Nashville, Tennessee, January 24, 1862, James Fleming Wall, Special Correspondent

In the mist and fog of this past Sabbath, the war of Northern aggression came to Southern Kentucky near Mill Springs.  The confederate 1st Brigade commander, Felix K. Zollicoffer of  Maury County Tennessee had lead his troops north of his headquarters in Mill Springs to a  winter camp (Beech Grove) to stop the advance of the Yankees.  The North,under the command of Brigader General George H. Thomas of Virginia, had moved from Lebanon, Kentucky  south to Logan’s Cross Roads on Januray 17th.

Early this month Major General George Bibb Crittenden reached Beech Grove to strengthen the southern troops to just above 4,000 men.  Union Brigader General Albin F. Schoepf was stationed in Somerset some ten miles east of General Thomas. 

General Crittenden ordered General Zollicoffer to advance against General Thomas in the early hours of January 19th.  It was hoped the attack would happen before  General Schoepf could reach the Beech Grove area, however Schoepf was already there. 

The fog and rain slowed Zollicoffer’s advance thus costing the element of surprise.  The first action was spirited and achieved some inital success.  The 15th Mississippi Infantry and the 20th Tennessee pused back the Union 4th Kentucky Infantry, under the charge of Colonel Speed S. Fry, as well as some of the Union cavalry. 

The weather caused the flintlocks not to fire, smoke and dark woods lead to confusion.  Fearing that General Zollicoffer’s troops where firing on there own men, he rode off toward the Federal 4th Kentucky line.  Colonel Fry could not see either and went down the same road that the General was on.  General Zollicoffer was wearing a white rain coat and Fry did not recognize him.  Zollicoffer order Fry to cease firing on friendly troops. 

Thinking Zollicoffer a superior Union officer, Fry began to ride back and give the order to cease fire, but a confederate staff officer rode out of the woods shouting to General Zollicoffer that they were the enemy!  He fired at Fry with a pistol and Colonel Fry and the Federal soldiers nearby open fire on the General, killing him and an aid.

The General’s death demoralized his troops and the Confederates advance was stopped.  The Federal line advanced forcing the Southern troops back to Fishing Creek just north of Mill Springs. 

Beside the General’s death the CSA lost 125 men with 404 wounded or missing.   Union losses where 40 killed and 207 wounded. 
 

Richmond, Virginia, January 24, 1862, Nevill C. Blacklidge, Special Correspondent

We here continue our memories of President John Tyler from conversations over the past three days with John B. Jones of the War Department, concerning the Ex-President and General Henry A. Wise, former governor of this state, and long time friend of Mr. Tyler.

Mr. Jones remembered the memorable day he arrived at the Exchange Hotel in Richmond. This was the day of the ajournment of the the State Convention which was still undecided on the issue of secession. Governor Wise, ill with a near case of pneumonia, arose from his couch to say that the Convention “must fight either Lincoln or Davis. If the latter, he would renounce her, and tender his sword and his life to the Southern Confederacy.” President Tyler soon came and discussed the failure of the Peace Convention. He felt also that Virginia must take prompt action. He was animated and active despite his age, a surprise to Mr. Jones who had not seen him for many years. Mr. Tyler felt that if the South presented a united front a war of any magnitude could be avoided. Governor Wise was sure that the “popinjays” of the northern cities would be persuaded to break and run when faced with muskets and fixed bayonets and he had such a persuader in the corner of his hotel room.

Some three weeks later President Tyler and other members of the Convention signed a letter recommending Mr. Jones for employment in a government office. Soon after two of the President’s son Robert Tyler and Major John Tyler, Junior arrived in the capital. Major Tyler was detailed to the War Department and the two had worked together during last year. Mr. Jones also remembers fondly last June 22nd when President Tyler was one of ten additional men appointed by the Virginia Convention to serve in the House of Representatives.

Richmond, Virginia, January 23, 1862, Nevill Charles Blacklidge, Special Correspondent

In a press conference today hosted by Presidential Press Secretary, John Alexander Taliaferro, President Davis reflected on the events of the past year. He was moved by the memorial service for President John Tyler just three days ago. “He was our Nestor, our oldest and wisest councilor; despite his age he was planning an active part in this government. No one could match his vast experience. He attempted more than any of us to reach some last minute accord with the Peace Convention, but Lincoln doomed all that. His legislative experience goes back some fifty years to a time when most of us were lost in the fantasies of childhood. I will sorely miss him. I remember he said last year that a government for five million people in 1787 was no longer a government that was adequate to protect the 30 million of today, and constitutional changes were needed to protect the South. He knew our enemies would rather take up a sword than a law book. Their models are not Madison and Jefferson, but Cornwallis and Burr, and following in their tradition, the railroad lawyer, Lincoln!”

The President said he was considering another Day of Prayer as he had proclaimed for last October 31st. The events on the Carolina Coast and in Kentucky are cause for great concern. What we reporters now call Lincolndom will not allow Kentucky to remain neutral. The Battle of Belmont some weeks ago showed that a push will be made into West Tennesssee; General Lee is surveying coastal defenses; General Wise is being pressed to defend the Roanoke area, and Norfolk remains a subject of concern. Hopefully General McClellan, the King of Spades, will remain morose and dug-in some distance away; if he is not then he will rue any encounter with southern cavaliers when men such as General Robert E. Lee and General Stonewall Jackson are ready to take the field. They will take the fight to the enemy; they are not leading factory workers and unwilling draftees, but patriots.

Mr. Davis reflected on his own experience of the war retelling some of his personal observations of the Battle of Manassas. What he saw there on July 21st was beyond the scale of any military engagement that he had previously witnessed. “By night it was evident that our forces were victorious. In their flight the enemy had left large quantities of arms, ammunitions and knapsacks. The human toll was immense as there were bodies scattered for miles, and nearby farmhouses and the ground all around them were filled with the wounded.”

“On August 3oth the Congress approved relief forces to be sent to Kentucky. Citizens there have been the victims of despotic rulers and many leading citizens have been taken to foreign prisons.”

“Would that be Illinois?” this reporter asked, and the President nodded. He noted that many non-combatants have been the subject of brutal treatment by the undisciplined minions of the northern hordes, which many in the press have rightly labeled as mudsills and Black Republicans. The man who sits temporarily in Washington’s chair must bear responsibility for this revocation of habeus corpus and this Reign of Terror equal to the excesses of the French Revolution.

On a more positive note, the President said there may soon be good news from a military engagement in Kentucky, but he would wait for definitive news before discussing any successes.  He has great hope also in the generalship of Lieutenant Albert Sidney Johnston who will secure Kentucky. He concluded, that when the war began, the South was at a disadvantage in terms of  the numbers of men and in manufacturing. Railroad building as well as foundries and munitions works are repairing these deficiencies. A nuumber of military victories “have robbed the enemy of their opportunity to achieve their goals of greed of gain and unhallowed lust for power. Let us all hope for more good news.”

We were ushered from the President’s office feeling more optimistic with each passing day that we have this man at the helm. We trust in his judgment and the ability to find men who with their ingenuity and some spark of brilliance will compensate for our smaller population and industrial development.

Richmond, Virginia January 20, 1862, Nevill Charles Blacklidge, Special

Today was held in Richmond the funeral of the Hon. John Tyler, who passed from this world on January 18th. He was at the time of his death, the most distinguished and revered man in our Confederate nation. He had been in his lifetime of seventy-one years, a member of the Provisional Congress of the Confederacy, of the Virginia General Assembly, the Executive Council, the House of Representatives, Governor, Senator, Vice-President,and for four years President of the United States. He was President of the February 1861 Peace Convention, and a member elect of the Permanent Congress.  He had arrived less than two weeks ago to take his seat in Congress. He had been in declining health for the past year,  but he had forever followed the path of duty.

When Governor Letcher was informed of the former President’s passing, news he informed the State Legislature of the sad news and a series of eulogies were delevered whcih will be carried in a later edition of our paper.

I was accompanied to the funeral by President Davis’ press aide, John Alexander Taliaferro, and John B. Jones, Chief Clerk in the War Department. Mr. Jones remembered meeting both former Governor now General John A. Wise and President Tyler on his arrival in Richmond. That was an unforgettable day, April 12th when Fort Sumter became a symbol as word became deed, the Union effectively was dissolved.