The Battle of Rowlett's Station (also known as Battle of Woodsonville or Green River) was a land battle in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

, fought at the railroad whistle-stop of Rowlett's in

Hart County, Kentucky Hart County is a county located in the south central portion of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,288. Its county seat is Munfordville. Hart County is a prohibition or dry county. History Hart County w ...

, on December 17, 1861. The outcome was inconclusive, although the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

continued to hold its objective, a railroad bridge across the Green River.

Background and opposing forces

Brig. Gen.

Don Carlos Buell Don Carlos Buell (March 23, 1818November 19, 1898) was a United States Army officer who fought in the Seminole War, the Mexican–American War, and the American Civil War. Buell led Union armies in two great Civil War battles— Shiloh and Per ...

assumed command of the

Army of the Ohio The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863. History 1st Army of the Ohio General Orders No. 97 appointed Maj. Gen. ...

in November 1861, and in an attempt to consolidate Union control over the surrounding area, organized a spate of troop movements into the field. Part of these movements included the march of the 2nd Division under Brig. Gen.

Alexander McDowell McCook Alexander McDowell McCook (April 22, 1831June 12, 1903) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. Early life McCook was born in Columbiana County, Ohio. A Scottish family, the McCooks were prominent ...

into Kentucky, with the goal of forcing the Confederates from the state. Meanwhile, the Confederate Western Department, under General

Albert Sidney Johnston Albert Sidney Johnston (February 2, 1803 – April 6, 1862) served as a general in three different armies: the Texian Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States Army. He saw extensive combat during his 34-year military career, figh ...

, set up a defensive line along the Green River near Munfordville, Kentucky. On December 10, 1861, under directions from McCook, Brig. Gen. Richard W. Johnson ordered troops toward the Confederate lines near Munfordville to secure the

Louisville and Nashville Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of t ...

bridge spanning the Green River. In the meantime, Rebel divisions under Brig. Gen.

Thomas C. Hindman Thomas Carmichael Hindman Jr. (January 28, 1828 – September 28, 1868) was an American lawyer, politician, and a senior officer of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, he later moved to Mis ...

, which included a Confederate force of Texas Rangers,

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

, and

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during si ...

, responded by blowing up the south pier of the railroad bridge and about of track. Col. August Willich of the

32nd Indiana Infantry Regiment 32nd Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry was a Union Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. It was also known as Indiana's "1st German" regiment because its members were mainly of German descent. Organized at Indianapolis, the reg ...

sent two companies across the river to protect workers repairing the bridge and to help build a temporary pontoon bridge. When the pontoon bridge was completed on December 15, Willich ordered two more companies south of the river to reinforce the troops already on duty and posted four companies on the river's north side. Civilian stonemasons arrived from

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, on December 16 to repair the railroad bridge.Peake, ''Indiana's German Sons: A History of the 1st German, 32nd Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Baptism of Fire: Rowlett's Station, 1861'', v. 13, p. 14. The Union forces were mainly men from the 32nd Indiana Infantry Regiment, also known as

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

's "1st German" regiment, which was composed mainly of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

immigrants and descendants of German settlers from the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

. Col. Willich had assumed command at the request of Indiana's governor, Oliver P. Morton. Willich was a disciplinarian who used Prussian bugle calls to direct his regiment on the parade ground and in battle. The Confederates were primarily the 8th Texas Cavalry Regiment, which became known as

Terry's Texas Rangers The 8th Texas Cavalry Regiment, (1861–1865), popularly known as Terry's Texas Rangers, was a light cavalry regiment of Texas volunteers for the Confederate States Army assembled by Colonel Benjamin Franklin Terry in August 1861. Though lesser k ...

, formed by Col.

Benjamin Franklin Terry Benjamin Franklin Terry (February 18, 1821 – December 17, 1861) raised and commanded the 8th Texas Cavalry Regiment, popularly known as Terry's Texas Rangers, during the American Civil War. An enslaver, planter and prominent citizen of Fort Bend ...

. General Johnston had requested Terry to join the army he was raising, promising him an independent command. The 8th Texas voted to join the general in Kentucky.

Battle

Around midday on December 17, 1861, while construction crews repaired the stone railroad bridge, a Union picket continued south of the bridge. Advancing into the woods, the Union forces discovered enemy

skirmisher Skirmishers are light infantry or light cavalry soldiers deployed as a vanguard, flank guard or rearguard to screen a tactical position or a larger body of friendly troops from enemy advances. They are usually deployed in a skirmish line, an ir ...

s south of Woodsonville. The latter retreated until the Texas cavalry could join them, and then attacked the Union companies that crossed the river to aid their comrades. A detachment of Union companies from the 32nd Indiana (fewer than 500 men) under Lt. Col. Henry von Trebra fought 1,300 Confederate troops, including Terry's Texas Rangers, the Mississippi artillery, and the Arkansas infantry under Brig. Gen. Hindman. The outmanned 32nd Indiana companies fell into a defensive

square In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90- degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length a ...

formation; the Rangers responded by storming the Union lines. Battery A, 1st Ohio Light Artillery, and Battery A, Kentucky Light Artillery, provided support to the Union troops from positions on the north side of the river, while Swett's Company, Light Artillery (Warren Light Artillery) of Mississippi fired on Union reserves and skirmishers along the road toward Munfordville. The Rangers continued their charge and hand-to-hand fighting with the Union infantrymen until the Confederates were finally repelled. During the battle, Col. Terry of the Rangers was mortally wounded. On the Union side, Lt. Max Sachs of the 32nd Indiana and a platoon of his men found themselves isolated by the Rangers, but repeatedly defied demands to surrender and continued to fight until Sachs and three of his men were either killed or mortally wounded; seven more Union soldiers in the group were wounded as well. Col. Willich, who was away at division headquarters at the beginning of the battle, returned in time to order a withdrawal to a stronger position in the rear; Brig. Gen. Hindman, who was aware of the imminent approach of McCook's Union reinforcements, ordered the Confederates to withdraw from the field.

Aftermath

Both sides claimed victory, but the outcome was indecisive. Union forces remained in control of the field of engagement and continued to ensure the movement of Union men and supplies on the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. Casualties from both sides were scattered over a wide area, making recovery and the accounting of those lost, wounded, or missing a difficult task. In the weeks following the battle, the 32nd Indiana gained nationwide recognition in the newspapers for its stand against Confederate forces at Rowlett's Station. The battle was one of the few times during the Civil War when the Union infantry successfully defended itself in the open against repeated Confederate cavalry assaults.Peake, ''Blood Shed In This War'', p. 18. Casualty reports varied and were initially overstated. General Buell reported Confederate casualties at 33 dead, including Col. Terry, and at least 50 wounded. General Hindman acknowledged Terry's death, but claimed few losses of his men and as many as 75 Union dead. Col. Willich initially reported casualties for the 32nd Indiana as one officer and 10 men killed, 22 wounded, and 5 missing; however, the regiment's final count was 46 (13 killed, 28 wounded, and 5 captured). The 32nd Indiana Regiment's dead were originally buried near the battle site. In 1867 the state of Kentucky transferred the remains of 21 Union soldiers, 14 of them from the 32nd Indiana, and a limestone tablet known as the 32nd Indiana Monument bearing an inscription in German in the infantry soldiers' honor to Cave Hill National Cemetery at

. In December 2008 the monument was removed from the national cemetery for conservation treatment due to its deteriorated condition. It was relocated indoors at the

Frazier History Museum The Frazier History Museum, previously known as the Frazier Historical Arms Museum and the Frazier International History Museum, is a history museum located on Museum Row in the West Main District of downtown Louisville, Kentucky. An affiliate of t ...

in Louisville in August 2010 as a long-term loan from the National Cemetery Administration. Although the stone monument has been moved from its original location, it is generally considered to be the oldest surviving American Civil War monument in the United States.The

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properti ...

considers the Hazen Brigade Monument at Stones River National Battlefield,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

, placed in January 1863, a year after the 32nd Indiana Monument's initial installation, the oldest intact Civil War monument in the United States. An earlier monument erected after

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run (the name used by Union forces), also known as the Battle of First Manassas

(1861) in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

has not survived. See Michael A. Peake, "German Indiana Regt. Monument To be Preserved". A replacement monument to the 32nd Indiana was dedicated at Cave Hill National Cemetery on December 16, 2011. The 8th Texas Cavalry Regiment changed its name to "Terry's Texas Rangers" in honor of the fallen colonel. The Battle of Rowlett's Station was soon overshadowed by Union victories at Mill Springs, Kentucky, and Fort Henry and

Fort Donelson Fort Donelson was a fortress built early in 1862 by the Confederacy during the American Civil War to control the Cumberland River, which led to the heart of Tennessee, and thereby the Confederacy. The fort was named after Confederate general Da ...

Order of battle

;Union Army Brig. Gen. Alexander McDowell McCook
''Infantry'' *

''Artillery'' * Battery A, Kentucky Light Artillery (Stone's Battery) * Battery A, 1st Ohio Light Artillery ;Confederate Army Brig. Gen. Thomas Carmichael Hindman
''Infantry'' * 1st Arkansas Infantry Battalion * 2nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment * 6th Arkansas Infantry Regiment ''Artillery'' * Swett's Company, Light Artillery (Warren Light Artillery) ''Cavalry'' * 6th Arkansas Cavalry Battalion * 8th Texas Cavalry Regiment

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * *

External links

Papers at the Terry's Texas Rangers website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowlett's Station Rowlett's Station Rowlett's Station Rowlett's Station Rowlett's Station Hart County, Kentucky 1861 in Kentucky 1861 in the American Civil War December 1861 events