The Kentuckians at Stones River

During the battle of Stones River, Murfreesboro, 31 Dec 1862 - 2 Jan 1863, as Maj Gen William S Rosecrans' Union Army of the Cumberland battled Gen. Braxton Bragg's Confederate Army of Tennessee, there allegedly occurred an incident which could only have happened in a Civil War.

The battle opened at dawn on 31 Dec, when Bragg's left, under Maj Gen William J Hardee fell upon Rosecrans' right under Maj Gen Alexander McCook. The Union troops put up a good fight, but were forced back by Hardee's troops. After about two hours the Union line began to stabilise.. Bragg strengthened Hardee for one more try and about 1.00 pm Hardee essayed another attack. As his troops advanced his 3rd Kentucky found itself confronting the 23rd Kentucky, a Union regiment recruited from the very same county.

As if by mutual consent, these former friends and kin and neighbours ceased firing and began to berate each other with fearsome curses and insults. This went on for some minutes as the battle raged on around them.

Suddenly someone said something, which made someone of the other side very angry. Muskets were once more brought into play and the firing grew heated. Then the two regiments clashed in an intense hand to hand struggled with knives, clubbed rifles, fists and bayonets and pistols, as a rough and tumble fight as ever occurred anywhere. Gradually the Rebel Kentuckians began to gain the upper hand, but then quite suddenly their erstwhile friends and neighbours managed to get athwart their flanks and began pouring in fire into their ranks. The 3rd Kentucky fell back, bringing with them a few of their former friends and neighbours as prisoners

Just then the Union 9th Ohio came into action, charging into the 3rd Kentucky in time to liberate most of the Union men while bagging many of the Rebel ones. Hardee's attack had been halted. Meanwhile, the Unionist Kentuckians discovered that a number of their Confederate counterparts had fortuitously brought whiskey in their canteens, rather than less potent stuff. The canteens in question began to pass from hand to hand. Soon, the two groups of Kentuckians, who had some minutes earlier been striving mightily to massacre each other, were renewing old friendships, inquiring about mutual associations, laughing and joking and talking together, getting into the spirit of the New Year as it were.

From A Civil War Treasury by Albert Nox

Submitted by Stewart Douglas 43rd NC

The above article first appeared in the ACWS Newsletter, Spring 2008