The National tribune., 1906-05-03
OF THE
CUMBERLAND.

w Xu DLN Ian lie
Confined from page ID
held Aug. II. At this ii was decided
to evacuate the position as preferable.
to remaining there longer. which could
only mean the surrender of 10000 men,
% cannon, $4,000 small arms and a
large stock of ammunition. Aug Is
preparations were made for retreat by
mining the cliffs to block the road, dis
abling the siege guns. throwing them
over the cliffs. and getting what could
not be carried away In shape to burn.
That evening q large wagon train was
started back by the way of Manchester,
and Aug. 10 the whole force followed,
with the rear guard setting fire to the
stores and blowing up the mines as Ii
fell back from the stronghold. AS Nor
gan could not retire by the direct road
to Lexington without coming into con-
f1ict with Kirby Smiths superior forces,
he turned off through the mountains
! and the wilderness country TO the right,
and after days Of exhausting hardship,
when he was much annoyed by John
H. Morgan's cavalry and the BUSH
whackers, he finally reached the Ohio
River at Greenupsburg, with his men
nearly naked his horses and mules
worn out, and his wagons and artillery
dilapidated. -
Kirby smifh'. Advance.
Believing that Gen. G. W. Morgan's
holding Cumberland Gap effectually
shut off all danger from East Tonnes
see, the Union troops in eastern Ken
lucky had been scattered to various
points to protect them from John Nor
gan's raids, and the annoying. robbing
guerrllas. The arrival of Kirby Smith
at Barboursville, KY. with a strong
force therefore came like bolt Of
lightning from q clear sky. Smiths
advance was led by Col. Scott, with a
small brigade of cavalry, which rushed
over the country. spreading direful It'd
ingS of the immense force following.
The force was indeed formidable to
| anything that there was then in the
country to oppose it. Smith had with
him four brigades. about 1000 men,
commanded by Cleburne, McCray, Nc
Nair and Churchill. Gen. Harry Heth
was coming up with about 5000 more,
and Stevenson advanced through Cum
berland Gap, as soon as MOrgan's re :
treat opened the way. In letter to
Bragg. Aug. "a. Kirby Smith said he
had about $4,000 effective men,"
The news of this advance spread the
most intense alarm beyond the Ohio
River, and brought out thousands of
volunteers, who were hastily form
ed into regiments and rushed forward
into Kentucky. Smith pushed forward
SO rapidly that in three days he was
y
and at Wild Cat Gap, the gateway to
the fertile Blue Grass region. There
Col. Metcalf made a gallant effort to
check him, but his little command was
crushed and scattered. :.
Aug. 19 the Department of the Ohio
was re-established, with Maj.-Gen. Ho-
| ratio G. Wright in command. He sent
orders to Gen. Nelson TO organize and
concentrate his troops, SO as not to be
overwhelmed. Gen. Nelson was FORM
ing brigades Of the new troops rushing
in, by making an old regiment as the
nucleus. with it's Colonel as commander.
Gen. Manson was in command of a
S9th and list Ind, with Lanphere's
Battery. OF these only the 18th Ind.
had ever been under fire. Manson was
short distance from Richmond, KY,
and near him was another new bril-
gade, to the command of which Gen.
Charles Gruft had been assigned few
days before. This consisted of the 18th
KY, 95th Ohio, 18th Ind. Seth Ind,
Sd Tenn. and Andrews's Michigan Bat
terry. Except the 18th KY, all these
were perfectly new troops, some of them
without field officers. In Manson's and
Cruft's Brigades there were perhaps
5000 or 1000 men, mostly citizens,
without any knowledge Of drill or dis
cipline. The Michigan Battery had
only received it's horses and guns the
week before. Gen. Nelson ordered Gen.
Manson to retreat by the Lancaster
road, to where Nelson was massing
troops in the neighborhood of Danville,
to throw on Kirby Smiths flank. But
Manson had in him too strongly the
spirit of fight, and not liking the posi-
ton, he marched forward, Aug. 80, five
miles to attack the rebel advance, or
dering Cruft to move up and join him.
Unutterably green as his men were,
they made a savage fight, and only fell
back when Kirby Smith easily turned
their flank with his greatly-superior
forces, and sent his cavalry into their
rear. Then they fed in wild disorder.
Gen. Nelson was at Lancaster when he
heard the noise of the battle, and, pro-
curing fresh horses, galloped forward
through the woods, attended by single
officer. He had to take by-paths to
avoid the rebel cavalry, and finally
reached a point three miles south of
Richmond, to find himself i'm the center
of a horde of fugitives. He rallied about
1900 of them, with the assistance Of
Manson and Cruft. and attempted to
make stand. Kirby Smith swept
around the TANKS again, and the stam-
pede was renewed.
Nelson was severely wounded, but
managed to reach Louisville with a part
of his troops. He had lost 225 killed,
500 wounded and about 1000 captured.
Kirby Smith had over 900 killed and
wounded to attest the earnestness with
which the green Hoosiers had used
their rifles Among the wounded was
Pat. Cleburne.
Kirby Smith pushed on to Lexington,
and sent Gen. Heth with 5000 men to
threaten Cincinnati and Covington, but
not to attack. He was to occupy at
tention while Smith gathered up sup
plies and recruits.
(To be continued.)
The ASfh III.