Today in History:

623 Series I Volume XXXI-I Serial 54 - Knoxville and Lookout Mountain Part I

Page 623 Chapter XLIII. SKIRMISH AT MULBERRY VILLAGE,Tennessee

DECEMBER 23.1863.-Skirmish near Corinth, Miss.

Report of Brig.gen. John d. Stevenson, U.s. Army.

CORINTH,

December 23, 1863.

Lieutenant Horton, Third Illinois Cavalry,with 28 men,bearing dispatches to General Mower, Was ambushed about 10 miles from here 200 rebels and driven back to this posts with loss of 2 men,rebels pursuing to outer line of works. The citizens report large force of rebels between this and Purdy,but I have no information confirming report. I shall make another effort to communicate with General Mower.

JOHN D. STEVENSON,

Brigadier-General.

Major-General HURLBUT and

Brigadier-General TUTTLE.

December 23, 1863.-Skirmish at Mulberry Village, Tennessee

Report of Colonel Silas Colgrove, Twenty-seventh Indiana Infantry.


HEADQUARTERS POST,
Tullahoma, December 26.1863.

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to report that, on the 23rd instant, I sent a forage train out into the neighborhood of Mulberry Village, Lincoln County. The train was accompanied by a guard of 70 men, under the command of First Lieutenant Porter, Company A, Twenty-seventh Indiana Volunteers. Lieutenant Porter was furnished with copiers of General Orders, Numbers 17, November 17, 1862, and General Orders, No. 30, December 30, 1862, Department of the Cumberland, and also Special Orders, No.-, of the se headquarters, for instructions. At or near Mulberry Village, I am informed by Lieutenant Porter, he divided his train into four detachments and sent the several detachments upon different plantations, sending an equal guard with each detachment. This, I understand, was done for the purpose of facilitating the loading of the train. It was about 7 o'clock in the evening when that portion of the train which Lieutenant Porter was with finished loading and started to camp.

The lieutenant reports that while he was in house receipting for the forage a part of the train went ahead and went into camp, leaving three wagons in the rear. He started to camp with these three wagons, distance about 2 miles. He had with him 15 men as guard. When within one-half mile of camp he discovered that the foremost wagon had got about 300 yards ahead of the other two. He went forward for the purpose of halting it. When he rode up he found the wagon stopped. Two men immediately rode up to him and presented pistols at his head and demanded his surrender. With this wagon was the teamster and wagon-master of the Ninth Ohio Battery, and 2 men who had helped to load the wagons, all unarmed except Lieutenant Porter. The guerrillas numbered but 4,


Page 623 Chapter XLIII. SKIRMISH AT MULBERRY VILLAGE,Tennessee