ll
his infantry, what reason could there have been for the cavalry joining
him there?

When Bradley's brigade, the rear of Wagner's column, was nearing Spring
Hill some of the cavalry approached the pike through the fields to
reconnoiter, and the 64th Ohio was sent to drive them away. With the
right wing deployed as skirmishers and the left wing in reserve, the
regiment advanced steadily, driving before it the cavalry, without
replying to the harmless long-range fire they kept up with their
carbines, but always galloping away before we could get within effective
range. About a mile east of the pike we crossed the Rally Hill road.
This was the road by which Hood's infantry column approached. It there
runs north nearly parallel with the pike to a point 500 yards east of
Spring Hill, where it turns west to enter the village. Leaving one of
the reserve companies to watch the road, the rest of the regiment kept
on in pursuit of the cavalry until our skirmishers were abreast of the
Caldwell house, about 800 yards east of the road, when a halt was
called. A few minutes later, at 2:30 o'clock, the left of our skirmish
line, north of the Caldwell house, was attacked by a line of battle in
front while the cavalry worked around our left flank. At the time we
believed the battle line to be a part of Hood's infantry, and in a
letter from General Bradley he states that it caused great consternation
at headquarters in Spring Hill when Major Coulter, of the 64th, came
galloping back with the information that the regiment was fighting with
infantry. But investigation has disclosed that the battle line was
composed of mounted infantry belonging to Forrest's command. They were
armed with Enfield rifles, and always fought on foot like ordinary
infantry, using their horses for traveling rapidly from place to place.

The four reserve companies were thrown in on a run at the point of
contact, but our line was soon forced to fall back by the cavalry
turning our left flank, where they cut off and captured three of our
skirmishers. One of the three was badly wounded that evening in trying
to escape, a bullet entering from behind and passing through his mouth
in a way to knock out nearly one-half of all his teeth. We found him in
a hospital at Spring Hill when passing through in pursuit of Hood's army
after the victory at Nashville. In relating his experience he stated
that when they were captured they were taken before some general, name
unkno