Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-01-29

from the St. Louis Republican. The
Capt. Merrill mentioned below is the
present Nashville correspondent Of the
Louisville Comfer-JonndI
WHO BROUGHT THE NEWS.
"That is question that has never been
settled, and probably never viii be. 1t is a
fact, however, that can be substantiated By
thousands of living witnesses, that the de-
tails Of the battle of Mill Springs reached
Paris, KY, on the 18th day Of January,
1862. The rQmor was that the battle had
occurred two days before-that Gen. Zoili-
Golfer had been attacked at Fishing Creek,
or Mill Springs, that be had been killed and
his body stripped, mutilated and thrown
into swamp, and his army completely
routed. Also that Maj. Bale Peyton had
fallen; that a Mississippi regiment, support
ed by regiment from Tennessee, had be-
baved handsomely, while the remainder of
the army had from some cause become
panic stricken early in the fight and fed
from the field completely demoralized.
The whole bluegrass region of Kentucky
became excited over the neTs-the pArtic-
ulars, as above related, were on every
tongue, and so they spread all over Eastern
Kentucky and Tennessee, and into West
Virginia. Let it be remembered that this Tu-
NOR started in Paris, KY, on the 18th of
January, 1862. Citizens of Paris wrote to
their friends in other States, giving these
details. and these letters are still in exist
ence to speak for themselves, bearing the
above date, and two or three days there
after.
In those days we used to hear Of messages
by the grape vine telegraph, and passengers
by the underground railroad. II the report
Of the battle of Mil Springs and the death
of Zollicoifer came by either of these lines,
il is more extraordinary than any feat ever
performed by lightning or steam. The
wonders Of this performance are yet dis
cussed by many who were cognizant Of the
occurrence, and the fact that the particulars
of this battle, so received, got into the news
papers and were treated as current news.
Capt. G.. E. Merrill, of the Confederate
army, has lately given his recollection of it
as singular incident of the late war. Capt.
Merrill is the sen of g Mississippi planter,
and commanded Mississippi regiment in
the war. He passed through Lexington,
Ky., on the night of Jan. II, 1862, hasten
ing to rejoin his command in Virginia, by
way of Cumberland Gap. Before daylight
the next morning be took shelter in the
house of a Southern sympatbizer until the
following night, preferTing to prosecute his
disloyal journey between two suns. He
states that be spent the 18th Of January in
company with several gentlemen from
Clark, FaYette and BourboE counties. and
they were full of the news OF the battle
above alluded to. They did not know ex-
actly how the news came, but they had its
history in the minutest details.
We give paragraph or two Of Cap.
Merril's account.
"This rumor, heralded on the 18th Of
January, and l continued to meet it al |
along my route through the mountains Of
East Kentucky until l reached Arlington,
Vs.,which point made on the night of 18th.
On that night 1 solicited sleep rather than
companionship, and retired to my bedroom
at the hotel, well content to hsve at last
reached the civilization of Dixie IN safety.
What was my surprise, however, on
awakening next morning, to hear that on
the day before,sthe 18th, Ger. Zollicoffsr's
army had been beaten, himself killed, ETC.,
with sll the incidents, just as had heard
q 1Cec6 before in Central KentQcky. what p
exclaimed, has there been another bat
tie? And has Gen. Z0llicofsr been killed
second time?'"
The battle in which Zollicofer was
killed really occurred on the 10Th of jan
uary, 1872, seven days after the rumor
above related was current in Paris, KY.
The people had been discussing it for
week, were startled at the remarkable coin
cldence. The details given by the rumor,
and the actual events correspond so exactly
TO the minutest particulars. 1t has not
ceased to be a wonder to this day. The
realization of the intelligence was so as
founding that efforts were made to trace
the rumor back to its source. 1t was only
ascertained that some stranger sccosted a
citizen OF Paris, called him by name, and
related The battle of Mil Springs on the
18th of January, which battle did not take
place TIL the 10Th of January following"