Arriving at Nashville about io A. M.
February 18 the Regiment marched through
the city to Camp Gillem, located about
one mile northwest of the city. The camp
was named in honor of Gen. A. C. Gillem,
who was to be closely identified with
our Brigade during the continuance of
the war. It was a very pretty location
for a camp, and the officers and men
went to work in good earnest to
establish themselves in their new
quarters. We found the detachment sent
around under Major Grayson awaiting us
here.
On the 19th forty recruits came in from
Johnson and Carter counties, bringing
news from home and creating quite a stir
in the Regiment. Many were old
acquaintances and nearly all were known
to some one of the Regiment. They
brought sad tidings of suffering in
these two counties, which was not
conducive to our happiness, but we
trusted some way would be provided for
our friends until we could go to their
relief which we hoped to do as soon as
winter broke.
For the next few days all were busily
engaged putting up our big "Bell" tents,
regular old "smokers" that brought more
tears to our eyes than all our other
tribulations. Some of the men were put
to work draining and policing the camp,
while others were sent off on scouting
expeditions. Many of the boys who had
never been in a city began to want to
see the sights, visit the theatre and
have a good time generally. To prevent
too much running to town, as well as to
enforce discipline and teach the men
they were now soldiers, subject to the
orders of their officers, a strict camp
guard was established and none were
permitted to go in or out without a
written pass in the day and the
countersign at night, but they often
managed to elude the vigilance of the
guards.
On the 23d of February R. A. Lyle, whom
we have mentioned as having been Deputy
Provost Marshal at Elizabethton, and had
come through the lines nearly a year
before with Dan. Ellis, visited our
camps. He was now in Secretary of State
East's office. All were glad to see him
as he had done many of us favors when
posing as a rebel provost marshal. Mr.
Lyle visited our camps a number of times
while we were at Nashville. At this time
a great many refugees were coming into
Nashville from all the counties of East
Tennessee. Longstreet's army had been
quartered on that unhappy section all
winter and rebel soldiers were stationed
in almost every village, draining the
country of its scanty supplies, so that
thousands had to leave the country,—men,
women and children. These made their way
to Nashville, and even to the Northern
border States of Ohio and Indiana, where
they were generally charitably received
by the sympathetic people of the North
who had read and heard much of their
sufferings. Many good families moved to
the Western States and remained until
after the war; some never returned. But
for the philanthropic people of the
North, the condition of East Tennessee,
deplorable as it was now, and as it
continued to be to the end of the war,
would have been far worse, resulting in
a large number falling victims to actual
starvation.
Among the Union men who came to
Nashville from Carter and Johnson
counties and Western North Carolina, and
who were unable to remain at their homes
at that time, and could not for various
reasons join the army, were : John M.
Smith, Hamilton C. Smith, Richard L.
Wilson (then a citizen), L. W. Fletcher,
Charles P. Toncray, Nat. T. Williams,
Rev. Mr. Van, ( a North Carolina Union
man), Rev. Bovell, McCall, John W.
Cameron, Dr. A. Jobe, S. A. Cunningham,
Hon. N. G. Taylor and many others.
These men were all received with much
pleasure and respect on their visits to
the Regiment. A number of our officers
and men often took meals at the boarding
house of Mrs. Fulgium, a very kind lady,
who kept boarders at Number 31, Summer
street. This place became the
headquarters for the Johnson and Carter
county refugees where we spent many
pleasant hours with them talking about
our friends at home.
On the 25th of February John M. Smith,
of Carter county, brought Andrew
Campbell into our Regiment where he was
enlisted in Co. G, Captain C. C.
Wilcox's company. Campbell made a fine
soldier and was afterwards promoted to
Sergeant for gallantry, and later to 1st
Lieutenant of Co. E for killing Gen.
John H. Morgan at Greenville, Tennessee.
On the 26th we received news of the
death of Corporal William T. White of
Co. G, who had taken sick on the road
during the march from Camp Nelson, but
was brought to Nashville and put in the
hospital. Corporal White belonged to a
good Carter county family, was a brave,
intelligent young man, and would have
been one of our best soldiers had he
lived.
On Sunday, February 28th, the first
religious service was held in the camp
of the Regiment. Rev. J. B. Van preached
a good sermon and the men gave him good
attention. He was a refugee from North
Carolina, and a splendid man. It was sad
to one of a religious turn of mind to
note, as a rule, how little the soldiers
seemed to think of the great "Hereafter"
when their chances were so many to be
called before the "Judgment Bar" by
sickness, accident or death upon the
battlefield.
March the 1st we were engaged in making
out payrolls, and on the 2d Hon. W. G.
Brownlow and Gen. Samuel P. Carter
visited our camps. The Regiment gave
them a rousing reception. We felt
honored by a visit from these two
distinguished East Tennesseeans. They
seemed much pleased with the appearance
of the Regiment and complimented the
officers and men upon their fine
appearance and soldierly bearing.
On the 3d the Regiment was paid for two
months' service, and money was
plentiful. It was to be regretted that
many of the men parted with their money
so foolishly, spending it with
prodigality for needless and useless
things. Fakirs, gamblers and swindlers
of all kind, swarmed about the vicinity
of the camp, selling all kinds of trash,
pistols, watches and worthless jewelry
that the men had little use for. Some,
however, took care of their money and
sent it back to their suffering families
in East Tennessee where it was so
greatly needed.
On Sunday, March 13th, we had our first
inspection in this camp in the forenoon,
and dress parade in the afternoon; this
was kept up regularly thereafter as long
as we remained in camp.
On the 15th we had our first mounted
drill. The soldiers were somewhat
awkward, the officers as well as the
men, and many amusing, though not
serious accidents resulted.
April .1st the boys played all sorts of
pranks on each other, and the day was
not far advanced until everybody knew it
was "All Fools" day.
Things passed along with the usual
routine of duty and drill until the 7th
of April, some time in the night, after
taps had been sounded and the men had
"turned in," the cry was heard : "Ellis
has come." All turned out and Dan. was
besieged for news and "letters from
home." Many were gladdened by letters
from dear ones, while others were
disappointed, or received sad tidings
from home.
"Dan." was the guest of honor while he
remained. All had a good word for the
quiet, genial, but daring woodsman and
pilot. Ellis always brought recruits
from Carter and Johnson counties,—and
they, too, received an ovation from the
boys of the Regiment.
Upon Ellis' returning to East Tennessee
he was always loaded with letters and
packages for the folks at home.
While at Nashville, the Field and Staff
of the Regiment was completed by the
addition of Majors E. N.
Underwood and J. H. Wagner, who were
assigned to the Second and Third
Battalions, respectively; all officers
and recruits, who had not already
mustered, were now mustered into
service.
At Nashville there were many cases of
smallpox during our stay, the "Black
Mariah," as the smallpox ambulance was
called, came to our camp almost daily to
convey patients to the hospital. The
measles, too, was a dreaded disease and
almost as fatal as smallpox.
Believing that a removal from the city
would be more healthy and better for the
Regiment, we were ordered to •Camp
Catlett, on General Harding's farm, 9
miles from Nashville, on the North
Western railroad, April 13th, 1864. We
reached this place in good order, and
found a delightful place to camp near
Gen. Harding's large park which had
contained a fine collection of
animals—buffalo, deer, and other game.
There was still some of them left, but
the park had been greatly depleted. The
men were pleased with the new camp. They
had grown tired of city life very soon;
most of them were mountaineers, and as
it was now Springtime in this mild
Middle Tennessee climate, the grass was
green, the foliage putting out, and the
birds were heralding the approach of
summer with their songs. The men enjoyed
country life much better than being in
the city and engaged in hunting and
catching ground hogs, or woodchucks, and
dug them out of their burrows, some
times instead of getting a ground hog
for their toil in digging, their
nostrils were greeted with the
disgusting stench of a polecat. But the
men were now in much better health and
spirits.
BRIGADE ORGANIZED.
The Brigade, composed of the 8th, 9th
and 13th Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry, U.
S. A., and Batteries E and G, of the 1st
Tennessee Light Artillery, U. S. A., and
known as the "Third Brigade, Governor's
Guards," was now organized, and Col.
John K. Miller assigned to command. He
named the following staff officers : Dr.
Jas. H. Hobbs, Surgeon ; Adjutant, B. P.
Stacy, A. A. G.,
Lt. James H. Conkling, A. Q. M., Lt.
Joel H. Williams, A. C. S., Lt. George
A. Miller, Aid-de-Camp, and Capt. George
E. Gresham, Provost Marshal.
Lieut. S. W. Scott, of Company G, was
detailed as Acting Adjutant of the
Thirteenth in place of Adjutant Stacy.
The Regiment remained at this camp from
April 13th to May 3d. The time was spent
in drill, sabre exercise, camp duty and
grazing horses. Officers and men were
frequently detailed to guard forage that
was being transported down the
Cumberland river to Nashville, and for
other purposes.
On the 25th of April we drew sabres and
carbines, and about the same time our
horses were turned over to some ether
regiment. Our men did not like to part
with their horses as this was an
indication that we were not to be
ordered to East Tennessee soon, as we
had hoped, anti expected to be. Our
sabre exercises, which we now had daily,
were awkward and amusing. Most of our
men could have handled pitchforks more
gracefully and to better advantage. Some
of them were armed with the latter in
the Carter county rebellion.
On Sunday, May 1st, we had the first
Brigade inspection, and on the 3d we
struck tents, and were loaded on the
cars for Gallatin, Tenn. Like all
soldiers, we became restless, and were
all glad to make a move of any kind. |
