19 January 1862, Kentucky, War Between the
States
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Letter from a Member of Rutledge's Tennessee Battery Excerpts from "Fishing Creek Fight," Memphis Daily Avalanche, 30 January 1862, page 2. Gen. Crittenden's forces left their breast works at Mill Springs 12 o'clock Saturday night to attack the enemy at Fishing Creek, commenced driving in pickets at dawn Sunday morning, one of our skirmishers being wounded the first fire. Colonels Battle's and Statham's regiments being in the advance made the attack on the enemy, supported by Cols. Newman and Wood. About 8 o'clock the engagement became general and the volleys of musketry and the booming of cannon most terrible. Col. Statham's regiment was on the right, Battle's in the center, and Stanton's on the left, Powell's and Cumming's being the reserve. After a few rounds of musketry had passed, four guns of Capt. Rutledge's artillery opened fire on the enemy and mowed them down by the wholesale; in the meantime, the Mississippi regiment (Col. Statham) made five successive charges, the 20th Tennessee (Col. Battle) four, and Col. Newman's three, the latter fighting the enemy through the fence with bayonets, or pelting the cowards over the head with the butts of their guns, as brilliant charges as were ever made by Southern troops. The enemy being four to one on the left—against Stanton, the artillery (four of Capt. Rutledge's pieces) were ordered down to support him being distant from the enemy's breast works only 50 or 60 yards. There the grape and canister made sad havoc among the Yanks. Gen. Zollicoffer in front of his men, leading them gallantly on, was shot from his horse an hour after the commencement of the fight, within 50 yards of the works of the enemy. Lieut. Shields was also killed in the attempt to rescue the body of the General, and the General of the enemy was shot in the back by one of Zollicoffer's aids immediately after the death of our brave and gallant leader. We had on the field five and a half thousand men, while the enemy had twenty thousand and expecting more reinforcements. Our loss can be safely stated at 300 killed, prisoners and missing, that of the enemy at 800. One of our men, a prisoner who escaped from the enemy, the guards being drunk, states that the guard informed him that their loss was about 1,000 men. Col. Battle, Maj. Duffie, and Adj. Battle of the same regiment, and Capt. Rutledge of the 1st Tennessee artillery, had their horses shot from under them. After fighting for two hours and a half as bravely as ever troops fought, the enemy being reinforced, we were compelled to retire, leaving on the field one cannon, which we were unable to bring away on account of the inability of the horses. We arrived in our breastworks at three in the evening and were not there long till we learned that the enemy were at hand and were going to attack. In a few minutes all were at their posts ready for another fight; but the enemy deeming it prudent not to advance too near, posted themselves a mile distant on a hill, and we opened fire on them with two of our guns, and made them scatter right and left. Their General, on a white horse, rode around considerably till we commenced firing our guns, and then he "vamosed" in double quick time. They were firing five pieces, four being directed against one of ours, and the other at the boat in the river. We could see the effect of our firing, and know that it was effective. After cannonading us for an hour, it being dark, the firing ceased, and about 11 o'clock we received orders to cross the river, which we did in good order—all getting over about day. We were compelled to leave with them, however, twelve pieces of cannon, well spiked, about two hundred wagons, and a good many horses, with all our baggage. Although we had to retreat on account of being overpowered, we are by no means whipped, and killed more of them than they did of us. They shelled our camp well on Sunday morning [Monday, the 20th] before they ventured to go to the breastworks, and I suppose felt like they had "let slip a large bird," when they found that we had gone. Our troops are now at Livingston, and from thence will go to Salina.
Memphis Daily Avalanche, 30 January 1862, page 2, quoting the Knoxville Register of 27 January 1862.
Officers and NCOs of Rutledge's Tennessee
Battery, ca. 1861
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