31, Progress in the Printing of Bibles for Confederate Soldiers
The Word of God is Not Bound.
The first set of plates for printing pocket Bibles and Testaments ever owned and worked in the South were laid upon the press of the Southwestern Publishing House last Wednesday, and it can now be said for the first time that the South is independent of the North for the Word of God [sic]. Lincoln no longer binds the Word of God.
These plates for the Bible and Testament have cost, including tariff, ($150), freight and other expenses connected with them, some $1250. More than one-half of this sum was contributed by the brethren and citizens of West Tennessee and North Alabama to us personally—to enable the Publishing House to print cheap Bibles and Testaments for the Confederate soldiers. There is not another set of plates on which a pocket Bible or pocket Testament can be printed in the Southern Confederacy to-day.
Believing that the balance for the plates will be contributed as a voluntary offering to the enterprise, the Southwestern Publishing House offers to print Bibles and Testaments for the Confederate army at the following rates:
Pocket Testaments.—Plain $12.50 per 100—15 cts. retail; Gilt Sides $15 per 100—20 cts. retail.
Pocket Bibles.-$7.50 to $12 per dozen, according to style and binding. Fine bound copies, with name in gilt letters, from $2 to $5 per copy. Let every community that has sent out a company forward each soldier a Bible or Testament, and a package of religious tracts—price 25 cents per package of 300 pages.
Will all our exchanges in the South call attention to this enterprise, and to the fact that the Southwestern Publishing House offers to supply 100,000 Bibles and Testaments for the Confederate army at cost of material and labor?
Tennessee Baptist, August 31, 1861.[1]
31, Blankets for Tennessee soldiers
Women Worth Fighting For.—We are informed that the Rev. Mr. Campbell collected donations of over 200 blankets from the ladies of Nashville yesterday—a good work for one day.
Mr. Campbell thinks he will be able to procure 2000 blankets for our soldiers, in Nashville.
Mr. Campbell has a special agency from the government for this service both in the city and State.
It must be most cheering to our army to know that the ladies of Nashville and of the South are willing to make any sacrifice in their power to aid them in the holy cause of southern independence. Some ladies are giving all their blankets to the soldiers, supplying their place with cotton comforts. Fighting for such wives, sisters and daughters—for such a cause—such a country—how can our armies be conquered?
Memphis Daily Appeal, August 31, 1861
31, Capture & destruction of W.B. Terry on Tennessee River
AUGUST 31, 1862.-Capture of U. S. transport W. B. Terry on the Tennessee River.
Report of Leonard G. Klinck, master U. S. transport-steamer W. B. Terry.
The above-named steamer left Paducah, Ky., Saturday, August 30, at 1 a. m., bound for Hamburg, Tenn., with a cargo of coal, for the use of gunboats on the Tennessee River. Arrived at foot of Duck River Sucks same day at dark, where we lay anchored in the middle of the river until daylight Sunday morning. Worked all day trying to get over the shoals without success. Finding it impossible to get over, concluded to return to Paducah and report. Started down about sundown, hopping to reach a safe anchorage before dark, but unfortunately messed the narrow and difficult channel and ran hard onto the lower ledge of rocks, under a bluff high bank, with her stern only 20 feet from shore, and with less than 2 feet of water from boat to shore. Finding it impossible to get off without assistance, and being in hourly expectation of the arrival of steamer Des Moines City, which was to follow us up, thought best to await her arrival as long as there was any chance to save the boat and cargo, and then abandon and burn her, if necessary, to keep her out of the hands of the Confederates.
We had on board for the protection of the boat two 6-pounder Parrott rifled guns, with a sergeant and 6 gunners, and also 10 sharpshooters, all belonging to the Eighty-first Regt. [sic] of Ohio Volunteers. From our position the cannon were entirely useless, unless the enemy were within 50 feet of the boat. I sent out five of the sharpshooters as pickets, with instructions not to fire, but report immediately to me if they saw or heard any cause for alarm; and if they had obeyed orders I believe we could have destroyed the boat and guns; but the first intimation we had of attack was a discharge at daylight of about 200 guns into the broadside of the boat, many of the balls going entirely through and out at the opposite side. Not a single state-room escaped being pierced through. Our pickets had fired on their reconnoiters and then ran. This precipitated an attack by their whole force, which took us by surprise. From what I afterward saw I was in the after-cabin when the firing commenced, and went immediately through the cabin and down the forward gangway onto the lower deck to see about the cannon. Before reaching the after-deck, where they were placed, both were discharged and deserted without spiking. I found every man lying flat down behind the ice-box and coal pile. I do not accuse them of cowardice for this, because no set of men on earth could have loaded the guns in their exposed position amidst such a perfect hail-storm of bullets as was being poured through the cabins and deck. Their discharges were mingled with the wildest shouts I have ever heard. All of them were within 60 yards of the boat. Being satisfied that any further attempt at resistance would be worse than folly, and believing it my duty no longer to hazard the lives of my passengers and crew (not forgetting myself), I called with all the power of voice I could command for them to cease firing until I could show a flag of truce. I do not know that they heard me, but they did not cease firing. I then went up into and through the cabin, got a boom-handle, put a small sheet on it, went out on the guard in front of them, and waved it. There were as many as fifty shots fired by them after I presented my extempore flag of truce, four of which went through it. Their officers say that they ordered firing to cease the moment the flag was shown, but that some of their men did not hear it and could not see the flag. Capt.s Napier and Algee came immediately on board and took formal possession in the name of the Confederate States of America.
All forces were then set at work throwing overboard the coal and everything that would lighten her, and in a few hours succeeded in hauling her over the rocks. They used her that evening to ferry some troops across the river, and the next morning stripped her of all furniture and stores and burned her about 10 o'clock. The Terry had 8 officers, including myself. Her deck and cabin crew numbered 17 (all negroes [sic]), and we had 5 passengers, all of whom, with officers and crew, were taken prisoners. The soldiers were taken, excepting two of the pickets, who are missing (probably in the woods). The passengers work the boat until she was burned. We were then paroled and allowed to construct a raft out of the spars and stages and turned loose on the river, without provisions of any kind, to make our way to Fort Henry as best we could.
In the attack there were none killed, unless it might possibly be the two missing pickets. One passenger was seriously wounded in the knee; another, the only lady passenger, received a painful, though not dangerous, wound in her thigh. One of the gunners and one negro [sic] received two wounds each, not dangerous. The soldiers and negroes [sic], some of whom were free, were all sent back in the country immediately after capture. With Capt.'s Napier and Algee we have no fault to find while prisoners with them. They treated us gentlemanly and respected our rights to private property of all kinds, but some of their men pilfered much of our clothing that was not under lock and key.
LEONARD G. KLINCK, Master U. S. Transport-Steamer W. B. Terry at time of capture.
OR, Ser. I, Vol. 17, pt. I, pp. 52-53.
CORINTH, September 5, 1862.
Maj. Gen. H. W. HALLECK, Washington, D. C.:
I am now convinced that the steamers Skylark and Callie burned on the Tennessee River about two weeks ago by rebels was done with the connivance of the captains or Treasury agents. The steamer [W.B.] Terry, just captured on the same river, was probably done with the connivance of her commander, Capt. Klinck. I had just ordered the expulsion of Capt. Klinck from our lines on the strength of a letter received, sent through Washington, exposing his secession proclivities, the very morning his brother, the quartermaster, sent him in command of the Terry. Klinck is now in Cairo under arrest.
U. S. GRANT, Maj.-Gen.
OR, Ser. I, Vol. 17, pt II, p. 202.
31, Reconnaissance from Shellmound toward Chattanooga
Excerpt from the Journal of operations of the Fourteenth Army Corps, relative to the reconnaissance to Shellmound toward Chattanooga, August 31, 1863.
SEPTEMBER 1, 1863
* * * *
Col. King, under date of Shellmound, August 31, reports reconnaissance with 375 men, Second Tennessee Cavalry, in addition to his own brigade (Second Brigade, Fourth Division), in direction of Chattanooga, which was pushed within view of a five-gun battery at Lookout Mountain. Captured R. L. Hawkins, a rebel commissary of subsistence, with $2,736.50 in rebel currency and greenbacks: returned to Shellmound at 2 p. m. Road toward Chattanooga quite bad in many places.
* * * *
OR, Ser. I, Vol. 30, pt. III, p. 282.
Report of Col. Daniel M. Ray, Second Tennessee Cavalry.
HDQRS. SECOND EAST TENNESSEE CAVALRY, August 31, 1863.
COL.: I have the honor to report to you that, in pursuance to orders received from Maj.-Gen. Reynolds, I proceeded to Shellmound to report to you. I commenced crossing my regiment about dark, and by 10 o'clock my regiment was all safely landed on the south side of the river. At 10.30 o'clock I moved out on the Chattanooga road. I proceeded to within 2 miles of Chattanooga without meeting with any opposition. At this point I came on the rebel pickets. I drove them before me to the point of Lookout Mountain, where I came in sight of a battery of artillery and infantry. Not thinking in prudent to go any farther I moved back in the direction of Shellmound. On my return I captured R. L. Hawkins, a Confederate agent, with $2,736.50 of Confederate money.
I am, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
D. M. RAY, Col. Second East Tennessee Cavalry.
OR, Ser. I, Vol. 30, pt. I, p. 911.
31, Contingents of Wheeler's cavalry skirmish near Murfreesboro and Smyrna
Our squadron (Capt. Rheagan's) was ordered to move on to Murfreesboro and drive in the yankee pickets, but when we arrive we found no pickets outside the fortifications. We could see the sentinels on the breastworks, walking their beats. We remained about two hours on picket duty, within a few hundred yards of the works, and then we discovered a body of the enemy's cavalry attempting to get in our rear and cut us off. We fell back and avoided a collision. During this time our command was moving on Smyrna to destroy the railroad. We followed it up, and rejoined our regiment to night. The command captured one stockade to night. We are camped nine miles from Nashville.
Diary of William A. Sloan.
31, "We fought till one o'clock when the Rebel General fired twelve pound cannon six times at us.…"an account of an encounter with Wheeler's cavalry on Blockhouse No. 6 on the N&C Railroad.
Nashville, Tenn.
Sept. 9th, 1864
Dear parents, brothers and sisters,
I was sorry not to get a letter from you for so long. You perhaps heard that the Rebel General Wheeler destroyed and burned 30 miles of track.
This Rebel General with 6 or 8,000 men encountered us just as we had torn down ¼ of our headquarters, because we wanted to use the wood or material for our new blockhouse. He came at night and at seven in the morning we already shot at his cavalry which destroyed and burned the railroad. I fired the second shot and I am sure I didn't miss. We fought till one o'clock when the Rebel General fired twelve pound cannon six times at us, but he only hit the blockhouse once. Since we have lost all ground we had to give ourselves up. He burned down the blockhouse containing everything that he didn't want. He took us with him and let us go after forty miles. We did not get anything to eat except twice fat bacon or bread. I had two ears of corn and an apple besides which were very good and I wouldn't have sold them for ten dollars. The corn I had stolen from a donkey at night. Now there are 31 of us in Nashville in a very big house which belonged to the Rebel General Zollicaffer [sic].
Here now we get enough to eat. Perhaps today or tomorrow we go back to our old place. The Rebels too us with them 2½ days till [sic] our artillery and infantry were on their heels, then they let us go. But the Rebels got beaten up pretty much. Black soldiers took from them 3 cannon and some 100 soldiers and horses. On our way back [to Murfreesboro] we met the ninth Ohio Cavalry….They were after Wheeler.
Will close now and write you a longer letter next time.
Miller Correspondence.
James B. Jones, Jr.
Public Historian
Tennessee Historical Commission
2941 Lebanon Road
Nashville, TN 37214
(615)-770-1090 ext. 123456
(615)-532-1549 FAX
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