cident known to Mr. Hindman, which he supplies in his letter to the Picayune. Alluding to General Cleburne, Mr. Hindman says:

This gallant General was the bosom friend and comrade of my father, the late Major-General Thomas C. Hindman, and both of them lived and roomed together at Helena, Ark., before the war. One of the most important instances in the life of General Cleburne was evidently not known by General Hardee. It came near terminating his life and losing to the Confederacy one of its most gallant leaders. My father and General Cleburne were then very young men-in their twenties-when my father was a candidate for Congress as a Democrat in eastern Arkansas against one Dorsey Rice, who was making his campaign as a Whig. My father had made a speech at Helena, in which he mercilessly exposed Rice for certain questionable acts of his, and after he had finished speaking he and Pat. Cleburne walked together arm in arm down Main street towards my father's law office. Both were smoking cigars at the moment when they arrived before the wholesale grocery store of W. E. & C. L. Moore, when, without warning, three men sprang out from hiding just inside the door of the store and attacked them. Dorsey Rice fired so close to the left side of my father that the clothes were burned and a fearful wound inflicted, bringing my father for the moment to his knees. Instantly he sprang to his feet and drew his pistol, when Dorsey Rice ignominiously fled, with my father chasing him through the store and out through another front entrance into the street. My father fired at him several times as he ran, but failed to strike him, and he continued to chase Rice up the street until he himself fell exhausted from the loss of blood and was taken to his office in a weak condition. Dorsey Rice continued his flight, and left the town by crossing over into Mississippi.

At the moment when my father was shot, Pat. Cleburne was also shot clear through the body by John Rice, a brother of Dorsey, and he in turn fled down the street in an opposite direction from the flight of his brother, and succeeded in crossing the river into Mississippi. Cleburne had been quick to draw his pistol, and turned slightly to one side as he was shot when he saw James Marryatt, a brother-in-law of the Rices, standing with his pistol in his hand. Thinking that Marryatt had shot him, Cleburne shot and killed him on the spot, and then fell insensible. Dr. Charles E. Nash, of Helena, but later of Little Rock, and only recently deceased, waited on both of them, and undoubtedly saved their lives by his prompt and

efficient services.

He cut the bullet from my father in the presence

of the latter's friends, my father refusing at all times to take an anesthetic, saying that he would not give his enemies the pleasure of saying that he feared pain. While Dr. Nash was removing the bullet my father was calmly smoking a cigar and conversing with his friends. Dr. Nash waited on Cleburne for many days and nights thinking each would be his last, but finally succeeded in improving his condition slightly. Later on both men were taken to Booneville, Miss., by Dr. Ellis, a brother-in-law of my father, who kept them at his house until they both recovered. In the meantime my father had been elected to his first term in Congress. He fully recovered from his wound, but General Cleburne felt the effects of the fearful wound which he had received until the day of his death. I thought that possibly you might care to use some of the above mentioned facts in regard to General Cleburne, if you should desire to do so in completion of the sketch given by General Hardee.

BISCOE HINDMAN.

[From the New Orleans, La., Picayune, August, 1903.]

ZOLLICOFFER'S OAK.

Recollections of the Battle of Mill Springs and the Death of this Gallant Soldier-Efforts to Protect his Grave.

BY BENNETT H. YOUNG, COLONEL C. S. A., (Major-General, United Confederate Veterans, Commanding Kentucky

Division.)

Early in January, 1862, Major-General George B. Crittenden, who was then in command of the Confederate forces in East Tennessee, advised General Albert Sidney Johnston that he was then on the north side of the Cumberland river, in Pulaski county, Kentucky; that he was threatened by a superior force of the enemy in front; that it was impossible to cross the river, and that he was compelled to make the fight on the ground he then occupied. He had under his orders about 4,000 men, consisting of two brigades, the first

commanded by General Felix K. Zollicoffer. This brigade was composed of the 15th Mississippi, Lieutenant-Colonel E. C. Walthall; the 19th Tennessee, Colonel D. H. Cummings; the 20th Tennessee, Colonel Joel A. Battle; the 25th Tennessee, Colonel S. S. Stanton. To it was attached a battery of four guns and two companies of cavalry. The second brigade was commanded by General William H. Carroll, composed of the 17th Tennessee, LieutenantColonel Miller; the 28th Tennessee, Colonel John P. Murray; the 29th Tennessee, Colonel Samuel Powell; the 16th Alabama, Colonel W. B. Wood. It had two guns, a part of McClung's Battery, and two small battalions of cavalry.

The location on the north side of the Cumberland river, in Pulaski county, was made by General Felix K. Zollicoffer, without the approval of Colonel Albert Sidney Johnston, then commanding the Department of Tennessee. At this late day it is difficult to understand why General Zollicoffer crossed the Cumberland river, leaving that uncertain stream-unfordable at this point-behind him, with nothing but a sternwheel steamboat and two barges to secure his transportatien in case of defeat, and to cross over to the north side of the river and engage in combat. It is but just to General Zollicoffer and General Crittenden to say that a council of war had been called, and it had been the unanimous opinion of those who took part in it that the wise thing to do was to leave the intrenchments at Beech Grove, almost on the banks of the Cumberland river, and march ten miles towards Somerset and attack the Federal forces then at Logan's Crossroads, nine miles south of Somerset.

Neither the Confederates nor Federals at that time had much

practical experience of war. Almost all of the Confederate troops were armed with flintlock muskets; some had ordinary percussion squirrel rifles and a few double-barrel shotguns. The Federal forces were commanded by General George H. Thomas. They consisted of about an equal number of men-4,000-and comprised the 10th Indiana, 1st Kentucky Cavalry (Wolford's), the 4th Kentucky Infantry, 2d Minnesota Infantry, 9th Ohio Infantry, 12th Kentucky Infantry, 1st Federal Tennessee, and 2d Federal Tennessee.

There were a large number of Federal soldiers at Somerset, but the roads were muddy, and Fishing creek, near Somerset, had been greatly swollen by rain, and it was throught at that time by the Confederate commander to be impossible for the reserve forces which were being hurried forward to support the other Federal troops already at Logan's cross-roads to ford this stream. This battle has

been variously called the battle of Logan's cross-roads (Federal), Fishing creek (Confederate), and sometimes the battle of Mill Springs.

Generals Crittenden, Zollicoffer and Carroll had great faith in the courage and bravery of their troops. They did not realize the tremendous difference in the arms of the two contending forces Flintlock rifles, muskets and shotguns could not stand against Enfield or Spencer rifles, but they evidently concluded that if the Federal forces were attacked at daybreak on Sunday morning with vigor and enthusiasm they could rout the Federal army. They probably were possessed with the idea, so prevalent in the early period of the civil conflict, that one Confederate could whip from three to five Federals, and so, in a cold, drizzling rain, at midnight on Saturday, January 18, 1862, these Confederate forces, illy clad, badly armed, left their intrenchments and set out for the march of ten miles along a muddy road, where, with greatest efforts, artillery could be hauled, and through a great portion of which the slush was twelve inches deep. But all these difficulties did not quell the spirit of that superb patriotism and magnificent courage which dominated these Confederate soldiers. With patience, cheerfulness and fortitude they waded, marched and deployed through the long, dreary and exhausting night. In seven hours they made ten miles. The morning was dark, damp and gloomy. A mile in front of the Federal camp the Confederate cavalry advance came in contact with Woolford's cavalry pickets, and the conflict, to end so unfortunately for the Confederates, was on.

The topographical conditions which met the Confederates were bad. On either side of the road were thick forests; the use of artillery was thus rendered impossible. Nobody seemed to know exactly where the Federal forces were, and through the gloom these Confederate soldiers searched for the enemy, and they were not long in finding them. The battle continued from about 7 o'clock until 10 Sunday morning. General Felix K. Zollicoffer was killed early in the engagement. His death did much to demoralize the Confederate forces. Mistaking the enemy for his own troops, he advanced on the 4th Kentucky Infantry; he was shot immediately, fell under a large oak tree, which stands to this day, and is known through that country as Zollicoffer's tree. The owner, a Federal soldier, has preserved it with commendable care and with generous consideration.

The brunt of the battle on the Confederate side was borne by the

15th Mississippi, then commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel E. C. Walthall, and the 20th Tennessee, under Colonel Joel A. Battle. These fought with superb gallantry. At one time these two regiments bore the brunt of the entire conflict and received the attacks of all the Federal forces then engaged. Lieutenant-Colonel Walthall exhibited that splendid courage which subsequently secured for him rapid promotion and unstinted praise on many battlefields. His regiment had a terrific mortality, losing something over 40 per cent. of the men engaged. The 15th Mississippi suffered a loss of 54 killed ontright, 153 wounded and 29 missing.

The 20th Tennessee also acted superbly and had 33 killed, 59 wounded, and 13 missing. The 19th and 25th Tennessee had each 10 killed; the 17th Tennessee, 11; the 28th Tennessee, 3; the 29th Tennessee, 5, and the 16th Alabama, 9, all with a propotionate number of wounded. The Federals had 39 killed on the field and something over 200 wounded. By 10:30 all the Confederate forces were withdrawn and fell back ten miles to the fortifications on the bank of the river. During the night, with the aid of a small sternwheel steamer and two barges, all the troops were transported across the Cumberland river, but the artillery, cavalry horses, ammunition and arms were left, and were captured by the Federal forces on the following day. The dead and wounded were left in the hands of the enemy. Owing to the dampness and rain the flintlock guns were fired with great difficulty, and this disheartened in the very opening of the action the Confederate troops. At one time during the battle the 20th Tennessee retired in perfect order to pick their flints to get their guns to fire at all. All did the best they could under the circumstances. They were subjected to almost insurmountable difficulties even for veterans; for raw and untried troops they acquitted themselves most creditably, but the army suffered a humiliating and complete defeat. On other fields these regiments won imperishable glory. The 15th Mississippi at Baton Rouge, Chickamagua, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, in the Atlanta campaign, at Franklin and Nashville, carved out magnificent records. Its commander, General Walthall, who afterwards became Colonel of the 29th Mississippi, was made a brigadier-general in 1862, a major-general in 1865, was with Joseph E. Johnston at the final surrender in 1865, and was a member of the United States Senate at the time of his death in 1898.

The 20th Tennessee at Missionary Ridge, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, won glorious immortality, while the 19th, 25th, 28th and