At Glasgow forty men were enlisted, and after some experience in drilling and a few exciting engagements, such as scouting and skirmishing, in which we were sometimes supported by Capt. John H. Morgan and his company,—a favor we often returned,—we were ordered by General Buckner to Bowling Green, Kentucky. On reporting to the General we were instructed by him to report to Captain Morgan, commanding Camp Burnham, one mile south of Bowling Green, where we went into camp.
Here we found the Lexington Rifles, Captain Morgan’s old company; Captain Allen’s and Capt. John S. Churchill’s company, partly completed, with which our company was, by order of the commandant, soon afterward consolidated. The two captains, by the toss of a copper, decided who should become the commander, and Lieutenant Bowles, our then acting captain, being the successful one, Captain Churchill justly fell heir to the second in command, the first lieutenancy. Our first lieutenant became the second lieutenant of the new company, and the other first lieutenant became our third, the very responsible position of orderly sergeant falling to your most humble servant, and so on down the list.
At that time Captain Morgan had in camp three full companies, amounting to about two hundred and seventy-five men, all splendidly mounted on Kentucky’s best: Morgan’s own Company A, Capt. Thomas Allen’s Company B, and Capt. Bowle’s Company C, forming “Morgan’s Squadron,” as it was afterward known, and being under the command of Capt. John H. Morgan, with First Lieutenant Basil W. Duke, of Company A, as acting adjutant, subject to the command of General Buckner alone.
After remaining in camp near Bowling Green for some time, drilling and making other preparations necessary to meet the foe successfully, we moved to an encampment called “Camp Allen,” five miles south of Bowling Green, between the L. and N. and the Memphis Branch railroads, where we drilled constantly until the latter part of November, when we were ordered to the front to form a portion of the advance-guard, then near Green River, under the command of General Hindman. Here we remained on active duty until the withdrawal of our forces from Bowling Green, which withdrawal was caused by the enemy’s flank movement and the fall of Fort Donelson, about the first of February, 1862. On the retreat the squadron was the rear-guard of our army, that being the second time we had had charge of the post of honor.