Battle of Richmond, KY

[1320]

SCORE!! I received permission to hunt a tract of land that was part of the Battle of Richmond, KY. Hit it last night and found two bullets. Bad as I hated too, I gave the bullets to the land owner. He really liked them and in return, gave me a dozen fresh eggs from his chickens, not a bad trade.

If anyone on here has a battle map of Richmond, please advise me how to secure a copy. Camp info would be just as appreciated.

Not sure yet but I think the area I'm hunting is about 1 mile (maybe less) from the main battlefield, should be interesting.....

[Daniel in Ak]

You dont always need maps.But reading the reports is kinda cool and it gives names of locations.Use these and compare them on modern maps and you have yourself some info to go off.Here's what I have out of one book and Ill shorten in up.
Battle of Richmond,Ky 29-30 Aug 1862
Cassualties US 5,623, CS 600.
CS Colonel Scott rode north from Big Hil........ok theres one clue check out areas rom Big Hill north towards Richmond.Scott was later turned back towards Kingston.CS Gen Cleburn rode north out ouf Kingston to confront the yankees at Rogersville.The battle began with a two hour Artillery Duel, yee doggie.Check the hi ground and everything lets say in 2,000 yards.dig the iron and check for artillery pieces.
Now the rebs charged the yankees and made them retreat north and chased them for seven miles.3rd and final postion that was finally taken by the rebs was on cemetary hill southeast of Richmnond.Dude hope this helps you out.

[1320]

Sweet Daniel...thanks. Two hour artillery duel........I'm seeing cannonballs everywhere......

[Daniel in Ak]

you and me both bud.Either way dig everything and once you locate an area thats giving up alot of shell fragments etc...now you figure out what kind they are,research the effective range on them and there ya go if ther effective to 2000 yards,you now have the general location of where they where set up.
Now remember if you dig alot of iron picture it like an icecream cone shape after it exploded and that will also aid you in the direction from which it was fired.Dang I wish I was there

[cavers5]

Don't know if you have it, but check out the book, WHEN THE RIPE PEARS FELL by D. Warren Lambert. I had the opportunity to work one of the farms down there a few years ago, but it had already been worked hard. Hope you find some good stuff. If you need a partner, holler, I might can join.

Cavers

[1320]

If either of you want permission to hunt it, I will certainly ask. There's way too much acreage for one guy. Not sure if it's been hunted before. Two bullets in a relative short time frame tells me it hasn't been hit too hard.

[Kentucky Kache]

Hey, 1320. Any progress on the Richmond site?

[1320]

Sorry it's taken so long to respond to this post. Harry Rainey and I hit it back in July and to be honest, we just flat gave up! It was way too hot and the ground hard as concrete. We both found some bullet fragments and one chewed bullet. I lucked into a flat, uniform button. Even though we had permission from the landowner, it didn't stop the landowners son from giving us a mouthful of youthful wisecracks and curse words. If Harry hadn't been there, I would have slapped the dog **** out of that punk. We still have not seen significant rain in that area so return trips have been out of the question....maybe later this fall.

Harry did alot of research during his visit and really narrowed down the lines of the battle. No doubt that "our" spot is right in the thick of it.

[FLauthor]

This is Harry. I got my knee repaired December 1st after stepping in a hole twice in high grass walking to that field. The site will probably produce if the ground ever gets wet enough. There are a couple of fields between there and Richmond (west of US 25 driving north) that should produce relics as well. One is a pasture and the other is a tobacco field. My bets would lay with the tobacco field between plantings. Like Lexington/Fren Ky said, that ground is hard as concrete, it takes a rock pick to get through it. I hunted a tract of land that sat next to a car dealership along Gibson Lane but it only produced junk. I found a vacant lot on the east side of town and north of the railroad tracks that was owned by a Black family in Cincinnati, Ohio that sat between the battlelines but they wanted all the relics if found so I did not hunt that. There are several vacant parcels of land that might produce relics if permission can be granted. If you live in the vicinity of Richmond, go to the library and there is a book detailing the battle with maps. Get a current city map and compare the landmarks to get the layout of the battle ground. The courthouse sells a 1880 map for $10.00 that gives some additional landmarks too.
Good luck to you, Jamie, I hope you find a good cache one day.

[1320]

Good to hear from you Harry! Hope all is well with your knee. I haven't returned to Richmond as I've refocused my effort to find that elusive camp site that I've been searching for.......all these years. Still, nothing but I've got to be getting close. Hurry back!

[kybowhunter]

Just wondering if you ever got to Richmond and how you did? I've never hunted there but am looking for some small skirmish sites in Shelby and Henry Counties.

[gldhntr]

http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/rock_art/index.html link to official records of the war of the rebellion.......hit ''search the records'' then type in richmond kentucky....you can also search by campaign/area and i think several maps are on the site too.....the nara site or the l.o.c. site one i think has very many civil war battle maps veiwable online.;,,,,,,,,,,or just google '' the lost jedidiah hotchkiss maps'' should get you to the right place.............gldhntr

[1320]

I haven't made it back there but whatever is there, will still be there when I return! No one else has been granted permission to hunt it. This particular site isn't a major area of the battle. More than likely, it was a "run" of the battle. Bullets, bullet fragments and one button have been found so far.

[trouble1332]

1320, i looked through my map book and it must have been a small battle or somethin cause theres no record of it. but i tried to get ya a map like ya asked for.

[1320]

Thanks Trouble...it was a "rolling" battle.....over the course of several miles...lots of troops involved...

[BuckleBoy]

I used to live in Berea, KY--now I live in Louisville. I have a site fairly close by to Richmond that produces fairly well. I found a cavalry spur there this spring. I would echo another comment I saw earlier that you should read Warren Lambert's book. He is really an expert on the battle. Oh, and if you ever wanna join up on a hunt or two, give me a shout.

Buckleboy