McLEAN COUNTY HISTORY & GENEALOGY MUSEUM
By Euleen Rickard
The Battle of Sacramento gained national recognition when CIVIL WAR TIMES writer William Stier wrote a feature story titled “Fury takes the Field.” It described Nathan Bradford Forrest’ military career, showing several pictures of him, his scouts and a picture of the main street of Sacramento as it was in the 1880s.
Forrest the son of a blacksmith, was a native of Tennessee with no formal military training but he was described by many as “perhaps the best cavalry commander on either side.” Writer Stier wrote that “before the war he had amassed a sizeable fortune and he paid for many of his battalion’s needs out of his own pocket. He was naturally left-handed but taught himself to draw his pistol and saber with both hands. At the time of the Battle of Sacramento he was a 40-year old Lieutenant Colonel but rose to the rank of Lieutenant General.” Major General William T. Sherman remembered him as “that Devil Forrest.”
Tennessee has a state park, two statues, two obelisks and more that thirty historical makers to Confederate General Forrest. In the brochure “Kentucky’s Civil War Heritage Trail” the Battle of Sacramento is described as Forrest’ first. His goal was to “protect the Confederate base and capital at Bowling Green and to control the Green River.” The river was needed by both sides for transportation of supplies.
In 1938 when the novel “Gone With the Wind”, a saga of the South during the Civil War was published and a movie of the book was made, many read the book and saw the movie. We stood in line to get into the theater and aside from the famous line by Clark Gable “Frankly Charlotte, I don’t give a dam” that got so much attention at the time, I remember the scenes of the burning of Atlanta better than other parts. After the movie there was much discussion of the Civil War and Mr. Mattingly our history teacher at Sacramento High School told us of the battle of Sacramento, calling it a skirmish, compared to other well-known battles.
At that time no one seemed to know the exact location. It was said to be south of the school near the forks of the road (highways 81and 85) or the “Y” as we called it, at a place called Garst Pond. Ben and Ernest Garst lived just south of the “Y” and for years I pictured the pond near their house as the site of the battle.
On Sunday, January 2, 2000 the Los Angeles Times had a short story telling of the battle of Sacramento. The Battle brought Sacramento, the namesake of Sacramento, California and McLean County recognition on the west coast and each year it draws many to McLean County.
Albert L. Collins, a Union soldier camped at Calhoun with the 43rd Illinois Regiment wrote “Camp Calhoun is near the little town of Calhoun on the Green River at Lock No. 2. It took the regiment one whole day to get across the river. We crossed in a small ferry boat.” The museum has copies of three letters written by Civil War soldiers, two were written by soldiers camped at Calhoun.
If you are visiting the many sites on the Battle of Sacramento tour, take time while in Calhoun to see the display honoring the men and women of McLean County who served in all wars in which our country has been involved. The museum will be open on Friday and Saturday, 11 AM-4PM and on Sunday 1-4PM. Lunch will be available on Friday 16th beginning at 11AM.