General
Kilpatrick was one of General Sherman’s most dynamic officers in the Union
Cavalry during the Civil War. He was very active in Battle of Atlanta
(Georgia), the subsequent March To The Sea, and
back north again before the war ended at
Appomattox. General Kilpatrick’s aggressiveness earned him
the name “Kill Cavalry” from the way he threw his men at the enemy. H. J.
Kilpatrick was born near
Deckertown, NJ on January 14, 1836.
He had
sandy red hair and a row of “perfect white teeth” when he graduated from
West Point on May 6, 1861. On that same day he married Alice
Nailery of New York. The war broke out two
months before Kilpatrick was to graduate. His first fight was a month
later at Big Bethel, VA where he was promptly wounded in the right leg by
a piece of grapeshot. This was considered to be the first wound to be
inflicted upon a regular Army officer in the first battle of the war. By
the Battle of Gettysburg in early July 1863 he apparently had started
earning the name “Kill Cavalry” or “Little Kil”
from wearing down and, in many opinions, wasting his men and horses. In
his book Sherman’s Horsemen,
Dr. David Evans says he “…was unquestionably brave, but when truth
interfered with ambition, he ran over it roughshod. He swore furiously and
had a reputation as a rake.”
One
story occurring on the 3rd day of battle at Gettysburg was that
Kilpatrick “…goaded one of his subordinates. Brigadier General Elton J.
Farnsworth, into a senseless charge that cost Farnsworth his life”, and
then made “…shamelessly inflated claims about the number of prisoners,
guns, and battle flags his division captured” when Kilpatrick and his men
entered the field after the crux of the battle. Kilpatrick’s physical
appearance seemed to invite many of the uncomplimentary things said about
him. He was slightly hunchbacked and rode “…stooped and bent over the
saddle.” When asked about it he said he had kidney trouble that hurt his
back. Indeed he did have to lie down in an ambulance sometimes while
supervising a battle. He had enormous red sideburns and was referred to as
a dandy. Another officer once said “Kilpatrick is the most vain,
conceited, egotistical little popinjay I ever saw.” Kilpatrick received
the unfortunate news in November 1863 of his young wife’s death. Within
two months his infant son also died. Soon after this, in February 1864,
his own plan which he pushed through using political connections to free
Federal POWs in Richmond failed. General Grant relieved him of his command
and reassigned him to Chattanooga, TN to command the 3rd
Cavalry Division of the Army of the Cumberland. Within three weeks of
taking command his troops encountered the enemy south of Chattanooga in
northern Georgia. Moments after ordering a charge and riding to the front,
a bullet tore through his horse’s neck before entering Kilpatrick’s left
thigh and passing through his hip.
This
severe wound convalesced him back to New York
for two months. He reentered the fighting against doctor’s orders near, by
chance, Calhoun, GA (named for the previous Vice President who had gold
mining speculations in North Georgia). Alighting from a train on crutches,
he found his men guarding rail lines. Kilpatrick promised the “brave,
noble men” that “within three days you shall be at the front winning glory
for yourselves.” Still too disabled from his wounds to ride a horse,
Kilpatrick traveled in a carriage made up for him by his men. Anticipating
the battle for Atlanta, he ordered all personal effects transported to the
rear. His officers and men were to carry only enough supplies to last them
about four days. Kilpatrick’s unit entered the Atlanta area on the west
side. At one point his headquarters was set up at the intersection of
Powder Springs and Sandtown Roads, just
minutes away from where the Clan Colquhoun Of
NA’s newsletter is compiled. Gen. Sherman
decided to use Kilpatrick’s force to try and break the railroad lines
south of Atlanta to keep the Confederates from supplying their armies
during the Atlanta battle. Known in history as “Kilpatrick’s Raid” (August
18-22, 1864), the force of 4,500 men circuited the city tearing up
railroad tracks as they fought their way around west to east in the little
towns below Atlanta. The Raid nearly destroyed Jonesboro by fire and
looting. At Lovejoy the raiding party was surrounded by Confederate
forces. Kilpatrick turned to Irish born, former British Army Ensign
Colonel Robert Minty.
Minty had the same aggressive combativeness Kilpatrick had and was
a perfect choice for leading a cavalry charge. The charge broke a hole in
the Confederate lines. The raiders were pursued for the next 24 hours. On
August 21st, nearly out of ammunition, Kilpatrick’s men had the
formidable task of crossing rain swollen Cotton Indian Creek. Normally 25
feet wide and 2 ½ feet deep, the freshet had increased an enormous 3 times
it’s normal size. Kilpatrick crossed it first and stood by waist deep in
the torrent as his men went across. An ambulance overturned spilling its
driver and three wounded men into the rushing water. Kilpatrick plunged in
after them pulling the driver, Lt. William Mayer, ashore. Only one soldier
of Kilpatrick’s command drowned, but about 50 mules and horses were lost
including everything they carried. Materiel was intentionally destroyed on
the west side of the torrent so as to not fall in the hands of the enemy.
Burning bridges as they crossed the South River and its shoals, the
raiding party eventually felt they alluded the
Confederates. The men finally unsaddled their horses for the first time in
four days in Lithonia on Atlanta’s east side. Kilpatrick then turned
northwest back up into Buckhead to report back
to Sherman. The rail lines that had been torn up were quickly repaired and
in working order by the time Kilpatrick reached
Buckhead. This made the raid basically a military failure as far as
cutting supply lines to the city. Less obvious was the effect Kilpatrick’s
Raid had in diverting the Confederate Army while Atlanta was attacked from
the North. Kilpatrick had indirectly protected the Union Army from attack
by screening their movements from the enemy advance from the South. A
point of irony should be noted that on September 2nd Atlanta
was surrendered by Mayor James M. Calhoun. No mention has been found that
Kilpatrick acknowledged his Scottish link to the mayor or that they ever
met.
Sherman
had to goad some of his commanders into action, but he had to rein
Kilpatrick in to keep him from acting too recklessly. During the March
through Georgia, Sherman made his often quoted description of Kilpatrick
being a “damned fool.” The complete quote, not always printed, is: “I know
he’s a hell of a damned fool, but I want just that sort of man to command
my cavalry on this expedition.” The fact was that Kilpatrick could be
relied upon to get things done, even if the results were not completely
expected. Sherman accepted Kilpatrick with all his faults and used him for
the best advantage possible which made Sherman an effective general.
If not
completely endearing himself to his brother officers, Kilpatrick had no
difficulty in attracting women. Only the driest of military histories omit
references to Kilpatrick’s philandering after the death of his wife and
child. His dandy appearance and bend towards theatrics-he’d been an
amateur thespian before the war-infuriated most men but charmed certain
women. >From the march to Savannah and back north through the Carolinas
reports filtered in to Sherman’s staff of attacks on Kilpatrick’s camped
cavalry while their commander was shacked up with local women. Sherman’s
army left Savannah and headed north burning Columbia, SC mostly to the
ground. At this time Kilpatrick took as his mistress the “most beautiful
woman in South Carolina” Marie Boozer who went back north with the army in
Kilpatrick’s company. In NC a surprise attack by Confederate General
Wheeler, who had been following the Federals from Savannah, drove
Kilpatrick from the house he and Marie were staying. He was clad only in
his “nightshirt and drawers.” Narrowly avoiding escape, Kilpatrick took
off on a horse. This event became known among the Union infantrymen as
“Kilpatrick’s Shirt-tail Skedaddle.” The war ended for General Kilpatrick
in Raleigh, NC as he learned of General Lee’s surrender. Difficult peace
negotiations ensued with dominating personalities on both sides,
Kilpatrick’s personality as usual one of the most difficult and
dominating. After the war, predictable political aspirations of Governor,
Senator, or even President only gained the General an ambassadorship to
Chile where he died in 1881. As with many other celebrated warriors, the
driving force in Kilpatrick that made him one of Sherman’s right hand men
in war became a hindrance to him in peacetime.
Hugh
Judson Kilpatrick was buried at the US Military Academy Post Cemetery at
West Point in New York.
Georgia
Historical Markers
There are
3 markers describing H.J. Kilpatrick after the Battle of Atlanta with his
name in the title. He is mentioned in several more.
“Kilpatrick
At
Cork. On Nov. 17, 1864 Kilpatrick’s cavalry division, which was covering
the right flank of Gen. Sherman’s army on its March to the Sea, moved from
Bear Creek Station (Hampton), 30 mi. NW, down the north bank of
Towaliga [Cherokee for “Roasted Scalp”] River
to threaten Griffin and Forsyth. This threat caused the
Towaliga bridges to be burned by Wheeler’s
cavalry [Confederate] to protect those towns and the large Confederate
hospital centers there. On the 18th, Kilpatrick’s divisions
reassembled here at Cork. Next day, it crossed
Ocmulgee
River at Planters’ Factory (4mi.E) and moved S. to cover the front and
flanks of the infantry columns and feint at Macon.” [This marker is
located at US 23 and Mt. Pleasant Church Road near
Juliette, north of Macon, where the movie
Fried Green Tomatoes was
filmed.]
“Kilpatrick On Bryan Neck.
On
Dec. 12, 1864, the 3rd Cavalry Division Brig. Gen. J. L.
Kilpatrick, USA, covering the right rear of Gen. Sherman’s army which was
then closing in on Savannah, crossed the Great
Ogeechee
River near Fort Argyle and the
Canoochee
River near Bryan Court House (Clyde) on pontoon bridges laid by the 1st
Missouri Engineers and moved down Bryan Neck.
That night, Kilpatrick made his headquarters at the plantation home of Lt.
Col. Joseph L. McAllister, 7th Georgia Cavalry, which stood
near the river immediately north of this site. On the 13th,
Kilpatrick sent Murray’s brigade into Liberty County to scout the country
to Sunbury. He ordered Atkins’ brigade and the 10th Wisconsin
Battery to camp at “Cross Roads” (Richmond Hill) then, with two of Atkins’
regiments, he moved down Bryan Neck. Approaching Fort McAllister, he
skirmished with the Confederate pickets, driving them back to the fort.
After examining the approaches to the fort, he moved onto
Kilkenny Bluff (8 miles SE) where he was able
to make contact with the USS “Fernandina” and forwarded dispatches to the
flag-ship reporting the arrival of Gen. Sherman’s army at Savannah. On the
14th, Kilpatrick moved with the balance of his command to
Midway Church. After scouting the country and stripping it of livestock
and provisions. He returned to Bryan County and went into camp at “Cross
Roads” to picket the country to the south and west, and to protect the
Union supply depot at King’s Bridge.” [This marker is located at GA Hwy
144 and 144 Spur, 5.4 miles E of US 17, south of Savannah].
“Kilpatrick
And Mower At
Midway Church. On Dec. 13, 1864, Murray’s brigade of
Kilpatrick’s cavalry division, scouting the right rear of Gen. Sherman’s
army, which was then closing in on Savannah, moved south into Liberty
County. After driving back the 29th Georgia Cavalry Battalion,
Lt. Col. Arthur Hood, which was patrolling Liberty County, Murray advanced
to Midway Church. The 5th Kentucky Cavalry was sent to Sunbury
to open communications with the Union blockading squadron in St.
Catherine’s Sound. The 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry was sent to the
Altamaha
River to burn the Savannah and Gulf (ACL) Railroad
bridge at Doctor Town. Both missions failed. On the 14th,
Kilpatrick arrived with Atkins’ brigade and the 10th Wisconsin
Battery. Establishing headquarters at Midway Church, he sent foraging
parties east to Colonel’s Island, south below
Riceboro, and went beyond the railroad to strip the country of
livestock and provisions. On the 15th, with loaded wagons and
herds of horses, mules, and cattle, he returned to Bryan County and went
into camp at “Cross Roads” (Richmond Hill). On the 17th Mower’s
division, 17th Corps, enroute to
destroy the railroad form McIntosh to the
Altamaha River, halted at
Midway Church for the night. Next morning, Mower marched to McIntosh and
began his destruction. Hazen’s division, 15th Corps, destroyed
the railroad from the Ogeechee
to McIntosh.” [This marker is located directly in front of the old church
in Midway, GA].
Thanks to Tom Hodges for this
information
