Left Small-pox camp
and arrived at Liberty, driving out the rebel General Breckinridge and all his
forces, causing them to flee in all directions, and leave their camp and camp
equipment behind, including a variety of almost everything you can speak of.
The headquarters of General Breckenridge were set on fire by our cavalry after
entering the town, and by the time the infantry got in sight were burned to the
ground. The inhabitants of the town seeing they were caught for the first time
by our army, began to clear their houses of furniture and contents, carrying
out their hardware and throwing their brittleware out of the windows, through
the excitement that the town was to be burned down ere we would leave, in
retaliation for some horrible murders committed on the soldiers of the Union
army by those hellish fiends of their so-called Confederacy. After searching or
scouting the town, it was ascertained that there was a large steam mill, filled
to the brim with wheat, flour and corn, and on entering the mill we found
hidden in a pile of bran a quantity of their ammunition, having been made or
manufactured at Atlanta, Georgia. It was covered up by bran being thrown over
it. We were ordered to remove it to our train, together with all the flour and
wheat. It was no sooner said than done; then a match was applied to the mill,
and soon nothing could be seen but a pile of coals and ruins. After firing
several other buildings that they used for places of concealment of this kind,
we moved to camp at Smith's Fork, DeKalb county, Tenn., the same day, and
encamped for the night, making a march of 20 miles.
SOURCE: Adam S.
Johnston, The Soldier Boy's Diary Book, pp. 28-9
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