Democratic Sentinel, Volume 2, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 April 1878 — THE BATTLE OF RICHMOND. [ARTICLE]

THE BATTLE OF RICHMOND.

General Manson’s Rcjly to a Correspendent of the Cincinnati Commercial. A Plain Statement of Pacta and a Triumphant Vindication——The Question About Nelson’s Order Settled Porever. Crawfordsville, lud., March 28, 1878.—Hou. R. J. White, Senate Chamber, Frankfort, Ky.: Your favor of the 22d inst. has been received and contents noted. It affords me great pleasure to have an opportunity for answering yout communication in relation to the battle of Richmond, Kentucky, fought August 30, 1862; and, that there may be no injustice done to any one that had anything to do with the engagemen, it will be necessary for me to give a short history of what took place a short time previous. I arrived in Lexington with General Nelson on Sunday evening, the 24th of August, and left with him Monday, in the afternoon, for Richmond. Arriving at Clay’s Ferry, on Kentucky river, we overtook General Cassius M. Clay’s brigade, and, at the request of Generals Nelson and Clay, I took charge of General Clay’s command to enable him to proceed to his home, he stating that he had not visited his family sine- his return from Europe. On the morning of the 26th I moved from Clay’s Ferry toward Richmond, and, arriving there late in the afternoon, I reported to General Nelson, who had preceded me to the place. General Nelson sent a staff officer with me to. „ Colonel Rhodes’ farm, some two miles south of town, where there wete some troops already encamped. On the morning of the 27th I received General Nelson’s order assigning me to the command of the First brigade, as he called it, consisting of the Fifty fifth, Sixty-ninth, Seventy-first aud Sixteenth Indiana regiments, and some artillery under the comm and of LieutenantLamphier, of Michigan, I went to work at once to clean up the camp and get the men outfor the purpose of drill, in the first principles of which I found most of them ignorant. That afternoon I sent a written communication to General Nelson asking permission to look out for a new place to encamp, stating that water was very scarce, and the men had not had an opportunity to wash their clothes since they h-td left Indiana, and that all the hills on the south commanded my camp. General Nelson paid no attention to this communication. On the morning of the 28th, about sunt ise, General Nelson’s orderly came to my headquarters with £b vci bal message from the general, directing me to report at ouee at his headquar ters at Richmond, which I did. On arriving there I was informed that General Nelson had just left, in company with the Hon. Garrett Davis for Lexington or Lancaster, he not having informed his adjutant to which place he was going. I inquired of Captain Kendrick, his adjutant general, what orders General Nelson had left for me. He informed me that he had left none, only that I should not leave my present position until he returned. In the forenoon of Friday, the 29th, I received a communication from Colonel Reuben Munday, and also one from Col. Leonidas Metcalf, informing me that the enemy had appeared and was then crossing over Big hill in considerable force, supposed to be 4,000 or 5,000 strong. lat once had two copies of these communications made out. One I sent to Lancaster and the other to Lexington, not knowing at which place General Nelson might be found. At the same time I directed Colonels Munday and Metcalf to fall back and carefully observe the road, so that the enemy should not flank Richmond either to the right or to the left, and also sent out Lieutenant Colonel Woh.of the Sixteenth Indiana, with four additional companies, to strengthen the picket I already had in front. About 2 o’clock Colonel Metcalf came to my camp with a portion of his command, stating that he had been driven from every position he had occupied, and that the enemy was advancing in great force. I immediately had the long roll beat, troops formed, and moved out upon tiie high bills to the front, and formed a line of battle near Mr. White’s house. In a short time the enemy appeared in consideral force, and after a sharp skirmish, they retired, losing a few prisoners, some horses and one piece of their artillery. While this skirmish was going on, I sent the Rev. Mr. Cray, of Bloomington, Indiana, to Lexington, to give General Nelson a personal account of what was taking place in front, if he was there. I moved front a short distance to a place called Rogerville, and bivouacked during the night. The enemy also bivouacked a short distance from me in the woods to the south. A little after sunrise on the morning of the 30th I formed my line of battle in the wood, near the little brick church. In a few moments the enemy commenced advancing, and was met in most gallant style by the troops which I had already formed. I maintained that line for nearly four hours, until I was completely outflanked on the east.

I At the same time my right gave way lin great confusion. I rode back a ■ snort distand, met the Eighteenth ! Kentucky advancing, and deployed them in line |o check the enemy’s advance, which they did, holding their position for ra©re t-ha« 2Q<minutes. This enabled «fce » ®rm a second line on the hlgh jground north of Rogers’ house, and I moved from that point to the same ground I had occupied the evening before in the first skirmish with the enemy, where I awaited their advance. While I was thus waiting a messenger from General Nelson arrived with a wytteu con.muuication from him dated at Lex iugton, August 30, the same day of the battle, and 3-1 miles distant, directing me, if the enemy appeared in force, to retire by the Lancaster road. This was delivered to me in the presense of some of my staff, and also Dr. Irwin, the medical director of General Nelson’s staff, and now brevet lieutenant colonel and Sergeon in charge of the West Point academy. It was then 12:30 p. m., and the Lancaster road had been in the possession of the enemy for more than two hours, and this is the only order I receiveci from General Nelson directing me to retire from the position to which he had heietofore assigned me. The following is an extract from my official report, dated Indianapolis, September 10, 1862, and <iireeted and delivered to General Nelson: “The enemy now began advancing in great force through the open fields, in line of battle, and while they were thus advancing a courier rode upon the field and delivered to me your written order, dated at Lexington, August 30, directing me to retire by the Lancaster road if the enemy should advance in force. It was then 12:30 o’clock p. m., and in less than five minutes from the time I received your order the battle raged with great fierceness along my whole line.” I held this position for something over an hour, when I was driven by the enemy a second time, my right giving way in great confusion. I commenced reforming my men in the woods, on Colonel Rhodes’ farm, for the purpose of a general retreat, to recross the Kentucky river that night if possible. I had only partly succeeded in my attempt to reform the line when General Nelson rode upon the field and assumed command, and by his direction the troops were marched to near Richmond, line of battle was formed at the foot of a hill, the right restingin the woods, and the left extending through the cemetery to the road, where we waited more than au hour and a half for the enemy to come up. When they did appear we were not able to check their advance at all, owing to the demoralized state of the troops, they having already been defeated in two engagements. We retreated through the town of xlivhmond in great confusion. I organized a rear guard for the purpose of protecting the scattered and demoralized army from the enemy’s cavalry, and, by the direction of General Nelson, I assumed command of the rear guard, and did cover the r«treat until we got near the toll gate on the Lexington road, when the column in front came to a halt. After remaining over an hour, I turned over the command of the rear guard to Major Morrison, of the Sixty-sixth Indiana, now a resident of New Albany, Indiana I moved to the front to ascertain the cause of the hault. When I arrived there I found a small number of the enemy’s cavalry formed across the road to check our retreat. This was the first intimation I had that General Nelson had left the field. I made an effort to organize an advance guard, but could not succeed until the color sergeant of the Eighteenth Kentucky) an old man who had the •flag of his regiment under his arm, the flagstaff having been shot away, handed me his flag, stating that he had fought all day with me. and that if I would protect the flag of the Eighteenth he would still fight on. That gallant old soldier gave courage and enthusiasm to the men, and in a short time we had an advance guard organized which drove the enemy’s cavaly from the road,. The column moved forward, I making one last and desperat effort to cross the Kentucky river with the remainder of the command. We advanced to near Foxtown, where we found the enemy in great force concealed in a cornfield. They fired upon mi’ advance, killing 17 and wounding 25. Colonel Wolf, of the Sixteenth Indiana, was killed here. I commanded the remainder of the advar.ee guard to lie down and maKe -no lurtfier resistance. In a short time afterwards I was made a prisoner. In some four days I was paroled by General S. Kirby Smith, commander of the enemy’s force; made my way to Cincinnati, and when I arrived there, to my utter astonishment, I first learned from th ; Hon. Richard Smith, editor of the Gazette. that General Nelson had authorized the publication of the statement that I had fought that battle con tray to his positive orders, and at my special request Mr. Smith published in the Gazette the following on the sth or 6th of September, as their files will show: “To correct false statements which have been made in this city respecting the engagement at R chmon, we are authorized by General Manson to state that previous to the engagement he had no order to fall back or avoid an engagement. “The order of Gereral Nelson advising a retreat by the Lancaster road reached General Manson on Saturday after the fight had been going on for Ove hours, and when he had formed his second line of battle, and the enemy were advancing in line of track. A retreat could not have been made then without a fight. After he had oeen driven from that position he rallied the men in line between his camp and Richmond. At this time General Nelson came on the ground and took command. General Manson was subject to the duties of his position as representative of the government aud commander of the troops, and was under no orders, general or special, as to seeking or avoiding engagements or falling back. Only a prompt retreat before the invading column reached him could have safely taken his troops across the Kentucky river. Had he retreated thus, and if it had turned out subsequently that the rebel force was inconsiderable, he would have been dismissed in digrace, as was the officer who r .‘treated’from Paris. General Manson’s report will show why he marched to the position took to meet the enemy.” The same thing substantialv was published in the Commercial andKnqnirer, General Nelson being in the city at that time at the residence of Mr. Farz Anderson. When General Nelson learned I was in the city he sent Mr. Grose, of his staff, requesting me to call and see him at Mr. Anderson’s, which I did; and in that interview, in the presence of Mr. Anderson, I asked him how it was possible that he authorized the publication of a statement that I had fought the battle contrary to his orders. He stated in explanation, that he thought I had received his order, dated a. Lexington, on the morning of the

battle. I stated to "lim that he ought to have known it was impossible for me to have received that order, it' having to be carried to me on horseback 31 miles. General. Nelson admitted to me that he was mistaken about my having received the order in time to From that time, ujatil the Comm erciaFs correspondent revived it on the 18th of Marrh. nearly 16 years, I have never heard it stated, publicly or privately, that I fought that battle contrary to General Nelson’s orders. I made every exertion possible to ino m General Nelson of the si uation at Richmond, by sending to him all the information received, and on the day of the fight sending a gallant young soldier, Colonel William C. Goodloe, as a special messenger, to go towards Lexingtpn, expecting that he would meet General Nelson on his way from Lexington with reinforcements, and to inform him of the situation, and to reauest him to make all oossible haste to the field. General Nelson, in his communication to the Gazette, says that he rode 52 miles to get to the field. I never knew why he took this circuitous route. I was informed by Major Mulkey, of Bloomington, Indiana, that General. Nelson came with one attendant to Hickman’s bridge, 24 miles from Lexington, a little after sunrise on the morning of the 30th, and that he (Mulkey) told General Nelson that he was fearful the troops at Richmond would have a hard fight that day, that a citizen had informed him (Mnlkey) that he had lain concealed in the bushes and had counted 18 stands of colors passing over Big Hill the day before. Nelson informed Mulkey that it was only a cavalry raid; that there would be no fight within 20 days, and that he was on his road then to Lancaster to look out for a camp. While they were talking they heard the sound of the cannon at Richmond, and in a short time General/Nelson left that place for the battle field. I think, under the circumstances, that I may be pardoned for saying that General Nelson made a great mistake, first, in removing General Lewis Wallace, who had sent these troops across the Kentucky river for a temporary purpose only, of his command. Second—ln not promptly ordering the troops back from Richmond if he did not wish to risk raw tro.eps in an engagement. Third—ln not promptly responding to the information I gave him Friday in relation to the advance of the enemy. Fourth—ln not ordering a retreat when he camped, upon the ground, instead of making the stand near Richmond. And lastly—ln publishing in the papers that I had fought the battle contrary to his orders; for I here reiterate, in the most positive manner, that I received no orders, either verbal or written, from Generals Wright or Nelson, to fall back or avoid an engagement, and that the order I received was the ver bal order through his adjutant to remain at my camp until he returned, except the one I received after the battle had been raging five hours or more. I regret that this controversy has been reopened, for I have none but the kindest feelings for the memory of General Nelson, and for all the gallant solders who participated on both sides in that engagement, and no one regrets the untimely death of General Nelson more than I do. My official report will substantially establish the facts that I have set forth in this communication. I am sir, very respectfully yours,

M. D. MANSON.