f the trenches
_three deep_. Ours being the attacking party suffered
severely,--almost an equal loss to the Yankees. Our loss was about
forty-five hundred, and theirs five thousand, including prisoners.
Next day we started for Nashville, eighteen miles distant. Our
battery remained there till the 5th, when we were ordered to
Murfreesboro' to aid General Forrest in reducing that place. On the
6th we arrived there, took position, and built works. Next day, on
account of a flank movement by the enemy, we had to move our
position back a mile. Soon the enemy appeared in our front, and
skirmishing commenced. The infantry fell back, leaving the
artillery to do the fighting without one musket to protect us. We
stayed as long as we could, when we finally had to follow the
footsteps of the infantrymen. The fight--there was none--nothing
but a big scare and run. General Forrest sent General Bateman with
his division to Nashville, but kept our battery with him. We lost
one man at Murfreesboro, I.T. Preston, brother of the Prestons of
Carrollton. We stayed in camp for seven days when General Forrest
determined to attack again and took one section of the battery with
him,--the other section, the one I belong to, was sent to protect
his wagon-train. Two days afterwards the army commenced its retreat
from Nashville (the particulars of which no doubt you have already
learned). Our march was over a muddy and rugged road for fifty
miles to Columbia. It was the severest march I ever undertook: we
pushed and worked at the wheels all the time. The horses finally
broke down, and we had to take oxen and yoke them in and drive
them. Can you imagine me up to my knees in mud, barefooted and
muddy, with a long pole, driving oxen. It was a very picturesque
scene, and no doubt the 'Yankee Illustrators' would pay a good
price for such a picture. I was about on a par with two-thirds of
the others, and we made as merry as possible under the
circumstances. We had no rations, and lived entirely on the people:
they treated us splendidly, gave us more than we could eat, and
left us duly indebted to them for their many kindnesses. I for one
will never forget the hospitality received in Tennessee. We
recrossed the Tennessee on the 26th of December. Christmas day was
quite an event to us. We were then out of Tennessee, in a poor
country, and could get very little to eat. All day myself