county, and picket the Ocmulgee river from Hawkinsville to the mouth of the Oconee river, for the purpose of preventing the escape of Jefferson Davis, who was then supposed to be making his way to the Atlantic coast, and if he got on his track to follow him wherever he went, and to capture or kill him without fail. At Abbyville he became satisfied that Davis had already crossed the Ocmulgee, and ascertained that the 1st Wisconsin cavalry was following him closely in the direction of Irwinsville. With one hundred and fifty-three of the best mounted men of the regiment he followed the line of the Ocmulgee for some miles, and then took a bridle path or blind road through the woods towards Irwinsville, and arrived at that place about 2 o'clock A. M. on the 10th, and found that Davis had not yet passed. Pretending to be a part of his escort, Col. Pritchard gained information from a rebel citizen that Davis was encamped in the woods about three-fourths of a mile north of the town. The camp was at once surrounded, and at about 3 o'clock A. M. the force closed in and captured him and his party. Davis attempted to escape, disguised in his wife's travelling cloak, with a shawl thrown over his head, but private Adrian Bee, of company L, and Corporal Munger, of company C, espied his military boots beneath his feminine attire and commanded him to halt. The following morning, while en route for Macon with the captives, information was received of the proffered reward of $100,000 for his capture. On arriving at Macon Col. Pritchard, Capt. Hudson, Lieut. Stauber, and Lieut. Purinton, with twenty-two men, were detailed to escort Davis to Washington, D. C. The regiment remained at Macon until the 21st, when it was started en route for home, feeling that in the capture of Jeff. Davis it had finished its work.

NOTE. In the account given in the annals of the Army of the Cumberland of the capture of Franklin, on Dec. 13, 1863, is found the following notice of the 4th Michigan cavalry: "Company I of the 4th Michigan cavalry, dismounting, took position near the bridge and opened fire on the mill; the remainder of the 4th Michigan dismounted under cover of the rising ground on which the 7th Pennsylvania were formed, and advanced at the double-quick, passed the position of the 7th Pennsylvania, waded across the river and drove the rebels from the town. Colonel Minty was the first man across the river, and as he scrambled up the south bank, he took a rebel officer. The 4th Michigan had passed through the town and were following the enemy out on the Columbia and Carter's Creek pikes on foot, before any of the mounted men had crossed the river. The enemy left one captain and four privates dead in the town and ten severely wounded, and fifteen or twenty prisoners were captured."

Col. Minty, in his report of the operations of the brigade commanded by him in the battle of Stone river, says: "Captain Mix of the 4th Michigan, with about fifty men, not only drove two hundred of the enemy for over two miles, but held his position against a full regiment of rebel cavalry. Lieut. Eldredge with eighteen dismounted men attacked the enemy, routed him, and re-captured a wagon loaded with ammunition." Col. Minty, in his report covering the service of his brigade at the battle of Shelbyville, specially mentions officers for gallant conduct, as follows: "Lieut. and Adjutant Hudson, 4th Michigan cavalry, acted with great gallantry throughout the entire action; he was severely wounded by a musket ball through the shoulder."

Regimental commanders make honorable mention of the following: "In 4th Michigan cavalry, Captains Pritchard, Hathaway, Robbins and Grant; Corporal Hoffmaster of company L, (most gallant conduct,) and Private Mason Brown of company I."

The regimental commanders (including Major Mix, 4th Michigan) are named by Colonel Minty as deserving of special mention for their promptness and the manner in which they handled their respective commands.

Following is Bragg's circular to his army directing the movements of the 18th, which indicates the important position held by the 4th Michigan cavalry:

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF TENNESSEE, IN THE FIELD, LEET'S TANYARD, Sept. 18, 1863. [Circular.] I. Johnson's column (Hood's) on crossing at or near Reed's bridge will

turn to the left by the most practicable route, and sweep up the Chicamauga towards Lee and Gordon's mills.

II. Walker, on crossing at Alexander's bridge, will unite in this move and push vigorously on the enemy's flank and rear in the same direction.

III. Buckner, crossing at Tedford's ford, will join in the movement to the left as i press the enemy up the stream from Polk's front at Lee and Gordon's mills. IV. Polk will press his forces to the front of Lee and Gordon's mills. * *

By command of General Bragg,

G. W. BRENTT, A. A. G.”

Says an officer writing to Col. Minty, and who had the opportunity of knowing: "It will I think be seen that you held on that day (Sept. 18th) the key of the position, (the left of the army,) and so successfully that the rebel plan was frustrated. It cost Gaoral Thomas thousands of men to maintain it, persistently fought for on the two subsequent days. Had the rebels succeeded, early in the morning of the first day of the battle, in taking Reed's bridge, not only Col. Wilder but the whole army would have bee a seriously compromised. I am sure had General Rosecrans known all the facts he would have added the 18th to the number of days 'the army could not have dispensed with the services of the cavalry.

"The more I consider the facts concerning the situation of the army, and learn of the rebels, the prouder I become of our little brigade. 'Preston's division effected an unobstructed passage at Huntsford,' (says 'Ord,' the correspondent of the Mobile Tribune, Rebel.) Not so with Johnson and Walker at Reed's and Alexander's bridges Without them there was no 'sweeping up the Chicamauga and vigorously pressing the enemy's flank and rear;' and when the passage was effected, your persistent pres nce and line of retreat made the rebels fear to turn to the left' and expose to you their flank and rear. It was not cavalry you were fighting, as Bragg's order proves. Fo rest was on the rebel right, but the bulk of the rebel cavalry was watching at Cat it's Gap. On the whole, Colonel, while you have earned many laurels, at no time can find you doing such valuable service to the Army of the Cumberland, as on the 18th of September, 1863."

In 1864, while the block-houses on the Chattanooga & Nashville Railroad were being guarded by detachments of the 4th Michigan cavalry, one of them was gar soned by twenty-three men of that regiment, only seventeen of whom were armed; hey were under the command of Corporal Chanclor M. Bickford of Algansee, Branch co., Mich. On September 17th they were attacked by General Wheeler's whole command, eight thousand men, with three pieces of artillery. A summons of surrender was ent twice, but steadily refused. At half-past 12 o'clock M. the rebels opened with the artillery, and for two hours and a half continued to shell the block-house, at one time being not more than ten or fifteen rods distant. Seven times the rebels were made to change the position of their artillery, and were finally forced to retreat at about six o'clock in the evening with a loss of eight men killed and sixty wounded. The block house was struck during the engagement twenty-five times by artillery. Corporal B ckford was promoted to a Second Lieutenancy, and the names of the gallant men who were under his command were honorably mentioned in orders.

Col. Minty, in his report of the operations of his command at the capture of Selma, Ala, in mentioning officers deserving special notice for gallant conduct, says of Major Burns, 4th Michigan: "Major Burns, 4th Michigan cavalry, my A. A. A. G., was amongst the first to enter the works, and acted in the most gallant manner throughout the entire action."

Copy of the original letter written with a pencil by Col. Pritchard, announcing the capture of Jefferson Davis:

HEADQUARTERS 4TH MICHIGAN CAVALRY,
ABBEVILLE, GA., May 11th, 1865.

CAPT. SCOTT, A. A. A. G., 2d Division, C. C. M. D. M. Sir:-1 have the honor to report that at daylight yesterday at Irwinsville, I surprised and captured Jeff Davis and family, together with his wife's sister and brother, his Postmaster-General (Ragan) his private Secretary (Colonel Harrison,) Col. Johnson, A. D. C. on Jeff's staff, Col. Morris, Col. Lubbock, Lieut. Hathaway, also several unimportant names, and a train of five wagons and three ambulances, making a most perfect success, had not a most painful mistake occurred by which the 4th Michigan and 1st Wisconsin collided which cost us two men killed and Lieut. Boutelle wounded through the arm, in the 4th Michigan, and three men wounded in the 1st Wisconsin. This occurred just at daylight after we had captured the camp, by the advance of the 1st Wisconsin, not properly answering our challenge, by which they were mistaken for the enemy. I returned to this point last night and shall move right on to Macon without awaiting

orders from you as directed feeling that the whole objects of the expedition are accomplished. It will take at least three days to reach Macon as we are 75 miles out and our stock is much wearied. I hope to reach Hawkinsville to-night.

I have the honor, Sir, to be, very respectfully, your ob'dt servt,

D. B. PRITCHARD, Lieut. Col. 4th Michigan.

The following are the names of the officers and men of the regiment who were present at the capture of Jefferson Davis and party, on the morning of the 10th of May, 1865: Lieut. Colonel Benjamin D. Pritchard, commanding. Julian G. Dickinson, Adjutant. Perry J. Davis, Quartermaster. Charles T. Hudson, Captain Co. E. Henry S. Boutelle, 1st Lieut. Co. C. Silas J. Stauber, 1st Lieut. Co. G. Alfred B. Purington, 2d Lieut. Co. I. John Bennett, 2d Lieut. Co. B.

Company A-Sergeants Thomas Davis, Thomas Riley, George A. Simmons, Rezin Wright. Corporals Darwin Dunning, Robert L. Reynolds, Lyman J. Russell. Privates William Balon, Daniel C. Blinn, Gilbert Coata, James Fullerton, Casper Knable, Philo Morse, Charles W. Nichols, Henry Provost, George Rinke.

Company B-Sergeants A. A. Braley, E. A. Ford. Corporals B. B. Bennett, William Crow, C. F. Parker, J. F. Sherburne, U. B. Tuttle. Privates Augustus Armstrong, J. J. Bontel, Frank Crim, John Nichols, A. F. Shepherd, W. P. Steadman, William V. Wood, L. H. Wilcox.

Company C-Corporals David J. Curry, George M. Munger, Reuben Palmerton, Abram Sebring. Privates James F. Bullard, David Dillon, Frank C. Leach, James H. Lynch, (Stephen B. Munson, killed,) Ranseler Riggs, John Rupert, Harmon Stevens, William J. Smith.

Company D-Corporal James H. Place. Privates John Brown, Thomas Hunter, Burt Judson, Horace C. Jenney, William H. J. Martin, Jacob E. Munn, William Parker, Francis E. Thompson, Z. H. Wilcox.

Company E-Sergeants George A. Bullard, David B. Green. Corporals Dewitt C. Carr, William H. Crittenden, (John Hines, killed,) Charles W. Tyler. Privates Silas Bullard, George F. Delmage, William F. Driesman, Henry Johnson, Robert G. Tripp, John G. Stevens, Peter Seqany, Oscar E. Tefft.

Company F-Sergeant John Correnton. Corporals DeWitt C. Cobb, William F. True. Privates Joseph Bellinger, Henry Bradock, Dennis Drescoe, Henry Frickey, John F. Grossman, Ira Harrington, Jr., Homer Hazelton, B. Franklin Nichols, James Patterson, George Raab, William Wright.

Company G-Sergeants John Cavanaugh, Jeremiah F. Craig, Jacob N. Frash, James F. O'Brien, William H. Palmeteer. Corporals John Ballou, George Myers, Leander B. Shaw, George W. Van Sickle. Privates Daniel Graham, David Cunningham, Joshua Parks, Cary Reed, John A. Skinner, Joseph Odrin.

Company I-Sergeants Lester P. Bates, Elias F. Pierce. Corporals Preston W. Brown, Jerome B. Heath. Privates George W. Rodwell, Martin L. Brown, George M. Dutcher, William Dill, Charles Flugger, Daniel E. Krumm, Patrick McKennedy, Charles W. Middaugh, Hiram McCollough, Martin R. Pettit, Luke M. Thayer. Company K-Sergeant Ansel Adams. Corporal Alonzo Moe. Privates Thomas Folley, Decatur Jaycox, John H. Kelch, Edwin Mabie, Smith B. Mills, James R. Norton, Jacob D. Newith, John Nelson, Enoch L. Rhodes, Nathaniel Root.

Company L-Sergeants Benjamin K. Colf, Joseph Hoffmaster. Corporals Charles C. Marsh, William Oliver. Privates Andrew Bee, Benjamin F. Carpenter, Daniel Edwards, E. Lane, J. W. Linsley, William Munn, William Newkirk, George Noggle, Perry Phelps, Jesse J. Penfield, Joseph Stewart.

Company M-1st Sergeant Wesley D. Pond. Corporals Simeon Huff, Henry Shanahan. Privates Andrew Anderson, Robert Arnold, Emanuel Beazan, John Vautyle.

A commission was appointed by the War Department which decided that the 4th Michigan cavalry were entitled to the reward for the capture of Jeff Davis, and directed how it should be distributed. But when the appropriation came before Congress, a claim was set up by the 1st Wisconsin cavalry, which deferred the passage of the bill from time to time until the close of the session, July, 1868, when the bill authorizing the expenditure was finally passed. The claim of the 4th Michigan was ably advocated by the Michigan Delegation, but the matter was so managed by Congress that the award of the Commission so far as the money in question was concerned, was set aside, and the amount distributed as follows: General Wilson, commanding U. S. cavalry in that region of country, $3000; Lieut. Colonel Pritchard, 4th Michigan, $3000; Colonel Harnden, 1st Wisconsin cavalry, $3000; Captain Joseph A. O. Yoeman, 1st Ohio cavalry, $3000. The remainer of the $100,000 was distributed equally to the members of these organizations then with the expedition.

THE EIGHTH CAVALRY.

The rebel General Morgan, on his memorable raid through Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio in 1863, found some Michigan troops after him, as they were generally after rebels on almost every other occasion during the rebellion, and they troubled them somewhat on this occasion. Among them were the 8th Michigan cavalry, then in command of Lieut. Col. G. S. Wormer, who pursued Morgan for sixteen successive days and nights, and on overtaking him at Buffington's Island, in the Ohio river, on July 19th, the regiment, together with other troops, vigorously attacked his forces; and, after a brisk fight, routed him, driving his command in great confusion, taking five hundred and seventy-three prisoners, four hundred and eighty-seven horses and mules, with a large quantity of arms.

A detachment of the regiment, in charge of Lieut. Boynton, afterwards led a force commanded by Major Rue, 9th Kentucky cavalry, which pursued and captured Morgan near New Lisbon, Ohio, on the 26th of July, 1863. This detachment was on the right of the command at the time of his surrender, and under its standard the final terms were consummated.

This regiment left the State in May, 1863, and down to the fight at Buffington's Island had been engaged with the enemy at Triplet's Bridge, Lebanon, Lawrenceburg, and Salvica, Kentucky, becoming thus early, after it reached the field, prominently and actively at work battling the rebellion and nobly maintaining the high standard of Michigan troops. The regiment was raised and organized by Col. John Stockton, who commanded it until health failed him, and proved a brave and efficient body of men, accomplishing much hard service and passing through many desperate encounters with the Western rebel troops, and always acquitting itself gloriously, whether in partial defeat or in complete and substantial victory. While the record of the regiment is bright and dazzling, and numbers many successful and brilliant battles, none of them perhaps appear to more advantage than the severe fights at Athens and Calhoun, East Tennessee, September 26th and 27th, 1863, in which its brigade, being the 1st of the 4th division, 4th army corps, became engaged with Forrest's and Wheeler's cavalry, estimated at 15,000, and where the regiment, in command of Colonel Wormer, occupied a prominent position, fought stubbornly, and lost forty-three men in killed, wounded, and missing. On October 28th following, while on a reconnoissance from Loudon, it became engaged in a severe action, losing nine wounded.

Conspicuous also are its gallant achievements while checking the advance of Longstreet's army on Knoxville, when the regiment, in command of Major Edgerly, participated in covering the retreat of the Union forces, then falling back before the rebel army from Lenoir Station on Knoxville. On that occasion the regiment was engaged with the enemy constantly from the 12th until the 19th November, and afterwards took part in the glorious and successful defence of Knoxville until the raising of the siege on the 5th of December, when it joined in pursuit of the rebel army, skirmishing with their rear guard and driving them at every point until Bean's Station was reached, where it became heavily engaged on the 14th December, but succeeded in pushing them with loss from every position. For its decided bravery, determined fighting, and the valuable service rendered the army, the regiment was complimented in special orders by General Burnside. The regiment, commanded by Lieut. Col. Mix, formed a portion of Stoneman's cavalry, which covered Sherman's right on his advance upon Atlanta, and on July 4th, 1864, became conspicuously distinguished at the Chatta

hooche river, where, after a hard fight with Armstrong's brigade of rebel cavalry with an artillery support, the regiment charged and drove the brigade across the river. For this gallant conduct it received at the time the cheers of General Stoneman and his staff. It also took part in the fruitless raid of Stoneman on Macon in July, and even in that fearfully disastrous undertaking won glorious distinction as a fighting regiment. When Stoneman became entirely surrounded, and surrender was evident, the 8th Michigan, then in command of Col. Mix, unwilling to lay down their arms to the rebels, and bearing in mind the honor of their State as well as their own, obtained permission from the commanding general to eut their way out, and, dashing forward, commenced their desperate undertaking, surrounded entirely by the enemy, engaging him hand to hand. Colonel Mix being captured, owing to the loss of his horse, Major Buck assumed command, and succeeding in forcing through the enemy by persistent and stubborn fighting, he undertook to reach the Union lines near Atlanta, but failed. After a hard march, much fatigue and exposure, having been seven days and eight nights in the saddle, pursued and harassed, he was overtaken, and, after a severe engagement, a large number were made prisoners; yet a portion of the regiment reached the Union lines.

This regiment was serving in Tennessee on November 1st, 1864, and brigaded with the 14th and 16th Illinois cavalry, and at that date, with its brigade, was on the march from Nashville to Pulaski for the purpose of watching the movements of Hood, who was then on his northern expedition from Atlanta. Having reached Pulaski, the regiment, on the 6th, moved on a scout to Lawrenceburg and returned, and again on the 12th to Waynesboro'. Returning from that point, it marched to Mount Pleasant on the 14th and 15th, and remained there in camp on the 16th, on the 17th and 18th was on the march to Waynesboro', company C having a skirmish with the enemy. Having reached Waynesboro', on the 18th, 19th, and 20th nearly the whole regiment was engaged day and night in scouting by detachments, one being sent to Lawrenceburg to form a junction with General Hatch, who was then falling back from the Tennessee river, near Florence; one to Clifton, another towards Savannah, all returning and joining the command on the 20th. On the 21st, information having been received that Forrest was advancing towards Lawrenceburg, the command fell back to within eleven miles of Mount Pleasant and went into camp. In the meantime communication had been opened with General Hatch, and on the 23d a detachment of one officer and twenty-five men of the regiment was sent back towards Waynesboro', which met the enemy about seven miles out and near Henryville, where it kept a whole regiment in check until company B was sent forward as a re-enforcement, but before it reached there it was attacked and driven back and the detachment cut off. It was then ascertained that the enemy had succeeded in getting a position between General Hatch and the command. A battalion of this regiment was ordered to hold the road in front, while the brigade fell back three miles to the junction of the Mount Pleasant and Lawrenceburg roads, and there threw up a barricade and made a stand for the purpose of checking the enemy should he succeed in driving the battalion. During that time the battalion was holding him in check, although vigorously attacked and closely pressed; and, after a stubborn and gallant resistance, the enemy succeeded in throwing a. heavy force on its left flank and driving it back to within a short distance of the barricade, where it made a determined stand, but was attacked by a superior force, and, before it could fall back on the command, the enemy had gained its rear. The attacking force was discovered by the brigade,