It was nearley dawn when we reached camp, pretty baddly used up but awfully glad to escape slauter, or a rebel prison. We were not given much time for rest, or sleep. The entire brigade was ordered to pass over the same road that we had used, and attack the enimy, if there, and seize the gap. We found the enimy, and we had a sperited little battle, and sustained some loss, but we drove the rebels out of the valley, and on the following day attempted to force the gap, but failing to do so, our entire divission marched down the valley to "Blains Cross Roads" where there is a wide gap in Clinch mountain, and joined the persuing army up the valley. We had wasted much time in a fruitless, and impossible effort to get on Longstreets flank. Blains crossroads received its name from the fact that a number roads cross here, on account of a gap in the clinch mountains. The brake in the mountains is very abrupt, at either end. There is a space of prehaps of three quarters of a mile, that is quite level throgh which a creek of considerable force runs. Just why this gap should occur here, one who views it can onley conjectuere. It {is} evidently one of the freques of nature that frequently occures in these mountains. We onley tarried here a short time. but moved on in the rear of the armyup the river in the direction of Beans Station, opposite the gap that we had tried to force 48 hours before. We here come in contact with a very large agregation of soldiers as we thought at that time but small in comparison with what we afterwards saw. We here met some old regiments, such as the first KY cave, and the first Tenn cave, who were the most reclusivly brave as soldiers that I saw while in the service. All that these men wanted to know, was where the enemy was to be found, and they were sure to find them, and bring them in dead or alive. Nothing of great moment occured, and the evning of the second day we reached the Station, and went into camp, and sent out foraging parties in evry direction, except that of the enimy. I do not recall how long we were here. I remember that we gathered in a large pile of corn, and that we went up the calley some seven or eight miles, and engaged the enimy, evey day. As there was no order to throw up brestworks, or fortifications, we thought that we were quite safe from a general attack. Just who was to blame for this neglect, I never knew, or heard anyone say. later on that matter would not have been neglected. We were very short on clothing, and rations, which was met with a very healthy rumor that a suply train was neare us, which would give us all we wanted. There came a day when we did not go out to visit Longstreets men, which we thought to be a little out of order, and wondered what the matter could be, but about noon we were fully advised as to the reason. Longstreet was coming to see us, and he was bringing nearly all of his family with him, and we soon found that the visit would not be a very pacific one. The real facts are that by noon we were hotly engaged, and men on both sids were being killed, and wounded by the hundreds. The fight was kept up till dark when we retreated down the valley, leaving our forage, and some our military equipment in the hands of the enimy. It was in this battle that I wun my spurs, but I was not aware that I did anything conspicuously brave. We retreated about four miles, and took a strong position, and held the enimy in check all of the next day and again retreated during the night, and reached Blains crossroads the next evening, where we found the infantry ready to receive our pursuers. This retreating was very exausting. On account of our wagon trains our progress was very slow. The second days march was 36 hours long, and during that time we had no rations, but lived on parched corn, when we were permitted to stop long enough to build a fire to parch it. The enimy kept close at our heels, and our rear guard had some very sperited encounters with them, and at times the outlook for us was not pleasing. At the crossroads we met the largest agrigation of soldiers that we had ever seen. Shermains divission was in line of battle behind brestworks that had been hastily prepared. Artillary bristled from every available elevation. To us it was a grand sight. We hoped that longstreet would attack us, but he was too wise to walk into our clever trap. We went into camp here, where we expected to remain for sometime. The next morning after we went into camp, the capt hand me an envelope, which contained an order for my promotion to the second Liutenancy, and directed me to take it to headquarters, which I did not knowing what the contents were, only a guess. That evning I received an order to go on duty at once, as a second Liut. In passing I will say that I did not get my commission till in march, and of course was only allowed orderly sergeants pay, at that time, but about 1888 congress past a law that enabled officers full pay for the time that they served as officers before they received their commissions, and of course I received my full pay. Contrary to our expectations, and desires, we were not allowed to remain in camp more than a week, till we were ordered to march. I think that it was on the 24{th} day of December that we left camp and marched to Strawberry plains, where we crossed the Holstine river and marched up the valley to Newmarket, and from there out in the country some six miles, to a gap in the hills, where the entire regiment was placed on picket. We were not forgetfull of the fact that this was Christmas eve and our minds and hearts were full of reminissences. It turned out very cold, and we were not allowed to put up tents, or go soundly to sleep. We were camped on a farm where we had plenty of dry rails, of which we made fires, and we would lie down before them and sleep till the fires would burn out, when we would get up and put on more rails. We had nothing to eat, save a little parched corn. Inspite of all these discomforts, the boys joked about the turkey dinners, which they knew would be served at home and related their experiences at the home for many years past. Language would fail me to describe our forlorn condition, and I will pass by saying that, at about ten oclock we got orders to march, which we were glad to do notwithstanding the severity of the cold, and the knawing of our stomaches. We passed throgh Newmarket, where we expected to get something to eat, but got nothing but promisses, that we would get rations at "Mossey Creek" where it was said there were large gristmills. It was almost night before we reached our destination, and very late before we could get flower and meal for supper. We remained here about two days, when a large part of the command marched over into the valley of the "French Broad" river, but before reaching our destination our commander got an intimation that Longstreet's forces were doing to pay us another visit, at our old camp, and the column was halted and remained in camp for several hours, undecided as to which way we should march. By two oclock the noise of battle in our rear was discouragingly loud. We finaly marched in the direction of the left flank of the enemies battle line, but did not reach the battlefield till the fight was over, and we went into camp in a woods pasture, which was thickly covered with small "jack oaks". This was the part of the battlefield that was ocupied by the first Tenn Cav, and bulet marks on the trees told us how sevier the conflict had been. So neare me was a dead confederate officer, as I sat by our campfire, that I coudl reach his body with my hand. The dead liut was clothed is a part of our uniforme, which he probbaly got out of our clothing suplies at Beanstation. After we got throgh with our supper, we dug a shallow grave, and burried the body, with as much respect and decency could be under the circumstancies would permit. The battle was a sevier one, our losses were very heavy. Two of our battrymen lay where thay had fallen, both of them had been as smoothely decapitated as if it had been done with a knife. The fight, and defeat was very credible to our brave soldiers. It was claimed that our flank movement saved the day to the federals. When we laid down that night it was quite warm, but cloudy, and being tired we slept soundly. Company headquarters was the onley tent erected. The entire regiment had laid down with nothing but their blankets over them. I was always an earley riser, even while in the army, and on this memorial morning assayed to get up at my regular time. Everything appeared to be remarkably quiet which was more apparent when I pulled the tent flap back and discovered that nearly a foot of snow had fallen during the night. Not a human being was in sight, and the onley indication of a living presence was the humocks in the snow, and that there was at least one soldier under these snow hillocks was eresistable. I never saw a more dreary perspective. I am not given to hesitation when confronted with a despirate situation, but on this occasion I would have been pleased if somebody elce had taken the innitiative. In order that a fire be built, it was necessary to do things. First to cleare away the snow, and prepare a place for a fire, without a shovel or anything to do it with. When the snow shouuld be cleared away, where was the wood to come from. After much work, and wading of snow, I finally got a fire going, that would cook a little breckfast. Many of the soldiers did not attempt to get up till noon, and after, but who could blame them. The enimy was just as much handicapped as we were, and there was no danger. To be continued next week. Sandi SCKY Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=south-central-kentucky Barren Co Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=kybarren Sandi's Genealogical Puzzlers: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gensoup/gorin/puz.html GGP: http://ggpublishing.tripod.com/