Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Terrible Fight Between Three Rebel Regiments

An officer of our army, just returned from Manassas, called last evening, and gave us an interesting account of his visit to Manassas, and the battlefield of Bull Run.  A farmer residing near Centerville, told him that in January last a number of regiments were quartered near his house; one from Kentucky, at the expiration of their time of enlistment, unanimously resolved to return home, and accordingly stacked their arms and were preparing for a start, when their further progress was arrested by the appearance of an Alabama and a Tennessee Regiment who were ordered to reduce the Kentuckians to submission, and compel them to remain.  The Kentuckians seized their arms and a desperate fight ensued, in which many were slain on both sides, and their bodies were buried where they fell, the graves being yet visible.

From this spot the mutineers retreated a short distance, threw down their arms, and each drawing their Bowie knife, made a desperate charge upon the two regiments; the fight was terrific, in which more than a hundred were killed, and they too, were buried on the field of slaughter.

At last the brave Kentuckians were subdued.  The battle field was shown to our informant by the farmer who witnessed the fearful contest.  In traversing the field he found a large Bowie knife, which doubtless had been used in this fearful fray.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April 5, 1862, p. 2

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