'Co. Aytch' - Maury Grays, First Tennessee Regiment by Samuel Rush Watkins (best autobiographies to read TXT) 📕

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Title: "Co. Aytch" Maury Grays, First Tennessee Regiment or, A Side Show of the Big Show

Author: Sam R. Watkins

Release Date: August 17, 2004 [EBook #13202]

Language: English

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK "CO. AYTCH" ***

This eBook was produced by Ken Reeder <[email protected]>

PUBLISHER'S NOTICE.

Eighteen years ago, the first edition of this book, "Co. H., First Tennessee Regiment," was published by the author, Mr. Sam. R. Watkins, of Columbia, Tenn. A limited edition of two thousand copies was printed and sold. For nearly twenty years this work has been out of print and the owners of copies of it hold them so precious that it is impossible to purchase one. To meet a demand, so strong as to be almost irresistable the Chattanooga Times has printed a second edition of 2000 copies, which to soldiers of the Army of the Tennessee and the Army of the Cumberland, between whom many battles were fought, it will prove of intense interest, serving to recall many scenes and incidents of battle field and camp in which they were the chief actors. To them and to all other readers we respectfully commend this book as being the best and most impersonal history of any army ever written.

THE CHATTANOOGA TIMES.

Chattanooga, Tenn., Oct. 1, 1900.

"CO. AYTCH," MAURY GRAYS, FIRST TENNESSEE REGIMENT; OR, A SIDE SHOW OF THE BIG SHOW.

By SAM. R. WATKINS,

COLUMBIA, TENN.

  "Quaeque ipse miserima vidi,
   Et quorum pars magna fui."

TO THE MEMORY OF MY DEAD COMRADES OF THE MAURY GRAYS, AND THE FIRST TENNESSEE REGIMENT, WHO DIED IN DEFENSE OF SOUTHERN HOMES AND LIBERTIES: ALSO TO MY LIVING COMRADES, NEARLY ALL OF WHOM SHED THEIR BLOOD IN DEFENSE OF THE SAME CAUSE, THIS BOOK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR . . . . . CONTENTS CHAPTER I—RETROSPECTIVE WE ARE ONE AND UNDIVIDED THE BLOODY CHASM EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND SIXTY-ONE CAMP CHEATHAM ON THE ROAD STAUNTON WARM SPRINGS CHEAT MOUNTAIN ROMNEY STANDING PICKET ON THE POTOMAC SCHWARTZ AND PFIFER THE COURT-MARTIAL THE DEATH WATCH VIRGINIA, FAREWELL CHAPTER II—SHILOH SHILOH CHAPTER III—CORINTH CORINTH ROWLAND SHOT TO DEATH KILLING A YANKEE SHARPSHOOTER COLONEL FIELD CAPTAIN JOE P. LEE CORINTH FORSAKEN CHAPTER IV—TUPELO TUPELO THE COURT-MARTIAL AT TUPELO RAIDING ON ROASTINGEARS CHAPTER V—KENTUCKY WE GO INTO KENTUCKY THE BATTLE OF PERRYVILLE THE RETREAT OUT OF KENTUCKY KNOXVILLE AH, SNEAK I JINE THE CAVALRY CHAPTER VI—MURFREESBORO MURFREESBORO BATTLE OF MURFREESBORO ROBBING A DEAD YANKEE CHAPTER VII—SHELBYVILLE SHELBYVILLE A FOOT RACE EATING MUSSELS POOR BERRY MORGAN WRIGHT SHOT TO DEATH WITH MUSKETRY DAVE SUBLETT PROMOTED DOWN DUCK RIVER IN A CANOE SHENERAL OWLEYDOUSKY CHAPTER VIII—CHATTANOOGA BACK TO CHATTANOOGA AM VISITED BY MY FATHER OUT A LARKING HANGING TWO SPIES EATING RATS SWIMMING THE TENN. WITH ROASTINGEARS AM DETAILED TO GO FORAGING PLEASE PASS THE BUTTER WE EVACUATE CHATTANOOGA THE BULL OF THE WOODS THE WING OF THE "ANGEL OF DEATH" CHAPTER IX—CHICKAMAUGA BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA AFTER THE BATTLE A NIGHT AMONG THE DEAD CHAPTER X—MISSIONARY RIDGE MISSIONARY RIDGE SERGEANT TUCKER AND GEN. WILDER MOCCASIN POINT BATTLE OF MISSIONARY RIDGE GOOD-BYE, TOM WEBB THE REAR GUARD CHICKAMAUGA STATION THE BATTLE OF CAT CREEK RINGGOLD GAP CHAPTER XI—DALTON GEN. JOE JOHNSTON TAKES COMMAND COMMISSARIES DALTON SHOOTING A DESERTER TEN MEN KILLED AT MOURNER'S-BENCH DR. C. T. QUINTARD Y'S YOU GOT MY HOG? TARGET SHOOTING UNCLE ZACK AND AUNT DAPHNE RED TAPE I GET A FURLOUGH CHAPTER XII—HUNDRED DAYS BATTLE ROCKY FACE RIDGE FALLING BACK BATTLE OF RESACCA ADAIRSVILLE OCTAGON HOUSE KENNESAW LINE DETAILED TO GO INTO ENEMY'S LINES DEATH OF GENERAL LEONIDAS POLK GENERAL LUCIUS E. POLK WOUNDED DEAD ANGLE BATTLE OF NEW HOPE CHURCH BATTLE OF DALLAS BATTLE OF ZION CHURCH KINGSTON CASSVILLE ON THE BANKS OF THE CHATTAHOOCHEE REMOVAL OF GEN. JOE E. JOHNSTON GEN. HOOD TAKES COMMAND CHAPTER XIII—ATLANTA HOOD STRIKES KILLING A YANKEE SCOUT AN OLE CITIZEN MY FRIENDS AN ARMY WITHOUT CAVALRY BATTLE OF JULY 22ND, 1864 THE ATTACK AM PROMOTED 28TH OF JULY AT ATLANTA I VISIT MONTGOMERY THE HOSPITAL THE CAPITOL AM ARRESTED THOSE GIRLS THE TALISMAN THE BRAVE CAPTAIN HOW I GOT BACK TO ATLANTA THE DEATH OF TOM TUCK'S ROOSTER OLD JOE BROWN'S PETS WE GO AFTER STONEMAN BELLUM LETHALE DEATH OF A YANKEE LIEUTENANT ATLANTA FORSAKEN CHAPTER XIV—JONESBORO BATTLE OF JONESBORO DEATH OF LIEUT. JOHN WHITTAKER THEN COMES THE FARCE PALMETTO JEFF DAVIS MAKES A SPEECH ARMISTICE ONLY IN NAME A SCOUT WHAT IS THIS REBEL DOING HERE? LOOK OUT, BOYS AM CAPTURED CHAPTER XV—ADVANCE INTO TENNESSEE GEN. HOOD MAKES A FLANK MOVEMENT WE CAPTURE DALTON A MAN IN THE WELL TUSCUMBIA EN ROUTE FOR COLUMBIA CHAPTER XVI—BATTLES IN TENNESSEE COLUMBIA A FIASCO FRANKLIN NASHVILLE CHAPTER XVII—THE SURRENDER THE LAST ACT OF THE DRAMA ADIEU CHAPTER I RETROSPECTIVE "WE ARE ONE AND UNDIVIDED"

About twenty years ago, I think it was—I won't be certain, though— a man whose name, if I remember correctly, was Wm. L. Yancy—I write only from memory, and this was a long time ago—took a strange and peculiar notion that the sun rose in the east and set in the west, and that the compass pointed north and south. Now, everybody knew at the time that it was but the idiosyncrasy of an unbalanced mind, and that the United States of America had no north, no south, no east, no west. Well, he began to preach the strange doctrine of there being such a thing. He began to have followers. As you know, it matters not how absurd, ridiculous and preposterous doctrines may be preached, there will be some followers. Well, one man by the name of (I think it was) Rhett, said it out loud. He was told to "s-h-e-e." Then another fellow by the name (I remember this one because it sounded like a graveyard) Toombs said so, and he was told to "sh-sh-ee-ee." Then after a while whole heaps of people began to say that they thought that there was a north and a south; and after a while hundreds and thousands and millions said that there was a south. But they were the persons who lived in the direction that the water courses run. Now, the people who lived where the water courses started from came down to see about it, and they said, "Gents, you are very much mistaken. We came over in the Mayflower, and we used to burn witches for saying that the sun rose in the east and set in the west, because the sun neither rises nor sets, the earth simply turns on its axis, and we know, because we are Pure(i)tans." The spokesman of the party was named (I think I remember his name because it always gave me the blues when I heard it) Horrors Greeley; and another person by the name of Charles Sumner, said there ain't any north or south, east or west, and you shan't say so, either. Now, the other people who lived in the direction that the water courses run, just raised their bristles and continued saying that there is a north and there is a south. When those at the head of the water courses come out furiously mad, to coerce those in the direction that water courses run, and to make them take it back. Well, they went to gouging and biting, to pulling and scratching at a furious rate. One side elected a captain by the name of Jeff Davis, and known as one-eyed Jeff, and a first lieutenant by the name of Aleck Stephens, commonly styled Smart Aleck. The other side selected as captain a son of Nancy Hanks, of Bowling Green, and a son of old Bob Lincoln, the rail-splitter, and whose name was Abe. Well, after he was elected captain, they elected as first lieutenant an individual of doubtful blood by the name of Hannibal Hamlin, being a descendant of the generation of Ham, the bad son of old Noah, who meant to curse him blue, but overdid the thing, and cursed him black.

Well, as I said before, they went to fighting, but old Abe's side got the best of the argument. But in getting the best of the argument they called in all the people and wise men of other nations of the earth, and they, too, said that America had no cardinal points, and that the sun did not rise in the east and set in the west, and that the compass did not point either north or south.

Well, then, Captain Jeff Davis' side gave it up and quit, and they, too, went to saying that there is no north, no south, no east, no west. Well, "us boys" all took a small part in the fracas, and Shep, the prophet, remarked that the day would come when those who once believed that the American continent had cardinal points would be ashamed to own it. That day has arrived. America has no north, no south, no east, no west; the sun rises over the hills and sets over the mountains, the compass just points up and down, and we can laugh now at the absurd notion of there being a