Reminiscences of the Terry Rangers Page: 34
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34 Reminiscences of thle Terry Rangers
lives in its defense. At Perryville Simeon Bruce was shot through
the calf of his leg with a grapeshot and George was left with him
to care for him. They communicated with homefolks in Vermont
and told of their whereabouts and conditions. An answer soon
came bac' with money for every need and urging their return honle.
They were informed, also, that one of their brothers was a colonel
in the Federal army and another one a surgeon in the same army.
The family where they were staying also urged them to go home
when they learned the facts concerning them. The boys didn't
entirely consent to return, but said they would give it'favorable
consideration, not fully committing themselves to any certain
course, but rather left the impression when Sim recovered they
might go home. Sim after a long time got so he could ride horseback
without much discomfort and then the boys bought horses
with the money sent them and hastened South to their command
and remained with it, making splendid soldiers until the war ended
and returned to Texas and are there or in Oklahoma yet, or
were when I last heard from them. When they returned to us I
said, "I love my country and have offered my life in her defense,
but I believe you Bruce boys are truer patriots than I am." As
to the losses in this battle, I cannot recall. It was quite sanguinary
and losses were heavy on both sides.
After the battle of Perryville the Confederate army moved towards
Cumberland Gap in eastern Kentucky. The Federal army
followed at a safe distance; our cavalry was rearguard to the Confederates.
Skirmishes light and heavy with the enemy's advancing
column was our daily pastime, sometimes twice or three times a
day. Rations became scarcer day by day as we traversed the poor
mountainous regions of eastern Kentucky. The people in there
were generally poor with small patches in cultivation and few live
stock, and all they had to live on had been consumed by the infantry
which preceded us; so it must be clear to the reader that
the cavalry suffered for want of food supplies. They were kept
too busy to make excursions off the line of march to get food so
they fasted and fought for days without anything worth mentioning.
I saw men trimming beef bones left by the infantry, where
they had killed the beeves and issued the meat to the men, thus
getting a little of the stringy leaders off of them. Then they
would break them and get the marrow inside. I saw a number of
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Blackburn, J. K. P. Reminiscences of the Terry Rangers, book, 1919; [Austin, Texas]. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth46826/m1/43/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .