Claiborne's History of Terry's Texas Rangers (Part 6)

A Confederate Cavalry Regiment Engaged in the Unfortunate War Between the States
NEW BIRMINGHAM TIMES, March 26, 1892

continued from last issue

The Rangers are on the first day of January still in the vicinity of Morristown, East Tennessee. The winter is as severe as any that the country had known for a half century. Longstreet was still at Morristown in comfortable quarters, Bragg had been defeated at Chattanooga, and had fallen back and soon was again made to move from Missionary Ridge; the only resistance made of consequence, was made by General Patrick R. Cleburne and the heroic Granbury. The Rangers had no tents and were forced to forage on the country, and the enemy, they continued on the same character of duty in that section towards Cleveland, Tennessee, some miles above Dalton, Georgia, which point Bragg had fallen back upon, and was finally succeeded by Joseph E. Johnston. In the meantime covering a period from January 1st, 1864, to May the 12th, 1864 the Rangers were on a perpetual raid in different parts of the state of Tenn. and Ga. crossing and recrossing the Tennessee river no less than six different times, and going at each time entirely around the Federal army, and to do this it required great labor, and showed the untiring capacity of the men to withstand hardships; the main object seemed to be to avoid making any fight, and all the hundreds of skirmishes indulged in, were for the purpose of getting out of traps set to catch them, occasionally the Rangers attacked the enemy where they held a position from which they must be dislodged in order that certain results mights arise; the destruction of railways and the army supplies by them on their trip were immense how they were held together and proved so efficient no one can tell. The movements at all times were sudden and rapid, tonight they are at one point, and at some unearthly hour of the night, they are called to saddle up and at daylight they are from five to forty miles away attacking some stockade, and without apparently accomplishing any good result and are off again as fast as they can be moved, and frequently running the gauntlet three or four times in twenty-four hours, seemingly careless as to the result, until all and every man had performed his part well, until at last they are called to do the old work, guard the army immediately in the front, and are at Cleveland, Tennessee, on outpost, and the great march of Sherman to the sea is began, and the Rangers meet their first advance at Cleveland April 13th, and make a great fight, in which they, as usual, defeated the enemy, but at a considerable loss; because now the loss of a Ranger could never be replaced. Pelham, Ogdon and others go down to death bathed in a sea of glory, and in the beginning of a baptismal of the Confederacy in blood. Spring had come upon us, and the duty grew less rigorous, many good men had been cut off in squads of three to ten men and had been left in Tennessee, and it was often heard that they had been murdered, some of them, however, run the gauntlet and rejoined the regiment, and with the exception of possibly fifteen or twenty effective men, all were again in line, but the number was reduced to a beggarly amount, and yet they were called a regiment and performed the same amount of duty that a regiment was expected to do, and in battle it was rare when they did not meet from three to ten times their number. Lieut. Jno. W. Baylor with six men was sent on one of these raids, and cut off for 90 days was in the midst of the enemy, loosing a part of his command.

Lieut. Robt. S. Davis was also sent out in forlorn hope, and cut off and he and a part of his detail were ruthlessly murdered, Davis being badly wounded and at the house of Mr. Officer in White county, Tennessee, was taken from bed and without any notice shot to death; his men tried to protect him; and Oliver Shipp and two others lost life in the attempt. The details are of so revolting a nature that they will not be given.

E. S. Dodd, a most worthy Christian gentleman and a most exemplary and gallant soldier, was captured while on a horse hunting detail and having on a Federal overcoat, and the drawing in the rough made by himself of some of the fortifications and other statistical information as to the conditions of the Yankee army, was drum-head, court martialed and hung like a dog. The details of this murder are also of such a nature that they will not be given. Many of these men were still inside the lines at the date of surrender avenging the foul murders of their companions, and if all is true as we have heard it, they did their work most effectually, but of these incidentals we are not concerned as to this history, but will go to the army now at Dalton, Ga., under Gen Joseph E. Johnston, who had taken command and reorganized it to a perfection never before attained, he had inspired a confidence in the troops that they had never had before. The army of Tennessee has been often referred to as a mob, this was not the fact, the men and officers felt the neglect by the government, a neglect it is presumed that could not be avoided, the army under Gen. Lee was protecting the civil part of the government, and were the pets of the administration and civil part of the government failed to see anything beyond the breast work and campfires of their guardians in front of the capitol, this was natural--the army under Lee had tents and good quarters, and the Confederate authorities thought that Bragg was enjoying the same blessing. Lee had a territory of 50 square miles to defend and Johnston the balance of the entire Confederacy. The fact is not denied that the army under Bragg had become to an extent demoralized, because they failed under Bragg from Shiloh to Missionary Ridge, opportunity after opportunity to entirely destroy the Federal army had been lost as they thought, through want of ability. But now in front of Dalton every man from the private in the rear rank to the lieutenant generals felt the influence of a great military chieftain. The men had confidence in the line, the line for the field of their regiments, regiments for their brigade commands, they for their division and the division for the corps commanders, and all in Joseph E. Johnston and there was an army for the first time properly equipped with everything necessary for success, and strong numerically, 61,000 muskets with 120 pieces of artillery and 8,000 cavalry, a vast host of volunteers in defense of their rights, as American citizens--every man was a veteran--every man felt that this was the gathering for a great final struggle that would close the war, and the white-winged dove of peace would hover over the country. The chivarie (sic) Hood, the soldier without reproach, Hardee the lovely divine soldier, Polk the tenacious, Cheatham, the great head of his column, Cleburne, with Wheeler, the matchless handler of regular cavalry, all under the greatest of the military chieftains of the age, was enough to inspire a confidence to these men, always before orphans. The Rangers were continually active and were in Johnston's front and directly forcing the great Sherman. The tactics of Johnston was to offer battle, those of Sherman to flank out of any fair position. It will be remembered that Sherman had 120,000 men, and in two days distance by rail nearly as many more, and having two men to Johnston's one, the trouble in making a flank movement was not a difficult matter at all times with Sherman.

General Johnston was blamed by the civilians and politicians and non-combatants generally for not fighting, but never by the soldiers under him; they were there on the ground anxious to fight if an opportunity presented, there were many strong positions taken that Sherman could not have dislodged them from, by storm, if he would try. From his numbers,he could at all times keep 60,000 men in front of Johnston's army, (nearly an equal number to Johnston's people,) yet have 30,000 on each flank. Harrison was in splendid trim--the old brigade were together, and they took a very active part.

Johnston would select a battlefield where he thought Sherman could not flank. Sherman had lost probably 15,000 men in going the first fifteen miles, when the field was selected, the cavalry would make a dash to Sherman's rear and cut his lines of communication, but Sherman could not be induced to make the fight at Johnston's invitation.

Johnston formed a line of battle as many twice in twenty-four hours, at each of all these battle lines formations, Sherman would make a feint as if he was going to mass for a great battle, and at over twenty-five different points, did he throw column after column against Johnston, while his flanks were on the move to Johnston's rear, with simply a few hundred cavalry to resist them when Johnston was forced to move back. Some of these actions have no parallel for severity. At Cassville, Georgia, the Rangers made one of the most daring and successful charges of the war. They were in the left front dismounted, one company was out picketing, or rather watching to see what maneuvering was taking place, there was also a Confederate cavalry regiment either Allan or Butler, or both, the Rangers were laying down in the sunshine holding the horses, and in an instant and not two hundred yards away, the two regiments were noticed to be in a precipitate disorderly flight with the Federal cavalry right among them hammering them over the head with sabres. "To mount, to mount,' rang out in clarion notes by Christian, Polk, the ever alert, sounded his blast, and again the charge was sounded, and Ranger of Texas and the Federal chivalry of Kentucky meet in a hand to hand contest, and again the six shooter tells against the sabre; however, there Kentucky troops saw the fight was an unequal one, and they drew their side arms, but the pressure and their loss had been so great that they yielded to a greatly inferior force and they gave way in a panic, and the route was complete, and they ran through their own line of infantry, treading them to the earth; in the meantime their batteries opened upon the Rangers at short range, overshot them, and again they are nearly out of range when an attack was made by other cavalry on the flank. As the Rangers returned over the ground of their charge, they picked up arms, horses and blankets to an unusual amount, there were sixty or eighty dead me on the ground, and straggling Confederate cavalry had picked up many prisoners.

Army correspondents have said that this was possibly the most brilliant charge of the war, and most beneficial in results, because had the Rangers given away, Sherman would have found Johnston out of line of battle on the march in an open plain, and could have taken him in detail before he could have massed his army and be prepared to give battle; in that charge the Rangers lost not a man, there were several wounded, however, which the muster roll will show. At Risaca the Rangers with most of Harrison's brigade were caught in the bull pen; why this happened or if purposely or accidentally is not known, but they laid some hours in the range of stray shells and solid shot, being perfectly inactive. Major Beauregard had just in front of the Rangers and within 300 yards a battery of sixty guns arrange on a fortification in the shape of a half moon and the Rangers amused themselves watching this battery repulse charge after charge of the enemy.

Battles of this kind were almost daily, and only made by Sherman until he could move to Johnston's flank when the fight ended and Johnston was forced back. These moves made by Gen. Johnston at this time and under the circumstances are remarkable for great ability and consummate genius, when the fact is taken into consideration that not a tent pole or camp kettle was lost or abandoned; bear also in mind that Johnston was now fighting nearly double his number, led by the most skilful leader in an army that was flushed and inflated by the fact that the Confederacy was on its last legs. The Rangers here and during this whole campaign were under fire almost continually--nearly always on the flank or in the rear, but often, as at New Hope church, Big Shanty and other points, they were dismounted, and at more than one time they are given spade, pick and ax, and are aiding the infantry in building breastworks. Here in parenthesis, as it were, I will relate an incident of Lieut. Col. Paulding Anderson of the Fourth Tennessee. Paul's people (who commanded the people of his name and regiment two years while Col. Baxter Smith was a prisoner of war.) There was an order from headquarters for a commissioned officer and a detail to go to the army quartermaster to receive and receipt for supplies and [illegible] tools from each regiment; Col. Anderson sent a sergeant who was sent back, and Old Paul, as the boys called him, said he would go himself, and he did arriving at the headquarters, said: I come for the tools for Paul's people. You go back and tell your Colonel that if he don't send a commissioned officer here for these tools, as set out in my order, I will have him court martialed and shot on the spot to which Old Paul said, soto voice Col. Anderson you must send a commissioned officer for them tools or be shot. What do you mean, said my [illegible] Col. Geo. William Brent. I mean said Old Paul that I am delivering your message to Col. Anderson as directed. I will strike you down said Brent, with my sword. If you do, said Anderson, my people will be without a Colonel!--my name is Paulding Anderson commanding Fourth Tennessee or better known as Paul's People. The h--l! you are, said Brent. Yes, that's my name. Then why didn't you say so at first. Why didn't you ask me, said Paul, and Paul shouldered a part of his tools and brought up the rear of his detail while Brent said these men ought to be made to wear an insignia of rank.

In this character of work the Rangers are at all times, day and night, engaged, and finally they aid in the great fight made by Hood, (Johnston having been decapitated), on Peach Tree creek, in front of city the of Atlanta, which needs no full description, they simply, as they usually did, as described, participating in the usual manner in a pitch battle.

While this battle lasted only five hours with the infantry and artillery, it lasted three or four days with the cavalry under, Wheeler, in which the Rangers took an unusual interest; and now we come to a ten days move that is credited as being most brilliant. But before proceeding further in regard to the McCook raid, and the battle at Newnan, Ga., I shall more fully refer to the retreat to of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. The object is merely to give testimony to the fact that Gen. Johnston could not get Sherman to fight him without Johnston lost the fight. In the retreat the army of Sherman was loosing in number every day, and was getting further from his base of supplies. Johnston was at all times desirous that Sherman would mass in his front and offer battle, as before said, Sherman often fought for a time long enough to get his flanks well out. At Cassville it was only a cavalry fight. at Resaca it was more serious and again at Altoona, at Marietta there was a battle royal for a short time. How could Sherman pass Kennesaw mountains? Was the question. Johnston again offered battle but it is as always partially accepted again. At New Hope Church was the altar that Sherman must make his sacrifice upon besides these points there were more than a dozen other stands made by Johnston, but the gauge of battle was not accepted; Johnston is blamed and is removed. It is well, perhaps, to say that the army; as a whole became dissatisfied with the removal of Johnston. The Rangers were neutral, they had an abiding faith in his successor, but they were satisfied with the tactics of Johnston. They knew that Sherman had lost 40,000 men from Dalton to the front of Atlanta. They believed that in ten more days and two or three more battles, that the two armies would be nearly equal in numbers, and that there could be no flank made at Stone mountain, and that Johnston having led them so far away from their base that he could now afford to attack Sherman and flay him in detail. We presume it is not the province of the author to criticize the action of the government, but it is history, and we can say that the movement in making the change, and fight at Peachtree creek, on July 22d, broke the backbone of the Confederacy.

A change of program was at once made; a different line of action to be pursued. This line of action was dictated from the city of Richmond--that it was stupid, the sequel showed, and it is a fact that the change did not meet the approbation of a single commander in the army, and was openly criticized by Gen. Hardee and others, and there was very little heart left in the army. The great cloud was beginning to gather that was to burst at Appomattox. But Sherman was not idle. He concluded to have his cavalry duplicate some of the moves made by Gen. Joseph Wheeler, and to that end he massed a force of six thousand men under Gen. McCook, his most noted cavalry leader, and began an audacious raid to the rear of the Confederate army. Harrison and Ross' brigades of cavalry, under Gen. W. H. (Red) Jackson, met McCook at Newnan, Ga., repulsed him with immense loss, and McCook fled, with the Rangers and the brigade in pursuit, and they ran them into and across a river, into which McCooks people plunged, loosing their arms and ammunition, clothing, horses, and many drowned and others killed in the river. This pursuit was for a distance of several miles. The estimated loss of McCook on that raid, and during the fight, was 2,000 men, and many horses. This was a grand fight and not without serious loss to the Rangers, as the muster roll will show. At this battle the Rangers met the only other Texas cavalry they would ever see outside of the 11th Texas, which was a part of Harrison's brigade. Gen. L. S. Ross was with them in that fight, with some most excellent Texas regiments. They fought a large part of the time dismounted, and while dismounted the horses of one or two of his regiments fell into the hands of Federals which the Rangers recaptured, and in the fight that was made, Rev. Mr. Hudson was shot through and through. He is yet alive, but is deformed, stooping in his walk. The fight being over, it is learned that Hood is moving back toward Dalton and Sherman moving on his way to the sea without let or hindrance. A large cavalry force is sent again under Wheeler to Tennessee to clear the way and prepare for the entrance of Hood's fraction of an army. The Rangers were as usual in front in this raid, and encountered much very heavy fighting and great labor day and night, making many fights which may be referred to later on. Upon their rejoining the army they were sent to the rear to annoy and harass Sherman, and here it is not amiss to speak of a band of men, who were known as Shannon's Scouts, they were the creation of Gen. Hood. Hood felt the need of correct information regarding the movements of Gen. Sherman. He asked for a trusted, careful, fearless officer and thirty men. Capt. Alexander M. Shannon, of Company "C" was selected, and three men from each company were detailed, which was, within ten days, added to by a detail from all the regiments of Harrison's brigade.

The duties assigned to Shannon was to get information, and get it fairly if you can, but get full, fair, reliable information, was the request of Gen. Hood. Among these men was Enoch D. John, of Company "H," who kept a diary, and the experience of these men is more thrilling than that of Marion and his men, or the partisan Rangers of revolutionary fame.

Perfect order seemed to have at all times been had, and good discipline and obedience to orders. They were rarely all together, and only seldom are they in action, as a whole. But were divided into squads and upon special duties to rendezvous at certain points at a certain time for further instructions. While they were few, they kept a brigade of Sherman's army busy, and woe to the federal straggler, house burner, thief or ravisher, and demented negroes. From that which I gathered from the diary of that excellent soldier John, they must have cost the Federal army, in going through Georgia and the Carolinas, a million of dollars, and over a thousand dead, and more paroled. They saved to the people of these states as much or more property than they captured from Sherman, and left them horses, mules and wagons, besides protecting the women from outrage, not only from the hireling in the army but the negroes, who had been incited to rapine, lust and murder. They day after day, captured wagons, mules, horses and provisions; these they could not at all times send to the army, and they were left with the citizens, or destroyed. During all this freedom in their action, I can see no account where they did any act of cruelty or committed a single act not strictly in conformance with civil and enlightened warfare. It is really astonishing that men engaged in this manner from July until the following May, could become the very best citizens of the country afterwards. It can be accounted for only in one way, they were well born and never lost the idea that they were patriots and not brigands. Their tactics and managements was so good that in all this time they lost not ten percent of their number. They took the highest points, watched for smoke of burning property as a whole, with their flankers and scouts out in every direction, with agreed signals, and when they saw the enemy, they swooped down upon them with the velocity of the wind, and before the enemy could recover or make resistance, they were dead or prisoners.

In reading the diary, in more than a hundred instances, I find something like the following:

August 9th, 1864.
"Saw large smoke rising about half mile to our left front. Ten of us started to ascertain the cause; arriving, saw 18 or 20 yanks setting fire to the gin house of Mr. _____. Woman and children trying to save anything the could, and negroes dancing and singing the battle cry of freedom. We moved upon them from two sides, and in a moment were among them, and the fatal six shooter was doing full duty, and so continued until the cry, "we surrender," killed nine, wounded seven and balance prisoners Paroled them, started them towards the army, gave horses to family, whipped a few negroes, cautioned them, divided the greenbacks, arms and accoutrements, give family back the grub and moved out for the next little expedition to be presented."

In this way they prevented a great deal of vandalism and in referring to this body, in which 30 of the Rangers were the soul, I call them Shannon's EFFECTIVE scouts, for they, in my opinion, well deserve the appellation. It is well enough to say that this command increased very rapidly, and I am informed that at or near the surrender they numbered nearly or more than a thousand men, and the best equipped command of the army. The Rangers are still after Sherman in the lower [illegible] and Hood is across the Tennessee [illegible] Florence, Alabama and the Georgia [illegible] Carolinas campaign will be [illegible] next week's issue.

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