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engagement between Captain Gracey, commanding the Undine, and the Federal gunboats.
For a more minute and interesting description of this engagement we take pleasure in presenting Captain Gracey's account, which we desire to incorporate in full in our paper.
The following letter will explain itself:
My Dear Captain,--On the receipt of your letter asking me to relate my adventures during the Johnsonville campaign, I supposed you wished to rub up your recollection, and that you would after reading my letter incorporate into your papers such parts as you considered of sufficient interest. I cannot, therefore, permit my letter to be read before the Society unless you will make this explanation. Truly your friend,
Captain Gracey's paper.
My Dear Captain,--I am in receipt of your kind letter, wherein you informed me you would, on the 27th instant, read a paper before the Southern Historical Society, at Louisville, on the Johnsonville campaign, and that you would be pleased to have me relate my experience in that memorable affair.
To be candid with you, my dear friend, time, business complications and perplexities, and one long, continuous struggle with Dame Fortune to better my financial condition, has played sad havoc with my recollection of old war scenes.
I will, however, with pleasure relate them, trusting to you, who was one of the leading spirits of that very spirited affair, to correct any errors in my statement.
I will not attempt a description in detail of this brilliant episode, but confine myself to the especial parts in which I was engaged.
On the 29th of October, 1864, at daylight, I found myself Captain of a cavalry company attached to General H. B. Lyon's brigade, then at Fort Heiman, on the west bank of the Tennessee river.
Until this time I had been continuously employed in the artillery service under General Breckinridge, then consecutively under Generals Bate, Cheatham, Helm, Preston and Lewis, with sixty days service in heavy artillery during the siege of Vicksburg.
My battery was familiarly known as the First Kentucky or Cobb's battery.
General H. B. Lyon was its original commander, Major Cobb, of Paducah, succeeding him, whilst I in turn became his successor.
