The
Old Wilderness Road, (above) historic in its own right, leads
to Camp Wildcat.
The action that occurred at Camp Wildcat
was the result of the site's location on the Old Wilderness Road
which was the principal road through Southeast Kentucky at the
time of the Civil War. The Wilderness Road extended from the
Holston River Valley through the Cumberland Gap to Pineville,
Barbourville, London and Crab Orchard to the Bluegrass area,
and the Ohio River. The road was important to both the Union
and Confederacy from the standpoint of access to both the North
and the South for the control of Kentucky which attempted to
remain neutral during the war. The South was concerned that Union
troops being recruited would invade east Tennessee. The North
worried that Confederate troops would move into Kentucky in an
effort to control the Bluegrass region, thereby gaining access
to the Ohio River.
On September 9, 1861, Confederate General
Zollicoffer ordered his troops to move into Kentucky through
the Cumberland Gap. Within ten days his troops took possession
of the Cumberland Ford at Pineville, Kentucky, and defeated a
group of Home Guard volunteers from the town of Barbourville.
On September 23, 1861, news reached
Camp Dick Robinson near Lancaster, Kentucky, where Colonel Theophilus
Garrard was just beginning to assemble his regiment to defend
the Rockcastle River Ford. Advanced units of Zollicoffer's forces
had already reached the Laurel River outside of London.
Garrard's poorly outfitted soldiers
were rushed forward to the Wilderness Road, and were ordered
to guard a ford across the Rockcastle River in the rugged Rockcastle
hills. Garrard's troops and the 1st Kentucky Cavalry, which had
been sent ahead of Garrard, established camp on a ridge three
miles above the south side of the Rockcastle River at a fork
in the road. It was named Camp Wildcat. While Garrard was preparing
Camp Wildcat, Confederate troops continued to push northward.
By October 17, 1861, Zollicoffer's entire force had reached the
Laurel River.
As Zollicoffer's troops advanced, Garrard's
requests for help became more desperate. On October 19, 1861,
with time running out, Brigadier 
General Albin Schoepf was ordered to take command
of Camp Wildcat. Coming with Schoepf were the reinforcements
Garrard had so urgently requested. Troops from the 33rd Indiana
Infantry, 17th, 14th and 38th Ohio Infantries, and Battery B
of the Ohio Light Artillery were ordered to move to the camp
as quickly as possible. The 1st and 2nd East Tennessee (USA)
were also enroute.
(At Right: Civil War Trench on Hoosier
Knob, Camp Wildcat Battlefield)
Zollicoffer's force passed London on
October 20th and advanced rapidly toward Garrard's undermanned
position. Fortunately for Garrard, Union reinforcements began
arriving late that morning. By nightfall, Camp Wildcat had a
new commander and more than triple the number of troops that
were present when the day began.
- Early in the morning of October 21st,
Confederate troops began making their way up wooded slopes toward
a knob held by the 33rd Indiana Infantry. The attack began about
9:00 a.m. In a short time the woods were filled with the smell
of gun powder and the cries of charging soldiers. Fire from both
sides was intense.
-
- As the fighting raged, the 1st Kentucky
Cavalry came to assist the Union troops. Later, the 14th and
17th Ohio Infantries moved forward to join the battle. After
an hour and a half of fierce fighting at close range Confederate
Colonel Tazwell Newman, who was leading the 17th Tennessee Infantry,
ordered four of his companies to charge the Union position. They
charged up the hill with bayonets flashing. The Colonel described
what happened next. "After fortification was reached
and many of my men had got within the works . . .not receiving
any support and being nearly destitute of cartridges, I ordered
my command to fall back."
A second offensive was mounted in the
afternoon. According to one account, Confederate forces, supported
by artillery, made an attempt to move up the Wilderness Road
toward Camp Wildcat but were repelled. A correspondent for the
Cincinnati Gazette wrote, "Zollicoffer's attack was unsuccessful
simply because it came twenty-four hours too late."
Union forces spent the night of October
21, 1861, fortfying their entrenchments for an attack that never
came. Late in the night the sound of beating drums and moving
Confederate wagons could be heard from the valley below. When
the sun rose, the valley was empty. General Zollicoffer wrote,
"Having reconnoitered in force under heavy fire for several
hours from heights on the right, left, and front, I became satisfied
that it could not be carried otherwise than by immense exposure
. . . I deemed it proper the next day to fall back."
The Battle of Camp Wildcat was over.
*Much of this material was taken
from "The Battle of Camp Wildcat" prepared by the staff
of the U. S. Forest Service, Daniel Boone National Forest.
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Outcome
of Battle
- General Zollicoffer and his
troops retreated back to Cumberland Ford (Pineville) and later
returned to Tennessee. In January 1862 he and his army returned
to Kentucky through Jamestown and were involved in the Battle
of Mill Springs where, on January 19, 1862, Zollicoffer was killed.
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Casualties
at Wildcat
- Brigadier General Albin Schoepf,
Union commander, reported four killed and eighteen wounded. General
Felix Zollicoffer, in command of the Confederates, reported eleven
killed and forty-two wounded or missing.
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Units
at Wildcat
|
Union |
Confederate |
| 33rd Indiana Infantry |
15th Mississippi Infantry |
| 1st Kentucky Cavalry |
11th Tennessee Infantry |
- 3rd (7th) Kentucky
- Volunteer Infantry
|
17the Tennessee Infantry |
| 14th Ohio Infantry |
20th Tennessee Infantry |
| 17th Ohio Infantry |
29th Tennessee Infantry |
| 38th Ohio Infantry |
2nd Tennessee Cavalry |
- 1st Ohio Light Artillery,
- Battery B
|
- Tennessee Artillery Corps,
- Battery #1
|
| 1st East Tennessee Infantry |
|
| 2nd East Tennessee Infantry |
|
| Kentucky Home Guard |
|
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