The 3rd Texas Cavalry Regiment’s story is
told by S. B. Barron in his book titled “The Lone Star Defenders” which told of
his unit in the Civil War. This is one incident in that book.
We were soon met with orders to mount and move out to
Owl Rock church on the Campbellton
and
Colonel Harrison, who was understood to be contending
with
General McCook’s
division of cavalry. General
McCook had
crossed the river near Rivertown,
not far from Campbellton, for
purpose of raiding in our rear, and General Stoneman, with
another division, had simultaneously moved out around the
right wing of our army. The purpose was for these two
commands to co-operate and destroy the railroad in our rear.
General Wheeler’s cavalry was sent after Stoneman. As General
McCook had at least twelve hours the start of us we
were unable
overtake him until afternoon of the next day. In the meantime,
before daylight, he struck the wagon train belonging to our
division, burned ninety-two wagons and captured the teamsters,
The Lone Star Defenders 157
blacksmiths, the chaplain of the Third Texas, and the inevitable
squad that managed under all circumstances to stay with the
train. We came up with McCook’s
command near Lovejoy
Station, which is on the railroad
thirty miles below
learned with joy that General Wheeler had overtaken Stoneman,
captured him and a large portion of his command, and was able
to come with a portion of his troops to assist in the
operations
against McCook. McCook now abandoned all effort to destroy
railroad property, and began a retreat in order to get back
into
the Federal lines. We followed him until night when, as
we had
been in our saddles twenty-eight hours, we stopped, fed on
green corn and rested a few hours. Some time before
daylight
next morning we mounted and moved on briskly. Early in the
day we came close upon the enemy’s rear and pressed them
all
day, during which time we passed scores of their horses,
which
from sheer exhaustion had been abandoned. Many of our
horses,
too, had become so jaded that they were unable to keep
up.
About the middle of the afternoon, when near Newnan,
the
Federals stopped to give us battle. They had chosen a
position in
a dense skirt of timber back of some farms near the
could not describe if I would. I can only tell what the
Third
rapidly into the timber and ordered to dismount to fight. As
many of our men were behind, instead of detailing the
usual
number of horse-holders, we tied the horses, leaving two men
of
the company to watch them. Almost immediately we were
ordered into line, and before we could be properly formed
were
ordered to charge, through an undergrowth so dense that we
could only see a few paces in any direction. As I was
moving to
my place in line I passed John Watkins, who was to
remain with
the horses, and on a sudden impulse I snatched his
Sharpe’s
carbine and a half dozen cartridges. On we went in the
charge,
whooping and running, stooping and creeping, as best we could
158 The Lone Star Defenders
through the tangled brush. I had seen no enemy in our front,
but
supposed they must be in the brush or beyond it. Lieutenant Sim
Terrell, of Company F, and myself had got in advance
of the
regiment, as it was impossible to maintain a line in the
brush,
Terrell only a few paces to my right. Terrell was an
ideal soldier,
courageous, cool, and self-possessed in battle. Seeing him stop
I
did likewise, casting my eyes to the front, and there,
less than
twenty-five yards from me, stood a fine specimen of a Federal
soldier, behind a black jack tree, some fifteen inches in
diameter,
with his seven-shooting Spencer rifle resting against the
tree,
coolly and deliberately taking aim at me. Only his face,
right
shoulder, and part of his right breast were exposed. I could
see
his eyes and his features plainly, and have always
thought that I
looked at least two feet down his gun barrel. As quick as
thought
I threw up the carbine and fired at his face. He fired
almost at
the same instant and missed me. Of course I missed him,
as I
expected I would, but my shot had the desired effect of
diverting
his aim and it evidently saved my life.
Directly in front of Terrell was another man, whom
Terrell
shot in the arm with his pistol. The Federals both turned
around
and were in the act of retreating when two or three of
Terrell’s
men came up and in less time than it takes to tell it two
dead
bodies lay face downwards where, a moment before, two brave
soldiers had stood. I walked up to the one who had confronted
me, examined his gun, and found he had fired his last
cartridge
at me. Somehow I could not feel glad to see these two
brave
fellows killed. Their whole line had fallen back, demoralized
by
the racket we had made, while these two had bravely stood
at
their posts. I have often wondered what became of their
remains,
lying away out in the brush thicket, as it was not likely
that their
comrades ever looked after them. And did their friends and
kindred at home ever learn their fate?
The Lone Star Defenders 159
We moved forward in pursuit of the line of dismounted
men we had charged, and came in sight of them only to see
them
retreating across a field. Returning to our horses we saw them
stampeding, as Colonel Jim Brownlow,
with his regiment of East
Tennesseans, had gotten among them, appropriated a few
of the
best ones, stampeded some, while the rest remained as we
had
left them. We charged and drove them away from the horses
and
they charged us three times in succession in return, but
each
time were repulsed, though in these charges one or two of
the
best horses in the regiment were killed under Federal
riders.
These men were, however, only making a desperate
effort to
escape, and were endeavoring to break through our lines for
that
purpose, as by this time General McCook’s
command was
surrounded and he had told his officers to get out the best they
could. In consequence his army had become demoralized and
badly scattered in their effort to escape. The prisoners
they had
captured, their ambulances, and all heavy baggage were
abandoned, everything forgotten except the desire to return to
their own lines. General Stoneman
had started out with 5000
men and General E. M. McCook had 4000. Their object was
to
meet at Lovejoy Station, on the Macon Railroad, destroy
the
road, proceed to
Federal prisoners confined at those two places. This
engagement
lasted about two hours, at the end of which we were badly
mixed and scattered in the brush, many of the Confederates
as
well as Federals not knowing where their commands were.
General Ross summed up the success of his brigade on
this
expedition as follows: Captured, 587, including two brigade
commanders, with their staffs; colors of the Eighth Iowa and
Second
General Wheeler’s men also captured many prisoners.
Our loss
on the expedition was 5 killed and 27 wounded. Among the
wounded I remember the gallant Lieutenant Tom Towles, of the
Third. The command now returned to its position in General
160 The Lone Star Defenders
Hood’s line of battle, the prisoners being sent to
Newnan, while I
was ordered to take a sufficient guard to take care of
them until
transportation could be procured to send them to
I had about 1250 enlisted men and 35 officers, who
were kept
here for several days. I confined them in a large brick
warehouse, separating the officers from the privates by putting
the officers in two rooms used for offices at the
warehouse. I
made them as comfortable as I could, and fed them well. I
would
turn the officers out every day into the front porch or
vestibule
of the warehouse, where they could get fresh air. They
were
quite a lively lot of fellows, except one old man, Colonel
kindness and made me quite a number of small presents when
the time came for them to leave.This
Newnan affair occurred
assaulting the lines in our front, and resumed the defensive.
Our
duties, until the 18th of August, were about the same as
they had
been formerly—heavy picketing and daily skirmishing. The
casualties, however, were continually depleting our ranks: the
dead were wrapped in their blankets and buried; the badly
wounded sent to the hospitals in
wounded were sent off to take care of themselves; in other
words, were given an indefinite furlough to go where they
pleased, so that a slight wound became a boon greatly to be
prized. Many returned to
friend or acquaintance, while some remained in