Grierson's Raid: Wrecking The Railroad With The Butternut Guerillas

Thanks for posting Great Read
 
Love Grierson...he and Mackenzie are very important around here for their post-war success. My favorite Brice's Crossroads story is about his cavalry slogging along on a muddy road at night. Two troopers saw a guy ahead of them obviously sleeping in the saddle, hat dripping onto his slicker...they decided to knock him off his horse to teach him a lesson. Unfortunately, the guy happened to be Grierson!
 
Love Grierson...he and Mackenzie are very important around here for their post-war success. My favorite Brice's Crossroads story is about his cavalry slogging along on a muddy road at night. Two troopers saw a guy ahead of them obviously sleeping in the saddle, hat dripping onto his slicker...they decided to knock him off his horse to teach him a lesson. Unfortunately, the guy happened to be Grierson!

His Rodney Dangerfield moment! Gimme your dry coat, knotheads... :laugh: Forrest did the same, same battle - fell asleep on his horse...only with him they were drawing straws to see who was going to risk their life waking him!

Grierson was the general Sherman should have put in charge at Brice's Crossroads. He wasn't in any way confident he would deliver Forrest's scalp to Sherman but he was loaded for bear. He and A J Smith understood Forrest much better. He also trusted the colored troops, who were badly misused by Sturgis. And, he wasn't about to retreat over the creek when and how Sturgis did - he wanted to make a solid defense and challenge Forrest's charges. He didn't want to fight at that place anyway - he wanted to stay at Stubbs plantation and make Forrest come to him. (Doubt Forrest would have taken that particular bait.)

Grierson had very harsh words for Sturgis, without a doubt justified. In fact, he relates that while Sturgis wasn't drunk during the battle he sure was after - he took a train trip north out of Memphis that made Grant's supposed Yazoo bender look like a church social.

A Just and Righteous Cause is a worthy read - Grierson's memoirs. :thumbsup:
 
I've found this pretty interesting. I was pretty unaware of Grierson until about a year ago and had never heard of the butternut guerrillas.
 
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