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[Illustration: A. J. VAUGHAN.]




                            PERSONAL RECORD

                                OF THE

                         THIRTEENTH REGIMENT,
                          TENNESSEE INFANTRY.

                            [Illustration]

                                  BY
                          ITS OLD COMMANDER.


                                            Price, 75 cents.




                       PRESS OF S. C. TOOF & CO.
                               MEMPHIS.
                                 1897.




                     MOST AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED
                                 TO THE
                        NOBLE MOTHERS AND WIVES
                                 OF THE
                 TRUE AND HEROIC MEN WHO FOR FOUR YEARS
                      FOLLOWED THE CONFEDERATE FLAG,
                 AND WHO WERE WILLING TO LAY DOWN THEIR
                   LIVES IN DEFENSE OF THAT CAUSE THEY
                        BELIEVED RIGHT AND JUST.

                                               A. J. VAUGHAN.




PREFACE.


_MY OLD COMRADES_:

In writing out this record I have gone back to the morning time of my
own life, and lived once more in that other day that not only tried,
but proved men's souls. Insignificant as my work may appear as a
literary production, it carries with it the most sacred memories of
the past. In writing, I have lived over again the days when the boom
of cannon, the rattle of musketry and the old rebel yell were familiar
sounds to our ears. If a shade of mournfulness hovers over the failure
of the cause for which these brave men fought and many fell, it is
not a mournfulness born of regret. When we who wore the gray put away
forever the musket and sword--and let me say, my comrades, swords and
muskets that had been bravely borne--we did so in sorrow but not in
malice or hate. And today, I am sure, where one of the old regiment
lingers yet a little while this side of the dark river, he accepts in
good faith the terms of his parole, and is a peaceful and faithful
citizen of the United States; not only faithful, but as loyal to the
stars and stripes as we were once to that other flag which we followed
for four long years, and which was woven from an honest belief of a
people's need.

Now, to my old comrades, whether in flesh or spirit, to whom this
little compilation has carried me back with such tremendous force, and
to keep alive whose fair fame I have written, I can only say as my last
words--God bless you!

                                                     A. J. VAUGHAN.




The Thirteenth Regiment,

TENNESSEE INFANTRY.


This was one of the regiments that made Cheatham's Division, and
Smith's-Vaughan's and Gordon's Brigades so famous in the Army
of Tennessee. It was organized and mustered into service on the
third day of June, 1861, in answer to a call of Governor Isham G.
Harris for seventy-five thousand volunteers. At that time it was
the seventh infantry regiment organized in West Tennessee and the
thirteenth in the State. It was made up of the "flower of the South"
young men, most of whom were fresh from the best institutions of
learning--aspiring, hopeful and ambitious--sons of men of education,
wealth and influence--the very best material for volunteer service. It
was composed of ten full companies--five from Fayette county, one from
Shelby, one from Dyer, one from McNairy, one from Gibson, and one from
Henderson, and were as follow:

 Company A, Fayette Rifles, Captain William Burton of Somerville, Tenn.

 Company B, Macon Grays, Captain J. L. Granberry, Macon, Tenn.

 Company C, Secession Guards, organized at Germantown, Tenn., and
 composed of Mississippians and Tennesseeans, Captain John H. Morgan,
 Horn Lake, Miss.

 Company D, Yorkville Rifles, Captain John Wilkins, Yorkville, Tenn.

 Company E, Dixie Rifles, organized at Moscow, Tenn., and composed
 of Tennesseeans and Mississippians, Captain A. J. Vaughan, Marshall
 county, Miss.

 Company F, Wright Boys, Captain Jno. V. Wright, Purdy, McNairy county,
 Tenn.

 Company G, Gaines Invincibles, Captain W. E. Winfield, LaGrange, Tenn.

 Company H, Yancey Rifles, Captain Robert W. Pittman, Hickory Withe,
 Tenn.

 Company I, Forked Deer Volunteers, Captain G. S. Ross, Forked Deer,
 Tenn.

 Company K, Dyer Grays, Captain S. R. Latta, Dyersburg, Tenn.

On the following day, the 4th of June, the election of field officers
was held, and resulted in the election of Captain Jno. V. Wright
of Company F as Colonel, Captain A. J. Vaughan of Company E as
Lieutenant-Colonel, and Captain W. E. Winfield of Company G as Major.

The regiment was ordered at once by way of Memphis to Randolph, on
the Mississippi river, when the organization was completed by the
appointment of Lieutenant W. E. Morgan, Company C, Adjutant; Dr. J. A.
Forbes, Company E, Surgeon; Dr. B. F. Dickerson, Company I, Assistant
Surgeon; W. E. Dyer, Company G, Commissary; L. B. Cabler, Company A,
Regimental Quartermaster; Peter Cole, Company H, Sergeant-Major; and W.
D. F. Hafford, Chaplain.

The regiment remained at Randolph engaged in drilling, camp duty,
etc., until July 26th, when it was ordered to New Madrid, Mo., and
placed in a brigade under command of Colonel J. P. McCown, who, under
orders from General Gid. J. Pillow, was about to make a campaign into
South-west Missouri to prevent reinforcements being sent to the Federal
General Lyons, then operating in that section.

On the 18th of August, 1861, the troops were moved in the direction of
Benton, Mo., where the Thirteenth Regiment arrived on the 19th. This
was the first campaign or march of the regiment, and though in the
middle of summer during a severe drouth, under a burning sun and over
roads shoe deep in sand and dust, it was cheerfully performed, and
showed an endurance and fortitude rarely witnessed in new troops. The
object of the campaign being accomplished, the command returned to New
Madrid on Sept. 2, and on the following day the regiment was ordered to
Hickman, Ky., where it was placed in Cheatham's Brigade. At Hickman,
on Sept. 4, 1861, the regiment for the first time caught a glimpse of
the "boys in blue" and saw the first "burning of gunpowder," which was
an artillery duel between the Federal gunboats and the Confederate
land batteries; but it was at long range, no damage was done, and the
gunboats were soon withdrawn up the river.

About this time General Leonidas Polk, commanding the Mississippi
Department, determined to occupy Columbus, Ky., and ordered General
B. F. Cheatham to proceed at once to that point, where the Thirteenth
Regiment arrived Sept. 6, 1861, and was among the first, if not the
first, to occupy that important position. Nothing but camp duty,
throwing up heavy fortifications and hard and constant drilling
occurred in the regiment until Nov. 7, when it was reported that the
enemy in heavy force was advancing on Columbus on both sides of the
river. The long roll was sounded and every regiment reported at once
and fell into line on its parade ground. All were excited and anxious
to meet the enemy. Soon it was ascertained that a heavy force had
disembarked from their gunboats above and were moving down to a point
near Belmont, on the opposite side of the river.

The Thirteenth Regiment, under command of Colonel John V. Wright,
having been supplied with ammunition, was ordered at once to cross the
river and take position on the extreme left of our line of battle near
Watson's Battery. Never was a regiment more anxious or more willing
to face an enemy. It was the maiden fight of the regiment and every
man felt that he was "on his mettle." Though our position was an
unfortunate one--in an open field, the enemy being under cover of thick
woods--this regiment met the advance with the steadiness of veterans
and held its position and fought while comrades fell on every side
until the last round of ammunition was exhausted, and the order given
to fall back to the river. By the time the regiment reached the river
reinforcements had crossed from Columbus which engaged the enemy and
checked his further advance. The Thirteenth, obtaining a fresh supply
of ammunition, rallied and again advanced gallantly to the contest,
which had become fierce and obstinate. In a short time the Federals
were driven from their position and fled to their gunboats, hotly
pursued by the Confederates. At their gunboats, such was their haste,
confusion and disorder that they did not attempt to return the fire.
The Federal loss here, as in previous engagements, was heavy.

The loss of the Thirteenth Regiment was heavy; out of one hundred and
fourteen killed and wounded, thirty-four were killed on the field,
among them the very best men of Tennessee. Their names should never be
forgotten, and are as follow:

Company A--A. Middlemus, First Sergeant; A. J. McCully; Mike McCully;
Matthew Rhea, First Lieutenant commanding.

Company B--F. M. Stockinger; W. H. Burnett, Second Corporal.

Company C--Arthur R. Pittman; J. W. Rogers; Robt. F. Dukes, Lieutenant;
J. P. Farrow; J. W. Harris.

Company D--W. H. Parks; W. H. Polk; Jno. H. Shaw; Albert G. Zaracer; B.
M. Dozier.

Company E--S. J. Roberson; Geo. R. Tiller; E. Wales Newby.

Company F--H. H. Barnett; E. H. Hill; John A. Jones, Sr.; C. H.
Middleton.

Company G--P. N. D. Bennett; Jno. Mayo; Jno. C. Penn.

Company H--George Hall; Wm. J. Dunlap.

Company I--C. C. Cawhon; L. F. Hamlet; John G. Nesbit; H. H. Waggoner;
James Hamlet.

Company K--Y. W. Hall; K. A. Parrish; Jas. L. Smith.

J. P. Farrow and Wm. J. Dunlap were the first men in the regiment who
yielded their young lives in battle to the Confederate cause, and were
killed by the first volley of the enemy's fire.

Early in action Colonel John V. Wright was painfully injured in the
knee by the fall of his horse which was shot under him. I, who then
took command of the regiment, had two horses shot under me: the first
at the very commencement of the engagement; the second (which had been
cut out of Watson's Battery after its men had been driven from their
guns) was shot just as I reached the river bank.

Never did men display more heroic courage and deport themselves in
a more soldierlike manner, and while it is impossible in this brief
sketch to refer to all the acts of devotion and fidelity to the
Southern cause performed by the officers and men of this regiment,
Lieutenant Matthew Rhea certainly deserves special mention. As soon as
the regiment took position in line of battle, in command of his company
(A) he was sent to the extreme left of our line with instruction to
extend his line to the river, which he did. By some means the enemy
got in between him and the regiment, thus cutting him off. Though
surrounded he continued to fight, and rather than surrender his sword,
which had been worthily worn by his grandfather, he fell at the hands
of the enemy. A braver, truer or more faithful officer never fought for
any cause.

About this time, if not on the very day of the battle of Belmont,
Colonel John V. Wright was elected to the Confederate Congress, and
resigned his position as Colonel of the regiment. No man ever stood
higher in the estimation of his soldiers or was more beloved by them.

Upon the resignation of Colonel Wright I was unanimously elected
Colonel of the regiment. I was a disciplinarian while on duty of the
strictest school, which for the first months of the war made me very
unpopular with volunteer soldiers, but only one fight was necessary to
satisfy them that an undisciplined army was nothing more than an armed
mob. Adjutant W. E. Morgan was now elected Lieutenant-Colonel, and
Lieutenant Richard M. Harwell of Company E was appointed Adjutant.

After the battle of Belmont and while at Columbus, Ky., the measles
broke out in the regiment, and it was a matter of surprise that there
should be so many grown men who had never had the measles. So many were
down at one time that there were scarcely enough well ones to wait on
the sick, and many died.

Early in the spring it became necessary to move our lines further
south, and Columbus was evacuated March 12, 1862. The Thirteenth was
ordered to Union City, and four days later to Corinth, Miss., where it
arrived March 19, 1862. Before leaving Columbus, however, there had
been some changes made in the command. General B. F. Cheatham had been
promoted to a division commander, and the Thirteenth was assigned to
Colonel R. M. Russell's Brigade, General Chas. Clark's Division. In
this brigade and division the regiment remained until after the battle
of Shiloh.

About this time the enemy was known to be landing and concentrating
a large force at Pittsburg Landing, on the Tennessee river. It was
determined by Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, who had been placed in
command, to give battle; so on the 3rd of April, 1862, the regiment,
with the whole army, was moved toward the point of attack, but heavy
rains and bad roads prevented forming line of battle until the evening
of the 5th of April. That night a council of war was held, and though
some officers were opposed, an attack was determined upon.

On the morning of the 6th, just as the sun in all its splendor was
rising above the horizon, and while in the second line of battle,
General Clark rode up to us and stated that Marks' Louisiana Regiment
had been repulsed, and asked, "Can you take that battery yonder, which
is annoying our troops so much?" Having such unlimited confidence in
the Thirteenth, I replied, "We can take it." Whereupon the regiment
was moved by the right flank, under cover of a hill, until in proper
position, and then fronted the battery and advanced rapidly up the
hill. All was well until the crest of the hill was reached, when the
enemy opened fire with canister, grape and musketry, which was so
severe that it literally tore the regiment in two. But, though, for
a moment checked, nothing daunted, our officers and men gallantly
stood their ground, and poured into the ranks of the enemy such deadly
volleys as to cause them to waver, and then with the "rebel yell"
rushed so impetuously upon them that they could no longer stand,
precipitately fleeing and leaving battery and dead and wounded on the
field.

This was indeed a brilliant charge, and only equaled on that
battlefield by the charge made shortly afterward by that magnificent
regiment, the Fourth Tennessee. But the loss to the regiment was
terrible; some of Tennessee's best blood was shed here, and many a
noble spirit sank to rise no more.

The balance of the day the regiment, though not actively engaged, was
for the most time under heavy fire in changing and shifting positions
and in supporting and relieving other troops. It was present and
assisted in capturing Gen. Lew Wallace[A] and his brigade late in
the evening on the bank of the Tennessee river, to which point we
had driven the enemy. Here, because of the steep bluff, the gunboats
could not reach us, and a rain of iron and lead passed over our heads
until late in the night. Under orders the regiment retired from the
river bank and bivouaced for the night in the enemy's camp, rich with
quartermaster's stores, commissary supplies and sutlers' goods.

[Footnote A: By oversight I have printed on page 16 the name LEW
WALLACE. Of course it should have been GEN. PRENTICE.]

Every officer and soldier of the regiment sank to sleep serenaded by
the guns from the river, and supposed that the battle was won and the
victory ours. But how sadly disappointed next morning, when it was
known that Buell had arrived and crossed the river that night with his
whole army, and was drawn up in line with fresh troops to renew the
contest. Though not anticipating such a state of affairs, the regiment
was formed by early dawn and moved forward to meet the enemy as proudly
and defiantly as on the day before. But their batteries, within easy
range and supported by columns of infantry, opened such a terrible fire
of grape and canister that we were forced to retire and seek shelter
beyond the next ridge. By this time the whole Confederate forces
were hotly engaged, and from right to left was one continuous roar
of artillery and musketry. The struggle was terrific, and closer and
harder fighting was never done on any battlefield; and though the enemy
were held at bay from early dawn till nearly noon, it was apparent
that the unequal contest could not be much longer maintained. So the
Confederate forces were gradually withdrawn, and the army returned
to its old camp grounds at Corinth, Miss. No attempt was made by the
enemy to follow. The first day's fight of this battle was the grandest
of the war--less friction