St. Peters, and the
great organ at Freibourg, but the music was not so sweet as
the hearty plaudits of our brave comrades.

"As indicating the change in public sentiment relative to
colored soldiers, it may be mentioned that the
Lieutenant-Colonel commanding the 68th Indiana Volunteer
Infantry, requested me as a personal favor to ask for the
assignment of his regiment to my command, giving as a reason
that his men would rather fight along side of the 14th
Colored than with any white regiment. He was ordered to
report to me.

"After Hood had gone, and after our journey of 244 miles, we
returned to Chattanooga, but not to remain.

"NASHVILLE, TENN.--November 29, 1864, in command of the
14th, 16th and 44th Regiments U. S. C. I., I embarked on a
railroad train at Chattanooga for Nashville. On December
1st, with the 16th and most of the 14th, I reached my
destination, and was assigned to a place on the extreme left
of General Thomas' army then concentrating for the defence
of Nashville against Hood's threatened attack.

"The train that contained the 44th colored regiment, and two
companies of the 14th, under command of Colonel Johnson, was
delayed near Murfreesboro until Dec. 2nd, when it started
for Nashville. But when crossing a bridge not far from the
city, its progress was suddenly checked by a cross-fire of
cannon belonging to Forest's command. I had become very
anxious over the delay in the arrival of these troops, and
when I heard the roar of cannon thought it must be aimed at
them. I never shall forget the intensity of my suffering, as
hour after hour passed by bringing me no tidings. Were they
all captured? Had they been massacred? Who could answer? No
one. What was to be done? Nothing. I could only wait and
suffer.

"The next day Colonel Johnson reached Nashville, reporting
that when stopped, he and his men were forced, under heavy
fire, to abandon the train, clamber down from the bridge,
and run to a blockhouse near by, which had been erected for
the defence of the bridge, and was still in possession of
the Union soldiers. After maintaining a stubborn fight until
far into the night, he withdrew his troops, and making a
detour to the east came into our lines, having lost in
killed, wounded and missing, t