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[72] revive and refresh every soldier. There was no tumult, straggling, or noisy excitement, which is characteristic of raw troops on such occasion, but a stern and ominous silence, and perfect discipline were preserved in all the ranks. The light of battle gleamed in every eye, and the determination to conquer was written in the lineaments of every face. No one who witnessed the scenes of that day can ever forget them, the immense stake at issue, and the soldierly bearing of the brave Southern army which was to contend for it, thrilled every heart. The strength of the Confederate army at this time was about forty-eight thousand men,1 with two hundred pieces of artillery. Of these thirty thousand were at Harrodsburg, between thirteen and fourteen thousand at Camp Dick Robinson, while Marshall's brigade, whose exact locality it was often difficult to ascertain, was somewhere between there and Lexington. This was exclusive of a large and excellent body of cavalry, comprising the brigades of Wheeler, Wharton, Scott, Morgan, Alston and Buford, numbering not less than ten thousand men. It would be difficult to compute with any exactness the effective force
1 It would be impossible to recall, at this distance of time, the exact dates at which the different bodies of Confederate troops entered the State of Kentucky, or their exact numbers. But the following table will show with sufficient accuracy the order in which our army crossed the Tennessee line, as well as the estimates of the infantry forces, as I obtained them at the time, by my somewhat petinacious enquiries, from General Pegram, who, although without official reports, was necessarily, from his position, obliged to keep well informed.
For fear of exaggeration I have rather reduced his estimates, as I now recall them:| 1862. | |||
| August 13, | General Kirby Smith's column | 6,000 | |
| August 14, | General Heth's division | 3,000 | |
| August 25, | General Reynold's brigade | 3,000 | |
| September 6, | General Bragg's army | 23,000 | |
| September 7, | Colonel Grace's regiment | 600 | |
| September 12, | General Marshall's brigade | 4,000 | |
| September 18, | General Stevenson's division | 10,000 | |
| September 28, | Colonel Hilliard's legion | 2,000 | |
| October 1, | General McCown with convalescents returning to their commands | 1,600 | |
| 53,200 | |||
| Deduct for loss in killed and wounded at Richmond | 500 | ||
| Deduct for loss in killed and wounded at Perryville | 2,500 | ||
| Deduct for loss For sickness, &c., &c. (large estimate) | 2,000 | ||
| 5,000 | |||
Richmond, VA. 1882.
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