Saving the Day at Parker's Crossroads

     After three weeks of fruitlessly chasing General Nathan Bedford Forrest’s command around western Tennessee in late 1862 and early 1863, Corporal Edwin P. Toms of the 27th Ohio suggested the government adopt a new approach.

    “I should like the Times to recommend to Governor Tod to mount the Ohio brigade,” he offered. “We are pretty good walkers, but hardly enough to catch Rebel cavalry. If we are to be kept as a sort of police guard to run after Rebel cavalry every time they make a raid, we shall certainly want other legs than those nature has provided us with. Had we been mounted at the Battle of Parker’s Crossroads on the 31st of December, nothing would now be known of Forrest’s gang except the history of its capture.”

    The 27th Ohio as part of Colonel John W. Fuller’s Ohio brigade arrived on the field at Parker’s Crossroads just as Colonel Cyrus Dunham’s Federal brigade was surrounded and about to surrender. Fuller’s timely arrival in Forrest’s rear caused the Tennessean to abandon the field, saving Dunham’s command from capture. “From that moment, the day was ours,” Toms wrote proudly. “The gleaming saber bayonets were too much for the Rebels; they fell back in a panic leaving cannons, caissons, horses, and wagons behind. It was a glorious victory and we reflect the highest honors on the 27th Ohio.”

    Toms, a 21-year-old Englishman who left his job as a clerk in Cincinnati to join Co. B of the 27th Ohio in July 1861, left this remarkable account of the engagement at Parker’s Crossroads which first saw publication in the January 22, 1863, edition of the Cincinnati Dollar Times.

Soldiers wore a variety of footwear during the Civil War but the infantrymen on both sides generally preferred a well-built pair of leather brogans over boots. While not comfortable by modern standards, infantrymen craved a broke-in pair of shoes for long marches but finding the right fit always proved challenging. "If you find a foot soldier lying beat out by the roadside, five to one his heels are too high, or his soles are too narrow, or too think, or his shoe is not made straight on the inside so that the great toe can spread into its place as he treads," one soldier remembered. The Federal government let out contracts to dozens of shoemakers who produced work of a wide variety of quality, some superb, and some simply shoddy. Soldiers were allowed to draw four pairs of shoes per year per the normal army clothing allowance, but active campaigning like the lengthy marches Toms describes in this letter could wear out a new pair of brogans in a matter of weeks. 

 

Camp of the 27th Regt. O.V.I. Corinth, Mississippi

January 12, 1863

    In my last letter I told you of an expedition sent out after Forrest and his gang under Colonel Michael Lawler and of our subsequent return after a fruitless chase. I now have to tell you of another and far more successful expedition sent out under the command of Brigadier General Jerry Sullivan. On the rainy evening of the 26th of December while very unpleasantly camped in dog tents at Jackson, Tennessee, we received orders to be in readiness to march in an hour. We soon got everything in trim for a foot race for we felt sure it was to be another run after the Rebel Forrest.

    We did not get started until the following morning when we took the cars for Trenton. From Trenton the column started on foot on the 28th, the force consisting of the following regiments: First Brigade, the Ohio brigade, under Colonel John W. Fuller with the 27th, 39th, and 63rd Ohio regiments; Second Brigade under Colonel Cyrus Dunham with the 50th Indiana, 106th, and 122nd Illinois, 39th Iowa, and two companies of mounted infantry from the 18th Illinois with Griffith’s 7th Wisconsin Battery.

    It being ascertained that Forrest was making for the Tennessee River, we started in pursuit in that direction. After two days’ marching, we entered the little town of Huntingdon. As we passed through, the citizens were engaged in hoisting on a high pole the glorious stars and stripes. It seems they had just had an election for Congress in which Hawkins, the Union candidate, was unanimously elected. We had to stay at Huntingdon one day to gather up rations as we started from Jackson with only three days’ rations in haversacks and no provision train. The good people of Huntingdon no sooner heard on what condition we were placed than they all commenced to throw in their mite and soon wagonloads of cornmeal, flour, bacon, etc. came into camp, while many were invited to their homes and during our short stay treated us with the best possible attention.

General John W. Fuller
A fellow Englishman

    Early Wednesday morning December 31st we left Huntingdon, taking the Lexington road. Nine miles from Huntingdon lies the little village of Clarksburg; it was here that the first signs of the enemy appeared. Colonel Dunham’s brigade pushed on skirmishing occasionally with (as was supposed) a few straggling Rebel cavalry. At Parker’s Crossroads, Colonel Dunham suddenly found an overwhelming Rebel force in the rear of him. Dunham speedily formed his regiments to the best advantage to meet the enemy who closed in on him in greatly superior numbers.

    The battle immediately commenced; our boys fought well but were greatly outnumbered. The three pieces of artillery which we had were taken by the enemy three times. Twice they were recovered but the third time, our cannoneers and horses being nearly all shot down, they were spiked and abandoned. It was a precarious moment. An adjutant general on Forrest’s staff came over and demanded that Colonel Dunham surrender. “Sir,” said the heroic Dunham, “I never surrender, but on the contrary claim you as my prisoner,” and forthwith sent him to the rear under guard.

    Meantime, Colonel Fuller’s Ohio brigade was double quacking to the scene. As Dunham’s brigade, overpowered, cut up, and fatigued, tottered back in disorder, the Ohio brigade came up. The bully 27th speedily formed in line and with yells and cheers charged on the Rebel columns. From that moment, the day was ours. The gleaming saber bayonets were too much for the Rebels; they fell back in a panic leaving cannons, caissons, horses, and wagons behind. It was a glorious victory and we reflect the highest honors on the 27th. The fruits of victory were as follows. In the first place, the enemy totally routed and fled, we captured seven pieces of cannon, four caissons, 500 horses, about 400 prisoners, 400 stands of arms, and several wagons. The prisoners were well loaded down with plunder which they had captured at Humboldt, Trenton, and other places. Everything belonging to Uncle Sam was taken from the prisoners and soon several wagonloads of clothing, dry goods, boots, etc. were accumulated. Our loss was 14 killed and 72 wounded, about 36 of whom were taken prisoners, all out of the Second Brigade.

Edwin's older brother John Toms also served in Co. B of the 27th Ohio before being promoted to the regimental quartermaster sergeant in August 1862. Like Edwin, the former bookbinder eventually was commissioned as an officer leading colored troops, becoming captain of Co. B of the 64th U.S.C.T. in September 1864 where he served until mustered out in March 1866. Captain Toms ended up in Honolulu, Hawaii where he died in 1901, a long way from his birthplace in Taunton, England!

    After the battle, as usual, the field was full of curiosity seekers and I can assure you Co. B of the 27th Ohio had their share of the plunder. Some very handsome nags were captured and many of the field officers exchanged their somewhat worn-out horses for more sprightly ones. Colonel Fuller, I noticed among the rest, mounted on a splendid gray stallion, probably formerly the property of some Rebel officer. Adjutant James Boggis of the 27th exchanged his horse for a better and Colonel Noyes of the 39th Ohio values his captured steed at $3,000.

    After the battle, Forrest fled precipitately toward the Tennessee River. On New Year’s day we again pursued him. After two days’ hard marching, we reached a point nine miles from the river and here learned that Forrest had got safely across and was camped along the opposite shore. Saturday January 3rd, we marched to the river and arrived at a point opposite Clifton and found the enemy’ skirmishers in force. A lively skirmish commenced but it was rather long-range shooting across the river and I presume it was rather bloodless on both sides. The Rebels favored us now and then with a shell. They had their artillery well-planted and evidently understood how to work their guns. They managed to knock a wheel off of our ammunition wagon with a solid shot.

Numerous Ohio units, including the 27th Ohio, went to war equipped with Ohio Volunteer Militia belt plates like the one depicted above. The plates has been produced for use by Ohio's pre-war militia units but the times being what they were, they went out with Ohio's early volunteers in 1861. During the Battle of Corinth in October 1862, a captured Confederate soldier asked a man in the 27th Ohio what O.V.M. stood for. "Ohio Visiting Mississippi," the Buckeye quipped. "We had a few of them made on purpose for this campaign." Original OVM belt plates are quite rare and command a high price in the collecting market. 

    The skirmishing was kept up until about 2 o’clock when a boat bearing a flag of truce was seen crossing and all firing now ceased. The bearers of the flag were Colonel Woodward and Captain Bell of the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry. They brought with them the quartermaster of the 63rd Ohio whom they had captured the day previous.

    Their object was to exchange him. Colonel Fuller, having been sent for, soon came up. On approaching Colonel Woodward, he said, “Colonel, I congratulate you on your hasty skedaddle from the crossroads.” Woodward replied, “And I congratulate you, Colonel, on your timely arrival on the field.”

    While the object of the flag of truce was being made known, our boys and the Rebels on the opposite shore laid their rifles aside and engaged in a different sort of war, a war of words. In this engagement it was difficult to tell which side suffered the most. The language used was certainly more expressive than elegant. “Have you any hard crackers over there?” one of the boys asked. “Well, yes, we took a few from you the other day along the road,” a Rebel replied. “Which way did you come? By way of Parker’s Crossroads?” One of our men replied, “No, by way of Humboldt and Trenton.” This kind of conversation was indulged in until the flag of truce left. As our prisoners had all been taken to Jackson, we could not immediately make the exchange desired by the Rebels. Captain Morgan escorted them to the river and saw them safely across.

    Seeing that nothing further could be done, our force shortly withdrew and took up our backward march. After five days of steady marching, we arrived at Corinth on the 10th ultimo where we still lie in camp. Though this expedition has been eminently successful in the results, it has been a very severe one on the troops engaged. Since the 19th of December to the 10th of January, something over three weeks, we have been out exposed to all weathers with no tents, carrying our knapsacks, heavy haversacks, and 70 rounds of cartridges, marching through drenching rains and almost unfathomable mud. We marched as high as 24 miles a day and never less than 16.

The 27th Ohio left the state in late 1861 equipped with two types of longarms and still carried them at Parker's Crossroads: the flank companies (A and B) carried .577 P53 Enfield rifle muskets depicted above while the rest of the regiment carried .69 caliber M1842 rifle muskets converted by Miles Greenwood's Eagle Foundry in Cincinnati. In September 1863, the regiment turned all of these weapons in and received a full complement of M1841 Mississippi rifles that they carried for the rest of the war. Most Buckeye regiments received Springfields or Enfields in 1863 as the state and Federal government sought to re-equip the veteran regiments with weapons of the same caliber. 

    Uncomplainingly, the boys have borne all this but flesh and bone cannot stand everything and the Ohio brigade is now unfit for duty and it may be possible that we have a little of the rest we so much require. Our tents which we left standing at Oxford are expected here every day. We shall probably stay at Corinth until it is ascertained what Bragg’s intentions are. An attack on Corinth just now would not be likely to prove a very profitable speculation. Should Bragg cross the Tennessee, I think he will give Corinth a wide berth. It is now over three weeks since we received any mail and the boys are anxiously looking out for a letter. The troops in Corinth have been on half rations for some time but the road to Memphis is now open and there will soon be plenty of everything again. 

    I should like the Times to recommend to Governor Tod to mount the Ohio brigade. We are pretty good walkers, but hardly enough to catch Rebel cavalry. If we are to be kept as a sort of police guard to run after Rebel cavalry every time they make a raid, we shall certainly want other legs than those nature has provided us with. Had we been mounted at the Battle of Parker’s Crossroads on the 31st of December, nothing would now be known of Forrest’s gang except the history of its capture.


To learn more about the Battle of Parker’s Crossroads, please check out Adjutant Henry C. Gooding’s account from the 122nd Illinois entitled “Surrounded by “That Devil Forrest” at Parker’s Crossroads.”

 

Edwin P. Toms was born May 5, 1840, in Taunton, Somersetshire, England, migrating to the U.S. in the years before the war and working as a clerk. He enlisted as a private of Co. B of the 27th Ohio on July 11, 1861. He was promoted to the rank of corporal in 1862 before accepting a commission as second lieutenant of Co. I of the 110th U.S. Colored Troops on January 1, 1864. He briefly served with the 110th USCT before being detached to serve on General John W. Fuller’s staff as an ordnance officer. He remained on Fuller’s staff for the rest of the war, resigning his commission March 31, 1865, in Goldsboro, North Carolina. He returned home to England for a period of time in 1865 but with his wife Annie moved to Pittsburg, Kansas after the war where he worked as a bookkeeper for a coal company. He died April 6, 1908, and is buried at Mount Olive Cemetery in Pittsburg.

 

Source:

Letter from Corporal Edwin P. Toms, Co. B, 27th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Cincinnati Dollar Times (Ohio), January 22, 1863, pg. 2

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