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He wrote:
When (General Braxton) Bragg’s army came into the State, it created great consternation among the Union men. There were coming towards Springfield, so Dr. Hughes, Elias Brown, George Robertson, and myself and others, one evening after supper, started to get through the lines to Louisville. . . . After riding one hundred miles, since the night before, we were completely worn out. Here we heard Bragg’s army had passed through Springfield with (Union General Don Carlos) Buell’s army after them, about 20 miles behind, and that Buell’ army would reach Springfield that afternoon.
About 12 o’clock that day, I started to Springfield and reached General (Thomas) Crittenden’s (II Corps) division encamped within half a mile of the town. I had about 50 barrels of old whiskey stored in a brick warehouse near the road, in the town limit of Springfield. As I approached the first big tent, about a half mile from my warehouse, I smelt my whiskey. I inquired for Gen. Crittenden’s camp, rode to it and called to the guards to know where he was or if I could see him. He heard me and halloed out: “Who are you and what do you want?” I knew he was a very grum man, and told him his soldiers had broken into my warehouse and drank large quantities of whiskey, and were becoming greatly demoralized. He said: “You do not care for the demoralization of the men, but it is the loss of your whiskey that brought you out this late in the night?” I said: “All right, goodnight.” I then hurried onto the warehouse and met hundreds of soldiers with whiskey in their canteens, tin cups and everything that would hold it. One man was barefoot carrying a boot in each hand, full of whiskey. When I got to the warehouse there was a crazed mob of soldiers in front of the door. The doors and windows were broken open and barrels, with their heads knocked out, were on the sidewalk. I rode backward and forward through the drunken mob. I was told Col. Barnes was in command, but I could not find him. In a short time an officer came with several hundred soldiers. They drove the men up the street in front of them beyond the house, but others followed in behind and got into the whiskey. I got the guards to turn their men around and to help get them out of the warehouse. I told him to place men in front of the warehouse, with fixed bayonets to keep off the mob and to protect the whiskey until I could get some wagons and take it away. I galloped home, which was about a mile from where I was, and got three of my negro men to hitch up two wagons, and with them I started back. The officer ordered his men to assist me in moving the whiskey. I went with each wagon to unload it into my storehouse. It was about day light before I got out the last barrel. I left three or four barrels, which had been opened and a part of the whiskey taken out, with the officers, who said they would protect it. Being completely exhausted, having been on my horse since the day before, I went home. . . .
When I got near the storehouse, the sidewalk in front of it was filled with soldiers, but they had not gotten into the house. He rode his horse up in the midst of the soldiers and before long got them started back to camp. The storehouse had two large doors, in front by they had not broken into it. Soon several of my citizen friends came to my aid and then the army started to move onto Perryville. I gave John Moore the key and told him, as the officers passed, to stop them and fill their canteens out of the barrels whose heads had been knocked out, and to give it to them with my respects. I then went home. . . I soon got up, ate a large dinner and went into town to view the wreck. There I found give empty barrels and three with their heads knocked out, each containing from three to eight gallons. . . . You could see drunken men lying about everywhere, their guns abandoned and their knapsacks scattered up and down the street. The rear of the army left about 8 o’clock and the other I suppose, were about ten miles in front on the Perryville road.
I rode on and when I got within ten miles of Perryville, I saw a tent. In going by I saw a man lying on a cot with his feet elevated on a stool; his foot was bandaged up. I recognized him as Gen. (Don Carlos) Buell, command of the entire army. I asked the guards what was the matter and they said his horse had fallen with him and injured his foot and ankle. He was reading a book. Knowing he was a grum man I did not speak to him. Some four or five men guarding him were all I saw then, but on riding a few yards farther I soon found myself among thousands of soldiers, some of whom I knew well.
I told them there must be a big battle going on as I heard the noise for an hour or so, but they laughed at me and said it was only a skirmish. Soon a man came riding up behind me and asked if I knew the country and where the fighting was. I told him yes. He said he wanted to go and proposed we go together.
We rode on and soon met the ambulances filled with wounded soldiers. It was not long before we got in sight of where they were fighting. We left our horses on top of a hill while we went down and got behind large trees.
There was terrible fighting going on. The Union soldiers would come up the hill and as soon as their heads would show, the Confederates would fire at them from behind a stone wall, some three hundred yards away. As the Union men would thin out fresh men would come up to take their places and those who had been fighting would turn to the left and go to the rear. The Confederates had every advantage, behind a stone wall, but of course many of them behind the wall were exposed to the Union fire; only those who were near the fence, probably 10 or 15 feet deep were protected.
Suddenly a regiment of Union soldiers appeared coming up the valley towards me. They wanted to flank the Confederates, who were behind the stone wall. Seeing that I was in range of the Confederate firing I started up the hill. On looking back I found a cannon drawn by four horses appear on the top of the hill about 300 yards in front of the Confederates. They commenced firing it rapidly when suddenly a shell, from the Confederates fell directly by the cannon killing a squad of soldiers, the horses, and blew up the cannon.
I ran for my horse leaving the stranger still in range of the fire. I rode on to the house where they were carrying the wounded and saw them lying on the ground. I saw two tables near the houses that the surgeon used in cutting off their legs and arms. I then noticed how they were using chloroform and taking off my coat I offered my assistance. Supposing I was a country doctor they asked me to give the chloroform, which I used on those that were brought on the table. Only those who were wounded in legs and arms could be placed upon the table.
When they were on the table, I cut off the clothes with a pair of scissors exposing the wound. There was a large Confederate soldier, suffering very much, on the ground behind me and he begged me to take him next. He was so large I could not lift him on the table.
A new surgeon appeared at this time and from his instruments, I supposed he was the head surgeon. All stopped for a moment and the man caught my leg and begged me to take his next. I got some help, put him on the table and before long had him ready for the operation. He begged not to give him chloroform and said he would not flinch or move during the operation. The surgeon ordered me to give him chloroform. I did so but not enough to make him sensible. He had been shot through the knee and was the gamest man I ever saw; he helped me to hold his leg steady. About this time my preacher, Rev. Miles Sanders, appeared and I asked him to help me. The bone was sawed off and naturally flew up (it not being held tight enough) spinning the blood over everything; Sanders fell over in a faint.
When I took the man off of the table; we could not find a shady spot and had to put him in the hot sun. I cut a limb off an apple tree and dug a hole with my pen knife and stuck it in the ground so as to shade his face. I had only one bottle of spirits left in my saddle bag and that was blackberry cordial. I gave it to him and told him to keep it by him as he would need more it. I also gave him a sandwich. He was the most grateful man I ever saw. He told me he was from Arkansas and that his name was Timonthy Burns. I gave him my name and he said he would write to me when he got well, but I never heard of him afterwards.
It was not about 5 o’clock, being completely worn out I got on my horse and rode home. I soon came to a house where there were a number of wounded lying on the ground, but no surgeon to attend them. Just inside lay the finest specimen of a man I ever saw. His eyes were closed but his lips were moving, he was breathing very rapidly, each breath causing a bubble of pale colored blood from his breast. I dismounted and went to him; putting my hand on his forehead I asked him to talk a little louder. He opened his eyes (they were large brown) and said: “Tell my mother and sister” then stopped. I got down on my knees and put my ear to his mouth and listened a few seconds: on raising my hand I found he was dead.
This impressed me more than any other incident of the day. He was so young and handsome.
I then rode through thousands of soldiers at rest, lying on the ground, playing games and appearing to be a merry lot. They had not moved since I passed them that morning. I think this was Gen. (George) Thomas’s division (Corps). I soon passed Gen. Buell and he was reading the same book as when I passed him in the morning.
It was a matter of great astonishment why Gen. Buell did not put the army of men, that were in front of him, into the battle. That was explained to me afterwards. It was this way: He had ordered Crittenden’s division (Corps) to go around to the right of Bragg’s army and face the west. He had ordered the army, that was coming from the west through Mackville, to get to a certain point near the Big Spring and the division that was coming from Harrodsburg to get to a point north of Perryville, between Bragg’s army and Danville. As they got to these points they were to send couriers from each of the divisions. None of these couriers reached Buell until about dark on the day of the battle. The division coming from Mackville toward Perryville met a heavy picket line and the pickets commenced fighting and soon a general battle ensued. That officer did not send a courier to Buell that day. Crittenden arriving at this time on the east side of Bragg’s army, late in the afternoon, found the battle was going on and attacked that part of Bragg’s army, but night coming on they stopped fighting. Bragg retreated toward Danville and the column that was to come in from Harrodsburg did not reach the point until Bragg’s army had passed. The next morning Buell ordered a general advance but they never caught up with Bragg’s.
I arrived home about 8 o’clock the night of the battle, and found two vehicles at the gate and heard loud talking in the house. Four or five men had been sent down by the husbands of ladies to go back with them. I tried to hurry them off as I wanted to go to sleep. In telling me good-bye Mrs. General Steedman told me, if I saw Steedman (meaning her husband) to tell him she sent a kiss. I told her I did not have one and she gave me a big one and said: Now, you have one.” We all had a good laugh , my wife joining in the fun. I got them off about 9 o’clock and went to bed expecting to have a good long sleep.
About 1 o’clock, I was aroused and looking out saw an ambulance and five or six men coming into the yard, through the big gate. I was soon up and found I knew all of the men. They were friends of mind and my wife. They said in the ambulance was my old College friend (Union) Gen. James S. Jackson, who had been my College friend for several years. He had fallen in battle and the officers were taking his remains to Louisville.
I went out to the cabin and aroused the servants to take and feed their horses. There I met my wife arousing the cooks and in a short time they were cooking supper.
On returning to the house I stopped at the ambulance and looked at the coffin that contained my friend and thought of the happy days we had spent together. This made me feel very sad. Hearing loud laughing and talking in the house, I went in and found the men around the sideboard mixing toddies and guying each other about how they acted in battle.
My wife soon had supper ready and I never before saw men eat so much, some of them eating ten and twelve biscuits. They got off about 4 o’clock. I had intended going back to the battlefield but was too exhausted to do so.
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