23rd Annual Battle of Sacramento, Kentucky

By Gregory L. Wade · Originally published August 2017 · p. 38

23rd Annual Battle of Sacramento, Kentucky By Gregory L. Wade SACRAMENTO, Ky.—The observance of the December 1861 Battle of Sacramento, Ky., was a late May success although threatening skies sent participants scurrying for cover as the first day’s battle concluded. Today, most of the battleground is largely unchanged from the time fighting occurred when Confederate Lt. Col. Nathan Bedford Forrest and his cavalry “tested” the Federal lines manning the Green River line. Forrest, and perhaps his entire command, had yet to be tested in combat and were patrolling near this tiny central Kentucky farming village when warned by eighteen year old Mollie Morehead of a sizeable Federal force just outside town. To this day she is considered a heroine of the Confederate cause, portrayed at the reenactment when she meets Forrest on horseback in a scene known as “Mollie’s Ride.” A skirmish took place as the Confederates drove their enemy under Maj. Eli Murray out of town. While casualty totals vary greatly depending on the side reporting, one of the two Confederates killed was Capt. Ned Meriweather. His sister, Caroline Meriweather Goodlett, helped found the United Daughters of the Confederacy over thirty years later. “This battle helped establish future Gen. Forrest’s reputation as a hard fighter,” reenactor and historian Mike Hoover from Franklin, Tenn., said. This is the twenty third year in a row reenactors from several states converged on Sacramento in late May to enjoy this unique event. “The townspeople are incredibly accommodating,” noted Michael Johnson of Christiana, Tenn. “We really enjoy the Saturday evening pot luck dinner and the limos used to transport us around,” he added with a laugh. This year’s event included a tug of war, a night cannon fire display and a lantern tour of the camps led by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. The annual Saturday ball was hosted by the period band, “Un Reconstructed.” Adding to the atmosphere was the rolling of cameras for a film called “Soldiers Joy,” a movie being produced by Great Shadow Films.

Andrew Winstead of Nashville, Bryant Tucker of Trenton, Ky. and Blake Werner of Medina, Tenn. Left to right. 12th Ky. Inf. USA. (All photos Greg L. Wade)

While black clouds and a hard rain ended Saturday’s battle early, participants and hundreds of spectators handled the muddy conditions and higher humidity in stride. Sunday the weather was more cooperative with the final battle and a memorial service at Mollie’s grave held in calmer weather.