Civil War 150th

[Missouri_Rebel]

Thank you Capt. Your work here is extraordinary.

[Orm]

ORIGINAL: Missouri_Rebel

Thank you Capt. Your work here is extraordinary.

Indeed. I read this thread with appreciation.

[nicwb]

+1

Love the small details that you include.

I have always wondered if Jackson's death really marked the first of the major set-backs for the Confederacy.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Year Ago Today:

Near Chancellorsville, Stonewall Jackson seemed to be recovering well from the amputation of his left arm. He even asked the surgeon how long it would be before he could return to command. Although he would have preferred to remain near the front, Lee prevailed to have him evacuated to a place called Guiney Station, which was a rail-head allowing him to be speedily moved if the Yankees should threaten to capture the South's second most famous general.

On the Union side, Joseph Hooker still clung to his plan to have Lee attack him. His 75,000 men were now well entrenched, and his position allowed rapid reinforcement from one flank to the other. But Lee was focused on the Northern advance from Fredricksburg. The Southern commander again sent reinforcements to attack in that area, leaving a force to face Hooker a mere one-third the size of the main Union body. But as Lee had somehow guessed, the Yankees made no forward move.

Instead, the day's fighting fell on the Federal troops under Sedgwick. Lee had planned for an envelopment on three sides, forcing the Yankees back against the Rappahannock river and eventually leaving them unable to retreat in time. But only the wing under Jubal Early managed to deliver a powerful attack; the other two under Lafayette McLaws and Richard H. Anderson were uncoordinated and not strongly pressed. Lee showed a (for him) rare display of anger against the pair, and noted down Early for promotion.

The fighting had caused the Northerners to give up the vital ground of Marye's Heights. The bulk of the troops were now cut off from the force occupying Fredricksburg, and Sedgwick sent requests for reinforcements to Hooker. Instead, the Union commander actually requested Sedwick to send two of his brigades to him, though by any reasonable standard he already had more than enough. Segwick informed his boss that he might well have to withdraw. This lead to a very confused exchange of messages, because some of the couriers turned out to be speedier than others. By the time Hooker had decided that Sedgwick should hold his position, the Yankees were already beginning the retreat across the river.

Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com

[Capt. Harlock]

I have always wondered if Jackson's death really marked the first of the major set-backs for the Confederacy.

In this humble amateur historian's opinion, the capture of New Orleans was the first major blow. It did serious damage to the Southern economy, and also helped persuade the European powers (many of whom had consulates in the city) not to recognize the Confederacy. But Jackson's loss was most certainly a severe one; there are many who believe that Gettysburg would have turned out very differently had he been there.

[nicwb]

In this humble amateur historian's opinion, the capture of New Orleans was the first major blow.

That's a fair call. I think I really meant the first of the major set backs leading to the end of the Confederacy - more along the lines of Churchill's "beginning of the end"

there are many who believe that Gettysburg would have turned out very differently had he been there.

Again not an unreasonable assumption. Ewell was certainly no Jackson. A bit more energy on the first day may have seen the Federal position at Gettysburg made untenable.

[histgamer]

Ahh but would it have mattered? Had Lincoln done nothing, unless the AOTP was totally destroyed Gettysburg wouldn't have brought in the British and elections were still over a year away, Vicksburg still would have fallen, the Union would have had unassailable fortifications in DC and the Confederates likely wouldn't have been able to maintain a position in the North after a major battle for long.

So in the end, does a victory keep them off the road to defeat? Likely not and no I am not of the lost cause variety but I think unless Lee totally destroyed the AOTP or half of it or something it's unlikely one battle on northern soil changes the confederacies fortunes. Sending Jackson to the west to fight Grant (assuming he were alive) would have been more useful than a victory at Gettysburg.

ORIGINAL: nicwb

In this humble amateur historian's opinion, the capture of New Orleans was the first major blow.

That's a fair call. I think I really meant the first of the major set backs leading to the end of the Confederacy - more along the lines of Churchill's "beginning of the end"

there are many who believe that Gettysburg would have turned out very differently had he been there.

Again not an unreasonable assumption. Ewell was certainly no Jackson. A bit more energy on the first day may have seen the Federal position at Gettysburg made untenable.

[tocaff]

Not wanting to date myself, but I remember a parade in Washington DC when I was a kid. It honored Civil War veterans and they attended. Of course this was back in the 1950s, still.

[nicwb]

Ahh but would it have mattered? Had Lincoln done nothing, unless the AOTP was totally destroyed Gettysburg wouldn't have brought in the British and elections were still over a year away, Vicksburg still would have fallen, the Union would have had unassailable fortifications in DC and the Confederates likely wouldn't have been able to maintain a position in the North after a major battle for long.

So in the end, does a victory keep them off the road to defeat? Likely not and no I am not of the lost cause variety but I think unless Lee totally destroyed the AOTP or half of it or something it's unlikely one battle on northern soil changes the confederacies fortunes. Sending Jackson to the west to fight Grant (assuming he were alive) would have been more useful than a victory at Gettysburg

True enough Flanyboy -its all pure speculation (but that's what makes it fun [:)] )

[histgamer]

You know I've never heard of the speculation of Sending Jackson west either. That would make for a really interesting campaign. I've heard numerous people speculate on how Lee would have done if he was sent, but realistically he would not have gone, sending one of his Lt's would ahve been more likely and sending Jackson pre Vicksburg falling could have been a pretty interesting development.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

In Ohio, General Ambrose Burnside picked up the gauntlet that Clement Vallandigham had thrown down on the first of the month. Vallandigham was arrested, and brought before Burnside's military tribunal. The incensed supporters of the Democrat Vallandigham responded in turn by setting fire to the offices of the Dayton Journal, a pro-Republican newspaper.

In Virginia, John Buford's brigade of Union cavalry was reaching exhaustion the men, and even more of the horses. Buford ordered a return to the rest of Stoneman's cavalry corps, who were accomplishing rather little. On their way back, Buford and his troopers noted that some of the much of the damage they had done was already being repaired. (At this point, the Northerners had not yet learned how to permanently wreck the iron rails of railroad tracks.) They set about tearing up the tracks and burning the trestles once more.


Near Chancellorsville, Joseph Hooker called a council of war. He still had 40,000 men who had barely been engaged through the four days of fighting. Nearly all of his sub-commanders voted to counter-attack. But Hooker overruled them, and ordered the Army of the Potomac to retreat back across the Rappahannock River. As it happened, had Hooker stayed he might well have realized his plan of of a defensive battle, bleeding the Southern army: Lee had made plans to attack the next day. But on this fifth day, the Battle of Chancellorsville effectively came to an end.

Both sides had been hit hard. The Union had lost 17,197 men in total: 1,606 killed, 9,672 wounded, and 5,919 captured or missing. Confederate losses were 13,303 in total: 1,665 killed, 9,081 wounded, 2,018 captured or missing. Chancellorsville is considered by most to be Lee's greatest victory. Outnumbered nearly two-to-one, he had maneuvered his forces superbly, and not only brought the Union advance to a halt, but pushed it back. It came at a Pyrrhic cost, however: while the Union had sustained more casualties in absolute terms, the Confederates had lost a higher percentage of their men. (Note the numbers of killed and wounded were fairly close.) And one of those casualties would prove to be irreplaceable.

[Capt. Harlock]

Early May, 1863 (the exact dates are difficult):

George Stoneman's Union cavalry corps made its way back into the Northern lines. The raid had accomplished very little in the way of damage, but they had thrown a major scare into Richmond:

[font="Times New Roman"] Immediately after dinner my husband lent Mr. Washington one of his horses and they rode off together. I betook myself to my kind neighbors, the Pattons, for information. There I found Colonel Patton had gone, too. Mrs. Patton, however, knew all about the trouble. She said there was a raiding party within forty miles of us and no troops were in Richmond! ... They seemed to be mustering in citizens by the thousands. Company after company was being formed; then battalions, and then regiments. It was a wonderful sight to us, peering through the iron railing, watching them fall into ranks.
        Then we went to the President's, finding the family at supper. We sat on the white marble steps, and General Elzey told me exactly how things stood and of our immediate danger. Pickets were coming in. Men were spurring to and from the door as fast as they could ride, bringing and carrying messages and orders. . . After a while Mrs. Davis came out and embraced me silently.
        "It is dreadful," I said. "The enemy is within forty miles of us - only forty!" "Who told you that tale?" said she. "They are within three miles of Richmond!" I went down on my knees like a stone. "You had better be quiet," she said. "The President is ill. Women and children must not add to the trouble." She asked me to stay all night, which I was thankful to do.
[ . . . ]
        Early next morning the President came down. He was still feeble and pale from illness. Custis Lee and my husband loaded their pistols, and the President drove off in Dr. Garnett's carriage, my husband and Custis Lee on horseback alongside him. By eight o'clock the troops from Petersburg came in, and the danger was over. The authorities will never strip Richmond of troops again. We had a narrow squeeze for it, but we escaped.
[center]-- Mary Boykin Chesnut, A Diary From Dixie[/center][/font]


Morale was worse, if anything, in Washington. Over the wires came the news of the Confederate victory at Chancellorsville. When Lincoln learned of the magnitude of the defeat, he exclaimed, "My God! My God! What will the country say?" His fears were more than justified. There was a storm of criticism and near-despair, such as the mercurial Horace Greely of the New York Tribune: "It is horrible -- horrible; and to think of it, 130,000 magnificent soldiers so cut to pieces by less than 60,000 half-starved ragamuffins!"

(It is interesting to note that estimates of troop strength had gotten considerably more accurate since the tenure of George McClellan.)


Below Vicksburg, U. S. Grant edged closer to outright disobedience of orders:

[font="Times New Roman"]While at Grand Gulf I heard from [General Nathaniel] Banks, who was on the Red River, and who said that he could not be at Port Hudson before the 10th of May and then with only 15,000 men. Up to this time my intention had been to secure Grand Gulf, as a base of supplies, detach McClernand's corps to Banks and co-operate with him in the reduction of Port Hudson.

The news from Banks forced upon me a different plan of campaign from the one intended. To wait for his co-operation would have detained me at least a month. The reinforcements would not have reached ten thousand men after deducting casualties and necessary river guards at all high points close to the river for over three hundred miles. The enemy would have strengthened his position and been reinforced by more men than Banks could have brought. I therefore determined to move independently of Banks, cut loose from my base, destroy the rebel force in rear of Vicksburg and invest or capture the city.

Grand Gulf was accordingly given up as a base and the authorities at Washington were notified. I knew well that [General-in-Chief] Halleck's caution would lead him to disapprove of this course; but it was the only one that gave any chance of success. The time it would take to communicate with Washington and get a reply would be so great that I could not be interfered with until it was demonstrated whether my plan was practicable.
[center]--The Personal Memoirs of General U. S. Grant[/center][/font]

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

An hour after midnight, Stonewall Jackson awoke feeeling feverish and in pain from his left side. He instructed that wet towels be applied to the area, which had helped with the pain before. But this time it did not. By sunrise, he was breathing heavily, and when surgeon McGuire was brought in, the doctor found the general also had a quickened pulse. He diagnosed pneumonia.


In Ohio, Clement Vallandigham was found guilty of violating General order No. 38 by the military court after a trial lasting all of two days. The sentence was exile. Since he seemed to be warmer towards the Confederacy than the Union, that was where he would now be sent.


Being a general in the Civil War was a dangerous business, particularly for the Southern generals. Now yet another met his end, but this time not from Yankee action. Major General Earl Van Dorn had set up his headquarters in a large house (now titled Ferguson Hall) in Maury County, Tennesse. On this date, while Van Dorn was taking care of paperwork, one Dr. James Peters entered the room and shot him in the back of the head. When Dr. Peters was arrested by the Confederate authorities, he claimed that Van Dorn had been carrying on an affair with his wife. This was entirely plausible, since Van Dorn had a reputation as a womanizer. Dr. Peters would never be put on trial for the killing.

[Skipjack_]

Captain H, this thread is now on my daily reading list. I went on battlefield tours years ago (Gettysburg, Antietam, Bull Run) - the details you give are great! Totally new info to me.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

General Joseph Johnston had been "kicked upstairs" to command the Confederate Department of the West, which covered the territory from the Allegheny Mountains to the east bank of the Mississippi River. It was not a position to Johnston's liking: he was an outstanding army leader, but did not have the political/diplomatic skills to be a really good theater commander. On this date, his wish for field command was partly granted: he received a telegram from the Secretary of War in Richmond to "Proceed at once to Mississippi and take chief command of the forces there, giving to those in the field, as far as practicable, the encouragement and benefit of your personal direction."

There were three important problems: First, Johnston was not relieved as the commander of the Department of the West. He was still responsible, above all, for the situation in Tennessee, where the Union Army of the Cumberland and the Confederate Army of Tennessee had been staring at each other for months. (Which highly displeased both Lincoln and Davis.) Second, the travels involved in administrating such a large swath of territory had brought on a partial relapse from his wounds at Seven Pines. Johnston wired back: "I shall go immediately, though unfit for field-service."

Third and possibly most important of all, Johnston was given only three thousand extra troops to begin his movements. (His instructions had said "More may be expected", which was not exactly encouraging.) The great majority of the Southern forces in the area belonged to Vicksburg commander John Pemberton. Though Johnston technically had authority over Pemberton, he was already finding it difficult to make Pemberton do what he wanted. Pemberton was also receiving orders directly from Jefferson Davis, who instructed him that his highest priority was to hold Vicksburg, while Johnston believed Pemberton should take his entire force, march out of Vicksburg, and beat U. S. Grant.

And by coincidence, on this date, the threat from Grant became even greater. After having completed their feint above Vicksburg, William T. Sherman and his corps completed their crossing of the Mississippi River. Grant now had about 33,000 men, enough to give him superiority at the points of contact. And he could choose where those points of contact would be.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

In 1863, the effective treatments for pneumonia were unknown (the first report of bacteria in the respiratory passages would not be until 1875) but the progression of the disease was only too familiar to medical science. Dr. David Tucker, the leading authority on pneumonia in Virginia, had been called to Guiney Station to treat Stonewall Jackson. But by sunrise on this date, it was clear that the battle would be lost: Jackson's strength was gone.

The doctors did not believe in witholding the truth. They informed his wife Anna, who had come to Guiney Staion to be with her husband, and she told him. He denied it for only a few moments, then accepted the prognosis.

In the afternoon, he went into a delirium, and called out orders to "push up the columns!" At about 3:15 pm, he seemed to become calm, and then said, "Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees." He died a few moments later. His wife Anna and the attending doctors emerged from the house, and the news was spread by telegraph across Virginia, and then to rest of the South.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

The shock of the death of Stonewall Jackson was greater than that of any other general, North or South, during the entire Civil War. In Richmond, all businesses were closed by 10:00 a.m., and flags flew at half-staff. In the afternoon, "the saddest train that ever came into Richmond" arrived with Jackson's body. For the last two miles of the journey, the locomotive and single car had to move slowly, as the line was flanked by the largest crowd Richmond had yet seen.

The coffin was removed by pallbearers and placed in a hearse. The Confederate Congress had recently authorized a new national flag, and though it would not be formally adopted for another two weeks, the first one made in anticipation of being flown over the Capitol building was instead used to drape the casket.

Though this death was easily the heaviest blow, it was not the only one the South would suffer. (One ironic instance is that General Richard Garnett served as one of Jackson's pallbearers, and was killed in action within two months.) Such senior commanders as Albert Sydney Johnston, A. P. Hill, and "Jeb" Stuart also fell, while notably fewer Union generals were lost. It is possible that the Southern tradition of gallantry caused their generals to take greater risks than their Northern counterparts. But your humble amateur historian believes that the most important reason was simply the chances of war. Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, and Farragut all exposed themselves to enemy fire, and had narrow escapes.

[histgamer]

If Longstreet had perished at the Wilderness much in the same way Jackson had in almost the same spot after a similar decisive flank attack that nearly swept the Union army from the field he well may have been remembered very fondly and a close 2nd to Jackson in the heart of the south, his post war politics certainly soured his reputation in the South.

Would have been interesting to see the South's reaction to a Longstreet death mid war.

[Capt. Harlock]

he well may have been remembered very fondly and a close 2nd to Jackson in the heart of the south, his post war politics certainly soured his reputation in the South.

A very sound point. If Longstreet had become a casualty on the battlefield, it would have been much harder to blame him for the defeat at Gettysburg, as Jubal Early and others tried to do. (And not only would Longstreet not have joined the Republican party, he wouldn't have converted to Catholicism, which also cost him popularity in the primarily Protestant South.)

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

In Mississippi, to the southeast of Vicksburg, Grant's army again made contact with the Confederates:

[font="Times New Roman"]"McPherson encountered the enemy, five thousand strong with two batteries under General Gregg, about two miles out of Raymond. This was about two P.M. Logan was in advance with one of his brigades. He deployed and moved up to engage the enemy. McPherson ordered the road in rear to be cleared of wagons, and the balance of Logan's division, and Crocker's, which was still farther in rear, to come forward with all dispatch. The order was obeyed with alacrity. Logan got his division in position for assault before Crocker could get up, and attacked with vigor, carrying the enemy's position easily, sending Gregg flying from the field not to appear against our front again until we met at Jackson."
[center]--The Personal Memoirs of General U. S. Grant[/center][/font]

Actually, the Battle of Raymond had not gone nearly that smoothly for the Union. Confederate general John Gregg had come up with a good plan for ambushing a Federal advance force at Raymond, Mississippi. But he was not expecting to fight McPherson's entire XVII Corps, about 12,000 men. (The two Southern brigades totaled about 4,400 men.)

There was a good deal of dust, and very soon, even more gunpowder smoke, so it took some time before either side realized the heavy odds against the Rebels. In the meantime, whenever a Northern unit attempted to advance, the Southerners charged and drove them back. After several hours, the Union general (who was one of the rising stars of the Northern armies) managed to get some of his troops around either flank of the Confederate position.

The Southerners retreated, and did not stop retreating until they were all the way through the town of Raymond and out the other side. One Yankee regiment took advantage of the hasty retirement by helping themselves to a picnic which the ladies of the town had prepared in anticipation of a Southern victory.

Union losses were 68 killed, 341 wounded, and 37 missing, while the Confederates lost 100 killed, 305 wounded, and 415 captured.

Hearing the results of the battle, Grant decided to go all the way to the state capital of Jackson. Though the Mississippi state government had wisely withdrawn to a safer location, Grant had practical reasons rather than political ones:

[font="Times New Roman"]"When the news reached me of McPherson's victory at Raymond about sundown my position was with Sherman. I decided at once to turn the whole column towards Jackson and capture that place without delay. Pemberton was now on my left, with, as I supposed, about 18,000 men; in fact, as I learned afterwards, with nearly 50,000. A force was also collecting on my right, at Jackson, the point where all the railroads communicating with Vicksburg connect. All the enemy's supplies of men and stores would come by that point. As I hoped in the end to besiege Vicksburg I must first destroy all possibility of aid. I therefore determined to move swiftly towards Jackson, destroy or drive any force in that direction and then turn upon Pemberton."
[center]--The Personal Memoirs of General U. S. Grant[/center][/font][/font]