Skirmish At New Haven
During Morgan's Christmas Raid in 1862, 3 companies of the 9th Kentucky Cavalry (CSA) arrived near New Haven, Kentucky, late on December 29 to destroy the Rolling Fork railroad bridge. The next morning New Haven native Captain Henry P. Housley delivered the Confederate surrender demand to Fort Allen; and the 78th Illinois commander, Colonel Benneson, refused despite frequent surrenders when the Raid had used artillery to previously challenge Union infantry forts. The Confederates began the assault on the fort with a "12 pound" mountain howitzer from 1,200 yd (1,100 m). The gun's untrained crew of detailed cavalrymen neglected to adjust the elevation and maneuvered to place the gun closer, and the town's New Haven House and Mansion House (taverns/hotels) were damaged by shells. Confederate mounted riflemen with Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle-muskets dismounted in a firing line, and when they closed to within 400 yd (370 m) of the fort, received fire from Union .69 caliber muzzle-loading rifles. After a 90 minute skirmish, the Confederate force withdrew with the howitzer and one confirmed wounded. The Union suffered no casualties and the howitzer did not damage the fort.
Read more about this topic: New Haven Battlefield Site
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