Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1886-10-21
The BATTLE OF PERRYVILLE
Reunion of Veterans on the
Battlefield.
Speech of General John Beatty

I SptCkdl u llIt OlllO CldtS OOuIudls
DANvILLE, KY, Oct. Sat eight thi'
morning the representatives of the Thirt
Ohio regiment present here started in
carriages for the battlefield of Perry
vile. As they proceeded it became evil
dent tnat the whole country around was
to join in the exercises of the day. Ev,
cry cross road found its quota, and long
before we arrived at Perryville the main
road showed a continual procession Of
vehicles and people on horseback extend,
ing for ten miles along the turnpike
Perryville is ten miles directly west of
Danville, and the ride thither was
through rich agricultural country, slo-
ping down somewhat as we approached
the bills of Chaplin river, amidst which
the battle was fought.
Perryville never saw such day since
the era of the great battle. About two
miles northwest of the village is the
line of heights which formed the chief
scene of the battle. Here is grove of
trees, SCARED by the conflict, in which
the reunion was held. Four thousand
people were assembled on these heights,
and here the formal exercises took place.
A bountiful dinner was served upon
the grass, and then Gen. Speed S. Fry
delivered an eloquent welcoming speech,
which was frequently applauded by the
great throng of people present. General
John Beatty delivered to attentive
hearers the following address:
Lowell H. Rousseau was Kentuckian
who entered the volunteer service from
civil life. He was TALL handsome
man, of good education and high cour
age. His command in October, 1862,
consisted of three brig AIDES of infantry
and four batteries of artillery. The
brigades were Lytle's (the Seventeenth),
Harris (the Ninth), and Starkweather's
(the Twenty eighty; the batteries we're
were Loomis', SimoDsons, Stones and
Bush's. About noon on October s..
Rousseau advanced the Seventeenth and
Ninth brigades of his division eastward
ly on the Mackville road to the brow of
the little ridge on which we stand. his
object being to reach the creek beyond
and obtain water for his men. He and
his staff and Lytle and his staff were
riding at the head of the. column. The
Third Ohio marching by the flank fol-
lowed Immediately behind them. As
Rousseau was about to descend into the
valley the enemy opened with a vigor-
Gus fire upon him from their batteries
on the hills to the east. He at once
halted the column, and after hurried
consultation with Lytle the Third Ohio
was ordered to countermarch to the foot
of the hill it had just assembled and file
off to the right of the Mackville road
In the position to which were thus as
signed the higher ground in our front
protected US from the enemy's guns, and
we retained it for nearly two hours, du-
ring wbich-for part of the time at
least there was in progress furious
Interchange of shot and she'll passing
above our heads between Loemis' and
Simon's batteries near the Russell house,
and the confederate batteries on the
high ground beyond Doctors fork Of the
Chaplin river.
About o'clock in the afternoon the
enemy's infantry was seen approaching
and the Third, moving to the crest of
the ridge, took position with his left
on the Mackville road and its right rest
ing at or near barn. which an hour
later was fired by exploding shells and
burned to the ground. The Fifteenth
Kentucky, under Col Curran Pope, was
at this time e o'clock in reserve ready
to movs either to the right, left or front,
as the exigencies of battle might require.
The Tenth Ohio aud Forty-second Indi-
ana were on the left of the road, and to
their left, stretching off northwardly on
the high ground, was Harris brigade,
with Terrell's brigade of Jackson's di
vision in its rear, on the left of Terrell,
and well refused, was Starkweather's
brigade of Rousseau's division.
1t will be observed from the line indi-
Gated that Stark weather's brigade was
on the extreme left of McCook's corps,
and the Third Ohio and Fifteenth Ken
lucky on the extreme right. The latter
regiments, however, were not by any
means on the right. OF the Federal
army, Sheridan's division of Gllbert's
corps lay in the woods and fields south
of US with its left few hundred yards
away and its center on the Springfield
road. 4 little later in the day Mitch
ellis division went into line just behind
Sheridan. And at o'clock Schoepf s di
vision advanced on the Springfield
road to the crossing of Doctors fork,
about one mile in the rear of Mitchell.
But even these were not the only Union
troops on our right on that day were
ready and eager for battle. Beyond
Sheridan, off toward the Lebanon road,
was Crittenden's corps. consisting of
Woods, Vancleve's and Smiths divis-
ions-about 10000 men. There were
then on this field, and within striking
distance, during the afternoon of Oct. s,
1862, $4,000 Union soldiers, while on the
Confederate side there were but three
divisions-Cheatham' AndeTsOn's and
Buckner $4,000 men all told, includ-
ing the cavalry.
How did it happen, therefore, that the
battle was so disastrous to the national
arms2 The explanation is simply this:
The three divisions on the right of the
line Woods Vadcleve's and Smiths
owing to the direction in which a stiff