Perryville and Murfreesboro

Perryville and Murfreesboro

Compiled by; Randy Maxfield

In additional to the hierarchy that had been lost at Shiloh, Lt. Bateman had been killed, and Lts. Perryman, Cates, Harris and
Richardson wounded. Major Kelly’s battalion consisted of Company A, B, C, and D. Half had been killed or wounded. Back at Corinth, the Regiment reorganized. Maj. John Kelly was made Colonel and Captain Baucum of Company K was elected Major. Kelly had been in the same company at West Points as General Custer. With Johnsons death at Shiloh, Beauregard took command and moved his forces further south.

Ostensibly due to health reasons, Bearegard was then relieved, General Braxton Bragg inserted, and a new plan put into effect. The Army would enter East Tennessee, but only the mounted troops (cavalry and artillery) were fleet enough to take the direct overland route. The Eight Arkansas and the balance of the Army were loaded onto trains and shipped south to Mobile (on the Gulf), Atlanta, east to Georgia, then north to Chattanooga. They were now veterans and with the earliest arrival of their trademark blue-trimmed jackets began to take on their own persona. Buell, with 1/2 the Federal army from Shiloh too headed for Chattanooga and Bragg. Uncharacteristically, Bragg now moved to”liberate” Kentucky. Buell marched desperately through the heat to get between Louisville and Bragg. Both Armies now probed for the other. Bragg thought Buell to be near Versailes, but posted elements of Hardees Corps (including the Arkansas 8th) as rear guard North West of Perryvelle while the rest of the Army camped in and around the village.

The summer had been horribly hot, and a recent drought had all but dried up the Chaplain River and Doctor’s creek west of
town but the Confederates had located some precious residual pools. The date was October 7, and by midnight the first thirsty Federals arrived from the west. At first stumbling into the rebels and being driven back, their thirst and weariness drove them to regroup and attack. After several attempts Union troops under Phil Sheriden took and held the creek.

Soon Buells Army of 55,000 was assembled west of town, but only 16,000 of Braggs-he thought Buell to be elsewhere. So
with the Arkansas 8th in the center, the unknowing Confederates struck the unsuspecting Federals on their left flank at 1:00
p.m. the next afternoon. They routed an entire Federal corps and (with the help of acoustics) Union communications collapsed. Bragg now arrived and perceived the actual lopsided size of the opposing combatants. One Federal corps had heard nothing, and sat out the entire engagement. Buell (who was encamped several miles away) too new nothing of the battle until it was nearly over and he’d lost 4,000 men. He braced to receive attack the next day but Bragg realized his lucky victory had been due to Federal blunders.

When Buell then advanced he found that Bragg had disappeared, miraculously pronouncing the entire campaign a failure; he
retreated back toward East Tennessee. He’d suffered 3396 casualties, Pat Cliburne had been injured, and the 8th Arkansas
had once again earned their laurels. Meanwhile, Buell was slow to follow up; and on October 23 was replaced by
Rosecrans-up from Mississippi.

The drawn out summer quickly gave way to fall, and as the Army of Mississippi came into Knockville that November, winter
was setting in. The men were in rags, many shoeless, and had been subsisting on parched corn. 15,000 had been struck down by typhoid, dysentery, and pneumonia.

Local warehoused bulged with provisions, but they had been strictly earmarked for the exclusive use of the Army of Northern Virginia, whose purpose was supposedly more important. So as trainloads of supplies headed east, the Arkansas 8th, and
company awaited deliverance. It arrived in the person of General Joseph Johnson, who'd recently been designated by President Davis to tend to the Western Theater. Johnson promptly moved the Army to Murphreesboro, in middle Tennessee and on November 24, renamed it the Army of Tennessee. The Arkansas 8th was made part of 1st Brigade, Buckners Division, Hardees Corps on November 22. President Davis paid a holiday visit to the Army of Tennessee. This prompted the army and the area into festive mood. Parties, dinners, and horse races popped up. Dashing Cavalry General Morgan was married to a local girl by no less than Bishop (Major General) Polk. Sam Watkins remembered: “The holidays had been delightful. Whisky flowed freely and Rosecrans was still in Nashville.” But in the eight weeks Rosecrans’ Army spent in Nashville, he’d refitted it and now marched out with 46,000 troops. On december 31 the Arkansas 8th was made part of Liddells’ brigade, Cleburnes division, Hardees Corps, and the two Armies lay facing each along the Stones river-just north of Murfreesboro. At dawn, out from the cold fog and mist 11,000 men of Cleburne and McCowns’ divisions stepped off quickly; six lines deep. Nearing the Federal lines, they broke into a run.

Phil Sheridan later related that “The rebels came on like screaming demons.” The surprise was complete, and they didn’t stop until the Federal line doubled back on itself like a huge closing jackknife.

Private James Riddle of Company C, and Cpl. N. A. Horn of Company E, 8th Arkansas are credited with taking two stands of Federal colors. January 1st. both Armies lay quiet, awaiting the other. On the 2nd, the Breckenridge attacked with his Orphan Brigade, over Stones River, but Federal artillery drove them bak. Bragg waited throughout the 3rd, then elected to retreat south and winter at Tullahoma, Tennessee.

In addition to enlisted casualties, the Arkansas 8th’s Col. Kelly had been wounded and carried from the field. Major Baucom had replaced him and lead the regiment. Lts. T. H. Beard, S. B. Cole, Colvin Edagaent, and H. J. McCurdy had been killed.
The Confederacy had lost 9239 of 34,732 (27%). Rosecrans; 9532 of 41,400 (23%). Pat Cleburnes was being referred to as the Stonewall of the West; in no small part due to the efforts of the Arkansas 8th.