The John C. Russell House

A two-story white Federal style home and farm structures (barn, smokehouse) stood here. The home was built around 1835 and burned to the ground in 1962. The farm was owned by John Calvin Russell during the Battle of Perryville. The Russell family owned approximately 140 acres consisting of 20 acres in corn, 15 in wheat, and 5 or 6 in meadow, and some land in oats.

On the morning of October 8 1862, General Alexander McDowell McCook took possession of the house as Federal headquarters for the I Corps of the Army of the Ohio. The location of the house on the high knoll offered an excellent opportunity to view the battle taking place to the South, East, and West.

Just before the battle, John was feeding his hogs when a man approached warning him to take his family to safety to avoid the conflict. John took his wife Frances, his children Isophenia, Amanda, Susan, John, Waller, George, Emily, Sarah, and Lucretia, and his mother-in-law, Susannah Bailey Laws to a school house, about a mile to the southwest.

The family returned 2 days after the battle to find their land being used as a hospital for wounded Union and Confederate troops. Fine mahogany furniture was used as feed troughs for army animals and all the home-spun linens were used as bandages for the wounded. Fence rails were used as firewood and most of the food and animals were taken by the troops. During the battle, the house was shelled by confederate cannon that tore off the top of the east chimney. The battle claimed one family member as Susannah Bailey Laws a few weeks after returning home. She died at the age of 83 from complications of exposure after being forced to flee from the Battle of Perryville.

Arriving at the first, known as the Russell House, I found about one hundred and fifty wounded, most of them lying on the ground in the yard, and no surgeon, except Surgeon G.D. Beebe, U.S.V., medical director of McCook's Corps, and three or four from the 1st division. They had labored all night as best they could. No supplies having reached this hospital, they were compelled to amputate without chloroform. , Union Surgeon James G. Hatchitt

In the yard several of the enemy's dead were lying - in the smoke house near by several more lay dead, having crawled there during the fight to breathe their last. Several more were still groaning in the last agonies of death. Lieutenant Martin who has accompanied me helped two out of the smoke house into the yard where we gave them water and covered them with blankets. We then turned our attention to the main building. It had been used for a hospital by the enemy early in the fight, and it was afterwards badly torn by our shot and shell. The Surgeons had left in a hurry, their tables and instruments were scattered around in confusion. A dozen dead and wounded still remained there some groaning piteously. Among them was a boy of not more than twelve summers, badly wounded in the thigh. He begged us to carry him inside our lines where he might never see another Yankee. He said his father was a Southern soldier and belonged to General Morgan's command, that they had forced him with them, and made him fight against his will. While Martin was holding him in his arms he became sick and vomited. Martin then laid him on the grass, covered him with a blanket and told him we would care for him and he need not fear falling into Yankee hands again. But he did, for before daylight we retreated and all of our wounded were left in the enemy's possession. , Confederate Officer William L. Trask

I reached Mr. Russell's white house. Here was the center of great battle. The house was dotted over with hundreds of marks of musket and cannon balls. All around lay dead bodies of the soldiers, Union and Rebel. Many long trenches were made ready for their burial. In a skit of woods close by were scattered hundreds of the dead of both armies. The whole scene beggars description. The ground was strewn with soiled and torn clothes, muskets, blankets and the various accouterments of the dead soldiers. Trees not more than one foot in diameter contained from twenty to thirty musket-balls and buckshot, put into them during the battle. Farms all around were one unfenced common. I counted four hundred and ten dead men on a small spot of ground. My heart grew sick at the sight, and I ceased to enumerate them. , Dr. Jefferson J. Polk, Perryville Doctor.