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 43
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REPORT OF ROCK ISLAND PRISON IN 1865.
I SEND the Annals a dingy scrap of paper which I brought away from Rock Island. It contains some statistics of this prison, the publication of which may interest your readers. The figures are from the Provost Marshal's report.
F. R. MOORHEAD, Forty-first Tennessee.
Total number prisoners received to February 2, 1865, 12, 191; died, I,SSI ; joined the navy, 1,071; joined the army, 1,779; released, 936; escaped, 45; transferred to other prisons, 71; exchanged, 779; present, 5,629; unwilling to be exchanged, 1, 175; to be exchanged, 4,454.
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THE ANNALS OF THE ARMY OF TENNESSEE
EARLY WESTERN HISTORY.
THE ATTACK ON BUCHANAN'S STATION.
(Concluded.)
. (From Original MSS. of the Tennessee Historical Society.)
IN this situation, the two contending parties -- the men in the sta- tion and the Indians without-kept up a firing, and also a parley : one asking the other who commanded, and Thomas Kennedy telling them that they were a set of damned squaws, and to put more powder in their guns. There were a number of women in the station at the time, and among them Mrs. Sarah Buchanan, who was occupied dur- ing the attack in carrying around to the men posted in the different parts of the station ammunition and brandy, giving to each, as she supplied him, a word of encouragement. In eleven days afterward, this same Sarah Buchanan was delivered of her first child, the said George Buchanan. Colonel Ridley states that he never heard of Te- cumseh's being present at said attack until since the last war with Eng- land. He also states that Wm. Bryant, who now lives near the mouth of Mill Creek, was in the station at the time, and was then a boy about his own age.
The persons mentioned as being in the station at the time are, some from recollection and some from the information contained in letters and other documents which Colonel Ridley has seen. T. W.
LETTER OF CHAS. L. BYRN. OCTOBER THE 27TH, IS49.
Sir :- Yours of the 17th came to hand the 24th. . I will give you a narrative of the transaction as it is impressed upon my mind at this distant period of time, it being fifty odd years ago. In the fall of 1793, Findleston, a half-breed Cher- okee, and Joseph Durat, a Frenchman, came to Nashville and informed the citi zens that John Watts, a noted Cherokee Chief, with a large party of Indians, was on his way to make an attack upon Nashville. Nearly all the disposaide force of the three counties -- I think about 700 men, my father and three brothers among the number-was encamped at old John Rains's Big Spring two or three weeks, and the Indians did not come. The men began to be uneasy. Ale Castleman was sent out to spy. He went on horseback as far as Hart's Big Spring. It is a little on the left of the Murfreesboro Pike, just beyond the third gate. When he got there, the Indians had just passed. He hurried back and
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AND EARLY WESTERN HISTORY.
told what discoveries he had made. He was not believed. Old John Rains and some other person started off. They went some distance beyond Mill Creek, and came back. Rains swore there was no Indians, and that it was bear signs that Castleman had seen. The next morning the troops were discharged, and that night the Indians made the attack upon Buchanan's Station. The next morning there came a runner for the troops to meet. My father and brothers started, but the Indians were gone. They followed on, and found the two spies (Gee and Clayton) the Indians had killed the day before. There were four of my near neighbors in the fort when the attack was made: Joseph C. and William Crab- tree, Moore Cotton and Henry Gleeson. Three of them have been dead long since ; the other (William Crabtree) moved to Big Red River, near Natchitoches. When the Indians came near the Station, they held a council. There was an old renegade Shawnee Chief along that commanded a party. Watts was for getting near and lying concealed until the men opened the gate in the morning and come out, and then make a rush for the gate. The old Shawnee said that he was not afraid to die in the night. He had burned one station in the night, and he could burn another ; and started with his party, and Watts followed. The old Shawnee came up to one of the block-houses with a chunk of fire and was shot down at the wall, and lay and blowed the fire as long as life lasted. I had the story from my neighbors that were there. Watts was badly wounded.
In '94 the famous Nickajack Campaign was carried on against the Cherokees. I had three brothers there : Stephen, Joseph and John Byrne. Stephen is dead ; Joseph and John are living in Sumner county, on the East Fork of Bledsoe's Creek, near the Willow Grove Post-office. When the troops were organizing to start to Nickajack, my brother (Stephen) was a captain, and had a company guarding the frontier stations. He applied to General Robertson to know if he might leave the lieutenant with the men to guard the stations and go to Nicka- jack. The General said all the men would be wanted that could be got, and if he wished to go, he could do so. He left the lieutenant in command, and went as a private. He died in September, '95.
I know of but two men that were killed by the Indians after that time. One was Colonel John Montgomery. He was killed below Clarksville. The other, Ezekiel Caruthers. He married Moses Oldham's daughter. Oldham lived on the north side of Red River, three miles from Clarksville. Caruthers was on the south side cutting house-logs when the Indians killed him. He had only been married three weeks.
The station that the old Shawnee burned was Sigler's, in Sumner county, above Gallatin. Sigler was killed and three daughters taken prisoners. His wife got out after the fort was on fire, and carried her sucking child in her arms. That child is a worthy citizen of Nashvlile-a stone and brick-mason. I saw him in Nash- ville last April. His name is John Sigler. Perhaps you are acquainted with him. His sisters were given up at the treaty at Tellico in '95. If you want to know when Sigler's Station was burned, if you can ascertain John Sigler's age, that will inform you as near as you can obtain it, as I have heard his mother say that he was a sucking child at the time.
.
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THE ANNALS OF THE ARMY OF TENNESSEE
I think that Wayne defeated the Northwest Indians in August, '94, and the Nickajack Campaign was in the fall of '94, which brought about general peace with the Indians. That with the Cherokees in the. spring of '95. I think the treaty with the Cherokees was held at Tellico.
There was a company out with Captain John Shannon. My brothers were along. They came upon an Indian camp. There was but one man and a boy in camp at the time. They killed the man and took the boy prisoner. They brought the boy in. Shannon kept and sent him on to the treaty with prisoners that were taken at Nickajack. The boy had been so long with Shannon, he -would not go with the Indians. He came back. I asked him why he did not go. He said the Indians looked too poor and lousy-he could not go with them. He staid some time, and went off and joined the Creeks. He joined the war- party during the Creek War; was at Talladega, and was wounded there. A nephew of mine was with General Jackson at the treaty at Hickory Ground, and saw him there and conversed with him. He asked my nephew about father and uncle. He told him that they helped to take him, and that he knew his grand- father and all the family.
The statement I made about the council that was held, I learned from men that were at the treaty. I remember a great many of the principal transactions that took place, but, having no records, I cannot give precise dates. All I write is from memory. You cannot expect me to be correct in all the precise time. I am old, and little in the habit of writing.
So no more, but remain your friend, &c., CHARLES L. BYRN. To THOS. WASHINGTON, ESQ.
FIGHT BETWEEN AN INDIAN AND A PANTHER.
IN the early settlement of Alabama, there lived on the south side of
the Tennessee River, in Jackson County, opposite to where Scotts- boro now stands, a couple of Creek Indians, who had built a little hut near Coffee's trading store and supported themselves by hunting. One of these, called by the whites Creek John, was an excellent hunter, and always returned from the mountain loaded with peltries. Late one evening he came down the mountain from a hunt, and instead of going directly to his hut, he stooped to get a drink. While in this posture an immense panther leaped from an overhanging rock on his prostrate form, and a desperate struggle ensued at once. The Indian being taken unawares, was placed at a great disadvantage, and the panther inflicted fearful damage on him before he could get out his long hunting knife : this he plied vigorously on his adversary, but it was too late to save his life. His abdomen was torn across by the animal's claws, and the
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AND EARLY WESTERN HISTORY.
muscles of his chest stripped to the ribs, while the blood flowed from other wounds. Yet he drove his long knife into the panther so vigor- ously that it was compelled to let him go and make off the field, leav- ing him victor of the desperate battle, but mortally wounded. He managed to drag himself to his hut, one hundred yards distant, where his companion, coming in a little later, found him in the agonies of death. The panther was tracked the next morning, by his bloody trail, to a ledge of rocks a short distance off, and found stark and stiff, showing he had been dead some hours. He proved to be the largest specimen of his kind ever killed in that country. Creek John's knife had passed through him in several places from side to side, showing the strength and vigor with which it was plied. With an equal advantage, there is no doubt but that the Indian would have escaped with his life.
THE SOLDIER'S WAR-BAG.
The Death of General Forrest's War Horse, Roderick .- The strong attachment which the horse sometimes exhibits for his master is touch- ingly illustrated in the incident which follows. General Forrest rarely alluded to it, and then with evidences of deep emotion, which often found vent in tears, belonging, as it did, to that class of memories which, with men of his strong and passionate nature, became more sacred with the lapse of years. During his brilliant and memorable move- ment against the flank and rear of Colonel Coburn, at the battle of Thompson's Station, General Forrest was mounted that day on his favorite horse, Roderick, and desiring to press the enemy from a strong position across an open field, he appeared upon the flank of one of his regiments as it lay taking the fire, and, in his characteristic words, ordered it to " move up." At the command the men leaped to their feet, and, with loud cheers, dashed forward under a hot fire. The General, attended by his son, Lieutenant William Forrest, accompanied the charge, as was his wont when the point to be gained was of im- portance. In the brief conflict, which resulted in the overthrow of the enemy, Roderick was wounded in three places. This event gave the General so much concern that he immediatley dismounted, and charged his son to lead Roderick to the rear and have his wants well
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THE ANNALS OF THE ARMY OF TENNESSEE
attended to by the hostlers in charge of his extra horses. He then mounted his son's horse, which had also been wounded, and pressed forward in pursuit of the enemy. On reaching the hostlers, Lieutenant Forrest had the wounded animal stripped of saddle and bridle for his comfort, supposing that he was too badly hurt to attempt to get out of the way. As soon as he was at liberty, Roderick, still restless under the excitement of battle, began to nose among the group, evidently in search of his master, a habit he had frequently indulged in at camp, where he was rarely put under the restraint of the halter. In the pro- gress of affairs at the front at this stage, General Forrest's voice, clear and unmistakable, was heard in the distance, directing his line in an- other attack. Roderick instantly pricked up his ears to get the direc- tion, and, neighing eagerly in answer, dashed away before he could be intercepted, guided by the sound of battle, which, at that moment broke out afresh. Lieutenant Forrest, fearing his father's displeas- ure, immediately mounted, and, with several attendants, gave chase . with a view of capturing the wounded horse before he could get far away; but the latter went at such speed that he outstripped his pursu- ers, and when found was following quietly at the heels of the General, having leaped three fences in his progress, besides getting another wound from which he was bleeding freely. As expected, the General was in great wrath over the supposed negligence; but when the nature ; of the case was explained, he burst into tears, and, caressing Roder- ick for the last time, he turned away from the scene, and a short time later received the surrender of Colonel Coburn and two thousand of his men. Truly the cypress was entwined with the laurel for him on that day, in the death of Roderick, which occurred in the moment of victory. By his order, the faithful animal was interred on the field of battle, where his brave spirit passed away, a fitting sacrifice to the God of War, and with a name that will blend for all time with the deeds of his matchless rider.
43I
AND EARLY WESTERN HISTORY.
EDITORIAL. :
THIS number has been ready for mailing for some weeks, awaiting the completion of the Chronological Summary, in order that it all might go under one cover to subscribers, thus completing this volume; but the preparation of this matter as to the last year of the war has been greatly delayed, owing to the scarcity of printed records cover- ing this period, and the failure in many instances to get answers to let- ters sent out asking specific information. This, however, is being rap- idly completed, and will be ready for mailing shortly.
The publication of this Magazine has been attended with so much embarrassment, for want of adequate circulation that we have little heart to attempt a further prosecution of it. We did hope that the im- portance of this work would have enlisted enough interest and support to have paid the expenses of publication at least, but in this we have been disappointed An effort is being made by some of its friends to raise a fund sufficient to keep it at work without depending upon the adventitious support of a subscription list, and they have requested no- tice of the movement to be made in this connection, so that all who may feel inclined to contribute any sum for this purpose may have the opportunity to do so by corresponding at once with the editor, stating the amount that may be expected in case announcement of continu- ance is made. The editor is willing to give his services gratuitously to this Magazine, but is not able to do more. . So, unless an ample fund is obtained to insure its prompt and regular issue no attempt will be made to continue it.
THE map of the battle-field of Nashville, Tenn., contained in this issue, though not as full in details as we would wish, will be found, we think, to be topographically and historically accurate, except in one slight particular ; the engraver extended the solid line, indicating the Confederate works, too far to the left by several hundred yards. The works ended on the left slope of the hill marked "S." The rest of the prolongation in this direction was held by skirmishers without cov- er. Again, the sites of the numerous batteries bearing on the hill marked "7," are not distinctly shown, especially in front of the
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THE ANNALS OF THE ARMY OF TENNESSEE
"angle" held by Bate's division which was subjected to a rapid fire at short range, from the earliest dawn until the moment of assault at 4 P. M. There were only two pieces of artillery defending the right limb of the angle-the section of Phillips' Georgia battery, under the heroic boy, Lieutenant Alston, who fired his guns into the backs of the enemy long after they had passed him on either side in pursuit of the retreating Confederates. Parenthetically, we would urge Confederate soldiers to write their own story of this and other battles, from the fact that Van Horne, in his history of the Army of the Cumberland, writ- `ten years after this event, represents that twenty-seven (27) pieces of artillery were captured on this hill by the assault, where, in truth, there were only about four guns in all, and these were so placed that they had no range upon the assaulting force until it got within a few yards of their muzzles. Van Horne also makes it appear that the angle was held by a heavy force of infantry strongly intrenched, when it seems from Gen. Bate's report that his men were in one rank, separated from three to six feet apart, and the works, besides being light, gave no range of fire on account of their faulty placing and the nature of the ground. This is but one of many specimens of careless writing on the part of Northern historians, who " have had the ear of the world," and whose statements thus far have passed almost unchallenged.
The locations of the troops on the left wing have been recently ver- ified by Generals Cheatham and Bate, Capt. Sawrie of Brigadier- General Govan's staff, by Capt. Rogan of Gen. Bate's staff, and by Hon. J. M. Lea and his son Overton Lea, who reside on this field and were present during the battle. Judge Lea thinks that a force of Fed- eral cavalry and infantry had crossed the Granny White turnpike in General Hood's rear, making in the direction of the Franklin turnpike, as early as 12 M. His. attention was particularly drawn to this point. from the fact that he was at Alford's at the time, and in dispatching a messenger to his house (General Hood's headquarters), the messen- ger had to make a wide detour to the right in order to avoid capture by the Federal force, then taking up position on the hill. It is evident from this that "somebody blundered", or faltered on the Federal side, else the Confederates, outnumbered as they were nearly four to one, would have had little chance to escape capture.
PAPERS, ETC., RECEIVED .- From Colonel T. B. Roy, widely known and remembered as the A. A. General of Hardee's Corps, Lieutenant-
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AND EARLY WESTERN HISTORY.
General Hardee's official reports of the battles of Shiloh and Murfrees- boro, the latter of which appears in this number of the ANNALS. As an official exposition of one of the most brilliant achievements in the West, it possesses a deep interest, and as a well digested and compre- hensive view of events preceding and during the course of this great ' battle, it will have a literary value of the most enduring kind. The official report of Shiloh was not written until nearly a year after the battle, and did not appear, nor any of the subordinate reports, in the volume of reports published by the Confederate government. With these reports Colonel Roy sends a brief sketch of the last illness of General Hardee, which will appear hereafter under the head of "Con- federate Necrology."
Two of Major-General French's official reports of the battle of All- atoona, and operations of French's division around Atlanta, have al- ready appeared, and we are indebted to him for another of equal val -- ue and interest, giving a graphic sketch of his defense of Kenesaw Mountain. 1
From General Churchill we have received his official report of the defense of Arkansas Post, which fully explains the causes of the dis- aster which befell our arms at that place, and for which he was no way responsible.
From General George B. Hodge, his official report of the battle of Farmington, Tenn., giving a very spirited and creditable account of the action of his brigade in that affair.
From General Wheeler we have received a most valuable summary in chronological order of the battles of his Cavalry command for the years 1862-3-4-5, which will appear in the supplement to this vol- ume.
From General B. J. Hill, his official report of the battle of Rich- mond, Ky.
From Captain Marshall, a very interesting sketch of the action of his battery with two U. S. gunboats at Bainbridge, Ala., during the pass- age of the Tennessee river by General Hood on his retreat from Nash- ville ; also a number of interesting sketches from various sources.
From Mr. Frank Porterfield, a large Federal map of the battle-field of Nashville, December 15 and 16, 1864, prepared by Brigadier-Gen- eral Towler, U. S. A., for all of which we desire to make proper, though tardy, acknowledgements.
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THE ANNALS OF THE ARMY OF TENNESSEE.
AN extra edition will be published of the Chronological Summary of battles and engagements in the West, giving lists of regiments engaged in each, and tables of losses on both sides, including General Wheel- er's summary of the engagements of his command, making a book of nearly one hundred pages in small type. It has required much labor and research, and extensive correspondence for its preparation, and will be found to be an excellent and as far as we could make it an accurate compend, particularly valuable for reference. It embraces in its pages a Roster of all the Confederate organizations in the West, by regi- ments, brigades, etc., with a few exceptions. This will be mailed prepaid at 5oc. per copy. Address, DR. E. L. DRAKE, Nashville. Tenn.
THE tables prepared by Gen. Wheeler, showing the battles and af- fairs of " Wheeler's Cavalry" for the years 1862-3-4-5, and which will be included in the supplement, make a splendid exhibit of the prowess of this command, for which his comrades in arms should tender him a vote of thanks. They will see that he acts on the true prin- ciple, that an officer who built his fame upon the blood and services of the men he had the honor to command, should see to it, that they are rightly represented in the pages of history, and that they reap the only reward allotted to the Confederate soldier, a recognition of the valor- ous service he rendered to his cause.
WE have on hand about four hundred sets only of the back num- bers for sale, and those who wish to secure the volume in book form should send orders at once. The scarcity of this edition will make it invaluable, in view of the fact that there will be in all probability no reprint.
THE full set of back numbers of this magazine will be mailed on order, postpaid, at $2. 50 loose, or $3 25 and $4, according to binding. Single numbers of all except the April and June issues can be had at this office at 25c. each.
ERRATA .- For "Shalaron" in General Bate's report, read " Chal- aron."
1
CHRONOLOGICAL SUMMARY
OF ENGAGEMENTS AND BATTLES
IN THE
WESTERN ARMIES OF THE CONFEDERACY.
THE preparation of these tables has been attended with much diffi- culty, owing to the want of anything like full and systematic printed records from the Confederate side, and they will be found to contain many omissions which we have been unable to supply, even after ex- tensive correspondence and inquiry. We have found more difficulty in getting the true statement of losses on each side than in anythnig else. The tables under this head have been taken mainly from the United States Surgeon General's Report. This Report is a monu- ment of patient work in its fullness ; but in many instances, for the want of official data, it has given the statements of newspapers, which often exaggerated the loss inflicted and underrated the loss suffered, ac- cording to partisan bias. A heavy loss in killed and wounded is never discreditable to the forces engaged, but, on the contrary, a pretty . clear indication of obstinate fighting.
For information as to troops engaged in minor affairs and battles be- yond the Mississippi, we are greatly indebted to the volumes of the "Rebellion Record," by Moore. From the clue afforded by this source we have often been able, through aid of Colonel Charles C. Jones' invaluable " Roster of Confederate Officers and Military Or- ganizations " (volumes 1, 2, 3 Southern Historical Society Papers), to get the necessary information with much exactness.
We urge upon all readers who discover errors or omissions in these tables, either as to the troops engaged, losses on each side, dates or lo- calities, to send us the proper correction. By this means this sum- mary can be made historically accurate, or so nearly so as to become of inestimable value for future reference. Our purpose in sending it out now is to give opportunity for correction and to invite further additions to it. We want specific information, in tabular form if convenient, of every affair in the West, no matter how trivial. Address,
DR. E. L. DRAKE, Nashville, Tenn.
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CHRONOLOGICAL SUMMARY OF ENGAGEMENTS AND BATTLES IN THE WESTERN ARMIES OF THE CONFEDERACY.
CONFED. LOSS.
UNION LOSS.
DATE.
LOCALITY.
CONFEDERATE TROOPS ENGAGED.
Killed.
Wounded.
Killed.
Missing.
Wounded.
Missing.
May 10th.
Camp Jackson, Missouri ..
May 10th
St. Louis,
Citizens of St. Louis ..
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