738 Norta CaroLina Troops, 1861-65.

The greater part of the Sixty-ninth, with part of Single-
ton’s, Berry’s, Whitaker’s and Aikin’s companies of the
Eightieth, fell back towards Bristol, Va. Immediately
upon his occupancy of Knoxville, Burnside sent forces up the
railroad which had been surrendered without a struggle, or the
destruction of a bridge, to Jonesboro, Tenn., also sent cavalry
to Blount, Sevier, Cocke, and Washington counties, Tennes-
see, guarding against surprises from that direction, and
threatening North and South Carolina by way of Murphy,
Webster, Waynesville and Asheville, and attempting to cap-
ture Colonel Thomas’ forces, good turnpike roads penetrating
these mountains. But the “fighting end” of Thomas’ Legion
was not idle in upper East Tennessee, and marched and coun-
ter-marched in every county in that end of the State, and up
to Saltville, Va., leaving the bones of their comrades (since
kindly gathered at Knoxville by the noble women of Tennes-
see) all over that section.

TENNESSEE ABANDONED.

When Tennessee was fully surrendered great gloom over-
spread the soldiers from the border States, and many Ken-
tucky, Tennessee, Alabama and North Carolina troops re-
turned to their homes. Bragg’s army with a muster roll of
83,767, had few over 40,000 guns, and guns are all that count
in battle.

General Bragg wrote to General Lee that after seven
months of conscription, not a soldier was added to his army;
that Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina troops could
not be depended upon, a very unjust aspersion cast upon all,
especially North Carolinians, most of whom, even after leav-
ing their regiments in the East and West, did good service at
home. No section of the Union furnished as many soldiers
to the Union Army according to the population as East Ten-
nessee. With such surroundings as these it is no wonder that
so many were induced to desert, or more properly stated, re-
turned to their homes.

The same day that General Burnside occupied Knoxville,
Colonel Thomas, with several hundred men, fell back from
Strawberry Plains, passing through Sevierville to the North

Srxty-NinrH REGIMENT, 739

Carolina line, taking all the Indians and many whites. He
was closely followed by the Federals and had quite a skirmish
near Sevierville, on 7 or 8 September, 1863, but he crossed
the Smoky Mountains and at once securely blockaded all the
roads leading in that direction from near Paint Rock to near
Ducktown.

Lieutenant-Colonel Love and Major Stringfield, with 600
or 700 men, were ordered to fortify and hold Carter’s Depot

at the railroad bridge across the Watauga, about twenty miles

west of Bristol.

General John S. Williams, of Kentucky, since United
States Senator, then commanded the Department of East Ten-
nessee which was abandoned to the foe, after the shameful
surrender of Cumberland Gap 9 September, 1863.

CAMPAIGNING IN EAST TENNESSEE.

Burnside’s forces, composed largely of native Tennessee-
ans, rather recklessly took charge of the country. One regi-
ment of troops (One Hundredth Ohio) went to Jonesboro on
the cars 5 September, 1863, and several hundred ventured up
to Carter’s and demanded the surrender of the fort. The
next day Major Stringfield was ordered to take 200 of his
men and a battalion of cavalry (McLin) under Captain D.
D. Anderson, and reconnoitre the position of the enemy. He
took this force to Jonesboro and below. On 7 September
General A. E. Jackson came up with the balance of the Sixty-
ninth North Carolina, the Fourth Kentucky Cavalry and
Sixteenth Georgia Cavalry and Borrough’s Battery, and
learning that the enemy were fortifying in and around the
old limestone blockhouse and a stone mansion uear by, the
Sixty-ninth was ordered up by General Jackson and at 3:00
a.m. on the 8th, we drove them from Telford’s depot to Lime-
stone, where they made a determined stand, evidently being
handled by some veteran officers. Closing in upon them on
all sides, we forced them to surrender with a loss of 20 killed,
30 wounded and 314 prisoners, with 400 splendid small arms.

Our loss was six killed and fifteen wounded. Our regiment
was immediately armed with the guns here captured (Enfield