Ivy Mountain KY003

supportedunresolved Williams says Captain Thomas found the Union advance guard about 15 miles from Piketon and that his party waited for what they took to be only the advance guard. Nelson says the enemy did not fire until the head of Marshall's battalion reached the elbow.

Knowledge attributed in the two reports; no message log inspected.

supportedunresolved Williams says he had not two rounds of ammunition at Prestonburg and fell back to Piketon to meet it, that his men lacked knapsacks, haversacks and canteens, and that cartridge-boxes arrived after the fight. Nelson had no cavalry beyond men mounted from the wagon teams for Sill's column.

Equipment statements from the two reports; not returns.

supportedunresolved Nelson sent Sill by John's Creek to turn or cut off the enemy at Piketon while he took the State road. Williams says he fought to protect his retreat and to try to save the public property.

Stated aims from the two reports.

disputedpost_outcome The frozen result reads Union victory (indecisive, but the Confederates withdrew); the live result reads Indecisive. Nelson says the rebels fled after an hour and twenty minutes and he pursued; Williams's November 9 report says the engagement lasted about four hours and that his force was outflanked and fell back and the enemy did not pursue. Nelson places the fight at 1 p.m. on the 8th; Williams's November 9 report says 'yesterday' and his November 13 report says 1.30 on the 9th.

Retain the original result and engagement interval; later movements and campaign contribution are different measures. No new probabilities or individual causal credit.

disputedpost_outcome The frozen casualty text and the live field read 293 (US 30; CS 263). Nelson reports his loss as a figure read '0' in OCR killed and 24 wounded, though he also says the first discharge killed 4 and wounded 13 of Marshall's men; he heard 32 enemy dead were found and took 6 unhurt prisoners. Williams first reports 10 killed and 7 or 8 wounded against at least 150 enemy killed, then 10 killed, 15 wounded and 40 missing against over 300 enemy killed.

Original casualty returns were not inspected; preserve totals, categories, cutoffs and differences. No canonical reconciliation or casualty-based opening count; related actions must not be added without resolving population overlap. Nelson's OCR-garbled killed figure is retained as printed in the scan.

supportedunresolved The frozen commanders are Colonel John S. Williams, Brigadier General William Nelson and Colonel Joshua W. Sill; the live page gives Nelson as Major General. Nelson ordered the Kentuckians to charge, Harris led his men up the mountainside and Norton moved up the northern ridge anticipating an order; Sill reached Piketon the night before Nelson. Williams went forward in person but returned to camp at daylight, and the pass was held by Captain May's party.

Command roles from the two reports; the live rank is not adopted and there is no automatic sole credit.

unknownunresolved

No inspected return establishes matched personnel at a common opening boundary. Imported numerical estimates remain unchanged; this pass does not validate them as simultaneous opening forces.

disputedunresolved The frozen force field describes the Union side as detachments from twelve units and the Confederates as nine companies of infantry and two of mounted men (1,010); the live field reads zero. Nelson says the enemy lay in ambush 700 strong. Williams's November 9 report says he had only about 300 against not less than 1,500, most probably 2,000, and gives his command at the time of writing ('We have now') as nine infantry and five mounted companies, two of the latter not full, 1,100 in all; on November 13 he says his whole force was 1,010 including sick and extra-duty men, that 250 held the Ivy position, and that the columns were 1,600 and 1,800.

The CWSAC 1,010 matches Williams's November 13 whole-force figure, not the men engaged; the CWSAC's two mounted companies do not match the five mounted companies of his November 9 report (the November 13 report gives no company count), and his two reports differ on the men at the pass (about 300 against 250). None is adopted as a matched opening strength. The live zero is not measured absence.

supportedinherited Nelson describes the narrow defile ending at Ivy Creek, the mountainside precipitous and thickly timbered, and the road only 7 feet wide cut about 25 feet above the river; NPS describes a narrow bend in the road. Williams says his party took a strong position half a mile in front of the burned bridge.

Natural ground described by the two opposing commanders and a summary; no map verification.