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Ninth Cavalry

NINTH CAVALRY

One Hundred and Twenty-first Regiment

Indiana Volunteers.

Daniel Webster Comstock

RICHMOND, IND.: PUBLISHED BY J. M. COE. 1890.

PREFACE.

The papers here collected were read by the Regimental Historian, from time to time, at Annual Re-unions of the 9th Indiana Cavalry. They are printed at the request of the boys of the regiment, and are for their benefit.

Combined, they give, as seen from the standpoint of the individual who narrates, the principal events in which the regiment took part, but do not even refer to many skirmishes in which it participated with the forces of Wheeler, Forrest, Rhoddy, and other Confederate Cavalry leaders, in the Department of the Cumberland, and "brushes" with guerrillas in the Military Division of the Mississippi,--"affairs" unimportant from the insignificance of the numbers engaged, but in which the most soldierly qualities were often displayed.

The papers were not all prepared by the Historian: with those he did not write he has, with the full consent of the respective authors, made such changes as he thought proper.

The paper by J. A. Brown, corporal Co. L, on "Sulphur Branch Trestle," appears as written by him, without a verbal change.

The other paper upon the same subject is made up of accounts furnished by Col. Lilly and Capt. J. B. Harrod, Co. B.

While the writer assisted in making up the detail sent upon that unfortunate expedition, it was not his fortune to go with it.

The very able and graphic chapter upon the Hood Campaign is from the pen of Capt. O. B. Hayden, Co. D.

The account of the Lynnville fight appears substantially as given by Capt. Harrod.

If in these sketches it appears that too much stress is put on minor matters, and things of importance but lightly stated, it should be remembered that the statements are made from individual observations, and the shading must be looked at from the observer's angle of observation.

Hereafter, if the boys desire, the story of the regiment may be further told.

It will be noticed that but brief mention is made of the officers, especially in the chapter upon the Hood Campaign. There is no intentional slight in this--a fair share of the officers were on hand and did their duty, as is attested by the fact that four of them were killed in action and others wounded during that campaign--but the fact is that the privates fought the war and the officers got the pay and the glory. It was a peculiarity found in the volunteer service--found in the army of no other Nation--that however brave and capable the officers of the line, a dozen privates in each company were found equally brave and capable. The accident of rank should not affect the distribution of credit. It is enough to participate in the glory of the boys--too much to claim the lion's share.

D. W. COMSTOCK.

SULPHUR BRANCH TRESTLE.

On the afternoon of the 22d of September, 1864, the 9th was ordered to furnish a force of mounted men to march to Elk River Bridge, on the Nashville & Decatur Railroad.

The detail was promptly made from the mounted men of each company, and, under command of Major Lilly, senior major of the regiment, started the same night. The force leaving Pulaski, consisting of portions of the 9th and 10th Indiana Cavalry, being under the command of Colonel Pace, of the latter regiment. The command arrived at Elk River Bridge about noon of the next day. Intelligence having been received that a rebel force was threatening Sulphur Branch Trestle, some miles further south on the same railroad, Major Lilly was ordered to report with his command to the commander of that post.

The attack upon the fort began before sunrise, and at the first onset of the enemy, Col. Lathrop was killed. During the brief period in which they knew him, Col. Lathrop impressed himself upon the officers and men of the 9th as an intelligent and gallant officer; the manner of his death was worthy of a soldier.

About 9 o'clock Col. Minnis, who succeeded Col. Lathrop in command, was wounded by a piece of shell and carried unconscious into the magazine. The command then devolved upon Major Lilly. He was with his men near the southeast bastion; they were meeting each successive charge of the enemy with well-delivered volleys, waiting for the command to fire; husbanding their failing ammunition, the enemy were permitted to come within close range, showing a good front, before the order to fire was given. Meanwhile the enemy had gained possession of the wooded hill to the east of the fort, and their sharp-shooters from the tree-tops had the range of every part of the fort, except immediately under the east parapet. The artillerymen suffered severely and the brave men of the 9th were falling along the lines. The enemy's artillery raked the works from every direction with great destruction. From every point except the north, where the ground rose gently across the creek into an open plain, the rebels were in heavy force and poured into and against the fort an incessant fire. Eleven o'clock came, and then, in the lulls of the artillery, the gallant defenders of the old flag were gladdened by the sounds that told them that reinforcements were engaging the enemy to the north toward Elk River bridge, but the sounds grew fainter and died in the distance and they knew that from that quarter no help would come. Still they hoped for relief and still held the fort. Suddenly across the open ground to the north appeared a heavy line of the enemy. Major Lilly sent two messengers, one after another, across the fort to warn the officer in command of the colored troops and to inspire his men with coolness and firmness to meet the impending assault. Both messengers, in making the perilous journey, were killed. Lieut. Jones, of Company M, then volunteered to go, and in making the attempt was wounded. Placing Captain Nation, of Company G, in command of the battalion, Major Lilly went himself across the bloody space in safety.

The rebel line halted out of range; within the fort the ground was strewn with the dead and wounded. The men of the 9th Cavalry were out of ammunition; for two hours they had been whitling Springfield musket balls to fit their carbines. The Tennesseeans were out of ammunition; thus two-thirds of the line was left without defense. Twelve o'clock came, and along the rebel line the bugle sounded "cease firing," and from the north across the open plain was borne a flag of truce. It is likely that not a member of the 9th had ever seen one before; it is more than probable that it was now looked upon with satisfaction. Every man had done his whole duty; they had fought like heroes; they had held a brave army under a skillful and fighting general in check for a day, thus giving Gen. Rosseau time to concentrate at Pulaski, and had literally at a great cost, "held the fort at all hazards, and to the last extremity."

Major Lilly answered the flag of truce, taking with him the Adjutant of the 3d Tennessee, and, meeting Major Strange, Adjutant General of Forrest's staff, after the formal salutations, Major Strange handed Major Lilly a paper, which read:

"General Forrest demands the immediate and unconditional surrender of the United States forces, with all materials and munitions of war, at Sulphur Branch Trestle. In case this demand is not instantly complied with, General Forrest can not be held responsible for the conduct of his men."

After reading this paper Major Lilly said to Major Strange, that Sulphur Branch Trestle would never surrender under a threat; that it was a humiliation his command would not bear and one that should never be asked by a soldier; that it was true his forces had suffered heavily, but they had undoubtedly inflicted greater damage upon the enemy; that they were still capable of inflicting greater damage; that notwithstanding this he felt that they had done their whole duty, and on honorable terms he would counsel a surrender. Major Lilly then rode back toward the fort, but had not reached it when he was halted by Major Strange, who galloped after him, saying that General Forrest wanted an interview. He returned and met Generals Forrest and Buford. He then repeated to General Forrest what he had said to Major Strange, and added, that he did not believe that General Forrest could not control his men, and if he did not he would be held responsible. In reply to this General Forrest handed him a paper, which read in substance:

"General Forrest demands the immediate surrender of the United States forces and materials of war at Sulphur Branch Trestle. All United States officers and soldiers will be treated as prisoners of war.

"All officers and soldiers shall retain and be protected in the possession of personal property.

"Officers to retain their horses, if personal property, and also to retain their side-arms.

"All officers and soldiers to be taken to some point in the States of Mississippi or Alabama, and there held for exchange and parole so soon as communication can be had with General Washburne at Memphis."

Major Lilly then demanded one hour before giving an answer, meanwhile the troops on both sides to remain status quo. The hour was given, and he returned to the fort. Colonel Minnis had by this time recovered sufficiently to resume command, and a counsel of war was held. The counsel was a unit, with the exception of Colonel Minnis, in favor of surrender. While the subject was being considered it was reported that the enemy were moving troops, and our white flag was immediately taken down and firing was reopened; there was a slight reply from the enemy, the troops moved back, the bugles on the other side sounded "cease firing," and the truce was resumed. Colonel Minnis, on being fully informed of the condition of things in the fort, and especially of the insufficient supply of ammunition, yielded to the opinion of the majority. Major Lilly then returned to the post of the rebel flag of truce, accepted the terms offered, and the surrender was made complete. The remnants of companies were ordered into line, then stacked arms, and, after preparing for the burial of the dead comrades, and the care of those who were wounded, marched sadly away.

About twenty-four hours after the surrender the captured troops crossed the Tennessee River at Mussel Shoals, some four miles above Florence, Ala. The first rations issued to them were issued on the night of September 27th, and consisted of old corn on the cob. This was burnt or roasted over fire and eaten by those whose appetites were sufficiently keen.

On the 28th of September the C. S. A. issued rations to the prisoners the second time--this was at Okolona, Mississippi, and consisted of a small quantity of flour and an abundance of good water. On the evening of that day Capt. Buchanan, of the 15th Tennessee Cavalry, C. S. A., furnished Lieut. Harrod, of Company B, with stationery and kindly offered to send a letter through the lines for him. Acting upon the generous offer, the Lieutenant wrote to his wife. Written under such circumstances, and while the disaster to our regiment was so fresh, the letter is certain to be interesting to the 9th. It reached its destination after some delay, is still preserved by the wife of the general as a precious memento of the war, and is as follows:

OKOLONA, Miss., Sept. 28, 1864.

I send this by the kindness of Capt. Buchanan, 15th Tennessee Confederate Cavalry.

J. B. HARROD, Lt. Company B.

Although by the terms of the capitulation, the officers were allowed to retain their horses and side-arms, the real advantage of this arrangement was practically not very great. Every night some horses were missing, and when Cherokee Station was reached, there were few, if any, officers who knew where their horses were.

The day after leaving Okolona it rained heavily, and the troops encamped for the afternoon and night in the open field. Here was issued a little fresh beef without salt.

The boys, from the three issues--first of corn, then of flour, then of beef,--by this time realized that the commissary of the C. S. A. was not liberally supplied, or that those who controlled it were illiberal in distribution.

They reached Cherokee Station the next day , remaining there about thirty hours. At this point all officers and soldiers captured at Sulphur Branch Trestle and at Athens, Alabama, on the day before, were placed on board two trains of box cars, to be taken to Meridian, Lauderdale County, Mississippi. The 9th Indiana and 3d Tennessee were loaded on the last train, which was some hours behind the first. To each train a guard of about 150 men were detailed. When not far from Iuka, the track being wet and the grade heavy, the locomotive not of sufficient power to pull the train up, a stop was made to allow the track to dry. The officers in charge put out guards and had fires made on both sides of the track. The guards were tired and soon became sleepy, and there was but one at each fire. Major Lilly conceived the idea of capturing the guard, taking possession of and running the train to Corinth, and then marching the guards to Memphis under a flag of truce as prisoners.

The officers of the 9th Indiana and 3d Tennessee entered cordially into the plan and were willing to take the boys' places at the guns. The major then going to the officers of the colored troops, awakened up their officers and explained his plan to them. They were afraid to engage in the enterprise, for lack of confidence in their colored troops. Without their co-operation the result seemed too doubtful to justify the attempt, and it was not made.

The next day raw "sow-belly" was issued to the boys on the train. At the stations sometimes small purchases were made of something to eat. Lieut. Harrod remembers buying a piece of wheat bread of a variety he had not seen before, heavy and solid, for which he paid Confederate money. Arriving at Meridian, they were placed in a small stockade, where they remained for a week, from which place the officers were moved to Enterprise, Clark County, Miss., and the enlisted men and non-commissioned officers to Cahaba, Dallas County, Ala.

The rations at Enterprise consisted of one pint of coarse corn meal to each man daily, without salt, and a small piece of "sow-belly." Each mess of eight was furnished a skillet and lid to bake bread in. As a rule each mess baked twice a day, those of the mess who were well taking their turn for a day as cook. It was a part of the duties of the cook to divide the bread, taking the last piece for himself. The preparation of this bread did not require any special skill nor long experience. The art was soon acquired. It was only necessary to mix the water and corn meal thoroughly and to grease the skillet with small bits of meat, that the bread might be got out without being broken too much.

In October permission was given to buy such eatables as were wanted, but not many of the officers could avail themselves of the liberty for want of money. Salt was bought for a pound; coffee, a pound; molasses, a quart--Confederate money. In the stores, calico sold for and a yard; muslin, ; good boots, 0 a pair; paper of pins, . These goods had been brought into Mobile through the blockade.

During the latter part of their imprisonment, after the guards had been taken off, an invalid Confederate soldier came into the camp with a jug of what he called "pine top whisky," and a tin cup. He offered the whisky at 50 cents a pint. There was only one colonel in the camp. He was an Ohio man. He bought a pint and drank it. He soon passed into an unconscious state, in which he remained for forty hours. The "pine top" could be depended upon. Some of the boys bought a sample pint, but finding it to be so much inferior to the apple jack of Tennessee, promptly discarded it.

The prisoners received some courtesies from Major Ward, Commander of the Post, and his Adjutant. Upon one occasion, in the absence of the Major, his Adjutant felt called upon to show some of the officers of the regiment special attention. He invited them to headquarters, extended to them the freedom of the establishment, which they accepted with such good will that the fun soon become fast and furious. The Adjutant set the pace, after a number of healths had been pledged on the absent Major's whisky, by breaking a camp stool. This example was followed by the invited guests, who joined in demolishing every article of furniture in sight. The Adjutant was not in a condition to escort his guests back to their camp, but they found their way without difficulty and knew the reason for the issuing of an order, which was read to them next morning, to the effect that no prisoner should visit headquarters without permission of the Major in command.

The monotony and weariness of confinement was sometimes relieved by the drollery of those whose love of fun could not easily be suppressed. The prisoners were often indebted for a good laugh to Captain Nation, of Company G, and Lieut. J. M. Jones, of Company M. A small boy rode into the camp the smallest mule our men had ever seen under saddle. Captain N.. who was about six feet tall, expressed a desire to ride the "critter." The boy dismounted, and the captain, letting out the stirrups to their full length, got into the saddle, his feet almost touching the ground. After putting the mule through the various paces he announced his intention of recruiting a "critter gang" for the Confederacy. Those who heard the captain's speech on the occasion will not soon forget its general tenor and the impression it made upon them. The speech was made from the back of the mule to the Union prisoners, Confederate guards and soldiers, citizens and negroes, who were attracted to the place by the captain's voice. It is greatly to be regretted that no phonographer was present to have taken it down literally as it came from the lips of the Hoosier orator, that it might be incorporated in this true history. He called for volunteers to uphold the flag of the Confederacy. He said he was going to raise a "critter gang company." No one would be required to walk and only to ride when it suited him; that the pay would not be any object; that each private would be furnished with a "critter" in size and color like the one he then rode, and should have a nigger to feed and care for him; that this variety was superior to all others and had been bred especially for the Confederate service, easy to mount and not dangerous to fall from; that only a limited number of volunteers would be received, and that now was the time to subscribe. The captain held the undivided attention of his audience, surprising and entertaining them with his wit and humor for a half hour, and dismounted and retired amid great applause.

While at Enterprise our men were almost entirely shut out from the world. The Mobile Register, costing 50 cents a copy, was occasionally to be had, and, unrelished and unsatisfactory as it was, yet was sought and read with great eagerness.

The privates and non-commissioned officers were marched from Meridian, Miss., to Cahaba, Ala. This was a violation of the spirit if not the letter of the terms of the surrender. On the march some ten days were consumed. They were placed in a pen or stockade and were subjected to the usual process of searching, and anything of any value found on their persons appropriated by their captors. They were not the first occupants of the pen. It already contained Union prisoners, literally half-clothed, some having only a shirt, some pantaloons without shirt, and some only a part of pantaloons, and all alive with grey-backs. The rations issued were substantially the same as those issued to the officers, consisting of one pint of corn meal a day and a piece of fresh pork, one inch square every other day, although some times the authorities forgot or failed to issue the rations for a day or two, very much to the disgust of the boys. If the prisoners had been fastidious or over-particular they might have complained of the custom to the prison authorities, which cut up the meats for distribution on the same log on which the dead soldiers were placed before burial. A Dutch skillet was allowed to each mess of ten men, as the only cooking utensil. During the time of their imprisonment the rains were frequent and heavy, and the cooking being done out of doors, our men were obliged often to partially shelter the fire with their bent bodies while cooking, to prevent the fires from being put out. The wood used for fuel was green white pine. The Alabama River overflowed its banks and for two weeks the pen was flooded, the water standing from two to four feet in depth. Cord-wood was floated in, out of which scaffolding was constructed by the prisoners to keep themselves out of the water. During this time the rations were eaten raw. It is needless to say that under such conditions, without shelter, exposed to the rain, but poorly fed, men died every day from exposure and want, and that those who survived were weak as children. Their imprisonment which seemed so long to them, at last was ended. The officers were sent North on parole December 10, 1864, but the enlisted men not until April, 1865, at which date they were started North, and in their enfeebled condition, although buoyed up by the hope of meeting friends and seeing home, it took them five days to march from Jackson to Black River bridge, a distance of forty miles, and when they came into the camp of their old regiment these brave fellows looked so gaunt, famished and woe-begone that they were but counterfeits of their former selves.

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