USA > Tennessee > The military annals of Tennessee. Confederate. First series: embracing a review of military operations, with regimental histories and memorial rolls, V.2 > Part 25
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An attack by a detachment of Federal cavalry from Hickman, Ky., only ten miles distant, caught the unorganized regiment only partly armed and imperfectly supplied with ammunition; but poorly prepared as it was, its defense, in spite of the surprise, was so vigorous that the attacking party fell back, doing but little damage. The several companies, conscious of their weakness, went into new quarters at Trenton, Tenn. Here, being joined by Capts. H. C. MeCutchen, J. J. Neeley, J. G. Stocks, C. C. Clay, and K. W. Haywood, with their respective com- panies, the regiment was partially organized May 24, under the same officers; and in various duties the command was steadily occupied on the front and flanks of the Southern army, with head-quarters at Ripley, Brownsville, Jackson, Tenn., and other points between the Mississippi and Tennessee rivers. The only note- worthy occurrence amidst numbers of small encounters at this period was the com- plete surprise and capture in May of a command of Federal cavalry at Lockridge's Mill, near the Kentucky line. A quantity of camp equipage, a number of horses, and eighty prisoners fell into the hands of the young regiment on this occasion.
Soon after Fort Pillow was evacuated by Gen. Villepigue, his retreat being cov- ered principally by the Seventh Tennessee Cavalry, which crossed the Memphis and Louisville railroad at Shelby Station and the Memphis and Charleston rail- road at Colliersville, moving by way of Holly Springs to Abbeville, Miss., where by order of Gen. Villepigue the regiment (June 10, 1862) went into an election for field officers, resulting in a regimental organization as follows:
Wm. H. Jackson, Colonel; J. G. Stocks, Lieutenant-colonel; W. L. Duckworth, Major; Joseph Wicks, Adjutant.
Co. A, from Shelby county: W. F. Taylor, Captain; J. W. Sneed, First Lieuten- ant; Henry W. Watkins, Second Lieutenant; W. L. Certain, Bvt. Second Lieu- tenant.
Co. B, from Haywood, Fayette, and Tipton counties: J. P. Russell, Captain; H. T. Sale, First Lieutenant; Isaac N. Stinson, Second Lieutenant; Peter Winn, aft- erward succeeded by Robt. J. Black, Bvt. Second Lieutenant.
Co. C, from Shelby county: S. P. Bassett, Captain; John T. Lawler, First Lieutenant; John Albrecht, Second Lieutenant; Wm. Griffin, Bvt. Second Lieu- tenant.
Co. D, from Haywood county: L. W. Taliaferro, Captain; H. J. Livingston, First Lieutenant; I. H. Read, Second Lieutenant; T. J. Mann, Bvt. Second Lieu- tenant.
Co. E, from Hardeman county : W. J. Tate, Captain; J. P. Statler, First Lieutenant; Lee Buffin, Second Lieutenant; Fisk Weaver, Brt. Second Lieuten- ant.
Co. F, from Haywood county: C. C. Clay, Captain; C. H. Jones, First Lieu-
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tenant; W. W. Robertson, Second Lieutenant; J. E. Gregory, But. Second Lieu- tenant.
Co. G, from Henry county: F. F. Aden, Captain; J. J. Blake, First Lieu- tenant; Benj. Diggs, Second Lieutenant; W. N. Griffin, Bvt. Second Lieutenant.
Co. HI, from Weakley county: H. C. Mccutchen, Captain; J. A. Jenkins, First Lieutenant; James Williams, Second Lieutenant; E. T. Hollis, Bvt. Second Lieutenant.
Co. I, from Tipton county: James R. Alexander, Captain; W. P. Malone, First Lieutenant; Phil. A. Fisher, Second Lieutenant; E. M. Downing, Bvt. Sec- ond Lieutenant,
Co. K, from Shelby and Fayette counties: J. A. Anderson, Captain; J. S. Hiller, First Lieutenant; John Trent, Second Lieutenant; E. R. Scruggs, Bvt. Second Lieutenant.
Co. L, from Haywood county: James Allen Taylor, Captain; Alex. Duck- worth, First Lieutenant; C. S. Taliaferro, Second Lieutenant; Frank Pugh, Bvt. Second Lieutenant, succeeded by Wm. Witherspoon, Third Lieutenant.
Co. M, from Haywood and Lauderdale counties: Ben T. Davis, Captain; W. H. Hoover, First Lieutenant; C. S. O. Rice, Second Lieutenant; James L. Liv- ingston, Bvt. Second Lientenant.
In August, 1862, the Seventh Tennessee Cavalry, together with the First Mis- souri and First Mississippi cavalry regiments, under Brig .- gen. Armstrong, moved into West Tennessee, and engaged in assaults upon the enemy at Bolivar and Me- don, the object of the movement being simply to harass the enemy. On Septem- ber 1, whilst marching near Denmark, Tenn., a brigade of Federals under Col. Dennis was suddenly encountered, and a spirited engagement ensued, afterward known as the battle of Britton's Lane. This engagement resulted in a drawn bat- tle, with the advantage very decidedly in favor of the Confederates. In these ser- eral battles and skirmishes the Seventh Tennessee lost considerably in killed and wounded, among the latter being included the Major of the regiment.
Returning into North Mississippi, the regiment, under Col. Jackson, partici pated in the campaign under Gen. Earl Van Dorn, and during the march north, in advance, captured a Federal force at Davis's Bridge. This campaign ended in the disastrous repulse and retreat from Corinth, Miss., October 4, 1862. In this battle companies G and H, of the Seventh Tennessee, under Capts. F. F. Aden and H. C. Mccutchen, were detailed as an advance-guard to Gen. Price, and on the second day of the retreat built the rough-and-ready bridge across Hatchie River, over which Van Dorn made his escape from Rosecrans's army in the rear and Hurlbert's in his front.
After the battle of Corinth a Federal expedition upon a large scale was pro- jected by Gen. U. S. Grant, who marched from Memphis, Tenn., south-east, and reached as far as Holly Springs, with his advance at Oxford, the Confederate forces meanwhile massing rapidly about Grenada, in his front. From Grenada Gen. Van Dorn, with about twenty-five hundred cavalry, including the Seventh Tennes- see, made a forced march of about ninety miles, and succeeded in getting to Grant's rear at Holly Springs, completely surprising the force at that point and capturing it entire, together with over five million dollars worth of army stores, which were destroyed. This brilliant achievement completely broke the plan of Gen. Grant, stopped his advance, and compelled the Federal army to fall back to
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its base at Memphis, where Grant occupied himself in arranging a new expedition through Yazoo Pass. Gen. Van Dorn, however, did not wait for Grant's retreat, but rapidly moved his force up the Mississippi Central railroad, engaging the en- emy at Davis's Mill and again at Middleton, Tenn., finally moving upon a Fed- eral force at Bolivar, Tenn., where there was a brisk engagement without partic- ular result; and having thus successfully accomplished the object of his move- ment, he returned with his command leisurely to needed rest with the main body of the army at Grenada, Miss.
Gen. Pemberton now succeeded Gen. Van Dorn in command at Grenada, and the army was withdrawn from that point to Jackson and Vicksburg, Miss., a con- siderable force under Gens. Loring and Tilghman being sent to Greenwood, at the head of the Yazoo, to intercept the movement of the Federals toward the Yazoo Pass. At or near the confluence of the Tallahatchie and Yallabusha rivers Fort Pemberton was built, and the enemy's gun-boats successfully kept at bay. The only cavalry with Loring and Tilghman was the main portion of the Seventh Tennessee, under Col. Stocks, Jackson having been made a Brigadier-general and ordered to Middle Tennessee with Van Dorn. By Col. Jackson's promotion J. G. Stocks became Colonel, and W. L. Duckworth Lieutenant-colonel by seniority. Several companies were detached from the regiment on special service. Company A, un- der Capt. Wm. F. Taylor, was taken as escort by Gen. W. H. Jackson; Company B, under Capt. J. B. Russell, reported to Gen. Loring in person for special duty; and Company C, under Capt. John T. Lawler (who had succeeded Capt. Bassett, mortally wounded at Medon, Tenn.), was ordered to North Mississippi to watch the movements of the enemy at Memphis, Tenn., and cover Major Simmons, who was gathering army supplies in that section.
Shortly afterward Gen. Chalmers was ordered to North Mississippi to take com- mand of that department, Company C, of the Seventh Tennessee Cavalry, forming the nucleus about which he concentrated the scattered forces therein. In Febru- ary or March the main body of the regiment, conjoined with Mccullough's First Missouri and Slimmons's Second Arkansas regiments of cavalry, were ordered to report together to Gen. Chalmers. Early in the summer Gen. Chalmers organ- ized an expedition to the Mississippi River, marching his force to a point about fifty miles below Memphis. The Federals, receiving intimation of the intended movement, sent out a force of cavalry and artillery to intercept him, which was met and routed near Hernando, Miss. Hotly pressed, the Federals fled in confu- sion, leaving their dead and wounded on the field. They were pursued to the vi- cinity of Memphis, many guns, pistols, horses, saddles, and prisoners falling into the hands of the Southern forces. In this engagement we had several wounded, among the number Lieut. Robert J. Black, of Company B.
Capt. John T. Lawler, who with his company (C) was at this time ordered to follow, overtake, and rejoin the command, in marching near the Coldwater, dis- covered a force of Federals about one thousand strong, under Gen. Wisener, mor- ing rapidly with a view of capturing Chalmers's wagon-train, then unconscious of danger, quietly preparing for camp only a few miles ahead. Notifying Maj. W. D. Leiper, commanding wagon-train, of his danger, Capt. Lawler, with his little command, took post at Matthews's Ferry, on Coldwater River, and the ad- vance of the Federals marched headlong into the ambush, and were astonished by receiving volley after volley from the Confederates, which emptied many sad-
FAM.
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dles before they could wind back up the steep bluff-road to shelter. Ignorant of the force in their front, and unprovided with quick means of crossing the muiry stream, the Federals were checked in their advance for nearly half a day, after which Capt. Lawler, with his small company of only about twenty-five men, by watchful activity and steady skirmishing at every suitable point in the muddy river bottom, successfully delayed the raiders, making his final stand at Wal- nut Lake, the crossing of which he successfully held until the lake itself was flanked by the Federals. This persistent resistance, which was materially aided by the character of the bottom through which they were moving, saved the train, which successfully joined the army the next day.
While the main portion of the regiment was thus engaged, Gen. Jackson was actively employed in Middle Tennessee, and Capt. W. F. Taylor, with his compa- ny (A) acting as escort, participated in numerous skirmishes, making a gallant charge near Spring Hill which called forth high compliments from the General commanding. This company, though actively and constantly engaged in arduous duties, did not rejoin the regiment for nearly a year. Captain Russell's company (B) was with Gen. Loring for nearly the same length of time, serving steadily in a difficult country for cavalry-around Greenwood, Canton, and Jackson.
The latter part of the summer and in early fall the regiment remained in North Mississippi with Gen. Chalmers, recruiting, drilling, and scouting into West Ten- nessee. Col. Stocks's health failing, lie resigned his position, and Lieut .- col. Duck- worth, by seniority, became Colonel of the regiment. For some months after this promotion the Seventh Tennessee had but a single field officer.
The only notable event of this autumn affecting the regiment was a raid made by Gen. Chalmers upon Salem, Oct. 8th, where there was heavy fighting, the Sev- enth making a gallant charge, driving the enemy in every direction. On October 11th Gen. Chalmers moved upon Colliersville, on the Memphis and Charleston railroad in Tennessee, at which point the Federals occupied a strong fort. Col- liersville was completely surprised, the enemy being driven into its inner works. It so happened that on the same day Gen. W. T. Sherman, with a large force, had moved by railroad out from Memphis, on the Memphis and Charleston railroad; and this purely accidental reenforcement, by adding largely to its numbers, saved the entire garrison from capture. The surprise, however, was absolute; the Fed- erals, just arrived and expecting only a temporary halt, were driven from the train. Gen. Sherman himself narrowly escaped capture, but his sword and a beautiful mare, together with several of his staff officers and escort, fell into the hands of the Confederates. The triumph, however, was short-lived, and after several gallant charges, in one of which Gen. Chalmers was wounded, the Confed- erates, overwhelmed by the strong force of the enemy, were forced to fall back behind Pigeon Roost Creek, and the next day retired to Holly Springs. In this very severe engagement Col. W. L. Duckworth was in charge of the brigade, Capt. John T. Lawler, the senior officer present, being in command of the Seventh Ten- nessee, which took a conspicuous part in every charge, and especially in the ini- tial one which captured the train. During one of the fiercest charges made by this command many of the regiment were killed and wounded, Capt. Lawler be- ing among the latter. He received four wounds, one of which shattered his arm, while leading his men. Being unable to travel, he subsequently fell into the hands of the enemy. Capt. Alex. Duckworth (successor to J. A. Taylor), of
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Company L, who succeeded Capt. Lawler when the latter fell, was also wounded, and lost the use of an arm.
The Seventh Tennessee acted as rear-guard during the retreat, and had several spirited engagements, including a severe fight at Wyatt, on the Tallahatchie River. During these severe engagements, in the absence of several officers either on duty or wounded, Lieut. H. J. Livingston, of Company D, commanded the regiment, and by his steadiness and good judgment, successfully checked the active progress of the pursuing enemy, until finding nothing further to be gained but hard blows, they gave up the chase and returned to Colliersville. At the time of this raid Capt. F. F. Aden with his company (G) was in West Tennessee with Col. T. H. Bell, recruiting and organizing troops, but afterward was attached to Gen. For- rest's command in that section.
About this time occurred the engagement at Moscow with Col. Hatch's Federal force, during which companies C and D, under command of Capt. L. W. Talia- ferro, performed the remarkable feat of capturing by a horseback charge the block-house on the Memphis and Charleston railroad at Grissom's Creek, near Rossville. The force at the block-house was completely surprised, and so closely followed in their retreat into their works by the mounted men that resistance was perfectly useless, and the whole party at once threw down their arms.
Forrest was very successful in recruiting in West Tennessee, and early in De- cember (1863) with his force, including what was left of his old regiment, then known as Crews's Battalion, brought out of West Tennessee his unarmed recruits, brilliantly forcing his way through the enemy's lines, and reaching the camp of Gen. Chalmers on the evening of Dec. 31, 1863. The next morning Gen. For- rest received assurance from Richmond of his promotion to the rank of Major- general, and took the command of all troops in North Mississippi, proceeding at once to reorganize them. Late in February, 1864, he moved rapidly with his com- mand to West Point, Miss., on the Mobile and Ohio railroad, in order to inter- cept a raid from Memphis under Gens. Smith and Grierson, intended to destroy the road and supplies in the fertile section of country known as " Egypt," lying between Corinth and Meridian. The first of these troops was met at Egypt Sta- tion, Miss., by Col. Jeff. Forrest's brigade, to which the Seventh Tennessee Caval- ry had been assigned, and which fell back slowly through West Point to Sooka- tonchee Creek, four miles beyond, where it took position and was attacked by the Federals in superior force on the morning of February 21st. After a sharp en- gagement of two or three hours the enemy was repulsed, and was pursued north- ward the remainder of the day and far into the night. Early next morning the pursuit was vigorously renewed, and the Federals were steadily pressed through- out the day-constantly forming their best troops in the rear, to be successively charged and driven by Forrest's men, who were not only flushed with victory, but maddened by the sight of ruined and burning homes, barns, and corn-cribs, fired by the enemy both in his advance and retreat. Late on the afternoon of the 22d, Gen. Smith, badly harassed, rallied his forces for a final stand, and a large force of cavalry and artillery, composed of picked troops, was formed on the brow of a hill in a field flanking the Okolena and Pontotoc road, about eight miles below Pontotoc and near Prairie Mound. The old Seventh Tennessee, under Major C. C. Clay (recently appointed), was brought from the flank, and Col. Duckworth put in charge of the brigade, as Gen. Forrest chose to lead the regiment in per-
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son. Driving in the Federal skirmishers, the regiment was met by the Federal cavalry coming down the hill at a charge in beautiful line. Rapidly dismounting and taking position in the undergrowth skirting a ravine at the foot of the hill, the Seventh Tennessee awaited the charge until the Federals were almost upon them, when they poured a murderous fire into them, which broke their line and threw them into confusion. At the command of Gen. Forrest to "charge them," the regiment dashed forward with a yell, and drove back the enemy in utter dis- order completely from the field and over their battery, which was captured and turned upon them. This success was rapidly followed up by Gen. Forrest, and by night-fall the retreat of the Federals had become a rout, and before morning had degenerated into a panic. The gallant conduct of the Seventh Tennessee Cavalry upon this occasion called forth loud encomiums from the victorious General, with whom it ever afterward remained a favorite. Darkness coming on, Gen. Forrest established his head-quarters in a deserted cabin at the top of a hill and instructed Capt. F. F. Aden (Co. G), of the Seventh Tennessee, to send a reliable commissioned officer with twenty-five or thirty men "to keep the enemy stirred up and frightened till morning, and to send a courier back to bring up the command." Then retir- ing to the cabin, he gave himself up to unrestrained grief, lamenting the death of his gallant brother, Col. Jeff. Forrest, who had been killed early in the day.
Lieut. W. B. Winston, at this time in command of Company C, Seventh Ten- nessee Cavalry (Capt. Lawler being still absent, a prisoner and wounded), was as- signed by Capt. Aden to the duty of continuing to harass the enemy during the night, which, with his company, he continued without intermission until daylight, through the bottom lands where the frightened enemy were making their best speed away, singly and in squads. Thus closed a running fight of three days, in which many of our best officers and men were killed or wounded, among the latter Maj. C. C. Clay; but all acted with such conspicuous gallantry that it would be in- vidions to further particularize. The enemy's killed and wounded were strewn promisenously over fifty miles of ground, most of them being buried or cared for by the Southern troops. The Federal retreat was continued in disorganized squads all the way to Memphis, while the Confederates went into camp to their well-earned rest.
In the month of March, 1864, Capt. Wm. F. Taylor, who with his company (A) had been detached as escort to Gen. W. H. Jackson, returned to the regiment, and was assigned to duty, he being commissioned Lieutenant-colonel of the regi- ment. The field organization of the Seventh Tennessee Cavalry now stood: W. L. Duckworth, Colonel; Wm. F. Taylor, Lieutenant-colonel; C. C. Clay, Major ; Wm. S. Pope, Adjutant. During this month Gen. Forrest led his command into West Tennessee and Kentucky, being accompanied by Governor Isham G. Har- ris. At or near Purdy, Tenn., Capt. F. F. Aden, with his company (G, Seventh Tennessee), was ordered to escort the Governor to Henry county, Tenn. In the vicinity of Mansfield, near Paris, Capt. Aden encountered a battalion of Federals, and a sharp engagement ensued, in which the enemy had two killed (including their Major), and several wounded. Capt. Aden had two men wounded. The Federal force retired, and Capt. A., having but forty men and the duty of protect- ing Governor Harris-for the capture of whom a large reward had been offered- prudently resumed his line of march, accomplished his duty without further mol- estation, and returned to Trenton, expecting there to rejoin his regiment.
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On March 22d Gen. Forrest ordered Col. Duckworth to take the Seventh Ten- nessee, Col. W. W. Faulkner's Kentucky regiment, and McDonald's battalion (Lieut .- col. Crews), and to capture Union City, while he, with the rest of his com- mand, moved on Paducah. Col. Duckworth, assured by a scout that Union City hal no defenses but riffe-pits, ordered Col. Faulkner to approach it on the south, while he, with the Seventh Tennessee and Crews's battalion, approached on the north, in order at day-break the next morning to capture the place by a simultane- ous charge. The burning of a house by the Federals during the night, however, revealed the fact that they were securely lodged in a strong, square redoubt, pro- tected by hundreds of yards of well-made abatis. Col. Duckworth found it nec- essary to promptly change his plans, and dismounting his force, he formed them, under cover of the darkness, closely around the fort. At daylight, March 24th, heavy skirmishing was had, but it being evident that without artillery and with an inferior force capture by assault was an impossibility, Col. Duckworth re- solved to try the experiment of a ruse. His plan was submitted to Cols. Crews and Faulkner, the former of whom heartily concurring, Col. Duckworth proceeded to carry his ruse into effect. The idea was to convey the impression upon the Federals that our force was being largely strengthened by reinforcements, and with this end in view a log was mounted on wagon-wheels, resembling a large piece of artillery; the horse-holders in the rear were instructed to sound bugles and raise a cheer, in which they were joined by the dismounted men in line, who advanced and opened a brisk fire, and the Colonel commanding dashed np under fire with a company of men as though for reconnoissance. Col. Duckworth then wrote a demand for the immediate and unconditional surrender of the post, to which he signed the name of N. B. Forrest, Major-general commanding, which he sent in under a flag of truce commanded by Lieut. H. J. Livingston, of Company D, Seventh Tennessee. Col. I. R. Hawkins, Federal commander, replied, begging time, and asking to see Gen. Forrest. Col. Duckworth, however, sent another dispatch, signed as before in the name of Gen. Forrest, saying: "I am not in the habit of meeting officers inferior in rank to myself under a flag of truce, but I will send Col. W. L. Duckworth, who is your equal in rank, and who is author- ized to arrange terms and conditions with you, under instructions." Col. Duck- worth, at the head of Livingston's squad, handed Hawkins the reply, and after a lapse of twenty minutes Hawkins handed Col. Duckworth in return a written sur- render. Thus the Federal post, horses, army stores, and about seven hundred prisoners passed into the hands of the Confederates almost without the loss of blood or the smell of powder. Among the wounded in the preliminary skirmish- ing was Lient. Robert J. Black, of Company B.
During the next move of Gen. Forrest, which was upon Fort Pillow, the Ser- - enth Tennessee was stationed at Randolph, on the Mississippi River, for the pur- pose of preventing reinforcements being sent north from Memphis. Subsequently the command was camped several days at Jackson, Tenn., and from there returned to North Mississippi, where it enjoyed a season of comparative rest and quiet until about June 1, 1864, when it was reported that a force of twelve thousand men, in- fantry, cavalry, and artillery, under Gen. Sturgis, was moving down from Mem- phis into the prairie country of Mississippi. Gen. Stephen D. Lee, then in com- mand of the department, commenced massing his forces to meet him, and sent Gen. Forrest with a command of less than four thousand men to hold and gain
CAPT JOHN T. LAWLER.
AOUT. JOHN D. HUHN
LIEUT COL W F TAYLOR
LIEUT WS NINST.
LIEUT. R J. BLACK
Flow of Seventh Jene, Sowany, Forets Derson 522 Memphis Braun.
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