Friday, August 19, 2011

August 19 - Tennessee Civil War Notes

19, "Tennessee Refugees in the Army."
A letter in the New York Herald says:
"I called today on Colonel Alvan C. Gillem, Adjutant-General of the State of Tennessee, and had a brief but interesting conversation with him on various subjects. He states in regard to the Tennessee force that there are not eighteen regiments and two batteries of artillery in the field and that there're are several more in process of formation. All these regiments are very large, and many of them muster at this time as many as eight hundred men for duty. Colonel Hurst, of West Tennessee, has the largest in the field, numbering at a late date thirteen hundred men. Other regimens – Rays', Johnson's, and Gilliam's – muster as many as eight hundred men for duty. I suppose the State has at least fifteen thousand men under arms at this time. Many of the Kentucky regiments were nearly filled with Tennessee refugees; in some instances organized battalions of four and five companies going into Kentucky regiments. Of the eighteen regiments raised, in West Tennessee, has furnished four, Middle Tennessee, two; and the remaining twelve are from East Tennessee. This fact will give us some idea of the number of men, women, and children who have been forced by the cruelty of the rebel power to leave their homes and flee t Kentucky. The twelve thousand who filled up these regimens cannot have been more than a third of the number. I have never seen a calculation made; but even the small number of the twelve thousand alone sounds impossible, and the idea that such a number have been so cruelly expelled from their homes is too horrible to be willingly or readily believed."
Memphis Daily Bulletin, August 19, 1863.
 

19, "Cool"
H.A. Russell of the Eleventh (rebel) Tennessee cavalry, came into the city on Wednesday last, called at the Provost Marshal's office, told the Colonel that he was a good rebel, believed in Jeff. Davis, the Southern Confederacy and the greyback and starvation, and modestly asked to be paroled, that he might cease fighting against the old flag for a while, and retire to the bosom of his family. The Colonel responded to his wishes so far as to order a guard to escort him to the Penitentiary, where he will vegetate on "the vapors of a dungeon" until called for to be duly exchanged.
Nashville Daily Press, August 21, 1863
 

19, Skirmishes near Sweet Water, Philadelphia
LOUDON, TENN., August 24, 1864
Maj.-Gen. STEEDMAN:
GEN.: I have the honor to make you acquainted with the following account of the proceedings of the raiding party from the south, in this vicinity for your information: On Saturday last [19th] a detachment from this place had a skirmish with the enemy near Sweet Water early in the morning, and finding their strength too great fell back. In the afternoon, near Philadelphia, had another skirmish, and 3 men captured, I of whom made his escape, but no one killed or wounded. The loss of the enemy in killed and wounded in these two skirmishes was 6 or more. We captured 1 from the Sixth Georgia Cavalry. That day the enemy moved to the south of this place and crossed the Little Tennessee at different fords the 20th and 21st. The 22d some crossed the Holston at Louisville and cut the telegraph at Concord, and did a little damage to railroad, and then returned to the south side of the river the next day. Railroad and telegraph to Knoxville now repaired.
* * * *
I am, general, most respectfully, your obedient servant,
J. AMMEN, Brig. Gen., U. S. Vols., Comdg. Fourth Division, 23d Army Corps.
OR, Ser. I, Vol. 38, pt. V, p. 658.
 

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