A Cavalryman’s View of the Disaster at Hartsville

The Battle of Hartsville, Tennessee, fought December 7, 1862, proved an embarrassing defeat of General Rosecrans in the days leading up to the Stones River campaign. Among the participants in this engagement was Second Lieutenant Edward H. Green of Co. E of the 11th Kentucky Cavalry. The cavalry did not play a prominent role in the battle but Green tried to rally the faltering 108th Ohio Infantry before the command surrendered.

Green numbered among the lucky ones who escaped from Hartsville but that action led to rumblings of cowardice that made their way into the press. The following lengthy account of Hartsville is essentially a defense of Green’s actions during the engagement. He must have been convincing as General Joseph Reynolds placed Green in charge of his escort shortly after Hartsville.

          Lieutenant Green’s letter was featured on the first page of the February 5, 1863, edition of the Aurora Journal in which they said “we have received a letter from Lieutenant Green in regard to the escape of himself and comrades at the Battle of Hartsville. We are glad to say that the evidence adduced is sufficient to convince us that Lieutenant Green and his comrades were fully justified in leaving the field in the manner they did. We have not felt like attaching any blame to either party in this matter. The attack was sudden and unexpected; the men were awakened from their sleep to find the foe upon them; there was little time or opportunity to call the reflective faculties into operation. What they did was done upon the impulse of the moment. We have no doubt that those who surrendered and those who escaped did what they thought best and we are sorry to see either party disposed to indulge in recrimination and we think it should be stopped at once.”

 


Lieutenant Green’s letter:

          At Hartsville when the Rebels were first discovered, I was asleep and was awakened simultaneously by Orderly Bienkamp and our venerable old citizen Washington Stark who informed me that the enemy was upon us. I sprang to my feet as quick as possible and while dressing myself I heard Captain Slater hurrying up the men to “fall in.” When I went out of the tent, the captain had already gone- where to, I did not know. I hastened to my horse and found my servant frightened almost out of his senses, having harnessed up my horse with some other person’s rigging. I immediately made the change and mounted.

          By this time, our infantrymen were forming in line of battle in our quarters. The Rebels had also formed and deployed as skirmishers in our front and commenced advancing at a steady pace and firing at will. Soo their artillery opened fiercely with canister and shell. I saw Colonel Absalom B. Moore [see "Colonel A.B. Moore Explains the Hartsville Disgrace."] who was in command, coming up to the line of battle accompanied by his orderlies who were Sergeant Vegtel, William H. Connell, Robert Dickey, and James M. Steele of our company.

I rode out and met Colonel Moore and in the presence of the escort suggested to him the propriety and absolute necessity of hurrying up our artillery to position. I informed the colonel that the enemy was advancing within close range. He informed me that he had ordered it forward and it occurs to me that he sent one of the boys back to repeat the order and to urge prompt compliance therewith. I then rode to the head of the 104th Illinois [see "Blue Times: The 104th Illinois After Hartsville"] as I was acquainted with the field officers and conversed some minutes with the lieutenant colonel [Douglas Hapeman] and adjutant [Rufus C. Stevens].

I then went to the 108th Ohio, two companies of which were posted on the extreme right of our line of battle; and I now claim the honor which otherwise I never should have mentioned, of having rallied a portion of this regiment after they had indicated unwillingness to remain longer on the field, exposed as they were, to a crossfire of musketry from the right and a sharp fire of shell from a mountain howitzer which I plainly saw the enemy get into position on an oblique line in close proximity to the right. I remained with the infantry (for the cavalry did nothing) in the thickest and hottest of the fight until the right gave way, which was quickly followed by other portions of the line; perfect anarchy and disorder set it.



Here we were: both of our flanks turned which exposed our line to a murderous crossfire and a bold and apparently determined front advancing vociferously by cheering with a triumphant air that added to the confusion of our already panic-stricken brigade. It is proper here to state that the 104th Illinois still presented a determined front until they were surrendered, covering themselves all over with glory. They fought nobly. I saw that all was lost for I tried to maintain equilibrium of mind and I fell back about 150 yards to a cluster of timber on the slope of an elevation. Here I saw Lieutenant Terrill and a number of our boys including Sergeant I.M. Thompson, John C. West, Elias C. Groves, and George Tresler and I forget who else.

Lieutenant Terrill and myself talked some minutes on the fortunes of the day, both of us concluding that all was lost. The subject of escape was adverted to and the lieutenant observed that he had no horse to facilitate his flight, which was true, and suffering from a severe fall he received the day previous while on a scouting expedition rendered his escape impossible. From these circumstances, of course, the lieutenant was unable to take a part in the engagement although undoubtedly it was deeply regretted by him.

While we were talking, I had dismounted and was holding the reins of my bridle in my hands when suddenly a shower of bullets came whistling around us, as though designed for our special benefit. And on viewing the source from which the leaden missiles came, I discovered that the enemy had gained the crest of the elevation above us- a distance not to exceed 60 yards. My horse became so intensely frightened at this sudden volley so close to us that it was impossible to prevent him from tearing away from me. He ran away and I started in pursuit of him; Fred Noble of our company, knowing my horse, caught him and held him until I came up to him. At this moment, the firing ceased and the surrender was made. The enemy had also succeeded in getting nearly in our rear and occupied a woods to prevent escape by way of Hartsville.

General Joseph J. Reynolds

I saw a group of our boys within a short distance of me and I went to them. The unanimous request was made by them for me to lead them out, bravely declaring that they had rather find their graves on that very spot, already reeking with blood and covered with slain and mangled corpses than to be captured by that hellion John Morgan. They were wandering around like lost sheep without a shepherd, the larger portion of them having not been formed at all and those few who were formed list their captain early in the engagement. An election was held and the proposition was submitted: Shall we abide the surrender or attempt to cut our way out? The unanimous result was “surrender never.” Had we known at that moment that we would have been branded as cowards, how easily we could have avoided the epithet and tamely submitted and what a nice time we could have had once more in the circle of our friends at sweet home.

If there is yet anyone who questions the truthfulness of the above statements, especially my slanderers, I shall fall back on an adequate means of redress. I shall demand a peremptory court of inquiry or else insist on proceedings before a court martial against my accusers in the adjudication of which will involve my conduct on the occasion in question. General Ebenezer Dumont thoroughly investigated the matter and complimented me on my course, observing that he would infinitely prefer death in the attempt than not make a struggle for escape under such circumstances. General Joseph J. Reynolds also investigated the matter and pronounced similar encomiums on me. He immediately attached me as commander of his escort, in which capacity I am now acting with 17 of my men. One thing may be firmly written on the wall that I shall never suffer my little command to be brutally butchered and inexcusably gobbled up when a little energy and judgment will save them.

Source:

Letter from Second Lieutenant Edward H. Green, Co. E, 11th Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry (U.S.), Aurora Journal (Indiana), February 5, 1863, pg. 1

Comments

  1. Darryl R. SmithJanuary 25, 2026 at 9:50 AM

    Excellent account. I do not live far from Green's gravesite. I might have to visit and clean his stone.

    ReplyDelete

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

Arming the Union: Federal Contract Model 1861 Springfield Rifle Muskets

Image
A t the outset of the Civil War, the Federal government ran into a serious issue when the Confederacy occupied Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, the home of one of the nation’s two armories, and carted the gun making equipment off to Richmond, Virginia. This left just the Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts as the sole government-operated entity to produce longarms for the Union army.           But it quickly became apparent that production at Springfield would have to be supplemented, so the War Department pursued two tracks to increase the weapons supply. Agents were dispatched to Europe to purchase suitable weapons from England, France, Austria, Belgium, and Prussia. Over time, these agents acquired hundreds of thousands of European arms of different designs and origins that equipped Federal regiments in the first years of the war.           In the meantime, operations at the Springfiel...
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 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

Arming the Empire State: Arms Issues to New York Infantry Regiments in 1861

Image
     During the Civil War, the state of New York provided more than 400,000 men to the Union army, the highest number of soldiers of any state, and as can be imagined, the task of arming those hundreds of thousands of volunteers was a very difficult one. At the outbreak of hostilities, the state militia numbered 19,000 men but the state possessed only about 8,000 long arms nearly all of which were utilized to arm the eleven militia regiments which left the state in the earliest days of the war. The state dispatched an agent to England on April 24 th to purchase 25,000 Enfield pattern rifle muskets but upon his arrival, he found those weapons hard to find as Confederate agents had already been busy buying up the stock. Eventually, he was able to secure 19,000 Enfields at a cost of $335,000; these weapons arrived in bits and pieces over the next several months and were issued out soon after their arrival to newly formed regiments.  A perusal of the adjutant general’...
Read more

Grant's Bodyguard: An Illinois Trooper at Fort Donelson

Image
Continuing on last week's theme of brushes with the legends of the Civil War, this week's post features a letter from Illinois trooper Private George M. Bradley of Co. A, 4th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry. Bradley, a native of Akron, Ohio, enlisted September 26, 1861 in the 4th Illinois Cavalry and served three years as a Private, mustering out November 3, 1864.  Perhaps one of the most noteworthy things about his service was the time he spent as a bodyguard for General Ulysses S. Grant during the Battle of Fort Donelson in February 1862. Interestingly, Bradley joined up with the 2nd Iowa Infantry on February 15, 1862 and participated in their celebrated attack that broke the Confederate right and precipitated the surrender of the fort on the following day. The charge of the 2nd Iowa will be the feature of my next blog post as I have a number of accounts from Ohioans who participated as members of the 2nd Iowa. Bradley's letter saw print in the March 13, 1862 issue of the...
Read more

Old Abe: The Magnificent War Eagle of the 8th Wisconsin

Image
       In September of 1861, Captain John E. Perkins and the Eau Claire Badgers went into Camp Randall, in Madison Wisconsin with an unusual company mascot: a fledging bald eagle who they soon named Old Abe.           Old Abe had been captured near the Flambeau River in Chippewa County, Wisconsin by Agemahmegezhig (Chief Sky), a member of the Chippewa tribe during sugar season in the spring of 1861.   “His captor cut down a large pine tree in which was the eagle’s nest and secured this one caught in spite of the screams and menaces of the parent birds,” Captain James H. Green of the 8 th Wisconsin later wrote. Daniel McCann of Eagle Point, Wisconsin soon purchased this fledgling eagle by trading a bushel of corn with the Chippewa. Captain Perkins was then in Eau Claire organizing a company and it was there that McCann sold the eagle to Perkins’ company for $2.50. Perkins, who was later killed at the battle of Farmi...
Read more

A Different Vista on the Civil War: An "Ohio" Marked Lorenz Rifle

Image
          While the focus of this blog has been almost exclusively on chronicling the services of Ohioans during the Civil War through their own words, once in a while it is worthwhile to look into object-based history to help further illuminate the times. Object-based history provides a different vista through which to view past events, by studying the manufacture, use, and history of the objects themselves. Today's post marks my first entry into studying the Civil War through its relics and objects. Unidentified Yankee private holding a Lorenz rifle and Colt revolver (Library of Congress)            I recently acquired an Ohio-marked M1854 Austrian-made .54 caliber Lorenz rifle from a longtime Civil War collector. When I decided to purchase the rifle, I knew little beyond the fact that I had come across dozens of references to this usually well-regarded longarm in my research over the years and it was one of the more att...
Read more

Cotton Burning on the Levee: A Civilian Witnesses the Federal Seizure of New Orleans

Image
F or one Ohio-born resident of New Orleans, the arrival of Admiral David Farragut’s fleet on April 25, 1862, marked a day of liberation. “Yesterday about half past 1 o’clock, the cry was raised that the Yankees were upon us,” wrote Louis M. Beyers in a letter to his mother. “I started toward the levee where the Federal vessels were said to be lying. Reaching the river, what a sight breaks upon my view. The steamboat William Morrison was one mass of flames. All the shipping was sending forth the most dense black smoke. The Mississippi , a ram which was nearly finished and which, if completed, would have demolished the whole fleet in one hour, floating slowly by with the smoke issuing from every opening and several other important like vessels in various parts of the river, all showing that the torch has been applied to them.” “Together with the thunder which came peal after peal gave a scene of the utmost grandeur. There proudly floating in the smoke and rain were the glorious old ...
Read more