The enemy now gave way tumultuously, and ran from their camp, leaving guns, horses, camp equipage, powder, and a large quantity of new clothing for men in Price’s army. It was a complete rout, as the appearance of the camp fully attested. It was now nearly dark, with a heavy fog, and fearing that the enemy had only retired as a ruse to rally and come to the attack again, the order was given to destroy the whole camp and equipage. The work of destruction was soon complete—wagons, saddles, tents, blankets, clothing, etc., were gathered up, flung on the fires, and soon became one heap of burning ruins. The Federals now looked up their dead and wounded, and cared for them. The enemy’s dead lay in all portions of the camp, and the groans of their dying mingled with the exultant shouts of the victors. It was a fearful struggle, as the soldiers all knew that they never could retreat, and it was victory or death to them. The cool courage and gallant bearing of the officers in command, were worthy of Americans.
The loss of the enemy was 12 killed, 22 wounded and 15 prisoners. That of the Federals 3 killed and 10 wounded.
BATTLE OF MILL SPRING, AT LOGAN’S CROSS-ROADS, KY.
Sunday, January 19, 1862.
This battle was the first of the series of splendid triumphs that occurred early in the year 1862, which resulted in severe losses to the rebel armies of the West, both in men and material. It was the first breach in their well-planned line of defence, by which the right wing of the Confederate army of the West was broken, and their great stronghold at Bowling Green, the centre of their operations, laid open to the advancing army of the Union.
After the discomfiture of Zollicoffer in his attack on the camp of General Schoepf, at Camp Wildcat, on the 21st of October, he left two regiments to defend the post at Cumberland Gap, and occupied a position on the Cumberland river, opposite Mill Spring, at the mouth of White Oak Creek. Here he was engaged in fortifying this most advantageous natural position, and in recruiting and organizing an army, which was now formidable in numbers, and whose frequent forays had rendered his name a terror to the loyal inhabitants of that region.
The rebel stronghold was familiarly known among the inhabitants as “Zollicoffer’s Den.” It was situated on the north bank of the Cumberland, where it is intersected by White Oak Creek. The country for two miles from the river is entirely clear, and broken into hills of imposing altitude. Six of these hills, forming a picturesque range, commanded each other and the entire approach to the camp for miles around. On these hills Zollicoffer had raised breastworks and redoubts. The south side of the river, commanding the entire camp, was also well fortified.
On the 6th of January the rebel Major-General George B. Crittenden, commanding the division to which Zollicoffer’s brigade was attached, arrived at Mill Spring, and established his headquarters. He brought to his position three Tennessee and one Mississippi regiment, and was afterwards reinforced by three regiments from Bowling Green, and still more recently by some fifteen hundred Virginia troops from Knoxville. This gave him, all told, over ten thousand men. A very effective portion of his force was a body of cavalry, from two thousand to three thousand strong, in which he was superior to General Thomas, but which was of no service to him in the engagement.
General Buell, the Federal commander in Kentucky, having now at his disposal a competent army to commence offensive operations, ordered General Thomas to advance with his division against General Crittenden’s position at Mill Spring. With two brigades under his command General Thomas broke up camp near Lebanon and marched, by way of Columbia, toward the rebel stronghold. On Thursday, the 16th of January, the Ninth Ohio (German), Colonel McCook, brother of the General in command at Mumfordsville, the Second Minnesota, Colonel Van Clear; Tenth Indiana, Colonel Manson; Fourth Kentucky, Colonel (formerly Judge) Fry of Danville, and Colonel Wolford’s Kentucky Cavalry, and one battery, with General Thomas and staff, arrived after a most fatiguing march of many days. They came in incessant rain, over horrid roads, via Jamestown, at a point about eight miles south-west of Somerset, on the road leading to Hart’s Ford, and the rebel intrenchments, and pitched their tents near a fork of country roads, upon what is known all through that section as “Logan’s place,” a very extensive plantation of several thousand acres. On Friday, the Fourteenth Ohio, Colonel Stedman, and the Tenth Kentucky, Colonel Harlan, three detached companies of the First regiment of Michigan Engineers and Mechanics, and an Ohio battery, reached within eight miles north-west of the position of General Thomas. After undergoing indescribable hardships in making their way on a direct line, through the wild, rugged, heavily-timbered, and almost untravelled country intervening between that point and Columbia—(they had to construct a road as they went)—they encamped there.