Act of Mercy
Perryville • The Battle For Kentucky
— October 8, 1862 —
Woodward’s canteen was empty, and for more than ten hours he lay near here, thirsty and bleeding from his multiple wounds. Late that night, a Confederate soldier from the 41st Georgia found Woodward and gave the wounded Pennsylvanian a drink of water.
When the Confederate discovered that Woodward’s canteen was empty, the Southerner gave Woodward his full canteen and took Woodward’s empty one. After this act of mercy, the Confederate departed. Woodward survived the battle and the war.
“I myself was unfortunate enough to be shot through the left leg…hauled five miles this morning to Antioch Church…and thrown out in a pile like wood…I lay for six days out under a white oak tree, with my wound dressed once.”
Adam S. Johnson, 79th Pennsylvania Infantry
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(captions)
William Woodward in a postwar photograph. Photograph courtesy of Jeffers Vaughan
A .69 caliber buck and ball load.
An unknown Confederate soldier left William Woodward a canteen similar to the one pictured above.
Erected by Southern and Eastern Kentucky Tourism Development Association (SEKTDA). (Marker Number 9.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil.
Location. 37° 40.425′ N, 84° 58.493′ W. Marker is in Perryville, Kentucky, in Boyle County. Marker can be reached from Whites Road near Battlefield Road (Kentucky Route 1920). Located in Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site. Located at Interpretive Marker 9 on the Perryville Battlefield Trail System (Confederate Right Trail). Touch for map
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Starkweather's Hill (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Starkweather’s Hill (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Starkweather's Wall: Highwatermark of the West (about 600 feet away); Sanctuary (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Cornfield (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Bloodbath at the Crib (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Battle of Perryville (approx. ¼ mile away); Union Monument (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Perryville.
Also see . . . Southern and Eastern Kentucky Tourism Development Association (SEKTDA). (Submitted on August 25, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)
Credits. This page was last revised on April 29, 2021. It was originally submitted on August 25, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 899 times since then and 21 times this year. Last updated on March 6, 2021, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 25, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.