Ninth Cavalry: One Hundred and Twenty-first Regiment Indiana Volunteers

by Daniel Webster Comstock

It will be noticed that but brief mention is made of the officers, especially in the chapter upon the Hood Campaign. There is no intentional slight in this—a fair share of the officers were on hand and did their duty, as is attested by the fact that four of them were killed in action and others wounded during that campaign—but the fact is that the privates fought the war and the officers got the pay and the glory. It was a peculiarity found in the volunteer service—found in the army of no other Nation—that however brave and capable the officers of the line, a dozen privates in each company were found equally brave and capable. The accident of rank should not affect the distribution of credit. It is enough to participate in the glory of the boys—too much to claim the lion's share.

D. W. COMSTOCK.

SULPHUR BRANCH TRESTLE.

On the afternoon of the 22d of September, 1864, the 9th was ordered to furnish a force of mounted men to march to Elk River Bridge, on the Nashville & Decatur Railroad.

The detail was promptly made from the mounted men of each company, and, under command of Major Lilly, senior major of the regiment, started the same night. The force leaving Pulaski, consisting of portions of the 9th and 10th Indiana Cavalry, being under the command of Colonel Pace, of the latter regiment. The command arrived at Elk River Bridge about noon of the next day. Intelligence having been received that a rebel force was threatening Sulphur Branch Trestle, some miles further south on the same railroad, Major Lilly was ordered to report with his command to the commander of that post.

Late that afternoon he arrived there and reported to Col. Lathrop, commanding the garrison occupying the earth-work constructed with a view of protecting the trestle at that point. The garrison consisted of two companies of colored troops. After a brief consultation between the officers a reconnaissance was determined upon and moved out on the Athens road about sunset. About two miles from Sulphur Branch the advance guard was fired upon by the pickets of the enemy. Light skirmishing ensued, and, night coming on, by the light of the enemy's campfires, their camp was reconnoitered, and they were discovered to be in heavy force. The enemy thus discovered proved to be the command of Gen. N. B. Forrest, estimated at twelve thousand men, with three batteries of artillery. On coming from Pulaski a courier line had been established, thus keeping open communication between Major Lilly's command and headquarters at the latter place. The courier line was under the command of Sergeant Anderson, of Company "B." By means of this line the situation was reported to Rousseau at Pulaski, and, in response thereto, came the order to "hold the fort at all hazards and to the last extremity." Major Lilly withdrew his command to the fort and established his picket lines. It was then 9 o'clock P. M. This fort was a small, four-bastioned earth-work, mounting two twelve-pounder Napoleon guns. It was located upon a knoll by the railway trestle, and was commanded by higher points within 500 to 800 yards, while on the east side within a few hundred feet, rose a higher hill covered with timber. The remainder of the night was spent by the men in throwing up traverses and otherwise strengthening the fort. Firing commenced on the picket line at midnight. It increased as the night advanced until daylight, when it was evident the fort was being surrounded, and before sunrise the battle was on. The parapets were manned so far as they could be with so small a force. The members of the 9th were in position on the south and east parapets, and on the southeastern bastion, on their left along the east parapet, were about sixty men of the 3d Tennessee Cavalry, under command of Col. Minnis, who had been driven into the fort the evening before; the remainder of the work was covered by the two companies of Col. Lathrop, who also manned the two guns, situated on the northeast and northwest bastions. The entire strength of the force called upon to defend the fort may thus be fairly estimated at 450 men. The 9th was armed with Gallagher carbines, a very ineffective weapon, and on leaving Pulaski had but forty rounds of ammunition, and probably not more than thirty when the real fighting began.

The attack upon the fort began before sunrise, and at the first onset of the enemy, Col. Lathrop was killed. During the brief period in which they knew him, Col. Lathrop impressed himself upon the officers and men of the 9th as an intelligent and gallant officer; the manner of his death was worthy of a soldier.

About 9 o'clock Col. Minnis, who succeeded Col. Lathrop in command, was wounded by a piece of shell and carried unconscious into the magazine. The command then devolved upon Major Lilly. He was with his men near the southeast bastion; they were meeting each successive charge of the enemy with well-delivered volleys, waiting for the command to fire; husbanding their failing ammunition, the enemy were permitted to come within close range, showing a good front, before the order to fire was given. Meanwhile the enemy had gained possession of the wooded hill to the east of the fort, and their sharp-shooters from the tree-tops had the range of every part of the fort, except immediately under the east parapet. The artillerymen suffered severely and the brave men of the 9th were falling along the lines. The enemy's artillery raked the works from every direction with great destruction. From every point except the north, where the ground rose gently across the creek into an open plain, the rebels were in heavy force and poured into and against the fort an incessant fire. Eleven o'clock came, and then, in the lulls of the artillery, the gallant defenders of the old flag were gladdened by the sounds that told them that reinforcements were engaging the enemy to the north toward Elk River bridge, but the sounds grew fainter and died in the distance and they knew that from that quarter no help would come. Still they hoped for relief and still held the fort. Suddenly across the open ground to the north appeared a heavy line of the enemy. Major Lilly sent two messengers, one after another, across the fort to warn the officer in command of the colored troops and to inspire his men with coolness and firmness to meet the impending assault. Both messengers, in making the perilous journey, were killed. Lieut. Jones, of Company M, then volunteered to go, and in making the attempt was wounded. Placing Captain Nation, of Company G, in command of the battalion, Major Lilly went himself across the bloody space in safety.

The rebel line halted out of range; within the fort the ground was strewn with the dead and wounded. The men of the 9th Cavalry were out of ammunition; for two hours they had been whitling Springfield musket balls to fit their carbines. The Tennesseeans were out of ammunition; thus two-thirds of the line was left without defense. Twelve o'clock came, and along the rebel line the bugle sounded "cease firing," and from the north across the open plain was borne a flag of truce. It is likely that not a member of the 9th had ever seen one before; it is more than probable that it was now looked upon with satisfaction. Every man had done his whole duty; they had fought like heroes; they had held a brave army under a skillful and fighting general in check for a day, thus giving Gen. Rosseau time to concentrate at Pulaski, and had literally at a great cost, "held the fort at all hazards, and to the last extremity."

Major Lilly answered the flag of truce, taking with him the Adjutant of the 3d Tennessee, and, meeting Major Strange, Adjutant General of Forrest's staff, after the formal salutations, Major Strange handed Major Lilly a paper, which read: