The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 20, In Two Parts. Part 1, Reports. Page: 48
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48 KY., MID. AND E. TENN., N. ALA., AND SW. VA. [ChIIA. XXXII.
him with the Tenth Kentucky (Lieutenant-Colonel Hays) and the Sev-
enty-fourth Indiana (Colonel Chapman), and four pieces of Southwick's
battery, leaving the Fourth Kentucky (Colonel Croxton) and the Tenth
Indiana (Lieutenant-Colonel Carroll), with two pieces of artillery, in
camp at Castalian Springs, to guard my own as well as Colonel Miller's
camp, and to resist any attack upon that point. My intention was to
go within 3 or 4 miles of Hartsville, and thus keep within supporting
distance both of my own men, at the springs, and of Colonel Miller in
his advance to Hartsville. I left orders for the Fourth Kentucky and
Tenth Indiana to be in constant readiness to obey any summons which
I might send back to them.
When I arrived within about 3 miles of Hartsville, word was sent to
me from the front that some of the enemy were seen ahead, and a re-
quest from Colonel Miller that I would come forward rapidly with my
men and assume command, as there were some indications of a fight.
This summons was obeyed. I went in person to the front and assumed
command. My regiments, already moving rapidly, increased their pace,
and marched as fast as men ever marched. Believing, from the informa-
tion received, that the enemy would resist us, I sent, before going to the
front, an order back for the Fourth Kentucky to join me as soon as pos-
sible, which order was obeyed with the utmost alacrity.
Upon arriving at the front, I found that Colonel Miller's brigade had
formed in line of battle about 11 miles this side of Hartsville. His bat-
tery was in position, and had, previous to my arrival, fired one or two
shells into the wood beyond, where some of the enemy were seen. Up
to that time we had not met a single straggler on the entire route. No
one could be seen to give any information as to what had happened.
The firing had ceased some little while before this. Whether the enemy
had been repulsed and had retired, or whether our entire force had been
captured, we could not tell. Just then, however, frqm an eminence near
by, I observed a dense smoke rising from the direction of Colonel Moore's
camp. I then became satisfied that all had been lost, and that my only
chance was to push forward, and, if possible, catch the enemy before he
crossed the river, and thereby also save some of our captured men. A
rapid advance was ordered; we moved across the country directly to-
ward Colonel Moore's camp, which was also the shortest route to the
ford, near Hartsville, where the rebels would necessarily recross the
river.
Upon the arrival of Faulkner's cavalry at Colonel Moore's camp,
which was about 400 yards from the ford, and in full view of it, some
of the rebel cavalry were seen crossing the river, and had some of our
teams with them. They were fired upon by Faulkner's men, when they
abandoned the wagons and fled precipitately across the river. In ad-
dition to the rebel cavalry who were seen crossing the river, I observed
myself several hundred rebel cavalry on the hill on the south side of
the river, moving off on the Lebanon road. Each of them appeared to
have a man behind him on his horse. I ordered Nicklin's battery, of
Miller's brigade, to fire across at the retiring rebels, which order was
promptly obeyed, and resulted in the killing of a few of the rebels, as I
was afterward informed. Ptirsuit was utterly impracticable; it would
have required at least an hour and a half to cross the river at that point
and ascend the high bank on the south side. The enemy, as I learned,
recrossed their infantry, as well as their prisoners, with the horses of
their cavalry. In addition to all this, I did not deem it prudent to
cross the river with the force then at my disposal, being entirely unad-
vised as to what strength the enemy had on the south side in reserve.
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Errata sheets for the Records of the War of the Rebellion include additions and corrections to the text and the index for Series 1, Volume 20.
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United States. War Department. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 20, In Two Parts. Part 1, Reports., book, 1887; Washington D.C.. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth154629/m1/58/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.