John Shawhan was wounded in the conflict. From a report by Union officer Col. Sill to his commanding officer General Nelson, we read:(6) Piketon, November 10, 1861 Sir: I have the honor to report that my command occupied this place yesterday afternoon about 4 o'clock. Colonel Metcalf's mounted force, in advance, exchanged shots with a party, probably a reconnoitering one, who had just crossed the river. They retreated. I threw out Metcalf's and Hart's force, deployed as skirmishers, on the hill-side flanking the road, which debouched at the ford. They found the enemy's men, making off by the Shelvy road. A few rounds of shell were sent after them, and Metcalf's men mounted their horses and took possession of the town. The remainder of the force crossed on a raft bridge. I reamed that the enemy were occupied all of yesterday leaving. General Williams was here when the skirmishers opened fire. I now occupy his headquarters. The only casualty that I know of was 1 man killed on this side. On the route we encountered a company of mounted men twice. The first time our fire killed a horse and wounded 2 men. Night before last a reconnoitering company of 10, sent out by Colonel Metcalf, encountered Captain Shawn's cavalry, of about 150, and, it is reported, wounded Captain Shawn (italics mine). His company went back in great haste. There are many particulars I will speak of when I meet you. Troops are very hungry. All that we can get is beef. There is a mill near here, which we will set in motion today, and get plenty of corn meal. I am, very respectfully, sir, your most obedient servant, J. W. Sill, Colonel, Commanding The Union Army proved too large for the Confederates to stay in the area and they were forced to retreat to Pounds Gap, Virginia. Again, from Lafferty's journal we read: "We did not remain in our Pikeville camp as the country around us was filling up with Federal soldiers. General Nelson's army was approaching us cautiously after our fight with them, and some of them came close enough to shoot across the Big Sandy River into our camp. Our numbers, organization and equipment were so inferior to theirs that we broke camp and went through Pound's Gap into Virginia. After a short encampment in that State, during which time we perfected our organization, exchanged our shotguns for army rifles and did a great deal of hard drilling, we returned to Kentucky and had a small engagement with General James A. Garfield's forces on Middle Creek near Prestonburg. There were but few fatalities on either side in that engagement and then we returned to Virginia and went into winter quarters at Lebanon. "While in Lebanon, an epidemic of measles broke out and a large number of our men died during that winter. When spring opened we started on a campaign into what was afterward West Virginia and fought a battle at Princeton. The enemy was commanded by General Jacob D. Cox. Our leader was General Humphrey Marshall, who commanded about three thousand men, including our organization, known as the 1st Kentucky Battalion in charge of John S. (Cerro Gordo) Williams. We won a brilliant victory over the enemy, which was composed largely of imported Germans who had come to this country to join the United States Army. They were brave men but not skilled fighters. They had drilled but little and used their guns as they were taught in their native country. They seldom put their guns to their shoulders in firing but shot from their side and did very poor work. Several of us walked over the field after the battle, and saw the trees were bullet marked on the side from which they fought up as high as forty feet, the same trees showed bullet marks on our side low to the ground, with few being so high as ten feet. They lost many, killed, wounded and captured; our losses were one killed and a few wounded. A more detailed account of Pound's Gap is given in a letter from John S. Williams, Colonel, Confederate States Army, to Brig. General Humphrey Marshall, C.S. Army at Wytheville.(7) Camp near Pound Gap, November 13, 1861. General: "Since my last report to you I have been compelled to abandon Piketon by an overwhelming force that advanced upon me in two columns, one directly up the river from Prestonburg, 1,000 strong, with a battery of six pieces, and the other from Louisa up John's Creek, a branch of the Sandy, numbering 1,800 men, with a battery of field pieces. Both of these columns converged upon Piketon. "My whole force consisted of 1,010 men, including sick, teamsters, and men on extra duty. I did not believe that the advance of the enemy would be so rapid, and hoped that the artillery and reinforcements promised would arrive before they could disturb me at Piketon. Under this confident hope I commenced gathering supplies, explored the leather resources of the country, found them abundant, and organized a corps of shoemakers, and had them at work. Major Hawes had purchased 1,000 fat hogs and a number of beef cattle, and was making preparations to salt them. My men were badly clad and badly armed, with not a knapsack, haversack, or canteen. They carried their powder in horns, gourds, and bottles. This was our condition when the enemy commenced the advance upon us. Retreat was inevitable, but there was too much public property to be abandoned without an effort to save it. I at once ordered all the transportation possible to be collected, and sent the sick, wounded and the live stock to the rear on the Pound Gap road, for the Tazewell route was no longer safe. I sent a small armed force immediately on the Tazewell route with written orders to turn back the artillery and all public wagons to a point of safety in Virginia. I then sent Captain Holliday, with a small mounted company, on the John's Creek road, and Captains Thomas and Clay on the River road to Prestonburg, to observe the movements of the enemy. This was on the night of the 8th. Captain Thomas discovered the advance guard of the enemy about 15 miles from Piketon. I went in person with Captains May and Hawkins, with their companies of infantry, and Lieutenant Van Hook, with 20 mounted men, to the position of Captain Thomas, near Ivy Creek. I found that Captain Thomas had burned the bridge there. The men were allowed to refresh themselves and the horses were secured in a deep mountain cave, and the whole party of 250 men moved on foot to a strong position half a mile in front of the burned bridge, here to await what we supposed to be the advance guard of the enemy's force. "I resumed to our camp at daylight and met the report of Captain Holliday, who had been fired upon by an advanced guard of the enemy of about 150 men. He gave them a gallant fight, killed 8 of them, having only 1 of his number wounded and 1 horse killed. I dispatched Captain Shawn with his own and Captain Cameron's companies, to observe the movements of the enemy on John's Creek, with instructions to engage any party not more than twice his number, but not to attack the enemy's full force. "At 1:30 o'clock on the 9th instant the enemy moved up to Captain May's position (Ivy Creek) with a force of 1,600 men and a battery of six pieces, and were received by 250 rifles and shot-guns, in pointblank range, every one of which took effect. Their column wavered and fell back, but returned in good order, and attempted to carry the pass by assault under cover of their cannon, but were repulsed again with terrific slaughter. They then withdrew beyond the range of our shotguns, and their infantry up the hills soon outflanked our little band compelling them to fall back behind the burned bridge. Here our force made a stand, but the enemy advanced no further. I then ordered three more companies of infantry to sustain Captain May's command or to cover his retreat if necessary. "At 12 o'clock at night Captain Shawn reported to me that the enemy were advancing in full force on the John's Creek road with great rapidity. I then ordered Captains May, Shawn, and all the outposts in. I made a display of forces in Piketon, sent the exhausted infantry in the direction of our retreat, and waited with the balance of the command the arrival of the enemy. They came up slowly and cautiously, but were detained for an hour by Captain Thomas' company of sharpshooters, stationed near the ford, which prevented their artillery from getting into position to rake the town. As they approached I moved the rear guard of 400 men off in good order. They opened upon us a tremendous fire of artillery and musketry, and were replied to by our sharpshooters. We had 1 man killed and 3 wounded, while the enemy had 6 killed. "In the Ivy fight our loss was 10 killed, 15 wounded, and 40 missing. Some of the missing men have gone back to their homes, and others join us daily. We lost Lieutenant Rust, who fell gallantly in the discharge of his duty. My first belief was that the enemy had lost but 150 men, but from subsequent information received from spies, Union men, escaped prisoners who have joined us, and others who have examined their burial ground, I am satisfied the enemy lost over 300 in killed, with the usual proportion of wounded. I cannot speak in terms of commendation too high of the gallantry of Captains May, Thomas, Hawkins and Clay, and Lieutenant Van Hook and Sam Clay. Indeed, the officers and men behaved with so much courage and coolness that to discriminate at all would be invidious. "If we had 1,000 men more and a battery of six pieces we could have whipped and destroyed both columns; but with the small force I had it was impossible to fight both at once, and to have exposed my whole force to one would have exposed the rear to the other. Our cartridge boxes arrived the other day after the fight. We had powder and lead, and made our own cartridges and molded our own bullets. "The enemy have 6,000 troops near Piketon; 1,000 of them advanced 10 miles this side of that place. They have not more than 1,500 at Prestonburg. What they have below as reserves I know but little of, for all communication is cut off and the whole country is frightened out of its wits, and but few men will act as scouts or guides. I am satisfied that this large force was not moved up the Sandy merely for the purpose of dispersing the unorganized and half-armed, barefooted squad under my command. They intended to move upon the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, I think, by way of the Tazewell Court House. They fortify their positions, and have a large number of wagons. The Sandy is now navigable for steamboats to a point above Piketon. "We want good rifles, clothes, greatcoats knapsacks, haversacks, and canteens indeed, everything, almost, except a willingness to fight. Many of our men are barefooted, and I have seen the blood in their tracks as they marched from Ivy to this place. You know what we want, general. Send such articles as we need to Abingdon. There is but little subsistence here, and I fear I shall be compelled to fall back to a point where I can subsist until our organization is perfected. We have been so constantly fighting that we have not had time to complete our muster rolls. I have now over 1,200 men. If I could make a forward movement the effect would be good upon the country. "Mr. Thomas has just received from the governor of Florida a commission as aide de-camp, with rank of colonel. I cannot insist on retaining him from such increased rank. Send somebody else. "If the enemy should move by way of the Pound I have not a sufficient force to resist them - no artillery, no entrenching tools, nor axes, spades, or picks. If they come we will give them a fight, but this will do us no good but to destroy a few of them. "I have just learned from a spy that a steamboat arrived at Piketon yesterday with supplies to the enemy. "Major Hawes wants more money. He has bought hogs, horses, wagons &c. Your obedient servant, Jno. S. Williams, Colonel, C.S.A. -- Bob Francis 1920A Butner St. Ft. Eustis, VA 23604 My Homepage is: http://www.shawhan.com Ruddell's Fort Page: http://www.shawhan.com/ruddlesfort.html Early Bourbon County Families Page: http://www.shawhan.com/bourbonfamilies.html