DeKalb County History

PROGRESS OF THE BIG WAR.

IN Gen. M. J. Wright's volume, " Tennessee in the War," are listed the following fights which took place on DeKalb County soil from 1861 to the close of the War between the States:

Alexandria, February 3-5, 1863; Smithville, June 4, 5, 1863; Snow's Hill, April 2, 6, June 4, 1863; Liberty, January 21, 22, February 3-5, 17-20, March 19, April 1-8, May 12, 16, June 4, 1863; Salem, March 21, May 20, 1863; Salem Pike, June 12, 1863.*

Some of these skirmishes were long-drawn-out, and of course they do not include occasional uncontested entrances of one side or the other into the county, such as the passing of Wheeler's Cavalry in 1864.

It is seen in the list that almost every section of DeKalb had some knowledge of war's alarms. Stokes's, Blackburn's, or Garrison's men frequently camped on their old Liberty stamping grounds. At this place there was for a while a negro company, maybe more, the headquarters being the Methodist church. The DeKalb County Federals built the stockade on the hill just west of Liberty, and while at Alexandria they occupied the fair grounds. Occasionally they were at Smithville, but only for short periods. Troops under

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*The number of battles and skirmishes in the entire State is given in Volume XII, of the " Confederate Military History," and each is pointed out by date and location. The number was seven hundred and seventy-four.

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Gen. J. T. Wilder or one or more of his colonels and other Federal officers made frequent forays from Murfreesboro and Nashville via Auburn and Alexandria.

While the writer was on the editorial staff of the Knoxville Evening Sentinel in 1898 General Wilder made occasional visits to the office, and when compiling the " History of Tennessee and Tennesseeans" in 1913 he requested the General to write of his experiences in Middle Tennessee. This was graciously agreed to, but later the General found it impossible to comply. However, there is an interesting biography of him in the history mentioned. He had the Liberty steam mill* burned and also William Vick's vacant storehouse. The latter was destroyed because the Confederates had wheat stored in it. In the biography it is said: "He [Wilder] took a specially active part in the operations through Central Tennessee. At one time Rosecrans had ordered him to burn all the mills in this region of the State; but instead of destroying them he broke the principal gear, so that they could not be operated. When he reported to Rosecrans what he had done, the general told him he had disobeyed orders, but would excuse him that time."

From the occupation of the county by Gen. John H. Morgan's forces date the series of skirmishes which took place therein. In the history of Morgan's Cavalry Gen. B. W. Duke declares that the object was to defend Bragg's right wing after the later had re-

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*After the destruction of the mill the citizens had to depend upon Crips's Mill, on Dry Creek, and that of William Bate, on Helton Creek.

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treated following the battle of Murfreesboro, December 3, 1862, to January 1, 1863. This wing extended from Woodbury, Tenn., into Wayne County, Ky., a distance of one hundred and twenty miles. Liberty being the most important point on the line, strategically considered, the main force was established there. Duke says also that they kept within safety of Snow's Hill; but he finally decided that this place of retreat, when the command was closely pursued, was not as safe as it had been regarded.

Morgan's command reached Smithville January 4, 1863. It remained there and at Sligo ten days. Then it marched to McMinnville, where the commander made his headquarters. On January 23 Col. John C. Breckinridge was ordered to move to Liberty with three regiments-the Third Kentucky, Lieutenant Colonel Hutchinson; the Ninth Kentucky, Lieutenant Colonel Stoner; and the Ninth Tennessee, Colonel Ward. Col. A. R. Johnson was already in the vicinity of Liberty with the Tenth Kentucky.

Capt. Thomas Quirk was sent ahead of the three regiments. He was an Irishman commanding sixty scouts. Before he could be supported, he was driven from the village by Federals, however. This must have been about January 21 or 22.

When Colonel Breckinridge arrived he occupied the country immediately in front of Liberty, picketing all the roads. Shortly afterwards Colonel Stoner, with several companies, was ordered to Kentucky, leaving the Confederate force about one thousand effective men. There was a similar force in the neighborhood

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of McMinnville and Woodbury. During January, February, and March the Confederates were kept constantly scouting and making expeditions. Fights were of almost daily occurrence somewhere near the line they were defending. "Perhaps no period in the history of Morgan's Cavalry can be cited in which more exciting service was performed," avers General Duke.

General Stokes's troops, or a portion of them, were frequently with General Wilder's in making these forays into the county. The Stokes home was three miles down Smith Fork Creek, north of Liberty, and the Confederates had a great desire to capture its owner. One of the Kentucky soldiers, writing to the Confederate Veteran for September, 1898, says: "Liberty is a village situated at the base of Snow's Hill, fifty miles due east from Nashville. Rome would have been a better name for the town, as it seemed that all the pikes and dirt roads in Tennessee led to Liberty. . . . Somewhere on the road between Liberty and Cumberland [ Caney Fork] River there lived at that time a Col. Bill Stokes, an officer of some note, of whom we heard a good deal in time of the war. It was Colonel Ward's ambition, as well as that of his men, who were Tennesseeans, to capture Colonel Stokes, and they made diligent search for him and at the same time guarded his house closely with the expectation of finding Colonel Stokes at home."

While Lieut. G. C. Ridley was with Morgan's force at Liberty in 1863 he received an order to select ten picked men to go by way of Alexandria, Lebanon, and Goodlettsville and send a messenger on the quiet to

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Nashville to ascertain the location of the Federals and their approaches. Near Payne's Ferry, on the Cumberland River, they found a young lady willing to make the secret trip into Nashville. In twelve hours she was back with a complete diagram. Receiving it, Lieutenant Ridley started back posthaste, but soon learned that General Wilder with a large force had marched from Murfreesboro by way of Lebanon and Alexandria to attach Liberty. Ridley changed his course for Columbia, going by Peytonville, Williamson County. Near the latter place he was chased by Cross' Southern guerrillas, who thought he was a Federal. Lieutenant Ridley and squad finally reached General Forrest at Columbia.

Speaking of General Wilder, he was once assisted into DeKalb County by a Union girl. She was Miss Mary, daughter of Dr. J. W. Bowen, of Gordonsville. He had started out from Nashville with seven scouts. These scouts were captured by Confederates, all wounded, five dying from their wounds. General Wilder reached Gordonsville after dark. Dr. Bowen being absent, Miss Bowen volunteered to act as his guide to Smithville. It was dark and rainy, but the trip was successfully made. Miss Bowen became Mrs. Aust, mother of John R. Aust, a prominent lawyer at Nashville.

On January 29, 1863, General Morgan, with Major Steele, Captain Carroll, and a few men, came to Liberty from McMinnville and selected fifty men to enter Nashville stealthily, burn the commissary stores, and in the confusion of the fire make their escape. Among

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these intrepid scouts was Captain Quirk. But at Stewart's Ferry, on Stone's River, they met the captain of a Michigan regiment with twenty men. For a while the enemy conversed, Morgan claiming to be Captain Johnson, of the Fifth Kentucky Regiment of Federals. Presently the Federals saw under their overcoats the Confederates' gray pants. This spoiled the raid; for while fifteen of the Federals were captured, the others reached Nashville and gave the alarm.

Before Mr. B. L. Ridley, of Murfreesboro, became a lieutenant on the staff of Lieut. Gen. A. P. Stewart he was a private in Colonel Ward's regiment, camped at Liberty. In a letter dated March 23, 1914, he writes:

I was a boy then-had been in the war a good while before, but had never regularly enlisted until Morgan settled down in Liberty. Our quarters for the winter were near where the pike runs through between the creek and the hillside, forming a covered road [ Allen's Bluff]. We were just north of the road that runs toward Woodbury, and my regiment guarded that road. We also scouted toward Auburn and Alexandria; and on one occasion Colonel Ward took us over to near Carthage, where we captured a big wagon train and a large escort of guards. All the prisoners we marched through Liberty to the rear.

Rosecrans was stationed at Murfreesboro, and General Wilder was one of our adversaries. With him was Stokes's regiment. The latter, with Wilder's support, made frequent raids upon us. They came out on foraging expeditions and a number of times drove us back to Snow's Hill. Sometimes Federal parties would go out on the Woodbury Pike to McMinnville. Then we would intercept the raiders by marching out from Liberty and threatening the rear, when they would get back toward Murfreesboro. My company was often made to picket the Woodbury [ Clear Fork] Road. One day our

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base was near the house of a man who seemed to have two hundred chickens. He looked as surly as a snarling cur. His folks were in the Yankee army, and he was no doubt a home guard. We tried to buy some of his chickens, but he would not sell. Anyhow, the boys captured twenty-five and hid them. The officers found it out, and we had to carry them back. He refused even to give us one or two!

We got the wife of one of Stokes's cavalry to wash our clothes and cook our rations. We made a contract with her that if we captured her husband we would treat him kindly if she promised she would make him be kind if he captured us. She agreed. But after the war Favor Cason told me it was fortunate that we did not fall into that fellow's hands, as he was a cutthroat. I have forgotten his name.

Together with my brother, I called on Mrs. W. B. Stokes, and she treated us kindly.

All of these raids were made by General Wilder, but Stokes's cavalry was usually with him.

While at Liberty the battle of Milton came off, Captain Cossett, of my company, being killed by my side. He was under arrest for writing a letter to President Davis asking for a pass to slip into the Federal lines and kill Abe Lincoln, but, securing weapons, went into the fight.*

The battle of Milton took place March 20, 1863. Early that morning Morgan's men at Liberty were notified to hasten toward Milton and attack Colonel Hall, who had already driven the Confederate outposts to within a few miles of Liberty. All was excitement. The pike from the village was crowded with horsemen,

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*All Americans have heard of the assassination of President Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth, the actor. Few have heard that it was meditated two years previously by a soldier in camp at Liberty. Were Booth and Captain Cossett rendered insane by brooding over the war and its havoc?

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first in a gallop, then in a wild dash toward Auburn. Many horses fell, but the Confederates passed through Auburn amid cheers and waving of handkerchiefs by the citizens. Colonel Hall retreated, but was overtaken and forced to fight; then came the pop of small arms, the roar of cannon, and the yells of the contestants. The battle was stubborn and long. It lasted three hours, the confederate loss being about three hundred. Morgan's ammunition gave out, and he had to withdraw. The Federals went back to Murfreesboro, the Confederates to Liberty. Captains Cossett, Cooper, Sale, and Marr were killed.

When Morgan reached Liberty with his two thousand cavalry the citizens looked on a sight they would always remember-the dead cavalrymen tied on horses and the dead artillery men strapped on the caisson and gun carriages.

The St. Louis writer to the Confederate Veteran, R. L. Thompson, mentioned a while ago, was a soldier at Liberty at this time. In his article he says of the battle of Milton: While in camp at Liberty I remember one morning about two o'clock, while the cold rain was pouring down, Cooper the bugler gave the boots and saddle call quick and lively. At the same time Johnson's pickets were hotly engaged on the Murfreesboro Pike. We went briskly toward the sounds of the guns and continued to go until we reached the town of Milton. There we found General Morgan with a part of his force in battle with Federal infantry. Two batteries were engaged in a duel when we arrived. As soon as our regiment put in its appearance the Federal

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battery began firing on our column. . . . One shell stopped at our feet, and Comrade Judge emptied his canteen of water on it, extinguishing the fuse. We dismounted and entered a large cedar thicket, the ground being covered with large rock which sheltered us from bullets. When the battle ceased we withdrew, bringing the dead and wounded away, all that we could find, on our horses, the dead tied on. The battery removed its killed and wounded in the same way, the dead strapped on the caisson and gun carriages."

The writer recalls this scene of the dead soldiers. The day was cool and cloudy. The main street was then about where W. L. Vick's business house stood in 1814. At this point the command halted. Some of the wagons with the dead were near the yard fence of the writer's home.

A former DeKalb Countian and a gentleman of veracity writes: "An incident of the Milton fight I remember very distinctly. I was then at Sligo Ferry, a small boy. My father had been paroled and had taken his family to Sligo. Captain Ragen, of Morgan's command, was sick at our house. Learning of the probable fighting at Milton, he went to his command against my mother's protest. Leaving one day, he was killed the next. I presume he was one of the dead men brought through Liberty tied on horses. Another incident: The Kentuckians at one time were camped in the woods on our place at Sligo. They had no tents. One mess, sleeping behind a log, were, with the exception of one man, killed by a falling tree. All were buried at Sligo. My mother took their trinkets

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and forwarded the same to their relatives. Afterwards their remains were removed, I think, to Versailles, Ky. About eight years ago I was on a train going from Louisville to Chicago and met a very handsome gentleman, finely dressed and prosperous-looking. I cannot now recall his name, but in the course of conversation, I learned that he was the soldier who escaped death from the falling tree. He had been hurt, but not seriously."

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