Mill Springs Battlefield

— National Historic Landmark —

Rutledge's Battery, a Confederate artillery unit, fired from this position during the Battle of Mill Springs. This gun is a reproduction of those the battery used—1841 model six-pounder smoothbore cannons.

Captain Arthur M. Rutledge, a West Point graduate, organized the Tennessee Light Artillery Battery-110 men, two howitzers and four six-pounders-in May 1861. That September, the battery joined General Felix Zollicoffer's army at Cumberland Ford. They were with the army at Beech Grove when the Confederates marched into battle on January 19, 1862.

Rutledge ordered two six-pounders to a position on the Mill Springs road, leaving four guns in reserve. The battery supported the 15th Mississippi Infantry, which charged the Union line at the fence from the ravine. Poor conditions rendered their shots all but useless. The day was wet and cold. Smoke from discharged weapons hung near the ground, restricting visibility. The terrain made it impossible to see the enemy. Look toward the top of the hill in front of you. The Union position—the split-rail fence—is not visible.

Rutledge's Battery retreated with the rest of the Confederate army to Beech Grove. His men answered the Union artillery bombardment desperately trying to sink the steamboat Noble Ellis as it carried Confederate soldiers across the



Cumberland River to Mill Springs.

The Confederates left Rutledge's guns with the rest of the artillery when they abandoned Beech Grove. The Federals took the captured guns to Somerset. Ironically, Confederate General John Hunt Morgan burned the guns during his July 1862 raid into Kentucky.

Photo captions:
Left: The officers of Rutledge's Battery in May 1861; Artbur M. Rutledge is in the center.
From left to right, starting with the upper row: Frank Johnson, George Trabui, Jack B. Long James C. Wheeler, E.T Falconet, A.M. Rutledge, Joe E. Harris, George E. Purvis, J.P. Humphrey, J. Griffith and M.S. Cockrill. Right: A full six-gun battery. This is the 17th New York; Union and Confederate batteries had the same number of men, horses, and pieces of equipment.

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The Last Stand
Confederate Artillery
Turpin/Simpson Properties
Confederate Retreat
The Union Advance
Victory!
The Dawn of Battle
"Confederate Mass Grave"
Confederate Dead
Dawn of Battle

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