Around the Campfire
Stories and anectodes about our Kentucky Regiments
and other Civil War related material
~ KENTUCK AGAINST KENTUCK ~
In the rebel charge against McCook's right in the battle of Stone River, the rebel Third Kentucky was advancing full upon one of the loyal Kentucky regiments. These two regiments were brought from the same county, and consequently were old friends and neighbors, and now about to meet for the first time as enemies.
As soon as they came near enough for recognition, they mutually ceased firing, and began abusing, and cursing, and swearing at each other, calling each other the most outlandish names; and all this time the battle was roaring around them without much attention from either side. It was hard to tell which regiment would come off the victor in this wordy battle. As far as I could see, both sides were terrible at swearing; but this could not always last; by mutual consent they finally ceased cursing, and grasping their muskets charged into each other with the most unearthly yell ever heard on any field of battle.
Muskets were clubbed, bayonet met bayonet, and in many instances, when old feuds made the belligerents crazy with passion, the musket was thrown away, and at it they went, pummelling, pulling, and gouging in rough and tumble style, and in a manner that any looker-on would consider a free fight.
The rebels were getting rather the better of the fight, when the Twenty-third Kentucky succeeded in giving a flanking fire, when they retreated with quite a number of prisoners in their possesssion. The rebels had got fairly under way when the Ninth Ohio came up on a double-quick, and charging on their now disordered ranks, succeeded in capturing all their prisoners, besides taking in return a great many of the rebels.
As the late belligerents were conducted to the rear they appeared to have forgotten their late animosity, and were now on the best terms imaginable, laughing and chatting, and joking, and, as the rebels were well supplied with whiskey, the canteens were readily handed about from one to the other, until they all became as jolly as possible under the circumstances.
~ Wine of Antimony ~
This incident took place after the engagement at Puncheon Creek, in Magoffin Co., KY April ,1864, between the 14th KY Infantry (US) and Confederate troops under the command of Colonel E. F. Clay. A large number of prisoners were taken by the US forces...
"Captain Wiley C. Patrick was officer of the day. ...When the prisoners were under guard, he rode up and addressed them. He said that such provisions as the Union forces had would be didvided with the prisoners. He advised them to share equally with their captors and not complain, and to make no attempts to escape, saying death would follow such attempt. He said seventy-five miles were between them and bread.
A grizzled old rebel asked him what was done with the bags of meal his men had brought. Patrick said that he knew of no such meal. The old man said the bags had been put under a cliff by a spring at the edge of the cleared land. He said if the meal was brought to them they would have bread.
The meal was soon brought, also water from a spring. Boards (clapboards)were torn from the top of a crib. The prisoners put a gum blanket in a depression in the ground and poured a bushel of meal upon it. Water was poured on the meal and the meal was and water mixed into a dough, which was placed on the clapboards and set up in front of the fires to bake. Soon there were enough corn cakes three feet long to feed the whole command and the prisoners.
At the spring where the meal was found, the victors found among the captured medical stores some "Wine of Antimony", or some drug with a name like it. The men did not know it was medicine. It was in a large bottle with a glass stopper. Quite a number of the men who dsicoverd this medicine supposed they were fortunate indeed. They drank most of the "wine" and smacked their lips and said they were lucky dogs. A good-sized drink was reserved for Colonel Gallup, who had established his headquarters under a large chestnut tree, by a cross-fence in "the Meadows".
The wine was a sort of croton oil in disguise. Soon the lucky drinkers began to gripe and vomit and purge. They supposed they were poisened. They called for Dr. Yates and for Captain Davidson, to whom they began to deliver their dying requests. Between gripes and heaves and gags a man would say, " I want my wife to have this piece of cloth---ook---I want my oldest son to have this watch---ook-oo-oogh"--etc.
Davidson had out his notebook and was writing as well as he could for all the sick men at once. Dr. Yates came up, and said, he believed none of the men would die; that the "wine" was a medicine and not a beverage, and an overdose had been taken.
Just then an urgent cry for Dr. Yates arose in the valley, under the chestnut tree. The word was passed that Colonel Gallup was dying; he had taken down all the "wine" saved for him in the bottle and was lying limp on the ground and occasionally drawn double with severe gripes. Dr. Yates arrived and told the men that the Colonel would not die. After that, great caution was exercised by the men who had ben deceived by the tempting bottle.
From the recollections of Captain John C. Collins, 14th KY Infantry (US)
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