Personal record of the Thirteenth Regiment, Tennessee Infantry

by Alfred J. Vaughan

The balance of the day the regiment, though not actively engaged, was for the most time under heavy fire in changing and shifting positions and in supporting and relieving other troops. It was present and assisted in capturing Gen. Lew Wallace[1] and his brigade late in the evening on the bank of the Tennessee river, to which point we had driven the enemy. Here, because of the steep bluff, the gunboats could not reach us, and a rain of iron and lead passed over our heads until late in the night. Under orders the regiment retired from the river bank and bivouaced for the night in the enemy's camp, rich with quartermaster's stores, commissary supplies and sutlers' goods.

[1] By oversight I have printed on page 16 the name Lew Wallace. Of course it should have been Gen. Prentice.

Every officer and soldier of the regiment sank to sleep serenaded by the guns from the river, and supposed that the battle was won and the victory ours. But how sadly disappointed next morning, when it was known that Buell had arrived and crossed the river that night with his whole army, and was drawn up in line with fresh troops to renew the contest. Though not anticipating such a state of affairs, the regiment was formed by early dawn and moved forward to meet the enemy as proudly and defiantly as on the day before. But their batteries, within easy range and supported by columns of infantry, opened such a terrible fire of grape and canister that we were forced to retire and seek shelter beyond the next ridge. By this time the whole Confederate forces were hotly engaged, and from right to left was one continuous roar of artillery and musketry. The struggle was terrific, and closer and harder fighting was never done on any battlefield; and though the enemy were held at bay from early dawn till nearly noon, it was apparent that the unequal contest could not be much longer maintained. So the Confederate forces were gradually withdrawn, and the army returned to its old camp grounds at Corinth, Miss. No attempt was made by the enemy to follow. The first day's fight of this battle was the grandest of the war—less friction, more concert of action, more thorough co-operation and better generalship displayed—everything moved with clock-like precision—a master mind directed the whole until General A. S. Johnston fell.

Throughout the two days' fight every officer and man of the Thirteenth did his whole duty, as shown by the heavy loss in killed and wounded. We lost one hundred and twelve men killed and wounded, and of this number forty-two fell dead on the bloody field, thus sealing their devotion with their lives to the cause they believed right. Their names deserve to be remembered by their countrymen, and are as follow:

Robert Thompson, B. F. Eaton, H. B. Hunt, R. Harrison, J. M. Moore, James Moore, N. Matthews, R. M. Thompson and Lieut. C. H. Whitmore of Company A; J. G. Babbett, Lieut. S. B. Dugan and Henry Walker of Company B; W. B. Dukes, C. P. Graham, H. J. Hutchinson, Thos. Rainey (color bearer) and W. L. Stokes of Company C; Second Lieut. W. F. Cowan, First Lieut. J. W. Cunningham, R. D. Eaton and Capt. John A. Wilkins of Company D; D. C. Arnett, D. C. Bull, J. C. Black and M. C. Grisson of Company E; M. Donelly, J. N. Guthrie, Jno. Morgan, William Saunders, J. D. Springer and B. Thomas of Company F; M. M. McKinstry, J. H. Brown and J. O. Winfield of Company G; E. O. Chambers, S. O. Cole, D. R. Royster and Carr Young of Company H; Jno. Mitchell, Lewis Roberson, J. N. Vandyke and G. W. Borger of Company I; Carroll Chitwood of Company K.

From the opening to the close of this engagement I was most ably and efficiently assisted in the management and direction of the regiment by Lieut.-Col. W. E. Morgan, Adjutant R. M. Harwell, and Major W. E. Winfield. Adjutant Harwell was painfully wounded in the first engagement but remained at his post of duty until the close of the struggle. Lieut.-Colonel Morgan and Major Winfield had their horses shot, and I had two horses shot under me and was struck by a spent ball that did no serious harm.

While at Corinth, the period for which the regiment had enlisted having expired, it re-enlisted for the war and reorganized. Company A, from some disaffection or dissatisfaction, refused to reorganize, and was consolidated with Company D, and the deficiency supplied by the admission of Company L, Zollicoffer's Avengers, Captain C. B. Jones, of LaGrange, Tenn. On the 28th of April, 1862, the reorganization was perfected by the election of the following officers: I was unanimously re-elected Colonel; W. E. Morgan unanimously re-elected Lieutenant-Colonel; Sergeant-Major P. H. Cole elected Major; Lieut. R. M. Harwell re-elected Adjutant. Many changes were made in line officers, but the writer has no data from which to supply them. While at Corinth the regiment, from the use of bad and unhealthy water, suffered very much with sickness, and many were furloughed on sick leave to recuperate for the summer campaign.

The enemy in the meantime having recovered from the severe blow received at Shiloh commenced to advance on Corinth by gradual approaches, and by the latter part of May was in the vicinity of that place. The regiment was daily engaged in heavy skirmishes, and sometimes in sharp engagements but with small losses. On May 13, 1862, Corinth was evacuated, and the Thirteenth fell back by way of Baldwin to Tupelo, Miss. Here, with good water, the health of the regiment improved rapidly, and with strict discipline and constant drilling we soon became one of the crack regiments in that army.

About this time General Charles Clark, commanding the division, was assigned to another department, and his division broken up and assigned to other commands. The Thirteenth was assigned to Cheatham's Division and General Preston Smith's Brigade, which, on July 10, 1862, was ordered to report to General E. Kirby Smith at Knoxville, Tenn., who was about to make a campaign into Kentucky. Everything being ready the Thirteenth, with the forces under General Smith, moved on the 13th day of August into Kentucky by way of Wilson Gap, and on the 18th of August arrived at Cumberland Gap after a weary and toilsome march of five days. From this point by way of Manchester the forces were moved in the direction of Richmond, Ky. The enemy was watching the movement, and had sent forward General Bull Nelson with a large force of infantry, artillery and cavalry to check our advance. A battle was now imminent.