DIY History | Transcribe | Civil War Diaries and Letters | George C. Burmeister diary, 1864

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1864-01-16

Saturday 16.  Bad news reached me this morning.  Three men belonging to company G. of our reg’t went out of the lines yesterday afternoon without permission of their officers to a family called “Yocum”, living about one and a half miles from here south, in order to see a few girls with whom they became slightly acquainted.  They remained at the house till ten P.M. when they were ready to start for camp, they were surprised by three guerrillas, one of the men had his gun out doors, and before he could seize it, a guerrilla had it , and aimed a revolver at him, he struck the revolver away from him and ran by him, the rebel fired at him, but luckily missed him.  The other men fired their revolvers at the rebels but did not any of them, but were both wounded, one was shot across the breast and through the left upper arm, the other through the right hip and right elbow, thus being disabled they were forced to surrender, and taken off on horse back towards Ripley.  The man who escaped came to camp early this morning and I sent out captain Dixson and about fifty men, to pursue the rebels and ascertain full particulars of the affair, they went out about twelve miles; and returned to camp this evening.  Capt. Dixson reports, that the rebels cared well for our men, they dressed their wounds and promised to treat them well.  The leader of these guerrillas is a Mr. [Yock?]; a son in law of Yocum, and I fear the whole family plotted this capture.

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Saturday 16. Bad news reached me this morning. Three men belonging to company G. of our reg’t went out of the lines yesterday afternoon without permission of their officers to a family called “Yocum”, living about one and a half miles from here south, in order to see a few girls with whom they became slightly acquainted. They remained at the house till ten P.M. when they were ready to start for camp, they were surprised by three guerrillas, one of the men had his gun out doors, and before he could seize it, a guerrilla had it , and aimed a revolver at him, he struck the revolver away from him and ran by him, the rebel fired at him, but luckily missed him. The other men fired their revolvers at the rebels but did not any of them, but were both wounded, one was shot across the breast and through the left upper arm, the other through the right hip and right elbow, thus being disabled they were forced to surrender, and taken off on horse back towards Ripley. The man who escaped came to camp early this morning and I sent out captain Dixson and about fifty men, to pursue the rebels and ascertain full particulars of the affair, they went out about twelve miles; and returned to camp this evening. Capt. Dixson reports, that the rebels cared well for our men, they dressed their wounds and promised to treat them well. The leader of these guerrillas is a Mr. [Yock?]; a son in law of Yocum, and I fear the whole family plotted this capture.