Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-01-16
A WAR RECORD.
The Battle ofRishmOnd, Kentucky.

The Battle Of fRishnOnd, Kentucky.
A mart Of General Bragg's report OF
his kentucky campaign, published IA
the Co,srier-J Journal of Friday, IS mis-
nrint. Wherein General J. Il. Chalmers
Is represented as commanding one oi
The . two fine brigades" sent 10 rem
force General Z. Kirby Smith, on the
eve of the campaign. 1t was General
p. r. Cleburns' brigade which, WIN
that Of Preston Smith, made up tie
two sent to General Kirby Smlth.
They were constituted by the latter
his advance divisiOn-the post OF
honor. and placed under the COM
Ynand of General Pat. Cleburne, the
ranking officer. Cleburne's own Drig-
.ade 18th Tennessee Confederate lnian-
fry. Colonel B. J. Hills, commander
nv Colonel Polignac and Lieutenant
Colonel J. A. Smith; md Tennessee
Counters. commanded by Colonel
ButIer; 18th Arkansas, commanded
bv Lieutenant Colonel Murray, ana
Colonel Kelly; 18th Arkansas, com
non @ed by Colonel Lucius j. POiki
anJ 1ot;, tennessee, commanded by
Colonel GEO. II. Nixon was under
commsnd of thar *star-bedecked lestu-
er, Colonel, Afterwards B1gaolef-
General, b. j. Hill, Of War en- county,
Tennessee. Preston Smiths EfiRaue
consisted ofthe 1j4th senior TeLat-as.S
regiment, Colonel Edward FitZgera,H I
(Wbo was killed on the opening OF the
fight. and was succeeded by Lieutenant
Colonel NJ. Nageveny, jr., of Memphis,
Major Jno. W. Dawson succeed
ing TO the Internationally; the
18Th Tennessee regiment, Colonel y.
!, Vaughan, jr.: the 18th and 22d
Tenuessee regiments, consolidated,
Colonel afterwards 0enera) Iyree IL. !
Bell: and the 47th Tennessee regi- I
ment, NIaios Thos. r. ShearOn.
Thus organized, these two brigades, |
ranking with the most efficient ana I
vaIorOls commands of Bragg's army, |
made a march Unequaled in rapid |
movement during the war, and at 4
tackled the enemy at Richmond, KY, |
,r-0Ding alone, the first Of the series /
,,f Il, zee battles, which eliminated in 1
= s,ooess for the Confederate arms not 4
,s1naled in th,e war, breaking up, as it |
did RulI Nelson 5 army OF over if |
teen thousand men, which was never
heard of again, all of them who were
not made prisoners flying IN great
confusion to every point OF the COM /
pass, except the South; every piece OF /
their artillery, nearly all OF their
small arms. and all OF their quarter /
master. coInmissary, aud ordinance
stores being captured. The feature OF /
an entire army killed, wounded, cap /
tured and disorganiZed beyond the .
capacity for temperance as distinct I
organization during the war, and all |
of its artillery, small arms and stores /
taken, did not find its parallel in the /
other Confederate successes Of the re- /
80, struggle. To make the record of
tbesa ,ayyo brigades complete, it is well
,,-,oI,e-b IN state that, at the opening of
the first fight in front of Richmond,
C.en CleburDe was sadly wounded, /
and removed from the field; whereon |
Preston Smith assumed command OF
the division. after which the COM
n19nd of his brigade was calamity
directed by Colonel A. j. Vaughan,
Jr.. afterwards Brig.-Gen.) OF the
I3th Tennessee Regiment. Ihere
yvare two batteries Of artillery with
this division, (the names Of the COM
Inanders of which have escaped me,)
which did excellent service. While
this division, as fhe advance, opened
and won the first fight Of the day,
they were not permitted 10 reap all
the glory of the sanguinary occasion.
The division Of Gen. 5. J. Churchill,
of Arkansas, composed Of daring sol
diers from his own State and Texas,
hearing the sound Of the battle, hur-
ried M and bore an equal share in the
DeriIous service, as they divided the
honors Of the two last battles Of the
dav. The escort company attached
10 the official person of Gen. Kirby
Smith, composed Of GeOrgians, COM
Inanded by Capt. Nelson, made gal
fant cavalry charge, armed with sa-
bers. during the fight. Col. John
Scott's cavalry brigade, consisting of
his own first Louisiana regiment,
AIorrisOn's Georgia cavalry, and that
from Tennessee commanded by Col. I
Starnes. succeeded in getting in the
rear. and, unlike most other command
ers who attempted the same thing
du-ing the war, il staid there, as COM
y,osa0 a. II there was no enemy be-
tween them and home, opening
nnon Nelson's army a. it retired,
tremendous n-e, and taking IN
every one of them that did not slip
away under cover Of darkness, includ-
ed among the latter was their wound
ed and desperate leader, Nelson. This
achievement of Col. Scott was one OF
the most practical results which cav
alr,- ELECTED during the wal, and justly
discovered him to be one Of its most
daring and sagaeious leaders, a reputa-
tion Which he appreciated in his after
service, which lasted until the struggle
was over. I started to correct the error
as la one brigade, and find myself
1,nrsnino a track Of history which, fol-
lowed to its close, would be longer
than YOU or your readers would IN
duIge. / reserve for the future more
detailed and extensive statement, and
desist for the present. NJ. w. G.
gfol Hm had enjoyed the distinction OF
.t,ainc, slirnented In general orders, ana
,of b8vfng "A baC ge OF honor placed upon him
nv General Beauregard, commanding the
Army of Ten nes4see. FOR distinguished services
- F.rn1inefon near Corinth, at a critical
Tnoment ina the history OF the army