Loss of a Leader

During the confusion and fog of battle, General Zollicoffer rode toward what he thought was the 19th Tennessee to order a cease fire, convinced these troops were firing on their fellow Confederates. Captain Henry Fogg, an aide to the general, warned Zollicoffer, “General, it’s the enemy,” but it was too late. A volley of Federal fire mortally wounded Zollicoffer, who became one of the first Confederate generals to be killed in combat. During the battle, his body was moved from the Mill Springs Road and placed under a white oak tree, which became known as the Zollie Tree. Left without a leader, confusion filtered through the Confederate ranks as momentum began to shift toward the U.S. forces.

The Tide Turns