Statewide County TN Archives Military Records.....Chapter XIX 
Civilwar 1st TN Cavalry (Union)
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Chapter XIX
CHAPTER XIX.

RELIEVED AT THE FRONT-ORDERED TO NASHVILLE--THE SURRENDER OF LEE-GREAT REJOICING

IN CAMP-THE WAR ENDED-PREPARING FOR MUSTER-OUT.



    While at this camp the First Tennessee was relieved of duty at the front and

ordered to Nashville to be mustered out. Here ended the military service of this

gallant body of men, whose dead lie scattered over seven different States, in

which they rendered distinguished service. The First Tennessee during its three

years' service marched over fourteen thousand miles, which, together with its

large death-roll and its "staying qualities" in battle, made it a noted regiment

in the Army of the Cumberland, where it performed the greater part of its

service. The battles, marches, picket and camp duty, the shouts of victory on

fields of carnage, were about to end; we were soon to part from, and "bid adieu"

to our comrades of the old First Brigade, composed of the Second Michigan,

Eighth Iowa, Fourth Kentucky, who had stood shoulder to shoulder on a score of

battlefields where shot and shell and the "ever zipping minie"" had decimated

their ranks.



    As a regiment it had never disgraced the flags it bore or the cause it loved

and had battled for during three terrible years of carnage and bloodshed. We

make a modest claim, and that, too, without being called egotistical, that we

did our whole duty, and as members of a fighting regiment helped to sustain the

already brilliant reputation of the old "Volunteer State." The splendid record

made by Tennessee's noble and patriotic sons in the early wars was hardly

equalled in any age. We find these hardy pioneer riflemen fighting in the ranks

of Sevier and Shelby at King's Mountain, under Jackson and Coffee at the battle

of the Horseshoe, and at New Orleans, where Sir Edward Packenham was slain and

his splendid and well-equipped army routed and driven from the field by the

unerring aim of the Tennessee riflemen.



    Later on, we find the sons of the old "Volunteer State" springing to arms in

numbers much greater than her quota and following the old flag across the

burning sands of Mexico to lead the assaulting columns at Monterey and Cerro

Gordo. In the late war we find these same loyal sons of East Tennessee marching

forth to battle under the old flag, and by their valor have added lustre to the

escutcheon of the "Volunteer State."



    Before leaving Waterloo the officers and enlisted men of the regiment

presented General John T. Croxton, their brigade commander, with a handsome

sword, properly engraved, as a slight token of the confidence and estimation

they placed upon him as their commander, whether it was upon the field of

battle, on the march or in camp. Lieutenant-Colonel Dyer marched the regiment to

General Croxton's headquarters and formed it in line in front of his tent. The

General, mistrusting that something "unusual" was up, came forward and greeted

us, after which the boys gave him three rousing cheers. Rev. John P. Holtsinger,

chaplain of the First Tennessee, then stepped forward and on behalf of the

officers and men of the regiment presented the sword to the General. His address

was as follows:



     GENERAL: I have been selected and solicited by the officers and men of my

regiment to perform the very honorable and agreeable duty of presenting to you

this sword, which I hope you will receive as evidence of the favorable opinion

which your meritorious military conduct has induced us to form of you since it

has been our good fortune to be placed under your command. I have been appointed

and urged to the performance of this duty from no other consideration than that

I am an old man.



     When first you received us into your brigade and assumed command of us, our

forms and features were strange to each other, bearing no marks of familiarity

except the uniforms of the great Union army. Allow me to assure you that your

fame as a warrior had reached us long before we met and stood shoulder to

shoulder in opposition to the enemies of our government. We had heard of your

valuable service and meritorious management on various battlefields, where the

earth was made crimson with the blood of the slain; and we were not only

satisfied, but we were proud and felt honored to have you for our brigade

commander, either in camp or on the field of conflict.



     Since we formed a part of your command, our lot has been almost constantly

cast in the immediate front of a powerful foe, and I only represent and

reiterate the honest expression of my regiment when I declare that you have at

all times, even on occasions the most critical, given ample satisfaction both to

officers and men. Our protracted association and military relationships have

been of that friendly character which imparts success and honor to comrades

contending for the same and great glorious cause. It is with feelings of

profound regret that we part from friends and army associates with whom we have

mutually struggled on many battlefields for liberty- the richest boon on earth.



     We finally leave this sword with you, which, judging from the past, we have

every reason to believe you will wield in a way that will do honor to yourself

and the good and great government for which you are gallantly contending.



To this General Croxton replied as follows:



     SOLDIERS AND FRIENDS OF FREEDOM: I accept and receive this sword as a token

of the satisfaction which I have been able to impart to the magnanimous soldiers

whom it has given me pleasure, as well as reputation, to command. The scenes and

sufferings, privations and perils, through which you passed in the early days of

the rebellion are known to me, and my sympathies have long since been enlisted

in your favor, while I have truly sorrowed on account of your condition and the

condition of your friends at home. The oppression of the Union people of East

Tennessee has been to me a source of sorrow. I am better prepared to understand

your sufferings because in Kentucky, the place of my residence, the Union party

encountered oppression and abuse in common with their Union friends in East

Tennessee. It was neither inclination nor ambition for military renown that

induced me to enter the service, but principle, which should at all times

control ambition and inclination, led me into the path of the warrior when the

great struggle was brought about by rebels for the overthrow of our government.



     The regiment with which I first served, and which I had the honor to

command, was the first to pitch tents and establish a Federal camp south of the

Ohio River. Kentucky, like Tennessee, in the beginning of the war, was overrun

and abused by rebels; and Kentuckians were compelled, at an early day of the

war, to choose their principles and act accordingly. It is with deep regret that

I witness your withdrawal and departure from my command. Understanding as I do

the honorable and upright course which you have taken since the beginning of the

rebellion, I cannot hesitate to express my conviction that you will continue to

oppose the enemies of union and freedom until law and order are restored

throughout our broad land. I am gratified to believe that you will not divest

yourselves of the Federal uniform and the weapons of war until secession is not

known in our land except in history.



     Soldiers, you will long be remembered and respected by me for your

unhesitating obedience and unmurmuring endurance, both in camp and on the field

of action. Long may you live to enjoy the liberty for which you have nobly

fought and realize the fruits of the perilous labors which you have performed.



    On the 10th day of February, 1865, the First Tennessee embarked on

government transports at Eastport, Mississippi, for Nashville. The most of the

men took hurricane and boiler-deck passage on the transports. Company C-the

writer's company-with others, was on the Westmoreland, a large side-wheel

steamer. As the transports swung off and began moving down the beautiful

Tennessee cheer after cheer went up in answer to those given by the boys of the

old brigade.



    On our way to Nashville we met a great many heavily loaded transports,

accompanied by gunboats, on their way to Eastport with supplies for the army,

which was then being concentrated at that point. These transports and the

dark-looking gunboats were puffing and plowing up the water, while great clouds

of black smoke rose from their huge stacks.



    We passed on this trip Shiloh, or Pittsburg Landing, Forts Henry and

Donelson, all of which have already passed into history, but were pleasant and

interesting sights to us. In passing these historic places no sound of the

hostile cannon or the shouts of the charging troops could be heard. After a

short run we entered Tennessee and soon reached Shiloh. Here, on that bright

Sabbath morning of Arpil 6, 1862, General Grant was aroused from his sleep by

the boom of cannon. Along the banks of the Tennessee the Union army under Grant

and the Confederates under A. S. Johnson met in deadly conflict. In the first

day's battle Johnson was slain and Grant's army driven back to the banks of the

river, where during the night the gunboats Tyler and Lexington dropped 24-pound

shells into the enemy's line. On the morning of the 7th, Beauregard, who

succeeded Johnson, was routed and driven from the field toward Corinth.



    After passing Shiloh the Tennessee River turns almost due north and at Fort

Henry leaves Tennessee and enters the State of Kentucky. On the 5th day of

February, 1862, this fort was captured by Commodore Fobte, who commanded the

small fleet of gunboats of Grant's army. The fort was commanded by General

Tilgham, and after one hour's bombardment he was forced to surrender.



    We reached the mouth of the Tennessee river at Paducah without accident, and

after a short stay the transports carrying the regiment turned up the Ohio

River. At Smithland the boats entered the Cumberland River and steamed away up

the placid stream, while the black smoke floated lazily from the tops of the

stacks. Just before reaching Fort Donelson we left Kentucky and again entered

Tennessee. The mouths of the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers are only twelve

miles apart, and where they enter Tennessee at Fort Henry are only about eight

miles apart. It is rather singular that two rivers so large should run such a

long distance almost parallel and so close together.



    On rounding a bend in Cumberland River below Fort Donelson we caught sight

of the "old flag" and the fort. This was the place where Grant won his first

important victory in the west, compelling Buckner to surrender on the 16th day

of February, 1862.



    The weather was good for that season of the year, and the scenery along the

route was truly grand. In fact, it was beyond the power of pen to describe or

painter to portray. At the mouth of Harpeth River the transports encountered the

famous Harpeth Shoals. The Cumberland River is very shallow at this point and

during extreme drouths it puzzles the most skillful pilot to take his vessel

safely across the shoals.



    .After several days were spent in this manner of traveling, the First

Tennessee reached the capital of its own State without accident and went into

camp at Edgefield, on the Gallatin turnpike. This was the fourth time the

regiment had marched through the streets of Nashville. Two months before, the

thunder of artillery and the rattle of musketry was heard in Nashville-now, all

was quiet and the only real signs of war were the guards moving about in the

discharge of duty and the various regiments passing through on their way home to

be mustered out. The officers were kept busy closing up their accounts, making

up muster-out rolls and getting ready for the final discharge.



    We were given a great deal of liberty while in Nashville; in fact, the

"freedom of the city" was given us. The guard at the bridge would not look near

so long at our passes or ask so many "foolish" questions as on former occasions.

There was some little delay in the muster-out of the regiment, but in a few days

that duty was performed by Captain P. W. Neil, Eighteenth United States Infantry.



    The regiment was still in Nashville when Lee surrendered. The 9th of April

was a proud and memorable day. The news of the surrender of Lee's army was

flashed over the wires and a salute of two hundred guns was ordered to be fired

by E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War, at all posts, headquarters of the army,

arsenals and at West Point. Everything in Nashville was in an uproar, and the

soldiers were wild with excitement. Bands were playing, soldiers cheering and

artillery booming. It was a regular Fourth of July celebration on a high order.

Men who were never known to smile now laughed; those who were always quiet in

camp were heard to shout, and those who were never known to take a drink of

commissary whiskey actually got drunk, and in the language of our own Davy

Crockett said, "Let's take another drink."



    The guns on Capitol Hill and in the forts at Nashville belched forth this

glorious news, and we all felt that the war was almost at an end and soon peace

would once more return and witness a united country again. The greater part of

the men composing the regiment enlisted in March and April, 1862, and on the

muster-out of those who enlisted first, the remainder were reorganized and

remained on duty in Nashville until mustered out June 14, 1865. The reader will

bear in mind that there was great irregularity in the enlistment of the

Tennessee soldiers, owing to the fact that it. was impossible for them to escape

from rebel territory only as opportunity and favorable circumstances presented

themselves; therefore the expiration of their enlistment varied and differed

accordingly.



    This reorganization afforded an opportunity for several worthy promotions.

Major R. Thornburgh, of the First Battalion, being the senior officer left, was

promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel; Captain E. J. Colville, Company L, was promoted

to Major; David Shaw, sergeant Company G, was promoted to First Lieutenant in

the same company; Newton T. Beal, private of Company E, was promoted to Second

Lieutenant in Company G. Several worthy promotions were made among the

non-commissioned officers and privates, but the writer has been unable to obtain

a list and make honorable mention of the same.



    The First Tennessee performed the greater part of its service in the Army of

the Cumberland, and although this army was greatly scattered when the great

struggle ended, yet its heroic achievements still live and its dead are honored

by a loving people. The Army of the Cumberland was unsurpassed for bravery, and

the gallant record made by it was one that was not excelled during the Civil

War. It furnished a little more than half the troops for the Atlanta campaign.

It was well represented in Sherman's grand march to the sea, and fought alone

the battles of Mill Springs, Perryville, Stone River and Chickamauga.



    It gave aid to the Army of the Tennessee at Fort Donelson and Pittsburg

Landing, or Shiloh. We find it again dividing the glory of Franklin with the

Army of the Ohio and at Nashville with the Armies of the Ohio and the Tennessee.

It also helped win Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain. In Wilson's great

"rush" through Mississippi Alabama and Georgia, wTe find representatives of

the'Army of the Cumberland. Upon its banners were inscribed the names of scores

of historic fields.



    The only field this army ever gave to the enemy in its. unity was bloody

Chickamauga, and then the enemy was so severely punished that the pursuit was

weak and made without energy. Notwithstanding the great loss of life in the Army

of the Cumberland its ranks were kept filled, and at the close of the great

struggle it is safe to say that it numbered at least one hundred and sixty-five

thousand men, who were now to return home and resume the pursuits of civil life.



    The final report of the Adjutant-General's office from 1861 to 1866 shows a

total loss in the Union army, from all causes, to be three hundred and thirteen

thousand men. Tennessee lost in the same period and from all causes, six

thousand, seven hundred and seventy-seven men. Of this number seven hundred and

forty-four were killed or died of wounds. Five thousand, one hundred and

ninety-two died of disease. In this list the twelve hundred and eighty-two that

died in prison are included. Three hundred and seven were drowned. From other

causes, such as murdered, killed after capture, suicide, etc., four hundred and

ninety. The Second Tennessee Infantry lost more men in prison than any regiment

in the United States service. This gallant regiment was captured at Rogersville,

Tennessee, November 6, 1863.



    The total enrollment of the First Tennessee during its term of service, from

the best and most reliable source, was fourteen hundred and ninety-three men.

The regiment lost in killed and died of wounds and disease, three hundred and

thirty-three men. Those that died in prison are included in this list. Three men

from Tennessee committed suicide during the war and one of this number was from

the First Tennessee. The most frequent causes for discharge from the army were

gunshot wounds, consumption, diarrhea and typhoid fever. The largest number of

deaths from disease in the army occurred from chronic diarrhea and fever. The

First Tennessee lost more men from fever than any other disease. During the war

there were two hundred and ninety-eight battles fought in Tennessee,-Virginia

alone exceeding the "Volunteer State."



    The seven National Cemeteries located in Tennessee contain the remains of

fifty-seven thousand and five of the Union dead who gave up their lives in order

that this great and growing country might remain undivided. The largest cemetery

in Tennessee is located at Nashville. The remainder are given in the order as to

the number of interments in each: Memphis, Chattanooga, Stone River, Pittsburg

Landing, Knoxville and Fort Donelson. Their graves are kept green at the expense

of the government they helped to save, and their surviving comrades and friends

on each 30th of May perform a loving and patriotic duty by recounting what they

did in song and story and the placing of flags and flowers upon their graves.

The dead of the First Tennessee lie buried in all of the cemeteries of their

native State, with the exceptions of Pittsburg Landing and Fort Donelson.



    The First Tennessee met the enemy at the following places: Cumberland Gap,

June 18, 1862; Rigg's Cross Roads, Tenn., April 16, 1863; College Grove, Tenn.,

May 8, 1863; Rover, Tenn., June 23, 1863; Middletown, Tenn., June 24, 1863;

Shelbyville, Tenn., June 27, 1863; Lafayette, Ga., Sept. 13, 1863; Chickamauga,

Ga., Sept. 19 and 20, 1863; Sparta, Tenn., Nov. 30, 1863; Dandridge, Tenn., Dec.

24, 1863; Mossy Creek, Tenn., Dec. 29, 1863; Fairgarden, Tenn., Jan. 27, 1864;

Varnell's Station, Ga., May 9, 1864; Resaca, Ga., May 14, 1864; Burnt Hickory,

Ga., May 26, 1864;  Brownlow's Hill, or Acworth,  Ga., June 4, 1864; Lost

Mountain, Ga., June 16, 1864; Mason's Church, Ga., July 23, 1864; Lovejoy's

Station, Ga., July 29, 1864; Newnan, Ga., July 31, 1864; Lavergne, Tenn., Sept.

1, 1864; Franklin, Tenn., Sept. 2, 1864; Campbellsville, Tenn., Sept. 5, 1864;

Pulaski, Tenn., Sept. 27, 1864; Shoal Creek, Ala., Nov. 5, 1864; Hurt's Cross

Roads, Tenn., Nov. 29, 1864; Franklin, Tenn., Nov. 30, 1864; Nashville, Tenn.,

Dec. 15 and 16, 1864; and Lynnville, Tenn., Dec. 24, 1864.



    In addition to these engagements the regiment had scores of skirmishes, some

of which were quite severe, and the writer is unable to recall a single instance

in which the First Tennessee ever refused or failed to execute any order given

to it, no matter how difficult and dangerous the execution appeared. Colonel

Brownlow was never heard to say "go, boys," but always "come."

Lieutenant-Colonel Dyer led the regiment with equal gallantry after Colonel

Brownlow was wounded.



    Thirty-five years have passed away since the great struggle ended and we

find the highest offices within the gift of the American people have been filled

by soldiers. In all the vocations of life they have "paddled their own canoes"

admirably. Sober, enterprising, wide-awake, clearheaded, the soldiers of the

Civil War have made an honorable record in peace as well as war, and to-day take

high rank as good and useful citizens. The writer is more than gratified to be

able to say that so far as his means of knowledge extend the surviving members

of the First Tennessee are making just as good and useful citizens as they were

soldiers. They are industrious and are fighting the battle of life as manfully

as they fought the battles of their country.



    Since the close of the war forts and rifle-pits have in many places

disappeared and given place to beautiful homes and sweet-scented flowers. Yet in

many places they still remain, and serve as reminders of the great struggle away

back in the sixties. We no longer hear the roar of hostile guns from the

ramparts or the shouts of the charging troops, but instead the happy voices of

playful children. Where the smoke of battle once hung low, shutting out from

view the contending forces, we now see the smoke of the factory and furnace.

Those who were once enemies and engaged in the deadly fray are now engaged in

these peacful and industrial pursuits, each striving to build up the waste

places and to reunite this great and growing country of ours over which today

one flag alone waves triumphantly.



Additional Comments:
Extracted from:



HISTORY OF THE FIRST REGIMENT OF

Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry



IN THE GREAT WAR OF THE REBELLION,

WITH THE ARMIES OF THE OHIO AND CUMBERLAND,

UNDER GENERALS MORGAN, ROSECRANS,

THOMAS, STANLEY AND WILSON.



1862-1865.



BY



W. R. CARTER, COMPANY C.



ILLUSTRATED.



KNOXVILLE, TENN.:



GAUT-OGDEN CO., PRINTERS AND BINDERS.

1902.



Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1896, by

W. R. CARTER,

in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, D. C.





TO THE SURVIVING MEMBERS OF THE FIRST TENNESSEE CAVALRY; TO THE MEMORY OF OUR

DECEASED COMRADES AND THEIR KINDRED; TO THE MARTYRED PATRIOTS OF EAST TENNESSEE

WHO DIED ON THE GALLOWS AND IN PRISON, AND TO THE LOYAL AND PATRIOTIC PEOPLE WHO

SYMPATHIZED WITH THEM, THIS VOLUME IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, IN FRATERNITY,

CHARITY AND LOYALTY, BY THE AUTHOR.



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