Camp cripple creek
tennessee
18 january - 24 june 1863
Important Places in the History of the Brigade
1. Circleville / Columbus, OH
2. Terre Haute, IN
3. Cincinnati, OH
4. Covington, KY
5. Kanawha/Gauley Bridge, WV
6. Bardstown / Perryville, KY
7. Ft. Donelson, TN
8. Nashville / Lavergne, TN
9. Murfreesboro, TN
10. Shiloh / Pittsburgh Landing, TN
11. Chattanooga / Ooltewah, TN
12. Chickamauga, GA
13. Atlanta, GA
14. Bridgeport, AL
15. Corinth, MS
Circleville / Columbus, OH
The men of the 90th OH were mustered in from
Camp Circleville, near Lancaster, OH, on 29 Aug 62.
Camp Circleville as it
looks today.
Paroled POWs would often be
sent to Camp Chase, near
Columbus, before returning to
their regiments.
Camp Chase, OH
Cincinnati, OH
Cincinnati, OH was the home of several military camps and hospitals during the War. Camp Clay, near the Cincinnati suburb of Pendleton, was the place where the men of the 1st and 2nd KY were mustered in during the months of May and June 61.
Camp Dennison was another
important training camp for the
recruits from Ohio and even from
nearby states such as IN and KY.
It was here that the men of
Standart's Battery were mustered
in on 8 Oct 61.
Bardstown and
Perryville, KY
Bardstown, KY was the site of a Union encampment during much of the War. The 1st KY and 2nd KY regiments stopped here on their way from the Kanawha Valley to Nashville in early 1862. The 1st KY were here from 24 Jan until 13 Feb 62; the 2nd KY from 5 Feb until 13 Feb. A skirmish occurred here on 4 Oct 62--shortly before our boys were fighting in Perryville. Today, there are museums and a Civil War era village recreated in Bardstown.
Perryville, KY was the scene of a battle that took place on 8 Oct 62. It was considered a tactical victory for the Confederates, although the Union considered it a victory as well, since the area would remain in Federal control for the rest of the War. The Battle of Perryville saw the men of the 1st KY, 2nd KY, 31st IN, 90th OH, and Standart's Battery fighting side-by-side for the first time. These 5 units would face the enemy together a few more times before their encampment at Cripple Creek. It was also the first battle in which the men of the 90th OH would participate.
Ft. Donelson, TN
The Battle of Ft Donelson, TN occurred on 11 - 16 Feb 62, resulting in a Union victory. It was the first battle in which the 31st IN fought and they were the only Cripple Creek regiment to fight there.
Covington, KY
Located just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, Covington, KY was also the home of several military camps and hospitals. The 1st KY was mustered out from Covington
on 18 Jun 64, and the 2nd KY was mustered out from there the following day.
Kanawha/Gauley Bridge, WV
The men of the 1st and 2nd KY spent the period
from 19 Oct until 16 Nov 61 in an area that would
soon become part of the new state of West
Virginia. The Kanawha Valley was beautiful, but the fighting they experienced there was their first real taste of War, in particular, the Skirmish on Gauley Bridge on 28 Oct 61 and the series of "operations" culminating in the Attack on Gauley Bridge on 10 Nov 61.
Terre Haute, IN
Camp Vigo, near Terre
Haute, IN, was the place where the men of the
31st IN were mustered in on 15 Sep 61.
Shiloh / Pittsburgh Landing, TN
The Battle of Shiloh (also known as The Battle of Pittsburgh Landing) was fought on 6 - 7 Apr 62. It was a Union victory. The 1st KY, 2nd KY, and 31st IN were here.
Corinth, MS
The Siege of Corinth, MS lasted from 29 Apr until 30 May 62. The men of the 31st IN, 1st KY, and 2nd KY fought here. It was during the figthing on 21 May 62, that 15 year-old Drummer William Horsfall of the 1st KY risked his life to save a fallen officer--an act that would earn him the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1895.
Prisoners of War
Camp Parole, MD
Andersonville, GA
Title. Double click me.
Belle Isle, VA
Libby Prison
Richmond, VA
Title. Double click me.
Chickamauga, GA
and Chattanooga, TN
The Chickamauga Campaign followed the Tullahoma Campaign in the fall of 1863, culminating in the Battle of Chickamauga on 19 - 20 Sept 63. It was a resounding victory for the Confederates. While ALL the units from Camp Cripple Creek participated in the Tullahoma Campaign (1st KY, 2nd KY, 31st IN, 90th OH, Standart's Battery, and the 5th TN Cavalry), the 5th TN did not take part in the Chickamauga Campaign.
The Battle of Chickamauga was immediately followed by the Siege of Chattanooga, which lasted from 24 Sept until 27 Nov 63. It included many famous battles, such as Orchard Knob, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Rossville Gap, and Ringgold/Graysville. The men of Cruft's and Hazen's Brigades saw action in nearly all of these battles. However, the Chattanooga Campaign was a Union victory and marked the end of Confederate control in any part of Tennessee, clearing the way for the Atlanta Campaign and Sherman's March to the Sea in 1864. All of the regiments from Cripple Creek (except for the 5th TN Cavalry) were present for the fighting around Chattanooga.
Gen. Thomas and his staff at Ringgold, GA
Bridgeport, AL
Bridgeport, AL was a place of rest after the rigors of the last half of 1863. Like other regiments, our Cripple Creek boys remained here from the end of Oct 63 through the end of Jan 64. (The 5th TN were no longer a part of their happy group by this time, and were elsewhere.) Standart's Battery would be stationed here after the rest and would be here for the longest length of time--from 26 Mar 64 through July 65.
Ooltewah, GA
Like Bridgeport, Ooltewah was a place of rest for the weary men of Cruft's Brigade. They would be stationed here from the end of Jan 64 until mid-May 64. During their stay here, most of the men of the 31st IN re-enlisted (becoming "veteranized") and were given a month's furlough in Feb and Mar 64.
The Atlanta Campaign
With virtually all of TN now in Union hands, the action shifted to GA, beginning with The Atlanta Campaign from 1 May - 8 Sept 64. While the 90th OH and the 31st IN were present during the whole campaign, the 1st and 2nd KY would occupy Resaca after the battle was over and their friends from Cripple Creek had moved on. The KY boys would muster out in mid-June, leaving the 90th OH and the 31st IN to continue to fight the good fight until after the War's end.
Rocky Face Ridge Resaca Kennesaw Siege of Atlanta
8 - 13 May 13 - 15 May 27 June 22 Jul - 25 Aug
90th OH, 31 IN 90th OH, 31st IN 90th OH, 31st IN 90th OH, 31st IN
(1st & 2nd KY here from
17 May - 29 May/3 Jun)
Pleasant Title
Hospitals
Here are just a few of the hospitals the wounded men of
Cripple Creek might have been sent to.
Jefferson Gen. Hosp.
Good Samaritan Hosp. Louisville, KY--the
Cincinnati, OH 3rd largest in the US
The 3 Buildings that made up Hospital 3 in Nashville St. Mary's of the Seven
Cumberland Pres- Masonic Temple 1st Pres- Sorrows Cath. Church
byterian Church byterian Church in Nashville, TN Union University in
Murfreesboro, TN
Nurse Annie Bell with patients in Possibly the Hospital for A Field Hospital in
a Nashville, TN hospital Prostitutes that helped Murfreesboro, TN
curtail the venereal disease
"epidemic" in Nashville, TN
Here are just a few of the places used as hospitals that the
men of Cripple Creek might have been familiar with.
Nashville, TN
At various times, the men who would be stationed at Camp Cripple Creek were posted in Nashville, TN. In fact, the first time that all the men who would be at Cripple Creek (1st KY, 2nd KY, 31st IN, 90th OH, Standart's Battery, and the 5th TN Cavalry) were in the same location was in Nashville, TN prior to the Battle of Stone River between 8 Nov and 26 Dec 62.
TN State Capitol Building
Nashville City Square Railroad Depot Nashville Skyline
LaVergne, TN
The men of Cripple Creek would move with the rest of the Army of the Cumberland to the small town of LaVergne, TN just prior to the Battle of Stone River and take part in a skirmish with Confederate troops there on 26 - 27 Dec 62--a foretaste of what was to come.
Stewart's Creek near Escaping from Confederate Wheeler's Raid on the
LaVergne Guerrillas near LaVergne Eve of the Battle
Almost one year later, the Army of the Cumberland would defeat the Confederate forces once again in the Second Battle of Nashville on 15 - 16 Dec 64, just over two weeks after the Battle of Franklin. The 90th OH, the 31st IN, and Standart's Battery would take part in this.
Franklin, TN
The Battle of Franklin was fought on 30 Nov 64 and was a devastating loss for the Confederate forces under Gen. John Bell Hood. The 90th OH and the 31st IN took part in the carnage that was one of the deadliest battles of the War.
The Carter House The Battle as depicted in 1891 Carnton Plantation
Murfreesboro, TN
I have "saved the best for last" by putting the box for Murfreesboro as the last location featured on this page. I have tried to find scenes that the Cripple Creek boys might recognize if they were to view my website.
The Battle of
STONE RIVER
31 Dec -- 2 Jan
1862 / 63
The "Round Forest", where the men of Cruft's Brigade fought on 31 Dec 62. It was given the name of "Hell's Half-Acre" by those who fought here.
Detailed portion of a map drawn by historian Ed Bearss for the National Park Service, showing the action on 31 Dec 61 near the "Round Forest".
More scenes of the Battle as seen by artists. The drawing on the right was done by Alfred E. Mathews, a private in the 31st OH (so he was not at Cripple Creek, although he was at the Battle). Mathews was a free-lance artist, but some of his artwork was commissioned by the Army
AFTERMATH
The home of E. A. Keeble on the corner of Academy and College was used as Union Head Quarters. (It is now a parking lot for SunTrust Bank.)
The Spence-Avent-Jones-Robinson home stood at 202 E. Main St. (where First Baptist Church now stands).
Union troops encamped around the Rutherford County Courthouse in 1863.
Oaklands Mansion, the home of the Maney Fam-ily, stood outside the city limits.
Soule Academy, which stood on E. Main St., was one of dozens of buildings used as hospitals after the Battle.
The home of Charles Ready, Jr. was used as the Head Quarters of the Provost Guard.
The Bassett house was used by Asst. Adj. Gen. Goddard
A view of the Square, probably from the late 1800s.
