Private Russell Cornett
Co B, 13th Cavalry, CSA
1840-189_
Russell appeared on the musters for September 9, 1862 - April 30, 1863. He was at the Battle of Leatherwood (Perry County) in October of 1862. He also participated in the Battle of Mill Cliff, Battle of Poor Fork and Battle of Whitesburg in the Fall of 1862. Russell was listed as "absent sick" on the muster ending August 31, 1863. Perhaps it was fortunate that he was: his company was captured at Gladsville that summer and several of our kin were taken as prisoners of war.
Russell served in Co. B. with John J. Amburgey, [the son of Ambrose and Elizabeth Johnson Amburgey] who was captured. Russell married John's sister, Ailey Amburgey.
Here is an account of the battle of Leatherwood by the Union soldier Clabe Jones. "In a few weeks the Rebels went from Whitesburg to the salt wells
in Perry County. Captain Morgan and myself concluded to drive the
Rebels out of Perry and on our way we met and engaged them in a
battle on Leatherwood creek and surprised them while they were
stealing a deaf and dumb man's watermelons. There was one man killed
on each side. The Rebels were commanded by Captain Jesse Caudill, a
brave man. He was on one side of the creek and I was on the other.
He was standing behind a small tree. I was watching him closely and
as he turned to give a command to his men, I gave him a Yankee pill
from Shampee (Clabe's name for his gun) some where in his hind
quarters. We had a hot time for a while. I was unusually mad, not
because we had met the Rebels for we had defeated them, but I had
gathered up an armful of ripe pawpaws and had to drop them when the
fight began. We captured the watermelons also from the deaf man and
all their grub. We got the biggest pone of corn bread I ever saw.
It would have weighed more than fifty pounds. They had baked it in
a salt kettle and were carring it in a coffee sack."
Mark's Great Grandfather
