Stories From The Confederate Home

By Frank Wing

M. L. Springfield of the Home is 87 years old and went out with the army in 1862, from Hempstead, Texas, to the mouth of Red River.

"There we took a boat to Vicksburg, Miss, and from there we went on the train to Corrient, Miss. I joined the Eighth Texas Cavalry, better known as Terry's Texas Rangers. I served about three and a half years before Lee's surrender.

"My first engagement was at Murfreesboro, Tenn, under General Forrest. We captured two regiments of infantry and a battery of artillery and one regiment of cavalry. We were only 1,500 strong to begin with. Their commander, General Crittenden, was killed early in the fray. This was one reason we were so successful.

"We then went with General Bragg into Kentucky with an advance guard. We got within six miles of Louisville, Ky. We were acting as rear guards, but were in a retreat at Barbertown, Ky. The Yankees lost a lot of their infantry. They were so sure they had us bagged up, but they had their lines of battle near the fair grounds when we got to them. We went through them like a tornado.

"At the battle of Perryville, Ky, we had a hard fight. After leaving Kentucky through Cumberland Gap to Missionary Ridge, we followed old Sherman on his raid to the sea.

"At the battle of Atlanta I was wounded in the hand and my clothing was almost shot off of me, but no other scratch did I get than the one on my hand.

"After this I was detailed with a scout of ten men to watch the enemy's movement. Sometimes were were in front of them and then in the rear. We crossed the lines of march between two divisions near Camden, S. C. They were on their way to Richmond about the time Lee surrendered.

"We had the worst battle I was in at Bentonville, S. C. Then my next engagement was in the Seven Days' Battle at Murfreesboro, Tenn. There we suffered as much by the winter's cold as we did by the enemy, for it rained, sleeted, snowed every day of that fight. We were not allowed a spark of fire. Our blankets were frozen so stiff they would break like a stick when bent together. Both armies retreated from there the same night.

"We camped on Haw River then for a few days. After we heard of Lee's surrender there were about ten of us determined not to surrender east of the Mississippi River. We got as far south as Alabama, when we heard the bottoms and all crossings were guarded by Yankee forces. Then we had to go back to Alabama and take that Yankee oath that we thought we would shun."—By a Confederate Veteran

Article provided by Bill Page.

---