Today in History:

845 Series I Volume XVI-I Serial 22 - Morgan's First Kentucky Raid, Perryville Campaign Part I

Page 845 Chapter XXVIII. CAPTURE OF GALLATIN, TENN.

way destroying bridges. Miller's success and return over the road to town prevented this.

W. H. SIDELL,

Major, Fifteenth Infantry and Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

Colonel J. B. FRY, Assistant Adjutant-General.


Numbers 3.

Report of Captain Walworth Jenkins, Assistant Quartermaster, U. S. Army, of the surrender of Gallatin and destruction of bridges in that vicinity.

LOUISVILLE, KY., August 25, 1862.

SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith my report in reference to the surrender of Gallatin, Tenn., by Colonel Boone, Twenty-eighth Kentucky Volunteers, and a statement of the officers and men on that subject, which are marked respectively A and B, and inclosed herein.

I am, captain, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. JENKINS,

Captain, Assistant Quartermaster, U. S. Army.

Captain H. C. McDOWELL,

Assistant Adjutant-General, Louisville, Ky.

LOUISVILLE, KY., August 23, 1862.

SIR: In compliance with Special Orders, Numbers 31, dated Headquarters United States forces in Kentucky, Louisville, August 17, 1862, directing an investigation of the circumstances attending the surrender of Gallatin, Tenn., I have to report as follows:

I have examined several of the officers and men belonging to Colonel Boone's command at Gallatin, Tenn. The results of this examination are embodied in a series of statements herewith inclosed, together with a copy of a rough pencil sketch* of the town of Gallatin and its approaches, made by Lieutenant J. R. Boone, adjutant of the regiment. This sketch also shows the position of the various night pickets.

The statements of the various officers and men differ in many points, so that the true state of affairs can, in my judgment, only be reached by a properly constituted court of inquiry, which I would recommend be instituted.

With the slight information derived from these statements I cannot in justice to myself or the officers of Colonel Boone's command frame and prefer definite charges against them. I can only express the following general opinion and state a few facts which have been elicited by the examination:

It appears that Colonel Boone had been expecting an attack for some three weeks prior to the surprise and surrender of his command on the 12th instant, and that he had at various times applied to Colonel Miller at Nashville and to General Nelson at Murfreesborough for re-enforcements, which however, for reasons not within my knowledge, but doubtless known to those officers, were withheld.

Arrangements had been made to fortify the town and guard the

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*Omitted.

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Page 845 Chapter XXVIII. CAPTURE OF GALLATIN, TENN.