Virtue Road Civil War History

Virtue Road Civil War History. . , The Virtue Mill site is steeped in history. It is the location where the 17th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment took a stand against Confederate forces on November 16, 1863, as part of the Battle of Campbell Station. The 17th Michigan was assigned as part of the rear guard along with the 2nd Michigan, 20th Michigan and the 100th Pennsylvania to protect the rest of Burnside's Army which was now in retreat into the defenses of Knoxville. The Confederates, under General Longstreet, caught up with the 17th Michigan skirmishers of the rear guard at Turkey Creek, in what is believed to be this exact location., Almost cut off, Captain Frederick Swift of Company E and Sgt. Joseph Brandle, the flag bearer, rallied the regiment and stopped the Confederates from over running them and the rest of the guard. Swift was later quoted as saying: "Fearing a stampede, I assumed the responsibility of moving the regiment across the creek and up to the top of the hill on the other side. One of the color-guard was killed, another had his eye shot out, and a third was seriously wounded. Seeing the colors fall, I snatched them up and called to the men: 'We have fallen back just far enough; we will form here.' Someone asked, 'Who shall we form on?' and I replied, 'Form on me'." Swift rallied the regiment that day and stopped the Confederates from over running them and the rest of the guard. For their actions, Captain Swift and Sgt. Brandle were each awarded the Medal of Honor., In early November 1863 during the American Civil War, the Confederates under General Longstreet were dispatched from Chattanooga with a plan to march north, take Knoxville and lay claim to East Tennessee. Knoxville was a vital location for both armies, as it was both a significant river town and important railroad center which, if in Confederate hands, would connect Virginia with the Deep South and support the flow of soldiers and supplies in both directions., Although the opposing forces first confronted each other with minor skirmishes briefly at Loudon, the first real resistance occurred on November 15, 1863, at Lenoir Station, where the race to Knoxville began., On November 16, 1863, the important Battle of Campbell Station took place near this site on a cold, rainy and miserable day. The battle has been described by some, from beginning to end, as "the prettiest little fight ever fought.", Under General A.E. Burnside, the Federals, although outnumbered by General Longstreet's troops, were ordered to draw the Confederate army to Campbell Station and then hold them at bay until the bulk of Union forces could move down the Kingston Rd. into Knoxville. The strategic site was chosen because of the high ground located there and its important road intersections., The Union Troops under General Burnside arrived first with barely enough time to set up defenses on the high ground. The first organized resistance at Campbell Station was where the Lenoir Road reached the Kingston Road. That fight was necessary to slow the Rebel advance and to protect the intersection long enough to get the 17th, 2nd and 20th MI out of their rear-guard fight along the Lenoir Rd., After six hours of heavy fighting, the Confederates failed to break through the Union defenses. Union troops, successful in their mission to delay the Confederate's offensive, then continued to Knoxville to join forces in the successful defense of the city., Casualties for the 17th Michigan included: 7 Killed, 52 Wounded, (captions) , The picture depicts the last phase of the battle at the intersection of Kingston Rd. and Turkey Creek/Concord Rd. , Captain Frederick Swift