The Odyssey of Zollicoffer's Body


Brigadier General Felix K. Zollicoffer of the Confederate Army was killed in action January 19, 1862 during the Battle of Mill Springs, Kentucky. The morning of January 19th was beset by a heavy fog over the battlefield of Fishing Creek and while trying to reconnoiter the Federal position, General Zollicoffer rode too close to Federal lines and was shot from his horse.
 
Brigadier General Felix Kirk Zollicoffer
Colonel Speed S. Fry of the 4th Kentucky Infantry is generally given credit for shooting down the General. As reported by the Louisville Journal, Fry “was in the act of leading his regiment into a charge upon the [15th] Mississippi when General Zollicoffer, accompanied by his aide, rode unto him and said “You are not going to fight your friends, are you? These men (pointing to the Mississippians) are your friends.” In the meantime, Zollicoffer’s aide fired upon Colonel Fry, wounding his horse, from which wound the animal died. Colonel Fry then turned and fired upon Zollicoffer with fatal effect.”[1]

The sword and sash Zollicoffer was wearing when he was killed in action was recently sold by Brunk Auctions for $31,980. As noted in the auction description, the hilt had "a noticeable bend when he was shot by Union soldiers and fell from his horse." (Photo from Brunk Auction)


Captain J.A. Vaughan of Fry’s regiment was an eyewitness to this event and described what he saw. “He had been riding an iron-gray horse. He wore a blue military cap, a single-breasted blue uniform coat with colonel’s shoulder straps,” Vaughan wrote. “He was well out on the angle of the road. Colonel Fry rode on about 25 or 30 feet when a man galloped up from behind. Our stranger passed him a few yards, fired his pistol at Colonel Fry, and turned back. The Colonel immediately wheeled his horse remarking, “That is your game, is it?” He raised his pistol and fired at the man on the gray horse who remained standing. A good many of us fired also and on account of the dense smoke after the firing, we could not see who fell.”
 
Colonel Speed S. Fry, 4th Kentucky Infantry (U.S.)
Several minutes later, Vaughan was able to visit the site of the confrontation and found the Confederate general laying dead upon the ground. “He was lying flat on his back, his arms extended. He had upon his person  a white rubber overcoat, unbuttoned, a blue Federal army cap, and a double-breasted blue army officer’s coat, the top buttons of it unbuttoned displaying in a side picket the top of a willow flask,” he stated. “A field glass was slung from a leather strap on the outside of his rubber coat. Underneath this coat but outside of his uniform, his sword was buckled. Not wishing to disturb his arms, I unbuckled the field glass strap and took off his sword and belt, gathered them up, pulled his cap down over his eyes, and left him.” Vaughan then turned over the field glasses, sword, and belt to Colonel Fry later that day but other Federal soldiers quickly picked over the General’s body, cutting the buttons from his coat, removing nearly all of his clothing such that when it came time to prepare Zollicoffer’s body for burial, Surgeon Cliff had to approach Vaughan about getting him some clothing. “I informed him that I had come across Colonel Joel Battle’s trunk and in it was a blue uniform. He went with me over to my quarters and I delivered the uniform to him and in conversation he stated that Zollicoffer had three bullet wounds in his body- one small and two large.”[2]
Colonel John Connell, 17th Ohio Infantry

A rather disgusted Federal described what happened next. "At Louisville, the bodies of Zollicoffer and his aide were placed in elegant and expensive burial cases by the munificence of the government he had fallen trying to overthrow," he wrote to the Cincinnati Gazette. "They were sent here to Camp Wood, met at the cars by a 'Guard of Honor' from one of our Ohio regiments, and thus carried to the headquarters of the division where another 'Guard of Honor' taken from the U.S. Regulars received them with presented arms." [3]

 Zollicoffer’s body remained in Federal hands until January 31, 1862 and was apparently considered a war trophy that was visited by many officers and men. "To division headquarters as to a curiosity shop flock generals, colonels, and epauletted gentlemen to do honor to the bodies, elbowing their way through the 'Guard of Honor' posted so thickly around that their beats are not five paces long," continued the grumpy Federal. Zollicoffer's body was then embalmed by the medical director of the division assisted by an unnamed "brigadier general with upturned sleeves." Colonel John Connell of the 17th Ohio Volunteer Infantry had known Zollicoffer when he was a congressman and along with another soldier visited the body. “He lay in a tent wrapped in an army blanket, his chest, left arm, and side exposed,” it was reported. “A tall, rather slender man with thin, brown hair, high forehead, somewhat bald, Roman nose, firm wide mouth, and a clean shaved face. A pistol ball had struck him in the breast a little above the heart, killing him instantly. His face bore no expression such as is usually found on those who fall in battle- no malice, no reckless hate, not even a shadow of physical pain. It was calm, placid, noble. But I never looked upon a countenance so marked with sadness. A deep dejection had settled on it. The low cares of the mouth were distinct in the droop at its corners, and the thin cheeks showed a wasting which comes through disappointment and trouble.” [4]

On January 31st, a contingent of Federal officers set out to return the bodies of General Zollicoffer and Lieutenant Bailie Peyton to the Confederates for burial. This contingent included two brigadier generals, two colonels, two adjutant generals, the medical director of the division, two other surgeons, an ex-sutler, the correspondent of the Louisville Journal, a commissary clerk, the chief of artillery for the division, a New York journalist, a detachment of cavalry, and two four-horse ambulances, each ambulance carrying one body. Chaplain Eurotus H. Bush of the 49th Ohio Volunteer Infantry accompanied the body and provided this account of returning Zollicoffer. “Hearing that they were to be taken to General [Thomas C.] Hindman’s headquarters today, I felt a strong desire to accompany the expedition,” he wrote. Bush secured permission from Brigadier General Richard Johnson, Johnson appointing Bush the chaplain. “Early this morning, the ambulance and escort left camp for General Hindman’s lines. The escort consisted of General Richard Johnson, General James S. Negley, parts of their staffs, several brigade surgeons, one of the Southern surgeons (Dr. Cliff) taken prisoner at Somerset, and quite a number of other officers; besides all these, Captain Gaddis’ company of cavalry. In all a very respectable escort for two who had fallen in death while contending against the right.”
 
Brigadier General Richard W. Johnson

“We went as far as Horse Cave before seeing any of their pickets; then we saw to the left in a large corn field three suspicious-looking mounted fellows. They stopped for a moment when, having obtained a good look at us, they bounded away southward as if his Satanic majesty was after them and their safety depending on making fast time. In the meantime, our flag of truce was borne aloft so that they might know that we were on a mission of peace. About two miles beyond they ventured to wait until they were satisfied they were not to be hurt. General Johnson approached the party, shook hands with the commanding officer, communicated his business, and in a moment, we were all moving forward,” Bush stated.

“Stopping at Woodlawn, a very fine public house kept by a true Union man (W. Ritter), General Johnson sent one of the Texas Rangers to General Hindman to inform him of our coming and business. The Texas Rangers are a motley set; they have no uniform, no discipline, no manliness, not intelligence, and no honor. They go about prowling the countryside stealing horses, hogs, and cattle, burning houses, railroad bridges, grain, straw, and fodder of all kinds; in fact, they are a miserable gang of outlaws,” he wrote.
General Thomas C. Hindman

“In a little over two hours from the time the Ranger left us, Hindman and his troupe were seen coming. He halted the company of cavalry that accompanied him some 20 rods from the house where we were, riding a little nearer himself, he dismounted and met Johnson and Negley with considerable courtesy and some dignity. I should think General Hindman about 45 years of age, medium height, light eyes, sallow complexion, sports a mustache and goatee, wears his hair long and lets it fall in ringlets on his shoulders. He is of nervous temperament, moves quick, is restless, and always moving, has something of the dare-devil in his expression, and upon the whole is rather an interesting subject to study but by no means a remarkable man.” The officers of both armies soon fell into conversation with each other discussing the war and sharing opposing convictions as to its outcome. “A great many pleasantries passed between us as well as some dry joking. Quite a number expressed the wish that we might meet again under other circumstances and many a glass was drunk by men that will next meet in deadly strife on the field of battle or at the bar of the final judge,” Bush related. “When the generals parted, it was with many expressions of mutual regard and affection.”[5]

The Confederates placed Zollicoffer’s body on a train to Nashville the following day where preparations were made for what amounted to a state funeral for the beloved General. “The mortal remains of General Felix K. Zollicoffer arrived on the Louisville train yesterday at 2 o’clock, and were escorted from the depot through some of the principal streets of the capitol where they now lie in state in Representatives’ Hall,” reported the Nashville Union. “The procession was composed of a military escort, the governor of the state [Isham B. Harris], and heads of executive departments, the Senate and House of Representatives of the Tennessee Legislature, the military, and citizens in carriages and on foot.”
 
General Felix K. Zollicoffer
“Colonel C.H. Williams of the 20th Tennessee, Lieutenant Colonel J.F. Neill commanding the 23rd Tennessee, and Major D.G. White of General Hardee’s staff had charge of the escort which was one company of the 20th Tennessee. We shall today pay the last tribute to a brave, honorable, and able civilian and soldier before all that is mortal of him shall be consigned to the tomb. He was a Tennessean whom all respected and whose name will be recorded on the pages of immortal history. Sadness and mourning will drape our city, but henceforth, his name will be cherished as one worthy of our highest regard and homage.”[6]

The funeral the following day was one of the most memorable moments of the Civil War for Nashville residents. “The funeral obsequies of General Zollicoffer on Sunday afternoon were attended by a large concourse of ladies and gentlemen,” it was reported. “The hall of the House of Representatives was animated with a living mass of anxious and solemn faces. Right Reverent Bishop Otey performed the funeral services according to the impressive form of the Episcopal Church, and delivered a touching and appropriate discourse. An immense procession of military, citizens on foot and horseback and in carriages, the Typographical Association [Zollicoffer had long been a newspaper editor], the state and city authorities, followed the remains to its last resting place. It was an imposing demonstration and evinced the universal affection and respect in which he was held by the people.”
Sash worn by General Felix Zollicoffer on the day he was killed at Mill Springs (Photo courtesy of Brunk Auctions)

General Felix K. Zollicoffer was buried February 3, 1862 at the Nashville City Cemetery. He was 49 years old at the time of his decease and a simple stone marker indicating his military rank as brigadier general in the Confederate States Army marks his grave.


[1] Letter from Colonel Speed S. Fry, 4th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, Louisville Journal, January 28, 1862
[2] “Zollicoffer’s Death,” Captain J.A. Vaughan, Co. B, 4th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, National Tribune, June 22, 1893, pg. 3. In a subsequent issue of the National Tribune, A.P. Connolly of the 6th Minnesota disputed Vaughan’s claim that he recovered Zollicoffer’s sword stating that Lieutenant M.C. Tuttle of the 2nd Minnesota had the sword in his possession for many years but eventually returned it to Zollicoffer’s family. The sword was recently offered for auction by Brunk's Auctions. 
[3] "How a Dead Rebel was Honored and a Dead Loyal Soldier Dishonored," Cleveland Morning Leader, February 6, 1862, pg. 1
[4] Cleveland Morning leader story and “General Zollicoffer’s Body,” Fayetteville Observer, February 13, 1862, pg. 2 (FO’s source was the Cincinnati Gazette)
[5] “From the Advance,” Chaplain Eurotus H. Bush, 49th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Cleveland Morning Leader, February 5, 1862, pg. 3
[6] “Funeral of Late Felix K. Zollicoffer,” Memphis Daily Appeal, February 5, 1862, pg. 2 (MDA’s source was the Nashville Union of February 2, 1862)

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular Posts

Arming the Buckeyes: Longarms of the Ohio Infantry Regiments

Image
     A common question that comes up in conversation about Civil War Buckeye regiments is "What were they armed with?" We are fortunate in that the state of Ohio kept good records of how the regiments were armed when they went into service, this being especially true for those regiments which went into service in 1861 and 1862. The state adjutant general's reports for 1861 and 1862 have been heavily drawn upon to construct this article, as well as consultation with Phil Spaugy who has done extensive research on how Ohio's troops were armed during the war.      Buckeyes carried a fairly wide variety of weapons into the field, and the below article breaks this down into weapons of both domestic manufacture and imported arms. The early days of the war found the state of Ohio practically bereft of longarms; as an example, when the 1st and 2nd Ohio Volunteer Militia left the state in late April 1861, they left unarmed, being armed at Lancaster, Pennsylvania on their way to
Read more

Bullets for the Union: Manufacturing Small Arms Ammunition During the Civil War

Image
       Civil War bullets are perhaps the most common item collected from the era; the two armies expended bullets by the millions during the four years’ conflict and spent or deformed bullets of all shapes and sizes have made fascinating and affordable collectibles since the guns went silent in 1865.       I recently acquired a display piece featuring 35 different types of small arms ammunition used during the Civil War, including everything from a small .28 caliber ball up to a .69 caliber three-ring Minie and it triggered some questions: how did the Federal army obtain its small arms ammunition during the war? Where did the lead come from to make the bullets, and where and how was the ammunition manufactured? This post seeks to answer those questions. A typical .58 caliber 3-ring Minie bullet   “Whenever the blasts of war blow in the ears of men who trade in the implements of destruction, they are apt to experience more joy than the true warrior, for then comes the harvest of gain.
Read more

Dressing the Rebels: How to Dye Butternut Jeans Cloth

Image
     In the early days of the Civil War,  the Southern states found themselves with an abundance of cotton but a shortage of cloth with which to make army uniforms. The trade in cloth prior to the war had largely been to send raw cotton or wool north to New England (or Great Britain) where it was converted into usable cloth; but now that trade was broken and the Southern states were thrown upon their own resources in their efforts to properly clothe the Confederate army.  This collection of Confederate enlisted men's frock coats and shell jackets gives some indication of the variety of shades of butternut worn during the war. All of them are shades of yellow brown, some heavier on the yellow and some heavier on the brown. The blue used around the collar or as rank insignia indicates that the soldier was in the infantry. Surviving Confederate uniforms are considered rather rare and command quite a healthy price in the collecting market. For an in-depth study of how Confederate jacke
Read more

The Wizard of Oz and the Civil War

Image
T he 1939 film The Wizard of Oz has delighted viewers for 85 years and ranks as a personal favorite, especially during the Halloween season. While watching it with the family the other night, I wondered if there were any connections between the film and the Civil War. Not surprisingly, the answer is yes and those connections touch both the blue and the gray.           Interestingly both “witches” in the film not only had Civil War ancestors but had connections with Civil War soldiers from Ohio. Margaret Hamilton, the “Wicked Witch of the West,” was born in Cleveland, Ohio on December 9, 1902, to attorney Walter Jones Hamilton and his wife Mary Jane Adams; Margaret’s grandfather was Judge Edwin Timothy Hamilton. Judge Hamilton had served as a private in Co. D of the 84 th Ohio Infantry during the summer of 1862. The 84 th Ohio, a three months’ regiment, served nearly the whole of its service attached to the Railroad District in western Maryland, performing provost duty at Cumberlan
Read more

The Vaunted Enfield Rifle Musket

Image
     The English-made Model 1853 .577 caliber Enfield Rifle Musket was widely regarded as the best infantry arm in the world at the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861. Favorable international press describing its efficiency in the Crimean War and in suppressing the Indian rebellion led to the widespread desire of American infantrymen (both Federal and Confederate) to be armed with these accurate and well-made arms. The lock plate of this well-worn P1853 Enfield rifle musket produced in 1862 shows the typical markings of a British-made weapon that made it through the Federal blockade.  ( Army of Tennessee Relics ) Enfield-pattern weapons were imported into the states by the tens and hundreds of thousands during the war years; one estimate stated that the Federal government purchased 500,000 while the Confederates purchased another 400,000. The Confederate government dispatched Captain Caleb Huse to Europe in April 1861 to purchase weapons and Huse focused on securing all the Enfi
Read more

In front of Atlanta with the 68th Ohio

Image
  The arrow corps badge of the 17th Army Corps was worn by many members of the 68th Ohio in the latter days of the war.       Private Edward A. Bigelow of Co. F of the 68th Ohio Volunteer Infantry wrote this brief account of the Battle of Atlanta just two days afterwards to his father back home in Henry County, Ohio. The regiment formed a part of Colonel Robert K. Scott's three regiment all-Ohio brigade consisting of the 20th, 68th, and 78th regiments, being designated the Second Brigade of the Third Division of Frank Blair's 17th Army Corps. Bigelow's letter originally appeared in the Napoleon Press newspaper and was copied in the Toledo Daily Commercial which was providential as no known copies exist today of the wartime Napoleon Press.  
Read more

Charging Battery Robinett: An Alabama Soldier Recalls the Vicious Fighting at Corinth

Image
W riting 30 years after the Battle of Corinth, James A. McKinstry of the 42 nd Alabama recalled his experiences storming Battery Robinett with Colonel William P. Rogers of the 2 nd Texas and expressed guilt that it was perhaps his action that brought about the colonel’s demise. “On seeing a line of Federals approaching, and before giving the situation a thought, I immediately raised my gun and fired full into the breast of a Federal sergeant, who was in front of the column, and only a short distance from us.  'Twas then that Captain George Foster shouted, "Cease firing, men! cease firing!" and waved his handkerchief, then I realized the true situation. 'Twas too late! That fatal volley had been turned on our little band from the muzzles of 1,500 muskets. I was still standing just as I was when I fired my last shot, and within a few feet of Colonel Rogers, when a Minie ball went crashing through my left hip and turned me half round; another went tearing through my
Read more

Federal Arms in the Stones River Campaign

Image
  T he following list, constructed after many years of research, lists unit by unit which type of weapons were carried by the Army of the Cumberland during the Stones River campaign. A number of sources were consulted including state ordnance reports, Federal quarterly ordnance reports (thank you Research Arsenal ), Ken Baumann’s Arming the Suckers, regimental histories and memoirs, captured ordnance reports, and consultation with knowledgeable experts in the field of firearms. Some of this information has been shared on the blog before in “ Rosy’s Heavy Metal: Artillery of the Army of the Cumberland ” or “ Shoulder Arms: How Sheridan’s and Davis’s Divisions Were Armed at Stones River ” but this is the first time the army as a whole has been presented. The overall conclusion I drew from looking at this data is that the Army of the Cumberland in December 1862 was an organization in the midst of transformation as far as arms. Many of the regiments still retained their original issue
Read more

Cook & Brother of New Orleans

Image
    The lockplate of a New Orleans-made Cook & Brother Enfield rifle produced in 1862 shows the fine craftsmanship that became the hallmark of the maker throughout the Civil War. Note the stars and bars flag at left, an emblem used on C&B's production throughout the war and the Cook & Brother, N.O. 1862 markings. Earlier production weapons at New Orleans had the flag located just above the maker's name while later weapons produced in Athens, Georgia would have a modified flag and Athens on the plate followed by the serial number.        In the spring of 1861, two English-born businessmen, Ferdinand and Francis Cook of New Orleans, perceived the need for the South to have its own domestic production of firearms and  set out to prove "that rifles could made here as well as in Yankee land or in Europe." The brothers  elected to produce copies of the British Model 1853 .577 caliber Enfield rifle as this was considered the benchmark longarm at the outset of the
Read more

Revisiting Snodgrass Hill: Memories of a 21st Ohio Officer

Image
Captain Isaac Cusac, Co. G, 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry proudly displaying his rank as captain in an image likely dating from early 1863. One of his shoulder straps was shot off in the final stages of the 21st Ohio's fight atop Snodgrass Hill on September 20, 1863. Cusac brought it back to Chickamauga 50 years later.  I n September 1913, 83-year-old Isaac Cusac, a retired Presbyterian minister from the little town of McComb, Ohio, returned to Chattanooga to attend the national G.A.R. encampment. The former captain of the 21 st Ohio returned to Snodgrass Hill on the old Chickamauga battlefield on the 50 th anniversary of the battle carrying with him a precious relic of his wartime experiences. “He carried with him there an epaulet that was shot from his shoulder at the battle,” it was reported. “The bullet clipped off the epaulet and then struck him on the left hand, injuring two fingers.”           The flood of memories as he walked the grounds must have been overwhelming. The f
Read more