Posted on Oct 27, 2016
What was the most significant event on September 9 during the U.S. Civil War?
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There was more to the Civil War than Minié balls, rifles, cannon and saber charges supplemented by carbines. In addition to politics including state’s rights and slavery, there was also illness. Approximately two-thirds of the men who died in the war died from disease. That means that roughly 450,000 soldiers died not from battle; but, from sickness between the spring of 1861 and the summer of 1865.
In 1862, CSA General Robert E. Lee issued Orders Number 191 which laid out his battle plans for what would become the Antietam battle. Nobody realized a copy of the orders was missing.
Lee was surprised to learn that the bypassed Harpers Ferry in Western Virginia was manned by 14,000 Federal troops astride his lines of communication.
Tuesday, September 9, 1862: “Gen. Robert E. Lee issues Orders No. 191, deploying his army in several parts to accomplish a number of tasks, especially taking Harper’s Ferry and disrupting the operations of the B&O Railroad, the main rail link between East and West northern states: “HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, September 9, 1862. SPECIAL ORDERED, Numbers 191.
The army will resume its march to-morrow taking the Hagerstown road. General Jackson's command will form the advance, and, after passing Middletown, with such portion as he may select, take the route toward Sharpsburg, cross the Potomac at the most convenient point, and, by Friday night, take possession of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, capture such of the enemy as may be at Martinsburg, and intercept such as may attempt to escape from Harper's Ferry.
General Longstreet's command will pursue the same road as far as Boonsborough, where it will halt with the reserve, supply, and baggage trains of the army.
General McLaws, with his own division and that of General R. H. Anderson, will follow general Longstreet. On reaching Middletown he will take the route to Harper's Ferry, and by Friday morning possess himself of the Maryland Heights, and endeavor to capture the enemy at Harper's Ferry and vicinity.
General Walker, with his division, after accomplishing the object in which he is now engaged, will cross the Potomac at Cheek's Ford, ascend its right bank to Loyettsville, take possession of Loudoun Heights, if practicable, by Friday morning, Keys' Ford on his left, and the road between the end of the mountain and the Potomac on his right. He will, as far as practicable, co-operate with General McLaws and General Jackson in intercepting the retreat of the enemy.
General D. H. Hill's division will form the rear guard of the army, pursuing the road taken by the main body. The reserve artillery, ordnance, supply trins, &c., will precede General Hill.
General Stuart will detach a squadron of cavalry to accompany the commands of Generals Longstreet, Jackson, and McLaws, and with the main body of the cavalry will cover the route of the army and bring up all stragglers that may have been left behind.
The commands of Generals Jackson, McLaws, and Walker, after accomplishing the objects for which they have been detached, will join the main body of the army at Boonsborough or Hagerstown.
Each regiment on the march will habitually carry its axes in the regimental ordnance wagons, for use of the men at their encampments to procure wood, &c.
By command of General R. E. Lee: R. H. CHILTON, Assistant Adjutant-General
Major General D. H. Hill, Commanding Division.”
With McClellan on the move, Robert E. Lee penned Special Orders No. 191 on Tuesday, September 9, 1862. “Upon arriving in Frederick, Maryland with his Army of Northern Virginia, General Robert E. Lee was surprised to learn that Harpers Ferry had not been abandoned by its Federal garrison. By all typical military logic, it should have been. And yet, it was held by 14,000 Union troops. Lee wanted to establish a line of communication with Richmond that would avoid Manassas, as it would be too easy for enemy forces to disrupt it. His only other option was using the Shenandoah Valley. But an occupied Harpers Ferry blocked the way.
This was a problem. If he ignored the garrison at Harpers Ferry, there was little chance they’d add much weight to the Union Army of the Potomac’s pursuit, but there was every chance that his daily communication with Richmond, as well as his line of supplies, would be destroyed. Before he moved any farther – upon Hagerstown or into Pennsylvania – the Harpers Ferry problem had to be solved.
Over the past couple of days, Lee had been discussing this very matter with Generals Stonewall Jackson and James Longstreet. Lee’s plan was to divide his army in front of an enemy that outnumbered him. This was a risky move, but one that he had made several times before with stunning success.
Jackson was, naturally, for it, while Longstreet met it with disapproval. Rather than dividing the already small army, Longstreet suggested that the entire force fall upon Harpers Ferry and then move on to greater things. Lee liked his own idea better and on this day, committed it to paper.
And so General Lee wrote his Special Orders, No. 191 – perhaps the most famous order of the entire war – outlining his plan for the campaign.
Lee’s army was to resume its march the following day. They would, as one unit, march towards Hagerstown. While Longstreet’s men continued on to Boonsboro, from Middletown, Jackson would head towards Sharpsburg and the Potomac River, which he would cross to capture the B&O Railroad.
Meanwhile, General Lafayette McLaws would take two divisions to the heights overlooking Harpers Ferry. Another division, under General John Walker, had already left Frederick and would be falling upon Harpers Ferry from the south. With Jackson north of the Union garrison, McLaws to the east, and Walker to the south, there was no doubt that Harpers Ferry would fall.
After all of this was accomplished (by Friday, September 12), Jackson, McLaws and Walker were to rejoin the main body of Lee’s army which would, by then, be near Hagerstown.
This risky plan required Jackson’s forces to march seventy-two miles in three days. His “foot cavalry” had done this before, but also in the mix was the capture of a Union garrison. Though they had a few day’s rest, the Confederate soldiers were still on the brink of exhaustion. Supplies were low, shoes were becoming more and more scarce, and they were all looking the part of vagabonds with each passing day. But both Lee and Jackson had faith that their troops would not let them down.
Formerly attached to Jackson’s wing, Lee’s orders placed General D.H. Hill’s Division under Longstreet and made them the rear guard. After Jackson received his copy of the order, he wanted to let General Hill know what was going on. Jackson took it upon himself to personally write a copy of the orders.
Lee, unbeknown to Jackson, had already made a copy for D.H. Hill. However, it was fortuitous of Jackson to transcribe the orders for Hill as Lee’s copy was never received (according to D.H. Hill, anyway).
While Lee was planning, he learned that McClellan was on the move. “From reports that have reached me,” wrote Lee to Jefferson Davis, “I believe that the enemy are pushing a strong column up the Potomac River by Rockville and Darnestown, and by Poolesville toward Seneca Mills. I hear that the commands of Sumner, Sigel, Burnside, and Hooker are advancing in the direction above mentioned.”
Lee had heard correctly. Coming up the Potomac River were Generals Franklin and Sigel. At Rockville and Darnestown, was General Franklin. General Couch was near Seneca Mills, while Burnside and Hooker were a bit farther to the east at Cracklintown.
Though McClellan had been foggy over the Confederate whereabouts the previous day, he was certain he now knew where they were: Frederick, Maryland. He was also certain he knew how large they were: 110,000 – over twice their actual number. He was still unsure what they were up to. “They talk of going to Gettysburg and York,” wrote McClellan to General-in-Chief Henry Halleck.
Yet, other sources indicated that the Rebels were headed to Baltimore. McClellan ordered Burnside, his eastern-most commander, to be prepared to fall upon the flank of the advancing column somewhere along the line of the B&O Railroad, probably near Ridgeville.
“The army is tonight well posted to act in any direction the moment the enemy develops his movements,” wrote McClellan at the end of the day. “I am now in condition to-watch him closely, and he will find it hard to escape me if he commits a blunder.”
http://civilwardailygazette.com/with-mcclellan-on-the-move-lee-pens-special-orders-no-191/
Pictures: A_Civil_War_Hospital_in_Washington_DC_Two_thirds_of_death_during the Civil War; CSS-banshee; 1862-09-09 harpers ferry; 1862-09-09 special-order-no-191
A. 1861: On the eve of battle at Carnifex Ferry in Western Virginia, General Wise’s wing of the Confederate Army of the Kanawha stirred to life in the morning when word arrived from General Floyd. By 8:30am, the dispatch penned by Floyd, seventeen miles away, was in Wise’s hands. The enemy, said Floyd, who actually commanded the army, was twelve miles away from Summersville (which was about fifteen miles away from Floyd at Carnifex Ferry). With only 1,600 men, it was unlikely, thought Floyd, that he could withstand an attack and he requested Wise to send two regiments at once.
Wise, as was typical, balked, sending only one regiment (which wasn’t technically part of “Wise’s Legion” anyway), but refusing to send more. Never wanting to break up his Legion, Wise had even requested Lee to issue an order stating that it could never be broken up (Lee refused). This time around, Wise reasoned that he had up to 3,000 Federals before him at Gauley Bridge and only 1,050 effectives of his own.
B. 1862: Antietam Campaign. CSA General Robert E. Lee was surprised to learn that Harpers Ferry had not been abandoned by its Federal garrison. It was held by 14,000 Union troops. Lee wanted to establish a line of communication with Richmond that would avoid Manassas, as it would be too easy for enemy forces to disrupt it. His only other option was using the Shenandoah Valley. But an occupied Harpers Ferry blocked the way.
This was a problem. If he ignored the garrison at Harpers Ferry, there was little chance they’d add much weight to the Union Army of the Potomac’s pursuit, but there was every chance that his daily communication with Richmond, as well as his line of supplies, would be destroyed. Before he moved any farther – upon Hagerstown or into Pennsylvania – the Harpers Ferry problem had to be solved.
C. 1863: Chattanooga, Tennessee is abandoned by CSA Gen Braxton Bragg as Maj Gen Rosecrans Army of the Cumberland outmaneuvers Bragg’s defenses via Lookout Mountain. This occurred even while CSA President Jefferson Davis wanted to send 12,000 from Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia to shore up eastern Tennessee. At the cost of only 560 Yankee casualties, Rosecrans had taken south central Tennessee from Bragg. Approaching Chattanooga from the west on September 8, Union forces began crossing Lookout Mountain above the city. Again, Bragg was outmaneuvered and was forced to leave Chattanooga with only minor skirmishing. On September 9, triumphant Union troops entered the city.
Union General William Rosecrans completes a brilliant campaign against the army of Confederate General Braxton Bragg when his forces capture Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The capture of Chattanooga followed a campaign in which there was little fighting but much maneuvering. When Rosecrans moved his army to Bragg’s right flank, the Confederates found themselves in a dangerous position and so Bragg pulled his forces further south to Tullahoma. But Rosecrans then feinted toward Chattanooga, forcing Bragg to give up Tullahoma and retreat into Chattanooga.
D. 1864: Smuggling and profiteering on the Mississippi gets Washington, D.C’s attention. Since the war started officially there has always been a ban on all commodities being traded between the North and South. This ban only increased the prices of the goods making them more profitable if not caught. In actual fact, like most embargoes, this ban succeeded only in artificially raising the price of commodities, particularly cotton. This resulted in profits so great that a clandestine trade, particularly along the river systems of the Mississippi, was irresistible to many. The matter was becoming serious enough, both in terms of disrespect for the law and the lack of tariff revenue, to attract official attention. There was a cabinet meeting in Washington today to discuss legalization of the trade so at least taxes could be collected.”
FYI SGT Mark Anderson PO3 Edward Riddle Maj William W. 'Bill' Price COL (Join to see) SSgt David M.] SPC Maurice Evans SPC Jon O. SGT Jim ArnoldAmn Dale PreisachCW4 (Join to see) Sgt Jerry GenesioSSG (Join to see)LTC John Griscom LTC Thomas Tennant LTC David Brown LTC (Join to see) CWO3 (Join to see) SGT John " Mac " McConnell SFC (Join to see) CPL Ronald Keyes Jr
In 1862, CSA General Robert E. Lee issued Orders Number 191 which laid out his battle plans for what would become the Antietam battle. Nobody realized a copy of the orders was missing.
Lee was surprised to learn that the bypassed Harpers Ferry in Western Virginia was manned by 14,000 Federal troops astride his lines of communication.
Tuesday, September 9, 1862: “Gen. Robert E. Lee issues Orders No. 191, deploying his army in several parts to accomplish a number of tasks, especially taking Harper’s Ferry and disrupting the operations of the B&O Railroad, the main rail link between East and West northern states: “HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, September 9, 1862. SPECIAL ORDERED, Numbers 191.
The army will resume its march to-morrow taking the Hagerstown road. General Jackson's command will form the advance, and, after passing Middletown, with such portion as he may select, take the route toward Sharpsburg, cross the Potomac at the most convenient point, and, by Friday night, take possession of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, capture such of the enemy as may be at Martinsburg, and intercept such as may attempt to escape from Harper's Ferry.
General Longstreet's command will pursue the same road as far as Boonsborough, where it will halt with the reserve, supply, and baggage trains of the army.
General McLaws, with his own division and that of General R. H. Anderson, will follow general Longstreet. On reaching Middletown he will take the route to Harper's Ferry, and by Friday morning possess himself of the Maryland Heights, and endeavor to capture the enemy at Harper's Ferry and vicinity.
General Walker, with his division, after accomplishing the object in which he is now engaged, will cross the Potomac at Cheek's Ford, ascend its right bank to Loyettsville, take possession of Loudoun Heights, if practicable, by Friday morning, Keys' Ford on his left, and the road between the end of the mountain and the Potomac on his right. He will, as far as practicable, co-operate with General McLaws and General Jackson in intercepting the retreat of the enemy.
General D. H. Hill's division will form the rear guard of the army, pursuing the road taken by the main body. The reserve artillery, ordnance, supply trins, &c., will precede General Hill.
General Stuart will detach a squadron of cavalry to accompany the commands of Generals Longstreet, Jackson, and McLaws, and with the main body of the cavalry will cover the route of the army and bring up all stragglers that may have been left behind.
The commands of Generals Jackson, McLaws, and Walker, after accomplishing the objects for which they have been detached, will join the main body of the army at Boonsborough or Hagerstown.
Each regiment on the march will habitually carry its axes in the regimental ordnance wagons, for use of the men at their encampments to procure wood, &c.
By command of General R. E. Lee: R. H. CHILTON, Assistant Adjutant-General
Major General D. H. Hill, Commanding Division.”
With McClellan on the move, Robert E. Lee penned Special Orders No. 191 on Tuesday, September 9, 1862. “Upon arriving in Frederick, Maryland with his Army of Northern Virginia, General Robert E. Lee was surprised to learn that Harpers Ferry had not been abandoned by its Federal garrison. By all typical military logic, it should have been. And yet, it was held by 14,000 Union troops. Lee wanted to establish a line of communication with Richmond that would avoid Manassas, as it would be too easy for enemy forces to disrupt it. His only other option was using the Shenandoah Valley. But an occupied Harpers Ferry blocked the way.
This was a problem. If he ignored the garrison at Harpers Ferry, there was little chance they’d add much weight to the Union Army of the Potomac’s pursuit, but there was every chance that his daily communication with Richmond, as well as his line of supplies, would be destroyed. Before he moved any farther – upon Hagerstown or into Pennsylvania – the Harpers Ferry problem had to be solved.
Over the past couple of days, Lee had been discussing this very matter with Generals Stonewall Jackson and James Longstreet. Lee’s plan was to divide his army in front of an enemy that outnumbered him. This was a risky move, but one that he had made several times before with stunning success.
Jackson was, naturally, for it, while Longstreet met it with disapproval. Rather than dividing the already small army, Longstreet suggested that the entire force fall upon Harpers Ferry and then move on to greater things. Lee liked his own idea better and on this day, committed it to paper.
And so General Lee wrote his Special Orders, No. 191 – perhaps the most famous order of the entire war – outlining his plan for the campaign.
Lee’s army was to resume its march the following day. They would, as one unit, march towards Hagerstown. While Longstreet’s men continued on to Boonsboro, from Middletown, Jackson would head towards Sharpsburg and the Potomac River, which he would cross to capture the B&O Railroad.
Meanwhile, General Lafayette McLaws would take two divisions to the heights overlooking Harpers Ferry. Another division, under General John Walker, had already left Frederick and would be falling upon Harpers Ferry from the south. With Jackson north of the Union garrison, McLaws to the east, and Walker to the south, there was no doubt that Harpers Ferry would fall.
After all of this was accomplished (by Friday, September 12), Jackson, McLaws and Walker were to rejoin the main body of Lee’s army which would, by then, be near Hagerstown.
This risky plan required Jackson’s forces to march seventy-two miles in three days. His “foot cavalry” had done this before, but also in the mix was the capture of a Union garrison. Though they had a few day’s rest, the Confederate soldiers were still on the brink of exhaustion. Supplies were low, shoes were becoming more and more scarce, and they were all looking the part of vagabonds with each passing day. But both Lee and Jackson had faith that their troops would not let them down.
Formerly attached to Jackson’s wing, Lee’s orders placed General D.H. Hill’s Division under Longstreet and made them the rear guard. After Jackson received his copy of the order, he wanted to let General Hill know what was going on. Jackson took it upon himself to personally write a copy of the orders.
Lee, unbeknown to Jackson, had already made a copy for D.H. Hill. However, it was fortuitous of Jackson to transcribe the orders for Hill as Lee’s copy was never received (according to D.H. Hill, anyway).
While Lee was planning, he learned that McClellan was on the move. “From reports that have reached me,” wrote Lee to Jefferson Davis, “I believe that the enemy are pushing a strong column up the Potomac River by Rockville and Darnestown, and by Poolesville toward Seneca Mills. I hear that the commands of Sumner, Sigel, Burnside, and Hooker are advancing in the direction above mentioned.”
Lee had heard correctly. Coming up the Potomac River were Generals Franklin and Sigel. At Rockville and Darnestown, was General Franklin. General Couch was near Seneca Mills, while Burnside and Hooker were a bit farther to the east at Cracklintown.
Though McClellan had been foggy over the Confederate whereabouts the previous day, he was certain he now knew where they were: Frederick, Maryland. He was also certain he knew how large they were: 110,000 – over twice their actual number. He was still unsure what they were up to. “They talk of going to Gettysburg and York,” wrote McClellan to General-in-Chief Henry Halleck.
Yet, other sources indicated that the Rebels were headed to Baltimore. McClellan ordered Burnside, his eastern-most commander, to be prepared to fall upon the flank of the advancing column somewhere along the line of the B&O Railroad, probably near Ridgeville.
“The army is tonight well posted to act in any direction the moment the enemy develops his movements,” wrote McClellan at the end of the day. “I am now in condition to-watch him closely, and he will find it hard to escape me if he commits a blunder.”
http://civilwardailygazette.com/with-mcclellan-on-the-move-lee-pens-special-orders-no-191/
Pictures: A_Civil_War_Hospital_in_Washington_DC_Two_thirds_of_death_during the Civil War; CSS-banshee; 1862-09-09 harpers ferry; 1862-09-09 special-order-no-191
A. 1861: On the eve of battle at Carnifex Ferry in Western Virginia, General Wise’s wing of the Confederate Army of the Kanawha stirred to life in the morning when word arrived from General Floyd. By 8:30am, the dispatch penned by Floyd, seventeen miles away, was in Wise’s hands. The enemy, said Floyd, who actually commanded the army, was twelve miles away from Summersville (which was about fifteen miles away from Floyd at Carnifex Ferry). With only 1,600 men, it was unlikely, thought Floyd, that he could withstand an attack and he requested Wise to send two regiments at once.
Wise, as was typical, balked, sending only one regiment (which wasn’t technically part of “Wise’s Legion” anyway), but refusing to send more. Never wanting to break up his Legion, Wise had even requested Lee to issue an order stating that it could never be broken up (Lee refused). This time around, Wise reasoned that he had up to 3,000 Federals before him at Gauley Bridge and only 1,050 effectives of his own.
B. 1862: Antietam Campaign. CSA General Robert E. Lee was surprised to learn that Harpers Ferry had not been abandoned by its Federal garrison. It was held by 14,000 Union troops. Lee wanted to establish a line of communication with Richmond that would avoid Manassas, as it would be too easy for enemy forces to disrupt it. His only other option was using the Shenandoah Valley. But an occupied Harpers Ferry blocked the way.
This was a problem. If he ignored the garrison at Harpers Ferry, there was little chance they’d add much weight to the Union Army of the Potomac’s pursuit, but there was every chance that his daily communication with Richmond, as well as his line of supplies, would be destroyed. Before he moved any farther – upon Hagerstown or into Pennsylvania – the Harpers Ferry problem had to be solved.
C. 1863: Chattanooga, Tennessee is abandoned by CSA Gen Braxton Bragg as Maj Gen Rosecrans Army of the Cumberland outmaneuvers Bragg’s defenses via Lookout Mountain. This occurred even while CSA President Jefferson Davis wanted to send 12,000 from Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia to shore up eastern Tennessee. At the cost of only 560 Yankee casualties, Rosecrans had taken south central Tennessee from Bragg. Approaching Chattanooga from the west on September 8, Union forces began crossing Lookout Mountain above the city. Again, Bragg was outmaneuvered and was forced to leave Chattanooga with only minor skirmishing. On September 9, triumphant Union troops entered the city.
Union General William Rosecrans completes a brilliant campaign against the army of Confederate General Braxton Bragg when his forces capture Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The capture of Chattanooga followed a campaign in which there was little fighting but much maneuvering. When Rosecrans moved his army to Bragg’s right flank, the Confederates found themselves in a dangerous position and so Bragg pulled his forces further south to Tullahoma. But Rosecrans then feinted toward Chattanooga, forcing Bragg to give up Tullahoma and retreat into Chattanooga.
D. 1864: Smuggling and profiteering on the Mississippi gets Washington, D.C’s attention. Since the war started officially there has always been a ban on all commodities being traded between the North and South. This ban only increased the prices of the goods making them more profitable if not caught. In actual fact, like most embargoes, this ban succeeded only in artificially raising the price of commodities, particularly cotton. This resulted in profits so great that a clandestine trade, particularly along the river systems of the Mississippi, was irresistible to many. The matter was becoming serious enough, both in terms of disrespect for the law and the lack of tariff revenue, to attract official attention. There was a cabinet meeting in Washington today to discuss legalization of the trade so at least taxes could be collected.”
FYI SGT Mark Anderson PO3 Edward Riddle Maj William W. 'Bill' Price COL (Join to see) SSgt David M.] SPC Maurice Evans SPC Jon O. SGT Jim ArnoldAmn Dale PreisachCW4 (Join to see) Sgt Jerry GenesioSSG (Join to see)LTC John Griscom LTC Thomas Tennant LTC David Brown LTC (Join to see) CWO3 (Join to see) SGT John " Mac " McConnell SFC (Join to see) CPL Ronald Keyes Jr
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In 1862 at Sabine Pass, on the Texas coast, the USS Connecticut captured the English-owned blockade runner named Rambler, as she dashed out with a load of cotton headed for Havana.
In 1864 quinine was re-discovered to be effective treatment for those afflicted with Malaria in the southern swamps. Quinine use dated back to the 1500s in Peru. By 1864 it was rarely used until the little blue pill saved the health and life of General George Meade’s aide-de-camp, Theodore Lyman. This revolutionary discovery would benefit soldiers and civilians until the present day.
Disease killed twice as many soldiers in the Civil War as battle deaths. Contaminated water was the largest culprit, but other diseases, such as typhoid, pneumonia, measles, tuberculosis, malaria, and various venereal diseases were in abundance. None of these were curable, save one – measles. And still, thousands died.
One such poor fellow to fall victim to disease was General George Meade’s aide-de-camp, Theodore Lyman, who gave an account of his treatment with a little blue pill which was quinine. [account is below]
Per Maj Gen William Rosecrans ‘Chattanooga is ours without a struggle, and East Tennessee is free’ on Wednesday September 9, 1863. “Somehow or another, though his army had been strung out and mismanaged, by nightfall of the 8th (really, the early morning of the 9th), it was more or less in position to his Bragg in almost any direction he moved. Before Rosecran’s head hit the pillow, he had learned that Bragg had evacuated Chattanooga that afternoon.
On this date, he ordered a brigade from Crittenden’s XXI Corps to occupy the city, while the rest join with the XX Corps, under Alexander McCook and the XIV Corps, helmed by George Thomas, in figuring out where Bragg was headed. Rosecrans hoped it was for Rome, Georgia because his Federal Army was closer to it than the Rebels (which might have been a fine indication that Bragg wouldn’t be headed for Rome, Georgia anytime soon).
“The enemy has decided not to fight at Chattanooga,” Rosecrans informed Halleck, avoiding the nagging question of the location of said enemy, if he no longer tarried in Chattanooga. This was the problem. But still, why focus upon it when a victory could be claimed?
“Chattanooga is ours without a struggle, and East Tennessee is free,” wrote the enthusiastic Rosecrans in another letter to Halleck. “Our move on the enemy’s flank and rear progresses, while the tail of his retreating column will not escape unmolested.”
Halleck, no doubt, noticed the future tense of this missive. The enemy’s tail was not currently unable to escape unmolested – “it will not escape,” wrote Rosecrans, speaking of some fine sunny day when he was actually able to locate the enemy.
Still, the stars and stripes waved free over Chattanooga, placed by an Illinois regiment of mounted infantry, specifically selected by Rosecrans for the task. For some reason, this irked the irascible General Wood, who wanted the strange bit of glory for himself.
Back at Rosecrans’ headquarters, the commanding general was trusting the news that he wanted to hear and discarding everything else. From this, he gleaned that Braxton Bragg’s demoralized Army of Tennessee was streaming straight for Rome, just as he had dreamed. And if that news wasn’t good enough, loyal citizens claimed that if pushed, Bragg wouldn’t stop short of Atlanta. These were truly wondrous days to behold.
Unfortunately for Rosecrans, this wasn’t quite the case. Bragg’s army had retreated his army out of Chattanooga, but halted between Chickamauga Creek and La Fayette. Missionary Ridge separated his force from a division from Thomas’ isolated XIV Corps. When Bragg received word that the enemy was spread out and near by, his mind turned to the idea of defeating Rosecrans in detail.
The Federal unit in question was James Negley’s Division, which was now ten miles up Chickamauga Creek. It was the only Federal division on Bragg’s side of Missionary Ridge and seemed easy enough pickings.
For this task, he simply selected the two nearest divisions, Patrick Cleburne’s from D.H. Hill’s Corps, and Thomas Hindman’s from Leonidas Polk’s Corps. Both were to be placed under the command of Hindman, a nice enough fellow, but probably not the best man for the job. Hindman was to move by easy roads southwest to hit the Yankees, while Cleburne was ordered to scramble through Pigeon Mountain’s Dug Gap from La Fayette. The two division would meet at McLemore’s Cove, at Davis’ Crossroads currently occupied by Neagley’s Federal division, and the day would be won.
Orders went out and as soon as Hindman received them, he got his division on the road. Hill, however, would not get the message until the following dawn, and would then list multiple reasons why he couldn’t help. Though this specific jab would come to little, Bragg believed he was onto something, and perhaps he was.
Background: Since last we checked in, things had gone well, and yet not as well as hoped, for William Rosecrans’ Union Army of the Cumberland. On the 4th, they could be seen clawing and scratching their way up Lookout Mountain in an attempt to maneuver the Confederate Army of Tennessee, Braxton Bragg commanding, out of Chattanooga.
The mentioned clawing lasted another two days, as Federal supply wagons took their time lumbering across the Tennessee River, following their respective divisions. Rosecrans was, of course, very interested in finding out what lay before his army, and whether this strenuous hike was worth the effort. To suss this out, he tried to send Thomas Wood’s infantry division from Thomas Crittenden’s XXI Corps along the railroad to have a poke toward Chattanooga. At the same time, he tried to coax a division of cavalry under David Stanley to move through the passes into the valley beyond Lookout Mountain.
Wood had no great desire to follow these particular orders, citing that his flanks and rear would be exposed. Since the order contained no specific hour for the move to begin, Wood allowed it to not begin at all. Following a stern rebuking from Rosecrans, however, Wood threw forward a single brigade to pacify the testy commander. Stanley, on the other hand, believed that he was outnumbered and though the order for him to move came on the 6th, he took the next two days off.
The reports that were actually making their way into Rosecrans’ headquarters brought sobering news. All figured that Braxton Bragg would drag his Rebel army out of Chattanooga for the fight, but nobody could really figure out where or when this might happen. Word that Bragg had received upwards of 20,000 reinforcements did little to settled Rosecrans’ apprehension.”
http://civilwardailygazette.com/chattanooga-is-ours-without-a-struggle-and-east-tennessee-is-free/
Blue Pill Is A Good Man” – Lt. Col. Theodore Lyman’s Short Fight With Malaria in 1864. “As most who study the Civil War for even the shortest lengths of time eventually learn, there was more to it than bullets and politics. There was also illness. Two-thirds of the men who died in the war died from disease. That means that roughly 450,000 soldiers died not from battle, but from sickness.
Contaminated water was the largest culprit, but other diseases, such as typhoid, pneumonia, measles, tuberculosis, malaria, and various venereal diseases were in abundance. None of these were curable, save one – measles. And still, thousands died.
One such poor fellow to fall victim to disease was General George Meade’s aide-de-camp, Theodore Lyman, who has left us two wonderful accounts of his time in the army. The first is a diary that was written each day, while the other is a series of letters compiled from the diaries.
While living in the fetid waters around Petersburg, Lyman contracted malaria, though at the time nobody understood how.
What precisely caused malaria was then anybody’s guess. Some did argue that it was a germ or microscopic animal, but many also believed it to be caused by decaying vegetable matter or too much moisture in the air. Now, of course, we understand that it’s actually a parasite passed on to us by the mosquito. In 1864, they had not yet made such a connection.
While in his book With Grant and Meade; From the Wilderness to Appomattox Lyman only alluded to his illness of which he began to feel the symtoms on a trip to the north. “Got a 15-day leave for home!!!” he wrote on August 27th. But in a few short days, as he returned to his home near Boston, he began to feel ill.
“Something or other the matter with me,” wrote Theodore Lyman on August 31st, “weak, sort of nausea.” Two days later, he reported: “Very weak – all my bile running the wrong way, and getting worse. To Dr. Cabot, who said the northern air, with the late cool change had brought to the surface the malaria in the system. He told me to take some rhubarb and magnesia and follow it with wormwood tea.”
Lyman followed the doctor’s orders, taking a “low diet,” but confessed the tea “to be a humbug.” Nevertheless, he wrote that he felt “rather better,” though perhaps not enough to write more than a single line in his diary.
The next day, he was hardly able to move. “Lay abed,” he wrote, “headache; mean generally; nausea.” Apparently having little faith in Dr. Cabot’s wormwood concoction, he turned to Dr. Torrey “of the Jackson school.” Presumably, he meant Dr. Samuel Jackson of Northumberland, Pennsylvania, who was a professor at the University of Pennsylvania (or possibly another Samuel Jackson from the same university). Dr. Torrey gave Lyman “a blue pill, which went down and came plaguey near coming up again.”
This seemed to do the trick. “Blue pill is a good man,” wrote Lyman the next day. He never mentioned what was in this blue pill, though it was probably some sort of patent medicine. Another suggested cure was egg whites, which Lyman was also taking.
Malaria was known to effect the liver, and Lyman, on September 7th, remarked that his “is not to be scared by white of egg; so was worse again today.” He remarked that he was “queer feeling very, don’t take an interest in any thing; jocose remarks especially strike me as idiotic!”
While reading Lyman’s diary, it’s clear that the man had a sense of humor, though he was anything but juvenile. Humorous remarks, especially childish ones, might have struck him as idiotic with or without malaria.
His wife remarked the following day that “Oh you do look so yellow,” but Lyman figured that she was just trying to get him to stay home with her for a bit longer. Doctor Torrey had already written Meade a letter explaining that Lyman should stay at home for two or three weeks more.
“You must pitch into me a little harder,” said Lyman to his doctor. And so Torrey did just that, making him liver pills and some quinine. The quinine was apparently for his gums as they were “sore with the malaria.” But it’s this treatment that probably helped him most (if it was not, in fact, already in the blue pills).
Quinine was a drug derived from the bark of a Peruvian tree, and first discovered in the 1500s, and still in limited use today (especially prescribed for pregnant women). This was working.
“Better again,” he wrote on the 9th, “Liver! you must give it up; I shall fire two pills at you every evening till you go back!”
By the 12th, he was seeing “steady improvement.” Two days later, and he was walking a mile to see a friend from General Burnside’s staff, also home on leave. And in a couple of days, it was as if Theordore Lyman had never been ill at all. By the end of the month, he would be back by General Meade’s side and the war would continue.
Below are a number of journal entries from 1861 and 1862 which shed light on what life was like for soldiers and civilians – the good, the bad and the ugly.
CAMP SMITH, ON BIG BIRCH, NICHOLAS COUNTY, Va., SUNDAY NIGHT, Sept. 9, 1861. “An Army marching from Clarksburgh to Big Birch River experiences some toil and tribulation, but if the weather is fair, the tramp is not serious enough to growl about, provided the men are not harassed unnecessarily. The route is as rugged as the journey of an ambitious man's life, with casual deviations until after you leave Weston, when hills and hollows, glens and gorges, rocks and ruggedness, become the unvarying rule. We encamped on the bluffs above the lifeless village of Sutton, Wednesday, at noon, and received orders to advance at 6 o'clock Saturday morning. The tents were struck promptly, and the column was ready to move, but the General was inspired with a notion to inspect the troops in marching order, the result of which was a delay of six hours, during which period officers from corporal to colonel, and men from cooks to high-privates, received blessings decidedly more sharp than pleasing.
At mid-day the column and its ponderous baggage train twisted themselves around the swelling form of Kreitz's Mountain -- a bifurcated elevation, with twin summits, divided by a gorge of profound depth and obscurity. From that time until late at night, we swept steadily onward, with now and then a brief halt, to afford men and beasts opportunity to recruit strength for continued effort. After severe toil, we halted on the southeast bank of Big Birch River, in Nicholas County, nineteen miles from Sutton, and sixteen from Summersville. The march was unnecessarily harassing, owing to bad management of the column. We should have moved with military promptitude at six in the morning, and halted long enough before nightfall to enable the troops to pitch their tents, and give the subsistence train time to come up. As it was mismanaged, the men made the last four or five miles, through darkness over a painful road, wading creeks and splashing through mud, mingled with gravel, and at last plunged into the wet grass, and bivouacked without satisfying their hunger. The train was compelled to halt in the middle of the road, and did not all arrive until nearly noon yesterday.
The march was not interrupted by a solitary incident. We had ample opportunity to admire fine scenery, but we had seen so much of a similar character, that it did not inspire any unnsual emotions. It was perhaps a little wilder than any we had noticed, the mountains were somewhat more abrupt, the gorges deeper, the ravines more obscure, the Little Birch more beautiful than any stream we had crossed in Virginia, and the population was more scattered. In the march of nineteen miles we passed hardly an acre of anything approaching level ground, until we descended the "Powell" summit of the mountain, on this side of Little Birch River, when we fell upon an attenuated valley, which was nothing more than a fertile little farm, plowed deep between frowning ridges until it ran out into the mere channel of a creek.
In the morning, two scouting parties had been thrown out in advance, and five or six miles out from our camping ground, the dragoons surprised several rebel scouts and gave chase, but the knaves escaped in the jungle. Pushing onward to these flats, the scouts arrived in time to discover the retreat of fifteen or twenty of the enemy up the sides of Big Birch Mountain. A shot or two was mutually wasted, and the rebels got safely beyond our reach.
Yesterday, the whole surrounding country was reconnoitered by the general and his engineers, and our scouts were thrown out in every direction. During the morning, three shots were fired ineffectually by a gang of bush-whackers, at one of our pickets on the summit of Big Birch. Later in the day, Col. SMITH, of the Thirteenth Ohio, went forward with his regiment, and he is probably at Summerville this morning. One of his scouting parties fell in with a party of rebels, and shots were exchanged, the rebels losing one killed and two captured. It is reported that the enemy are concentrated in large numbers beyond us, but I think they are considerably further in advance than the cowardly inhabitants of the country would have us believe. I do not think there will be a general action much this side of Lewisburgh. It is my impression that the enemy has chosen his position in that vicinity, and will await attack.
I must confess I do not now feel perfectly sanguine concerning the result of this expedition. I believe the rebels are very strong, and I am not satisfied that we are numerous enough to attack them successfully in their chosen positions. By glancing at the map, you will discover that our line of transportation is very long, and we have found the road a hard one for loaded wagons to travel. When we arrive at Summerville, the line will have been extended a distance of 105 miles -- equivalent to fully 200, in ordinary countries. It is superfluous to speculate upon the opportunities the rebels will enjoy of cutting off our trains and falling on our rear. Should we succeed in forming a junction with Cox, the aspect of things will be materially improved, inasmuch as our strength will be increased, and the army will be able to draw its subsistence via the Charleston route.”
http://www.nytimes.com/1861/09/15/news/war-western-virginia-events-preceding-late-battle-march-over-kreitz-s-mountain.html
Tuesday, September 9, 1862: The New York Times publishes an editorial worrying about the state of Kentucky, and offers this alarm: “The destruction of bridges by the rebels, on the railroad between Frankfort and Louisville, shows that they are in complete control of the capital and entire interior of that State. The Governor had previously removed to Louisville, with the Legislature; and we presume the State archives are all safe. Still, the fact that the capital of Kentucky is in the hands of the rebels, as well as the present capital of Maryland, is a mortifying fact, and should certainly inflame the patriotism of the two States and beget a feeling of resentment that the loyalists in no part of the country have yet manifested.
In Kentucky, the rebel rule will doubtless be extremely severe. The lines have been tightly drawn in that State, nearly a year, and the bitterest feuds exist between the Unionists and secession sympathizers. . . .”
Tuesday, September 9, 1862: Sarah Morgan, in Clinton, Louisiana, writes in her journal concerning the news of Lee’s victories in Virginia and consequently of her brothers in the army: “At sunset Saturday, Eliza and Miriam returned to Mrs. McCay’s with Nannie Davidson. Mother had proved obdurate and refused to leave Clinton; so they had all gone on, and spent the day with Mrs. Haynes instead of going to Mrs. George’s. After my quiet, solitary day, I was glad to see them again, particularly as they brought confirmation of the great victory in Virginia. It is said the enemy were cut off from Washington, and that we were pursuing them. O my brothers! If God will only spare them! I envy Lydia who is so near them, and knows all, and can take care of them if they are hurt. It will be several days at least, before we can hear from them, if we hear at all; for Jimmy has never yet written a line, and George has written but once since the taking of the forts, and that was before the battle of Chickahominy. We can only wait patiently.”
Pictures: 1862 Harper's Weekly engraving of captured blockade runners; 1862-09 Harpers Ferry Virginia; 1861 Civil War Map western Virginia battles; Confederate Horse Cavalry
A. Monday, September 9, 1861: On the eve of battle at Carnifex Ferry in Western Virginia, General Wise’s wing of the Confederate Army of the Kanawha stirred to life in the morning when word arrived from General Floyd. By 8:30am, the dispatch penned by Floyd, seventeen miles away, was in Wise’s hands. The enemy, said Floyd, who actually commanded the army, was twelve miles away from Summersville (which was about fifteen miles away from Floyd at Carnifex Ferry). With only 1,600 men, it was unlikely, thought Floyd, that he could withstand an attack and he requested Wise to send two regiments at once.
Wise, as was typical, balked, sending only one regiment (which wasn’t technically part of “Wise’s Legion” anyway), but refusing to send more. Never wanting to break up his Legion, Wise had even requested Lee to issue an order stating that it could never be broken up (Lee refused). This time around, Wise reasoned that he had up to 3,000 Federals before him at Gauley Bridge and only 1,050 effectives of his own.
B. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: Antietam Campaign. CSA General Robert E. Lee was surprised to learn that Harpers Ferry had not been abandoned by its Federal garrison. By all typical military logic, it should have been. And yet, it was held by 14,000 Union troops. Lee wanted to establish a line of communication with Richmond that would avoid Manassas, as it would be too easy for enemy forces to disrupt it. His only other option was using the Shenandoah Valley. But an occupied Harpers Ferry blocked the way.
This was a problem. If he ignored the garrison at Harpers Ferry, there was little chance they’d add much weight to the Union Army of the Potomac’s pursuit, but there was every chance that his daily communication with Richmond, as well as his line of supplies, would be destroyed. Before he moved any farther – upon Hagerstown or into Pennsylvania – the Harpers Ferry problem had to be solved.
C. Wednesday, September 9, 1863: Chattanooga, Tennessee is abandoned by CSA Gen Braxton Bragg as Maj Gen Rosecrans Army of the Cumberland outmaneuvers his defenses via Lookout Mountain. This occurred even while CSA President Jefferson Davis wanted to send 12,000 from Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia to shore up eastern Tennessee.
Union General William Rosecrans completes a brilliant campaign against the army of Confederate General Braxton Bragg when his forces capture Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The capture of Chattanooga followed a campaign in which there was little fighting but much maneuvering. When Rosecrans moved his army to Bragg’s right flank, the Confederates found themselves in a dangerous position and so Bragg pulled his forces further south to Tullahoma. But Rosecrans then feinted toward Chattanooga, forcing Bragg to give up Tullahoma and retreat into Chattanooga. At the cost of only 560 Yankee casualties, Rosecrans had taken south central Tennessee from Bragg.
Approaching Chattanooga from the west on September 8, Union forces began crossing Lookout Mountain above the city. Again, Bragg was outmaneuvered and was forced to leave Chattanooga with only minor skirmishing. On September 9, triumphant Union troops entered the city.
D. Friday, September 9, 1864: Smuggling and profiteering on the Mississippi gets Washington, D.C’s attention Since the war started officially there has always been a ban on all commodities being traded between the North and South. This ban only increased the prices of the goods making them more profitable if not caught. This was too irresistible to many. Not to mention the tax tariff revenue loss to both sides, so today in Washington, a cabinet meeting was held to discuss legalization of the trade so taxes could be collected on these sales.
D+ Friday, September 9, 1864: “Officially, there had been a complete ban on all trading in all commodities between the North and the South since very early in the war. In actual fact, like most embargoes, this ban succeeded only in artificially raising the price of commodities, particularly cotton. This resulted in profits so great that a clandestine trade, particularly along the river systems of the Mississippi, was irresistible to many. The matter was becoming serious enough, both in terms of disrespect for the law and the lack of tariff revenue, to attract official attention. There was a cabinet meeting in Washington today to discuss legalization of the trade so at least taxes could be collected.”
1. Monday, September 9, 1861: CAMP SMITH, ON BIG BIRCH, NICHOLAS COUNTY, Va., SUNDAY NIGHT “An Army marching from Clarksburgh to Big Birch River experiences some toil and tribulation, but if the weather is fair, the tramp is not serious enough to growl about, provided the men are not harassed unnecessarily. The route is as rugged as the journey of an ambitious man's life, with casual deviations until after you leave Weston, when hills and hollows, glens and gorges, rocks and ruggedness, become the unvarying rule. We encamped on the bluffs above the lifeless village of Sutton, Wednesday, at noon, and received orders to advance at 6 o'clock Saturday morning. The tents were struck promptly, and the column was ready to move, but the General was inspired with a notion to inspect the troops in marching order, the result of which was a delay of six hours, during which period officers from corporal to colonel, and men from cooks to high-privates, received blessings decidedly more sharp than pleasing.
At mid-day the column and its ponderous baggage train twisted themselves around the swelling form of Kreitz's Mountain -- a bifurcated elevation, with twin summits, divided by a gorge of profound depth and obscurity. From that time until late at night, we swept steadily onward, with now and then a brief halt, to afford men and beasts opportunity to recruit strength for continued effort. After severe toil, we halted on the southeast bank of Big Birch River, in Nicholas County, nineteen miles from Sutton, and sixteen from Summersville. The march was unnecessarily harassing, owing to bad management of the column. We should have moved with military promptitude at six in the morning, and halted long enough before nightfall to enable the troops to pitch their tents, and give the subsistence train time to come up. As it was mismanaged, the men made the last four or five miles, through darkness over a painful road, wading creeks and splashing through mud, mingled with gravel, and at last plunged into the wet grass, and bivouacked without satisfying their hunger. The train was compelled to halt in the middle of the road, and did not all arrive until nearly noon yesterday.
The march was not interrupted by a solitary incident. We had ample opportunity to admire fine scenery, but we had seen so much of a similar character, that it did not inspire any unnsual emotions. It was perhaps a little wilder than any we had noticed, the mountains were somewhat more abrupt, the gorges deeper, the ravines more obscure, the Little Birch more beautiful than any stream we had crossed in Virginia, and the population was more scattered. In the march of nineteen miles we passed hardly an acre of anything approaching level ground, until we descended the "Powell" summit of the mountain, on this side of Little Birch River, when we fell upon an attenuated valley, which was nothing more than a fertile little farm, plowed deep between frowning ridges until it ran out into the mere channel of a creek.
In the morning, two scouting parties had been thrown out in advance, and five or six miles out from our camping ground, the dragoons surprised several rebel scouts and gave chase, but the knaves escaped in the jungle. Pushing onward to these flats, the scouts arrived in time to discover the retreat of fifteen or twenty of the enemy up the sides of Big Birch Mountain. A shot or two was mutually wasted, and the rebels got safely beyond our reach.
Yesterday, the whole surrounding country was reconnoitered by the general and his engineers, and our scouts were thrown out in every direction. During the morning, three shots were fired ineffectually by a gang of bush-whackers, at one of our pickets on the summit of Big Birch. Later in the day, Col. SMITH, of the Thirteenth Ohio, went forward with his regiment, and he is probably at Summerville this morning. One of his scouting parties fell in with a party of rebels, and shots were exchanged, the rebels losing one killed and two captured. It is reported that the enemy are concentrated in large numbers beyond us, but I think they are considerably further in advance than the cowardly inhabitants of the country would have us believe. I do not think there will be a general action much this side of Lewisburgh. It is my impression that the enemy has chosen his position in that vicinity, and will await attack.
I must confess I do not now feel perfectly sanguine concerning the result of this expedition. I believe the rebels are very strong, and I am not satisfied that we are numerous enough to attack them successfully in their chosen positions. By glancing at the map, you will discover that our line of transportation is very long, and we have found the road a hard one for loaded wagons to travel. When we arrive at Summerville, the line will have been extended a distance of 105 miles -- equivalent to fully 200, in ordinary countries. It is superfluous to speculate upon the opportunities the rebels will enjoy of cutting off our trains and falling on our rear. Should we succeed in forming a junction with Cox, the aspect of things will be materially improved, inasmuch as our strength will be increased, and the army will be able to draw its subsistence via the Charleston route.”
http://www.nytimes.com/1861/09/15/news/war-western-virginia-events-preceding-late-battle-march-over-kreitz-s-mountain.html
2. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: Gen. Robert E. Lee issues Orders No. 191, deploying his army in several parts to accomplish a number of tasks, especially taking Harper’s Ferry and disrupting the operations of the B&O Railroad, the main rail link between East and West northern states: “HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, September 9, 1862. SPECIAL ORDERED, Numbers 191.
The army will resume its march to-morrow taking the Hagerstown road. General Jackson's command will form the advance, and, after passing Middletown, with such portion as he may select, take the route toward Sharpsburg, cross the Potomac at the most convenient point, and, by Friday night, take possession of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, capture such of the enemy as may be at Martinsburg, and intercept such as may attempt to escape from Harper's Ferry.
General Longstreet's command will pursue the same road as far as Boonsborough, where it will halt with the reserve, supply, and baggage trains of the army.
General McLaws, with his own division and that of General R. H. Anderson, will follow general Longstreet. On reaching Middletown he will take the route to Harper's Ferry, and by Friday morning possess himself of the Maryland Heights, and endeavor to capture the enemy at Harper's Ferry and vicinity.
General Walker, with his division, after accomplishing the object in which he is now engaged, will cross the Potomac at Cheek's Ford, ascend its right bank to Loyettsville, take possession of Loudoun Heights, if practicable, by Friday morning, Keys' Ford on his left, and the road between the end of the mountain and the Potomac on his right. He will, as far as practicable, co-operate with General McLaws and General Jackson in intercepting the retreat of the enemy.
General D. H. Hill's division will form the rear guard of the army, pursuing the road taken by the main body. The reserve artillery, ordnance, supply trins, &c., will precede General Hill.
General Stuart will detach a squadron of cavalry to accompany the commands of Generals Longstreet, Jackson, and McLaws, and with the main body of the cavalry will cover the route of the army and bring up all stragglers that may have been left behind.
The commands of Generals Jackson, McLaws, and Walker, after accomplishing the objects for which they have been detached, will join the main body of the army at Boonsborough or Hagerstown.
Each regiment on the march will habitually carry its axes in the regimental ordnance wagons, for use of the men at their encampments to procure wood, &c.
By command of General R. E. Lee: R. H. CHILTON, Assistant Adjutant-General
Major General D. H. Hill, Commanding Division.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+9%2C+1862
3. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: At Sabine Pass, on the Texas coast, the USS Connecticut captures the English-owned blockade runner named Rambler, as she dashed out with a load of cotton headed for Havana.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+9%2C+1862
4. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: The New York Times publishes an editorial worrying about the state of Kentucky, and offers this alarm: “The destruction of bridges by the rebels, on the railroad between Frankfort and Louisville, shows that they are in complete control of the capital and entire interior of that State. The Governor had previously removed to Louisville, with the Legislature; and we presume the State archives are all safe. Still, the fact that the capital of Kentucky is in the hands of the rebels, as well as the present capital of Maryland, is a mortifying fact, and should certainly inflame the patriotism of the two States and beget a feeling of resentment that the loyalists in no part of the country have yet manifested.
In Kentucky, the rebel rule will doubtless be extremely severe. The lines have been tightly drawn in that State, nearly a year, and the bitterest feuds exist between the Unionists and secession sympathizers. . . .
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+9%2C+1862
5. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: Sarah Morgan, in Clinton, Louisiana, writes in her journal concerning the news of Lee’s victories in Virginia and consequently of her brothers in the army: “At sunset Saturday, Eliza and Miriam returned to Mrs. McCay’s with Nannie Davidson. Mother had proved obdurate and refused to leave Clinton; so they had all gone on, and spent the day with Mrs. Haynes instead of going to Mrs. George’s. After my quiet, solitary day, I was glad to see them again, particularly as they brought confirmation of the great victory in Virginia. It is said the enemy were cut off from Washington, and that we were pursuing them. O my brothers! If God will only spare them! I envy Lydia who is so near them, and knows all, and can take care of them if they are hurt. It will be several days at least, before we can hear from them, if we hear at all; for Jimmy has never yet written a line, and George has written but once since the taking of the forts, and that was before the battle of Chickahominy. We can only wait patiently.”
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+9%2C+1862
6. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: The people of Maryland did not greet Lee’s army with any enthusiasm despite his proclamation that his intention was to return the state to the Confederacy – which Lee assumed would sell his cause. The expected provisions were not forthcoming and Lee’s army remained short of supplies. Lee gathers his staff, plans were made for their sweep North. The set of plans was given the designation Special Order 191, and copies were made.
https://sites.google.com/site/civilwarhardemancotn/departments/department-b/part-74
7. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia has remained in the vicinity of Frederick, Maryland for five days, and Lee decides to split his army into several pieces and put them on the move. At the same time, he is getting reliable intelligence that McClellan is on the move, although Lee is confident that McClellan will not move fast enough to cause the Confederacy any consternation.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+9%2C+1862
8. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: On the Union side, McClellan begins sending out tentative feelers to make contact with the Confederates, convinced that they are in Frederick. He is also convinced that Lee’s army numbers about 110,000, which is more than twice Lee’s actual numbers. McClellan confidently writes to Gen. Halleck, his superior, “The army is tonight well posted to act in any direction the moment the enemy develops his movements, . . . I am now in condition to-watch him closely, and he will find it hard to escape me if he commits a blunder.”
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+9%2C+1862
9. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: Pres. Lincoln meets with a group of prominent Baltimoreans who are worried about the Confederate invasion. Lincoln assures them that the U.S. Army is prepared to protect their city.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+9%2C+1862
10. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: No one in the Union army seems to know what is going on in Kentucky. Pres. Lincoln inquires of Gen. Jeremiah Boyle, the Union commander in Kentucky, as to the whereabouts of Gen. Bragg’s army, which some in Washington fear may be heading to Virginia. Boyle does not know.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+9%2C+1862
11. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: There is more heavy skirmishing between cavalry of both armies on the road from Poolesville to Barnesville, Maryland.
‘http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+9%2C+1862
12. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: A Colonel Shingles, of the Confederate Army, leads a small force of Rebel cavalry and artillery against the Union garrison at Williamsburg, Virginia, and overwhelms them, recapturing the town.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+9%2C+1862
13. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: General Robert E. Lee issues Special Order No. 191
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186209
14. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: Antietam/Sharpsburg: General Lee issues Special Order No. 191, outlining his plans for the campaign. Copies are sent to all his commanders, but the one for D. H. Hill is lost. General Hill, though, receives his order from General Jackson and no one realizes one copy is missing.
https://bjdeming.com/2012/10/13/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-september-3-9-1862/
15. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: Confederate Heartland Offensive: At Munfordville, General Forrest’s cavalry encounters Union troops that are waiting to capture them. The Confederate horsemen force the Federals to withdraw, and carry on with their mission. Their horses are very weary and Forrest’s falls and rolls on him. The general is bruised and dislocates his shoulder, “causing much pain for several days.”
https://bjdeming.com/2012/10/13/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-september-3-9-1862/
16. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: Western Theater: Skirmish near Rienzi, Mississippi.
https://bjdeming.com/2012/10/13/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-september-3-9-1862/
17. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: Samuel P. Heintzelman is put in command of defenses south of Washington, D. C.
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186209
18. Wednesday, September 9, 1863: Brigadier General John W. Frazier [CS] surrenders his men guarding the Cumberland Gap, Kentucky
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186309
19. Wednesday, September 9, 1863: Federal troops enter Chattanooga, Tennessee following its evacuation by the Army of Tennessee
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186309
20. Wednesday, September 9, 1863: James Longstreet leaves Virginia with his corps to reinforce the Army of Tennessee
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186309
21. Wednesday, September 9, 1863: Chattanooga, Tennessee: Federal division from Rosecrans’ army under Stanley and Wood maneuver near Chattanooga, and this afternoon, the Confederates march out of the city and south into Georgia. Rosecrans telegraphs the news and blue-clad troops enter the city.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+9%2C+1863
22. Wednesday, September 9, 1863: South Carolina operations/Siege of Charleston: A US attempt to take Fort Sumter by landing soldiers in small boats fails.
https://bjdeming.com/2013/09/09/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-september-9-15-1863/
23. Wednesday, September 9, 1863: Chickamauga Campaign: Skirmishes at Friar’s Island, Tennessee, and Lookout Mountain, Georgia.
From the east, General Lee and CS President Davis send General Longstreet, who roomed with US General Rosecrans at West Point, with his corps to reinforce General Bragg.
In the north, US General Crittenden and the left wing of Rosecrans’ army are atop Lookout Mountain. US General Thomas is at McLemore with the center wing, and Bragg is still trying to get information about the US right wing from CS General Wheeler’s cavalry in the south.
General Forrest and his cavalry (including some of John Hunt Morgan’s men who Forrest – risking a courtmartial – has refused to dismount as Bragg had ordered) are guarding Rome, Georgia, and this day are ordered to headquarter at Dalton, junction of the George & Tennessee rail line to Knoxville and the Western & Atlantic to Chattanooga.
With the right wing’s location still unknown and with the Yankees on the move, Bragg decides to fight Rosecrans’ two divided wings separately, starting first on the center wing.
As Crittenden comes down Lookout Mountain, a regiment is sent to occupy Chattanooga. A division under US General James Negley, reinforced by some of General Thomas’s men, pours into McLemore’s Cove. CS General D. H. Hill’s division is called back from Lafayette to hold the passes of Pigeon Mountain against Negley, with orders to ultimately join Hindman’s Division of General Polk’s corps in an operation against the Federals at McLemore’s Cove.
Meanwhile, unknown to General Wheeler and therefore to General Bragg, US General McCook has assembled his corps near Alpine, Georgia, near Winston’s Gap, 42 miles from Chattanooga, and now receives orders to diverge further from the line by pushing on to Alpine, then east toward Summerville to intercept Bragg, who Rosecrans believes is retreating.
https://bjdeming.com/2013/09/09/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-september-9-15-1863/
24. Friday, September 9, 1864:
25.
A On the eve of battle in Western Virginia on Monday, September 9, 1861. “General Wise’s wing of the Confederate Army of the Kanawha stirred to life in the morning when word arrived from General Floyd. By 8:30am, the dispatch penned by Floyd, seventeen miles away, was in Wise’s hands. The enemy, said Floyd, who actually commanded the army, was twelve miles away from Summersville (which was about fifteen miles away from Floyd at Carnifex Ferry). With only 1,600 men, it was unlikely, thought Floyd, that he could withstand an attack and he requested Wise to send two regiments at once.
Wise, as was typical, balked, sending only one regiment (which wasn’t technically part of “Wise’s Legion” anyway), but refusing to send more. Never wanting to break up his Legion, Wise had even requested Lee to issue an order stating that it could never be broken up (Lee refused). This time around, Wise reasoned that he had up to 3,000 Federals before him at Gauley Bridge and only 1,050 effectives of his own.
Floyd had suggested that Wise could draw his own reinforcements from the militia just across New River. Wise had been in communication with them and was hoping to plan a joint movement, but for now, he claimed that he couldn’t wrestle a man from them as their commander, General Chapman, was calling upon Wise for reinforcements.
Though Wise could not send any troops from his Legion and though Chapman’s militia was also screaming for reinforcements, Wise had the nerve to ask Floyd permission to take his Legion down the Kanawha Valley, deeper into Union-held territory.
Wise, becoming more and more fed up with his commander asking him for things, wrote General Lee, also in Western Virginia. Mostly, the letter was filled with complaints not too differently worded from the excuses given to Floyd. He also asked Lee to incorporate the regiment he sent to Floyd into his Legion so that he wouldn’t have to send it to Floyd anymore.
General Wise was also on Lee’s mind, and he took a moment to answer a September 5th letter that was even more timely on this date. Lee expressed his regrets that Floyd continually asked for troops from Wise’s Legion, but reminded him “how necessary it is to act upon reports touching the safety of troops, and that even rumors must not be neglected.”
Though Lee expressed some misgivings about Floyd’s position being “an exposed one, inviting attack,” mostly, he chastised Wise for complaining about Floyd. He also urged Wise to give up the idea of having his Legion as a separate command. “There must be a union of strength to drive back the invaders,” cautioned Lee, “I beg you will act in concert.”
Though it had been rumored that Union troops were marching south towards Carnifex Ferry, their exact location and number were still a mystery. In the evening of this date, one of General Floyd’s best scouts rode into camp exclaiming that the Federals were 4,000 strong and were advancing on “this side of Powell’s Mountain” (close to Summersville). Floyd then ordered Wise to send 1,000 troops from his Legion, nearly all his effective force. Not long later, in a following dispatch, he ordered that Wise not send the 1,000 to him, requesting only the regiment previously asked for (which Wise had already sent) and to keep a regiment from his Legion at Dogwood Gap, ready to reinforce him if needed.
Three brigades of Union troops under General Rosecrans were closing in on Summersville and closing in on a very under-prepared General Floyd.
http://civilwardailygazette.com/on-the-eve-of-battle-in-western-virginia/
C Wednesday, September 9, 1863: President Davis ordered 12,000 troops to Chattanooga, as he believed that the city could not be allowed to fall. They were to come from Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. Union forces began crossing Lookout Mountain above the city and enters the city. Again, General Bragg (CSA) was outmaneuvered and was forced to leave Chattanooga with only minor skirmishing.
https://sites.google.com/site/civilwarhardemancotn/departments/department-c/week-126
C+ Wednesday, September 9, 1863: Yankees capture Chattanooga. Union General William Rosecrans completes a brilliant campaign against the army of Confederate General Braxton Bragg when his forces capture Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The capture of Chattanooga followed a campaign in which there was little fighting but much maneuvering. On June 23, Rosecrans marched his troops out of their camp in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, just south of Nashville. Bragg, who hoped his defensive line could keep Rosecrans out and protect the rich agricultural resources of south central Tennessee, had his army arrayed northwest of Tullahoma.
When Rosecrans moved his army to Bragg’s right flank, the Confederates found themselves in a dangerous position and so Bragg pulled his forces further south to Tullahoma. But Rosecrans then feinted toward Chattanooga, forcing Bragg to give up Tullahoma and retreat into Chattanooga. At the cost of only 560 Yankee casualties, Rosecrans had taken south central Tennessee from Bragg.
Approaching Chattanooga from the west on September 8, Union forces began crossing Lookout Mountain above the city. Again, Bragg was outmaneuvered and was forced to leave Chattanooga with only minor skirmishing. On September 9, triumphant Union troops entered the city.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/yankees-capture-chattanooga
D Friday, September 9, 1864: Since the war started officially there has always been a ban on all commodities being traded between the North and South. This ban only increased the prices of the goods making them more profitable if not caught. This was too irresistible to many. Not to mention the tax tariff revenue loss to both sides, so today in Washington, a cabinet meeting was held to discuss legalization of the trade so taxes could be collected on these sales.
https://sites.google.com/site/civilwarhardemancotn/departments/1864/week-178
D+ Friday, September 9, 1864: “Officially, there had been a complete ban on all trading in all commodities between the North and the South since very early in the war. In actual fact, like most embargoes, this ban succeeded only in artificially raising the price of commodities, particularly cotton. This resulted in profits so great that a clandestine trade, particularly along the river systems of the Mississippi, was irresistible to many. The matter was becoming serious enough, both in terms of disrespect for the law and the lack of tariff revenue, to attract official attention. There was a cabinet meeting in Washington today to discuss legalization of the trade so at least taxes could be collected.”
https://bjdeming.com/2014/09/08/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-september-8-14-1864/
FYI GySgt Jack Wallace CWO4 Terrence Clark SMSgt Lawrence McCarter LTC Trent Klug SFC Bernard Walko SFC Stephen King SSG Franklin Briant SSG Byron Howard Sr CPL Ronald Keyes Jr SFC William Farrell CMDCM John F. "Doc" Bradshaw SPC Lyle MontgomeryDeborah GregsonPO2 Marco MonsalveSPC Woody Bullard SSG Michael Noll SSG Bill McCoy MSgt (Join to see) SFC David Reid, M.S, PHR, SHRM-CP, DTMSgt Christopher Collins
In 1864 quinine was re-discovered to be effective treatment for those afflicted with Malaria in the southern swamps. Quinine use dated back to the 1500s in Peru. By 1864 it was rarely used until the little blue pill saved the health and life of General George Meade’s aide-de-camp, Theodore Lyman. This revolutionary discovery would benefit soldiers and civilians until the present day.
Disease killed twice as many soldiers in the Civil War as battle deaths. Contaminated water was the largest culprit, but other diseases, such as typhoid, pneumonia, measles, tuberculosis, malaria, and various venereal diseases were in abundance. None of these were curable, save one – measles. And still, thousands died.
One such poor fellow to fall victim to disease was General George Meade’s aide-de-camp, Theodore Lyman, who gave an account of his treatment with a little blue pill which was quinine. [account is below]
Per Maj Gen William Rosecrans ‘Chattanooga is ours without a struggle, and East Tennessee is free’ on Wednesday September 9, 1863. “Somehow or another, though his army had been strung out and mismanaged, by nightfall of the 8th (really, the early morning of the 9th), it was more or less in position to his Bragg in almost any direction he moved. Before Rosecran’s head hit the pillow, he had learned that Bragg had evacuated Chattanooga that afternoon.
On this date, he ordered a brigade from Crittenden’s XXI Corps to occupy the city, while the rest join with the XX Corps, under Alexander McCook and the XIV Corps, helmed by George Thomas, in figuring out where Bragg was headed. Rosecrans hoped it was for Rome, Georgia because his Federal Army was closer to it than the Rebels (which might have been a fine indication that Bragg wouldn’t be headed for Rome, Georgia anytime soon).
“The enemy has decided not to fight at Chattanooga,” Rosecrans informed Halleck, avoiding the nagging question of the location of said enemy, if he no longer tarried in Chattanooga. This was the problem. But still, why focus upon it when a victory could be claimed?
“Chattanooga is ours without a struggle, and East Tennessee is free,” wrote the enthusiastic Rosecrans in another letter to Halleck. “Our move on the enemy’s flank and rear progresses, while the tail of his retreating column will not escape unmolested.”
Halleck, no doubt, noticed the future tense of this missive. The enemy’s tail was not currently unable to escape unmolested – “it will not escape,” wrote Rosecrans, speaking of some fine sunny day when he was actually able to locate the enemy.
Still, the stars and stripes waved free over Chattanooga, placed by an Illinois regiment of mounted infantry, specifically selected by Rosecrans for the task. For some reason, this irked the irascible General Wood, who wanted the strange bit of glory for himself.
Back at Rosecrans’ headquarters, the commanding general was trusting the news that he wanted to hear and discarding everything else. From this, he gleaned that Braxton Bragg’s demoralized Army of Tennessee was streaming straight for Rome, just as he had dreamed. And if that news wasn’t good enough, loyal citizens claimed that if pushed, Bragg wouldn’t stop short of Atlanta. These were truly wondrous days to behold.
Unfortunately for Rosecrans, this wasn’t quite the case. Bragg’s army had retreated his army out of Chattanooga, but halted between Chickamauga Creek and La Fayette. Missionary Ridge separated his force from a division from Thomas’ isolated XIV Corps. When Bragg received word that the enemy was spread out and near by, his mind turned to the idea of defeating Rosecrans in detail.
The Federal unit in question was James Negley’s Division, which was now ten miles up Chickamauga Creek. It was the only Federal division on Bragg’s side of Missionary Ridge and seemed easy enough pickings.
For this task, he simply selected the two nearest divisions, Patrick Cleburne’s from D.H. Hill’s Corps, and Thomas Hindman’s from Leonidas Polk’s Corps. Both were to be placed under the command of Hindman, a nice enough fellow, but probably not the best man for the job. Hindman was to move by easy roads southwest to hit the Yankees, while Cleburne was ordered to scramble through Pigeon Mountain’s Dug Gap from La Fayette. The two division would meet at McLemore’s Cove, at Davis’ Crossroads currently occupied by Neagley’s Federal division, and the day would be won.
Orders went out and as soon as Hindman received them, he got his division on the road. Hill, however, would not get the message until the following dawn, and would then list multiple reasons why he couldn’t help. Though this specific jab would come to little, Bragg believed he was onto something, and perhaps he was.
Background: Since last we checked in, things had gone well, and yet not as well as hoped, for William Rosecrans’ Union Army of the Cumberland. On the 4th, they could be seen clawing and scratching their way up Lookout Mountain in an attempt to maneuver the Confederate Army of Tennessee, Braxton Bragg commanding, out of Chattanooga.
The mentioned clawing lasted another two days, as Federal supply wagons took their time lumbering across the Tennessee River, following their respective divisions. Rosecrans was, of course, very interested in finding out what lay before his army, and whether this strenuous hike was worth the effort. To suss this out, he tried to send Thomas Wood’s infantry division from Thomas Crittenden’s XXI Corps along the railroad to have a poke toward Chattanooga. At the same time, he tried to coax a division of cavalry under David Stanley to move through the passes into the valley beyond Lookout Mountain.
Wood had no great desire to follow these particular orders, citing that his flanks and rear would be exposed. Since the order contained no specific hour for the move to begin, Wood allowed it to not begin at all. Following a stern rebuking from Rosecrans, however, Wood threw forward a single brigade to pacify the testy commander. Stanley, on the other hand, believed that he was outnumbered and though the order for him to move came on the 6th, he took the next two days off.
The reports that were actually making their way into Rosecrans’ headquarters brought sobering news. All figured that Braxton Bragg would drag his Rebel army out of Chattanooga for the fight, but nobody could really figure out where or when this might happen. Word that Bragg had received upwards of 20,000 reinforcements did little to settled Rosecrans’ apprehension.”
http://civilwardailygazette.com/chattanooga-is-ours-without-a-struggle-and-east-tennessee-is-free/
Blue Pill Is A Good Man” – Lt. Col. Theodore Lyman’s Short Fight With Malaria in 1864. “As most who study the Civil War for even the shortest lengths of time eventually learn, there was more to it than bullets and politics. There was also illness. Two-thirds of the men who died in the war died from disease. That means that roughly 450,000 soldiers died not from battle, but from sickness.
Contaminated water was the largest culprit, but other diseases, such as typhoid, pneumonia, measles, tuberculosis, malaria, and various venereal diseases were in abundance. None of these were curable, save one – measles. And still, thousands died.
One such poor fellow to fall victim to disease was General George Meade’s aide-de-camp, Theodore Lyman, who has left us two wonderful accounts of his time in the army. The first is a diary that was written each day, while the other is a series of letters compiled from the diaries.
While living in the fetid waters around Petersburg, Lyman contracted malaria, though at the time nobody understood how.
What precisely caused malaria was then anybody’s guess. Some did argue that it was a germ or microscopic animal, but many also believed it to be caused by decaying vegetable matter or too much moisture in the air. Now, of course, we understand that it’s actually a parasite passed on to us by the mosquito. In 1864, they had not yet made such a connection.
While in his book With Grant and Meade; From the Wilderness to Appomattox Lyman only alluded to his illness of which he began to feel the symtoms on a trip to the north. “Got a 15-day leave for home!!!” he wrote on August 27th. But in a few short days, as he returned to his home near Boston, he began to feel ill.
“Something or other the matter with me,” wrote Theodore Lyman on August 31st, “weak, sort of nausea.” Two days later, he reported: “Very weak – all my bile running the wrong way, and getting worse. To Dr. Cabot, who said the northern air, with the late cool change had brought to the surface the malaria in the system. He told me to take some rhubarb and magnesia and follow it with wormwood tea.”
Lyman followed the doctor’s orders, taking a “low diet,” but confessed the tea “to be a humbug.” Nevertheless, he wrote that he felt “rather better,” though perhaps not enough to write more than a single line in his diary.
The next day, he was hardly able to move. “Lay abed,” he wrote, “headache; mean generally; nausea.” Apparently having little faith in Dr. Cabot’s wormwood concoction, he turned to Dr. Torrey “of the Jackson school.” Presumably, he meant Dr. Samuel Jackson of Northumberland, Pennsylvania, who was a professor at the University of Pennsylvania (or possibly another Samuel Jackson from the same university). Dr. Torrey gave Lyman “a blue pill, which went down and came plaguey near coming up again.”
This seemed to do the trick. “Blue pill is a good man,” wrote Lyman the next day. He never mentioned what was in this blue pill, though it was probably some sort of patent medicine. Another suggested cure was egg whites, which Lyman was also taking.
Malaria was known to effect the liver, and Lyman, on September 7th, remarked that his “is not to be scared by white of egg; so was worse again today.” He remarked that he was “queer feeling very, don’t take an interest in any thing; jocose remarks especially strike me as idiotic!”
While reading Lyman’s diary, it’s clear that the man had a sense of humor, though he was anything but juvenile. Humorous remarks, especially childish ones, might have struck him as idiotic with or without malaria.
His wife remarked the following day that “Oh you do look so yellow,” but Lyman figured that she was just trying to get him to stay home with her for a bit longer. Doctor Torrey had already written Meade a letter explaining that Lyman should stay at home for two or three weeks more.
“You must pitch into me a little harder,” said Lyman to his doctor. And so Torrey did just that, making him liver pills and some quinine. The quinine was apparently for his gums as they were “sore with the malaria.” But it’s this treatment that probably helped him most (if it was not, in fact, already in the blue pills).
Quinine was a drug derived from the bark of a Peruvian tree, and first discovered in the 1500s, and still in limited use today (especially prescribed for pregnant women). This was working.
“Better again,” he wrote on the 9th, “Liver! you must give it up; I shall fire two pills at you every evening till you go back!”
By the 12th, he was seeing “steady improvement.” Two days later, and he was walking a mile to see a friend from General Burnside’s staff, also home on leave. And in a couple of days, it was as if Theordore Lyman had never been ill at all. By the end of the month, he would be back by General Meade’s side and the war would continue.
Below are a number of journal entries from 1861 and 1862 which shed light on what life was like for soldiers and civilians – the good, the bad and the ugly.
CAMP SMITH, ON BIG BIRCH, NICHOLAS COUNTY, Va., SUNDAY NIGHT, Sept. 9, 1861. “An Army marching from Clarksburgh to Big Birch River experiences some toil and tribulation, but if the weather is fair, the tramp is not serious enough to growl about, provided the men are not harassed unnecessarily. The route is as rugged as the journey of an ambitious man's life, with casual deviations until after you leave Weston, when hills and hollows, glens and gorges, rocks and ruggedness, become the unvarying rule. We encamped on the bluffs above the lifeless village of Sutton, Wednesday, at noon, and received orders to advance at 6 o'clock Saturday morning. The tents were struck promptly, and the column was ready to move, but the General was inspired with a notion to inspect the troops in marching order, the result of which was a delay of six hours, during which period officers from corporal to colonel, and men from cooks to high-privates, received blessings decidedly more sharp than pleasing.
At mid-day the column and its ponderous baggage train twisted themselves around the swelling form of Kreitz's Mountain -- a bifurcated elevation, with twin summits, divided by a gorge of profound depth and obscurity. From that time until late at night, we swept steadily onward, with now and then a brief halt, to afford men and beasts opportunity to recruit strength for continued effort. After severe toil, we halted on the southeast bank of Big Birch River, in Nicholas County, nineteen miles from Sutton, and sixteen from Summersville. The march was unnecessarily harassing, owing to bad management of the column. We should have moved with military promptitude at six in the morning, and halted long enough before nightfall to enable the troops to pitch their tents, and give the subsistence train time to come up. As it was mismanaged, the men made the last four or five miles, through darkness over a painful road, wading creeks and splashing through mud, mingled with gravel, and at last plunged into the wet grass, and bivouacked without satisfying their hunger. The train was compelled to halt in the middle of the road, and did not all arrive until nearly noon yesterday.
The march was not interrupted by a solitary incident. We had ample opportunity to admire fine scenery, but we had seen so much of a similar character, that it did not inspire any unnsual emotions. It was perhaps a little wilder than any we had noticed, the mountains were somewhat more abrupt, the gorges deeper, the ravines more obscure, the Little Birch more beautiful than any stream we had crossed in Virginia, and the population was more scattered. In the march of nineteen miles we passed hardly an acre of anything approaching level ground, until we descended the "Powell" summit of the mountain, on this side of Little Birch River, when we fell upon an attenuated valley, which was nothing more than a fertile little farm, plowed deep between frowning ridges until it ran out into the mere channel of a creek.
In the morning, two scouting parties had been thrown out in advance, and five or six miles out from our camping ground, the dragoons surprised several rebel scouts and gave chase, but the knaves escaped in the jungle. Pushing onward to these flats, the scouts arrived in time to discover the retreat of fifteen or twenty of the enemy up the sides of Big Birch Mountain. A shot or two was mutually wasted, and the rebels got safely beyond our reach.
Yesterday, the whole surrounding country was reconnoitered by the general and his engineers, and our scouts were thrown out in every direction. During the morning, three shots were fired ineffectually by a gang of bush-whackers, at one of our pickets on the summit of Big Birch. Later in the day, Col. SMITH, of the Thirteenth Ohio, went forward with his regiment, and he is probably at Summerville this morning. One of his scouting parties fell in with a party of rebels, and shots were exchanged, the rebels losing one killed and two captured. It is reported that the enemy are concentrated in large numbers beyond us, but I think they are considerably further in advance than the cowardly inhabitants of the country would have us believe. I do not think there will be a general action much this side of Lewisburgh. It is my impression that the enemy has chosen his position in that vicinity, and will await attack.
I must confess I do not now feel perfectly sanguine concerning the result of this expedition. I believe the rebels are very strong, and I am not satisfied that we are numerous enough to attack them successfully in their chosen positions. By glancing at the map, you will discover that our line of transportation is very long, and we have found the road a hard one for loaded wagons to travel. When we arrive at Summerville, the line will have been extended a distance of 105 miles -- equivalent to fully 200, in ordinary countries. It is superfluous to speculate upon the opportunities the rebels will enjoy of cutting off our trains and falling on our rear. Should we succeed in forming a junction with Cox, the aspect of things will be materially improved, inasmuch as our strength will be increased, and the army will be able to draw its subsistence via the Charleston route.”
http://www.nytimes.com/1861/09/15/news/war-western-virginia-events-preceding-late-battle-march-over-kreitz-s-mountain.html
Tuesday, September 9, 1862: The New York Times publishes an editorial worrying about the state of Kentucky, and offers this alarm: “The destruction of bridges by the rebels, on the railroad between Frankfort and Louisville, shows that they are in complete control of the capital and entire interior of that State. The Governor had previously removed to Louisville, with the Legislature; and we presume the State archives are all safe. Still, the fact that the capital of Kentucky is in the hands of the rebels, as well as the present capital of Maryland, is a mortifying fact, and should certainly inflame the patriotism of the two States and beget a feeling of resentment that the loyalists in no part of the country have yet manifested.
In Kentucky, the rebel rule will doubtless be extremely severe. The lines have been tightly drawn in that State, nearly a year, and the bitterest feuds exist between the Unionists and secession sympathizers. . . .”
Tuesday, September 9, 1862: Sarah Morgan, in Clinton, Louisiana, writes in her journal concerning the news of Lee’s victories in Virginia and consequently of her brothers in the army: “At sunset Saturday, Eliza and Miriam returned to Mrs. McCay’s with Nannie Davidson. Mother had proved obdurate and refused to leave Clinton; so they had all gone on, and spent the day with Mrs. Haynes instead of going to Mrs. George’s. After my quiet, solitary day, I was glad to see them again, particularly as they brought confirmation of the great victory in Virginia. It is said the enemy were cut off from Washington, and that we were pursuing them. O my brothers! If God will only spare them! I envy Lydia who is so near them, and knows all, and can take care of them if they are hurt. It will be several days at least, before we can hear from them, if we hear at all; for Jimmy has never yet written a line, and George has written but once since the taking of the forts, and that was before the battle of Chickahominy. We can only wait patiently.”
Pictures: 1862 Harper's Weekly engraving of captured blockade runners; 1862-09 Harpers Ferry Virginia; 1861 Civil War Map western Virginia battles; Confederate Horse Cavalry
A. Monday, September 9, 1861: On the eve of battle at Carnifex Ferry in Western Virginia, General Wise’s wing of the Confederate Army of the Kanawha stirred to life in the morning when word arrived from General Floyd. By 8:30am, the dispatch penned by Floyd, seventeen miles away, was in Wise’s hands. The enemy, said Floyd, who actually commanded the army, was twelve miles away from Summersville (which was about fifteen miles away from Floyd at Carnifex Ferry). With only 1,600 men, it was unlikely, thought Floyd, that he could withstand an attack and he requested Wise to send two regiments at once.
Wise, as was typical, balked, sending only one regiment (which wasn’t technically part of “Wise’s Legion” anyway), but refusing to send more. Never wanting to break up his Legion, Wise had even requested Lee to issue an order stating that it could never be broken up (Lee refused). This time around, Wise reasoned that he had up to 3,000 Federals before him at Gauley Bridge and only 1,050 effectives of his own.
B. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: Antietam Campaign. CSA General Robert E. Lee was surprised to learn that Harpers Ferry had not been abandoned by its Federal garrison. By all typical military logic, it should have been. And yet, it was held by 14,000 Union troops. Lee wanted to establish a line of communication with Richmond that would avoid Manassas, as it would be too easy for enemy forces to disrupt it. His only other option was using the Shenandoah Valley. But an occupied Harpers Ferry blocked the way.
This was a problem. If he ignored the garrison at Harpers Ferry, there was little chance they’d add much weight to the Union Army of the Potomac’s pursuit, but there was every chance that his daily communication with Richmond, as well as his line of supplies, would be destroyed. Before he moved any farther – upon Hagerstown or into Pennsylvania – the Harpers Ferry problem had to be solved.
C. Wednesday, September 9, 1863: Chattanooga, Tennessee is abandoned by CSA Gen Braxton Bragg as Maj Gen Rosecrans Army of the Cumberland outmaneuvers his defenses via Lookout Mountain. This occurred even while CSA President Jefferson Davis wanted to send 12,000 from Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia to shore up eastern Tennessee.
Union General William Rosecrans completes a brilliant campaign against the army of Confederate General Braxton Bragg when his forces capture Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The capture of Chattanooga followed a campaign in which there was little fighting but much maneuvering. When Rosecrans moved his army to Bragg’s right flank, the Confederates found themselves in a dangerous position and so Bragg pulled his forces further south to Tullahoma. But Rosecrans then feinted toward Chattanooga, forcing Bragg to give up Tullahoma and retreat into Chattanooga. At the cost of only 560 Yankee casualties, Rosecrans had taken south central Tennessee from Bragg.
Approaching Chattanooga from the west on September 8, Union forces began crossing Lookout Mountain above the city. Again, Bragg was outmaneuvered and was forced to leave Chattanooga with only minor skirmishing. On September 9, triumphant Union troops entered the city.
D. Friday, September 9, 1864: Smuggling and profiteering on the Mississippi gets Washington, D.C’s attention Since the war started officially there has always been a ban on all commodities being traded between the North and South. This ban only increased the prices of the goods making them more profitable if not caught. This was too irresistible to many. Not to mention the tax tariff revenue loss to both sides, so today in Washington, a cabinet meeting was held to discuss legalization of the trade so taxes could be collected on these sales.
D+ Friday, September 9, 1864: “Officially, there had been a complete ban on all trading in all commodities between the North and the South since very early in the war. In actual fact, like most embargoes, this ban succeeded only in artificially raising the price of commodities, particularly cotton. This resulted in profits so great that a clandestine trade, particularly along the river systems of the Mississippi, was irresistible to many. The matter was becoming serious enough, both in terms of disrespect for the law and the lack of tariff revenue, to attract official attention. There was a cabinet meeting in Washington today to discuss legalization of the trade so at least taxes could be collected.”
1. Monday, September 9, 1861: CAMP SMITH, ON BIG BIRCH, NICHOLAS COUNTY, Va., SUNDAY NIGHT “An Army marching from Clarksburgh to Big Birch River experiences some toil and tribulation, but if the weather is fair, the tramp is not serious enough to growl about, provided the men are not harassed unnecessarily. The route is as rugged as the journey of an ambitious man's life, with casual deviations until after you leave Weston, when hills and hollows, glens and gorges, rocks and ruggedness, become the unvarying rule. We encamped on the bluffs above the lifeless village of Sutton, Wednesday, at noon, and received orders to advance at 6 o'clock Saturday morning. The tents were struck promptly, and the column was ready to move, but the General was inspired with a notion to inspect the troops in marching order, the result of which was a delay of six hours, during which period officers from corporal to colonel, and men from cooks to high-privates, received blessings decidedly more sharp than pleasing.
At mid-day the column and its ponderous baggage train twisted themselves around the swelling form of Kreitz's Mountain -- a bifurcated elevation, with twin summits, divided by a gorge of profound depth and obscurity. From that time until late at night, we swept steadily onward, with now and then a brief halt, to afford men and beasts opportunity to recruit strength for continued effort. After severe toil, we halted on the southeast bank of Big Birch River, in Nicholas County, nineteen miles from Sutton, and sixteen from Summersville. The march was unnecessarily harassing, owing to bad management of the column. We should have moved with military promptitude at six in the morning, and halted long enough before nightfall to enable the troops to pitch their tents, and give the subsistence train time to come up. As it was mismanaged, the men made the last four or five miles, through darkness over a painful road, wading creeks and splashing through mud, mingled with gravel, and at last plunged into the wet grass, and bivouacked without satisfying their hunger. The train was compelled to halt in the middle of the road, and did not all arrive until nearly noon yesterday.
The march was not interrupted by a solitary incident. We had ample opportunity to admire fine scenery, but we had seen so much of a similar character, that it did not inspire any unnsual emotions. It was perhaps a little wilder than any we had noticed, the mountains were somewhat more abrupt, the gorges deeper, the ravines more obscure, the Little Birch more beautiful than any stream we had crossed in Virginia, and the population was more scattered. In the march of nineteen miles we passed hardly an acre of anything approaching level ground, until we descended the "Powell" summit of the mountain, on this side of Little Birch River, when we fell upon an attenuated valley, which was nothing more than a fertile little farm, plowed deep between frowning ridges until it ran out into the mere channel of a creek.
In the morning, two scouting parties had been thrown out in advance, and five or six miles out from our camping ground, the dragoons surprised several rebel scouts and gave chase, but the knaves escaped in the jungle. Pushing onward to these flats, the scouts arrived in time to discover the retreat of fifteen or twenty of the enemy up the sides of Big Birch Mountain. A shot or two was mutually wasted, and the rebels got safely beyond our reach.
Yesterday, the whole surrounding country was reconnoitered by the general and his engineers, and our scouts were thrown out in every direction. During the morning, three shots were fired ineffectually by a gang of bush-whackers, at one of our pickets on the summit of Big Birch. Later in the day, Col. SMITH, of the Thirteenth Ohio, went forward with his regiment, and he is probably at Summerville this morning. One of his scouting parties fell in with a party of rebels, and shots were exchanged, the rebels losing one killed and two captured. It is reported that the enemy are concentrated in large numbers beyond us, but I think they are considerably further in advance than the cowardly inhabitants of the country would have us believe. I do not think there will be a general action much this side of Lewisburgh. It is my impression that the enemy has chosen his position in that vicinity, and will await attack.
I must confess I do not now feel perfectly sanguine concerning the result of this expedition. I believe the rebels are very strong, and I am not satisfied that we are numerous enough to attack them successfully in their chosen positions. By glancing at the map, you will discover that our line of transportation is very long, and we have found the road a hard one for loaded wagons to travel. When we arrive at Summerville, the line will have been extended a distance of 105 miles -- equivalent to fully 200, in ordinary countries. It is superfluous to speculate upon the opportunities the rebels will enjoy of cutting off our trains and falling on our rear. Should we succeed in forming a junction with Cox, the aspect of things will be materially improved, inasmuch as our strength will be increased, and the army will be able to draw its subsistence via the Charleston route.”
http://www.nytimes.com/1861/09/15/news/war-western-virginia-events-preceding-late-battle-march-over-kreitz-s-mountain.html
2. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: Gen. Robert E. Lee issues Orders No. 191, deploying his army in several parts to accomplish a number of tasks, especially taking Harper’s Ferry and disrupting the operations of the B&O Railroad, the main rail link between East and West northern states: “HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, September 9, 1862. SPECIAL ORDERED, Numbers 191.
The army will resume its march to-morrow taking the Hagerstown road. General Jackson's command will form the advance, and, after passing Middletown, with such portion as he may select, take the route toward Sharpsburg, cross the Potomac at the most convenient point, and, by Friday night, take possession of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, capture such of the enemy as may be at Martinsburg, and intercept such as may attempt to escape from Harper's Ferry.
General Longstreet's command will pursue the same road as far as Boonsborough, where it will halt with the reserve, supply, and baggage trains of the army.
General McLaws, with his own division and that of General R. H. Anderson, will follow general Longstreet. On reaching Middletown he will take the route to Harper's Ferry, and by Friday morning possess himself of the Maryland Heights, and endeavor to capture the enemy at Harper's Ferry and vicinity.
General Walker, with his division, after accomplishing the object in which he is now engaged, will cross the Potomac at Cheek's Ford, ascend its right bank to Loyettsville, take possession of Loudoun Heights, if practicable, by Friday morning, Keys' Ford on his left, and the road between the end of the mountain and the Potomac on his right. He will, as far as practicable, co-operate with General McLaws and General Jackson in intercepting the retreat of the enemy.
General D. H. Hill's division will form the rear guard of the army, pursuing the road taken by the main body. The reserve artillery, ordnance, supply trins, &c., will precede General Hill.
General Stuart will detach a squadron of cavalry to accompany the commands of Generals Longstreet, Jackson, and McLaws, and with the main body of the cavalry will cover the route of the army and bring up all stragglers that may have been left behind.
The commands of Generals Jackson, McLaws, and Walker, after accomplishing the objects for which they have been detached, will join the main body of the army at Boonsborough or Hagerstown.
Each regiment on the march will habitually carry its axes in the regimental ordnance wagons, for use of the men at their encampments to procure wood, &c.
By command of General R. E. Lee: R. H. CHILTON, Assistant Adjutant-General
Major General D. H. Hill, Commanding Division.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+9%2C+1862
3. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: At Sabine Pass, on the Texas coast, the USS Connecticut captures the English-owned blockade runner named Rambler, as she dashed out with a load of cotton headed for Havana.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+9%2C+1862
4. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: The New York Times publishes an editorial worrying about the state of Kentucky, and offers this alarm: “The destruction of bridges by the rebels, on the railroad between Frankfort and Louisville, shows that they are in complete control of the capital and entire interior of that State. The Governor had previously removed to Louisville, with the Legislature; and we presume the State archives are all safe. Still, the fact that the capital of Kentucky is in the hands of the rebels, as well as the present capital of Maryland, is a mortifying fact, and should certainly inflame the patriotism of the two States and beget a feeling of resentment that the loyalists in no part of the country have yet manifested.
In Kentucky, the rebel rule will doubtless be extremely severe. The lines have been tightly drawn in that State, nearly a year, and the bitterest feuds exist between the Unionists and secession sympathizers. . . .
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+9%2C+1862
5. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: Sarah Morgan, in Clinton, Louisiana, writes in her journal concerning the news of Lee’s victories in Virginia and consequently of her brothers in the army: “At sunset Saturday, Eliza and Miriam returned to Mrs. McCay’s with Nannie Davidson. Mother had proved obdurate and refused to leave Clinton; so they had all gone on, and spent the day with Mrs. Haynes instead of going to Mrs. George’s. After my quiet, solitary day, I was glad to see them again, particularly as they brought confirmation of the great victory in Virginia. It is said the enemy were cut off from Washington, and that we were pursuing them. O my brothers! If God will only spare them! I envy Lydia who is so near them, and knows all, and can take care of them if they are hurt. It will be several days at least, before we can hear from them, if we hear at all; for Jimmy has never yet written a line, and George has written but once since the taking of the forts, and that was before the battle of Chickahominy. We can only wait patiently.”
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+9%2C+1862
6. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: The people of Maryland did not greet Lee’s army with any enthusiasm despite his proclamation that his intention was to return the state to the Confederacy – which Lee assumed would sell his cause. The expected provisions were not forthcoming and Lee’s army remained short of supplies. Lee gathers his staff, plans were made for their sweep North. The set of plans was given the designation Special Order 191, and copies were made.
https://sites.google.com/site/civilwarhardemancotn/departments/department-b/part-74
7. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia has remained in the vicinity of Frederick, Maryland for five days, and Lee decides to split his army into several pieces and put them on the move. At the same time, he is getting reliable intelligence that McClellan is on the move, although Lee is confident that McClellan will not move fast enough to cause the Confederacy any consternation.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+9%2C+1862
8. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: On the Union side, McClellan begins sending out tentative feelers to make contact with the Confederates, convinced that they are in Frederick. He is also convinced that Lee’s army numbers about 110,000, which is more than twice Lee’s actual numbers. McClellan confidently writes to Gen. Halleck, his superior, “The army is tonight well posted to act in any direction the moment the enemy develops his movements, . . . I am now in condition to-watch him closely, and he will find it hard to escape me if he commits a blunder.”
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+9%2C+1862
9. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: Pres. Lincoln meets with a group of prominent Baltimoreans who are worried about the Confederate invasion. Lincoln assures them that the U.S. Army is prepared to protect their city.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+9%2C+1862
10. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: No one in the Union army seems to know what is going on in Kentucky. Pres. Lincoln inquires of Gen. Jeremiah Boyle, the Union commander in Kentucky, as to the whereabouts of Gen. Bragg’s army, which some in Washington fear may be heading to Virginia. Boyle does not know.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+9%2C+1862
11. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: There is more heavy skirmishing between cavalry of both armies on the road from Poolesville to Barnesville, Maryland.
‘http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+9%2C+1862
12. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: A Colonel Shingles, of the Confederate Army, leads a small force of Rebel cavalry and artillery against the Union garrison at Williamsburg, Virginia, and overwhelms them, recapturing the town.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+9%2C+1862
13. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: General Robert E. Lee issues Special Order No. 191
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186209
14. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: Antietam/Sharpsburg: General Lee issues Special Order No. 191, outlining his plans for the campaign. Copies are sent to all his commanders, but the one for D. H. Hill is lost. General Hill, though, receives his order from General Jackson and no one realizes one copy is missing.
https://bjdeming.com/2012/10/13/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-september-3-9-1862/
15. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: Confederate Heartland Offensive: At Munfordville, General Forrest’s cavalry encounters Union troops that are waiting to capture them. The Confederate horsemen force the Federals to withdraw, and carry on with their mission. Their horses are very weary and Forrest’s falls and rolls on him. The general is bruised and dislocates his shoulder, “causing much pain for several days.”
https://bjdeming.com/2012/10/13/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-september-3-9-1862/
16. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: Western Theater: Skirmish near Rienzi, Mississippi.
https://bjdeming.com/2012/10/13/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-september-3-9-1862/
17. Tuesday, September 9, 1862: Samuel P. Heintzelman is put in command of defenses south of Washington, D. C.
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186209
18. Wednesday, September 9, 1863: Brigadier General John W. Frazier [CS] surrenders his men guarding the Cumberland Gap, Kentucky
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186309
19. Wednesday, September 9, 1863: Federal troops enter Chattanooga, Tennessee following its evacuation by the Army of Tennessee
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186309
20. Wednesday, September 9, 1863: James Longstreet leaves Virginia with his corps to reinforce the Army of Tennessee
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186309
21. Wednesday, September 9, 1863: Chattanooga, Tennessee: Federal division from Rosecrans’ army under Stanley and Wood maneuver near Chattanooga, and this afternoon, the Confederates march out of the city and south into Georgia. Rosecrans telegraphs the news and blue-clad troops enter the city.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+9%2C+1863
22. Wednesday, September 9, 1863: South Carolina operations/Siege of Charleston: A US attempt to take Fort Sumter by landing soldiers in small boats fails.
https://bjdeming.com/2013/09/09/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-september-9-15-1863/
23. Wednesday, September 9, 1863: Chickamauga Campaign: Skirmishes at Friar’s Island, Tennessee, and Lookout Mountain, Georgia.
From the east, General Lee and CS President Davis send General Longstreet, who roomed with US General Rosecrans at West Point, with his corps to reinforce General Bragg.
In the north, US General Crittenden and the left wing of Rosecrans’ army are atop Lookout Mountain. US General Thomas is at McLemore with the center wing, and Bragg is still trying to get information about the US right wing from CS General Wheeler’s cavalry in the south.
General Forrest and his cavalry (including some of John Hunt Morgan’s men who Forrest – risking a courtmartial – has refused to dismount as Bragg had ordered) are guarding Rome, Georgia, and this day are ordered to headquarter at Dalton, junction of the George & Tennessee rail line to Knoxville and the Western & Atlantic to Chattanooga.
With the right wing’s location still unknown and with the Yankees on the move, Bragg decides to fight Rosecrans’ two divided wings separately, starting first on the center wing.
As Crittenden comes down Lookout Mountain, a regiment is sent to occupy Chattanooga. A division under US General James Negley, reinforced by some of General Thomas’s men, pours into McLemore’s Cove. CS General D. H. Hill’s division is called back from Lafayette to hold the passes of Pigeon Mountain against Negley, with orders to ultimately join Hindman’s Division of General Polk’s corps in an operation against the Federals at McLemore’s Cove.
Meanwhile, unknown to General Wheeler and therefore to General Bragg, US General McCook has assembled his corps near Alpine, Georgia, near Winston’s Gap, 42 miles from Chattanooga, and now receives orders to diverge further from the line by pushing on to Alpine, then east toward Summerville to intercept Bragg, who Rosecrans believes is retreating.
https://bjdeming.com/2013/09/09/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-september-9-15-1863/
24. Friday, September 9, 1864:
25.
A On the eve of battle in Western Virginia on Monday, September 9, 1861. “General Wise’s wing of the Confederate Army of the Kanawha stirred to life in the morning when word arrived from General Floyd. By 8:30am, the dispatch penned by Floyd, seventeen miles away, was in Wise’s hands. The enemy, said Floyd, who actually commanded the army, was twelve miles away from Summersville (which was about fifteen miles away from Floyd at Carnifex Ferry). With only 1,600 men, it was unlikely, thought Floyd, that he could withstand an attack and he requested Wise to send two regiments at once.
Wise, as was typical, balked, sending only one regiment (which wasn’t technically part of “Wise’s Legion” anyway), but refusing to send more. Never wanting to break up his Legion, Wise had even requested Lee to issue an order stating that it could never be broken up (Lee refused). This time around, Wise reasoned that he had up to 3,000 Federals before him at Gauley Bridge and only 1,050 effectives of his own.
Floyd had suggested that Wise could draw his own reinforcements from the militia just across New River. Wise had been in communication with them and was hoping to plan a joint movement, but for now, he claimed that he couldn’t wrestle a man from them as their commander, General Chapman, was calling upon Wise for reinforcements.
Though Wise could not send any troops from his Legion and though Chapman’s militia was also screaming for reinforcements, Wise had the nerve to ask Floyd permission to take his Legion down the Kanawha Valley, deeper into Union-held territory.
Wise, becoming more and more fed up with his commander asking him for things, wrote General Lee, also in Western Virginia. Mostly, the letter was filled with complaints not too differently worded from the excuses given to Floyd. He also asked Lee to incorporate the regiment he sent to Floyd into his Legion so that he wouldn’t have to send it to Floyd anymore.
General Wise was also on Lee’s mind, and he took a moment to answer a September 5th letter that was even more timely on this date. Lee expressed his regrets that Floyd continually asked for troops from Wise’s Legion, but reminded him “how necessary it is to act upon reports touching the safety of troops, and that even rumors must not be neglected.”
Though Lee expressed some misgivings about Floyd’s position being “an exposed one, inviting attack,” mostly, he chastised Wise for complaining about Floyd. He also urged Wise to give up the idea of having his Legion as a separate command. “There must be a union of strength to drive back the invaders,” cautioned Lee, “I beg you will act in concert.”
Though it had been rumored that Union troops were marching south towards Carnifex Ferry, their exact location and number were still a mystery. In the evening of this date, one of General Floyd’s best scouts rode into camp exclaiming that the Federals were 4,000 strong and were advancing on “this side of Powell’s Mountain” (close to Summersville). Floyd then ordered Wise to send 1,000 troops from his Legion, nearly all his effective force. Not long later, in a following dispatch, he ordered that Wise not send the 1,000 to him, requesting only the regiment previously asked for (which Wise had already sent) and to keep a regiment from his Legion at Dogwood Gap, ready to reinforce him if needed.
Three brigades of Union troops under General Rosecrans were closing in on Summersville and closing in on a very under-prepared General Floyd.
http://civilwardailygazette.com/on-the-eve-of-battle-in-western-virginia/
C Wednesday, September 9, 1863: President Davis ordered 12,000 troops to Chattanooga, as he believed that the city could not be allowed to fall. They were to come from Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. Union forces began crossing Lookout Mountain above the city and enters the city. Again, General Bragg (CSA) was outmaneuvered and was forced to leave Chattanooga with only minor skirmishing.
https://sites.google.com/site/civilwarhardemancotn/departments/department-c/week-126
C+ Wednesday, September 9, 1863: Yankees capture Chattanooga. Union General William Rosecrans completes a brilliant campaign against the army of Confederate General Braxton Bragg when his forces capture Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The capture of Chattanooga followed a campaign in which there was little fighting but much maneuvering. On June 23, Rosecrans marched his troops out of their camp in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, just south of Nashville. Bragg, who hoped his defensive line could keep Rosecrans out and protect the rich agricultural resources of south central Tennessee, had his army arrayed northwest of Tullahoma.
When Rosecrans moved his army to Bragg’s right flank, the Confederates found themselves in a dangerous position and so Bragg pulled his forces further south to Tullahoma. But Rosecrans then feinted toward Chattanooga, forcing Bragg to give up Tullahoma and retreat into Chattanooga. At the cost of only 560 Yankee casualties, Rosecrans had taken south central Tennessee from Bragg.
Approaching Chattanooga from the west on September 8, Union forces began crossing Lookout Mountain above the city. Again, Bragg was outmaneuvered and was forced to leave Chattanooga with only minor skirmishing. On September 9, triumphant Union troops entered the city.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/yankees-capture-chattanooga
D Friday, September 9, 1864: Since the war started officially there has always been a ban on all commodities being traded between the North and South. This ban only increased the prices of the goods making them more profitable if not caught. This was too irresistible to many. Not to mention the tax tariff revenue loss to both sides, so today in Washington, a cabinet meeting was held to discuss legalization of the trade so taxes could be collected on these sales.
https://sites.google.com/site/civilwarhardemancotn/departments/1864/week-178
D+ Friday, September 9, 1864: “Officially, there had been a complete ban on all trading in all commodities between the North and the South since very early in the war. In actual fact, like most embargoes, this ban succeeded only in artificially raising the price of commodities, particularly cotton. This resulted in profits so great that a clandestine trade, particularly along the river systems of the Mississippi, was irresistible to many. The matter was becoming serious enough, both in terms of disrespect for the law and the lack of tariff revenue, to attract official attention. There was a cabinet meeting in Washington today to discuss legalization of the trade so at least taxes could be collected.”
https://bjdeming.com/2014/09/08/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-september-8-14-1864/
FYI GySgt Jack Wallace CWO4 Terrence Clark SMSgt Lawrence McCarter LTC Trent Klug SFC Bernard Walko SFC Stephen King SSG Franklin Briant SSG Byron Howard Sr CPL Ronald Keyes Jr SFC William Farrell CMDCM John F. "Doc" Bradshaw SPC Lyle MontgomeryDeborah GregsonPO2 Marco MonsalveSPC Woody Bullard SSG Michael Noll SSG Bill McCoy MSgt (Join to see) SFC David Reid, M.S, PHR, SHRM-CP, DTMSgt Christopher Collins
‘Chattanooga is Ours Without a Struggle, and East Tennessee is Free’
September 9, 1863 (Wednesday) Since last we checked in, things had gone well, and yet not as well as hoped, for William Rosecrans’ Union Army of the Cumberland. On the 4th, they could be seen…
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LTC Stephen F.
You are very welcome my friend and brother-in-Christ TSgt Joe C. and thanks for letting us know that you consider all of the events I listed as significant for Septmebr 9 during the US Civil War.
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Those hospitals were pretty scary places LTC Stephen F., perhaps more so than the battlefield!
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1stSgt Eugene Harless
Even with that the progress made in medicine during the war was impressive. Its hard to think about going into a fight and not having the most rudimentary care until you were carried back to the regimental/ Brigade Surgeon. No first aid, nothing. If you were lucky you could stop the bleeding with a rag and make your way back, or wait until dark or a truce to have someone pick you up. Then it was usually laying on the floor of a barn or house with scores of other wounded for hours until you were poked and prodded and bandaged, often with minimum pain killer. Then they would wait to see if you died.
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Harper's Ferry was the single biggest surrender of US forces up until the fall of Bataan in WW2
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LTC Stephen F.
Thank you my friend 1stSgt Eugene Harless for sharing your thoughts on Harpers Ferry in September 9, 1862 yes by September 12, the Federal garrison at Harpers Ferry surrendered.
"1862, CSA General Robert E. Lee issued Orders Number 191 which laid out his battle plans for what would become the Antietam battle. Nobody realized a copy of the orders was missing. Lee was surprised to learn that the bypassed Harpers Ferry in Western Virginia was manned by 14,000 Federal troops astride his lines of communication.
Tuesday, September 9, 1862: “Gen. Robert E. Lee issues Orders No. 191, deploying his army in several parts to accomplish a number of tasks, especially taking Harper’s Ferry and disrupting the operations of the B&O Railroad, the main rail link between East and West northern states: 1862, CSA General Robert E. Lee issued Orders Number 191 which laid out his battle plans for what would become the Antietam battle. Nobody realized a copy of the orders was missing.
"Meanwhile, General Lafayette McLaws would take two divisions to the heights overlooking Harpers Ferry. Another division, under General John Walker, had already left Frederick and would be falling upon Harpers Ferry from the south. With Jackson north of the Union garrison, McLaws to the east, and Walker to the south, there was no doubt that Harpers Ferry would fall.
After all of this was accomplished (by Friday, September 12), Jackson, McLaws and Walker were to rejoin the main body of Lee’s army which would, by then, be near Hagerstown."
"1862, CSA General Robert E. Lee issued Orders Number 191 which laid out his battle plans for what would become the Antietam battle. Nobody realized a copy of the orders was missing. Lee was surprised to learn that the bypassed Harpers Ferry in Western Virginia was manned by 14,000 Federal troops astride his lines of communication.
Tuesday, September 9, 1862: “Gen. Robert E. Lee issues Orders No. 191, deploying his army in several parts to accomplish a number of tasks, especially taking Harper’s Ferry and disrupting the operations of the B&O Railroad, the main rail link between East and West northern states: 1862, CSA General Robert E. Lee issued Orders Number 191 which laid out his battle plans for what would become the Antietam battle. Nobody realized a copy of the orders was missing.
"Meanwhile, General Lafayette McLaws would take two divisions to the heights overlooking Harpers Ferry. Another division, under General John Walker, had already left Frederick and would be falling upon Harpers Ferry from the south. With Jackson north of the Union garrison, McLaws to the east, and Walker to the south, there was no doubt that Harpers Ferry would fall.
After all of this was accomplished (by Friday, September 12), Jackson, McLaws and Walker were to rejoin the main body of Lee’s army which would, by then, be near Hagerstown."
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Our nation will never forget this battle in which some families fought on opposite sides
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LTC Stephen F.
Thank you my friend and brother-in-Christ SFC David Reid, M.S, PHR, SHRM-CP, DTM for responding. I expect you arereferring to the Antietam/Sharspberg campaign which was Robert E. Lee's initial attempt to bring the war into Pennsylvania. Thankfully at Antitam Creek the Army of Northern Virginia was repulsed at Burnside Bridge which I have visisted a few times.
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Great article on Stonewall Jackson's Capture of Harper's Ferry. He moved men and artillery during all hours over supposedly impassable terrain to make the Union Force's position untenable. In a way it was a blueprint for what the Viet Mihn did to the French at Dien Bien Phu 90 years later.
The Commander of Harper's Ferry was in way over his head. http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/harpersferry/harpers-ferry-history-articles/harpersferrytriumphfrye.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/
The Commander of Harper's Ferry was in way over his head. http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/harpersferry/harpers-ferry-history-articles/harpersferrytriumphfrye.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/
Stonewall Jackson's Triumph at Harpers Ferry
Civil War students adore facts. We read voraciously to discover them. We work aggressively to memorize them. We boast gleefully when we challenge friends and stump them. So, here are some not-so-well known facts to add to your personal arsenal:
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