Abraham Lincoln Papers

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Abraham Lincoln papers 1 From Abraham Lincoln to Henry W. Halleck [Draft] , February 16, 1862 1 Fort Donelson in Tennessee fell unconditionally to Ulysses Grant early on February 16, giving the Union its first decisive victory in the West. In exultation but also some apprehension, Lincoln here displays his early passion for military detail by counseling Halleck, in command at St. Louis, about what threats faced him next, and what next moves he ought to make. He also urges joint action on the part of Halleck and Don Carlos Buell, in command at Louisville, as he had done previously. See Lincoln to Buell, January 6, 1862, January 7, 1862, January 13, 1862. Executive Mansion, Washington, Feb. 16, 1862 You have Fort Donelson safe, unless Grant shall be overwhelmed from outside, to prevent which latter will, I think, require all the vigilence, energy, and skill of yourself & Buell, acting in full co- 2 operation. Columbus will not get at Grant, but the the force from Bowling-Green will— They hold the Railroad from Bowling-Green to within a few miles of Donelson, with the Bridge at Clarksburg 3 undisturbed— It is unsafe to rely that they will not dare to expose Nashville to Buell. A small part of their force can retreat slowly towards Nashville, breaking up the Railroad as they go, and keep Buell out of that City twenty days— Mean time Nashville will be abundently defended by forces from 4 all South & perhaps from here at Manassas— Could not a cavalry force from Gen. Thomas on the upper Cumberland, dash across, almost unresisted, at and cut the Railroad at or near Knoxville, Tenn.? In the midst of a bombardment at Donnelson, why could not a Gun-boat run up and destroy the Bridge at Clarksburg? Our success or failure at Donnelson is vastly important; and I beg you to put your soul in the effort— I send a copy to Buell— 2 Confederate forces at Columbus and Bowling Green, Kentucky. 3 Don Carlos Buell, Union general in command at Louisville. 4 Union Brigadier General George H. Thomas had been serving in Kentucky. A. Lincoln Abraham Lincoln papers http://www.loc.gov/resource/mal.1455200.

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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.
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Forts Henry and Donelson Essential Questions: What were the outcomes of the Battles of Fort Henry and fort Donelson? What was the significance of these battles? The Fort Henry Campaign, February 1862 In early 1862, as the Union army struggled in the East, General Ulysses S. Grant and Flag-Officer Andrew H. Foote requested permission to go down the Tennessee River into northwest Tennessee. The purpose of the expedition was to capture Fort Henry, which overlooked the western section of the Tennessee River. Henry was not as strong a fort as other Southern strongholds on the Mississippi.1 Yet the Tennessee River cut Tennessee in half and dipped into Alabama, making it a crucial avenue for an advance into the Deep South. Also, capturing Fort Henry opened up the way to Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River. By February, Grant and Foote were on the move. The roads were too muddy for travel by Grant’s large army, so Grant was ordered to steam down the Tennessee River with Foote’s fleet. On February 5, Foote’s transports deposited Grant’s 15,000 soldiers below Fort Henry. The plan involved the ironclad riverboats pounding the fort from one side with Grant approaching overland from the other. When the steamers approached the fort, an artillery duel began. The ironclads were so effective that Confederate General Lloyd Tilghman surrendered in a little over an hour. Grant’s troops had not even arrived. Fort Henry was in Union hands along with “seventeen heavy guns, General Lloyd Tilghman and staff, and 60 men.”2 Also, the river belonged to the Federals all the way to Alabama.
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Stones River
STONES RIVER NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD TENNESSEE Rosecrans Advances the southerly course of the stream. This On December 26, 1862, General Rosecrans movement, if successful, would place part of Stones River marched the Union army out of Nashville the Union army between the Confederates and advanced against Bragg's position. By and their supply base at Murfreesboro. NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD December 30, the Union troops faced the Striking first, the Confederates had the ad Confederates near Stones River. vantage. At daybreak on the 31st, they furi ously assaulted the Union right wing, driving But the advance had not been without it and part of the center back through the The first big battle in the Union campaign destined to end incident. Moving swiftly with cavalry, Brig. surrounding cedar woods to the Nashville in Sherman's "March to the Sea" Gen. Joseph Wheeler raided the Union army, Pike. Only inspired fighting by Brig. Gen. burning and destroying wagon trains and Philip H. Sheridan's right-wing brigade and harassing the rearguard. Starting on the stubborn holding of most of the center by night of December 29, he completely circled Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas averted a of all western Tennessee, as well as Nash the Union army, returning to the Confed Union rout. ville and part of middle Tennessee. How erate lines early on December 31. Wheeler ever, the invasion of Kentucky by Gen. had destroyed nearly a million dollars worth All thought of the Union attack against Braxton Bragg's Confederate army tempo of Federal property and had taken 700 Bragg's right wing was now dropped.
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Battle of Shiloh
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21 DL Battle of Stones River
Battle of Stones River The fall and early winter of 1862 was a difficult time for the Union army and northern morale. Although he had stopped a Confederate invasion, General George B. McClellan had failed to cut off the fleeing Confederates and destroy Robert E. Lee’s army after the Battle of Antietam. Instead, Lee’s army slipped quietly back into Virginia where it would continue to cause frustration for the Federal army. In December, the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by General Ambrose Burnside, was soundly defeated at Fredericksburg. Also, General Ulysses S. Grant, the hero of Fort Donelson and Shiloh, had failed to capture the Mississippi River post at Vicksburg. This failure was largely due to Confederate cavalry raiders, such as Nathan Bedford Forrest and Earl Van Dorn, who ran circles around Grant’s plodding army cutting communication lines and confiscating supplies. Although a Confederate invasion of Kentucky had been repulsed at Perryville, General Don Carlos Buell seemingly refused to deploy his Army of the Cumberland to attack Confederate General Braxton Bragg’s Army of the Tennessee. In October, Buell was replaced by William S. Rosecrans. Lincoln made it clear that if Rosecrans wanted to keep his job, he had better march against Bragg.1 In essence, the Union needed a victory, and Lincoln hoped Rosecrans would provide it. In December, President Jefferson Davis visited Bragg’s headquarters at Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Citizens of the small town showered the beloved president with balls and dinners. While there, Davis sent a large number of Bragg’s men westward to slow Grant’s approach to Vicksburg.
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University Microfilms
INFORMATION TO USERS This dissertation was produced from a microfilm copy of the original document. While the most advanced technological means to photograph and reproduce this document have been used, the quality is heavily dependent upon the quality of the original submitted. The following explanation of techniques is provided to help you understand markings or patterns which may appear on this reproduction. 1. The sign or "target" for pages apparently lacking from the document photographed is "Missing Page(s)". If it was possible to obtain the missing page(s) or section, they are spliced into the film along with adjacent pages. This may have necessitated cutting thru an image and duplicating adjacent pages to insure you complete continuity. 2. When an image on the film is obliterated with a large round black mark, it is an indication that the photographer suspected that the copy may have moved during exposure and thus cause a blurred image. You will find a good image of the page in the adjacent frame. 3. When a map, drawing or chart, etc., was part of the material being photographed the photographer followed a definite method in "sectioning" the material. It is customary to begin photoing at the upper left hand corner of a large sheet and to continue photoing from left to right in equal sections with a small overlap. If necessary, sectioning is continued again — beginning below the first row and continuing on until complete. 4. The majority of users indicate that the textual content is of greatest value, however, a somewhat higher quality reproduction could be made from "photographs" if essential to the understanding o f the dissertation.
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Conflict and Controversy in the Confederate High Command: Johnston, Davis, Hood, and the Atlanta Campaign of 1864
The University of Southern Mississippi The Aquila Digital Community Dissertations Spring 5-1-2013 Conflict and Controversy in the Confederate High Command: Johnston, Davis, Hood, and the Atlanta Campaign of 1864 Dennis Blair Conklin II University of Southern Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations Recommended Citation Conklin, Dennis Blair II, "Conflict and Controversy in the Confederate High Command: Johnston, Davis, Hood, and the Atlanta Campaign of 1864" (2013). Dissertations. 574. https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/574 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The University of Southern Mississippi CONFLICT AND CONTROVERSY IN THE CONFEDERATE HIGH COMMAND: JOHNSTON, DAVIS, HOOD, AND THE ATLANTA CAMPAIGN OF 1864 by Dennis Blair Conklin II Abstract of a Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School of The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2013 ABSTRACT CONFLICT AND CONTROVERSY IN THE CONFEDERATE HIGH COMMAND: JOHNSTON, DAVIS, HOOD, AND THE ATLANTA CAMPAIGN OF 1864 by Dennis Blair Conklin II May 2013 The Union capture of Atlanta on September 2, 1864 all but assured Abraham Lincoln's reelection in November and the ultimate collapse of the Confederacy. This dissertation argues that Jefferson Davis's failure as commander-in-chief played the principal role in Confederate defeat in the war's most pivotal campaign. Davis had not learned three important lessons prior to the campaign season in 1864.
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William Starke Rosecrans – a Presentation to the Peninsula CWRT
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Episode 107: Lincoln Gets Frustrated with His Generals
Episode 107: Lincoln Gets Frustrated with His Generals http://civilwar150.longwood.edu After the Battle of Perryville in early October, Confederate General Braxton Bragg began a slow retreat back to Tennessee. Although his outnumbered men had performed well at Perryville, Bragg realized that the dream of Kentuckians rushing to join the Confederate army was not going to materialize. He headed first toward Knoxville and then farther south to Chattanooga. Although some of his subordinate officers complained bitterly that Bragg did not stay and fight longer in Kentucky, Bragg felt there was little to be gained by remaining in the border state. On the opposing side, Major General Don Carlos Buell did not send his Union troops in vigorous pursuit of the Confederates. This passive approach was too much for a frustrated Abraham Lincoln. Already annoyed with what he considered a lack of aggression by George McClellan after the Battle of Antietam, Lincoln was not satisfied with having another complacent general in command. On October 24, 1862, Buell was replaced as head of the Army of the Cumberland by William Starke Rosecrans. Rosecrans was a 43-year-old West Point graduate, born in Ohio and the great-grandson of Stephen Hopkins, who had been Governor of Rhode Island and signer of the Declaration of Independence. At West Point, Rosecrans had been roommates with James Longstreet who would rise to fame as a Confederate general. Early in the war, Rosecrans devised the plan that enabled McClellan to win the victory at Rich Mountain in western Virginia that would start McClellan on the path to leading the Union armies in the east.
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Important Battles of the Civil
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1863: Shifting Tides
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