BATTLE OF CAMP WILD CAT. 9 This Federal success at Camp Wild Cat greatly encouraged the Unionists of East Tennessee, as it seemed to open a way through Cumberland Gap for the with astonishment and consternation. ing fifty; theirs is estimated at 1,000 Retreating out of sight they deliberated it is known to be very severe." a third attack, this time selecting the conical hill as the point of approach. With much labor they opened a road through the woods along the side of a high ridge on the other side of the Lon-rescue of those loyal men from the thraldon road, and planted a piece of their dom of secession. Zollicoffer and his artillery. On our side, the Fourteenth force thoroughly disheartened, fled in Ohio Regiment, under Colonel Steadman, confusion through Barboursville to the came into the field by a forced march Gap, within the confines of Tennessee. and took position. One piece of cannon The advantage of our troops, however, was taken on the shoulders of the men was not improved, General Schoepf being to the top of the hill, and every prepa- compelled to remain inactive for want of ration made to give the rebels a hand- supplies. In the mean time, Zollicoffer, some reception. As they approached presuming upon the inertness of his anon the rear of the hill, they came in the tagonist, recovered courage, and, retracguise of friends, bearing their hats on ing his steps, ravaged the whole country the points of their guns, and calling out to within ten miles of the Federal enas they approached, 'We are Union campment. Proceeding up the Cumbermen.' 'Then,' said our men, 'lay down land Valley, the enemy gathered everyyour arms and come along.' Approached where herds of cattle, flocks of sheep, now within twenty yards of our lines, droves of pigs, and as much maize and they cried, 'Now, d-n you, we've grain as their wagons could carry. When got you.' 'Give 'em the lead,' was the at last General Schoepf was prepared to fierce reply. The conflict was obstinate move, the enemy had retired beyond the and the carnage terrible. Volley after Cumberland, whither it was impossible volley was delivered into the tottering to follow them, the heavy rains having ranks of rebellion, until, throwing aside swollen the stream. Zollicoffer, moretheir muskets still loaded, they fled the over, had obstructed all the by-roads, and third time. The first fire of their can- having reached the Gap, found a large non, planted with such infinite pains, number of troops to reinforce him. Gendrew forth a reply from our piece on eral Schoepf accordingly prepared Nov. the hill, which disabled and silenced it. to winter at Camp Calvert, in Lou- 5. The battle was now over and the victory don County, whither he had advanced. won. A fourth attack during the early General Thomas, posted in his rear at night was obviously a feint to cover their Camp Dick Robinson, remained equally terror-stricken retreat. Our loss in inactive for awhile. killed is less than ten, and by all casualties, even to slight scratches, not exceed The general position of the opposing forces at this time in Kentucky was as follows: General Buckner had advanced Nov. to Bowling Green, whence the ene6. my's line extended through their centre in Barron County to their right at Burkesville. The Union forces, with General Crittenden commanding the western division, General McCook the centre, and General Schoepf the eastern, were advancing slowly with the view of converging upon this line of the enemy. The western had advanced as far as Woodbury, at the confluence of the Big Barron with the Green River, about fifteen miles from the left flank of Buckner's position at Bowling Green. The centre had moved to a position on Barron Creek, about six miles from Munfordsville, on the Green River, and the eastern under Schoepf had marched, as we have seen, a little in advance of Wild Cat camp after the repulse of Zollicoffer. General Buell had not at this time assumed the command, and the disheartened Sherman was still at the head of the army. The various operations continued for some time to be rather skirmishes between detached parties than regular movements in accordance with a uniform plan. Occasional successes, however, occurred; such was the affair at Ivy Mountain, near Pikeville, on the borders of Virginia, where the enemy had encamped in considerable force. General Nelson, having moved to Prestonburg, on the Big Sandy River, in Eastern Kentucky, determined to advance upon the enemy and to surround and capture or drive them back into Virginia. He accordingly first sent out Colonel Sill with his own regiment, the Ohio Thirty-third, and a battalion Νον. under Colonel Hart, composed of 7. a company from each of the three regiments-the Second, Thirty-third, and Fifty-ninth Ohio Volunteers, and two Kentucky companies. To this force was added a troop of 142 mounted men, made up of teamsters, and thirty-six volunteers under Colonel Apperson, with a section of artillery. Colonel Sill was ordered to march by the way of John's Creek and pass to the left of the encampment of the enemy near Pikeville, and thus turn it with the view of cutting off their retreat. General Nelson, having allowed a day to pass, in order that Colonel Sill might be able to advance sufficiently on his circuitous march of forty miles before he himself should make the attack in front, did not set out until the next morning, when Nov. he moved forward with the Second S. Regiment Ohio Volunteers, Colonel Harris; Twenty-first Regiment Ohio Volunteers, Colonel Norton; Fifty-ninth Regiment Ohio Volunteers, Colonel Fyffe; the battalion of Kentucky Volunteers, under Colonel Charles A. Marshall, and two sections of artillery, Captain Konkle, taking the direct road to Pikesville, twenty-eight miles distant. When about eight miles beyond Prestonburg, the mounted picket guards of the enemy were discovered and put to flight. The road along which our forces now advanced was but seven feet wide, and cut in the side of a high mountain. This mountain, covered with brushwood, ended in a steep ridge at Ivy Creek, which bends around it in the form of an Our loss in killed was six, and twentyelbow. four wounded. If General Nelson had had with him any cavalry, he feels confident he would have taken or slain the whole of them. As it was, the enemy retreated, cutting down trees across the narrow road and burning or cutting all the bridges, which are numerous. General Nelson bivouacked four miles beyond the Ivy Creek. It rained, and the men had to wade through mud and in a heavy rain all the day of the 9th, the march being heavy and slow on account of the felled trees obstructing the road, and the necessary repairing of bridges. At night the army again bivouacked in the November rain, and the next morning they reached Pikeville, where Colonel Sill had arrived the previous night. Captain Berryhill, of the Second Ohio, was wounded severely at Ivy Creek, while leading the column up the mountain side. "Behind this ridge, and all along the mountain side, the enemy, 700 strong, lay in ambush, and did not fire until the head of Colonel Marshall's battalion, himself leading, was up to the elbow. The skirmish was very sharp. The mountain side was blue with puffs of smoke, and not an enemy to be seen. The first discharge killed four and wounded thirteen of Marshall's men. General Nelson ordered the Kentuckians to charge. Colonel Harris, whose regiment was immediately behind the General, led his men up the mountain side most gallantly, and deployed them along the face of it. Colonel Norton, whose regiment had just reached the defile, anticipating an order from the General, led his men up the northern ridge of the mountain, deployed them along the creek, and went at the rebels. Two pieces of artillery were got in position in the road and opened upon them. Owing to the steepness of the mountain, all this required time. On the opposite side of the river, which at that point is narrow, deep, and swift, there were also rebels who annoyed our men. In an hour and twenty minutes the rebels were dispersed and fled, leaving a number of killed and wounded on the ground, and six prisoners unhurt. As General Nelson marched immediately in pursuit, the rebel loss was not ascertained accurately, but thirty were found dead on the field. Among the wounded prisoners was H. M. Rust, late State senator from Greenup County. "During these operations, the command of Colonel Sill executed General Nelson's orders, and occupied Pikeville by a circuitous route on the 9th, at four P.M. Colonel Metcalf's mounted men in advance exchanged shots with a reconnoitring party which had just crossed the river, but immediately retreated. Metcalf and Hart's forces were then thrown out, deployed as skirmishers on the hill-side, flanking the road which debouches at the ford. They found the enemy's camp deserted, and the main street of the village occupied by mounted men, who were making off by the Shelby road. A few rounds of shell were sent after them, and Metcalf's men took possession of the town, fording the river on horseback. The rest of the force crossed on a raft-bridge. The enemy were occupied all the previous day in evacuating the place. General Williams was there when the skirmishers opened fire, but he retreated, and Colonel Sill subsequently occupied his headquarters. On the route, Colonel Sill twice encountered a body of mounted men: the first fire killed a horse and wounded two of the rebels, On the night of the 8th, a party of ten, sent out by Colonel Metcalf, encountered Captain | Shawhan's rebel cavalry, about 150 strong, and it was reported that Captain Shawhan was wounded. His party fell back in great haste. The troops in Pikeville were not well off for provisions. All they could get was beef, but there is a mill in the vicinity, which they intended to set in motion and supply themselves with corn meal. It was impossible to obtain any accurate account of the numbers of the dispersed rebels, but they were most effectually cleared out."* The enemy were thus temporarily routed from that portion of Eastern Kentucky, and General Nelson could gratefully and proudly proclaim to his troops With scarcely half rations, you have pressed forward with unfailing perseverance. The only place at which the enemy made a stand, though ambushed and very strong, you drove him from in the most brilliant style. For your constancy and courage I thank you, and with the qualities which you have shown that you possess, I expect great things from you in the future." Such had been the various conflicts of more or less importance between the opposing parties in Kentucky when General Buell assumed the command of the Union army, and General Johnston that of the enemy. The former had his headquarters at Louisville, and the latter was commanding a greatly increased force at Bowling Green, where Buckner had first taken his position. Buell, after assembling and organizing a large army in Louisville, was enabled to reinforce the various advanced posts of the Unionists, and to push forward some 40,000 men of his centre, under General McCook, toward the enemy's at Bowling Green. The Confederates withdrew their advance guard under the command of General Hindman, as McCook approached, and after retreating to the southern bank of the Green River, partially destroyed the stately iron bridge of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, which crosses that stream. When the Unionists, however, reached Green River, they constructed a temporary bridge. and began to throw across eight companies of the Thirty-second Indiana Regiment, mostly Germans, under Colonel Willich, to act as an advance guard. BATTLE OF MUNFORDSVILLE. This little force proceeded to occupy for their encampment an area of cleared ground near Munfordsville, of about a mile in breadth, surrounded by woods. An attempt was now made by a portion Dec. of the enemy's advance guard, con17. sisting of infantry, and the Texan Rangers under Colonel Terry, to take them by surprise. The camp, however, was on the alert. The enemy's scouts had been observed in the woods, and two companies were ordered to dislodge them. The scouts retreated as the Unionists advanced, who continued to push on cautiously as skirmishers. Soon after a troop of cavalry came dashing over the hill to meet our men still in pursuit. Finding that the enemy were thus in force on their front, the two companies, after firing a volley in response to the shots of their mounted antagonists, retired to a level field, in order to draw the enemy from the cover of the woods. Having thus chosen their ground, the Unionists sounded their bugles to bring up the companies from the camp and those on the other side of the river, which had not yet crossed. The enemy, finding themselves greatly superior in numbers, did not hesitate to make an attack. But before they were able to shake the steady little band of some two hundred Germans, their comrades came to the rescue. "They came on right gallantly,' wrote one who was present, "part of them having to cross Green River, and fell in upon the right and left flank with as much coolness as if this had been their hundredth battle instead of their first. Then followed an almost hand-to-hand 13 The conflict, lasting fully an hour. enemy strove in vain to draw the Germans up the hill by feigned retreats, and a masked battery was so planted as to have swept our brave fellows fore and aft, had they for a moment permitted their valor to get the better of their discretion; but, knowing the fearful odds arrayed against them, they were content to hold their ground. Finally, when the enemy despaired of getting them into the ambush, they unmasked their battery and opened fire. The first ball passed between the adjutant and major of the regiment, who occupied positions not many feet apart. This was the signal for another onset by the Texas Cavalry, and right well did they perform the work. Captain Wellschbellich, Company G, formed his men in hollow square, and the cavalry boldly charged their front, their right, and their left, but they were as adamant; the square remained unbroken, while many of the Texans, equally brave, but less successful because they were the attacking party, bit the dust. The cavalry retired, discomfited, and then an entire regiment of rebel infantry darkened the hill and came marching down toward the brave men composing Company G, but a galling fire from our front and right scattered their forces and gave them something else to think of. Colonel Willich had been ordered on duty at headquarters, and consequently did not get to his regiment until the heat of the battle was over. The regiment was forced to fall back a short distance, not being able to make a stand against the |