, with a shed in front, seemed to afford a good shelter, and so I rode under the shed and dismounted. The houses seemed de- serted, but I could see children peeping with frightened looks out of the windows. All was quiet with the exception of the down- pour of rain. Maybe those children are now telling their children how the Yankees went through the town ; how first, when they were not thinking about it, a whole lot came-and they thought they would never stop coming-in the pouring rain, went
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quietly along and down to the river and crossed; and how, after a while, a Yankee came tearing back and went under the shed of the blacksmith shop, got off his horse, shook out his gum talma and tried to get the door open. They thought, perhaps, he came back to get his horse shod, but mother said he was a vedette and to be careful, for these Yankees would kill anything they saw. Then he sat on a log, took off his boots and emptied the water out of them. His horse seemed like a pet, and went smelling about the shed as if he wanted to see everything. Every once in a while the Yankee would get up and look down the road, and at last jumped on his horse and rode out in the road. That is what those chil- dren, who are now grown men and women, could tell their chil- dren, for that was about the way it was.
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