store had refused to take Confederate "script" for goods, and Tom Jones and about a dozen others went to "remonstrate" with them on the unfairness of their conduct. There were three of them, either Hebrews, Greeks or Italians, we didn't know which, and cared less. One of them wanted to fight. They were all three standing outside the front door on a platform. While Jones and others were gently "remonstrating" with them there came a crash, as the back door was forced open. The fighting man unlocked the front door, rushed in and promptly collared a big cavalryman and struck him in the face. In about two seconds he had a shelving board split over his head. In the subsequent proceedings he took no part. When he came to if he ever did he found his store empty and the shelving and other fixtures a complete wreck, for word had gone out that the merchants had killed a soldier and in a few minutes the' storehouse was crowded with angry armed cavalrymen. All the stores kept by foreigners or Yankees were barred up and the owners in hiding. Among the loot taken was an immense quantity of counterfeit Confederate interest-bearing notes. It was printed so much better than, and the paper was so superior to, the genuine Confederate money it could be detected on sight. It was just as good to play poker with as gold, and our boys brought away with them what "Granny" Tom Bass called "dead oodles" of it.
We moved out a mile or so and camped on Christmas Eve, and the next morning were sent to press axes from the citizens and cut down a long high trestle across Obion bottom. The men worked like heroes, but with slow effect. About noon Colonel Woodward rode up and asked me how we were getting along. I told him they were losing time, as the trestles were as hard as horn and the axes as dull as froes and had poor handles. I furthermore told him if I could get permission I would divide my squad, put half the men to splitting dry kindling and the other half to building fires on top of the trestle and build a fire at every point where the sills crossed the bents. He thought it a good idea, so we began building the fires. The colonel stayed until several fires were burning griskly and went down the line giving orders to the other gangs to burn instead of cut the
