TENNESSEE. 



767 



and sent beyond the Federal lines under an es- 

 cort of cavalry. 



A Union meeting was held at Valley Springs 

 Meeting House, Dickson county, on the 21st. 



The anniversary of American independence 

 was celebrated with great enthusiasm, and 

 Union speeches were delivered at the capital 

 and in other parts of the State. 



Arrests continued frequent, and in the early 

 part of July twenty-eight persons were arrested 

 at Goodlettsville. but were all released on tak- 

 ing the oath of allegiance. 



In the mean time, the Union citizens of the 

 State had been almost incessantly harassed 

 by roving bands of guerillas and marauders, 

 of whom the cavalry forces of Cols. Forrest 

 and Morgan acquired the greatest notoriety. 

 Scarcely a day passed which did not bring a 

 report of their seizing horses, cattle, and stores, 

 burning bridges, tearing up railroad tracks, de- 

 stroying telegraphic communications, and not 

 unfrequently killing prominent Union men or 

 falling unexpectedly upon small detachments 

 of Federal troops. On the 1st of May a party 

 of Col. Morgan's horsemen entered Pulaski 

 and destroyed the goods of a shop keeper of 

 that place. A military commission examined 

 the case on the 20th, and ordered the provost 

 marshal to collect from the secession authori- 

 ties of the town, or failing in that, from certain 

 well-known Confederate citizens, a sum suffi- 

 cient to cover all the damages. As soon as Mem- 

 phis had fallen the Confederate cavalry began 

 to infest the line of the Memphis and Charles- 

 ton railroad, burning cotton, carrying off Union 

 citizens, and threatening to seize the person 

 and destroy the property of any one who at- 

 tempted to enter Memphis upon whatever pre- 

 text. On the 7th of July the pickets of a Min- 

 nesota brigade were attacked near Murfrees- 

 boro' by a party of civilians, and two of the 

 soldiers were killed. The next day 90 guerillas 

 were captured between Gallatin and Hartsville. 

 On the 9th a wagon master and a sutler were 

 fired upon from an ambush near Franklin, the 

 the latter being killed and the former severely 

 wounded. Similar murders were perpetrated 

 near Memphis. On the 13th Colonels Forrest 

 and Warner, with a regiment of Texan Rangers 

 and a strong force of other Confederate troops, 

 captured Murfreesboro' ; and on the 21st a party 

 of Forrest's guerillas captured the Federal pick- 

 ets on the Lebanon road. 



The greatest excitement now existed at Nash- 

 ville, and the loyal citizens proceeded to enroll 

 themselves in anticipation of an attack upon 

 the city, but in a few days reinforcements ar- 

 rived and the guerillas fell back toward McMinn- 

 ville. On the 17th an attack was made by about 

 60 guerillas upon a small scouting party belong- 

 ing to Gen. Negley's command, between Mount 

 Pleasant and Columbia. The Federal soldiers, 

 only 8 in number, took refuge in a house and 

 defended themselves for 6 hours, the guerillas 

 finally retiring. On the 19th a party of 11 

 guerillas entered Brownsville and destroyed a 



large quantity of cotton. On the 2d of August 

 Gen. Nelson occupied McMinnvilh-, the Con- 

 federates falling back before his arrival. 

 Negley about the same time led an expedition 

 against the guerillas in the direction of Colum- 

 bia, dispersing a large assemblage of the ma- 

 rauders at Williainsport, and engaging them 

 again with success at Kinderhook. On the 

 12th a detachment of Col. Morgan's guerillas 

 surprised Gallatin, on the Louisville and Nash- 

 ville railroad, making 130 prisoners and cap- 

 turing a quantity of government stores, with a 

 train of grain and 65 horses on the way from 

 Louisville to Nashville. A force was immedi- 

 ately sent from Nashville to intercept them, 

 but arrived only in time to capture a wagon 

 load of arms, and exchange shots with strag- 

 glers on the outskirts of the town. On the 

 16th a party of workmen sent to repair the 

 railroad which had been injured by Morgan 

 near Gallatin were captured by guerillas, and 

 the same day two Federal couriers were made 

 prisoners a few miles south of Nashville. Rail- 

 road communication with the latter place was 

 now entirely cut off on every side, bridges be- 

 ing burned and the track torn up for consider- 

 able distances, but the interruption lasted only 

 a short time. On the 18th a railroad train was 

 fired into near Columbia, a woman and child 

 and two Federal soldiers being killed. The 

 day afterward Clarksville was captured by a 

 guerilla force, assisted by the disunion inhab- 

 itants of the town, Col. Mason of the 71st 

 Ohio and about 300 men surrendering without 

 resistance. 



On the 20th a guard of 20 men under Cap- 

 tain Atkinson of the 50th Indiana volunteers, 

 being attacked at Edgefield junction by an 

 overwhelming force of guerillas under Col. 

 Morgan, defended themselves for 3 hours be- 

 hind a stockade, repulsing their assailants 

 three tunes, and saving the train to Bow- 

 ling Green which it seems to have been Mor- 

 gan's intention to capture. 



A second engagement with Morgan at Galla- 

 tin on the 22d "proved a much more disastrous 

 affair than the raid on the 12th. Gen. R. W. 

 Johnson was taken prisoner, and more than 

 half his command of 800 men were killed or 

 captured. The guerillas emboldened by suc- 

 cess now became more than ever troublesome. 

 Travel ceased to be safe even within a few 

 miles of the capital; the mails were robbed; 

 Union citizens were seized and sent to the 

 South, and small detachments of Federal troops 

 were frequently surprised by these daring 

 horsemen, whose rapid movements generally 

 set pursuit at defiance. At McMinnville they 

 attacked the stockade, but the little guard re- 

 pulsed them with heavy loss ; and on the 28th 

 Col. Forrest's band had a severe engagement 

 with a Federal Kentucky regiment near Wood- 

 bury, losinsr 8 killed, 30 wounded, and 15 

 prisoners. ^On the 10th of September some 

 Federal ofiicers were captured by guerillas 

 while dining at a house two or three miles 



