Wednesday, 25th. Harris’s ( B) and Ewing’s (C) companies arrived from Knoxville and rejoined the rest of McNairy’s Battalion at Camp Buckner.
Besides our battalion, General Zollicoffer now had with him at Camp Buckner four regiments of infantry (Statham, Rains, Cummings, and Battle), five cavalry companies (three of Branner’s Battalion and two of Brazelton’s), and one artillery company of six-pounders, commanded by Captain Rutledge. Colonel Newman’s Regiment was at Cumberland Gap. The Sixteenth Alabama (Wood) and the Fourth Tennessee (Churchwell) Regiments of infantry, and McClellan’s Battalion of cavalry and half of Branner’s were left at Knoxville. There were stationed at various points in East Tennessee some other troops, mostly unarmed.
About six days previous to this, General Zollicoffer had, according to instructions received from General A. S. Johnston, ordered the Fourteenth Mississippi (Colonel Baldwin) and the Third East Tennessee (Colonel Lillard) Regiments of infantry to move to Camp Trousdale, to reinforce General S. B. Buckner, who was then in command of the Central Division of Kentucky, with headquarters at Bowling Green.
General Zollicoffer had learned that there was a large quantity of salt at the salt works on Goose Creek, in Clay County, thirty-five miles north of Camp Buckner and eighteen miles east of a camp of Home Guards— variously estimated at from six hundred to fifteen hundred—at Laurel Bridge, in Laurel County, some thirty-eight miles north-west of Camp Buckner and two miles south-east of London. As our General had decided to send a detachment to capture the salt above named, and also another detachment in the direction of this Federal encampment at Laurel Bridge to attract attention and mask the movement of the first, he therefore issued the following special orders:
Brigade Headquarters,
Camp Buckner, September 25, 1861.Colonel James E. Rains will march at four o’clock to-morrow morning, via Barboursville, to Laurel Bridge, on the London road, with his regiment, provisioned for six days, three rations of which shall he cooked, leaving his tents in this encampment. Colonel McNairy’s command will accompany him or follow him, by a right-hand road crossing Laurel Creek about two miles above the bridge. Colonel R. will have command, and will dislodge a supposed force of the enemy at the bridge by attacking simultaneously with infantry and cavalry at both ends of the bridge. He will be furnished a guide, who will give him information of some arms, which he will capture, if practicable. He will take with him also Lieutenant Falcand’s section of artillery. A battalion of Colonel Statham’s infantry, with three companies of Colonel Branner’s cavalry, will be posted on the road to be pursued by Colonel McNairy, about ten miles back, to give support, if necessary.
Simultaneously, Colonel Cummings’ Regiment, with two companies of Colonel Brazelton’s cavalry, will escort a train of wagons to the Goose Creek Salt Works, sixteen or eighteen miles east, in Clay County, to load with salt.
The different detachments will communicate by express messengers with each other and with me, and when the salt train returns all will return to this encampment.
Much is trusted to Colonel Rains’ discretion in whatever may transpire on the way.
F. K. Zollicoffer, Brigadier-General.1
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1 The above order fell into the hands of the Federals (how I know not) and on the 3d of October it was sent by T. T. Garrard, who was Colonel of the Third Kentucky Regiment and in command at Camp Wildcat, or Rockcastle Hills, to General G. H. Thomas, who was in command at Camp Dick Robinson, some thirty-five miles beyond Wildcat. At the same time Garrard wrote to Thomas thus (italics mine):
“I have no information in regard to the rebels more than I wrote you, except the inclosed order of General Zollicoffer, which I have no doubt is genuine. I could not doubt it, because they carried out the instructions to the letter.”—Rebellion Records, Vol. IV., p. 291
