His first raid was made after General Johnston had started from Murfreesboro for Corinth and Shiloh. On the 7th of March, with Lieutenant-Colonel Wood, ten Texas Rangers and fifteen of his own squadron, he proceeded through by-roads to within eight or ten miles of Nashville, and next morning, in the immediate vicinity of that place, commenced capturing Federal army wagons as they came along, and disarming the men until he had 98 prisoners, including several officers. He then divided his command into three parties and started back with his prisoners, but one detachment was pursued by the Fourth Ohio cavalry and obliged to abandon sixty of the prisoners. Notwithstanding this he brought in 38 prisoners with a large number of horses, mules, pistols, saddles, etc. A second raid was made on the 15th, when he and Colonel Wood with forty men set out from Murfreesboro secretly and in separate parties in the afternoon. They made a rapid night march after reuniting, and reached Gallatin, on the Louisville & Nashville railroad, twenty-six miles north of Nashville, at 4 o'clock p. m. the next day. Here he seized the telegraph office with several of General Buell's dispatches and burned all the rolling stock and water tanks of the railroad, returning with five prisoners and without loss, through the enemy's lines to Shelbyville, Tenn. Gallatin was several times during the war the scene of his most successful raids.
At the battle of Shiloh he rendered valuable service both in the advance and the retreat and on the flank of the army during the battle. Shortly after the battle he received permission to make a dash into Tennessee, and on the 26th of April, with a force of 350 men, composed of his own squadron and detachments from Col. Wirt Adams' regiment and McNairy's battalion, he crossed the Tennessee river on a small horse ferry and on the 30th reached Lawrenceburg, Tenn., where the troops encamped for the night. Next day he attacked and routed 400 convalescents employed in erecting a telegraph
