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137 Fatal Conceit [10] Late Saturday and early Sunday morning, the city of Lexington was overcome by “chaotic masses of men, horses and wagons, cursing and swearing officers who had deserted their regiments; stragglers who wanted to be captured ; refugees who wanted to get away.” At the depot, the implacable drone of the “grapevine telegraph” bedeviled frightened civilians who anxiously awaited the first available train to Louisville or Covington. One rumor said that Washington had fallen; another indicated the Rebels occupied Glasgow, and that made it seem to many that Kentucky would be under Confederate control within two weeks.1 The state legislature was on its way to Louisville, and in Indianapolis, Governor Morton ordered additional troops sent to Kentucky while the press whipped the city into frenzy with slanted half-truths: “Nelson made no preparation . . . didn’t believe there would be a fight. . . . had only six pieces of artillery , manned by raw hands.” The wounded Nelson arrived in Covington at 8:00 p.m. Sunday, and Larz Anderson brought him to his home in Cincinnati. By midnight, Lexington had regained a sense of security through the presence of eight to ten thousand Federal troops in and around the city.2 On Monday, September 1, 1862, the press assailed Nelson with a pack of unproven stories. A deserter from the Ninety-fifth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry claimed he had slashed one Union man with his sword and shot two others. Another account said Nelson struck at least six of his own men with his sword and possibly killed some others. The Philadelphia Inquirer announced, “All accounts agree that General Nelson’s conduct in his attempt to rally our troops was not only unbecoming and unnecessary, but absolutely brutal and barbarous [treatment of]. . . . [Federal] soldiers who were worn out with eight hours of fighting.” The Cincinnati Gazette reported that Nelson used vulgar, 138 Fatal Conceit profane, and abusive language with gallant officers and boasted of shooting two or three Union soldiers who tried to escape to the rear.3 The New Albany (Ind.) Daily Ledger countered the scurrilous allegations by saying: A soldier. . . . states that . . . General Nelson did pound some with [the flat of] his sword . . . milder treatment . . . could not rally the men. . . . [Those who know war realize] nothing but force can cause them to fight. General Nelson was said to have cut a frightful gash in the head of one soldier, but when the facts are known, it is found that a slight bruise is the only trace . . . showing that the stroke must have been very light. We are also told that he struck a soldier . . . [that] was engaged in leading a wounded man from the field . . . it [now] appears that same wounded man was one of the first to arrive in this city . . . without a scratch. We are of the opinion that many of the men who were so barbarously murdered by the general, will be found at home, as healthy and able to fight as any soldier.4 Cincinnati Commercial correspondent, Joseph B. McCullagh, admitted it was impossible to say “with certainty” that Nelson “killed one or two [Union] men and wounded three others,” but one of his sources claimed it was true. In a direct interview with that paper, Nelson asserted that Manson ignored a preemptory order to fall back and avoid a fight. He was particularly interested in making the public aware of his deep admiration for the spirit and courage of volunteers who were “unsteady simply for the want of instruction” and discipline.5 Horatio Wright was now in Lexington seeking a replacement for Nelson, and after two better-qualified men turned down the offer, Capt. Charles C. Gilbert agreed to take command of the Army of Kentucky. Before Wright boarded the 5:00 p.m train for Louisville, he advised Gilbert to withdraw to Covington or Louisville because it would be “madness to attempt the defense of Lexington.” By 8:00, the tumultuous sounds of Gilbert’s departure had faded into the west. Three hours later, “the last company of Federal troops left town,” and a long line of civilian carriages began moving up the pike for Cincinnati.6 Tuesday, September 2, advance troops from Kirby Smith’s army rode in Lexington at 8:30 a.m. Garrett Davis was in Cincinnati, and he wired Halleck to “suggest that you send . . . 30,000 disciplined troops into Kentucky. Generals Wallace and Nelson approve it.” It was important for Kirby Smith to maintain the advantage gained...

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