Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 16.djvu/67

 Diary of Major R. C. M. Page. 61

October i8th, 1864. Removed to camp on William Souther's farm near by. Drilled, repaired harness and the like.

October 2oth, 1864. Removed to camp on Kent's farm in the neighborhood, where we remained until November 5th. Drilled, reorganized, procured horses and one wagon for Lynch.

October 22d, 1864. Douthat's battery ordered to report to Colonel Thomas H. Carter in the Shenandoah Valley.

October 28th, 1864. McClung's battery, acting with Vaughan's cavalry brigade in East Tennessee, reported captured, correct. Lieu- tenants Pearcy and Dobson escaped. Kept on drilling; experi- mented firing guns this month, General Breckinridge and others being present ; resulted in condemning as worthless every gun at Wytheville except Byrne's two 1 2-pound howitzers, including espe- cially the two Atlanta 3 inch rifles and a brass rifled nondescript from Captain Semple's ordnance store at Wytheville. Lynch's and Byrne's companies merged into one under command of Captain Lynch, giving him now fifty privates, with the two 1 2-pound howit- zers. Duke's twenty three men ordered back to their brigade.

November ist, 1864. Wytheville, Virginia. Summary of report of Major R. C. M. Page, Chief of Artillery, to Major J. Stoddard Johnston, A. A. G.: seventeen guns, seven caissons, one battery forge, four 4-horse wagons, sixty battery horses, eight sergeants' horses, and twenty mules, in all eighty-eight horses and mules, not including those of commissioned officers and King's battery. Pres- ent for duty: twenty-one commissioned officers including Lieutenants Pearcy and Dobson, forty-four non-commissioned officers, and two hundred and seventy-nine privates a total effective force of three hundred and forty-four. Burroughs ordered into camp on Kent's farm with Lynch. The nine condemned guns sent by rail to Richmond.

November ^th, 1864. Wytheville, Virginia. In view of an early advance into East Tennessee, received orders to send a battery to Vaughan near Carter's station, Virginia, East Tennessee & Georgia Railroad, Carter county, Tennessee. Ordered Lynch with his own 12-pound howitzer section, and Burroughs' section of 12-pound how- itzers, to report to Vaughan. Transported by rail.

November 8th, 1864. Wytheville, Virginia. Started by rail to- day for Carter's station, East Tennessee, with Captain Burroughs and his remaining section. Lieutenants Pearcy and Dobson accom- panied me. Arrived same night at Bristol, Sullivan county, Ten- nessee, just on the border line ; remained in the cars until morning.