Raynors HCA 2015-02
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/19/2015
A great war-date Union artilleryman's letter, 3pp. 4to, written by Pvt. Thomas Corwin Potter, [MWIA Chickamauga, 9/20/63 both his arms were blown off by pre-ignition of his cannon, buried Chattanooga National Cemetery], "in camp at Stones River Cross Roads, [Tenn.], July 26, 1862," to his sister concerning General Forrest's attack on the Union garrison at Murfreesboro on July 13, 1862 and of the surrender of that post to the intrepid Confederate commander. In response to the garrison's surrender, Union Gen. Buell sent Nelson with nearly 3500 men to Murfreesboro to help defend to post, in small part: "…we have been almost constantly on the road. We are in camp now on the Murfreesboro & Lebanon pike 6 miles north of the former town at a point where the Nashville & McMinnisville turnpike crosses the Lebanon road…we left Columbia July the ninth-found the left section at Shelbyville…we lay in camp the night before and day of the skirmish and disgraceful surrender of our troops at Murfreesboro. There we lay only twenty miles by railroad from the scene of action with two trains of cars large enough to have transported us there…the boom of distant artillery was …plainly heard…could we have been permitted to have went to their assistance that disgraceful surrender of the Minnesota third would never have taken place and the brave and gallant Hewitt would not have been obliged to surrender his battery for the want of support…thursday we were ordered to Tullahoma 15 miles south on the railroad…to join General Smith…we lay expecting a general attack until the 19th when we were ordered back to Murfreesboro…to join the command of General Nelson…we found Nelson with a part of his division…camped on the field where the skirmish took place. The enemy made a dash on some point between here and Nashville capturing a train of cars and burning a bridge. The next morning General [William (Bull)] Nelson marched toward Nashville with four battalions of cavalry, 6 regiments of infantry and three batteries…leaving the 8th Ky., 35th Indiana…and our battery to hold the city. We moved our army to an eminence on the west side of town…before noon Colonel barnes of the 8th Ky….pressed in 300 slaves from adjoining plantations and had them busy throwing up fortifications…to crown all rebel imprudence…I ever saw…on the same evening a squad of rebel cavalry (the famed Texan Rangers) [Col. Walker 8th Texas Cavalry] passed our pickets under a flag of truce bearing a demand from the guerrilla chief Streans [most likely Nathan B. Forrest] to Colonel Barnes for an unconditional surrender. As soon as possible…we were ordered back to this place where we arrived about 10 o'clock the morning of the 22nd…[with] nothing of interest…but the occasional dash of a squad of rebel cavalry on our picket line. We have captured several of these…yesterday we had a general review attended in person by General [William (Bull)] Nelson…the cars will be through from Nashville for the first time since we came to Murfreesboro…". VG
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