the garrison paraded, and everything [put] in readiness to be surrendered.

From 1 until 8 p. m. the men stood in line and were compelled to submit to the most brutal outrages on the part of the rebels ever known to any civilized war in America or elsewhere. The rebel troops or soldiers, and sometimes the officers, would call upon an officer or soldier standing in the line, when surrendered, for his overcoat, dress-coat, blouse, hat, shoes, boots, watch, pocket-book, money, and even to finger-rings, or, in fact, anything that happened to please their fancy, and with a pistol cocked in one hand, in the attitude of shooting, demand the article they wanted. In this way the men of the Fourth Tennessee Infantry were stripped of their blankets, oil-cloths, overcoats a large number of dress-coats, blouses, boots and shoes, jewelry, hats, knapsacks, and haversacks.

When the officers tried to save the records of their companies (the assistant quartermaster, acting commissary of subsistence, and commanding officers their records) the papers were pulled out of their pockets, torn to pieces, and thrown away. All, or about all, of the officers' clothing was taken-valises and contents. While all this was going on, Major-General Wheeler was sitting on his horse and around the streets of McMinnville, witnessing and, we think, encouraging the same infernal outrages, seeming to not want or desire to comply with his agreement. The attention of Major-General Wheeler, Major-General Wharton, General Martin, General Davidson, and General [Colonel] Gillespie, and Brigadier-General Hodge was called to the same several times by Major M. L. Patterson, to gain his officers and men protection according to promise and agreement, and they would send some subordinate officer, who had no control over the men, or would reply that he (Wheeler) could not control his men; that they would do as they pleased, &c. Several of the officers of the Fourth Tennessee Infantry called on General Wheeler for protection. He would pay no attention to them, saying that he had no control over his men, &c.

Major-General Wheeler then ordered the command outside of his immediate lines, on the Sparta road, a section of country infested with guerrillas, where there was robbing and plundering the paroled prisoners all of the way, even compelling captains to sit down in the middle of the road and pull off their boots.

Yours, respectfully,

M. L. PATTERSON,

Major Fourth Tennessee Infantry.

R. C. CARTER,

Captain Company C.

THOMAS H. REEVES,

Captain Company D.

LEVI PICKERING,

Captain Company E.

JOHN HAROLD,

Regimental Quartermaster Fourth Tennessee.

F. S. SINGLETORY,

Second Lieutenant Company B.

ROBERT E. SWEENY,

Second Lieutenant Company D.

FRANK T. D. KETCHUM,

Acting Adjutant.

S. M. NOXON,

Second Lieutenant 10th Wisconsin Vol. Inf.