The Arkansaw traveler., 1882-06-11
FROM THE OHIO TO THE SEA.
Battle of Perryville- The Firs, Sharp ksa..ae kx== lXhs1s R.agg
Counted on an Easy Victory.
Nj. Quad. iDe,rni, Free Press

Had the Wal begun wi,h the battle of perryvillc. as Il did with Bull Kun. history would have gwen II pages instead of lines, and ye, l, was one of the best t,'ugh, and most gallantly- y-eontcsted hghts of the whole war. and its results was a hundred times greater than Erederioksburg. Cham cellotsvlile or Gold Harber. II was Braggs first grapple with the federal command CTS who were to work his downfall m after months. and 1t was movement on his part destined to dispel the confederate H. lusions that Kentucky had only to see the Southern flag to rally by thousands.
 It was September 1862. Kirby smith had fought Gen. Morgan at Rogers Gap. and defeated him, and had pressed on To Rogersville and met and scattered the forces ot Nelson. and had then taken q position at Lexington. From this pnin, he gathered supplies. recruited several rcg- ments. and made such cavalN demonstra- tions as ,o scriousiy alarm Cincinnati Bragg had pushed down and captured Munfordsville and its garrison. and had then turned from the road to Louisville and established himself al Bardsiown Buell's advance at an early day drove him
 
 7th of October tha: Bragg concentrated al ferTy1-ii,ir. .;,. battle. Relieving that he had Buell's forces so widely separated that he would have to deal only with single corps. his plan was ;o concentrate attack. defeat. and then make a junction with Kirby Smith and walk over the. forces -sn that generals front
 McCook had come up slowly. skirmish- ing heavily. and |, was noon of the Sth before he swung into position on the fed eral Jeff. One can yet trace his lines these tong years after The weeds m which hts first line of skirmishers was posted have disappeared and given place to fields of com. and some of the houses and barns are no longer there. but the stone walls and the hills and the shade trees tell the story. II was strong position. so strong that before Hardec moved forward to the attack he had a council with his division scommanders and warned them that the attack must be made with rush to be successful. Two hours after noon Hardec with his three divisions moved out m splen- did style. and the first muskei fired from the federal skirmishcrs in the woods along Rousseau's front killed captain in Buck
 
 eral batteries in position opened fire, and the confederates broke from common time" to -doublc-quick." and rushed to the attack. -
 Chatham's division had come down the MaNville highway, and as they reached the bridge spanning the creek now called after him. they found the fedeTals in their front. and the fight began in bitter earnest. The stone walls behind which the fcderals were posted stand there to-day. showing the marks of hundreds of bullets. and so fierce was the fire from behind these defenses that line upon line of confederatcs pros tra,ed themselves until its fuv should pass. From their positions along the banks and in the timber they soon opened a galiing fire in return. and before the fight had lasted thirty minutes they were gaining ground Many os the guns on the hill above the federal position were silenecd by the f,re of the sharp-shooters. and when it came to be shouted along the lines that Jackson had been killed. the the raw troops in his division. many of whom had never fired a gun before. began to fu,ter. If they gave way they would open fatal gap. \ dozen officers rushed
 
 near enough to hear captain cring ou, Tn stentorian tones:
 Stand finn, boys-for the love of the dear old union. don, give way.'
 Jackson's troops rallied, even though some of the regiments were in full retreat, and they stood to the stone walls and poured in such vollcys that the confedcr. ate advance was paralyted. A captain oi Buckner's division. in describing this par, of the fight, said:
 We saw Jackson's men giving way and with loud cheers we pushed forward to drive them. My company was within hffy feet of the wavering blue line. wher all of a scddenit rallied and gave us suci vollcy tha, nearly half my seventy mer were killed or wounded. and our advanc. tell back in the greatest disorder
 Teriifs men had the stronges, kind O a position, and two batteries behind then were SO posted as to sweep the whole iron, When the confederates were forced bacl by Jackson's men they rallied and moves at an oblique against Terrili. In his di