King Salt Works down in Virginia, on the Va. and Tenn. R.R., seems to have been in much demand by both sides during the war. The Confederates wanted it for the salt and the Union boys desired it because the other side wanted it. Many a fight was had there and in that neighborhood; and when the Union troops would make a dash on it, thinking they would surely capture the place they were pretty sure to find it well defended.
        Alex Baldwin, of Co. B., 39th Ky. (Mounted Infantry, US), tells us of his experience, on a raid in that quarter, in October, 1864. He says: "We were ordered from Louisa, Kentucky, to make a raid on King's Salt Works. We started out, 4000 strong, under Gen. (Stephen G.) Burbridge. On the 6th day after we started, we arrived before the place at about 9 o'clock in the morning, and immediately made preparations to charge the reb breast works. For this purpose, a colored regiment was ordered to charge the rebel position. They advanced with courage and spirit. Poor fellows! Many of them were shot and killed in that unsuccessful attack and the ground was strewn with their dead and wounded.
        Our regiment, which was cavalry, was in a valley about half a mile from the works, and in plain view of the rebs. We counted off by eights for every eighth man to hold eight horses, and when this was done the regiment dismounted and started forward to attack. I was one of the lucky eight that were left back to hold the horses, and thought I had struck an easy job. In fact, I was very happy thinking how safe I was and wondering who of the boys moving to the attack would never come back. But these thoughts didn't last long. The regiment had hardly started when the shells began whizzing about us. They seemed to come around me by the dozen. Well, it must have been a shell that hit me or exploded very close to me, for when I waked up, my brother Jarvis and I were on all fours in the middle of Clinch River. The stream was very shallow and we didn't drown, but whether we were blown there or knocked there or dragged there, I don't know. All I know is that whereas the shells flew thick as rain, when I waked up I was crawling through the low current of that little river.
I crawled on across the river and up a small drain, in the direction of our regiment and there I came to my Captain, sheltering himself under his horse. Col. (Charles) Hanson then came up and said the rebs had shot 13 holes in him, and then he went back to the top of the point where he was shot and left on the field. Our regiment was ordered back at 4 o'clock, and took position in some timber, but the fighting continued till sun down, when it ceased. I then went back to where I held the horses, to see if they were any left, but found several dead and the others gone. We built camp fires on the field at night and while they were burning got away from there, but the rebels, who had been largely re-enforced, closely accompanied us and made it hot for us till we reached the line dividing Virginia from Kentucky. We were three days without rations, but the bushwhackers kept us well supplied with hot bullets.
        We had a very hard time getting out of there, but I had the satisfaction in December following to enter their fort at King's Salt Work's, and helped myself to what I liked best, providing it was there.
But we got the fort at last through the sacrifice of many a brave comrade.