Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 24.djvu/203

 h"'i limns lin'nl. I 1 .'.

McFarlaiul. of tin- Second Kentucky cavalry, being the senior cap- tain and acting as major.

From Hurksvillc we proceeded on through Columbia, Campbells- villr and Lebanon, where the command fought from early dawn till late in the evening, putting to rout the enemy and capturing many of them, and destroying the government property. Thence to Sprinvjlirld and Bardstown. whence the Yankees trailed their ban- ners and fled at the sight of the Stars and Bars; thence through Bloom- ington, (iarnetsville, to Brandenburg, on the Ohio river, where the command captured two steamboats, and one-half of the command were crossed over to fight out and disperse about 1,000 men en- sconsed in a wheat-field on the Indiana side, while the other half were engaged with two gunboats that had come down the river to prevent the crossing.

General Morgan had brought his artillery to bear on them, and in the engagements one of the gunboats was badly crippled, while the other had to assist it to save the crew, and they skedaddled up the river. The army all crossed over to a man, and the enemy in the wheat-field were captured and dispersed, all prisoners being paroled.

Being on the Indiana side, strict orders were given to keep in line and have no straggling. They moved on to Corydon, where the enemy, made up of citizens and soldiers, had the foolhardiness to send out a flag of truce and demand an immediate surrender, but it was promptly returned with the order to surrender at once, or the town would be torn to pieces with shot and shell.

They surrendered without much fighting. About 1,200 were cap- tured, and a large amount of government stores were destroyed. The command proceeded to Palmyra, where a short fight took place and more government stores were destroyed. Occasionally some parties would cheer the command; they were evidently Southern sympathisers. This, however, was in the Hoosier, but not in the Buckeye State. The command moved on to Canton, where more prisoners were taken, and more property destroyed; thence to New Philadelphia, with more prisoners and a skirmish. In fact, the com- mand was never out of the sound of arms, or the flash of gun- powder.

The command then moved on through Vienna, Lexington, Paris, Vernon, Dupont and Versailles. There the command had a pretty good skirmish, and more government property was destroyed.

The country passed through was well cultivated and in fine crops, and the citizens moved and looked as if no war was on hand. No