soon established, and the Confederates, after skirmishing with them until dark, drew back to the
bluff and went into camp as well.”

Father told us of hunting for rails so that [they] could keep their sleeping places above water, ...
did he tell of the fearful losses of men and material.*“

The 29th saw us at Jenkins’ Ferry... The river was too deep to ford, and the pontoon train was
hurried up, thrown across under my direction... and ready for troops to pass at 4:15 p.m. All the
cavalry and many wagons were passed over before dark. There was slight skirmishing in the rear
in the afternoon. Rain commenced to fall about 12 a.m., and poured incessantly all day and night.
I never saw it rain harder than it did during the night. The bottom, which extends at least 2 miles
on each side... soon became a sea of mud, in which wagons settled to the axles and mules
floundered about without a resting place for their feet. Fires were made along the road, pioneers
and working details set to work, and every exertion made to push the impediments across before
daylight, it being evident that the enemy were in force in our rear. But we failed. The rain came
down in torrents, putting out many of the fires, the men became exhausted, and both they and the
animals sank down in the mud and mire, wherever they were, to seek a few hours' repose. At
daylight we resumed our labors, and by 11 a.m. everything was across the river except the
infantry and one section of artillery. During this time a severe engagement was going on and
lasted until 12:30 p.m., at which hour, the enemy having been badly beaten, our troops were
withdrawn to the east side of the river. The last of the infantry had crossed before 2:05 p.m....
The bridge was kept 1n tact for three quarters of an hour longer to allow such stragglers or
wounded who may have loitered behind to pass over. One of the hospital attendants from the
hospital on the battlefield having arrived with a message from the surgeon in charge to his brigade
commander, having stated that there were no men on the road, I... gave the command for
destroying the bridge. The reason... was our inability to carry it with us. It had in the natural
course of the train become the rear. The mules could scarcely pull the wagons, much less when
loaded, and over such a road it was impossible to get it along. The pontoons were very much the
worse for wear, and several were worn out, so as no longer to be reliable. It was destroyed by
cutting every compartment with an ax and piercing them with the bayonet. Many of the chests
were split with axes and then thrown in the stream, and some of the balks were thrown after

cutting them in two parts. The bridge was dismantled by successive rafts and destroyed by
detail.**°

The command reached the Saline River on the 29th of April. The pontoon bridge was laid
and the crossing commenced, which continued through the night and the next day, over 4 miles of

 

8 John N. Edwards, Shelby And His Men, pp. 293-294.
** Letter, Roland A. Kolb to Mark Knipping, July 5, 1966.

** James Harris Atkinson, "Forty Days of Disaster", p. 32-33, quoting from the report of
Capt. Junius B. Wheeler (Union).

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