Report of Col. John T. Wilder, Seventeenth Indian Infantry.
Cave City, Kentucky, September 18, 1862.

Sir: I have the honor to report that on September 8, 1862, according to a special order from General Boyle, I assumed command of the forces at Munfordville, Kentucky. I immediately set to work building forifications for the defense of the railroad bridge over Green River.

On Sunday, September 9, I was informed that the railroad bridge at Salt River was burned by the rebels. Our supplies being sufficient for one day only I immediately began collecting flour and bacon in the country about us and got some bread from Bowling Green, and managed to gather enough rations for fifteen days. At the same time I ordered all the Home Guard companies and recruits for the Thirty-Third Kentucky, who had no arms, to scatter out over the country and act in the capacity of scouts. They served me admirably in this respect, giving notice of Bragg's approach when over 50 miles distant, and notifying me of his numbers, pieces of artillery, direction taken, & etc., in every movement made by him on his advance from Cumberland River.

On Saturday, September 13, Colonel Scott, with a brigade of cavalry and a battery of five mountain howitzers, came down the north side of the river from Greesburg, and at 8 p.m. demanded an unconditional surrender of the place. I peremptorily refused, and at 3 o'clock the next morning he commenced an attack by firing on our pickets. They contested the ground so stubbornly that he was compelled to bring up his arillery to drive them in, which he accomplished at daybreak, after losing his guide and a lieutenant-colonel killed.

At daybreak a furious attack was made on the pickets on the south side of the river by a large force of infantry. I immediaely sent Company K, Sevety-Fourth Indiana, out to a belt of woods about a quarter of a mile in advance, to act as a reserve, for the pickets to rally on. They held their ground until nearly surrounded, and only fell back when permptorily orders to do so by Major Cubberly, of the Eighty-Ninth Indiana, who had charge of the pickets on the south side of the river. Our advance line fought them stubbornly for an hour, and only came in when ordered to do so by me, as I did not wish to lose the advantage of our works. At 5:30 the fighting became general along the whole line, the enemy having advanced to within 200 yards of our works in large numbers.

At 6:30 a.m. the enemy advance in line of battle upon our west, or main work, and seeing their intention to storm our postiton I ordered the men to fix bayonets, when the rebels came forward with a cheer, supposing our cessation of fire was sign of retreat. When they came within 30 yards I directed the men to fire, which was repeated by Col. [Charles D.] Murray and the officers along the line, and a very avalanche of death swept through the ranks, causing them to first stagger and then run in disorder to the wood in the rear, having left all of their field officers on the ground either killed or badly wounded. The regiments that made this charge were the Seventh and Tenth Mississippi and Seventh Alabama. Immediately after this repulse a similar one was made on the redoubt by the Ninth and Twenty-Ninth Mississippi and a battalion of sharpshooters. They were literally murdered by a terrible fire from the gallant defenders of the work.

Maj. [Augustus H.] Abott sprang upon the parapet, with his hat in one had and a drawn saber in the other, urging his to stand to the work, until he was shot dead under the flag he so nobly defended. A braver man never fell. The flag had 146 bullet holes through it and the staff was struck eleven times.

Lieutenant Mason, of the Thirteenth Indiana Battery, commanding the artillery, in the mean time was riddling them with grape and cannister, when they broke in all directions, fleeing as from a belching volcano, many dropping as they fled. At this juncture I sent Colonel Emerson of the Sixty-Seventyh Indiana, with one more company, to re-enforce the redoubt and to take command. The enemy soon rallied, however, and seemed to be more cautious in their movements, keeping up a constant fire from the best cover they could obtain until 9:30 a.m., making several weak efforts to charge us again, but they had learned a dear lesson and profited by it.

At 9:30 they sent in a flag of truce, demading again that I should surender. I again refused, when they asked the privelege of removing their dead and wounded. I gave them leave to do so. The follwing is the correspondence that passed between the two parties:

Col. J. T. Wilder, Commanding U.S. forces at Green River:

You have made a gallant defense of your position, and to avoid further bloodshed I demand an uncondition surrender of your force. I have six regiments of infantry, one battalion of infantry sharpshooters, and have just been re-enforced by a brigade of cavalry, under Colonel Scott, with two battalion of artillery. I hve two regiments on the north side of the river, and you can't escape. The railroad track is torn up in your rear and you can't receive reinforcements. General Bragg's army is but a short distance in the rear.

James R. Chalmers,

Brig. Gen., Comdg. First Brig. Right Wing, Army of the Mississippi.

To this demand and these arguments Colonel Wilder returned the following answer:

Brig. Gen. James R. Chalmers,

Commanding First Brigade, Righ Wing, Army of the Mississippi:

Your note demanding the un-conditional surrender of my forces has been received. Thank you for you compliments. If you wish to avoid further bloodshed keep out of the range of my guns. As to reinforcements they are now entering my works. I think I can defend my position against your entire force; at least I shall try to do so.

J. T. Wilder,

Col. Seventeenth Indiana Volunteers, Comdg., U. S. forces at Green River.

At 9:30 a.m. I was reinforced by six companies of the Fiftieth Indiana, under Colonel Dunham, who had come up on the rairoad from Louisville and were thrown off the track 6 miles back. At daylight they pushed through by a circuitous route, missing Scott's cavalry on the north side of the river, and getting into the works without any loss except 1 man slightly wounded.

After night closed , Colonel Dunham, being the ranking officer, assumed command, and will no doubt make a report of the events occuring on Monday and Tuesday folowing Sunday's fight. My whole force consisted of the Sixty-Seventh and Eight-Ninth Indiana Regiments , one company of the Eighteeth Regulars, 204 recruits of the Seventeenth Indiana, two companies Seventy-Fourth Indiana, one company of cavalry, Louisville Provost Guard, Lieutenant Watson commanding; one 12 pounder heavy gun, one 12 pounder Napoleon, one 12 pounder howitzer, and one 3 inch rifled gun, under Lieutenant Mason, Thirteenth Indiana Battery; 60 men Thirty-Third Kentucky, Captain Wilson. The whole force amounting to 2,122 men for duty.

If I were to give a list of those who did their whole duty it would simply be a muster roll of all who were there. No man flinched or held back a particle. I must, however, mention W. A. Bullit, adjutant Third Kentucky, who conveyed orders for me through the hottest of the fire with as much coolness as if on review, and Capt. Frank White, Fiftieth Indiana, who superintended the earthworks, and whenever a point was exposed to a raking fire from the enemy's batteries immediately threw up traverses to protect the men.

Our entire loss was 37 killed and wounded. The enemy admit a loss of 714 killed and wounded on Sunday alone. I cannot give as complete a report as I could wish, not having yet received a report from the different commands engaged.

On Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. I was again placed in command. By this time General Polk had crossed the river 10 miles above with the right wing of Bragg's army, and coming on the north side took up a position on the river hills commanding our works, the left wing, under Hardee, having taken position on the hills on the south side. Bragg had sent a summons to surrender, and a consultation had been held late Tuesday evening with commanders of regiments, in which it was the unanimous expression that unless enabled by reinforcements to hold the north side of the river we could make no successful resistance. All, however, decided to resist unless full evidence should be given of the overwhelming force of the enemy, and having been informed that General Buell's army had not left Bowling Green at 2 p.m. the day before, and having been notified by you that we could get no help from Louisville, our ammunition for small arms bing very limited, our men worn out by constant work and fighting for four days and nights, and being satisfied that further resistance was no less than willful murder of the brave men who had so long contended with overwhelming numbers, I determined, after counting forty-five cannon in positions commanding our open field works, and surrounded by over 25,000 men, with no possible chance of assistance from any quarter, although promised such by you from Bowling Green, to surender the entire force, which I did on Wednesday morning at 2 a.m., marching out of the works at 6 a.m. will all the honors of war, drums beating nd colors flying, we being allowed by the term of surrender our side arms and all private property and four days' rations. Officer and men were immediately paroled and are about to start for the Ohio
River.

I have the honor to be, your obediant servant,

J. T. Wilder,

Colonel Seventeenth Indian Volunteers, Commanding U.S. Forces at Green River

J. C. Stacy, Assistant Adjutant-General, Chief of Staff.

This can be found in "War of the Rebellion, Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies", Series I, Vol. 16, Part 1 reports, Operations in - Kentucky, Middle and East Tennessee, North Alabama and Southwest Virginia, June 10 thru October 31, 1862, Morgan's 1st Kentucky Raid, Perryville Campaign, Serial No. 22, The National Historical Society Republication, ISBN 0-918678-07-2/LC No. 72-176712, pages 959 thru 962.