"...a detachment was in the vicinity of Taylorsville, Tenn., assisting to destroy a lot of commissary stores. Capt. Herron, Company B, was on picket duty with part of his company." [Herron threw out an advance patrol of three men, Elam Wright, William Montgomery and John Vance.] "A superior force of rebels made a dash for them....Vance and Montgomery were cut off; but Wright, being in advance, urged his horse to the utmost speed, hoping to reach our picket [line].... The "Johnnies" rode after him furiously..."Halt! Halt! You damn Yank," [they yelled]. ...Wright halted not, but only struck the rowels deeper into the...horse, which was flying before the foe, when the poor animal ran its head against a tree and fell dead; Wright shot through the air like an arrow...lit on his feet, [and] never...looked back.... The exploit was hailed with applause and laughter by...comrades...galloping to his relief, and the rebels were compelled to turn and fly to save themselves." |
"But what of Vance and Montgomery? Let Vance himself tell the bloody story, and then let the reader say, whether in any civilized country its wanton cruelty has been surpassed....They [Vance and Montgomery] were taken to Lebanon that night, and the next morning were...led out of town by two men.... When the ruffians had tied them hand and foot to a tree, two rebels stepped close...and each fired three shots into their heads. When they were untied, both fell forward on to their faces; but their fiendish foes, not being content, came up to their victims, placed their revolvers to the backs of their heads and sent another ball through each.... The first three balls had pierced the head of Vance, and the fourth shot entered above the left ear and came out at the left eye, tearing the eyeball out of the socket. When Vance fell from the tree...he was still conscious...and tried to control his muscles and lie as still as if dead. He heard the murderers talk, and heard them determine to give...[them] another round; then the revolver was pressed to the back of his head. He heard the pistol almost in his ear, felt the ball crash through his head and tear out the left eyeball...and yet, to his astonishment, he retained consciousness.... The bloody devils who had perpetrated this heartless work muttered curses...and mounting their horses dashed away.... |
"As soon as Vance was sure they were gone, he attempted to raise his head, which was honeycombed by bullet holes and clotted with blood.... ...[he] began to crawl away, bleeding profusely, to a place of concealment.... He expected at every moment to die from loss of blood. After lying by the road for some time, he saw a white man on a load of wood, and lay down till he passed by; for almost every white citizen was an enemy. After a while, a negro came along, and as every negro was the Union Soldier's friend, Vance succeeded in attracting his attention. The wounded soldier was not mistaken. The old negro compassionately and tenderly helped him to the Murfreesboro pike, and there he was taken up, the same day, by the Union Cavalry, carried to Murfreesboro and cared for. Notwithstanding his terrible wounds, and that all thought he would die, he got well--almost miraculous--and 12 years afterwards he served two terms as Recorder of Tippecanoe County, Ind." |
EXCERPTS FROM BENJAMIN MAGEE'S REGIMENTAL NARRATIVE |
"BUSHWHACKERS NEAR LEBANON" MARCH 26 1863. |
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