Account of Battle of Dandrige Jan. 17, 1864

We marched within a few miles of Dandridge on the 16th and on Sunday the 17th we moved forward again, and found the Rebels strongly posted on a ridge near that place.

The 1st Wisconsin and 2nd Ind. was in the advance and soon became hotly engaged. The 4th Ind. was ordered up on the double quick to take a position on the right at the foot of the ridge. As we galloped to the front through a large field, we passed the 2nd Ind. "Brass Band" about a mile and a half in the rear, playing as if on "Dress Parade", "The Girl I left Behind Me." With the music sweetly sounding in our ears, we rushed to the front to be greeted with the music of rebel bullets.

Our boys dismounted, formed in line, and moved up the ridge in fine order, expecting to drive the Rebels before them, or into the French Broad River. But on nearing the top they struck as they thought a whole division of Rebel Infantry, which opened on them with a continuous roar of musketry.

The trees were scarred with bullets and small branches cut off above their heads. The Rebel position was too strong, and as we had no reserve or support our boys fell back to their horses, and galloped back through that field again with the Rebel bullets flying all around us, but luckily not one of our company was even wounded.

Company E lost one killed and several were wounded in the regiment, but the 1st Wisconsin suffered the most. This fight at Dandridge as given in a report from the war records, states that it was fought by the 4th Corps of infantry and the cavalry division of the Army of the Ohio and that the loss in killed and wounded was 150.

L.H. Dickerson, "Critter Men: Cavalry Campaign in East Tennessee in '63 and '64" in American Tribune, April 20, 1893 p. 2 col. 2.