Edmund Kirby Smith
And speaking of being in a tight spot:
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While Buell, Boyle, and Wright were sweating bullets on the Union side, Kirby Smith was having some worries of his own. The concentration of forces at Cincinnati bothered him, and he was concerned about Grant’s veteran troops that had been sent to Louisville. He feared Grant’s whole force would arrive and he would be outnumbered. The Union commanders were all afraid that Kirby Smith and Bragg would unite — here Kirby Smith appeals to Bragg to hurry up and effect that junction.
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF KENTUCKY,
Lexington, Ky., September 15, 1862.
General BRAXTON BRAGG,
Commanding Department No. 2:GENERAL: The largely superior force of the enemy concentrating at Cincinnati, the arrival of a part of General Grant’s army at Louisville, and the evident indications of an intention on the enemy’s part to advance from the latter point render my position here very hazardous. The impossibility of removing the large amount of stores of every description accumulated here renders my falling back a measure to be avoided if impossible, as in the event of such a move it would be necessary to destroy a large portion of them. At the same time by evacuating this section we would not only lose the unlimited supply of subsistence which it affords, but recruiting would be stopped in the surrounding country. Unless, however, you can either speedily move your column in this direction or make with me a combined attack upon Louisville before all of Grant’s army arrives there I shall be compelled to fall back upon you for support. Louisville is in my opinion the great point to be arrived at, and the destruction of the force now there can, I think, be accomplished without difficulty. We have captured about 11,000 muskets, 1,100 sabers, and 2,000,000 rounds of ammunition for small-arms. The other stores accumulated here are sufficient to subsist a large army for some time.
Your obedient servant,
E. KIRBY SMITH,
Major-General, Commanding.