Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-05-04
REPORT or GERM. pRiEsrON saaEEH,
Correspondence Of the Knoxville Register
RIcRMOED. ApriI f7lb. 1864.

RICHMOND, April l7lh, 1868.
am sure that I could not furnish tho readers
Of the Register with anything half SO acceptable
as the laudations Of Tsnnessaans, as these
must stand forever inscribed on the enduring
pageso of history, I have given you sketches OF
the battle Of Shiloh from The pens of Polk aud
Cheatham, which portrayed tLe various deeds OF
Tonnesseans. Ask your readers to see how
these same gallant men, of whom they wore
reading ss heroes st Shiloh, won immortal hon
ors at Richmond, Ky. Tell your readers that
their history is ~uniinished, We shall hssr.of
them at P~erryville, where every man was a
hero, aud almost every hero q Te1nessean f:
and then I say secure the official reports Of the
battle of MurfTeesbors' and before another noon
the boodiest chapter IN sill the history Of THE
wsr shall be written By Tsnnessssns on the
soil of Tennessee. Read now Of the battle Of
Richmond, Ky.
HEapQUARTlERs 4rH DT GsIoS,
September 10, 1852.
COLONEL: I have The honor to submit the
following report of the part taken by my com
mand in the series Of battles before the own of
Richmond, Ky, on the 30sIl ultimo. Early on
that morning "a o'clock) this division, Brig
Gen. Cleburne commanding, was furthsst ad-
vanced in limo of battle from the place of
bivcusc FIVE miles south Of Rogersville, aud in
the direction Of thst place, Che second brigade,
Col Hin commanding, being in advance, the
first brigade about Eve hundred yards in rear
thereof At 1880 A. NJ the second brigade hav-
ing passed tho town Of Rsogersviile, and the
first emerging thaTefrom, thu enemy, some half
q mile north of the town, opened FIRE upOa as
| with his feld battery.
The division was speedily thrownIntO position
for action, hevi8g been changed from line of
battle to moving by the flank a short distance
south of the town. The battery Of the 2d bri-
/ gads was soon in position, and replied to the
FIRE of the enemy, which WIS continued for more
than an hour, skirmishiDg being kept no the
while between the advanced forces of the two
aymies. About ihis time I received an order
from BdFadior-Gs General Cleburne to send my
battery forward, and to the right of the position
occupied by ahe battery OF the second brigade,
which was done, and tho guns were soon heard
from this position.
also received an order from Brigadier-G Gene
I raj CiebUrue 10 send q reg mant forward, and to
the right of the line Of the second brigade, to be
| posted in the woods and neer a cornf3ld on the
! right IF this line. The front Iue being thus to
extend by an additional regiment aud the bat.
terry, 1 found it reeassary 10 chang the position
of my brigsds, in order that I might be in moro
easy supporting distance. Ny line was there
fore advanced to the front, and to the RICH. Of
my old position, the Increasing fire Of our right
j AA4aAIuALE kAL-a tA@ AHzAAA-iAH AIAl - mAaA VI Ale
was already engaging The enemy.
This regiment, the 18th Teunessee, was in
fact already engaged when this new position
was taken. Very soon after thisit Wss reported
to me that the enemy was moving forward with
the apparent design of hanking the front line on
its right. / therefore moved forward nv COM
mand and to tho right, until tho front line was
unmasked, at which time I was advised that the
enemy, with three regiments, had certainly sue
caeded in entering the woods and c0rn-6eId5 on
the right OF the 18th senior Tennessee regiment,
and would soon be in the resi- Of this regiment,
now considerably advanced. Having assured
myself Of this, 1 caused o change Of front for
ward on the left regiment to be executed, thus
throwing the two right regiments entirely on the
rear of the eneny, from which position ny
brigade advanced on hinl, taking him by sur
Prise, and after a few well directed v0ilavs com
polling him to absndon bis cover aud fy in
crest confusion towards his reserve.
At this time the 154-h Eenior Tennessee regi-
ment advanced and formed on the left Of the Iias,
and the enemy having rallied, the whole BRIGADE
was again soon engaged. Bat under their
steady advance and CALLING frs from Minnie
ard Enfield rifles, the enemy soon broke ami
fed, leaving the ground strewn thicklv with
killed aud wounded. Some five hundred pris-
OneTs were taken at aud rear this plscs BY my
command, snd turned oVor TO Lieutenant Lsay,
detailed for tho purpose Of taking charge Of the
prisoners, by the maj0r-general commanding.
The troops being almost exhausted from pfe.
vious hard marching, loss of sleep and scarcity
Of food, were compelled TO desiss from the uur-
suit and rest, during which time their esrtridge-
boxes were replenished with ammunition, pre-
paratoTy TO q resumption Of the advance on the
enemy.
At this time I was advised that Brigadiar-
General Cle5urn9 had been wounded and had
retired from the field. | then assumed com
mand of the division, and the major general
commanding hsvinr arrived, by his direction, I
moved the division forward on The right
hand side of the road toHe,d Richmond, Brig
sdier General ChuFehil's division having been
previously advanced on the laa of the road, and
engaging the enemy soon after my division was
put in motion.
This engagement asspirits5, tho enemy con
testing the ground stUbbonly with their force
on the left of the road, and Smelling my com
maud as we advanced toward ths1n through the
open fields. But being holly pressed by Briga.
dierlGeBarsl Churchil's command, he seain
hed, and By his superior apsad, secured for hAa.
self another groUad on which to rally. The
troops under ny command were by this time
slmOst f8mished for water. hsvineh ad about one !
csnteon of muddywater 10 the man during the
entire day.
A scsnt supply Of wa.or hsving been OBJ
tanned by tho troops, we again pressed on,
aud csne in sight Of the snonY, posted on the
South edge of tho s0Nn Of Richmond, and il
the country near thas place. In this position
attacked, the 81 division on the LEFT of the
road, and the % brigade OF the 4th division on
the right of the road. Tie 12sh and 47Ih Ten
regiments, beid ~ a reserve, and the
l54 senior Tennessee Tesiment end 12th Ten
regiment on the right of the 81 brigade.
After a stubborn resist3ncs for half an hour. he
driven, bis ranks Sd thianed, broken and
scattered, that it was again impossible for him
to rally; and seeking safety IL fight the town, I
with his storas, was abandoned 60 US, and after
Intellectual pursuit three miles beyond the
We went into camp after twelve hours
hard fighting and marching.
A list of She prisoners taken BY ths command
already il your Office.
II is with deep sOr ow that I mention the fall
Of Colonel Ed. Fitzgerald, OF the I54sh rezf
ment, who fall IN the merling, at tins head of
bis regiment.
ASS man, be w8s kind and gantlein his bear- ?
ipg; as g soldier he was equal to the discharge
Of his duty as an nf6csr, dilligens in exc
the orders of his supsriors, and as q
in battle, hs was ever 70 be foun 4 in the
rsnks.
I would also menLioa LieuE-Col. Butler, Of {
he ID Tennessee regiment, who fell while Lead i
Hg his regiment 10 the lsst charge before Rich. :
nond. His life was gtvsn 20 his country while I
the vandal hordes from The sacred pre- y
ineis of the resting plaza Of the dead, which r
n Abolition general had not scIupled TO uro- 7
ame with bis iniquitous followers. 7
The gallant conduct Of Conoael B J. Hill, is r
worthy of conspicuous mention. Two horses :
shot under aim, and three bullets struck Z
is person. In spite of this, lie lod bis brigade, r
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