The Confederates Crush The Union Left

On August 30, 1862, the end of the Union line was anchored on a small knoll overlooking a wooded ravine on its left, and from there the line stretched right across US 421 to a point just south of Mt. Zion Church. Union commander General Mahlon Manson saw Confederates advancing toward the left end of his line and kept shifting his line east all morning to counter an expected attack, but he did not see another Confederate force hidden by the ravine west of the road. The first Confederate assault came from the ravine and struck the Union left, halting near the base of the knoll. As the main Confederate advance began, a second assault by Tennessee troops massed in the ravine followed, and the hidden Confederates emerged "howling like the wind" and smashed the stunned and ill-trained Indiana defenders. This came as the weakly held Union flank across the road was collapsing under another Confederate flank attack. These coordinated attacks pushed both ends of the Union line toward the middle, and the pressure broke the inexperienced Union soldiers. After a very brief stand they fled north in confusion. The second Union column under General Charles Cruft was caught in the collapse as fleeing soldiers swept over his men, and they too were carried away in the Confederate rout. Confederate infantry hidden by the adjacent ravine attacked the left flank and rear of the Union line, and the defeated Union soldiers retreated in disorder toward Rogersville.

Kentucky · United States