BRIGADIER-GENERAL SPEED S. FRY, U. S. V. Colonel oi the 4th Kentucky regiment, whose men shot Gen. Zollicoffer. (From a photograph.)
BRIG.-GEN. FELIX K. ZOLLICOFFER, C. S. A.
In command of the First Brigade of the Confederate Army at Mill Springs. Killed in the -battle. From a photograph.
NARRATIVE OP EVENTS IN 1861-2—Continued.
movement of a heavy column up the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers by water to unite with another column moving east of Bowling Green, by land on Nashville, aiming at the same time by strong demonstrations at Columbus and Bowling Green to keep the Confederates who were stationed there fully occupied.
Thus in the beginning of 1802 the Confederate line extended from Columbus on the Mississippi through Forts Henry and Donelson to Bowling Green, Mill Springs, and Cumberland Gap.
General Albert Sidney Johnston commanded the Confederate army of the ־West, with a base at Nashville. He purposed to defend the northern border of Tennessee.
The first important event on the main line was the capture of Forts Henry and Donelson in February, 1862. During the interval Thomas, who had been directed to enter East Tennessee, left Lebanon January 1. and marched toward Cumberland Gap. The middle of January found him with a part of his force, numbering about 2500, in Zollicoffer’s front near Mill Springs on the Cumberland.
TENNESSEE and KENTUCKY. — On September 3 Major-General Leonidas Polk, Confederate commander in West Tennessee, sent a force into Kentucky to occupy Columbus on the Mississippi River. Two days later Brigadier-General Ulysses 8. Grant moved a Union force from Cairo, Illinois, and occupied Paducah, Kentucky. At the same time General Felix K. Zollicoffer marched a brigade of Confederates from East Tennessee through Cumberland Gap to Cumberland Ford, and General Sim-eonB. Bucknermoved from Camp Boone, near Clarksville, and occupied Bowling Green, Kentucky. On the Union side, General Robert Anderson, the hero of Sumter, was in command of the Department of Kentucky, with headquarters at Louisville,with W.T. Sherman second in command, while General George H. Thomas, in command of the Union forces at Camp Dick Robinson, bent all his energies in the direction of a successful movement into East Tennessee. On the 16th of November General Don Carlos Buell became commander of the Department of the Ohio, which included Kentucky. He planned the
MILL SPRINGS, AND THE DEATH OF GENERAL ZOLLICOFFER.
BY R. M. KELLY, COLONEL, U. S. V.
Of Colonel Fry’s regiment (the 4tli Kentucky), afterward colonel of the regiment.
General George B. Crittenden had shortly before the appearance of Thomas assumed command of the Confederates on the Cumberland. He recognized that the position intrenched by Zollicoffer on the north oi the river was untenable, and that the withdrawal of his forces would he attended with great risk.
Tennessee regiments and a section of artillery. An Alabama regiment and two cavalry regiments, intended as a reserve, closed the column. After a march of nine miles over muddy roads and through the rain, his cavalry about daylight encountered Wolford’s pickets, who after firing fell back on the reserve, consisting of two companies of the 10th Indiana, and with them made a determined stand, in which they were promptly supported by Wolford with the rest of his battalion, and soon after by the rest of the 10th Indiana, ordered up by Manson, who had been advised by courier from Wolford of the attack. Colonel Manson proceeded in person to order forward the 4th Kentucky and the battery of his brigade and to report to General
. . . The only ehanee for a satisfactory issue was to attack Thomas before he could concentrate. Thomas’s force comprised the 9th Ohio and 2d Minnesota of Colonel Robert L. McCook’s brigade, the 10th Indiana and 4th Kentucky of Colonel Mahlon D. Manson’s brigade, Kenny’s and Wetmore’s Ohio batteries, a battalion of Michigan engineers and Colonel Frank Wolford’s 1st Kentucky cavalry. Crittenden ordered a movement to begin at midnight on the 18th of January, 1862, in the following order : General Zollicoffer’s brigade, consisting of two cavalry companies, a Mississippi regiment, three Tennessee regiments, and a battery in front; next, the brigade of General Carroll, composed of three
THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON, MO., AS SEEN FROM GENERAL PARSONS’ POSITION.
After a contemporary drawing.
them the possession of our intrenehments. They had constructed a movable breastwork of hemp bales, rolled them before their lines up the hill, and advanced under this cover. All our efforts could not retard the advance of these bales. Round-shot and bullets were poured against them, but they would only rock a little and then settle back. Heated shot were fired with the hope of setting them on fire, but they had been soaked and would not burn. Thus for hours the fight continued. Our cartridges were now nearly used up, many of our brave fellows had fallen and it was evident that the fight must soon cease, when at 3 o’clock an orderly came, saying that the enemy had sent a flag of truce. With the flag came a note from General Price, asking “ why the firing had ceased.” I returned it, with the reply written on the back, “General, I hardly know, unless you have surrendered.” He at once took pains to assure me that this was not the ease. I then discovered that the major of another regiment, in spite of orders, had raised a white flag.
Our ammunition was about gone. We were out of rations, and had been without water for days, and many of the men felt like giving up the post, which it seemed impossible to hold longer. They were ordered back to the breastworks, and told to use up all their powder, then defend themselves as best they could, but to hold their place. Then a council of war was held in the college, and the question of surrender was put to the officers, and a ballot was taken, only two out of six votes being cast in favor of fighting on. Then the flag of truce was sent out with our surrender.
At 9 o’clock on the morning of the 18th the enemy were seen approaching. The Confederate force had been increased to 18,000 men with 16 pieces of cannon. They came as one dark moving mass, their guns beaming in the sun, their banners waving, and their drums beating — everywhere, as falas we could see, were men, men, men, approaching grandly. Our earthworks covered an area of about eighteen acres, surrounded by a ditch, and protected in front by what were called “confusion pits” and by mines. Our men stood firm behind the breastworks, none trembled or paled, and a solemn silence prevailed.
The enemy opened a terrible fire with their cannon on all sides, which we answered with determination and spirit. Our spies had brought intelligence, and had all agreed that it was the intention of the enemy to make a grand rush, overwhelm us, and bury us in the trenches of Lexington.
... On the morning of the 19th the firing was resumed and continued all day. Our officers had told the men that if they could hold out until the 19th we should certainly be reinforced, and all through that day the men watched anxiously for the appearance of the friendly flag under which aid was to reach them, and listened eagerly for the sound of friendly cannon. But they looked and listened in vain, and all day long they fought without water, their parched lips cracking, their tongues swollen.
The morning of the 20th broke, but no reinforcements had come, and still the men fought on. The enemy appeared that day with an artifice which was destined to overreach us and secure to
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