Roddy's forces, and they fled into the thick woods. On returning, we met General Davidson and his brigade of infantry who had arrived during the second charge. When I reported to him, he said, "That was handsomely done, Colonel."

In this affair we lost no men killed; we gathered up our few wounded and those the enemy left, who were taken to a hospital, and we returned to headquarters.

The surgeon examined my wound, and found that the ball had hit the iron bolt of my wooden stirrup, bent it and split the wood, striking a large spur buckle. It had glanced off, leaving a deep impression on my boot, but not going through the leather, and my foot was badly swollen. The surgeon directed that cold water be poured on my foot during the rest of the day, to allay the swelling, after he had let the blood out of the wound. I went about on crutches for a time, but was not off duty, chiefly for the reason that I had no field officers present to take my place.

While here, Michael Nachtrieb, an artist and member of the band from Wooster, Ohio, found a prepared canvas on which he asked to paint my portrait. have the painting still and value it in memory of a genial comrade who proved himself as proficient in art as he was in music, both of which, however, were more to his liking than the care of his horse, which on inspection day was tested by the use of a white pocket handkerchief. One morning Mike appeared on a new horse, for which he had traded with

one of the boys. I reprimanded him, saying that the horse was not as good as his old one. "Not quite," he said, "but it was a clean one, Colonel!"

Some time after the war I met Judge Woods of Florence, formerly a colonel in the confederate army. Speaking of the Decatur engagement, he told me that Major Ferguson, afterwards a prominent lawyer in Memphis, was criticised at the time by General Roddy because his line gave way on our second charge. Ferguson replied, "What was the use, Gennul, the mo' we fiahed, the wuss they got!" And the Judge said this reply became one of their stock army jokes.

CHAPTER 17.

Rousseau's Raid.

In the spring of 1864, Sherman began crowding Johnston back from Chattanooga toward Atlanta; and during this movement, the Ninth Ohio Cavalry operating in connection with a brigade of infantry held Decatur, guarding against a flank movement of the enemy in that direction and protecting Sherman's reinforcements at this, the only available crossing of the Tennessee river below Chattanooga.

When Sherman crossed the Chattahoochee in his advance on Atlanta it became necessary to cut the railroads over which supplies were brought to that city and to Johnston's army. The most important of these was the road reaching Salem, Alabama, Montgomery and the southwest. At Salem were situated the confederate government shops which furnished most of the artillery and ordnance supplies for the confederacy. This road also extended down through a rich farming region which furnished the commissary supplies. Johnston had so effectually guarded it for miles out of Atlanta that Sherman had been unable to reach it.

On the 6th of July I received a dispatch from General Rousseau commanding at Nashville, directing