The Old Salt River Road

A Witness to Civil War History in Grayson, Hardin and Meade Counties, Kentucky

by Richard Briggs, ATHS Member #13

with Joe and Ann Sipes, ATHS Member #49

In April of 2006, the re-enactors from Fort Duffield presented a program to ATHS at the regular monthly meeting. Richard Briggs, who is very active in studying that history as well as the history of West Point and its people has talked with the Sipes before about the old Salt River Road that runs through many farms in Meade County. After studying the deeds of transfer for our own land on Rabbit Run near Flaherty, we know that the Salt River Road runs through our own little farm on Rabbit Run. In Meade County Deed Book 28, p. 186, one of the deeds for our land uses a stone "on the west side of the Leitchfield and Salt River Road thence with another of Riney's lines" as one of the calls in describing part of our farm. The old road bed can still be discerned in the field and the woods behind our old farm house. We have been told that if we follow the road running north eastwardly from our farm it would roughly run down the meanders of Rabbit Run Road, crossing over the present Fort Avenue (KY 1882) and going over the hills of Turkey Run towards and crossing over Otter Creek. We suppose it to have continued across the creek, going generally towards Tip Top in the neighborhood of U.S. 60 near Grahamton and then along the old L & N turnpike Road towards West Point. Richard Briggs recently reminded me of an old map that was reproduced in the Winter 1992 issue of Ancestral News. This was a map made in 1903 by "a draftsman employed by the Illinois Central Railroad from Chicago". It shows part of the "Leitchfield Road" and Richard believes this is probably that part of the road known as the Salt River-Leitchfield Road. It only shows part of it coming up from the south but it appears to run through Tip Top (site near Pleasant View or Wigginton), crossing over the old Bloomington Road, going north and eventually intersecting with and joining the old Louisville & Nashville Turnpike road. I found further reference to this road in Richard Briggs' Bicentennial History of West Point, KY, 1776-1976 (publ. by West Point Bicentennial Commission, 1978), when Richard describes some roads opened up to West Point in 1801. He says "a third road was opened through western Hardin County to connect West Point with Leitchfield."

The old road ran south westerly across our farm and across adjoining properties until it crossed over the present KY 144 at Coleman's road. It followed Coleman Road over to KY 1600 between Flaherty and Rineyville. From there it followed KY 1600 until it intersects the present-day KY 920. It can be seen on Kentucky maps going all the way across KY 920 to Leitchfield in Grayson County. On present-day maps, KY 920 is also named the Salt River Road. In conversation after the April meeting, Richard and Joe again discussed the old road. In a subsequent letter to Joe, Richard sent an account of General Buell's march toward Louisville and the subsequent Battle of Perryville in October of 1862. Richard wrote:

"Joe, Here is the report made by Colonel Lewis Zahm to his Commanding officer on the march made by the 2nd Ohio Cavalry Brigade from Nashville to the mouth of Salt River (West Point) in October of 1862. This was part of the advance by General Buell's 35,000 man army from northern Alabama to protect Louisville and which a few days later engaged in the Battle of Perryville. The main Army came up the L&N Turnpike through Munfordville, Elizabethtown, and West Point to Louisville. The supply train was 17 miles long and they came up the Old Salt River Road through Leitchfield so as to be further away from a possible C.S.A. (Confederate States of America) attack. The Confederate Army of General Bragg was between the U. S. Army and Louisville. This report will show you the hardship and suffering the U.S. Army column underwent when they passed through the area of your farm.

I want to point out that when Colonel Zahm refers to a "train" he is speaking of a wagon train, not a railroad train. Also note how the Colonel himself describes the fatigue and suffering he, as well as the privates, was going through as they passed up the Salt River Road.

This account was published in the Official Record of the Rebellion which was a 100-plus volume account published by the U.S. Army after the war was over. It is a splendid account of the war, and includes thousands of letters and reports submitted by the officers as well as court-martials, etc." Richard Briggs

The following text was taken from Volume XVI, Part Two of the Official Record of the Rebellion, Correspondence, ETC. - UNION. Kentucky, Middle and Eastern Tennessee, North Alabama, and Southwest Virginia, June 10-October 31, 1862, Chapter XXVIII, pages 567, 568 (Government Printing Office, Washington D. C., 1886)

HEADQUARTERS SECOND CAVALRY BRIGADE

Salt River, October 3, 1862 - 9 a.m.
Col. J. B. Fry.Chief of Staff, Army of the Ohio:

I have the honor to report the arrival of the head of the train at this place at 7:30 this a.m. I found your instructions here. In accordance therewith I immediately had the train move forward for Louisville. They are proceeding finely; some 150 teams have crossed the river at this time. I had divided the train into three sections. The first section will arrive at Louisville to-night; the second section will reach half way to Louisville; the third section will perhaps cross the river yet to-night.

This morning everything was in order throughout the train; we had not lost a dollar's worth of property, with the exception of a few broken down wagons, which we had to abandon.

I reached Hancher's Ferry on the morning of the 27th; found no wagons there. My courier arrived in the evening; reported that the wagons would cross at Brownsville. On the 28th I proceeded to Mooresville. On arrival there I found the head of the train in the act of crossing; some 100 teams had crossed. I found the coming up on the bank of the river very bad and very slow getting up.

We crossed some 500 teams yet on the 28th. On the 29th worked with a will; kept repairing the roads; kept two gangs of men ready with a long rope and hook to help the teams up. By 6 o'clock we had teams all across, some 1,700 in number, all told. On the morning of the 30th I set the train in motion in three different sections, with escort properly distributed. We continued our march without any interruption worth mentioning up to this time, over very rough, some places rocky and hilly, roads. It was not possible to have made 25 miles per day over the roads we had to come without breaking down one-half the teams. We worked busily all the while; kept going as far as the mules could stand it to go. We managed to find plenty of feed and water at our camping places for our stock; in fact everything appeared to move off as well as could be wished for. I shall feel very thankful when the rear of the train gets up, of which I think there will not be much doubt. I do not ask it as a favor to shoulder such a responsibility very soon again. I have never heard of a train moving of this large proportion. At 50 feet to the team, which is a small space for them to travel in, it made a column of over 17 miles in length, besides the brigade of cavalry occupying nearly another mile. On the pike I could have made 25 miles per day easier than 15 miles per day the way I came. Up to this point I averaged a daily march of 20 miles and over.

On my arrival here I received your instructions to move to Shepherdsville with my brigade, and to let the train proceed on to Louisville without an escort. As the rear of the train will not be up before night I shall not be able to move to Shepherdsville before tomorrow morning. I was in hopes that we would be allowed to move on to Louisville to give us a little rest, as both men and horses are very much worked down from hard labor performed for four weeks back, and to give us an opportunity to fit out the command in good shape again. As we are now we are in poor condition to move against the enemy.

At least one-third of my men (Third Ohio) are dismounted, the horses having sore backs and given out otherwise on these long, hard trips of late. The horses we have on hand are very much jaded and fatigued. Then the command is without haversacks and canteens; in a great measure many out of clothing. We likewise need more horse equipments of all kinds and arms, as owing to the want of transportation we had to turn over these articles, as fast as they accumulated at Savannah, Pittsburg Landing, Tuscumbia, & c. having a good many more sick in Nashville, Savannah, before Corinth who had entered the hospitals or were sent home on sick leave who had to leave their arms with the command. A large number of these convalescents have returned and are without arms, horses, or horse equipments. With the other two regiments, the Fourth Ohio and Fifth Kentucky, it is about the same thing. On the whole, as stated above, we are rather in a bad shape to make a forced march. Another thing which I hoped to have brought about: My regiment has now seven months' pay due them; both officers and men need money very much, which I had hoped would be paid them on arrival at Louisville, where they would have forwarded it to their families.

As for my self I am about worn-out and nearly down sick from the hard labors and exposures subjected to for the past month. Our transportation needs repairing very much before going on again with it. The same is scattered. One part of it, which was left at Nashville, is now moving with this train to Louisville; one part of it, which we left at Elizabethtown before going southward, I am not aware of its where-abouts: each part of the same has men and horses with it. Our property is scattered throughout the three parts of our transportation. Then again my men ought to have their overcoats, which they had to pack up at Tuscumbia; where they were sent to I know not. Nights are getting wet and cool, and men doing picket duty need their overcoats.

I wish you would consider these matters. Send any further instructions by my courier that you may have for me. He will return to-night.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

LEWIS ZAHM,Colonel,
Commanding Second Cavalry Brigade.

The picture of Col Zahm was found at: http://www.charliezahm.com/CivilWar.html

The following paragraphs describing Colonel Zahm's activities were taken from Major-General Buell's report on the Perryville Battle, from The Official Record of the Rebellion, from Volume XVI, Part I, p. 22, found on the following website http: //www.geocities.com/ovi26th/ perryvillehtml.

Perryville, Kentucky October, 1862

"The cavalry, under Col. John Kennett, Fourth Ohio, commanding a division; Col. Lewis Zahm, Third Ohio, commanding a brigade; Col. E. M. McCook, Second Indiana, commanding a brigade, and Capt. E. Gay, commanding a brigade, rendered excellent service.

The brigade of Captain Gay was conducted with gallantry and effect by that officer at Perryville on the 7th and 8th.

The other brigades were not in the battle, but came in contact with the enemy on other occasions during the campaign. When the army marched on Louisville they were left on the south side of Salt River, under the command of Colonel Kennett, to escort the train of the army from Bowling Green and watch the enemy in the direction of Bardstown. The train was conducted in the most successful manner by Colonel Zahm. The brigade of Colonel McCook also acquitted itself in the most satisfactory manner. A portion of it, under Lieut. Col R. R. Stewart, captured Colonel Crawford and the principal part of his regiment of Georgia cavalry near New Haven on September 29.

Colonel Kennett, with Colonel McCook's brigade, rejoined the army at Bardstown on the 5th. Colonel Zahm's marched across from the mouth of the Salt River to join the column at Frankfort and thence to the main body at Danville."

Editor's Note: For serious students of the Civil War, complete images of the Official Record of the Rebellion can be found online, presented in full by the Cornell University Library. The entire 100 + volume set is also available at the Armor School library at Fort Knox and in the Kentucky Room of the Louisville Public Library. See several other Civil War sites listed in "Genealogy Helps" in this issue.