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Near Nancy in Pulaski County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)
 

Fix Bayonets - Charge!

The Battle - Mid-Morning

 
 
Fix Bayonets - Charge! Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By David Graff, April 26, 2012
1. Fix Bayonets - Charge! Marker
Inscription. "If it gets too hot for you, shut your eyes my boys - forward!" - Major Gustave Kammerling, 9th Ohio (photo inset)

Union Colonel Robert McCook, commanding the Union 3rd Brigade ordered one of the few successful bayonet charges of the Civil War.

Directly across the road men of the 9th Ohio fell in line beside troops of the 10th Indiana. With loud cheering this regiment of German-Americans, the only regiment with battle experience, started a bayonet charge that flanked the Confederate left toward the high hill in the distance. This sustained charge of more than a mile created panic among the Confederate troops and started a complete rout of the Confederate Army, bringing the battle to a close. What today is an open field was a wooded area during the battle; most of the charge took place through the woods and underbrush.

Seeing the superior number of the enemy and their bravery, I concluded the best mode of settling the contest was to order the Ninth Ohio Regiment to charge the enemy's position with the bayonet ..." - Colonel Robert L. McCook (photo inset)

"And on the rifles' end there glittered bright / The steel pointed and sharp, in morning light. / The order, 'Men of the Ninth, prepare to attack,' / Bravely at quick-step, they drove the enemy back."
Written shortly
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after the battle by an anonymous Cincinnati poet.


(illustrations)
On the right side is a lithograph by Currier and Ives, New York, 1862 showing the charge of the 9th Ohio.
 
Erected by Mill Springs Battlefield Association.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1862.
 
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. It was located near 37° 3.38′ N, 84° 44.394′ W. Marker was near Nancy, Kentucky, in Pulaski County. Marker could be reached from Kentucky Route 235, 0.1 miles south of Kentucky Route 761, on the left when traveling south. This is Station #3 on the Battlefield Loop Trail at Tour Stop 2 - Zollicoffer Park. Refer to trail map photo (9th Ohio Charge). Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: Nancy KY 42544, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location. Fix Bayonets, Charge! (here, next to this marker); The General Commanding (a few steps from this marker); A Scene of Battle (within shouting distance of this marker); Melee at the Fence (within shouting distance of this marker); Battle on a Sabbath Morn (within shouting distance of this marker); The Zollie Tree
Site of the Bayonet Charge by the 9th Ohio image. Click for full size.
Photographed By David Graff, April 26, 2012
2. Site of the Bayonet Charge by the 9th Ohio
The 9th Ohio charged through woods and underbrush on the far side of the road from right to left. The stone structure is a memorial flame that is lit on special occasions.
(about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Felix K. Zollicoffer / "Zollie Tree" (about 300 feet away); A Fatal Mistake (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Nancy.
 
More about this marker. This marker was replaced by a new one also named Fix Bayonets, Charge! (see nearby markers).
 
Battlefield Trail Map image. Click for full size.
Photographed By David Graff, April 26, 2012
3. Battlefield Trail Map
Marker is #3. Ninth Ohio Charge, and is along the left rail fence in the distance. It is not visible in this view.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on August 2, 2019. It was originally submitted on February 3, 2013, by David Graff of Halifax, Nova Scotia. This page has been viewed 591 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on February 3, 2013, by David Graff of Halifax, Nova Scotia. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 29, 2024