A Hoosier Escapes Brice’s Crossroads
F ollowing the Federal defeat at the Battle of Brice’s Crossroads on June 10, 1864, Private Nathan Browning of the 93 rd Indiana attributed his successful escape to Memphis to the lucky assistance of General Benjamin Grierson’s cavalry. After narrowly escaping capture near a farmhouse, Browning saw a number of his comrades sitting down, worn out and quietly awaiting capture. “I said no. So, I left them sitting until the Rebels came up and told them to throw their hands up, and they were marched back and soon in the pen, stripped of their best clothing and valuables,” Browning recalled in 1893. “I was still on the run, caught up with the Union cavalry and footed it with them over that rough country by the aid of grasping the horse by his tail which enabled me to make good my escape. Comrades, that was one of times that it was tail hold or none, so I hung on, just like a bulldog and it was well that I did.” Private Browning’s description of the retreat after Brice’s Crossr