DOCSLIB.ORG

The Struggle for Middle Tennessee

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Struggle for Middle Tennessee William Rosecrans (1819- SAFETY AND YOUR VISIT STONES RIVER NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD THE STRUGGLE 1898) took command of the To make the most of a visit to the park, plan to stay AND CEMETERY new Army of the Cumberland FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE The park is in the northwest corner of M urfreesboro, a minimum of two hours. Your first stop should be and was given the task of Tenn., 43 kilometers (27 miles) southeast of Nash­ the visitor center. An audio-visual program on the pursuing Bragg in the strug­ In February 1862 the Union army in Tennessee ville, and is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The park is battle and a museum will help orient you to the gle for control of the region. under Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant captured Fort administered by the National Park Service, U.S. various stages of the battle. A recorded guide for After gathering supplies at Donelson on the Cumberland River and nearby Department of the Interior, and the superintendent's Nashville in case his com­ use along the self-guided auto tour is available address is Rt. #10, Box 495, Old Nashville Highway, Fort Henry on the Tennessee. In April Grant won munications should be cut, upon request. Murfreesboro.TN 37130. The park telephone number again at Shiloh and during the summer of 1862 Rosecrans moved towards Groups desiring special programs should make is 61 5-893-9501. he walked into Nashville, without a shot being Murfreesboro where Bragg arrangements with the superintendent at least two awaited him. Despite his fired. In October 1862 Gen. Braxton Bragg re­ weeks in advance. Picnicking is permitted but numerical advantage Rose­ treated from Perryville, Ky., and concentrated his limited to a designated area. Camping facilities crans was pressed hard by Confederate army at Murfreesboro, Tenn., for the are available outside the park. Pets are welcome the Confederates and only winter. Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans, leading but must remain on a leash. by sheer determination did another Union army, followed Bragg from Ken­ As in any situation, conditions exist that can he prevent defeat during the tucky as far as Nashville. The two large armies spoil your time in the park. Watch for the exposed first day's fighting. After were fighting for control of Middle Tennessee's roots, uneven trails, poison ivy and sumac, slippery Bragg's withdrawal Rose­ railroads and rich farms. crans turned Murfreesboro rocks, occasional snakes, and rocky outcroppings into a strong, well-supplied On December 26,1862, Rosecrans, with that can cause a fall, injury, or unpleasantness. fortress. 45,000 men, moved out of Nashville, intending to The river is unsafe for wading or swimming. Have a sweep Bragg and his force of 38,000 aside and safe and enjoyable visit. drive on to Chattanooga. Four days later Federal forces neared Murfreesboro. Bragg's army had been found. A Note For The Handicapped Within sight of each other the two armies camped, The visitor center information facilities are readying for battle. As the fires flickered and accessible to visitors who are deaf, blind or in the sentries tramped, the mood was tense but wheelchairs. Assistance is available for restroom there was no firing. Tonight was the time to use. Trails are combinations of paving and wood snatch a few hours sleep and, if possible, a few chips. Sixty percent of the historic features can moments of pleasure. Somewhere along the line be viewed from a car. an army band struck up a patriotic air. From the opposing side came the chords of a rejoinder, and Braxton Bragg (1817-1876) As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the 0) soon the hills resounded with "Hail Columbia" was given the assignment of Department of the Interior has responsibility for moving his Confederate battling "Bonnie Blue Flag," and "Dixie" trying to most of our nationally owned public lands and army into Kentucky in hopes drown out "Yankee Doodle." Some band struck natural resources. This includes fostering the that its presence would bring up "Home Sweet Home," and the tough sardonic wisest use of our land and water resources, protec- that State into the Confeder­ westerners of both armies who sneered at the ing our fish and wildlife, preserving the environ­ acy. The plan failed and eastern "paper collar soldiers" began to sing the mental and cultural values of our national parks Bragg retreated into Ten­ bittersweet song that brought back memories of and historical places, and providing for the enjoy­ nessee where he awaited home and family. Voices faded as "Tattoo" called ment of life through outdoor recreation. The C the approach of the Union for lights out in the frosty camps. Department assesses our energy and mineral forces. After the engage­ resources and works to assure that their develop­ ment at Stones River, Bragg At dawn on December 31,1862, the Confeder­ ment is in the best interests of all our people. The withdrew, not defeated but ates charged the Union right flank. There was no Department also has a major responsibility for not victorious. Six months music now, just the roar of musketry and the deep American Indian reservation communities and for later Bragg and Rosecrans boom of cannon as the onslaught sent the Federals people who live in Island Territories under U.S. met for a rematch at Chicka- administration. o reeling backward through the dense cedar thickets mauga where Bragg was vic­ torious. Bragg was energetic which covered the battlefield. The noise was so National Park Service but not persistent, some­ intense that Confederate soldiers paused in their U.S. Department of the Interior times vague in carrying out attack to stuff their ears with cotton. CO his well-made plans. By 10 a.m. the Union line had been driven back GUIDE TO THE BATTLEFIELD-TOUR STOPS almost to the Nashville Pike but there the Fed­ erals held, under orders from "Old Rosy" to "con­ The major points of interest December 31,1862 along the Nashville Pike. e Rosecrans Establishes A O Struggle for the Round test every inch of ground." And contest it they did, on the battlefield can be Without sufficient artillery " New Line Forest with Gen. Philip Sheridan's division and Maj. Gen. reached on the park's self- -i Chicago Board of Trade support, the Confederate in­ (5 p.m.) (9a.m.-4 p.m.) George Thomas' troops beating off attack after guided auto tour. Stops are 1 Battery fantry assaults were doomed When the attacking Confed­ This was the only Union posi­ identified by a numbered to failure. erates saw the new Union attack with cannon and rifle and with bayonet and (8 a.m.) tion to hold throughout the marker. Short trails and ex­ battle-line drawn along the first day of the battle. The clubbed musket when the ammunition ran out. Thousands of Union troops hibits explain the events at A Sheridan's Stand Nashville Pike and into the burst from the cedars located first Confederate attack Rosecrans brought in reserves and by late after­ each site. The speed limit is ^ (10 a.m.) Round Forest, they fell back across the field behind the came at 10 a.m. across the noon had established a new line along the pike. 40 kilometers (25 miles) per into the cedars. As long as visitor center and were fol­ Near here, the men of Gen. field on the other side of the The day's fighting sputtered to a close. hour. The forest is important the Federals clung to the lowed closely by victory- Philip H. Sheridan and Maj. Nashville Pike and was in understanding the story Round Forest, the Confed­ There were no band concerts that night, and no confident Confederates. The Gen. George H. Thomas broken up by Union artil­ of this park, so we ask that erates could not gain victory. one celebrated New Year's Eve. The two armies Chicago Board of Trade warded off determined Con­ lery. An hour later another you smoke only in your remained in position the next day, but there was Battery, so called because federate assaults. In an at­ charge carried to within 137 vehicle to prevent a fire. To reach stop 7, you must the Board of Trade pro­ tempt to crack the Union line meters (1 50 yards) of the no fighting. On January 2, Bragg, confident the Begin the tour at stop 1 in cross the Old Nashville High­ vided the money for estab­ at this point the Confeder­ Union line before being Federals would withdraw, was perplexed to find front of the visitor center lishing and equipping the ates wheeled uptheirgunsto way. The high-speed driving stopped. The monument Rosecrans still in front of him. Late in the afternoon across from the bus parking 6-gun battery, sprang into within 183 meters (200 encountered here is not like erected in 1863 by the Bragg launched the brigades of Gen. John Breckin­ area. Remember that the action on this rise. Their yards) of Sheridan's position, that on the park roads. Be survivors of Col. William B. appearance of the battlefield ridge in an attack that drove back the Federal first charges of canister forced but attack after attack still cautious crossing this heav­ Hazen's brigade is the today is almost the same as failed with costly losses to Nation's oldest Civil War line to a shallow river crossing known as McFad- the Confederates to with­ ily traveled road. at the time of the battle. This den's Ford, but they were stopped by massive draw to the cedars.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • General Joseph “Fightin' Joe” Wheeler
    General Joseph “Fightin’ Joe” Wheeler By Wil Elrick September 10, 1836 was an ordinary day that saw the birth of an ordinary child in Augusta, Georgia. The boy was the youngest of four children born to Joseph and Julia Hull Wheeler. The name bestowed upon the ordinary child would go on to be known throughout the United States as that of an excellent soldier and statesman – that name was Joseph Wheeler. In addition to an unremarkable birth, Joseph went through his early life in a similar ordinary state. Joseph senior was a merchant banker and landowner who had built for himself a small fortune only General to see it all taken away in the bank Joseph “Fightin” Joe” Wheeler failures and financial panic of 1837. (Wikipedia) Soon after the family’s fortune was received his appointment to West lost, Julie unexpectedly passed Point at the age of seventeen. away. Unable to raise the young boy On July 1, 1854, Joseph Wheeler on his own, Joseph senior sent entered West Point which at the Joseph to Connecticut to live with time was under Superintendent his two aunts and attend the Robert E. Lee. While at West Point, Cheshire Academy boarding school Joseph Wheeler was once again in 1842. considered unremarkable. He had There is little recorded about his very high scores in the subject of time at Cheshire, but he did seem to Deportment, but otherwise, he was be an average youth who enjoyed in the bottom of his class during his reading about wars and learning five years at the military academy.
    [Show full text]
  • Any Victory Not Bathed in Blood: William Rosecrans's Tullahoma
    A BGES Civil War Field University Program: Any Victory Not Bathed in Blood: William Rosecrans’s Tullahoma Advance With Jim Ogden June 17–20, 2020; from Murfreesboro, TN “COMPEL A BATTLE ON OUR OWN GROUND?”: William Rosecrans on the objectives of his Tullahoma advance. A “victory not bathed in blood.” A campaign with no major battle. Only a “campaign of maneuver.” You are a real student of the Civil War if you have given serious consideration to this key component of Maj. Gen. William Starke Rosecrans’s command tenure. Sadly, if not entirely overlooked, it usually is only briefly reviewed in histories of the war. Because of the way it did turn out, it is easy to say that it is only a campaign of maneuver, but as originally conceived the Federal army commander intended and expected much more. Henry Halleck’s two “great objects” were still to be achieved. Rosecrans hoped that when he advanced from Murfreesboro, much would be accomplished. In this BGES program we’ll examine what Rosecrans hoped would be a campaign that might include not the but rather his planned “Battle for Chattanooga.” Wednesday, June 17, 2020 6 PM. Gather at our headquarters hotel in Murfreesboro where Jim will introduce you to General Rosecrans, his thinking and combat planning. He is an interesting character whose thinking is both strategic and advanced tactical. He was a man of great capacity and the logic behind this operation, when juxtaposed against the expectations of the national leadership, reveals the depth of Rosecrans’s belief in his ability to deliver decisive results that supported Lincoln’s war objectives.
    [Show full text]
  • Tactical Errors: Union and Confederate Armies Were Hampered by Atlanta's Landscape
    Civil War Book Review Winter 2001 Article 25 Tactical Errors: Union And Confederate Armies Were Hampered By Atlanta's Landscape Philip L. Secrist Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cwbr Recommended Citation Secrist, Philip L. (2001) "Tactical Errors: Union And Confederate Armies Were Hampered By Atlanta's Landscape," Civil War Book Review: Vol. 3 : Iss. 1 . Available at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cwbr/vol3/iss1/25 Secrist: Tactical Errors: Union And Confederate Armies Were Hampered By At Review TACTICAL ERRORS Union and Confederate armies were hampered by Atlanta's landscape Secrist, Philip L. Winter 2001 McMurry, Richard M. Atlanta 1864: Last Chance for the Confederacy. University of Nebraska Press, 2000-08-01. ISBN 803232128 In Atlanta 1864, Richard McMurry ably retraces the familiar scholarly analysis of Confederate command interplay during the Atlanta campaign, in which wartime field tent strategies collided with the long distance meddling of Richmond. Disappointingly, nothing fresh and new rises from McMurry's effort. In the author's account of the depressing and petty quarrelling among Confederate generals and leaders during Atlanta's defense - a saga that features Joseph E. Johnston, John Bell Hood, William J. Hardee, Braxton Bragg, and Jefferson Davis - Johnston takes the biggest "hit." He earns much of the criticism he gets, especially when his style of leadership is compared against the tactical daring of Lee in Virginia. McMurry does his usual scholarly work in this regard and his case is strong. Where Atlanta 1864 suffers most is McMurry's failure to appreciate how command decisions were influenced by topography, undergrowth, other natural landscape features (rivers and small streams), incomplete or incorrect information, and extremely poor roads along the 100-mile route of the Atlanta campaign.
    [Show full text]
  • Gen. Braxton Bragg and Two Texas Ghost Stories
    Gen. Braxton Bragg and Two Texas Ghost Stories Norman Dasinger, Jr., August 7, 2020 blueandgrayeducation.org Braxton Bragg grew up in North Carolina. The rumor was that his mother was in prison for killing a free Black man, and she gave birth to him there. Young Braxton was a smart boy. He managed to get to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, and he graduated fifth in the 1837 class. He served bravely in the Mexican War and returned to his hometown a hero receiving cheers from the very people that had maligned him for his family history while growing up Soon, he met the daughter of a rich Louisiana sugar cane plantation owner, Eliza Ellis. They were married, and Bragg decided to leave the army. He resigned and moved to Thibodaux and bought a 1,600-acre sugar cane plantation of his own. He used his superior talents of organization to make the endeavor profitable When Louisiana seceded from the United States, Braxton Bragg Bragg was made a brigadier general in the new Confederate States Army and commanded the Department of West Florida headquartered in Pensacola. Following the battle of Shiloh, he was made a full general and given command of the Army of Tennessee. He led a campaign into Kentucky, and his soldiers fought at the battles of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Chickamauga, Georgia. By December 1863, Bragg was removed from army command and given an advisory role in Richmond’s War Department. On May 9, 1865, Bragg was captured near Monticello, Georgia, and upon his release he moved into his brother’s house in Lowndesboro, Alabama.
    [Show full text]
  • A Murder in Kentucky In
    A Murder in Kentucky http://civilwar150.longwood.edu In late September 1862, most of the nation’s attention was focused on Kentucky, where Confederate forces under General Braxton Bragg were advancing into the central region of the state, while Edmund Kirby-Smith’s command moved into Eastern Kentucky. As Bragg’s army occupied Bardstown, a Union force under General Don Carlos Buell raced northward from Tennessee in a frantic effort to reach Louisville before the Confederates could occupy that strategically important city. On September 25 Buell’s force arrived in Louisville, beating Bragg in the race to the city. The Federals still had much work to do over the following days in order to complete the city’s defenses in the event of a southern attack. Buell also sent a portion of his force towards the Kentucky capital of Frankfort, in an effort to prevent Bragg and Smith from uniting their commands. Buell eventually moved his troops southward against Bragg, which would culminate in the October 8th battle of Perryville. As the Federals strengthened Louisville’s defenses, a bizarre confrontation would occur between two Union generals that would leave one of the men dead. Union Brigadier General Jefferson C. Davis had been born in 1828 and served in the Mexican War, where he earned a promotion to lieutenant. At the outbreak of the Civil War he took part in the defense of Fort Sumter, before leading units at the battles of Wilson’s Creek and Pea Ridge and subsequently being assigned to the command of Major General William Nelson in Kentucky.
    [Show full text]
  • Braxton Bragg: the Most Hated Man in the Confederacy
    Civil War Book Review Spring 2017 Article 8 Braxton Bragg: The Most Hated Man In The Confederacy Chris Mackowski Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cwbr Recommended Citation Mackowski, Chris (2017) "Braxton Bragg: The Most Hated Man In The Confederacy," Civil War Book Review: Vol. 19 : Iss. 2 . DOI: 10.31390/cwbr.19.2.13 Available at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cwbr/vol19/iss2/8 Mackowski: Braxton Bragg: The Most Hated Man In The Confederacy Review Mackowski, Chris Spring 2017 Hess, Earl J. Braxton Bragg: The Most Hated Man in the Confederacy. University of North Carolina Press, $35.00 ISBN 9781469628752 From Infamy to Intrigue: Braxton Bragg Revised One of Earl Hess’s great gifts as an author is that he can take a topic we all talk about but which tend to be inglorious—fortifications, infantry tactics, rifled muskets—and then creates essential contributions to our Civil War libraries. He has done so again with his latest endeavor, a biography of Braxton Bragg: The Most Hated Man in the Confederacy. “One need only mention [Bragg’s] name at a Civil War round table meeting to bring a guffaw from someone who will make a snide comment about the general,” Hess writes in his prologue, explaining the fundamental problem of writing about his subject (xi). Yet Hess rightfully contends that Bragg was “a complex and important individual who deserves much more from students and historians than to be made the butt of unfounded ridicule” (xix). The challenge Hess lays out for himself with the book—and for readers—sounds deceptively simple: “We have to approach Bragg from a clear perspective and take him for what he was while rejecting the old image that has become a comforting but unfair view of the man and his military career” (xiii).
    [Show full text]
  • Ancestors of Nicholas Andrew Harvey
    Ancestors of Nicholas Andrew Harvey Prepared by: GrandPop Bo Hagen 1734 Montain Heights Drive Salem, Virginia 24153 Table of Contents .Ancestors . of. .Nicholas . Andrew. .Harvey . .1 . .First . Generation. .1 . .Second . Generation. .3 . .Third . Generation. .5 . .Source . .Citations . .9 . .Fourth . Generation. .11 . .Source . .Citations . .18 . .Fifth . Generation. .19 . .Source . .Citations . .42 . .Sixth . Generation. .43 . .Source . .Citations . .83 . .Seventh . .Generation . .85 . .Source . .Citations . .138 . .Eighth . .Generation . .141 . .Source . .Citations . .183 . .Ninth . .Generation . .185 . .Source . .Citations . .230 . .Tenth . Generation. .231 . .Source . .Citations . .263 . .11th . .Generation . .265 . .Source . .Citations . .282 . .12th . .Generation . .283 . .Source . .Citations . .300 . .13th . .Generation . .301 . .Source . .Citations . .307 . .14th . .Generation . .309 . .Source . .Citations . .311 . .15th . .Generation . .313 . Produced by Legacy on 8 Oct 2014 Table of Contents . .Source . .Citations . .315 . .16th . .Generation . .317 . .Source . .Citations . .323 . .Name . Index. .324 . Produced by Legacy on 8 Oct 2014 Ancestors of Nicholas Andrew Harvey First Generation 1. Nicholas Andrew Harvey, son of Edmund Francis (Ed) (Eddie) Harvey and Amy Lou Hagen, was born on 4 May 2005 in Blacksburg, Va.. General Notes: Nicholas was delivered via C-Section at Montgomery County Regional Hospital. Noted by Amy Hagen Harvey in May 2006: "One interesting tidbit you might want to add [to the family story] is that Ed's grandfather on his mom's side (Theodore Chorazak) had the middle name Andrew. We liked the name Andrew before we found that out but it helped us "seal the deal" on choosing that for his middle name." Nicholas at the Piano Showing his talent at Gramma's house in Salem (2014) 1 Produced by Legacy on 8 Oct 2014 Ancestors of Nicholas Andrew Harvey 2 Produced by Legacy on 8 Oct 2014 Ancestors of Nicholas Andrew Harvey Second Generation (Parents) 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Joseph Wheeler Family Papers Finding
    JOSEPH WHEELER FAMILY PAPERS, 1809-1943 Finding aid Call number: LPR50 Extent: 70 cubic ft. (145 archives boxes, 4 oversized containers, and 51 volumes.) To return to the ADAHCat catalog record, click here: http://adahcat.archives.alabama.gov:81/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=4222 Alabama Dept. of Archives and History, 624 Washington Ave., Montgomery, AL 36130 www.archives.alabama.gov JOSEPH WHEELER FAMILY PAPERS OUTLINE OF SERIES DESCRIPTION Biographical sketch of Joseph Wheeler p. 4 I. WHEELER AND JONES FAMILY A. Genealogical/Biographical papers p. 6 II. DANIELLA JONES WHEELER, 1841-1896 p. 6 A. PAPERS, GENERAL, 1862-1874 III. JOSEPH WHEELER, 1787-1866 A. FINANCIAL RECORDS, 1815-1866 p. 6 B. FAMILY LETTERS, 1809-1842, 1857 p. 7 IV. WILLIAM HULL WHEELER, 1834-1861 A. PAPERS, GENERAL, 1847-1861 p. 7 V. RICHARD JONES, 1793-1883 A. PAPERS, GENERAL, 1851-1883 p. 7 VI. THOMAS HARRISON JONES, 1820-1889 A. FINANCIAL RECORDS, 1853-1874 p. 8 VII. JONES FAMILY A. PAPERS, GENERAL, various dates p. 8 VIII. JOSEPH WHEELER, 1836-1906 A. PERSONAL/FAMILY PAPERS, 1860-1943 1. Letters, 1860-1943 p. 9 2. Invitations, 1880s-1900s p. 12 3. Printed material, various dates p. 12 B. FINANCIAL/BUSINESS, 1820-1923 1. Bookkeeping volumes, 1920-1884 p. 12 2. Financial records, 1865-1923 p. 13 C. LEGAL, 1869-1905 1. Jones and Wheeler/Wheeler and Jones, 1869-1881, various dates p. 18 2. Phelan and Wheeler, 1873-1880, various dates p. 19 3. Joseph Wheeler, 1869-1902 p. 19 2 JOSEPH WHEELER FAMILY PAPERS OUTLINE OF SERIES DESCRIPTION (continued) D.
    [Show full text]
  • Braxton Bragg Essay
    Essential Civil War Curriculum | Judith Lee Hallock, Ph.D., Braxton Bragg | February 2012 Braxton Bragg Braxton Bragg By Judith Lee Hallock, Ph.D. Braxton Bragg. The mere mention of his name today elicits giggles and guffaws, as though his entire military career were a joke. While it is true that his battlefield command proved non-stellar, his reputation has suffered more than that of others who performed even more poorly. One reason for this may be attributed to his unfortunate personality - contentious, irascible, quarrelsome, vengeful, and quick to blame others for his mistakes. These traits, along with suffering frequent illnesses, do not make an effective leader of men. As the Civil War began, despite his cantankerousness, Bragg was held in high regard; great deeds were expected of him. Unfortunately, in the crucible of war, he did not live up to those expectations. Bragg grew up in Warrenton, North Carolina, located in an affluent tobacco- growing area, where slaves made up more than half the population. Braxton’s father, Thomas Bragg, settled in Warrenton around 1800. He worked as a carpenter, and eventually became a successful contractor. In 1803, Thomas married Margaret Crosland, with whom he had twelve children. Braxton, the eighth child, was born on March 21, 1817. Braxton attended the Warrenton Male Academy for nine years, where his teachers regarded him as an excellent student. By the time he was ten, his father had decided that Braxton would attend the Military Academy at West Point, and he worked assiduously at winning an appointment for his son. After years of lobbying, Thomas succeeded, and at the age of sixteen Braxton entered the academy with the class of 1837.
    [Show full text]
  • Sherman's March Through North Carolina
    Published on NCpedia (https://www.ncpedia.org) Home > ANCHOR > Civil War and Reconstruction (1860-1876) > The War Comes to an End, 1864–1865 > Sherman's March Through North Carolina Sherman's March Through North Carolina [1] Share it now! On December 21, 1864, Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman completed his March to the Sea by capturing Savannah, Georgia. Sherman’s next move was to march northward through the Carolinas to Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederacy, where he would combine with the forces commanded by Union general-in-chief Ulysses S. Grant. The massive juggernaut [2] under Grant and Sherman would ensure final victory for the Union by crushing Confederate general- in-chief Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. Before marching to Richmond, however, Sherman would halt at Goldsboro, North Carolina, and unite with a Union force commanded by Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield. Sherman began his Carolinas Campaign on February 1, 1865, by advancing into South Carolina. By February 17, his forces had captured Columbia, the capital of the Palmetto State. Thus far, the Confederates’ resistance in South Carolina was ineffective. On February 22, Lee ordered Gen. Joseph E. Johnston to assume command of the forces opposing Sherman. During the first week of March, Johnston frantically concentrated his scattered forces in central North Carolina, while Sherman advanced into the Tar Heel State. On March 10, Confederate cavalry [3] commander Wade Hampton surprised his Federal counterpart Judson Kilpatrick at Monroe’s Crossroads in an engagement later dubbed "Kilpatrick’s Shirttail Skedaddle." Although Kilpatrick quickly recovered from his shock and regained his camp, Hampton succeeded in opening the road to Fayetteville.
    [Show full text]
  • V^"— I^^«SB Hi 1863 Did He Finally Start South
    •—• • \ • 11^^^^^ . •* • .NATIONAL MILITARY PARK (GEORGIA • TENNESSEE v I _v^"— i^^«SB Hi 1863 did he finally start south. His goal was Chattanooga, Rosecrans. By moving up the east side of Chickamauga flee. He coolly formed a new defensive line to protect his gateway to Georgia and a hub for rail lines to all parts Creek, Bragg now sought to turn the Union left and seize flank, and here his men repulsed Longstreet's onslaughts of the Confederacy. the roads to Chattanooga, hoping thus to drive Rosecrans the rest of the afternoon, earning for Thomas the nick­ back into the mountains and reoccupy the city. name, "Rock of Chickamauga." After covering the army's Meanwhile, Rosecrans saw that the situation had retreat, this force withdrew in good order to Chattanooga. W/Wi changed and hurried to unite his scattered forces at Chick­ amauga Creek. On September 18 the Confederates began forcing the bridges and fords over the creek, and by late that night most of Bragg's army was across. Early the next morning the two armies faced each other west of CHfflANOOOn these fields and hills Union and Confederate Uarmies the creek along a line of several miles. Fighting began clashed during the fall of 1863 in some of the hardest just after dawn with a skirmish on Rosecrans' left. fighting of the Civil War. The prize was Chattanooga, key rail center and gateway to the heart of the Confed­ eracy. In September at Chickamauga, 11 miles below Chattanooga, Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg attacked and drove from the field Gen.
    [Show full text]
  • Johnston Site Bulletin A
    National Park Service Kennesaw Mountain U.S. Department of the Interior Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Joseph E. Johnston, Soldier Introducing Mr. Johnston When the Civil War broke out, many of his military colleagues expected much of Joseph E. Johnston. By 1861, he had already been battle-hardened. A native of Virginia, Johnston attended the military academy at West Point, graduating with Robert E. Lee, future commander of the Army of Northern Virginia. A few years later, the young soldier served in the Black Hawk War of 1832, then against the Seminoles in Florida in 1838. In the Mexican War, Johnston was wounded twice and was soon thereafter promoted to colonel. By the outbreak of the Civil War, “Old Joe” was quartermaster-general of the United States Army. Early War Experience When war broke out in 1861, Johnston resigned his was heavily pressured to relieve the city, despite post in favor of the Confederacy, and was appointed his small numbers. Although Johnston ordered the Commanding General of the Army of the Shenan- commander of the Confederate garrison, Lieutenant doah. Later that year when the North launched its General John C. Pemberton, to attack in conjunction first major offensive, the general evaded a superior with his forces, the former refused. Without these force under Union General Patterson to join with men, attack was impractical. Johnston next or- Confederate General Beauregard at the First Battle of dered Pemberton to retreat and save his army from Manassas, and played a crucial role in the Rebel vic- capture. Pemberton had, however, been ordered tory there.
    [Show full text]