Newton County GaArchives News.....MR. MOSS'S DIARY AS KEPT DURING SIXTIES August 2 1917 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Phyllis Thompson mandpthompson@bellsouth.net February 13, 2004, 12:13 pm The Covington News "This Is As I Saw It. It May Be Different As Others Saw It" He Says of 3d Regiment, Company H. BEGINNING WITH THE YEAR 1861 ?.....We put out for Chucky river and crossed and camped in woods again. ?.....We went back to Sweetwater town and sent out scout after dark. Four of us was to stay with the horses. The bushwhackers came and stole the horses close to us. Some of them came in the house we were in. We gave them a scare by telling them that our number was larger than it was. We multiplied by 4. They soon left to our special comfort. ?.....A Scout started up the river before day. They went about 12 miles and ran up with the Yanks and lost Capt. BRANCH, killed, and JAMES SMITH of Co. C., took to the mountains having lost his horse in the skirmish. The Scout came back in a hurry when we were back across the river at our old camp. I lost my saddle bags and some women got them and denied it bitterly. ?.....DEAN JENKINS came to us. He told us the Brigade was between Newmarket and Strawberry plains. We heard them fighting all day, 5 miles from Sevierville. Two brigades of our cavalry was badly cut up; one Alabama and one Georgia. ?.....We went out to see what had become of the Yanks but could hear nothing certain about them. Captain SIMS came to us with part of his ?, he was cut off from the balance of them. ?.....We went to the French Broad to Huff's Ford and crossed over to go to Big Creek after bushwhackers. Me and JOHN EDDLEMAN stopped to get supper and turned back and got to camp at 10 o'clock. Some bushwhackers got after us. ?.....Got orders to move the command near Newmarket. I swapped horses at Newport. Capt. WATERS and Lieut. MEADOR'S came to us. They was on their way home on furloughs. They came in after dark and left before day. February, 1864 1.....We started pretty soon for the command. Passed through Newmarket on to S______ Fork on the Holston river, got there after dark. Had rode hard all day. 2.....Went after forage across the river. Got orders to go to Maynardsville, started after dark and got there the next morning before day. 3.....We did not stay long in Maynardsville. We turned back and crossed Powder Spring Gap and Fed on top of mountains. Nothing to eat but Irish potatoes. 4.....Went after forage close to the Yanks' winter quarters, close to mills ____ store and wool factory. I wrote out charges against men of the 16th Ga, mostly drunkeness, etc. 5.....These days were taken up in court martial of the 16th Ga. Batt. 6.....Got orders to move to Pigeon River. 7.....We passed through Mossy Creek and Dandridge and crossed the French Broad close to town. It was deep fording for low horses. We went through Dutch Bottom and camped at a Methodist Camp Ground which had been partly burned by bushwhackers. Some of the boys lost their guns. 8.....We got to Newport and went to Pigeon River above Sweetwater about 1 and 1/2 miles to a church and camped. 9.....Went up the river after forage and found it scarce. 10....Lay in Camps all day. 11....Got orders to go to Carter County after Bushwhackers. 12.... Started and passed through Newport, county seat of Cocke County, then through Parrottsville and Cedar Grove and camped for the night. 13....Stopped and fed at Chucky River and crossed it in the evening and camped. 14....We passed through Jonesboro and took the Elizabethton road and camped at Buffalo Mountain or at the foot on Buffalo Creek at about 11 o'clock at night. We was aroused by a rain and storm. My men went to a school house close by and staid the balance of the night. Had but little to eat or feed on. 15....Rained all day. Our Col. drunk. Me and BUCK BRANAN went up the river to Moss's and could find nothing to eat. We went back. We went to Elizabethton and found the boys in an old academy close to Doe River. Plenty of snow on the ground. I walked to the river bare-footed and washed my feet in frozen water and snow and put on my socks and slept in a closet of the academy. There was not a pane of glass in the academy. Never slept better in my life. To Be Continued Additional Comments: The dates for the first part of this were completely blacked out. I think this is the last few days of Janurary, 1864. This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/gafiles/ File size: 4.8 Kb