USA > Tennessee > Johnson County > History of the Thirteenth Regiment, Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry, U. S. A. > Part 20
USA > Tennessee > Carter County > History of the Thirteenth Regiment, Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry, U. S. A. > Part 20
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ecute his orders, the older of the three prisoners asked if there was a Freemason present. Dr. Cameron, who was a member of that order, was pointed out and the prisoner gave him the "Grand-hailing sign of Distress" of the or- der, whereupon Dr. Cameron agreed to take the respon- sibility of requesting Lieut. White to postpone the execu- tion and bring the prisoners forward until Colonel Miller, who was also a Mason, could be consulted. After ques- tioning the men closely and hearing a very straightfor- ward story from them that they were disbanded Confed- erate soldiers returning to their homes, that they had had no arms since leaving the army and were not engaged in the firing on the command, Colonel Miller released them.
On the 24th the command reached Greeneville, S. C., where they got a full supply of rations and remained over night.
On the 25th again crossed the Blue Ridge at Saluda Gap, passed through Hendersonville, N. C., and camp- ed within eight miles of Asheville, N. C. We passed on through that place on the 26th and proceeded down the French Broad river to Marshall, N. C. Having no for- age at that place we left at 4 A. M. on the morning of the 27th; that day, having no feed, the men grazed their horses then moved on beyond Paint Rock where we met a forage train with supplies and encamped for the night.
On Sunday morning, May 28th, we moved at 4 a. m. and our horses being well fed we arrived at Greeneville, Tenn., at 10 A. M. on that day and went into camp. On the 30th the Brigade moved out on the Knoxville road. We were now among familiar scenes, passing over our old battle grounds, nearly every foot of the ground we were traveling over we had contested with the enemy at one time or another.
We arrived at Flat Creek, a few miles east of Knox- ville, about the 2d of June, and remained at that place a day or two, when we moved to Lenoir's Station on the East Tennessee and Virginia railroad (now Southern), 30 miles west of Knoxville.
On this our final raid and our last active service in the
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field we had marched a distance of about 1000 miles, pass- ing through parts of five States and through numerous towns and cities, crossing the principal southern rivers, and crossing and recrossing the different ranges of the Allegheny mountains a number of times.
At the time the regiment left Knoxville to go on the Stoneman raid a few of the officers and quite a number of men were on the sick list and not able to proceed with the command. Those who were unable to be up at all were sent to the hospital while others who were not seriously ill, but were not able for duty, were left in what was termed the "Invalid Camp," under command of Major J. H. Wagner. As they improved they were assigned to various duties, and some made efforts to reach the command. Some of our men who had become sick or overcome with hard marching were sent back from North Carolina and were sent to the Invalid Camp.
S. W. Scott, who had just been promoted to Captain of Company G, and assigned to the command of the company, was sick when the command left Knoxville. Knowing the Regiment would pass through Elizabeth- ton, his home town, he started out with the command, hoping if he did not get able to go farther, to reach his home, where, in case he got worse he would receive the attention of home folks and good nursing. But on the second day he became so much worse that he could not proceed further and was left at the home of Mr.
Newman, close to the old college building near Mossy Creek, Tenn. He was confined to his bed there about two weeks. Orderly James Allan, who was left to take care of him, being anxious to join the command was al- lowed to proceed. Capt. Scott was treated kindly by Mr. Newman, who had sons in the Confederate army, and Mrs. Newman gave him kind and motherly attention. He was treated by Dr. Brumit, a local physician. After re- covering sufficiently he returned to Knoxville, where he remained until the 14th of April, when in company with Capt. B. A. Miller, who had not been able to go with the command on account of sickness, and Dr. A. Jobe, who
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was trying to make his way to his home at Elizabethton, went up to Whitesburg on the train, that being as far as the train was being run east at that time. Captain Miller, Capatin Scott and Dr. Jobe remained at Whites- burg that night, the two former enjoying the hospitality of Mr. George W. Crumley's family, who had been their neighbors at Elizabethton. This party was joined at Whitesburg by four cavalrymen of the Thirteenth, who had been started from Knoxville to bring their horses by the State road. The party accompanied by the sol- diers left Whitesburg on the morning of the 15th, passing through the army corps which had been sent into East Tennessee under Gen. Stanley to cut off Lee's retreat, should he have attempted to go in that direction. Pass- ing through Bull's Gap, near Gen. Stanley's headquarters, we met an orderly riding excitedly and seemingly in a great hurry, but we succeeded in learning from him of the assassination of the President.
Arriving at Greeneville Captains Scott and Miller learned from Major Donnelly, who had returned from North Carolina, that the command had turned back and gone in pursuit of Davis and they returned to Knoxville. Major Wagner having resigned, Capt. Scott was assigned to the command of the Invalid Camp until the Regiment returned, when all joined it and went with it to Lenoir's Station.
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CHAPTER XXV.
At Lenoirs and Sweetwater .- Last Move to Knoxville .- Closing Scenes .- Muster-Out .- Goodby's .- Observation on Army Life .- Summary of Service.
Our Regiment did not tarry long at Lenoirs. We have not the exact dates at hand, as our diary closes on the day we reached Flat Creek, and as the dates are not important we have not taken the trouble to look then up. We remained at Lenoirs until about the Ist of July, grazing our horses and going through with the usual routine of camp duties. Men, as well as horses, needed rest after this long and arduous campaign. Gen. Upton was in command of the Cavalry Division with headquar- ters at Sweetwater, Tenn., 45 miles west of Knoxville. The Brigade was ordered to that place. This was our last trip as cavalrymen, and the move to Knoxville a few weeks later on the cars wound up the itineracy of the Thirteenth Tennessee Cavalry.
We celebrated the Fourth of July at Sweetwater, and felt that it was "a glorious fourth" indeed, that had brought back to our country "the white-winged angel of Peace."
While at Sweetwater the weather was oppressively warm most of the time. We had nice camping grounds bordered with woods, which were kept clean and well policed. The war being over we were daily expecting to receive orders to be mustered out of service, as we could see no reason now why we should be kept in the pay of the Government. In explanation of the cause of so many troops being retained in the United States ser- vice after the close of hostilities we might refer to the situation of affairs in Mexico on our Southern border. In 1864, the Mexican people being engaged in dissention;
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among themselves, the Emperor of France seized the op- portunity of having the Archduke Maximilian of Austria called to the throne of Mexico as Emperor of that Nation. Maximilian was opposed by a large major- ity of the Mexican people who were led by Jaurez, an able Mexican general, who was afterwards president of the Republic of Mexico. Napoleon III, the Emperor of France, sent a French army to assist the disaffected Mex- icans who were favorable to the Emperor.
Our Government, under its much cherished principles of the Monroe Doctrine, was opposed to the interference of foreign nations in the affairs of the Western Continent, but having the Rebellion on its hands was not at that time in a situation to enter into active hostilities with the French Government.
But now, the Rebellion havng been suppressed, the United States became peremptory in its demands for the French army to evacuate Mexico and sent some troops to the Rio Grande.
It was rumored in camp that we were ordered to the Rio Grande. Our officers were all ordered to appar be- fore a kind of examining board to undergo an exam- ination as to their physical fitness for military service, and their knowledge of military tactics and the Army Regulations. This seemed to confirm the rumor that we were to go to Mexico.
Our men as a rule did not want to go, but were an- xious to return and try to build up their desolated farms and homes and join their families from whom they had been so long separated, but the three years for which they had volunteered had not expired and they knew if ordered to do so they must go; but, to our very great satisfaction, this rumor, like many other camp rumors, was not con- firmed, and we did not take the much talked about trip.
Our officers were very busy making out reports of quartermaster stores for which they had receipted and were responsible to the Government. These included horses, arms, clothing and all kinds of equipage. Many of them had been careless in taking receipts from their
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men, and all the horses worn out and abandoned on the raids, together with saddles, bridles and blankets had to be accounted for and the loss of each article, especially each horse, had to be certified to by a board of sur- vey, consisting of three commissioned officers. Many officers never did get their accounts with the Government adjusted, but were finally relieved by an act of Congress passed some years after the war.
There was not much now to relieve the monotony of camp life among the soldiers. We had not been paid for a year and the men could not even buy tobacco, which was considered by many an absolute necessity. Some of the captains bought tobacco by the box and issued to their companies to stop their complaints.
At length we were ordered to turn over all the Gov- ernment property and took the train for Knoxville. We went into camp on the south side of the river east of the city. This was in August, 1865. It was now understood that a special order had been issued by the War Depart- ment mustering out the Regiment on account of the close of the war.
The officers secured rooms at different places in the city and set about making out the muster-rolls which had to be made out in triplicate, containing the names of ev- ery soldier that had ever appeared on the company's rolls, with remarks covering his military history. This was found to be an almost endless job, but it was finally ac- complished. Everything being in readiness on the 5th day of September, 1865, the officers and men of the Thir- teenth Regiment of Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry were paid off by the United States paymaster and mustered out of the service of the United States Government by Capt. Thomas C. Jones, U. S. A., in obedience to paragraph No. 2, Special Order No. 49, Department of Tennessee. The men had been associated with each other for nearly two years, and though they had been looking forward for sev- eral weeks with much impatience for the time to come when they would be relieved from the restraints of mili- tary service and join their families and friends, when
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the hour came for breaking up the pleasant associations that had been formed, and parting with comrades never to meet with many of them again this side of "the great camping ground above," our hearts swelled with emo- tion, and our voices grew husky as we spoke the parting word and clasped each other's hands in affectionate good- by.
In army life, as in civil life, men of congenial tastes and habits are drawn together, and become friends and associates, while, like people in a large city who do not know their next door neighbors, many officers and men are associated together in the same regiment without knowing much of each other, because their habits and tastes are not alike. Some men spent their leisure hours in camp, reading such useful or interesting books as they could procure, or engaged in writing letters, playing dominoes or checkers, or some other innocent games, while a great many indulged in the baneful habit of card playing, often leading to gambling and dissipation. Army life is not conducive to good morals, or the formation of good habits, yet it has been demonstrated that men may, and did live a strictly moral and religions life in the army ; but we fear they were the exceptions to the rule.
Army life with its excitement and constant changes of scene was not without its attractions for the young, and broadened the views of those whose lives had been con- fined to narrow limits. It was a kind of education in the ways of the world and variety of human character. A regiment of mien embraced all sorts of people, geniuses, wits, christians, infidels, men of the strictest honor and integrity, and gamblers, and men destitute of honor or any of the finer qualities of humanity. We are pleased to observe that we believe our Regiment contained its full share of the former and but few of the latter class of men. Men of almost every profession, occupation and trade were represented in the Regiment, though the greater part were farmers. We had lawyers, doctors, preachers and school teachers, as well as engineers, mechanics and men who had been engaged in trading and business of all
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kinds, hammermen, bookkeepers, clerks and superintend - ents of iron works, and railroad men. The friendships. formed in the army between those of congenial natures- were strong and lasting. There is something almost in- explicable in the ties that bind men together who have been associated with each other in times of hardship and danger in a common cause. It brings about a feeling of kinship and brotherly affection that only death can ef- face. This has been demonstrated since the war in the reunions of the veterans of the two armies. They travel hundreds of miles to meet each other, and the meetings. between comrades is marked by demonstrations of pleas- ure seldom seen among any other assemblies of men. Our own reunions, which should have been organized before so many of our comrades passed to the "better land," and others became old and feeble, have been a source of much pleasure, and it is hoped as many of the comrades will attend them in the future as possibly can do so.
The organization known as "The Thirteenth Tennes - see Cavalry Association" was organized in 1896 and held its first meeting at Butler, Tenn., in October of that year. The circumstances leading to the formation of this as- sociation were as follows: "In August, 1896, Comrades S. P. Angel, John G. Burchfield and S. W. Scott met at the residence of Comrade George D. Roberts in Eliza- bethton, Tenn., one Sunday afternoon and the question of reunions was mentioned. One of the comrades sug- gested that we issue a call for a reunion of Company G. to which we had belonged, to meet at Hampton, Tenn., on the following week, which was done. About one hun- dred persons, mostly the comrades and their families, met in a pretty little grove near Hampton with well filled baskets and enjoyed a few hours most pleasantly in speech-making and pleasant reminiscences. At that place we organized the Regimental association with Comrade John M. Wilcox president and Comrades S. W. Scott and Henry Lineback secretary and treasurer, respective- ly. The meeting at Butler was largely attended and the-
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comrades and their friends were entertained in a most hospitable manner by the citizens of Butler and the com- rades, as well as the people, appeared to enjoy the occa- sion very much. These reunions have been held an- nually ever since and have grown in interest each year.
At the reunion held at Mountain City in September, 1898, a resolution making all Union veterans of Carter and Johnson, and adjoining counties, associate members of this association, was adopted.
We have now completed what has been to us a pleas- ant, though somewhat laborious task, in getting up the material from comrades from diaries and from the re- ports of the "Conduct of the War," and "Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies," containing the official reports of Generals Gillem, Stoneman and Am- men, on our side, and Generals Breckenridge, Vaughn and Duke on the Confederate side. Many incidents have been lost by the death of comrades that might have been placed on record had this history been written at an earlier date. Many other events known to comrades now living will be lost, we have no doubt, because the comrades have failed to respond to our earnest appeals to furnish them to us. It was impossible for us to interview each comrade, scattered as they now are, residing in twelve different States at least, outside of Tennessee. To those who have kindly responded to our circulars and letters and furnished us valuable information we return our grateful thanks; to those who, for various reasons, have remained silent, we offer our regrets that they did not re- spond, and hope they will not be displeased if they fail to find in this work information which they could have, but did not furnish.
In summarizing the services rendered by our Regi- ment, or in the preceding details of its service as unor- ganized citizens, in the Union cause, as bridge burners, in the Carter county rebellion, in the various conventions, and in the plans and efforts to assist the Union cause and to place obstacles in the way of the enemy before the organization of the Regiment, and in its marches,
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skirmishes and battles, and in its sufferings from hunger and cold and fatigue, we feel sure we have not overdrawn the picture, if, indeed, we have been able to do the organi- zation full justice.
In ascribing praise to the men who composed the Thir- teenth Tennessee Cavalry we do not withhold the same from other Tennessee organizations. The Second Ten- nessee Mounted Infantry, organized by Col. J. P. T. Car- ter, of Carter county, and the Fourth Tennessee Infantry, organized by Colonel Daniel Stover, also of Carter coun- ty, contained many Carter and Johnson county men, and we were indebted to them for a number of brave and efficient officers.
Starting out from Strawberry Plains and ending at Knoxville, Tenn., where it was mustered out of service, the Regiment in its various marches and countermarches traveled three thousand three hundred and twenty-three (3323) miles, less than 50 miles of this distance by rail, the balance, except from Strawberry Plains to Camp Nelson, a distance of 170 miles, which was traveled on foot, was on horseback. These figures are taken from a diary kept by one of our officers, and the distances ob- tained each day from reliable sources, and is therefore not guess work or "rough estimates."
We crossed seventeen large sized rivers and streams, including the Holston or Tennessee, the Cumberland, Watauga. New River, Yadkin, Savannah, Catawba, Clinch and Kentucky, besides innumerable smaller rivers and streams.
We passed through the following States or some parts of them: Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Caro- lina, South Carolina and Georgia. We passed through more than 50 towns, cities and villages, among these were the following: Lexington, Danville, Lebanon. Lancas- ter. Barboursville, London, Crab Orchard, Nicholasville, and other towns in Kentucky; Nashville, Gallatin. Leban- on, Sparta. Kingston, Knoxville. New Market, Mossy Creek (Jefferson City), Morristown, Russellville, Rog- ersville. Rutledge, Tazewell. Kingsport. Blountsville,
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Bristol, Greeneville, Rheatown, Jonesboro, Zollicoffer. (Bluff City), Elizabethton and Taylorsville (Mountain City), Tennessee; Estelville, Abingdon, Marion, Withe- ville, Hillsville and Taylorsville, in Virginia; Asheville, Hendersonville, Marion, Rutherford, Morgantown, Wilksboro, Mount Airy, Saulsbury, Statesville and other smaller towns in North Carolina; Greenville and Ander- son in South Carolina, and Washington, Milledgeville. Grensboro, Athens and other towns in Georgia.
We crossed and recrossed the various ranges of the Allegheny mountains, the Cumberland, Unaka and Smoky, Yellow, Iron, Clinch, Stone and Blue Ridge.
We captured or assisted in the capture of a large num- ber of prisoners, artillery, arms and equipages, destroyed railroads and a vast amount of the enemy's stores.
While desiring no invidious comparisons with regi- ments from our own State, all of which did good service, we invite comparison with the average service of the cavalry regiments of the United States army, although we were late in entering the field and were only about eighteen months in active service in the field.
There were in our Regiment not less than two hundred (200) soldiers under the age of 18 years; some below 16. These were all placed on the rolls at 18, because that is the lowest age that can be mustered according to the regulations ; but in 1863-that darkest period of the war-troops were mustered almost regardless of age, size or condition.
It will be seen that this large proportion of our Regi- ment had "grown up" since the beginning of the war in 1861, from boys twelve to fourteen years of age. We take pleasure in bearing testimony to the fact that these young soldiers were among the best and bravest in the Regi- ment.
Believing it will be more satisfactory to our readers, and more easily understood, we have prepared a roster of those who were living at the time, and were mustered out with the Regiment September 5th, 1865, and a sep- arate roll, by companies, of the dead who were killed in
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battle or otherwise, or who died of disease while in the service of their country. We have designated the latter roll "The Roll of Honor." These will be found in the Appendix to this history. We had intended preparing a summary showing the casualties in killed, wounded, cap- tured and died, but learn from conversation with the com- rades that there were many casualties that through care- lessness of officers are not noted on the companies' rolls, and hence do not appear in the Adjutant-General's report. We have found and corrected a number of these but how many more there may be it is impossible to tell. Instances of this are Lieut. G. W. Emmert, who was severely wounded at Morristown ; Lieut. Freels, who was wounded in the hand at Bull's Gap, and Adjutant S. P. Angel, who was severely injured at Saulsbury, N. C., and Samuel Thompson, of Company H., who was wounded at Bull's Gap.
It is well known that the casualties in cavalry regiments are not so great as in infantry. It is intended that this branch of the service, as a rule, do the scouting, harass the enemy and follow up the victories achieved by the in- fantry and artillery.
According to the Adjutant-General's report the casual- ties of the Thirteenth were about an average of those of the Tennessee regiments of cavalry, although it was the last of them in the service. Comparing it with the First Tennessee Cavalry, which was in the service eight months longer, the casualties were nearly the same, ac- cording to the Adjutant-General's report.
OUR COMRADES FROM THE OLD NORTH STATE.
We cannot in justice close this history without paying our respects to the large number of men who joined our Regiment from Western North Carolina. There were probably not less than 150 whose homes were in Ashe, Mitchell, Watauga and adjoining counties of that State. They breathed the same mountain air and were filled with the same spirit of devotion to the Union cause. Their
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ancestors, like ours, had fought at King's mountain, at New Orleans and on the Plains of Mexico, and made the name of the "North State" glorious, nor did those who fought with the "Thirteenth" tarnish her escutch- eo11s.
They came, many of them, to us in the dark days of the Carter county rebellion and gave us their aid and sympathy. There were no people who deserve greater praise for their loyalty than the people of Western North Carolina because there were none whose patriotism was more costly than theirs. Their old men and brave women went through the same experience of hardships and dan- gers that we have described as falling to the lot of the men and women of Carter and Johnson counties. These people are endeared to us because they shared with us the march and battle, and the same suffering and dangers. They occupied the same hospitals of pain, they fell upon the same battle fields and were martyrs to the same cause as our own East Tennesseeans. Ours is virtually the same climate, the same habits of life, the same love of liberty, and we worship the same God. We are separated only by an imaginary line we might say. It seems to us that it would have been most fitting if the great John Sevier could have realized his dreams and formed the State of Franklin, embracing the mountain counties of Tennes- see, North Carolina and Virginia. It would have been a grand State. Grand in its patriotism, grand in its hos- pitality and grand in its freedom and nobility of char- acter. There would be no happier people than would nave been found among its mountains.
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