That Devil Forrest: Chapter 5 - Online Archive of Terry's Texas Rangers

That Devil Forrest: Chapter Five

On the 13th of July, 1862, on his forty-first birthday, Forrest, in the capture of Murfreesboro, with its entire garrison, a brigade of infantry and cavalry, Brigadier General T. T. Crittenden, and Colonel, acting Brigadier, W. W. Duffield, performed what General Wolseley, commander in chief of the British army, considers one of the most remarkable achievements of his career. "His operations that day showed a rare mixture of military skill and what is known by our American cousins as 'bluff,' and led to the surrender of the various camps attacked. It was a brilliant success, and it was Forrest's first great foray, it at once established his reputation as a daring cavalry leader, to be dreaded by all Federal commanders of posts and stations within his sphere of action."

The advance of this cavalry expedition into middle Tennessee was in accordance with the plan of campaign which had been determined upon by the Confederate leaders, Beauregard and Bragg, shortly after the defeat of the Southern army at Shiloh and the retreat to Corinth, and thence to Tupelo, Mississippi. The chief feature of this aggressive movement was the advance of the army under Bragg from the neighborhood of Chattanooga into middle Tennessee and thence on to Kentucky, and a similar movement on the part of General E. Kirby Smith, who from the vicinity of Knoxville, in east Tennessee, was to cross the Cumberland Mountains and co-operate with the movement of bragg by a union of the two invading armies in time to confront Buell near the Ohio River.

It was not until the first week in June that Forrest had sufficiently recovered from the terrible wound received at Monterey on the 8th of April to again take the field. Reporting for duty to the commanding officer in northern Mississippi, he was on the 11th of June, 1862, ordered to proceed at once to Chattanooga to organize a brigade of cavalry, with which he was to operate in that department. To the great regret of his devoted troops and their leader, he was not permitted to take his already famous regiment with him. He was, however, allowed to select several of the officers and twenty picked men as his personal escort, and these he placed under the command of his brother, Captain William Forrest.

Arriving at Chattanooga on the 19th of June, it was his great good-fortune to find that the Eighth Texas Cavalry, better known as Terry's Rangers, was to form a part of his small brigade. Entering the service in the early months of the war, this command, made up of hardy rough riders from the cattle ranches of Texas, men who from their earliest boyhood were accustomed to the horse and the ready use of the gun and pistol, sustained to the close of hostilities the reputation for gallantry which they achieved under the brave Terry, their first colonel, who fell in a skirmish near Green River, Kentucky, in 1861. Colonel, afterward Major General, John A. Wharton succeeded to the command of this body of cavalry, and was then at the head of the regiment when it cam under Forrest. In addition there were the Second Georgia regiment of cavalry under Colonel J. K. Lawton, the Second Georgia battalion, commanded by Colonel Morrison, and 100 Kentuckians formerly belonging to Helm's regiment, who, having re-enlisted, and having elected as their commander Lieutenant Colonel Woodward, were mounted and assigned to the brigade of acting Brigadier General Forrest.

With his wonted energy, Forrest applied himself at once to the organization and equipment of his new command. By the 6th of July he had everything in readiness for the advance into middle Tennessee. In the meantime he had sent several of his most reliable scouts into this section, and these had returned with accurate information as to the location of various Federal commands in that region. He learned that at Murfreesboro there were two regiments of infantry—the Ninth Michigan and Third Minnesota—a portion of the Seventh Pennsylvania Cavalry, and a battery of four guns. The capture of these troops he determined to undertake.

Crossing the Tennessee River on the 9th of July, his command moved rapidly by two different routes to McMinnville, forty miles from Murfreesboro, where all the troops arrived on the 11th of July. At McMinnville he received accessions to his command in two companies of Spiller's battalion, commanded by Major Smith, and two independent companies under Captains Taylor and Waltham, bringing the entire force in this expedition to 1500 men.

At noon of July 12th he moved from McMinnville, and early on the morning of the 13th, while it was as yet not quite daylight, the advance of the column reached the suburbs of Murfreesboro. A company of Wharton's Texans was sent forward, and was soon halted by the Federal outposts. In answer to the challenge, "Who goes there?" they replied that they were a company of the Seventh Pennsylvania Cavalry marching to join their command in Murfreesboro. The Federal sentinels were not aware of their mistake until they were surrounded by the Rangers, who with pistols drawn captured the entire picket force without firing a gun to arouse the sleeping garrison. From these prisoners Forrest learned that Colonel Duffield had been superseded in command by Brigadier General Thomas T. Crittenden of Indiana, who had arrived on the 12th of July. He also learned, to his great satisfaction, that there had been no concentration of the different Federal commands in Murfreesboro; that the Ninth Michigan Infantry and two companies of the Seventh Pennsylvania Cavalry were camped near each other just within the edge of the village; the Third Minnesota and Hewett's battery occupied a second camp one mile and a half beyond the town; while two other companies of the Eighth Kentucky Cavalry and one company of the Ninth Michigan, and other small detachments, were doing provost duty at the jail, in which a number of Confederate soldiers and citizens were imprisoned, as well as guarding the headquarters of General Crittenden in the principal hotel.

Quickly forming his plans, his command was divided into three sections. The Texas Rangers, under Colonel John A. Wharton, were to take the advance and assail the camp of the five companies of the Ninth Michigan Infantry and two companies of the Seventh Pennsylvania Cavalry, situated to the right of the pike as they entered Murfreesboro, and either to capture them at once or, failing in this, to hold them engaged until the other detachments could be disposed of. Colonel Morrison's battalion, under Forrest's personal leadership, was to advance immediately to the center of the town, divided into three squadrons, one of which was to assail the courthouse, another the jail, while the third detachment was to surround the hotel in which General Crittenden was known to be sleeping, and to capture this officer.

The First Georgia Cavalry, under Colonel Lawton, with Woodward's Kentuckians, and the independent Tennessee companies, under the command of Colonel Lawton, were to charge immediately through the village without halting for any purpose, and to throw themselves between the Third Minnesota and Hewett's battery and the village, in order to prevent their junction with the Federals that were being assaulted in Murfreesboro. The command was then formed in columns of fours upon the pike, and advanced slowly and cautiously until, just as the day was dawning, they were in sight of the tents of the Federal encampment. The command to charge was then given, and away Wharton sped down the pike at the head of the Texans. The roar and clatter of the horses' hoofs upon the macadamized turnpike, and the wild yells of the entire Confederate command as they swept onward, aroused the sleeping Federals from their beds.

Before the Pennsylvania cavalrymen could get to their horses the Texans were among them, and those not captured or killed rushed over to the camp of the Ninth Michigan, which by this time was in wild confusion as the result of the surprise. The plucky Michiganders, however suddenly and unexpectedly assailed, were not to be taken without a fight. Acting Brigadier General W. W. Duffield, running out of his tent, called to his men to get their arms and stand their ground. He had scarcely given this command before the Texans were riding in among them, firing at them, as the gallant Duffield said in his official report, at close range with "shotguns and pistols." A pistols hot from Wharton himself seriously wounded Duffield, who was forced to relinquish the command of the infantry to Lieutenant Colonel John G. Parkhurst.

By this time the Federals had rallied, and under Parkhurst's command poured a heavy fusillade into the Confederates, who had lost their organization and were scattered in all directions through the camp. Here Colonel Wharton was badly wounded, and, being unable to take further part in the melee, the Texans were thrown into temporary confusion and driven back some two hundred yards form the Federal position. The Union commander, with great judgment, rapidly rallied his troops in an enclosure or lot fenced with heavy cedar pickets or posts set on end in the ground, and by the use of a number of wagons which were loaded with hay and other army supplies within a few minutes had extemporized a formidable stockade, and now held a strong position. Lieutenant Colonel Walker, who took command of the Rangers after Wharton was disabled, recognizing the great loss of life which would follow any attempt to take Parkhurst's position by storm, deployed his men around it in order to hold them penned up until Forrest could come to him with aid. Meanwhile the firing was severe, and from every point of vantage the Texans kept the Federals within the stockade busy.

While this was transpiring, Forrest, who was in command of the second detachment, charged straight to the center of the village, and surrounded the jail, courthouse, and inn, which served as the headquarters of General Crittenden, his staff, and the provost guards, all of whom were made prisoners. As they reached the jail they found this building on fire, it having been ignited by a Federal soldier, who immediately, with the other troops, rushed into the courthouse, to form part of the garrison defending that position. About one hour was occupied in the search of the houses throughout the central portion of the village for the various parties of Federals who were quartered there, resulting in a number of captures. In the meantime the Federal troops who had taken refuge in the courthouse were pouring volleys into all Confederates who came within their range. In order to silence these, Forrest organized an assault which was to move upon the building from all sides, batter down the doors, and immediately close with the garrison. Under a galling and effective fire, at a word from Forrest they made short work of it. The doors yielded to the hastily improvised battering ram. An entrance was effected, then hand to hand for a few minutes, and the Union troops, who had defended the position with great gallantry, threw down their arms.

As soon as this was accomplished, a portion of the troops immediately under Forrest's supervision were detailed to reinforce the Texans, who were still engaging Parkhurst, while Forrest, with the remainder, moved rapidly in the direction of the second camp, which meanwhile had been attacked by Colonel Lawton's troops—the Georgians and Tennesseeans. Upon hearing the uproar in the village, Colonel Lester had aroused his camp and thrown his men into line of battle. As Forrest's attacking column was advancing in that direction, they came into contact with the Third Minnesota and Hewett's battery moving toward Murfreesboro, to unite with their comrades there. They had proceeded only about four hundred yards from their camp when they mat Lawton, who checked their progress in this direction.

When Forrest reached the scene the troops were engaged at long range, but on account of the artillery which the Federals possessed the Confederates were at great disadvantage. He immediately led in person a detachment of his command to the Federal rear, and charged into the camp which Colonel Lester had occupied previous to the attack. This camp had been left in charge of about one hundred soldiers, and, rushing upon them suddenly from the rear, they offered little resistance. As the men were in the act of surrendering, on, more combative than his comrades, from behind a wagon not more than thirty feet from Forrest, blazed away at him with a musket, but fortunately missed his mark, and he was instantly shot down by the Confederate leader, who was almost unerring in his practice with the repeating pistol.

Having captured the camp, and satisfied that the Minnesota troops under Colonel Lester could neither advance nor retreat from their present position, by a wide detour Forrest hastened with the troops under him to give his attention to that part of the fighting which had been undertaken by the Texas Rangers in the first assault of the morning. It was about eleven o'clock when Forrest arrived in front of the Michigan and Pennsylvania troops, who were gallantly defending their stockade. He immediately sent a flag of truce to Colonels Duffield and Parkhurst, stating that he had succeeded in capturing all the other troops and had concentrated his entire command upon their position, and to avoid a further effusion of blood he demanded their immediate and unconditional surrender. This demand was accentuated with Forrest's usual threat—that if he was compelled to carry their position by assault, he would give no quarter to those who resisted. Colonel Duffield and Lieutenant Colonel Parkhurst had been shot down, and this detachment had already lost eleven killed and eighty-six wounded.

Colonel Parkhurst says "that as General Forrest had concentrated his entire force save one squadron, and was preparing to make a charge upon us, and evidently intending to execute the threat contained in his demand for surrender, the officers of the regiment voted unanimously to surrender. At twelve o'clock, eight hours after the battle had begun, I surrendered my command as prisoners of war." Of course all the other Union troops had not been captured, nor had Forrest any idea of giving "no quarter" had Duffield not surrendered; but with him "everything was fair in war," and he saved his men by causing the enemy to believe he would. Leaving a sufficient number of troops to guard the prisoners thus made, he hastened with the remainder of his soldiers to the position beyond Murfreesboro, where Colonel Lester with the Minnesota troops and artillery were being held at bay. Here he practiced successfully the same ruse which had been so effectual in inducing the surrender of the Michiganders. A flag of truce was sent forward with the following message:

MURFREESBORO, July 13, 1862

COLONEL—I must demand an unconditional surrender of your force as prisoners of war, or I will have every man put to the sword. You are aware of the overpowering force I have at my command, and this demand is made to prevent the effusion of blood. I am, Colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

N. B. FORREST,
Brigadier-General of Cavalry, C. S. A.

To Colonel Lester

Upon receipt of this message Colonel Lester asked permission to consult with Colonel Duffield. As Duffield was wounded and a prisoner, Lester was immediately taken to the village under an escort, and, finding that all the other troops had surrendered, he immediately capitulated, turning over, as he said in his official report, about 450 infantry, along with Captain John N. Hewett's Battery B, Kentucky light artillery, three six-pounder smoothbores, and one ten-pounder Parrott gun. Pluck and bluff had won the day.

While all this was transpiring, among the many unhappy and anxious prisoners crowded in the county jail there were two who had every reason to be thankful that fate had led the great cavalryman into Murfreesboro at that particular hour. One of these was a spy, under the assumed name of James Paul; the other was Captain William Richardson, at this date (1898) a prominent lawyer in Huntsville, Alabama. These two men had been informed that they had been condemned to death as spies, and would be executed as sunrise on the following day. Having spent the early part of the night with their minister, the Rev. D. T. Hensley, and then later on talked of their unhappy fate, it was not until a late hour that tired nature asserted itself and they fell asleep. Judge Richardson says:

Just about daylight on the morning of the 13th I was aroused from sleep by my companion Paul, who had caught me by the arm and was shaking me, saying, "Listen, listen!" I started up, hearing a strange noise like the roar of an approaching storm. We both leaped to our feet and stood upon an empty box, which had been given us in lieu of a chair, and looked out through the small grating of our prison window. The roar grew louder and came nearer, and in a very few seconds we were sure we could discern the clatter of horses' feet upon the hard turnpike. In a moment more there could be no doubt as to the riders of these horses, for on the morning air there came to our ears a heartfelt welcome the famous rebel yell, the battle-cry of the Confederate soldiers. Almost before we could speak the advance-guard of the charging troopers came into sight and rushed by us on the street, some halting in front of the jail.

Within the prison-yard one company of Federal troops had been stationed, and, seeing they were about to be surrounded by the Confederates and that our rescue was sure, several of these soldiers in wicket mood rushed into the passage-way in front of our cell and attempted to shoot us before they ran from the building. We only saved ourselves by running forward and crouching in the corner of the cell by the door, a position upon which they could not bring their guns to bear. Before leaving the jail one of the Federal guards struck a match, and, lighting a bundle of papers, shoved this beneath the flooring of the hall-way where the planks were loose, and to our horror we realized that he was determined to burn us to death before the rescuing-party could break open the door. When the Southern riders reached us the fire was already under good headway, and the jailer had fled with the keys. It seemed as if we were still doomed. The metal doors were heavy, and it was not until some of our men came in with a heavy iron bar that the grating was bent back sufficiently at the lower corner to permit us to be dragged through as we laid flat upon the floor.

At this moment Forrest dashed up and inquired of the officer in charge if he had rescued the prisoners. He said that they were safe, but added that the jail had been set on fire in order to burn them up, and the guard had taken refuge in the courthouse. Forrest said, "Never mind, we'll get them." I shall never forget the appearance of General Forrest on that occasion; his eyes were flashing as if on fire, his face was deeply flushed, and he seemed in a condition of great excitement. To me he was the ideal of a warrior. While I was talking to him he turned to a crowd of ladies who, frightened almost out of their wits by the terrible uproar that had so suddenly sprung upon them, had rushed out of their homes and into the streets, many of them in their night-clothes. In most respectful yet very earnest terms he told them they must go back to their homes to save themselves from personal injury.

After the fighting had ceased and the Federal prisoners were all brought together, General Forrest came to me and said: "They tell me these men treated you inhumanly while in jail. Point them out to me." I told him there was but one man I wished to call his attention to, and that was the one who had set fire to the jail in order to burn us up. Forrest asked me to go along the line with him and point that man out. I did so. A few hours later, when the list of the private soldiers was being called, the name of this man was heard and no one answered; Forrest said, "Pass on, it's all right."

Captain Richardson had been wounded at the battle of Shiloh, where he was captured and forwarded to a Federal prison in Indiana. Having recovered from his wound, he made his escape and found his way back to Nashville, then in possession of the Federal army. Friends in that city, in the hope of aiding him to return to the South, placed him in company with a man who was said to be familiar with the routes leading out of Nashville between the Federal pickets. By some unfortunate error, near Black's shop on the Murfreesboro turnpike, they ran into the Federal outposts and were made prisoners.

At Murfreesboro the captain, who was in citizen's clothes, was informed, to his horror, that the person who was with him was a Confederate spy, and that strong incriminating evidence had been found upon his person. This sealed the doom of both captives before any court-martial. On Saturday evening, July 12th, he was informed that if he had any preparations to make it would be advisable to make them, as he and Paul were to be executed on the next morning. The Rev. D. T. Hensley came to the prison and offered his services to the condemned men, but before the fatal hour could strike Captain Richardson and the spy, as well as others incarcerated with them, had found their freedom in a manner entirely unexpected. The hand of fate and Forrest had rescued them.

In his official report Forrest states that there were captured between eleven and twelve hundred privates and noncommissioned officers. "I captured four pieces of artillery, which are still in my possession, with harness and ammunition, some fifty or sixty large wagons and teams, a number of cavalry horses, saddles, small arms, and ammunition." All the material which could not be removed was destroyed. As Forrest immediately left with his command in the direction of McMinnville, he was unable to make an exact list of his killed and wounded. He states about twenty-five killed and sixty wounded. There can be but little doubt, however, that this estimate falls short of his actual loss. Wharton's command must have suffered severely in their encounter with the five companies of the Ninth Michigan and two companies of the Seventh Pennsylvania Cavalry, which detachment, commanded by two very gallant officers, resisted strongly and fought with pluck, as shown by their losses. Eleven killed and eighty-six wounded din the five Michigan companies, and five killed and twenty wounded, as reported by Major James J. Seibert of the Seventh Pennsylvania Cavalry, out of the eighty duty men present at the time of the attack, all attest the bravery of the soldiers. In Hewett's battery the casualties were one killed, three wounded, and seventy-one additional captured. The Michigan company in the courthouse lost three wounded and one not accounted for. The losses in the Third Minnesota were two killed and eight wounded. As Forrest was the assailant, it would be a fair estimate to place his killed at twenty-five to thirty and wounded at one hundred. Colonel Duffield says that "he buried more Confederates than Union dead."1

General Crittenden claims his total effective force was 814, but a careful study of the report shows that this does not include the Seventh Pennsylvania troops and others on detached duty at Murfreesboro, and is therefore considerably less than the actual number engaged.

The court of inquiry appointed to examine into the cause of this disaster, in their report of January 24, 1863, stated that "their estimate of the Federal troops present on the 13th of July, 1862, was 1040"; to which, if one adds the teamsters connected with the wagon trains, and others on detached duty, the number would correspond with Forrest's report, which is eleven or twelve hundred. Major General J. P. McCown, C.S.A., on July 17, 1862, from Chattanooga, telegraphed to General Bragg that "Forrest attacked Murfreesboro at five o'clock Sunday morning, July 13th, and captured two brigadier-generals, staff and field officers, and 1200 men; burned $200,000 worth of stores; captured sufficient stores with those burned to amount to $500,000; 60 wagons; 300 mules; 150 or 200 horses, and field-battery of four pieces; destroyed the railroad and depot and Murfreesboro. Had to retreat to McMinnville owing to large number of prisoners to be guarded. Loss 16 or 18 killed, 25 or 30 wounded."

Immediately upon the surrender of the last detachment of the Federals, between three and four o'clock, Forrest gathered his prisoners and captured property together, and started at once in the direction of McMinnville, camping for the night nine miles east of Murfreesboro. Before leaving he destroyed the depots containing all government supplies which could not be transported and the railroad bridges in this immediate vicinity. On the following day, the 14th, the prisoners were placed in charge of an escort commanded by Colonel Wharton, who, although suffering from the wound received in the action of the 13th, was still able to keep his saddle and attend to the lighter duties assigned him. On the night of the 14th the entire command reached McMinnville. Here the prisoners and noncommissioned officers were paroled, while the commissioned officers were sent to Knoxville to be held for exchange.

Naturally the sudden advent of the Confederates in middle Tennessee and the capture of such a formidable garrison as that at Murfreesboro, by a command in general badly armed and equipped, and without artillery, created considerable excitement throughout the country, and a very general consternation and anxiety among the Federal commanders of neighboring posts and their troops. It is a matter of surprise that no greater precautions were taken on the part of the Federals to prevent this disaster. It will, however, be remembered that this event took place comparatively early in the war and was the first great foray made by any Confederate commander within the Union lines. Later on the lesson of misfortune bore fruit, and it came to be a rare occurrence for a camp, however small, to be taken unawares.

That the possibility of such invasion had been in the minds of some of the Federal officers is evident from the dispatches about this date which may be found in the official records.2 On June 8, 1862, Major General O. M. Mitchel, from Huntsville, Alabama, dispatched General Buell that Colonel Lester at Murfreesboro had informed him that 1000 of the enemy were eight miles south of McMinnville and might attack him. Mitchel adds: "I do not know what reliance ought to be placed on these reports. One thing is certain, that region ought now to be strongly occupied"; and this careful officer again emphasized his apprehension of attack on June 24th in a dispatch to General Buell in which he says: "It is possible the enemy's cavalry crossing opposite Chattanooga might pass the mountains to McMinnville for a raid on Wartrace and Murfreesboro. I have directed the commanding officer to be ready."3

From the manner in which the surprise was effected it is evident that eh warning of his superior was not fully appreciated by acting Brigadier General Duffield. Moreover, as late as the 12th of July, the day preceding the attack, Buell wired Halleck that a heavy cavalry force was being thrown across the Tennessee River to operate in middle Tennessee.4 Duffield was advised again to take every precaution, and to build a stockade for the protection of every bridge in his jurisdiction.5

Three days prior to the attack the Federal authorities were the recipients of a rather mysterious telegram signed Stanley Matthews, but sent in a spirit of sheer bravado by another bold raider. The guilty person in this instance was none other than the distinguished Colonel John H. Morgan, who about the time that Forrest was starting for middle Tennessee had gone on a raid of his own into his native land of Kentucky. Morgan carried with him a very daring and expert telegraph operator, George A. Elsworth, who bore the fitting nickname of "Lightning." On the 10th of July, Elsworth cut the wire about one and a half miles below Horse Cave, on the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, inserted his instrument, and began to inform his commander of the various events which were passing over the wire. When about to close, Morgan, who was sitting at his side, dictated to him and he immediately sent the following prophetic dispatch:

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, July 10, 1862.

TO HENRY DENT, Provost Marshal, Louisville, Kentucky—General Forrest attacked Murfreesboro, routing our forces, and is now moving on Nashville. Inform general commanding.

STANLEY MATTHEWS, Provost Marshal6

As had been expected, one of the immediate results of Forrest's raid was a rapid concentration of troops in this direction to protect he various Federal stations and at the same time to drive him back across the Tennessee. This movement began at once and relieved the Confederate army in northern Mississippi of the great pressure which was being brought to bear on it at that time by the Federal commander. As soon as Buell, whose headquarters were at Huntsville, Alabama, received information of the disaster on the night of the 13th, he telegraphed to Major General McCook to move with his division at once to Columbia, adding that a large force of rebel cavalry had attacked Murfreesboro, and was threatening the Franklin and Columbia bridges.

Colonel Miller, commanding at Nashville, wired Buell that Murfreesboro was captured, and that he had recalled all the troops from Lebanon, had every man under arms, and had strong pickets out and patrols on all roads. Buell answered: "Reinforcements are moving forward and will reach Nashville to-morrow." General Buell further dispatched General William Nelson, at Athens, Alabama, that the troops had been surprised and defeated, and Nelson's command was at once on the march. On the 15th of July, Buell dispatched Halleck: "The worst feature of Forrest's attack was the interruption of the Chattanooga railroad, just completed." He says: "I had taken the precaution to place some twelve regiments on that route until it should be securely established. A large portion of the 50,000 rations of forage forwarded to Murfreesboro have been captured or burned."

He regarded the whole affair as most disgraceful and demanding prompt and vigorous treatment. "It has caused serious delay in the means of supplying the army so that it can move on the Decatur route. The force was more than sufficient to repel the attack. Take it in all its features, few more disgraceful examples can be found in the history of our war." He also wired General George H. Thomas, who was at Tuscumbia, Alabama, "to move with all rapidity to Florence and Athens and on to Murfreesboro. I deem it of very great importance that you should get across the river at the earliest possible moment. Send one of your brigades forward without delay to cross at Decatur. Cross everything you have at Eastport at once. Endeavor to get your trains across at all points before Grant's troops come up, so that no time may be lost after their arrival."7

Being well informed of the rapid concentration of heavy forces for the purpose of destroying his command, a more timid leader than Forrest would have justified himself in resting upon his laurels and retiring his command in safety to the neighborhood of Chattanooga, under the protection of the infantry there. But the hardy cavalryman was on his native heath, was born almost within sight of Murfreesboro, and he had no notion of leaving Tennessee until he was driven out by main force. In fact, that quality of caution born of timidity had neither lot nor part in his sturdy nature. If it had been otherwise the chances are that the success at Murfreesboro would have been only partial. To have captured a brigadier general and the troops forming his guards in sight of two large bodies of well-equipped infantry, and liberated a large number of imprisoned Confederates, might have satisfied a less energetic soldier, but there was so much of the bulldog in this man's nature that he would not let loose and was not satisfied until everything was his.

And so at Murfreesboro he refused to listen to the suggestions of his officers to leave the infantry alone and retire with the property and the prisoners they had already captured. He said: "I did not come here to make half a job of it; I'm going to have them all." While resting at McMinnville, the trusted scouts sent out in various directions for the purpose of obtaining the necessary information for his future enterprises returned, and on the 18th of July he started at the head of a detachment of his command in the direction of Lebanon. On the 20th, arriving near this town, he found the quarry had been flushed, for, apprised of his advance, the Federals had scurried away for shelter behind the ramparts of Nashville. From Lebanon he followed them as they retired in this direction.

Four miles from Nashville he came upon a detachment, about twenty in number, who, protected by a strong stockade, were guarding a railroad bridge over Mill Creek. This time he was not without cannon, and stockades, however well constructed, could soon be battered down by artillery. He so convinced the garrison that this would be the result that they surrendered, and the bridge was forthwith destroyed. Moving still farther around the city and in sight of the capitol on this same date, his advance guard, composed of the Eighth Texas, had a lively encounter with a second detachment of the Union troops at Antioch station. These also surrendered after some resistance, and the depot, filled with government supplies, was destroyed and all the rolling stock there burned. Farther down on the road toward Murfreesboro on this same day another bridge was destroyed.

Major General Nelson had already informed General Buell that "Forrest had returned, but in three days he would take the field and try to clear him out of the country." On July 22nd Colonel John F. Miller, commanding at Nashville, telegraphed Buell that "Colonel Forrest, with a force variously reported from twelve hundred to four thousand strong, advanced yesterday from Lebanon within eight miles of this city, marched across the Mill Creek, destroyed three bridges, took eighty prisoners, killed two and wounded one of the Second Kentucky Volunteers. Enemy's loss reported, twenty killed and wounded. He took the prisoners on Murfreesboro road twelve miles from this place, camped, paroled the prisoners this morning, and then marched to Murfreesboro to capture wagon-trains with 360 of the Thirty-sixth Indiana, who left here yesterday morning."

So desirous was our new brigadier general (for his commission was dated July 21st) to let Colonel Miller know he was still in the country, he sent him a polite not to this effect, adding that if he didn't believe it and would come out he would give him a warm reception. Colonel Miller was not afraid, but he had orders to hold Nashville, and he stayed there and held it. General Nelson, on the 24th of July, from Murfreesboro, reported that on the 21st Forrest was within five miles of Nashville burning bridges and trestlework. "I determined to cut off Forrest's retreat, but before marching a courier came to me from Franklin, bringing a dispatch that Forrest with twenty-five hundred or three thousand men was at Nashville. Forrest escaped. The eighty men that were guarding the bridge that was burned are lost, three of them killed and the rest taken. They were of the Second Kentucky. That regiment is much reduced since leaving Athens; three were killed and forty-eight wounded on the railroad, eighty-one taken prisoners, making a loss of six killed and one hundred and twenty-nine lost by death and prisoners. I will have about twelve hundred cavalry, and Mr. Forrest shall have no rest. I will hunt him myself."8

Instead of permitting himself to be cut off or whipped by General Nelson, "Mr. Forrest," leaving the main road as the Union commander approached, hastened across the country with his troops, and paid his respects on the 27th day of July to General W. Sooy Smith, who was then in command at Manchester. He wired General Buell from Manchester that day: "Forrest appeared before me and made a successful dash on one of my reconnoitring parties, killed three and captured fifteen men." Later on, in the campaign of 1864, in Mississippi, Forrest and Smith met again, to the great and lasting discomfiture of the latter. Under the persistent prodding of his superior, General Buell, Nelson was kept busy in the effort to hunt Forrest down. It was a game of hide-and-seek, in which the cavalry leader was hard to beat. Buell reiterated his dispatch: "Destroy Forrest if you can."

"In spite of the hot weather and the seeming hopelessness of this task, Nelson, with commendable persistence, chased to and fro across middle Tennessee in a vain effort to come up with the Confederates. On July 30th he gave it up. He telegraphed to Buell on this date that "with infantry in this hot weather it is a hopeless task to chase Forrest's command mounted on race-horses." Still came from Buell the watchword, "Destroy him if you can," and still the clouds of disappointment hung over Nelson. In a dispatch from McMinnville he says: "The condition of the country is as bad as possible. It is in arms almost to a man. Bragg's army is expected. Three wagons have been cut off close to camp; patrol fired on, four killed; two other sentries shot. Forrest himself is here at Sparta with twenty-five hundred men. Sent a regiment of cavalry out yesterday to attract his attention."

And promptly, on the 15th of August, Forrest was attracted for he moved out from Sparta, swooped around his pursuers, and went in the direction of Murfreesboro, which place was now again heavily garrisoned by the Union forces. Turning toward McMinnville, he followed the branch of the railroad leading to this place, destroying all the bridges and tearing up the track. Once more the Federal post commanders in the region round about had the wires hot with dispatches. Some inquired where Forrest was when last heard from, and others contained the information that "Forrest may be expected." In doleful vein General Buell dispatched to Miller at Nashville: "Our guards are gathered up by the enemy as easily as he would herd cattle. One resolute company properly stockaded could defy Forrest's whole force."9

On the 18th of August, Buell wired that "Forrest is certainly at Nashville. Troops cannot safely cross. On the 26th he wired General Hazen: "Endeavor to assure yourself whether Forrest has any infantry with him." On August 27th, General Thomas had heard that "the train of the Fourth Division was captured by Forrest yesterday," and on the 28th he wired Buell: "I have sent a brigade after Forrest, who is at Woodbury with something over one thousand men."

In the meantime, Forrest, duly informed of the various columns marching to hem him in, and knowing also that General Bragg with a heavy infantry force had already crossed the Tennessee River at Chattanooga and was moving toward Altamont, determined without delay to proceed to this latter place and there await the advance guard of the infantry column. Although he moved with his usual celerity, he was too late to escape an additional body of Union troops who, under the active leadership of General McCook, had headed him off and was then in possession of Altamont. However difficult and dangerous the predicament in which he found himself, Forrest was not slow in deciding what was to be done. He knew that a brigade which had been rushed forward by General Thomas was close behind him, coming from the direction of Murfreesboro. There was but one route left for escape; this he followed.

Throwing his scouts well in advance, and with flankers on either side to prevent the possibility of a surprise by ambush or collision with an enemy too large for him to engage in battle, he had advanced only a few miles when his vedettes came rushing back with the information that they had just encountered a considerable force of infantry not more than half a mile ahead, and that these were advancing immediately upon them. Fortunately he received this information before the main body of his command had been discovered by the Federals. If the roads were all filled with soldiers in pursuit of him, Forrest concluded, there was plenty of room in the woods, and straightway he took to the brush with his entire command, successfully concealing them within a half-mile of the route along which the Federal infantry soon passed, little suspecting that their wily adversary was closely observing them at such short range. The rear guard of this column had scarcely passed his place of concealment when he again led his men into the road and resumed the march which had been so unceremoniously interrupted.

Forrest was, however, not yet out of danger. Being compelled to pass near McMinnville, it was his intention to make a detour around this heavily garrisoned town. To accomplish this, when about eight miles from the village he turned from the main thoroughfare into a byway or country road which was ordinarily but little traveled. Unfortunately he had not cleared the main road when a heavy column of Federal infantry came in sight, which, deploying, at once opened upon his troops with artillery and small arms as they were moving with all possible rapidity. No effort at resistance was made by the Confederate commander, who promptly put his troops in rapid retreat. He, with one-half of the command, had already passed form the main road, and these continued at full speed in that direction. That portion which had been cut off by the Federal attack turned about, scampered away in the opposite direction, and was soon out of danger. Cutting across the country, before sundown these had rejoined the main column under Forrest. Not a man was captured or even wounded in this attack, the only loss the Confederates suffered being one light spring wagon and some dozen horses and mules, which were being led with the command.

General Thomas, speaking of this affair, said: "Yesterday I learned that Forrest's command was three miles west of my camp, going northward. I sent our three regiments to cut him off. About one-half of his command had passed when he arrived. Fyffe opened with shell and musketry, and captured a number of horses and mules and a light spring-wagon. His force numbered between fourteen and fifteen hundred men."10

It will be observed that this official report does not mention the capture of one of Forrest's troopers.

On the 3rd of September, Forrest reached the advance guard of General Bragg's army of invasion at Sparta, bringing with him in safety his "pets"-the four pieces of artillery he had captured at Murfreesboro-and his entire command, excepting those lost in battle or broken down and rendered unfit for service by the long and arduous marches.

At Sparta our cavalryman was greatly pleased to know that the four Alabama companies of his old regiment under Captain Bacot had been permitted to rejoin his command, and that he was to be allowed also to keep a section of the artillery he had captured. Reporting here to Major General Braxton Bragg, then in command of the Confederate army of invasion, he was directed to move forward in the line of advance of the Union army under General Buell, and to harass and impede his progress as much as possible. Moving again toward Murfreesboro, the Federals rapidly retreated, and the place was once more occupied by the Southern troops. Pressing after them toward Nashville, Forrest crossed the Cumberland River a few miles from this city, and was in almost constant conflict with the rear guard and flankers of Buell's army.

Finding that his section of artillery would be of great service in retarding Buell's advance, with his usual audacity he pushed his guns in such proximity to the Federal infantry that they were often compelled to deploy in line of battle and advance in order to drive him away. This was exactly what Forrest wished to accomplish, for the more they formed in line, the greater would be the delay in their march toward Louisville, and Bragg would have that much the better start in the race. By the 8th of September his army had advanced into southern Kentucky, and on the 10th of that month Forrest arrived at Glasgow with his cavalry.

At this place he was temporarily attached to the division of the Confederate army commanded by General Leonidas Polk, and, under orders of this officer, pushed his command beyond Munfordville on the Elizabethtown and Bardstown road. In this movement he threw himself between the Federals in Munfordville and their only avenue of escape, and, together with the rapid advance of the Confederate infantry converging toward this stronghold, contributed largely to the capture of a brigade of infantry which surrendered on the 17th of September. This accomplished, Forrest proceeded along the line of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, destroying bridges, capturing Federal outposts, and reporting ultimately at Bardstown to General Polk.

At this place he received a letter asking him to report immediately in person to the headquarters of General Bragg. And here, on the last day of September, he was directed to turn over the brigade which he had organized at Chattanooga, and had thoroughly armed and equipped by captures from the enemy, to Colonel John A. Wharton, of the Texas Rangers, and to proceed at once and establish headquarters at Murfreesboro and undertake the organization of another brigade for his own service. At his earnest entreaty he was allowed to take with him the four Alabama companies of the "Old Regiment," which had served with him at Sacramento, Fort Donelson, and Shiloh. With these and his staff he marched away to his recruiting camp.

Footnotes

Wyeth, John Allan. Life of General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Harper: New York 1899.