Three Forks Battalion
Chronology
October 14, 1864:
Skirmish in Floyd Co. KY, on Briar Creek; two rebels killed and four guns captured. Source 20
November 1, 1864:
Bill Strong commissioned and enrolled as Captain of Co. E, Three Forks Battalion [US] Source 1
November 1, 1864:
Skirmish in Breathitt Co; Lost two killed and five captured with guns and ammunition. Source 21
November 5, 1864:
Skirmish in Floyd Co; one rebel killed and gun captured. Source 22
November 6, 1864:
Skirmish in Breathitt County, KY, on Quicksand Creek. One Rebel killed and gun captured. Cornelius Bowman, Benjamin Gabbard and James Young (all privates in Co. C, Three Forks Battalion) killed. Source 2 Source 2A
November 7, 1864:
Rebels raid Proctor and Campton before defeating a detachment of the Three Forks Battalion on Devil's Creek. Source 3
December 12, 1864:
Skirmish on Lotts Creek in Perry County Ky. Two Rebels wounded and guns captured. Source 23
December 14, 1864:
Skirmish with Rebels in Letcher Co Ky. Lost two guns captured by Rebels. Source 24
December 22, 1864:
Skirmish on Troublesome Creek in Perry Co Ky. Lost one horse and one Rebel killed and gun captured. Source 25
December, 1864:
The Three Forks Battalion clashes with rebels in Wolfe County. Three Rebels killed, two wounded. Source 4 Source 4 A
December, 1864:
Skirmish in Powell Co. KY, near Wolfe County line. Two Rebels wounded and two horses captured. Source 26
January 3, 1865:
Sgt. Martin Fugate, Corporal Thomas Hoskins and Pvt. William Millam (all three men members of Co. C, Three Forks Battalion), as well as Layne Fields [Co. M, 14th KY Cavalry(US)] are ambushed at Fugate's house on Little Willard Creek in Perry Co., near Typo (across the hill from Second Creek, and Butterfly), by Confederate raiders under John L. Noble of Lost Creek, Breathitt Co. Noble's men kill Fugate, Layne and Millam and leave Hoskins for dead, who survives the attack and escapes. Source 16
January 7, 1865:
South Fork of Quicksand...Jackson South [brother to Lt. Jeremiah South] and Robert Davis killed by Yankees at Robert "Bob" Davis' house. Source 5
Andrew Jackson South was killed Jan. 7, 1865; Killed by Capt. Bill Strong during the Civil War... Source 5a
January 11, 1865:
skirmish in Perry Co Ky. on Clear Creek four Rebels wounded. Source 27
January 24, 1865:
Maj. E. B. Treadway writes to D. W. Lindsey, Adjutant Gen. that "On my arrival home I find it will be no trouble to recruit a Battalion for this part of the State, the men are healthy, generally, ready to enlist, all I ask is to be supplied with commissary stores at Irvine as we were talking when I was in Frankfort. I think you told me you had appointed a gentleman by the name of Byrd to act as post Quartermaster for the Battalion forming for the defense of the mountains."
Source 6
February 2, 1865:
The Three Forks Battalion skirmishes with rebels on Red River. Source 7
February 19, 1865:
Bill Strong mustered in with Co. E, Three Forks Battalion [US], at Crockettsville, Breathitt Co. KY, with rank of Captain. Source 8
February 25, 1865:
Preston Cornett and James Taylor killed. Both men are members of Co. C, Three Forks Battalion. Source 19
March 5, 1865:
Eli Hall, Co. D, Three Forks Battalion, captured and killed. Source 17
April 3, 1865:
Henry Bowman killed. He is a recruit of Co. A, Three Forks Battlion. Source 18
April 12, 1865:
A detachment of 15 men of Captain Blankenship's Co., Three Forks Battalion, enter Wise Co. VA, kill two guerrillas, Henry Wells and Hiram Creech, near the "glades" [Gladesville?] and capture 4 others. The detachment returns to Harlan Co. KY. Source 9
April 12, 1865:
A detachment of 15 men of Captain Blankenship's Co., Three Forks Battalion, attack Lt. Houck, 13th KY Cavalry [CS] at the North Fork of the KY River. After three hours of skirmishing, "Houk retreated leaving four men killed and wounded, Houk had twenty two men in this skirmish well mounted, during the skirmish, Lieut. Houk hoisted a white flag and proposed to surrender, after parleying some time. The river being between the belligerent parties. Capt. Blankenship discovered that the Flag was for the purpose to gain time, he ordered his men to fire at the flag, which was instantly cut down. Houk then commenced a hasty retreat on to the Sand Lick fork of the Cumberland, but before leaving he destroyed all the skiffs and canoes for several miles up and down the river about Whitesburg, that is all that was on the east side of the river." Source 10
April 21, 1865:
A "squad of Capt. F. M. Vaughns Company captured and killed Henry Wills another notorious guerilla in the county of Wolfe about 18 miles from this place. This man Henry Wells had committed many murders and thefts in the last three years." Source 11
April 24, 1865:
Corporal George W. Belcher wounded in action in Breathitt Co. KY. Source 12
April 25, 1865:
A detachment of Capt. Strong's Co., Three Forks Battalion, under command of Lt. William F. Little, "attacked a band of rebels or guerillas, who had formerly been led by Capt. Martin South, a son of Terry South of your place, after considerable skirmishing the guerillas was driven off but unfortunately Lieut. Lytlle a cousin to the Lieut. Who was killed was shot through the bowels and is supposed to be mortally wounded, also a man by the name of Davidson was severely wounded through the thigh, this was all the [loss ?] that we sustained. The guerillas lost two killed dead we had no means to ascertain the number of their wounded if any, this occurred on Quicksand." Source 13
1st Lt. William F. Little killed in action [Canoe, Breathitt Co. KY]. Shot in the neck. Source 13a
April 26, 1865:
skirmish at Whitesburg Letcher County Ky. Two Rebels wounded. Source 28
July 14, 1865:
Major E. B. Treadway, commander of the Three Forks Battalion writes to Kentucky Governor Bramlett, suggesting that three of his eight companies be retained for an additional two or three months. Treadway wrote that, "We have not yet established civil courts or even yet put down all the guerrillas in the counties of Harlan, Perry, Breathitt, Letcher, etc. There are reported to be three bands of guerrillas in those counties under the command of `Smith', `Osbern' and Dan `Jones.' Source 14
July 17, 1865:
Co. E mustered out at Irvine. Source 15
Source # 1 - November 1, 1864:
Sources
[Adjutant General's Report]
Source # 2 - November 6, 1864:
[Adjutant General's Report]
Source # 2a - November 6, 1864:
Major Treadway Report, quoted in: "Early Pioneers on the Three Forks of the KY River", by Miles Nicholas Crawford, pp. 128/129.
Source # 3 - November 7, 1864:
[Bill James]
http://www.rootsweb.com/~kywolfe/civilwar.htm
Source # 4 - December 1864:
[Bill James]
http://www.rootsweb.com/~kywolfe/civilwar.htm
Source # 4 A - December 1864:
Major Treadway Report, quoted in: "Early Pioneers on the Three Forks of the KY River", by Miles Nicholas Crawford, pp. 128/129.
Source # 5 - January 7, 1865:
[G. W. Noble, p. 62]
Source # 5a - January 7, 1865:
http://home.epix.net/~dsouth/pages/andrew%20jackson%20south.htm
Despite claims that Andrew Jackson South served in the Confederate Army, no military service records can be located for Andrew Jackson South. He is listed as a civilian casualty in an article in the "Weekly Kentucky Yeoman", published in Frankfort, KY, January 7, 1879.[MP]
Source # 6 - January 24, 1865:
[Letter from Maj. E. B. Treadway to D. W. Lindsey, Adjutant Gen.]
Source # 7 - February 2, 1865:
[Bill James]
http://www.rootsweb.com/~kywolfe/civilwar.htm
Source # 8 - February 19, 1865:
[Adjutant General's Report]
Source # 9 - April 12, 1865:
[Maj. Treadway Report, April 26, 1865]
Source # 10 - April 12, 1865:
[Maj. Treadway Report, April 26, 1865]
Source # 11 - April 21, 1865:
[Maj. Treadway Report, April 26, 1865]
Source # 12 - April 24, 1865:
[Adjutant General's Report]
Source # 13 - April 25, 1865:
[Maj. Treadway Report, April 26, 1865]. The wounded soldiers mentioned were 2nd Lt. Alfred Little and Jeremiah Davidson. Both men survived their wounds.
Source # 13a - April 25, 1865:
[Iven Gene Haddix]
Source # 14 - July 14, 1865:
[Holly Fee-Timm, "Benjamin Blankenship commanded Harlan Battalion"; originally published February 4, 1987, Harlan Daily Enterprise Penny Pincher]
Source # 15 - July 17, 1865:
[Adjutant General's Report]
Source # 16 - January 3, 1865:
[Carlos Brock, "Raid on Willard Creek Perry County"]
http://www.angelfire.com/oh4/tangledwoods/page11.html
John L. Noble was not an enlisted soldier at the time of the ambush. He formerly served as 1st Lt. in Co. G, 13th KY Cavalry [CS]. He was under arrest June 1, 1863 and subsequently cashiered from the CS Army for stealing money. [13th KY Cavalry Compiled Service Records]
Source # 17 - March 5, 1865:
[Adjutant General's Report]
Source # 18 - April 3, 1865:
Bowman was never mustered. [Adjutant General's Report]
Source # 19 - February 25, 1865:
[Adjutant General's Report]
Source # 20 - October 14, 1864:
Major Treadway Report, quoted in: "Early Pioneers on the Three Forks of the KY River", by Miles Nicholas Crawford, pp. 128/129.
Source # 21 - November 1, 1864:
Major Treadway Report, quoted in: "Early Pioneers on the Three Forks of the KY River", by Miles Nicholas Crawford, pp. 128/129.
Source # 22 - November 5, 1864:
Major Treadway Report, quoted in: "Early Pioneers on the Three Forks of the KY River", by Miles Nicholas Crawford, pp. 128/129.
Source # 23 - December 12, 1864:
Major Treadway Report, quoted in: "Early Pioneers on the Three Forks of the KY River", by Miles Nicholas Crawford, pp. 128/129.
Source # 24 - December 14, 1864:
Major Treadway Report, quoted in: "Early Pioneers on the Three Forks of the KY River", by Miles Nicholas Crawford, pp. 128/129.
Source # 25 - December 22, 1864:
Major Treadway Report, quoted in: "Early Pioneers on the Three Forks of the KY River", by Miles Nicholas Crawford, pp. 128/129.
Source # 26 - December, 1864:
Major Treadway Report, quoted in: "Early Pioneers on the Three Forks of the KY River", by Miles Nicholas Crawford, pp. 128/129.
Source # 27 - January 11, 1865:
Major Treadway Report, quoted in: "Early Pioneers on the Three Forks of the KY River", by Miles Nicholas Crawford, pp. 128/129.
Source # 28 - April 26, 1865:
Major Treadway Report, quoted in: "Early Pioneers on the Three Forks of the KY River", by Miles Nicholas Crawford, pp. 128/129.
