Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 25.djvu/51

 Rh in the bushes and briars; I told them to get it, and had a hole cut in them, and then had them put on the spindle of the spare wheel on our caissons. It proved to be a godsend, for we had nothing else to eat.

That night we saw lights ahead on the mountain, which it seems was the camp of the raiders. Ferrel's Battery and a part of the command was sent to the right, while the section of Freeman's Battery and another part of the command went to the left. We on the right were apparently near enough to have reached their camp with our shells, and I was asked what I could do, but the elevation was too great for field pieces.

Early the next morning we were ordered to move rapidly around the mountain to the left, where we heard heavy firing. It seems that Gen. Forrest had attacked them on the mountain at Day's gap with a part of his command and with the section of Freeman's Battery, and had been repulsed with the loss of Freeman's guns and a number of men. I think his brother, Bill Forrest, was either killed or severely wounded there. When we arrived the command immediately moved forward up the mountain, and on reaching the top our line was formed, and we moved forward. We soon came to the line of the Yankees, who gave us a heavy volley and retreated. "That's h—l, to let them all get away," I heard some one say just coming up behind me. I looked around, and saw it was Gen. Forrest. He ordered "forward," and away we went. We pressed them so closely that day that late in the evening they abandoned the guns that they had taken from Freeman. Streight made a stand at every creek or stream on the way, and burnt all the bridges. The battery was ordered up on most of these occasions, and after giving them a few rounds of shell or shrapnel, and sometimes cannister, the cavalry would charge them and carry the position, and so it would go to the next creek. Many of these streams were very difficult to cross with artillery. Often ammunition would have to be carried over by the cavalrymen, each man with a shell; and the men and horses, by the use of prolonge ropes, would drag the guns across these rough and rocky mountain streams.

Late that night we came upon them in camp, it was very dark and the enemy's fires if they had any, were out, our line was moving along slowly, when General Forest suggested they were just in front of us. I could not tell whether my front was up hill or down, but had the first piece pointed by feeling along the gun with my hand, and fired, the guns to the left in the woods following, we drew a