O. P. HARGIS, Pt. 2

"We kept fighting and falling back"

A Confederate horseman tells of his unit's raids on Federal communications in Georgia and of the final days of Wheeler's cavalry in the Carolinas.
by O. P. HARGIS

During our raid in Tennessee, we went through the mountains of Pickens and Murray Counties and on to Dalton. On that trip, I saw an awful sight, our soldiers caught two bushwackers or deserters and they were ordered to hang them by the roadside and when we passed by they were hanging by their necks. It was a bad looking sight.

We then went on to Dalton, tore up the railroad and took a Fort garrisoned with negroes. We then came near Spring Place and camped. Next morning General Wheeler sent for our company to report to his headquarters. We saddled our horses and went to his headquarters. He was in a two story house, we rode up to the gate and Lieutenant Gilbreath dismounted and went in and stayed a while with General Wheeler, then came out and told us to mount our horses and we rode off in the direction of Carter's quarters. Lieutenant Gilbreath did not tell us at that time where we were going. We traveled the balance of the day, wondering among ourselves where we were going. When we got to Carter's quarters, we camped for the night. That night, Lieutenant Gilbreath told us what our mission was and where we were going. He told us that he had orders from General Wheeler to operate on the Western and Atlantic Railroad from Cartersville to Calhoun inside of the Federal line. It was a dangerous undertaking.

Now I will tell you, my readers, what a time we had during the three months scouting inside of the Federal line in the rear of Sherman. We all trusted our gallant officers, Lieutenants Gilbreath and Glasgow, to carry us through, which they did and we never lost a man. The first thing we did when we left Carter's quarters was to make our way to the McDow farm on the railroad below Adairsville. When we got near that place we staid in the woods until night, left our horses with a strong guard, and made our way through the McDow farm to the railroad. Our aim was to tear up the track. We tried everything that we could hold of to tear it up, but we could not move it.

While we were trying to tear up the track, we heard a train coming north. We all jumped over inside a field, hid ourselves in the fence corner, and two trains passed us loaded with Federals. It may seem strange to my readers that we would let them pass and not fire into them, but our orders were from General Wheeler that we were not to fire a gun unless we were compelled to, to keep from being captured. After the train had passed, we started back to our horses.

When we got near the McDow house, a man by the name of Cathcot asked Lieutenant Gilbreath if he and myself could go by the house, for Cathcot's family lived in a house in the yard and I was well acquainted with the McDow family. He told us to hurry and they would wait for us. They went on to the horses and we went quietly through the garden, knocked at the window and awoke the family up. There we made inquiry if there had been any Federals in that neighborhood previous to our arrival, they said no.

After the family were thoroughly over their fright, and were convinced that we were Confederates, and upon recognition of Mrs. McDow of Cathcot and myself, we were cordially invited for a meal, which consisted mainly of a big pone of lightbread. In spite of the turbulent conditions and poverty, this good woman offered to share her scanty provisions with our boys and at once prepared for us a large pone of bread. Then she cut a large plug in the pone of lightbread like you would plug a watermelon, and filled it with butter, then we bid them goodbye and we went on to our horses with the big pone of lightbread and all the boys were glad to get a slice of the bread for they were hungry.

I guess my readers would like to know how we lived, while we were inside the Federal lines. The people would find out where we were camped and cook a basket full of rations and bring them to us, and we would get feed for our horses from them. We would do all the harm to the railroad that we could then we would go back into Hall County and recruit up our horses, then we would make another raid to the railroad. When inside the line, we would tear up the railroad, cut telegraph wires, throw off trains, and do all we could to block transportation of army supplies for Sherman's army.

Now I will carry my readers back into Hall County with us, near Gainesville, and what we done while we were recruiting our horses, ready to make another raid into the Federal lines. We had a good time out there. We would ride horseback with the girls to church and go to big corn shuckings, eat big suppers, served in old fashioned style. One time just before we started back to the railroad, brother Henry came to see us from the Virginia army and came with us inside the Federal line. We camped near Crow Springs, above Cassville. There were five us got permission from Lieutenant Gilbreath to try and make our way home, for our people were left inside the Federal lines.

We started late one evening in the direction of Cassville. We arrived at Cassville just after dark. We rode right through the town, but we never saw any Federals. We rode down to the Baptist Church and there we turned in the direction of the Male College. The moon was shining bright, and about the time we got half way to the college, we saw three Federal Cavalry coming, meeting us from the direction of Kingston. We held a council of war, and we concluded to meet them. We formed in a breast and went on, and when we got in about ten steps of them, we halted them, and told them to surrender. They said they would then we rode up to them and told them to give up their arms. They gave them up and they were very much excited for they were taken by surprise. We asked them what their mission was. They told us that they were couriers carrying dispatch from Rome to Marietta. We told them to give us the dispatch. They gave it to us and we read it. It was from General Kilpatrick at Rome, to Captain Hayes, in Marietta, ordering up all the ambulances, breast bands, horse shoes and horse shoe nails under a heavy guard of dismounted cavalry.

Then we had the Federals and didn't know what to do with them. We concluded to carry them back to the company. We turned back through Cassville and went about a mile and a half and stopped and held a council of war to decide what to do with them. We concluded to turn them loose. We told them to dismount, they dismounted, and we asked them what they thought we were going to do with them. They said they did not know. We told them we were going to turn them loose, they were delighted to hear that. We asked them where they wanted to go. They said to Cartersville. The night was cold and we gave them a blanket apiece and swapped hats with them, with their consent, and sent them on their way rejoicing. We took their horses and turned back through Cassville. We had to flank Cass Station for there was a Federal garrison at that place. We crossed the Western and Atlantic Railroad at the Hamilton crossing above Cass Station. We divided there and appointed that place to meet again then each one went to their home.

I lived in about one half mile of Cass Station. Brother Henry and I went near the house, hitched our horses, and went up by the barn. The moon was shining and the dogs began to bark at us, and Mother came out to the back porch to see what the dogs were barking at. We walked up and spoke to her and she was the worst surprised woman you ever saw. She said how in the world did you get here. We told her we just flanked around and came in. She said three Federal officers just left here, their pickets are between here and Cass Station. There were two young ladies spending the night with Mother. One of them was Miss Lizzie Headden, she was a sister of Dr. Headden. These two young ladies watched us while we went into the house and ate our supper. We stayed about one hour and then left and went back to our meeting place. When we got there we found the boys waiting there for us, we then went back to the company for the night.

The next day, we divided the company and started a general scout, thirteen of us under Lieutenant Gilbreath went in the direction of Cass Station, and the balance under Lieutenant Glasgow went in the direction of Calhoun. Brother Henry and myself were with Lieutenant Gilbreath.

We crossed the Western and Atlantic Railroad and scouted that part of the country in broad daylight. We learned that the Federals were sending out forage wagons from Cartersville into the Foster settlement, hauling off their corn. Although we had orders not to fight, that was more than we could stand, and we concluded to give them the best we had if they came out that day. We went over to the back of the field, pulled off our saddles, got some corn and fed our horses, and some of us lay down and went to sleep.

We stayed there until about 2 o'clock, then Lieutenant Gilbreath sent two men up to the corn field to see if they had come in. They soon returned and told us they were in there gathering corn. We saddled our horses, got everything in good shape, mounted, rode up to the fence, and lay the fence down in several places so we could get out of there if they got too hot for us. Then we divided and attacked them in two directions. There was about forty of them. They had four four-mule teams and two or three horses. We opened fire on them and drove them from there wagons. We thought we had made a big haul, which we had.