General Hood, in the meantime, with his army, crossed the Tennessee River, and General Sherman returned to Atlanta, leaving Thomas’ Corps to follow Hood into Middle Tennessee. Wheeler and his cavalry returned to below Atlanta, where we struck Sherman’s forces moving in the direction of Macon, Georgia, by way of Augusta to Savannah. We then had daily engagements with Kilpatrick’s cavalry, often driving them into their infantry. Sherman used his cavalry to forage for the army, depending altogether on the country for his commissary. To enter into detail of the many engagements had on this trip would occupy too much time and space. Our service was largely, as stated, to keep his cavalry from foraging, burning and destroying the country. In connection with this I would mention an incident at Macon:
I was at a blacksmith’s shop with a comrade by the name of Freeman, who was about seven years my senior in age. While waiting to get our horses shod we heard artillery, supported by small arms, open at our works, about a mile across the river. We immediately mounted our horses and dashed over there and just as we got in sight of the roadway through the breastworks we witnessed a lone trooper of Kilpatrick’s cavalry coming up the road through the works, having his horse shot just as he reached inside. His horse fell on his leg, from which position he was trying to extricate himself and was about to be shot by an excited militia of young and old men, who had never been under fire before, when Jim put spurs to his horse and with his pistol raised, dashed up to where this man lay under his horse, and drove off the excited militia, I, of course, following him. He called up a lieutenant, asked his name, company and regiment; told him to take charge of that prisoner and see that he was well treated, that he would hold him personally responsible for his safety, and immediately wheeled his horse, I following him, and returned to town without giving the lieutenant a chance to ask questions. On our return I asked Jim Freeman his reasons for doing as he did, risking his own life, by being shot by the excited militia, in order to save this Federal. He answered, “He is a brother Mason.” I asked him if he ever met him before. He said, “No, but I saw him give the grand hailing sign of distress, which obligates a Mason to save the life of a brother, at the risk of his own.” Here was a beautiful illustration of the work of Masonry, and I told Jim Freeman the first opportunity I had of joining the Masons, if I lived through the war, I intended to be one, which resolution I carried out, joining the Masons at Rusk, Texas.
General Kilpatrick with about four thousand picked cavalry, armed with Spencer repeating rifles, which they were expert in handling, was detailed by General Sherman, after leaving Jonesboro, to forage and destroy property, under pretext of burning gin houses. They also burned a great many fine houses, the homes of rich people, on their line of march, and got their operations down to a system. He would have his engineers select a strong position along the line of march, fortify it with rails and logs and place about one thousand men in such works. His engineers then would advance some two or three miles and direct another line of fortifications in a similar manner; the balance of his command would scatter out on both flanks inside of these lines, collect provisions and forage, burn gin houses and homes, the latter of which, of course, were plundered before being consigned to the flames. In this manner he continued his operations to very near the coast.
CHAPTER XIX
Georgia Service—A Negro’s Preference—A Hazardous Undertaking.
At this time General Wheeler would detail a fresh brigade every morning to take the advance and move on the enemy.
When a few miles from Buck Head Creek, Harrison’s Brigade was placed in advance. Striking the first line of works, we formed a line and prepared to charge, when General Felix Robertson was seen immediately to the right of our line on a magnificent horse. At the time, he was acting as chief of staff to General Wheeler, and he gave the order to forward, waving his hat and led the charge. We drove them out of their works and it became a running fight down the road with General Robertson leading, having a better horse than the balance of us. We soon struck a branch where the enemy had lined up on the other side, and they poured a galling fire into our advance. General Robertson had his arm badly shattered by a bullet and being alone drew his horse to one side at the ford of this branch. When I saw him he appeared deathly pale, reeling in his saddle, and a couple of the men behind me started over to assist him, but he called to them, “Never mind me, boys; crowd ’em, crowd ’em,” which we did, and again started them on the run. They made another stand across Buck Head Creek near the church and set fire to the bridge, covering the fire with a piece of artillery. Wheeler then sent down a few men with long-range guns, dismounted, who soon drove the artillery away. We then repaired the bridge floor with benches out of the church and were soon across the creek, after them, with the Third Arkansas in advance.
As we were riding rapidly in pursuit, General Wheeler passing our column to reach the advance called to us, saying, “We’ve got them this time; Dibrell is in the rear.” General Dibrell commanded Tennessee cavalry. We soon got into an old sedge field, an open country for several miles, where Kilpatrick had established a fortified camp, built a line of breastworks perhaps two miles wide, his left flank touching the road.
The Third Arkansas had formed a line of battle and was charging the breastworks perhaps two hundred yards ahead of our regiment, which emerged from the woods in columns of fours, moving rapidly to the support of the Third Arkansas. The enemy had planted four pieces of artillery in the road on our right, which poured a galling fire into the Third Arkansas, as well as our flank. The Third Arkansas finally reached the breastworks under a galling fire of four thousand Spencer rifles and drove the gunners away from their artillery, thereby silencing the same, but they were unable to cross the works and not being supported promptly, had to withdraw. The reason of our failure to support promptly was that when we reached about half way across the open, an order came to us through Adjutant Billy Sayers for the Rangers to file to the right into the road. This divided our regiment, a part continuing ahead, the other part moving into the road and, as soon as we struck the road, a hail of grape and cannister swept it and drove us into the thick woods across the road and finally forced us to give up the attack, which was most unfortunate, as the Third Arkansas lost a good many men. Our regiment lost a few, too, and nothing was accomplished. General Dibrell was seen in our left front in the woods, unable to strike Kilpatrick in the rear on account of not being able to cross the creek. General Wheeler now brought up his entire force, making disposition of them for a final charge on Kilpatrick’s flank and rear, as well as in front, and when we moved forward we found the bird had flown; Kilpatrick had abandoned his works and fled.
We next had quite a severe engagement with the enemy’s cavalry near Griswoldville, said to have been one of the most beautiful towns in Georgia, which the enemy had burned. As soon as we caught up with them we charged and drove them into their infantry, which proved in heavy force and forced us to retire.
At Waynesboro, Georgia, we had considerable fighting in order to save Augusta, Georgia, which had one of the largest arsenals in the Confederacy and no doubt was a tempting prize for General Sherman’s torch.