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the flanks of our army, and on many occasions assaults were made with a view of turning our flanks, and the cavalry, both on foot and on horse, would contest with the enemy every inch of ground, and history fails to record an instance where the flank of our Army of the Tennessee were ever turned by reason of the cavalry giving

away.

Do you recall the battle of New Hope Church? I had the honor on that occasion, to carry the news to our gallant Kelley, and to the immortal Pat Cleburne, that Hooker's corps was then in the woods, advancing on the line. then held by Wheeler's cavalry dismounted, with no entrenchments and breastworks whatever. On that occasion the fight was made principally by Cleburne's Division and Wheeler's Cavalry, and Hooker's Corps was driven in confusion from the field, and in this battle more men were left dead upon the field than were killed during the entire war between Spain and the United States.

During the battle of Murfreesboro, Wheeler's cavalry more than once, made a complete circuit of Rosecrans' entire army, destroying practically every wagon and team that he had, making it absolutely impossible for Rosecrans to make an attempt to follow Bragg for more than twenty-four hours after Bragg had retreated. I was in the city of Murfreesboro, Tenn., myself, with a squad of cavalry the night after Bragg had retreated therefrom.

I can truthfully say to you from my own observation and experience, that Wheeler's cavalry fought every branch of the Federal army, including such armored vessels as they had upon the rivers and streams of the country in which this cavalry was located. For instance, only a short time after the battle of Murfreesboro, Colonel William B. Wade, that gallant and noble son of Mississippi, Colonel of the 8th Confederate cavalry, to which I was attached, contrary to orders, stole our little regiment away, together with two pieces of artillery from Wiggin's battery, while Wheeler was on a raid in the rear of Nashville, and stationed us upon the banks of the Cumberland, where the snow was not less than a foot deep. Very soon a transport came along, when only a few shots from the small arms were necessary to effect the capture of the vessel. In the course of half an hour another transport came which was captured in like manner. Then a third came, which, after an attempt to run by us, notwithstanding our fire, was also compelled to surrender. It is needless to say that after each boat was tied to the bank a visit was made by details specially made for that purpose to each one of the

boats, where an abundance of supplies, both solid and liquid, were obtained and enjoyed by the men. Finally a very suspicious smoke was seen up the river and a gunboat hove in sight, commanded by Lieutenant Van Dorn, who at once took in the situation, increased his speed and prepared for action. But he had no sooner come within range of the small arms than volleys were fired into each and every port hole and at the pilot, until they were compelled to surrender, the artillery, at the direction of Colonel Wade, having "fired a salute." Three of these boats, including the gunboat, were burned, and all the prisoners taken from the several boats were placed upon the largest vessel and sent on their way rejoicing. A short time after this I read what purported to be an account of this action in a Southern paper, the headlines of which characterized Wheeler's Cavalry as "Wheeler's Horse Marines."

As the war progressed, and as our men became accustomed to the ways and tactics of the enemy, who would often times charge upon our outposts immediately upon seeing the picket, with a view of capturing the grand guard or picket reserves, it became seldom that we would lose one of our men in that way. Although it was impossible to mount their horses and form themselves before the enemy would be upon them, each and every man would mount and fly in different directions, in a few moments rallying again at the proper place. As evidence that this was not the result of demoralization or cowardice, I will tell you of an incident in which one of our Alabama boys, not exceeding fourteen years of age, was the principal actor. In front of Luverne, between Murfreesboro and Nashville, a part of the 1st Alabama Cavalry, which was Clanton's old regiment, was on picket duty on the pike. A battalion of Federal cavalry under a gallant officer came up, and upon approaching our picket post he instructed his men that immediately upon the firing of our picket, for every man to rush in and capture his man, so that when the picket fired they all came with a yell and a dash. This little boy, with no arms but an old Austrian rifle, and riding a little gray pony, dashed down a lane leading due south, toward where my own command was on picket. The Federal officer, thinking he had a safe thing, selected the boy as his man, and pursued him down the lane for two or three hundred yards. Finally the little fellow leaped off his pony and over the fence. The Colonel dashed up and demanded his surrender, but the little fellow, with his old Austrian rifle resting on a rail and with his finger on the trigger said: "I guess I've got you! I guess I've got you!" Whereupon he made the Colonel drop his pistol and

his sword and move off a few yards. He then pulled down the fence and crossed it, putting on the Colonel's sword and pistol, strapping his Austrian rifle on his back and proceeded to march his prisoner to headquarters.

Looking back through thirty-three years, in the light of all I have seen and read, I do not believe that any country in the world's history, before or since, has produced a braver or nobler set of men than those who constituted the Confederate cavalry. There is, first of all, our own glorious Wheeler, Bedford Forrest, J. E. B. Stuart, Hampton, our own gallant and chivalrous Kelley, our own W. W. Allen, Fitzhugh Lee, Martin, Humes, Van Dorn, Robinson, Chalmers, Hagan, Adams, Armstrong, Ashby, Brewer, Williams, John H. Morgan, Basil Duke, Iverson, Brewer, Wade, Clanton, John T. Morgan, Roddy, Buford, Wailes, Prather, our own Tom Brown, Terry and Wharton, Charley Ball and a host of others, good and true men, of whose heroic deeds it would be pleasant to tell you, but time will not permit.

I did not mention the name of poor Clay King. He deserves a better fate. Let me tell you one instance showing the gallantry of of this man: At Booneville, Miss., while we were led by General Chalmers, with the 8th Confederate on the left, Clanton's 1st Alabama in the center and Wirt Adams on the right, we charged upon a force under General Sheridan at Booneville, Miss. Clay King's battalion was left to protect our rear. We had driven the Federal cavalry away while they were feeding their horses on wheat, and Clay King permitted his men to take the bits out of their horses' mouths and let them turn into the fence corners and feed, while the other forces were fighting in the front. While in this position a column of Federal cavalry charged them in the rear. King then caused his men to mount, without bits in their horses' mouths, and charged the enemy and drove them back.

Happy am I at the recollection of having been associated in those days with such men as the gallant McEldery, who fell, with many others, at Varnell Station, near Dalton, in as gallant a charge as was ever made in war. There was Knox Miller, Charley Pollard, Tim Jones, Tom Hannon, David T. Blakey, Warren Reese, Barron, Crommelin, Anderson, Chambliss, Moore, John Clisby, George Allen, Clay Reynolds, Powell, King, Bob Snodgrass, Ed. Ledyard, Pete Mastin, John Leigh, Jim Judkins, and hundreds of others whom I remember with pleasure who risked their lives on many bloody fields, and showed to the world what only a Confederate cavalryman

could do; and there are hundreds of our comrades whose life blood has made sacred the soil of the South by reason of their having sacrificed their lives in defence of the cause which they believed to be just.

Wheeler's Cavalry was the veritable eyes of the Army of the Tennessee. They were here, there, and everywhere; in the enemy's camps, counting their camp fires, their stacks of guns; being able to tell with almost absolute accuracy the number and character of the troops of the enemy and their location, burning wagon trains and destroying bridges, harrassing the enemy in their flanks and rear, and in every conceivable way; always on picket duty, and always between our main army and that of the enemy.

Only a few weeks ago I met a gallant officer, who is now in the Federal Army, who was from Georgia, and who told me that when he was a little boy he saw a charge made by one of Wheeler's cavalry regiments, and that he had never forgotten it. This was the charge made at Cassville, Ga., by the 8th Confederate Calvalry, in which they captured about 100 wagons, all loaded with army baggage, each having from four to six mules. These were brought safely out, and added very much to the equipment of our own army. In the Sequatchee Valley, according to the best estimate, we captured between 400 and 500 of the enemy's wagons, but which we were compelled to burn.

From time to time there has been much criticism of the cavalry. In some instances it was stated that a visit from them was as disastrous at a visit from the enemy. Doubtless in many instances this was true, for the simple reason that they had no means of subsistence, except upon the country through which they passed, and as they were always moving away from supply trains and the like, there was no other recourse, except to subsist upon the resources of the country in which they happened to be for the time being.

In these various movements of the cavalry away from our own lines, our men were often shot down and we were compelled to leave them upon the field, and they were never seen again. There is not a State through which this body passed that is not hallowed by the blood of our valiant comrades, and made sacred by the fact that their bones were bleached on, or lie buried in its soil. The cavalry participated in every important engagement of the Army of Tennessee, commencing with Shiloh, April 6th, 1862, and ending in North Carolina in 1865.

Well do I remember the teachings of the gallant and lamented.

General Bowen, of Missouri. While we were at Camp Beauregard, some twenty-five miles east of Columbus, Ky., in the winter of 1861, when we were threatened with an attack by a very large force of Federals, these three companies that I first mentioned were addressed. by this gallant officer. By order of General, Polk, we had been furnished with some old guns, known as 'Hall's Carbines"; up to that time we had nothing but pistols and sabres. General Bowen told us that these carbines were worthless, that he had tried to get the order sending them to us countermanded, but he said, "We have a chance to get rid of them, and will do it to-morrow. I will only furnish you one round of ammunition to the man," said he, "and I wish you to fire that before you leave camp, and then throw your guns away. After that, depend upon your pistols and your sabres, and you will come out victorious." Acting on his suggestion, we threw the guns away, and from that time the companies composing the 8th Confederate Regiment were armed only with pistol and sabre, and in the light of our experience, I am sure our efficiency was in no way impaired by not being provided with guns.

When our army left Columbus, Ky., the cavalry was the last to leave that city; when we retreated from Corinth the cavaly was in the rear. As you doubtless remember, as a matter of history, we went as far South as Tupelo, and from there we were transferred to Chattanooga, Tenn. Thence we led the way for Bragg through Kentucky; we fought with him at Perryville; we fought over practically all the ground leading back through Cumberland Gap to Knoxville, and at many points, until we got to Murfreesboro. There we located at Stewart's Creek, and there is not a foot of land between Stewart's Creek and the outposts of the enemy around Nashville that was not traversed by this cavalry hundreds of times. When Rosecrans commenced his advance on Murfreesboro, as I now remember, it was six days we fought this army before it came in contact with our infantry. That night, at 12 o'clock, after our horses had been groomed and fed, we left for his rear, and we continued in his rear practically until after Bragg had retreated from Murfreesboro; in fact, Bragg had retreated, leaving only Cleburne's Division, with one or two batteries of artillery and a regiment of cavalry between Murfreesboro and the enemy, leaving Wheeler in the rear of Rosecrans.

Leading back from Murfreesboro to the Tennessee river, and in the direction of Chattanooga, and Decatur, Ala., every portion of the ground was traversed by Wheeler's Cavalry, and there are but few

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