Chapter XXXV: Appendix: NOTE O: Page 207

[From official reports concerning the Sanders raid in East Tennessee, June 14-24, 1863.]

Colonel William P. Sanders, in obedience to special instructions from the General Commanding the Department, left Mount Vernon, Kentucky, June 14, 1863, with a force of 1,500 mounted men, composed of detachments of different regiments, as follows: Seven hundred of the 1st East Tennessee mounted Infantry, under Colonel R. K. Byrd; 200 of the 44th Ohio mounted infantry, under Major Moore; 200 of the 112th Illinois mounted infantry, under Major Dow; 150 of the 7th Ohio Cavalry Volunteers, under Captain Rankin; 150 of the Second Ohio Cavalry Volunteers, under Captain Welch; 100 of the First Kentucky cavalry Volunteers, under Captain (G. W.) Drye, and a section of Captain Konkle’s battery. First Regiment Ohio Artillery Volunteers, under Lieutenant Lloyd,--for the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad. From Mount Vernon to Williamsburg, on the Cumberland river, a distance of sixty miles, a train of wagons containing forage and subsistence stores, accompanied the expedition. From this point, he followed a route known as the Marsh Creek road to near Huntsville, Tennessee, leaving that place a few miles to his left. He reached the vicinity of Montgomery, Tennessee, on the evening of the 17th of June, and learning that a small party of rebels were stationed at Wartburg, one mile from Montgomery, he sent 400 men from the 1st East Tennessee to surprise and capture them, following one hour afterward himself with the remainder of the command. The surprise was complete. They captured 102 enlisted men and two officers (one of them an aide to General Pegram,) together with a large number of horses, sixty boxes artillery ammunition, several thousand pounds of bacon, salt, flour, and meal, some corn, 500 spades, 100 picks, besides a large quantity of other public stores, and six wagons with mule teams. The prisoners were paroled, and the property destroyed.

A small portion of this command, who were out some distance from the camp, with their horses, escaped and gave the first notice of Sanders’s approach, at Knoxville, Kingston, Loudon and other places. From that point he marched toward Kingston. When within eight miles of it, he learned positively that Scott’s brigade and one battery were at that place, guarding the ford of Clinch River. For this reason, leaving Kingston to his right, he crossed the river eight miles above, at Waller’s Ford on the direct road to Loudon. At daylight, on the 19th (June), he was within three miles of Loudon, and about the same distance from Lenoir’s. He there learned that a force of three regiments was at the Loudon bridge, with eight pieces of artillery, and that they had been for two weeks strengthening the works at that place, digging rifle pits, ditches, &c. A courier was captured from the commanding officer at Loudon, with dispatches ordering the forces from Kingston to follow in Sanders’s rear, and stating that the troops from Lenoir’s had been ordered to join them. Sanders determined to avoid Loudon and started immediately for Lenoir’s station, which place he reached about 8 A. M., arriving there about thirty minutes after the departure of the rebel troops. At that station he captured a detachment of artillerymen, with three 6 pounder iron guns, eight officers and fifty-seven enlisted men, burned the depot, a large brick building, containing five pieces of artillery, with harness and saddles, two thousand five hundred stand of small arms, a very large amount of artillery and musket ammunition, and artillery and cavalry equipments. The depot was entirely occupied with military stores, and one car filled with saddles and artillery harness. He also captured some seventy-five Confederate States mules and horses. There was a large cotton factory with a large amount of cotton at the place, and he ordered that it should not be burned, as it furnished the Union citizens of the country with their only material for making cloth, but it was burned by mistake or accidentally. He had the telegraph wire and railroad destroyed from there on to Knoxville, at points about one mile apart. He met the enemy’s pickets at Knoxville about 7 P. M. on the 19th (June,) and drove them to within a mile of the city. Leaving a portion of the 1st Kentucky Cavalry on the southwest side of the town, he moved the rest of his command as soon as it was dark by another road entirely around to the other side, driving in the pickets at several places, and cut the railroad, so that no troops could be sent to the bridges above. At daylight he moved up to the city on the Tazewell road and found the enemy well posted on the heights and in the adjacent buildings, with eight or nine pieces of artillery. The streets were barricaded with cotton bales, and the batteries protected by the same material. Their force was estimated at 3,000, including citizens who were impressed into service. After about one hour’s skirmishing Sanders withdrew, capturing near the city two pieces of artillery, 6 pounders, the tents, and all the camp equipage of a regiment of conscripts, about eighty Confederate States horses, and thirty-one prisoners.

He then started for Strawberry Plains, following the railroad, and destroyed all the small bridges and depots to within four miles of the latter place at Flat Creek, where he burned a finely built, covered bridge and also a county bridge. The guard had retreated. He left the railroad three miles below the town, and crossed the Holston River, so as to attack the bridge on the same side the enemy were. As soon as he came in sight they opened on the advance with four pieces of artillery. He dismounted the infantry and sent the 44th Ohio, under Major Moore, up the river, and the rest under Colonel Byrd and Major Dow, to get in their rear. After about an hour’s skirmishing, the enemy was driven off, and leaving a train and locomotive with steam up in waiting, a portion of them escaped. All their guns (five in number), 137 enlisted men and two officers, a vast amount of stores, ammunition, and provisions, (including 600 sacks of salt) about seventy tents and a great quantity of camp equipage were left in his hands. He remained at the place all night and destroyed the splendid bridge over the Holston River, over 1,600 feet long, built on eleven piers, the trestle included.

At daylight on the 21st (June) he started up the railroad for the Mossy Creek bridge, destroying the road at all convenient points. At Mossy Creek, New Market and vicinity, he captured 120 prisoners and destroyed several cars, a large quantity of stores, several hundred barrels of saltpetre, 200 barrels of sugar, and a large amount of other stores. The bridge burned at Mossy Creek was a fine one, over 300 feet in length. Near this place he also destroyed the machinery of a gun factory and a saltpetre factory.

He determined to leave the railroad here and endeavor to cross the mountains at Rogers’ Gap, as he knew every exertion was being made on the part of the enemy to capture his command. Fording the Holston, at Hayworth’s Bend, he started for the Powder Spring Gap of Clinch Mountain. There a large force was found directly in his front, and another strong force overtook and commenced skirmishing with his rear guard. By taking country roads he got into the Gap without trouble or loss, and had all this force in his rear. On arriving within a mile and a-half of Rogers’ Gap, he found that it was blockaded by fallen timber, and strongly guarded by artillery and infantry, and that all the gaps practicable were obstructed and guarded in a similar manner. He then determined to abandon his artillery and move by a wood path to Smith’s Gap, three miles from Rogers’ Gap. The guns, carriages, harness and ammunition were completely destroyed, and left. He had now a large force, both in front and rear, and could only avoid capture by getting into the mountains, and thus place all his foes in the rear, which he succeeded in doing, after driving a regiment of cavalry from Smith’s Gap. The road through this pass was only a bridle path, and very rough. He did not get up the mountain until after night. About 170 of his men and officers got on the wrong road, and did not rejoin the command until it reached Kentucky.

Owing to the continual march, many horses gave out and were left, and although several hundred were captured on the march, they were not enough to supply the men. He reached Boston, Ky., on the 24th, with a loss of two killed, four wounded and thirteen missing. The number of prisoners paroled by him was 461.

After acknowledging his indebtedness for the success of the expedition to several officers of his command, Col. Sanders did so chiefly to Sergeant Reynolds, First East Tennessee volunteers, and his guides. He said: “Reynolds’ knowledge of the country was thorough, reliable and invaluable.” “All the officers and men deserved great credit and praise for the cheerfulness with which they submitted to great hardships and fatigue, and their energy and readiness at all times either to fight or march.”