USA > Tennessee > The Annals of the Army of Tennessee and early western history, including a chronological summary of battles and engagements in the western armies of the Confederacy > Part 29
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July 21st .- In camps yet, with nothing to do and plenty to eat, and no fear of the enemy's pursuit. We had a military execution here yesterday, on the person of -, of the 29th Georgia, who had deserted to the cavalry. The sentence seemed so harsh that a paper praying for his pardon was signed by all of the officers, even to Major- General Walker; but General Johnston refused to grant it. An ex- ample is needed in this army, and it is well to crush out the spirit of desertion in the bud. It is said that some - regiments have lost half of their men since the evacuation of Jackson. It is a trying time on us now, but I believe light will dawn again on us.
. July 24th .- Nothing of interest doing here. The news is not en- couraging. Grant has burned Jackson and evacuated the place, fall- ing back toward Vicksburg. It is also reported that a portion of his army has gone to New Orleans, destined for Mobile. Bragg is at Chattanooga, and the Federal army all over Middle Tennessee and North Alabama. Lee is falling back slowly from Pennsylvania.
July 26th .- Our camp yesterday was enlivened by the joyful news that we had orders to take the cars for some unknown destination, and it is generally believed that Gregg's Brigade is to join Bragg's army, a petition having been sent up some time since with this request, if any are allowed to go; in it it was urged that most of this brigade were Tennesseeans, who had not seen their families since the day of their en .- listment, in 1861. With a day's ration cooked, and another of crack- ers and bacon in haversacks, we were on the cars ready to start at 5 P. M. The entire night was consumed in going to Meridian, a distance of sixty-one miles. While waiting this morning, a train load of paroled Vicksburg prisoners, under the influence of whisky, made a charge upon a lot of sugar lying near the depot, and guarded by a detail of the Fourteenth Mississippi. In the melee a guard fired a blank cart- ridge at the crowd, when a lieutenant shot him in the head with a pis- tol, making a severe, but not dangerous, wound. The guards then left their posts, and the sugar was given up to pillage. Our brigade is
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now at Enterprise, from which place it can reach any needed point very quickly.
August 4th .- We have been at this camp over a week, and have en- joyed a season of quiet and good living, in striking contrast with that which has been our lot for many months. A peach-cobbler every day is well calculated to provoke the comparison. However, our tasks are heavy enough, with heavy guard duties and daily drills. One furlough out of every twenty-five men is now granted to the troops here.
August 9th .- Still at Enterprise, but there are rumors of marching orders. The rolls have been made out for pay until the first of July. Two years' absence from home, part of which time was spent in a Northern prison, and the hard service of the last eight months, are beginning to tell upon the morale of the regiment, and the conse- quence is, a good deal of desertion.
August 20th .- Still at our pleasant camp near Enterprise. Time is passing very smoothly, and we are living well enough at our own ex- pense. The ration of poor beef and corn meal issued day after day and week after week is counted as nothing, and hardly touched while a fellow has any money. There is a glorious revival of religion going on in this and Maxey's Brigades. Services are held morning, noon and night at the camp and in the churches. The news from Tennes- see is that our people are faring roughly in person and property, and that all are compelled to take the oath.
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AND EARLY WESTERN HISTORY.
EARLY WESTERN HISTORY.
INDIAN ATTACK ON GREENFIELD, MAY, 1793.
BY CAPTAIN FRANK ROGAN.
HE following account of this affair was obtained by the writer from General Hall, Isaac Parker, and negro man Abram, and will supply some details not contained in Ramsey's and other Histories of Tennessee :
In the month of May, 1793, a well-planned attack was made on Greenfield by about 160 Indians. This station was about 212 miles north of Bledsoe's, and something over a mile east of Morgan's, and was defended by seven whites and five blacks. The negroes-Abram, Cuff, Prince, John and Dave-under the overseer, James Clendenning, and with John Jarvis, an Irishman, for guard duty, had set out early in the morning to plow a field of corn some four hundred yards from the fort. They had hitched up their teams and plowed nearly to the opposite side, when a large body of Indians arose from their conceal- ment, a short distance off, and, with savage shouts, made a bold rush at the little party. The negro Abram, who was a good soldier and expert marksman, took time to unhitch his horse, and, mounting, rode rapidly for the gap at which the hands had entered the field ; but find- ing it up, and the pursuers close at his heels, he abandoned his animal, and, catching up his rifle, which he had left leaning against the fence, leaped over, and, with Jarvis, turned to face the enemy. The fore- most Indian carried a knife encased in the strap of his shot-pouch, with the handle exposed to view, and resting over his heart. Abram took hurried aim at the handle of the knife and pulled trigger; the Indian sank back slowly on his hip and elbow, badly hurt. Jarvis fired about the same time through the fence, and he and Abram, hav- ing empty guns, turned and fled toward the fort. Jarvis was struck in the back of the head by a ball and killed before he got fifty yards. Abram was pursued by a daring, active fellow, whose object seemed to be to take him captive ; but as he began to gain on his pursuer, the latter halted and, throwing up his rifle, fired quickly. Abram was un-
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touched, and made his way safely into the fort. The Indian began a: once to load very deliberately, and as he raised his elbow to pour don. his powder, Cuff, who had by this time gotten into the station, fired :: him at the distance of 150 yards, but missed. The savage, findin_ himself in danger, ran back to the field fence, where he came in range of William Neely, who had run from the fort at the first alarm to the assistance of his friends. Neely snapped twice at him, when he di .. covered that his flint had dropped out; but at this instant James Ha, came upon the scene and shot the fellow down. At the time of the attack William Hall, then 18 years of age, William Wilson, John Ken- drick and Henry Hicks were still in bed, where they had been con- fined some time, undergoing the process of smallpox inoculation. 1: the first alarm they leaped out of bed and hastened to assist the hands into the fort. On arriving at the fence they discovered three Indians crouching in the growing wheat, a few paces distant. Hall kept his eye on the place where he saw one of them dodge, with his rifle at a ready. This one, cautiously raising his head, saw his danger, and, springing to his feet, endeavored to make his escape. Hall fired at the upper edge of his breech-clout, and at the crack of the rifle he fell dead; his body was found the next day in a sink-hole, covered with logs and brush. Nelson kept his eye on another one, and fired upon him as he ran, at the distance of about 30 paces. Hall said he saw the Indian's moccasins fly up in the air, and it was supposed that he was mortally wounded, but his body was not discovered. Ken- drick and Hicks had fled in the meantime, one to Bledsoe's and the other to Morgan's stations, to give the alarm. Prince, a valuable negro man, after getting out of the field, was fired upon and killed as he ran. The battle ended near where Jarvis was killed. Hall, when in the act of stepping forward to get a shot at a crowd which was mangling Jar- vis' body, was slightly wounded, a ball grazing his head and cutting off a lock of hair. The audacity and heroism of Hall, Neely, Wilson. and Hays, in rallying out to the assistance of their comrades and meeting the enemy in the open field, is a conspicuous example of the spirit of those times. Verily, there is nothing in the records of chiv- alry that surpasses the conduct of those men; and yet our people in too many instances hunt among the fables of Eastern tradition and fiction in search of models upon which to vent their admiration, for- getting that they have a history at home more sublime in its teach- ings and more worthy of their emulation.
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THE SOLDIER'S WAR-BAG.
Al Guerrilla Adventure .- In the summer of 1862, a number of spirited combats : ok place in Middle Tennessee between parties of Confederate Guerrillas and Buell's army of occupation. The Union cavalry at this period was generally wanting in skillful horsemanship and the use of the pistol, and these causes, com- bined with ignorance of the country, hostility of the inhabitants and watch- fulness and daring of their foe, often resulted in their easy discomfiture and over- throw by even small opposing forces. The guerrillas being instigated, in many instances, to revenge by acts on the part of the enemy in violation of the rules of civilized warfare, and animated by a patriotic fervor in the cause of their native Lind, were often daring to recklessness, and, in consequence, became frequently involved in trying and desperate situations, as the following incident will show : Two of them-Irving and Drake-after many adventures in the counties of Lin- coln and Giles, set out for Maury to beat up the enemy about Columbia, after the fashion of Francis Marion. On the way they fell in with two mounted men, of whose characters and opinions they were ignorant, and a long parley ensued, ex- pertly conducted on both sides, to ascertain the real status of each. At last, the case was settled by an avowal, on the part of Drake and Irving, of their true characters, and at this the other side made a similar 'acknowledgement, telling that they had left Columbia during the night upon a couple of fine horses which they had managed to abstract from the stable of the Commandant of the Post. Thereupon both parties agreed to join in any adventure that might betide them on the road, and struck out for their destination. About noon they reached a farin-house a few miles from Columbia, and, seeing no signs of an enemy, de- cided to halt and get their horses fed. After this had been attended to, they were about to enter the house, when, hearing the tramp of horses' feet, they looked up the road and saw a squad of thirteen Federal cavalry approaching. Both sides recognized the situation at once. The Confederates ran to their horses and mounted, while the Federals pushed forward, at a gallop, to seize the gate ; but, having to come around a considerable angle in the road, the boys were enabled to escape from the enclosure and get a few yards the start. The pursuit was hot and vigorous, but the Confederates, by frequently halting and firing into the foremost pursuers, kept them from too close quarters. At length it became evident to the little party that, in the jaded condition of their horses, they would have to quit the road and seek the shelter of the woods, where they felt certain that the enemy would be very cautious about following them, for fear of an am- bush. . To this end they turned into the first gate that presented itself. A num- ber of gates obstructed the way, but Drake, who was well mounted on a very tractable horse, opened them for his comrades to pass, and then closed them to detain the pursuers as long as possible. This expedient was beginning to bring
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them some advantage, when, to their dismay, on entering a gate, they found themselves enclosed in a strong pound without any outlet. There was nothing : do but sell out as dearly as possible, as Irving and Drake had a price of two hus .. dred and fifty dollars set on their heads on account of the notoriety attached to their exploits for several months. So, quitting their horses, they took possessio: of a crib and made ready for a desperate struggle in the scant time at their di- posal. The Federals, who proved to be a part of Captain Julian's Tennessee Cavalry, rushed into the open gate with loud cries of exultation over the prospe .: of certain capture of the hemmed in guerrillas, but a volley from the shot-gu ... in the crib drove them back in such precipitate retreat that one had his brai: dashed out against the gate-post, another was left dead upon the ground, ar. . several were thought to be badly hurt. The besiegers kept up a fire at lon; range with their carbines, and it was observed from the crib that one of the ::: was dispatched at full speed for reinforcements. To await the arrival of rein- forcements would insure the capture of the brave little garrison, and when a proposition was made by one to cut their way out, it was instantly accepted by the rest. Drake agreed to tear down the fence, and to gather the horses at the gap, while the others protected him as well as they could with their fire. As he was performing this task, the enemy discovered his design and opened a hot fire upon him, advancing into the pound again, but he succeeded in accomplishing his object, and got back into the crib unhurt. The guns were now reloaded, and when every thing was ready, they leaped forth with yells of defiance and boldly charged the force which had now gotten quite near. The movement was so un- expected and so daringly executed that the besiegers fled precipitately and were pushed back several hundred yards. The little party now returned, and were preparing to mount, when one of the enemy, who had been hid by a stable, fire : from behind his horse. His shot missed, but the report of his gun frightenc: his horse, which sprang forward and left him uncovered. Drake had one foot in his stirrup ready to mount, but, seeing his opportunity, threw his gun across the saddle and fired quickly. His antagonist sunk to the ground with a load of she: in his chest, and this ended the fray. As the Confederates rode off, Julian's Company, attracted by the firing, came in view at a gallop, but made no deter- mined pursuit.
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EDITORIAL.
BOOK NOTICE .- Life of General Albert Sidney Johnston. By his son, William Preston Johnston. D. Appleton & Co.
We have received from the publishers, "with the compliments of the author," a copy of this splendid work. Its issue has been looked forward to with deep in- terest in the Western States, in which were laid the scenes of General Albert Sid- ney Johnston's eventful life, and where the materials for its preparation have been mainly gathered from those associated with him in the various steps of his illus- trious career. His friends (and if he had an enemy, he has taken pains to whether his resentment) have been especially forward and ready with their pers to tell the story of his life, expressing a love, admiration and reverence in terms awarding him a veritable apotheosis. The consequence is, his son has been able to gather into this volume all of the material facts necessary to illustrate what manner of man Albert Sidney Johnston was, and a debt of gratitude is due him for the able and conscientious way in which he has discharged the duties of biog- rapher-no easy task in the very nature of the case. But it was exceedingly for- tunate that the labor devolved where it did. The relation of the biographer to his subject gave him access to wider sources of information than any one else could have commanded, and this has enabled him to give a full and rounded pic- ture of his life and character from his boyhood to his grave. For the people of the South, this book will possess a peculiar, a mournful interest. It is a work that was greatly needed. Of many things concerning General Johnston's earlier career, there was a dearth of specific knowledge ; of the culmination and crown- ing act of his heroic life there was a general misconception. When he fell, thousands felt a reproachful pang that their injustice had driven our best gen- eral-our stay in the West-into the thickest of the battle, to cast his life away as a bauble, in order to prove that he was no coward and silence the criticisms of his accusers, high and low. But even in this retractive magnanimity a great in- justice was done him. The record of his life proves that he was never rash in thought or act, and that it was as foreign to his character to yield his balance to the considerations imputed to him as it would be for the sun to fly from his course in the heavens at the perturbations of a distant planet. He fell simply in the dis- charge of his duty, imposed by a pressure of circumstances generated when he had arrived upon the field of battle. He had not only to give his personal attention to bringing his troops into line-acting the part of staff-officer to a derelict major. general at one time on Saturday-but to make the fight against the advice and passive remonstrance of his second in command. His loss of a day on Saturday revealed to him the fact that if he was to win on Sunday, he had to trust, in a great measure, to himself alone. Whether he ever uttered such a conviction, we know not, but his actions expressed it. It was his example, his god-like bearing, expressive of supreme confidence in the wisdom of his course, that at the last
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moment nerved to heroic deeds even those who had thwarted him the day before. If he had kept the least aloof, or had exhibited the slightest trace of hesitancy o. waver of purpose, his attack would have failed at the first firm resistance. The victory at Shiloh belongs to Albert Sidney Johnston, and no one else living or dead. It was his sublime courage that won it. The spilling of his blood was but the chance of war ; it was not deemed necessary to a victory, nor intended in the sense of an atonement. The fatal bullet was but a parting shot, angrily sent by a retreating foe, in the moment of irretrievable disaster. Let it no longer be said that he threw his life away recklessly or foolishly. In his conscious judge. ment he knew the value of his life to his army, but, at the same time, he well understood the conditions of success, and, in fulfilling them, he met Fate face to. face without either shirking or scorning her decree.
"Not wholly understood was he while he lived ;
But, in his death, his greatness stands confessed In a People's tears. Resolute, moderate, clear of envy, yet not wanting In that finer Ambition which makes men great and pure ; In his Honor-impregnable ; In his simplicity-sublime ; No country e'er had a truer Son-no cause a nobler champion ; No People a bolder Defender-no Principle a purer victim.
The cause for which he perished is lost-
The People for whom he fought are crushed --
The Hopes in which he trusted are shattered-
The Flag he loved guides no more the charging lines ;
But his Fame, consigned to the keeping of that Time which,
Happily, is not so much the Tomb of Virtue as its Shrine,
Shall, in years to come, fire modest worth to noble ends.
In honor, now, our great Captain rests ; A bereaved People mourn him ;
Three Commonwealths proudly claim him ;
And History shall cherish him Among those choicer spirits, who, holding
Their conscience unmixed with blame,
Have been, in all conjunctures, true to themselves, Their People, and their God."
We would love to dwell more in detail on the many points illustrative of the character of the subject whose story is told in this book, but we have bespoken the services of an able reviewer, who can perform the task more intelligently and with more fitness. For the present, we would commend the study of the Life of Albert Sidney Johnston to all who admire and value the lessons of Roman virtue and Spartan bravery ; for in him they will find their highest type and loftiest ex- ample.
In typography and finish, the publishers (D. Appleton & Co.) have done their part in their usual excellent style. The frontispiece is said by his family to be an excellent likeness of the great soldier, and will, doubtless, awake in thousands of his people, as it did in the writer, when first opened to his gaze, emotions not easily controlled, and of which none need be ashamed. This image will serve in many a Southern household to deck a shrine at which faithful friends can com- mune again with the past and invoke in spirit his noble and majestic presence.
THE
ANNALS ARMY OF TENNESSEE
EARLY WESTERN HISTORY.
VOL. I. { NASHVILLE, TENN., OCTOBER, 1878. ¿ No. 7.
PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA.
Its Defense on the 16th of June, 1864-From Manuscript Notes of Ser- geant G. W. D. Porter, of the Forty-fourth Tennessee.
0 N the 15th of June, 1864, Bushrod Johnson's Division, composed of Fulton's Tennessee and Gracie's Alabama brigades, was en- camped at Drury's Bluff, below Richmond, Va. General Lee had just completed his masterly field-defense of Richmond by the disas- trous repulse of Grant at Cold Harbor. On the afternoon of this day (the 15th) Johnson's Division was ordered to Petersburg, and, after a forced march of twenty miles, reached the city, to find the inhabitants in a state of intense excitement over the arrival of General Butler with a large force of negro troops within two and a half miles of the place. Words of assurance and cheer were given by the soldiers as they passed swiftly through, and the vow was not forgotten when the hour of action arrived. On General Johnson's arrival, he found only Wise's command with a few militia, and these had been gradually beaten back before the advance of six Army Corps, under General B. F. Butler, named as follows: Army of the James-Tenth Corps. Major-General Gilmore; Eighteenth Corps, Major-General W. F. Smith. Army of the Potomac-Second Corps, Major-General W. S. Hancock; Fifth Corps, Major-General G. K. Warren; Sixth Corps, Major-General H. G. Wright; Ninth Corps, Major-General A. E. Burnside.
All of the troops available for defense were thrown into a temporary division under General Johnson, and disposed by General Beauregard as rapidly as possible on the Jerusalem Plank Road. Early on the
VOL. I, NO. VII .- I.
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morning of the 16th the men began digging rifle-pits with their bay- onets and throwing the dirt over with shingles and boards. With such tools and without ceremony the extensive line of works that afterward covered the approaches to Petersburg was thus inaugurated. About 9 o'clock A.M. the enemy opened with artillery and threw for- ward skirmishers who fired occasionally, and this constituted the amount of the forenoon's fighting. Fortunate inaction it was for us. About midday an advance was made on our centre, but this was quickly repelled with the assistance of the artillery. Busily and cheerfully the work on the defenses went on, and determination was uppermost in every man's thoughts and spoke through his words and actions. It was well for the little handful of defenders that they were ignorant of the great odds against them; but still the appearances at the front indicated that the enemy was present in heavy force and de- liberately arranging his lines for a massive blow.
Aid was expected and was on the way from Richmond, but would it come in time ? Events proved that it did not on this momentous occasion.
Watchful eyes noted the preparations at the front, and when, after the middle of the afternoon, the enemy showed line after line advanc- ing to the attack, the spectacle was impressive beyond the power of words to express. They came like so many blue billows rolling in shore, with a sweeping motion indicative of a mighty propulsive power. To any but veterans of many fields the display would have been appalling and the precursor of almost certain disaster. "Damn them, let them come," came from pent up bosoms and hissed venge- fully through clenched teeth. The voice of command bespoke steadi- ness and patience until the bugle should sound the signal to fire. Not a round had been fired until the front line reached within one hundred yards of the works; then this line halted an instant, and, delivering a stunning volley, rushed headlong forward with loud huzzas. Then the clear notes of the bugle rang out from the works, and an undis- mayed line, rising from its crouching posture in the shallow ditch, poured a deliberate, deadly volley into the masses before it, and yelled with might and main as the foe reeled, staggered and floundered as if smitten with a mortal blow. Volleys now followed each other in quick succession ; supporting lines were hurried forward, and soon came under the same withering fire that had broken the first line into fragments and dashed the remnants back in dismay. The smoke from
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the breastworks and from the field, forced inward by the explosions, soon met in 'the intervening space and dimly screened all except the sharper outlines of the scene-the weapons of destruction themselves giving out a veil to hinder the work of death. How many lines came against us we never knew, nor how long the action lasted. Our mus- kets gave shot for shot as long as there was occasion, and we remem- . ber that the Forty-fourth Tennessee found opportunities to deliver heavy oblique volleys right and left when its own front was not pressed. The firing ceased gradually except as to individuals, and when the smoke lifted the main body of the enemy was sheltering in a deep ravine, several hundred yards from the works in the Forty- fourth Tennessee's front.
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