McKee's Last Missive: The 15th Wisconsin and Knob Gap

    

Lieutenant Colonel David McKee served with the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry and first saw action at Bull Run in July 1861. Promoted to field grade with the 15th Wisconsin in early 1862, he served with the regiment throughout the western theater and gained the reputation as a remarkably brave and capable officer. The day before his demise at Stones River, the St. Louis native worried that he would be killed in action and tried to leave his watch and money with non-combatants. 

    On the first day of the Stones River campaign, the courage of the 15th Wisconsin was put to the test at Knob Gap near Nolensville, Tennessee. General Alexander McCook's corps had marched south from their camps at Nashville that morning and as morning turned to afternoon, the skies let loose and the troops quickly found themselves tramping along muddy roads. Ahead lay a Confederate cavalry outpost supporting a battery covering Knob Gap, and General Jefferson Davis wanted the guns taken.

    "We know that if that gap is gallantly defended, the task of taking it is no easy one," recalled Lieutenant Colonel David McKee. "Colonel Carlin turns around with his usual coolness and firmness and gives his orders. “Lt. Col. McKee, you will take command of the line of skirmishers and advance them rapidly.” A single “yes sir” and I know where my post of duty is and go to it."

    Lieutenant Colonel McKee of the 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry was a rarity in his regiment; a native born American of Irish parents, McKee was one of the minority of non-Scandinavians in the regiment. McKee had served previously as a captain with the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry and seen action at Bull Run before being promoted into the 15th Wisconsin. He would meet his end five days after Knob Gap in one of the opening clashes of the Battle of Stones River, Tennessee. 

    McKee's account of the action at Knob Gap was published in the January 13, 1863 edition of the Grant County Herald of Lancaster, Wisconsin. McKee's death left his Pamela alone to raise two orphaned girls that the couple had adopted before the war. 

    To learn more about the engagement at Knob Gap, please click here to read "Capturing the Gun at Knob Gap with the 15th Wisconsin" and for a perspective from the 101st Ohio, check out "Charles Barney Dennis at Stones River Part I: Engagement at Knob Gap."

In the field near Triune, Tennessee

December 28, 1862

Friend Cover,

          The Army of the Cumberland got itself in motion on Friday December 26th. I assure you it was a great relief to almost all of us to again be put to work and taking the right direction toward the center of Dixie. When the order came to move to the front, a shout of “Bully for Rosecrans” rent the air everywhere and everybody was delighted with the prospect after having remained comparatively inactive in camp for several weeks. Davis’ division, which is the extreme right of the right wing of the army, took the lead. This division is composed of three brigades: the First commanded by Colonel P.S. Post, the Second by Colonel W.P. Carlin, and the Third by Colonel William Woodruff. Post’s brigade was in the advance followed by Carlin then Woodruff.

          Davis’ division proceeded on a somewhat circuitous route to Nolensville. He was supported on the left by General Sheridan’s division, and I am informed that General Negley had proceeded on the Franklin turnpike which was still to the right of Davis. About 1 o’clock in the afternoon, the division arrived in front of the enemy’s camp at Nolensville and found them drawn up in line of battle ready to receive us. Pinney’s 5th Wisconsin Battery opened the fire with shells at moderate range but the enemy being pretty well under cover of the hills, it is not supposed that much damage was done. In a few moment, they replied with considerable vigor.

Private Martin Norda, Co. I, 15th Wisconsin

          Post’s brigade was drawn up in line to support Pinney’s battery and skirmishers were thrown out to the front when musketry fire was opened but not yet very heavily. Carlin’s brigade was formed rapidly on the right of Post and advanced through a heavy thicket of cedars to a skirt of open woods and fields, the skirmishers being pretty well occupied with the Rebel cavalry in front until the brigade was halted and deployed up in line. The Rebel batteries opened on us from the left and immediately in front of Post. The order “unsling knapsacks” was given by Colonel Carlin and was quickly obeyed by the brigade and then all was ready. “That battery must be taken” was the order.

          Carlin swung his brigade around to the left and started for it as the battery fired but a few rounds before it limbered up and started to the rear in the direction of Murfreesboro. It had been raining all day. The roads were terribly muddy, and the fields were nothing but beds of soft muck- the men sinking to the ankle at every step. Now let me give you a slight idea of the country we were in and in which we now had to contend with the enemy. After our brigade had swung around and advanced and occupied the position previously occupied by the Rebels and their battery, we were then at right angles with our first position, and we halted for rest and for orders. In front and to our left was an open plain for some distance in which is located the little Southern town of Nolensville. Surrounding this plain, or rather basin, is a continuous chain of hills, high and precipitous. Directly in our front and not man than a mile distant is a deep cut or gorge through the mountain through which the Nolensville and Triune turnpike passes. This gap in the mountain is not more than 300 paces in width and is closed in by steep bluffy walls. The Rebels have taken position at this gap and have placed their artillery and troops in it.

Colonel Philip Sidney Post

          It looks like a hard road to travel, and it is Post’s privilege to take it. While we rest, he approaches Colonel Carlin; now remember that Post has hardly changed his position since he first opened fire on the enemy. He asks Carlin what he proposes to do; Carlin answers that he intends to let his men rest and then go where he is ordered. Post is pale and has but little to say but complains that his men are used up and cannot move. Carlin tells him that if he (Carlin) is ordered forward, he wants Post to support his left and wants Post’s brigade on the left of the turnpike. Post says nothing; he makes no reply.

Now an aide of General Davis rides up with orders: “That battery must be taken at any risk.” Carlin must do it. This is serious business; it is no child’s play. A thought of the danger, then a thought and probably a silent tear for the loved ones at home steals its way to the cheek of the stalwart man; not what will become of him troubles the soldier, but what will become of them. Here are the lives of the regiment depending upon the conduct of its officers. A slight mistake on their part and they become, as it were, their executioners. There is a fearful responsibility, but a moment, but a second for this reflection and then all are nerved for the contest.

General William P. Carlin

We know that if that gap is gallantly defended, the task of taking it is no easy one. Colonel Carlin turns around with his usual coolness and firmness and gives his orders. “Lt. Col. McKee, you will take command of the line of skirmishers and advance them rapidly.” A single “yes sir” and I know where my post of duty is and go to it. The skirmishers are deployed and pushed rapidly as possible to the front. They are one company each from the 21st Illinois, 38th Illinois, 15th Wisconsin, and 101st Ohio. These regiments together with the 2nd Minnesota Battery constitute the brigade. All are pushed rapidly forward. Three of the regiments are at times pretty well covered by the formation of the ground; the 38th Illinois was most terribly exposed.

The enemy’s battery opened upon us, and shell succeeds shell with most fearful rapidity. On, on, onward plod the almost exhausted Second Brigade. Nothing halts them. The iron hail plunges through thin lines, over them, and in front of them. Through cornfields and woods, up and down hills, they pursue the march to the very cannon’s mouth. The skirmishers are near enough to open fire which they do in good style as they advance.

The Rebels now use canister on us. A moment more and the whole brigade opens fire on the heads of the skirmishers who have advanced into the ravine in front of the Rebel guns. Double quick is ordered and while the men can’t get up a trot, they do get up a most frightful yell. The Rebels limber up to the rear as fast as possible, but there is one place they cannot and dare not attempt to take off. Firing ceases almost and your humble servant had the honor of being the first man at the gun, a good six-pounder of the 14th Georgia Battery and which had been captured from our forces at Shiloh. We got three prisoners with it. Our loss in this charge was but eleven men in the whole brigade. Our good luck can be attributed to nothing else but the bad management of the gunners. Had they fought with half the gallantry with which our men advanced upon them and stood their ground as soldiers should have done, the slaughter must have been frightful. Their musketry fire from dismounted cavalry lasted but a moment or two.

General Jefferson C. Davis


Our point was carried and after following about a half mile further we were permitted to rest. Post did not support Carlin as was expected and did not come up until after the fight was over. Pinney’s battery took position and did good work. We have no idea of their strength, but it was reported at 13,000. I do not think it was more than half that number.

They carried off a number of killed and wounded and left some few in the houses in the neighborhood. That sight of the advancing brigade and the Rebels defending was most grand, and worth the services of any man for one year to have witnessed. The 15th Wisconsin claims the honor of capturing the field piece. Colonel Heg and I were the first to take possession of it and placed a guard over it.

Yesterday, the Rebels were followed up and driven through Triune and one more piece of artillery captured. If the Cumberland River would now rise, I have no doubt we can keep Bragg busy and get further into Dixie than we have yet been. Yesterday we heard heavy firing in the direction of Savory on the Nashville & Murfreesboro turnpike but don’t know what the result was. On to Chattanooga is the word. If we can get provisions to the army, we will soon be there.

 

Colonel Hans C. Heg
15th Wisconsin

Despite the confidence shown in his letter of the 28th, Colonel McKee suspected he would not live to see the army in Chattanooga. His friend Lieutenant Joseph H. Rackerby of Co. E remembered that in his final days, McKee seemed to have a presentiment of his forthcoming demise. “Just before the fight began on the 30th, Colonel McKee told me that if he and Colonel Heg were killed, to see that his remains were sent home and he then offered me his money and watch to keep for him,” he wrote. “I advised him to give them to the surgeon which he did, keeping his watch to himself. On the night of the 30th, I saw and conversed with him again and he said that if they went into the fight the next day, he would go on foot as there was more danger on horseback. I saw him early the next morning [December 31, 1862] trying to rally his scattered men and as he passed me, he said, “Joe, God bless you! Are you yet safe? This beats Bull Run!” I saw him no more until about 8 o’clock when the lines fell back to where I was having had to retreat across a large corn and cotton field. I turned and saw Colonel McKee throw his hand to his head and fall. This was the last I saw of him until after the Rebels had evacuated when I got permission to go over the field. McKee was the first man I came to. I found that the ball had passed direct through the brain which must have caused instant death. When I found him, he was stripped of all his clothes except his underclothes.”

          Colonel Hans C. Heg also noted McKee’s presentiment. “Poor McKee, I believe he expected to be killed,” Heg noted in a letter to his wife. “He was very gloomy the day before and in the morning before the fight began, he asked his hostler to take his horse and wanted him to take his watch and also gave Dr. Himmoe most of his money. I did not see him fall, but he was not more than 200-300 feet from me. The smoke and noise were so heavy that little could be seen or heard. We miss McKee considerable, at least I do for he was good company.” 

    Nine months later, Heg himself would be killed in action at the Battle of Chickamauga.

Sources:

Letter from Lieutenant Colonel David McKee, 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, Grant County Herald (Wisconsin), January 13, 1863, pg. 1

Letter from First Lieutenant Joseph H. Rackerby, Co. E, 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, Grant County Herald (Wisconsin), February 17, 1863, pg. 2

Blegen, Theodore, editor. The Civil War Letters of Hans Christian Heg, 15th Wisconsin Infantry. Northfield: Norwegian American Historical Association, 1936




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 t...
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 ...
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 h...
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 Ma...
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 se...
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

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...
Read more

I Want to See a Battle: A Hoosier at Shiloh

Image
W riting in his diary, Private Manius Buchanan of the 29 th Indiana recalled the eagerness with which his regiment marched towards Savannah, Tennessee with the sounds of the battle of Shiloh ringing in their ears.           “The forced march was kept up until 2 p.m. when we were halted until 4 p.m,” he noted. “The rest was really needed, but the continual question is ‘Why are we stopped here?’ The sound of battle increased in volume and anxiety to be up and doing grows more intense. As I am weak from a late sickness, I am urged to fall to the rear; but no, in common with all, I want to see a battle and fear this will be my only chance.” The regiment would go into action the following afternoon, and of the four neighborhood boys who had enlisted together in Co. B, only Buchanan escaped unscathed. One afternoon's exposure to the horrors of battle was all it took to satisfy this Hoosier's desire to see the elephant. “I wanted to see a battl...
Read more

An Interview with Forrest in May 1864

Image
  “The noise of battle is the only music that ravishes the senses of Forrest.” I t was May 1864. Back east, the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac were locked in the deadly dance of the Overland Campaign while in Georgia, General William Tecumseh Sherman's army squared off against General Joseph E. Johnston and the Army of the Tennessee in the campaign for Atlanta.       Based in relatively quiet northern Mississippi, General Nathan Bedford Forrest bided his time waiting for a Federal advance from Memphis. Earlier in the month, General Samuel Sturgis led a brief campaign into Mississippi but Forrest was sure Sturgis would venture out again. In the meantime, he tried to keep his reorganized command intact despite persistent demands from his superiors that he return the absentees and deserters who inflated his ranks (nearly 1,000 in number) to their original commands.      Around this same time,  an old acquaintance from Me...
Read more