Continuation of information regarding Colonel Thomas M. Jones.
Kenneth Noe devoted two pages to Jones' attack that day. His scenario suggested that Jones moved forward on his own without orders, and since he is not found in command of his brigade later on, that he must have failed in some manner that day. Jones was not mentioned in any of the reports of the commanding officers that day. This was probably due to the likelihood that no particular commander was aware who would be directly in charge of Jones' brigade. Whether Jones failed in some way that day is debatable—as his brigade sustained the highest casualty percentage of any brigade in the army; however, Patton Anderson's division had been splintered into four separate (practically) independent commands.
Anderson's four brigades were commanded by Colonel Samuel Powell, Brigadier General D. W. Adams, Brigadier General John C. Brown and Colonel Thomas Jones. Powell's brigade covered the Springfield Pike nearly three-fourths of a mile southwest of Brigadier General D. W. Adams' brigade that supported the left flank of Buckner's division. The other two brigades of Brown and Jones had at first maintained some level of cohesion with their division, but by about one p.m., these two brigades had been sent northeast to fill a gap that had been created by General Sam Wood's brigade forcing back the skirmishers of Harris' brigade. The gap was created when Buckner allowed Wood to force the enemy skirmishers back to the north side of Doctor's Creek. This gap had to have been at least three to four hundred yards and created a void between Buckner's brigades commanded by Wood and Johnson. Buckner wrote in his official report that "Wood's skirmishers became engaged with the enemy and drove them to the wood to the right of my line, which covers the heights in the rear of the valley of Doctor's Fork of Chaplin's Fork. By direction of General Bragg this brigade remained in occupancy of that wood, making a gap in my line which was afterwards filled by the brigade of Brigadier-General John Brown, of Anderson's Division."
[1]
Interestingly, Buckner nor Anderson made any mention of Jones' brigade, and it's probable that Anderson spent the majority of his time conducting the movements and actions of Powell's and Adams' brigades. The only mention of Jones' brigade is made by the left wing commander—Major General William J. Hardee. He stated that Jones and Brown were both sent to plug the gap between Buckner's and Cheatham's divisions.
[2] Acting as right wing commander during the battle, Cheatham also failed to mention Jones' brigade, but the fact that he mentioned casualties from two Mississippi regiments at his field hospital point to the probability that Jones in fact advanced to Donelson's immediate left. Those troops would have been put in the hellish scenario that historians maintain Donelson's brigade to have experienced. That is—that they advanced up the 'run' that separates Doctor's Fork from Chaplin Hills and Open Knob. The 'run' is currently referred to as "Donelson's Run," but would more appropriately be called "Jones' Run" or even "Wood's Run." This 'run' was called "Crazy Creek" at the time M. Quad wrote his story in the autumn of 1882.
[3]
No report of Colonel Jones is known to exist, and it appears that details of his brigade's actions are not reported by any commanding officers. Being aware of the scheme of maneuver, Jones was apparently placed on the right of Brown's brigade and to the left of Donelson. Wood's brigade was initially placed in reserve—as they had conducted skirmishing in the hours preceding the fight. Jones' direction took him up the length of "Crazy Creek"—just north of Doctor's Creek—where he engaged the Thirty-third Ohio and portions of the Second Ohio. His men also faced the direct frontal fire of Captain Harris' Nineteenth Indiana battery of Webster's brigade. In this initial action, he was probably engaged up to an hour. Taking high casualties and running low on ammunition, he was probably withdrawn—and likely taken charge of by the division commander, Patton Anderson. This may explain why his last charge was apparently made on the west side of Mackville Pike against the section of howitzers of the Second Minnesota battery near the Russell House.
Two things are certain in regards to Jones' brigade at the Battle of Perryville. They conducted no less than two separate attacks at the battle. The first was in the opening minutes of the fight upon the movement of Donelson's brigade to their immediate right.
[4] The second attack took place shortly before nightfall that aided in the rout of Federal troops from the grounds of the Russell House. There is no doubt that between the two attacks the brigade had fallen back some distance to replenish cartridges and reform. At least an hour—or perhaps two—had passed between the time they first moved into action and the time that they charged a section of the 2nd Minnesota Light Artillery near sunset.
[5]
[1] Report of Major-General Simon Bolivar Buckner, C.S. Army, on the Battle of Perryville, Kentucky, October 8, 1862. Simon Bolivar Buckner Collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
[2] Report of Major General William J. Hardee, C.S. Army, commanding Left Wing. OR, Vol. 16, Pt. 1, p. 1119 – 1122.
[3] The Spirit of Democracy (Woodsfield, OH) June 13, 1882, Page 1.
[4] 'From General Bragg's Army." Memphis Daily Appeal (Memphis, Tennessee) November 4, 1862, Page 2.
[5] "Letter from the Second Battery." St. Cloud Democrat (Saint Cloud, Minnesota) November 27, 1862, Page 2.
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