THE REBEL LINES AND STRATEGY.

ed, into power and Confederate greatness.
Kentucky was slow to perceive the use of a
"Convention" at all-hence, one never was
called; but, the Confederacy wanted the
State, on its slate at least-just as it had Mis-
souri, for a good showing; the Convention
was forthcoming whether the people willed
or not. The State was voted out of the
Union, a "provisional" Governor and Coun-
cil were chosen, Representatives and Sena-
tors were sent to the Confederate Congress
all by the "patriotism" of about forty men.
We say the proceedings were laughable: they |
certainly were wicked enough, but, after all,
were too absurd for serious consideration.
Their only significance is to indicate the pro-
clivity of the revolution towards usurpation.
The Kentucky people, however, were proof
against schemes of designing men.
Could as
much have been said of other States, a
Southern Confederacy would have been but
the dream of a few Pro-slavery fanatics.
[We give the Ordinance of Secession and the
"Plan of Provisional Government" in the
Appendix more as matters of curiosity than
for their importance to history. We do not
refer to the installation of "Governor" John-
ston, nor quote from his "message"-deem-
ing them matters of as slight importance as
one of General Pillow's proclamations.]

Buell's Force in the

Field.

421

Kentucky's Qnota.

of Kentucky to call into the field for twelve
months duty, "to repel invasion." These
men were not all ready, however, until the
Spring of 1862. The total number of men
enlisted in the United States
service from Kentucky was
stated by the Military Board to have been
18,812 at the date of November 7th. This
number did not include those called into ser-
vice prior to the organization of the Board-
Rosseau's first brigade and Jackson's cavalry
being composed of these early enlistments.
It will be perceived by these figures how
loyal the great mass of Kentuckians were,
while they serve also the good purpose of
correcting the assumptions of Breckenridge,
Buckner, Marshall, Burnett and ex-Governor
Morehead, that "neutrality" was the choice
of the people, and that, therefore, in its loyal
action the Legislature had betrayed the State.
By March 1st, 1862, there were about thirty
thousand Kentuckians in the field. Ken-
tucky's vote at the Presidential election 1860
was 146,216. Her contribution of troops
was, using these figures as the basis of her
population capable of bearing arms (omit-
ting the usual per centage of one-fifth for per-
sons exempt by age, disease, &c.), equal to
more than one out of every four of her able-
bodied men.

The Rebel Lines and
Strategy.

General Buell reached The concentration of ConLouisville November 15th, federate forces at Bowling and soon assumed com- Green and Columbus was mand. He withdrew Nelson from Eastern heavy during November and December. Kentucky, strengthened Thomas at Danville General Johnston, Commander-in-Chief in while his advance was diverted toward Som- the Mississippi valley, resolvod to hold both erset. The divisions and brigades of Mc- positions at all hazards, as well as to keep Cook, Rosseau, Johnson, Wood, Negley and the Unionists from Tennessee on the west. Mitchell, secured the lines established by To this end he labored with untiring assiduSherman. The general movement of Fed-ity and with success. The States of Texas, eral forces looked to the capture of Bowling Green by flank and front approaches. The number of troops as indicated by the Department pay rolls (Dec. 10th) was sixtytwo regiments; during December. this number was reenforced heavily. Ten Indiana, twelve Ohio and six Illinois-full twenty-five thousand strong-were among the number of troops placed at Buell's disposal. To this should be added in December the State quota of ten regiments which the General Government authorized the State Military Board

Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Tennessee all responded liberally to his call; every confidence was felt in his ability to hold the Federals in check. The building of gunboats at several points on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers inspired the Confederates with no particular alarm. Memphis, Columbus and Island No. 10 were deemed impregnable to the passage of any fleet down the 'Father of Waters.' Powerful forts were erected on the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, near the State line, equal, it was supposed, to the task

The Rebel Lines and
Strategy.

of securing those fine streams from Federal use. A rebel correspondent,writing from Bowling Green, under date of Nov. 29th, said: "Importance undoubtedly is attached to the menacing attitude being assumed, and the extensive preparations being made for a speedy attack, by land and water, upon Columbus; but that this division is as seriously threatened as is that of General Polk is patent to all acquainted with the force intended to operate against both fronts. General Johnston rightly estimates the necessity of holding this place at all hazards, and its strength is not to be weakened by the permanent removal of any considerable portion of the troops now here. Neither will this army go into winter quarters without having struck a fearful blow, which may be decisive of the fate of Kentucky."

"McCook's division is at Munfordsville, General Mitchell at Bacon's Creek. Zollicoffer is either retreating across the Cumberland river or is prepar ing to do so at the approach of any superior force. "General McCook reported that the rebels attacked my pickets in front of the rnilroad bridge at two o'clock to-day. The picket consisted of four companies of the Thirty-second Indiana, Colonel

Willich, under Lieutenant-Colonel Van frebra. Their forces consisted of one regiment of rexan rangers, two regiments of infantry, and one pattery of six guns. Our loss was, Lieutenant Sachs and eight enlisted men killed and ten wounded. The rebel loss was thirty-three killed, including the Colonel of the Texan rangers, and about fifty wounded. The rebels retreated ingloriously."

The skirmish here referred to amounted to Buell was kept fully informed of every rebel a well ordered battle on a small scale. It movement and of the force at particular occurred at Rowlett's Station, south of Munpoints, by loyal Kentuckians who came in fordsville. A rebel force under Brigadierconstantly from every county. His delays to General T. C. Hindman, of General Hardee's push the advance already inaugurated by his division, consisting of two regiments of Arkpredecessor, were occasioned by the rapid ansas volunteers, one of Texan cavalry and a concentration of the enemy on his front. four gun battery, advanced to force the FedTheir strength in the field and in fortifica- eral pickets back over Green river and to detions was so great that it became necessary stroy a newly erected bridge over the stream. to augment his own strength fully fifty per Colonel Willich's regiment-the Thirty-seccent. beyond what was first contemplated as ond Indiana, composed exclusively of, and necessary to carry the war into Tennessee. commanded by, Germans-held the Federal Hence, the powerful reenforcements detailed advance, and had thrown four companies as to his department during December. Hence, pickets forward to the station. Shortly after also, the creation, Dec. 23d, of the new de- one o'clock Dec. 18th, the scouts reported partment of Cairo, which embraced Southern rebels in the woods around, when two comIllinois, that portion of panies (Second and Third) were ordered forKentucky lying west of the ward by Lieutenant-Colonel Trebra to skir Cumberland river and the mish-the remaining companies of the regitier of counties in Missouri bordering on the ment at the same time being called to the Mississippi river south of Cape Girardeau. | field. The skirmishers pressed the enemy so Of this department General Grant assumed hard and so effectually as to drive his reconcommand. He at once prepared for the bril-noitering advance back half a mile to his liant campaign up the Tennessee and Cumberland that quickly followed, by which the enemy's lines were cut, his strong positions at Columbus and Bowling Green so entirely turned as to compel their hasty evacuation, and his entire occupation of Kentucky soil rendered worse than a defeat, since his retreat opened the way to Nashville, at

The Department of
Cairo.

once.

main line. A section of the Texas cavalry then suddenly dashed forward showing the gallant Germans that they must fight their way back. The retreat was in solid square over an open field, into which the cavalry, confident in numbers and strength, dashed with reckless spirit. The ruse succeeded: the two remaining companies, posted in the woods on each side of the field, opened on

HUMPHREY MARSHALL'S BOUT.

423

Zollicoffer's Second

Advance.

the cavalry with fatal effect. The horsemen | tire division from Bacon creek to Munfordswere brought to a stand, when their infantry ville on the day of the fight. His men were supports came forward. At the same time with difficulty restrained from pushing over the six companies of the Indianians left on to engage the enemy; but, two regimentsthe north side of the river took flank posi- the Forty-ninth Ohio and Thirty-ninth Inditions, right and left, and the fight for one ana-were permitted to cross in order to hour was most obstinately contested. Sev- save Willich's men from defeat. eral times the enemy feigned retreat to draw Much interest centered the Federals under their artillery fire but in the movements of ZolliHis advance to did not succeed. Hopeless in this their battery finally opened from its masked position, with all its power, covering a second charge by the Texans. Hard pressed the Germans fell back slowly but in perfect order, until relieved by the advance of two regiments from McCook's division, under his own command. The enemy, in turn, retired from this demonstration, badly cut up by the guns of Captains Stone's and Cutter's batte

ries.

Colonel Terry of the Texan cavalry was killed in gallantly striving to cover the retrograde movement. [Hindman in his report stated that Terry was killed in leading the first assault.]

The Fight at Munfordsville.

In this affair Willich's

men behaved with commendable courage and dis. cipline. They maintained the field only by excellent handling. Colonel Willich arrived on the ground when the enemy was pressing his companies back at the last assault. His presence kept all cool and determined. Lieutenant-Colonel Trebra acted throughout with skill and good judgment.

The Federal loss was eleven killed, and twenty-one wounded. Lieutenant Max Sachs, of company C, was pierced by six balls. The enemy's loss is not known. Hindman reported it as four killed, and ten wounded. Considering that there was much close quarter fighting-that the Germans fought chiefly under cover of the woods-that the regiment was armed with the Belgian musket, which the men handled with great efficiency-the mere statement of Hindman to the contrary, does not forbid the supposition of serious loss on the enemy's part.

That Hindman's force was not captured entire, or cut to pieces, was owing to orders not to cross Green river, so as to bring on an engagement. McCook marched with his en

coffer.
the Cumberland river during the second week
of December, was followed by reenforce-
ments, until his troops numbered about six
thousand strong. With this force he prepar-
ed, by entrenching on both sides of the river,
at the junction with White Oak creek, about
six miles from Somerset, to retain such a po-
sition in Kentucky as would hold Thomas'
forces in check. Schoepff, after his Wild Cat
success, was ordered to Somerset. The move-
ment against Cumberland Gap was thus ar-
rested. Buell's design was to use the divi-
sion of Thomas as a flank and rear advance
upon Bowling Green. To this end the East-
ern Tennessee campaign was at least tempo-
rarily abandoned. The Confederates, quick
to detect the strategy, were as quick to profit
by it.

General Johnston at once ordered Zollicoffer to assume the offensive by taking such a position as would retain Thomas from his flank advance. The choice was made of the very strong position on the Cumberland, at and opposite Mill Springs, where natural barriers were quickly transformed into almost impregnable fastnesses. At this point the Confederate sympathisers from Eastern Kentucky gathered in considerable numbers, and the rebel camp soon became a terror to the Southern tier of counties. Atrocities of every conceivable nature were perpetrated, seemingly upon friend and foe alike. "Zollicoffer's Den" soon assumed its place in history as a general rendezvous of all the worst elements of Kentucky and Tennessee life.

The withdrawal, by Buell, of Nelson from his ca

Humphrey Marshall's
Camp.

reer of successes in the
west fork of the Big Sandy, left that region
open to Confederate occupancy. Humphrey
Marshall, a leading citizen of Kentucky, hav-
ing gone over to the Southern cause, opened

a rendezvous at Paintsville, in Johnson coun- | pass infantry, artillery and trains over with ty, where he rapidly gathered a brigade com- | freedom, and thus to provide for the continposed chiefly of Kentuckians, who, influenced gencies of a retreat as well as an advance in by his inflamatory appeals, cast their fortunes force. The delay, in all probability, was exwith his own. His friend John C. Brecken- tended in order to give time for Thomas' ridge, at the same time, was in command of movements, designed to make an end of Zola similar brigade at Bowling Green. Mar- licoffer's demonstration. shall was an 66 old line Whig"--Breckenridge an "old line Democrat ;" they struck palms when the Southern Confederacy commanded. Life-long political enemies fraternized with a zeal indicative either of remarkable devotion to the Southern idea, or of remarkable reck-designed especially to inflame the minds of lessness of consequences.

Rout of Marshall's
Brigade.

Marshall was soon disposed of by Colonel Garland, who entered Paintsville January 7th, with two regiments and three hundred cavalry. Hearing of this approach, the rebel commander beat a rapid retreat, leaving behind him a strongly entrenched camp. He was pursued by the Federal cavalry to the mouth of Jennis creek, where a sharp skirmish took place, in which the rebel rear guard was badly worsted. Garland followed, January 9th, with eleven hundred men, and came up with the enemy's pickets two miles below Prestonburg. Marshall had made a stand at the forks of Middle creek. At noon of January 10th, Garland was in hot action with him. Marshall had about two thousand five hundred men and three guns, all well posted. The fight lasted until dark-the Federals being reenforced by seven hundred infantry from Paintsville. In the night Humphrey fled, leaving twenty-seven of his dead on the field. Garfield occupied the village of Prestonburg, from which Nelson had but two months before driven "Cerro Gordo" Williams. This was the last of Marshall for some weeks, and Eastern Kentucky, for the second time, was pronounced "cleared."

These little affairs, though gallantly executed, served scarcely to arrest notice. All attention was directed to the front and flank movements of Buell's army. The general movement upon and over the line of Green river did not immediately follow the skirmish at Munfordsville, December 18th. Three weeks were spent in reconstructing the bridge at that important point, so as to

Zollicoffer's Move

ments.

This Tennessee leader had issued his proclamation, dated from Beech Grove, December 16th, 1861, addressed to the people of South-eastern Kentucky, and

all against the Federal Government. It was his hope to excite a general uprising, offering his camp as a rallying point. It accomplished nothing save to gather in the rebel camp a large number of vagabonds whom Kentucky had called citizens, but whose absence was a source of congratulation, particularly to all property holders.

Thomas' March to the
Cumberland.

Thomas rendezvoused his division-the 4th of Buell's army at Columbia, in Adair county. The different brigade encampments at Lebanon, Bardstown and Loudon were deserted. He moved from Columbia via Jamestown to the Cumberland. The design was to engage Zollicoffer upon the front- Schoepff co-operating by advancing upon the enemy by way of Fishing Creek— while a strong force was to pass over the river to the rebel rear, reaching Monticello in time to cut off his retreat from Mill Springs. The plan to bag the enemy en masse was well arranged but failed owing chiefly to the rebel counter-movement. Without waiting for the threatened assault, Zollicoffer and Crittenden moved forward from the camp at White Oak creek, and engaged the Federalists before they were prepared for it.* This disconcert

An account of the rebel movements written by one evidently in high command, and published in a Richmond journal Feb. 4th, stated that the want of rations and forage was so great as to have compell ed the Confederate abandonment of the campaign even if Thomas had not advanced. A council of commanders was held on the evening of Jan. 18th, when the attack on Thomas was determined upon, against, it would appear, the judgment of several of the Colonels. Only two days rations were then in camp. The attack resulted in a defeat only because

The Camp at Logan's
Place.

MOVEMENTS OF THOMAS' REGIMENTS.

425

Movements of Federal Regiments.

ed Thomas' plans so far as to compel him to | of the Twelfth Kentucky,
use all his available force and a portion of
Schoepff's command to repel the attack.
On Thursday, Jan. 17th,
the Ninth Ohio, Colonel R.
L. McCook; the Second
Minnesota, Colonel H. P. VanCleve; the
Tenth Indiana, Colonel M. D. Manson; the
Fourth Kentucky, Colonel S. S. Fry; a bat-
talion of the First Kentucky cavalry, Colonel
Wolford; and Kinney's battery, arrived at
Logan's cross roads about ten miles from the
rebel camp at Beech Grove on the Cumber-
land, at the mouth of White Oak creek. The
march was excessively wearisome, and the
troops arrived at Logan's place in an exhaust-
ed condition. Thomas there pitched his
camp, to await the arrival of the rest of his
division, comprising the Fourth and Tenth
Kentucky, the Fourteenth Ohio and Eigh-
teenth United States regulars, with Wetmore's
battery. That evening he was visited by
General Schoepff, whose command was then
near to Somerset, about eight miles from
Logan's farm. On Friday the Fourteenth
Ohio, Colonel Steedman; the Tenth Ken-
tucky, Colonel Harlan; a section of the First
Michigan Engineers, Lieutenant-Colonel Hus-
ton, and a battery reached the camp in a
greatly exhausted condition, having marched
in a direct line from Columbia, constructing
a road as they moved. The regulars failed
to come up in season to participate in the
action or pursuit.

the First and Second Ten-
nessee and Captain W. E.
Standart's battery-proceeded, on the Co-
lumbia road, to Fishing creek, where they
awaited orders. They were soon directed to
report at Logan's place, and, wading the
swollen stream, reached that camp at midnight
in a wretched plight. The rest of Schopff's
force-comprising the Seventeenth, Thirty-
first and Thirty-fifth Ohio-marched to a
lower ford on Fishing creek-leaving the
Thirty-eighth Ohio in the camp at Somerset,
to guard it. Attempting to cross, only one
regiment had reached the western shore at
nightfall when orders came from Thomas for
the three regiments to return to their camp
near Somerset, where they could be rendered
quickly available in case of need. These
marches and counter marches it is supposed
were designed to puzzle the enemy. They at
least had that result. Being informed that
the Federal forces were distributed in several
commands, the rebel council of war, held
Saturday evening, resolved to advance upon
Logan's place, where they hoped to surprise
Thomas and his supposed small command.

Movements of Fede

ral Troops.

Early Saturday morning the Fourteenth Ohio and Tenth Kentucky were dispatched on a reconnoissance to the Cumberland river. They pushed on through a drenching rain, close to the rebel camp at White Oak creek, and returned late in the afternoon, almost exhausted with fatigue and exposure, to report the enemy still in his old position. The same morning a portion of Schopff's force (Carter's brigade)-composed

of the death of Zollicoffer, was the writer's opinion. The rebel press, however, charged treachery upon General Crittenden as the cause of the unwelcome

disaster. This charge was simply absurd. Crittenden may have been drunk as alleged, but he fought well aud retreated in good order considering the extent of the disaster to his command.

On the morning of Sunday the Federal regiments were distributed as follows, at and around the cross roads at Logan's farm, viz: the Ninth Ohio and Second Minnesota on the right of the road to Hart's ford; on the left Carter's brigade; in advance of both and between them lay the Fourth Kentucky, the Tenth Indiana and Standart's and Wetmore's batteries. A section (one hundred and twenty) of Wolford's Kentucky cavalry, also stood on outpost duty in front of the Tenth Indiana. The residue of the cavalry was out on scout and picket duty. The Fourteenth Ohio and the Tenth Kentucky lay away to the north-east of the cross roads, about eight miles distance on detached duty. The force at Thomas' immediate call was, therefore, but seven regiments, three batteries and a battalion of cavalry.

The Rebel Advance.

Upon these, the Confederates advanced, on the morning of Sunday, January 19th. Under the command-in-chief of General Crittenden, they left their entrenched camp Saturday night after dark; but,