Battle of Hartsville

Battle of Hartsville. December 7, 1862. , Battle of Hartsville , December 7, 1862, The boldest and most successfully executed cavalry raid of the War Between the States, We salute the Confederate Veterans with affection, reverence, and undying devotion to the cause for which they stood. , Dedicated December 7, 1997, A Federal brigade of 2,400 men consisting of the 104th Illinois, 106th 108th Ohio infantries, 13th Indiana Artillery, the 2nd Indiana and a portion of the 11th Kentucky Cavalry were encamped about 1,000 yards to the southwest on the banks of the Cumberland River., At dawn on December 7, 1862, CSA Colonel John Hunt Morgan and 1,300 men of the 2nd and 9th Kentucky Infantry, 7th, 8th, and 11th Kentucky Cavalry, Cobb's Kentucky Battery, and the 9th Tennessee Cavalry routed these Federals and won a complete victory. During the previous night, Morgan and his men had crossed the swollen Cumberland in zero degree weather and a blanket of four inches of snow. During the battle, Hartsvillian James Dearing Bennett and his 9th Tennessee Cavalry were sent into town to cut off all possible escape routes. While there, Bennett's men captured 450 prisoners. Gathering all the Federal supplies, Morgan's men again faced the chilling icy waters of the Cumberland as he began his return to Southern lines, taking the Federal prisoners with him. As the last of the captured wagons were being transported across the river, 4,000 Federal troops arrived from Castalian Springs to try and rescue their comrades. They too were unsuccessful. News spread all over the North and South that Morgan had captured an entire brigade with very little loss. Jubilation rang throughout the South. Later in the week, in Murfreesboro, Morgan was promoted to Brigadier General by CSA President Jefferson Davis., Total Federal casualties: 59 Killed , 204 Wounded and 1,834 Captured., Southern losses: 21 Killed, 104 Wounded, 14 Missing , (12 more Southerners later died of their wounds), In memory of all those who fell in the Battle of Hartsville, Names not transcribed