Part 1

[Illustration: COL. AND BVT. MAJ. GEN’L LUTHER S. TROWBRIDGE]

Prepared at the request of the Adjutant-General of Michigan

A Brief History of the Tenth Michigan Cavalry

By General L. S. Trowbridge Late Colonel of the Regiment

[Illustration: colophon]

_Together with half-tones of the photographs of all its Officers, from its organization to its muster out, and a map showing the theater of its active operations._

1908. FRIESEMA BROS. PRINTING CO. DETROIT, MICH.

To My Comrades of the Tenth Michigan Cavalry:

I think a word of explanation is due. In consenting to prepare this history for the Adjutant General, I did not fully appreciate the limitations that were imposed. The space to which I was limited necessarily prevented giving to many matters the importance which they really deserved, while much of the details and many of the minor matters had to be omitted altogether.

I thought a map would be of interest, but I could find none published that was available, and I was therefore put to the necessity of having one made. Thanks to the generous offer of my friend, Mr. F. C. Leeseman, late an officer of the German Army, now residing in this city, who volunteered to do the work under my direction, I am able to present a map which shows accurately the active operations of the regiment, except in West Tennessee in the fall of 1865. To have extended it so as to embrace that territory would have made it too large, and as the service there was after the war was over, it was thought to be unnecessary. In East Tennessee the country was marched over and fought over so many times that it was impracticable to show each expedition by itself. It is thought, however, that the names of places and dates of engagements in connection with the history will sufficiently indicate the different expeditions in which the regiment took part.

The preparation of the history and the map has been a great pleasure to me, and my chief regret is that more full and ample notice could not have been given to all, and the many minor engagements in which they took part. With this parting salutation, I bid you all hail and farewell,

L. S. TROWBRIDGE.

Detroit, Mich., March 15, 1905.

History of the Tenth Michigan Cavalry

The Tenth Michigan Cavalry was organized in the summer and fall of 1863, under authority given to the Hon. F. W. Kellogg, Representative in Congress, who had shown great zeal and efficiency in raising troops. It rendezvoused at Grand Rapids. All the field officers of the regiment had seen service in other regiments--the Colonel and Junior Major in the Sixth Michigan Cavalry; the Lieutenant-Colonel in the Fifth Michigan Cavalry; the Senior Major in the Third Michigan Infantry, where he had won merited distinction in the battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, in the latter of which he was seriously wounded while serving on the staff of General De Trobriand; the Second Major in the Third Michigan Cavalry, where he distinguished himself by the capture of a large band of troublesome guerillas in Western Tennessee.

The full organization of the regiment was as follows:

Colonel Thaddeus Foote, Grand Rapids. Lieutenant Colonel Luther S. Trowbridge, Detroit. Senior Major, Israel C. Smith, Grand Rapids. Second Major, Cicero Newell, Ypsilanti. Junior Major, Wesley Armstrong, Lapeer. Adjutant, Charles E. Soule, Muir. Quartermaster, Oliver N. Taylor, Grand Rapids. Commissary, Don A. Dodge, Grand Rapids. Surgeon, David C. Spalding, Muir. Assistant Surgeon, Charles W. Leonard, Newaygo. Assistant Surgeon, William D. Scott, Greenville. Chaplain, Henry Cherry, Owosso.

Co. A. Captain, John H. Standish, Brooks. First Lieutenant, Henry W. Sears, Muskegon. Second Lieutenant, Wallace B. Dickinson, Newaygo.

Co. B. Captain, Rhoderick L. Bryan, Franklin. First Lieutenant, Adam R. Insley, Muir. Second Lieutenant, Samuel T. Bryan, Franklin.

Co. C. Captain, Benjamin K. Weatherwax, Grand Rapids. First Lieutenant, Stephen V. Thomas, Elba. Second Lieutenant, L. Wellington Hinman, Elba.

Co. D. Captain, Archibald Stevenson, Bay City. First Lieutenant, Frederick N. Field, Grand Rapids. Second Lieutenant, William H. Dunn, Ganges.

Co. E. Captain, Harvey E. Light, Eureka. First Lieutenant, Edwin J. Brooks, Leelanaw. Second Lieutenant, Robert G. Barr, Grand Rapids.

Co. F. Captain, Chauncey F. Shepherd, Owosso. First Lieutenant, William E. Cummin, Corunna. Second Lieutenant, Myron A. Converse, Corunna.

Co. G. Captain, James B. Roberts, Ionia. First Lieutenant, Ambrose L. Soule, Lyons. Second Lieutenant, George W. French, Lyons.

Co. H. Captain, Peter N. Cook, Antrim. First Lieutenant, Edgar P. Byerly, Owosso. Second Lieutenant, John Q. A. Cook, Antrim.

Co. I. Captain, Amos T. Ayers, Bingham. First Lieutenant, Enos B. Bailey, Bingham. Second Lieutenant, George M. Farnham, St. Johns.

Co. K. Captain, Andrew J. Itsell, Marion. First Lieutenant, William T. Merritt, Eaton Rapids. Second Lieutenant, William Yerrington, Muir.

Co. L. Captain, Elliott F. Covell, Grand Rapids. First Lieutenant, James H. Cummins, Holly. Second Lieutenant, Edwin A. Botsford, Fenton.

Co. M. Captain, James L. Smith, Plainfield. First Lieutenant, B. Franklin Sherman, Virginia. Second Lieutenant, Jeremiah W. Boynton, Grand Rapids.

[Illustration: CAPT. AND BVT. MAJ. JAMES H. CUMMINS]

The organization having been completed, and the ranks filled, the regiment was ordered to Lexington, Kentucky, where it arrived on the 5th of December, and there received its horses and camp and garrison equipage. After remaining at Lexington one week, the regiment was ordered to Camp Nelson, where it arrived on December 13th, and remained there until January 25th. On December 30th, Co. H, under command of Captain Cook, started for Knoxville in charge of a drove of cattle for the army in East Tennessee, but a superior force of the enemy relieved them of the further care of the cattle, and they were appropriated by the enemy’s commissary. The stay at Camp Nelson was exceedingly unpleasant, the weather intensely cold, and much sickness in camp. There were other troops there and large depots of supplies for the quartermaster and commissary departments, and some hospitals not well constructed for cold weather, as many men were reported as having frozen to death in them. The regiment suffered much from sickness and disease, and it was a great relief when orders came to move to Knoxville, via. Burnside Point. After a very leisurely march, mostly in pleasant weather, the regiment reached Burnside Point February 1st. The question of supplies, especially of forage, was still a serious one at Knoxville, and consequently the march to that point was not hastened, and it remained at Burnside Point, protecting boats while collecting forage on the Cumberland river, and discharging other appropriate duties until February 29th, when it started for Knoxville. To all who participated in it, that march across the mountains will long be remembered as one of especial discomfort. Rain, snow, sleet and ice made the marching very uncomfortable for both men and horses. Heavy branches overloaded with snow were breaking on all sides. One man of Co. E was seriously injured, and had to be left behind at the first available stopping place, while the Colonel narrowly escaped injury from a large branch, which struck his horse. All discomforts, however, have an end some time, and as the regiment wound down the side of the Cumberland Mountains above Jacksboro, it presented a sight worthy the attention of the greatest artists. The view from the top of the mountains was one of rare beauty. After a tedious delay in crossing the Clinch River at Clinton by a small and inadequate ferry, Knoxville was finally reached on the evening of March 6th. Remained at Knoxville until the 9th, when ordered to report to the Major General Commanding at Morristown, via Strawberry Plains. At Mossy Creek received orders to make a reconnaissance to the mouth of Chucky River, thence to Springvale, if possible, thence to Morristown. The reconnaissance was made, and although no enemy was seen, it gave the men a taste of real business. Upon reaching Morristown, ordered to report to Colonel Gerrard, commanding Cavalry Division. The whole army fell back to Mossy Creek. One incident of the service with Colonel Gerrard will be recalled with interest by all who participated in it. The whole division made a reconnaissance to Morristown and Russellville, when the regiment, under the command of Lt.-Col. Trowbridge, was sent to Hugh Kane’s to get forage. On March 22 a violent storm of wet snow came on, and as the snow balled greatly under the horses’ feet the march was very hard on the horses and very cold and chilly for the men. When they reached Mr. Kane’s (he was a very thorough union man) they were received by a most hearty welcome. Mr. Kane came out to welcome them, and said, “Come in. I have been looking for you. The day they were fighting at Bean’s Station I hid a lot of corn in the hay mow, as I thought you would want it some day.” “But, Mr. Kane,” said the commanding officer, “there is one thing that we want almost more than corn. My men are almost frozen with this wet storm. We want some fires.” “Oh, well,” said he, “don’t you see all those fence rails? Help yourselves, only leave those around the house.” Then he took all the officers in and gave them such a dinner as they had not had before in Tennessee. Of such stuff were made the sturdy union men of East Tennessee. The regiment returned to Mossy Creek, and the next day received orders to report to General Thomas J. Wood, commanding a division of the Fourth Corps at Rutledge. The service with General Wood was made up of outpost duty--scouting and reconnaissance--with nothing worthy of note except the lessons learned in practical campaigning, of which the men were in need. It continued until the 6th of April, when the regiment was ordered to Strawberry Plains to recruit the horses. During the month of March, two companies, under Captain Light, were detached for service at Knoxville. The command was afterwards increased to four companies under the same officer. The service was pleasant and important, consisting of picket duty, courier and escort duty, with some scouting when occasion required. They had the disadvantage, however, of being away from the regiment and missing many of its interesting and exciting experiences. Captain Light was highly commended by Generals Tillson and Ammen for his fidelity and zeal. East Tennessee had been so much of a thoroughfare for the two armies that it was pretty well stripped of all supplies, and it was difficult to obtain forage for the horses or provisions for the men away from the railroad. April 20th the regiment was ordered to move with all effective force to Bull’s Gap, to report to General Cox. The Colonel being indisposed, the command fell on Lieutenant Colonel Trowbridge. Upon reporting to General Cox he was informed that he was to take six companies of the Third Indiana Cavalry, besides the Tenth, with Manson’s Brigade of Infantry in support, and move to Carter’s Station to destroy a large railroad bridge over the Wautauga River. The movement was to be made with as much ostentation as practicable, so as to lead the enemy to believe that it was the advance of an army in the hope that at its approach the enemy might destroy the bridge, but if he did not, then the force was to destroy the bridge, and falling back, destroy the railroad as much as possible back to Bull’s Gap. Upon reaching Jonesboro, it was learned that the bridge was defended by General A. E. Jackson with a strong force on the north side, occupying a redoubt, and extensive and well constructed rifle pits on the south side of the river. Colonel Trowbridge, thinking it possible to capture the entire force, divided his command and directed Major Smith with one portion to cross the river at a ford below the bridge and get in the rear. Upon the approach of Smith’s command the detachment guarding the ford precipitately fled, but the river was found to be not fordable, and the attempt had to be abandoned, and Smith rejoined his command on the south side of the river. The cavalry was dismounted and deployed and advancing soon received the enemy’s fire. In addition to the force in the redoubt and rifle pits, the force on the other side of the river swept the open ground with a hot cross fire. The ground in front of the redoubt and rifle pits was perfectly open for two or three hundred yards, and it seemed a risky thing to attempt an assault with a thin line of dismounted cavalry. It was apparent, however, that if the bridge was to be destroyed, these men must be driven out. Moreover as this was the first serious business in which the regiment had been engaged, the effect upon it of a successful assault would be very marked, while to retire without accomplishing anything would be very dispiriting. So the assault was ordered, and as the long thin line sprang forward with a cheer the enemy broke and fled. Major Smith was the first man inside the works, and Captain Weatherwax the second. As soon as they were joined by sufficient men, they dashed over the hill on which the redoubt was built, expecting to further rout the enemy and capture many prisoners before they could cross the river. They were met, however, by a destructive volley from a mill in which the enemy had taken refuge. That volley killed Captain Weatherwax and two men, and wounded sixteen. The rest of the men fell back under cover of the brow of the hill. Although a strong position had been gained, it was found to be still impracticable to reach the bridge without exposure to a destructive fire. Word was therefore sent to General Manson at Jonesboro that the enemy was in too strong a force and held too good a position to be dislodged by the cavalry, and suggesting that if he thought the destruction of the bridge of sufficient importance he would better come on with his brigade of infantry. He replied that he did not consider the destruction of the bridge important enough for that, and directed the cavalry to return, doing such damage to the railroad as they could. This was done, and so ended the first serious business in which the regiment had been engaged. Should it be thought that too much space has been given to this unimportant affair, it may be answered that the importance of a matter cannot always be determined by immediate results. The effect on the regiment of a successful assault on superior numbers in well constructed defenses had not been miscalculated, and undoubtedly had much to do with making the regiment the strong aggressive force which it afterwards became. Mention of this incident should not be closed without a just tribute of praise to Captain Weatherwax. He was a noble man, and a soldier of dauntless courage. His loss was most deeply felt. The command of the company naturally fell to Lieutenant S. V. Thomas, who was promoted to fill the vacancy, and proved himself a worthy successor.

[Illustration: MAJ. HARVEY E. LIGHT]

On reaching Bull’s Gap it was learned that preparations were being hurried for the infantry to join General Sherman’s army at Chattanooga. The Tenth was directed to remain at Bull’s Gap until the last train had left, and then to move out immediately. This being done, the regiment returned to camp at Strawberry Plains.

All available troops, except necessary garrisons, had gone to join Sherman’s army. The Tenth was the only cavalry left in East Tennessee. Its outpost and picket duty, its constant scouting and responsibility for the frontier in the direction of Virginia, gave it plenty of work to do. It was important work, too, and work that must be done by somebody, but there was no chance for glory in it, except such glory as attaches to the faithful performance of duty. There was plenty of scouting--plenty of hard work--plenty of fighting--severe and gallant fighting, but on a small scale. When such great things were going on in other parts of the great theater of war, as in Virginia and Georgia, it could not be expected that the operations of a single regiment of cavalry in East Tennessee would attract much attention. Headquarters and a permanent camp were established at Strawberry Plains, and the regiment assigned to the Second Brigade, Fourth Division, Twenty-third Army Corps, commanded respectively by Generals Tillson, Ammen and Schofield. After matters had settled down to working order, General Tillson sent for Colonel Trowbridge and informed him that a small fort had been laid out and partially constructed by an engineer officer for the protection of the large railroad bridge at Strawberry Plains, and he was directed to go on and finish it. Upon examining the work, it was thought that a mistake had been made in laying it out unless it was intended to put the guns in barbette. General Tillson was consulted about it, and declared most emphatically that he would never put guns in barbette, but always in embrasures, but he thought no mistake had been made in laying out the work, as he had done it himself. Colonel Trowbridge being still satisfied that a mistake had been made, prepared a diagram of the work and a sketch of the surrounding country, which showed plainly enough that if the guns were put in embrasures, not one could be brought to bear on any one of the prominent points where the enemy would be likely to plant his batteries. On being shown this diagram and sketch, General Tillson burst out laughing and said, “I wrote you that I laid out that work; I did not actually lay it out myself, but I explained to the engineer what I wanted. It is plain to see that he did not understand me, or he did not know how to do it. You are clearly right, so go ahead and change the faces of the work according to your ideas.”

It became necessary to change every one of the five faces of the work, and when completed it was a strong fortification of its class. This matter would not have been considered worthy of mention except for the fact that on two occasions afterwards a small force was enabled by it to repulse attacks from largely outnumbering forces of the enemy, whereas if the fort had been finished as originally laid out, the enemy could have maintained a constant fire from a dozen batteries, indefinitely, without coming within the range of a single gun from the fort. As it was, their guns were knocked out of commission very soon after they showed themselves.

Startling reports came from headquarters in Knoxville of large bodies of the enemy coming down from Rogersville. After several such alarms, it was thought best to make a good preparation for any such attack, and work at the fort was suspended, and all hands put to work constructing some rifle pits of permanent value. It was astonishing how much could be accomplished by concentrated effort, with a few picks and spades, and in one afternoon some very respectable rifle pits were dug, which gave the men a sense of security, and furnished a rallying place easily found in the darkest night. These rifle pits were extended and strengthened until in a short time the camp had become an entrenched camp of no small strength and importance. With frequent reports of the enemy, and necessary scouting in different directions, with work on the fort between times, the time was well occupied.

On May 28th Colonel Foote, with 160 men, made a reconnaissance to Greenville, where he encountered Major Arnold’s Battalion. A brisk fight ensued, in which the enemy was completely routed, losing 24 men killed, 14 wounded and 26 taken prisoners, besides 38 horses and mules and 17 negroes. One man, Sergeant Clark, of Co. A, was wounded in the knee. It was a very creditable affair, and served to increase the reputation of the regiment as a fighting organization. On the return march Colonel Foote was slightly wounded in the foot by the accidental discharge of his own pistol.

June 14th General Tillson was informed that the enemy had a large number of horses, estimated at 1,000, in pasture near Kingsport, and Lieutenant Colonel Trowbridge, with such force as could be spared from the camp, was directed to attempt their capture. He very unexpectedly met a party of the enemy at Bean’s Station, which was promptly charged by the advance guard and portions of Companies C and M, under Captain Roberts. The charge was a spirited one, and the enemy was put to flight. One of them was badly wounded and left at Colonel Garrett’s house. After charging them for about two miles, Captain Roberts wisely called a halt. Lieutenant Brooks of Company M, however, being in advance, and smarting under some ill-treatment from a superior officer, kept up the pursuit with a few men for about ten miles. The command went into camp about eight miles from Rogersville. Taking an early start the next morning, the enemy was again met before proceeding a mile, and another brisk fight ensued. Co. D led in a charge in which three of the enemy were killed and one mortally wounded. The only loss sustained by the charging party was one man of Co. D--Corporal Benton--wounded in the leg. The command moved on to Kingsport, but all hope of capturing the horses had to be abandoned, as couriers had been sent on to give warning, and the horses had been removed. The next morning, while giving the horses a much needed feed in a meadow near Blountsville, the enemy made a sudden dash on our pickets, but was promptly driven back. One man of Co. M, coming in from picket when the attack was made, was mistaken for one of the enemy and lost an arm by a shot from one of our own men. For convenience in foraging, the command was divided into three parts and sent by different routes for the camp at Strawberry Plains, where it arrived on June 21st without further incident worthy of note. In a brief history like this it is impossible to make mention of every movement of every detachment of the regiment. An affair occurred at Wilsonville, about twenty-five or thirty miles north of east from Sevierville, which showed the steadiness of the men in presence of sudden danger. Lieutenant Dunn was ordered with twenty-five men to attempt the rescue of Colonel Fry of the East Tennesseeans, a valuable scout and guide, who had been captured by a roving band of guerrillas. Soon after leaving Sevierville, he struck the track of a party of about the same size as his own, which had been robbing the citizens right and left, and was making for the mountains. He followed them all day, and part of the next, until they reached the mountains without bringing them to action. As he could learn nothing of Colonel Fry, and there were no prisoners with the band he was pursuing, he deemed it proper to return. At Wilsonville, while unbridled and unsaddled and feeding in a meadow, they were charged by the same party they had been pursuing, reinforced by about sixty men, who killed one of the pickets, Bert or David A. Crammer, of Ottawa County, but when they reached the field where the horses were feeding, they were met by a sharp fire from the Spencer carbines, which killed and wounded six men and two horses. As soon as the men could be mounted, pursuit was made, but the enemy seemed quite unwilling to come within range of the Spencer carbines again, and kept at a respectful distance.