The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 22, July 1918 - April, 1919 Page: 146
521 p. : ill. (some col.), ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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The Southwestern Historical Quarterly
pretty heavily. I was in command of Company F and while sit-
ting on my horse in front of my company I noticed most of the
shells were coming or seeming to come over my company and the
shots were getting lower every time. I looked for a reason and
found that four of the men were riding white horses and had
accidentally gotten bunched together in the line; this affording a
fine target for the enemy's guns, so I ordered one of these men to
go quickly and ask permission of Colonel Harrison for me to dis-
mount my men. I had ordered him to go quickly and he gal-
loped or run his horse up to head or right of regiment (my com-
pany being in left of same). In less time than it takes to write
this my man returned and said "Colonel Harrison says 'No.
Keep your men on their horses.' " I called at once, "Attention,
Company F; dismount, lie down flat on the ground and hold your
bridle reins in your hand." Just as the order was obeyed, a shell
struck one of these white horses in the breast, tearing off his shoul-
der and doubtless would have taken off the leg of the rider if he
had been on him. I had thus disobeyed orders, which is always
dangerous and is condemned by the authorities on military tac-
tics, but I found consolation in the fact that I had saved the life
that would have been uselessly sacrificed, as I looked at it. Soon
an order came from General Wheeler for us to fall back. Our loss
was only one man killed in Company C, and some horses. This
man might have been saved if Company C had been dismounted
as was Company F.
The enemy didn't trouble us much more after this until we
reached Farmington, in Marshall County, Tennessee. We had
passed through Shelbyville the previous day and as Northern mer-
chants had come into that town with an abundance of all kinds of
merchandise, groceries, including liquors, wares, etc.,' our men
considered that those goods were contraband, since they belonged
to army followers, and they helped themselves liberally to such
things as they thought they needed; the officers only forbidding
the taking of whiskey. But most of the soldiers managed to get
some in their canteens to take with them for future emergencies;
so the next day the rear guard, imbibing too freely, got on a
spree and while they were having the time of their lives the Fed-
eral mounted infantry ran into them, captured and scattered the146
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 22, July 1918 - April, 1919, periodical, 1919; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117156/m1/156/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.