Mill Springs Battlefield

— National Historic Landmark —

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.

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The Zollie Tree
Gen'l Felix K. Zollicoffer
Mistaken Identity - A Deadly Error
Felix K. Zollicoffer, "Zollie Tree"
Mill Springs Battlefield
"The Zollie Tree"
Confederate Mass Grave Memorial, a War Memorial
Dawn of Battle
Confederate Dead
A Scene of Battle

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