SUPPLEMENTTABLE OF CONTENTS0

Officers Mentioned in the Supplement..............................2Regional Base Map............................................................3Eyewitness Account: Adolph Engelmann, USA................4Salem Cemetery Battle Map..............................................6Eyewitness Account: Leander Stillwell, USA...................7Preservation at Salem Cemetery.........................................8Eyewitness Account: Dan Beard (aka Baird), CSA...........9Trenton Tour Map.............................................................11The Battle of Parker’s Crossroads Base Map...................12Eyewitness Account: John Watson Morton, CSA............13Preservation at Parker’s Crossroads.................................14

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This is a Special Supplement to the Fall 2003 issue of Blue & Gray Magazine (Vol. XX, Issue 6). TheFeature Article was written by Ed Bearss, with a Driving Tour by Dave Roth, Editor of B&G, withSteve McDaniel and Jim Weaver of the Parker’s Crossroads Battlefield Association.

If you are not a subscriber, you can purchase the issue by visiting the Online Store section of ourwebsite, or check your local bookstore.

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Nathan Bedford Forrest, CSA Cyrus L. Dunham, USA

John W. Fuller, USA

John P. Strange, CSA

H. J. B. Cummings, USAParker’s Crossroads Battlefield Assn.

Officers Mentionedin the Supplement

Jeremiah Sullivan, USARobert G. Ingersoll, USA, postwar (left)and George G. Dibrell, CSA, postwar.

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Regional Map BASE MAP

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— EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT —Letter from Col. Adolph Engelmann to his sister about the Battle of Salem Cemetery

Bolivar, TennesseeDecember 26, 1862

Dear Sister:

Since I wrote you last I have led a rather active life, and Minahas had the experience of being in the immediate vicinity of askirmish. On the morning of the 18th [of December 1862] werec’d orders to go to Jackson with all available men, leaving only2 cannon and 250 men (Art., Cav., & Inf.); those necessary toman the most important positions. Mina had to stay in her littlehouse here at Bolivar. At noon [Brig. Gen. Mason] Brayman leftwith the rest of the troops—he had 4 cannon, 80 Artillerymen,275 men of the 43rd [Illinois Inf.], 225 of the 61st Ill., 80 of theWest Tenn. (on foot), making about 700 or more counting theofficers.

That evening we were getting ready to sleep when I rec’d ordersto move out on the road toward Lexington (east of Jackson) withthe 43rd and 61st Ill. and to assume command, not only of theseReg’ts but also such other U.S. Cav. as I might find. On the 9th[18th] the 11th Ill. Cav., one Batt. of the 5th Ohio Cav., one troopof the 2nd West Tenn. Cav., and 2 cannon had gone out on thisroad to meet the enemy. Col. [Robert G.] Ingersoll of the 11th Ill.Cav. was in command. Two miles beyond Lexington they hadcome upon the enemy who outnumbered them 5 to 1. They weredriven back step by step, lost their cannon and 150 men weretaken prisoners including Col. Ingersoll and other Field Officers—nor was the loss in dead and wounded unimportant. Three andone-half miles from Jackson I came upon the Cav., dead tired anddiscouraged from their long fight against such great odds. A milefurther on I came up to our farthest outposts and from there couldsee the camp fires of the enemy burning merrily. I forbade ourmen to make fires, and when the 61st tried it, I scattered the woodmyself. It was bitter cold (vinegar cold) and it was hard to denyour men fire when the Secessionists dared to have their firesburning. I proposed to Lieut. Col. [Adolph] Dengler [43rd IllinoisInf.] that we attack them by their fires but he advised against it forthe reason that we were not at all acquainted with the lay of theland and that night attacks were risky things at best. His argumentswere good so I gave up the idea.

After consultation with [Lt.] Col. [Bazil] Meek [11th Illinois]of the Cav., Dengler, and Maj. [Simon P.] Ohr of the 61st Ill., itwas decided to move the Infantry back to a well concealed positionand endeavor to draw the enemy to us with our Cavalry. The roadfrom ‘A’ to Salem Cemetery (about the same width as that of oursat home) ran between two good fences with fields on either side.Behind us about a hundred steps wide was a strip of timber andsome little hills. The infantry was formed to the right and left ofthe road, hidden by the timber and the fences. The 5th Ohio Cav.was on our left flank and another Cav. Detachment, the 11th Ill.and the 2nd West Tenn. on our right. Major Funk [Otto Funke],with the remainder of the 11th Ill. Cav. was to coax the enemyinto the trap.*

At daylight the enemy began to move forward, with the strongflanking parties at least 1/4 mile ahead of the main force on theroad. Funk retired before the very carefully following enemy to

‘A’ where he took a good position and exchanged some tellingcarbine fire with them before being compelled to retreat further.The enemy then brought up their cannon, two smooth bores, andone of those captured from our men the day before. The other, ourmen had disabled before it was taken. I had told Funk not to exposehis men and as now they were throwing shells under his horses’feet with skill and calmness, (one might almost say goodnaturedly)he retired to ‘B’ back of a small rise but as the enemy appeared innumbers at ‘A’ and the shells were again falling near, he had someof his Cav. retire to our left while the rest passed thru our lines onthe road. ([Now a] few Rebel riders appeared to our right at theCotton Press but a few shots from our skirmishers drive themaway.) The above is Adam Graber’s story—he shot at the negroesat the Cotton Press—there was no enemy there. Now there was amoment’s rest—only the shells falling nearby, especially aboutthe 61st where some of our Cav. was to be seen—but fortunatelyonly a few of the shells exploded—some went over our heads intothe woods and hit trees and exploded, but we suffered no loss.

It got too hot for our Cav., however, and they withdrew fromour flanks toward Jackson. At ‘B’ there now appeared a mass ofCav., and in a moment they charged upon us. They were met by adeadly fire from the 43rd and 61st—nevertheless they came onuntil in the vicinity of the large tree marked on the map. Hereseveral of the leading riders fell from their horses and thosefollowing drew up—1/2 doz. riderless horses went thru our lines.

Adolph Engelmann, USA

*The reference ‘A’ and subsequent references to ‘B’ and ‘C’ are to Engelmann’s hand-drawn map that heenclosed with the letter, a facsimile of which, in color, produced by B&G, appears on the Page 6.

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Tornado-damaged Salem Cemetery—see the Preservation Message on Pg. 8. Below is the Union monument at the cemetery.

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Those following still crowded up. Here was a congestion in whichour bullets did much damage. Anyone who was his own andhis horse’s master could not afford to loiter there. The fenceswere broken down and the fields were filled with (and withoutriders) horses.

I was sitting on my horse “Bragg” in the middle of the roadbetween the 43rd and 61st. The lively gunfire had made himnervous and when the riderless horses came up the road he wentcrazy and ran away with me. When we had passed all the runawaysI finally got him stopped and returned to the fighting where Ibelonged. In the meantime a column of Cav. on our left flankmoved past our position and 1/4 mile toward Jackson. With 500Inf. I was opposed to an unknown number of Cav. with at least 5cannon, the shells from which were always falling nearer. Themen were expressing the fear that since our Cav. had withdrawnfrom our flanks the enemy would outflank and surround us. Iordered skirmishers out on our flanks and two Co’s. of the 43rdback a couple of hundred yards to the rise on this side of the valleytoward Jackson to cover our rear. Then Lieut. Col. Meek sent meword that the enemy was going around on both sides and advisedme to retire. However, I waited for a half hour watching the enemyCav. in hopes they would charge again. Three SecessionistCavalrymen who had had their horses killed under them were lyingin front of us—equally afraid of us and their own shells whichpassed low over them. Col. Dengler went out and brought them

in. In the meantime their Artillery was improving their fire—oneman of the 43rd was wounded and in the 61st one was killed andthree wounded. As the enemy showed no signs of coming withinrange of our muskets I decided to withdraw my men out of rangeof their cannon. This was done in good order and according to allrules and regulations. Such was the fight at Salem Cemetery. About4 P.M. Gen. Brayman with 3 Reg’ts. came out from Jackson andwe again moved forward as far as Brooks. We saw no enemy

except one outpost. That night the men slepton their arms but were allowed fires towarm by. At daybreak more troops arrivedfrom Jackson (under Col. [Michael]Lawler of the 18th [Illinois Inf.]) and weadvanced on the Lexington Road. Twomiles beyond Cotton Grove the roaddivides. Here Lawler and his men wentnorth toward Spring Creek whileBrayman with his troops went on towardLexington. Gen. [Jeremiah] Sullivan,Commander in Chief of the Dist. ofJackson, from Grand Junc. to Columbus,was with Brayman. While we wereresting at noon we heard cannonading inthe direction of Trenton (on the R.R.north of Jackson) but we were marchedahead until nightfall. Then the 43rdmarched a mile further and went onpicket duty. At daybreak we wereordered back to Jackson. The day before,at noon, when we heard cannonading, theSecessionists had taken Trenton and Col.[Jacob] Fry who was in command. (Col.Fry’s 61st Reg’t was with us.) When wearrived at Jackson it was reported that theSecessionists were threatening Bolivar soon the 22nd I came back here with Gen.Brayman. The Reg’t however, marched byway of Medan, Denmark, and Toons Sta.,arriving on the evening of the 26th.

Letter provided by the Salem Cemetery BattlefieldAssociation, 367 White Fern Rd., Beech Bluff, TN38313. Website: salemcemeterybattlefield.com.

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Michael Lawler, USA (left) and Mason Brayman, USA

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Salem CemeteryDecember 19, 1862

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Facsimile of the mapCol. Engelmann drewand sent to his sister.

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— EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT —

An Illinois Infantryman Recalls the Battle of Salem CemeteryExcerpts from The Story of A Common Soldier of Army Life in the Civil War, 1861-1865 by Leander Stillwell,

“Late of Co. D, 61st Illinois Infantry” (Franklin House Publishing Co., 1920)

ABOUT THE TRIP TO JACKSON, TENN., STILLWELL WRITES . . .

On the afternoon of December 18th, suddenly, without anyprevious warning or notification, the bugle sounded “Fall in!” andall the regiment fit for duty and not on guard at once formed onthe regimental parade ground. From there we marched to thedepot, and with the 43rd Illinois of our brigade got on thecars, and were soon being whirled over the road in a northerlydirection. It was a warm, sunshiny day, and we commonsoldiers supposed we were going on just some little temporaryscout, so we encumbered ourselves with nothing but our armsand haversacks, and canteens. Neglecting to take our blanketswas a grievous mistake, as later we found out to our sorrow.We arrived at Jackson a little before sundown, there left thecars, and, with the 43rd, forthwith marched out about two mileseast of town. A little after dark we halted in an old field on theleft of the road, in front of a little old country graveyard calledSalem Cemetery, and there bivouacked for the night. Along inthe evening the weather turned intensely cold. It was a clear,star-lit night, and the stars glittered in the heavens like littleicicles. We were strictly forbidden to build any fires, for thereason, as our officers truly said, the Confederates were notmore than half a mile away, right in our front. As before stated,we had no blankets, and how we suffered with the cold! I shallnever forget that night of December 18th, 1862. We would formlittle columns of twenty or thirty men, in two ranks, and wouldjust trot round and round in the tall weeds and broom sedge tokeep from chilling to death. Sometimes we would pile down onthe ground in great bunches, and curl up close together like hogs,in our efforts to keep warm. But some part of our bodies would beexposed, which soon would be stinging with the cold, then up wewould get and renew the trotting process. . . .

COL. ENGELMANN MAKES HIS PRESENCE KNOWN . . .

At one time in the night some of the boys, rendered almostdesperate by their suffering started to build a fire with somefence rails. The red flames began to curl around the wood,and I started for the fire, intending to absorb some of thatglowing heat, if, as Uncle Remus says, “it wuz de las ack.”But right then a mounted officer dashed up to the spot, andsprang from his horse. He was wearing big cavalry boots, andjumped on that fire with both feet and stamped it out in lesstime than I am taking to tell about it. I heard afterwards thathe was Col. [Adolph] Engelmann, of the 63rd Illinois, thenthe commander of our brigade. Having put out the fire, heturned on the men standing around, and swore at themfuriously. He said that the rebels were right out in front, andin less than five minutes after we had betrayed our presenceby fires, they would open on us with artillery, and “shell hellout of us;”—and more to the same effect. The boys listened insilence, meek as lambs, and no more fires were started by usthat night. . . .

STILLWELL, ON THE 61ST’S POSITION, MORNING OF THE 19TH . . .

Breakfast over (which didn’t take long), the regiment was drawnback into the cemetery, and placed in line behind the section ofinclosing fence that faced to the front. The fence was of post andplank, the planks arranged lenthwise, with spaces between. Wewere ordered to lie flat on the ground, and keep the barrels of ourguns out of sight, as much as possible. Our position in generalmay be described about as follows: The right of the regiment restednear the dirt road, and at right angles to it. The ground before uswas open for more than half a mile. It sloped down gently, then itrose gradually to a long, bare ridge, or slight elevation of ground,which extended parallel to our front. The road was enclosed by anold-time staked and ridered fence, of the “worm” pattern. On ourright, and on the other side of the road, was a thick forest of talltrees, in which the 43rd Illinois was posted. The cemetery wasthickly studded with tall, native trees, and a few ornamental ones,such as cedar and pine. Soon after we had been put in position, asabove stated, Col. Engelmann, the brigade commander, camegalloping up, and stopped about opposite the front of the regiment.Maj. [Simon P.] Ohr, our regimental commander, who was in therear of the regiment on foot, walked out to meet him. Engelmannwas a German, and a splendid officer.

“Goot morning, Major,” he said, in a loud voice we all heard.“How are de poys?” “All right,” answered the Major; “we hadrather a chilly night, but are feeling first rate now.” “Dat iss goot,”responded the Colonel; and continued in his loud tone, “our friendsare right out here in de bush; I reckon dey’ll show up presently.Maybe so dey will give us a touch of deir artillery practice—butdat hurts nobody. Shoost [just] have de poys keep cool”. . . .

STILLWELL DESCRIBES THE OPENING OF BATTLE . . .

Suddenly, without a note of warning, and not preceded by even askirmish line, there appeared coming over the ridge in front, anddown the road, a long column of Confederate cavalry! They were,when first seen, at a walk, and marching by the flank, with a front offour men. How deep the column was we could not tell. The wordwas immediately passed down our line not to fire until at the word ofcommand, and that we were to fire by file, beginning on the right.That is, only two men, front and rear rank, would fire together, andso on, down the line. The object of this was apparent: by the time theleft of the regiment had emptied their guns, the right would havereloaded, and thus a continuous firing would be maintained. Withguns cocked and fingers on the triggers, we waited in tense anxietyfor the word to fire. Maj. Ohr was standing a few paces in the rear ofthe center of the regiment, watching the advance of the enemy. Finally,when they were in fair musket range, came the order, cool anddeliberate, without a trace of excitement: “At-ten-shun, bat-tal-yun!Fire by file! Ready!—Commence firing!” and down the line crackledthe musketry. Concurrently with us, the old 43rd Illinois on the rightjoined in the serenade. In the front file of the Confederate columnwas one of the usual fellows with more daring than discretion,

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who was mounted on a tall, white horse. Of course, as long as thathorse was on its feet, everybody shot at him, or the rider. But thatluckless steed soon went down in a cloud of dust, and that was theend of old Whitey. The effect of the fire on the enemy was markedand instantaneous. The head of their column crumpled up instanter,the road was full of dead and wounded horses, while several thatwere riderless went galloping down the road by us, with bridle reinsand stirrups flapping on their necks and flanks. I think there is nodoubt that the Confederates were taken completely by surprise. Theystopped short when we opened on them, wheeled around, and wentback much faster than they came, except a little bunch who had beendismounted. They hoisted a white rag, came in, and surrendered.The whole affair was exceedingly “short and sweet;” in duration itcould not have exceeded more than a few minutes, but it was highlyinteresting as long as it lasted. But now the turn of the other fellowswas to come. Soon after their charging column disappeared behindthe ridge in our front, they put in position on the crest of the ridgetwo black, snaky looking pieces of artillery, and began giving us thebenefit of the “artillery practice” Col. Engelmann had alluded to.They were beyond the range of our muskets; we had no artillerywith our little force, and just had to lie there and take it. . . .

ON THEIR RETREAT UNDER AN ARTILLERY BARRAGE . . .

Such a situation is trying on the nerves. But firing on our line was

much like shooting at the edge of a knife-blade, and their practiceon us, which lasted at least two hours, for all practical results, toquote Col. Engelmann, “shoost hurt nobody.” A private of Co. Ghad his head carried away by a fragment of a shell, and a fewothers were slightly injured, and that was the extent of ourcasualties. After enduring this cannonading for the time abovestated, Col. Engelmann became apprehensive that theConfederate cavalry were flanking us, and trying to getbetween us and Jackson, so he ordered our force to retire. Wefell back, in good order, for about a mile, then halted, andfaced to the front again. Reinforcements soon came out fromJackson, and then the whole command advanced, but the enemyhad disappeared. Our regiment marched in column by the flankup the road down which the Confederates had made theircharge. They had removed their killed and wounded, but at thepoint reached by their head of column, the road was full of deadhorses. Old Whitey was sprawled out in the middle of the lane,“with his nostrils all wide,” and more than a dozen bullet holes inhis body. Near his carcass I saw a bloody yarn sock, with a bullethole square through the instep. I made up my mind then and there,that if ever I happened to get into the cavalry I would, if possible,avoid riding a white horse.

Excerpts provided by the Salem Cemetery Battlefield Association, 367 White FernRd., Beech Bluff, TN 38313. Website: salemcemeterybattlefield.com.

Preservation at Salem CemeterySalem Cemetery battlefield has survived

severe damage from an F-4 tornado on May4, 2003, and prior to this, the theft from thecemetery welcome center of a 4.5-ft.unknown soldier statue sometime during theweek of Easter 2003. The Salem CemeteryBattlefield Association is a non-profit

by Malcolm D. Wilcox, PresidentSalem Cemetery Battlefield Association

Malcolm Wilcox is devoted to preserving the Salem Cemetery battlefield. Below is the Confederate monument at the cemetery.

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organization which originated as a fundraising program to restore the battlefield, aswell as raise funds to purchase 300 acres ofthe original battlefield from private owners.This would guarantee the preservation of theentire battlefield for future generations. TheBattlefield Association would like to appeal

to the readers of Blue & Gray Magazine forhelp in obtaining contributions in this greatcause. Any amount would be a step forward.Please mail donations to Salem CemeteryBattlefield Association, 367 White Fern Rd.,Beech Bluff, TN 38313. Website:salemcemeterybattlefield.com.

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— EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT —

One of Forrest’s Men Writes of Crossing the Tennessee River at Clifton,Fighting Robert “the great agnostic” Ingersoll near Lexington, and

Resupplying from Union Stores at Trenton

Excerpts from the Southern Historical Society Papers, Vol. 37, by Dan W. Beard (aka Baird), a member ofStarnes’ 4th Tennessee Cavalry, as originally reported in the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch of February 6, 1910.

About December 11, 1862, we brokecamp at Columbia and took the Mt.Pleasant Road and thence the road toLawrenceburg. We there took the roadto Clifton, where we arrived on the 15th,but our brigade turned to the right andbivouacked in the bushes without firesfor fear of attracting the gunboats, whichwe learned were patrolling the TennesseeRiver. During the night we were movedclose to the river bank, which was a bluff.The river had a good boating tide, andwas very swift and appeared to be rising.A little beyond the middle of the riverwas an island, or large sandbar, on whichwere several men and horses and two orthree big bright fires. On our side theywere pushing the horses off the bluff,about ten feet clear fall into the swift,icy cold water, the horses going out ofsight. When they came up the poor bruteswould swim round in a circle until onewould see the fire on the sandbar andstrike out for it. Some would never seethe fire at all, but exhausted themselvestrying to climb the same bluff they werepushed off. We lost eight horses. Mycompany had taken off their saddles and tied them together withtheir blankets, overcoats and private belongings, in as small,compact bundles as possible, to be carried to the island in canoes.We stood there in a cold drizzling rain until we were wet to theskin all over, and so numbed with cold we could barely stand.After about two hours in this condition, order came for us to saddleup and move up the river and cross on a flat boat, two of whichForrest’s vanguard had built and hidden. It was broad day whenwe got upon the opposite bank, where those who had preceded ushad formed a temporary camp until the rest of the command cameup. Then we took the Lexington Road.

The first indication we had of the presence of the enemy camefrom a battery concealed in the cane on the bank of Beech Creek.It was more like a slough or small bayou than a creek. We gotacross the creek somehow and charged the battery. The firstcommand I heard was: “Shoot the men who are cutting theharness.” We did, and wounded some of the artillery horsesaccidentally. We pushed on to Lexington, where we took Colonel“Bob” Ingersoll and his command prisoners. Ingersoll made a goodfight. It was enough to make a Christian of him, but it did not. Hisfamous lectures years after show that while we did not converthim, he loved everybody during the rest of his life, and if he really

believed there is no hell we convincedhim that there was something mightilylike it. [Refer to the side-bar on ColonelIngersoll in the Fall 2003 issue, Pg. 13.He became known in later life as “thegreat agnostic.”]

We pushed on to Jackson, but by thistime Forrest, by many crafty methods,had spread the report far and wide thathe had a large force with him, and theprivate soldiers aided in exaggeratingour number to the friendly citizens andthe good women, who rushed to theirfront gates with whatever of good thingsto eat they happened to have. In answerto a question by a woman as to howmany soldiers Mr. Forrest had, I heardTom Jones say: “Madam, I would tellyou if I could. Do you know how manytrees there are standing in WestTennessee?” She said she didn’t, andTom told her Forrest had men enoughto put one behind each tree, and two orthree behind the biggest ones. Of course,these exaggerated reports reachedGeneral [Ulysses S.] Grant through thecommanders of the various blockhouses

and towns, and reinforcements were being hurried from everyavailable point. Forrest was virtually surrounded while at Jackson.Our attack on that place was a feint.

When we got within a mile or so of Trenton we heard fourshots from a battery and hurried up to find that the Federal garrisonhad surrendered and the Confederates taken possession.

We captured an immense lot of stores, guns and ammunitionand a good lot of wagons. I got two new army six-shooters, forwhich I turned over to the ordnance sergeant my old ones.

We got little sleep that night and some rest next day. Tom Jonesand I had been living on “Otard” brandy, strawberries and crackers,and our stock was running low, most of it having been stolen. Itwas reported that the proprietors of a big sutler’s store had refusedto take Confederate “script” [sic] for goods, and Tom Jones andabout a dozen others went to “remonstrate” with them on theunfairness of their conduct. There were three of them, eitherHebrews, Greeks or Italians, we didn’t know which, and caredless. One of them wanted to fight. They were all three standingoutside the front door on a platform. While Jones and others weregently “remonstrating” with them there came a crash, as the backdoor was forced open. The fighting man unlocked the front door,rushed in and promptly collared a big cavalryman and struck him

James W. Starnes, CSACommander of the 4th Tennessee Cavalry

Parker’s Crossroads Battlefield Assn.

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The Tennessee River at Clifton. Below is the Trenton depot, the rear portion of which survived the fire set by Forrest’s men as they left town.

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in the face. In about two seconds he had a shelving board splitover his head. In the subsequent proceedings he took no part.When he came to—if he ever did—he found his store emptyand the shelving and other fixtures a complete wreck, for wordhad gone out that the merchants had killed a soldier and in a fewminutes the storehouse was crowded with angry armedcavalrymen. All the stores kept by foreigners and Yankees werebarred up and the owners in hiding. Among the loot taken was animmense quantity of counterfeit Confederate interest-bearingnotes. It was printed so much better than, and the paper was sosuperior to, the genuine Confederate money it could be detectedon sight. It was just as good to play poker with as gold, and ourboys brought away with them what “Granny” Tom Bass called“dead oodles” of it.

We moved out a mile or so and camped on Christmas Eve, andthe next morning were sent to press axes from the citizens and cutdown a long high trestle across Obion bottom. The men workedlike heroes, but with slow effect. About noon Colonel Woodward[Capt. Thomas G. Woodward, commanding two companies ofKentucky cavalry] rode up and asked me how we were gettingalong. I told him they were losing time, as the trestles were ashard as horn and the axes as dull as froes and had poor handles. Ifurthermore told him if I could get permission I would divide mysquad, put half the men to splitting dry kindling and the other half

The Trenton Girls School (now a private residence) on LombardySt., where the young ladies greeted Forrest’s men as they rode past.

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to building fires on top of the trestle and build a fire at every pointwhere the sills crossed the bents. He thought it a good idea, so webegan building the fires. The colonel stayed until several fireswere burning griskly [sic] and went down the line giving ordersto the other gangs to burn instead of cut the trestles. We madesuch good speed that by dark we had destroyed at least a mile oftrestle, some of it fully fifteen feet high. The weather had turnedbitter cold and the trestle was covered with sleet and ice.

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This Map is based on maps prepared by Dan Kennerly for hisbook Forrest at Parker’s Crossroads (2001, 7th ed.), whichwere not precise as to scale; in consultation with SteveMcDaniel and Jim Weaver of the Parker’s CrossroadsBattlefield Association; with reference to Ed Bearss’ text, aswell as information obtained from a personal visit to the site.

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— EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT —

A Confederate Artilleryman at the Battle of Parker’s Crossroads

Excerpts from The Artillery of Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Cavalry by John Watson Morton, Chief of Artillery (1909)

MORTON AND THE PLAYING CARDS

Captain Morton received a saber wound in the thigh during theaction; and seeking a hankerchief to stay the flow of blood, hedrew out with it a pack of playing cards, which scattered aroundhim, placing him in a light totally new to him. They were veryhandsomely embossed, imported French cards, and had been takenfrom the spoils of war at the Trenton depot in youthful admirationof their gorgeousness. The writer had never, at that time, playedcards, and as he looked upon the gay pasteboards and thoughtwhat his mother’s feelings would have been had he been killedwith such things in his pockets, he registered a vow never togamble—a vow which has been kept to the letter. . . .

FEDERALS WORSTED

All of the Confederate guns, with the exception of one whichhad accidentally exploded, were in fine working order and werekept to the front, together with three guns which had been capturedwith four horses each. When Colonel Cummings’s [H. J. B.Cummings, 39th Iowa] men fled, General [Colonel] Dunhamwelcomed a flag of truce [not true, Cyrus Dunham was not awarethat a portion of his command had displayed white flags] whichGeneral Forrest sent forward. All firing ceased; and when theleaders met to arrange terms, the soldiers in both armies mingledfreely, as was their custom. Major [John P.] Strange, confident ofsurrender, rode alone to the ordnance train of eighteen wagons,and, taking possession, began to make an inventory. At thismoment, when the surrender was all but consummated, there camethe sound of firing from the rear. General Forrest, who was on thelookout for his other detachment, pushed heavily in front, and itwas not until the newcomers got at close range that he perceivedthat Fuller’s men [Col. John W. Fuller’s Ohio Brigade] had slippedin without warning, and that what had looked like a victory beganto resemble a defeat. . . .

MORTON’S BATTERY ESCAPES

With incomparable address andcoolness General Forrest ordered theartillery out between the enfiladinglines of fire and rallied his men. Firingas they went and adding to the din andconfusion by the “Rebel yell,” the bulkof the command escaped, leavingMajor Strange, Colonel [Nicholas N.]Cox, and some 300 men, who haddismounted, prisoners, eighteen ofthese being members of Morton’sBattery. A singular fact in thisconnection lies in the carrying in theConfederate retreat about eighty prisoners—surely it is a doubtfulbattle where both sides carry away prisoners.

Wyeth [John A. Wyeth, Life of General Nathan Bedford Forrest,1899] says of this movement: “Placing himself at the head of hisescort and [Col. George G.] Dibrell’s Regiment, he threw hiscommand as a rear guard between his pet guns and Sullivan’sadvance. [Fuller was subordinate to Brig. Gen. Jeremiah Sullivan,commander of the District of Jackson, who arrived on the fieldnear the close of the battle.] He was not going to give up his artillerywithout a struggle.

A SHOT THROUGH FORREST’S HAT

With the exception of the exploded gun, all the Confederateartillery was safely removed by Captain Morton; but the threecaptured pieces were left behind, as their horses had been killedand there was not time to substitute others. During the retreatCaptain Morton rode by the side of General Forrest at the head ofthe retiring column. The commanding officer seemed in deepthought, and nothing was said for a time; but as a Minie ball fromSullivan’s forces, which had just reached the field in our rear,whizzed by Captain Morton’s face, the General dropped his headto his breast. Thinking he was wounded, Captain Morton touchedhim on the shoulder and inquired: “General, are you hurt much?”General Forrest raised his head, took off his hat, and, noticing thata big hole had been made in the brim, replied: “No, but didn’t itcome damn close to me?”

John W. Morton, CSA

N. N. Cox, CSA, postwarParker’s Crossroads Battlefield Assn.

14—BLUE & GRAY MAGAZINE—FALL 2003 INTERNET SUPPLEMENT

Preservation Efforts Proving Successfulby Steve McDaniel, Historian and Past-President, Parker’s Crossroads Battlefield Association

Since the organizationof the Parker’s CrossroadsBattlefield Association inOctober of 1993, efforts topreserve portions of thecore battlefield haveproven successful.Members of the PCBAhave worked tirelessly overthe past nine years topromote, interpret, andpreserve the site. The latestacquisition saved anadditional 77 acres makinga total of 157 acres savedfrom commercial andresidential development todate. There are over 1,400acres of the battlefielddesignated on theNational Register ofHistoric Places.

Recent highway improvements to State Route 22 and theinstallation of a city sewer system have made the area even moreattractive to business investors, having the effect of driving upthe cost of land. Assisted by JimLighthizer, President of the CivilWar Preservation Trust, theassociation saw the latestacquisition come to fruition.

The land was purchased using acombination of Federal TEA-21funds and matching funds providedby the CWPT. In 2002 GovernorDon Sundquist approved the firstuse of TEA-21 funds to purchaseCivil War battlefield property inTennessee with approval for land atParker’s Crossroads and FortDonelson. A management contract

was signed between theCity of Parker’s Cross-roads and the TennesseeHistorical Commission sothe state would not beburdened with additionalbudgetary requirements tomanage the property. FredProuty at the TennesseeWars Commission hasbeen invaluable to thegathering of informationand coordinating effortsthrough the AmericanBattlefield ProtectionProgram, the TennesseeLands Acquisition Fund,and other sources ofassistance.

Currently there is aneffort underway to matchTEA-21 funds for

walking trails and interpretation signs on the property. Also,critical to the interpretation of the site are nine acres of corebattlefield being negotiated for purchase to protect the view-

shed in front of the Union line ofbattle (Tour Stop 8). The PCBAmaintains a website with currentinformation on the association’sactivities which may be accessed at:www.parkerscrossroads.com.

If you would like to contributeto the preservation efforts of thePCBA you may contact theassociation through the abovewebsite or write to the Parker’sCrossroads Battlefield Association,P. O. Box 255, Parker’s Crossroads,TN 38388, or call 731-968-1220or 731-989-7944.

Tennessee State Representative and battlefield preservationist Steve McDaniel(right), with PCBA president Jim Weaver. Dave Roth of B&G

The Battle of Parker’s Crossroads Information Center on Rt.22 just off I-40 is in a Civil War era log cabin. Dave Roth of B&G

Blue & Gray Magazineis Winner of the SCV/MOSB John Newman

Edwards Award and Southern Heritage Awardfor fairness in presenting Civil War history.

Blue & Gray is in its 21st year of publication!

Hands down the best Civil War periodical for battlefield trampers. . . .During the past 40 years there are few battlefields or Civil War-relatedsites that I have not toured. In preparing for leading battlefield walks,“The General’s Tour” and related article have become indispensable. —EDWIN C. BEARSS, Former Chief Historian, National Park Service

Since release of its premiere issue, Blue & Gray has been my favoritepublication on the Civil War. Its pages, the scholarship and readabilityof which are unexcelled by any other Civil War periodical, take you tothe scenes of action. Whether it is a well known field such asGettysburg or an obscure one such as Port Gibson, “The General’sTour” enables you to . . . gain a level of intimacy with our nation’shallowed ground only available elsewhere on an Ed Bearss tour. —TERRY WINSCHEL, Historian, Vicksburg National Military Park

The best way to learn about Civil War battles is to visit the battlefields.Before I wrote Battle Cry of Freedom I walked and bicycled and droveover as many battlefields as I could in the early 1980s. I only wish thatBlue & Gray’s superb guides to the battlefields had existed when I didmy on-site research. I would have learned and understood a great dealmore. — JAMES M. McPHERSON, Pulitzer Prize-winning Civil WarHistorian and Princeton University professor

. . . good writing, careful selection of topics, and handsome layout. Itsthematic approach not only allows space enough to examine subjectsin depth, but also makes each issue a perfect guide for travelers. . . .Blue & Gray is a valuable addition to Civil War libraries. — GARY W.GALLAGHER, author, historian, editor, educator, University ofVirginia

It is difficult to present significant new material or to take originalapproaches to old topics and yet be intelligent. Blue & Gray does all ofthese things and does them with a verve that makes it interesting andinformative for both scholars and buffs. — ALBERT CASTEL, retiredhistory professor and Co-winner of the 1993 Lincoln Prize

Blue & Gray . . . clearly is the best Civil War periodical. Everyone I talkto agrees that Blue & Gray is the one magazine they look forward tomost eagerly. — ROBERT K. KRICK, Civil War author and historian

Believe me, if it had not been for Blue & Gray, this battlefield [Kernstown,Va.] would now be filled with townhouses.” — BEN RITTER, archivist &preservationist, Winchester, Va.

As a professional historian I find Blue & Gray to be an extremely usefulsource in my research. As a Civil War enthusiast I have a lot of fun justreading each issue and frequently getting in my car to go off on one of TheGeneral’s Tours. — TED ALEXANDER, Historian, Antietam NationalBattlefield

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ORIGINAL EDITIONS❏ Burnside Invades No. Carolina, 1862 by Rick Sauers

❏ Morgan’s Last Raid: Ky. 1864 by Albert Castel

❏ Battle of Saltville, Va. by William Marvel

❏ Grierson’s Raid by Dave Roth

❏ Northwestern Va. Campaign of ’61 by Martin Fleming

❏ Sibley’s New Mexico Campaign by Paul Kliger

❏ Morgan’s Escape from the Ohio Pen by Dave Roth

❏ A Glimpse of Washington, DC during the CW by Stephen Forman

❏ Texas Brigade in the Md. Campaign by Jerry W. Holsworth

❏ New York City and the Civil War by Bud Livingston

❏ Shiloh—2nd Day Battle & Aftermath by Stacy Allen, Shiloh NMP

❏ Gettysburg Vignettes: Benner’s Hill-Culp’s Hill-Cemetery Hill-Stuart vs.

Custer at East Cavalry Field by Gary Kross

❏ William B. Cushing on the Cape Fear River by Chris E. Fonvielle Jr.

❏ Winchester, Va. during the Civil War by Jerry W. Holsworth

❏ Battle of Crampton’s Gap, So. Mtn. by Timothy J. Reese

❏ Battle of Buffington Island by B. Kevin Bennett

❏ Gettysburg Vignettes: Retreat from Sickles’ Front by Gary Kross

❏ Jeb Stuart’s Ride around McClellan, 1862 by Horace Mewborn

❏ Artillery at Antietam by Paul Chiles, Antietam NBP

❏ Battle of Secessionville, SC by Patrick Brennan

❏ Battle of Brice’s Cross Roads by Ed Bearss

❏ Little Mac’s Last Stand, Autumn 1862 by Patrick Brennan

❏ Palmyra Massacre & Porter’s Operations in NE Missouri 1862 by Scott E. Sallee

❏ Operations of Mosby’s Rangers: Mosby’s Confederacy by Horace Mewborn

❏ Gettysburg Vignettes: Attack from the West—Reynolds vs. Heth, by Gary Kross

❏ Operations of Mosby’s Rangers: The Shenandoah Valley by Horace Mewborn

❏ Vicksburg Campaign—Battles of Raymond and Jackson

by Ed Bearss, with Terry Winschel

❏ Lookout Mountain by Wiley Sword

❏ Petersburg, Va., April 2,1865 by A. Wilson Greene

❏ Lee’s Retreat to Appomattox by William Marvel

❏ Vicksburg Campaign—Battles of Champion Hill

and Big Black Bridge by Ed Bearss, with Terry Winschel

❏ Upton’s Attack at Spotsylvania CH by Greg Mertz

❏ Operations of Mosby’s Rangers: Railroad Raids and the

End of the War by Horace Mewborn

❏ Gettysburg Vignettes: XI Corps at Gettysburg by Gary Kross

❏ Trevilian Station and Sheridan’s 2nd Raid by Eric J. Wittenberg

❏ Battle of Mobile Bay by Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr.

❏ Cavalry Operations on the Peninsula, 1862 by Robert F. O’Neill

❏ Corinth (Siege and Battle) & Iuka, Miss. by Stacy D. Allen

❏ Antietam Stories by Ted Alexander

❏ Gettysburg: Culp’s Hill (7/2), Rose Farm (7/2),

South Cavalry Field (7/3) by various Gettysburg historians

❏ Kilpatrick-Dahlgren Raid by Bruce Venter

❏ Siege of Vicksburg by Terry Winschel

❏ Battle of McDowell by Richard Armstrong

❏ —Forrest in West Tennessee 1862, and the

Battle of Parker’s Crossroads by Ed Bearss

REPRINTS & VISITORS GUIDES❏ Mysteries of Spring Hill, TN by Dave Roth

❏ Visitors Guide: Off the Beaten Path at Antietam by Ted Alexander

❏ Visitors Guide: Battle of Averasboro by Mark L. Bradley

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