The battlefield looking from the Union position across Owl Creek. Tuckerville is to the upper right, (SW) corner of the field...
Looking SW to NE from Tuckerville. You can see Captain Butlers Artillery on Sarah's Hill, and the first line of troops in defenses. Across Owl Creek is the Union troops.
“The artillery’s in place sir, and from the looks of it, they still don’t know we’re here.”
I shook my head for a moment to clear the thoughts of home and my sweet wife and focused my attention back to Lt. Jasper. Sucking in a big breath of the hot still air into my lungs I looked around at my men in front of me.
“And yes sir, it looks like Rossers Division moving this way.” He said to me breaking the silence.
I nodded. “How many?”
He turned in his saddle and looked over his shoulder as if he was seeing them already. He turned back to me. “Three brigades with artillery sir. Three batteries. Pretty much Rossers entire division, minus cavalry.” Looks like he is coming down the Downeysburg Road with one brigade, and pushing another brigade down the Lesterville Road. His third looks to be stretched ‘tween both roads.” He was moving without cavalry to screen...how odd.
My horse jittered a bit. He always does that to let me know that he thinks we’ve been in the same spot for too long. I patted him gently. “Just a few more minutes Cornbread and we’ll be moving again.” I looked back up at Lt. Jasper. “So his middle unit supporting stretched?”
“Yes General. They got us outnumbered, but we got the better ground.” Lt. Jasper nodded.
“Hmmm…then if he maintains these routes, he’s going to moving with the objective of taking Tuckerville and the Junction there. Tuckervilles got a small warehouse and a railroad-loading depot on the backside of the town. He’ll want to take that and use it as a supply line, but once he gets whiff of Captain Butlers guns on Sarah’s Hill, he’ll have to ford Owl Creek.”
“Yes sir.” Lt. Jasper nodded in agreement. “It’ll take time for him to cross Owl Creek. My little cousin used to live in this area and he told me once that the bottom of that thing is muddy-slippery as can be. And if Captain Butler is as good with his artillery as he has been in the past, it’s going to be a very bad day for any Yankees trying to cross that creek!”
I nodded. “Yes Captain Butler is indeed a fine officer. He put his guns on the best piece of ground there is here. He’s a Charleston man, from what I heard.”
Lt. Jasper nodded. “Yes sir. He is…Got a brother that runs the blockades.”
“And our men on the line?” I asked him.
Lt. Jasper smiled. “They’re dug in sir. All along the creek side. They’ve got good defenses and good fields of fire. You’d be proud of them.”
“I always am proud of them. And I feel a bit sorry for the poor boys that are going to have to cross that creek to get to us. But sorry or not…now we have a chance to stop them and whup ‘em hard. If we can hold them until Col. Sanders gets his men deployed when he arrives on field, we might give them a thrashing they won’t forget.”
Lt. Jasper smiled. “Yes General, and if I can, I will personally empty my pistol into that Old Yankee Buzzard Rosser…That Lincoln lover! Why if I ever see him, I’ll….”
“Lieutenant Jasper…” I interrupted him. “Never forget that we are Southerners, Officers, and Gentlemen. Even if General Rosser is a Yankee…I do not think that he is a buzzard, although I do hold that thought open for future sake chances…and never ever let your emotions run hot Lieutenant. It will cause you to make mistakes and get men killed.”
Lieutenant Jasper nodded silently. He was a good young man and would make any woman a good husband one day, when this war was over…
One day…
Our silence was broken by the sound of hooves as a rider approached us. Rearing his horse to a stop, he saluted quickly. “With Colonel Sanders compliments! The Colonel announces that he will be on the field by early morning with his brigade!”
Good old Colonel Sanders…always ready for a fight, and a staunch strong Kentucky man…
I saluted and nodded as the rider turned the horse and rode off. Already I could feel the tension and anxiety mounting. Tomorrow, would be battle and many men, his and mine would not see the sun set, or go home to their loved ones.
Cornbread jittered again. I nodded. “Very well Cornbread…Lieutenant, let us make one more ride along the defensives and make sure that we have everything ready for battle tomorrow!”
I turned my horse and we rode off through the heat of the day and across the straw grass field towards our waiting troops…
Just a little note to let folks know that once again, on this Saturday, I will be fighting the Yankees on tabletop with my good friend Bill Rosser and his son and friend.
More pics and reports to follow….
Yours In Service To Our Gallant Southern Cause
Michael T. Murphy
Aka Col. Belvedere B. Belvedere, CSA.
I shook my head for a moment to clear the thoughts of home and my sweet wife and focused my attention back to Lt. Jasper. Sucking in a big breath of the hot still air into my lungs I looked around at my men in front of me.
“And yes sir, it looks like Rossers Division moving this way.” He said to me breaking the silence.
I nodded. “How many?”
He turned in his saddle and looked over his shoulder as if he was seeing them already. He turned back to me. “Three brigades with artillery sir. Three batteries. Pretty much Rossers entire division, minus cavalry.” Looks like he is coming down the Downeysburg Road with one brigade, and pushing another brigade down the Lesterville Road. His third looks to be stretched ‘tween both roads.” He was moving without cavalry to screen...how odd.
My horse jittered a bit. He always does that to let me know that he thinks we’ve been in the same spot for too long. I patted him gently. “Just a few more minutes Cornbread and we’ll be moving again.” I looked back up at Lt. Jasper. “So his middle unit supporting stretched?”
“Yes General. They got us outnumbered, but we got the better ground.” Lt. Jasper nodded.
“Hmmm…then if he maintains these routes, he’s going to moving with the objective of taking Tuckerville and the Junction there. Tuckervilles got a small warehouse and a railroad-loading depot on the backside of the town. He’ll want to take that and use it as a supply line, but once he gets whiff of Captain Butlers guns on Sarah’s Hill, he’ll have to ford Owl Creek.”
“Yes sir.” Lt. Jasper nodded in agreement. “It’ll take time for him to cross Owl Creek. My little cousin used to live in this area and he told me once that the bottom of that thing is muddy-slippery as can be. And if Captain Butler is as good with his artillery as he has been in the past, it’s going to be a very bad day for any Yankees trying to cross that creek!”
I nodded. “Yes Captain Butler is indeed a fine officer. He put his guns on the best piece of ground there is here. He’s a Charleston man, from what I heard.”
Lt. Jasper nodded. “Yes sir. He is…Got a brother that runs the blockades.”
“And our men on the line?” I asked him.
Lt. Jasper smiled. “They’re dug in sir. All along the creek side. They’ve got good defenses and good fields of fire. You’d be proud of them.”
“I always am proud of them. And I feel a bit sorry for the poor boys that are going to have to cross that creek to get to us. But sorry or not…now we have a chance to stop them and whup ‘em hard. If we can hold them until Col. Sanders gets his men deployed when he arrives on field, we might give them a thrashing they won’t forget.”
Lt. Jasper smiled. “Yes General, and if I can, I will personally empty my pistol into that Old Yankee Buzzard Rosser…That Lincoln lover! Why if I ever see him, I’ll….”
“Lieutenant Jasper…” I interrupted him. “Never forget that we are Southerners, Officers, and Gentlemen. Even if General Rosser is a Yankee…I do not think that he is a buzzard, although I do hold that thought open for future sake chances…and never ever let your emotions run hot Lieutenant. It will cause you to make mistakes and get men killed.”
Lieutenant Jasper nodded silently. He was a good young man and would make any woman a good husband one day, when this war was over…
One day…
Our silence was broken by the sound of hooves as a rider approached us. Rearing his horse to a stop, he saluted quickly. “With Colonel Sanders compliments! The Colonel announces that he will be on the field by early morning with his brigade!”
Good old Colonel Sanders…always ready for a fight, and a staunch strong Kentucky man…
I saluted and nodded as the rider turned the horse and rode off. Already I could feel the tension and anxiety mounting. Tomorrow, would be battle and many men, his and mine would not see the sun set, or go home to their loved ones.
Cornbread jittered again. I nodded. “Very well Cornbread…Lieutenant, let us make one more ride along the defensives and make sure that we have everything ready for battle tomorrow!”
I turned my horse and we rode off through the heat of the day and across the straw grass field towards our waiting troops…
Just a little note to let folks know that once again, on this Saturday, I will be fighting the Yankees on tabletop with my good friend Bill Rosser and his son and friend.
More pics and reports to follow….
Yours In Service To Our Gallant Southern Cause
Michael T. Murphy
Aka Col. Belvedere B. Belvedere, CSA.
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