Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1862-01-24
FULL PARTICULARS OF THE BATTLE.
The Fight yOOk Place at Old Fields.
INTERESTING DETAILS.

We are indebted to Mr.. N. Derby, of
Sprsgue u Co, just returned from Somerset,
for very interesting particulars of the battle.
Gin. Com
The battle. ground was at a place known
as Old Fields, in Pulaski Cosnty, and not
twelve miles west of White Oak, as tele.
Rraphed, but eight miles north of the mou III
Of Fishing Greek. The forces under the
command Of Gen. Thomas were as follows:
First and Second Tennessee; Fourth,
Tenth and Twelfth Kentucky; Ninth and
Fourteenth Ohio; Tenth Indiana; Second
Minnesota; four Batteries and Wolfords
Cavalry. -..
The Tenth Indiana were on picket, with
WolfOrds Cavalry, and received the shock
of the advancing enemy. They fought
desperately, giving ground slowly, and al
lowing General Thomas time to come up in
good condition. The attack upon them
commenced soon after daylight, Sunday
morning. 1t had evidently been the inten-
tion OF Zollicofter to commence the attack in
the night but be had been detained by the
heavy rains, the hight of the streams and the
darkness of the night. Nearly two hours
elapsed before the Indiana regiment was
supported in force. The Indianians lost
eleven killed and forty-nine wounded. The
first support received BY the Indianians
was from the Fourth Kentucky, who lost
nine killed and twenty wounded. The Sec
ond Minnesota was in the fight next, aud
lost ten killed and fifteen wounded The
next regiment in the fight was the Ninth
Ohio, Colonel X. L. McOook. The loss of
this regiment, our informant did not learn,
but it was slight.
The Ninth Ohio found the enemy posted
behind rail fence, from which they were
firing with deliberation. When within about
thirty yards of the fence, Colonel NcCook
ordered his men to charge bayOnets, which
| they did firmly and with alacrity. The
rebels fled at once, throwing down their
| guns. ..
General Zollicoffer was attempting flank
movement with two regiments when he was
| killed. He came out of the bushes on the
flank of our forces, close by where Colonel
Fry, of Kentucky, was posted, and shouted
something to Fry, which was understood
to be not to fire upon the meR in front, for
they were Mississippians. One report OF
what be said is: "You are firing upon your
| Seeing his mistake, he discharged his pistol
at Fry, striking his horse. Fry instantly
returned the FIRE with his revolver, shooting
| Zollicoffer through the heart. Zollcoffer
| wss very handsomely dressed. His clothes
we're taken by the Federal troops as trophies
His corpse is said to have been very beauti-
full, being white and clear as wax. work, with
little red hole in his left breast, where the
messenger of death entered.
| The sold fields' where the battle took
1 place were once cultivated, but have beer
I abandoned, and are full of brisr bushes anG
sedge. The Federals and Confederates were
at times within twenty yards of each other
Most of the dead rebels were shot through
the head. A surprising number were sho
in the forehead and eyes. The corpses lay
on hill. side, where the seVerest fighting
took place, thick as flock of sheep.
The rebels took out but two field.pieces
and left them both. Our artillery was Wig
orously used in the pursuit of the enemy
hurting shells among them as they ran. Tht
battle was fought in heavy rain, the mut
being very deep, and the little creeks wer
roaring torrents.
The First aud Second Tennessee did no
get into the fight, but took the advance il
the pursuit, and slept the night after tn
battle close to the enemy's intrenchments
intending to be foremost of the stormers
But Monday morning they found the enem.
had scampered in the night.
The rebels were we'll provided. They ha,
erected good cabins, and had chinked an
plastered the crevices. They had chimney
to their houses, built of sticks, and plastere
inside with clay. They had an ample suppl
of thick, heavy woolen blankets, mostl
white, with dark stripes In them. Thei
clothes were jeans, mostly butternut colored
and were thick and warm, but they had fe
overcoats. Only two good overcoats wer
found on the field OF battle and the track
the flight. Some of the rebels wore stray
hats. Their food seems to have consiste
largely of corn pone,
Therebel officers generally had their trunk
in camp, containing all their fine clothes
love-letters, trinkets, etc. A large numbe
of heavy leather trunks were taken. Sewers
suits of white duck, such as are worn by ger
tlemen in the summer, were found in th
trunks, showing that the rebel officers ha
an unmilitary assortment of superhuous bag
gage.
Colonel R. L. McCook's wound is in tt
leg. The Brigade Surgeon of the Tennesst
regiments relates thai he was examinin
! McCook's wound, when an order came to 9
, forward in pursuit of the enemy. McCook
wound was painful, but he compelled Il
. Surgeon to bandage it up temporarily,
stop the blood, and, being helped upon
horse, pressed forward with his men.
The rebel troops were not very we
armed, having generally smooth bore mu
kets, altered from flint locks, and squirr
rifles. They had no long range rifles. Fol
of our regiments whipped the enemy, wi
had boasted that they could whip fif
thousand Yankees. Zollicoffer's attack
said by military men to have been we
planned and energetically pushed but
was mistaken as to the character of the me
he had to fight. as well as the strength
. the division under General Thomas.
Our informant thinks it will be impossib
for General Thomas TO pursue the eneu
with great effect. The roads are absolute
impossible. There has not been freeze {
the Cumberland this winter. The ground
full of water, and the mud on the roads Is
to the knees of the men. The road fro
Somerset to Stanford is hardly passable. o
informant saw one hundred GoVernme
wagons hopelessly stuck in the mud ne
Stanford. 1t is serious question wheth
il will be possible TO transport provisions
our army on the Cumberland. A stroI
force is, however, at work on the road abo
Somerset, corduroying the worst places.
would be hardly possible to push an arm
/. train through the wild country beyond Z
= = Cumberland, where the rebels dispersed.
= there should be a freeze there would
movements; but while the weather renal
mild we need not expect to hear of such
thing as celebrity. ,-
Tho fo1lowinO ia a varho iFn conv of 1