Battle of Mill Springs

Last updated
Battle of Mill Springs
Part of the American Civil War
Battle of Somerset or Mill Springs, Harper's Weekly.jpg
Battle of Somerset, or Mill Spring
Harper's Weekly, February 8 1862
DateJanuary 19, 1862 (1862-01-19)
Location
Pulaski County and Wayne County, Kentucky
Result Union victory
Belligerents
Flag of the United States (1861-1863).svg United States (Union) Flag of the Confederate States of America (1861-1863).svg CSA (Confederacy)
Commanders and leaders
George H. Thomas George B. Crittenden
Felix Kirk Zollicoffer   †
Units involved
Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota and Tennessee infantry, cavalry and artillery regiments Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama infantry, cavalry and artillery regiments
Strength
4,400 5,900
Casualties and losses
39 killed
207 wounded [1] 		125 killed
404 wounded/missing [1]

The Battle of Mill Springs, also known as the Battle of Fishing Creek in the Confederacy, and the Battle of Logan's Cross Roads or Battle of Somerset in the Union, was fought in Wayne and Pulaski counties, near current Nancy, Kentucky, on January 19, 1862, as part of the American Civil War. The Union victory concluded an early Confederate offensive campaign in south central Kentucky.

Contents

In late 1861, Confederate Brig. Gen. Felix Zollicoffer guarded Cumberland Gap, the eastern end of a defensive line extending from Columbus, Kentucky. In November he advanced west into Kentucky to strengthen control in the area around Somerset and made Mill Springs his winter quarters, taking advantage of a strong defensive position. Union Brig. Gen. George H. Thomas, ordered to break up the army of Maj. Gen. George B. Crittenden (Zollicoffer's superior), sought to drive the Confederates across the Cumberland River. His force arrived at Logan's Crossroads on January 17, 1862, where he waited for Brig. Gen. Albin Schoepf's troops from Somerset to join him. The Confederate force under Crittenden attacked Thomas at Logan's Crossroads at dawn on January 19. Unbeknownst to the Confederates, some of Schoepf's troops had arrived as reinforcements. The Confederates achieved early success, but Union resistance rallied and Zollicoffer was killed. A second Confederate attack was repulsed. Union counterattacks on the Confederate right and left were successful, forcing them from the field in a retreat that ended in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Mill Springs was the first significant Union victory of the war, much celebrated in the popular press, but was soon eclipsed by Ulysses S. Grant's victories at Forts Henry and Donelson.

Background

In 1861 the critical border state of Kentucky had declared neutrality in the fight to maintain the Union. This neutrality was first violated on September 3, when Confederate Brig. Gen. Gideon J. Pillow, acting on orders from Maj. Gen. Leonidas Polk, occupied Columbus, and two days later, Union Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant seized Paducah. Henceforth, neither adversary respected the proclaimed neutrality of the state and the Confederate advantage was lost; the buffer zone that Kentucky provided was no longer available to assist in the defense of Tennessee. [2]

By early 1862, a single Confederate general, Albert Sidney Johnston, commanded all forces from Arkansas to the Cumberland Gap. His forces were spread thinly over a wide defensive line. His left flank was Polk in Columbus with 12,000 men. The center consisted of two forts under the command of Brig. Gen. Lloyd Tilghman, with 4,000. Forts Henry and Donelson were the sole positions to defend the important Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, respectively. His right flank was in Kentucky, with Brig. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner's 4,000 men in Bowling Green, and about 4,000 in the Military District of East Tennessee under Maj. Gen. George B. Crittenden, which had the responsibility for guarding the Cumberland Gap, the gateway for entering pro-Unionist East Tennessee. [3]

Crittenden's 1st Brigade was commanded by Brig. Gen. Felix Zollicoffer, whose main responsibility was to guard the Cumberland Gap. Assuming that the gap was fortified satisfactorily, in November 1861 he advanced west into Kentucky to move closer to the Confederate forces in Bowling Green and to strengthen control in the area around Somerset. The southern bank of the Cumberland River at Mill Springs was a bluff and a strong defensive position, whereas the northern bank was low and flat. Zollicoffer chose to move most of his men to the north bank where they would be closer to nearby Union troops, incorrectly assuming that it was more defensible. Both Crittenden and Albert Sidney Johnston ordered Zollicoffer to relocate south of the river, but he could not comply because he had insufficient boats to cross the unfordable river quickly and was afraid his brigade would be caught by the enemy halfway across. [4]

Union Brig. Gen. George H. Thomas received orders to drive the Confederates across the Cumberland River and break up Crittenden's army. Thomas left Lebanon and slowly marched through rain-soaked country, arriving at Logan's Crossroads on January 17, where he waited for Brig. Gen. Albin F. Schoepf's troops from Somerset to join him. [5] Crittenden, who until early January had remained in his headquarters in Knoxville, arrived at Mill Springs and realized that his inexperienced subordinate was in a dangerous situation. He devised a plan to attack the Union force before it could concentrate against him. One section of the Union Army, three brigades under Thomas, was located at Logan's Crossroads, while Schoepf's brigade was at Somerset, separated by rain-swollen Fishing Creek, which might be a sufficient barrier to prevent the forces from joining quickly. Crittenden ordered Zollicoffer to attack the Union camp at Logan's Crossroads at dawn on January 19. [6]

Opposing forces

Union

Confederate

Battle

Battle of Mill Springs, Confederate attacks .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{} Confederate Union Mill Springs Confederate attacks.png
Battle of Mill Springs, Confederate attacks
  Confederate
  Union
Battle of Mill Springs, Union attacks Mill Springs Union attacks.png
Battle of Mill Springs, Union attacks

The Confederate march through the night was hampered by rain and mud, and the troops arrived at Logan's Crossroads cold and miserable. Many of the men carried antique, Napoleonic-style flintlock muskets, which became almost useless in the wet weather. The slowness of the march had cost them the element of surprise.

Shooting of Confederate general Zollicoffer by Colonel Fry Frank Leslie's scenes and portraits of the Civil War (1894) (14762938635).jpg
Shooting of Confederate general Zollicoffer by Colonel Fry

Nevertheless, they launched a spirited attack, led from the front by Zollicoffer, and achieved some initial success. The 15th Mississippi Infantry and the 20th Tennessee pushed back the (Union) 4th Kentucky Infantry, under Col. Speed S. Fry, as well as the 2nd Minnesota and 10th Indiana and some Union cavalry. [7]

In the poor visibility of the dark woods, clouded with gunsmoke, confusion reigned. Zollicoffer, who was conspicuous in front of his men with a white raincoat, mistakenly approached the Union 4th Kentucky infantry, believing they were Confederates firing on their own men. Zollicoffer was shot and killed, allegedly by Col. Fry himself. [8] The sudden death of their commander and heavy fire from Fry's regiment caused the center of the Confederate line to fall back momentarily in confusion. Crittenden rallied his men and ordered a general advance by Zollicoffer's brigade and the brigade of Brig. Gen. William H. Carroll. [9]

At this point, Thomas arrived on the field and ordered the 9th Ohio to advance while the 2nd Minnesota maintained heavy fire from the front line. Col. Robert L. McCook, commanding Thomas's 3rd Brigade, wrote that the lines were so close that the "enemy and the Second Minnesota were poking their guns through the same fence." When the 9th Ohio turned the Confederate left flank, the battle was decided. The Confederate troops broke and ran back toward Mill Springs in a disorderly rout, and Crittenden, who was rumored to be drunk during the battle, was powerless to stop them. They frantically crossed to the south side of the Cumberland, abandoning twelve valuable artillery pieces, 150 wagons, more than 1,000 horses and mules, and all of their dead and wounded. The retreat continued all the way to Chestnut Mound, Tennessee, (near Carthage), about 50 miles (80 km) due east of Nashville. [10]

Aftermath

Casualties were relatively light. Union losses were 39 killed and 207 wounded, Confederate 125 killed and 404 wounded or missing. [1] Crittenden's military career was also a casualty. Accused of drunkenness and treason, his army was disbanded and he was reassigned to be a corps commander under Buckner at Bowling Green. Within two months he was relieved of his command and arrested for a subsequent episode of drunkenness. [11] In October 1862, after a court of inquiry ordered by General Braxton Bragg, Crittenden resigned as a general and served without rank on the staff of Brig. Gen. John S. Williams and other officers in western Virginia for the remainder of the war. [12]

The Battle of Mill Springs, along with the Battle of Middle Creek on January 10, broke the main Confederate defensive line that was anchored in eastern Kentucky. [13] Confederate fortunes in the state did not rise again until summer when Gen. Braxton Bragg and Maj. Gen. Kirby Smith launched their Kentucky Campaign, which culminated in the Battle of Perryville and Bragg's subsequent retreat. Mill Springs was the larger of the two Union Kentucky victories in January 1862. With these victories, the U.S. carried the war into Middle Tennessee in February.[ citation needed ]

Battlefield today

Map of Mill Springs Battlefield core and study areas by the American Battlefield Protection Program. Mill Springs Battlefield Kentucky.jpg
Map of Mill Springs Battlefield core and study areas by the American Battlefield Protection Program.

The Mill Springs battlefield is located in Pulaski County, not far from Nancy, Kentucky and also in Mill Springs in Wayne County across from the lake (Cumberland river at the time of the battle). The historic town of Mill Springs, after which the battle was named, is actually across Lake Cumberland. This section of the battlefield, in Wayne County Kentucky, still offers the only two remaining structures remaining from the actual battle. The Brown-Lanier House and the West Metcalfe house are still standing and have weekend guided tours available in the summer months. Both buildings are operated by the Mill Springs Battlefield Association. To access this portion of the battle area on the other side of the lake one must travel via Highway 90 south towards Monticello and onto Highway 1275.

Portions of the battlefield in Pulaski county are preserved as a county park (named Zollicoffer Park in honor of the slain general). The Mill Springs Battlefield Association has protected portions of the battlefield by the acquisition of development rights to what is still a largely rural landscape, or by outright purchase. Zollicoffer Park contains the Confederate Cemetery, which consists of a mass grave. Nearby grave markers represent many of the fallen Confederate soldiers thought or confirmed to be in the mass grave itself. There is a corresponding Mill Springs National Cemetery in Nancy, where the Union dead were interred.

The battlefield, which covers about 105 acres (42 ha), was named by the United States Secretary of the Interior as one of the top twenty-five priority battlefields and is considered a historic landmark. The Zollie Tree was the tree attributed as the place Felix Zollicoffer fell; it no longer exists, the victim of a lightning strike, but the stump is marked. The American Battlefield Trust and its partners have acquired and preserved 769 acres at Mill Springs in 20 different land transactions from 1993 to 2023. [14]

On November 4, 2006, the Mill Springs Battlefield Visitors Center and Museum was officially dedicated. [15] Several commemorative ceremonies are held at the battlefield each year, including candlelight tours, living history presentations, and occasional re-enactments.

On January 15, 2013, Kentucky Representative Hal Rogers introduced the bill H.R. 298, officially titled "To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to evaluate the significance of the Mill Springs Battlefield located in Pulaski and Wayne Counties, Kentucky, and the feasibility of its inclusion in the National Park System, and for other purposes." [16] [17] Rogers said that "the Battle of Mill Springs is a source of great pride and interest to the people I serve." [18] Rogers argued that the Battlefield was a "jewel" and would be "an excellent addition to the National Park Service." [18] The John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, signed into law on March 12, 2019, established the site as Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument. [19]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Eicher, p. 163.
  2. ↑ Eicher, pp. 111–13.
  3. ↑ Esposito, text to map 25.
  4. ↑ Eicher, p. 161; Kennedy, p. 32; Woodworth, pp. 65–66.
  5. ↑ War Department, United States. "Operations in KY., Tenn., N. Ala., and S. W. VA". The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Washington, D. C.: Government Printing Office, 1888. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  6. ↑ Woodworth, p. 67.
  7. ↑ Eicher, p. 162; Woodworth, pp. 67–68.
  8. ↑ Fry is generally credited with firing the fatal shot that killed General Zollicoffer, although this has been disputed since there was also a group of Union soldier around Colonel Fry who fired at the same time. See for instance, Brown, p. 63, and Eicher, p. 162. Johnston, p. 54, states that Zollicoffer was killed by "a Federal officer." Smith, p. 18, contends that the recognition of Fry's role was from General Thomas, but that Southern historians prefer to attribute the deaths to a volley from Fry's regiment. According to an account of Dr. D. B. Cliffe, one of Zollicoffer's surgeons, the general died from four bullets—two in the head and one each in the chest and thigh.
  9. ↑ Eicher, p. 162; Kennedy, p. 32; Woodworth, p. 68.
  10. ↑ Woodworth, pp. 68–69; Hewitt, p. 43; Eicher, pp. 162–63.
  11. ↑ Woodworth, pp. 68–69.
  12. ↑ Hewitt, p. 43.
  13. ↑ Kennedy, p. 30.
  14. ↑ "Mill Springs Battlefield". American Battlefield Trust . Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  15. ↑ "It's Open!", The Zollie Tree (newsletter of the Mill Springs Battlefield Association), V. XI, No. 7, Winter 2007, p. 1.
  16. ↑ "H.R. 298 – Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  17. ↑ Marcos, Cristina (28 April 2014). "House votes to allow more DC penthouses". The Hill. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  18. 1 2 Smoot, Danielle (28 April 2014). "Rogers' Mill Springs Battlefield Bill Moves Forward". Office of Hal Rogers. Archived from the original on 30 April 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  19. ↑ Gammon, Katharine (2019-03-12). "Trump approves five national monuments – from black history to dinosaur bones". The Guardian. Retrieved 2019-03-17.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Sidney Johnston</span> American army general (1803–1862)

Albert Sidney Johnston was an American military officer who served as a general in three different armies: the Texian Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States Army. He saw extensive combat during his 34-year military career, fighting actions in the Black Hawk War, the Texas-Indian Wars, the Mexican–American War, the Utah War, and the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Chickamauga</span> American Civil War battle

The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 18–20, 1863, between the United States Army and Confederate forces in the American Civil War, marked the end of a U.S. Army offensive, the Chickamauga Campaign, in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia. It was the first major battle of the war fought in Georgia, the most significant US defeat in the Western Theater, and involved the second-highest number of casualties after the Battle of Gettysburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Stones River</span> Major battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of Stones River, also known as the Second Battle of Murfreesboro, was fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. Of the major battles of the war, Stones River had the highest percentage of casualties on both sides. The battle ended in Union victory after the Confederate army's withdrawal on January 3, largely due to a series of tactical miscalculations by Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg, but the victory was costly for the Union army. Nevertheless, it was an important victory for the Union because it provided a much-needed boost in morale after the Union's recent defeat at Fredericksburg and also reinforced President Abraham Lincoln's foundation for issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, which ultimately discouraged European powers from intervening on the Confederacy's behalf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Fort Henry</span> 1862 battle of the American Civil War in Tennessee

The Battle of Fort Henry was fought on February 6, 1862, in Stewart County, Tennessee, during the American Civil War. It was the first important victory for the Union and Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in the Western Theater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Fort Donelson</span> Battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 11–16, 1862, in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The Union capture of the Confederate fort near the Tennessee–Kentucky border opened the Cumberland River, an important avenue for the invasion of the South. The Union's success also elevated Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant from an obscure and largely unproven leader to the rank of major general, and earned him the nickname of "Unconditional Surrender" Grant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Perryville</span> 1862 battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive during the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg's Army of Mississippi initially won a tactical victory against primarily a single corps of Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell's Union Army of the Ohio. The battle is considered a strategic Union victory, sometimes called the Battle for Kentucky, since Bragg withdrew to Tennessee soon thereafter. The Union retained control of the critical border state of Kentucky for the remainder of the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Missionary Ridge</span> Battle of the American Civil War, 1863

The Battle of Missionary Ridge, also known as the Battle of Chattanooga, was fought on November 25, 1863, as part of the Chattanooga campaign of the American Civil War. Following the Union victory in the Battle of Lookout Mountain on November 24, Union forces in the Military Division of the Mississippi under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant assaulted Missionary Ridge and defeated the Confederate Army of Tennessee, commanded by Gen. Braxton Bragg, forcing it to retreat to Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tullahoma campaign</span> Military campaign of the American Civil War

The Tullahoma campaign was a military operation conducted from June 24 to July 3, 1863, by the Union Army of the Cumberland under Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans, and is regarded as one of the most brilliant maneuvers of the American Civil War. Its effect was to drive the Confederates out of Middle Tennessee and to threaten the strategic city of Chattanooga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Battle of Corinth</span> Major battle of the American Civil War

The Second Battle of Corinth was fought October 3–4, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi. For the second time in the Iuka–Corinth Campaign, Union Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans defeated a Confederate army, this time one under Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Iuka</span> 1862 battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of Iuka was fought on September 19, 1862, in Iuka, Mississippi, during the American Civil War. In the opening battle of the Iuka-Corinth Campaign, Union Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans stopped the advance of the Confederate Army of the West commanded by Maj. Gen. Sterling Price.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felix Zollicoffer</span> American newspaperman, politician, and soldier

Felix Kirk Zollicoffer was an American newspaperman, slave owner, politician, and soldier. A three-term United States Congressman from Tennessee, an officer in the United States Army, and a Confederate brigadier general during the American Civil War; he led the first Confederate invasion of eastern Kentucky and was killed in action at the Battle of Mill Springs. Zollicoffer was the first Confederate general to die in the Western Theater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George B. Crittenden</span> U.S. Army and Confederate Army officer (1812-1880)

George Bibb Crittenden was a career United States Army officer who served in the Black Hawk War, the Army of the Republic of Texas, and the Mexican–American War, and later resigned his commission to serve as a general in the Confederate States Army in the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Barbourville</span> Battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of Barbourville was one of the early engagements of the American Civil War. It took place on September 19, 1861, in Knox County, Kentucky during the campaign known as the Kentucky Confederate Offensive. The battle is considered the first Confederate victory in the commonwealth, and threw a scare into Federal commanders, who rushed troops to central Kentucky to try to repel the invasion, which was finally stopped at the Battle of Camp Wildcat in October.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knoxville campaign</span> 1863 campaign in the American Civil War

The Knoxville campaign was a series of American Civil War battles and maneuvers in East Tennessee during the fall of 1863 designed to secure control of the city of Knoxville and with it the railroad that linked the Confederacy east and west, and position the First Corps under Longstreet for return to the Army of Northern Virginia. Union Army forces under Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside occupied Knoxville, Tennessee, and Confederate States Army forces under Lt. Gen. James Longstreet were detached from Gen. Braxton Bragg's Army of Tennessee at Chattanooga to prevent Burnside's reinforcement of the besieged Federal forces there. Ultimately, Longstreet's Siege of Knoxville ended when Union Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman led elements of the Army of the Tennessee and other troops to Burnside's relief after Union troops had broken the Confederate siege of Chattanooga. Although Longstreet was one of Gen. Robert E. Lee's best corps commanders in the East in the Army of Northern Virginia, he was unsuccessful in his attempt to penetrate the Knoxville defenses and take the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chattanooga campaign</span> 1863 series of battles of the American Civil War

The Chattanooga campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in October and November 1863, during the American Civil War. Following the defeat of Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans's Union Army of the Cumberland at the Battle of Chickamauga in September, the Confederate Army of Tennessee under Gen. Braxton Bragg besieged Rosecrans and his men by occupying key high terrain around Chattanooga, Tennessee. Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant was given command of Union forces in the West, now consolidated under the Division of the Mississippi. Significant reinforcements also began to arrive with him in Chattanooga from Mississippi and the Eastern Theater. On October 18, Grant removed Rosecrans from command of the Army of the Cumberland and replaced him with Major General George Henry Thomas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Confederate Mass Grave Monument in Somerset</span> United States historic place

The Confederate Mass Grave Monument in Somerset in Pulaski County, Kentucky, near Nancy, Kentucky, honors the Confederate soldiers who are buried here who died at the Battle of Mill Springs. These soldiers were from Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee, and number over one hundred in total.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Felix K. Zollicoffer Monument</span> United States historic place

The General Felix K. Zollicoffer Monument in Pulaski County, Kentucky, near Nancy, Kentucky, commemorates the death of Confederate Gen. Felix K. Zollicoffer, who died here at the Battle of Mill Springs. A native of nearby Tennessee, he fought for the Confederacy. Zollicoffer was killed due to not realizing he was approaching Union lines instead of the Confederate line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of the Cumberland Gap (1862)</span> Battle of the American Civil War

The June 1862 capture of the Cumberland Gap was a Union victory during the American Civil War leading to Union occupation of the Cumberland Gap for three months.

The Battle of Camp Wildcat was one of the early engagements of the American Civil War. It occurred October 21, 1861, in northern Laurel County, Kentucky during the campaign known as the Kentucky Confederate Offensive or Operations in Eastern Kentucky (1861). The battle is considered one of the first Union victories of the Civil War, and marked the second engagement of troops in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument</span> United States historic place

The Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument was the location of the Battle of Mill Springs in January 1862. It was declared to be a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1993 and authorized as a national monument in 2019. After acquisition of property by the National Park Service it was established as a unit on September 22, 2020.

References

37°03′22″N84°44′18″W / 37.0562°N 84.7383°W / 37.0562; -84.7383

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.