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

"Poor Charlie"

Mill Springs Battleﬁeld

— National Historic Landmark —

"Poor Charlie" Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, July 12, 2019

1. "Poor Charlie" Marker

Inscription. Soon after the first shots of the battle were exchanged at Timmy's Branch, Confederate surgeons set up a field hospital in a small log house that stood here. Some of the wounded found their own way here; friends carried others. One of the last soldiers brought here was Charlie Clemenson of the 19th Tennessee. He was left at the hospital by three friends as the defeated Confederate army retreated.

Poor Charlie was Dying
Years later W.J. Worsham recalled that day: "Pink Henderson, Clabe Perry and the writer carried Charlie from the field in a blanket .... Poor Charlie was dying when we laid him down. We can never forget the sad anxious expression of his face as we left him in his last sad trial of life, dying alone deserted by all, whom he thought were his friends, left on the cold ground with naught but the cold rain to wash his brow."

Buried in Unmarked Graves
Union troops captured the hospital, the wounded, and three surgeons who were unwilling to desert the men in their care. Charlie Clemenson and several others later died here. Federal soldiers buried the dead in unmarked graves in a small family cemetery

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

near the house. The blood stains on the floor were still visible when the house was razed in the 1940s.

Inset drawing: Poor Charlie was dying when we laid him down. We can never forget the sad anxious expression of his face as we left him in his last sad trial of life, dying alone deserted by all, whom he thought were his friends....

Erected 2014 by Mill Springs Battlefield Association.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Landmarks • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the National Historic Landmarks series list.

Location. 37° 2.774′ N, 84° 44.105′ W. Marker is near Nancy, Kentucky, in Pulaski County. It can be reached from Route 235 south of McGlothin Road, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Nancy KY 42544, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Kentucky’s Lake Cumberland Region. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in

Location of the Confederate field hospital, foundation stones are still visible. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, July 12, 2019

2. Location of the Confederate field hospital, foundation stones are still visible.

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Confederate Field Hospital (within shouting distance of this marker); Turpin/Simpson Properties (approx. 0.4 miles away); Rutledge's Battery (approx. half a mile away); The Last Stand (approx. half a mile away); Confederate Retreat (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Union Advance (approx. 0.6 miles away); Victory! (approx. 0.6 miles away); "Confederate Mass Grave" (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Nancy.

Other markers no longer nearby. "Poor Charlie" (was a few steps from this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Confederate Artillery (was approx. 0.6 miles away but has been reported to have been replaced with another marker now near it).

Also see . . . Mill Springs Battlefield Association. (Submitted on August 2, 2019.)

View of "Poor Charlie" Marker and hospital area. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, July 12, 2019

3. View of "Poor Charlie" Marker and hospital area.

Marker is at the Mill Springs Battlefield Tour Stop # 4. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, July 12, 2019

4. Marker is at the Mill Springs Battlefield Tour Stop # 4.

Marker on far left: This is the site of the Confederate Hospital used by Confederate surgeons after the Battle of Mill Springs. The site is being preserved with the help of a Federal grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, administered by the National Park Service.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 5, 2020. It was originally submitted on July 25, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 460 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 25, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.