[552]
Here I remained gathering up my men and the guns which had been scattered.
I shipped a wagon-load of guns to Cave City that evening, and was reenforced about four o'clock. P. M., by Captain Beck, from Munfordville, with twentyfive men, mounted, he having come by Cave City.
After giving time to feed his men and rest, we started with sixty men in pursuit of the enemy.
Moving out on the Columbia road one mile, we crossed to the Burksville road.
This is the road on which the enemy retreated.
We struck this road about two miles from Glasgow.
It was then dark and raining, but we pressed on, hoping to overtake and surprise them before day. They left the Burksville road seven miles from Glasgow, and took the Tompkinsville road.
We reached Tompkinsville one hour before day, dismounted the men, and hitched our horses in a dense thicket near town; then marched the men into an open field, and when we came to count our men, we found, to our great surprise and mortification, only thirty men to answer to their names, the balance having fallen out of ranks and got lost on the road.
But we were determined to make the attack if the enemy was there.
We formed our men in line to command the public square.
There we waited until near daylight, when we learned that the rebels had not stopped in Tompkinsville, but had passed through there about dark the evening before.
Here we gave up the chase, and remained in Tompkinsville until sun up, then started to return to Glasgow.
About this time we were informed that two wagons had been left near Tompkinsville.
We returned and found them as stated, with two mules, seventy guns, and various other articles, which were captured by the rebels of my command at Glasgow; the mules were tied near the wagons.
This gave indication that the rebels intended returning for them.
We set to work and soon had the two wagons wheeled about and off for Glasgow.
But while we were hitching our teams I had pickets placed on the road the rebels had travelled, and twelve rebels came upon them; but the pickets drove them back by firing on them.* We supposed the rebels were not far off, and had we had more men and fresh horses we would have followed after them, but our horses were rode down--Captain Beck having rode all the way from Munfordville via Cave City that day with his men, and my horses had been in constant use ever since daylight the morning before; so we turned our course for Glasgow, reaching there on the morning of the eighth instant, with our recaptured prize.
I will now give the particulars of the fight: On the morning of the sixth instant, when the town was attacked, the Provost-guards were all asleep, except those on duty at the guard-house, and the patrols about town.
Captain George S. Nun was in command of the camp at the fort, and only a few of the men there were up. Some were on guard in the fort when the rebels got in sight of it. They charged right into camp and up to the fort.
The men inside the fort discharged their guns promptly at the rebels, and one rebel fell mortally wounded.
But the dash into camp was so sudden that the men were thrown into confusion; in fact, were panic-stricken, they being new recruits.
The officers, so far as I can learn, did their duty as well as they could.
Colonel Hughse asked who was in command of the camp, and Captain Nun told him that he was. Hughse then ordered him to surrender the whole command to him. Captain Nun told him that he would have to get the men like he (Hughse) got him; that was, by fighting.
The men were then running in. every direction, many without their arms or clothes.
One of my men was shot three times.
He had no arms, and was standing in the fort.
Another one of my men was shot in the court-house yard.
He was unarmed, and was not trying to get away.
The rebels paroled one hundred and forty-two of my men and officers.
They captured over two hundred horses and horse equipments, carried off all the clothing I had on hands unissued, and loaded two of my wagons with goods.
They destroyed a great many of my commissary stores, and burnt a large building at the fort, which was built for government use. They carried off about one hundred guns, mostly carbines.
They had thirteen wounded; four of them have since died.
My wounded were three; one of them has since died; the other two are getting well.
They also robbed the bank of about nine thousand dollars; most of the money had been deposited there by citizens for safety.
They robbed one store of about four hundred dollars' worth of goods, and took horses and buggies from citizens to carry off their wounded in. They crossed Cumberland River into Turkey Neck Bend, and, hearing that I was pursuing them, they passed on to Kittle Creek, where they stopped and paroled the men. As soon as they crossed Cumberland River, they commenced scattering.
My officers state that the rebel officers told them that they had over two hundred men with them when they attacked Glasgow, yet other reports say that there were not exceeding one hundred rebel soldiers in Glasgow.
I am, General, your obedient servant,
Samuel Martin, Major Thirty-seventh Kentucky Mounted Infantry.
