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Camp Joe Underwood The 9th's 1st Skirmish

According to a Barren County Historian who was not only a cousin but a dear friend, Jimmy Simmons, Camp Joe Underwood lay in the Nobob section of Barren County. Though Barren County was primarily Confederate percentage wise, several still held Union sentiments. Parts of the 9th, 13th and 21st Inf. were raised here. Camp Underwood was a recruiting and training station for Union Company E, 9th Kentucky Infantry, 1st Batallion at first, then was able to expand to include other companies. It was in a predominantly Union section (the only part as such) of the county, although several families there did own slaves and would give their allegiance to the Confederacy. Apparently, Underwood was a threat to the Rebels since their main objective at the time, was advancing past the Green River and to Owensboro (with north of the Green River Being a stronghold of the Union and Morgan's Men stationed at Cave City were directed to wipe it out). Below is a pension claim filed by Samuel Piercy, taken prisoner at the camp, along with the Confederate account of the attack on Underwood, from Col. R. D. Allison and Major-General Hardee, which commanded the post that Bowling Green had advanced to Cave City in north western Barren County and eventually sent to wipe out (unsuccessfully as you will see further down the page) Camp Joe Underwood. The misspellings you will see, came directly from their letters:

Eighty Eight, Barren County Ky. April the 14th, 1884

W. W. Dudly Com. Sir: My place of residence for 3 years preceeding the war was in Barren County Kentucky and my occupation farming and I have made no change in residence or occupation since my discharge. My disability was contracted in 1861 while in prison at Bowling Green, Ky. I had measles and no attention of nurse or physician. I was removed to Nashville just as I was getting able to sit up. I had no attention of a Dr and it settled on my lungs. I was removed from there to Saulesbury N.C. I had no attention and confined in a horrible place with no comfort. Here I was sent to Newburn N.C. and released and sent to Washington D.C. and put in a hospital. Had the attention of a physician about 36 hours, his name I never learned. After I returned home Dr. J. J. Pursley attended me - he is dec'd. Dr. R. W. Barbbour has treated me, his residence is Eighty Eight - Barren Co. Ky. In addition to my lung disorder caused by a relapse of the measles I suffer from sick headache. My lung disease prevents me from following my occupation more or less every year. Samuel Piercy

General Affidavit

State of KENTUCKY...S.S. County of BARREN In the matter of .........HIS CLAIM FOR INVALID PENSION......Personally came before me, a ......JUSTICE OF THE PEACE.....in and for said County and State.....SAMUEL PIERCY.....age 42 years. Citizen of the town of EIGHTY EIGHT, County of BARREN, State of KENTUCKY.....well known to me to be reputable and entitled to credity, and who being duly sworn, declare in relation to aforesaid case as follows:.....THAT THE COMPANY IN WHICH HE ENLISTED WAS COMPANY E, 9TH KY. VOLS. INFTY. AND WAS RECRUITED BY CAPT. A. S. CHINOWITH AND THAT HE ENLISTED AT A PLACE KNOWN AS CAMP JOE UNDERWOOD IN THE COUNTY OF BARREN AND STATE OF KENTUCKY AND THAT THE NO. OF HIS CLAIM AS SHOWN BY LETTERS FROM THE PENSION OFFICE IS 496.340. SAMUEL PIERCY Filed May 12, 1884

Hdqs., Twenty-Fourth Reg't Tenn. Vols., Cave City, Ky., October 25, 1861

Sir: In compliance with your order I left Cave City on the 23rd instant at 4 p.m. for Camp Joe Underwood, a distance of 25 miles, with the following force: 250 infantry, Twenty - Fourth Regiment Tennessee Bolunteers; 120 Tenessee cavalry, under Captains (Oliver P.) Hamilton and (Jacob B.) Biffle, and one piece of artillery, under the command of Lieutenant --------, and arrived at the camp of the enemy the next morning about 5 o'clock. Our advance guard was fired upon by the enemy's pickets, and a general skirmish ensued, when the entire force under my command charged upon the camp, routing the enemy, capturing 14 prisoners, 3 of whom were released upon a parole of honor by me; the others were delivered to you. A number of the enemy were wounded and several reported killed. All the officers and men under my command acted bravely. We returned to Cave City on the 25th without the loss or injury of a man. The following contraband articles and property were captured, to wit: 1 gray horse, 11 muskets, 3 rifles, a small lot of ammunition, 3 drums, a lot of knives, ect., besides other articles that have never come into my posession. All of the above articles, ext., are subject to your order. Respectfully Submitted, R. D. Allison, Colonel, Commanding, Major - General Hardee

So the initial fall of Camp Joe Underwood, took place on October the 24th, 1861. However, it did not keep the Union forces from re-organizing the camp almost immediately. The next letter is from Capt. R. W. Bell of Co. E., to Governor J. E. Brambest written in the spring of 62, asking for help and expressing his concerns over recruiting men whose sympathies fell to the rebels. Note his 2nd and 6th requests:

BLACKWALNUT, BARREN CO. KY. To the Governor of Ky., to wit: Mr. J. E. Brambest very respectfully, I take this opportunity to ask for some information. I R. W. Bell commissioned as Capt. of Co. E. in the 1st Bat. In first place not knowing my duty, I failed to make a return of my co=master according to the requirements of the law. 2nd, there are some stout able boddied men in my district that have had a leg or arm or collarbone broke that are stout able men, I want to know if they are exempt from military duty. 3rd, if men who fail to attend the call for raising Volunteers are liable to be fined. My superior officers said there is no compulsion to make them attend the calls of the Col. to raise volunteers, I contend they are liable to be fined. 4th, My duty in regard to the conduct of the company while on the field under my command and how to proceed in case of bad conduct and disobeying orders. I R. W. Bell being commissioned and sworn to support the U. S. Constitution and the Constitution of Ky. and the laws and all superior officers, I want to doo my duty if I know it, I have concl. ded to ask your onar for some advise or instruction as every man in this country has a law of his own, I call upon you for instruction as military officers is in some danger in this County of guarillars. Please your honor I ask for further information on the 11 day of June the order for draft in this county being countermanded, I was ordered to notify Co. C to attend on the 18th day of June for the purpose of raising volunteers or the Capt. was ordered to derail six men out of Co. C. for stated purpose, and I being the only Co. ordered to meet for that purpose. The failing of him to attend this I think was his duty to do and let the men no how to bee organised, how to bee armed and equipped and uniformed and explain the order to the Co. I R. W. Bell Capt. together with S. C. Stout and A. A. Major refused to make the detail. A. A. Major reported to Col. The Col. then ordered the first Battalion to attend on the 24th day of June to raise volunteers, if not some men to bee under com. of col. Wolford which the col. exempts Co. A from raising her quota for state quare. The Col. failing to attend again on the 24th Co. C. raised a bounty of one hundred dollars each for six volunteers and got the Col. Col. B and D, run a draft and drafted six from each Co. Co. B is ordered to report six more to draft the 1st Saturday in July. 6th, We need protection in our Co., but I think drafting and arming rebbels is poor protection. When they say they don't intend to fite if they get in a skirmish, they will shoot there officers. Also Co. C scattered over the county would I think bee a bate for the guarillars to arm themselves and treet the men very bad if not kill them, as state quaries is looked upon as being bush whackers. 7th, if you will commission mee or some other man to raise a company to go in servise stationed in the county in camp for the protection of the county, there can bee a company raised of the rite sort of men. 8th, part of the Co. not being organised and refusing to organise, I don't know how there can bee an equal quota if the Co. has to bee raised by detail, it would bee the best to detail one Co. or a portion of it so as to have them together. 9th, The commissioned officers of the 1st Battalion are very much dissatisfied with the acts of Col. A. S. Chinoweth as they think he is very overbearing by temperment and drinks too much whiskey for a man in his station. Also we think S. C. Stout or F. H. Smith more competent and better military officers. We recommend either if it would please your honor to make the exchange, as it is the general wish of the first Batalion. 10th, Write me all the instruction you can and as quick as you can. I remain yours obendiently, R. W. Bell, Capt. Co. C, 1st Battalion, 15th Regt.

Captain Bell's requests were granted as far as I have been able to tell, and Samuel Carter Stout was retired from the active army and promoted to Captain of the Militia in Barren County, whereby his brother Daniel was promoted to Lieutenant, to recruit soldiers with true Union sentiments. There were so many spys who went back and forth on both sides, that niether army in this end of the country was ever far behind the other, with the exception of the attack in 1861. Below is a letter from E. C. L. Bridges, who served in the Tennesse Vols. stationed in Bowling Green and Cave City. It is dated only 3 months after the attack on Underwood, and already they suspect something going on there again:

From: Camp Bowling Green 28 Jan, 1862 (Through politeness of Col. W. D. Orr). To: Rev. J. W. T. Lee, Cornersville, Tenn. Dear Pa, Doubtless you all think its time you were getting a line from me. If so I can only say to you all ditto. I do not know when I have received a letter from home. If it was not for the neighbors who come up here, I would be as ignorant of what is going on at home, as I am of the proceedings of the hottentots of Africa. You all do not know what a source of pleasure it is to me to get a letter from home. It is true that it is a hard task for me to write a letter; but that does not indicate that I do not like to get them. I heard through Col. Orr that John Andrew was seck. Hope not seriously so. Doubtless you have heard that the enemy have attacked forts Henry and Donelson. The former is upon the Cumberland and the latter upon the Tennessee River. They are about three miles apart. A telegraphic dispatch came to Gen. Buckner that they had attacked our troops with at least ten thousand men and perhaps more. They attacked them both upon land & water. Later news states that they are (the enemy) still bringing more troops on. The report is afloat here, thet it is reliable. It is true that we have only 2000 in 25 troops at Fort Henry; but we had a brave commander there----------Col. Heiman. Dr. Johns father came up Saturday evening and he states that thirteen hundred of the Camp Weekly & Maury boys left Nashville that evening on boats, for Fort Henry. I think perhaps something is going on, and in the direction of Glasco, from what I can see. Glasco is forty five miles southeast from this place and about the same distance from Gallatin. From what I can learn of the movements of the enemy, I think it's their intention to flank us upon the right & left, and cut off our supplies, in that manner draw us out of this place. The least of my thoughts are of having a battle at this place. We are too well fortyfied..I could write more, but doubtless you have a better knowledge of what is going on that I have. Our Regt. is enjoying excellent health. col. Cook's though is considerabley under the weather. One thing I had almost forgotten and that's in regard to the Johns horse and the horse which Jim Hammonds has. I would be glad if you could sell them. Now is a very suitable time as the people are commenced plowing soon and will want to plow stock and also a plenty of money in the country. Sell them for the cash if you can't do the best you can. You can keep the money until I call upon you for it. I would also be glad if my Flaxie (he deserves a Capt.) could be fat when I come home, as I would want to go with some of the gals. Sell those other horses as there is so great a demand as there ever will be for them. I am well and so are James Ralston, Wesly Clark, Sammie Harwell & Billie. Give my love to Coleman & family, also to Mother and Balance accept a part yourself. I like for you all to write. Nothing more. E. G. L. Bridges

I have several of E. Bridges' letters through my husband's family, which can be accessed from the History Guide. There is however, no further mention of Glasgow in his writings. After the line between the North and the South moved to the Green River, Barren County fell under Confederate territory. It is therefore speculative as to how long Camp Joe Underwood was able to operate. According to family legend however, Oct. 1861 was the only time it was ever attacked.