A Fatal Mistake

A Fatal Mistake. Mill Springs Battlefield. , Mistaken Identity , About seven o'clock the morning of January 19, 1862, Confederate General Felix Zollicoffer rode across the road to your left. Near here, in the dim light and fog, he saw a mounted officer, Union Colonel Speed Fry. Both men mistakenly assumed the other was a fellow officer., Fry later described the event: "So thoroughly was I convinced that he was one of our men I did not hesitate to ride up to his side so closely that our knees touched.... He said to me 'We must not shoot our own men,' to which I responded, 'Of course not; I would not do so intentionally...'and pointing he said 'Those are our men.'" , The Death of General Zollicoffer , As Fry moved away, Confederate Major Henry Fogg rode into view and shouted, "General they are the enemy" He then fired at Fry but the shot missed. Fry fired at Zollicoffer as several nearby Union soldiers also fired. Zollicoffer and Fogg died in the exchange. , The Zollicoffer Monument , Zollicoffer's men later placed his body under a large white oak that stood between here and the stone wall.After the battle, Union General George Thomas ordered Zollicoffer's body returned to Nashville. In 1910, the United Confederate Veterans erected the monument here in his honor.