Sensations in the Kentucky Backwoods

Confederate Veteran
Volume 3, Number 5, Page 143
May, 1895

Ward McDonald, Captain of Fourth Alabama Cavalry, Powderly, Texas:
Many incidents crowd my memory of the old war days. I write of events that transpired while the army was at Bowling Green, Ky. This was near where I first saw light, in 1841.

I joined the Buckner Guards of sixteen members soon after the arrival of the army. Our only officer was Lieutenant Thomas H. Hines, who distinguished himself in contriving for Morgan's escape from the Ohio penitentiary. We stayed at Gen. Buckner's headquarters, ready to go as scouts or guides upon expeditions into any part of the country. On one occasion I made a visit to three Federal camps, Jimtown, Tompkinsville, and Glasgow. After reporting things as I saw them, an expedition was sent to Jimtown, consisting of about one hundred Cavalry from the Eighth Texas (Terry's Rangers), and I served as guide. Jimtown was a village about forty miles nearly east of Bowling Green. The country is rough. The people, generally, were ignorant, and decidedly Union ists. Many of them looked upon the Texas Kangers as devils incarnate.

Nearly all the men, and many of the women, who lived by the road, fled to the woods when they heard of our approach. On the second day of our march, our men stopped at every house on the road to get buttermilk, etc. Even Terry's men were "Buttermilk Rangers." At only two houses in a long distance were the occupants found. A woman, whose husband had run away, had the hardihood to remain at home. She soon tremblingly gave the men all the buttermilk she had, and would have given them anything on the place. Her surprise was manifest when one of the men politely thanked her and handed her the pay. At the next house, about half a mile farther on, there were two old men, an old woman, and some children. The two men went out to the fence, but the old woman remained on the porch with a pistol in her lap and knitting in her hands, seeming to take little notice of us. When some of the men dismounted to go in, the old woman looked up with a face full of defiance, and called out, "I will shoot the first man that comes in!" The men halted, and a general laugh broke through the ranks.

The old lady kept up her warlike attitude, with pistol in hand and the knitting by her side on the floor. Presently a woman entered the back yard, came hurrying up toward her, exclaiming, "Mother, mother! Treat those men right, they are perfect gentlemen; they came to my house and never hurt a thing!" "It don't make any difference, I'll shoot the first man that comes in!" Many a laugh did we have at the boys who started to go-into the yard. They were bluffed away by the old woman.

From here it was some distance to another settlement. At the first house, after we passed some heavily timbered woods, there were no signs of life, though the front door was open and two chairs were sitting in the yard. The house was on a high hill, and I saw a woman with a baby in her arms at its base, and in a corn field I saw another woman carrying a baby, and a small child following her, as if dreadfully alarmed. I dismounted and went to her. With a wild cry she begged me not to hurt her. In the most assuring manner I told her that I would protect her, but it was some time before I could prevail upon her to go back. I took hold of the child, saying that I would carry the baby for her, but she held to it and insisted upon carrying it herself. At length, she reluctantly gave it up, and leading the other little fellow, she followed me to the house. She was too much frightened to even return a word.

We found the Federal command in three miles of Jimtown over three hundred strong. They had so placed their men that they could have killed ninety per cent. of us the first fire, but cavalry made a big show then, and their out post running in told them there were a thousand of us. At this they stampeded, some of them stopping at an old barn 1n the midst of a field.

Maj. Harrison, afterwards Gen. Harrison, was in command. The order to dismount and form a line, was given, and we were just ready to charge the barn through the open field, when it was suggested by one of the Captains that we flank it under cover of the timber, which was nearer the barn than we were. This checked our move, and the Commander, after some parrying and a little reconnaissance, gave orders to mount and fall back to Bowling Green. The men were much surprised at this, for they were anxious for the fight, and, under the impression that our old Major got scared, yelled all along the road back, "Hurrah for the Jimtown Major!" Nor did it stop there. They carried it into camp, and for some time his ears were saluted with this reproachful exclamation. " I will give them enough of the Jimtown Major," said he one day in a joke, and he did. No more gallant solder ever fought under the stars and bars than brave old Gen. Thos. Harrison.