George Q. Turner to his father - July 7, 1863

Trenton Ga
July 7th 1863

Dear Father—

We are again on the wing. Old Rosy is too many for us. We are expected to fight him at Tullahoma but he flanked us in spite of the mountains. We have learned him the efficiency of Cavalry and he has immense bodies of mounted Infantry which enables him to make his movements with a rapidity that is quite uncomfortable and kept us for weeks jumping from one wing of our line to the other like the puppet figures of Cavalry on a chess board. Let me see where we when I wrote last—at Granville on the Cumberland. Now just glance at your map and see what an ample and delicious slice of Tenn we have given up. As soon as I closed my last letter to you Lem and I started on a visit to Frank never having seen him since his elevation to the "Staff." The Brigade headquarters were at Liberty about the center of our lines and about 18 miles distant. When about half way we met Charlie Howard, Dan Russell and 3 others of the "Scouts" dashing down a mountain with 75 fine mules that they had just captured from the Yanks near Nashville. The profits of which operation netted the boys $500 and a fine horse apiece. We pushed on and when within 3 miles of Liberty we met a courier on his way to call in the pickets, he told us the Yanks were making an advance, had run into camp and had very nearly captured the Staff. Here was a dilema—we were cut off from the Regiment we had left in the morning and all the roads leading to the mountains were swarming with Yanks. We turned and struck up a deep hollow where we found an old saw mill and got very ambiguous directions to Snow hill where some of Morgan's men had been captured a few weeks before, so up the mountain we crawled. As we went along I secreted my watch and money about in my clothes and gave Lem direction what to do in case he was captured, which was to go to Mrs. Jackson 1 in Nashville and she would help him to get away &c but the nigger was so frightened that I don't think he would have remembered a word. it was nearly sundown when we commenced our retreat and the night caught us about half way up the mountain. it was very dark being cloudy and we were in a dense forest. We could only proceed by following the barking of dogs which we made for regardless of fenses rocks or creek. When we got to one cabin we got directiosn but would soon become lost again then flounder around and find another and so on. All of these people were rank Unionists but as we never told them the news and only said we were lost they never misdirected us. At last we came out on the broad pike leading over Snow hill to Smithville where the Brgade had gone luckily for us the Yanks thought we would be picketing the place and stopped a few miles short of it and we came in just ahead of their videtts. We found the Staff in town at the hotel. Next morning our pickets were run in just as we were getting up from breakfast and we drew up our lines to meet the enemy. I volunteered my aid on the Staff. We had but parts of three Regts and no artillery so could make only a running fight. We fought them for three hours until their artillery came up and began killing our horses. When we drew off, we came on to McMinnville, drew our rations and went on to Hoovers Gap where we were joined by the Rangers, from here went over to the Shelbyville pike and then back again. Wherever the Yanks would run in the McGruders we were sent for. Once they thought they would dash in on them but it happened to be our boys and we checked them and fought them nearly all day without giving an inch. We had a rocky hill on them skirmishes on foot getting so near them sometimes as to talk with them. One of us told a Yank—Grant hasn't got Vickburge yet! —No, replied Yank, but he caught h--l a-trying.—We had two or three wounded, a few horses, but we killed several of them and wounded a great many, the citizens told us.—After the grand advance commenced and wherever we would form to meet them they would engage us at a distance and flank around us no matter how we would extend our lines they would out-stretch us. When we got to Tullahoma and saw the magnificent defences we were told her ewe will make a stand and we all were determined to make it another Vicksburge for them. But after waiting two days they had crossed the mountains with Cavalry and Artillery and were marching on our rear. Bragg will be censured much for this move but there was no alternative for him. And the manner in which he brought off his army stores, waggons, &c, &c deserves the highest commendation. Ours and the 11th Tex was the main stays & the "forlone hope" and through every mountain pass trees were felled in our footsteps and gridges burned as our rear guard passed over so to us belongs the honor of shutting the door on old Rosy and of fighting the last battle on the soil of old Tennessee. They were determined not to let us go without a fight and fell upon our pickets the day before yesterday morning. Companes D & H were on duty, it was on the top of the last mountain that walls in the valley of the Tennessee River. they charged the pickets but they moved off slowly firing their pistols as they went for 3/4 of a mile giving hte reserve (only the rest of our Regt) time to form and meet them. When the Yanks came up we fell back once to draw themon and then charged them. It was no place for Cavalry being just what you would immagine a mountain top to be cut up with ravines thickets and great piles of rocks, but we made them get farther and gather up their dead and double-quick down to their lines. As we were covering a retreat and not making a battle and did not know what force they had we were contented by being let alone. We sent a scout back in the evening, who went to a citizen's house about 2 miles back from where we fought them, who told them that we killed a Col and 8 men, mortally wounded a Lt and otherwise wounded 25 or 30 others. One of our company was either killed or captured. Perry Guinn 2 of Co E was killed—4 or 5 others wounded and about 8 or 10 horses killed and wounded. Gus Walker and Stribling have just come in as I was going to include them among the missing.

What we are going to do now is a mystery. If I get a chance I shall send Lem home. We will recruit here for a week or so and then probably slip over into Tenn or Ky again. In our skeedaddle we lost a pair of saddlebags with half our wardrobe. Frank bought a fine mare for Lem, who could get nothing but a cord to tie her with and so lost her the night before the retreat began consequently had no time to hunt her and we have never heard of her since. Our health is fine blackberries are ripe and we are getting fat. We have heard nothing from home sinc Paramoor 3 came back. Lem sends his love to all the servants and to his wife and child. Mine ditto to you all

George

Footnotes:
1. Mrs. C. W. Jackson, at whose house George had convalesced in late 1861.
2. Perry Guinn—Pvt. W. P.
3. Paramoor—James H. Paramore, Co. I, Gonzales

Turner, G. Q., "Batchelor-Turner Letters, 1861-1864," annotated by H. J. H. Rugeley. The Steck Company, Austin, TX 1961.