Bumping into Bragg’s Rearguard at Munfordville

In the late summer of 1862, General Braxton Bragg’s army stole a march on General Don Carlos Buell’s forces in Tennessee, moving into Kentucky in hopes of giving Kentuckians an opportunity to flock to the Confederate banner. Bragg’s Confederates seriously embarrassed the Union cause for a time, but more importantly they now threatened Buell’s supply lifeline from Louisville. With Union forces in disarray following the debacle at Richmond, Kentucky on August 30th, Buell had no choice but to turn his army north and race to secure his supply base at Louisville before Bragg took the city.

In what may have been his finest feat of maneuvering, Buell marched the bulk of his army 300 miles north in a month and arrived in Louisville before Bragg. [That Bragg swerved eastward to link up with Kirby Smith after his victory at Munfordville remains one of the great mysteries and “what-ifs” of the war in the west.] However brilliant Buell’s efforts were in extracting his army from a particularly knotty situation, the officers, and men in the ranks “couldn’t see it.” Lieutenant Richmond Melendy of the 29th Indiana wrote that “we made a tremendous march and reached Louisville for some purpose, no one knows exactly what, unless it be to let Bragg get a good start south so that we can have the grand and glorious privilege of following Major General Don Carlos Buell all over Tennessee and the Cumberland Mountains on half rations.” Lieutenant Charles Harmon of the 24th Ohio commented on September 30th that “we of the Army of the Ohio have bathed once more in the waters of ‘La Belle River’ on the banks of which we rest. But far better methinks it had been had we bathed our bayonets in and through the center of Bragg’s column.”  

The chase of Bragg through Kentucky in the peak of a summer drought was one of the hardest experiences of the war for Buell’s men. Stifling heat punctuated by clouds of dust kicked up by thousands of men on the move made each step an exercise in torment. “We went 30 days without a change of shirts,” Lieutenant Melendy remembered. “Our regiment drew five days’ rations and marched 15 days before we drew again, but we lived on the top shelf with honey sweet potatoes, chickens, fresh meat of all kinds.”

One thing the army couldn’t find was water; the whole region was suffering through a drought that summer. Wells, if found, were run dry by the hordes of thirsty men; the rivers and creeks had been reduced to a trickle by the dry spell and the few pools of standing water often proved unfit to drink. “We had to drink pond water which was green with scum and full of wiggle toads,” James Bragg of the 40th Indiana recalled. Men and animals crowded around the warm pool “and the boys washed their dirty faces, socks, and feet it as all of the horses and mules drank out of it. One or two dead mules floated in it.”

The final stretch of the long march, from Bowling Green to Louisville, was perhaps the most perilous as it was at this point that Buell’s men came within striking distance of Bragg’s army. As a matter of fact, a portion of General Thomas Wood’s brigade came into contact with Bragg’s rear guard at Green River near Munfordville on September 21, 1862, as is described in the letter below from First Lieutenant Samuel H. Hamilton of the 26th Ohio.

 

Bragg's men burned the Green River bridge at Munfordville following the capitulation of Colonel John Wilder and his garrison of roughly 4,000 men on September 17, 1862. The bridge carried the Louisville & Nashville Railroad across the deep gorge of Green River, serving as a vital connection along the 186-mile stretch of rails that connected Louisville with Buell's forward supply depot at Nashville. The vanguard of Buell's army, including the 26th Ohio, arrived on the scene a far days later and got into a brief tussle with portions of Bragg's cavalry rearguard. 

Camp near Louisville, Kentucky

September 27, 1862

          I again take the opportunity of posting you as to our whereabouts and how we are getting along. We left Bowling Green on the 16th for Munfordville where we expected to meet General Bragg. We halted at Cave City to prepare for a big fight and after arranging everything on the morning of the 21st we were ordered to have three days’ rations in haversacks and be ready to move on the enemy. Our division was in the advance.

After marching some four miles in line of battle, the news came that Bragg had skedaddled for Louisville, leaving behind a strong rear guard consisting of 3,000-5,000 cavalrymen. We moved on the road until within one mile of where Colonel Wilder had surrendered his force. I noticed some hurried movements in the 3rd Kentucky, our advance regiment. They were ordered on the double quick when we all followed suit. They had just reached the top of the hill when the firing commenced. The 3rd Kentucky threw out their skirmishers and then the fire commenced.

The rest of the brigade moved forward to supporting distance and awaited the result of the skirmish. After firing several rounds, we heard something buzzing around our heads and soon discovered that they had sent us a shell from the other side of the river. Our battery was then placed in position so as to return the compliment and after firing about 40 rounds, General Thomas Wood ordered our brigade across the river. The 26th Ohio, led by Colonel Edward Fyffe, took the advance. We proceeded to the river and crossed near where their battery was placed, but they had left for parts unknown. We got over in time to see the cavalry make a charge on them in Munfordville.

The dour and taciturn Don Carlos Buell did little to enhance his reputation with his soldiers throughout the summer of 1862; to be sure, his star dimmed quickly once large portions of the army were placed on half rations or worse following Confederate cavalry raids in July that played havoc with his railroad supply lines. The Ohio-born regular officer appeared to many of his volunteers as more focused on imposing harsh disciplinary measures than in taking the fight to the Rebels. The long march to Louisville further undercut his standing with both the army and with the Lincoln administration. Buell's days in command were numbered as he marched into Louisville in September 1862. 


While they were shelling us across the river, the shells exploded all around our regiment, as we were in range of their guns, but no one was killed or badly wounded except one of the 3rd Kentucky boys who was struck on the top of his head by a piece of a shell, making a slight contusion. One shell fell and exploded in Co. H of the 26th Ohio, a piece of which struck Sergeant Wallace N. Hoge and Lewis S. Little on the foot but did not hurt them much.

"There was some swearing when Bragg got away from Green River, but when the army filed left and marched up to West Point, the cussing was awful. They roasted potatoes, grated corn, ate raw bacon, and marched hard without murmuring while Bragg was ahead of us, but now that he is south of us, I am glad that I am not Buell. Some way the boys don't like Buell. He meets with no mercy from either citizens or soldiers." ~ First Lt. Richmond W. Melendy, Co. A, 29th Indiana

I notice some of the papers are disposed to censure Colonel Wilder of the 17th Indiana for surrendering Munfordville to the Rebels. But his surrender was honorable and on his own terms. On the Sunday previous to the surrender, he literally cut the Rebels to pieces. They admit themselves that they never saw braver boys than the colonel’s little band of 4,000 men. I was talking with one of the 10th Mississippi boys who informed me that his regiment was slaughtered terribly, only leaving about 50 men in it.

When Colonel Wilder was asked to surrender and told they had 60 pieces of cannon bearing on his little fort, he sent word to General Bragg that some of our generals had surrendered to wooden guns and that he did not propose to do that. But if they would show him their pieces, then he would have to surrender. The Rebels then permitted Wilder to cross the river and examine the guns and finding that Bragg had 72 pieces bearing upon him and 25,000 men, he said there was no use of resisting any longer.

Remnant of the 26th Ohio's national colors about 1880. 

They allowed him to come out of the works with colors flying and playing Yankee Doodle. A big general walked up to the colonel and demanded his sword. But Colonel Wilder said, “No sir, I have just whipped a brigadier general and will not deliver my sword to any but a major general.” General Simon B. Buckner then stepped up and took the sword, which was afterwards returned to him. I cannot see wherein he deserved censure.

We left Munfordville the next morning for this city. After marching day and night without rations (which were left in the wagons) making a march of 25 days for General Buell’s army, you can judge of the fix we were in without clothing for the men. We are already under orders to march again after three days’ rest. There are no less than 80,000 new troops here and I cannot see why they cannot let us rest awhile. Our baggage is all back yet and when we will get it, I don’t know. I am in hopes that we shall not have to make another such march soon.

 

Sources:

Letter from First Lieutenant Richmond W. Melendy, Co. A, 29th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, Steuben Republican (Indiana), October 11, 1862, pg. 1

Letter from First Lieutenant Charles R. Harmon, Co. E, 24th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Western Reserve Chronicle (Ohio), October 8, 1862, pg. 2

Letter from First Lieutenant Samuel H. Hamilton, Co. I, 26th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Urbana Citizen & Gazette (Ohio), October 9, 1862, pg. 2

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