Battle Of Nashville And the grand Retreat

[larry_cockerham]

December 28, 1864 The Army of Tennessee completed their crossing of the Tennessee River at Bainbridge, Alabama and loaded their pontoons on wagons before heading off toward haven in Mississippi.

[Insert- General George H. Thomas Jan 20 1865 report: “General Wood's corps kept well closed up on the cavalry, camping on the night of December 25 six miles out from Pulaski, on the Lamb's Ferry road, and pursuing the same route as the cavalry, reached Lexington, Ala., thirty miles from Pulaski, on the 28th, on which date, having definitely ascertained that the enemy had made good his escape across the Tennessee at Bainbridge, I directed ****her pursuit to cease.”]

[The enemy's cavalry, under Roddey, was met at Leighton, with whom Colonel Palmer skirmished and pressed back in small squads toward the mountains. Here it was ascertained that Hood's trains passed through Leighton on the 28th of December and moved off toward Columbus, Miss. Avoiding the enemy's cavalry, Colonel Palmer left Leighton on the 31st of December, moved rapidly via La Grange and Russellville and by the Cotton-gin road, and overtook the enemy's pontoon train, consisting of 200 wagons and 78 pontoon-boats, when ten miles out from Russellville. This he destroyed. Having learned of a large supply train on its way to Tuscaloosa, Colonel Palmer started on the 1st of January toward Aberdeen, Miss., with a view of cutting it off, and succeeded in surprising it about 10 p.m. on the same evening, just over the line in Mississippi. The train consisted of 110 wagons and 500 mules, the former of which were burned, and the latter sabered or shot]

[Insert – General Grant writing to General Sherman from City Point, Virginia December 27, 1864: “I have though that Hood being so completely wiped out for present harm, I might bring A.J. Smith here, with fourteen to fifteen thousand men. With this increase I could hold my lines and move out with a greater force than Lee has. It would compel Lee to retain all his present force in the defenses of Richmond or abandon them entirely…. Without waiting for further directions, then, you may make your preparations to start on your northern expedition without delay. Break up the railroads in South and North Carolina, and join the armies operating against Richmond as soon as you can.”]

From the History of the 33rd Mississippi:

The next day the 33rd Mississippi marched to the Tennessee River at Bainbridge, Alabama. On the 28th the regiment crossed the river and marched on for the next two days to Tuscumbia, Alabama. From there they followed the rail line to Iuka, Mississippi, and arrived on New Year s Eve.

Federals camped at Lexington, Alabama Dec 28.

[larry_cockerham]

December 31, 1864

Stephen D. Lee’s Corps was in camp in Burnsville, Mississippi. The various corps of the Army of Tennessee sought much needed rest in Burnsville, Rienzi and Corinth before re-assembling at Tupelo.

The 5th Division, 1st Brigade US (Hatch) moved to east side of Elk River and camped. Other Federals returned north from Lexington, AL marching 18 miles to camp at Sugar Creek.

[larry_cockerham]

December 26 to January 2, 1865, inclusive.--The pontoon was completed by daylight on the 26th instant, and the army was occupied two days in crossing--Lee's and Cheatham's corps on the 26th, and Stewart's and the cavalry on the 27th. On the 28th the pontoon was withdrawn. The march was resumed, upon striking the Memphis and Charleston railroad, immediately down the road, in the order of crossing the river, to Burnsville, Miss., where, on the 31st, a circular was issued to corps commanders, directing further movements, as follows: "Lee's corps to move to Rienzi, on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, Cheatham's corps to move to Corinth, and Stewart's corps to remain at Burnsville until further orders." Cheatham's corps arrived and established camps at Corinth on January 1, and Lee's and Stewart's corps at their respective destinations on January 2, 1865. Army headquarters were at Tuscumbia from the 26th to the 28th of December, inclusive. On the 29th General Hood, with Colonel Mason and his personal staff, remained during the day at the terminus of the railroad near Tuscumbia, awaiting the train, which did not arrive until late at night. He reached Burnsville on the evening of the 30th, remained there until the morning of the 2d of January, and from thence came by cars to Corinth. [28 Dec Hood’s trains passed through Leighton, 29 Dec Gen. Thomas abandoned pursuit]

From Forrest’s Report:
On the morning of the 26th the enemy commenced advancing, driving back General Ross' pickets. Owing to the dense fog he could not see the temporary fortifications which the infantry had thrown up and behind which they were secreted. The enemy therefore advanced to within fifty paces of these works, when a volley was opened upon him, causing the wildest confusion. Two mounted regiments of Ross' brigade and Ector's and Granbury's brigades of infantry were ordered to charge upon the discomfited foe, which was done, producing a complete rout. The enemy was pursued for two miles, but showing no disposition to give battle my troops were ordered back. In this engagement he sustained a loss of about 150 in killed and wounded; many prisoners and horses were captured and about 400 horses killed. I held this position for two hours, but the enemy showing no disposition to renew the attack, and fearing he might attempt a flank movement in the dense fog, I resumed the march, after leaving a picket with orders to remain until 4 o'clock. The enemy made no further attack between Sugar Creek and Tennessee River, which stream I crossed on the evening of the 27th of December. The infantry were ordered to report back to their respective corps, and I moved with my cavalry to Corinth.

Battery B Pennsylvania, 4th Artillery and Batter E 1st Michigan remained in camp at Pulaski.

[larry_cockerham]

January 1, 1865

From the History of the 33rd Mississippi:
On New Year's Day, 1865 the regiment had a holiday and rested in camp. The next day the regiment was on the march again and went to Burnsville, Mississippi. From there they went to Tupelo, Mississippi, where they camped 3 miles west of town.

This day the 5th Division, 1st Brigade [US] camped on the east side of the Elk River under orders to march to Huntsville, AL. They marched 19 miles, the order was revoked and they moved back to the Elk River and camped 2 days. From there they marched for Eastport and camped three days at Waterloo on the 10th of January.

[larry_cockerham]

January 2, 1865

Lee’s Corps moved to Reinzi, Mississippi, probably including the 63rd Virginia Infantry Regiment.
On this day Battery G 1st Ohio, 6th OH Battery, 25th Indiana Battery and 1st Kentucky Battery camped at Athens, AL.

January 3, 1865

Lee's and Stewart's corps ordered to continue the march to Tupelo, Mississippi from their respective bivouacs, Rienzi and Burnsville, all wheels not necessary with the troops and artillery carriages to be sent to Columbus, to report upon arrival to Major-General Elzey.

January 4, 1865

No further orders regulating movements of the troops.
Federal Artillery was at Huntsville.

January 5, 1865

Army of Tennessee headquarters established at Tupelo, Mississippi. General Wood’s Union Corps arrived at Huntsville this same day.

[ole]

Larry: Do not, ever, stop this narrative. A great read and an untreated topic. Thank you, my friend.
Ole

[larry_cockerham]

More investigation on this subject has led to the recent (2006) discovery that the crossing and battle site were closer to the Lawrence-Giles county line just northeast of the village of Appleton, Tennessee. This is perhaps half a mile west upstream from the site at the highway 11 bridge previously described. Apparently the AOT for the most part used Powell Road west from Anthony’s Hill and then turned down Shannon Creek through Puncheon before crossing Sugar Creek just north and east of the little community of Appleton, Tennessee. There is an old church still standing at Puncheon that was used as a camp site during the war. [Puncheon was a term used to describe pine logs split in half with the flat side up that were pressed into the ground to create a floor.] This area is located right on the Lawrence-Giles county line. Apparently the Army of Tennessee took a less restrictive and easier route through the Puncheon community. The battle site can be reached through Appleton past an old general store building and on past Dobbins cemetery. The battle occurred about one half-mile north of the cemetery along the west bank of Sugar Creek near the convergence of the west fork and the main stream.

Mike Ricketts in 2006 offered the following:

Many think the Battle was fought at the Dobbins Cemetery, but it was about ½ mile from there. If you take that road past the big red store that goes by the cemetery, there is posted land down there. The posted land is the battle. Just past the ford of the creek is the first of 3 large fields. Between fields 2 and 3 is the ravine that the infantry fought from. It is still in pristine condition and beautiful land. I had relatives in 4th and 5th Alabama Cavalry, 16th and 35th Alabama Infantry, Morton’s Battery, 8th Tennessee Infantry, and 7th Tennessee Cavalry.

[larry_cockerham]

Partial extract from an article by Mark Cole referencing Ron Pettus, published on the internet at paleoindianalabama.com :

"The Old Lexington Road, now County Road 71, was a significant early trail in Northern Alabama. For over a century it served as one of the major routes between the river port of Florence, Alabama and the towns of Lexington, Alabama and Pulaski, Tennessee.

Nine thousand years after the first Native American left a trace of his presence on this site, Dempsey Dean Bulls and his wife, the former Catherine Jackson, married and settled near Center Star, also purchasing the property along the Antioch ford of Bluewater Creek on the Old Lexington Road (Kimbrough n.d.). Catherine’s family was one of the early settlers in the vicinity of Bluewater Creek, coming to the area in 1820 while Dempsey had ventured south from North Carolina. Dempsey and Catherine had 10 children, two of which died at childbirth and two others before their 17th birthday (Heritage Publishing Consultants (HPC) 1999). By 1860, the second son, Franklin Barnabas (Frank) Bulls and his wife Eliza had married and lived with the family, as well as one of Catherine’s sisters (Federal Census 1860). The Bulls family used the property, located south of the bridge on this popular early road to construct Bulls Mill in 1855 (Kimbrough n.d.). Bulls Mill served as both a grist mill for making flour and also included a saw mill. Dempsey was also known to use it for casket making at times (Phillips 2005) and delve into carriage making and repair (Federal Census 1870), a pastime that likely brought plenty of customers from the rough road of the time (Scott 1880:965-966). A covered bridge over Bluewater Creek was constructed here by 1859, but had to be replaced with a double tract bridge the next year because the original bridge could not support the weight (Pettus 2002:23). The same pillars were used for both bridges. The $1,500 investment used by Dempsey to build the mill was returning the family $13,500 annually by 1870 (Federal Census 1870), a good living for the period. The income supported the living members of the immediate Dempsey Bulls family, Frank and Eliza and their four children along with nine negro slaves (Federal Census 1860:196). One of these slaves, Mary, was so well respected by Dempsey that it is said that she had much to do with the rearing of his children (Hill 1978). It seems that by 1870 Frank had inherited the operation, allowing Dempsey to concentrate on carriage repair (Federal Industrial Census 1870).

The War Between the States brought with it the bloody third phase of the history of this site. Three of Dempsey Bulls’ sons joined various parts of the Confederate forces. No records could be found regarding the duty of the John (LDC records 2005), other than that he perished on January 21, 1863 in a Confederate camp. The fourth son, Junious, joined Lieutenant-Colonel Edward O’Neal’s (for whom the O’Neal Bridge in Florence, Alabama is named) Calhoun Guards in June of 1861 at the age of twenty one (Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) 2005). That he ascended to the rank of 3rd Sergeant with Company I of the 9th Alabama Infantry Regiment indicates his valiant service to the Confederacy, yet records indicate that he succumbed to an unspecified disease on February 9, 1862 (ADAH 2005). It is the author’s conjecture that the mourning of the death of a second son to the war with the Union likely led to the demise of Catherine Bulls in 1863. Still, Frank joined the 11th Alabama Cavalry Regiment in 1864. This group fought at the town of Athens, Alabama, the Battle of Sulphur Creek Trestle near Elkmont, Alabama, and rendered effective assistance to Hood in various portions of Tennessee. Eventually they were forced to surrender at Decatur, Alabama in May, 1865, whereupon Frank returned to his father’s mill. Frank Bulls eventually left his boyhood home and the state of Alabama for Texas, likely soon after the death of this father in 1874.

While the Civil War was raging, the third phase of the history of this site occurs. Bulls Mill was likely visited as early as November 20, 1864 by Union Calvary. Correspondence from Brigadier General Edward Hatch noted his camp as located “four and a half miles southwest of Lexington on Bluewater Creek” (Scott 1880:963). Perhaps the protection afforded by the steep valley made an impression on Hatch, and it is possible that he suggested it as a prime location for the Northern Alabama command center."

As stated earlier, Gen. Hatch commanded the 10th TN US Cavalry as part of his 5th Division under Gen. James H. Wilson. Included in this army was none other than farrier James Patterson Cockerham of Wilkes County, North Carolina, a man with a small growing family just trying to survive the war. My great great grandfather did pretty well for himself as he and Amelia Darnell Cockerham were to become parents of eleven children. Amelia died in 1920, James in 1922. Both are buried in Mitchell County, Iowa.

[larry_cockerham]

Question:

Did they follow the 'ridge' to Minor Hill or the Powell Road
creek bed to the west from Anthony's Hill and then down to
Puncheon Church?

Response:

Larry, the Powell Road was recommended by an engineer.

Six MILES AND A HALF FROM PULASKI,
LAMBS FERRY ROAD,
December 22, 1864 1 p. m.
General J. B. Hood, Commanding Army of Tennessee:

GENERAL:

At this point I take the right-hand or Powell road; it intersects the Florence road four miles this side of Lexington and is five miles shorter; has not been traveled, and is the best route, with a good ford over Sugar Creek. I have sent an officer to examine the lower ford, and, if not fordable, will send boats sufficient to bridge it, and to remain till ordered to be taken up by you. Will camp to-night sixteen miles from Pulaski. Have already passed the worst portion of the road, and will make better speed to-morrow.

I have the honor to be, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, S. W. PRESSTMAN,
Lt. Colonel and Actng. Chief Engineer, Army of Tennessee.

[larry_cockerham]

January 6, 1865 Generals Stewart and Stevenson (commanding Lee's corps) were ordered to work the road where it was bad on their march.

January 7, 1865 Lee's corps arrived at Tupelo and went into camp. January 7 – March 22 Wilson’s Cavalry at Gravelly Springs, Alabama

January 8, 1865 No orders of importance issued with reference to further movements.

January 9, 1865 Stewart's corps arrived at Tupelo and went into camp. The Union Cavalry was reported at Eastport, Mississippi. Time was running out for the Army of Tennessee in Mississippi. Thomas and Wilson were still on the trail.