Smyrna in the Civil War II

Now organized the men start training far from home and get their first paltry weapons.

Company E, as stated, was organized at Smyrna, Rutherford County, Tennessee in the spring of 1861, (the exact date not recalled.) An effort was being made at both Smyrna and Lavergne to organize a Company. Finally their partial enlistments were united and the organization was completed at Smyrna.
After the organization we drilled nearly every day, sometimes at Smyrna and sometimes at Lavergne, but generally in Mrs. Dr. Gooch's lot on the Jefferson Pike near Smyrna, until June, 1861, when we took the cars for Camp Trousdale. There were either 48 or 49 of us that got on at Smyrna and Lavergne; others following on later. We left the cars at the Chattanooga Depot, marched through the city, crossed the river on the suspension bridge, then had dinner under the trees, the first military dinner we ever ate. We were near the L. & N. tracks, and after a while we boarded the cars and reached Camp Trousdale late in the night. We slept any way we could, for most of us were boys and were very tired and sleepy, and we slept as only tired boys could, and that was with all our might.
Next morning we were in camp near Capt. Joel A. Battle's Company, afterwards Company B, and Capt. Moscow Carter's Company, afterwards Company H. We were mustered in by Col. Pickett, and having only 49 men the Company was too small, so Capt. Battle lent us a few of his men to stand up with us so that the Company could be received. After we had been mustered in, Battle's men returned to their own quarters and we were in for it.
In a few days we were organized into the 20th Tennessee Infantry. Capt. Joel A. Battle of Company B was chosen Colonel. Capt. Moscow Carter of Company H was chosen Lieutenant Colonel, and Patrick Duffy of Company K was chosen Major.
We were now given our Company letter "E," and for four long years we suffered, fought, and made history as such. Our position in the regimental line was the center of the left wing.
On the 8th of June, 1861, the state voted on "separation or no separation," and the soldiers in camp were allowed to vote. The men were formed and marched by companies to the polls and there they voted. The officers of election were citizens of that precinct and we were voting right along, when it came Jack Tucker's time to vote (he was only 14 years old), when one of the officers of election, an elderly man who perhaps thought there ought to be a limit somewhere between the age of twenty
one and the cradle, asked Jack " How old are you young man?" Jack promptly replied "Twenty-one years old, sir." We all laughed heartily, and the balloting proceeded.
We remained at Camp Trousdale for a number of weeks, drilling and having measles, many of us had the measles while there. The hospital was full and we were beginning to realize some of the inconveniences of a soldier's life. Many were furloughed home as soon as convalescent; quite a number of whom were never able to do much service after the disease had left its mark on them.
Henry Tune and Archer Fergus never recovered from the effects of the measles and died early in the war.
We at first stood guard duty with sticks for guns, later on we procured a few antiquated muskets, some of which had not likely been fired since the Revolution; but they had bayonets, and when we proudly walked our beats with real guns on our shoulders, we felt that we were indeed " heroes," but fancy the disgust of one of our young heroes when he drew rammer and dropped it into the barrel to hear it ring — instead of a ring it was a dull thud, the barrel being nearly half full of home-made soap.
We were finally armed with flint lock muskets that would actually shoot (if it was not raining), and they always notified you when they did shoot. Thus armed, equipped, and fairly well drilled, we were put aboard the cars and ordered to Virginia. We passed through Nashville, and were halted long enough to enjoy a splendid dinner, furnished by the citizens and served at the Nashville Female Academy on Church Street near the Chattanooga Depot. < We then proceeded on our way, stopping at Chattanooga to change cars, then on to Knoxville where we were laid over for some reasons for quite a while, during which time several of the boys got out in town and imbibed most too freely, and got into the guard house.
After everything was arranged we proceeded to Bristol, on the State line of Tennessee and Virginia, and there we received the tidings from the first battle of Manassas, which was a complete victory for the South. We remained a few days at Bristol, during which time we received our first regimental flag, presented by the ladies of Nashville, Capt. A. S. Marks of the 17th Tennessee making the presentation speech.
We then boarded the cars and returned to Knoxville and camped near the Fair Grounds, and drilled energetically for several weeks.
The right wing of the Regiment was then ordered to Jacksboro under Col. Battle and Lieut. Col. Moscow Carter; the left wing remained for a short time at Knoxville, and then started on our first march to join the right wing at Jacksboro, and such a march as we made of it; as we were going to Jacksboro, we seemed to have the idea that to " get there" was the proper thing to do, and every fellow started out his own way, regardless of others. The result was that we were soon strung out along the road in squads of any small number: company formations were lost sight of entirely.
We started out in command of Major Pat Duffy, as gallant an Irishman as ever drew blade. It was on this march that the "grand old man " got a little too much of the " how come you so?" and was lost from the battalion— and also from his sword. Finally he came dashing up on "old roan" exclaiming : — "wherein the h—1 is the battalion?"
We all reached Jacksboro however, though it was several days between first and last arrivals.
At this point we remained a short time, drilling, and detachments were sent out to blockade the mountain passes leading north into Kentucky, and nearly every day we marched through Jacksboro back and forth, our field band playing the " Bob Tail Hoss." Who that was along fails to recollect it?
We were then ordered to Cumberland Gap, where we arrived one afternoon about five oclock, and were ordered to prepare three days rations, and be ready to move at nine oclock that evening. We marched promptly at the hour, most of us very tired and sleepy. We were starting on our first campaign. We passed through the Gap over Big and Little Log Mountains, and about ten oclock next morning reached Cumberland Ford, the most completely exhausted set of men imaginable. W. E. Brothers was several times prevented from walking off bluffs on the lower side of the road by myself. W. E. Brothers was sound alseep, walking along the road.