Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 25.djvu/58

 54 to leave without crossing". From here we went on to Columbia where we again met General Forrest. From Columbia we moved to a beautiful poplar grove near Franklin, and here the command was reorganized and we had a rest.

R. Y. J

General Dabney Herndon Maury, who is the oldest surviving Major-General of the Confederate States Army, in his entertaining "Recollections of a Virginian" (pp. 208-9), gives the following account of the surrender of Colonel Streight,. which exhibits strikingly the confidence and subtle ability of Forrest:

"When Forrest, with about twelve hundred men, set out in pursuit he was more than a day behind him.

"Streight had several hnndred more men in the saddle than Forrest, and, being far in advance, could replace a broken-down horse by a fresh one from the farms through which his route lay, while Forrest, when he lust a horse, lost a soldier too; for no good horses were left for him.

"After a hot pursuit of five days and nights, during which he had lost two-thirds of his forces from broken-down horses, he overhauled his enemy and brought him to a parley. This conference took place in sight of a cut-off in the mountain road, Captain Morton and his horse-artillery, which had been so long with Forrest, passing in sight along the road till they came to the cut-off, into which they would turn, re-entering the road out of view, so that it seemed that a continous stream of artillery was passing by. Forrest had so arranged that he stood with his back to the guns, while Streight was facing them. Forrest, in his characteristic way, described the scene to me. He said: "I seen him all the time we was talking, looking over my shoulder and counting the guns. Presently he said, 'Name of God! How many guns have you got? There's fifteen I have counted already!' Turning my head that way, I said, 'I reckon that's all that has kept up.' Then he said, 'I wont surrender till you tell me how many men you've got.' I said, 'I've got enough to whip you out of your boots.' To which he said, 'I wont surrender.' I turned to my bugler and said, 'Sound to mount!' Then he cried out, 'I'll surrender!' I told him, 'Stack your arms right along there, Colonel, and march your men away down into that hollow.