STONEMAN'S RAID IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA.

Some part of Breckenridge's command had remained it East Tennessee since our defeat at Bull's Gap. Our Brigade and the forces of General Ammen were now to join forces with Major-General Burbridge and this entire command under Gen. George S. Stoneman was assigned the task of destroying King's Saltworks, tearing up the railroads. burning the bridges of the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad to Witheville, Va.. and destroy the lead mines at that place. In these operations we were again to meet the commands of Generals Vaughn and Duke, our ancient enemies, whose men we had repeatedly defeated, but who had at last succeeded in driving us from Bull's Gap and captured our artillery and wagon-train. This was our first active service since that disastrous stampede, and we were more than anxious to retrieve the reputation we had lost, and punish the enemy for the severe blow he had dealt us.

Our Brigade had been newly equipped with arms and horses and now numbered about 1500 men.

The only commissioned officers of the Field and Staff who were on duty with the Regiment on this raid were Lieut.-Col. B. P. Stacy, Major W. H. Matlock, Surgeon, Major J. H. Wagner, Adjutant S. W. Scott and Lieut. S. P. Angel, Acting Regimental Commissary.

The Regiment left Knoxville on the loth of December, 1864, moving in the direction of Bean's Station, where we joined Gen. Burbridge and were provided with five day's .rations. Our Regiment took the advance here moving in the direction of Rogersville. On the night of the 12th we encamped near the residence of a Mr. Bassett, where the officers of the Field and Staff found .opportunity to dry their clothing which had been saturated with rain and mud that day, and enjoy the luxury of a warm bed for the last time for several days. Here we met a young lady, Miss Vaughn, who claimed relationship with Gen. Vaughn, a gentleman with whom we had exchanged compliments on several occasions but whose personal acquaintence we had never made.

Before reaching Rogersville on the 13th our advance began skirmishing with the enemy, driving them through the town. Four miles east of Rogersville at Big Creek, the enemy fired on us from a bluff to our left. Col. Stacy ordered Captain Wilcox to form his company and charge across the bridge, which he did, driving the rebels back. Gen. Gillem fell in with the company and went some distance when the rebels halted and opened fire. Captain Wilcox charged them and dispersed them. Nothing more was seen of the enemy until we reached the "Yellow Store," when we made a charge, capturing an officer and several men.

There was no further fighting until we came to Kingsport on the morning of the 13th, when we found the enemy posted on the bluff on the east side of the North Fork of the Holston river in command of Col. Dick Morgan, Gen. Duke being absent. After some delay the Regiment was ordered to charge across the river and up the steep bluff. This charge was made under heavy fire, but we suffered only a small loss owing to the enemy shooting too high. We captured Col. Morgan and 198. of his men, killing and dispersing the remainder. We also captured his entire wagon-train. On that night we passed through Blountville, where some of our men found the body of Christly Crow, a Carter county man, who had been killed by Gen. Burbridge's men, who had preceded us on this road. Christly Crow belonged to the Confederate army, and had a brother,. John Crow, who was at this time a member of our Regiment and with the ambulance corps. He was notified of his brother's death but could not stop to see him buried, but employed and paid a citizen nearby to see that his brother was properly buried. This was another of the sad features of civil war.

Gen. Burbridge had preceded us to Bristol, engaging the enemy and sending back for reinforcements our Brigade came up and Burbridge was sent forward to Abingdon with instructions to threaten the Saltworks. Before leaving Bristol Burbridge, in conjunction with our Brigade, had captured a part of Vaughn's Brigade which had been sent up on the cars from Greeneville. The rebel telegraph operator was captured at Bristol and a dispatch from Gen. Vaughn to Gen. Breckenridge intercepted asking the latter if it would be safe to send a train loaded with dismounted men forward. Gen. Stoneman ordered the operator to dispatch to Gen. Vaughn that the road was clear and to send them on to Abingdon. He told the operator if he gave the enemy any hint of the real situation and the train did not come he would hang him. A force was sent west to tear up the railroad after the train passed and another east to tear it up before the train arrived. Troops were also drawn up in line at the depot. The train came in with about Soo rebel soldiers, many of them unable for duty. Our force captured here 56o prisoners. Their guns were broken up and the train of cars burned. Our Brigade completed the destruction of rebel stores at Bristol and left there on the night of the 14th, passing through Abingdon on the morning of the 15th. When our Regiment passed through Abingdon that morning Capt. James B. Wyatt, of Company M, asked permission of Major Wagner to remain there a short time. The Major refused and warned him not to remain or commit any overt act. Wyatt, however, incensed by having been mistreated by rebel citizens because he was a Union man remained after the command had passed, and it was alleged by the citizens, set fire to some buildings and then got on his horse and started to leave. He was pursued by armed citizens a short distance east of the town when his horse fell and the men coming up, shot him. Capt. Wyatt was a handsome, dashing, young officer, and his death was greatly regretted by all. He was born and raised at Abingdon and his death was the outcome of that bitter hatred engendered by the war between neighbors and friends, and even kindred, which we have had occasion to mention so often.

Learning that Gen. Vaughn was moving east on a parallel road north of us, the Brigade, with the Thirteenth in advance pushed on in the direction of Glade Springs. At 2 A. M. on the 16th we left that place with the intention of intercepting Vaughn before he reached Marion, Va.

Our sharp shooters commanded by Lieut. Peter L. Barry, who had been promoted to Second Lieutenant of Company E for gallantry and efficient service, was in our advance, supported by Company H, commanded by Lieut. Freels, came up with Gen. Vaughn's rear just before reaching Marion about daylight and drove them in on the main force in the town. The Regiment following, charged into town and in the darkness we got mixed up with the enemy so we could scarcely tell friend from foe. Captain William M. Gourley, of Company A, recognizing the uniform of a Confederate officer near him struck him with his sword; the officer instantly shot Gourley dead. Gourley had scarcely fallen from his horse when Robert Shell, of Company H, who had witnessed the personal encounter, killed the Confederate officer, who it was learned was Colonel Gideon of Gen. Vaughn's command.

Capt. Gourley was an aggressive Union man from the beginning, took an active part in the Carter county rebellion and in all the exciting affairs in that county. He went through the lines with Dan. Ellis in April, 1863, and joined the Fourth Tennessee Infantry. Upon the resignation of Capt. Pleasant Williams, of Company A, May 10, 1864, Capt. Gourley was recommended to succeed him as Captain of that company. He was an ardent Union man, a good citizen and a brave and capable officer. He was a great favorite with Col. Ingerton, who called him "Old Fighting Gourley." "Old" was an expression used by Colonel Ingerton to mean old in the head—reliable.

The enemy being finally driven out of Marion, our men, enraged at the death of Capt. Gourley set fire to a dwelling house near where he fell. A young lady was pleading with the men not to burn the house. Lieut. Angel recognized her voice as that of Miss Mary Johnson, of Elizabethton, who was visiting her sister, Mrs. Huff, who lived at Marion. He rode up and made himself known to her, and insisted on her getting out of danger, as the firing was lively in that vicinity.

From Marion we had a running fight with the enemy for several miles. Lieut. Barry with his sharp-shooters and Lieut. Freel3 with Company H, and Lieut. Carriger, Company A, were with the advance and captured the enemy's outpost near Mount Airy except one man who escaped. The enemy made a stand here in a field to our left and opened on us with their artillery. Gen. Gillem came forward and ordered a charge. He took a guidon from one of the soldiers and giving it to Capt. Dyer told him to capture the enemy's artillery and place that guidon on it. It was but a few minutes until this brave officer was waving the flag over the captured piece. The Regiment made a gallant charge, capturing 198 prisoners, 4 pieces of artillery and all his trains. Among his artillery we found four pieces that had been captured from us at Morristown in the Bull's Gap stampede. We now moved on to Witheville, Va., reaching that point at night. Here the command destroyed a large amount of ammunition that had been stored in a church. When the flames reached the ammunition the exploding cartridges and bursting shells and the lurid flames of the burning. building presented a grand spectacular scene never to be forgotten by those who witnessed it. Our Regiment stationed on a hill west of town had a fine view of it and many of us thought at first the enemy had returned and a terrific battle was in progress. Gen. Stoneman had sent another part of his command to destroy the Lead Mine, some distance from this place, burn the railroad bridge across Reedy Creek and tear up the railroad, all of which was successfully accomplished. On the 17th our Regiment returned to Marion skirmishing with the enemy, who, after our command passed came out of their position at the Saltworks and followed us.

As we passed through Marion on this date, Mrs. Huff who before her marriage to Rev. Mr Huff was Miss Martha Johnson, daughter of Thomas C. Johnson and grand-daughter of Hon. Abraham Tipton all of Elizabethton, Tenn., and her sister Miss Mary Johnson, brought out a large quantity of provisions on waiters nicely prepared and many of our officers and men whom they knew were served with an elegant breakfast. We shall retain this act of kindness in our memory always and will revere the memory of Miss Mary (Mrs. Rucker) now deceased, for the hospitality shown us that day as well as for the many pleasant hours spent at the Johnson family home in our boyhood. Dr. A. L. Carrick, Brigade Surgeon, was left in charge of our wounded at Marion and was captured and taken to Richmond as a prisoner of war, and did not again return to the Brigade.

The Doctor was a most affable and agreeable gentleman, and since the war was coroner of the city of Cincinnati.

On the 18th the Regiment was ordered across Walker's mountain in the direction of the salt works. It was raining hard and we could hear heavy fighting between the forces of Burbridge and Breckenridge in the vicinity of Marion. Before reaching the top of the mountain we were ordered back by courier.

Returning, the Regiment was placed in position on the south side of town where we remained all night in the rain, expecting to charge the enemy at daylight. Moving towards the enemy at daylight we found he had retreated. He was followed by the 12th Ohio Cavalry who captured some wagons and caissons that had been abandoned.

On the night of the 18th the rumor was circulated that Gen. Stoneman was about to surrender the whole command. A number of our Regiment who had been conscripted in the rebel army and had deserted it, fearing if captured they would be treated as deserters, a fate which they had much reason to fear, left the Regiment and took to the mountains. In justice to these men we will say they rejoined the Regiment on its return to Knoxville and were not reported as deserters.

The rumor of the surrender was only one of hundreds of groundless rumors that are familiar always in camps and probably originated from Gen. Stoneman once surrendering his command in Georgia, during the Sherman campaign.

On the night of the 19th we went into camp near Seven-Mile Ford, a few miles from King's Salt Works, now Saltville, Virginia.

The garrison at that place had been reinforced by Giltner's, Cosby's, and what remained of Duke's brigades.

At about 3 P. M., December 20, 1864, our Regiment approached to within about 1500 yards of Fort Breckenridge. A piece of artillery had been placed in position in our front and General Stoneman, himself acting as gunner, directed the firing. The enemy had dug "Gopher holes" in front of the fort and we could not see them, but when the artillery was fired they left their holes and ran to the fort. Gen. Burbridge's command was on our right and that officer had been directed to attack the fort in his front simultaneously with the attack of our Brigade on Fort Breckenridge. Night, however, came on and nothing had been accomplished.

We here introduce General Stoneman's report of the part taken in the capture. of the Salt Works by Gen. Gillem's command (or rather by the Brigade commanded by Col. John K. Miller), which was made to Gen. Schofield, Department Commander, on January 6, 1865, which appears in "The Conduct of The War," Volume I, page 428. This is from the very highest authority, the Major-General in command of the expedition. General Stoneman says: "I now directed Colonel Stacy with his regiment, the Thirteenth Tennessee Cavalry, to make a detour to the left, dash into the town, commence burning and shouting and make as much confusion as possible. My instructions were carried out by Col. Stacy in the most satisfactory manner. A portion of his Regiment he set to work burning the town, and with the rest he dashed up the steep hill on which Fort Breckenridge is situated, over the rifle pits and into the gorge of the work capturing two guns, two commission ed officers and several privates without the loss of a man and with but two horses killed. This was a signal for a general stampede of the enemy, and by 11 o'clock in the night all the works were evacuated and in the possession of Col. Stacy, and the town of Saltville was in flames. At dawn of the day following I received a message from Gen. Burbridge through one of his staff officers that at 4 o'clock A. M. his advance guard had reached the town of Saltville and reported the enemy had first burned and then evacuated the town the night before. The whole of the 21st was devoted to the destruction and demolition of the buildings, kettles, masonry, machinery, pumps, wells, stores, materials and supplies of all kind, and a more desolate sight can hardly be conceived than was presented to our eyes on the morning of the 22d of December by the Salt Works in ruins."

We will quote other extracts from General Stoneman's report which refer especially to our Regiment and Brigade as the entire report would not be of sufficient interest to our readers to introduce it in full.

In his summary of objects accomplished by this expedition Gen. Stoneman says: "Duke's command was badly whipped by Gillem at Kingsport and his wagon train captured; also 84 prisoners, including Col. Dick Morgan, then temporarily in command. * * * * * Gillem's Brigade, reinforced by the Eleventh Kentucky and Eleventh Michigan Cavalry of Burbridge's command, captured Marion, drove Vaughn from that point beyond Witheville, destroyed all the railroad bridges from that place to Reedy Creek; captured and destroyed Witheville with all its stores and depots, embracing 25,000 rounds of fixed ammunition, a large amount of ammunition for small arms, pack-saddles, harness and other quartermaster stores, a large amount of subsistence and medical supplies and caissons, ten pieces of artillery, two locomotives and several cars; quite a large number of horses and mules were captured; a number of commissioned officers and 198 enlisted men were captured and paroled."

" In the capture of Saltville and the works surrounding it, though the whole force under my command was present, to Col. Stacy and the Thirteenth Tennessee Cavalry is due the credit of having acted the most conspicuous part. * * * * * * of the conduct of the command I cannot speak in terms of too high praise and with but few exceptions each and all merit the approbation of the Government and have my sincerest thanks. Neither danger, long marches. sleepless nights, hunger nor hardships, brought forth a complaint and the utmost harmony and good feeling prevailed."

On the afternoon of the 21st the Regiment moved a short distance on the Glade Springs road and went into camp during a heavy snow storm. Without the protection of tents or any shelter whatever it did not seem possible for human beings to survive without some protection from this inhospitable climate in midwinter, but we do not remember to have heard much complaint. The night spent in and around Fort Breckenridge was dreadfully cold and we were not allowed to build any fires except inside the fort.

On this night a deserted house was found near camp, the inhabitants probably having been frightened away by the fighting in the vicinity recently. Our field and staff and as many as could be accommodated took possession and found provisions in abundance, consisting of corn meal, meat, lard and a large jar of cream. The house was very well furnished with two beds, chairs, books, tables and cooking utensils. The clock was still running. We made ourselves at home and put our cooks at work to prepare supper while we sat around a comfortable fire in an old-time fire-place. This was a piece of good fortune we had not counted on. "The ill wind' that had blown this unfortunate family from home had furnished us poor soldiers with a shelter. Thus the old adage "It is an ill wind that blows nobody any good" was once more verified.

After supper we went to bed—five or six in each bed piled in cross-wise—and slept the sleep of the weary, if not of the just.

On the 22d we crossed the North Fork of the Holston river and turned our faces towards Tennessee, or, as the boys said, "back to God's country." Going down the river the road was overflowed in many places and the weather was so cold our boots would freeze to our stirrups unless we kept our feet moving. We camped that night in an old field, making beds of frozen cornstalks with our blankets spread over them.

On the 23d we continued our march down the river, leaving it near Kingsport and taking the Poor Valley road at Brown's. Capt. Dyer and Adjutant Scott were sent out to a large brick house as protection for five orphan ladies ranging from 15 to 25 years old, who dwelt there alone. They were nice refined people and entertained these officers with a good supper as well as music and songs. Capt. Dyer, like most of his race, being witty and entertaining, enjoyed the society of the young ladies, and so the hours flew away until the morning hours approached. The officers instead of going to bed thought best to go to camp as the command would probably start early. Provided with candles,—they had no lanterns they started in "that darkest hour that comes just before the dawn." The campfires had died out and all was still. Their lights soon went out and they continued to walk without finding the camp. Fearing they were going in the wrong direction they thought it best to stop and wait. Finding a shuck pen they crawled in and soon went to sleep, but were soon awakened by the sound of the bugle near by and reached camp just as the Regiment was moving out.

Continuing our march on the 25th (Christmas Day), and passing over the same road over which we had passed so rapidly a short time before, we came back through Rogersville and made our headquarters at Mr. Cope's, 3 1/2 miles west of that place.

On the 26th we halted to rest at Mrs. Rogers', near Mooresburg. A fine wedding dinner had been prepared there and some of our hungry men and officers, with Sergeant-Major John P. Nelson in the lead, soon scented the good things and found a cupboard loaded down with turkeys, chickens and pies. The ladies said they were cooked for the poor colored people. Nelson told them he was fighting for them and it was all right, and they proceeded to make way with the wedding dinner. Resuming the march we reached Mrs. Bassett's, where we stayed on the second night out from Knoxville. Two days later we reached our old camp, near the Fair Grounds at Knoxville, having been gone 20% days and marching a total distance of 870 miles or an average of 42 miles every 24 hours, over hills and mountains, through rivers and high waters, snow and rain, skirmishing and fighting and with little rest or sleep.

Notwithstanding the almost unparalleled marching and suffering from cold, hunger and fatigue during the expedition into Southwest Virginia our Regiment, though in much need of rest, did not feel so depressed and woe-begone as when we reached Knoxville in November after our defeat at Bull's Gap. We felt that we had more than repaid Breckenridge and Vaughn for all the trouble they had given us. We had reestablished ourselves in our own estimation and that of our friends as well as the higher officers in the army. We had materially aided in inflicting a blow to the now tottering Confederacy from which it could not recover and which would hasten the end and the restoration of peace.

On the 2d day of January, 1865, we moved our camps to Cantonement Springs, a short distance east of the Fair Grounds, built comfortable winter quarters, cleaned off our grounds, and .were actively engaged in straightening up the affairs of the Regiment, enforcing discipline and returning to drill, guard-mount and dress-parades. We were now well satisfied with ourselves and set about enjoying life to the best advantage.

A number of changes had already taken place in the officers of the Regiment which we have not noted and at this time there were quite a number of others. The promotion of Captain Stacy to Lieut-Colonel had resulted in a vacancy of the captaincy in Company F, which was filled by the promotion of Lieut. B. A. Miller to the captaincy of that company. The resignation of Major Doughty caused the promotion of Capt. Patrick F. Dyer to Major of the First Battalion and Lieut. Isaac A. Taylor was appointed Captain of Company B. Major Eli N. Underwood resigned and Captain C. C. Wilcox was appointed Major of the Second Battalion. S. W. Scott, who had succeeded Adjutant Stacy on September 24th. 1864, as Adjutant of the Regiment, was now promoted to Captain of Company G, and Lieut. S. P. Angel, of Company G, was appointed Adjutant of the Regiment.

Major J. H. Wagner resigned June 19th, 1865, and was succeeded by Capt. R. H. M. Donnelly, who was appointed Major of the Third Battalion, and Lieutenant Alfred T. Donnelly was appointed Captain of Company D, and was succeeded by John P. Nelson of Company F, who was appointed Sergeant-Major. This officer was promoted to Second Lieutenant of Company L August 2I, 1865, but was not mustered as such.

Other changes were made by resignations and promotions which will appear in the Company rolls further along.