ts since
coming to Kentucky.

"March 20th. I crossed Cumberland river with twenty-six men last night
in a horse trough, and then marched on foot two miles to capture a
Yankee picket. The force at the picket base fled, but I captured two
_videttes_ stationed at the river. The trip was very severe. I lost one
man.

"April 1st. General Pegram's brigade arrived to-day _en route_ for
Kentucky on a raid. The brain fever has killed seventeen of our regiment
up to this date, among them Captain Sparr and Lieutenant Covington.

"April 11th. Pegram captured Somerset, and moved on to Danville, and
thence commenced his retreat; was compelled to fight at Somerset and was
defeated; Colonel Chenault moved our regiment to the river and helped
him to cross. His forces were much scattered, and many were captured.

"April 8th. Cluke returned to-day from Kentucky; the two companies that
went from this regiment were much injured. What is left reported to-day.
Captain Terrill and Lieutenant Maupin both severely wounded at the Mt.
Sterling fight, and left behind.

"April 29th. River being fordable, the enemy crossed in heavy force both
at Mill Springs and mouth of Greasy Creek. Tucker met them on Mill
Spring road, and I met them on Greasy Creek road; Chenault with part of
the regiment remained at Monticello. The enemy was in large force, and
we were compelled to evacuate Monticello at eleven o'clock to-night, and
fell back in the direction of Travisville. Finding on the 1st day of May
that the enemy was not pressing us, we returned to Monticello, and
skirmished heavily with him; reinforcements to the enemy having arrived,
we were compelled to fall back to the Obie River."

The "brain fever," to which the writer alluded, was a very singular
disease. The patient attacked with it suffered with a terrible pain in
the back of the head and along the spine; the extremities soon became
cold, and the patient sank into torpor. It was generally fatal in a few
hours. I recollect to have heard of no recovery from it.

As has already been mentioned, Colonel Cluke was dispatched to Central
Kentucky on the 4th of February. The force under his command, in all
seven hundred and fifty effectives, was his own regiment, the Eighth
Kentucky, under the immediate command of Major Robert S. Bullock,
seventy-eight men of the Ninth Kentucky and two companies of the
Eleventh, under command of Lieut. Colonel Robert G. Stoner--entitled the
First Battalion; and two