north to bury their dead by Jarvis Jackson, a
great grand father of the Jarvis Jackson who is now city police of
London, today. By some reason, the soldiers were taken up and moved to a
different place only a few years ago. Mrs. Hoage says "the first daisies
that were brought to this contry were put on that hill" and she can
remember when the entire hill was covered with them.
The southern side had trenches on the east side of the Dixie Highway on
and surrounding the site where the Pennington Hospital is now standing,
which are very vivid today. The London City School being in the path
bears a hole today from a cannon ball. Shot no doubt from the Southern
forces. The new addition to the school hides the hole, but until recent
years it could be seen being about ten inches in diameter.
Zollie Coffer a southern general had camped at Wild Cat, Ky. but was
forced to retreat when general Garrad and Lucas and Stratton two
captains under him, all from Clay county, with a large crowd came in.
He, on his retreat came through London and had a battle with an army of
Ohioians camped on Cemetery Hill. Quoted a poem by Mrs. Hodge, which she
remembered from those days:
"Just raise your eyes to yon grassy hill,
View the bold Ohioians working with skill,
Their bombs lying around them to spew fiery flames,
Among the seceders, till they wont own their names."
Mrs. Hodge quotes another poem from memory about Gen. Coffer's retreat
from Wild Cat:
"Our tigers and bullpups to Wild Cat did go,
To fight our brave boys, tho our force they did not know.
When they come in gun shot distance, Schelf told them to halt,
We're not Murphey's honey, nor Alex Whites salt.
His orders to his men, was "go thru" or "go to hell"
But our Indiana hoosier bous, heard them too well,
In less than thirty minutes, they gave them many balls,
Wild Cat had had kittens, Oh; don't you hear them squall.
They did not stay long, before they did retreat,
Went on double quick and left all their meat,
As they went back through Barbourville, they say Zollie did say
I've lost fifteen hundred killed or run away.
Away back in Mississippi, we're forced to go
As for our loss you'll never know
Slipped back when the union fell asleep
Hauled off our dead and buried them deep.
To fight against Garrad, it never will do,
Stratton and Lucas is hard to out do,
They conquered our tigers and bull pups too,
In spite of our fo
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