Reminiscences of the Civil War, William and Adelia Lyon

Colonel Lyon’s Letters.

May 18, 1864.—There was a little clash yesterday on the railroad beyond Huntsville, seventy miles from here, but it did not amount to much. We are progressing finely with our fortifications. The army in front, we hear, is forty miles south of Dalton, and the rebels are falling back; but we get no particulars of operations there. No citizens are allowed to come down here now. Mrs. Kummel is still in Nashville, and is unable to obtain permission to come. The reason assigned is want of transportation.

We had a tragedy here last night. An artilleryman shot and killed a young woman who was holding the door to keep him out of the house. He went to a window, and through a broken pane shot her in the back. She died in an hour. The man was drunk, and is in custody.

I have just received orders to issue rations to the families of soldiers in our army. There are many of them about here in very destitute circumstances, and this order will prevent much suffering. Several companies of cavalry were raised in this vicinity when I was here last fall.

Colonel Lyon’s Letters.

Stevenson, Ala., Sun., May 15, 1864.—I have had two ragged sheets made into one, and now have a pair of good sheets. I bathed last night and had Jerry wash and dry my single towel before I got up this morning. Jerry does all my room work. The doctor fixed me up some tansy bitters and I worry down a little of the bitter stuff about twice a day.

I spent yesterday and Friday inspecting the railroad defenses in my beat. I stayed Friday night at Anderson, with Captain Noyes. The companies on the railroad are well suited, and are willing to stay there. The whole regiment seems contented.

How glorious the news that comes from General Grant! The heavy fighting of this war, I believe, is nearly over, although the army must be retained some time yet.

General Rousseau has just sent me 125 colored soldiers to work on the fortifications. This relieves the 13th very much.

Everything is perfectly quiet in our vicinity, no force of rebels anywhere near us, but there are guerilla scares nearly every day.

I hope before another year I will be home for good. When I get there, don’t expect me to leave the dooryard, unless I am obliged to, for about three months.

Colonel Lyon’s Letters.

Stevenson, Ala., Wed., May 11, 1864.—I went to Tullahoma, as I wrote you, and saw and reported to General Paine (of Illinois). I was well acquainted with him before. I also met Colonel Given, of the 102d Ohio, an old acquaintance, you know.

While there we received dispatches from Nashville, which were sent to me there and here at the same time, that Roddey (a rebel guerilla, General, or Colonel, or something) had crossed the Tennessee river at Florence, near Tuscumbia, Ala., with 5,000 men. They do not know what he is after, nor where he intends to go. This notice was to keep us on the alert should he come this way, which is not expected. If he comes here we can whip him.

Well, I started back at 2:30 o’clock yesterday morning, but was stopped three miles out with the intelligence that the track had been torn up by guerillas three miles farther on. So we went back to Tullahoma and got some soldiers and went down there. We found that a few men on barefoot horses, evidently citizens residing near there, had torn a couple of rails loose, built a large fire on the track, and left. Owing to the detention I did not get back here until noon.

I intended to stop along the road and inspect the troops and works under my charge, but it rained all the morning, so I deferred the inspection to another day.

Last night we had a terrific storm of wind, rain, thunder and lightning, lasting half the night. Such a storm in these mountains, the lightning flashing around their summits, the thunder echoing, the wind howling through the gorges, and the torrents rushing down the mountain sides, is most sublime. But you know something of these southern thunder storms.

We are making strong fortifications here; and if the enemy will keep away for thirty days, I do not care how many such troops as Forrest, Roddey, and those fellows have, pitch into us. I have one good redoubt now, with six pieces of artillery in it.

Captain Norcross reports that his pickets were fired on last night, no one hurt. He is stationed about three miles from here. There were but two or three of the assailants, and they ran off when the sentinel, after discharging his musket, ran after them firing his revolver. There are a few desperadoes in the mountains west orf us, and it was doubtless some of them. The citizens say, ‘We are mighty proud to see you-uns back here.’ There is much distress amongst them, General Sherman having stopped the issuing of rations.

Colonel Lyon’s Letters.

Stevenson, Ala., May 9, 1864.—Everything is quiet and comfortable here. Two years ago today we fought at Farmington, Miss., when Captain Perkins and Lieut. Beamish were killed. We got no news from the front, but feel easy about operations down there. The news from Virginia this morning is first rate.

I am going to Tullahoma today to report in person to General Paine, who has command from there to Bridgeport; will be back tomorrow. The 71st Ohio, Colonel McConnell, is between here and Tullahoma on the railroad. I was sent here because I had been here before and had a reliable, well disciplined regiment, and because, further, as General Rousseau told me, he knew my boys would fight if attacked. This service is honorable, and it was a high compliment sending me here, and so intended by General Rousseau. General Granger was not consulted and had nothing to do with it.

Colonel Lyon’s Letters.

Stevenson, Ala., May 5, 1864.—An immense number of troops has passed through here within two days, I think as many as 25,000 from Huntsville, Decatur, and that way. They are the 15th and 16th Army Corps. Generals Sherman, Logan, McPherson, Sickles, and lots more, have gone to the front, and there will probably be a heavy battle in the neighborhood of Dalton in a very few days. I have no reason to believe that we shall be there. We seem to be pretty firmly anchored here just at present.

We naturally have a great anxiety concerning the result of the expected battle. The enemy are no doubt in heavy force, and so are we. Our very best Generals, except Grant, are there; and I am very hopeful that we shall defeat them. If we do, it virtually puts an end to the war in this part of the country. A defeat for us is not so serious a matter as it would be for them; yet if we should be defeated it would prolong the war for many months. Our hope is in the justice of our cause, the blessing of God, and the courage and patriotism of our army.

Our wagon train has just got through, bringing our mess traps.

Colonel Lyon’s Letters.

Stevenson, Ala., May 3, 1864.—I took command of this post on Sunday morning, and the old force is all gone except a battery of artillery. I have my old quarters and more. I occupy for my own private residence the room that General Hooker had when here.

Colonel Lyon’s Letters.

Stevenson, Ala., April 28,1864.—Here we are, safe and sound, having come by railroad instead of marching, as we expected to do. We got here at noon today. No women came with us. General Sherman would not allow it. He said that after a few weeks, perhaps, he would do so, but not now. He says that a woman eats as much as a soldier, and he is short of transportation at present. I don’t think it is very unpleasant here, judging from the reluctance with which the troops here leave. The place has been well cleaned and is in fine order.

Colonel Lyon’s Letters.

Edgefield, Tenn., Mon., April 25, 1864.—Burns, or somebody else, says, ‘The best laid schemes of mice and men gang aft aglee.’ For example, I wrote you the other day that I thought we would stay here some time, and talked about your coming down after a little. Yesterday I got an order that we start tomorrow morning for Stevenson, to take care of the railroad from Anderson, 12 miles this side of Stevenson, to Bridgeport, on the Tennessee river. The 102d Ohio, Colonel Given, go with us on the same business, but they stop at Tullahoma.

We are to move at daybreak, but may be delayed for want of transportation. We will be nine or ten days on the road, so direct your letters to Stevenson, Ala. We march, you know, but I suppose we shall occasionally strike the railroad. I will drop you a line if I can. I am glad to get away from Nashville, my regiment was so scattered.

Colonel Lyon’s Letters.

Edgefield, Tenn., April 21, 1864.—Everything is in statu quo here. I have but little to do now but think and read. I begin to discuss the question in my own mind whether you had better not come down here after a little, after the spring campaign is fairly progressing, which will be in a month or so; then if we are left here we shall be pretty sure of remaining here all summer.