USA > Kentucky > Trigg County > Counties of Christian and Trigg, Kentucky : historical and biographical > Part 19
USA > Kentucky > Christian County > Counties of Christian and Trigg, Kentucky : historical and biographical > Part 19
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After this, at Columbia, Tenn., the services of the regiment were tendered the Confederate States Government for twelve months, but were declined. Most of the men either returned home or scattered out into other com- mands. About one hundred and thirty or more re-enlisted under Wood- ward for three years, or the war, and from this on followed the fortunes of that gallant but ill-fated officer.
We now go back to the time Companies A and B were disbanded at Atlanta, and take up the fortunes of Company H, whose time had not yet expired. They remained under the command of Lieut .- Col. H. C. Leavell, their old Captain, till just before Bragg started on the march to Kentucky, when, Col. Leavell dying, they passed under the command of Maj. J. W. Caldwell. On the march into Kentucky they were placed in the advance, and throughout the campaign did efficient service as vi- dettes. They were in frequent collision with the enemy's infantry and cavalry, both in Kentucky and Tennessee, and at all times and on all oc- casions preserved their well-earned prestige as good soldiers. At the battle of Perryville, although their term of service expired on that very day, they remained and took part in the action, operating with the rest of the cavalry against the enemy's flanks. Afterward, when Bragg had reached Tennessee, they disbanded at Clifton, near Knoxville, and the men scattered out, some into other commands and some returning home. It is regretted that the facts thus preserved are so meager and incom- plete, but the lapse of time and the pre-occupation of other matters has served to obliterate much of thestory from the minds of those who survive.
The Eighth Regiment of Kentucky Cavalry, C. S. A .- This com- mand was organized at the fair grounds, near Hopkinsville, in the spring or summer of 1861. It numbered about 800 or 1,000 men recruited from Christian and the neighboring counties. It was officered as follows : H. C. Burnett, Colonel ; H. B. Lyon, Lieutenant-Colonel ; and William R. Henry, Major. Col. Burnett was afterward elected to the Confederate
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States Senate from Kentucky, and resigned his command, after which Lyon was promoted to the vacancy. On being mustered into service, the regiment was ordered to Fort Donelson, reaching there in time to partici- pate in the brilliant but disastrous battle that ensued. They were cap- tured with the other troops under Maj .- Gen. Buckner, and sent North to prison. Shortly after reaching the prison at Indianapolis, and in the same month of his capture (February) the gallant Henry died of disease contracted from exposure on the battle-field. The regiment was exchanged at Vicksburg, Miss., in the fall or winter of 1862, and their term of serv- ice expiring in the meantime, they disbanded and returned home, or were absorbed into other commands.
Among other officers who went from the county, and who are worthy of mention was Col. L. A. Sypert, now a practicing lawyer at the Hop- kinsville bar. Col. Sypert first joined Green's Cumberland Battery in 1861. Before being fully organized the battery was ordered to Fort Donelson to take part in that fight, and did gallant service up to the sur- render. Finding preparations were being made for surrender, both Sy- pert and Green made their escape from the fort, the former returning to his home in Kentucky, and the latter following up the retreating army under Albert Sidney Johnston. As soon as Col. Sypert had re-equipped himself he passed through the Federal lines, and riding rapidly in the direction of the retreating Confederates overtook them at Shelbyville, Tenn. From this place, with other escaped soldiers from Fort Donelson, he was ordered to Huntsville, Ala., and from thence went to Corinth, Miss., where Johnston was concentrating his forces. On reaching Corinth he found the army had already been moved in the direction of Shiloh, and at once followed in pursuit. The next day he overtook the Third Arkansas from Pine Bluff just as they were going into action, fell into line, and when, shortly after, one of them fell severely wounded, begged of him his gun and equipments and followed on into the fight. Some time in the afternoon of that day he received a painful wound in the foot from a piece of shell, which, for the time, quite disabled him. While bathing his wound at a stream near by a riderless horse came dashing by, which, with the assistance of a straggling soldier, he succeeded in capturing. Being assisted into the saddle he again rode to the front, and came up with the line of battle on the edge of an old field. Here he took position behind a tree, and fired several rounds at the opposing enemy. While so engaged his horse was struck in the neck by a bullet, and being maddened by the pain wheeled and ran with him to the rear. After run- ning a short distance he plunged into a low, marshy bog on the banks of a stream, became mired, pitched forward on his head and landed his rider in the surrounding muck and mire. Extricating himself as best
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he could, and leaving the dying horse to his fate, the Colonel hailed Cobb's Battery, then passing by, and received the assistance of his old friend, Will Wheatley, to the nearest field hospital. After having had his foot comfortably dressed, and having procured another horse, he again returned to the front. He arrived just in time to witness the surrender of Gen. Prentiss and his command, and being put in charge of some fifty or more prisoners he, in company with Messrs. Pete and Chris Torian, then of Memphis, conducted them back to Corinth. After the fight the army fell back to Tupelo, Miss., and here a pass was secured from Gen. Bragg, and he went to Mobile for a few days. On his return he found Bragg gone in the direction of Chattanooga, having left Gen. Price ("Old Pap") with a small force to operate against Iuka and Corinth as a blind to his movements. After the capture of the former place by Price, Col. Sypert crossed the river at Eastport, and continued on by himself into Kentucky. Arriving in safety he at once began to recruit a company for Col. Tom Woodward, who was at that time in the neighborhood recruiting his regiment. Before the regiment had completed its organization, how- ever, and before Col. Sypert had recruited a full company, they were again compelled to leave the State and retire to Columbia, Tenn. Here the regiment, which had been mustered into service for twelve months only, was tendered to the Confederate Government, but, on that account, rejected. The companies were disbanded, and some of the men returned home, some of them scattered out into other organizations, and the bal- ance re-enlisted for three years under Woodward.
Of these there were about one hundred and thirty men, and among them Col. Sypert and ten or twelve of his men. A majority of these were from Hopkinsville, and among them Hal Sharp, George Bryan, Wallace Wilkerson, Charles Campbell and others. Re-enlisting as a private under Woodward, Sypert remained in that capacity till the sum- mer of 1863, when, through the kind offices of his friend, Hon. Henry C. Burnett, at Richmond, he was commissioned Colonel and given authority to raise a regiment. On his way back from Richmond the train on which he was returning was intercepted and captured by the enemy. Col. Sypert succeeded in making his escape through North Carolina to the nearest railway, on which he returned by way of Atlanta to Dalton, Ga. Here he found his old command and remained with them till after the battle of Chickamauga. He participated with his regiment in this hard-fought but fruitless victory, and as usual came out unscathed. Shortly after this the regiment was attached to Gen. Wheeler, with whom they made a successful raid into Tennessee, capturing Shelbyville and other points, and doing much damage to the enemy. When near Colum- bia, Tenn., Col. Sypert left the command, and, pressing on by himself
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into Kentucky, was soon among his old friends and admirers on his " native heath." It was rather late in the season and the Federals were swarming in every direction, and after a few unsuccessful efforts to re- cruit, he concluded to return South till spring. In the spring of 1864 he returned to Kentucky and this time succeeded in raising a regiment of cavalry, recruited principally from the counties of Union, Henderson and Webster. With this small force, most of whom were " raw recruits," he began to operate against the Federals wherever they could be found. The first encounter was with Col. Sam Johnson in Crittenden County, a part of whose forces he surprised at Bell's Mines, and the next day encount- ered Col. Johnson himself at Blue Lake, whom he completely routed and drove out of the county, with the loss of eighty men and horses. Shortly after this an incident occurred which is well worthy of preservation. A very estimable citizen of Henderson, Mr. James E. Rankin, had been shot and killed by a party of guerrillas, calling themselves Confederate soldiers, and in retaliation two innocent prisoners from Daviess County were brought down to Henderson to be shot. Col. Sypert learning the fact, determined to rescue them. Appearing before the town with such por- tions of his command as were at hand, and ordering up the balance under Maj. Walker Taylor as soon as possible, he at once sent in an order for immediate and unconditional surrender. The officer in command, in order to gain time, returned an evasive answer. Apprehending his mo- tive and desiring to make a preliminary reconnoissance, Col. Sypert rode in himself under " flag of truce," and unattended. Meeting the Federal officer in command he again repeated his demand for surrender; but was again met with evasion. The commandant assured him that the order to shoot the two prisoners had been countermanded and would not be en- forced, and on his part demanded to know what forces Col. Sypert had under him. To this Sypert replied : " I am here, Col. Seery is here, and Maj. Walker Taylor will be up in a few moments, and unless you sur- render in five minutes from now I will make the attack." This failing to have the desired effect, and knowing the danger of delay, Col. Sypert abruptly ended the conference, mounted his horse and rode back to his men. Everything was gotten ready for a charge upon the town, but be- fore the five minutes had expired the enemy's gun-boats appeared in view and began shelling most furiously. Seeing the hopelessness of an attack against such odds, he drew off his men in the direction of Taylor's Springs, where he went into camp. The very next day the two unfortunate pris- oners were taken down the river bank and shot to death, after which the whole Federal force debarked on the gun-boats and left the city. The Union citizens, fearing retaliation upon themselves, began to flee also, but were promptly re-assured by the following proclamation from Col. Sypert :
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" To the Citizens of Henderson :
"On yesterday two Confederate soldiers were shot to death in the streets of your city. They condemned, their entire command condemned, as earnestly as any citizen of Kentucky, the wounding of Mr. James E. Rankin and the plundering of your city. But they are gone, and their murder is another crime added to the damnable catalogue of the despot- ism that rules you. We are Confederate soldiers. We fight for the lib- erty our sires bequeathed us. We have not made, nor will we make war upon citizens and women. Let not your people be excited by any further apprehension that we will disturb the peace of your community by the arrest of Union men, or any interference with them unless they place themselves in the attitude of combatants. Such conduct would be cow- ardly, and we scorn it. We are in arms to meet and battle with soldiers -not to tyrannize over citizens and frighten women and children. We move with our lives in our hands. We are fighting not for booty but for liberty ; to disenthrall our loved Southern land from the horrible despot- ism under which it has bled and suffered so much. We know our duty, and will do it as soldiers and men. Even if what are denominated as ' Southern sympathizers' be arrested by the tyrants that lord it over you, we would scorn to retaliate by arresting Union men who had no com- plicity in the matter, but our retaliation will be upon soldiers. Let not the non-combatants of your community be further excited by any fear that we will disturb them; all Union men who may have left home on our account may safely return. In war soldiers should do the fighting.
" L. A. SYPERT, Colonel Commanding C. S. A.
" R. B. L. SEERY, Lieut .- Colonel C. S. A. "J. WALKER TAYLOR, Major C. S. A."
To this brave utterance the Henderson News thus responded : " Col. Sypert has been known in peace and war as a thoroughly brave man and a gentleman. When he learned the soldiers had gone he issued this proclamation, which speaks for itself. No eulogy could add to the honor it sheds upon the man. Everything here at the time was absolutely at his mercy, but he refused a temptation to plunder, and an opportunity for vengeance upon citizens not in arms. His words then composed our peo- ple, who were in a fearful state of excitement. They were grateful to him then, and admire him yet for his manly and soldierly conduct."
After this incident as related above Col. Sypert removed his command to Sulphur Springs, in Union County, and shortly after, with about 500 men, attached himself to Gen. Adam Johnson, who had come in to recruit a brigade. Col. Chenoweth with about 300 men also attached himself to Johnson, and the two commands became the nucleus thereafter for the proposed brigade. This brigade was never completely organized, but after
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some uneventful skirmishing with the enemy, and marching and counter- marching from point to point in Southern Kentucky and Tennessee, after the disabling of Gen. Adam Johnson, was transferred to the command of Gen. Lyon. The command then followed the fortunes of this able officer to the close of the scene at Columbus, Miss., where, in 1865, they sur- rendered to the forces under the Federal Gen. Wilson. After the war Col. Sypert returned home, resumed the practice of his profession at the Hopkinsville bar. He married Martha D., daughter of the late lamented Maj. William R. Henry, of Fort Donelson fame, and who afterward died in prison at Camp Chase.
John D. Morris .- A Virginian, and son of the distinguished Richard Morris. Col. Morris, after acquiring a finished education, removed to Christian County. After a short stay here, in company with many other young men from the State he emigrated to Texas, then a province of Mexico. He was soon appointed to the responsible post of District At- torney for the more western frontier border of the Rio Grande. He was afterward selected with Van Ess to negotiate a treaty with Gen. Arista, one of Santa Anna's lieutenants, and on his return found that he had been elected to the Texas Congress. Before the expiration of his term he was selected to fill a vacancy in the Senate, but did not enter upon its duties by reason of his marriage about that time. He had taken an active part in military as well as political affairs in Texas, and partici- pated in the battle of San Jacinto, and the Comanche fight at San Anto- nio, as well as several others. After his marriage he returned to his farm in Christian County. In 1850 he was elected to the Constitutional Con- vention from this county with Ninian E. Grey, but aside from this.he took no part in politics.
When the war broke out in 1861, he was among the first to respond, and was sent to New Orleans to look after the confiscation of Northern funds deposited in the banks there. The battles of Forts Donelson and Henry interrupted his work, and after a short visit to his family, he re- turned to Florence, Ala., where he overtook the retreating Confederates. Here he attached himself to the First Kentucky Cavalry, commanded by Col. Ben. Hardin Helm, who sent him to Corinth in charge of a detach- ment of Federal prisoners. Upon his return he found the army had marched for the front ; he followed on foot, and arrived in time to take part in the battle of Shiloh. After the battle he rejoined his command, and remained with it until after its disbandment. He then went to Rich- mond, arriving in time to take part in the seven days' fight. After this he was assigned to duty on Gen. John S. Williams' staff, where he con- tinued about fourteen months, and was then placed in command of a bat- talion of cavalry. In the bloody campaign from the Wilderness to
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Petersburg, he was with the Twenty-eighth Virginia, and participated in that series of engagements. He then received a mission to Kentucky from the authorities at Richmond. On his way here, he learned at Abingdon of the impending attack on Saltville, by Gen. Burbridge, and at once attached himself to his old command under Gen. Williams. He was assigned by Gen. Williams to the command of a detachment of irreg- ular troops, and with them started to the front. Before reaching the field, however, his "men in buckram " had dwindled down in the ratio that Falstaff's men " good and true " increased. After the battle, - Col. Morris, with Maj. Steele and Capt. Bob Breckinridge, pushed on into Kentucky, where he fell into the hands of the enemy before he had accomplished his mission. He was sent to Lexington and imprisoned, and the indignity of a ball and chain put on him, and besides received the pleasant assurance that he was to be shot as a spy. Some months after being thrown into prison, he had a severe attack of varioloid and was transferred to the pest-house, but finally recovered. When convalescent, he was returned to his old quarters at Lexington, but afterward sent to Fortress Monroe for exchange. On his arrival at Richmond he found his old command had been consolidated and turned over to Col. Winfield, and Col. Morris was then furnished with both a Brigadier-General's commis- sion and chief of " Cotton Bureau " for the trans-Mississippi department. On his way to the new field he received a despatch at Chester, S. C., of the disaster at Richmond, but continued on his way. On reaching the Mississippi he was unable to cross, and the Confederacy having collapsed he surrendered to the nearest authorities. Since the war, Col. Morris has resided in Hopkinsville, where he is engaged in the practice of the law.
Federals .- Simultaneous with the breaking out of the war, and while the Confederates were organizing at Camp Boone and elsewhere, the friends of the Union also rushed to arms. Their principal rendezvous in the county was near Hopkinsville, on the farm of Mr. Joseph F. Ander- son, and was popularly known as " Camp Joe Anderson." Here (some say about 500, and some 1,000) men were organized into a regiment under command of Col. James F. Buckner, now of Louisville, Ky. It was offi- cered as follows : Col., James F. Buckner; Lt .- Col., T. C. Fruit; William T. Buckner, Major ; Maj. John P. Ritter, Adjutant, and Joseph F. Anderson, Quartermaster. Among the Captains commanding com- panies were B. T. Underwood, Hugh Cooper, William Starling and - Summerby. This command, beside arms and other equipment, had one piece of artillery, manned by Capt. Starling and his company. In the month of September, 1861, Maj .- Gen. Buckner moved from Bowling Green through Greenville with a detachment of 4,000 or 5,000 men to attack and capture the camp. Many of the men were absent at their
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homes, and only about 500 were in camp, when information was received of Buckner's designs. These moved out on to the Greenville road, about three miles distant, and fired their cannon as a signal to those who were absent. These not putting in an appearance, and word being received that the Confederates who were approaching numbered some 5,000 or 6,000 men, they dispersed. Col. Buckner was captured at the residence of Mrs. Ruby, about twenty miles from Madisonville on the road to Henderson, and carried prisoner to Paducah. Lieut .- Col. William T. Buckner with a squad of forty or fifty men was surrounded in an old church, on the Madisonville and Henderson road, about one mile from Vandersburg, by Capt. James A. Powell and about an equal number of men, and after a sharp, brisk fight surrendered.
Shortly after this Capt. John W. Breathitt organized a company of cavalry, which was mustered into service at Calhoun, Ky., for a period of three years, and assigned to duty December 13, 1861, as Company A, Third Kentucky Cavalry, under Col. James S. Jackson. The company was officered as follows : John W. Breathitt, Captain ; Charles L. White, First Lieutenant ; N. C. Petree, Second Lieutenant. Among the names of non-commissioned officers and privates given by the Adjutant-General's report who were then mustered in are : Calvin A. Mccullough, James M. Clark, E. R. Hamby, C. M. Grissom, Isaac Walker, B. F. Goode, J. A. B. Ratcliffe, W. H. Barnett, J. Blankenship, Lafayette Phelps, J. B. Barnett, J. P. Clark, W. P. Walker, Thomas Mccullough, W. J. Bar- nett, W. B. Whitaker, J. Ingoldsby, W. H. McIntosh, S. W. Abbott, H. Baker, J. J. Bowen, A. Brewer, George Bobbitt, W. H. Cansler, N. L. Cavanaugh, F. M. Cooper, I. D. Cooper, S. D. Collins, M. F. Chester- field, J. J. Fuller, James Fuller, W. L. Gibson, J. B. Goode, J. C. Hun- ter, H. H. Jones, J. D. Johnson, A. G. Johnson, W. H. Johnson, D. H. Knight, J. W. Kirben, J. J. Long, H. H. Linsey, George L. Lovin, H. McIntosh, F. McIntosh, J. B. Martin, J. C. Martin, J. G. Moreland, John Matheny, Aaron Morgan, F. P. Miller, G. H. Myers, A. H. Per- kins, J. H. Phamp, J. R. Phillips, B. M. Powers, W. H. Powers, Will- iam Ray, J. J. Renshaw, Rev. Sol. Smith, J. F. Stephenson, A. P. Smith, J. W. Underwood, U. M. Underwood, William Vine, A. Vinson, Charles A. White, Moses W. Woosley, J. W. White, W. T. Williamson, Wyatt M. Wright, J. B. Wright, G. M. West, W. W. West and M. W. West. May 27, 1863, J. W. Breathitt was promoted to Major of the regiment, and Charles L. White became Captain, with Thomas W. Ash- ford as First Lieutenant, and Edward Kelly, Second Lieutenant.
Immediately after organization this company, together with the others, under command of the gallant Jackson, was assigned to Gen. T. L. Crit- tenden's division, marched to Nashville, Tenn., and participated in the
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battles of Sacramento, Ky., Shiloh, Corinth, Iuka, and Pea Ridge, Miss., New Market, Ala., Kinderhook, Chaplin Hills, Stone River, Tenn., and Chickamauga, Ga.
In the month of September, 1861, a company was organized by Capt. B. T. Underwood at Henderson, Ky., and assigned to duty as Company A, Twenty-fifth Kentucky Infantry, under command of Col. James M. Shackelford. The company was officered as follows : B. T. Underwood, Captain ; R. W. Williams, First Lieutenant ; Thomas B. Boyd, Second Lieutenant. The regiment was assigned to the division commanded by Gen. T. L. Crittenden, and was afterward (in April, 1862) consolidated with the Seventeenth Regiment, under the command of Col. John H. McHenry, Jr. The roster shows the following names : H. C. Brasher, W. F. McAtee, J. G. Yancey, H. H. Witty, J. H. Wilson, M. B. Brown, M. A. Littlefield, J. G. Anderson, J. W. Lynn, J. M. Crag, J. J. Arm- strong, T. Russell, Old Daniel Cartwright, James Anderson, Jr., F. Blanchard, S. E. Boyd, G. E. Boyd, W. H. Boyd, James M. Bennett, J. D. Brown, L. H. Bouland, F. Cordier, I. A. Cook, J. W. Courtney, William Doss, Thomas Ewing, W. Fortner, W. Fletcher, T. Fletcher, Edom Grace, James Gilliland, P. F. Gibson, William Gabert, J. W. Hammond, V. A. Hamby, G. H. Hamby, D. M. Hamby, L. H. John- son, Daniel Kennedy, H. J. L. Love, Henry Ladd, W. R. Long, J. W. Morris, J. O. Menser, S. D. Menser, Joseph Morgan, J. O'Roark, J. F. Pyle, Charles Pryor, A. Russell, J. Rose, W. Sizemore, J. C. Teague, William Teague, C. F. Trotter, W. J. Witty, W. S. Witty, E. T. Walker, E. Wilkins, J. M. West and John W. Wyatt. Capt. Underwood resigned April 5, 1862, and J. V. Boyd was promoted to the vacancy, with Samuel T. Fruit as First Lieutenant, and Albert E. Brown, Second Lieutenant.
In December, 1862, the regiment passed to the command of Col. A. M. Stout, under whom it remained to the end of the war. This company in the consolidation with the Seventeenth Regiment became Company G, and participated in the following battles: Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Chick- amauga, Kenesaw Mountain, Corinth, Atlanta, Marietta, Kingston, Dallas, Cassville, New Hope Church and Altoona Mountain. They were mustered out of service in Louisville, Ky., on the 22d of January, 1865, the recruits and veterans being transferred to the Twenty-first Kentucky Volunteer Infantry.
The Seventeenth Kentucky Cavalry, organized in the winter of 1864- 65, and commanded by Col. S. F. Johnson, was largely composed of troops from Christian County, but we have no data of their operations, and can only make this brief reference to them.
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