Showing posts with label 1st KY CAV USA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1st KY CAV USA. Show all posts

Sunday, February 12, 2023

Diary of Private Richard R. Hancock: Thursday, December 5, 1861

Our commander commenced throwing his main force to the north side of the river. His cavalry pickets captured, six miles north of the river, after a chase of more than a mile, Major F. W. Helveti, of the First Kentucky Cavalry (Wolford), Captain Prime, of New York, engineer officer of General Buell's staff, and a corporal, W. F. Hudson, of Colonel Haskin's Kentucky Regiment. The Major and Captain were severely wounded, the former in the arm and the latter in the leg. They, all three, were sent back to Mr. West's and placed in the care of Captain Allison. So we guarded them for about nine days.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 90

Saturday, January 8, 2022

Fight at Perrysville, Ky.[Bragg] [De]feated.

LOUISVILLE, Oct. 10, P. M. Yesterday [morning] Buell attacked Bragg’s forces at Chaplin [Creek in] the immediate vicinity of Perrysville. A shor[t but] terrible fight ensued, when the rebels [broke and rap]idly fled over three diverging roads  southward.  [Our] forces are in close pursuit; and hope to bag the lot.  At last accounts Gen. Gilbert’s forces [were in] the rear of the rebels, and some distance [below them.]  Military exigencies require the suppression [of the] name of the place. No further accounts [of the loss]es on either side.

LOUISVILLE, Oct. 10.—Great anxiety [and excitement] exists here respecting the fate of [of our soldiers] in the pending battle. Capt. Aldershaw [is on his] way hither from Bardstown, with the re[mains of] Gens. Jackson and Terrell, and Col. Webster [of the] 18th.

Among the Perrysville casualties are, killed—Gens. Jackson and Terrill, [acting Brig.] Generals Webster and Lytle of Ohio; [Lieut. Col.] Jewett and Major Campbell of the 15th [Kentucky] cavalry.  Col. Pope of the same [regiment is] wounded.

There is no confirmation of the [death of Gen.] Sheridan.

Gen. Rosseau is reported slightly [wounded.]

Col. Woolford, of the 1st Kentucky [cavalry, af]ter five charges, took two batteries, [and the enemy] after hard fighting, were driven 8 [miles.]

The foregoing relates to Wednesday[’s fight.]

Various rumors are circulating of [a fight] yesterday, (Thursday) said to be [favorable to the] Federals but are traceable to no [authentic source.]  At headquarters, 11 o’clock Friday [morning,] have received no advices from the [battlefield later] than Wednesday evening.

Our force in that fight was about [15,000 infantry,] 8 batteries of artillery, and 2,500 [cavalry, but were] reinforced toward the close of the [engagement.]  The rebel force has not been [estimated.]

Thursday morning we occupied [an advantageous] situation on all sides of the enemy. [Our troops are] in high spirits and are confident [of victory.]

Our loss in killed and wounded [in the] battle was 1,500.  The enemy’s loss [is considered] much greater.

The 10th Ohio lost 282 killed [and wounded] yesterday.

Company B. Capt. Farman [of Pope’s regiment] mostly from Louisville lost in [killed and wounded] all except twelve men.

SOURCES:  The Union Sentinel, Osceola, Iowa, Saturday, October 18, 1862, p. 2, the right side of the article was caught be the seem of the bound newspaper volume and partially torn from the binding I have had to reconstruct the article by using articles from the Muscatine Weekly Journal, Muscatine, Iowa, Friday, October 17, 1862, p. 4, the Illinois State Journal, Springfield, Illinois, Saturday, October 11, 1862, p. 2 and The Rock Island Argus, Rock Island, Illinois, Saturday, October 11, 1862, p. 2.  The missing or illegible words from the Union Sentinel article appear in brackets.

Sunday, May 7, 2017

Diary of Sergeant Major Luman Harris Tenney: April 22, 1863

Finished Fannie's letter and mailed it. Pitched quoits awhile with Charlie Fairchild. Read in an old Atlantic. “Old Age and Hundred Days in Mo.” Boys went out and got a beef from 1st Ky. Issued rations from what we had. Received some from 3rd Battalion. Stayed out doors till tattoo. Commenced raining. Wrote a letter home. Got a Cincinnati paper of the 20th.

SOURCE: Frances Andrews Tenney, War Diary Of Luman Harris Tenney, p. 66

Thursday, May 4, 2017

Diary of Sergeant Major Luman Harris Tenney: April 19, 1863

Train stopped back twelve miles. No grain or feed for our poor horses. Ordered to march at 11. Train arrived at noon. Got rations and started. Took a good bath. All the forces, 1st Ky., 2nd Ohio and 45th Ohio moved to the Cumberland. Pickets could be distinctly seen across the river. Rode with Lt. Abbey, and Drake. Got some forage. Moved camp. Went to church in the evening. A chaplain preached. Rather tired tonight.

SOURCE: Frances Andrews Tenney, War Diary Of Luman Harris Tenney, p. 66

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

A Brilliant Skirmish

(Special to Louisville Journal.)

NASHVILLE, - May 4. – Gen. Dumont with portions of Wolford’s and Smith’s Kentucky cavalry, and Wynkoop’s Pennsylvania cavalry attacked Morgan’s and Wood’s cavalry, 800 in number at Lebanon, Tenn. on Monday evening at four o’clock. The rebels were utterly routed, and large numbers slain, and one hundred and fifty five taken prisoners. Nearly all their horses and arms were captured. They fled after fighting one hour and a half.

Gen. Dumont is in pursuit, and will capture the whole force. The prisoners will be here this evening. It was a brilliant affair and managed with great skill by Gen. Dumont.

Morgan is reported killed.

Col. Wolford was wounded in the abdomen seriously and Col. Smith was wounded in the leg. The rebels were completely surprised and outwitted.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, May 10, 1862, p. 4

Friday, August 20, 2010

From Nashville

Arrival of Secession Prisoners from Huntsville – Outrages of Rebel Banditti in Tennessee.

Special Correspondence of the Chicago Times

NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 1.

On Sunday last an installment of General Mitchell’s prisoners taken at Huntsville, Ala. Arrived here on the cars. The crowd presented a motley appearance, being composed of jaundice faced fellows, who looked as if they had [obtained] their “rights” and been tanned in them. But it was not hard to discover in their cadaverous countenances that they were glad to end a glorious campaign as prisoners of Uncle Sam. The humane guard detailed to accompany them seemed to have their deference and confidence if not their friendship. After halting about fifteen minutes in front of the Rev. Elliott’s secession Female Academy now occupied by Col. Matthews, Provost Marshal, as a barracks for his guard, the 51st Ohio, they were marched to the Tennessee State Hospital – a spacious building with a considerable park around it. Thence, I suppose they will be conveyed northward. The prisoners were evidently more than contented with their condition, but our stiff necked and perverse secessionists drew as near to them as they might with due regard to their own safety, and vented their spleens in low conversation and fierce gesticulation.

Yesterday, five companies of Wolford’s Kentucky Cavalry, who had been scouring Overton and Fentress counties, in this State, arrived in Nashville bringing twenty two prisoners. They were composed of McHenry’s and Bledsoe’s Tennessee rebel cavalry, and independent banditti acting with them. Dr. Overstreet, a brother-in-law of Colonel Bramlett, of Kentucky, and Messrs Garrett and McDonald, loyal gentlemen, residing in that portion of Tennessee, came to the city with them. These gentlemen who are altogether reliable, state that marauding bands of rebels in those counties, and portions of Kentucky near to them, are daily committing the most shocking outrages on those suspected of loyalty. In one instance they caught a lad 12 years of age, the son of a Union man, bound him to a tree and with a knife literally split his body from the throat to the abdomen, letting his bowels fall upon the ground.

One of the prisoners brought in by Wolford’s Cavalry is a desperado by the name of Smith, who has been acting in concert with one Champ Ferguson of Clinton county, Kentucky – a scoundrel so infamous that some account of him may be interesting. When his comrade, Smith, was taken, he was hotly pursued and the party declare they hit him six times with pistol and rifle balls, and saw the dust fly from his clothing. – They are confident, therefore, he has a casing of some kind which resists bullets.

Some time in September, 1861, this man Ferguson went to theresidence of a Union man in Clinton county, Ky., Mr. Frogg, who was sick and in bed, and shot him in the mouth. As this did not produce instant death he next shot him in the brain remarking that he wished him to die easy. On the 2d day of October he went to the house of Mr. Reuben B. Wood, another citizen of Clinton county Kentucky, who was a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church – a very useful, popular man in his neighborhood, – and, having called him to his gate, shot him in the bowels, inflicting a wound which produced death in two days. Ferguson’s reason for the murder was, that Wood had paid a visit to Camp Dick Robinson. Assassinating loyal citizens has been merely a pastime with Champ Ferguson. His chief business, since the rebellion broke out has been horse stealing. Besides Smith, who was brought here, he has associated with him one Hamilton, of Jackson county, Tennessee, and nine or ten others. In March last, Hamilton and his associates went over into Monroe county, Kentucky, and assassinated in one day James Syms, Alexander Atterbury, and Thomas Denham, three quiet, will disposed gentlemen, simply because they were suspected of loyalty to the government. When Atterbury was shot, Hamilton informed his weeping mother that he intended to kill all the Union me he could find, and, if he could not find men, he would kill their boys in their stead. When mild Uncle Samuel catches Ferguson and Hamilton, what do you suppose he’ll do to them? I suppose he’ll send them to Camp Douglas, or some other place, to be fed on Federal rations.

Hon. Chas. [Ready], of Rutherford county, was arrested and brought to the city yesterday. Charles was in Congress once, your readers will remember him.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, May 10, 1862, p. 1