Monthly Archive

 HDQRS. SECOND BRIGADE, MARTIN’S CAVALRY DIVISION,
Unionville, Tenn., April 30, 1863–6 a.m.
Lieutenant-General Polk’s Chief of Staff:
I have the honor to report all quiet along my lines this morning. I would respectfully ask that the order to report every six hours be modified, as there is no place between here and Shelbyville where a courier station can be kept up, for want of forage. Should any movement of the enemy take place, I will report every two hours, or even at shorter intervals.
I think that the enemy will send out to-morrow morning a heavy foraging party from Triune toward College Grove. Such I infer from the large number of wagons concentrating about the former place.
Brigadier-General [Major-General] Schofield commanded the expedition we drove back yesterday. It consisted of about 500 mounted men and some artillery. The latter was not brought into action, but fell back almost immediately to Triune.
If the lieutenant-general commanding will send me two regiments of infantry, with two days’ rations, to report here as soon as possible, I will be able to concentrate my command on the [upper] pike, and, leaving the infantry to guard this road, where the enemy will come to forage, I can get into his rear and capture his wagons. My line of vedettes is too long to concentrate my command for an offensive movement, as it will leave one or other of the pikes with a weak guard. The enemy will bring, as he generally does, about one regiment of infantry with his cavalry, and, perhaps, a section of artillery.
I remain, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
LAWRENCE W. ORTON,(*)
Colonel, Comdg. Second Brigade, Martin’s Division of Cavalry.
—–

O.R.– SERIES I–VOLUME XXIII/2 [S# 35]
Correspondence, Orders, And Returns Relating To Operations In Kentucky, Middle And East Tennessee, North Alabama, And Southwest Virginia, From January 21 To August 10, 1863.
CONFEDERATE CORRESPONDENCE. ETC.–#8

Page 804

[From the New Orleans, La., Picayune, September 4, 1904.]
NOTE.–Tuesday, August 30, 1904, was the twenty-fifth anniversary of the death of General J. B. Hood.

Sadly and wearily,
Eyes dimmed by grief,
Thou, who has fought for us
With thy blood bought for us,
Freedom so brief–
Slumbereth now peacefully,
Resteth now fair,
Could I but have thee now,
Soothe from thy furrowed brow
All lines of care!
Bleeding and aching wounds
Counted for naught,
They did not pierce thy heart,
Injustice’s cruel dart
Such sorrow wrought.
Only the victor is
Honored and cheered,
But Defeat’s martyr must
To kind oblivion trust,
Misery reared. <shv32_152>
Yet, where is he so strong,
Standing alone,
Fighting with Dignity
All the Malignity,
As thou hast done?
Though thou art dead and gone,
Better than fame
Thou hast to us bequeathed,
With holy memories wreathed–
A noble name.
Slumber now peacefully,
Thou didst thy share,
Thou hast not lived in vain;
Leaving the stormy main,
Rest thee now fair.
Southern Historical Society Papers.
Vol. XXXII. Richmond, Va., January-December. 1904.
In Memory Of General J. B. Hood

The Commissary man — he happened to be in our mess, never had any sugar over, any salt, any soda, any coffee — oh no! But beg him, plead with him, bear with him when he says, ‘Go way, boy! Am I the commissary general? Have I got all the sugar in the Confederacy? Don’t you know rations are short now?’ Then see him relax. ‘Come here, my son, untie that bag there, and look in that old jacket and you will find another bag — a little bag — and look in there and you will find some sugar.’ ‘Now go round and tell everybody in camp, won’t you. Tell ‘em all to come and get some sugar. Oh! I know you won’t. Oh yes! of course.’

Harper’s Weekly, April 18, 1863
Southern Historical Society Papers.
Vol. I. Richmond, Virginia., February, 1876. No. 2
Camp Fires Of The Boys In Gray.

The Forager was a good fellow. He always divided with the mess. If there was buttermilk anywhere inside of ten miles he found it. Apples he could smell from afar off. If anybody was killing pork in the county he got the spareribs. If a man had a cider cart on the road he saw him first and bought him out. No hound had a keener scent, no eagle a sharper eye. How indefatigable he was. Distance, rivers, mountains, pickets, patrols, roll calls — nothing could stop or hinder him. He never bragged about his exploits — simply brought in the spoils, laid them down and said, ‘pitch in.’ Not a word of the weary miles he had traveled, how he begged or how much he had paid — simply ‘pitch in.’

Harper’s Weekly, August 17, 1861

Southern Historical Society Papers.
Vol. I. Richmond, Virginia., February, 1876. No. 2
Camp Fires Of The Boys In Gray.

There are several fully-restored homes in the Battery area one can visit and even take inside tours. The Edmondston-Alston House is on 21 East Battery row.

It was originally built in 1825. Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard is said to have stood on the second story piazza on April 12th 1861 to watch the bombing of Ft. Sumter.

One of our favorite items about this house is a painting displayed that pictures a street scene of East Battery street around 1825.

Their web site states:

The stately Edmondston-Alston House was built in 1825 on Charleston’s High Battery and is one of the city’s most splendid dwellings. A witness to many dramatic events in Charleston’s history, the Edmondston-Alston House is a classic example of the city’s changing and sophisticated taste in architecture and decorative arts.

The Edmondston-Alston House is a repository of family treasures, including Alston family silver, furniture, books and paintings that remain in place much as they have been for over a century and a half. There is an exquisite collection of prints and other artifacts collected on Alston family trips abroad. Guided tours of the house give visitors an insight into the lifestyle of merchant Charles Edmondston, who first built the house in 1825, and Georgetown County rice planter Charles Alston, who later bought the house in 1838.

Mr. Lincoln’s T-Mails: The Untold Story of How Abraham Lincoln Used the Telegraph to Win the Civil War, by Tom Wheeler

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Book description:

The Civil War was the first “modern war.” Because of the rapid changes in American society, Abraham Lincoln became president of a divided United States during a period of technological and social revolution. Among the many modern marvels that gave the North an advantage was the telegraph, which Lincoln used to stay connected to the forces in the field in almost real time.

No leader in history had ever possessed such a powerful tool to gain control over a fractious situation. An eager student of technology, Lincoln (the only president to hold a patent) had to learn to use the power of electronic messages. Without precedent to guide him, Lincoln began by reading the telegraph traffic among his generals. Then he used the telegraph to supplement his preferred form of communication—meetings and letters. He did not replace those face-to-face interactions. Through this experience, Lincoln crafted the best way to guide, reprimand, praise, reward, and encourage his commanders in the field.

Mr. Lincoln’s T-Mails tells a big story within a small compass. By paying close attention to Lincoln’s “lightning messages,” we see a great leader adapt to a new medium. No reader of this work of history will be able to miss the contemporary parallels. Watching Lincoln carefully word his messages—and follow up on those words with the right actions—offers a striking example for those who spend their days tapping out notes on computers and BlackBerrys.

An elegant work of history, Mr. Lincoln’s T-Mails is an instructive example of timeless leadership lessons.

Visit Mr. Wheeler’s web site (He lists several facsimiles of Lincoln’s telegraphs on his site, like the one below).

—–
HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY,
Washington, D.C., April 23, 1863.
Colonel LUDLOW, Fort Monroe.

COLONEL: It has been officially reported that on the arrival at Tullahoma of the prisoners of war of the Twenty-second Wisconsin Volunteers,  captured at Thompson’s and Brentwood Stations, up in Tennessee, they were by order of General Bragg stripped of their overcoats and blankets.

You will at your next interview with the officer appointed by the enemy for the exchange of prisoners present him with a copy of this letter and ask an answer whether this allegation be true and whether the Confederate authorities approve or disapprove the act alleged.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
H. W. HALLECK,
General-in-Chief.

[First indorsement.]
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT NO. 2,
[May 21, 1863.]

The complaint is true; my action was retaliatory. Prisoners captured from this army have not only been stripped of overcoats and blankets but money, watches and even small articles of priceless value to them, though of no earthly use to the robbers who took them.

I informed Major-General Rosecrans when I first gave the order early in December last and expressed my regret that the conduct of the officers of his Government imposed this unpleasant duty upon me. The staff officer of the general who received the prisoners with this notice acknowledged the precedent and told his men in the presence of my representative that he regretted the act but would not complain, the example having been set by them. Instead of checking such outrages the general has permitted them to a greater extent, and has recently by general orders required the uniform pantaloons to be taken from my men when captured. He has even pronounced the death penalty against prisoners who may be taken wearing the uniform prescribed by our Government and ordered that no quarter shall be shown them on the field. There is not one of us from the private up but will come within the terms of this general order.

BRAXTON BRAGG,
General, Commanding.

[Second indorsement.]
RICHMOND, VA., May 29, 1863.
Respectfully transmitted through Col. R. Ould, agent for the exchange of prisoners, to Maj. Gen. H. W. Halleck, commanding U.S. Army.

By command of Secretary of War:
S. COOPER,
Adjutant and Inspector General.

[Third indorsement.]
HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY, June 2, 1863.

The within letter of General Halleck to Colonel Ludlow and General Bragg’s reply forwarded by General Cooper are referred to General Rosecrans for report. As the Government of the United States has uniformly treated prisoners of war with the utmost kindness, supplying them with clothing and blankets when needed and in all cases adopting the most lenient rules of civilized warfare, it is presumed that if there have been any such abuses as here complained of by General Bragg they have been committed by unknown persons on whom due punishment could not be imposed.
H. W. HALLECK,
General-in- Chief.

WASHINGTON, April 23, 1863.

General CURTIS:

The Secretary of War authorizes the exchange of Major Major for Major McConnel as recommended in your telegram to General Halleck of yesterday. You will please make the exchange and report your action to Colonel Hoffman.
E. A. HITCHCOCK,
Major-General.
************************

O.R.–SERIES II–VOLUME V [S# 118]
UNION CORRESPONDENCE, ORDERS, ETC., RELATING TO PRISONERS OF WAR AND STATE FROM DECEMBER 1, 1862, TO JUNE 10, 1863.–#21

Robert E. Lee wrote to his sister on April 20, 1861:
“With all my devotion to the Union and the feeling of loyalty and duty of an American citizen, I have not been able to make up my mind to raise my hand against my relatives, my children, my home.”

That same day Lee wrote a letter to General Winfield Scott, tendering his resignation of the U.S. Army:
“I therefore tender my resignation, which I request you will recommend for acceptance. It would have been presented at once but for the struggle it has cost me to separate myself from a service to which I have devoted the best years of my life, and all the ability I possessed.”

“Mr. Blair, I look upon secession as anarchy. If I owned the four millions of slaves in the South, I should sacrifice all for the Union but how can I draw my sword upon Virginia?”

Recommend read:

Robert E. Lee: A Biography, Emory M. Thomas

Book description:

The life of Robert E. Lee is a story not of defeat but of triumphtriumph in clearing his family name, triumph in marrying properly, triumph over the mighty Mississippi in his work as an engineer, and triumph over all other military men to become the towering figure who commanded the Confederate army in the American Civil War. But late in life Lee confessed that he “was always wanting something.”

In this probing and personal biography, Emory Thomas reveals more than the man himself did. Robert E. Lee has been, and continues to be, a symbol and hero in the American story. But in life, Thomas writes, Lee was both more and less than his legend. Here is the man behind the legend.

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“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have stained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battle-field, and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”

- Abraham Lincoln, March 4, 1861, First innaugural address

—–
[APRIL 18, 1863?]

Colonel HOFFMAN,
Commissary-General of Prisoners, Washington, D.C.

COLONEL: In obedience to an order of Major-General Grant, a copy of which I herewith forward you, I have the honor to report that a small force of the Nineteenth Michigan Infantry Volunteers stationed as a guard at the bridge on the railroad between Nashville and Franklin, Tenn., was captured by General Forrest, of the rebel army, on the morning of the 25th of March. This force consisted of Company D, of the above regiment of Michigan infantry, numbering about seventy men, and about 160 men who were fragments of the other nine companies of the regiment which were left to us after the battle of the 5th of March at Thompson’s Station, in which 475 of the regiment were killed, wounded or made prisoners. Nearly 100 of the 160 named above were the sick and feeble men of the respective companies. Our total force at the bridge was about 230 men. At about 8 a.m. on the 25th Forrest surrounded this small force with three brigades, Forrest’s, Armstrong’s and Starnes’, in all about 5,000 strong, accompanied by a section of artillery. Having got this into position he demanded our surrender. The officer in command, Capt. E. B. Bassett, judging it inadvisable to attempt to fight so large a force surrendered at once. Everything fell into the hands of the enemy, a large portion of which inclusive of tents, clothing, many overcoats, blankets and knapsacks belonging to those who had been made prisoners at the battle of Thompson’s Station were burned on the spot. We were immediately marched a westerly course. When about four miles from Brentwood, as near as we could judge, our cavalry fell upon the rear guard of our captors producing a general stampede of the rear guard. The prisoners were put to the double-quick and by the personal exertions of Forrest and Armstrong the rout of their forces was stopped. We were, however, marched rapidly forward all day and most of the night, changing our course the next day, but keeping for the most part in the woods and unfrequented roads. We were hurried forward to Columbia, Tenn., which we reached on the evening of the third day. Here we were kept on the 28th, and officers and men except surgeons and chaplains were paroled. On the 29th we were sent to Shelbyville and thence to Tullahoma, which we reached on the 1st day of April. Here by order of General Bragg I was unconditionally released, furnished transportation and ordered out of the Confederacy via Vicksburg. I left Tullahoma on the 2d day of April and arrived at Vicksburg via Chattanooga, Montgomery, Selma and Meridian on the 5th, and on the 7th was sent by flag of truce to the U.S. fleet above Vicksburg. Chaplain C. D. Pillsbury, whose name appears in the order of General Grant, was taken on the same day and released at the [same] time as myself. He will doubtless report for himself. By this capture the regiment to which I belong are all prisoners of war, about 450 having been taken at Thompson’s Station, and the balance except a few in hospitals on the 25th as herein stated. The men are already being received and <ar118_494> sent to Camp Chase. Shall I join them there? I await orders. Until I receive them my address will be Coldwater, Mich.

With great respect, I have the honor to be, your obedient servant,
I. COGSHALL,

Chaplain Nineteenth Michigan Infantry Volunteers

O.R.–SERIES II–VOLUME V [S# 118]
UNION CORRESPONDENCE, ORDERS, ETC., RELATING TO PRISONERS OF WAR AND STATE FROM DECEMBER 1, 1862, TO JUNE 10, 1863.–#20

If you’re looking for a nice cozy yet practical place to stay in Charleston, something beyond the typical chain hotel stay, checkout the Andrew Pinckney Inn. It is located in the heart of downtown old Charleston at the intersection of Pinckney and Church Streets.

They have many different room plans, including a townhouse model that is spacious and relaxing.

Their web site says: “Charleston hotel accommodations located in the center of a living museum; Charleston, SC�s famous historic district. The Andrew Pinckney Inn is a boutique inn coupling old world charm with sophisticated amenities of today’s Charleston hotels. Meticulously restored, the Andrew Pinckney Inn features a three story plant filled atrium, a Charleston courtyard and rooftop terrace overlooking historic homes, church steeples and the Charleston harbor. Hotel guests of the Andrew Pinckney Inn find horse drawn carriage tours, museums, art galleries, antique and boutique shops along with world-renowned dining just outside the front door in Charleston, South Carolina.”

“I believe that to interfere, as I have done, in the behalf of God’s despised poor is not wrong but right. Now, if it is deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice, and mingle my blood further with the blood of my children and with the blood of millions in this slave country who rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and unjust enactments, I say, let it be done.”

- John Brown, court statement on November 1st, 1859
These words were spoken by Brown after he was sentenced to death for his raid on the US Armory at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia.

“LAST MOMENTS OF JOHN BROWN”
A reproduction of Thomas Hovenden’s painting (1887) in the Metropoitan Museum of Art, New York City.

Stereoview of John Brown (1800 - 1859)

Recommended read:

John Brown, abolitionist : the man who killed slavery, sparked the Civil War, and seeded civil rights
by David West Reynolds

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Book description:

An authoritative new examination of John Brown and his deep impact on American history.

Bancroft Prize-winning cultural historian David S. Reynolds presents an informative and richly considered new exploration of the paradox of a man steeped in the
Bible but more than willing to kill for his abolitionist cause. Reynolds locates Brown within the currents of nineteenth-century life and compares him to modern terrorists, civil-rights activists, and freedom fighters. Ultimately, he finds neither a wild-eyed fanatic nor a Christ-like martyr, but a passionate opponent of racism so dedicated to eradicating slavery that he realized only blood could scour it from the country he loved. By stiffening the backbone of Northerners and showing Southerners there were those who would fight for their cause, he hastened the coming of the Civil War. This is a vivid and startling story of a man and an age on the verge of calamity.

Source for above print of engine house: 1861 edition of John W. Barber and Henry Howe’s book “Our Whole Country: Or The Past and Present of the United States, Historical and Descriptive. Illustrated by 600 engravings.”

The Oxford Dictionary of Civil War Quotations
by John D. Wright

Book Description
A definitive book of quotations with comments not only from generals (such as General Sherman’s “War is hell,”) and presidents (Lincoln’s description of army recruitment/retention as “trying to shovel fleas. You take up a shovelful, but before you can dump them anywhere, they are gone,”) but also from ordinary soldiers (Sam R. Watkins’ “A private soldier is but an automator, a machine that works by the command of a good, bad, or indifferent engineer, and is presumed to know nothing of all these great events,”) and quotes from businessmen, wives and daughters (such as Southerner Sarah Morgan’s comment about Northern newspapers “There must be many humane, reasonable men in the North, can they not teach their Editors decency in this their hour of triumph”) nurses, African Americans (both enslaved and free, such as John S. Rock, a lawyer in Boston), foreign observers (such as William Howard Russell), and many others, this work will also include more contextual information than other books of Civil War quotations. Organized by topic and collecting quotations from people from different classes and with different perspectives on the conflict, The Oxford Book of Civil War Quotations should engage the casual reader as well as be an essential volume for the library of Civil War buffs. Thirty-five halftones will illustrate selected topics and individuals.

Recommended read

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Headquarters 27th Ind Vols
Tullahoma Tenn

April 13th /64

Excerpt:

“We are having very pleasant spring weather�which will be taken advantage of to move the troops in the front Gen. Hovey passed through here yesterday morning on his way to the front. I must say that they have a very poor looking set of Officers and if they do anything they will deceive me. I think Col DeHart the best man I saw. Parish Bartene and Buyers looked as if they have plenty of whiskey to drink�We are getting in rumors to move�Troops are constantly passing through here on their way to the front. I think the grand move will be made by the 10th of May and I have no doubt as to the result. I think Gen Sherman will command in person in the advance from the front and with a force sufficient to over come all obstacles�I only fear that Longstreet will get into Kentucky but if Grant and Sherman move at the same time this will cause him to fall back�”

One month after the writing of this letter, the 27th Indiana fought in the Battle of Resaca, where it inflicted heavy losses on the enemy. The regiment went on to fight in every battle and skirmish of the Atlanta Campaign. It also saw prior action at Front Royal, Cedar Mountain, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, suffering heavy losses at the latter two engagements. William W. Daugherty mustered into Company G on 19 August 1861 and mustered out on 4 November 1864.

Source: Nate Sanders online auction

Headquarters 27th Ind Vols
Tullahoma TennApril 13th /64

Excerpt:

“We are having very pleasant spring weather�which will be taken advantage of to move the troops in the front Gen. Hovey passed through here yesterday morning on his way to the front. I must say that they have a very poor looking set of Officers and if they do anything they will deceive me. I think Col DeHart the best man I saw. Parish Bartene and Buyers looked as if they have plenty of whiskey to drink�We are getting in rumors to move�Troops are constantly passing through here on their way to the front. I think the grand move will be made by the 10th of May and I have no doubt as to the result. I think Gen Sherman will command in person in the advance from the front and with a force sufficient to over come all obstacles�I only fear that Longstreet will get into Kentucky but if Grant and Sherman move at the same time this will cause him to fall back�”

One month after the writing of this letter, the 27th Indiana fought in the Battle of Resaca, where it inflicted heavy losses on the enemy. The regiment went on to fight in every battle and skirmish of the Atlanta Campaign. It also saw prior action at Front Royal, Cedar Mountain, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, suffering heavy losses at the latter two engagements. William W. Daugherty mustered into Company G on 19 August 1861 and mustered out on 4 November 1864.

Source: Nate Sanders online auction

HEADQUARTERS U.S. FORCES,
Franklin, Tenn., April 12, 1863.

Maj. Gen. EARL VAN DORN,

Commanding Confederate Forces, Spring Hill, Tenn.

GENERAL: The commanding general of the Army of the Cumberland has just informed me that he has received information that our wounded men at Columbia are in a condition of great suffering, and he has authorized me to make arrangements if agreeable to you to have the men transferred here as soon as possible. I will give my receipt for them and will immediately return to you an equal number of your men now in our possession in exchange.
I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

G. GRANGER,
Major-General, Commanding.
—–
O.R.–SERIES II–VOLUME V [S# 118]
UNION CORRESPONDENCE, ORDERS, ETC., RELATING TO PRISONERS OF WAR AND STATE FROM DECEMBER 1, 1862, TO JUNE 10, 1863.–#19
page 472

HEADQUARTERS U.S. FORCES,
Franklin, Tenn., April 12, 1863.

Major-General VAN DORN,

Commanding Confederate Forces, Spring Hill, Tenn.

GENERAL: I am directed by the commanding general of the Army of the United States to forward to you under flag of truce the herewith inclosed General Orders, No. 49,(*) War Department, Washington, February 28, 1863, in reference to the rules and regulations in regard to paroles as established by the common law and usage of war, and which have been published for the guidance and instruction of said Army. These orders have just been received by me and I send them to you at this my earliest convenience.

I regret that I am compelled to inform you that some of your officers violated a well-recognized principle of war and an agreement lately entered into by representatives of the Government of the United States and the Government of the Confederate States in taking two of my medical officers prisoners at Brentwood, Tenn., on the 25th day of March last; and also as I am credibly informed that at the same time these officers so uncomfortably crowded some of my sick and wounded there taken prisoners into wagons and compelled them to undergo such hardships and exposure on the march that a large number of them died from the effects thereof.

Furthermore the horses, horse equipments and arms of four of my medical officers were then taken from them. I respectfully request that you have the same returned to me as soon as convenient.
I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
G. GRANGER,
Major-General, Commanding.
—–
O.R.–SERIES II–VOLUME V [S# 118]
UNION CORRESPONDENCE, ORDERS, ETC., RELATING TO PRISONERS OF WAR AND STATE FROM DECEMBER 1, 1862, TO JUNE 10, 1863.–#19

page 471

The following letter to his wife shows just how devoted Jackson was to making all efforts to keep the Sabbath holy by not fighting on it.

“You appear much concerned at my attacking on Sunday, I was greatly concerned too; but I felt it my duty to do it, in consideration of the ruinous effects that might result from postponing the battle until morning. So far as I can see, my course was a wise one; the best that I could do under the cicumstances; though very distatseful to my feelings; and I hope and pray to our Heavenly Father that I may never again be circumstanced as on that day.”
- Jackson on April 11, 1862

May I Quote You, Stonewall Jackson: Observations and Utterances of the South’s Great Generals. Cumberland House Publishing.

by Randall Bedwell (editor)

Book description:

If General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson had lived beyond the ill-fated battle of Chancellorsville, the Confederacy might have survived to celebrate the outcome of the Civil War. Characterised by battlefield resolve likened to the strength of rocks and mortar, Stonewall Jackson’s military acumen proved irreplaceable to the Rebel armies. Many believe that with his demise also came the eventual demise of his comrade in arms.

May I Quote Your Stonewall Jackson? vividly portrays a hero of the South through his own words and through the words of those who knew him. Jackson’s remarks about the war and its soldiers paint a lucid portrait of the era and one of its most celebrated leaders.

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According to Robertson [p. 741] …. Jackson expressed confidence that “the men of that command will be proud one day to say to their children: ‘I was one of the Stonewall Brigade.’ I have no right to the name ‘Stonewall.’ It belongs to the brigade and not at all to me.”

Pittsburg [Landing], Tenn
Thursday night April 10,1862

My Dear Wife,

I [1] have just received yours of April 1st the first one I have had since I left St. Louis [2]. I have passed 5 as hard days as ever I saw. You have I suppose …this purch? An account of the Lesseba battle fought [3] at this place [4] last Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, it was the worst. ….I ever saw Thousands of bros lost and among them Brother Marshall [5] he fell after having fought from six AM til about Sunday 2 pm. He was shot in his left side above the rib bone I did not see Wm Roth Wilder and others saw him. He fought like a hero all day. He through down his gun un…………his cartridge box & fell face down I did not hear of it till that eve I could not get to him till Tuesday I then dug a grave wrapped him in blankets and buried him. James Gentry [6]was the only accuguntami? With me. It was an awful bad time for me and I cut off a lock of his hair and will send it in this letter. Doubtless you will have read this account of the terrible Battle before this comes to you. I will not relate particulars til I come home I will mention a few items David Culver [7] is mortally wounded Capt Haggard [8] was wounded and can’t be found. Also Capt Mann [9] there were 18 killed 30 missing and 43 wounded in our regiment. Old Man Holliday [10] is among the missing. Col Logan is very badly wounded I stayed one night with him shot in back. You will see the list before I shall. I wish you would have a paper till I come home I would like to see it. We expect hourly another big battle line[11]? They are not yet satisfied. This pecish??? Took everything we had they smashed my trunk I found my broom, hair brush and today I found you Bible out in the woods wet and ruined. I tell you it is a sad sight haere the field for five miles I guess is covered with dead The Camps? Boats & every place convenient is filled with the wounded & dying We have not begun to get the dead buried yet I am completely worn out I have not had a nights sleep this week 3 nights I was out in the rain I have had nothing but saw ham & hard crackers to eat I have seen enough of war if it was in my power I would leave for home tomorrow on foot If I live to see you there again I shall be a happy man I never shall enlist again Poor Marshall he was enjoying himself I believe up to his death I wish I could have got a coffin & sent him home but this was impossible He looked very natural I think he must have died instantly I could not find anything in his pocket but a letter from Jane? Longstreet I send it Tell Cora? I promised to write her this time but I felt to bad to write her such a letter as I wanted to ??? her & soon for me? How bad they will feel to hear of poor Macks death I must quit for tonight will write more in the morn if I can

Friday Morn 3 oclock AM

Our pickets have been driven again and the army are drawn up in line of Battle It is raining hard our poor soldiers are have a hard time. I don not have to go into battle but I believe it is worse to see the outside Kassons? We have just heard that Island Solo was taken If we beat them again nine or at Corinth? They will I think give up Wm Veddes would give anything if he was out of this but no one can leave we have to stay and take it Now? My dear I have thus writin you a nasty letter in pencil as our ink was destroyed by ??? My mind is in no condition to write I don’t know as I could say anything more in regard to Marshall’s death it was a sad a blow to me as any ever I had he was the only one here I could go to with my little troubles we met often after we got here He was very healthy It is strange that he should be the one selected but such is life It is strange to me how now anyone escaped Bale shell & bullets fell as thick as hail I can’t realize it all seems like a dream or ledger? Story Should we go into another battle here I don’t expect to come out as sound as I did this time for my turn must come with the rest.

Now wife keep up good cheer think and pray often for me I will do my best to come out safe and m???? back to see you. You don’t speak of getting the letters I wrote on the boat coming here Give my regards to all kiss The babies for me accept a??? a by one for yourself and much love Write twice a week Direct to Pittsburgh Landing via Cairo. ..in a day or so I will write just as often as I can. Write Wm & Caroline for me tell them I am yet alive. …

Kisses Good by, Lester

****************************

Notes:

1. The author of this letter is Lester B. Fillay. He was from Kane, Illinois. He mustered in Company D., on Feb 5^th, 1862. Disch, May 2, 1864; disabil.

Kane Illinois was in Greene County, ILL. It had a population of 1,166 in 1860. At least 154 men, like Fillay, answered the call to fight in the Civil War.

The Sixty-first Infantry Illinois Volunteers was organized at Carrollton, Illinois, by Colonel Jacob Fry. Three full companies were mustered February 5, 1862. February 21, the Regiment, being still incomplete, moved to Benton Barracks, Missouri. Here a sufficient number of recruits joined to make nine full companies.

March 26, 1862, embarked for Pittsburg Landing. On arriving, March 30, were assigned to Brigade of Colonel Madison Miller, Eighteenth Missouri, Division of Brigadier General B. M. Prentiss.

During the Civil War, Benton Barracks was an encampment for Union troops and was located in north St. Louis County, 4-5 miles from the City of St. Louis. . “The facility, located on the outskirts of St. Louis, could accommodate 30,000 soldiers and contained a mile of barracks, warehouses, cavalry stables, parade grounds, and a large military hospital. The hospital itself could…serve 2,000 to 3,000 patients.”

Benton Barracks was situated on land once owned by John O’Fallon who rented the acreage to U.S. Army, and on the grounds of the old State fairgrounds. This area is now part of the City of St. Louis, in the location of Fairgrounds Park (at Grand Ave. and Natural Bridge Rd.) . Camp Benton, which began operations in 1861 had numerous functions: a troop cantonment (replacing Jefferson Barracks after it was converted to a hospital); a parole encampment; a military hospital; and a camp for contraband or refugee slaves. Refugee Unionist (whites) also found sanctuary here. There is also some evidence that a few Confederate guerilla POWs were housed here for a short duration, perhaps awaiting the sentence of execution, in the camp guardhouse.

2. Leander Stillwell, Company D, 61st Illinois says, “My company had made the trip from St. Louis to Pittsburg landing on the hurricane deck of the steamboat.”

Stillwell says the name of the steamer was the Empress. The 61st had been drilling at Benton Barracks, Missouri, from early February til March 25th when they left for Pittsburg Landing, arriving on March 31st.

3. Prentiss’s report…..
Col. Madison Miller, Eighteenth Missouri Infantry, was during the day in command of a brigade, and was among those taken prisoner. He acted during the day with distinguished courage, coolness, and ability. Upon Col. J. L. Geddes, Eighth Iowa, the same praise can be partly bestowed. He and his regiment stood unflinchingly up to the work the entire portion of the day during which he acted under my orders. Col. J. S. Alban and his lieutenant-colonel, Beall, of the Eighteenth Wisconsin, were, until they were wounded, ever to the front, encouraging their command. Col. Jacob Fry, of the Sixty-first Illinois, with an undrilled regiment fresh in the service, kept his men well forward under every assault until the third line was formed, when he became detached, and fought under General Hurlbut. Colonel Shaw, of the Fourteenth Iowa, behaved with great coolness, disposed his men sharply at every command, and maintained his front unbroken through several fierce attacks. Colonel Tindall, Lieutenant-Colonel Morton, and Major McCullough, of the Twenty-third Missouri, are entitled to high need of praise for gallant conduct.

http://www.civilwarhome.com/prentissshilohor.htm

4. April 6, 400 men were formed in line, in time to receive the first assault of the enemy, and stood their ground for an hour and a quarter, and until every other Regiment in the division had given way, and were then ordered to fall back. Upon retiring from this position, the Regiment was complimented by General Prentiss for its gallant stand. It was then ordered to support a battery of the first Missouri Artillery, and at one o’clock P. M. ordered to the support of General Hurlbut–coming to his support at a very critical moment, and maintaining his line until relieved by a fresh Regiment, and when its ammunition was entirely exhausted. When the second line was broken, the Regiment retired in good order and took a position supporting the siege guns.
Adjutant General’s Report

Another account
On the first day at Shiloh 400 men of the 61st were formed in line in time to receive the first assault of the enemy and they stood their ground for an hour and a quarter, until every other regiment in the division had given way, when they were ordered back. They were then ordered to support a battery of the 1st Mo. artillery, and at 1 P.M.. were ordered to the support of Gen. Hurlbut - coming to his support at a very critical moment, and maintaining his line until relieved by a fresh regiment, their ammunition being entirely exhausted. When the second line was broken the regiment retired in good order and took a position supporting the siege guns. Its loss in this engagement was 80 killed, wounded and missing, including 3 commissioned officers.

5. Marshall S. Corey
Residence Kane IL;
Enlisted on 12/27/1861 as a Private.
On 2/5/1862 he mustered into “E” Co. IL 61st Infantry
He was Killed on 4/6/1862 at Shiloh, TN

6. James A. Gentry
Residence Kane IL;
Enlisted on 1/17/1862 as a Private.
On 2/5/1862 he mustered into “E” Co. IL 61st Infantry
He died on 5/21/1864 at Little Rock, AR
Promotions: * Corpl

7. David G. Culver
Residence White Hall IL;
Enlisted on 2/5/1862 as a 1st Lieutenant.
On 2/5/1862 he was commissioned into “A” Co. IL 61st Infantry
He died of wounds on 4/14/1862 at Shiloh, TN

8. Robert E. Haggard
Residence Winchester IL;
Enlisted on 2/5/1862 as a 1st Lieutenant.
On 2/5/1862 he was commissioned into “F” Co. IL 61st Infantry
He Resigned on 4/2/1863

9. Martin J. Mann
Residence New Providence IL;
Enlisted on 2/5/1862 as a Captain.
On 2/5/1862 he was commissioned into “B” Co. IL 61st Infantry
He Resigned on 4/3/1863

10. Hiram Holliday
Residence Jerseyville IL;
Enlisted on 11/11/1861 as a Private.
On 2/5/1862 he mustered into “D” Co. IL 61st Infantry
He died of disease as POW on 8/14/1862 at Macon, GA
He was listed as:
* POW 4/6/1862 Shiloh, TN
* Confined 4/15/1862 Macon, GA (Estimated date)

11. Action in Spain’s Field (Woodworth’s description)
http://www.civilwargazette.com/csacw/tours/shiloh/spains_field_notes.htm
About the same time Peabody took up his first position along the low ridge overlooking Shiloh Branch, Col. Madison Miller, commanding Prentiss’s Second Brigade, began getting his troops into position in this small field belonging to a farmer named Peter Spain. At the time of the battle, the field extended farther to the north and east. Miller’s men were roughly in line with Peabody’s brigade, though not connected, and they were less than two hundred yards in front of the nearest of their own brigade’s camps, that of the 18th Missouri. Miller had the added asset of two batteries of artillery, but his infantry was even greener than Peabody’s. The 18th Wisconsin had arrived at Pittsburg Landing the afternoon before and marched out to join the brigade that evening. The 15th Michigan, arriving somewhat later, had camped closer to the landing and was only now marching up to join the brigade.

“We were drawn up in line of battle,” wrote Pvt. Edgar Embley of the 61st Illinois. “I was looking as anxious for the secesh [Rebels] as ever I did for a squirrel but I did not look long before I seen their guns glittering in the brush.” As the Confederate line moved through the forest less than a hundred yards in front of the 61st, Embley pointed them out to his captain. The shooting started at once. Embley was relieved to notice that the first Confederate volleys were aimed high and sailed harmlessly over the heads of his unit. Then the Rebels corrected their aim. “Dust flew around our feet,” recalled Embley, “the bark flew off the trees. We dropped on one knee and loaded & fired.” Prentiss was there, urging the men to fire low and take careful aim. Every Confederate they shot would leave one less to shoot at them. Though taking casualties, the 15th Michigan was not firing at all. Instead, they stood nervously but steadily in line, bayonets ready. They had not yet been issued any ammunition. Prentiss noticed their plight and ordered them to the rear to fill their cartridge boxes.

Franklin, Tenn.,
April 10, 1863.

Baird’s and Gilbert’s Divisions and Stanley’s Cavalry, Army of Kentucky.

About noon Gen. Van Dorn with about 6,000 Confederates approached Franklin over the Columbia pike from the south.  Owing to the condition of the weather the Union forces, camped at the foot of the bluff across the Harpeth river from Franklin were not apprised of the proximity of the enemy until the 40th Ohio, doing picket duty in the village, commenced skirmishing.

At 2 p. m. the Ohio troops were forced to fall back to the river.  Soon after a general attack was made on the Union fortification, but with little success.  Maj.-Gen. D. S. Stanley had been stationed with his cavalry on the Murfreesboro road to the east of the town.  A heavy mist veiled the actions of the contending forces in the village, but judging from the continuous firing, Stanley thought an attack in force must be in progress on the front and determined to attack the enemy on the flank.

Accordingly he crossed the river at Hughes’ ford and made a counter charge on the Confederate right.  Van Dorn, fearing that his whole force would be cut off, immediately withdrew his command from Granger in front and attacked Stanley, who was slowly driven back to and across the river.  The Federal loss was 10 killed, 23 wounded and 51 taken prisoners.

The Confederate casualties were 5 killed, 32 wounded and 33 captured or missing.

Source:  The Union Army, Vol. 5, p.439

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The 1863 engagement at Franklin was a reconnaissance in force by Confederate cavalry leader Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn coupled with an equally inept response by Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger. Van Dorn advanced northward from Spring Hill on May 10, making contact with Federal skirmishers just outside Franklin. Van Dorn’s attack was so weak that when Granger received a false report that Brentwood, to the north, was under attack, he believed it, and sent away most of his cavalry, thinking that the Confederate general was undertaking a diversion. When the truth became known there was no threat to Brentwood. Granger decided to attack Van Dorn, but he was surprised to learn that a subordinate had already done so, without orders. Brig. Gen. David S. Stanley, with a cavalry brigade, had crossed the Harpeth River at Hughes’s Ford, behind the Confederate right rear. The 4th U.S. Cavalry attacked and captured Freeman’s Tennessee Battery on the Lewisburg Road but lost it when Brig. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest counterattacked. Stanleys’ troopers quickly withdrew across the Big Harpeth River. This incident in his rear caused Van Dorn to cancel his operations and withdraw to Spring Hill, leaving the Federals in control of the area.

Principal Commanders: Major General Gordon Granger [US]; Major General Earl Van Dorn [CS]

Forces Engaged: Army of Kentucky [US]; 1st Cavalry Corps, Army of Tennessee [CS]

Estimated Casualties: 237 total (US 100; CS 137)

Source: National Park Service

**********************************

In the following April, when the 40th Ohio was on picket south of Franklin, Tenn., Van Dorn attacked the line with a large mounted force, but was repulsed by the regiment alone.  It moved to Triune in June, and was on the right of Rosecrans’ army in its advance on Shelbyville, Wartrace and Tullahoma.
Source: The Union Army, vol. 2

“If the general government should persist in the measures now threatened, there must be war. It is painful to discover with what unconcern they speak of war, and threaten it. They do not know its horrors. I have seen enough of it to make me look upon it as the sum of all evils.”

Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, letter to a minister, December 19, 1860
South Carolina became the first southern State to secede the next day

Recommended read:

Stonewall Jackson : The Man, the Soldier, the Legend. By James Robertson

Recommended artist - Andy Amato (see web site)

1851
A chime of eleven bells was contributed to the Confederate military cause. They were replaced in 1976 by a group of church women who raised the money to install them in the steeple.

1861
A great fire swept from the Cooper to the Ashley River. Many members of the congregation were forced to leave their homes and seek refuge in other parts of the state.

1860-65
St. Philip’s steeple was targeted for shelling by the invading Union Army. One shell exploded in the churchyard during a Sunday service. The service was completed, but worship was moved to St. Paul’s Church on Coming Street.

More on the history of the church

Dusk at St. Philip’s

Churchyard cemetery across from main building

In the same we that he considerd his own life as an instrument fit for use by the living God, Jackson esteemed the army he led to be such an instrument as well.

“Our gallant little army is increasing in numbers, and my prayer is that it may be an army of the living God as well of its country.”
- Jackson to his wife on April 7, 1862

Lincoln County / Milledgeville Ky / April 6th /63

Monday Morn,

letter reads in part:

The 112th is taken from the 3rd Brig & is stationed here alone. We shall probably stay here a number of days. The Brig has been on the move night & day ever since we left Lexington. Many are sick. The Cavalry caught up with the Rebels near Somerset & have a grand fight - Whiped them good - took 300 prisoners. Killed & wounded about 100 - our loss was very small - The 112 was about 8 hours behind the fight. I have to come back to the Regt when we left the Brigade. All the detailed men have got to come back.

Note: Somerset, March 30, 1863, when Confederate Gen. Pegram, with about two thousand five hundred, was attacked by the Union troops under Gen. Gilmore. After an engagement of several hours, Pegram was driven from the country and over Cumberland river, with considerable loss. 

I returned to the Regt on the 30th of March. I was sorry to come back. The 112 I suppose will stay here until they get their Horses & Equipments. They are going to be Mounted. It will be nearly the same as Cavalry. It will be much harder than Infantry for we shall be kept here in Ky in the Mountains & in the Edge of Tenn.

The Regt is getting quite small - about 50 are Paroled Prisoners & a large number sick. It is the coldest weather I ever saw at this time of the year - freezes hard here every night

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John C. Rockwell was from  Genesco, ILL when he enlisted on 8/12/62 as a private. He mustered into Company I, 112th Illinois Infantry.

The Union victory at Somerset that Rockwell mentions is the Battle of Dutton’s Hill (March 30-31, 1863), a cavalry-on-cavalry skirmish so-named because it was fought on farmland belonging to David Dutton. Rockwell mustered into Company I on 20 September 1862, transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps on 1 April 1865 and mustered out on 8 July 1865. The 112th Illinois Infantry saw action at Kennesaw, Jonesboro and Nashville.

Source: Nate Sanders Auction

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From the adjutant general’s report:

On the 21st of March 1863, the Regiment moved for Danville, Ky., arriving there on the evening of the 22d, and at midnight on the 23d, it was ordered back to Dick’s River bridge, on the Lexington pike, with orders to guard the bridge, and hold the opposite bank of the river, at all hazards.  It remained at the bridge until the evening of the 24th, when it fell back to the Kentucky River, at the mouth of Hickman, with the rest of the army, retreating before was supposed to be a superior force of the enemy.

From the Kentucky River, it marched back to Nicholasville, and from thence moved by way of Camp Dick Robinson, Lancaster and Crab Orchard in the direction of Somerset, Ky., in pursuit of the enemy, by forced marches.  But the cavalry and mounted infantry having overtaken and defeated the enemy at Dutton’s Hill, near Somerset, and driven him across the Cumberland River, the Regiment having only heard the sound of artillery at a respectful distance, counter-marched and moved back to Stanford.

At Stanford, the Regiment was again detached from the Brigade, and ordered to Milledgeville, Ky., where it was mounted, and remained in camp until the 26th of April.

The action at Dutton’s Hill is recorded in:  Pegrams Kentucky Expedition, OR-Series I, Vol. 23, chapter 25, page 167.

“At four o’clock in the morning we began the march on the enemy. Each man had forty cartridges, all moving accoutrements and three days’ rations. General Johnston was cheered as he rode by our command and I remember his words as well as if they had been today, ˜Shoot low, boys; it takes two to carry one off the field.”
–Pvt. William E. Bevens, 1st Arkansas“The battle has opened gentlemen; it is too late to change our dispositions. Tonight we will water our horses in the Tennessee River.”
–Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston

During the two days preceding the battle, Union troops on the outskirts of the encampment made numerous sightings of small groups of Confederates. There were even a couple of skirmishes, but the commanders of the two outlying Union divisions, Brig. Gen. William T. Sherman and Brig. Gen. Benjamin M. Prentiss , dismissed the possibility of serious Confederate action. Colonel Everett Peabody, commanding one of Prentiss’s two brigades, was not so sure. A thirty-one-year-old Harvard graduate and successful railroad engineer, Peabody had already gained combat experience during operations in Missouri the preceding fall. This made him an unusual officer in Prentiss’s green Sixth Division. The newest division in the Army of the Tennessee, the Sixth had never maneuvered as a unit. It was in the process of being assembled in its camps about three quarters of a mile east of here out of raw troops sent straight down from their assembly points in the midwest. The green-as-grass 15th and 16th Iowa regiments, who would soon be loading their rifles for the very first time back at Pittsburg Landing, were slated to join Sixth Division later in the day.

Shortly after midnight on the morning of Sunday, April 6, Col. Peabody, acting on his own authority, ordered Maj. James E. Powell of the 25th Missouri to probe forward with three companies of his own regiment and two of the 12th Michigan—less than 400 men. By the time the column moved out, it was past 4:00 a.m. The first half mile was uneventful, as the troops marched through the darkness along an old wagon road. Then, near the southeast edge of Fraley Field, three shots came from Confederate pickets, who quickly made off in the darkness. Powell formed his detachment in skirmish line and advanced into the field. A few minutes after 5:00 a.m. the advancing Federals drew heavy fire from a line of Confederates about two hundred yards ahead, along the west edge of the field. These were the 280 men of the 3rd Mississippi Battalion, commanded by Maj. Aaron B. Hardcastle. A hot fire fight erupted between Powell’s men and Hardcastle’s and lasted for the next hour and fifteen minutes, with dozens of men hit on each side. The two lines at first were visible only by the muzzle flashes of their guns. Then as the morning light began to rise, Powell realized that more numerous Confederate troops were working around his flanks and ordered his command to fall back to the east, toward Prentiss’s camps.

Prentiss, Peabody, and others at the camps had already heard the firing and were making preparations for further combat. Also listening to the sound of gunfire from Fraley Field was Confederate commanding general Albert Sidney Johnston . As he breakfasted on coffee and hardtack that morning in the pre-dawn darkness, his top generals had approached him and, for the second time in as many days, tried to talk him into giving up and going back to Corinth. While Johnston listened patiently, the sound of heavy firing came from Fraley Field. “The battle has opened gentlemen,” said Johnston decisively, “it is too late to change our dispositions.” Then, mounting his big thoroughbred Fire-eater, he added, “Tonight we will water our horses in the Tennessee River.”

Recommended reads:

Reminiscences of a Private. William E. Bevens of the First Arkansas Infantry, C.S.A.

Edited with an Introduction by Daniel E. Sutherland. The University of Arkansas Press. Fayetteville, Arkansas 1992.

An illustrated history of the Missouri Engineer
and the 25th Infantry Regiments; together with a roster of
both regiments and the last known address of all that could
be obtained … Ed. and comp. by Dr. W. A. Neal. Published: Chicago, Donohue and Henneberry, printers, 1889.

For a full treatment of the Battle of Shiloh visit this web site

“We drove the officers from their hot coffee and out of their tents, capturing their camp and tents. Captain Shoup and John Loftin and Clay Lowe each got a sword. In the quartermaster’s tent we found thousands of dollars in crisp, new bills, for they had been paying off the Yankee soldiers.”
Pvt. William E. Bevens, 1st ArkansasBy the time it reached its camps, Peabody’s brigade was nearing the point of disintegration. The colonel, who had already been wounded four times, galloped this way and that, waving his sword and trying to get his men to rally. “The 25th Missouri is disgraced,” he shouted, as the regiment, which he had commanded before rising to brigade command, continued to fall back. Then he toppled to the ground with a bullet through the head. Many of his troops kept on making fairly unorganized efforts to defend the camp, dodging between tents and wagons and squeezing off shots when they could, but within minutes the Confederates had overrun all four of the brigade’s regimental camps. The time was 8:30.

Now began a phenomenon, repeated throughout the day, by which the Confederates’ own success worked against them, disorganizing their army and slowing its advance: hundreds of Southern soldiers dispersed in each of the captured camps, rifling through tents and knapsacks and reveling in their new-found booty. “We drove the officers from their hot coffee and out of their tents, capturing their camp and tents,” crowed Pvt. William E. Bevens of the 1st Arkansas, and continued with a report on his friends’ winnings: “Captain Shoup and John Loftin and Clay Lowe each got a sword. In the quartermaster’s tent we found thousands of dollars in crisp, new bills, for they had been paying off the Yankee soldiers.” Elsewhere on the battlefield, in the dozens of Union camps overrun that day, eager Rebels found more varied plunder. In the camp of the 43rd Illinois they found Col. Adolph Engelman’s larder and ate up “several jars of anchovies, about eight pounds of the best swiss cheese, [and] four pounds of chocolate.” The German-American colonel later wondered why they left his barrel of sauerkraut alone. The Rebels also took the instruments of the 43rd’s band. Throughout the captured camps many Confederates sat reading love letters from the Yankee soldiers’ sweethearts back in the North.

Johnston was appalled at th