Today, the Civil War Commemorative Gold Five-Dollar Coin remembers when General Forrest, CSA, stopped the raiding of Colonel Streight, USA, in Rome, Georgia on May 3, 1863.
Forrest commanded 500 men while Streight’s forces included 1700 soldiers.
Some military historians claim Forrest’s capture of Streight and his men as “one of the most brilliant feats of the war.”
One man’s eye witness account provides insight into that day 154 years ago.
An excerpt from A History of Rome and Floyd County, State of Georgia, 1540-1922 by George Magruder Battey, published in 1922:
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John H. Wisdom and Emma Sanson were jointly responsible for the saving of Rome, Ga., and the capture of Col. Abel D. Streight’s raiders by Gen. Nathan B. Forrest, yet neither of these heroes was aware of the part the other was playing at the time.
Shortly after Emma Sanson had directed Gen. Forrest over Black Warrior Creek, Mr. Wisdom, then a mail carrier and 43 years old, left his home at Gadsden on a mail trip, and after crossing the Coosa river went several miles beyond.
In the afternoon of the same day he returned to Gadsden, to find that the Federals under Col. Streight had been in the town and were proceeding toward Rome.
The enemy had cut a hole in the bottom of the ferry boat of which he was the proprietor and had set it loose to drift down the Coosa. Consequently, Mr. Wisdom did not recross the river, but called to a neighbor to tell his family that he had gone to warn Rome of its danger.
Still in his trusty buggy, he dashed toward Rome. This was at 3:30 p. m.
By changing steeds he made the 67 miles a few minutes before midnight, or a little less than eight hours and a half.
Deducting an hour and a half for changes of horses and other delays, he negotiated the hilly, river-crossing journey in about seven hours, or at the rate of 9.6 miles per hour.
In the early Revolutionary days Paul Revere rode from Boston to Concord, Mass., a distance of 18 miles, to warn the citizens of the approach of the British soldiers.
His act has been the subject of song and story for more than 100 years, while the much more difficult and daring feat of John H. Wisdom is known to but a comparative few in Alabama and Georgia.
Following is the story in Mr. Wisdom’s own words, beginning when he returned to the Coosa River at Gadsden on the afternoon of Saturday, May 2, 1863:
“It occurred to me at once that I could beat them to Rome and sound the alarm. I called across the river that I was going, and whipped my horse toward Rome. This was about 3:30 p. m.
“I dashed by Hoke’s Bluff, Gnatville, Goshen and Spring Garden, and at the last-named place turned into the Rome and Jacksonville stage road, which I had traveled often as driver of a stage from Rome to the Alabama town.
“The first ‘lap’ of the ride was from the east bank of the river at Gadsden to Gnatville, 22 miles, which I drove in my buggy in a little more than two hours.
“Here my horse became exhausted and I left him and the buggy with the Widow Hanks, who offered me a lame pony on my promise to ride it only five miles, to Goshen, where I thought I could get another horse.
“On account of the pony’s condition, I was obliged to leave him at Goshen, where I found Simpson Johnson coming in from his farm. He saddled two horses and let me ride one, and sent his son with me on the other horse to bring both back.
“I was delayed at Goshen only a short while, but it was not dark and I realized I must lose more time changing steeds.
“We rode the Johnson horses in a swift gallop eleven miles to the home of Rev. Joel Weems, above Spring Garden, Ala., where I was delayed some time, but finally managed to get a fresh horse.
“On the next ‘lap’ I stopped several times, trying to get a new animal. At one place I woke up a farmer and told him what I wanted. He replied gruffly that I couldn’t get any of his horses, so I rode eleven miles farther to John Baker’s, one mile south of Cave Spring, and after a short delay mounted another horse and asked him to keep for the owner the one I had discarded.
“I was now in Georgia, and Cave Spring loomed ahead, then I raced through Vann’s Valley. While going down a long hill in a sweeping gallop, Mr. Baker’s horse stumbled and fell, throwing me in an ungraceful sprawl ahead of him.
“I got up quickly, remounted and made off. After proceeding twelve miles, to within six miles of Rome, I changed horses for the last time.
“A gentleman whose name I do not remember loaned me a horse and I lost little time entering on the last ‘lap.’ This horse carried me safely into Rome, where I arrived at four minutes before midnight, May 2, 1863.
“I thus made the ride of about 67 miles in slightly less than eight and a half hours, including delays. Lost time amounted to about an hour and a half.
“On arriving in the city I galloped to the leading hotel, the Etowah House, then kept by Mr. G. S. Black, and told him the Yankees were coming. At his request, I rode through the streets, sounding the alarm and waking the people.
“Everybody jumped out of bed, and the excitement was great. The people ran in all directions, but under the command of their leader got down to the business of piling cotton bales in breastwork style on the Rome ends of the bridges.
“There were few men in Rome at the time, most of them having gone away to war, but those who were left soon hauled out all the old squirrel rifles, shot guns and muzzle-loading muskets that could be found, and divided them among those able to bear arms.
“The little railroad from Rome to Kingston fired up the engines and ran them every 30 minutes in and out of the city, carrying the news into the country districts and bringing to town the farmers with their old battle pieces.
“The handful of convalescent Confederate soldiers in Rome took charge of the home guard and lined them up behind the breastworks of cotton. The Bridge Street (Fifth Avenue) bridge across the Oostanaula River; a wooden structure, was filled with hay which was saturated with turpentine so it could be fired in case of defeat and a retreat.
“About sunrise next morning, May 3, (Sunday) six hours after my arrival, Streight’s advance guard appeared on Shorter’s Hill, one mile west of Rome.
“Through their field glasses they saw the ‘fortifications’ and the bustling activity in the town. An old negro woman, asked if there were any Confederates around, replied, ‘Yassir, boss, de town am full of sojers!’
“So impressive was the scene that the advance guard retreated without any attempt to take the bridge. A few shots were fired between the sharp shooters.
“About 3 or 4 o’clock that afternoon Forrest marched into Rome with Streight’s command as prisoners.
“When the Yankees found out there had been no real soldiers in Rome, and that they had been captured by Forrest’s inferior force, they became very angry, and it was feared that they would revolt, but Gen. Forrest’s foresight in separating officers and men, imprisoning the officers in the court house and putting the privates under guard at the forks of the rivers, averted trouble.
“It has been erroneously stated that I was sent to Rome by Gen. Forrest. I knew nothing of Gen. Forrest’s pursuit of the raiders until he marched into Rome with them.
“The people of Rome made me a present of a silver service valued at $400, which I now have and prize very highly. They also gave me $400 in money and sent the Widow Hanks $400 for giving me the use of her lame pony.”
According to the official reports of Col. Abel D. Streight, made after his escape from Libby prison to Union headquarters, Aug. 22, 1864, John H. Wisdom was directly responsible for his surrender to Gen. Forrest.
The following from Col. Streight’s report is significant:
“After some maneuvering, Forrest sent in a flag of truce, demanding surrender, so I called a council of war. I had previously learned in the meantime, however, that Capt. Milton Russell had been unable to take the bridge at Rome. Our condition was canvassed, and although personally opposed to surrender, and so expressing myself at the time, yet I yielded to the unanimous voice of my regimental commanders, and at about noon of May 3 we surrendered as prisoners of war.”
Col. Streight continued with the statement that he had dispatched Capt. Russell with 200 picked men to take the Rome bridge, and this officer had reported that it was held by a formidable force of Confederates, and in his opinion could not be captured by the forces available.
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The Civil War Commemorative Gold Five-Dollar Coin shows with an image of Colonel Abel D. Streight, circa 1860s.
